The YARD Sale is Now On!

It's the sale that all fellow Dorset Fashionistas have been waiting for - local boutique YARD, in Poundbury, Dorchester, has started its summer sale today, and it's a proper sale too, with up to 50% off all items from the spring/summer collection. Here are some of my favourites (all prices are pre-sale, but there is now 40-50% off everything featured).

First up, this easy-to-wear French Connection striped dress would make a very flattering investment (was £65). I also love the short sleeve silky neon top by American Vintage (was £94), and I have my eye on this comfy little floral dress by Maison Scotch which I would use a beach cover up on holiday, I love the beaded collar (was £100).

A maxi dress is a great staple for the summer and I love the bold colours on this one by Great Plains (was £50). The scarf print blouse by Maison Scotch (was £78) is another fantastic sales purchase, I would still wear this in the autum under a little boucle jacket:

Jeans are the ultimate wardrobe staple, so always a bonus if you can pick some up in the sale. Grey is on my wish list for the autumn so I have picked these French Connection skinnies (original price £65). I love grey teamed with yellow and this Soaked in Luxury jumper (was £59) is a lovely vibrant shade. The textured dress by French  Connection (was £110) is also a fantastic buy as you can wear it now with bare legs and in the autumn with opaque tights and ankle boots:

I have jeans by Maison Scotch, they are such a great fit, and you would be lucky to pick up a pair in the sale - I love the light wash of the ones below (original price £120). The coral tee is by American Vintage (was £44) and the beautiful Botannical print dress by Maison Scotch (was £112) would be perfect for holidays with a straw bag and leather sandals:

Florals are still a huge trend, so I have picked this very feminine high waisted pencil skirt by Darling (was £49). I would wear with a simple tee like this white one by Great Plains (was £18). I also love the cobalt blue of these Maison Scotch chinos (was £85):

And finishing with my favourite sale outfit. You will know by now how much I love my Breton tops but this one by Maison Scotch (originally £85) is actually a jumper - a fantastic sale bargain in my opinion as you can wear it through the autumn. I'm wearing it with the light wash Maison Scotch jeans featured above and my silver slingbacks from Next. The funky New York scarf and gorgeous grey bag by Nat & Nin are also available at YARD, but are non sale.

This is just a little snapshot of my favourites but of course there are many more gems - if you are local come and have a look for yourself.

Have you managed to get a really good sale bargain this year? I am still deciding whether to get the stripey jumper above. There is only one in my size!

Have a good weekend all!

Abbi x

Warehouse Lace Midi Skirt

Last weekend we went out for Sunday lunch with my Mum and stepfather, a lovely treat following a late night at a friend's birthday cocktails! We ventured into Devon as we had been recommended a pub in the picturesque village of Axmouth, near Seaton, called The Ship. Well, it didn't disappoint - not only do they do a fantastic Sunday roast, but they could not have been more accommodating with the children and really looked after us - we will be back!

I decided to wear my lace stripe midi skirt that I bought for our holiday in France in August. I like the way it is only lined at the top, perfect for really hot days as it keeps you cool while still keeping your legs covered! It's still available on the ASOS website and has been reduced to £35 from £50:

Warehouse Lace Stripe Midi

I love this style of skirt but I am finding them tricky to style. Most magazines and websites are styling them with crop tops which is clearly not going to happen! An alternative is to tuck in a tee or a shirt which I like on other people but doesn't really work on me. So, the third option is to find a top which kind of sits on the waist. I am wearing it here with a black long sleeved tee from Zara as I'm still loving the monochrome look and it sort of does the job. And I'm wearing my Next pointy flats again:

I decided to feature my Mum in her outfit as she does look so stylish! She is wearing a stripey dress from Joules (available in the sale here) with a statement necklace that she bought from Zara last year:

Have you bought a midi skirt and what are you wearing with it?

As always I would love to hear from you!

Abbi x

Mint Velvet Biker Dress: Outfit Post

Last week I chose my favourites from the Mint Velvet sale (see blog post here), and at the top of the list was this satin biker dress in slate grey which I ordered:

Slate Satin Biker Dress £49 from £99

It filled a gap in my wardrobe for a casual dress to wear out in the evening. The satin material and sheer panels on the shoulders make it feel feminine and elegant but the asymmetric zip at the front and drawstring waist dress the look down and make it more wearable.

I wore it on Saturday evening for the perfect occasion - a cocktail party for my friend's birthday. This is me before all the mojitos:

I'm wearing it with sandals from Dune (last summer) and a clutch from Guess given to me by my Mum a couple of months ago. I kept to quite simple jewellery because of all the zips and detail on the dress.

 I would also wear it out for dinner or with flat sandals on holiday, and with ankle boots for an edgier look at the end of the summer. Very versatile don't you think?!

Have you bought any dresses in the sale? I would love to hear from you...

Abbi x

White Jeans with Grey Neutrals: Outfit Post

For a simple daytime look, I love the fresh combination of white jeans teamed with grey. It looks effortlessy chic and works well in the summer on cooler days. 

Here are some pictures via Pinterest for inspiration:

I wore my white boyfriend jeans from Mango to work yesterday, currently in the sale here, but in very limited sizes. I've teamed them with snakeskin sandals from H&M, and a pale grey American Vintage tee from the YARD sale last summer:

If this look feels too minamalist you can add a pop of colour with an accessory such as a handbag, scarf or necklace. I have added this fabulous statement scarf, new in at YARD, of New York City streets and subway, the perfect piece to add some colour to a neutral outfit:

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Abbi x

Karen Millen Sale Picks!

So, I'm sticking with my aim of only buying quality, investment pieces in the sales, which prompted me to have another look at Karen Millen, especially as they have just made further reductions. Earlier this year (February to be precise), I wrote a blog post (here) all about this brand - it was a favourite of mine many moons ago pre-children, but over the past few years I'd felt it wasn't for me anymore and had stopped going in altogether. It's now firmly back on my radar, and although there's still a lot that I don't like, I become totally obsessed about the things that I do like (need to get out more, clearly!).

So here are my picks of what to buy in their sale. First up is a thin knit sweatshirt that I bought earlier this year (annoyed face), but I absolutely love it and wrote about it in an outfit post here.

Colourblock Pod Knit Jumper £65 from £85

It's very flattering and perfect for this year's monochrome trend. Staying with monochrome, how fabulous are these block heel sandals?

Two Part Block Heel Sandal £55 from £110

Next up are these dip dyed skinny jeans which I think are at the new price of £35:

Dip Dye Jeans £35 from £90

I also really like these vintage look skinny jeans:

Acid Wash Jean £50 from £90

Moving on to knitwear, this white fine knit jumper is down to £25 from £85. It has sheer stripes on the sleeves and on the back:

Relaxed Fine Gauge Knit Jumper

This textured jumper is also reduced to £25 from £85, and could easily be worn into the autumn with jeans:

Space Dye Knit Jumper

Finally, I have always loved Karen Millen handbags. I had two or three from my days working in the City (over seven years ago) and I still have them and they are still going strong. They are true classics and will last years and years. This one stands out and would be a great investment if you are looking for a tan bag:

Large Leather Shoulder Bag £80 from £200

And my personal favourite (in case anyone is buying early for a big birthday coming up this later this year):

Limited Edition Studded Tote Bag

Will leave you with my outfit from today, another day of glorious sunshine. Now, I actually stole this £26 Next dress from Kat's wonderful blog Does My Bum Look 40 In This? - it was on a six week waiting list and I had sort of forgotten about it but was very pleased that it turned up in the middle of another heatwave. It is still available here.

Back soon with more summer outfits!

Abbi x

Mint Velvet Sale Picks!

I have been avoiding the sales and have been quite good, no make that reasonably good, or more accurately not as bad as usual. One sale that I'm always really excited about is Mint Velvet, one of my favourite brands. In the sales, I would rather buy quality, investment pieces, especially if they are significantly reduced and there are some real gems at the moment from Mint Velvet.

I bought this dress, which I first saw on Donna's fabulous blog - I Won't Wear Sludge Brown here:

Mint Velvet Slate Satin Biker Dress £49 from £99

I have been stalking the Mint Velvet website for a couple of weeks, waiting for the sale, and it actually went down to half price, hurrah! I am keeping it and will hopefully wear it this weekend.

I also love this jumpsuit, featured on my blog a few months ago - it is now a really great price and perfect to take on holiday:

Mint Velvet Cara Print Jumpsuit £45 from £89

Leather jackets are always a fantastic item to buy in the sales. I bought my grey one in the Whistles sale at Christmas, but I also love this one:

Pearl Zip Leather Biker Jacket £189 from £259

And an amazing reduction on these fabulous shoe boots which you could still wear in September/October with jeans, depending on the weather:

Nude Aria Leather Shoe Boot £65 from £129

I absolutely love this leather skirt - the length, the colour, the fit - everything! I thought about it for a few seconds because I like it soooo much, and if I still worked in a glamorous office, I would have bought it, but sadly it doesn't fit into my country bumpkin life!

Pearl Leather Midi Skirt £129 from £169

This pretty tee is more wearable and could be worn day or night with boyfriend jeans and flats/heels:

Cream Teardrop Lace Tee £49 from £69

And this tee is a really useful buy for when you want to wear a 'dressy' top with jeans in the evening:

Blush Georgette Tee £45 from £59

I have liked these trousers for ages, they are lovely and floaty for the summer holidays and easy to style with black or white:

Alma Print Soft Trouser £49 from £69

And this trench which also featured on the blog a while back - I would have bought it but they don't have my size, probably for the best:

Stone Trench Coat £119 from £159

The scarves from Mint Velvet are always gorgeous, but a much better price in the sale. My favourite is this one:

Mint Velvet Ivory & Ice Blue Tassel Scarf £19 from £35

And finishing with my outfit today, boyfriend jeans from GAP, top from Mango and sandals from H&M.

So, have you been tempted by any sales bargains? As always, I'd like to hear from you!

Abbi x

How I Style Harem Trousers

How I Style Harem Trousers

For days when I'm just running errands, working from home, doing the school run etc, there is nothing more comfortable than slouching around in my harem trousers. Mine are from Hush a couple of years ago and are still as good as new, even though I've lived in them! I love the laid back fit (loose without being too drapey!) and they are so versatile - wear with a vest/tee and gladiator sandals in the summer and wedge trainers and a sweater for the rest of the year.

This is the pair I have from Hush in the dark grey:

Hush Long Harem Trousers

And here I am wearing it yesterday with a stripey vest (from Hush about three years ago) and Topshop sandals (available here).

Add a jersey blazer for a more finished look, mine is from Boden three or four years ago:

And they also look flattering with heels for a casual evening out:

If you have never tried harem trousers before you could start with these from H&M for only £12.99 - I've heard really good things about them!

H&M Harem Pants

So, do you like harem trousers or are they not your cup of tea? They can be a tricky trend to pull off, but if you get it right you can look stylish while feeling like you're wearing your pyjama bottoms!

As always I love to hear your thoughts!

Abbi x