Valentines Outfits

If you are lucky enough to be heading out on a date this Friday then hopefully this little blog with 2 outfit options will come in handy to inspire your look!

If it is going to be a High Octaine Romantic evening then it HAS TO BE a DRESS!  DIVA is a brand that does sexy dresses with stretch in fabulous cut and colours!  For the style savy out there you may have seen Nigella wearing a lot of this brand in 'The TASTE'

The Opal dress in Scarlet Red £115 (as opposed to the pink in the image)

                     

Add in a fur stole to give it real GLAMOUR this one is in the ZARA Sale £9.99

SHOES to add extra Va Va Voom to your look..... Astro courts form Kurt Geiger £120.00

If you are having more of a relaxed date night then try this great Smart Casual option:

For me a great SC outfit starts with a strong colour and this Ted Baker Alisya jacket £165, does not disappoint on wow factor.

Turn back the sleeve and layer this Sheer panel top from  Zara £29.99, underneath!  The sheer panels give it a sexy edge but the overall shape is casual and not over the top!

To this I would dress down the bottom half with these distressed jeans worn rolled up £46.98 GAP

The wow factor with this look comes from the way you bring it together with accessories!  First off try stacking up several rings and midi rings Topshop and Accessorize have great selections.

Then add in a contrast pop of colour with one of these great Olivia Burton Watches £55 (yes I am slightly obsessed with these at the moment)

 Wearing all these great accessories will be highlighted when everyone's attention is drawn to a statement clutch bag, this ASOS Blurred Lines clutch is £25 and will tie the look together!

And now the finishing touch!

Invest in a shoe that will be super sexy, but also useful for the Spring Summer season ahead.  This Yellow ALDO shoe £60  is just the ticket!

Have an AMAZING VALENTINES...

Tomorrow we discuss the best bars and restaurants for those of you who have not yet booked!

Slouchy to Stylish - fashion tips 4 sofa time!

All of us need DOWN time.. and everyone has a different way of relaxing, whether its grabbing a cuppa and a good book / magazine or snuggling on the sofa to watch a favourite programme or film!

We all need that slouchy time and more often than not we are usually wearing equally SLOUCHY clothes to do it!  I have to admit that I am not a fan of Tracksuits and only ever wear my tracksuit trousers if I am heading to the gym (not very often).  But I do always have comfy clothing on when I am at home relaxing or doing the usual chores!

Michaela contacted me on the Facebook page with her style question which was addressing just this sort of clothing dilemma!

"Hi Claire, you asked for our styling problems on your you tube channel, I'd like to share mine: I spend a lot of time around the house and because I'm lazy I tend to only wear over sized Tshirts and sweat pants. Can you recommend some comfortable outfits that aren't as slouchy as my usual ones? I would love to look a little cuter but at the same time not being restricted by a jeans waist band. Thank you for your help. Michaela"

So I have put together this blog as well as a style video to address The challenge of Stylish slouchy clothes.  I hope you all enjoy it.

Click the picture below to see the style video:

VISIT THE YOU TUBE CHANNEL TO WATCH

So here is my choice of items on the high street that will fit in with this slouchy 2 stylish concept.  I am continuing the idea of leggings instead of tracksuit bottoms for all of these looks!

1st is this really easy to wear Oasis stripe dress £36.00, if you wanted to jazz it up you could add a coloured belt, but it does not need one if you wear the waist higher and then slouch the top over.

A more relaxed option is this Oasis Claret Sweatshirt dress £42.00, it wont give as much shape but if you add in a contrast coloured long sleeve T-shirt underneath it will add interest and slim down limbs!  I would also add a necklace to this which I have written about at the end of the post!

If Oasis is usually out of budget....  they still have some great buy's in the SALE, thisOasis floral stretch dress is only£10.00!  What a bargain!  The print on this makes it feel more dressy, but I think that with leggings and some over sized slipper socks this will be cosy but can also be dressed up if someone pops buy unexpectedly!

Stretch dresses aren't for everyone so here are a few looser tunic style options:

This Dorothy Perkins camel print tunic £35.00 has a great open neckline which really flatters bigger busts, but the print is also great at breaking up the body!  Layer a long sleeved T-shirt underneath to make it look more stylish and you have a great look.

Another great option for COMFORT....  Don't judge me ladies...  But it is a maternity top!!!  Dorothy Perkins Maternity top £29.00 could be worn with black leggings and then I would undo the top 2 buttons and layer an acid coloured cami underneath and change the belt to a black one. (my Reiss dress in the video could be worn as maternity.. so why not just buy maternity)

Another fun option is this ASOS crochet dress £31.50, the neckline is similar to the Oasis one and the crochet element makes it appear more styled and interesting...  I would again layer a long sleeve T-shirt under so that you had a contrast colour!

The last look is this ASOS contrast sleeve tunic £22.00, it's only available in size 16 but I had to share it with you because it is such an easy one to style add a contrast necklace and you are instantly looking stylish, what is not too love?

I mentioned a couple of accessories that will help finish the looks..... so here they are:

Accessorize Metal ring layered rope necklace £12.00

Slipper socks from Next £14.00

As one last parting tip... why not try a denim legging instead of a block colour one?  You get the denim look but without the un-comfort...  Marks and Spencer have these great ones £15.00.

But I would remind you that they are STILL LEGGINGS and should be worn with Tunics and dresses.  As in my book leggings are NOT trousers!!!!!!

APRES SKI STYLE AS REQUESTED

For Vicky......

First off lets get the footwear sorted! If you are not going to a resort where they drive you everywhere like Scott Dunn!  Then you will defo need footwear that is comfy (after a day in painful ski boots)/warm (SNOW = COLD and chic (one must always look awesome).

My top pics are:
Timberland's Snow boots £131.00

Black quilted snow Boots from Debenhams £28.00

In terms of clothes to pack...  I always think jumper dresses are great options as you can wear them with tights or leggings and will be snug but not too casual!

This Jumper dress is £40 from ASOS and can be dresses up with tonged hair and a RED lip!

Another great option is this Claret Jumper dress £35 also from ASOS  Add in the gold belt or statement necklace and it is instantly dressed up!

For casual, the obvious is a skinny jean and some lush tops but why not try a Leather look leggings £12

Layer a Cami dress over the leggings £7.00

Then layer over this great Sheer lemon stripe jumper £36 from Topshop

or if you want a bot of bling then this Sequin jumper Oasis £15.00

or something more relaxed like this print top from Warehouse £40.

To be worn over the top to give you the WOW factor Faux Fur and knit cape £75 (sold by me also available in brown 4 in stock)

Accessories you need to finish the looks...

Some awesome Sunglasses

Floppy Hat or statement hat of your choice... but this is mine and its only £14.99 from H&M

Polka Dots

Polka dots are huge this autumn/winter as was easy to witness from the Claridges, annual Christmas tree switch on!

Miu Miu's AW13 collection has several spotty items to get you into the mood.  But for a little more inspiration to go dotty this festive season find my top picks from the high street!

Miu Miu

HIGH STREET PICKS

Dorothy Perkins £45 

Mango sweater £39.99

House of Holland Jeans £140

Nails varnish £9

Oasis Umbrella £14

Festival Fun

Festival season is still in full swing with the upcoming V Festival, In my home town this weekend.  We thought it would be a great opportunity to inspire you to inject some festival style into your wardrobe.


These are a few of our top festival picks.

Topshop £32 

Motel £45

ASOS £25

Kimono's are a great lightweight piece for any festival. They're easy to pack and jazz up an outfit to give it that summery, festival feel. 

Topshop £45

 Topshop £60 

Motel £48

The floral crown is a huge statement piece this summer and perfect for festivals, as seen here on Katy Perry and Pixie Lott. 

This purple one from Rock 'N' Rose will add a statement to any outfit and is sure to make you stand out from the crowd - £38

Footwear can sometimes be tricky at festivals. Last year we suggested wellies... so you probably already have some ready...  but why not try jelly shoes!  You want to look stylish but don't want to risk ruining your favourite shoes due to mud or your feet getting trodden on in crowds. Jelly shoes are water proof, easy to clean, comfortable and look cute with virtually any outfit. JuJu Jellies come in a wide range of different colours and styles. From £12.99.