Fashion: Mad For Mango

Mango has been a favourite with the fashion set for a few seasons now, largely due to the Spanish brands' ability to execute catwalk designs with great attention to detail and at reasonable price points. I've never had much luck in store, however now that I no longer have the bump and in search of some summery pieces to add to my wardrobe (although summer seems to have ended now...boo!) I thought I'd flick through the sale online. Unexpectedly I discovered so many gorgeous pieces that my online shopping bag was soon full to the brim.  Plus there's free shipping when you spend over £50 and free returns making the experience very calm and pleasant. This week is the last week of the sale and there's still loads left so go forth and shop!

Here's a round up of what I purchased. 

Dress £13.99 from Mango BUY HERE, Sandals from Next BUY SIMILAR HERE, Bag from Anya Hindmarch, Necklace £35 from Whistles BUY HERE

A flattering loose fitting dress with a dropped hem and front pockets. I wore this on a job recently and 2 ladies at the shoot purchased it! It works in summer with bare legs and sandals but when the weather gets colder I'll pair it with tights, ankle boots and a khaki jacket.

Blouse £17.49  from Mango BUY HERE, Jeans from Topshop BUY SIMILAR HERE, Shoes from Marks & Spencer

This blouse has delicate embroidery details and fine fringing. It works perfectly with khaki and denim.

Dresses £13.99  from Mango BUY HERE, Sandals from Zara

This dress was so good I bought it in 2 colours! I can imagine myself slipping it over a bikini before heading to the beach for a day in the sun. That's probably not going to happen this year due to the new baby, but I'll be packing these dresses away in my summer box ready for next year.

Skirt £17.49 from Mango BUY HERE, T-shirt £12.95 from Gap BUY HERE, Sandals from Next BUY SIMILAR HERE

I felt my wardrobe was missing a short summery skirt. I didn't want anything too flowy or too feminine so this geometric print in jacquard is ideal. It's a flattering height, sitting just a few inches above the knee and is slightly a-line in cut. When the weather cools a little I'll wear it with a grey sweater.

Let me know if you score any bargains!

In My Bag

Now that I'm getting my waistline back after popping out the baby I've enjoyed catching up on some shopping and I'll be posting some of those outfits soon. Here are some other items that have made it into my bag recently.

Initial Ring by Daisy Jewellery £37 BUY HERE

I already have these initial rings for mine and my boyfriends' name, so I've added a T for my baby girl Tabitha. 

Earrings by Z for Accessorize £12 BUY HERE

Zara Simon's Z for Accessorize range of delicate boho jewellery is an inexpensive collection of gorgeous pieces that look way more expensive than they are. I purchased these little dangly earrings with semi precious stones to wear with summery dresses and boho blouses. I'm also loving this bracelet, this tinny tiny necklace and this star ring.

Jute bag by H&M £14.99 BUY SIMILAR HERE

I found this bag in the home wear department on a recent trip. It's incredibly roomy and the straps are a great length making it the ideal beach bag. Plus it's incredibly cheap! I can't find the exact one on the website but have included the link to something similar.

Geometric print cushions by Conran at Marks & Spencer £19.50 BUY HERE

I saw these cushions in store about a year ago but the grey version sold out before I could get my hands on them. Thankfully a new shade of grey has been released so I snapped them up. They are an excellent price point, a good size, well stuffed and have really jazzed up my sofa. They also come in pink and grey and yellow and grey.

Rabbit and cat wooden photo frames £6.99 each by H&M BUY HERE

 I'm finally getting round to decorating the nursery (bad parent I know!) and found these super cute frames that will work perfectly in the room with mine and her Daddy's faces in them.

Black denim shorts £17.99 and white denim shorts £15.99 both from Gap BUY HERE and HERE

My denim boyfriend shorts that I purchased from Gap last year are a staple in my summer wardrobe, I wear them weekly and have them in lots of different colours but was missing out on black and white. These are excellent value as they're in the sale. When buying go down a size as they tend to stretch.

What I Wore

Here's a little round up of a few outfits I've worn recently.

Topshop shirt BUY HERE, Gap jeans, Zara shoes, Louis Vuitton bag BUY HERE

Doing double denim and wearing my new dark denim shirt from Topshop with some old ripped up Gap jeans (Gap do the best high street jeans!) with a dash of leopard print in the shoe for a day of press appointments.

Uniqlo sweater, ASOS trousers, Miu Miu trainers BUY SIMILAR HERE

Wearing a monochrome look for a day working from home. As much as I'd like to just wear pjs when I'm at home, I find I'm much more productive if I get dressed properly.

M&S jumper, Mango skirt, Topshop boots, Anya Hindmarch bag

Styling one of my favourite people for his next TV commercial I wore a chunky knit with leather skirt and my fringed Anya Hindmarch Bicester Village bargain bag I scored a few years ago.

Hope you all have a great week!

Sx

Life Lately

Last week was filled with travel, sightseeing and cats. What could be more perfect! On the invite of a lovely new friend, we took ourselves to Berlin to explore the marvellous city, on which I will blog more later. 

Berlin's Victory Column

The Brandenburg Gate

While in Berlin we had to cat sit and since being home I've really missed the fur babies!

Jojo the cat, aka Jabba the Hutt

We then returned to London to play tourist for a few days, something I love to do as I tend to neglect this wonderful city I am fortunate to call home.

Dinosaur bones and little people at The Natural History Museum

We also went to see Gone Girl on the recommendation of many others. It's a good film but with a little too much artistic license at times. What did you think?

The villainous Rosamund Pike

I'm refusing to wear tights until the weather really gets cold, so am wearing socks, boots and cosy knits to compensate!

Jumper M&S, Skirt COS, Boots Topshop

I hope you have a lovely week.

Sx

It's Coat Time!

As I sit here writing this blog the sun is high in the sky and I'm wearing shorts. However now is the time to snap up your winter coat because believe me ladies, when the weather gets cold and grey the coat you want will be long gone, on the back of some savvy shopper who invested months ago.

Coat £2195 by Roksanda Ilincic at StyleBop.com

The above coat by Roksanda Ilincic is my dream coverup. Oversized, mid-calf length, and in 2 shades of blue it would keep me warm and cosy, but most importantly it would lift every out I wore it with. Sadly it's a bit out of my budget (a bit! Ha!) 

Here is my round up of key coat trends to buy this season for all budgets.

Mabel coat £595 by Shrimps

As I've mentioned previously fur is a massive trend for winter. One of my favourite brands, Shrimps, have created fun faux-fur coats in dreamy colour combinations.

Coat £69.99 by Zara

Alternatively Zara have this cute faux-fur jacket in a zingy yellow, perfect for brightening up a grey winter's day.

Rina blanket cape £2300 by The Row at net-a-porter.com

Next up the blanket/cape coat is a relaxed way to cover up on chilly days. Seen on the catwalks of many designers from Stella McCartney to Burberry Prorsum who monogrammed theirs, this divine cashmere grey blanket coverup by The Row is so decadent, but so classic you'll keep it and love wearing it for a lifetime.

Blanket cape £25 by ASOS

ASOS have taken inspiration from Chloe's lighter coloured version making this an ideal pieces for the transitional weather.

Coat £814.56 by Carven at FarFetch.com

One of my favourite shapes in fashion is the cocoon, be it in a dress or a coat. This curly textured wool coat in navy by Carven is incredible. I love the architectural collar and the raised pockets.

Coat £89 by Topshop

Topshop's cocoon coat is a great budget buy. It's in a textured wool mix fabric with popper fastenings and in a skin flattering olive tone.

Parka £790 by McQ Alexander McQueen at MATCHESFASHION.COM

If you don't own a parka you really should. It's a wardrobe staple, perfect for wearing on the weekend with jeans or for dressing down a mini dress with high heels on a night out. This version by McQueen Alexander McQueen has an arm pocket detail, fur trimmed hood and tartan lining.

Parka £175 by Whistles

Whistles' waxed cotton parka in black looks super cosy with it's fur lined hood. 

Camel Coat £1450 by Adam Lippes at Net-A-Porter.com

Another wardrobe staple is the tailored coat. It will elevate a daytime jeans look, work well with tailored separates and chic with a pencil skirt and shirt. This camel coat version by Adam Lippes is perfection, I especially like the boned cuff detail and the gold buttons.

Coat £139 by Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencers have a good range of coats, but be quick they are selling out fast. This tailored coat in navy by Autograph, with concealed buttons and wide lapel is the epitome of chic and a style you will wear for many seasons.  

Happy coat shopping!

Sx

Images: shrimps.co.uk, stylebop.com, Net-A-Porter.com, FarFetch.com, MatchesFashion.com, Zara, ASOS, Topshop, Whistles, Marks & Spencer

Oz Outfits

I'm back from a successful work trip to Australia and am so excited to be reacquainted with my wardrobe! I was supposed to be in Australia for 12 days but it turned into 20 so I clearly hadn't packed enough. Add to this the fact that the weather was much colder and wetter than I anticipated (the locals kept apologising for the horrible weather!) and my wardrobe became severely limited.

So not enough stuff for 20 days in Sydney

I packed a range of separates in a neutral colour palette of white, black, grey and blue so items were interchangeable. As I would be on my feet for long days at work I only packed comfortable flats including my Birkenstocks (oh how I love thee) and 2 pairs of trainers. My trusty monogramed Louis Vuitton Speedy was my bag of choice along with an animal print across body bag from Marks & Spencer for the days when I was prepping and needed to be hands free. 

Here are a selection of the outfits I wore in Sydney.

Coat H&M, T-shirt Gap, Trousers Topshop, Trainers Adidas

Sweater Zoe Karssen, Skirt Topshop, Trainers Miu Miu

Coat H&M, T-shirt J. Crew, Trousers Zara, Sandals Birkenstock

Blazer Zara, Shirt Gap, Jeans Topshop, Trainers Adidas, Bag Louis Vuitton

 

Jacket Gap, Dress Zara, Bag Marks & Spencer, Trainers Miu Miu 

Jumpsuit Topshop, Sandals Birkenstock, Bag Louis Vuitton

Jumper Uniqlo, Trouser ASOS, Trainers Adidas

Coat H&M, Sweater Peter Pilotto for Target, Jeans Topshop, Trainers Adidas

Jumper Zoe Karssen, Jeans Topshop, Trainers Miu Miu, Bag Marks & Spencer

Coat H&M, Shirt and trousers Zara, Sweater Whistles, Trainers Adidas

I plan on not wearing any other these clothes for a while now that I'm back and I can't wait to go shopping for new things!