Shifting Seasons: Boden Autumn/Winter

It's hard to think about autumn when the weather is still so wonderful but the arrival of the new Boden catalogue always marks the time when my attention shifts to what's on offer for the new season. It always makes me do a mental check list of what I need/would like for the coming months ahead (the truth is nothing, but we all know that's not going to happen!). However, I am going to be very frugal and only buy a few classics/investment pieces, no more impulse buying!

So, without further ado, my favourites from the new Boden collection:

I always look at their shoes and accessories first, as I generally prefer them to the clothes. I noticed this straightaway as I have been on the look out for a navy bag, but as I love wearing black and navy together, this would be perfect:

Draycott Bag £169

Moving on to shoes, these are my favourite - so on trend, if I could buy just one thing from the catalogue, it would be these:

Flat T-Bar Point £69

I adore leopard print accessories and these slingbacks would make a work suit more interesting as well as looking equally fabulous with jeans for a night out:

Sixties Slingbacks £110

Boden does an updated version of these classic boho style boots every year and they look great with tights and dresses, I particularly like the navy this year:

Boho Boot £119

Pink coats are still very much on trend this autumn and this one really stands out:

Eliza Coat £189

Not something I would normally pick out, but I love this blouse, would look great with jeans, heels and a little boxy jacket:

Paris Blouse £69

My favourite dress is this sixties inspired one:

Ottoman Shift £79

But I prefer this very cute skirt and love how they've styled it:

Jersey Jacquard Skirt £59

As always, their trusty Breton tops make the top ten:

Long Sleeve Breton £25

And an equally stylish jumper version:

Everyday Jumper £59

But going back to my post the other day on how I can't resist Breton tops with a twist - how gorgeous is this one with a sparkly collar?

Sparkle Collar Breton £39

And finishing with my outfit from today - True Religion boyfriend jeans with ruffle tee from Mango and sandals from H&M.

So, has anything caught your eye from the new Boden collection?

As always, I love to hear from you

Abbi x

Outfit Post: Great Plains Shirt Dress

A great start to the summer holidays - we had a day at home to get sorted and then travelled up to Lincolnshire on Thursday for my Mother-in-Law's birthday. Ten of us went out for a lovely lunch yesterday - I wore a silky shirt dress by Great Plains that I bought in the sale at Yard last summer. It was a great buy as I wore it with tights and ankle boots and a leather jacket thrown over in the autumn, but this is the first time I've worn it as a summer dress:

Shirt dresses are a versatile item to have in your wardrobe over the summer months as they can be worn to work with heels or wedge sandals or dressed down for more casual occasions with flats. This one works so well in this hot weather as it's such a thin, drapey material. I'm wearing it here with snakeskin sandals from H&M.

If you like the look of the one above, Great Plains has some shirt dresses in the sale this year.

I love this graphic printed one, perfect for this year's monochrome trend and now half price in the sale:

Caligari Shirt Dress £25 from £50

And this checked shirt dress is so cute and feminine:

Jenna Checked Shirt Dress £39 from £50

I love the more relaxed fit of this classic shirt dress:

Get Knotted Print Dress £39 from £55

And another feminine style in navy with a full broderie anglaise skirt:

Fluerette Broderie Detail Dress £32.50 from £65

So is a shirt dress a necessity for you in the summer months? As always I like to hear from you...

Abbi xx

Last Day of Term: Outfits

It feels like the longest term ever, but finally my two little boys broke up for the summer holidays on Tuesday afternoon. I can't believe my youngest has finished his reception year and my eldest will be going into Year 3 - but for now we have six weeks to chill out together and I can't wait!

This is what I wore to church to the Leaver's Service on another very hot day:

The jersey midi dress is from Uniqlo, I have featured it on the blog before and it has been an excellent buy for such a bargain price! It's so easy to wear, just add sandals or flip flops and you're good to go. The teal colour that I'm wearing has sold out but they still have the dress in grey or dark brown for an unbelievable £7.90 here. 

I'm wearing it above with my black toe post sandals from Topshop (sold out) and black cross body bag by Nat & Nin at Yard.

The boys broke up after lunch and after a smoothie at our favourite Soulshine Cafe (see my review here) we managed to drag Mr DF away from his work for a game of tennis en famille. It was then a quick change to go out with the girls for a curry before we all disperse for the summer. I wore my True Religion boyfriend jeans with this silk ruffle top from Topshop (over seven years old) and navy suede wedge sandals from LK Bennett (also at least seven years old). I love getting really old things out and seeing if they still work and this top is a particular favourite, it's so pretty and the silk is so thin - perfect for a warm evening:

Hope everyone has a wonderful summer holiday - I will be back with practical but stylish suggestions for the weeks ahead!

Abbi x

Co-ords and Matchy Matchy Style: Outfit Post

I love everything to be matchy matchy at the best of times, so I've had my eye on the trend for co-ordinates for some time. When this matching striped tube skirt and tee by Great Plains arrived at YARD I knew it was the one:

Wear together for the ultimate style statement or mix and match with other things in your wardrobe. Here I am wearing them together:

I must just show you another matchy matchy outfit that I am completely obsessed with - new in at Ted Baker - this is just so so gorgeous:

Ted Baker Sweatshirt in Opulent Bloom Print £89

So, would you co-ordinate your outfit from head to toe? As always I love to hear from you...

Abbi x

Dorset Magazine Fashion Feature

I'm really excited to tell you that the latest issue of the Dorset magazine is out, featuring my first fashion feature. On the back of my little blog that I started in January, I will be writing about fashion regularly for the magazine, and will be out and about in the county looking for stylish people to photograph on a variety of themes. This month, the August issue, featured four pages of festival fashion, and is on sale now. Here is the front cover:

It was so much fun to do - here are a selection of photos, taken by photographer Honor Slade:

This week Honor and I have been hunting down stylish people for the next article - I will look forward to sharing the details with you!

Abbi x

Breton Addiction

I am officially addicted to Breton tops, from T-shirts to long sleeved jersey versions to sweaters and fine knit jumpers. I am drawn to them all like a magnet and I try to stop adding to my collection, but if I see one in a different colour or a quirky design then I am off again. Luckily I never get bored of them - they are such a wardrobe staple and are practical and casual while still making you look stylish. Adding a blazer can smarten the look and wearing them with ripped jeans can dress them down. The sales are a brilliant time to buy something as classic as a Breton top - here are some of my favourites:

First up, the one that I bought in the Karen Millen sale - I love the dipped hem at the back and the print effect of the stripes:

Brushstroke Striped T-Shirt £35 from £55

The brushstrokes have different shades of blue as well as black in them so it will go with all denim, here I am wearing it with washed black jeans from Mint Velvet:

Top of my wish list is this one in the sale by Chinti & Parker that I first saw on Annemarie's blog Fashion Mum of 40 here. The heart on the front makes it look different:

Chinti & Parket Heart Pocket Stripe Tee £51 from £85

Joules is always fantastic for a good quality classic Breton top. I love this one in powder blue and it also comes in seven other colours:

Powder Blue Cotton Top £24.95

French Connection has this long sleeved tee in a darker colourway, which would look great under a navy jacket in the autumn:

Tim Tim Stripe Top £30

Petit Bateau do the best quality Breton tops - here is a heavier jersey version from their new collection:

Petit Bateau Heavy Jersey Breton £58

And a relaxed fit option in black and charcoal from Toast which would look great with skinny jeans:

Toast Breton Stripe Top £59

And I love the exposed zip on the back of this classic Breton from John Lewis:

John Lewis Zip Back Breton Stripe Top £25

LOVE LOVE LOVE this logo sweater, new in at Whistles, an updated version of the classic Breton:

Stripes Logo Sweat £75

For short sleeved stripey tees, I've always liked H&M. At the moment they have this one in red for
just £6 in the sale:

Striped Top £6

And Seasalt is always worth checking out for their classic Bretons - love this knit in the sale:

St Issey Knitted Jumper £34.96 from £49.95

Yesterday I wore a stripey tee from Anthropologie from a couple of years ago - I like the floral trim around the V-neck and the curved hem. Wearing it here with red jeans from Topshop from about three years ago:

Do you share my love of Breton tops or is there another item of clothing that you are always drawn too?! As always I love to hear from you...

Abbi x

Style Trend: Pointy Flats

One of the surprise hits of the summer has been my silver pointy toe flats from Next and I have definitely eschewed ballet pumps in favour of them this year. Sleek, chic and surprisingly comfortable, pointed flats look fantastic when paired with both pencil and midi skirts or dresses, flowy maxi's, tapered trousers or skinny jeans. And the good thing is that if you buy the right pair now in the sale, you could wear them well into the autumn.

Here are some of my favourites:

Starting with my silver ones from Next - I have found that they dress up even the most basic summer outfit:

Next Point Slingbacks £26

Next also has the perfect nude pair:

D'Orsay Point Shoes £28

And this monochrome version which are very on trend:

Two Part Pointed Shoes £22

This classic black pair from Boden look super sleek and are a good buy for the coming months:

Boden Pointed Slingbacks £34.50 from £69

I also love this cute spotty pair of pointy slingbacks in the sale at Boden:

Boden Pointed Slingbacks £55.20 from £69

I would love some leopard print flats - this pair at ASOS are in the sale:

London Rebel Tandy Pointed Flats £20 from £30

Looking ahead to autumn, I love this pair of leopard print pointy flats for work or to dress up a pair of black skinny jeans:

Dune Leopard Metal Trim Pointed Toe Dressy Flat £69

And my favourite of all the new season pointy flats is this elegant shimmery pair from Russell & Bromley - they would look just as pretty with jeans as they would with a suit for work:

Russell & Bromley Asymmetric Flat £145

And finishing with a photo from this weekend - just about to leave to go to a 50th birthday party in Hampshire - this was my outfit to travel in, not the party outfit!

Brushstroke Stripe Tee - Karen Millen here (very limited sizes)

Jeans - Mint Velvet AW13 (here)

Toe Post Sandals -  Topshop AW14 (out of stock)

Has anyone else discovered a new love of pointy flat shoes this summer?

Abbi x

Style Investment: The Basic Shirt

A few things have started to come into YARD (local Dorset boutique) for Autumn/Winter and although I am about to impose a spending ban (yes, really) I allowed myself to be tempted by this classic shirt by Maison Scotch:

I have wanted a basic but good quality shirt for ages and this pure cotton one ticks all the boxes. Although new season, it's very lightweight so I can wear it now with white jeans and in the autumn under sweaters with darker denim. It has a relaxed fit with just the right amount of slouchiness and features a fine blue and white stripe. A must have for any wardrobe!

I am wearing it here with floral jeans from the GAP sale last summer, and black toe post sandals from Topshop, currently out of stock:

Karen Millen has a similar pair of floral jeans in their sale here, with 50% off:

Have you bought anything yet for autumn/winter?

Abbi x