High Waisted Shorts

I wore this outfit for an evening stroll in Barcelona. I was packing light for our few days away so I brought shoes, bags and a blazer that were versatile. I'm gradually getting better at packing light - the key word being 'gradually'. Love these shorts I picked up in Zara, my only regret is not getting them in another colour also.

On another note, I like the look of a few simple rings but when I got some costumes ones, they went off colour so quickly. I either have a tendancy to wash my hands with the ring on and it goes off colour or I take it off & leave it on the sink & loose it. Am I the only one with this problem? For this reason, I had been looking for a simple reasonably priced ring ring for a while.  Finally I saw what I wanted and  treated myself to this ring on my trip, a simple band from Swarovski. 

Shorts & Blazer; Zara, Top; Oasis, Bag; M&S

Hope you have a lovely week!

Secret Crop Top

We all know how cropped tops crept back into fashion. Even still, I was hesitant at first. When I saw cropped top on the runway and on the high street, although they were often paired with high waisted skirts or trousers, i kept thinking I don't want to flash my belly. When I think of me flashing my midriff, I either think of the beach or when I was a teeny bopper. However, when I saw this striped top in Primark for the bargain price of 5 euro, I thought what have I got to loose. I instantly knew I'd first pair it with this skirt. Firstly I found I wasn't actually flashing the midriff unless I put my hands high in the air and if that happens, it's thankfully the flattering part of your midriff that is exposed. Secondly and probably that best thing about cropped tops and high waisted skirts is that you loose the excess bulk of having a the bottom half of the top under a skirt and avoid having a visible line where the end of your top sits. I know not all trends suit everyone but maybe we should give them a try (even if it's only in the dressing room of a store) before we make up our minds. All in all, I think it works great and by this picture you wouldn't even know it's cropped, it's like my little secret. What do you think? 

Cropped Top; Primark (now sold online at ASOS), Pleated skirt; Riverisland, 

Bag; M&S, Shoes; Office

Tailored on Top

Just a quick hello and hope you're week is off to a good start. The sun was shining here last weekend so I took advantage and got out in the fresh air out at Dollymount Strand where there was a kite surfing festival on. I'll keep this post short and sweet today with my look for dinner with friends Saturday evening. I went for a clean and crisp summer look with a mint green top with collar detail, a simple white blazer and a pair of leather look black jeans to keep it casual. I'm also getting plenty of use out of my new bag as you can see.

Blazer & top; Zara, Leather look jeans; Topshop, Bag & wedges; M&S

Thanks for reading.x

Beauty of Birds

Heading out to catch up with some friends. Going for dressy casual with these printed jeans that have beautiful birds dotted throughout and a simple black blazer. There's a little faux coral leather detail on one shoulder of this coral top. Love the cut on these stilettos. Something very french about them. Finished off the outfit with my new bag. After my Amsterdam trip, I realised I needed a little bag that looks great for both day and night, and went with pretty much everything. I know I was asking for alot in a bag but I'm glad I was picky when searching for one because I found exactly what I was looking for. Tan is the perfect colour as it goes with everything. Sometimes, it really is better holding out to get exactly what you're looking for.

 Blazer; H&M (SS13), Top (SS12) & Jeans (SS13); Zara, Bag; M&S (SS13), Shoes; Aldo

Orange Zest

These photos were taken when I popped home to see my parents. After some play time with my dog (who never gets tired), I brought him for a walk to pick up some bits in the DIY store for some home improvements. I was wearing my brightest blazer. I'm loving orange at the moment, it's just screams summertime don't you think? I also couldn't help but admire the bursts of red among the flowerbeds along the way....slightly mad to think this when looking at flowers but I really want a something in my wardrobe in that vibrant red colour. By the way, these are the most comfortable flats for lots of walking. Let's face it, as cute as some flats are, sometimes really flat shoes hurt your feet right!?

Jumper & jeans; Topshop, shoes & bag; M&S, Sunglasses; Gucci.

Double Jobbing

I don't know about you but lately I'm finding my outfits need to be very versatile and easily tweaked depending on what my day ahead entails. For instance, I'm often in heels in work but briskly walking in flats on my way to work. Catching up with family or friends in heels and then throwing on some flats for a trip to the dog park. On this day, I was wearing heels for half the day and changed into flats when I was going to the dog park with my dog Ollie and walking down to the grocery store. Do you where heels or flats all day long or are you like me and your days often entail a bit of both?

Here my outfit dressed up.......

 ...and dressed down for a trip to the dog park...

...with my dog Ollie.

Top; Zara (sale). Bottoms; H&M (old), blazer; H&M (sp13), Wedges; M&S, flats; Aldo, Bag; M&S

Glimpses of Amsterdam

Here I share some snaps of my trip to Amsterdam I took with my oldest friend Orla. I had such a wonderful time exploring the city. This first picture I was wearing an outfit that was to bring me from day to night as we were literally out all day. I paired this recently purchased skirt with a sporty look top and wore it along with some black tights and black ankle boots.

Everywhere was so picturesque. Many of you will think I'm mad to say this but I even loved the lampposts - they are just so much more appealing to the eye than many of ours back home.

I never thought I'd be cycling in heels. More to the point, I didn't think I could but after our impromtu decision to rent bicycles, I mastered cycling in wedges pretty quickly. These jeans have a pastel pattern to them that didn't show up well in this photo so I will show you them more clearly again soon. My sunglasses very conveniently broke in my bag that very morning so I was blinded for the day as it was quite sunny. Oh well, at least I have an excuse to buy a new pair.

 Baskets were a must for our bags. Note to self for future trips; must buy a rucksack.

I saw so many dogs sitting in baskets over there but usually they were going by too quickly for me to capture with my camera. On my last day, I saw this little cutie waiting patiently outside a shop for it's owner. How adorable is he. The owner came out mid photoshoot and was smiling - I'm convinced she was amused at how adorable I found this site.

First Look: skirt; Zara SP13, Top; H&M SP13.

Second Look: jeans ; Zara SP13, Wedges; M&S, Jacket; Miss Selfridge

Forgotten Gems

Have you ever looked forward to something, planned the outfit in your head and then after all that bother, the night you had planned never happened? This dress was initially bought for New Years Eve but I had come down with a bad flu and I never even got to go out in the end. Then I half forgot about this dress until recently so even though I bought it a few months back, it still felt brand new when I finally wore it. I wore it for my house warming as I had moved moved just recently. The lace was beautiful but what really caught by eye was the shape and fully beaded detail at the neckline. Have you any hidden gems you forgot you had?

 I added some red lippy for a pop of colour.

My recent purchase from H&M as my other black clutch didn't hold much.

All ready for the night ahead and as you can see, I really had that new dress feeling.

Hope you had a lovely weekend.x

Dress; Zara AU13, Shoes; M&S, Clutch; H&M

Mustard & Sparkle

I'm dying to pair this new necklace with a dress on a night out but it the meantime, it adds a nice bit of sparkle to this casual look. I bought this scarf on a whim. I wasn't entirely sure at first if I liked the colour or not but it got my attention. In the end, I decided I liked it - I figured it was a breath of fresh air compared to the dark colour palettes I'm seeing in the shops at the moment. Are you adding any sparkle to your otherwise casual winter looks?

Scarf; Dunnes Stores, Necklace; Accessorize, 

Jumper; Zara, Boots & Bag; M&S, Navy Knitted Blazer; Next.

Bundled Up

I'll definitely be bundling up for the next week since we're having a cold snap. Now I'm so glad I invested in this winter coat from Zara. It's so unbelievably warm. It even kept me warm while standing on the side lines watching my boyfriends match recently on a cold winters evening - now that was the ultimate test of keeping me warm. I'm loving the quilted look at the moment too. Here's me bundled up again to keep warm while on an outing to the dog park with Ollie and Louis. Ollie ablsolutely loves the leaves. He see's them and darts towards them, running through them and chasing any blowing in the wind. It's hilarious to look at. As you can see, they got very mucky which meant it was bath time as soon as I got home!

I've been wearing these boots to death the last month. 

They're just so great for running around in.

I'm convinced Ollie blends in with the leaves!

This bag below has been my favourite side kick recently. 

It fits so much and goes with most outfits.

Wearing my new stars & stripes hat. 

Jacket; Zara, jeans; Topshop, boots,

 bag and cashmere scarf ; all M&S, hat; River Island.

Hope you're having a good week.x

Festive Flapper Fun

Walking down Grafton Street the other day admiring all the christmas lights when these glitzy window displays in Brown Thomas brought me to a halt. I absolutely love their window displays all year round but especially at christmas time. Each year, they never fail to impress me. You can see how much hard work, imagination and detail goes into them. The flapper theme works fantastically and really builds on the anticipation for the upcoming movie release of The Great Gatsby. I really am dying to see the costumes in that film. Here's some quick shots I captured of the windows. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 

You can check out Brown Thomas' christmas window displays from last year on my Festive Fairytale Feeling post. If you've seen any great christmas displays, please drop me the link as I'd love to check them out.

I hope you're getting in the festive spirit. How can you not with displays like these right? x

Deserves an Outing

Rich, dark but warm colours are really catching my eye at the moment and this little gem is no exception. Unfortunately this month I needed to invest in a new HiFi so I had to exercise some self control and just admire this dress from afar. The sleeves to the elbow, the lace panel, deep aubergine colour and very subtle peplum give this piece classical look, while still being on trend at the moment; a combination which makes this piece an investment rather than a seasonal purchase. There's just something so vintage about this that appeals to me. My line of thinking was if I can't give this dress the outing it deserves, the least I can do, was give it the attention it deserves by sharing it with others. You can check out what other colours it comes in here. Have you been admiring anything from afar this month?

(pictures & dress from www.theprettydresscompany.com)

Random Works Of Art

Sometimes you come across creativity you feel compelled to capture. I love this one of Avatar, while the colourful bird with a printed background and I can just see looking great on a t-shirt. I came across these down random streets around Melbourne and Sydney.

Inspiration Materializing

I saw this outfit on Olivia Palermo and just loved the clutch with the cream dress. I thought the clutch just looked like bright pink petals. I was inspired. I wasn't sure at the time how the inspiration would materialize but when I was looking for bits for my room, I came across something that just reminded me of that clutch and colour scheme. 

They were solid coloured pink cushions with petals all over it. I was delighted. I paired it with a decorative cream duvet set to complete the colour scheme and soft look. I love seeing how inspiration materializes into something else. Anything inspiring you lately?

Duvet and Cushions: Homestore & More.