Pug- a- licious

As most of you probably know by now, we have a new addition to the family, Albert the Pug.

Since picking Albert up just over 2 weeks ago we have all gone totally Pug crazy!  We have always loved Pugs but it was my youngest daughter who kept on and on and on....... until my husband gave in and said she could have one and after numerous phone calls to Breeders across the country, we happened upon this adorable little fellow and now Claudia and I can be found cooing over pug pictures and lusting after clothes with Pugs on them, well I have always said I like animal print!

These Age of Reason Pug Print Scarves are so going on my Christmas list! available at Matches. 

I may be a bit old for for these but I love them anyway! Markus Lupfer Sequin Pug Sweaters from Farfetch.

Looking for a Christmas Gift for a Pug lover?

The Pug and Bulldog Mug by Linea £2.45 makes the perfect stocking filler.

 Carole Van Dyke "Charlie the Pug" cushion £70, both House of Fraser.

Jellycat Cosmetic and Wash bags, £10.99 and £16.99 from John Lewis.

With Pugs now in the Top 10 list of most wanted Dogs in the UK, are you lusting after something 

Pug-a-lucious on your Christmas list this year?

British Fashion Awards.

London gave the Hollywood red carpet a run for its money at the British Fashion Awards which took place in the Capital last night.

Style Icons Victoria Beckham, Olivia Palermo and Kate Moss were in attendance along with Alexa Chung and an array of UK Fashion elite including Alexander McQueens Sarah Burton who won best designer.

After receiving her award for best designer brand, according to Twitter, Victoria Beckham made a heartfelt speech and cried three times, bless her.  One can only hope that she may now consider showing her collection in London with rumours of husband David making a move to Paris St Germain (you can tell I'm a football wife, although sadly not a footballers wife) VB will only be a train ride away.

Victoria gets it right every time in simple but elegant black full length gown.

Fashion Icons from either side of the Atlantic. Olivia Palermo and Alexa Chung both hit the Style Spot.

If anybody knows how somebody who has access to the worlds top designers would actually choose to wear this dress is completely beyond me. What do you think? I'm all for a bit of faux fur, a red lip and nude shoes but surely somebody should have told her that Halloween was a month ago now. My thoughts in one word, VILE. 

Stella McCartney in a shapeless jumpsuit and Daphne Guinness as Lady GaGa. 

Livia Firth sporting the most fashionable of accessories, her gorgeous husband Colin.

Abbey Crouch looking glam and gorgeous in a nude full length suede gown by Giles Deacon (who also designed her wedding dress).

Who was your best and worst dressed?

The post where the family discuss fashion.

It was sometime on Saturday evening at the point where you switch over from Strictly Come Dancing to X Factor when suddenly, whilst browsing on Twitter, my husband enquired "Is Fashion only for the young?".

Hilary Alexander.

Slightly dumbstruck, I asked what had bought about such a question from a man and OH said he wondered if a woman of Hilary Alexander's age could make such negative comments about the dress Tess Daly had been wearing on Strictly.  At that point I wondered if he ever read any of my Tess Daly outfit damning tweets and Blog posts and told him that if anybody had the credentials to pass judgement on such fashion matters, it surely was Hilary Alexander and also that he should bear in mind that Tess isn't actually that young and has pushed the 40 year old age barrier herself.  Lucky old Tess for looking that great at 42, OH thought she was younger!

Hilary is a prolific tweeter when Strictly is on air and has been seen many times in the past talking about the outfits the celebrity dancers will be wearing on her "It Takes Two" appearances, so she is obviously a massive fan of the show and I don't think there has been one weekend since the show kicked off where I have seen her praise one of Tess's outfits or looks (a woman after my own heart obviously). I just can't help but wonder why Tess doesn't start taking some fashion advice from her, get some well fitting underwear to support her assets and stop having her hair in a "Croydon Facelift" ponytail, it is way too severe!

My 19 year old daughter (a first year Fashion Journalism Student at UCA) then decided to join in our conversation during X Factor and said "yes I do think Fashion is only for the young. Look at the outfit Amelia Lily is wearing on X Factor and tell me, could an old person wear that and the answer is no, and if they did, they would look ridiculous" to which OH replied "try telling Mary Portas that".

Amelia Lily's outfit for her second song on Saturday night.

I then set about telling them my ideas about fashion and the over forties, and about how fashion can still be enjoyed by women of any age in fact, it is just about interpreting the trends to suit your age group and your figure.  There would be nothing wrong with a more mature woman wearing Amelia Lily's jacket, top or footwear but it may be best to avoid the pale pink metallic jeans!  I also told my audience that there are many women who prefer to dress stylishly, always look immaculate, but who tend to avoid trend led pieces and instead invest in well cut wardrobe staples which they mix and match effectively to create a range of different looks.  I think I managed to convince them both, although my statements left me wondering if I should start falling into the latter mentioned category instead of falling hook, line and sinker for every trend that comes down the catwalk, but I guess if you have always loved clothes, some things never change no matter what your age.

So what do you think, should Tess take note of Hilary's tweets? is fashion purely for the young? and if you are over 40, do you still lust after trends or prefer sticking with classic styles? Discuss!

This weekends best discount codes and special offers.

As the end of November approaches, most years, I get this rather smug feeling that almost all of my Christmas present shopping is either done or on order and that everything bought so far has been wrapped up and that I deserve a huge pat on the back for being so organised.  Then low and behold, both my Mum and my Mother in Law decide to give me the money to buy the presents for my four children, which means yet another eight gifts to go out and buy or order and no doubt wrap up for them aswell.  This surely has to be one of the best things about getting old, especially if you hate wrapping up as much as I do! 

Luckily there are more new discounts and special offers around this weekend that I can take advantage of and save the "old girls" a bit of cash in the process.

Sonia Rykiel Scarf at Style Passport. £34.30 after discount.

Style Passport are offering 30% off of full price fashion and beauty this weekend only and don't be fooled by the website's name, this is one destination that you can shop from all year round, not just for your holiday!  Use code WEEKENDGIFT at checkout here.


Dorothy Perkins have up to £20 off of both Boots and Shoes along with free delivery on all UK orders with no spending threshold. Shop here.

If you are looking to treat somebody to a pair of ever popular Ugg Boots, Office have a 4 day promotion ending midnight 28th November with up to £70 off of selected styles which includes all the classic styles, Kids/Youths and Mens ranges here.

At Boots, receive a massive £10 worth of Advantage points with a £75 online spend until midnight tomorrow, 27th November.  This weeks star gift is the better than half price Gorgeous by Gok giftset which was £45 reduced to £22 until Thursday 1st December. Shop here.

Still searching for the perfect party dress or outfit for Christmas Day, then hop on over to Wallis where there is 25% off of everything! Shop here.

20% off of everything at New Look until midnight Sunday 27th November using code 20NOVTREAT at checkout here.

This sequin front merino sweater from The White Company will add a touch of sparkle to your Christmas Day and it is exactly like a "Vince" one I wanted last year - perfect!

Get 20% off of womens clothing at The White Company, no code required, shop clothing here and £5 off Luxury Gift Sets for one week only with offer ending 30th November. Shop luxury gift sets here.

Selfridges are offering 20% off of Fashion, Accessories and Homewear and 10% off of Beauty, Fragrance and Wine using codes SELF20 and SELF10 at checkout here.  Offer valid until midnight Sunday 27th November.

Have a happy weekend of shopping and tell me, do you end up doing other peoples Christmas shopping as well as your own?

You've got to be in it, to win it!

I have to say I love to enter competitions and find myself retweeting and following any offer I see pop up on Twitter because just like the National Lottery, you've got to be in it, to win it, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard from Leeds based Handbag company Claudia Conova that I had won their "100 tweet" competition and got to pick a handbag from a small selection of their rather large range of arm candy.

The competition was being run in conjunction with the launch of the brands online shopping facility on their website, as their collection was only previously available from retail outlets including Viva La Diva and a selection of department stores and independents both here and in Ireland.

Smith and Canova are a division of the Extras Group Ltd which began life in 1995 dedicated to establishing its own brand of high quality handbags, travel bags and accessories. Since those early days the brand has established a strong foothold in the UK and Irish markets.  Claudia Canova has been the little sister to the well established leather goods brand of Smith & Canova for 5 years. Since those early days she has grown rapidly and is now achieving the same popularity and sales figures as her big brother which are no doubt set to increase since the online shopping facility launch.


I opted for a black bag as I have wanted one for a while now and I since the launch of the Mulberry Tillie I have been a huge lover of the satchel style and my Claudia Canova bag gives more than a slight nod to the designer trend but at only £66, offers high end styling at a fraction of the cost.

I have to admit to being a bit fed up with my handbags at the moment, with no inside compartments, I can never find anything so I was thrilled that this bag has three inner compartments (the central one having a zip) an inside zipped fabric pocket and an outer zipped pocket on the bag, so finding things will be an absolute breeze. The bag also has a detachable across body strap, so useful for those obligatory Xmas shopping trips where you are loaded up with carrier bags and its own sleeper bag, should you ever wish to give this essential piece of arm candy a break!

The bag also comes in Brown and can be purchased here or view the full collection online at   www.claudiacanova.co.uk 

Upper Street Shoe Sample Sale.

I have to confess I rarely post about Sample Sales but occasionally I get an email about an event that readers deserve to know about, especially when it concerns Shoes, so if you are in London this Saturday, have your credit card at the ready for the Upper Street London Sample Sale!

I have long lusted after a pair of bespoke Upper Street Shoes and often see the wonderful designs and craftsmanship via twitpics, which only serves to increase my longing for a bit of shoe porn that I can design exactly to my own requirements, but the next best thing would be to attend this one day only event which sees Upper Street London give customers the opportunity to purchase a pair of shoes from their ready to wear, one off shoe samples, with up to 50% off!

Sizes range from a 35 (uk 3) to a 43 (uk 10) and I am assured there is huge selection of styles to choose from, so forget about the Christmas Shopping this Saturday and treat yourself, your know your feet will thank you for it!

Will you be going?

Gift ideas and how to treat a Christmas Birthday.

After I did my "fab gift guide for girls, going back to black" last week, I asked if readers had any specific gift ideas that they might need help with and Helena left a comment asking "what to buy for a Christmas 21st birthday" and being as I have a) my own birthday just 10 days before Xmas and b) have dealt with one of my daughters 21st birthdays in June 2010 and have my second daughters coming up in June 2012, I do feel pretty well qualified to comment on this subject.

Although Helena didn't mention whether the birthday person is a boy or a girl, nor the budget in question, I still feel that there are certain rules to observe no matter what the sex of the recipient or budget.

Having been bought up throughout the 60s, 70's and having had my 21st birthday in the 80's, I can only look back and remember that it was always on my birthday that we bought our "real" Christmas tree and the other thing I remember hearing constantly every single year was how, as my birthday was so close to Christmas, "I couldn't have a lot", a situation not helped by the fact my parents split up when I was nine years old, so understandably, my Mum didn't have copious amounts of cash to throw at my birthday celebrations and I can't help but think just how different things are these days and how, as parents, we would never let our children go without, no matter how financially challenged we may feel at this time of year. Most people I know would move heaven and earth to provide a wonderful birthday for their children even if it was actually on Christmas Day itself, I know I would.

With all of the above in mind, when it comes to any birthday whether it be for a 5 or a 21 year old, you have to treat it as if it were taking place at any other time of the year, the only difficulty that may arise is what the hell do you buy them!  If you are unsure, as with my daughters, I always get them to write a list which usually ends up longer than a roll of Andrex, so there is usually plenty to choose from.  They know they won't get everything, but at least that way, they will still end up being surprised by the gifts I do eventually buy for them.

For my eldest daughters 21st, we bought her a Mulberry Handbag, took her to afternoon champagne tea at Claridges and bought her 21 presents, all wrapped individually which ranged from a very expensive bottle of pink champagne,  a copy of Vogue from her birth month and year (ebay), right down to little things like Chanel nail polish, underwear, costume jewellery and books.  As she was presented with them, she did say what a wonderful surprise the 21 gifts were and you can imagine her face as she saw her Stepdad walk into Claridges later that day as she just thought we were going somewhere for lunch, it was worth every penny.  The only sad thing is, the other two girls know exactly what to expect, so I may have to change the venue for their afternoon treat when their time comes!

If it's not your own child's 21st, then perhaps think about Liberty Spa vouchers, Agent Provocateur underwear, concert tickets for girls, red letter days, football tickets with hospitality, a Louis Vuitton/Hermes tie for boys.  Leather filofax are great for those that need to get organised and Luxe City Guides for travel lovers/gap year make for great presents for either sex.
Your choice of gift will depend on whether you want the recipient to have something they can keep forever  to remember the occasion by, or something to enjoy at the time.  If I had the budget I would be buying Cartier or Rolex watches and Chanel 2.55's for my lot, but as mentioned earlier, the most important thing is to forget about Christmas for one day and concentrate only on the birthday and remember, if it is your childs birthday, never buy your real Christmas tree on their special day!

Marianne, left me an interesting tweet on the subject of Christmas birthdays "I was born on 23rd Dec and my son 25th Dec. He has half yearly parties. God help anyone who wraps our b/day gifts in Xmas paper". Do you have any advice on the subject?

Something for the Weekend - Make your Christmas Shopping a little easier with the latest Discount Codes and Special offers from your favourite stores.

Whether its Christmas Partywear for yourself or presents for others, there are some great offers again this week from all your favourite High Street and online stores, so take the strain off of your budget and get shopping with these top deals!

COAST - 20% off enter "xmasgift" at checkout on full price items and benefit from free express delivery until midnight Sunday 20th November. Shop here.


ACCESSORIZE - 25% off until Sunday 20th November using code ACCNOV25%AF at checkout. Shop here.


MONSOON - Check out the Christmas Shop, Partywear under £69 and Festive Style Guide at Monsoon and receive 25% off your purchase using code MONNOV25%AF at checkout. Shop here. 


MY-WARDROBE - Baby its cold outside, so take advantage of the 20% off coats and jackets code at my-wardrobe. Use code NOVOUT2 at checkout until 27th November. Shop here.


OASIS - have launched their ‘Up to £30 off Promo’ on this seasons Winter Must-Haves; stylish dresses, knits, coats, jeans and boots, and celebrate the festive season in style! Shop the complete selection of offers here.

BOOTS - The Yves Saint Laurent "Paris" perfume brings back memories, I haven't had this for years but used to love it and Boots are now offering this perfume at half price, was £50 now £25 for the 50ml spray, buy here. You can also save £5 when you spend £30 or more on Fragrance (including fragrance gift sets) Using code: FRAGRANCE1 Ends:Sunday 27th November.




This weeks special offer at Boots is the Sanctuary Pamper Gift Case with a massive saving of £21, now only £19, perfect for a girlie night in! Buy here. 

John Lewis - You've got to be in it to win it and with every £100 spent online at John Lewis you will receive automatic entry into a prize draw to win £1,000 of shopping vouchers, now that sounds like a dream prize to me! 

Tamara Mellon resigns as Chief Consultant at Jimmy Choo.

No matter what her critics may think about her sudden  resignation from the company she co-founded back in 1996 with cobbler Jimmy Choo, I am actually quite pleased because it has bought to my attention (as if I didn't already know) that this is one sassy and fabulous 44 year old style crush who is a massive lover of animal print, shaggy fur and sequins.

Born in July 1967 Tamara is the daughter of an entrepreneur and a former Chanel model, so its no surprise that she would be a mixture of both beauty and brains.  I remember once seeing her on an MTV episode of Cribs and trust me, this is one lady whose wardrobe you could get lost in!  She mentioned on the show that every season she has the complete collection of Jimmy Choo's, something you can do when you actually own the luxury shoe label and with an estimated personal wealth in the region of 99 million, her sudden departure from the company doesn't mean that this stylish lady will ever be poorly shod!

Much excitement surrounds the rumours that Tamara will be starting a new luxury lifestyle brand but I am also interested to see in which direction the Jimmy Choo brand will go, either cement its place at the top of the luxury shoe market or can we expect to see something more mainstream after its previous H&M, Hunter and Ugg collaborations.

Would you like to see more collaborations from the Jimmy Choo brand?

View the latest from the Jimmy Choo collection here.

The Fab Gift Guide - Presents for Girls, Going back to Black.

Whether you are looking for some great gifts for mums, sisters, aunts or girlfriends or are in dire need of pointing a useless present buying husband or boyfriend in the direction of this blog post, there is no getting away from the appeal of the colour black when it comes to present giving or receiving.

Black accessories go with every outfit, high heels take on a sexy edge (especially those with a red sole), lingerie makes a sultry statement and gifts with black packaging not only look slick but also expensive even when on the smallest of budgets and with my gift selection starting at just £20, whats not to love?

Take a look at my "back to black" gift selection and make someone happy with a beautiful gift this Christmas.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Gift Set £65. Agent Provocateur Soap on a Rope £20. Onyx Teardrop Earrings from Boticca.com £61.  The White Company Noir Candle £30. French Connection Polka Stud Gloves £35. Anya Hindmarch Lotions and Potions Wash Bag £135. Nixon Leather and Acetate Watch £100. Pure Collection Cashmere Infinity Scarf £79.

Anya Hindmarch Glitter Clutch £275. Stella McCartney Chemise £182. Christian Louboutin Sandals £635. Aspinal Italian Extra Large Journal £60. Alexander McQueen Skull Pashmina £245. Marc Jacobs Daisy Anniversary Perfume £50. Yves Saint Laurent Skinny Belt £180. Chanel Vintage Bag £2070. John Lewis Faux Fur Hat £60.

If you could choose just one black gift from the list, what would it be?

Look out for more "Fab Gift Guides" in the lead up to the festive season and if there is a colour, budget  or gender specific present buying dilemma you are facing, that you would like featured in a future blog post, don't be afraid to email and ask for help!

Back to Basics.

There is no doubt that when it comes to buying clothes, my three daughters are certainly a "chip off the old block", as they say.  Every spare penny they have is spent on clothes, even though two of them are at  University and should be learning how to budget for a whole term.
The one that lives away spends most of her living allowance on clothes as each term begins, then comes home every few months starving for some of Mamma's home cooking after months of living on Pot Noodles and even takes back a food parcel of cupboard essentials in addition to a batch of home cooked meals that I freeze for her. Then we have the one who still lives at home, who basically lives off us, whilst we watch her come home most days with a new item of clothing, in addition to there hardly being a day that goes by, without some courier or another delivering her a parcel, for which I solely blame Asos and the amazing Sales they have been having at 5pm on a Sunday and a young girl has gotta get her fashion fix, but the part that I don't understand about their clothing choices is the lack of basics that make there way into their wardrobes.

They buy lots of separates each season, this winter think snakeprint, florals, leopard print, checks, in skirts, trousers and cardigans, I can also think of a pale pink chiffon layered skirt with a scattering of sequins that won't ever get worn, but it's pretty, so what the hell.

So my point is, they then end up with a load of garments that never get worn simply because they have nothing to go with them, and I can guarantee said items will eventually end up making their way onto Ebay by which time they are more or less worthless. Such a waste of money which could be saved, if only they bought some plain and simple basics.

I broached the subject of basic neutral coloured t-shirts with my youngest daughter recently and she told me that buying basics is boring and that she doesn't want to spend her money on items that don't "excite" her and then she added "oh well, you can buy them for me, they are only cheap". You can just imagine my response and lets say it was a more colourful version of "get stuffed"!

So this whole scenario got me wondering at what age do you begin to realise the importance of basic tops and t-shirts and begin to see them as essential pieces, not only to team with patterns but also for layering purposes to give a different dimension to lightweight knitwear which will also give you the benefit of extra warmth in Winter.

When all else fails, any wardrobe dilemma can be sorted with a simple t-shirt and pair of jeans, it is a fashion formula that always works and can so easily be dressed up or down depending on the occasion and not one that needs to break the bank, every high street store from Primark upwards will offer simple vests, short or long sleeved t-shirts, buy cheap and you may have to replace them more often than if buying a premium brand, but they will still be your "go to" choice to slip on under your sequin jacket for after work cocktails or wearing under your fairisle cardigan for that weekend trip to the Supermarket.  I couldn't live without them, could you?

James Perse Thermal long sleeved t-shirt £130. Splendid cotton & modal blend top £65.

The perfect long sleeve T comes in a range of colours. £39 from 365collection at Isabella Oliver.

American Vintage nude short sleeve t-shirt £55 from Matches.

Is it time you went back to basics?

Afternoon Tea fit for a fashionista.

After taking my eldest daughter to Claridges for Champagne afternoon tea for her 21st birthday last summer, I have been looking for any old opportunity to take a trip to London and go back as I was so enamoured by the surroundings, the service and the delicious fayre that was consumed, and seeing as a friend of mine has recently gone for a new job in Fashion, I jumped at the chance to say we would go to Claridges for afternoon tea, should she be successful in her application, but when I received an email yesterday alerting me to the new and stylish afternoon tea at the Berkeley, I may have to switch our location, as it is a job in Fashion afterall!

I couldn't believe that for Autumn and Winter 2011, you could expect to see Lanvin, Miu Miu and Burberry make their debut on the Cake Stand, as Pret-a-Portea adds a creative twist to the traditional English afternoon tea with cakes and pastries resembling the latest catwalk designs for the style savvy!  Seriously how amazing is that! If you can't wear Lanvin, you can at least eat it!

This sumptuous, sweet sensation is available in the Caramel Room between 1 - 6pm daily and costs £37.50 per person.  If you try it, please let me know what you think!

Get Party Dress Perfection at Phase Eight.

I can't believe that we are only about 46 days  away from Christmas, which means we are even closer to the onset of the party season, with many of you receiving invites galore to Office Parties and Christmas Cocktails, with some starting as early as the end of November.

I have to confess, I haven't been to any office or work "do's" for about 12 years now, but with my birthday being just ten days before Santa comes a calling, I feel the pain of any woman on the hunt for the perfect party dress and especially one that isn't going to make her look like an oversized Christmas bauble, or worse still, "mutton dressed as lamb", but there is one high street collection that dishes up a serious dose of high octane, grown up glamour this season and if you haven't yet checked it out, be sure to take a good look at Phase Eight.

I adore the blue maxi skirt pictured above and can just visualise myself wearing it, lounging around the house being hand fed "After Eight Mints" by Hugh Jackman whilst somebody else stuffs the Turkey, but I took a quick reality check and thought about the kind of dress I would want to wear out over the festive season.
Nothing too short, check. Nothing sleeveless, check. Nothing too low cut, check. An injection of either sequins or lace, check. In fact the Phase Eight Christmas collection, ticks so many boxes, it would be hard for me to choose just one!

Fringe Dress, £140. Sequin Jersey Dress, £120. Zig Zag Sequin Dress, £89.

Tapework Dress, £110.

I think the black jersey sequin dress will be the one winging its way onto my party dress wish list, a touch of understated sparkle and the comfort of jersey after a three course set menu and a couple of cosmopolitans, will do the trick nicely and will allow for some "knock em dead" accessories.  I just need to work out how I can afford either the Anya Hindmarch sparkly clutch or the Miu Miu glitter shoes to wear with it!

What are your style priorities when looking for a party dress?

Can we really wear the same clothes as Alexa?

In answer to the question that forms the title of this blog post, my answer would always be, that it depends on garment involved as I don't think any of us would go out of our way to dress in the same way as our daughters but I have to confess that I have, in the past, copied one of Alexa's looks. It was only a simple outfit which consisted of wardrobe basics (that can be worn by women of any age) and only required the purchase of a cheap pair of red ballet flats to achieve (I already had the breton top, jeans and camel coat) but what do you guys think about Kris Jenner (mother to the Khardashian sisters) and Alexa wearing the same Pucci dress?

To be perfectly honest, it isn't an outfit that would have me trashing my credit rating for, and although I think it looks fine on Kris, we have to remember that the plastic surgery (it was screened on the show in the build up to Kim's shambolic wedding) she has undergone to remove her middle aged "jowls" and give her a much younger womans jawline, helps tremendously when wearing a garment with a high neckline, but that said, I definitely think this is a look/dress that this particular 50 something woman can pull off with ease and I would almost go as far as to say, Kris looks better in it, with her slightly larger frame filling it out nicely as opposed to the slimmer British fashion icon.

Alexa's wore hers for the opening of the Pucci boutique at Saks Fifth Avenue on Tuesday and Kris wore hers for an NBC interview on Wednesday.

What do you think?