Cast your minds back a few weeks to the balmy bank holiday weekend in early May when the bluebells were out in force and the sunshine was beating down from dawn 'til dusk. I wore this new blouse for a little outing to keep my arms and shoulders from getting burned.
It's a beaut from Peacocks and you can still buy it online here but I picked it up in store a few weeks ago when there was a sale on and it's gorgeous floral floatiness combined with the elasticated collar and cuffs just clinched the deal.



I'm still white as a sheet in these shots, though now I'm a couple of shades darker. These days it's frowned upon to get a tan but to my way of thinking a healthy brown glow goes a million miles to making me feel a darn lot better about myself, the world and everything in it. Tan safely.... Through sun block...

Hope you are in a good place.
Take care,
Sophie

I have to share this outfit which is what I wore at the weekend. It's only been captured in selfie form because the light was too low outside (boo).

I'm wearing a dream of a country blouse which is so sweet and would be one I would wear every week if it wasn't far too big. It billows in a notably unflattering way which is a crying shame and if one day soon I'm feeling uncharacteristically optimistic I might attempt a cut-and-shut job on it. This fuchsia jumper is delightfully soft and warm, despite the cut-outs to the neckline and upper arms. It has to be layered in a thoughtful way to get the best out of it. Both these items are recent charity shop finds but look like they were made to be worn together; I'll have to make sure I wear them together again. The plastic Primark pearls were precisely the perfect partner to wear plus my ever faithful green tartan scarf.

Sophie

Blouse and skirt - charity shops, boots - eBay, bracelets, knitted tank and necklace - gifts, tights - Primark.

Good friends are hard to find. I am so lucky to have both "met" and actually met some wonderful friends through blogging and Twitter. It came out of the blue really, when I started blogging it was all rather anonymous. I naturally assumed it would stay that way and yet over the months and years I've grown very attached to people I regularly communicate with and really got to know. This Christmas I was very lucky to be given some thoughtful presents with this knitted Hobbs tank being sent to me by Alice, when I opened the pretty packaging I was so excited to find such a perfectly 'me' item! This is something I will truly get much use out of and will treasure for years to come.

I've definitely found my Autumn/Winter signature style and hopefully it's one I can happily stick to for the coming years with only a few additions now I have so many pieces I can put together. Blouses are my new weakness it seems but it is so difficult to miss out on one that ticks all the boxes. This week I mulled over my shopping habits after prompting from a few different sources, questioning how much I buy, where from and how much for. Pretty much everything is from charity shops these days and mostly sub £5 an item, sometimes considerably below. I probably buy too much. In fact I definitely buy too much, my clothes wont fit in my large wardrobe and yet most of them get worn, some frequently. Parting with any is difficult and I'm often raging that I've got rid of something that I really wish was still in my possession. You can't win. On the plus side, however, my spending is all going to good causes, I'm supporting a wide variety of causes from research into chronic illnesses to supporting the elderly and animal care so even if my shopping is a little over the top, my generosity shouldn't be brought into question. Clear conscience.

Sophie

How do you wear a blouse? Any way you darn well fancy. I heard someone pipe up on Twitter recently that they didn’t now how to wear one and while this baffled me, I think of some items I just wouldn’t know how to wear and so I guess if you’ve never really tried a style of item before it kind of puts you off balance when coming up with an outfit.

My definition of a blouse is it being floppier than a shirt (which I regard as crisp). I tend to wear oversized blouses, which started because when you find something you like in a charity shop it's take it or leave it, but now I like the roominess of a size or two up. If you're in need of a bit of inspiration for how to wear your blouse then here is a montage of mine.

Blouse and a skirt: maxi, midi or mini

Blouse with shorts: hanging out or tucked in

Blouse with jeans or trousers: hanging out or tucked in

Blouse under a tank top

Blouse under a short sleeved or pinafore dress

A blouse under a jumper

Blouse under a coat or leather jacket

Blouse under a velvet or tweed jacket

My personal favourite blouse worn  three ways

How do you wear yours?

Sophie

Jacket – Jaeger via charity shop, blouse - Joules*, jeans and boots – charity shop

When I think about how to describe my personal style the word heritage is one that springs to mind. I'm a girl who really embraces her countryside lifestyle in case you hadn't already noticed and rather relishes a bit of tweed. This classic Shirley creme horse blouse is the perfect for wearing with my favourite jacket along with jeans and riding boots. I tend to prefer a roomy fit so sized up and I feel right at home. The blouse is particularly me; gallopy horses print, optional necktie (you know I can't resist a good bow) and lovely light material. The best thing about a good quality blouse is that it stays just as wearable whenever you choose to give it a whirl, I can see myself still reaching for this beauty in ten years time. I've beome such a convert to blouses over the past few years as they are so easy to wear - a whole post coming up on this very soon!

Incidentally these boots were a find from the great charity shopping trip with Hazel last year and I'm mortified they haen't made an appearance until now. Lovely worn in leather beauties for a fiver, what a find.

I styled it up another way just for the fun of it with my heather knotted tank and trusty JC Eriksons to show you the sleeves and the neat little collar. It gives the blouse a different feel and the necklace adds that little something.

I think this should be the year for investing in some good quality classics. How do you feel about classics?

Sophie

Thanks to Joules for sending me this gorgeous blouse to review. All opinions my own