Outfit ideas

How not to make mistakes when clothes shopping

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I am so obsessed with anything from Shein at the minute & this checked coat is no different, its such amazing quality and only £25!! Not many high street stores offer such high quality at such a low price, so I have been mega excited to show you guys this coat. There are also lots of different versions of this coat on Shein, which is great if you want to see different options of a specific style of coat, in one place. Also I am so into this 70’s trend we are seeing everywhere at the minute, and this pussy bow blouse from H&M is honestly so perfect, I love how it is so flattering due to the nipped in waist. Then to my staple lace-up black skinny jeans from Topshop &  finished off with the cutest pink mules, also from Topshop.

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Don’t get me wrong I still love going shopping, and not actually planning what I am going to buy, therefore coming away with something unexpected, and as a fashion blogger I think that is important. However to make sure that you do not make a shopping faux-par, and to ensure you actually wear and love every piece you buy, planning is an absolute must. If you guys read my blog regularly then you will know that I absolutely love a list, so what we are going to do is write a list! The first thing I do is go through my wardrobe and look at the pieces I love that may look shabby, maybe broken, or just really need replacing. Then I ask myself these questions, are they staple items in my closet? And will my wardrobe benefit from replenishing them? If so then they go on the list.

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Then I look for any gaps in my wardrobe, do I have lots of bottoms but hardly any tops, or do I have no dresses and would love a few that I could just throw on when I feel I am lacking in creativity. Then I look at my lifestyle, do I need more items that work for the weekend & for my office job in the week, such as more blouses or tailored trousers, if so then they are added to the list. What I also like to do to make sure I really love the item, is find the item online, screen shot it and then add it to a folder, I then revisit these items in two weeks, if I still want them then, then I will buy them. I hope this helps when you go for your next shopping spree babes, because a bit of planning never hurt anyone.

Grace

Xx

Checked coat – Shein

Pussy bow blue blouse – H&M

Lace-up black skinny jeans –  Newer & better version – Topshop

Pink backless mules – sold out – Similar version Topshop

How to clothes shop on a budget

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Today I want to talk to you guys about how to shop on a budget, and what a perfect place to start with this absolutely gorgeous long puffer coat from Shein it is s so warm, and for the sake of all things budget related is only £28! I also love that it has a hood, I know that sounds very geeky, but so many coats don’t have a hood and I don’t always carry a umbrella around with me. I have been wanting some cord trousers all season, and unfortunately I have not been quick enough to snap them up. However I found this cropped version in Zara, and I love the ring detailing at the front.

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So to shopping on a budget, this I feel I am very good at! Not many people have infinite money and trends change so much, that it is often very hard to keep up, especially as buying lots of different items is often not realistic! So I want to share with you some of my tricks when it comes to shopping  on a budget. So as per the above lovely puffer coat, I want to start with online stores such as Shein and Romwe, they offer really amazing, beautifully made pieces at a fraction of the price of the high street stores, such as Zara or Topshop. The only caveat is that as these stores are based in China, which means you maybe waiting slightly longer for your delivery,  however it is worth the wait if you take into account the money you will save in the long run. The only other thing I would say to be careful with is sizing, these stores are known to have a lot smaller than average sizing (for reference I wear a medium) so always size up.

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Finally another tip is online sellers such as Missguided, Missy Empire, Miss Pap, and Boohoo, which all offer really good, fast fashion and trend lead pieces at bargain prices. what I would say is always aim for the higher priced items on these sites, as you really will get some quality pieces at a smaller cost than anywhere on the high street. Another thing to be aware of is that most of these brands offer out regular discount codes, that you can find on may different voucher sites such as voucher cloud/voucher codes. These discount codes can be as much as 40% off, so its definitely worth a look via Google, before you commit to buying.

Grace

Xx

Long grey puffer coat – Shein

Cord cropped trousers – Zara

Cropped long sleeve floral embroidered top – Topshop

Black sock boots – Sold out – Blue version Topshop

 

Fashion shoots – my secret

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First of all my loves lets take the time to admire this cable knit jumper of dreams, this jumper from Romwe (one of my fav fast fashion retailers). This jumper is so affordable at only £18 and its honestly so warm. I haven’t taken it off since I got it and I and I am so happy with it. Next to the cutest eye let jeans from Pimkie via ASOS, not only are the the cutest jeans ever they were also on £14 in the sale! Bargain! Finally the boots I can’t take off my feet, these Topshop black ankle boots, I love how they come that little higher up your leg than the standard ankle boot.

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So with a full time job and also as we move into winter and the light gets lower earlier, how do I have time to take all of my pictures? I post on Instagram 13 times a week, and most no more than 3 pictures of each outfit. Surely I don’t wear that many outfits during the weekend? I do not of course wear that many outfits in one weekend, that would be impossible!! So whats my secret? This is purely down to having a couple of hours at the weekend, a car and a very understanding fiancee!

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So the night before fashion shoot day I choose around 6/7 outfits, that I know I want to shoot for the coming weeks. Then the morning of the shoot I wear one of the outfits and add the rest into the boot of the car. We then drive to somewhere that we know has multiple outfit shot opportunities, also where it is slightly quieter. 1, because it can be embarrassing taking photos with lots of people watching, 2, because the car will become my changing room & ain’t nobody get time for being caught with just your bra on, haha! Then it’s as simple as changing your outfits and getting multiple shots of each outfit! Simple! Although this is such an easy thing to do, it really has revolutionised how I blog, as I used to worry about getting in as many outfits in one weekend as I could, which is just too unrealistic, now its all done in one morning! I hope this helps you babes, and good luck with your fashion shoots.

Grace

Xx

Cable knit jumper – Romwe

Eye-let jeans – Pimkie Via ASOS

Black sock boots – Sold out – Blue Version Topshop

Black bag – APC

A day in the life of a fashion blogger

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First of all babes lets talk about this cable knit dream of a cardigan, I don’t know what it is but cardigan’s are probably one of the items I am most picky about. I have no idea why that is the case but it is very rare that I actually see a cardigan I like. This grey cable knit version from Romwe jumped out at me immediately as it is such a chunky knit. I also love the length, as its not too short or too long. Plus it is so crazy affordable at only £22!! I know you guys have seen these jeans before, but they are honestly the most perfect pair that I own, and they go with everything!

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I originally thought about talking you guys through a weekday in the life of a fashion blogger who works full time, but not much blogging or fashion related activity goes on in the week, so I thought I would concentrate on a standard Saturday. My partner and I wake up quite early, as we get up at 5.50am in the week for the gym, it is often very difficult for us to sleep in past 8.00am, as we are used to getting up so early. Then we have a quick breakfast, pop on our gym clothes and head to the gym. we then work out for an hour and head to the shower, when I get changed and of course do my make-up for the day.

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After this its fashion shoot time (I will explain more about how this works in Tuesday’s post) which normally takes about 2 hours. My partner and I then head into Nottingham city centre for a bit of lunch and some shopping. Then its back home to relax, I often take this time to add unwanted items of clothes to Depop (usually because I’ve spent far more than I should have done while shopping!!) and also wrap up any items that I may have already sold (for more information on Depop read my post on how I afford to buy so many clothes – link here). Then there is two options stay in with a takeaway and have a film night (one of my favourite things to do) or go out for dinner and a couple of drinks, which of course means I can get dressed up which I love. Of course throughout the day I take lots of Instagram stories so my followers know what I am up to. Thats about it babes, I hope you’ve enjoyed a day in the life of a fashion blogger, or in other words me!

Grace

Xx

Grey cable knit cardigan – Romwe

High-waisted wide leg jeans – Topshop

White slogan tee – Sold out – Similar Elle Est Femme

Black sock boots – Sold out – Similar Topshop

 

My four key trends for autumn/winter

Hi my loves, I wanted to do a post for a while now on the key trends (in my eyes) for autumn/winter. I am not ashamed to say that I flipping LOVE them. I know there will be lots of other trends that I have missed out, but these are the ones that have really pulled me in and made me want to shop (more than usual and that’s saying something!!).

The 70’s are back

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This was always going to be my first trend, because it’s my absolute favourite. I adore the 70’s style pieces that are everywhere on the high street at the minute. It’s all about corduroy, wide legged trousers, flares, platforms, pussy bow blouses. YES PLEASE!!! Above are the most beautiful wide leg corduroy trousers I have ever seen, for only £35! although unfortunately they have completely sold out, so I have my notifications on and I’m waiting for them to come back in, come onnnnn Uniqulo.

Cord cropped trousers – Zara

Velvet platform shoes – Zara

Suiting around

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I have wanted a checked suit for a while now, but honestly, I could wear any kind of suit in any colour, I am obsessed. I also have a red suit from H&M which you guys may have seen on my Instagram, although my fiancé says it makes me look like I work for Virgin airlines! Whatever suits are cool, whether you wear them with a white tee and a pair of trainers, or dress them up with a silk cami and a pair of heels.

Mustard velvet blazer – Topshop

Mustard velvet trousers – Topshop

Pink velvet blazer – Topshop

Pink velvet trousers – Topshop

Tough love

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Lace-up tough looking boots are everywhere at the minute and I adore them. I’ve always loved toughening up a floaty dress with a more substantial boot, and the lace-up versions everywhere on the high street at the minute are perfect. The above platform Dc Martens are my ultimate choice when it comes to the tough boot. Of course, where would we be without the leather biker jacket, however this season it’s about the more over-sized silhouette. This Zara version is amazing, although not real leather the fluffy yellow interior makes up for it.

Oversized faux fur lined biker jacket – Zara

Sparkles, sparkles & more sparkles

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I know every year as we get towards the festive period we see sequins & beading all over the high street. However, this year this trend has really got me excited with the addition of chainmail. I’ve seen it in the most gorgeous tops and most recently bags (which I 100% need to invest in!). I’ve also seen the most stunning leggings and fitted top from Gucci in a kind of rhinestone chainmail (so much nicer than it sounds I promise).

Chainmail top – Topshop

Chainmail bag – Topshop

I hope you enjoyed my round-up of the key trend for autumn winter, and thanks for reading.

Grace

Xx

Biker boots and setting new goals

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Pleated yellow midi skirts and lace-up biker boots, I flipping think so! I am so into this girly gone bad contrasting look, that we are seeing everywhere at the minute. This skirt and boots combo is exactly what I am talking about, a little bit girly, a little bit edgy. Plus this cut-off sweater from Zara, is an absolute staple that Zara will bring out year after year and I will (of course) keep wearing year after year.

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I love the hope of the new year, and all of the goal setting, and list writing possibilities it brings (for those of you that know me, will know that I love a list!) however this year I want to do things differently. No waiting around until New Year’s Eve, I’m setting my goals now. I am naturally a goal setter, and it really helps me to clear my mind, but I wouldn’t set that I achieve the goals I set that regularly and this frustrates me! Are my goals too unrealistic, are my milestones too unachievable? I actually think it is both of those things, but also so much more, so what am I going to do differently?

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Firstly I am going to visualise my goals, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to t end goal if you can’t see visualise what you are trying to achieve. So if you are trying to lose weight, cut a picture out of a magazine to motivate yourself on your journey. Making yourself accountable in my experience is hugely important. So I want to get fitter, and the best way for me to do this as a blogger & Instagrammer is to make myself accountable on my Instagram stories, tell my followers what I will be doing, and ask them for encouragement when I am struggling. Make yourself accountable to your friends and family, when you tell people, they will do all they can to help & encourage you. The next step is to break your goals down, of course as a blogger I want to grow and develop my blog, but getting to my end goal may seem massive and unachievable, so what should I do? Break this goal down to manageable bite sized pieces and set milestones. It is so much easier to visualise where you need to go and what you need to achieve, if you can see the steps in between, and also the sense of achievement when you hit each milestone. I hope this helps & I am now genuinely off to write my new goals, wish me luck!

Grace

Xx

Yellow pleated midi skirt – Mango

Cropped black sweater – sold out – similar Zara

Lace-up Boots – Pretty Little Thing

Popper trousers & the 90’s trend

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First and foremost, this brown knitted bargain of a jumper, from Romwe, is the comfiest thing I own, I love it tucked into the waist band of these trousers. So popper trousers….i’m not going to lie but I actually wore these style of trousers the first time around (totally revealing my age!). A pair of Nike side popper trousers from the men’s second, at 13 I was clearly so fashion forward (or so I thought) that they hadn’t managed to filter into the women’s section yet. From what I remember I wore them with an oversized vintage red Reebok sweater (some kind of sports luxe) and my favourite pair of Adidas trainers. Funny how these trousers have come back around, and even funnier that 18 years later I am wearing them again!!!

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So what 90’s styles am I loving at the minute and what do I think you carry into this season, no matter your age or style. Remember you don’t have to take these styles to the absolute extreme, aka full blown Clueless looks (an amazing 90’s film if you’ve never seen it). Crop tops – I am not going to lie I’ve been obsessed with crop tops since I was 12 years old, how to make this work? Go for a slightly less cropped style that meets the waist band, of a pair of tailored high-waisted trousers, the absolute perfect combo. Hoop earrings – I am loving the fine oversized hoops we are seeing all over the high street at the minute, they work perfectly for both day and night.

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Heavy duty boots – I’m talking Dr Martens, studded lace-up platform boots, any kind of flat platform boots you can think of are absolutely on trend at the minute. To make this style more wearable, pair with a pleated midi skirt or a floaty midi dress, honestly the juxtaposition makes this such a cool look. Checked skirts – I posted a little pleated checked skirt recently on my Instagram from Topshop, and it’s the cutest thing ever, wear a little checked skirt with a pair of coloured ankle boots & a plain roll neck number, to look more on trend and less Clueless. Dungarees – to be fair, this is a style that I have been obsessed with year on year and every season, again for this season pair with a fitted roll neck jumper and some backless mules. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the 90’s style as much as I do.

Grace

Xx

Brown knitted jumper – Romwe

Side popper trousers – Missy Empire

Platform Stan Smith trainers – Adidas – Via Office

My favourite checked trousers and my quest for the perfect capsule wardrobe

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These trousers are soooooo flipping good, the perfect checked trousers for this season. Of course, they are from my fast fashion favs Shein, and if you look on my Instagram you’ll see the matching blazer, a co-ord made in heaven. I love dressing down a statement pair of trousers with a graphic tee, like this Aaliyah tee from Urban Outfitters, and a good pair of Vans. Also as we move into winter there is nothing better than a staple black faux fur coat.

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I don’t know about you babes but I feel like I’ve been on the quest for the most perfect capsule wardrobe for years. The thing is I forget about this quest on a regular basis and carry on buying the same low quality seasonal fashion pieces I have been buying for years! The thing is, I have read so much about how to create a capsule wardrobe, but everyone says you need this amount of clothes, that amount blah blah! What I want is a section of clothes in my wardrobe that are amazing quality, fit amazingly and go with absolutely everything I own, plus last me for years. This I do not have!

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So what’s my plan? A hugeeeee clear out, what doesn’t give me joy? What fits weirdly or annoys me every time I wear it? Then I am going to give myself two weeks to see how it feels living with less clothes, and what I feel like I’m really missing. Do I have too many bottoms and not enough tops? Do I need more work shoes? More weekend shoes? I think you also need to make sure you are being truthful will yourself in regard to your wardrobe and your lifestyle. For example, I work in an office where the dress code is smart casual, but mainly smart. Therefore, it’s important that I have a wardrobe where at least 70% of it can work for the office as being as being dressed up/dressed down for the weekend. So the quest is on babes, clear out first then I’ll let you know my next steps, wish me look!!

Grace

Xx

Checked trousers – Shein

Aaliyah t-shirt – sold out – similar Topshop

Trainers – Vans

Faux Fur Jacket – Sold out – similar ASOS

The perfect checked blazer & 6 things I do when I feel down

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First to the world’s most perfect checked blazer!! I wrote in an Instagram post early last week, explaining that I think the checked blazer is the piece of the season, and I really think that’s true. This double breasted checked blazer from Shein is so perfect, the fit is amazing, its over-sized enough just to have the perfect dressed down feel, plus it’s an absolute bargain. If you guys haven’t realised yet I am completely obsessed with these red flared trousers from H&M, they literally go with anything, I also love the flared trousers & trainers look.

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So babes, this is what I do when I am feeling a bit crappy, when I want to feel a little better about myself and relax. 1. Organise some shiz, just take 30 minutes/an hour to organise what you need too, lunch for next day/pack your gym bag etc, etc, I know it’s boring but it honestly will mean that you are able to relax so much more knowing you’ve sorted all of the necessary things out. 2. Have a bath, I love a bath, honestly, I love it, is there anything more relaxing than sitting in lovely hot, lovely smelling water? I don’t think so! What I would now like to say is that I read a book while in said bath. I actually don’t….I catch-up on Instagram, my message groups etc, if I get behind this is actually something that stresses me out, so I like to take this time to catch up and get some inspiration (which is always fun).

Processed with VSCO with j1 presetNumber 3 is sort my eyebrows out, honestly if I don’t do this once a week I feel like such a scruff! I trim, pluck and dye them myself and it’s just a little thing that I can do for myself, that makes me feel and look a little better. 4. Ring my Mum, just to hear my lovely Mum speak about her day and what she has been up to, always make me feel so much better. Sometimes we just need to reconnect with family and to have a good old catch-up, because really what’s more important that our family. 5. Watch a film with my fiancé, and have a foot rub, I luckily have the most amazing fiancé who spends probably way too much time rubbing my feet (he’s braver than I am) and I love just snuggling up on the sofa with him and watching a good film & completely turning off. 6. Have an early night, I am a complete advocate on getting as much sleep as possible, and I know if I have a really good sleep the next day I’ll feel amazing.

Grace

Xx

Checked blazer – Shein

Red flared trousers – H&M

White t-shirt – COS

Trainers – Vans

My favourite coats for autumn/winter

I always get really excited when it gets to autumn/winter, and I can really start thinking about what winter coats I want to wear. Although when the cold weather drops I then realise how much I really need the warm weather again, can’t win lol!! However right now I’m still in the excitement period, so I just wanted to share with you guys some of, what I think, are the key styles of coats for this season. With of course, you know I’ll be getting one of each :);

  1. The checked maxi coat

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I loved the camel maxi coats we saw all over the high street last year, but this year its all about the checked maxi and I flipping love it, this version from Topshop is a little bit pricey at £125 but I honestly think that its worth it as you’ll we wearing it all season.

2. Coloured faux fur

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No surprise on the fur coats for this season, but what I love about them this year is it is all about the colours. So not your average browns and muted creams, its all about pinks, blues, yellows. I actually have the above pink version from Topshop, and its so insanely warm, plus I don’t think its a bad price at £79.

3. The aviator

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Again I know we saw this style last year, but I think last year veered more towards the faux suede style, where as this year we are looking more of the faux leather styles, which I love so much more. The distinction between the faux leather and the fur is so much easier to see, rather than with the faux suede (if you can understand what I am going on about!).  I love this version from Zara however there are so many cheaper versions on sites such as New Look, PLT and Missguided that are just as nice.

4. Borg/sherling coat

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So to my last (and definitely not final, I could go on all day) pick of this seasons coats is the sherling/borg coat. I loveeeeee this style of coat, so warm and comfy, and again although there are lots of neutral coloured borg jackets around, I really am veering towards the coloured brighter versions. This red version from I am Gia a brand I have just discovered and am now obsessed with, is so perfect that I am definitely going to go out and buy this one, I love it!

Grace

Xx