My Secret Holiday Packing Tip & My OOTD

So despite only being home from our summer holidays only a week & a half ago, it already seems a lifetime ago & we're already in need of another break!  Needless to say the promises I made to myself whilst reclining on a sun lounger of taking things a lot easier, trying not to be superwoman with my daily to do lists & trying to ignore the phone for half an hour of an afternoon for a power nap - have already flown out the window.....although I'm still going to try & achieve them!

One thing I will be taking with me from this year's holiday for future holidays is something that really worked for me this year & that was to just take one pieces - sundresses/jumpsuits etc for both day & evening.

Now a lot of people have commented that I seemed to take a lot of clothes away with me but I can honestly say that I think this is the lightest I have ever travelled.....hubby was certainly impressed as my pile of clothes was less than either his or our son's!  Plus of course it made deciding what to take so much easier & less time consuming as it was just a matter of choosing which dresses/jumpsuits as opposed to choosing bottoms & then having to decide which tops could be worn with each skirt/pair of trousers etc.  

Also my other packing tip from this holiday is to mainly take neutral clothing - blacks, creams, navys etc & mix with metallics, stud detailing & splashes of colour in the form of shoes, bags & jewellery.

So here's a list of what made it into my suitcase & before you say it I will fully admit I could have done without at least 2 of the dresses I took for evening but because they took up so little room they were easy to slip in!

5 x day dresses

6 x pool dresses

5 x bikinis

1 x pool flip flops

1 x panama hat

1 x jumpsuit

7 x evening dresses

4 x sandals

3 x evening bags

1 x wide studded elasticated belt

Assortment of necklaces & bracelets

Of course the added bonus of packing (relatively) light is that it you have less washing when you get home & more importantly room in the suitcase for that all important holiday shopping!  Well it would be rude not to wouldn't it ;-)  Needless to say I full took advantage of the super savings you can make when shopping in Spain at Zara (the spoils of which I'll share with you in another post) but I also managed to purchase a few unique finds in the local boutiques to, as it's always nice to accessories with a few one off additional that aren't available back home.

Any guesses what colour I'm going with for accessorising for autumn?!!!

Finally here's what I'm wearing for a quiet Sunday.

Shirt - Zara

Bracelet - 

Jeans - Zara

Ballet Pumps - bought in Majorca

Shirt - Next £36

Bracelet - Gemini-Woman £23

Jeans - Zara £39.99

Ballet Pumps - Next £22

So what do you think did I pack lightly or did I take far too many pieces?  Perhaps you have a packing tip that you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear how you approach packing & any tips you use for helping choose what to take.

See you in the morning.

WIWT- Holding Onto Summer

Happy Saturday :-)  We're making the most of the last Saturday before karate runs etc & having a day pottering.  

A bit grey & cloudy here at the moment but having only returned from holiday less than 2 weeks ago I'm not ready to ditch my summer attire (plus if the weather forecast is to be believed we won't need to!!) so I'm dragging out the white jeans today & hoping they don't end up looking grey before the day's out!!!

Scarf - Bought in Majorca

Chambray Shirt - Massimo Dutti

Bracelets - Handmade & Gemini Woman £23

Jeans - Zara

Ballet Pumps - Bought in Majorca

Scarf - John Lewis Now £25

Chambray Shirt - Mango £29.99

Bracelet - Gemini Woman £23

Jeans - Boden £39.20

Pointed Flats - Next £22

So anyone got anything special planned?  Our son is off to a friends tonight & camping in their back garden so we're planning a date night, although after Thursday's late one it might consist of a takeaway, sofa & finishing off Heroes on Netflix......perfection :-)

Have a great Saturday.

WIWT - Denim, Black & Snakeprint

So today has got off to a good start with the arrival of the plumber :-)  Fingers crossed there's no more dramas & it's smooth sailing from here *rushes off to touch wood*!

Keeping it simples & classic today & carrying on with the same theme from yesterday of black & denim but today teaming with a bit of snake print.

Denim Shirt - Zara
Necklace - bought in Majorca

Trousers - Zara

Wallis Black Slouch Bag Now £47.20

Wallis Black Snake Print Leather Sandal Now £56

Denim Shirt - Gap £34.95

Trousers - Boden £89

Wallis Black Slouch Bag Now £47.20

Wallis Black Snake Print Leather Sandal Now £56

Looking forward to rose o'clock already, although after a really fab night last night & the odd glass of bubbles I might pass on wine o'clock & have a Diet Coke moment instead!

TGIF ;-)

New Outfit Post - Denim, Studs & Taffeta

Only one more sleep until the start of the weekend whoop whoop.  Plus there's the rumour that the warmer weather is due to return :-)

So seeing as we've hopefully had our rain for the day *crosses fingers* I'm taking a gamble & wearing some sandals!  Which I'm teaming with my H&M textured skirt, a denim shirt, pearls & studs.

Shirt - Zara

Pearls - Zara

Leather Cuff - Banana Republic

Belt - H&M

Skirt - H&M

Sandals - Mango

Shirt - Mango £34.99

Pearls - Marks & Spencer £18

Leather Cuff - Mango Now £12.99

Belt - Mango Now £16.99

Skirt - Marks & Spencer £27.50

Sandals - Mango Now £29.99

Off out on a girly night tonight & can't wait I can almost taste the bubbles already ;-)

Have a great Thursday.

An Everyday Necessity & How I'm Finding The Wallis Style Adviser Plus My OOTD

So last month I introduced you to the new Style Adviser app launched by Wallis & promised to let you know how I was finding it.  

As with any relationship you have to put the work in to get results & the app is no different.  I'm finding that you need to work together & keep the lines of communication open so that it knows when it's suggesting items that you love or items that just don't do it for you, as this helps build up a better history & enable the adviser to be able to pinpoint items that you're going to like.

To give you an idea of some of the clothing the app is suggesting for me here's some of the items it's currently recommending.

First up is this gorgeous hot pink crepe dress.  Now either I've been working too hard at my relationship with my Style Adviser or it's spooky as this is my new favourite colour!!!  Plus of course this is a style dress that I would totally wear & find myself drawn to when out shopping.

Wallis Pink Crepe Zip Detail Dress Now £28

It's also suggested this lovely crossover draped top, a style that I just love as I find crossover tops that little bit more sexy than an ordinary button up number.  See what I mean about spending to much time communicating.....hot pink again!!!!

Wallis Pink Sleeveless Draped Top Now £22.40

Of course this jacket is something that I would certainly wear & if I didn't already own the odd black jacket or two I'd certainly be clicking the button! 

Wallis Black Bracelet Ponte Jacket Now £32

Again with this black biker style jacket.  Perfect for teaming with jeans & a chunky scarf come the cooler months.  Luckily for hubby I again own something very similar otherwise my new friend a.k.a. the Style Adviser would be getting me into trouble ;-)

Wallis Black Biker Jacket £58

And just take a look at this stunning skirt.  In fact the whole outfit.  Totally gorgeous & perfect for summer or autumn.  Just such a pity that it's no longer available in my size as this is TOTALLY up my street.....see what I mean about my Style Adviser knowing what I like!!!

Wallis Grey Snake Print Maxi Skirt Now £35

Because of trialling out their Style Adviser app Wallis have very kindly let me choose an item that my new best friend has recommended.  And whilst there were many temptations including all of the above I went for this great bag as it's perfect for everyday for fitting everything in bar the kitchen sink, which let's face it when you're out & about with two males is what you need...phones, wallets, sunglasses....need I go on?!!!

Wallis Black Slouch Bag £59

Also Available In Tan

I just love the style of this bag not to mention the fact that it's got a short under the shoulder strap as well as a longer strap that can detached if you prefer.  Plus it's got an array of handy internal pockets too for your mobile, lippy etc so no routing around trying to find your phone before it goes onto voicemail....of course this could just be me ;-)  On top of this it's lovely & soft & quite light in weight (well before I put all my junk in!!).

In fact I love my bag so much I'm using it today!

Top - H&M

Vest Top - H&M

Bracelets - Banana Republic & J Crew £125

Bag - Wallis £59

Jeans - Zara

Slip Ons - Boden £69

Top - Mint Velvet £79

Bag - Wallis £59

Bracelet - J Crew £125

Jeans - Mango £39.99

Slip Ons - Boden £69

So have you tried the Style Adviser App yet?!!!  I'd love to hear how you're getting on.  I have to say that on the whole so far most of the styles & colours are things I would generally pick.  Of course there is the odd thing that's just not me & not being one to wear too much pattern (apart from leopard print of course ;-) ) then some of the patterned items just haven't been what I would choose to wear but hopefully as our relationship grows my Style Adviser will get to know this.  I'll let you know how our relationship is going next month.

Happy 'Hump' Day!

WIWT - Pastels

So back to work today, not only for hubby & I but also our son who has been lucky enough to be asked back to do another week of work experience at a film company where he had such a great time in July.  Needless to say we may have all struggled to get up & ready for work this morning & I can't lie I'm not loving the return of the 05:45 morning alarm!!!

No doubt I've got a busy day ahead so I'm keeping things nice & simple with pastels & distressed denim.

Top - Zara

Bracelets - Ashiana

Jeans - Zara

Shoes - Zara

After just an hour of being dress I had to slip on my lovely Rachel Wears cardi to keep warm!  Really hoping the sun re-appears in the next week so that I can top up the tan but from looking at the forecast it's not looking likely :-(

Rachel Wears £135

Camisole - Topshop £26

Jeans - Zara £39.99

Shoes - Next £24

Hope everyone's having a great Tuesday.  As I said to my hubby this morning at least we've gone back to work when it's only a four day week....see there's a madness to our plan ;-)

See you in the morning.

Happy Bank Holiday - Stripes & Leopard Print

Happy Bank Holiday Monday!  You've got to love a long weekend haven't you, the fact that it's that last one still Christmas is something I'm going to try & ignore!!!  So in celebration of the Bank Holiday I thought I'd wear my favourite combo of stripes & leopard print today :-)

Jacket - Gray & Osbourn

Top - Mango

Bracelets - J Crew & Pranella

Jeans - Zaras

Slip Ons - Boden

Jacket - Zara £59.99

Top - Mango £39.99

Bracelets - J Crew £95 & Pranella £23

Jeans - Zara £39.99

Slip Ons - Boden £59.99

So anyone up to anything special?  We're having a quiet one & indulging in some vino, good food, chocolate & the odd film or two.......back to reality tomorrow :-S

Whatever you're doing have a good one.