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Grab Your Coat! It’s getting cold – An Autumn Fashion Post

October 5, 2019 by Anne Sweet 2 Comments

Autumn is on us and despite the odd peak of sun from behind the clouds, it’s no longer close enough for warmth. People everywhere and grabbing their coats before they leave the house. But what should be we wearing this Autumn and Winter. Ah yes, this is an Autumn fashion post!

My Man likes to look smart, and whenever he goes out it’s more likely he’ll wear something from Suits Men.

I have to admit, I do like to wear a nice dress myself. I guess we scrub up well.

But what do women wear in Autum and Winter? Here’s a few of my picks.

The Dress

I’m a big fan of Joe Browns but in the past I’ve been dissapointed in the length of their dresses. I’m pretty tall and generally have to wear their dresses like a tunic with trousers or leggings. But I found this lovely Joe Browns dress on the JD Williams site and its nice and long.

midi length green floral patterned dress from Joe Brown, perfect for Autumn fashion — Joe Browns midi dress £49

The Coat

I used to wear a coat for driving and a coat for walking. Now, I tend to wear something that will keep me warm and dry in my wheelchair. I adore this lovely oversized coat in fuschia. But I’m not sure I’m brave enough to wear something so bright. Usually, I’m more comfortable in neutral colours like black or navy. Although I do have a nice camel coloured coat.

A model wearing a really bright fuschia oversized coat — Helene Berman Coat in Fuschia £169

Wrapping Up!

The best way to deal with this weather is to wrap up with layers. Then you can keep warm but remove a layer if you get too hot. So how do you layer your clothes, here’s some quick tips for your Autumn fashion wardrobe

Nice warm tights
A blouse or shirt
A quality woolen jumper
A blazer or coat on top
add extra warmth with scarf and gloves
Make sure you have waterproof shoes

As I mentioned before, my husband likes suits, but they don’t have to be just for men. Women look good in suits and they are a great way of layering up and keeping warm.

Here’s a fabulous black jacket from Next that would go with any smart trousers (or even jeans if you can wear them to work!)

A smart, single buttoned black ladies jacket — Black Jacket £45

Skirts or Trousers?

People make a grab for trousers this weather simply because they are warmer. But get the right tights and a skirt is just as warm. I’m a huge fan of The Sock Shop and recently bought my daughter some bamboo tights for shcool which she loves. But they do them in ladies sizes too. Warm legs are no problem in these and you can stick to your Autumn fashion look.

Two pairs of tights modelled on upside down legs, both pairs of tights are black — Ladies bamboo tights, 2 pack £20.99

You can also add a pop of colour, these tights come in 6 different colours and are currently just £4.99.

one pair of red tights modelled on upside down legs — Ladies colour tights

So you are not restricted to trousers, so how about a skirt? This pleated skirt from Next costs just £19 and comes in a wide range of colours, or plain black if that’s your thing.

A pleated grean floral patterened skirt on a model shown from the waist down with silver shoes — Pleated Skirt £19, other colours and patterns available

I used to be a jean person, but now I find that denim makes my legs tingle even more, so my trousers have to be picked carefully. I like to put comfort first, but these tapered trousers look smart and feel comfortable, so they are a winner for me.

black tapered trousers modelled from the waist down wtih red shoes — Tapered Trousers £15

Wardrobe

We have just bought a new wardrobe (As in the actual wooden type, not the huge pile of clothes) and now is the perfect time to sort through and get rid of all the clothes I won’t be wearing for a long time (or never, in which case, they will go into the charity bag.) Then I can focus on updating my clothes with the new season Autumn fashion.

Have you bought any new clothes lately? Do you have to dress formally for work? And my biggest question..would you wear a bright fuschia coat?

Previous Fashion Posts

Disclosure: Thanks for reading, please be aware I’ve included some affiliate links in this post and links to other sites that I cannot be held responsible for.

Summer 2018 Women´s Fashion Trends

June 21, 2018 by Anne Sweet 1 Comment

The other day I was browsing online for new clothes and came across Simply Be. This women´s clothing company started life as a plus-size fashion brand. But, from the looks of things they have diversified and now sell clothing for women sized between 8 and 34.

They stock thousands of different garments, so it is a really good place to pick up on the latest trends. As you will see, there is a lot going on in the fashion world right now.

2018 dress and trends

Without a doubt, dresses are back on trend. The range of cuts that is available is amazing. You can pick up anything from full-length maxi dresses to mid-thigh length skater and denim dresses.

There is definitely a more feminine vibe going on. A lot of designers have opted to make their dresses out of soft, floaty and highly-patterned fabrics. However, if you prefer something with a more tailored and formal feel you can still find that too. There are plenty of shift and sheath dresses available. Most of them could just as easily be worn to the office as for an evening meal in a classy restaurant.

Personally, I love a long, colourful floaty dress like this one.

2018 skirt trends

For a while now, it has been far easier to find jeans and trousers than it has been to pick up a skirt. Well, in 2018, that has all changed. The skirt is back and again there is plenty of choice.

It is particularly nice to see classic pencil skirts making a bit of a comeback. They are a surprisingly flattering and versatile skirt that suits most women. However, you do need to buy the right cut for your body type. You can easily find out how to do that by clicking here.

model wearing a white long sleeved top and a black midi pencil skirt

I always wore pencil skirts to work, I like them just below the knee.

A better choice of tops

The fact that more women are likely to be wearing skirts, this year, means that there is a good range of tops available. Generally speaking, it is the bigger and baggier styles that are dominating.

model wearing a plum coloured v neck top with a ring detail at the side

This lovely floaty top would look fabulous with a skirt.

I have this top and it looks great with leggings or skinny jeans

Jeans and trousers

Over the past couple of years, jean cuts have become a little looser. This is a trend that is continuing. It is also good to see the return of the high-waist cuts, which are far more comfortable to wear if you are carrying a little extra weight.

Bootcut jeans have always been a favourite of mine

2018 summer footwear trends

There are some really lovely sandals and shoes on offer, right now. As usual, the classics dominate. However, they have been joined by a big range of more comfortable flat shoes. Totally, flat sandals are very much in vogue, this year, which is great news if you find that high heels make your feet ache.

Even flat cosy sandals can bring a little glamour

Tips for changing your style

As you can see, right now, there is an amazing choice of different styles available in the shops. So, it is a particularly good time to take the plunge and change your look.

I did it last year, and am so pleased I did. Giving myself a bit of a style makeover worked wonders for me. If you fancy doing something similar I suggest you read the post I wrote about my experience. I am sure you will be able to pick up some tips and tricks to help you to do the same. You can read it here.

Disclosure: collaborative post.

The Great Gatsby and Breakfast at Tiffany’s Inspired Fashion

May 3, 2013 by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

I went out with Eldest Daughter today and she bought a new pair of shoes. I love them too and as we are the same size, I may just borrow them (if she’ll let me)

This reminded me that I had not done a post for Next for a while so here I am.

The Great Gatsby opens in London this week and who can resist the gorgeous fashion of the Twenties? (oh my, not long until it will be the 2020’s!) Dropped waistbands and flapper dresses, I’d certainly give them another go. Any excuse to get out my feather boa. (what you don’t have a feather boa?)

At next you can buy this gorgeous dress for your little girl.

I know my girls would love it especially with all the sequins, I may get them one each. They are available in sizes 3 to 16 yrs.

Fast forward twenty or so years and you’ll you meet my favourite fashionable literary Character, Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn looks absolutely gorgeous in this black dress.

Truman Capote writes: “She was still on the stairs, now

she reached the landing, and the ragbag colors of her

boy’s hair, tawny streaks, strands of albino blond and

yellow caught the hall light. It was a warm evening,

nearly summer, and she wore a slim, cool black dress,

black sandals, a pearl choker. “

Of course, I’m partial to a sexy black dress and Next doesn’t fail to deliver.

Oh yes, I could see myself swanning into the MAD Blog Awards in this with pearl choker and black sandals. (might need to lose a few pound first though)

This post has been submitted to the Next Bloggers Network. I have not received anything from Next for writing it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kids Fashion – Sky Tops

September 10, 2012 by Anne Sweet 3 Comments

Now my kids are not fashion icons but they do know what they like and what they don’t. Throughout the summer the girls have been wanting to wear dresses, anything floaty and princess like. Not always the best choice, especially for a day at the park but I have been able to get away with floaty tops and leggings which are more practical. I’ve had a real job getting them to wear their jeans, but they are quite happy to put them on if they are brightly coloured or patterned. My eldest daughter likes her jeans skinny like her grown-up sister wears, the brighter the better.
You can dress up any outfit with a nice pair of shoes or boots and sky tops are fashionable this autumn. They don’t have to be boring though, you can get them in exciting colours and decorated with glitter. So it’s a win win situation, I get my practicality and the girls get their pretty pretty.

At next they have a fabulous selection of jeans, here are a few teamed with gorgeous glittery heart tops.

So when my girls have made their choice the next step is a pair of high top boots. Here are three from Next, gorgeous pink glitter boots, grey and glitter boots and just so the little man doesn’t miss out a real trendy pair for younger boys.

glitter boots £15-£18

silver sky tops £20-£22

tan colour block sky tops £20-£22

This post has been written for the Next Blogger Network. The opinions are my own and I have not been paid for this review.

Christmas Reading

November 18, 2019 by Anne Sweet 5 Comments

Every year we have books on our Christmas gift lists. The whole family have their own tastes but there is always something to read in my gift stash. So, I thought I’d share some of our reading enjoyment with you to see if I can inspire more reading material for Christmas.

Magazines

I love my magazine subscriptions. Yes, it may be a little old fashioned when you can get so much information online, but it still doesn’t stop the excitement of getting a magazine through the door. My favourites are crochet and cooking magazines, but there are so many to choose from, they would suit any interest. I’ve so many Christmas crafts and cooking to be getting on with. And it’s not just for Christmas it would be the gift that keeps giving throughout the year.

Advent Books

We love our Christmas Books but we haven’t done an advent calendar with books for a while because it does work better with picture books. You buy the books before Christmas and wrap them to be opened and read each day before Christmas Eve. It’s nice to buy Christmas themed books and it helps build up the excitement to the big day itself. But as you will be reading one book a day, it’s easier with younger readers.

There are some more books that can be shared with older children on a daily basis on the run up to Christmas. I have read ‘The Christmas Mystery’ By Jostein Gaarder to my kids in the past, one chapter a day starting from December 1st.

Manga

My kids love Manga and we always have some on gift lists. If you’ve not heard of Manga before, they are Japanese graphic books which can read like a regular graphic book but are often read the Japanese way from back to front. You can buy them for all ages, don’t think they are just for kids and do check the age range for reading them. Some of them may contain adult content not suitable for younger readers.

Christmas Reading.

Why not join in with a Christmas reading challenge like the one that Tea And Cake for the Soul is doing. You’ll have a bit of catching up to do because she actually started it in October, but you could just up your reading time for Christmas and instead of indulging in those Christmas movies, you could pick up a book instead. The books don’t need to be Christmas themed but there are a lot of books out there. You can read my review of The Gift, By Cecelia Ahern, a lovely, if a little strange, story leading up to Christmas time.

How many books do you think you could fit in between now and Christmas, just think of them as a way of chilling out from all the Christmas preparation stress.

pile of books including Christmas reading

Christmas Classics.

Everybody knows a Christmas Story. My Little Man still loves a good Christmas themed picture book even though he’s getting a bit old for them. But honestly, whoever gets too old for Christmas stories. A few years ago I took the girls to a Christmas Carol Sing-a-long at the Birmingham Symphony Hall and Brian Blessed read ‘The Night Before Christmas’ to us all. I think we have about six different copies of that book.

This year I’m taking my girls to see The Nutcracker ballet. (I can barely contain my excitement) but I’ve yet to read the story. On Sunday morning I watched a film I’d not heard of before called The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. It starred Helen Mirran, Keira Knightly and Morgan Freeman. I guess I can understand why it wasn’t such a big hit as you would expect, but I enjoyed it all the same. The Nutcracker and The Mouse King is a novel written in 1816 by the German author E.T.A. Hoffmann.

Do you gift books or magazine subscriptions for Christmas? Do you read more at Christmas time?

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