Shopping My Wardrobe

Rose Gold and Coral

I can't quite bring myself to give up the long sleeves and jeans just yet. The weather is lovely and sunny this weekend, but the temperatures are not enough to tempt me yet. We did use the BBQ to cook both evenings over the weekend though!

I have a bit of a love affair going on with Topshop Baxter jeans at the moment. They are so comfy and they do them in a 32" length so I am a happy bunny.

I am hankering after a white pair now the sun is beginning to appear to add to the grey and black pair I already have.

This coral cardigan is a lightweight Gap sale bargain. I love it. It is neither too hot, nor too cold. It looks equally good with a skirt as trousers and can be dressed up or down. I have worn it to work a fair few times as well.The sleeves are a proper length on me too - love Gap for long sleeves!

The tan sandals are my bargain from the end of last summer ( see here) for £10 and still going strong.

The necklace is a thrifted gift from a friend who knows my love of coral. The watch is a rose gold one from Next which I think was about £20. The hoop earrings are also rose gold and were £4 for 2 pairs , again from Next. Rose gold and coral are a lovely pairing. 

The bag is a new purchase confession. An impulse buy. I just couldn't walk away as it was leather, a lovely coral/red colour and only £25. I was powerless.

Coral cardigan -  Gap sale £19.99
Necklace -  Thrifted Free
Sandals -  Peacocks sale £10
Baxter Jeans -  Topshop £40
Watch, earings and bag -  Next £20, £4, £25

Total cost of outfit - £69.99
Total cost of accessories - £49

Do you have a favourite colour pairing this Spring/Summer?

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Caring For Your Clothes Part 2.

 Bloggers tips!

Following on from my previous post on 'Caring For Your Clothes' I thought it would be a good idea to do a follow up with the ideas that some of you wonderful people suggested in the comments.

 I have been able to buy a few lovely items this Autumn and I am determined to treat my clothes with a bit of respect. However, the start to this term has felt like being hit by a ten tonne lorry as the emotional side of staring a new school has hit my pre teen boy. The early mornings I can cope with - I am actually a morning person , but it is the emotional side of it all that takes the time. 

He hates his new uniform and cajoling him into his shirt, tie and blazer every morning is a feat in itself and I am now pretty handy at tying a tie in record time! Once he is up and off however he is having a ball, loves the school ( especially the lunches as I can tell by my parent pay account!) and has made a bunch of new friends already.

So , back to the clothes. I cannot allow myself to adopt the attitude of my kids who still like to think that a 'floordrobe' is the best place to keep clothes, so in the best interest of my new Baujken Scarf, here are some more nuggets for Caring for your clothes:

1. Fasten up bras and zip up zippers etc before you pop them in the wash so they don't damage any other items of clothing. Courtesy of The Greek Housewife

2. When you purchase a new item of clothing, remove the spare buttons, staple to a piece of paper, label and store so you don't lose them. Courtesy of Follow Me Home

3. Turn items inside out when washing to protect them- especially those prone to piling or fading.

4. If you can, invest in a steamer. A shot of steam restores clothes and cuts down on washing. ( I purchased one with my Tesco vouchers when they had their double up offer on).

5. Have your coats and jackets dry cleaned at the end of the season so they are ready to go for next year. Courtesy of The Flaky Fashionista

6. Keep shoes in boxes for protection with a photo on the outside of the shoes within!

7. Polish shoes when warm - they absorb the polish so much better.

8. Put glass coke bottles wrapped in newspaper into your boots to help keep their shape and absorb moisture and odour. Courtesy of Follow me Home

9. Do not over wash clothes. It is just is more work for you ,not good for the clothes and wears them out more quickly.

10. Enjoy your clothes. Don't leave them hanging in the back of the wardrobe for a special occasion ! 

Any more hints for caring for your clothes gratefully received. Remember the better we look after them, the longer they will last us and better for the environment too. 

Caring for your Clothes

I am always in a rush . I am one of those people who tends to think there is just time for one more job before we leave the house and then find we are running behind! It is a good job the children's school is at the bottom of the hill where we live. They can jump on their scooters and roll down the hill in less than a minute.

However my eldest son has just started at the grammar school that is a 35 minute bus ride away and we now have to get him up and out to catch the bus in the morning. A real culture change for him and me. People keep asking " How did the first week back at school go ?" To which I answer "I did okay , thank you", before realising they probably were referring to my son. Incidentally, he is doing "fine" too ( his words , not mine.)

So in the midst of all this change, my carefully rearranged, colour coordinated, newly revamped wardrobe has taken somewhat of a battering as my early morning 'what to wear' moments descended upon it. However, I am determined to be a reformed woman when it comes to looking after my clothes, especially when I have scrimped and saved ( and sold things on e.bay) to buy an item I really love. I know if you care for the things you love, they will last and you will get much wear and delight out of them. So here are 10 little useful nuggets of info regarding caring for your clothes:

 

1. Always hang clothes preferably on wooden hangers and don't leave them on a pile on a floor (note to self)

2.Hanging worn or slightly wrinkled clothes in a steamy bathroom helps creases to drop out naturally.

3.Always read and follow care instructions. ( This Claire means before, not after the first time you wash them!)

4.Hang your favourite items out to dry - try not to rely on the dryer as it can shorten the life of some items.

5.Don't wash clean clothes -  if they aren't really dirty, hang and wear again.

6.Treat stains straight away so they don't set.

7.Wear an apron when cooking or cleaning as it protects your clothes.

8.Baking soda paste removes scuff marks or sprinkled into shoes helps with odour ( good for boys feet!)

9.Rub new zippers with lead or wax to make them run smoothly.

10. When you buy a new item dab the centre of the buttons with clear nail polish to seal the threads.

There are loads more , but I thought I'd limit myself to 10 to start with!

What nugget could you add under the heading "Caring for your Clothes"?

30 with 30 Challenge

This Weeks Outfits

Well I have made it through the week without a clothes purchase made - and there are plenty of bargains to be had at the moment with the summer sales on so it has been a bit of a stretch. The two L.K Bennett dresses I have in my 30 are both in the sale at the moment as well ( The coral one I got in the sale , but the wrap around I paid full price for - arrrgh).  They have some really lovely adaptable dresses and the prices will drop again, but I'm not buying...... yet!


   However , having gone through my closet I have realised how many lovely clothes I do have and have had fun putting things together in different combinations . The biggest issue at the moment is the weather - it is like winter here - wet, miserable and often cold too. I'm am soldiering on with my summer shoes, but am so tempted to revert to my winter boots.....damp feet on the school run is just miserable! I'm sure there will come a point with this challenge where it will become tricky to stay motivated, but at the moment I am enjoying the freedom of having less to choose from - it has made getting ready in the mornings a lot faster.

My outfits this week despite the rain, starting smart and getting more casual,adding more layers as the week went on!!

Outfit One:

Great Plains horse motif cardigan

Stills Skirt

Dune Heels

Silver necklace and earrings

Outfit two:

Great Plains Horse Motif Cardigan

Great Plains Coral Skirt

Fly White wedges

Silver necklace and earrings

 Outfit three:

Coral Skinnys
Spotted Blouse
Denim Jacket
White Wedges
Silver Necklace and earrings

Sneaky pose from my little girl - Luminous leggings!!

30 with 30 Challenge

Three Outfits.

The Challenge is to pick 30 items from your closet and create your outfits from those 30 items until you run out of ideas! 


I am joining this challenge a few weeks in, but most of you who know me will know how I run a little late occasionally on things anyway! I just couldn't fit it in before, but it looks fun and being new to this blogging adventure I thought Id give it a go....

Want to get in on the Fun too?

Every Tuesday (starting June 19th) you can link up over at From My Grey Desk Blog with ONE post that features up to THREE outfits from the 30 items you chose from your closet (which means that the challenge will last at least 10 weeks). Then, you can check back the following week to see if your outfit(s) was picked as our favorite of the week! And link up another few outfits. 



I have put the link in my side bar.

So the idea is you pick 30 items from your closet , or for us in the UK , your wardrobe ( such a funny word that one) and you create your outfits simply from those 30 items. I am going to also try not to buy anything new during that time - not even a little cami top or T shirt, no, no , no! We'll see if I fall at the first hurdle there.

So here are my 30 items:

Shoes:

Ked Pumps 

Cream and black pumps - Next 

Dune Sandals  ( sale)

Fly white wedges ( sale)
Next Pink Wedges 

Jewelery:

Reddish/silver/glass pendant and earring from Divine

Green and Jade green necklace from Divine

Silver Cross and Earrings - earrings from Monsoon

Tops:

Lemon Cardigan from Noa Noa 

Grey Cardigan from Zara Basics 

Cream horse cardigan from Great Plains  ( sale)

Sleeveless blouse from Numph 

Spotty top from Zara 

Coral top from Noa Noa  ( sale)

White T shirt from Jackpot  ( sale)

Blue and white striped top from Fat Face 

Coral , blue and white striped bird motif top from Oasis
White 3/4 length sleeve top from Boden  ( sale)

Ness bright pink knit -  ( sale)

Bottoms:

Coral skinnys from Urban Outfiters
Bootcut jeans from For All Mankind
Capri pants from Superdry

Accessories:

Scarves :

Pink/white/grey - local shop - Rowan Tree

Blue/White spots - Peony

Bags: ( not included in the 30 as you don't officially wear them)

Kate Spade - Cream and Black 2012

Russell and Bromley - Cream 2011

Skirts:

Jackpot - striped grey, white, taupe and coral skirt ( sale)

Great Plains - Coral, bue, taupe and white floral

Great Plains - Coral mini  ( sale)
Stills - Grey skirt  ( sale)

Dresses:

L.K Bennett - tunic/dress with coral and grey ( sale )

L.K Bennett - wrap around dress black/grey 

Jacket:

Crew Denim Jacket ( removable fleece collar!)  ( Outlet sale)

Outfits 

 I am going to try and photograph myself in these outfits , but the weather is so wet I cant get outside to take any decent photographs , so I will lay the outfits out and try and add them later in the week if I can ! My camera has an awful shadow on it with photos that are taken inside - a visit to the camera doctor is in order I feel. You can see it in some of the photos of my little girls room - creepy!

I did try last week on holiday to get a few snaps , but as you can see the wind was our enemy, but hey I'll put them on so you can have a laugh at my expense!

Outfit 1.

Pink Ness Top

Pink/Grey Scarf

White Boden top

Grey Stills Skirt

Next Wedges

Update!! Ok so I've added one outfit picture this week - excuse the hair . I got damp walking back from school ....... again!A scarf in July - well it was only 58 degrees today and wet. I even put the heating on to dry everything out.

 Outfit 2.

Oasis bird top

Stills grey skirt

Next pumps

 Outfit 3.

Oasis bird top

For all Mankind  jeans

Jade Necklace

Fly white wedges