WITH LOVE, FROM PARIS

Photos - Katrina Porter

Paris, the city of love. Such a beautiful city with lots to see, and a lot for free if you are under the age of 26. Thankfully we went a couple of months before my 26th birthday. Even on the Euro star, I was classed as a youth at the grand age of 25. We got free entry to things such as museums including the Louvre, however I did have to pay for an adult ticket to visit the Eiffel Tower. But I made it all the way to the top finally after many failed attempts in the past!  It was another busy day with lots of walking, so again I wanted to wear a nice but practical outfit. As you can see from the photos, it wasn't a clear day. Thankfully it didn't rain. I am the type of girl that packs about 37 different outfits for a weekend away. Come rain, snow, sunshine, the apocalypse ... I am prepared! As well as a few 'just in case' outfits.

I love spring style as I am obsessed with pastel colours. You can mix and match with different colours and it will never look over-powering. My faux fur (always faux, never real!) coat is from Depop. It's a great way to sell unwanted clothes and buy ones for a fraction of the original price. You can recycle clothes and save / earn pennies in the process. My mauve knitted body con dress is defiantly the comfiest dress I own. You can wear it both dressy or casual. Due to the vast amount of walking, I of course went for flat shoes. My feet were still recovering from Disney the previous day so there was no chance of me opting for anything else. Finally I added a statement yellow bag to break up all the pinks and purples while sticking to the light colour scheme. 

COAT - Depop / DRESS - Miss Guided / SHOES - New Look / BAG - River Island

NEW YEAR, NEW COAT

Firstly, happy new year everyone! So for christmas I was given this beautiful coat from River Island. This light weight yet thick coat is perfect for the winter weather. The weather might be miserable but your outfit doesn't have to be. The collar is made out of faux fur (rather go naked than wear fur!) which keeps your neck nice and warm, and therefore there is no need for a scarf. Another thing I love about this coat is that you can wear it opened or closed, for a casual or smart look. For this post I have decided to wear a more casual look with this coat which I would wear to go shopping in the city or to meet up with friends for dinner. 
The jeans in this post are from Topshop and personally I can easily agree that they are the best jeans on the high street. I had previously bought a few pairs from Topshop when I used to work there with my staff discount. After leaving Topshop I didn't want to spend the full £40 on a pair of jeans. I have bought many jeans from other high street stores since and they would easily stretch or would fit tightly around my legs. After donating many pairs of jeans to charity, I have come to the conclusion that Topshop jeans are by far worth the investment, with or without staff discount. Complete this outfit with a grey coloured top and a pair of brown faux suede shoes, then you're ready to hit the shops in the miserable weather.

COAT - River Island / TOP - Topshop / JEANS - Topshop / Boots - Quiz / RINGS - Pandora

IT'S SO FLUFFY

This post showcases some of my favourite garments I received this Christmas. This includes my big faux fur fluffy coat and my chunky ankle boots. These are both from Quiz and were both at such a great price. Not only does the coat keep you cosy but it keeps you so warm even during the coldest of days. There's nothing better than putting this coat on after a long tiring day at work and you know you have a cold dingy walk back to the car. It is just as good as putting your onesie on as soon as you get home. This soft faux fur coat also features two pockets and a button up detail along the middle. 

One thing that I definitely needed this Christmas was good winter ready shoes. After moving back to the countryside a couple of years ago, I have to encounter many wet muddy roads on a regular basis. All my winter shoes that I have purchased previously were not adequate for these conditions as you never encounter muddy roads in London town. These shoes are perfect because they can be easily cleaned, they're thick, water proof have a good stable heel for uneven paths. The chunky heel is always an added benefit as you have already guessed, I'm not exactly tall. Even though I always embrace my height ... or lack of it, a heel always makes me feel that little bit more girly and fabulous. 

COAT - Quiz / TOP - Quiz / TROUSERS - River Island / SHOES - Quiz

BLUE MOSQUE

In this post we visited The Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as the Blue Mosque. It's nickname 'The Blue Mosque' comes from the blue tiles adorning the walls in the interior. Before entering the mosque, we had to put on a headscarf and take off our shoes. Once we had made our way into the mosque, the view was absolutely breath taking. The tiling design in the interior was beautiful and it was something you wouldn't come across often.

Dungarees have been the height of fashion this summer, which have been seen on many celebrities on both sides of the pond. They have been seen in array of colours, lengths and styles. Dungarees are great because they are comfy and can be warn both casually and smartly. As purple is my favourite colour, as soon as I saw these purple dungarees on ASOS (which were also in the sale too for £16) I just had to have them. I decided to wear a plain white t-shirt underneath my dungarees as in Istanbul it is respectable to have shoulders covered. When wearing this outfit at home, I often opt for a vest top rather than t-shirt underneath. To match my white top, I wore my white Vans trainers. Lastly, to complete the outfit, decided to take my red handbag to keep the outfit colourful as well as colour blocking.

 DUNGAREES - ASOS / TOP - River Island / SHOES - Vans / BAG - Lipsy London / SUNGLASSES - Primark

POSTCARD FROM ISTANBUL

This post is a little different to our usual posts. Although we have a passion for fashion, our other desire in life is to travel and see the world. Last year we decided to visit Istanbul in Turkey, the largest European city that stretches across both Europe and Asia. We wanted to explore a destination that had a different culture to what we see in England, because we are always thirsty to learn about aspects of the world you wouldn't see sitting at home. We stayed at a beautiful hotel called Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Istanbul - Old Town. This facility was filled with boutiques, a spa, a gym and we also got a complimentary cookie on arrival. 

During out time in Istanbul we visited many different locations, learning out their history and culture. These places included palaces, mosques, Grand Bazaar as well as crossing over the Bosphorus Bridge to Asia. It was lovely exploring a city that was vastly different to the cities that we have grown up in. Over the next couple of weeks we will be posting photos outside to destinations that we visited. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque and the Beylerbeyi Palace. Hope you enjoy!

HOTEL - Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Istanbul - Old Town

SUMMER FLOWERS

 

 One of the things that I love about the summer months is that you can still dress up for the day time. If you're just going to work or seeing friends, there is no reason that you can't wear a dress and look pretty. This dress that is featured in this post is from Quiz, and is currently in their end of summer sale. Bargin! Floral patterns will always be the height of spring/summer fashion, and as this is a simple skater dress you know it will always be in fashion year in year out. There's nothing worst than buying a garment that goes out of fashion as quick as it came in. When I go shopping for a new outfit, I always think it's worth your while going for something a little simpler so you know you will get your money's worth out of it. 

This gorgeous dress is also perfect to transfer from day to night. All is needed is a simple shoe swap. Comfy ballet flats (as seen in the pictures above) that can be changed with some white, nude or pink heels. Every day-time outfit needs a handbag to store all your daily necessities. This cute little pastel bag is from River Island, and although it does look small, there are numerous compartments to fit everything in. It's your typical Mary Poppins bag.  Due to the floral pattern on the garment, you won't need to add many (if not none) accessories to this outfit. Here I am just wearing my simple Pandora bracelet and rings and I feel that is all that I personally need. I love the fact that you can't look over dressed for the day time in this dress, therefore this is a definite go-to outfit what ever the occasion. If you have that first date or a family BBQ, you are dressing to impress effortlessly.

DRESS - Quiz / SHOES - New Look / BAG - River Island / JEWELRY - Pandora