Mango - Spring/Summer 2014

I have loved Mango for over 10 years and in the past 3 years they have taken over my previous love for Zara. I think because a lot of people wear Zara now and there isn't a day that someone famous/popular blogs are showcasing Zara. I also love Mango because their sales are epic!

Spring/Summer 14 is soon with us and that means new clothes, new colours and new styles. So I'm heading over to Mango to see what would be on my wishlist for the warmer months ahead of us. I started out wanting to show all sorts of new clothes from Mango but got totally stuck into styling white in the winter!


Leopard Fur Ballet Pump - £44.99

Metalic Cuff White Sandals - £49.99

Ruffle Dress - £39.99 (I wore similar yesterday - see here for pic)

Navy Pea Coat - £89.99

Stripey Jumper - £34.99

White Leather Loafer - £79.99

White Jumper - £34.99

White Jeans - £24.99

I love how you can wear white jeans with all sorts and all year round - don't be shy in the Winter to wear white!

Do you dare to wear white in Winter or are you waiting for Spring?

Fiona
xoxo

Whistle & Wolf

I love discovering new brands so when Whistle and Wolf asked if I would like to review an item of clothing I jumped at the chance! I mean who doesn't like a little gift just after Christmas? I went off to their website to find something and was met with some really gorgeous things. They don't have a huge range but what they do have is amazing. I kind of like it that I wasn't really spoilt for choice as some sites nowadays require hours to browse.

Here are 4 of my favourite items - the blouse and shorts are in the sale at £10 each! Dresses are £55

I knew as soon as I saw this skirt I would be picking it out as mine. I've been wanting a full but short skirt in floral for a long time but as I am on a part spending ban this month I had given up hopes of bagging one in the sale.

What is also nice about Whistle and Wolf is the way they package up their items. It came in a beautiful bag, wrapped in tissue paper with ribbon. I also have a 10% off voucher for a return visit and a little hand written note - how cute is that?

Here's how they style it on the website

Here's how my manequin styled it (put this on my mannequin last night so I really didn't have to think AT ALL this morning when getting ready for the school run and a day of work ahead of me).

And here's just a few ways I have styled it. I cannot wait to repeat this styling in the warmer months with bare legs, flip flops, tan heels, nude heels, orange wedge heels and trainers!

This is my favourite way to style the skirt - I cannot WAIT to try it all on again for real and wear with a spring in my step!

So what do you think of the skirt and other things on the Whistle and Wolf site? This skirt is £50 and total value for money when you consider just how many ways you can wear it - dress it up, dress it down, wear all year round (oooh get me with a new catch phrase!) - now that's a bargain!

Fiona
xoxo

Are trainers back in fashion?

In December 2013 on Avenue 57 Michelle from My Fashionable 40s posted a pic of herself in her new trainers. Yes nice, yes reminded me of trainers from my teens, yes I glanced over them on their first outing. And then she posted again, and again and again and if you see something many times ... you fall in love.

And to confirm I'm in the right stylish camp ... the wonderful gorgeous and genuinely nice Avril from School Gate Style tells me she has new trainers and they too are amazing ... cue me running to Google to find out which trainers should I buy? I was going to copy Michelle (still might!), I want to copy Avril (still might) but is there something out there that is 'me'?

Can I take a moment to run by the Fiona School of soft footwear glossary:

Pump - the kind of thing you wore at school ... rubber sole, fabric upper - a 'dap' we used to call it and these modern days have us wearing Converse.

Sneakers - only if you are American are you allowed to call them these. End of.

Trainers - A classic sports shoe for doing sport in but, of late, has become somewhat fashionable again among the 35+ crew (get me using the word crew as if I'm 15!)

The trick about the new modern (never going to do any sport in them) trainer is that they need to look like a trainer but not a sports trainer and yet they are a sports trainer .. confused? Me too!

Michelle has these (yes they are for the male foot!). These look like a trainer and I reckon they are but they also look FAB with jeans and jacket!

New Balance Mens Trainers - £55

Avril has these in  blue - she is going to make these look amazing as only one fashionista can!

Onitsuka Tiger Colorado Shoes - £45.48

Pretty in pink too

Can I just also let you know that it was in 1993 at the V Festival in Chelmsford that I danced the night away in my ORIGINAL Adidas trainers. The sad tale is they were so rank by the end of the 90's I had to throw them away. 

GET ME SOME TRAINERS NOW PLEASE!

Right, let's crack on - Operation Find Fiona A Pair of Trainers That Are Cool But Won't Break The Bank (and all high tops/wedge are out - for me they are a complete no no no no no no (unless I change my mind that is!))

I can't help but still love the Gazelle - there is something so retro, so cool about this one and in grey it's perfect for this middle age woman!

Adidas Gazelle Trainers - £65

I just love a navy anything so of course these were going to make an appearance

NikeZoom Vomero+ 8 - £105 - REALLY?????? But I love you so

Nike Grey Flex Trainers - £69 (Debenhams curently have 20% off so you can nab these for £55.20) I THINK I NEED THESE

Adidas Gazelle Gold Trainers - £32 (in the sale with 50% off) - These are a great close second ahead of the one above.

And they still do the ones like my originals but not quite my originals ... should I relive the moment and buy them or let it pass now?

Adidas Honey - £20 (half price, they were £40)

Adidas Adistar Racer - £60

I really didn't think I needed a pair of trainers for fashion in my life but now I need all that I have found .. I wonder what James might say if I bought 5 pairs of trainers but never set foot inside the gym (which I never do by the way!).  Although I am going to a pilates class on Monday for my back which seems to have conked out since I turned 40!

Tell me, do you won a pair of fashion trainers that are really trainers trainers and not Converse stylee trainers?

Fiona

xoxo

Jumper Dress

I have loved this dress for as long as I've had it (couple of years now). Today in the style challenge set up by Modern Mummy it's 'dress'. I could have chosen one of the 14 million day dresses I have but I am working from home and attempting to monitor 4 children whilst aiming to keep the husband (working from home also) in a room away from the noise that said 4 children will make! Fortunately the children are 3 boys aged 10, 9 and 6 and a little girl of 4 (this I think will be wear the 'working from home' is going to fail!).

Wearing a jumper dress is literally like wearing a jumper so for me it ticks all the requirements of comfort/style/ease of wearing etc etc.

You don't need to pay a lot for a jumper dress and here are some ideas for you from a variety of online stores if you want to buy one too.

ASOS - £35

ASOS - £35

Karen Millen - £115

Mango - £22.99

River Island - £50

Here I am in mine:
Dress H&M (years old)
Scarf New Look (years old)
Jacket TK Maxx (years old)
Model tired (and years old)!

Have you got a jumper dress? They are perfect for vile days like today!

Fiona
xoxo

Kilts for grown ups

I have failed on the style challenge for 2 days now! First day was to wear something new. I was slobbed on the sofa in a fleece and tracksuit bottoms FOR THE WHOLE OF THE DAY nursing the mother of all hang overs. Today it was 'green' but I'd already chosen my outfit for today before I consulted the challenge sheet. Tomorrow it's a dress so I'm already thinking which one is suitable as I am working from home looking after 4 children!

I have wanted a kilt for a while and I couldn't find one that wasn't a bum skimmer on me until this one. It's from Tesco and I upped the size so it's falls down onto my hips and gives me a few extra inches of length.

Whilst looking at places I've stashed clothes over the past year I stumbled across this jumper. I have no idea why it wasn't in my main wardrobe but I love it. It's just a cheap Primark jumper but the colour is gorgeous. I could have played it safe with flat boots but what they heck, it's the first day back to work for me so heeled boots were called for. 

Other kilts available (there are lots, this took me 2 mins to find these beauts)

ASOS - £24.99 (in the sale). I LOVE the side zip detail

Tesco - £16.00. I might have to get this one as I love the colour

Tesco - £16

ASOS - £22 (in the sale)

And whilst looking I found this which is totally my style and I don't own a red skirt - would look amazing with a polo neck, round neck jumper. A white shirt tucked in, a denim shirt, stripy tshirt .. oooh yes I love you red skirt!

My #100happydays photo is a bucket of hot coffee

What has made you smile/be happy today - it can be anything!

Fiona
xoxo

100 happy days & a style challenge

I'm not even going to go over what I've done (or should that be not done) over my holiday. Suffice to say lots of alcohol has been consumed, food eaten and laughs had! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

2 challenges for me:
1 - 100 happy days (take a photo every day for 100 days of a single thing that makes you happy! I am posting mine via Instagram, folllow me and join in if you want
2 - New Year Style Challenge. The idea came about via Modern Mummy. I can use it for inspiration every day. If you would like to join in then just post your photos on Avenue 57 when you can.

So here is the style challenge for January!

I think what I'll do now is just give you my life over the past 2 weeks in pictures. I am suffering today with a gorgeous New Years Day hangover from hell and so words are failing me (there's a first right)?!!

What I wore last night for a New Years Eve supper at our friends house

Ladies were invited to 'dress up' and men could come as they were but James felt the need to mix in both casual and dress up (and add in a toy gun! Is it me or does he look very much like Keifer Sutherland in the pic on the left? SWOON)

What I wore last week

My munchkins

Christmas Day!

My newly decorated living room with what I love most - champagne!

Tomorrow I'll show and tell my Mango sale bargains.

Fiona
xoxo