Laid Back Sundays

TopShop knit top

All Saints genuine leather jacket

TopShop denim skinny jeans

J Crew stacked heel

Mulberry hobo shoulder bag

Kevia cocktail jewelry

Essie Neutrals

If I have to leave the house today, I would love for it to be in an outfit that resembles this as closely as possible. Maybe not super exciting, or on trend, or colourful, but definitely me. I will spending today trying to find that balance between style and comfort and making the most of another day off before the working week kicks in again with a vengeance.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend - mine has been really lovely.

Love B

x

Oh Whistles...

Is there any need for me to want nearly every piece of clothing you make? Every one of these would fit seamlessly into my current wardrobe...

What do you think?

Love B x

Shopping...

Well. Just talking about knitwear didn't last long at all. I went shopping in Glasgow over the weekend and bought this jumper from Topshop. I'd seen it a while ago in Durham but had held off but I'm so glad I bit the bullet and bought it {even if I maintain Topshop can be a bit pricey for what it is}. It's a lovely soft knit and it isn't itchy or scratchy at all {a real bug bear of mine with jumpers}. I love the dusky pink/blush colour as well, and the bow detail on the back at the neck.  I bought these Leigh super skinny jeans too that are a lovely blue-grey. Or at least I think they're these ones? The online photo seems much more grey.They're lovely and soft, and I just hope that they don't stretch out too much. I love this colour combo, so no doubt it'll become a regular feature in my wardrobe. Excuse the mess in these photos - we were not long back from a weekend away at a friend's wedding.

I'll be pairing them with these boots, that I've just ordered and cannot wait to get my hands on. I had wanted the tan but dilly-dallied too long and they had sold out by the time I came to order them.  Black though is probably far more practical for Autumn/Winter in Edinburgh though. I'll do a post on them when they arrive. I've ordered a couple of other bits and pieces online as well {can you tell it was payday?!} so I'll be sure to post about them too.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and a great start to the week?

Love B x

Seagulls

{River Island}

I am in love with this gorgeous little River Island blouse. Isn't the seagull print sweet?

Love B x

Untitled #7

Knit cardigan

Knit sweater

Zara cable knit sweater

River Island grey cardigan

REISS Womens Whisper Grey Cable Panel Roll Neck Kni

Seeing as we are truly into Autumn now {how on earth is it nearly October?!}, my thoughts have most definitely started to turn towards knitwear. Specifically, the kind of chunky knitwear that goes best with skinny jeans and boots of any sort. These are some of my current favourites - roll on payday. I love, love, love dressing for Autumn/Winter. I'm so much better at knitwear and layers than I am at the supposed 'effortless' dressing of Summer.

What do you you think?

Love B

x

Paper Crown

I've always rather liked Lauren Conrad's personal style so it came as no real surprise to me that I loved the lookbook for her Autumn collection for Paper Crown.  Billed as a "modern take on classic style" the collection is the definition of "understated elegance" and I love the muted colour palette and choice of textures. I'd quite happily wear any of the outfits I've pulled out here - from the shoes to the accessories it fits my personal style down to a T. This top image, with the grey chiffon maxi & black leather jacket is my absolute favourite but I could see all these pieces fitting in with the rest of my wardrobe. Now to get round the little issue of it not being available in the UK...

I've just realised as well that this is my 100th post. I just want to say a little thank you to those of you who have stuck your heads above the parapets to comment on my posts or have started following this blog. Thanks you, thank you, thank you - it means so much to me that you took the time to do that. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I am enjoying writing it!

Love B x

Shopping...

I had gone into town with the intention of starting to source work clothes {I have finally got myself what will hopefully be a lovely job starting in September} and yet here I am surrounded by gorgeous but decidedly casual clothes. Oops!

{L-R: Jeans: Topshop, Stripey Jumper: H&M, Dress: Zara}

These jeans are a lovely rust/blush colour. I had pretty much held back from the coloured jean trend {despite my love of it} and I had only bought a red pair that I thought could see me into Winter/Autumn. I don't really go for bright colour but I knew I wanted a more muted pair that would see me through into the colder months. I was lucky enough to spy these in the sale and they were perfect. Even better {this is going to sound odd} the belt loops at the back had come away leaving tiny holes so with a discount for that added to the original sale price, these beauties only cost me £26! The issue is totally fixable once I get my hands on the right coloured thread and until then, I don't really wear short tops so the belt loops are always covered {I have issues where I'm convinced they make me look really disproportionate - just me?}.

The dress is from TRF in Zara. Always worth a look for a slightly cheaper version of some of the clothes that you find in Zara woman or Basic. I was once told that its a different set of designers working on each lot hence the difference in style, but I always think it's worth a look anyway. Always size up though - they're cut for tiny, pre-teen girls I swear! I loved the bird print though, and the back is slightly cut away. It comes in white but I thought the black was probably more versatile - it can be worn now with sandals {rather it could if it was actually sunny in Scotland} or later in the year with boots, tights and chunky cardigan.

Finally, the striped jumper was £15/£16 from H&M. It's a really fine, light weight knit making it perfect for the upcoming transition into Autumn and considering my love of stripes I couldn't really not buy it.

Love B x

Miss Selfridge

Miss Selfridge polka dot dress £22 

Miss Selfridge knit cardigan £45

Miss Selfridge polyester shirt £39

Miss Selfridge blazer £55 

Miss Selfridge leather slipper £45 

All missselfridge.com

Whilst not one to often shop at Miss Selfridge, I am really quite enamoured with some of their current stock. The aztec print knit in particular is lovely - perfect for Autumn - as is the dress with the rough polka dots {though I'm not keen on the belt}.  I love the idea of the blazer with the faux fur collar though  I fear that, in reality, the quality might not do it justice. Shame really, it reminds me of this image that I've had in my inspiration folder for ever:

Le sigh. So chic! Maybe I just need to find myself a faux fur wrap/scarf* and a tweed blazer instead! Oh and a Chanel bag!

The Leopard loafers are bang on trend too, with plenty of others bringing out their own versions. Not one to judge a book by its cover, I'd be interested to see what the pieces are like in real life.

What do you think?

Love B

x

*I'm aware this is 99% unlikely to be fake. Not really my cup of tea to wear real fur. I still think the combination is lovely however.

Sunday Afternoon

It's been pretty grey and horrid here today so we've spent the afternoon curled up indoors. I like to pass the odd afternoon mentally shopping online - I pop whatever I fancy in my bag and think nothing of it. Thankfully I stop myself before I press 'buy' else I could end up spending a small fortune on net-a-porter and the like.

I spent this afternoon browsing H&M's current collection and there are so many pieces I'm coveting that would make perfect additions to my Autumn/Winter wardrobe. The ones above are just a small selection. What do you think? I reckon I might need to go shopping...

Hope you've have a lovely weekend!

Love B x

Today's Outfit: Summer Dressing

I wore this, rather ambitiously, for Friday night drinks to mark the start of the Edinburgh Festival.  As it happens, I got dressed when it was still gorgeously sunny outside obviously not considering sitting outside all evening. Oh well! At least I thought to throw on a jacket! This necklace is one of my new favourite pieces of jewellery. It was £10 from Next and I love how it sparkles when it catches the light. It's definitely the kind of piece I would've paid considerably more for in Accessorize or the like. The skirt, though you can't clearly see, has the sweetest tiny four leaf clover print all over it. I would love to pretend I just threw this together but last night was one of those nights where I didn't really like any of the clothes in my wardrobe {ever feel like that? Or do I need help?!} and so I took inspiration from one of my favourites, Rachel Bilson:

Blazer: Topshop, Silk Top: Topshop, Necklace: Next, Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Belt: from a New Look dress, Sandals: Newlook, Handbag: Zara, Watch: Asos

Love B x

NB: I've just noticed that I look about 12 years old in this photo. le sigh

Today's Outfit: Simple

Dark Jeans + White Chiffon Top + Ballet Pumps = Perfectly simple and chic.

Top Zara, Jeans Dorothy Perkins, Ballet Pumps New Look, Watch ASOS, Bracelet Topshop

Love B x

Today's Outfit: Black Chiffon

I say 'today's'. Technically, I mean last night. I even got my boyfriend to take this as we were out - hence the dark sky and the photo from my blackberry. Regardless - I wanted to show off this beauty. All credit for this find has to go to my sister - she bought it for my graduation and as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to add it to my wardrobe. It's from a brand called Mint Velvet which, if you happen to look at the website, doesn't come across all that well, and to be honest, I don't know if I would've looked through the rails had I not known of this coat's existence beforehand.  Reduced down to £45 from £89 in the recent sales, it's a black chiffon trench coat with 3/4 sleeves and it is perfect as a throw on jacket on summer evenings. You're definitely going to be seeing this beauty again. Hopefully with a better photo that actually shows the detail on the jacket...

Chiffon trench - Mint Velvet, Top - Topshop, Jeans - Dorothy Perkins, Shoes - New Look, Clutch Bag - Zara

Love B x

Feather

Despite being totally out of character {and out my clothing comfort zone}, I think I am going to need this feather gilet in my life. It's totally not something I would wear but I don't think this photo is doing it justice - in fact, I can't imagine an outfit less me. I'm imagining wearing it with dark jeans and boots over a black leather jacket and/or a fine knit grey jumper. In my head, it looks incredible for autumn/winter in Edinburgh. In reality, I don't know. Like I said, it's not the kind of thing I would normally wear. Still, I can't get it out of my mind...

Love B x

Today's Outfit: The Statement Necklace

Sometimes, the most simple outfit {in the case a classic white t-shirt and dark denim jeans} just needs that bit extra.  My current favourite accessory is this turquoise necklace. It brings just the right amount of interest to the outfit and the colour is gorgeous - absolutely perfect for summer. I love how just the one piece can transform even the laziest simplest of outfit choices. The photo definitely doesn't do the colour of this necklace justice - it is so vibrant in real life! I picked it up for an absolute steal from h&m and the compliments it gets are so lovely {most are aimed at knowing where it is from and how long ago I bought it}

White T-shirt & Statement Necklace both h&m

Love B x

Rainbow bright

For all my good intentions to branch out, jeans are {and will most likely remain} in pretty solid rotation in my wardrobe.  I recently dipped my toe into the water with coloured jeans, and now? Well now I want them in every colour I can lay my hands on. Slippery slope my friends, slippery slope. 

 

{via asos, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins & Zara}

My current favourite pair are bright and pillarbox red {ankle length with a gold zip - I wore them the other day}.I've definitely got my eye on the same pair in bright green from Zara, or this green pair from Dorothy Perkins. I can only imagine how this is going to end up for me - much like my love of stripes, I can see coloured jeans taking over my wardrobe.

Love B x

Today's Outfit: Stripes

I love this colourful twist on the classic french bun & Breton stripes. Simple yet effective.

H&M stripey top, Dorothy Perkins Skinny Jeans, H&M ballet pumps, ASOS Rose Gold Watch.

Love B x

Today's outfit: Leopard + Red

Red Zara ankle length slim fit trousers, Office leopard print ballet pumps, Mulberry Somerset Shopper handbag {'xcuse the rubbish BB photo!}

Love B x

wide legged jeans

Having pretty much lived in skinny jeans for the last couple of years I think I'm finally having a change of heart over my stance on wide legged jeans. The more I look at them, the more I think I need to add a pair to my wardrobe. I love how chic they look and their versatility: a darker pair is a brilliant alternative to smart trousers whereas lighter pairs really encapsulate the 70s vibe from the catwalks.

{via}

{via}

Love B x