How to Make the Most of the Space in Your Home

January 19, 2022March 4, 2022 JayneLeave a comment

If your current property is starting to feel a little too small for your needs, but you don’t have the budget to extend it or even move, that doesn’t mean that you have to just carry on as you are. Taking a look around your current space and working out if there is anything that can be adapted to increase the area that you’re working with could uncover a wealth of potential. With this in mind I thought I would share with you five places that don’t always occur to people to be used as a functional living space, but actually can offer a number of different options.

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Fashion and Style

Cosy Autumn Fashion & Celebs Who Are Rocking It

October 24, 2017July 20, 2018 Jayne1 Comment

Although Summer is by far my favourite season, one thing I love about Autumn and Winter is the fashion. Cosy knitted jumpers, jeans and boots are basically my winter uniform, and I’m also a huge fan of oversized knitted dresses which I can team with tights and boots too. I spend a lot of time in and out of the car on a normal day, doing school and nursery runs, gym drop-offs, shopping and all the other errands I run during the day so I tend to wear a padded gilet rather than a full coat as it’s more comfy to drive in and layering high-quality knitwear underneath is a must for keeping my arms warm!

I was thinking about all the celebrity looks that I love for the AW17 season (as well as the state of fashion executive recruitment in 2018) and I thought I’d share a few of them with you for your own inspiration:

Emma Stone Emma Stone Looking Cosy

I’m a huge fan of Emma Stone’s style – she keeps things chic and simple, choosing a jumper with a bold asymmetric print and teams with classic blue jeans and black ankle boots. The camel coat looks amazing on her, especially with her colouring, and the whole outfit looks casual and cosy without sacrificing style.

Katy Holmes Katy Holmes Looking Cosy

Katy Holmes has always had what I would describe as a proper ‘grown up’ sense of style. Her clothes look practical and cosy (apart from the shoes – the tops of my feet feel cold just looking at her!) and on anyone else they might look pretty basic but somehow she makes them pop. I love the combination of knitwear with a leather jacket for the combinations of fabrics and textures.

Lily Collins Lily Collins Looking Cosy

Lily Collins is basically wearing what I spend most of winter and autumn in, here! Large chunky jumpers, skinny jeans and slouchy boots – it’s a personal fave which can be switched up by choosing different colours or difference types of knitwear. Lily has kept it simple, but I also find adding a necklace or bracelets takes the look to the next level.

Olivia Palermo Olivia Palermo Looking Cosy

Given the fact that I was a HUGE fan of The Hills and was OBVIOUSLY #TeamLauren, I find it hard giving props to Olivia Palermo as we ALLLL know what a cow she was to our beloved Lauren, but there’s no denying that she has an incredible sense of style. She always looks sleek and ‘put together’, even when rocking a winter outfit and I absolutely love the button detailing on her military-style trousers, adding a bit of bling to an otherwise low-key look.The addition of the faux fur proves you don’t have to sacrifice style to be cosy.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Looking Cosy

I’m a HUUUGE fan of greys and monochrome looks at the moment, grey is basically MY colour (is it even a colour, though?) so this outfit is really appealing to me. I love the fact that Rosie’s sleeves are long and oversized, letting them peek out of the bottom of her coats sleeves and ripped black jeans are LIFE.

Which celebrity’s style are you loving at the moment? Leave me a comment below!

Fashion and Style

Accessorize in Style: How to Make Your Winter Wardrobe Go from Drab to Fab

September 8, 2017 JayneLeave a comment

Do you think you have to spend a fortune in order to look stylish? Please think again. With the right selection of accessories, anyone can give their wardrobe a much-needed boost. In the name of budget conscious fashionistas everywhere, we are pleased to present a few tricks and tips to add life and interest to your outfits.

Switch up that little black dress

Every girl’s got to have at least one perfect ‘little black dress’ that she can dress up or down any way she likes. Timeless and sleek, your own little black dress can be dressed up with splashes of color via colorful shoes, wrists rife with bangles, and a fabulous tote bag. Dress it down French Riviera style with a printed scarf, sassy espadrille wedges, a cross-body bag, and cat-eye sunglasses, recommend fashion experts at Glamour magazine.

Go for the unexpected

Most girls, when donning a pretty party dress, opt for uncomfortable heels that flatter their legs. Be as bold as you want to be when you pull on a pair of high-end industrial moto boots instead. Heavy lug sole boots can be a surprising fashion accessory, especially when you add flirty boot socks from The Boot Cuff Store.

Never be afraid to shop in any store. Pop into a cheesy mall teen boutique as easily as you would Neiman Marcus, and you’re bound to find all sorts of accessories that work with your oh-so unique style sense. Resale shops, consignment stores, and decidedly un-classy stores like TJ Maxx and Forever 21 offer items that you won’t see on runways yet somehow work perfectly with your wardrobe, advise fashion mavens at Stylecaster magazine.

Go with your own taste, but add a twist that nobody expects. Scrunch long sleeves up your arm, and unbutton one more button. Tuck your boyfriend’s shirt into your most distressed skinny jeans, and wear sneakers to a party where every other girl is barely balancing on stiletto heels. Break the fashion rules, but do so with subtlety. Move with confidence, not arrogance, and for goodness sake, offer an authentic smile every chance you get.

Forget about labels and wear what you like

Any woman who believes that a designer label makes her cool misses the point entirely. Don’t work too hard to be stylish, and always let yourself be a little less ‘done’ than the other women you hang out with. Style is a state of mind, after all. If those super-pricey, red-soled Jimmy Choos pinch your toes and make you wobble when you walk, that is not cool. Wearing a pair of super clunky, uber comfortable combat boots and boot cuffs with your frilly party dress is.

When it comes to style, imagination, and the guts to pull it off matter so much more than anything fashion magazines purport. Wear garments that fit well, keep your clothes in good repair, and don’t be afraid to mix and match items you’ve never worn together before.

Fashion and Style

Styling the New Me

July 24, 2017 Jayne1 Comment

I’m still nowhere near the end of my weightloss journey, but I have lost enough now to notice that many of my clothes are now miles too big. This was okay when the weather was cold and I could just wear belts on the jeans and chuck a hoody on, but now it’s summer again (or at least pretending to be!) I’m finding it a lot harder. A few weeks ago, I decided to get my summer dresses out and all but one of them hung off of me like a potato sack! I’m not keen to to go and spend a fortune on a whole new wardrobe but I think there are probably a few key items that I can buy which won’t look outrageous once I’ve gone down another dress-size or two.

The thing I’m really struggling with though, is HOW to dress. Since gaining weight, I tend to opt for The Mum Uniform which consists of a selection of t-shirts, skinny jeans and cardigans. Every single outfit I wear is some variation on this theme and while I’m not planning to get to a size 10 and suddenly start going out in hotpants, I don’t really know what my style even is anymore. The last time I enjoyed shopping and was even ABLE to shop in non-plus-size shops, I was in my very early twenties, newly married and child-free. Now that I’m a mother of two and in my thirties, I feel quite stumped.

For summer, I reckon maxi dresses are a good bet. Any that I buy now will hopefully be too big by next summer, but I’ve seen lots of people styling maxi dresses with a big belt, or even wearing ones which are really baggy, so I think that could be an investment worth making. They’re ‘girlie’ and summery but don’t bare loads of flesh which makes them ideal for school runs on a hot day.

I have noticed already that shopping is significantly easier JUST from loosing one dress size. Previously, shopping for an 18 meant that there were lots of places I couldn’t shop at all and my body shape made it impossible to find things which suited me. A few weeks ago, I went to a wedding reception and needed a dress. I was DREADING going shopping because it’s usually such an ordeal. I go from shop to shop, getting more upset and frustrated that I either can’t find anything I like or nothing fits me properly.

This time, however, I went to ONE department store, picked up about 5 dresses, tried them on and managed to find something I loved with just one trip to the changing rooms. It was probably the happiest shopping experience I’ve had in over a decade.

From now on, I’m going to try to keep a positive head on when I go shopping as I think it makes it much easier to find something I like, instead of getting into a funk in my head and not wanting to look any further. I may even take the liberty of using a personal shopper to help me find some items that I love at some point in the future!

What’s your shopping style? Have you had a body overhaul which has meant that you’ve needed a new wardrobe? Do leave me a comment below as I’d love to hear from you.

Fashion and Style · Maternity · Pregnancy · Review

Maternity Wear from Zalando

October 23, 2013February 11, 2014 Jayne3 Comments

Today is the first time that I’ve really felt like I have a bump. People have remarked on my shape and I keep insisting it’s mainly just fat, but according to my nearest and dearest I absolutely look pregnant. I’m still wearing a lot of my normal clothes, but it’s getting to a point where I’m having to think about maternity clothes. Luckily, a while ago the lovely people at Zalando gave me the chance to choose some maternity wear from their range. These were my choices:

Mama Licious LEO Jumper – grey – £29.00

Esprit Maternity Slim fit jeans – £50.00

Esprit Maternity Long sleeved top – black – £16.00

Mama Licious TIPPY – Basic T-shirt – white – £10.00

The jumper comes up quite large, so it’s not really an ‘early’ maternity item – it will, however, come into its own once I have an enormous bump and the item itself is actually really good quality and really stylish. Weirdly, the white shirt (which, once you receive is isn’t actually white at all, it’s an off-white with tiny flecks of bright pink and orange in it) is the same brand as the t-shirt and actually comes up tiny in sizing. The XL is supposed to be large enough to fit a size 18, but it was a real squeeze to get it on, even before I has a bump and certainly did not accomodate my bosom!

Positively though, the jeans are amazing – I’ve been wearing them for a couple of weeks because even though I don’t feel like I have a huge bump, I do have that weird internal pressure feeling you get when you’re pregnant and I’m not a fan of the feeling of a waistband pressing into my tummy. The jeans have a brilliant soft panel at the front, as well as elastic pull-in adjusters at the sides of the jeans, which means I can pull them all the way in to wear now, and then let them out as I get gradually bigger. They’re so comfortable, I get the feeling I’ll have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of these jeans when the baby’s about 2 years old!

I love the black long-sleeved t-shirt too; the material is really thick and stretchy and will definitely accommodate a growing bump. It’s perfect for layering (I’ve been wearing it under a gilet, seeing as it’s been so mild for October) and looks great with my jeans and a pair of boots.

Last time I was pregnant, maternity wear seemed frumpy and over-priced, but this time around just 5 short years later, it seems like retailers have really upped their game when it comes to providing for pregnant women – and I for one couldn’t be happier!

Thanks so much to Zalando for the clothes and to you for reading.