A simple top or blouse and a pair of jeans or joggers is still my favourite outfit and I am on the lookout for a couple of new tops to ease the transition to autumn!
We have had the best summer. Last year was really hard, especially for Archie, and I feel that he is now back to himself after more than a year of constant exams. Part of me felt guilty about being away for so long this summer but my sensible side realised that he needed peace and quiet, fresh air and for me not to have one eye on my computer all the time.
There are some downsides to working for yourself but being able to take time for your family, when they need it most, is one of the main reasons I opted out of the corporate world. I also have Luella to get through her exams shortly. I have learned from last year that there are no short cuts; you just have to sit there with them and do the work!
Taking time out has also refocused my mind on the point of my blog. Every second person now seems to have a blog, so to do it properly, I feel that you really need a purpose and for me it is crystal clear:
- Providing an alternative to the same hyped (sometimes fabulous, but in the main completely overpriced) must haves. Therefore, looking at more classic pieces which will have longevity and finding them at an affordable price
- Working to bring you the best reloved and vintage sites and reminding everyone to ‘clear before they buy’
- Growing my own site so that everyone has the option to buy the best designer prices at realistic prices, first thing is to move into a new office and get out of my living room
- Looking at beauty treatments that work, finding them for less, but carried out by the most professional practitioners
- Combing through the proliferation of new brands to find the ones which are worth checking out. From October I will be hosting regular pop-ups with the brands I buy from
- Hosting styling workshops, we already have so much but the key is how to finish outfits that SUIT YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE – again fingers crossed starting in October/ November
- The fun bit! Bringing you edits of the best pieces on the market. I adore filtering through all the sites and today’s blog is one of these. Searching can be daunting, but hopefully this edit will show you where to look and give you some inspiration
In the past I have made so many mistake with tops:
- Getting foxed into those lace tops which look so great in pictures but, are in the main, made of viscose and just completely uncomfortable to wear
- Wrap blouses which keep coming undone during the day and end up unworn! You have got to be so careful that they wrap properly
- Tops that are either too long or too short to wear and somehow always look wrong when you are wearing them
- Complicated patterns that I just cannot face when getting dressed early in the morning! This should help focus the mind when looking at what to purchase
- I also keep my eye on the trends this Autumn. Bodysuits are hot as are square necks and billowing or puff sleeves remain in demand. I have discounted some of the trends which I have already spotted; the wide Victorian collars (too Adam Ant), the exaggerated puff shoulders, as well as the bonkers chiffon and feathers, these are all too theatrical
So take a look below at some of the pieces which will slot into your existing wardrobe to give it a bit of a refresh. I know that as September beckons I will be happy to get back into my jeans.
Both the tops featured here are ones that I picked up in charity shops, the top one is Celine from The Cancer Research Shop and the one above is Horror Vacui from The Red Cross – both on the Kings Road in Chelsea.