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ClaireAugust 31, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Acid Wash Jeans and H&M Pork Pie Hat

GOOD DAY TO YOU DEAR FRIENDS,

This is an outfit I wore to work a couple of days ago and you may have seen Claire’s shocked tweet about my hat wearing adventures. Thankfully we work in an office where we don’t have to dress particularly smart, so outfit choices in the morning can either be tragic (like the day I wore double denim and didn’t straighten my hair) or a bit more fun. I’m putting this into the a bit more fun category and its one that I’m quite pleased with casual-wise. While, I got a few ‘…you’re wearing a hat’ comments throughout the day and one of the guys put it on and looked like a Victorian mill owner, on the whole I AM SOLD ON THE HAT THING. I can’t wait to invest in a few more when Autumn/Winter arrives. View Full Post

ClaireAugust 15, 2013

Autumn/Winter Trends: Wishlist.

Claire and I are definitely being those girls at the moment. We have decided that summer is officially on it’s way out (even though I tried to wear I chunky knit to work today and may have somewhat melted) and it is now time to get properly excited about autumn/winter. Even though we live together, work together and generally see far too much of each other, we’ve somehow not run out of things to say to each other. This has been especially true this week, where we have spent approximately 100000000* hours discussing how we’re going to work the autumn/winter trends and what things we’re going to look at buying.

I must admit, I have been quite worried about the autumn/winter trends. So worried in fact, that I had a nightmare I dressed head to toe in tartan last night and Kate Moss told me I looked like a genuine fool (which is probably something that would actually happen if I ever met K Mossy). After some hyperventilating, a few cups of tea and some soothing head patting by Claire, I’m feeling a bit more positive NAY EVEN EXCITED about things to come. So excited that I’ve put together my wishlists for each trend, even though most high street stores haven’t revealed their autumn/winter collections yet. WHOOPS, I’m keen. Call this a autumn/winter trend sneak peak if you will (you probably wont), but here’s what I’m thinking of investing in this autumn/winter.

Does anyone else have that problem of not really loving a trend but then coming round to it as soon as it’s going out of fashion? SNORE. This happens to me constantly. For example, I have finally decided that I like creepers approximately 2 years late. With this in mind, I have started convincing myself that I like the tartan trend months in advance so I’m prepared for the new season. I think I might have become as obsessed with it as I am with neon at the moment, so I’m going to be seriously investing in some key tartan pieces when the time comes! Oh to own that Cambridge satchel…anyone want to lend a homegirl £140?

I’m a bit dubious of the autumn/winter PVC trend but I’m willing to embrace it with rubbery arms, provided things don’t get too prostitutey.

My theory is that winter pastels are going to be more on the ‘dusty’ side – with more grey tones in them that the bright summery pastels. This is definitely an autumn/winter trend that I’m looking forward to! Apparently I’m really excited to wear lilac.

WELL. These are just the top three autumn/winter trends that I’m looking forward to! I’m also really keen for oversized coats, metallics (sorry Claire) and wearing dark plum lipstick again.

What do you all think? Have you got any trends you’re excited about?

ClaireAugust 9, 2013

Outift of the Day: Missguided Crop & Topshop Trousers

Crop Tee – Missguided / Chain – eBay / Trousers – Topshop / Shoes – JuJu / Bag – Forever 21 / Lipstick – Barry M ‘Palest Lavendar’

Everybody, look! LOOK. I’M NOT AT WORK. On a Friday! I hope you’re all as excited as I am about this fact. Normally, having a day off work is thrilling enough, but today I’m especially excited because one of my very best friends is coming to stay with me for the weekend. I’m just about to leave the house to meet her at the station and welcome her to sunny Coventry, but thought I would quickly share what I’m wearing out for our lunch and drinks date.

This sort of thing has very much became a bit of a go-to outfit for me this year while the crop top continues to reign supreme. It’s only really been this summer that I’ve started to incorporate them into my day wardrobe, after being a bit iffy about the idea for a while. But now I think I can safely say it’s acceptable, though only when teamed with something high-waisted of course – belly buttons are the new nipples, keep them covered unless you want to cause too much of a stir.

I teamed this Missguided crop (from the Sweet Deals range which I have raved about numerous times) with these Topshop trousers that I’ve had for about a year and absolutely LOVE. They’re so light and cool, and surprisingly versatile. They crease like a bitch and as a general rule I don’t iron clothes, which is why they don’t receive quite as much love from me as they should. If you’re interested in learning a top tip from my Lazy Girl’s Guide to Living Like a Human, then to get these crease-free this morning I blasted them with my hairdryer. My trusty fave eBay gold chain adds a dollop of ghetto fabulous to the outfit, complemented by this Forever 21 chain strap bag. The JuJu jellies don’t really match seeing as they have silver glitter in but SHUT UP I LOVE THEM, aaaaaaaand today I’m even wearing a lipstick in the day, which is rather unlike me.

On that note, I am very very close to being late and leaving Chiara stranded in the mean streets of Coventry, so I must dash. I hope you all have proper jazzy weekends, LATERS.

ClaireJuly 30, 2013

Outfit of the Day: The Mirror Edition

You know how people say that as a parent you just feel permanently guilty and worried that you’re not helping your kids enough? I feel that way about this blog – does that make me terribly sad? That question is strictly rhetorical, don’t answer. Anyway, I’m aware that I haven’t done an OOTD post for ages, and have felt very guilty about it. So I finally set up the tripod and camera at the weekend to capture my oh-so-fascinating outfit and what was I greeted with on the display screen? Battery Depleted. SUPER.

So, like the absent father that I feel like, I’m trying to make amends. To give you a rough idea of outfits I’ve been loving lately, here’s a selection of rubbish mirror selfies that I’ve uploaded to our Instagram account @StylingoUK over the last couple of weeks.

Midi Dress – Primark / Cross Belt – Primark / Watch – River Island (similar here)

I featured this midi dress in my June haul post last month, where I said how rubbish it had looked in the changing room and that it would probably be going back. Well, wasn’t I just being a Negative Nancy. After trying it on properly and jazzing it up with a belt and better shoes, I now love this dress and it’s one of my staple work dresses (I took this at work, hence the attractive toilet shot). A good example of why it’s a good idea sometimes to buy things and try them out at home before making your mind up about them.

Leather Gilet – H&M / Vest – H&M / Maxi Skirt – Motel Rocks / Cross Necklace – eBay

I wore this outfit last week when I went into Birmingham to meet one of my old uni friends for lunch (FYI, Red Pepper in the Mailbox is THE best place I’ve eaten for a really really long time)(really really). I bought this sleeveless leather jacket months ago and have kind of just never got round to wearing it. I’ve seen plenty of other people wear them, but you know when you get those items you just can’t make work for yourself? I finally bit the bullet and teamed it with my knitted maxi skirt from Motel and I think it kind of worked…

Crochet Top – Primark / Vest – Primark / Denim Skater Skirt – Topshop

Ah, I love my little Topshop skirt; and it came in so handy during the heatwave. I wore it with this crochet tee (which I stole from my sister about two years ago and never returned – thanks Amy, if you’re reading!) for work one day as a simple summery outfit. I’m lucky to work somewhere where an outfit like this is seen as acceptable, I have NO idea how people who work in offices with strict dress codes coped during that heat!

Crop Top – Missguided / Trousers – Primark / Jelly Shoes – JuJu (via ASOS) / Lion Head Necklace – eBay

I love this outfit. It’s a shame that I only wore it round to my mum’s house and so it was just met with the greeting, ‘Those trousers are… interesting’. It will definitely need to be re-worn somewhere that it will get a bit more appreciation. I also wore my new favourite piece of jewellery, the lion head necklace that I first mentioned in my eBay dupes post back in May.

I actually ordered it just after that post went live, but there was an unfortunate incident when it was delivered. You see, I just happened to be quite drunk when I came home and discovered the parcel, and all I could remember the next day was the parcel ending up somewhere and my drunk mind thinking, ‘you’re NEVER going to find that when you’re sober, har har har’. And drunk me was right; I searched high and low for it for days and could not track it down. It eventually turned up two weeks ago, wedged behind the back of my chest of drawers. I do wish drunk me had been more considerate and left a note for sober me.

So, I apologise once again for the quality of these OOTD posts. I will soon fix the depleted battery issue and take my parental blogger responsibilities more seriously. Do you forgive me? Can we go bowling now?

ClaireJuly 24, 2013

Short Girl Problems: The Best Petite Clothing

They say that good things come in small packages – but what if the package wrapping just doesn’t fit?

Lauren and I are both self-confessed hobbits. I always liked to ambitiously declare myself as 5’3, though a cruel machine at the gym recently broke the news to me that I am in fact 5’1.8 (the .8 makes all the difference). Lauren comes in even smaller than me – some rumours suggest she is as little as 3 feet tall, and just wears special shoes like Tom Cruise.

Here is a recent photo of us.

We both quite like being short – you never really have to worry about finding a boy who’s taller than you, you’re brilliant at hide and seek because you can easily fit into most cupboards, and you can often get away with paying child fare on the bus.

One thing which is a proper snore about being short, though, is the clothing issue. Trousers drag along the floor. Midis cut us at awkward angles. We trip over our maxi skirts (Lauren face-planted in the middle of Birmingham City Centre just a few weeks ago due to this. Of course I didn’t laugh when she told me. Not one bit). Yes, these problems could all be fixed by altering our clothes but, frankly, the furthest I ever got in textiles lessons in school was making a puppet that was supposed to be a rabbit but more closely resembled something you might pull out of the hoover when you have a blockage. The domesticated life is not the one for me.

Another option is sizing down in ‘normal’ ranges. I have quite a few size 6 dresses in my wardrobe which, if you saw my hips, you would know is NOT my true size. But going a size smaller means you have less material, so it can be spread across your body better (sorry, I couldn’t find any better way of saying that). This is a good tactic with bodycon stuff, dresses in particular – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for a pair of jeans, as fitting a size 10 bum into size 6 jeans will just result in an arse split that will be difficult to hide as you hand it back to the shop assistant.

My TIP TOP TIP though, is to find out where do good petite ranges. Things just look so much better when they are made for someone of your height – they keep you in much better proportion, plus you have less bruising from falling over all the time. So, here’s my list of the top 3 places to head to for petite clothes.

Topshop Petite
Topshop are hands-down one of my favourite shops that cater to my little-legged needs. They always have a decent sized range and often do petite versions of the season’s best-sellers, so we don’t have to miss out just because of the poor genetics passed onto us from our parents.

ASOS Petite
ASOS’ petite range is another personal favourite of mine, particularly for maxi skirts and dresses. Whereas Topshop only stock sizes 4-14, ASOS go up to a 16 so the majority of us tiny tots (did I really just say that? Yep, moving on) can find something to wear. What I also like about ASOS is that they do a lot of pieces exclusive to the Petite range. This makes me feel like I am in some sort of special club and can sashay around in amazing dresses that would leave taller girls flashing their foofs.

New Looks – 915 Range
Okay, DO NOT LAUGH. But buying kids’ clothes really is a superb idea if you’re petite. Have you seen how tall these 14 year olds are?! I have a slight problem with New Look’s 915 range because as I browse the crop tops and mini dresses, I can’t help but wonder where on earth 9 YEAR OLDS are going dressed like that. But that is a problem for parents and not for us short shoppers – so just enjoy the cheaper prices and worry about the nation’s children at a later date.

Are any of you petite? What are your tactics for dressing for your height?

ClaireJuly 16, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Monochrome Bodycon & Red Wedges

Dress – H&M / Wedges: Topshop

I went out last night. Please take a second to let that sink in – I went out on a MONDAY night. I’ve been a real member of the working world since last August so weeknight drinking has very much became a distant memory to me; these days, I feel a bit dangerous going to an 8pm showing at the cinema. But a day off work today meant that a night out simply had to happen (did the eight Jagerbombs have to happen? I’m less sure of that). View Full Post

ClaireJuly 15, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Neon Skater Skirt at Wireless Festival

Good afternoon one and all. After suffering from a terrible case of bloggers’ block, dithering about what to write about today and Claire threatening to throw her pen at me (SEE WHAT I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH?!), I have finally settled on filling you in on my weekend.

If you follow our Twitter account, you may have noticed a slight lack of activity on my part (I can tell you’re thinking, ‘Ah, this is why I felt a horrible sense of loss over the weekend’). This was because I took the plunge and decided to leave the comforting streets of Coventry to hit the big city with my pal for Wireless Festival. After agonising for MONTHS about what to wear, I ended up spending Thursday night cleaning the house, lying on my bed reading ‘Dancing in my Nuddy Pants’ and generally not choosing what to wear. I’m half on a spending ban at the moment (tell that to WH Smith’s and their half price note pads), so I decided to be frugal and not buy anything new (which was probably sensible as port-a-loos and new outfits don’t mix brilliantly). However, it did mean getting up at 7am on Friday and charging around my room in my pantaloons with a horrible sense of panic. We’re having beautiful scorching weather (WOO), so being too hot was a no-no. Unfortunately, I also burn like Guy Fawkes and Joan of Arc on a hot (paha) date, so I need to be covered too. PROBLEMATIC? Horribly.

I ended up settling for a neon yellow skirt I bought a month or two ago, a black body, a pair of casual sandals and a chunky gold necklace (obviously channeling my inner Waka Flocka Flame). I teamed it with a denim jacket while we were still in Coventry because at that point it was cloudy and I didn’t want to look like a raving lunatic at 9am. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too boiling at Wireless. Which was most likely because of the lovely hydrating pints of cider I was drinking, mmm appley.

I thought I’d give you a little picture tour of my day on Friday; I didn’t take many snaps as I was too busy realising how much I love Ke$ha.

If you’re interested in recreating this little outfit, here is where you can get the same or similar items (I have to admit, it’s quite a good one for the hot weather when you want to protect your shoulders!).

I only went for the day on Friday, so me and my lovely friend stayed at a hotel in Shoreditch, did a bit of shopping in the Spitalfields Market on Saturday and then headed back to our respective homes. Claire and I headed out in Birmingham on Saturday night, which we should hopefully have some outfit of the night posts up soon (I wore Claire’s trousers, so no new exciting clothes there either. Sniff.).

My highlights of Wireless were definitely Frank Ocean (still swooning) and of course, Justin Timberlake. Did anyone else head to Olympic Park this weekend?

ClaireJuly 12, 2013

What’s In My Bag: The Honest Edition

One of the most popular posts amongst fashion and beauty bloggers is ‘What’s In My Bag’, where fabulous bloggers show off their beautiful handbags and the delightful objects that they carry around in them. View Full Post

ClaireJuly 1, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Acid Wash Jeans and Lace.

Well something entirely mad has happened. It appears I simply can’t get my Topshop acid wash jeans off of my legs.

Joking and larking around aside, I really do need to stop wearing them constantly before you all think I am homeless and have no other trousers. But they really are my favourite jeans at the moment and they work well for both casual and nighttime looks. This is basically what I had in mind on Friday, which was the day Claire and I tried to do the frightening from-work-to-drinks thang (see her OOTD post, she looked much more trendy than I did). I figured you couldn’t go horribly wrong with jeans, a blouse and a pair of wedges so I opted for potentially the most boring outfit in the world. Nevertheless, I was pretty happy how it turned out and things weren’t too tragic if I do say so myself! A fierce (hopefully) bun and my usual face plastered with makeup and I was ready to down a cocktail or 10. We ended up having a brilliant night and now I’m vaguely convinced we are sophisticated gals about town.

If you want to recreate this outfit…YOU CAN’T. Only kidding, I’m pretty sure the top and shoes are no longer on the highstreet but they’re quite simple items so I’ve sourced some similar ones for you to peruse online. I also realised I look a bit like a vicar with a bun, so I’m not so sure about the top anymore (which is great as I’ve already worn it, snore).

Topshop Acid Wash Jeans £39.99 Beige Wedges £19.99 White Lace Top £24

ClaireJune 29, 2013

June Haul: Primark, Topshop, Motel & eBay

ALOHA, SLUTS. This week, two big events coincided – one, payday; two, A Terrible Week. When these two things meet, a lot of shopping ends up happening, and that is why all of these new clothes are currently sitting in my room. I won’t depress you all with the details of A Terrible Week, but it goes without saying that cocktails and friends have made things significantly better.These new little purchases have helped too….

Printed trousers and midi dress – both Primark

Of course, I had to venture to Primark in my time of need. I’ve been after these trousers for a couple of months now, and finally got round to buying them. I do think that a pair of ridiculous trousers can really brighten not only your day, but the days of everyone around you. These are really comfy and the elasticated waist came in SUPER handy yesterday when I accidentally had a pie and chips for lunch instead of a salad (how does that sort of thing always happen? It’s a mystery).

I also finally picked up one of the Primark midi dresses. As I’ve no doubt whinged about before, being petite means that finding a midi is a challenge and most of the ones I’ve tried on in places like Primark have looked awful. To be honest, this one didn’t look great on in the changing room – despite getting a size 6, the slouchy fit still just looked TOO slouchy and shapeless, and I’m just not sure if they suit little people. So why did I buy it still? That’s a really good question, and I wish I knew the answer. I think I want to try it on with some wedges and a belt and see if it can be salvaged – if not, it is farewell, midi.

I picked up a few other bits from Primark, including a new purse, a belt, some socks and a makeup bag – unfortunately at the time we went to press (ie now) all of these items were strewn around various parts of my house and not available for photographing.

Jeggings – Topshop £22

This might be a really odd thing to say but these are actually my first pair of jeggings. Ever. I’ve never found any before that suited me or that I liked and, to be honest, I thought they were kind of gone now. But I saw these in Topshop and decided to try them on because I liked the pale denim. And IT WAS LOVE. They fit beautifully and are perfect for the summer. So please can nobody ruin my joy by telling me how sooo 2010 they are (even if they are).

Cropped blazer – eBay

I actually already have this blazer in black and in white. I’m usually not a fan of stocking up in this way, but I actually can’t resist with this item. I love blazers but really struggle to find ones that don’t swamp my small frame and make me look about seven feet wide due to unnecessary shoulder pads. These cropped waterfall blazers from a run-of-the-mill eBay shop are actually the perfect length, and come in at around a tenner including p&p – so of course I couldn’t resist adding this minty one to my collection.

Tube skirt: Motel £10

When I spied this bad boy in the sale, I couldn’t say no. It’s described on the website as being ‘a maxi or a midi depending on your height’; on me it is definitely a maxi, but quite an ankle-grazing one, which is quite nice. It’s actually a thick, knitted material which I wasn’t really expecting (because I don’t read descriptions, mainly), but I’m happy with it as I’ll get loads of wear out of it into the winter too.

Dip-dye dress – Topshop via eBay

This shouldn’t really be included in the haul seeing as it’s not a ‘new’ item as such – I actually swooped in and won this on eBay for a victorious £3. It was brand new without tags so quite the bargain.

What do you all think of this haul? Have you bought any of these items lately?