The fear of bra shopping...

I finally plucked up the courage to go bra shopping today, something I've needed to do for a while... And it got me to thinking, why am I so scared of asking for help with fitting my bra?

I tried my normal tactic, picking up some styles I like in the approximate size I think I am. Five bras later and none of them fitted. So I stood in the changing rooms and wondered if I should go home and try again another day. And then a deep breath I walked out and asked for help.

For some reason the very idea is one which I get slightly unsettled by. Even though I know I need to get some advice and buy the right size I still shy away from it and have a drawer full of semi-fitting bras.

It also made me think about all those statistics of 90% of women wearing the wrong sized bra, how did this come to be? Or is that just marketing puff. When did we not get taught how to shop for the right size. Who is to blame?!

Should there be compulsary fitting with every new purchase to try and avoid this. Should we be taught at school the importance of buying the right size. And then almost as importantly, how is it right that even once you have been sized different brands fit in different ways. I know this brand size difference is the same for clothes as well as underwear but it just doesn't seem right that it's like this.

Thankfully Selfridges have lots of very helpful and lovely staff and a lady arrived to help me with my fitting. She was very sweet and I've managed to find two bras which actually fit! Now to relax until the next time...

Skinny jeans

My absolute favourite skinny jeans are almost dead... I've had them for a few years so it's no surprise that holes are appearing but I now feel at a loss about what to do. Where to go from here?!

I bought my original ones from Ted Baker, they fitted a treat and were the perfect length (being a tall girl this is not always guaranteed). They were black, the perfect going out jean colour and one which I suddenly found I could not live without.

So here's the crux of it. I need help! Advice on where to get black skinny long jeans, they need to be at least a 34" inner leg. Also if possible not wildly expensive. I've looked in Ted Baker again but nothing there and the Selfridges sale was only selling short jeans so there's another dead end.

Anything you can offer will be accepted with glee and warmest thanks! Xx

New Purchases!

Following on from my wardrobe edit I have been shopping! So I thought I would share with you my recent purchases :)

This is the Wonder dress from French Connection. I saw it and thought it looked like the right shape but they only had a size 10 (US 6 I think) and I'm normally a 12. Anyhow I figured best to try it on, following Kate's advice, and so on it went, just.... It fits really nicely at the top but is very tight around the bottom. So I bought it anyway! Just in case there's not a 12 for me to try on somewhere else and exchange it with.

My next purchase was on Sunday. This is the same belt which Make Do Style has posted about before. Ideally I would have bought the Citrine belt but it seems they have sold out. So Coral it is. Belt from Karen Millen.

I'm therefore feeling quite excited about my purchases and hoping they're good ones for the future. Now to check J likes the dress and doesn't think it too tight and then we're away!

Thoughts and happenings

Photo from Baby Picture This

Today I feel like I need this photo full of hope and spring. I have a spring cold and am feeling revolting and it's suddenly brisk outside again and not warm like it should be. Spring seems to be ebbing and flowing instead of powering on and I am bored of the cold and ready to have my skin warmed by the sunshine.

And then a little something else, far away on the horizon which is taking up a lot of my thinking time right now but which I just cannot share about yet. Probably not for a few months anyhow. But I wanted to mention it as it feels better to have told that there is something, even if not what!

And finally Baby Picture This today announced that she is planning on setting up an Etsy shop. Very very exciting as she is a hugely talented photographer (see above photo) and I think her shop will be absolutely delightful.

Where can I get this dress?

Photo from Sky Showbiz

I think I am in love. This dress is perfect, fitted but not too much so, knee length, v-neck, 3/4 length and I think would suit me down to a tee. Does anyone know where it's from? And if it's super expensive where I can get something similar?

Oh and the shoes and necklace are pretty awesome too :)

Dorma Pot Pourri

Upon my return to London I came into the office to find a little bag of goodies waiting for me. Excitedly peering into it I pulled it all out rapidly to explore and found beautiful packages, cream and gold and elegant.

One such package was a box of Orange and Cedarwood Pot Pourri from Dorma. I am not normally one for things like Pot Pourri, we used to have it at home when I was little but since then it is not something I have thought about having. Plus living in rented accommodation one tends to care less about extra details to make it look and smell really nice. So it was a surprise to find myself so delighted at this beautiful box of shapes which smelt so good.

Now it is sat in our living room, spreading it's gentle but natural smell throughout and making me smile when it looks so pretty. And it's also made me think that these are the kind of things it's worth buying quality products for, which this Dorma one definitely is.

And so I shall see what other goodies there are in this little bag and recommend this as something which could be both a great present for someone else and to yourself when you need something a little bit more luxury to perk up a room. Check out the Dorma website for more info!

A few of my favourite things...

Here is hopefully the first of a series all about my favourite things. Items or activities which I just love and want to tell everyone about. So here goes...

I've been working longer than normal hours recently and not sleeping so well because I'm worrying about everything I have to do. So I've been very much in need of this item:

MAC Studio Finish SPF35 concealer

This bad boy covers even the darkest circles which loom under my eyes, perks them up, makes me look human and if I wear no other make up I wear this.

I've never tried Touche Eclat, I probably should (opinions on this would be welcomed) but for now this little pot does me just fine.

In search of Brogues

I saw a girl yesterday in teal brogues, and I thought to myself, how lovely they are! And now I'm thinking that for winter they would be just wonderful. So I have decided to search for some brogues. Here are some I like...

Bertie - Greenwich - £60

Laurel - Kurt Geiger - £100

Nonnie - Nicole Fahri - £250

What do you think? Your opinion on Brogues and any suggestions of where to find them would be warmly appreciated. Or anywhere I can find some coloured ones, which are preferably a little lower in the vamp if possible. Oh and not too expensive! Not asking much am I :)

New Shoes

Last week I finally managed to get shoes sorted out for the wedding. After having bought a fabulous Miu Miu pair which were amazing, but far too high, and were returned, I was at a loss of where to look next. So I left it and decided that I could sort it out closer to the time. And how time flew.

So last week I went for a hunt for comfortable black flat shoes that I could wear with my dress and weren't too expensive, not much to ask for then! And I found them....

Here are almost my shoes, mine have red heels instead of the brown heels below.

Shoes are from Kat Maconie

I found them in Poste Mistress and they are also sold in Harvey Nichols and Peter Jones (for you Londoners interested). They have been specially designed to be more comfortable, you can see the padding on the bottom of the shoe above and when I put them on I was really pleased. They fit my big feet, were smart without being over the top and were flat!

So I wore them all Saturday, danced the night away, loved them. And then today I walk into work in them (about a 35 minute walk I do every day) and now my feet hurt and have been rubbed. What to do?! All the same though, I would recommend looking at Kat Maconie's collection, the shoes are lovely and if you're looking for slightly different pumps they are comfy with lovely padded soles. One day though I will find shoes which don't rub...

Wifey weekend

By Friday evening of last week I was the walking sleeping. Work had been mad busy and I was ready for my weekend, so J and I went to our local Vietnamese restaurant and started the weekend with a yummy dinner full of goodness.

Saturday we decided to take a trip to Bicester Village, neither of us had ever been and we thought it would be interesting to go and see it. About an hour out of London by train there's a collection of designer discount stores. On the whole most are messy and have funny lines and sizes. J fared better than me, coming away with two lovely jumpers, while I wandered around looking at things I couldn't afford and ending up with a salt pig and some heat mats. Exciting huh?!

Sunday was an altogether more relaxing day, we went out to Weybridge to spend the afternoon with our friends who live there. Lunch outside, followed by a walk and afternoon tea was perfect and a great way to round off a weekend.

It's been glorious here, sunny and hot, although muggy and close too. It actually feels like summer, which is very exciting!

It's funny though, because even though we live together I love these weekends we spend together doing nice coupley things. We also managed to fit in some chores and cook a great dinner on Saturday evening. But I also really appreciate it because we now have something on every weekend until mid-September, perhaps even early October, so the chance to spend those days together in peace was wonderful, and I shall treasure them until October when hopefully we'll get another weekend like it!

What did you do this weekend? And how do you relax on the weekend?

I did it!

I bought a dress! Online, which terrifies me, but it fits and looks nice so all is good and the search is over. Plus J likes it which is the ultimate test and here it is...

Image from Matches fashion

It's McQ by Alexander McQueen and is a lovely colour. Do you like it?

M x

Wedding wear advice needed

This could be an ongoing series of posts until about August but here goes with the first. I am going to one wedding this year, which is the wedding of my sister-in-law. It's an English summer wedding where I've been asked to do a reading. So I need help with what to wear. Here is one of the options I've found, not tried on yet but think it could perhaps work. Although is it too casual and maternity wear like?

Dress and Image from Mangoshop.com

Any ideas for places to look, I've already tried Liberty and Reiss to no avail. English or London shops and ideally ones where I can try it on! I'm still not very good at internet shopping!

So then I should give you some criteria so you can help me with my search :)

• Colourful
• Strapless or one shouldered
• Possibly maxi but not for definite
  
• Weddingy but not too dressy
  

Am I perhaps just too fussy?! Any and all help so much appreciated!

New Green Shoes!

Inspired by Rachel and Blog Goggles I today purchased new shoes! Woohoo! I mostly wear flats, being both tall and having deformed enough feet I figure this is sensible but finding relatively inexpensive comfortable flats is not easy. The last pair I bought are too small. However I still wear them, I know, I know I shouldn't but I have no other options. So today I purchased some summery green flats as below:
They are from Toast where I have never shopped before, but Rachel says they're comfortable and I like the green and hopefully they will soon be whizzing through the postal system to me. Fingers crossed they fit!

This does of course mean that I will now have to rid myself of a pair of shoes, for those of you who don't know, J has enforced a one in one out policy on shoes for me. Which is actually good, it does make me think more about my purchases knowing that something will have to go if something new appears. But perhaps I can sneak these ones in, tee hee!

Anyone else have a shoe policy? Apart from buying and owning as many as possible :)