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Friday 5 June 2015

Spring time bits and bobs that it's good to have in your wardrobe...



When the weather gets slightly warmer, it's good to swap your jeans for something lighter in weight. Chinos, cargos and utility trousers are the obvious choices but they're not always that different in weight. However these Jigsaw cotton tencel chinos (£79) have are lovely and light and drapey. They are great on a long flight or car journey and unlike linen, which is the other obvious choice for summer trousers, you don't arrive looking like you need a good iron - well at least your trousers don't. (Tummy and face, in my case, are a different matter.)


This post wasn't intended to go down this route but now that I've looked at the trousers, I think I'll talk through the rest of the pieces that I'm wearing in this outfit.

There are a few pieces that can truly be worn pretty much any day of the year but a denim shirt really is one of those pieces. It too is made form tencel and this one is from New Look (£17.99). Next also has a good selection.


I'm still loving tassels in a big way and the bead and tassel necklace that I'm wearing is from Topshop (£12.50). Predictably I was attracted by the pink! I'm also wearing a longer one which was gifted to me last year by Marianna Boutique and it's by ChloBo.


Finally the sunglasses are by Jigsaw (£59). These glasses are quite a statement for me and not something that I would have worn years ago. But I guess that's the one good thing that comes with age - you gain a little more confidence about some things and worry a little less about others.


And then for shoes? Well espadrilles have taken off in a huge way over the last couple of summers and now they're available in sequins, such as these Kurt Geiger espadrilles (£95)


And in print, such as these Margarita espadrilles created in partnership with Liberty from Bibico (£49.99)


And in glitter, such as these New Look lace up espadrilles (£9.99) - which also come in stripes.


New Look has a great range of espadrilles - despite their photos not being up to much when it comes to writing a blog - which is irritating but not irritating enough to put me off going to take a closer look at these sparkly ones next week.

Thursday 4 June 2015

Dressing for a summer occasion in collaboration with Marks & Spencer

To celebrate the online launch of Marks & Spencer's Ultimate Dress Guide and new summer womenswear collection, I was invited by M&S to collaborate with them on a "Dressing for a Summer Occasion" post. The Ultimate Dress Guide offers styling ideas for summer events, from weddings to festivals and incorporates some of the key dress trends for the season.

The brief was to style an outfit tailored for a summer occasion or an event. With a budget of £120 I was to chose a dress as a "hero" piece and the remainder of the budget was to be utilised in accessorising the outfit. 


Although I don't have any weddings to go to or trips to the races planned, I am going to New York for a long weekend and we are going on holiday to the Channel Islands plus I have a summer birthday - so there's plenty of room for a new dress in all of that!

Without really realising it - but this is an approach which I take with most of the clothes that I buy -  I was on the look out for a dress that I could style in lots of different ways and this Autograph sleeveless maxi dress (£52 down from £65) looked like it might just fit the bill. I liked the neat shape of the collar and the neckline, together with the fact that the shoulders were wide enough to accommodate bra straps. Also the slight empire line looked very forgiving and believe me it is. I have done the "standing in front of the mirror sideways test" and breathed both in, and out, as much as I can and you know something? It is impossible to tell the difference. Oh the joy! And oddly, although I steer clear from black during the winter months, I actually quite like it for the summer.


Over the last few summers I have become much more of a hat wearer and this M&S Collection straw fedora hat (£15) worn with the dress and gladiator flats, wouldn't look out of place in a casual setting. Swap it for a big floppy hat, layers of gold and silver bracelets and high wedges and it would be perfect for a wedding.


With all things 70's being such a big trend this summer, and with maxi dresses lending themselves to some styles of shoes more than others, I chose these Limited Edition platform sling back sandals (£28 down from £35). I must admit to having worn them on the school run this morning and they are so comfortable. The berry colour is a lovely colour too, working with lots of darker base colours plus the summer neutrals of cream, white, khaki and pale grey.


And being such a big fan of Lulu Kennedy, I wanted to include one of her pieces in my outfit from her new range Lulu Kennedy for Indigo Collection. Unfortunately the bag is now out of stock online - although it is still in some stores - so I've linked to the rest of Lulu's collection for M&S which has some great pieces in it.


Now I just hope that the weather holds out so that I can wear this outfit. For anyone interested in this dress, I'm wearing a size 8, which is plenty roomy enough - in a good way. It's also double lined which suits me perfectly as I'm not so much of a fan of the "negligee during the day" look!


Monday 1 June 2015

Don't dress for the season, dress for the weather....I'm trying, really I am.


"Don't dress for the season, dress for the weather" were the wise words imparted to me by the lady who works on the returns counter in our M&S. She's lovely and we have some great chats, all of which somehow seem to involve the size of her boobs - at her instigation, not mine. But in fairness they are noteworthy.

Anyway, I got to thinking how right she is. How cold, wet and windy will it have to get before I finally relent and put some socks and a winter coat on, like so many people that I saw today? The trouble is that somehow I just can't bring myself to take that step backwards, which could quite possibly explain how it came to be that today I bought a white sun dress.

So this morning, rather than return to a full on winter coat, I opted for my Jigsaw coatigan (a less stylish name for a piece of clothing I cannot imagine).


Worn with a Topshop blouse which I reclaimed from our eldest's wardrobe, GAP trousers and my Topshop shoes to which I appear to be surgically attached at the moment, I was sorted (other than in the playground at drop-off and pick-up when I was freezing). OK I'll admit - maybe I should just go back to a winter coat.


Saturday 30 May 2015

The Topshop all in one utility suit - getting another outing!


This is a very quick ootd post from yesterday when, for ease, I decided to dress like one of our visitors - a toddler.

Boiler suits are great for comfort, warmth and practicality and they go with pretty much everything. I've layered an H&M breton top under this utility boiler suit from Topshop (which I'm sorry to say I can't find a link for any more) and put it with Next pointed loafers (£60) for an easy look.

Excuse the terrible photo and the awful light - great shadow of our son though who was taking the photo and pulling ridiculous faces, hence my ridiculous grin. Hope that you are all having a fabulous weekend.

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Featuring the perfect shirt dress - the Claudette dress by Allium B in a bespoke Liberty print...






Many of you will be familiar with the brand Allium B which is run by sisters, Mary and Clare, both of whom previously had successful careers in fashion.

After being convinced that there was a gap in the market for dresses aimed at those ladies who wanted that all important extra length and close attention to detail, in September 2011, Clare and Mary started developing the range. Allium B was launched in March 2012 and has gone from strength to strength in the intervening years.  Nearly three years ago now I interviewed Mary and Clare, asking them about the philosophy behind the brand and for anyone interested, you can read that interview here.

Over the past few summers I have featured Allium B dresses on Style Guile and I have loved wearing them all. I wrote about the Eliza (£95) dress here , the Hannah dress here and the Audrey dress here and when I was asked to feature the Claudette shirt dress (£125), one of Allium B's new styles, I didn't hesitate in saying yes.  A shirt dress is one of those wardrobe workhorses that will serve you well over the years in so many different ways.

The Claudette shirt dress is particularly special because Liberty commissioned a bespoke print especially for Clare and Mary, which has the Allium B flower in the design. And their dresses are now available for sale in the Liberty store, which must be hugely exciting for them.

The Claudette shirt dress comes with a fabric tie belt, three quarter sleeves and lends itself to being styled in a number of ways. Although I have opted for the more obvious dress route, it would work really well as a beach cover up, or as a tunic style top over skinny jeans - either undone or done up.

For anyone who would like to treat themselves to a lovely dress from Allium B, there's a 25% discount available to readers of Style Guile, using the code BESPOKE, which is valid until 20th June.

In the above photos I have styled the dress with a thin gold Reiss belt, Topshop shoes and a Jigsaw bag and sunglasses for quite a modern "City" look. Below I have swapped the bag to a Kausar one and the sparkly sandals are from Aldo, which gives the outfit more of a laid back summer look.






Sunday 24 May 2015

Dare to flare? We're talking cropped kick flares here...

There was a time, not so many years ago, when there was only ONE style of jeans - and they were boot cut. Since then we've seen skinny, boyfriend, girlfriend, wide legged, busted, the return of flares and now, cropped flares.

First off we have Alexa Chung at London Fashion Week back in February  of this year. She's styled hers with the fashion staples of leopard print, sunglasses (in Feb?) and black boots. The look works on Alexa. As to whether many of mere mortals could pull it off, I'm not so sure.


Image taken courtesy of Grazia daily

Except that really she wasn't the first to wear them at all. No, that privilege (although I stand to be corrected) went to Jenna Lyons, who wore them at NY Fashion Week in September 2014. I love how Jenna has styled her kick flares with a cream leather jacket, aviators, a gold bag and courts. For me this is a really fresh and modern way to wear them.


 Image courtesy ofVanessa Jackman

Who What Wear have featured them on Pinterest, styled with a cable knit and converse which demonstrates their versatility. Here they look really laid back and cool.


Although these jeans are classed as cropped girlfriend jeans (Limited at Marks and Spencer £35) they have the same shape as those worn by Alexa and Jenna (note we're on first name terms!!)


Now when I saw them on me, the words "Worzel Gummidge" sprang to mind (it's the hem detail), which is a shame because I really like them but I know that when words spring to my mind, the same words are also likely to spring to Mr SGs mind - and then that would be the end of them.


I have to say that the cable jumper was a fluke and not a copy of the image above, which I found later. No, my inspiration in wearing this jumper was along the lines of "I'm not sure whether I like this. I think that I'll wear it today and then make a decision on it..."

When I was in town on Thursday, I also spotted the Topshop moto girlfriend jeans (£40). I didn't have time to try them but on the mannequin they looked like a cropped flare.


However I think that it's fair to say that they didn't quite translate into such in real life, although for a straight leg cropped jean they are a really good buy and they have a good rise to them.


Don't be put off by Topshop jeans. I don't find them any smaller than any other brand and they're not all low slung. Also, the denim is really thick and supportive - not like that fabric that looks like denim but which feels like a pair of tights when actually on (which Topshop also does in their Jamie jeans). They are great for a petite and taller range too.


And then I got to thinking. I knew that I had a whole stack of boot cut jeans which still fit me but which I don't wear, from two pairs of Seven jeans to Gap long and lean, Gap curvy, Topshop Bessie, Jigsaw and Diesel - any of which I was prepared to have as my victim! So, using the M&S jeans as a template, I measured all of my old pairs against the M&S ones to find the best shape....


Having decided that the GAP curvy were the best shape, I marked the length with chalk...


....and then I started to chop...


So this was the finished result in the first instance. But then I decided that I wanted to wash them and fray the bottom a little, which I planned on doing by putting them in a mesh bag and putting them on a gentle wash. BUT, bless him, Mr SG got there first and washed them and now they're a little more frayed than I thought. They're still drying so I have yet to try them but in the meantime, I also have these on order...


...cropped kick flares from Topshop £38 - just to see how they stack up to the other pairs. If ultimately my home made ones don't work, I'm not fussed at all. It was fun while it lasted!


Has anyone else dared to chop?!

Thursday 21 May 2015

That Cos dress again - you've seen it styled up and now it's styled down plus a treat from & Other Stories...



It was only a few days ago that I featured this Cos dress styled up for a night out. But today looked like it had the potential to be warm and I'm just so desperate to wear a dress or skirt that I decided to brave the early morning cold in anticipation of the rays that were due later on in the day. I wanted to see whether the dress might work OK with flats. Being a longer length it can be tricky to pull flats off but I was prepared to sacrifice style for warmth and comfort.


At this point our eldest was sitting in the car looking at me and waiting for me to take her to her maths GCSE exam. You know when you have a smile on your face but inside your heart is breaking - just like when they go for their injections as babies and you would much rather go through it than putting them through it? Well that's how I felt. Not that I would have been that much use to her I hasten to add. Does anyone else find themselves cleaning the kitchen whilst waiting for the exams to finish? And don't ever let me go into town - I just buy random things that I don't need (although I do take them back!)

Anyway, here's another dress that may feature in the same category as the Cos one in that it has a good length to it, a little bit of a sleeve and it's nipped in at the waist - for those who like that style. You may have already come across it  but if not, this black pom pom dress from & Other Stories (£55), which has been re-styled slightly from last year, is worth taking a look at. It comes up a little on the small size so it may be necessary to size up.


So, has anyone got any gems up their sleeves on the summer dress front? I'm always on the look out for a go anywhere dress for these lovely sunny days that we seem to be having!!

Wednesday 20 May 2015

A date for your diary with Jigsaw and me! (Thursday 4th June from 6.30pm)


After an event that I held with Jigsaw in Birmingham late last year, I am very excited to say that have been invited back to hold another event with the store. For anyone interested in coming along, I will be there chatting about the summer collection, identifying my top picks and offering style advice. It promises to be a great evening with drink, nibbles and gifts and most importantly lots of trying on of clothes, shoes and bags!

If you would like your name added to the guest list please either email me at mail@bethgoodrham.com or call the store on 0121 633 9475. Hope to see lots of you there!

And if anyone is interested in one of my top picks this season, it might just happen to be this pair of Jigsaw Monique City Sandals (£149) which as you have probably gathered, are getting a lot of wear by me this summer.




Look forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday 19 May 2015

An age old formula that works....and a couple of things for when the sun (finally) arrives...



 Whistles Jacket, jeans and scarf, Jigaw bag, Zara boots

You may think from this photo that I'm lacking in inspiration in what to wear, which isn't the case at all. I have lots of ideas of things that I want to show you but yesterday it was just soooooo cold that I had to resort to the age old formula of jeans, boots, a jacket and a scarf. I even put the heating on when I returned from town mid-morning but when Mr SG came back at lunchtime to work from home for the afternoon I was busted and off it went.  Mind you, things are looking up for Thursday and Friday so ladies, slap that fake tan on.

In the meantime here are a couple of things that I spied whilst out and about yesterday which will be great for when the sun finally arrives...

Topshop Slides (£40) - you can forget your Birkenstocks, furry or otherwise, and your lace up ballet pumps, these are where it's at right now. I had my first pair of these from my local Freeman Hardy and Willis (showing my age or what?!) and they were a size 13. They were a denim print and I loved them. I have a pink pair of Scholl ones in my wardrobe which I think may well make a re-appearance sometime soon.


You can't beat a good beach dress and this one from Topshop (£35) caught my eye as I passed it yesterday. There was a lovely Michael Kors one in the window of the MK shop but I couldn't bring myself to spend much on something that was only going to end up with sun-tan cream, ice-cream and all manner of splodgy stuff all over it.


This Accessorize beaded chevron clutch bag (£25) on the other hand? Well let's just say it might be wrapped up in tissue paper in a wardrobe not too far from here....


And talking about things in cupboards. I found this in our kitchen cupboard the other day. I should be embarrassed but I'm not - well, only for the fact that we even owned a tin of evaporated milk in the first place. Why would you do that? Condensed milk yes, I get that. That's what's needed for chocolate caramel shortbread but evaporated milk? I have no idea. However thinking about it I was pregnant at the time. Maybe that had something to do with it.


So what do you have lurking at the back of your cupboards - anything of the evaporated milk/scholl shoe variety, or perhaps a new little number for a sunny day? Go on, share them with me!

Monday 18 May 2015

How to style wide legged trousers - and what to do if all else fails....


Whistles jeans and Topshop shoes (current), Topshop jumper and Orla Kiely bag (not so much)

So, let's talk about wide legged trousers. As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman "slippery little suckers." OK so she was talking about snails but the concept is the same - both can be tricky to deal with.


So how to deal with the fact that wide legged trousers do what they say on the tin - namely make us look wider, and quite often shorter too? The shoes can be problematic, unless the trousers are really long, in which case heels solve a whole host of leg shortening problems.

If like this pair of jeans from Whistles (which are now apparently back in stock) they don't require a heel, then a flat with a pointed toe helps to create a nicer silhouette. I still haven't worked out why that is but it works, trust me.

Secondly, a top works better if it's fairly short and fairly fitted. The best ones are generally listed under the term "cropped" on various sites such as Topshop, M&S Limited, ASOS etc but don't be put off by that, not all of them will be designed to flash one's midriff. Failing that, tuck a top in and pull it out a little, or tuck a shirt under and knot it at the front, or even tie a vest or t-shirt at the back. All of those options will give the silhouette that you need.

Thirdly, carry a huge bag, just like this Orla Kiely one. The effect will be twofold - it's something to hide behind and its scale makes you look smaller.

Fourthly, if all else fails, chop the bottom of the trousers off and turn them into something like these Karen Millen culottes which a friend of mine has and which look amazing. Seriously though, that way you can still get a little lower leg on display which helps with the silhouette, it means that you can wear heels too and it's a good use of a piece of clothing that could otherwise sit at the back of the wardrobe. Job done!


Oh dear, now I've convinced myself that I need these too. Perhaps I need to phone a friend.