Let's greet the new week with a frolic and a shimmy.
I'm joking, I absolutely loathe Mondays but these shots were taken last weekend when times were good and spirits were high. This dress was a charity shop find from a few months ago which jumped out as an obvious festival outfit. Indeed I did take it to Latitude but left in in my secondary stash in the car in case of deluge. I plumped for my trusty old-faithful instead which had served me well for years before for which I feel almost apologetic. Anyway I gave it a wear one warm summer's day and danced in the light.

It's an old school dress, very 90's. Where has it been hiding all this time? I like it's simplicity and easy to wear style, though it's a tad low cut for me so a top underneath makes me feel more comfortable.



Mondays always feel rotten and there's not much chance of escaping that but it does cheer me up if I've got a week of blog posts cued up ready to publish. Sadly, that's not the case although I have the photographs all saved but just need to assemble the content.

Take care,
Sophie

Black tights time again. The warm sunshine getting shut out by cloudy fronts mean the temperatures during the day are penduluming from toasty to cool, to and fro. I had banked on needing my padded denim jacket on top of this but as it turned out I was warm enough without.  This cute vintage style dress is such a bold mini geometric print, I'd say sixties but am notoriously inaccurate. Unfortunately without a belt it looks quite unflattering and even with a belt needs to be monitored. Much as I love the sweet collar it will insist on trying to kick up . This time I popped a turtleneck top underneath as I didn't want to feel the cold.
Cropped orange jumper finally gets a wear. The only thing which irks me bout it are the dropped sleeve seams.
 It's not often I have my outfit pictures taken while wearing my glasses! They match in perfectly.
I had been wearing my dangly earrings but in typical clumsy Sophie style I'd somehow bent over and my handbag strap yanked out and earring, though miraculously it ditched it's backing and came out rather than slicing through my earlobe. I'm probably not going to wear them again for fear.
Take care,
Sophie

I'll raise my hand and admit that usually I'm uncomfortable with asymmetry. There's something creepy about an absence of balance which normally makes me shy away. However, this retro top is one of the very few exceptions to the rule. there is something about it which fills me with excitement but why? Maybe it's the colour - a couple of bold reds, or the cute little sleeves which are a length I don't often wear. Maybe it's the snug turtle neck fit or the large pattern. I don't know for sure but most likely a mix of everything.

My mane is looking really long and wavy in these shots which makes me happy! I toyed with popping a flower in it but decided against it, but soon I will be unable to resist!
The landscape is looking so empty in these shots and it's fascinating how it suddenly springs into life to the extent that in a mere 4 or 5 months the growth will prevent me from standing here unless I battle my way through with a machete. In keeping with an appreciative state of mind, I'm feeling rather fond of the last fading grasses and hollow hemlock stems.
Let's roam wild in the meadow, rustling through the dry grasses and whispering plans for days to come.

Let's roam.
Sophie

What makes pink and grey such great friends? Who knows, but they dance merrily hand in hand. This turtle-neck, retro pink long sleeved knit has been worn over and over this winter. I adore how cosy and comfortable it feels to wear, plus it neatly fits below layers and is easy to sneak a vest beneath on the colder days.
I received some really thoughtful Christmas presents, one of which was this fabulous Hobbs skirt from Kezzie who knows my style so well. The high quality finish makes for a timeless piece so I'm looking forward to wearing this one year after year.
One of my favourite necklaces which I bought on a whim in a charity shop. Sometimes I get really attached to things once I own them.
It's surely only a matter of time until the cold winds drop, the sunshine comes out and renders the requirement for thick tights redundant. Less mud would be lovely too. Galoshes could be making an appearance soon if the forecast is to be believed....
My winter wardrobe has served me well this season but I'm looking forward to delving into next.
Sophie

 I'm so thankful to Alice for sending me this amazing tank top, what a beauty. I am so fond of knitted tanks, they're an essential over winter.

Big bootcut jeans. Uh-huh.

It was either a red top or a blue one underneath, red one. I say top, but it was sold as a tunic but it posed no danger of reaching the hem of this dress. In fact it's tested my patience to the limit really with it's amazing shrinking tactics. Maybe time to wave goodbye to it. The bi-annual wardrobe reshuffle still feels a heck of a long way off, I'd need binoculars to spot it at this range.

In my head it's likely my maternal grandmother wore a dress like this - though maybe longer. The colours are wonderfully retro and the great big buttons don't shy away from vintage styling.

These block-heeled ankle boots are one of my favourite pairs, especially for wearing into town.

Got a shift on.
Sophie

Have a lovely day.
Sophie

Something a little different from me today. It all started with the tights (I'll tell you more about these later). The day was much milder than others lately which took me by surprise as I thought I'd need to dress warmly for a trip into town. I didn't know what to wear, despite my wardrobe being full of clothes, it's always the way. Too much choice I suppose. Black tights it was; then a dress? I found one that I haven't worn for ages but I couldn't get the zip done up so that was a no-no. I didn't really fancy any of the others but I did spy this top which I've been 'saving' (that daft thing when you avoid wearing something because it's too nice) and decided that it would be a good day for this. I was about to wear denim shorts but this faux leather pair sort quite literally fell into my hands while trying to find a vest top and I knew they would be perfect.
From now on in gents you might just want to look at the pictures save I bore you with 'girl talk' about tights.
Putting tights on gives me the fear because I've ruined at least three new pairs just putting them on either by snagging them on a nail (I'm not the best with manicures) or by hoisting too hard and ripping the waistband. Bah! So on this occasion I was careful. The first thing to say is that they fit perfectly, like they were made especially just for me. I didn't know whether to plump for a high or low waistband; the high waistband on these is so comfortable. I'm going high next time too. The band reaches my waist exactly and sits there without any encouragement. This has never happened before and took me by surprise. The band is strong and thick but with no bulk; it's and stitched onto the legs of the tights so there is a join but it's unnoticeable. So the band itself is smooth and doesn't twist round. There are none of those annoying thick stitch bands to the very tops of the leg which sometimes end up on show if you wear short shorts (and looks odd), it's consistent the whole way up to the waistband. I didn't realise there were seams at the toes until I had a look. I couldn't feel them at all and you can't see them when you wear them.
The fabric of the tights themselves is wonderfully stretchy but firm. Zero saggy, baggy, Nora Batty moments. I was impressed and have to concur that these most definitely live up to their claims of being revolutionary tights! Of course, they do cost more than your average pair of off-the-shelf tights. At £22 these are the most expensive tights I've ever worn but I have to quantify that these, to me, are absolutely worth the price tag. The range starts at £19 for the low waistband sheer 30 tights.
I'm just sad that every other pair of tights I wear over winter is going to compare so unfavourably now!
Sophie
Many thanks to Heist for sending me these tights to review. I'm in love.