THE PERFECT BLACK BLAZER FROM BAUKJEN

Hey hey, here's a long overdue outfit post featuring the perfect black blazer.

Blazers are such an important part of my wardrobe, I have a unofficial work wear wardrobe and it's basically blazers worn with t-shirts, jeans, trainers and the occasional pair of court shoes when I'm feeling less lazy (it can't be overstated how lazy I am when getting dressed). What I love about a blazer is that it makes me feel instantaneously work-ready and pulled together, even when my brain might not be on the same page (it usually gets going sometime around midday on a Tuesday). 

Outfit credits: Blazer: Baukjen (gifted) | Denim skirt: vintage (similar) | Earrings: Next (not online but I got mine recently in store for £6!) | Bag: Gucci | T-shirt : Gap | Mules: Next 

BUDGET WEDDING GUEST DRESSES UNDER £100

In need of a wedding guest dress on a budget? You're not alone. Attending a wedding costs a small fortune these days. By the time you've forked out for the hen do in an exotic location (plus the copious rounds of shots and all-essential inflatable penis), your train ticket to the the actual wedding, your overnight stay at the stately home venue in the middle of nowhere, not forgetting the 100-thread count bedding from the Harrods-curated wedding list, you're lucky to have 50p to your sorry name.

Which is why you'll probably be hitting the high street to find your dress for said wedding, right? I put the below edit together with a tight budget in mind, nothing costs over £100 which is usually the budget I'm working to for event dressing. Having done some extensive 'research' hunting for the dress for my sister's June wedding, I strongly recommend going to take a look at dresses in person where possible, as something can look lovely online but the wrong fabric will look terrible to the naked eye. Finery, Topshop, Warehouse and Mango all have your cash-strapped back this season ~ whilst Next and Whistles are my go-to's for the finishing touches. Which budget wedding guest dress is your favourite? 

JUST ADD:

SOME MORE IDEAS:

THE BEST YELLOW FASHION BUYS FOR SS18

Millennial pink move aside, there's a new colour trend for 2018 and it's all yellow. From custard to mustard through to citric lemon and golden turmeric, the high street is awash with buys fit for a sunny disposition. I think yellow can seem unwearable / a little scary at first glance, but it actually goes with everything. Black, white, denim and navy look timeless with a pop of colour, whilst I love the contrast between pinks, lilacs, reds, blues and yellow if you're feeling braver. 

The best thing about this trend is that it's really easy to do on the high street; you don't need to invest in designer when there's so many lovely pieces for under £100. New Look in particular have this trend nailed with a lovely selection of buttercup coloured sundresses. Also check out Topshop for the fab suede-effect yellow sandals - I'd wear mine with white jeans and a colourful t-shirt for a nice contrast. Oh and by the way, *technology upgrade* you can shop every product below by clicking on the icon on the image because I've final embraced the 21st century. You're welcome! 

MORE FAB YELLOW BUYS:

ITALIAN LEATHER BAGS FROM ATTAVANTI

If you're looking for Italian leather shoulder bags for summer, may I point you in the direction of Attavanti. Now handbags are officially my thang, and through many years of handbag hoarding I have learnt that there’s no better place to invest than in your accessories. You can wear top-to-toe high street outfit and still look expensive with a premium handbag on your wrist.


Attavanti are an online retailer with a passion for all-things ‘Made in Italy’, which is the ultimate destination for leather goods. You won’t find better quality leather than from an Italian supplier, which is why all the leading designer houses source their accessories from the region. 

Whether it's leather tote bags or leather grab bags you're after, there's some beautiful bags on Attavanti’s site, from interesting, lesser-known designers. My favourites are the woven leather styles, that have the Bottega Veneta feel without the high-end designer price tag. The multi-coloured woven leather styles bang-on-the-money for S/S18 (the rainbow colour trend is still HUGE news), I'd wear mine with a summer dress and white trainers for a high-meets-low look. Here’s an edit of my favourite styles on site:

Top row from L-R: Ghibli ochre woven leather shoulder bucket bag. Ghibli coral woven leather shoulder bag. Middle row from L-R: Arcadia Suzy white patent grab bag. Ghibli multi woven leather drawstring hobo bag. Arcadia Aprile brown grab bag. Bottom row from L-R: Carbotti quilted cream bag. Pratesi Tullia D'aragona red leather shoulder bag. Carbotti quilted black bag. 

WEAR IT WITH:

*This post is in collaboration with Attanvanti, but as always, all views are my own

LOOKING GOOD // FEELING GORGEOUS

In my seven years of blogging, I’m not sure I have done an outfit post covering what I like to wear at the weekend, so here we are.

It can be easy to blur the lines between your office and weekend wardrobe, but I prefer to keep the two separate, because it helps me to mentally transition from work to play. In the week I like to wear tailoring (blazers on repeat) – at the weekend its denim, Converse & leather jackets.

What exactly I wear at the weekend depends on where my plans take me, and this particular weekend I was in Peckham Rye.

Peckham happens to be one of my absolute favourite places to spend my free time, particularly in summer because there are so many alfresco watering holes. It’s a place for the creatively minded; there’s colourful street art and twinkling disco balls and foodie pop-ups and Campari-cocktails - basically all the things I love.

New(ish) to the South East London scene is Peckham Levels – a multi-purpose space in a former a multi-story car park.  Step inside for the best independent food (the poke bowl was insanely good), drinks, events and exhibitions and more. What I love about Levels is that everyone is welcome, from toddlers to grannies to hipsters and foodies, on the Saturday that I visited just about every demographic was in attendance.

Shop the post:

WHY I'M NOT FREAKING OUT ABOUT TURNING 30

Type ‘turning 30’ into google and the first page of results have a common theme.

Result number one, a Psychology Now article ‘If you’re turning 30 and freaking out’, is followed by a succession of depressing opinion pieces from Cosmo, Huffpost and the Metro, of a similar nature. The hysteria peaks at result number 9, a Mumsnet thread titled ‘to be utterly depressed about turning 30...???’ (LOL, oh Mumsnet…)

Then there’s throwaway comments; ‘You’re not turning 30… are you? Oh god you are!’, ‘How do you feel, scared?’…‘Don’t worry, at least you don’t look 30’. 

I wanted to write this blog to present an alternative opinion; a viewpoint from someone turning 30 imminently, freak-out free, genuinely full of excitement for the unwritten decade ahead.

SHOP THE LOOK:

THE BEST BUYS IN THE JANUARY SALES

If you've not got round to checking them out yet, there's still some bargains to be had in the January sales. Long time readers of this blog will know I endeavour not to follow trends where possible, so I've done my best to edit the sale buys that I think will have plenty of mileage in 2018.  

One of the most exciting sales for me is the Alexachung sale, on Net-a-porter. Having tried (emphasis on the word tried) to emulate Alexa's look many a time, I was super excited about the launch of her eponymous collection. However the prices were definitely out my budget, so the sale offers the opportunity to buy into a little piece of the Alexa magic. 

Elsewhere the Baukjen sale is definitely worth checking out for cut price investment pieces - look for leather jackets and winter coats. The Me + Em sale is another highlight; I am obsessed with the below side stripe jeans that have the perfect wash and cut combined with interesting side stripe detail. 1. Madewell striped cotton t-shirt, Net-a-porter.com, £60 now £30. 2. Leopard print remi coat, Baukjen, £899 now £719. 3. Side stripe jeans, Me & Em £139  £69. 4. Textured double breasted coat, Whistles, £99. 5. Alexachung red pumps, Net-a-porter.com, £300 £150. 6. Kearia black ankle boots, Aldo, £120 £83.98. 7. Iva leather jacket, Baukjen, £399 £259. 8. Alexa Chung zip up jersey track jacket, Net-a-porter.com, £250 £175.  9. Lipstick, Topshop, £8 £3. 10. Manu Atelier burgundy shoulder bag, Net-a-porter.com, £475 now £285. 11. Lydia panelled top, Kitri studio, £75 £52. 

Happy shopping! x

1. Madewell striped cotton t-shirt, Net-a-porter.com, £60 now £30. 2. Leopard print remi coat, Baukjen, £899 now £719. 3. Side stripe jeans, Me & Em £139  £69. 4. Textured double breasted coat, Whistles, £99. 5. Alexachung red pumps, Net-a-porter.com, £300 £150. 6. Kearia black ankle boots, Aldo, £120 £83.98. 7. Iva leather jacket, Baukjen, £399 £259. 8. Alexa Chung zip up jersey track jacket, Net-a-porter.com, £250 £175.  9. Lipstick, Topshop, £8 £3. 10. Manu Atelier burgundy shoulder bag, Net-a-porter.com, £475 now £285. 11. Lydia panelled top, Kitri studio, £75 £52.