Category Archives: life stuff

An evening with Duo Boots #BootTribe

19th October 2014
On Thursday I broke out of my reclusive comfort zone and hopped on the train to Bath to meet up with some of my favourite South West blogger ladies and visit the Duo Boots store, or fitting room as it’s properly known as to learn a bit more about the brand and discover which Boot Tribe I belong to.
The first thing you notice when walking in to the fitting room is just how beautiful it is- hands down one of the most stunning and well thought out retail spaces I’ve ever set foot in. The Bath fitting room is the original Duo Boots fitting room and has been in place since the early 1970’s. They later expanded to London and Edinburgh. They specialise in expertly crafted footwear- from work perfect loafers to sexy over the knee boots all designed with comfort and style in mind. With three widths available and 21 different calf sizes for the boots you are guaranteed to come away with footwear that you never want to take off, and with an army of expert (and super gorgeous and friendly) fitters on hand to help you choose your perfect fit it’s a wonderful shoe shopping experience.
On the night we were given tags with our blog names on and left to run wild around the fitting room to choose our Boot Tribe (whilst being fed and watered with delicious food and bubbly- always a winner!). Prior to the event I would have put myself firmly in to the ankle boot tribe, but found myself more drawn to the knee high styles on the night and ended up coming away with the Somerset style, perfect for rather damp walks to work as well as looking effortlessly stylish. It was a hard task to choose though as honestly there are SO many styles to choose from. 60% of the girls opted for ankle boots, including Lily who went for some beautiful sparklers that almost made me change my mind! I was in good company though as 33% of us went for knee high styles, with only 7% putting themselves in the over-the-knee tribe, which I admit I was very tempted to join!
It was a wonderful evening and one of the best organised events I have been to. The girls from Octane PR could not have been lovelier and a special thanks goes to the ladies from the Duo fitting room for being so damn sweet and attentive. It was fantastic to catch up with some of my favourite faces, and to meet some new ones to. I can’t wait to see everyone again (note to self, socialising isn’t as scary as you think) and to have my beautiful boots safe at home with me, ready to be worn to death. I’ve never tried anything that fits me so perfectly- no knee muffin top or gaping calves for this girl! If you’re on the lookout for your perfect winter boots and don’t live near a Duo fitting room then you can check out the extensive range online, you’ll find all the information and guides you need to ensure you get your perfect fit too.
What boot tribe would you place yourself in? Stay tuned for plenty of outfit posts featuring my new pair!

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, life, life stuff, shoes

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His ‘n Hers

17th October 2014
Well, here’s a first on the blog- a his and hers outfit post! I finally managed to persuade Ben that he should make an appearance, although I don’t hold out much hope that it’ll happen again any time soon as I think he much prefers staying behind the camera!
Ben: Shirt c/o Guide London | Shorts: New Look | Shoes: Sarenza
Laura: Dress: Joy | Boots: Jonak at Sarenza
Guide London got in touch a while ago and offered to send Ben a shirt to feature on the blog. He (eventually) settled on this one after much pondering if he could pull off the paisley detail (I think he can!). He owns quite a few shirts now thanks to starting a new job but none of them can quite match up to this one in terms of quality- it looks and feels amazing and it fits really nicely. On this occasion Ben and I were making our way in to Bristol to meet up with his Brother and grab some food and I think it smartened up these shorts perfectly; it also looks equally good with some smart trousers for a more formal occasion. I think if we were rich Ben would get all of his shirts from Guide London having been suitably impressed by this one, however we’re not rich (yet) so the odd one as a treat will have to do (best get dropping hints to Santa!)
I’m wearing a dress I picked up in Joy when I visited the Bristol store to try on some of the A/W collection in September. I’ve been impatiently waiting for the weather to get cool enough to wear it and made no hesitation in reaching for it the second there was a chill in the air. This, and another dress I picked up on a more recent visit will no doubt be the ones I live in this Winter as I just love the fit, length and overall style of their current stock from house brand Louche- I have my eye on quite a few others too, although I can’t buy any until I get around to listing some of my unworn and unloved clothes on ebay!
I hope you enjoyed this little taste of something different on the blog- should I do more posts like this? What does your partner think of blogging? Would they ever make a guest appearance?

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, review

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Flirty florals from Quiz Clothing

13th October 2014
It might be well and truly Autumn by now but I’m not at all ready to give up on my love of florals yet. I could have done with adding a layer or two to this outfit as despite the sun eventually shining there was a distinct chill in the air- this was over a week ago now and the weather had literally switched from warm to cold overnight!

Dress: c/o Quiz Clothing | Boots: Zara (here)

This dress is one of my all time favourite dresses. I’ve never ventured in to Bardot style shoulders before, I had assumed they would irritate me and feel like they were constantly slipping down but actually they are yet to bother me. There’s something about an off the shoulder dress that feels a little bit sexy, although with it’s skater style skirt and pretty floral pattern this can easily be dressed down and made more casual. It’s an absolute bargain too, in the sale at £14.99 and excellent quality, the fabric is quite thick and it hangs beautifully- the length is also pretty perfect even with my long legs!
The dress gave me the perfect excuse to bust out my new Zara boots. I saw these in store a fair few weeks ago and fell in love. They didn’t have my size in the Bristol store so I decided it was shopping karma telling me I really didn’t need yet another pair of ankle boots. I couldn’t stop thinking about them though; the gorgeous taupe colour made them different to anything I own and the heel height is perfect for daily wear. A second visit to the Bristol store a week yielded a hidden pair of size sevens…clearly the shopping gods wanted me to own these, and at £29.99 they didn’t exactly break the bank either!
For the perfect weekend outfit I’d add in my chunky grey midi-cardigan, some pretty jewellery (I never remember to grab photos of my accessories) and a bright handbag…ideal for a daytime of wandering around the city, followed by dinner and drinks with Ben and/or friends…you have to love such a versatile piece! Quiz isn’t somewhere I always think of to shop but whenever I do get something from there I always end up super happy with it.
What shops have you been loving lately? What’s your typical weekend style like?

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Posted in life stuff, outfits, shoes

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The Printed Harem

09th October 2014
I never saw this one coming, but I’ve actually become somewhat of a trouser convert. A couple of years ago you wouldn’t have caught me in a pair, or at least if I was wearing them I wouldn’t be feeling comfortable but times change and so do people and here I am sporting yet another pair of awesome pants.

Vest: Monki | Trousers c/o Chiara Fashion | Shoes: New Look

These trousers are the comfiest pair I own, without a doubt. It’s been a while since I last featured Chiara on the blog and I was delighted when they got back in touch and offered to send me a pair of trousers from their new selection of harem pants. I always struggle to style this style of trouser, I lack in basic tops, or tops that fit me well and shoes always baffle me but I think in the end I did just about ok and the monochrome sandals were a safe choice (also making the most of still being able to wear sandals in October!) ((can you tell this post is scheduled? No way is it sandal weather now!))
If you have any tips for styling harem trousers then let me know below! If you too want a super comfy pair to live in then I highly suggest you check out Chiara especially when they cost only £12.95 a pair.

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Posted in life stuff, outfits

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Happy Smiley Autumn

08th October 2014
Well, October is so far getting off to a pretty good start. Last week, on the last day of my week off my best friend and I took my Granddad on a little day out to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm– it’s super local to us and he’s wanted to go and check out their latest arrivals for a while, so with the forecast looking promising and fond memories of the place off we popped.
I felt a bit like a witch in my chosen outfit for the day. A H&M dress and a Jumper from the Smiley Halloween collection (launching this week!). I think the big old orange face made me feel extra carefree though as it wasn’t long before I was sneaking away from the animals and heading towards the play parks for a bit of childish fun.
How could anyone resist a HUGE rainbow slide or a set of giant trampolines? I honestly can’t remember when I let my hair down and just enjoyed myself without thinking of all the things I should be doing instead. Of course now I’m back at work I’m finding it tough to find enough hours in the day- I think I may have to take a step back from daily blogging and focus on getting 2-3 quality posts up a week instead, that should free up a few hours to get other things done (or have some much needed me time/time with Ben).

I’m oddly really excited for Halloween this year despite having no plans, I don’t think it’s just the lure of funsized sweets and chocolate either…What will you be up to come the 31st of this month? Some inspiration would be grand. This jumper will feature for sure!

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Posted in life, life stuff, outfits

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