Kendall + Kylie espadrilles

Most of the things I have bought lately have been a bit impulsive. I'm really enjoying seeing all the new season clothes and I feel like I am at a turning point in my own personal style, where I am trying to branch out of my comfort zone and experiment with different looks.

My most recent such purchase was these gorgeous pair of suedette espadrilles from the Kendall and Kylie collection at Office.

I only wandered in there to look for some white trainers/plimsolls last Saturday, but it was so busy in that part of the store that I ended up looking over the other side, waiting for the crowd to die down a bit. And there they were!

I'd wanted some espadrilles since seeing the Chanel ones all over Instagram, but as a lowly teacher they are clearly not in my price range. Those who know me, know that I love a bit of sparkle or bling, so the grey rhinestones on the toe immediately caught my eye. Plus the fact that they were suede and a greyish colour - two other favourites of mine, counted in their favour.

They are quite pricey at £60, but still much cheaper than Chanel! If you're a student, Office do 10% student discount, also Office is on Quidco so you can get cashback. I ordered them online on Monday evening and they arrived on Wednesday (free delivery) so the service was great too. You can purchase them here. They also come in black, but I thought the grey/khaki colour was a bit more spring/summer appropriate for me. (Although, if I had the money, I'd probably have ordered both!)

I've styled them today with my white Primark jeans, grey high neck bodysuit from New Look and denim shirt from Topshop. They are the perfect shoe to go with jeans or shorts and they are so soft and comfortable.

What would you wear them with?

Chilly shoulders

My obsession for the cold shoulder look is growing. I saw this blouse when I popped in to River Island on Saturday, just wasting a bit of time before my optician appointment. The second I spotted it hanging on the rail, it was unexplainable love at first site. It is not even the kind of print I'd normally wear and I don't think I've ever spent this much on one top before, but something about it just struck me and drew me in. I thought it was beautiful and I had to have it.

I wore it for work today, paired with some ASOS black cropped skinny trousers and New Look tassel loafers. It will also look great tucked in to a black pencil skirt, or paired with jeans for a more casual look.

One of my cheeky year 8 boys asked me at work today what I was wearing?! He obviously doesn't know a single thing about fashion!

For me, as I said; it is love at first sight.

You can find it online here.

Trend alert: Body suits

I'm currently loving body suits or "body's". They look great with jeans, trousers, skirts or leggings and I prefer them to wearing a top tucked in that always shifts and ends hanging out during the day or bulks out around the waist.

There are lots of great styles on the high street right now, so I'd thought I'd share with you some of my favorites.

First off, ones I own:

Pictures from New Look

The newest addition to my collection is this grey high neck sleeveless number from New Look. At only £9.99 it's an absolute bargain. Great for wearing with jeans for a casual day look, or under some smart trousers/skirt for work.

Pictures from River Island

Another high neck number, but from River Island this time and with these cute cap sleeves for £25. At time of posting stock is low on the River Island webpage, but it can also be found on ASOS or maybe in store. Again this is great for work, it looks really smart with a grey pencil skirt or it can be dressed up for the evening with a nice pair of skinny jeans and some heels.

Pictures from Boohoo

This Victoria chiffon vest style body suit from Boohoo is perfect with a high wasted skirt. I have this one in both black and white, but coral, navy and lilac are also available. For only £14, it is a bargain. It has a second layer under the chiffon that clings to your body like a traditional body suit which also helps to keep your bra hidden.

Now for my wanted list:

Picture from Miss Selfridge

Last year bardot tops and dresses were huge and they continue to be a staple in 2016. However, if you invested in a bardot top it is more than likely that you experienced it rising up over your shoulders and spent a lot of time walking around trying not to move your arms too much for fear of it sliding up. The bardot body should, in theory, be the end of the sliding up bardot as it will be held nicely in place by the poppers around your nether regions. This one from Miss Selfridge looks like a great buy.

Pictures from Missguided

A lace up front is very in now and most of the stores are doing lace up bodysuits, like these above from Missguided. I've yet to try these as I am not very gifted in the chest department and some of them plunge very low. But I like the stripy one above on the second row for £18 because that doesn't seem to come too low and the navy and cream stripes are a great look for summer.

Have you joined the body suit brigade yet? What other ones do I need in my wardrobe?

Denim skirt SS15

I love that denim never goes out of fashion and that it is so easy to wear and style. One of my favourite pieces for summer 2015 is the denim skirt. 

The skirt pictured came from New Look last week. I picked it up in their sale section for £11. It's a light acid wash pencil skirt. It's a stretchy material and sits on your hips.

As it's light, it helps accentuate a tan and you can pair it with either a dark or light top.

The pictures show how I've styled it on two occasions.

Both times I've worn it with my "moschino" belt (£10 from eBay shh). The first time with a black crop top from Miss Selfridge, Topshop necklace and black wedge sandals from Primark.

The second time I chose this white off the shoulder crop top from Topshop and some New Look wedges. If you look really carefully you can also see Alfie rolling around in the background. :)

I really want a denim shirt now, so that might be a purchase in the not so distant future as that will do well for autumn with some leggings.

Back to work look book

Back to work for me shortly, after a lovely (almost) six week break. Being a teacher, I sometimes struggle with shopping as a lot of things on the high street are not necessarily school-appropriate. I have to make sure that dresses and skirts aren't too short, and that tops aren't see through or flashing too much flesh. I also have the challenge of finding some comfortable black heels that look stylish but aren't so high that I end up in angony by morning break.

I thought I'd share with you my recent finds...

Miss Selfridge
Mini check pencil skirt
Black lace insert crop top

New Look
Black textured pencil skirt
White gem embellished crop top

River Island
Purple swing dress

Florence & Fred at Tesco
Patent gold trim penny loafers

Next
Black asymmetric buckle shoe boots

Although I have a couple of crop tops, when worn with a high waisted skirt, no flesh is flashing!

The Next shoes are proabably (not probably Emma, they are!) way too high, but I'll keep the Florence & Fred loafers under my desk for a little shoe change when walking around. 

All items were available to buy at time of writing. 20/08/2014

Holiday outfits

This time last week I was sunning myself in 5* Egyptian luxury. Right now I can hear the bass from V festival a couple of miles away and it's almost raining. *sigh*

Nevertheless, we had a lovely holiday and feel very refreshed. I thought I'd share some of my evening outfits with you. Unfortnuately, I didn't manange to photograph them all.

Top: Cameo Rose @ New Look, Shorts: River Island, Pumps: Primark

Dress: Missguided

Dress: Parisian @ New Look, Shoes: Crystal customised New Look courts

I also wore these coral shorts from Missguided with a white crop top, but didn't get a piccy

I wore an outfit almost identical to this, with this River Island aztec skirt from ASOS and a black crop top from New Look

The end of the holiday is bitter sweet. It is so good to go home and see Alfie, but I still wish I was in the 40 degree sun relaxing by the pool. Fingers crossed for some more sun here in Essex over the next few days, although the weather people don't seem very hopeful.