Boys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses...........

All the time I was at primary school it really didn't bother me that I had to wear glasses and I had no idea what an "astigmatism" was, I just knew that I had one, and only really wore my glasses for reading, writing and watching television as a small child, but as I went on to middle school aged nine, followed four years later by my entrance into the local comprehensive, I became acutely aware of the stigma attached to girls who wore glasses and rarely put them on at all for many, many years.

I dreamed of being old enough to buy and wear contact lenses and as I have always envied my younger brothers beautiful big brown eyes, I was always set upon the idea of having coloured contact lenses, I just needed a job to support the cost of contacts and I would be happy.

I finally ventured from school into the world of employment, I just never seemed to get round to sorting such matters out and then time flew by and I continued to wear glasses just for computer or close work and then before I knew it, black framed "geeky" looking glasses became all the rage a few years back and suddenly glasses were in fashion and nobody had a problem wearing them. In fact it completely upped your "cool factor" and I even had a few friends who bought glasses with clear lenses more suited to their perfect vision.

I now find myself in my late forties and in the most annoying situation of putting my glasses on when I get up in the morning and rarely taking them off! I felt particularly awful when my 11 year old son told me a few months back that a younger child at school had chanted at him "your mum wears glasses" but I was actually quite relieved, it could have been much worse and I wondered how he would have felt if the stupid little child had said your mum is fat or ugly!

In spite of that incident, I still don't remember to leave them off for the school run and even accidently got in the shower with my glasses on the other week and only realised when they started to steam up and I couldn't find the shower gel, and now the only time I find myself without them is when I am asleep or when wearing sunglasses, and I refuse point blank to get prescription sunnies, the choice just isn't good enough for a sunglasses freak like me, so I wander around all summer, getting on the wrong number bus, ignoring old school friends who wave from a distance (I usually get home to find they have deleted me from their Facebook) so I think perhaps the time is finally right to get my hands on some cheap contact lenses before the weather calls for me to put my shades on.

I wonder how many of our "style icons" actually have appalling eyesight but because they wear contacts, we would never know!



 I love to think that Anna Wintour wouldn't know her Gucci from her Prada without a pair of contact lenses!

So how do you feel about contact lenses v glasses? 

 If you have bad eyesight, do you wear a combination of both, or always stick with one or the other?  Do you feel that glasses are still fashionable and enjoy adding a "geeky" edge to your outfits?
Is it cost that affects your decision whether to wear contact lenses or not?

Oscars Best Dressed 2012

When one of my delightful Twitter friends enquired if I would be staying up to watch the Oscars Red Carpet Fashion last night, I did a little "laugh out loud" and explained that I had trouble keeping my eyes open past 10pm these days, so it wasn't something that would be top of my agenda with a school run to comprehend this morning.

I did however switch the radio on in the kitchen whilst I made my sons packed lunch at 7am just so that I could hear who had won an Oscar and then proceeded to catch a bit of Red Carpet Glamour on This Morning whilst putting my make-up on.

Upon further inspection of some favourite looks on todays blog posts, I am always amazed by different peoples choices and opinions when it comes to fashion and awards season gowns especially.  I just looked at one of the UK's top celebrity stylists top four gowns on her blog which showed a picture of Kristen Wig whose J Mendel gown I also adored followed closely by a picture of Shailene Woodley (who is she anyway) in the most disgusting Valentino dress I have ever laid eyes on! I mean 1960's wedding dress or what?  The Daily Mail called the gown "austere", I can think of a better word for it! D U double L, Dull.

When it comes to awards ceremonies and gorgeous gowns, I am usually all about the blush tones and there is no doubt that a bit of sparkle does it for me.  That's not to say that I don't see gowns in other colours or without a bit of bling that don't occasionally knock me sideways, there is always something amazing that doesn't conform to my usual love of Marchesa, Ellie Saab and Oscar De La Renta that totally knocks my socks off and I rarely disagree with anything chosen by Rachel Zoe for her celebrity clients, Cameron, Deb Messing et al

So if I were invited to the Oscars, had the figure and my pick of designer gowns, which one would I choose............

Milla Jovovich in Ellie Saab

Closely followed by Kelly Osbourne......

I told you I was all about the Bling didn't I?..............................

So who was your best or worst dressed of the night?

Simply Stunning.

Simply Beach is one of my favourite websites when it comes to choosing and buying swimwear, with so many brands on offer and after doing a Miraclesuit review for the company last year, I was more than a little excited to work with them again to help introduce the launch of lingerie, shapewear and nightwear to their website.

In light of the lack of pyjamas bestowed upon me over the festive season, it was a "no brainer" that I would choose something from the nightwear collection and with brands such as Lepel, Calvin Klein and Elle McPherson Intimates, I was a little spoilt for choice, but I soon fell in love with gorgeous pair by Lepel. I just adore the mint and floral colourway which reminded me that spring is on the way and that these would make the perfect summer pyjama, just the kind of thing I can picture myself wearing whilst sitting on the terrace of a villa in some exotic holiday location drinking my first cup of tea of the day.

I have never been somebody who wears undies to bed but I know many women who sleep in their bra's so I thought this pair was a great choice as it offers extra support to the bustline whilst you sleep, something all of us ladies can benefit from.

The bottoms are in a silky palazzo pant style with a flattering flat front and elasticated at the back for a nice snug fit.

In addition to the other new sections launched on the site, the company are also offering a range of beautiful bridal lingerie if you or somebody you know are getting married this year, so whether it is nightwear, shapewear or a new bra you are after, don't forget to check out all the gorgeous new offerings at Simply Beach who now have all your underwear needs covered and with shipping costs from as low as £1.99 for standard delivery and with the company now accepting paypal, shopping has never been easier.

Something for the Weekend - coming down from a fashion induced high.

Yes its true, since my last "SFTW" post, I have been up on and have come back down from, a London Fashion Week  "Induced High" and with Milan starting yesterday, life is now all about the live stream for the next two weeks as I try and catch shows from Milan and then Paris.  It is not always easy to keep up with everything when you work, have a house to run and try to have some sort of a life, but I did manage to catch the Prada show yesterday, fell in love with the shoes, although thought some of the models looked as though they were struggling to walk in them and then saw Miucca almost "stack it" as she came out to take her "bow".  How funny!

So it looks as though my thoughts on the wear-ability of the shoes are right, I'd still like to have a pair to find out for myself obviously!

The beginning of the week saw a huge buzz about the release of the new Mulberry bag the "Del Rey" inspired by American singer "Lana".

The bag sent the twitterverse into meltdown as Mulberry announced the name of their new bag just hours before their AW12 catwalk show at Claridges.  Lana is undoubtedly a rising star with an amazing talent but I think I would have been happier had they called their new arm candy offering "Adele" after some home grown iconic talent.

Talking of Fashion Week there are a couple of over forties street style shots I saw on the Guardian website and have been waiting to share with you as I always like to point out that fashion isn't just for the young.......

This is 40 year old Natalie Kingham who has the dream job of being head buyer for Matches wearing shirt and bag by Celine, Jumper from Topshop, Jeans from Current Elliott and boots by Christopher Kane.  I wouldn't mind a rummage through her closet or being allowed to give her Celine Luggage tote a little stroke......(why does it feel that everyone has one of these bags except me?). 

I also think that 51 year old Nancy rocks a red lip and looks fab in her Lanvin shoes and jeans and that there is something very "Debbie Harry" about her style.

Do you think these ladies "rock"?

Yesterday saw the hottest February day since 1988 with lots of us tweeting about wearing sunglasses for the first time or putting the boots away in favour of ballet flats.

I am most definitely up for buying some new sunglasses this year, the Dior ones have done me proud and I love them far more than my Victoria Beckham aviators which I rarely wear and my Mykita's only come out on special occassions when I am having an SJP moment or find myself swanning around the port in Marbella.

I don't look this good in mine.

I like to make a statement with my sunglasses and am torn between the Karen Walker no1's which you can't seem to buy in the UK.....

 the  House of Harlow "Chelsea" which are supposed to be in stock on mywardrobe.com some time soon.....

and some twitter pals put the Chanel chain ones on my radar, but with prices starting at £277, I think I may have to give those a miss!

In light of the weather yesterday, I left my boots in the wardrobe but couldn't decide which shoes to wear for the school run but eventually opted for my Bloch pink ones.  I have been buying from Bloch for years as my daughters used to dance and it is a brand usually associated with dance shoes and accessories and although not cheap, their shoes are great quality, I have had these for a couple of years and they are still in fantastic condition and really comfortable to wear for anybody who can't quite stretch to the price of Lanvin, whose elasticated ballet flats killed my feet and ended up on ebay when I finally had to throw the towel in for the sake of my heels!

I also got out the pink lipstick and sorted out my pink Opi nail colours in preparation for springs imminent arrival.

If you are planning on adding some new season denim to your spring wardrobe, then hop on over to Donna Ida where you can take advantage of a £30 off code by using COMEBACK30 at checkout.  Offer is valid on full priced items only.

Have a lovely weekend my darlings and make sure to tell me what you are lusting after this week. xx

Loving Right Now - H&M Trend Jacket.

Image from Fashion Guitar

I looked at this green/yellow boucle jacket in H&M Knightsbridge last week, really loved it, decided to "think" about it (stupidly) and then spotted it on Day One of London Fashion Week and realised I should have gone with my instinct and just snapped it up.

I have always been a sucker for a "Chanelesque" jacket and this one is no exception. They never, ever, go out of fashion and virtually every designer or high street store will end up producing a version each season, maybe because of its versatility, it is a great wardrobe staple that can be worn by any age group and in so many ways, over dresses, skirts, and will give an instant update to smart black trousers and a white shirt for the office but would also be an invaluable piece for someone like me who lives and dies in Jeans, just throw on the jacket for an instant update to your daily wardrobe hero's to give yourself and your outfit a boost of spring time brightness!

The jacket is from the "Trend" collection and is not available on the website (see I told you I should have bought it when I saw it) and costs £39.99 if I remember rightly.

As there is no stock image on Google I have had to use the images of the girls who wore it to Fashion Week and who made me want it even more................

Sandra from 5 inch and up



The Fashion Guitar




With Vintage Chanel boucle jackets starting at around £400 plus on ebay, it will have to be a high street option for me sadly.......

Chanel Jacket

The word "boucle" refers to a yarn with a length of loops of a similar size which can range from tiny circlets to large curls.

See by Chloe Boucle Jacket from Farfetch was £331.67 now £199.

Oasis Boucle Jacket from House of Fraser was £70 now £25.

Do you have a boucle jacket in your wardrobe or are you lusting after one like me?

Never have a bad "Air" Day.

After my recent 3 month experiment of going back to being a brunette with ombre (blonded) ends, I have finally gone back to the colour I have been for the last 15 years or so.  blonde.

I loved going back to my natural colour, I really did, but during this drastic hair colour changing process, I encountered two very serious problems, the first being that after the initial colour change appointment I realised I am now allergic to tint (hair dye) which resulted in me having a rash of very itchy spots all over my head, neck and shoulders, so on the second appointment it became apparent that we would have to "foil" the brown tint onto my hair rather than just painting it on my hair and scalp. My colourist  did a tiny patch test behind my ear, just to check, and sure enough within 24 hours, I had a few itchy spots as a result.  The second issue resulted in the fact that there was far too much grey visible and a few weeks ago I took the plunge and went back blonde thinking that I was only interested in doing what was best for not showing the grey and not actually sticking with the colour that I actually preferred.  I was also getting really fed up with the length and was on the verge of taking the kitchen scissors to it, in an attempt to feel that I was sporting a more "age appropriate" length.  There is no doubt in my mind it was getting way too long for a woman in her late forties and I was also hoping that going for something more chin length, it might actually sort of "lift" the look of my face?  I don't know where I got this idea from, but it failed to work but I was pleased with the shorter length and just have to grow some layers down as I have decided I am going for the Fearne Cotton "long bob" look which is a style that works on women of any age and is perfect for us gal's in their 40's or 50's even, who don't want to loose their femininity but who feel that anything longer than shoulder length will just give the impression of "trying to hard".

One thing I was really looking forward to was the decrease in drying time.  I don't own a hair dryer yet. Fact.  I know it seems strange but I have always let my hair dry naturally because I used to feel that it gets "too big" when hit with a blast of heat but saying that, it doesn't seem to be drying any quicker despite the fact it is now about 5 inches shorter than a month ago, which is driving me insane, coupled with the fact that it doesn't just "hang" like I thought it would.  Having lost the "weight", it seems to dry out sideways, so I really think I am going to have to bite the bullet and invest in a hairdryer and just like any other purchase of great importance, I want a quality product that will last and being as I already have a somewhat intense love affair with my ghd's, I am now lusting after the new ghd Air Styler to provide me with a professional salon finish whilst blow drying my hair at home.
The ghd phenomenon is currently celebrating its 10th year of transforming the way most of us style our hair and like many women worldwide, I have no idea how I coped before I bought my first ghd styler, there is no doubt this is one product that has revolutionised the way women straighten, wave or curl their hair and with the brands consistency in coming "1st" in beauty awards by both InStyle and Cosmopolitan magazines, along with many other hairstyling gadget accolades, I am sure it won't be long before the Air Styler becomes as coveted an item, when it comes to haircare, as their styling irons.

In light of all the Fashion Week excitement going on at the moment, when I checked out the new Air Styler at ghdhair.com I was really swept away by the following description of the product.....

"She’s got the perfect silhouette; amazing lines and curves in all the right places. She’s the envy of the others – stylish, smart, fresh, cool and commanding. Everybody’s talking about her. The music starts, the lights go down, a hush falls upon the front row. The time has come to make her debut. She strides out, confident and powerful. The flashbulbs are blinding; the applause is deafening. Meet our new supermodel, ghd air."


If I wasn't already convinced that this is the hair dryer for me, I certainly am now, and although I leave the pastel coloured hair to my daughters, I have to admit that Katy Perry looks amazing as a Mermaid in the Air Styler's ad campaign?  What was Russell thinking?

The ghd air hair dryer is available for £99 from the brands official website and I am interested to know, do you let your hair dry naturally or do you always use a hair dryer?

London Fashion Week Antics February 2012

I wasn't going to go to London Fashion Week this season, honest I wasn't.  When Pearl text me to ask what days I was doing, I text back a big fat "None"!  I had a couple of show tickets which included Antoni and Alison and Corrie Neilson which I was going to give to my daughter anyway as even if you don't stay at a hotel in London, it still costs a fortune in train fares, food and Starbucks which is an absolute necessity (when you have been up since 5am to get ready, get to London, then tube it across to Somerset House to make a 9 am show) so it all hardly seemed worth it to be honest, I was thinking of buying a new pair of shoes with the money, then my plans began to change and my "fashion adrenaline" kicked in!

A brand called Age of Reason, who make the Punk Pug silk scarves which are stocked at Matches Fashion had tweeted looking for a blogger to do something for them at Fashion Week and my daughter who is doing the Fashion Journalism course at University decided to apply and got accepted.  All Hail the power of Twitter especially as both Claudia and I love the brand and its designs after I got a grey pug one back in December!

Having taken in a few shows since the Blog launched early in 2009, I felt I really should guide her through proceedings, obviously, as her mission was to take Street Style pictures of people wearing one of the brands scarves, I knew it would be quite a daunting task and that she risked dealing with rejection but what we didn't anticipate was that as we arrived just in time for me to attend the Antoni and Alison show at 9am, by the time I got out, she had been "street style papped" herself, 13 times, and it continued all day long, so in addition to her trying to take her own pictures, as she approached somebody to ask to take theirs, photographers were butting in and taking hers, so it wasn't easy but she coped with it all really well and it must have been a really exciting experience for her, especially with reports coming in of which websites/blogs she has appeared on including Fashion 156 and the Misguided website, as that is where she got her leggings from and they spotted them!

For me fashion week is as much about "people watching" as it is attending shows!  I am always on "designer bag alert" and day one saw Pearl carrying a gorgeous fabric Chanel and I spotted another wish list favourite, the Celine Luggage Tote .......

I still can't be parted from the Wang which has changed colour in the year I have had it, from its original mustard colour to a far more appealing shade of tan.  I also wore the "Marantesque" Oasis Boots which were really comfortable, thankfully!

and what could make anyone happier than when you are sitting minding your own business and a lovely lady from the brand "eyeko" (who also had  the Alexander Wang, Rocco) comes along and says "can I offer you some free eye products" and produces two mascara's and a liquid eyeliner!  Day One was a good day for sure and I can't wait to try these products out, I have the Long and Tall and the Curl and Hold Mascara's and the liquid eyeliner is in black, so pretty much all the make-up I would need if I were ever stranded on a Desert Island.  Thank you Eyeko! 

The Day finished off perfectly with my daughter fighting her way towards Pixie Lott who happily obliged for a picture whilst the Paps just thought it was acceptable to send me flying down the Stand!  They really don't give a shit, when trying to get a celeb shot!

Day Two 

There didn't seem to be as many people around at the start of Day Two.  Claudia ........

went off with Florrie to a couple of Vauxhall Fashion Scout shows whilst Pearl, Lawrence (he is only 15 bless him and he recognised Pearl at Fashion Week back in September and we haven't let him go since!) and I, did a bit of celeb spotting which didn't please Claudia much when she got back ......

as she loves Millie from Made in Chelsea (above) and is of course obsessed with the Pugs owned by both Millie and Brix Smith Start who arrived for Jasper Conran carrying Gladys........

since we got our own Pug, Albert back in November.

I also spotted Laura Bailey looking gorgeous (below).....

and John Rocha but I couldn't get the password off the iphone quick enough for a picture of him, I really need to buy a proper camera!

It was really cold, so a lunchtime coffee, chicken ceasar wrap and a lemon and poppy seed muffin helped to warm us up and refuel .....

but it wasn't long before a light drizzle turned into a heavy downpour which didn't seem to stop T4's Jameela Jamil arriving for John Rocha in a summer dress and Jelly Shoes (Melissa for Vivienne Westwood) and then go on to tweet that she wouldn't be smiling tomorrow when she had pneumonia!  Bless her!  Well if you can't have fun with fashion when you are young, when can you?

My Kind of Street Style: vintage burberry mac, vintage bag and mirror gold LK Bennett heels as worn by Pearl.

By about 4pm we had had enough of being wet and freezing cold, so said goodbye to the cobbles of Somerset House for another 7 months and will watch the rest of the proceedings via Live Stream from the comfort of my sofa, there is only so much excitement a woman of my age can take you know!