Rosie Corriette

Notes from a retired blogger

Category: Uncategorized

  • How To Capture Tuscan Style With To Tuscany

    How To Capture Tuscan Style With To Tuscany

    Italy is one of those destinations that is on everybody’s list; the food, the sights, the people and not forgetting the style. Tuscany in central Italy and in particular the regions capital, Florence is home to some of the world’s most recognisable renaissance pieces; from David’s statue to the Duomo cathedral, the whole region oozes style which makes it no surprise that it’s home to some of the best fashion designers.

    to-tuscany

    Gucci, Pucci, Cavalli are just some of the fashion power houses to have come from Tuscany, making it a must visit for the stylish traveller. Tuscan style is a fusion of the old and the new: the classical elegance of the engines style that has radiated from the Mediterranean destination is brought to modern day life with the constant pushing of fashion boundaries with innovative collection and direction. It’s easy to see why so many visitors to the region are keen to capture Tuscan style.

    To-Tuscany

    My top three tips for capturing Tuscan style are:

    Lightweight Layerinng – the Mediterranean climate means that temperatures can easily top 30C in the summer so comfort is key, (sweat is never a good style choice) always choose light fabrics that are natural, that way you’ll feel as cool as you look.

    Go Big or Go Home – When it comes to sunglasses and hats, you have to embrace the Italian way and go big, the sunny climate makes it important to be sun wise and just like everything else the Tuscan’s do, it’s always got a stylish slant, this is the place to be flamboyant and reach for the statement sunnies and hat!

    Textiles Textiles Textiles – One of the biggest misconceptions of Italian style is that you either have to keep it simple of be loud, the joys of the eclectic style of Tuscany is that you can mix it all up. The prominence of accessories means that you can easily transform the vibe of an outfit by introducing differing textures to give your look an edge that will see you seem at home in the stylish Italian region.

    Tuscany is a vibrant destination, perfect the stylish traveller, with so many style statements in the region from architecture to iconic Pucci prints, there’s a whole world of style ready to discover.

    Have you been to Tuscany? I’d love to hear how you’ve captured Tuscan style?

    Disclosure: This post is a competition entry to win a holiday to Tuscany for four people. No fee was received.

  • Want It Wednesday | 5th July

    Want It Wednesday | 5th July

    Greetings my fellow fashion followers! Welcome to this week’s Want It Wednesday where I mix high street with high fashion to bring you the best of the this week’s wants – and what a mixed bag of treats they are.

    First to make it on the list are the Sarah Ashcroft X N&K All Black Aviators – yes I know there a tad insta trendy but they honestly are a great dupe for a very expensive pair that I can’t justify neglecting the bills for a few months so coming in at less than £40, the Sarah Ashcroft ones seem to be perfect, plus it’s a great way of trying before I commit to the investment purchase late down the line.

    Flamenco trousers remind me oh hot evenings in the summer, I’ve come to accept the fact that whilst they may not be the most flattering cut for my wide hips, I simply can;t resist them, with my love for them being so that I don’t mind adding a little extra – these red wide leg trousers from River Island are a great wearable interpretation of the trend and seem substantial enough to withstand the London underground: because statement trousers shouldn’t be confined to summer dinner dates after dark.

    Ok this next one is technically cheating as I was given this on Saturday night but if like me you’ve been searching for a summery, morally, malibuy red (you get my drift – the impossible to describe shade that is perfect for showing off a tanned face with minimal make up!) As I was heading out the door on an impromptu night out with a friend I said how I didn’t have the right lipstick and is if by magic she pulled out the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick in shade Frambourjoise. Don’t let the shade on the bottle deter you, it’s a great colour and last really well – as they say one woman’s rejects is another woman’s treasure!

    Keeping us with beauty is the Topshop Glow Liquid highlighter in Phoenix; I remember Topshop make up launching many years ago and thinking it was a bit of a gimmick, how could a brand know for their walls of vest tops and low slung jeans (well at least at the beginning of the century!) know what to do when it comes to creating a credible make up range. however fast forward more than a decade and Topshop not only seem to have their finger on the beauty pulse but some may say are helping to form trends and are definitely one of the early adopters of high street make up trends. This highlighter is a great example of this – a fraction of the price of some of it’s pricer competitors but still manages to tick the quality box with great ingredients and fantastic results. I need one of these for metallic cheekbones this summer.

    Kenzo is one of those brands that seemed to be everywhere and now I come across them much less – and not since the Flower fragrance have I considered them a strong contender in the perfume sector. Say hello to Kenzo World Eau de Parfum; pretty packaging aside, it marries peonies and jasmine to create a bold yet feminine floral scent that doesn’t have a whiff of old lady, result!

    I’ve done the classic and upgraded my phone last week to the 7 plus meaning I don’t have any phone covers so am currently waling round clutching it like a tray of dinosaur eggs set to hatch any moment! I need a case, and fast – I had a great iPhone 6 case form iDeal of Sweden and have no doubt that if I picked the Monstera Jungle case by iDeal of Sweden I’d be a safe and stylish phone owner… fingers crossed I sort one out soon.

    Summer means lots of socials for work and I’m really starting to understand the benefits of investment dresses – yes fast, affordable fashion will always have a play in my hear – and wardrobe – but it’s pieces like the Amana Rose Dress by L.K. Bennett that oozes grown up yet paired down sophisticated sexiness which after a week of slumming it in sports luxe for the school run is what I really want.

    I have no words of justification for this Chanel Large Shopping Bag – it’s ludicrously expensive but I love it, never did I think a gloried tweed shopper would turn my head as mac as this bag, but that’s the joy of my never-ending love affair with Chanel, they never fail to surprise and can be relied on to pull it out of the bag!

    Happy Wanting!

  • Want It Wednesday | 28th June

    Want It Wednesday | 28th June

    Greeting my fellow wanters and welcome to this week’s Want It Wednesday – let’s get started on what’s caught my eye this week…

    It’s no secret that I’ve taken to slider life like a teenager to mood swings, I keep trying to pair my black adidas adilette slides in black with every single outfit, but my street style knows no bounds as I want to add the red ones to my collection – plus I’m hoping by next year Boo’s feet will be big enough to wear a matching pair.

    Hopping over forms street style to floral with the yellow floral print shorts form New Look – they remind me of so many pairs of shorts from when I was younger in the nineties and it’s great to see the grunge festival vibe back with a bang. Plus they look like they may withstand the delights that are British summer gales!

    Ignoring the clouds and rain of this week are these oh so Rosie round-frame metal sunglasses by Gucci – I love their fun yet uber chic vibe and they remind us that sunglasses as good as these are for life and not just for British summers 😉

    As I come to the realisation that I have aged fifteen years in the past six (parenting is hard and the equivalent of a youth sucking ghoul) maintaining a great skincare routine; micellar water isn’t a brand new concept in the British market, however it’s long been a face care staple in France and Bioderma is the brand that is industry leading and for me it’s a sign I should try it.

    Floaty versatile shirts are the name of the game with this unpredictable weather and the many hats I have to wear throughout the day. From school run to heading into the city for work I want to look and feel my best. The baby blue tones of the Nuru Schiffley Striped Peplum Shirt by French Connection give the nearly always bland office shirt a feminine twist with knobs on.

    I’m a fan of clean stripes (see above the never ending appreciation of Adidas stripes!) this cotton dress by Mango is perfect for satisfying one of my long standing style obsessions and at nearly 50% off it would seem silly to not add to my growing collection.

    If there’s one shoe that symbolises the style offering of SS17 it would have to be heeled mule. For me it’s the perfect fusion of seventies and nineties fashion that is super wearable plus the heel high doesn’t tend to be ridiculously high so I have a chance of wearing them for more than eight minutes! I tend to favour the cinderella-esque bling as opposed to the boho look and it doesn’t get better than the Jimmy Choo Myla 35 – ballet pink satin mule with crystal piece – words that cannot fail to bring a smile to my face; because why shouldn’t I feel like Cinderella when I’m running for the 8.51 to London Bridge!

    Happy Wanting!

  • School Attendance Prizes: Are They Hazardous to Our Children’s Health?

    School Attendance Prizes: Are They Hazardous to Our Children’s Health?

    I want to start this post off by saying that I have no idea whether Boo’s school hands out prizes for 100% attendance – now that may be that due to her absences we’ve never been privy to the conversation – I don’t know; however the notion of rewarding primary school children for 100% attendance is a topic I’m hearing more and more.

    school-attendance-awards

    If you follow me on social media, you will know that Boo was diagnosed with a nasty case of Scarlet Fever a few months ago – thankfully she made a full recovery and returned to school the following week. That’s three days of school absence to add to her apparent ‘unacceptable’ levels of attendance.

    I was in two minds as to whether to write this… Boo was diagnosed with a nasty case of Scarlet Fever late last night and we're currently knee deep in yet more antibiotics, PoxClin, Piriton and hugs. Now I'm sure lots of you will be thinking 'wow she's ill again' and yes trust me it seems like everything going around Boo will contract with knobs on but I really don't think people understand just how dangerous it is for parents not to follow the confinement period. Now I get that parents are worried about missing a day of work and/or trying to find emergency childcare and also receiving one of the attendance letters from school but when you send your child back to school a day early or worse don't tell them about a rash, virus etc you're putting children like Boo at very real risk. So next time you roll your eyes when the thermometer reads 38.something take a moment to stop and think how your selfish actions could have devastating consequences. We all struggle to juggle but it's children like Boo who are most at risk when parents fail to understand that many childhood illnesses are only mild because of years of careful management within the community… #boothebrave

    A post shared by Rosie Corriette (@rosiecorriette) on

    To imagine that Boo has any say in whether she attends school is utterly ludicrous and if schools are under pressure from the LEAs to improve the magic number of attendance to achieve the elixir that is ‘outstanding’ from OFSTED perhaps they should instead hand out bottles of Prosecco to parents instead of certificates and prizes to children; or is the guilt trip by proxy an intentional tactic by school senior management?

    If we’re to continue with the idea that children respond to be rewarded for something that is out of their control then let’s start rewarding those that haven’t had head lice or chickenpox. We also need to explore the notion that parents will send children in when they have notifiable diseases just to still be int he running for attendance awards. Boo and many other children with lowered immunity are at risk of becoming really ill by such behaviour.

    School policies are very often divisive but when it comes to attendance surely health trumps awards; and serve no purpose rather than to create divisions between children when they should be focusing on creating friendships and having fun.

  • Cheers To Having a Smear

    Cheers To Having a Smear

    I overslept yesterday morning, picked up one of Boo’s friends on the way into school and made it before the bell, had a quick meeting with our headteacher, ran for a bus, caught up with e-mails on the run, stopped for a very late breakfast aka lunch battled a migraine most of the day, picked Boo up from school, cooked dinner – just the usual… oh and I had a smear test.

    For me having a smear is something to be added to a to do list just like a dental appointment or exercise class yet I was astounded to learn that over one million women failed to book in for their smear test when invited last year. Yes you read right, one million women – that equates to 1 in 5 who receive the letter through the post asking them to make an appointment. Any embarrassment should be cast aside – chances are that the majority of women by the age of 25 when called for their first smear test have more than likely gotten naked in front of someone (come on we’re all adults here) yet don’t fancy spreading their legs for a matter of minutes for a nurse to potentially save your life?

    Ok so me whipping off my knickers on a cloudy Thursday morning isn’t up there on my wishlist but neither is dying from cervical cancer so you know… choices! Yes the cervical screening programme has its fault (I for one would like the initial screening age to be lowered to 21) however to be offered an early detection tool like this is key if women are to stand a chance of beating this all consuming female cancer.

    The actual test in tself takes less than five minutes and I barely felt a thing, someone women describe a slight discomfort but that’s it. As I hotfooted it out of the room (I was late for another meeting!) the nurse said I should receive the results within three weeks though the post, and fingers crossed it’ll show no signs of abnormal cells; but if it does the smear test will have given me time and options.

    Smear tests are like voting to me, I don’t care how you do it, just get it done. You owe it to yourself. So raise a glass and say cheers to all the ladies who dropped their knickers this week for a smear test…

    smear-test-uk