Store Twenty One Summer buys

June 16, 2015June 16, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I really like the homewares range in Store Twenty One. Its on trend, stylish and very competitvely priced. I blogged about my Spring homeware buys from this hidden gem here and often pop in to see whats new. I have recently fallen in love with a new range they have called Candy Floss. Its really pretty, in sugary pastel colours with a lovely retro vibe reminiscent of Orla Kiely and I couldn’t resist treating myself to a few bits especially since they had a 20% off promotion!
Here is my top picks from the range –
Hanging tree photo frame – £8.00  Cut out key cabinet – £5.00
Three part storage shelf – £10.00  Hanging Bird frames – £8.00 Cut out tree decoration – £3  Set of three frames on shelf – £10.00
I also fell in love with these retro storage boxes – I love a 1960’s inspired print!
Set of cardboard retro storage boxes – £3.00 to £6.00.

All images via www.storetwentyone.co.uk

And these are the bits I’ve bought so far. They will be going into our renovated utility room when its completed. I love them!

All these items are in store now! Look out for promotions and special offers across the summer. To find your nearest store click here.

Dress up June

June 11, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

This June my friend and colleague, Kate Beavis from Kate Beavis Vintage (formally Your Vintage Life) and the Vintage Wedding Fair encouraged people to dig out their dressier items (vintage or not) and dress up for June. She had discovered a ton of vintage clothes she’d had stored away and was determined to make good use of them from now on.

I love dressing up so joining in was a no-brainer for me! This was one of my outfit choices…

The dress is a textured, fitted print dress from Dorothy Perkins. For sizing I am wearing a 10 but DP dresses are all available in size 8-22. This dress has a nice stretch to it so is tight on the top and flares out prom skirt style at the waist creating a very feminine shape.
Accessories were a gold structured necklace and simple gold toe quilted pumps in a nude colour. When wearing a pattern I think its important to not add too much extra pattern or colour as it can look busy.

As the weathers still a bit temperamental in the UK I added a white cropped denim jacket bought from M&Co. last summer for going out. Again, for sizing its a size 10 but M&Co. jackets are available in sizes 10-20.

My hair was just tied up into a loose bun and I was make-up free. Hey, I work from home – I dont wear make-up every day!This month tag your looks using the hashtag #dressupjune and search the hashtag via Instagram and Twitter to get inspiration on other peoples outfits. I’ll be adding more ‘outfit of the day’s as the month goes on. Have fun with it and remember a beautiful dress (or blouse, or jacket, or necklace) is for life, not just for Christmas!!!

Jacket – M&Co.

Dress – Dorothy Perkins

Necklace – Store Twenty One

Shoes – Peacocks

Black, White & Orange

June 8, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Todays outfit is a simple piece of styling – a monochrome print with a bright statement necklace. This piece of styling works with any black and white pattern and any colour of statement necklace. Simple!

The dress is a cotton shift dress from ASOS (last season) and I have added one of my favourite J Crew inspired bubble necklaces. I just love these necklaces – see my blog on them here. On my feet are just a simple pair of plimsol style pumps – comfortable shoes for busy days are a must for me.

I love the ‘pop’ of the necklace against the dress and find this style, with its longish short sleeves is a very wearable day dress. I love orange as an accent colour so love the boldness of this necklace.

Simple styling maybe, but very effective I think! Now off to do my day of running around fitting in kids, chores, work and anything else that crops up.

Dress – ASOS

Necklace – eBay

Shoes – Primark

Vintage Uniqueness

June 5, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

The other day I bought a fantastic water inspired print skirt amongst a few other vintage items. It was so unique and although longer than I normally wear has a great prom style flare to it from the waist. As ever with vintage its a pretty small fit – this was sized as a 12 but only just fits me. Thats a real tip with vintage – ignore the size in it and just try it on.

I teamed it with a vintage St Michael knitted turtle neck top (remember when M&S clothing was called that?), a white beaded bracelet and white pumps for a fresh summery look.

The delicate print to this skirt is just lovely and very unique. I love how the pattern graduates down to the hemline. The wide waistband is flattering, as are the box pleats on the front.

Vintage is still doing it for me…how about you? Get into those charity and vintage shops now and have a rummage! Remember – ignore the size in the item, check for any wear or stains and alter it if you need to. Plus at the same time you are helping the enviroment, looking unique AND saving lots of money – this gorgeous skirt only cost me £2!

Have a great day dressing up in the sunshine.

Top – vintage

Skirt – vintage

Bracelet – Accessorize

Shoes – Primark

M&Co. Blogger Style Challenge: Beach Break

May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 | blueskygirlie

M&Co. have just launched their new summer catalogue and I’m already starting to plan my summer wardrobe. As you might remember I’m a big fan of M&Co. and blogged my top buys for spring 2015 here and now I’m ready to do the same for summer! I’ve already been through the new catalogue and created a wish list of summer buys for myself…

…so when M&Co asked me to pick my favourite items from the new range and create a great fashion look for under £100 for either a beach or city break I was super excited. I do love a city break but with the sun shining and the heat rising, I’m dreaming of lazy beach days and hot summer nights. So here is my ultimate look for feeling stylish, cool and fashionable this summer during a beach break…

Petite floral print multi-way maxi dress – £29

Why it HAS to be in my suitcase this summer: I’m 5’2″ and adore wearing dresses so finding a dress in the right proportions is very important to me. I love the flattering shape of this petite range dress, plus the removable multi-way straps makes it really versatile. Straps marks? Not for me this year! The bold print is fun and summery but not too busy if you’re curvy like me. A dress you will wear again and again.

buy it here

Trilby straw hat – £10

Why it HAS to be in my suitcase this summer: A sun hat is an essential for keeping cool in the midday sun (and avoiding sunstroke etc) and a trilby shape is fashionable with that edge of cool. Styling wise a hat adds an edge to any outfit and this one could be worn with jeans and a t-shirt as much as it can a dress.

buy it here

Set of four bangles – £8

Why it HAS to be in my suitcase this summer: Adding a small amount of jewellery can make all the difference when you are styling an outfit. Bangles are great in summer, you can wear as many as you want and gold works perfectly with a tan.

buy it here

Gold oversized sunglasses – £14

Why it HAS to be in my suitcase this summer: Oversized sunglasses just ooze glamour and the gold again accentuates a tan and look great with anything. Plus if you don’t want to wear make-up every day they can hide weary looking eyes from the night before!

buy it here

Leopard Print Halterneck High Waist Bikini Set – £28

Why it HAS to be in my suitcase this summer: Firstly a beach holiday is not a beach holiday without some glamorous swimwear! Many of us can feel a bit insecure in swimwear so a great fitting suit will make you feel your very best. This 1950’s inspired one is underwired giving great support with a retro halterneck tie fastening and the high waisted bikini briefs with side ruching are so flattering particularly if you are like me and like to cover your tummy. Glamorous, flattering and will contour my curves – I call that perfect!

buy it here

And this is everything together…what do you think? I love a relaxed yet stylish summer look and I think this is a perfect beach holiday choice for me. And to top it off, it all came in at just £89 leaving me enough money left over for some suncream too! See you by the pool….

What’s your beach holiday essentials? Find the rest of the range at www.mandco.com or pop into a store near you.

Aye Aye Captain!

May 22, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Its all feeling a bit nautical today! I’ve teamed a vintage striped top with M&S sailor style wide legged trousers and navy boat shoes for a fresh summery look.

Tucking a top into fitted trousers accentuates any curves (and my tummy definitely curves!) but today I’m embracing that! Yes my tummy is on show but the buttons on the hips draws the eye to the edge of your silhouette rather than the centre and the wide trouser leg balance it out. Also – thank God for M&S’s short lengths – I didnt have to alter these trousers for once!

I have added two button brooches I bought from eBay to the vintage top make it even more unique. This 80’s tee is a great jersey piece with panels of stripes rather than a continuous block which is more flattering.

Navy leather flats from Matalan finish the look. A pair of navy shoes is definitely worth having as works great with jeans too.
When I go out later all I’ll need to do is throw on a denim jacket and I’m good to go. Smart, fun, easy to wear and perfect for a Friday casual day if you dont want to wear jeans.

Top – vintage

Brooches – eBay

Trousers – Marks & Spencer

Shoes – Matalan

Coat of Dreams

May 19, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

The other day I bought probably one of my most favourite things ever from Primark. A baby blue and grey bonded trench coat made from a scuba type material. It is just perfect and I adore it!

I am wearing it today with a very simple outfit as when something is this nice you want it to stand out. Simple grey t-shirt, skinny blue jeans and grey pumps – all from Primark too! Elegant yet still fashionable – perfect for a 42 year old that still wants to embrace the wonder that is fashion. For sizing I am wearing a size 10 (EUR 36/38).

Little details like the roll up sleeves make it great for warmer months – lets be honest, in the UK you still need a light coat most days. The scuba material is soft and light and definitely can be worn most of the year. It has a double breasted press stud fastening and traditional trench coat styling of epaulettes, rain guard and gun flap.

Oversized vintage sunglasses and wavy hair add to the slightly retro look….

These skater style shoes are only £4 in store now at Primark which is amazing value. You’ve got to love a bit of extra co-ordination, it can make all the difference. If you’re quick you may find the coat as well, although I found it in the sale section.

So it appears Joseph wasn’t the only person with a dream coat! Thanks Primark for dressing me beautifully today – I seriously never want to take this coat off.

Coat – Primark

T-shirt – Primark

Jeans – Primark

Shoes – Primark

Sunglasses – vintage

Attachable Collars

May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I do like a collar detail, especially when wearing a jumper and I couldn’t resist buying one of these detachable collars from eBay. Shipped from Hong Kong they cost next to nothing (well less than £3) and after the longish wait for them to arrive, I think they’re rather good!

Heres some examples from eBay of the types you can get…

EBay sellers have a wide selection of different styles but I went for a traditional white shirt style collar with white button. You wear it like a necklace with the button doing up round the front but there are also versions with a yoke part that tucks in, if you want something that will fit any neckline.

So this is me in my pink jumper. Pretty non-descipt…
And this is me wearing the collar.

What do you think? I think its a great way to update an existing top or create a shirt effect when it might be too warm to wear two layers. And all at a bargain price too – and that seems like a winner to me!

Find similar items from eBay here

Copenhagen H&M shopping haul

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I recently blogged about a great trip I had to Copenhagen, Denmark. I love fashion and I love H&M and the stores out there (being Scandinavian) were amazing! In fact there were about five different ones in the city centre alone!

Today I thought I’d share with you what I bought…

I love a dress and ended up buying a few, plus a top, jewellery and accessories. Danish Krona equates to about 10: £1 and although the items weren’t hughly cheaper than the UK a lot of items that have only just launched in the UK were heavily reduced in their sale.

Jewel Print dress – £5.00 (reduced from £29.99). I have loved this jewel print range and seen pieces on other bloggers but not been able to track any pieces down. This is a mini dress/tunic top with wide 60’s sleeves. I wore it out recently with wet look leggings and heels and felt very ‘Megan Draper from Mad Men’! The print is just gorgeous. It is a loosish fit and the size 8 (H&M size 34) fitted me perfectly.

Palm detail dress – £5.00 (reduced from £39.99). This is a heavyweight lined cotton mesh dress and very unusual – I love the french knot embroidery detail and its casual fit.

Striped top – £17.99 – an absolutely classic, elegant look with a high turtle neck. I’m planning on teaming it with white trousers or wide leg jeans.

H&M loves Coachella lace dress/cover up – £14.99. The minute I saw this on the mannequin I knew I had to have it. I thought it was a total bargain at £15 and the bright coral crochet lace is very nicely done. It can be worn as a beach cover-up but I will wear it with a slip underneath as a short summer dress. On my boyfriends advice I went for a size small for a more fitted shape.

And then the accessories…

Divided Keys necklace & padlock earings – sale price £2.50 for all. I have worn this necklace loads since we’ve got back and absolutely love its uniqueness.

Blue necklace – £2 (reduced from £9.99), star keychain – 50p (reduced from £4.99), starburst earings – £2 (reduced from £6.99)

Gold earings – £3.95. Wanted some simple drop studs for ages (where part hangs under your ear) and these were a total bargain.

Lips purse £2 (reduced from £10) and lips cosmetic bag £2.99

If I’d of paid to store my luggage in the hold I would of bought even more! Many of these items are instore now at H&M UK. Look out for them all in future outfit posts.