Friday Five : 3rd January 2020
Friday, 3 January 2020
What's this? A Friday Five? First one of 2020 and hopefully not the last. We're only in January.
Friday Five (1 of 5) Posh Caramac
Yes, I like this. A lot.
Hands up who got a load of chocolate in the house this Christmas? Hands up those who got a load of "nice" chocolate in the house? By that I mean Hotel Chocolat standard as opposed to a box of Roses or Quality Street. Hands up those who shunned said posh'ish chocolate for a packet of Aldi's finest Caramel Dore chocolate with Mexican & American Pecans & Himalayan Pink Salt? Me, me me! Basically, I'm addicted to this stuff - yes, it's another one of my fads and this one has been going since last summer when I first discovered it and shared it with everyone watching U11 cricket with me on the sidelines. It basically tastes like posh Caramac and I did like Caramac as a child. Anyway, they stocked it for about two weeks and then disaster ... it disappeared off the shelves. My chocolate world crumbled around me and I had to temporarily move on to White fudge flavoured Flipz pretzels. I combed the chocolate aisle week in week out hoping that they would bring it back out and then one day, there it was again. I nabbed five packs as a starter but they now seem to stock it as part of their core range. Anyway, it's yum and it also the reason why my jeans with no lycra don't fit.
Friday Five (2 of 5) You Have To Suffer To Look Good.
Youtube Video Here
Which leads me on to the following. I watched this Youtube video in October of Alexa Chung interviewing Camille Charriere, French blogger/instagrammer with long legs and slimmer thighs than me. Camille obviously doesn't buy five packs of Caramel Dore chocolate with Mexican & American Pecans & Himalayan Pink Salt at a time and scoff them with a cuppa. Anyway, they were talking about jeans and were saying how the best ones were the ones which were rigid denim with no stretch. They hurt to wear but they make your butt look real good. I remember going upstairs and dragging out my most rigid jeans (by that I mean, the least stretchy and with the least lycra) which I couldn't bring myself to wear all summer because they cut my circulation off. I put them on and huffed and puffed my way though the day. By the end of it, I declared that I really wasn't made of very strong fashion stuff and I really wasn't cut out for rigid denim. Basically - pass me the chocolate and give me all the lycra.
Picture Source : Pinterest
Those are like the shades I am currently most drawn to - I've always liked fairly muted but strong colours. Do you know what I mean by that? I like a strong yellow but I also like it a muted mustard rather than sunny side up yellow. I like green but veer towards a deeper shade rather than a vibrant leaf green (ignore the fact that I have a bright green COS cardigan squirreled away somewhere). I like burnt orange/rust shades rather than jaffa. You get the gist. Basically I do like colour but not colour which screams look at me. I like colours which wouldn't look out of place in a Toast shop basically. Not stuff that looks like it came out of the CBeebies dressing room.
In the interests of disclosure. I may have purchased both of the above dresses in the Zara sale and both break my usual rule of no sleeveless dresses but I have every intention of wearing both of these layered with something over. Not under. Over. And both look fabulous with black and grey. Sorted.
Friday Five (4 of 5) Slippy Straps
I got myself a black vinyl bag last year. Do you think it looks a bit kinky? In a bit of a sheep wearing vinyl dominatrix kind of way. Or am I just being super weird? I had a little debate with myself at the time on whether to keep the bag or not as the strap was a little slippy and prone to slipping off my shoulders but I played with it every day and didn't pack it up to send back so that obviously meant I liked it. So I did what all sensible people do these days - I googled how to stop bag straps slipping and found this Prym Non Slip Tape which you stick to the underneath of your strap. And do you know what? It works!
Friday Five (5 of 5) Graham St
This has been my favourite blog for the past few months. Beautiful photography. Lovely styling. Hannah Macleod (30s) and her mum (60s) showing us how to look fashionable whatever our age and also how to translate a trend to suit. I want their wardrobes!
Friday Five (5 of 5) Graham St
This has been my favourite blog for the past few months. Beautiful photography. Lovely styling. Hannah Macleod (30s) and her mum (60s) showing us how to look fashionable whatever our age and also how to translate a trend to suit. I want their wardrobes!
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Last Note :
- Hope the new year is treating you kind so far.
Jumper & Jeans Uniform
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
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Oh hi there!
I've said it before, I love a good grey jumper. Or a black one at that. This is good because I now have a loose dress code for work which comprises of black, white and grey upper half and similar coloured bottoms including blue or black jeans. Hallelujah! And a fancy apron from The Stitch Society which has lovely nubuck leather straps (I'm all about the details). I pretty much landed on my feet uniform wise as I'm literally wearing what I normally wear anyway. I'm also a creature of comfort and ease. I don't do tugging up and tugging down and readjusting continuously just to make sure things are just so. No, I like the ease and comfort of a good neutral coloured jumper worn slightly slouchy over a pair of jeans and somehow, this always makes me feel put together. It's not like I don't like colour, I do but I like it in short sharp doses. Once a fortnight I might get the urge to go all colourful and then for the next thirteen days, I want to don my dark materials yet again. That's me.
My two absolute favourites are just plain grey wool crew neck jumpers. One is a Gap grey cashmere jumper which is worn all year round and is probably on it's fifth year or thereabouts. I sized up to a medium when I bought it and I'm glad I did because I do throw it in the washing machine when it needs a spruce up and I think it has shrunk a touch over the years. Or I've got bigger. Or more likely - a combination of both. The other grey jumper is from COS and joined the wardrobe about two years back. It's a rough wool - almost like a donegal but I found the cut extremely flattering and I like the flecks running through it. Both are the perfect size and shape for fitting under coats and jackets without too much fuss. I constantly browse eBay to see if any of these turn up as I'd like backups for both as they are getting more than their fair share of wear in the jumper stakes now that I've incorporated them in to my uniform.
I also have a black cashmere crew neck from M&S. I bought this with one of their twenty percent off family and friends discount codes the other year and I sized up not one but two sizes for the perfect slouchy comfort fit. I do really like a black jumper but I'm so picky about fluff that I have to lint roller them every time before I wear it which is why I favour grey more because you don't see the fluff.
Me most days.
Grey Topshop Jumper (old)
Gap Girlfriend Jeans (old)
Primark Coat (maybe still in store)
Anyway the below two jumpers are the most recent additions to my monochrome grey and black jumper brigade. Both are oversized knits from H&M. The pale grey one I've had for a while and have already worn quite a lot but the darker one is fairly new in to store and to me. My main requirement when I buy any jumper is that it looks like I can de-pill it or shave it to bring it back to new. I get that all knits be it pure wool or acrylic will pill to some degree but some are easier to maintain than others. In my experience, a flat stocking stitch are the best candidates for a round with a razor or my electric clothes shaver. And did you spot that the "black" jumper is actually a black marl? See how I got round the fluff situation? Clever eh?
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Last Note :
- On my online travels, I spotted that the latest Grenson Nanettes in the leopard print hair hide have 20% off here.
- Can I also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has stuck with me and my blog all these years. Thank you for reading - it means a lot.
- And a Happy 2020 to you all - I'm hoping it will be a good one!
Hello
Saturday, 28 December 2019
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New year, new resolutions, new blog. Ta dah!
No, sack that. Well new year isn't till next week and I don't do resolutions and every time I say I will be back here on the blog writing more, it never happens and that's frankly quite annoying don't you think? So we'll work on it being a New Year and we'll take it as it comes. Blog looks a little more spruced up though don't you think?
Anything new happen out there since I last tapped keyboard with you guys? Well I started that little job that I mentioned previously. It's been interesting as I've entered commuting life and that's weird. I used to commute but always by car and now it's by train and I'm learning the joys of trains not arriving on time or cancelling all together. Luckily there are warm waiting rooms and I take a Kindle with me everyday so I do actually have something to do. You'd think that after all these years, I would be tired of Solitaire but no, I'm still there for the daily challenge. Go me.
So I was thinking if there was any point in still writing a blog and the thing is when I started, it was fun and people joined in the banter just like they do on IG but you never felt quite as "judged". You never felt that you had a really rubbish outfit on because there really wasn't a like button on the blog for that kind of thing. You could tap away in blind oblivion and there really is something in that saying that "ignorance is bliss". Now whether people care to admit it or not, if you post on Instagram and your post doesn't get many likes, you feel a bit pants. That's no way to live. So I think for my own mental health and sanity, I should just come back full circle to the blog and tap away happily like a pig in muck about random gumph. It's how I started and I think that's what I should end up going back to.
Even tapping this little post this morning feels quite cathartic. I'll keep things brief and reasonably shallow - I'm not one of those persons who like to divulge heart, soul, personal stuff and bedroom decor on here. I always think, I've seen your bedroom, that's where you have rumpy pumpy. 😉
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Last Note :
- I nabbed my Grenson Nanettes in the Black Friday sale at Shopatanna but they're back at full price again now. I ummed and ahhed over them for a long time as I couldn't decide between the tan and black and then decided that I could live without them until I saw Nicky in a black pair and fell for them big time. And then with starting work, I thought they may be the perfect stomping boots to get me through the winter commute. I ordered them from Selfridges on the Black Friday weekend in the black to have the order cancelled on me the following day. The very same day, the tan version went in to the Black Friday offers for Shop at Anna. I took it as a sign.
- I also bought that big bunch of foliage of Eucalyptus, Hypericum and Gypsophila as my Christmas flower bouquet thinking they wouldn't smell much and be nice and neutral and wouldn't conflict with my new Midwinter candle which I treated myself to. I didn't know that Hypericum leaves smelt like curry. 😱
New Gaston Luga Bag. New Adventures.
Tuesday, 19 November 2019
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Normally, I would say no. But I'm about to do something a little different for me. I'm about to start a new little job and that involves a commute ... on public transport. I can't remember when I ever did that, infact I never did because I drove myself to work even for my very first temping job in my early twenties. So I said yes. I said yes to a Gaston Luga backpack when they contacted me because I thought "actually that might be really useful".
Gaston Luga are a Swedish backpack company from Stockholm. They actually had me at the "from Stockholm" introduction as I do love a little Swedish minimalist design. Ironically, I went for the least minimal design which is their Pärlan range and also unexpectedly, I went for a burgundy one instead of traditional black which you would expect me to home in on. A change is always good and as it turns out, the burgundy tone in real life is quite beautiful.
The Pärlan design is a fairly neat size but I didn't want anything which would swamp me either. I studied the website and their Instagram feed before deciding on what felt right for me. They do have larger designs such as the Pråper which comfortably fits up to a 15" laptop but that wasn't necessary for my needs. I have to say, it is beautifully made - the stitching and finishing on the backpack is precise and my hubs first impression when he saw it was "that looks expensive" and then "Do they do any for men?". Answer to that is yes by the way as the majority of the designs are unisex.
So what can I tell you about the backpack? The "leather" parts are made from a vegan leather and the nylon used seems sturdy but is lightweight and water resistant. Little bonus features include the way it's separated in to two reasonable size compartments, good for keeping purses, phones and keys on one side and all your junk in the other like foldup shopping bags and packets of tissues. I'm not that snotty but it's just one of life's essentials that I think you should have with you. 😊
Oh and one thing which stood out to me, the strap holders. There's two of them basically instead of one which helps keep the straps flush and in place instead of them being loose and getting bent. Little touches like that means some thought has gone into the design.
And last but not least, the cutest little feature has to be the "hidden" back pocket where you can keep things like your passport when you're travelling. Because it's in the back, there's no pickpocketing of your valuables from there, so likewise it's good for people to keep travel or work passes which they want to keep safe yet easily access. My family would like this feature in particular as they are paranoid about pickpockets and have been known to go round Hong Kong with a backpack on their front just to make sure they won't have anyone creeping up and stealing anything from behind.
So yes, as I was saying, I'm starting a little job soon helping my friend Alex at The Little Yorkshire Candle Company, in York which involves a daily commute and I'm going to enjoy using my little Pärlan backpack to bring a little colour to my daily outfits.
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Last Note :
- Currently, Gaston Luga are offering a 25% discount on all their products as part of their Black Friday promotion which also includes a free Ärlig clear travel bag. The discount is automatically applied at checkout so no code is required however this is for a limited time period so if you miss it or you might need a little time to thing things through, you can always use the code SUSIESOSO for 15% off instead.
- If you see me wandering around in York looking a bit lost - I probably am. I have a rubbish sense of direction.
Blue and Orange - Melanie Wyse London Mohair Jumper
Wednesday, 16 October 2019
Gap Girlfriend Jeans
Golden Goose Midstar Trainers
Pieces Leather Bag
Yep. I was all over it. The pink and red jumper from Wyse London. I saw it and loved it immediately. Stripes, cute and in such a funky colourway. Just the right side of slouchy, nice amount of mohair to give it a retro feel. Right, I've pre-ordered it . Now sit back, flex those fingers and wait.
And wait. And wait. And wait.
Well that's how it felt. And then all of a sudden, the blue and orange version of the jumper popped up but I wasn't fast enough and it sold out. What??? It was like, did I miss something there? Why didn't they have that out at the same time as the pink and red? Pfft! That's because I knew that if I'd seen the blue and orange one before the pink and red, I'd have just ordered the blue and orange. Humph. And then the email came saying the pink and red one had been despatched. And I went online to have another quick nosey at it to remind myself what it looked like and I spotted the blue and orange was back in stock. I ordered faster than you could say "express delivery".
So two jumpers turned up on the same day. And I liked them both. Gah.
For fun, I showed a picture of them both to the hubs and didn't tell him I'd ordered them.
Me : "What do you think?"
Hubs : "I don't like them".
Me : "Why?"
Hubs. "They're too bright .... for you."
Me : "Oh"
So a day later I showed him some more pics of the jumpers and assured him that they weren't as bright as they appeared on screen. And he raised his eyebrows at me, in that "You're not going to let this drop are you" way.
So I told him I had them both and was trying to decide. I trotted off upstairs and brought them down. and waft, wafted them under his nose.
"Nope - not really you".
"Are you sure". (me being stubborn and annoying like a petulant kid who can't take no for an answer).
"Well try them on, I can't really tell if you just waft them in front of me".
So off I trotted and came back in the blue and orange jumper. And I may have floofed up my hair a bit too.
"Hmm. It looks .... quite nice on you actually. Not as bright as I thought".
And then I showed him the pink and red.
"It's okay but I prefer the blue and orange on you".
Which is good as I did too. And I love how if you keep at someone long enough, you can get them to come round to your way of thinking. 😉
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Last Note.
- The jumper does keep selling out online but it seems to come up on pre-order again every now and then.
- Fran from the Fashion Lift has added a new colourway to this jumper - soft pink and caramel. Lush!
- If they did it in a black and tan - that would be my dream colour combo.
- The blue on this jumper is not as navy as it appears but a more delicious petrol/tealy blue shade which is so hard to capture.
- I personally don't find it itchy but then again I might have a high itch tolerance.
- I'm a size 10 and wearing the size S/M
Breakdown of an Outfit : Blue SIlk Jacket & Checked Scarves
Monday, 14 October 2019
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Vintage Silk Jacket (Dad's)
H&M Cashmere Jumper
Pieces Leather Bag
Golden Goose Trainers
Primark Scarf
I haven't put tap tappy fingers to blog properly for quite some time now but lately, I've got the itch. I started writing a post last week but got sidetracked and lost the moment. Today, I felt that it might be nice to have a little witter on here about what I was wearing. Just like I used to. Humour me ....
I was at my mum's house last year and one of the things I found when rummaging around was my dad's old Chinese silk wadded jacket. I swooped on the jacket even though no one was fighting me for it exactly. My mum and my sister also offered me some naff vintage C&A jumpers but I left those behind - you would too if you saw them. There's good vintage and bad. And there's really naff. Anyway, I've been looking on and off on eBay for one of these jackets for years and had even asked my sister in the past to look for one for me in Hong Kong. The thing is, there are lots of modern reproductions of these kind of jackets (Monsoon are good at this) but this one is a vintage silk one. and not the rayon fake silk stuff. And it's lovely because it did belong to my dad and he brought it over from Hong Kong in the sixties/seventies.
Vintage Silk Jacket (my dad's)
Anyway, due to the overwhelming aroma of mothballs (my family are rather partial to these things), I threw it in the wash. Please don't tell my mum and sister I did that as they actually told me not to do that because of the silk wadding which could clump together. But I don't listen and I'm a chancer. And this chancer got away with it just.
Some thing you may or may not have noted. This jacket belonged to my dad and it fits me and I'm a size 10. My dad was not a big man. I'm not sure if I shrunk it a fraction but I know I didn't shrink it that much. The sleeves are an inch too short but I can live with that because it is actually a really nice warm little jacket with a bit of history.
Now I threw it on today over a cashmere jumper and westernised the look with a checked scarf and some mid top trainers. The checked scarf was one of my best buys from Primark last year for one solitary pound. I know with all the current talk about about fast fashion that Primark is generally frowned upon but I have to say that some of my best buys have been from there. Sometimes they nail it with a few good pieces - you just have to be savvy and conscious when shopping and not pick out the glaringly obvious on trend pieces that you can spot a mile off and decide to offload after a season. This scarf is proving to be one of those good finds.
The Pieces leather bag is a homage to the Jerome Dreyfuss Bobi bag but at a more palatable price and it helped me scratch that very expensive itch. It really is the softest leather and I've had that a couple of years now and I don't seem to be tiring of it - it works for me and my casual style.
And last but not least - the Golden Goose. These are the mid top style trainers. I can't do a full high top style - I have tried with Converse and had the sore ankles to prove it. However, these mid tops are perfect for my short little stumps. GG's have that little hidden wedge which is done ever so subtly and has the benefits of leg lengthening without the surgery.
So it wasn't a major blog post or anything but I forgot how nice it is to come on here to my little space just to have a chunner about something and nothing. I have to say I've missed it. I hope not to leave it too long before I'm back again.
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Recreating a similar look ...
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