Winter Wardrobe

So winter is fast approaching and unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it, except plan how to stay warm and well dressed in the cold days to come.
Here are a few ideas that I have for a few essential items and ideas that we should all have for our winter wardrobes.
1st A Good Winter Coat:
By good I mean long, thick, and wind resistant. These simple things to look out for when buying a winter coat will make sure that your body heat stays inside the coat, keeping you warm even when there is the most icy wind in the air. These days you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good coat, but for the sake of it lasting more than the few months of this years winter, I do think its best to spend a bit more money to get one of a higher quality.
2nd Scarf, Hats and Gloves:
Simple little elements, but so essential. you can get all types of hats and gloves these days so no one is left out, especially when it comes to gloves, you have fingerless, leather, touch screen, mittens and the hybrid of gloves and mittens. Definitely a wide enough variety for all to find the right pair of gloves to suit the occasion. When it comes to scarves have a look for something that not only is warm and thick but has a lot of length, this allows for you to wear it loose or tight depending on how you like it but also means that you can wrap it round "one more time" so as to get that little bit more shielded. I myself love my snood, this is a great piece of clothing as it can be worn casually or with smart wear. You can start wearing a snood from early autumn and still have plenty of material left to wrap up warmer as the winter sets in. Great invention in my humble opinion.
3rd Thermal Underwear:
Yes that's right I said it, thermal underwear. I'm not talking about the stuff you would find old people wearing, because now your can find very fashionable pieces designed for the younger generation. Even David Beckham has turned his hand to designing thermals. These items are great too as they do exactly what they say and keep you warm all day. If you are not convinced then invest in some thick vests, long socks and extra shorts to wear under your outfits to keep you warm. You'll not regret it.
4th A Nice Warm Jumper:
There is nothing better than having a great big warm jumper that you can wear to give you that warm cosy feeling out of your house and inside too. Never be afraid to buy a patterned jumper either, there is one out there for everyone. If you can find a cashmere jumper too, they are amazing and so warm, plus they too can be worn with a casual or smart outfit.
5th Boots:
Everyone should own a pair of boots! At least one smart pair and one causal pair, as there is nothing worse than having cold feet. Try and make sure that apart from keeping your feet warm they also keep them dry. The moment you have wet or damp feet you'll feel the cold all day and possibly get the dreaded winter cold despite your best efforts.
6th Layers:
One of the other things that I have learnt over the years really works is to wear layers, that way you can build up the layers as the weather gets colder, but also if the weather gets surprisingly warm you only have to remove a layer of clothing rather than changing your whole outfit. a definite time saver.

These are just a few things I think we could all keep in mind as winter gets ever closer and I hope this helps you stay warm and dry this winter.

Weddings......"What am I going to wear?!"

In the last two years I must have been to at least 20 weddings excluding my own. Each time the dilemma of what should I wear comes up. These days weddings are not all as formal as they used to be, and not every wedding is an all day affair. Plus what do you do if Ita a friend or even family but you are not part of the wedding party, but could be featured in pictures?! So many variables that it gets a little tiring deciding wether to wear something old, something borrowed, or even something blue. But I've given it some thought and here are a few things that may help if you find yourself in a similar situation.
1: What kind of wedding is it?
If you know the bride and groom well you'll hopefully know what style they'll expect from their guests, i.e. Very formal, afternoon tea, themed, urban, hipster and so on. This should help if they don't say on the invitation what the dress code is.
2: Take notice of the invitation.
What information can you see on your invitation about the whole style of the wedding? Have you been invited to just the ceremony, the evening or the whole day? What does the invite look like, have they gone to town on making it look good, or is it very simple? These may seem like very simple things but actually they tell you alot.
3: Colour scheme
Try to avoid wearin the colours of the wedding, unless you happen to be part of the wedding partys. It's not a great feeling, either as a gueat or someone part of the wedding, when somebody is dressed in the wedding colours who shouldn't be. Now there are occasions when people make mistakes and expect that. But if there is a clear indication about the colour scheme, try to avoid these.
There's possibly more I could say on the subject but I think I've mentioned the most important things.
Enjoy ur day.

The #selfie

Ok so #selfie is a huge thing, for good or for bad, we have all done it. But actually I think it's a great idea when you are deciding on an outfit, gives you a chance to see how the whole thing looks if you don't own a full length mirror. Also these days you can send It to trustworthy friends who will give you their honest and at times brutal opinions. This saves alot of embarrassment by wearing something that clearly isn't great for you and someone having photographic evidence which can haunt you for years to come. So don't be afraid when either in a changing room deciding if you should buy an item of clothing or at home deciding what to wear to take a quick #selfie and see how it all looks.

Photo credits: Hannah Thompson, Jaime Yiannitsarou and Daniel Yiannitsarou