Friday 30 March 2012

Lazy Stripes

Dorothy Perkins, you are killing me with a 30% off event. I cannot refuse you at the best of times.

I popped into there yesterday during my lunch break and came out £115 lighter - convincing myself I'd gotten a good deal as I'd saved nearly £40. Maybe I should have bought more. I am now online making sure there is nothing I missed. I'm just doing my bit for the economy. 

One of the things I came away with was this dress which I am currently loving. I might have to buy a few more - especially given they are currently a steal at £16. 

It's navy, but not sure you can really tell that from these photos. They aren't the best quality, but then at least they aren't in my office loo's either. 

This dress is very comfy, and fairly roomy. I love the fact that the wrap over front doesn't display my breasticles for all to see and I don't need to wear a vest underneath to protect my modesty. I perhaps need a belt with it, but I'm working from home today, so it's the next best thing to lounging around in my PJ's. These leggings are really good quality for the price, I'm going to snap up a few more pairs.




 Navy & Ivory striped wrap dress (18) - Dorothy Perkins 
Navy Leggings (XL) - Store 21
Grey Bow Pumps - Dorothy Perkins (last season)
Grey Cardigan (18) - M&S Limited Collection (last season)



Wednesday 28 March 2012

Lovely lace

This is one of those outfits that I had in my head, but I'm just not so sure about when it's on. 

I'd seen the t-shirt on the Dorothy Perkins website and fell in lust. When I saw it in my local store, it was just as gorgeous so it had to be mine. The issue I have with t-shirts like this is my backside. It's massive, so anything that fits me up top, tends to struggle to get over my hips. Hence it bunches up in an unattractive fashion over my rather large arse. If I size up to fit my bum, the top looks like a tent so it's always a trade off which way to go.

In this case, I had no option as they only had a size 18. So that was my decision made. 

 Since it's still effectively early Spring, a Jacket and Scarf are most definitely required of a morning.

 Magnifying Glass Pendant.

Not sure if you can see how shiny it is. Very pretty,


Gold Foil Lace T-Shirt (18) - Dorothy Perkins
Belted Jersey Maxi Skirt (22) - New Look Inspire
Cropped Denim Jacket (20) - Dorothy Perkins (similar)
Zebra Snood - Dorothy Perkins
Magnifying Glass Pendant - Zara Taylor
Tan Cross Over Peep Toes - Miss Selfridge
Various bags in background - Cath Kidston & Mulberry!

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Where the wild roses grow

Ok, so they aren't roses, but I don't really know what the flowers are on this dress. It's very summery and makes me feel all girly when I wear it and I was in the mood for a girly kind of day. However, it creases massively, so I end up looking like a bit of a mess after a day of wearing it. Still, it's pretty enough to over look that little problem.

I love this shape of dress, fitted over the bust, but roomy enough for my 38G's, nipped in at the waist and then flaring out over my large hips and thighs. I'd like it to be a bit longer, but I'm fairly tall so this tends to be the case with most dresses.

Oh and we are back to toilet photo's. I will try now we have lighter evenings to get some more outdoor shots so you don't have to keep seeing my work loo's.








Not really sure about the back, it should probably be tied in a bow 


Obviously I still need to wear a cardie......


Flowery Sun Dress (20)  - Dorothy Perkins (last season)
Black Leggings (XL) - M&S
Peep Toe Corsage Polka Dot shoes - Dorothy Perkins (last season)

Monday 26 March 2012

Seeing red

At last, a photo of me not looking in a mirror and I am not keen. I look like crazy woman, plus the light is all a bit off, but you get the idea.

Yesterday was a lovely sunny day, so I avoided the dreaded cardie all day, honest, but by the time I thought about taking a photo, well it was cold. Sorry.

These jeans are not the best fit, they are a bit too big for me, but I'm making do for now as there are too many other things I want to buy. I'm loving coloured jeans at the moment with basic vests or t-shirts. Quite nice with the current sunnier climate. I've a leopard print pair that I am itching to wear, just not sure I can get away with them at work...





I love these sandals but they aren't very easy to wear.

These zips fall down too much - any ideas how I stop that??

Robot Necklace

Red Straight Leg Jeans (24) - Evans
Black Swing Vest (18) - Primark 2 years ago (similar)
Vintage Gold Robot Pendant - Promod 
Black Studded Zip sandals - L.A.M.B (bought in Las Vegas 2 years ago in the sale)
I won't mention the cardie....


Sunday 25 March 2012

Pyjama party

I loved this dress when I saw it on the hanger. Not so sure I love it on me. It's incredibly comfortable to wear, like being out in my nightie. I wore it with leggings to go visit a friend last night. Since we were just drinking wine and eating Chinese, I wanted to be comfy. So this definitely fit that bill.

Shame it just looks a bit meh.

I had hoped to get some better photos but my dear fiancé had ruined himself with golf so was comatose. Hence more crappy mirror photos. Sorry.



Look at the bow on that.



Loads of material around the boobages, probably should have worn a vest underneath it still. I flashed at the car wash men this morning on my way home.



The sizing of this dress is very generous. A size down probably would've been better.




But it does have pockets. And I love a pocket.




Striped jersey dress with pockets (20) - Lazy Lu at Kaliko.
Basic black leggings (XL) - Store 21
Grey scarf - F&F at Tesco
Black cardie - F&F at Tesco (seen pretty much daily on me of late.
Oversized bow patent peep toe flats - Carvela (last season)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday 22 March 2012

Getting to know you - 11 Questions

The lovely Hanna tagged me in her 11 Questions post. I love reading other people's responses to these things, but I'm  usually a bit rubbish at taking part... Since I'm not actually in the mood for work (since I got back from Cyprus) I thought I'd get on with it today.. Let's hope my boss doesn't ask me to do anything for the next 30 minutes.

There are five rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you’ve tagged them.




11 Random Things about me

1.  I am originally from Durham in the North East of England. I moved away from home at the age of 18 but still have a Northern Accent and become really quite Geordie after a weekend at my parents.

2.  I have a massive irrational fear of windmills and wind turbines. I cannot look at them if I see them at the side of the road as they make me feel sick! Our gym is right next to one and I have to close my eyes when I go anywhere near it. A bit dangerous when driving!

3.  I also have a massive fear/ dislike of birds (or anything that flies - especially bats). My idea of hell would be an aviary. I once visited Prague Zoo and there was a tunnel full of bats. I nearly had a heart attack.

4.  I am the oldest of 3 sisters. Both of my sisters got married aged 23, I will be 36 when I tie the knot. My sisters are also both really skinny. I am really not.

5.  I am following in my mother's footsteps by marrying a Brummie Accountant. I worry I am marrying a carbon copy of my dad. Both from Birmingham, Accountants, slightly miserable when in big groups of people, both love any kind of sport and both have a penchant for good food and booze. However, my parents have been married for 37 years, so it can't be too bad.

6.  I have absolutely no desire for children. I love my nieces to bits, but I can't imagine doing it full time. All of my close friends now have children and I sometimes feel a bit left out, but that's no reason to start a family!

7.  Me and Matt are getting married in Sorrento in Italy in August this year. We chose Italy, purely because we love Prosecco!

8.  I have over 200 pairs of shoes. I am literally addicted to buying shoes.

9.  I am obsessed with Mulberry. I don't spend vast amounts of money on shoes or clothes (i.e. I don't buy designer) but I spend an absolute fortune on Mulberry. I actually don't dare work out how much money I've spent.

10.  I love to travel. We are fortunate enough to be able to afford a few holidays a year and weekends away. We currently have trips planned up until the end of 2013.

11.  I once spent an evening in a hotel bar with 2 of my friends and Ant & Dec getting drunk. Just the 5 of us. It was one of the funniest night's of my life.

Hanna's 11 Questions:


1.  What is the last movie you’ve seen? What did you think of it?
The last film I watched was 'Contagion' whilst on holiday in Cyprus. It was an ok film - I expected a lot more from it given the all star cast. The ending was a bit of a let down.
2.  What has been your fave holiday?
Oooh, this is too hard. I love to travel. I probably have 2. A trip in 2009 driving from San Francisco to LA and then onto Vegas. I fell in love with the US during that trip and saw some amazing places.
Possibly my all time favourite was last years trip around France. We got the Euro Tunnel to Calais, drove to Lille, Paris, Bordeaux, Sarlat in the Dordogne and finally Epernay in the Champagne region. It was amazing and Matt proposed to me in Paris!
3.  Talking about holidays.. what is a place that you really want to visit?
Too many to choose from again - Thailand and Australia are currently on my list. Also really want to visit Canada.
4.  Do you like to cook? What’s your ‘signature dish’?

I love to cook. I've tried to be more healthy lately, so love experimenting with my favourite dishes. I'd say my signature dish is either my Shepherds Pie or Lamb Curry.
5.  Have you tried online dating? Any success?
Yes! I lived in Prague for a couple of years and when I came back, everyone I knew was in a relationship so I spent a lot of weekends on my lonesome. I signed up with Match.com as a way of getting myself out and about and made a pact with myself to go on a date with anyone who asked. I had a great time, met some lovely people (as well as some horrors) and I am marrying the last man I agreed to go on a date with at the end of August this year!
6.  Are you a phone person? Talking on the phone I mean.
Not really no. I'm much more of a text person.. or email. I can't be bothered talking when I get home from work :) but I am obsessed with my iPhone.
7.  If you could only shop clothes from one store for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?

Too hard - Dorothy Perkins, New Look or ASOS are my current favourites.Dorothy Perkins I guess if I had to make a choice now... 
8.  Do you have many best friends or just one?
I have a lot of really close friends who I don't see as often as I'd like since we've all gone in various directions with our lives. My best friend lives about 500 metres from me, we've known each other since we went to nursery together at the age of 3 and have both moved 300 miles away from home and ended up living in the same town. She's just had a baby which adds a whole different slant on our friendship, but she's still the person I can talk to about absolutely everything.
9.  Do you feel that you’re in your right career (or going towards one if you’re still studying)?
I think so yes - I work in IT as a 'Senior Cloud Operations Engineer'... Basically, I manage IT applications hosted by us for various customers. It's quite a technical job in a mostly male environment, but I enjoy it. I can't see myself doing anything else.

10.  Are you a creative person? How does this come across? (Painting, photography, music.. whatever.)
Not at all... I really wish I was, but I am useless at anything creative. I've started taking part in the photo a day challenges on Instagram to try and get a bit more creative, but it's not in my blood!
11.  Where is your happy place? Please describe it.
Hmmm - at home I guess. Me and Matt have very busy social lives so I've not spent a Friday at home for the last 8 weeks. I'm most happy sat on our sofa, in our little flat watching a film or TV show with good food and a glass (or 5!) of Prosecco. 
So - I need to come up with 11 questions of my own and tag some people, but work is now calling so I possibly need to leave that bit til later!
x


Black and Blue

These jeans are my current favourite, they are so comfy to wear and I absolutely love the colour. The sizing is a bit off though. They are from New Look, and seem to be the same style as the ones I wore yesterday which I have in a size 22. When I measured these blue ones against yesterday's pair in the shop, there was a massive difference in the size of the waist, at least 3-4 cms... which is a bit bad considering I normally do all my shopping online, so I've had to size up. I'm considering the green and red pairs too.....

I wanted to wear these jeans with a white oversized T-shirt today, but I can't for the life of me find mine (any excuse to shop) so I've gone for black.



Black Studded pumps

 Bird Cage Necklace

 Black Pocket T-shirt (20) - Dorothy Perkins (last season)
Blue SuperSoft Skinny Jeans (24) - New Look Inspire
Black Studded Pumps - New Look (similar)
Black Roll Sleeve Cardigan (20) - Florence and Fred @ Tesco
Bird Cage Pendant - Avon about 2 years ago. Available on Ebay.


Wednesday 21 March 2012

Baby bird..

These pictures are pretty rubbish quality as I'm home alone our mirror doesn't allow for the best shots. Will try harder, sorry! Nothing overly special about today's outfit, but I'm a big fan of this bird print T-shirt. Perfect with my jeans and a cardie for a quite day working (ahem) from home. They didn't seem to have it in any of their other ranges but Maternity, but it's not exactly massive. The quality is pretty decent - you can't really see my bra through it unlike some other white t-shirts I have and it's fairly long so it doesn't ride up. Plus there's a handy side tie... for erm... well I'm not sure.



A nice shot of our bathroom sink and hallway









White Bird Print top (18) - New Look Maternity
Navy Cardigan (XL) - Gap many moons ago
Skinny Jeans (22) - New Look Inspire
Shoes - ASOS

Monday 19 March 2012

I want to love you...

....but you really hurt me.

I fell in love with these shoes when I got my latest Stylist Pick Showroom (Stylist Pick is a nightmare for me as I already have about 200 pairs of shoes so I really don't need this temptation every month, but I signed up anyway - sigh).

I live in flats, I resemble a man in drag when I try to wear heels. So a pump with a platform sole and in Leopard print - what's not to love??

Well nothing much - other than the fact they are bloody painful to wear. They are really rigid and very tight, I feel like they are cutting off the front of my toes and I worry I am about to topple over. I'm always a size 8, but these feel too small. My toes are right up against the front and it's blooming sore! I'll persevere though as I love the style. I guess I'll just have to accept walking like I've barbed wire encasing my toes until they give a little.




Navy Skater Dress (20) - New Look Inspire Sale 
Indigo Skinny Jeans (22) - New Look Inspire
Astrid Flatform Courts - Stylist Pick
Bow Leopard Print Skinny belt - ASOS Curve (similar)

Saturday 17 March 2012

Football widow

Oh good the football is on. This means I lose my fiancé for the next 90 minutes and have him replaced by some shouting loony. Thankfully the pub has wifi so I can stay in contact with the real world.
I really like this 'dress' but on me, it barely skims my Harris so leggings are definitely required. The belt has come in handy on a few occasions too.










Black and white striped skater dress (18) - New Look Inspire
Jersey zip fly trousers (22) - ASOS Curve sale (still on eBay)
Peep toe flats - Dune (last season)

Crappy mobile links again. Sorry!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dotty

Nothing too exciting about this outfit, plus it's all old shizz, but it felt good on a chilly Cypriot eve.










Multicoloured dotty swing vest (20) F&F at Tesco last season.
Black cardie (20) - F&F at Tesco
Cuffed jeans (24) - New Look Inspire
Peep toe shoes - last season Dune

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday 16 March 2012

Lady in Red

Ok, a Chris De Burgh song is a bit lame, but I bloody love this dress. I have it in black and blue from last season and wore both to death, so when I saw it in red, it had to be mine.

It's a bit see through, so you can maybe see my bra, but I don't much care.

I've teemed it with an old elasticated waist belt as I like the definition and my old faithful sandals for Dotty P's.

I've gone a size up in the dress on the ones I bought last year since red is a bit less forgiving than black. I'm fairly tall at 5'8" so the length is pretty good, I can't be doing with a dress nipping at my ankles.



Red jersey maxi dress (22) - ASOS Curve.
Black and silver Waist belt - ancient from eBay



Black thong sandals with heel detail (v similar)- Dorothy Perkins

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Travel time

I'm in Cyprus at the moment, but the sun seems to have done a disappearing act so I'll make the most of the free wifi and post a few outfit photos. Try not to miss my office toilet backdrop too much.

This is what I wore to travel over last week. Cyprus is a bit nippy of an eve in March. One needs a coat!




Cuffed Denim Jeans (24) - New Look Inspire
Parka (20) - last season Evans
Daria Bag - mulberry




Peep toe tan Shoes - Miss Selfridge

Excuse the crappy mobile links, my phone won't play nicely.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Skullduggery

Not overly exciting today - but then I don't really think many of my outfits can be described as that anyway.

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, so there will be a break and I'll be back posting some holiday shots not taken in my office loo. You lucky lot (lot is a bit OTT, you lucky few).

I love this vest, it's ancient, but it always feels good when I wear it.


These shoes were a bargainous £5 from DP's


And look - no black cardigan!

Embellished Skull Vest (18) - Evans about 2 years ago
Skinny Black Jeans (22) - ASOS Curve
Long Grey Cardigan - F&F at Tesco
Grey Bow Flats - DP's 





Tuesday 6 March 2012

A little bird told me

In real life, I have a bird phobia, they are scary little beaky, fluttery creatures who poo everywhere. However, I'm very fond of bird print. I saw this dress on numerous blogs and didn't think it was for me. For starters, I prefer a lower cut neckline and I am never sure that this sort of cut suits me, but then I tried it on and well - I love it. 

The dress is really comfy to wear, fairly flattering and it has pockets, and who doesn't like a pocket?


Oh - and how awesome are these shoes?I love them.



Bird print dress (18) - New Look Inspire 
Jodphur style leggings (22) - New Look as per yesterday's outfit
Coral Belt - New Look with the stripy skater dress
Nude Lash Ballet Flats - ASOS 
Black Roll Sleeve Cardigan - F&F at Tesco

Tomorrow I might not wear a black cardigan - imagine that?!