I knew that today I would shopping for many hours, so I wanted to find a smartish way to wear my Adidas Stan Smith trainers.

Wide legged trousers with trainers were one option available to me. Wide trousers are a nice change from skinnies - definitely more forgiving on many shapes and with a high (ish) waist they can definitely serve to elongate the legs.  They also gave that smarter element that I was after.

The one thing about them that needs to be right though - in my humble opinion - is the fabric. Whilst suiting fabric can work (if any of you have some suit trousers from your more "corporate" days, dig them out and give them a go) I prefer a ponte jersey fabric. Apart from the fact that ponte is hardwearing and doesn't  crease easily, it is also quite thick, supportive, it has some stretch to it and it is also non scratchy (a very technical term I know!) Nor does it bag or stretch out of shape. Further, it bridges that gap between the corporate and non corporate world in a way that works with trainers.

The pair of trousers that I am wearing were bought from Jigsaw nearly five years ago now and for info, the composition of them is 71% viscose, 24% polyamide and 5% elastane.

It isn't that easy to find wide legged ponte trousers but I think that a good option would be the tailored man pant Me & Em (£118). They are made from "compact stretch ponte" (49% polyester, 48% viscose, 3% elastane) and according to the Me & Em site, they are "Cut to skim the silhouette.....these are the perfect leg elongators."  There are no dry cleaning bills with these either, as they can be washed at 30 degrees.

I realise that these trousers are at the more expensive end of the scale so I will keep my eyes open for less expensive alternatives. GAP normally has some great options for smartish trousers but they are all either skinny or straight at the moment.

Equally I appreciate that smarter trousers and trainers aren't for everyone but I've always worn trainers for reasons other than exercise and have no problem wearing them in all sorts of ways. In fact secretly, and not so secretly, I'm a huge fan of them for comfort because other than flip-flops or boots, there's not that much that I like to walk around in. Apart from crocs but I'm not sure that now is the time, or the place, to go there.

Never, ever again will I wear these flippin' skinny jeans. Although I love the feel of them, they constantly fall down and there's nothing more annoying than having to keep pulling your jeans up. Fortunately my top was long enough not to worry about flashing anything that I shouldn't when bending over - although I had to keep on checking as it felt as though I was. Having said that, they did only cost £10 from Primark which I was happy to pay as I wasn't sure whether they were something out of which I would get a lot of wear. However now that they've proved themselves....it's time to ditch them. How bad is that? It's a good job that clothes don't have feelings.

However, they will soon be replaced. First on my hit list are the waxed skinny jeans from Boden £69. The reviews of these are brilliant and I am very much looking forward to getting a pair of legs that don't look anything like my own! I have to say that the main attraction is the high rise on them - belly warmers here we come!


Alternatively I may give the Mint Velvet coated skinny jeans (£79) a try but to be honest, I never really feel like stripping off to try on jeans when I am out shopping, so perhaps I'll wait and see what the Boden ones are like.


And as for the Primark skinnies - we've had some good times but I will happily wave them farewell.

Now, I should add that I spent hours in the shops today and I have a million ideas for blog posts and even more things to show you all but there just isn't time tonight. However hopefully I will soon be able to do a round up of what's out and about and what caught my eye. I'm gathering from your emails that lots of you have been on shopping missions of your own, so please do feel free to share any gems that you have come across on your travels. Ooooh and our new Whistles opens tomorrow. Look how exciting is this?!!! (It's not a bad pic of the coat either, for anyone who wanted a closer look).

I seem to have so many different projects on the go at the moment that I haven't managed to blog for  a few days. So, I thought that I would bring you all up to date with a 3-in-1 type post.

Over the years I've realised that it doesn't matter how organised you are before the children go back to school, there are still lots of jobs that don't get done, so I purposefully left the labelling (of the iron on variety) until this evening. Happening upon the  cardi of our youngest stuffed in her PE bag and needing a wash wasn't so much part of the plan but not to worry. Oh and I've just been told that one of them needs a stitch in their blazer pocket. I think that a raised eyebrow conveyed my response adequately.

Some of you with eagle eyes may recognised the NW3 purple jumper from the blog sale. It wasn't snapped up so I decided to wear it. I didn't own the trainers, necklace or the t-shirt when I bought it but now they all worked together. So that was one new outfit sorted.


Keeping with the theme of boyfriend jeans, yesterday we took a trip into town to get the requisite school trainers and rugby boots. I think that the prospect of a visit to Sports Direct is what gave me my deathly pallor! Anyway, Stan Smith trainers (which are uber comfortable) with a lace Warehouse top and Boden jacket were fine for that particular little jaunt - which also involved a visit to the Build a Bear Workshop. No visiting the new Whistles store for me. Tomorrow however will be a different story!

I am so going to go there this year! Without a shadow of a doubt, fur, feathers, or sheepskin in muted shades is definitely the way forward. The High Street is going to be packed full of all things furry. Many haven't reached the stores yet so I would advise waiting for a few weeks, seeing what's out there and taking your time - unless of course you get that sudden beat of your heart and come out in a cold sweat because you've fallen in love with a particular coat. In that case, just buy it there and then - there's time for thinking (and possibly returning if needs be) at a later date and chances are, if you don't buy it someone else will. I predict a riot when the Whistles one is released! But for now, here's what's out and about...


Fur jacket from Warehouse (£65) - I love the colour and the length of this jacket. I've had a fur jacket a few years but it's a bit of an in between length, whereas this one is clearly a proper "jacket" length.


I love the simple styling of this Warehouse shot too. It's all very relaxed and not at all how fur coats used to be worn, which was all so glamourous. No, this is much more down to earth and accessible. Once we've got our heads around that idea and made the transition, everything else will fall into place. Skinny jeans, waxed jeans, chunky boots, trainers or skater trainers - that's the way to go with a fur coat.

Jigsaw sheepskin jacket (£395) - This is such a pretty, pale silver grey.  I'm going to road test it as against the man made fibres of the fur coat, for warmth. Jigsaw also do a sheepskin car coat for £995.



You won't be surprised to learn that Zara has a plethora of fur coats. This Zara blue fur coat (£69.99) is also on my list to be tried and twirled in.


You too can do your best Easter chick impression in this yellow Zara short fur coat £69.99. Hello to my friend out there who was after a yellow coat last year and didn't get one. Could this one be for you???


I'm aware that many will feel that a fur coat is just too bulky for their frame and that it risks throwing their proportions out. First of all, there will be some that are lighter weight and less furry than others and some will be more fitted than others, so don't rule them all out.

Secondly, there are also a variety of gilets (or vests as the Americans call them. A vest? I thought that was something you wore under your clothes) which work really well layered over a leather jacket, so you still get the warmth on your arms but without the bulk. I also quite often find that if my core is warm, it matters less what is going on with my arms.

If all of those options fail, look to accessories. This Zara furry clutch bag is a great winter wardrobe pep up and would work well against anything black or navy. There's also a variety of fur hats, scarves, gloves and skater trainers too, so it's still possible to work fur in somewhere along the way.


But back to the jackets. The Zara styling is soooo much better than it used to be. Previously the models looked like they wanted to pack up and go home. Now they may well have had good reason to look like that but it didn't really inspire people to shop in the way they perhaps would have done otherwise.

I like the simplicity of this Zara short fur jacket £69.99. I'll definitely be steering away from black. Maybe not quite to yellow but away from black. There's so much black around in the winter and this is such a great opportunity to break free from it, without looking like Joseph in his technicoloured dream coat. There are plenty of longer fur coats too - but for anyone taking a first foray into fur, the jackets are an easier option.


This what I mean by a vest. Actually it's not what I mean by a vest at all, it's what Zara  means by a vest. (Fur vest £59.99)




As to other options that will be appearing in the stores shortly, there's this coat from New Look for £64 and I've already mentioned the Whistles one which looks like a very pale lilac colour.


So will you or won't you? My instincts tell me that there are plenty who are going "no way" but as the season progresses I suspect that minds may be changed. And I only say that because I suffer from the affliction of being fickle when it come to fashion.

This morning I attended a meeting at the offices of a local modelling agency. We were there to discuss the next event for Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, which is being held in October. It's a great event, the aim of which is to showcase the work of the Jewellery Quarter to the rest of the City.  I love this particular event, not only for the fantastic people and the great atmosphere, but also because it means that I get to style models in lots of fab outfits whilst playing with diamonds and other beautiful jewellery at the same time.

Knowing that it was going to be a day of two halves in terms of activities, I wore the  Pia jersey dress from All Saints for the meeting. It's easy to wear, comfortable and can be dressed up or down. For this meeting some blue heeled Hobbs shoes dressed it up (the leather jacket is good for warmth on slightly colder mornings)...


...and for this afternoon's trip of  "back to school" jobs which included children's haircuts, stationery buying and a trip to the Post Office, blue converse dressed it down. Keeping with the blue theme I also wore a lightweight NW3 blazer which I wore a lot last year - less so this - but it was nice to re-visit an old favourite.

How are those back to school preparations going in your homes? I know that some children have already gone back, some are starting tomorrow and others start next week.  For anyone with children starting new schools, at whatever age, good luck!

This morning I nearly relented. I very nearly relented. Well in fact I did relent because you wouldn't normally find me in a soft play area on a Tuesday morning but no, the thing I nearly relented over was wearing winter boots - albeit pale ones. I found them, was about to put them on and then I thought to myself "you've got all winter to wear these and people will get sick of seeing them, so wear something different." That's the good thing about writing a blog you see, it makes you think about what you're wearing - well that is until some idiot goes and sells it all and then all you're left with is a few pairs of jeans and not much else.

Wearing heels to soft play is good though. It's a bit like wearing them to parent's evening, or the dentist or the doctors. You see you don't have to walk far in them but it gives them a chance to make an appearance and for you to feel that you live a slightly glamourous existence, when nothing could be further from the truth. Of course I don't go in the soft play anymore you understand. Those days are well and truly over. No, instead I act as a PA to our eldest two children, making phone calls to book tickets, get t-shirts for the charity run they're doing delivered, order new school uniform (not strictly within the PA job description, more the "Mother" description really but I'll let it sneak in there for now) fill in forms for school trips etc. But it beats the soft play. ANYTHING beats the soft play!

What I'm wearing:  New Look jeans (still some of my favourites, good rise, good price, like the colour, look a bit wrinkly but that's probably me); GAP t-shirt, Jigsaw jersey jacket (they do these every year and they are fab for this time of year  - now £39 in the sale instead of £49), Hobbs NW3 shoes, ChloBo necklace (thank you Marianna Boutique) and Oushka handbag.

I just want to thank everyone who has contacted me about the items for sale in my blog sale and to let you know that I will get back to you just as soon as I can. I'm away at the moment, back tomorrow, and then I will start going through all of the emails and getting in touch with everyone on an individual basis. The response was so much greater than I ever anticipated and on reflection my timing in posting the sale and then going away perhaps wasn't great but on the other hand, with it being the bank holiday I wouldn't have been able to make that much progress anyway.

We're in Dorset with friends at the moment and today we hopped on a ferry (hence the blown about hair do) to go across to Sandbanks for a look around. Obviously we will be buying there (!)  Today I felt that it was a yellow day. I haven't worn this yellow sequinned striped Whistles jumper for a while now but I liked the idea of it with my Boden knitted biker jacket and with the weather threatening all sorts of things, I needed to cover my bases, so layers were required. In the end the sun shone and all was well with the world.


This is my friend Sal, doing the "alternative" blogging pose. Her husband says that she's helping the police with their enquiries.....

• If you see something that you like, drop me an email at style@bethgoodrham.com with the name of the piece of clothing that you like in the email header;
• I will respond (quite probably on Monday or Tuesday) with an email providing the details of my bank account, together with the postage costs;
• The clothes will be sent out when the pennies have arrived;
• I will aim to send the parcels no more than 3 days after receiving the pennies;
• Goods will be sold on a first come first served basis and will be non-returnable;
• I would love to wrap everything in tissue paper and make it look pretty but I probably won't have time!  
• I've tried hard to provide good photos and to ensure that everything is cleaned and well ironed (although I must admit that I haven't had everything dry cleaned) but if I have failed in this regard, it's really not intentional! 

• All items will be sent second class;
• Postage for items that can be sent as a large letter ie blouses, tops will be £2;
• Postage for items that can be sent as a small parcel ie jeans, knitwear etc up to 1kg will be £3 and up to 2kg, £4
• Postage for items to be sent as a medium parcel will be charged according to Royal Mail second class postal charges (between £5.20 and £28.55!)

LK Bennett burgundy patent shoes, size 38.5 (basically a slightly generous size 5). Brand new, bought for client - original price £115.

One item at £20


LK Bennett ivory cross over 100% silk shirt, size 10 - brand new. £35 in LK Bennett sale. Slight mark on hem at back.

All of the items below are £15



Navy and metallic Oasis swing style jacket, size 8, never worn. Dry clean only. Great for work over dress, with a pencil skirt, or with jeans.



Navy and white 100% cotton, 50's style Dickens and Jones jacket, size 8, machine washable - worn no more than  a couple of times.



All Saints dress size 8 - worn once, good with tanned legs or over leggings.


Jigsaw knee length shift dress size 8. Contains 59% wool but is machine washable at 30 degrees. Hardly worn, great for work.



 Jigsaw knee length printed 100% silk dress, size 8 - dry clean only.

The pieces below are all priced at £10 (well, until you reach the £7.50 category!)


Hush loose knit jumper, XS (but it's very roomy!) Worn a couple of times. Machine washable.



Whistles sequinned top, 100% silk, size 8, dry clean only. Worn once.



Ted Baker floral printed top, size 1 - worn a couple of times. Machine washable. Really pretty colours in this print and it nips in nicely at the waist.



NEXT knee length denim dress, size 8. Worn a couple of times (label now removed as the dress has been washed and ironed.)



Whistles utility trousers with zip detail, size 8. Much prettier blue/green than is shown in the picture.

The pieces below are priced at £7.50, well until you reach the £5 category!


Topshop spotted trousers, 7/8th length, size 10 (not a hugely generous 10 though) machine washable. As worn in a blogging feature in Easy Living Magazine!


Hush ankle length trousers (or slightly above depending on height!) 97% cotton, 3% elastane, size small, which in this style equates to more of a 6/8 rather than an 8/10.


Boden wool mix jumper, size 8, machine washable - good length so good with jeans/skirts etc.


Boden black wool jumper, wool mix, size 8 (same style as above) machine washable.


LK Bennett embellished purple bolero - XS, machine washable - good length to wear with dresses



Gerard Darel 100% silk blue and white printed blouse with belt (can be worn with or without) - size 36; generous size 8. Washes and irons beautifully. Small button missing from one cuff.



Jigsaw silk, modal and cotton top with bow detail, size S. Very forgiving style!


Zara cocoon style top, size small. Lovely with skinny jeans or trousers. Worn once or twice.


Coast printed dress, just above the knee, size 8 (more of a 6/8 I would say). Nice silky fabric, easy to wear.


Jigsaw cropped mohair and nylon black and navy printed jumper, size 8, handwash. Brilliant for layering!


Zara navy and black "fur" sweatshirt style top, size S.




Ted Baker silk backed cardi, size 1. Washing instructions say dry clean only but it's fine on a hand wash cycle in the machine. Slight hole under arm which needs a stitch but this is more to manufacturing process, than wear.



GAP burgundy and camel striped long line 100% cashmere jumper, size XS (size 6 for this) - small hole on lower back. It says dry clean only but I've just washed it, as I do all cashmere, and it's fine. £80 new.



Oasis wool mix dress with laser cut hem detail, size 8, dry clean only.




Zara slim (but not tight, more of a tailored fit) black leopard print trousers, UK 8, wash at 30 degrees. Definitely appeared on the blog when I had a party at home one Christmas!




Topshop navy peg style trousers, size 8.  Pockets trimmed with "leather". Good with either flats or heels.



Coast 100% silk, vest style top with racer back, size S. There are poppers inside on the strap so that a bra strap can be worn without showing. Lovely under a blazer for a night out.



Kew navy boyfriend style cardigan with silver stripe worked through it (94% merino wool, polyester and metallic), size S. Never worn.



Hobbs NW3 purple V-neck wool jumper, cotton, silk and wool, size 6 (but a generous 6). Works well with a higher rise trouser or jean.



Cos fitted cardigan, size small, little frill on the shoulder. Worn only a couple of times.



Zara cream lace top, size S. So pretty and it goes with everything!


All of the items below are priced at £5






Mango navy 100% cotton skirt - above the knee (on me at least). Really comfortable and great with a denim shirt or with a smarter top and heels. Size medium but it fits me so it's more like a small!


Ted Baker navy silky (100% lyocell) top, size 1. Looks much better with a body in it!!



"Pure" cashmere navy tank style knit - size 8, quite fitted. Only worn a couple of times. The top picture is a more accurate reflection of the colour.


Hobbs red bolero style top, size 8 - lovely over work dresses. (There's also a cerise one but it's not shown here. Very similar style.)




GAP cobalt blue relaxed style knit, XS. Looser shape, great with skinny jeans or trousers.



Kingfisher blue 100% silk H&M shirt, machine washable. Worn only a few times but I noticed when ironing it that it's a little thin in places - still has plenty of life left in it though.


Kew 100% linen tunic style top, size S - great on the beach. Comes to top of thigh.




Topshop sequinned double layered top, size 6 - one of my favourites, ever!




Zara pale pink and duck egg blue printed shirt with gold skull buttons, size S.



Monsoon Fusion pink lace top, size 8. Love the colour of this top!


Boden pink fitted t-shirt (not too tight) size 8.



Zara grey poncho/cape style top, size S. Great for the cooler mornings. Worn only a couple of times.


GAP sleeveless cardi, cotton, silk and modal, size XS cost £14.99 in the sale, never worn.



M&S beach cover up, size 8, 100% cotton brand new.



NEXT pale blue chino style trousers, size 8, 100% cotton, worn only a couple of times.


GAP  chino style khaki coloured trousers, 100% cotton, size 8 - again only worn a couple of times.


GAP true straight jeans in a 26/32 - worn in but not worn out!


COS 100% navy cotton top with Peter Pan style collar, size 36.



GAP very fine, soft, cord legging jeans - quite bright blue, 26/32



Grey/lilac GAP top with slight cross over and ruching down one side, size XS but it's not desperately fitted. Nice with a white shirt layered underneath.


Zara silver sparkly shoes, size 5 - but a generous 5!

There are one or two extra pieces which I still need to iron and photograph but I thought that I would get these posted before the bank holiday weekend, so that everyone has a chance to take a good look at them. Have a fabulous break!