Birthday Buys: BooHoo jersey draped dress

March 16, 2016March 24, 2016 | blueskygirlie

March is my birthday month and I usually spend it shopping!

Ah, if only! However I do get to choose a few bits as presents plus spend any birthday money on some treats for myself and over the next few weeks I will share some my the choices I’ve made this year…dont tell anyone but I turned 43 🙈.

I picked this dress (the Carolina) as a dress I could wear to the office and also dress up for an evening look. The chesnut colour is really nice – a burnt orange/reddish brown and it is made from a mid weight jersey. For sizing I went for a UK12 so it wasnt too tight as the jersey is quite unforgiving to lumps and bumps.

The main design feature that made me choose it is the unusual handkerchief design skirt. The tight, high-necked top half is perfectly balanced by the flowing skirt and the tie belt cinches your waist in nicely – perfect for a curvy petite girl like me! I wore it here with knee length boots and statement earrings both from Primark and pulled my hair back,finishing it with a plait.

It does have a couple of downsides – as I mentioned the jersey is quite unforgiving so lacy underwear is out – a t-shirt bra worked fine though. I love the high neck but being jersey once you’ve pulled it over your head (the dress has no zips or fastenings) it stretches a little and isn’t as snug around my neck as I’d like. This is easily fixed though with a tiny safety pin in the back of the collar pulling it taught.

I’ve already worn this dress both to work and for a night out and it’s got lots of compliments. For just £10 (its been reduced from £15) its an absolute bargain! Find it on the BooHoo website here and its also available in black or khaki.

Look out for my next ‘Birthday Buys’ blog coming soon!

Dress – BooHoo.com
Earrings – Primark
Boots – Primark

The thing I have fallen in love with this week: Hello Spring!

March 12, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Over the last few days it feels like we’ve finally left winter and slowly moved into Spring. Ok, its not totally here, but the suns been shining, there’s flowers blooming everywhere and Easter and all its sweet treats is on the way.

I need some inspiration – I need bright. I need cheerful. I need cute!!!

In todays ‘The thing I’ve fallen in love with this week’ blog I share the things that are making me smile so far this March. I couldn’t pick one thing so I’ve gone for a few (I do love doing a flat lay!). Bright, fun and sweet is the name of the game…

Clouds zipped purse – Cath Kidston
Vintage coral necklace – Etsy
Purse and brooch – New Look
Nail polish – Superdrug
Hello Fashion Monthly – subscribe here
Pineapple dish – Debenhams
Vintage Mother of Pearl necklace – Etsy
Pineapple vase – Store TwentyOne
Scarf – Echo
Love Sick book by Jessie Cave – Amazon
Vintage glass dish – Etsy
Mike and Ike American candy – B&M stores
Mason Jar cup – Poundworld
Face pot stand and beaker – Tiger Stores
Twizzlers American candy – B&M stores
Clouds Gola trainers – Cath Kidston
Hand Food hand cream & Butter Me Up body butter – Soap & Glory

Bright colours and cute designs lift my spirits. I love the Cath Kidston cloud design (well I am the blue sky girl!) and my new Echo scarf is perfect for Spring styling. The yellow Pineapple vase from Store TwentyOne was a bargain must have and ‘Love Sick’ by Jessie Cave is a book of her doodles on love and relationships and it is very funny and VERY relatable…

Regular followers of my blog know I love Hello Fashion Monthly (a bargain at £1.50 each month) and I couldn’t live without Soap & Glory products – I can’t shower, scrub or cleanse with anything else! If you like a jelly bean (as I do), it doesn’t get better than American brand Mike and Ike and when I saw that Pineapple dish in Debenhams I just had to have it…

I feel more cheerful already! So, what are you loving for Spring?

For more flat lay product inspiration follow me on Instagram – here.

Pharmacy 2

March 9, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Let go back in time…

Its 1998 – London is in the grip of the Rule Britannia phase, Brit Pop rules, as do lads and ladettes doing too many drugs, New Labour were telling us ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and the British art scene led by the likes of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and Gary Hume is changing the face of modern art.

Mathew Freud and Damien Hirst open up Pharmacy, a restaurant in Notting Hill and the rest is the stuff of legend. I went once with some people from Loaded Magazine (remember that!?!) but sadly I cannot mention most of the stuff that happened that night for fear of being sued! It was a pretty cool place though, although the waiters in surgical gowns did freak me out a bit…

Jump forward to now and Damien Hirst, in collaboration with chef Mark Hix, has opened Pharmacy 2, this time based in his Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall, South London. See below what I discovered…

Its small but perfectly formed! The bar area is a mix of neon, pill prints and hanging leds. Hirst butterfly print medical ‘+’ signs sit each side of the mirrored bar backdrop and cocktails are mixed as you perch on pill shaped bar stools.

There are booths to sit in for bigger groups and loads more Hirst originals. I tried to leave with one up my jumper but sadly there were too many waiters!

And even the bar stools are cool… Just like the original piece of art, 2500 or so different pills fill the cabinets on the walls…The menu covers British and European classics, including the likes of shaved winter squash with Treviso and Graceburn cheese, white polenta with a Burford Brown egg yolk and shaved Wiltshire truffles, plus a Mark Hix signature dish of crushed potato and black pudding with pineapple upside-down cakes or chocolate mousse with honeycomb for dessert. Pharmacy 2 covers breakfast, weekend brunches and Sunday roasts, plus it serves a mean cocktail.

What do you think? Pharmacy 2 is now open for bookings – find the details here.

My Limited Edition SS16 picks

March 2, 2016March 6, 2016 | blueskygirlie

I was in M&S the other day having a browse and as ever made my way to my favourite section, Limited Edition.

A fact about me – in my career as a stylist and visual merchandising manager I was part of the team at M&S who came up with the original brand concept (then Limited Collection) so it will always have a fond place in my heart.

The great thing about M&S and its ‘shop in shops’ is you can always find a sub-brand that you like and shop that area. For me Limited Edition is definitely ‘my brand’ – its trend led, stylish, aimed at a younger customer and always has an element of quirky styling that isn’t seen within the other M&S sub-brands.

In todays blog find my 5 favourite pieces all currently on sale in stores. Happy shopping!

Tie neck blouse – £29.50

This blouse is super pretty and perfect for dressing up or down. You’d need a camisole on underneath but I’d team it with skinny jeans or slim leg trousers and heels.

Shoulder bag – £38.00

I’m a sucker for a cartoon or fun reference and I love the mix of classic design and quirky detailing. Its a size that will hold everything and the nude and black colourway will never clash with what youre wearing.

Dungaree style jumpsuit – £49.50

Pinstripes – check, Navy fabric – check, Tie waist – check, Utility details – check. This jumpsuit has all the style points and will look so stylish through the Spring and beyond.

Flower necklace – £25

You can go wrong with a statement necklace and this oversized resin one would look perfect with a white skirt or t-shirt, white on white or to create a pop of colour over a bright top or dress.

Bomber jacket – £55.00

Bomber jackets are EVERYWHERE for SS16 and this is a more premium, feminine slant on the ones I’ve seen. The oriental style quilting definitely makes this look unique and its flattering and easy to wear – perfect!

What do you think? What are your picks for the new season? All products (plus lots more loveliness) available at M&S now – for the online range click here.

The future is now

February 23, 2016February 28, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Wearing white. Unless it is your wedding day it can have a lot of issues…Its typically a summer colour, it is one of the less flattering colours to wear (well it is the opposite of black!) and it marks easily. But…

…a white dress always looks cool and stylish! Dressing one for winter with a roll neck underneath and boots gives it a futuristic vibe which I’ve fully exploited in todays styling post. White is definitely is the colour to stand out in during the winter months and is great for looking a bit different.

The dress I’m wearing today is a Primark dress (last season but theres always tons of Primark on eBay) made from a thick quilted material with a half zip to the front. Although the quilting makes it a little bulky it also makes it very structured so it flares out beauifully at the waist (great if youre little and curvy like me). For size I am wearing the UK10 as it has some stretch to it.

Underneath I added a cotton roll neck, chain effect link necklace plus grey tights and boots. My futuristic look was complete! So do you think you’d give a white dress a go this winter?

Dress – Primark

Necklace – Primark

Tights – M&S

Boots – Store TwentyOne

Denim for the office

February 9, 2016February 28, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Being extremely fussy about fashion probably like many of you, I choose the gifts I want and put them on a wishlist for people to buy from if they want to.

I was lucky enough of receive quite a few of these this Christmas and todays outfit features two New Look items I received as gifts.

Denim dress – £24.99, ankle boots – £24.99, both New Look.

Denim is everywhere at the moment. I was reading the Metro on Friday and it had this spread…so at least I know I’m on trend!

The New Look dress is a really versatile piece – it has a button through front and D ring matching belt. The 100% cotton denim material is soft to the touch and has a slight stretch to it. It costs £24.99 and is available in store and online here. It is described as ‘slim fit’ and due to this I’d say the sizing comes up average/ slightly small – for comparison I am wearing the UK size 12 here.

To add some interest, instead of a necklace (which would of looked too fussy with its shirt style collar) I added a simple black neck tie tied in to a bow.

On my feet were my the ankle boots which are comfortable (they are from the wide fit range) but have a medium height heel and a soft pointed toe for a more formal look. They are now sold out but find similar here.
As this was a ‘in the office’ day my hair was blow dried wavy and my make-up was a simple base with a dark blue eye palette and neutral lipstick.

This dress is the perfect day dress to dress up for the office or down for the weekend…especially if you love denim but can’t wear jeans for work!

Dress – New Look
Necktie – Homemade
Tights – Primark
Boots – New Look

Creating my own Stairway to Heaven

February 3, 2016February 5, 2016 | blueskygirlie

As I have mentioned previously, we are currently revamping our house which will see us pretty much redo every room in our house bar the kitchen.

One of the first areas I have looked at is the hall, landing and stairs. When we moved in it was a pale green with no carpet and felt cold, was noisy and very dusty. All the doors were untreated wood and there were areas of architrave missing. I had wanted a striped stair carpet for some time but had only lived in homes where the carpets didnt need replacing so it was not to be. But now? Well, I had the perfect opportunity!

Over a couple of weeks I painted out the cold tone pale green walls into a warmer tone (a basic matt magnolia), re-glossed all the woodwork and primed and glossed all the doors. After quite a search, we found the carpet via SCS as I wanted a quirky, slightly uneven stripe rather than something too repetitive and formal. The brown tonal colours make the stripes stand out but not be too overpowering in this high footfall area.

With the bold carpet taking centre stage I then added some accessories to the window sills and some artwork to the walls –

A grouping of some of my collection of 1950s/1960s glass is presented on the hall window sill. Due to being overlooked I had to have a net curtain up (not one of my favourite things) so I went for a simple white voile…

And a huge vintage ‘Le Chat Noir’ print is one of the first things you see as you walk in…Upstairs, two large artworks dominate the top of the stairs, one being one of my favourite items I own – an original 1970 Geoffrey Leeson artwork of a Peacock. Two of my favourite ornaments, a pair of collectable Villeroy & Boch ‘Animal Park’ cats are placed on the smaller upstairs window sill as well.

I’m really happy with how its turned out! The first project of our new home is complete and I’m now working on the master bedroom…look out for my blog on it soon.

What home improvement have you been up to recently?

The thing I fell in love with this week

January 16, 2016January 16, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Lego mini-figure head storage: large £16.99, small £9.99 – Amazon (plus other retailers)Our house is Lego mad, its a fact, and I’ve been after some storage for it all for quite some time now. Luckily Father Christmas delivered my boys just the thing (thanks Amazon wish list!) and it is as stylish as it is practical! image via my Pinterest

I love a great piece of design and these heads are iconic. They also do a female version, an extra large shake and sorter, a skeleton and a pumpkin.

We now have 4 which will look great displayed within the white shelves in the boys bedroom when I redecorate (our house is still a work in progress) and I think we might get a couple of the oversized brick boxes as well, as although the heads hold quite a lot, we have a huge amount of Lego and its growing! And if nothing else they make a great photo opportunity! You just can’t help but be won over by them…

Studio Collection by Next

January 11, 2016January 11, 2016 | blueskygirlie

Do you shop at Next? I have to be honest I don’t that much for clothing, but I have always liked their home and kids departments and often pop in for a quick browse. A few days ago a couple of images of their new home range came my way and I was bowled over. I love a bit of retro style and love the colour orange and their new Studio range seems to mix these two things with a great modern vibe (another thing I love – my home has to still feel contemporary).

Described as “well designed contemporary furniture, textiles and accessories in a contemporary colour scheme to create clear zones in modern open plan living” it looks great and today I share some of my favourite pieces. The full range is available online at Next here.

This has to be my favourite look of the collection – It feels modern yet at the same time a homage to the much coveted Mad Men style. The pops of bright orange and green work beautifully with the simple Logan sideboard (£325). The pair of prints by illustrator Budi Kwan (£40) are definitely a statement piece and I just love the orange leather chairs (£135 a pair) and that cast iron candleholder (£22) is a design that could be in your home forever.
Ooh, there’s those chairs again! The Logan round table (£175) is a great design – I love the look of dark walnut veneer against the black metal legs and again orange looks fabulous against it – that orange fruit bowl (£8) is almost too cool to use for fruit.

For modular choices the design of this Logan coffee table (£150) and stool set and the extending shelves (£275) are a brilliant way to define your different living zones as well as maximise your space. The upholstered cube stools that store underneath the table are £50 each and available in 3 colours so can be mix and matched and once extended the shelves can be used as a fantastic room divider.

I do love great lighting – when I was training as a window stylist at Harrods, one of the first lessons I was taught is light is the best prop you ever have. I can’t lie – that orange Orbit shade (£30) has made me swoon as well as the Good Vibes light box (£30) – groovy man…

If you love Orla Kiely but can’t justify the price tag, some parts of the collection are definitely reminiscent of some of her prints (but lets remember she is only referencing retro 1960’s patterns and designs anyway). This Retro Geo wallpaper (£15 a roll) for example would work great on a feature wall.

A stylish desk can be hard to find and this one (£250) could also be used as a dressing table in a bedroom…oh and there’s one of those cute stools again…in my favourite colour no less!

And talking of dressing tables, the retro style can continue in the bedroom too! This ‘Me & You’ reversible cushion (£8) is super cute, don’t you think? Especially against the geometric duvet cover. Best of all you’d never have to fight for your side of the bed again!I’d love to know if you love this range as much as I do! Its all available online and instore now – I think I feel a shopping trip coming on…