Friday, Friday, Friday. Comes round so fast doesn't it? Or not fast enough for many.

Friday Five (1 of 5) Shoessss

Friday Five (2 of 5) Khaki Wide Leg Pants

You know those yellow shoes in the last post? Well I did say I'd tried them on and I even managed to walk in them which quite surprised me. And then I also spotted the off white colour version too. Which colour say you?

Friday Five (4 of 5) Uniqlo Love In (1)

Along with my little trench, I ordered two jumpsuits from Uniqlo. One a more traditional style and the other, a culotte style one. I love the culotte one. However, I've got my sensible head on .... will I get the wear out of it and besides which it's sleeveless and I don't like showing my arms off. Oh yes, I'm wearing a size small here and the length on the leg is a lot longer on me than on the website model but I think I can get away with this. It has good reviews and I have a feeling it works on tall girls and small. I feel all sort of minimalist and Zen'ish in this like I should be drinking green tea in tiny little cups. Still don't like showing my arms though.

Friday Five (5 of 5) Garment Steamer

I did an IG story using my little handheld garment steamer to get the creases out of my new mac.  I had quite a few enquiries about it so I thought I'd tell you a little more. Mine was from Hong Kong and is about 7-8 years old. I also had one of those rather industrial looking ones  (from Argos) which have a separate tank for the water and take up far too much room but I never used it as it was too faffy to set up and clean out. I much prefer my little handheld one and all I know is you fill the tank, let it warm up and press that button to get the steam going. And I remember from somewhere saying that you should steam upwards rather than down. I can't remember why but that's what I do. I tend to use them for jackets and coats which are awkward to iron and stops the shiny marks you sometimes get when using a iron going over bumpy bits like linings. Well seeing as how you can't get one like mine exactly, I did spot that there was this one on Amazon for around a tenner which has got good reviews for anyone who is interested in trying one.

I gave my old cotton Gap trench to a friend. It was an XS and in my heart of hearts, I knew that I should have picked up the size S when I had a chance. There were two left in the shop and I thought I'd have a think and I went to get my hair done, came back and there was only the XS left. I nabbed it pronto and left the shop. And I have worn it but really, just an extra inch breathing and jumper room would have been nice. So I was ruthless and passed it on. 

Which left a trench gap in the wardrobe. Until I spotted a rather plain little number on Uniqlo at a very modest price. I added it to an order I was making and hoped it was okay. And in all honesty, it was fine but not exactly setting my heart a pitter patter and it was a bit long and I was feeling a bit lazy about altering it so I packed it up neatly and put it back in the bag. A day or so later, I saw one of my favourite Instagram ladies wearing a Uniqlo mac and being nosey I asked about it and was told, it had been shortened. I unwrapped my mac, pinned it up and thought, I can work with this and I can shorten it. So I did. Result. Thank you Mandajrt.

Anyway, I know trench coats are having a little bit of a moment right now, so I've put a little compilation of how I'd like to wear one.





1. Topshop Bonjour Boys Tee
It's cute. And it's in a lovely soft cotton. And I've got this. As Baby Bear would say, "It's not too big, it's not too small, it's just right!"

2. M&S Straight Leg Jeans
I bought these a little while back and they sold out in the colour that I'm wearing. I got them in a size 10 originally but found them pretty loose and went back for an 8 and they are a bit of a squeeze but I'm in them just about! They are also 100% cotton so there's no lycra but if you want something to hold you in a bit - these are the jeans for you. I've since been back in store and tried another pair of size 10's and they are not quite as roomy as the first pair I tried on, so errm I've picked those up as I love them that much and now I have a pair for thin days and a pair for fat days. They are like a Levi jean for girls who don't get on with a Levi fit (me).

3. Uniqlo Trench
Simple clean lines in this trench. I like looking at the APC and Margaret Howell websites to reaffirm why I buy plain simple things and they often have similar styled trench coats. It's quite a light number so perfect as a little throw on for these late spring days and cool summer ones.

4. Next Bronze Clog Sandal
I like a cloggy sandal. And these look like a good cloggy sandal and in a bronze colour way for a bit of extra oomph. But if you like them in a more traditional finish, they do them in a tan leather too. The great thing about these kind of sandals is the little platform at the front but which aren't too chunky so you get the height and extra cushioning without the pain. And the price is so much kinder on the purse than traditional Hasbeens.

5. Hobbs Trench
I love everything about this khaki olive coloured trench. It probably won't fit me but if it did, I would seriously consider it as I'd love a khaki trench and this one looks beautifully made. Infact come to think of it, I want a navy trench as well as a black one and a khaki one.

6. M&S Leather Angular Heel Sandal
These are happy shoes. I tried them on in store and I had a couple of ladies cooing over them whilst I was messing around trying to take a picture. They are surprisingly walkable in as they are a block heel albeit an "angular" one  and they go well with the Mango tee coming up. They also come in off white, I loved them both!

7. Mango Femme Tee
If you can go to the effort of ordering and waiting oodles of weeks for a Sezane tee, do. If you didn't fit the Topshop version which I hear is well huge, then maybe this Mango one might fill the gap. It's more of a traditional stiffer cotton rather than the soft worn in styles. But the yellow and black detailing is spot on and oh so current.

8. H&M Slim Regular Jeans
I still wear dark grey/black jeans in the summer. And they still go with a lot of what I already have - even the summer stuff. Black is always in.

Last Note :

• Can I bend your ear? I love it when online shopping sites have a place for reviews and Uniqlo does that. So I was reading their reviews on some of their trench coats and came across one where someone had returned a trench because the sleeves was one inch too long. One inch too long!!!! Get over it! Get them altered!!!! You could have the most amazing item there but for that one inch which you (or your seamstress) can actually do something about. Get the necessary alteration done. There is no amazing all singing all dancing item which fits all, it's not just possible. We are all different heights, shapes and sizes and there are even variations within these sizes. Just do yourself a favour and get the garment altered. It will make all the difference. I promise.

• And items which get returned just because they are a bit crumpled. Iron them or steam them. Maybe I've studied too many fabrics but some items I know that as soon as they've encountered a bit of steam, I know they  will come out okay and even more interestingly, they don't crease half as badly upon wearing as you would imagine. I usually press or steam out the creases and then do a crumple test back on the garment. You'll get an idea of how well it will wear.

• I'm a titch - I don't expect everything to fit me. If you're a giant, you'll have the same problems. If you're in between - jammy bovine.

• I'll shut up now.

• Parallel Lines. Fantastic album. By the high priestess Blondie.

I've been really slack haven't I? I've missed two Friday Fives but I have been a little busy and I haven't had a lot to witter on about. But I'm back!

Friday Five (1 of 5) Bag Lady 1




I jumped on the round straw bag bandwagon with this Zara one. Things like the extra shoulder strap earned it extra bonus points.


Friday Five (2 of 5) Bag Tricks





I went out for lunch with my family the other day and my sister was worried about my tote bag resting on the seat behind me incase anyone came past and took it without me knowing. So I rested it by my feet but she wasn't happy with that either. And then she produced an S hook from her bag (like you do) and hooked it on to the table we were at for me to hang my bag on. It did the trick!


Friday Five (3 of 5) Bag Lady 2



Bit of a bag theme running through the Friday Five this week. I kept seeing pics popping up on my IG feed of a black stripy straw shopper from Primark which looked pretty good. However when in store, I went for this Shibori tie dye effect one instead. I even stuffed my purchases in and carried it out of the store. It's perfect for summer hols and shopping returns and it even has some useful compartments inside!

Friday Five (4 of 5) The Flick Factor.

I know that advertising is a biggie in the magazine world (I counted 80 pages before I found something to read the other day) but they really do hinder the flick factor of a mag. I have to tear out all the perfume and beauty sample pages so that I can happily flick through my mag to see which bit I want to peruse without coming across one of those thick card bits which suddenly make you skip about twenty pages in a go. Call me a grumpy cow but I've been doing this for years now. It's not going to change now.

Friday Five (5 of 5) Happy Easter




I have two boys. One is older and generally quicker off the mark with most things than the other. That includes grabbing the majority of the Easter eggs which have been carefully planted/plonked around the garden for that wonderful Easter Egg hunt thing that goes on each year. I kind of cottoned on that if we put out twenty eggs in the garden, the eldest would come back with 15 and the smaller would come back with 5. And then there would be a lot of huffing. So now, I put a sticky label on with their initial on before the eggs get hidden. The boys are issued with the instructions that if they come across an egg that does not have their initial on it, they must leave it where it was found. Do remember to tell them how many they each need to find or they could be at it for hours. Actually, that's not a bad thing - forget to tell them how many and just stand and laugh.

When I was a young whipper snapper with a hot bod .... err, let's start again, to be honest, I never had a hot bod but when I was younger, I made it a case in point to only have lovely underwear. I remember ordering from the Grattan catalogue (in the 80s) my first broderie anglaise cotton camisole and French knickers. They came, I fell in love and that was it. My affair with pretty undergarments was pretty much sealed. This was back in the day where you used to snip out a coupon in the back of a magazine or newspaper to order a tomb of a catalogue which got delivered to your doorstep. You then had to put your order on a form and mail it. Then you had to wait patiently many days for it to arrive and then you paid for your goods (sometimes in instalments) by a cheque in the post or a postal order. Those were the days eh? I don't miss them. All hail online shopping. 

This love of pretty lingerie went on quite a few years and I always smiled when I opened my underwear drawer as it was filled with lovely things. When I moved out and had my first house and did my own laundry, I was most put out that someone had stolen my underwear off my line one day and then I thought "good taste mate" before I reported it to the police that there was a knicker thief on the loose. 

Many years have passed and though I still look at pretty lingerie, I buy it a lot less often and usually plump for function over form. And I feel the cold too and because I don't want everyone else to know it, I usually plump for something padded. I used to have a rather cheeky work comrade who liked to comment about the weather quite loudly "I see it's rather cold today Sue" whilst staring at my chest. I let him off on the grounds that he was gay.

I digress. 

Anyway, what I wanted to say was the weather is getting warmer, I've decided to up my undies game, there's no gay work buddy and no freezing air con and I'm going to give those young French girls a run for their money (they have a thing for flashing their bras on IG).

So do you like my new bra? You do? Me too!

• The first time I came across Wacoal was in a department store in Hong Kong and it looked pretty bland, serviceable and the term "man repelling" would have been deemed quite apt. The latest range looks as far from that as you can imagine. I cannot believe it is the one and same. Take a peek here. 

• I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed with the Wacoal collection given my previous encounter and perception. It's beautifully made and finished. What a surprise. What a treat.

• If you don't have too much on top, can I ask you to take a look at this? I have this and can vouch that it's stunning in real life and feels a little more supportive than most bralettes I've tried.

• I don't mind bra straps showing too much as long as they're not dirty. #bignono

* Vision Bra {& matching pants not seen)  c/o Wacoal

Last Note :

• I've been living in these jersey jackets this week - they're just like a cardigan ... but smarter.

• The American Vintage ones keep their shape really well and don't seem to bag like some jersey jackets can.

• They're not the cheapest jersey jacket on the block but they're good.

Baggy trousers. Baggy trousers. Baggy trousers.

And I don't know much more of the Madness song as I wasn't much of a fan. Apologies to all diehard Madness fans out there. But look, I'm not in jeans and I'm in a pair of trousers. Baggy trousers at that! I love them! I took them in to the changing room - they were my wildcard item and they were the only thing I didn't leave behind. Perfect for the summer as they're light and thin but not so thin you feel like you've got your pj bots on. And they're elasticated at the waist with that "paper bag" effect without the usual faffing that goes on with that style of waist. I normally avoid them as they add extra bulk but this one is elasticated and it's all neat and tidy. Very Cos. Very nice.

I tried them on with the white camisole that I was wearing at the time and that gives a lovely crisp clean outfit - quite smart actually and surprisingly the white flared sleeve linen top I tried on above seemed to work well too for a more "happening" look. Grey tees, stripy tops - they're going to be just brill with these, infact they will be brill with everything. See!

1. Maison Labiche Tee. 

Ooh la la! The tee shirt brand of the moment. Other than that, stripes, a catchy slogan, what's not to love? Goes well with the pants.

2. Topshop Embroidered Poplin Top.

Love a pretty top and look at the cute embroidery. Works well with jeans, denim and guess what else? The pants!

3. Next Trousers.

Love them. Got them. Goes with lots.

4. H&M Tan Leather Sandals.

A must for every woman's summer wardrobe. I find tan sandals very neutral and leg lengthening as they blend in to the leg so they don't break your line of vision. Oh yes, they go well with the pants and everything else up there!

5. Whistles Hello Sunshine Tee.

It's yellow, it's summery, I love it. Oh yes, did I mention? It goes with the pants.

6. Mango Jute Basket Bag

Got to love a hardwearing jute bag in the summer months and this goes with everything too that I picked including the pants.

7. La Redoute Mademoiselle R Bag.

Oh I love how quirky and kitsch this is. And La Redoute have their 40% off promotion going on currently - it's in my basket. Works with lots that go with the pants.

8. Clarks Silver Trainers.

I saw these in store and I also saw a lady in the street wearing the skate pump version. Yes, I notice these things. The leather looks very soft and I like the contrasting gum sole. I'm sold. They're also available at La Redoute so get using that 40% discount code (BIG40). Errr, they too go with the pants.

9. Topshop Femme Fatale Tee.

The sellout tee of the moment - it's all over the place or at least the IG accounts I follow but hey, it's good and that's why it's everywhere. Oh yes, for casual laid back coolness - wear with the pants.

Last Note :

• I'm wearing a size 10. In the petite version.