Tuesday, February 25, 2014

HIGH STREET CHALLENGE.......Splurge or Steal?

Take inspiration from the designers when shopping on the high street.......
Leaving others to guess which is which.

SPLURGE




1. MARIA BLACK Double Harper oxidized two-finger ring £100

2. FRAME DENIM Le Garcon distressed slim boyfriend jeans £229

3. ELIZABETH AND JAMES Sling textured backpack £445

4. ALEXANDER WANG Parental Advisory sweatshirt £740

5. ROLAND MOURET Aviator sunglasses £310

6. BALENCIAGA Ceinture Boots £795

7. GIVENCHY Sharks tooth bracelet £640




OR STEAL


1. MANGO ring Was £9.99 Now £2.99

2. RIVER ISLAND Ripped daisy slim jeans £40

3. NEW LOOK Backpack £19.99

4. H&M Parental advisory sweatshirt £9.99

5. RIVER ISLAND Aviator sunglasses £10.00

6. RIVER ISLAND Cut out curb chain ankle boots £70

7. NEW LOOK Tusk bracelet £8.99




1. NARS Satin lip pencil in Timanfaya £18

2. BARRY M Lip lacquer crayon in Mandarin £4.99

Which will WOW your wallet?

X X X



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Monday, February 17, 2014

ESSENTIAL WARDROBE UPDATES..........Spring clean your closet!



It "should" go without saying that we all have the perfect wardrobe staples, just waiting there as the backbones of our personal style. But so often we will be drawn into yet another trend, and splurge all on a one season wonder, and forget about investing in the pieces, that you will return to time and time again........




"Buy now wear FOREVER".......well almost?



One woman who knows how to make wardrobe essentials work is Phoebe Philo of Celine.


A cluttered wardrobe, makes for a cluttered mind. My advice would be to do a  WARDROBE DETOX, and the start of the new season is the perfect time.

Get a freestanding rail ready, and the bin bags too!


The
RULES
1
EDIT YOUR CLOTHES TWICE A YEAR.

 Put away past seasons clothes, and be ruthless with the wardrobe monsters! Separate the baddies into charity shop piles, and if it's a designer item try to sell it. The two year rule usually applies, if you haven't worn it by now, you probably never will. 

Where to sell? Try........... Vestiairecollective 
This Paris based site re-sells luxury fashion brands.

2
BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR LIFESTYLE

 Do you have a wardrobe of party clothes, but now your a full time mum? Yes of course you want to rock the yummy mummy look, but those sequined and lycra little numbers hiding in the dark corners of your cupboard, may have to go!


Elle Macpherson gets it right.......

3
REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS

 Is there anything in there that you have been waiting to have altered or repaired? If so find a good reasonably priced dressmaker, and get it done now. Sometimes a small alteration such as a hem length can give clothes a whole new life.

4
WHY AM I NOT WEARING IT?

 Ask yourself, Is the item too small.......Has the garment hung in your wardrobe for years waiting for you to lose weight? Well its probably time to "man up" and let it go.

5
REPEAT.....


 Do the same with shoes, underwear and other accessories.



Organizing_walk-in-closet


6
NEARLY THERE


 Now, you should be left with the clothes you love, and have a purpose in your wardrobe. Put all similar items hanging or folded together.


7
THE GAPS......


This is where you will be able to see what is missing from your essential wardrobe?


8
 BE PREPARED

 Make a list of what you are missing? I have a permanent "looking for" list in my phone, at the ready. 


9
CLOTHES  SHOPPING (At last I hear you say!)


 Always try to make considered future purchases. Can I make it work in many different ways, and for different aspects of my lifestyle?



Using wardrobe essential such as plain white tee, a great blazer, Ray-Bans, and a good bag. This look is given the wow factor with Zara shoes........£29.99 in their sale, sadly now last season! 


10

READY TO GO


 Here to help are the key pieces that will never go out of style, or loose there Street Chic appeal.




The
BUILDING BLOCKS










 Leather biker jacket Mango £119.99


 Grey cashmere, the ultimate luxury piece Equipment sweater £325



 Suede pumps Saint Laurent £370



Classic sunglasses Ray-Ban Wayfarer £120





  Mid rise skinny jean J Brand £205 


 Tailored black blazer Mango £59.99


 Saint Laurent Bag £1180


 Silk jersey Tee Cos £39 .....go for a couple of white one's too.


 Leopard print pumps Mango £44.99


Silk Shirt Mango £39.99 

Add to this list a great coat, ankle boots,


WOQ82C840002BLK



Sophisticated, timeless black coat Joseph £595




Boots Tory Birch The Outnet were £320 now £160



The final
touch

The power dress




.........and just in case you get asked out, or manage a night off from the little darlings!

The ultimate, definitely no carbs now (see last post) little black dress Herve Leger at the Outnet Was £1335 Now £675 

BACK TO BLACK.....

Keeping the basic canvas of your essentials black, means seasonal styles, colours, textures and accessories can be added to, without breaking the bank.

 However, If black is not your thing, you can always do the wardrobe essentials with either navy,white, or a neutral tone.........good luck!


X X X
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Sunday, February 16, 2014

MY SURVIVAL KIT.


Its so easy with these cold dark wintry days to flop in front of the t.v. when you get home from work, or when you have finally put the kids to bed, to tuck into a big carb laden supper, with a large glass or two of wine, and a bar of chocolate! 

And so, this is the time of year I really like to take stock of all areas of my lifestyle. Work has been really hectic recently, and lots of family commitments too, which has meant little time for this (my blog), and looking after myself the way I like to.

I try to practice balance all areas in my life, but as we all know sometimes it goes out the window, and we need to get it all back on track.

So this is my "go to" survival kit, to try and re-address things......


1.  Eat healthy fresh, "clean" organic, and local foods whenever possible.


image via

Want to know what makes food clean? 



James Duigan author of the Clean and Lean diet says foods that.......

Have changed little from their natural state - an apple still looks like the apple on a tree, whereas a crisp looks nothing like a potato.
Don't need any added artificial flavours added.
Don't last for months.
Generally contain less than five or six ingredients
Have no ingredients you cant pronounce.
Don't list sugar as their main ingredient.
Don't make you feel bloated, gassy or uncomfortably full.
Satisfy you, so you are not hungry after eating them.





2. Kick-start the day with a glass of warm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. 



Ditch the coffee first thing in the morning and start your day with some warm lemon water!

This will help to alkalise your system, and get things moving.......if you know what I mean?!! And continue to drink filtered water throughout the day.

3. Follow, with a veggie packed smoothie 
breakfast such as this....... 


SWEET SPINACH SMOOTHIE.






Ingredients

2 cups spinach leaves, packed
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
15 green or red grapes
170 grams fat-free plain Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons chopped avocado
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients until blended to the desired consistency.




4. Stay physically and spiritually fit.

I love how exercise energizes me. The "gym" itself  i.e. the machines/weights area, isn't my favourite place. I love to exercise outdoors, but on these wet wintry dark nights, its just not practical, so the gym does have it's place.

I have recently ended my membership with a local gym, not mentioning any names,  it wasn't that good, and it was costing me a fortune!  So I signed up with the very cleverly named SIMPLY GYM......£16.99 a month all in. They have a great range of classes for all levels, and you can cancel at any time! So come the summer months when I can do my outdoor boot camps again, I won't be paying for something I am not using.






Check out the gym here.....Simply Gym



 Also practicing my soul saviour yoga makes me feel strong internally and externally.




5. Take time for yourself.

It is essential for me to stay sane whilst working in the slightly crazy, but fun fashion industry. Whilst I adore my work, it often doesn't allow for a lot of "me" time. So, spending a few minutes everyday to think about myself, will help keep personal sanity and balance.



6. Quality time with the family.

Getting that work life thing happening is always a major challenge for me. So I really love every moment my family and I spend time together, and try to cherish these times.






And finally.......




7. Treats.

A weekend away.

A couple of squares of Green and Blacks dark chocolate.

A great mani/pedi.

A good book.

An early night with my VHM (very handsome man), and a bottle of bubbles........the alcoholic kind of course!

Dance to your old favourites!

Have a long scented bath with candles.

And perfection...... a good nights SLEEP!!! 







Equilibrium restored.

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