Welcome to the wonders that is the Great British summer week – I’m basking (literally) in the glorious weather and have been keeping my beady style eye out for all the latest pieces online that have been ticking my boxes, so I get straight to it giving you more time to get outside and enjoy the sun… oh and maybe a spot of shopping too!
Flip flops are the one of the most decisive fashion items ever, with some thinking they don’t even deserve to be included in fashion. Like them or hate them, I just can’t get enough of these summer staples; in particular Havaianas – I must of had over ten pairs and you’re likely to see me living in them over the summer. Add a bit of a gold and i’m sold and these Havainas You Metallic Flip Flop are great for being just that little bit different.
There’s a reason why this is a want list and not a need list, because no one could try and explain why I could ever need yet another pair of sunglasses but I just can’t stop lusting after the Ray-Ban gold aviator flash blue polarised lens. I’ve developed a real love for polarised lens and these have that grown up yet fun feel – I have a sneaky feeling I’ll struggle to resist next time I’m passing through duty free.
I’m pretty fussy about my perfume especially in the summer as scents are elevated, I have my Mum to thank for putting me on to the Prodigieux Le Parfum by Nuxe – it has a warm scent that reminds me of hot sand at the end of a day on the beach, which until I can spend every single day on a beach, this is the next best thing.
This week’s luxe want is thanks to the beauty that is the Gucci Pleated Lamé Midi Skirt – yes I know it’s small change from a £1000 but look at it! From high street to high society, this skirt has it all – now just to convince myself (and my bank balance!) that this is a fiscally sound investment!
Back to the high street with a stylish bang is this Stripe Ruffle Wrap Dress from Topshop, it’s simple lines and cut make it one of those wardrobe heroes that will deliver time and time again.
One of the biggest summer fashion conundrums for me is trying to interpret the top trends, I NEED to wear a bra and if I’m honest strapless bras aren’t ideal for everyday wear so this tie back polin blouse from M&S ticks all the trend boxes and lets me wear a normal bra, making it a must in my books.
And because no one wants a ball of frizz on their head when they blow dry their hair in this heat, say hello to a summer hair staple: dry shampoo. Ordinarily I’m not the biggest fan of dry shampoo the rest of the year as over use can cause damage to your hair but this weather is perfect for a quick spruce and saves you constantly washing it! The Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo for dark tones is super soft on your hair and doesn’t create a product build up which is always good.
Happy Wanting!
Packing For Me With Kaleidoscope
One of the biggest perks of being a travel blogger is that the call to pack a bag and head off on our travels – meaning I’ve got the whole packing thing down. However as most parents will know, once you have a child the focus of a holiday wardrobe shifts focus from you to the children. I lost count of how many beautiful summer dresses I’ve bought for Boo this spring and yet somehow I always seem to forget that I need clothes!
Kaleidoscope know me and my busy life all too well so asked me to take some time out and pick my favourite key summer holiday pieces from their latest collection in a bid to help me pack for me. The key is to always have pieces prepped and to hand ready to pack; it never takes me longer than 5-10 minutes to pack for a trip. The reality is that whilst I may be a super organised traveller it also comes down to the fact that as a busy mum I simply don’t have time. I need a holiday wardrobe that is made up of grab and go pieces that are versatile, practical and stylish.
A swimsuit is the best place to start when putting together your holiday look and this show stopping tie front halter-neck swimsuit in colour of the season: orange was a style no brainer. The tie front is a great solution for the bigger boobed of us and the one piece is practical for splashing round in the water and chasing Boo up and down the beach (who else classes this as cardio on holiday?!) Yet I wouldn’t feel out of place at a roof top pool party sans Boo.
Holiday starts at the airport – well for us at least, so what I wear to travel has to be three things: comfy, stylish and versatile as very often we take off from chilly London and (hopefully) land in much warmer climes. A soft denim dress is a holiday style staple and this one from Kaleidoscope is soft that I can see me wearing this all over the world and extra practicality bonus points for not being too short so perfect for playing sleep tetris with Boo while we both nap on the plane.
Talking of plane seat tetris, holidaying with Boo means I spend a lot of time running round as we make the most of our adventures exploring every minute we can, so as much as I would like to say that my summer wardrobe is entirely style eld would be doing a disservice to busy mums everywhere. I would never have imagined me to pick a patterned playsuit, but in reality this is a great holiday staple – the pattern works in its favour to help elevate it from a frumpy to summer statement and the oversized side pleats on the legs help to balance out a top heavy figure.
No holiday capsule wardrobe is complete without a pair of shoes – I can’t remember the last time I packed heels for a summer getaway, for me it’s all about style and comfort coming together and a pair of statement espadrilles is the perfect finishing touch to any outfit. I love these Ribbon Detail Espadrilles – they are the perfect example of how you can go from airport to holiday destination without changing, ad the ribbon detail makes then great for the evenings too. They do however come up rather small, so my advice is to size up for the perfect fit.
There you have my capsule summer holiday wardrobe for the busy mum. You don’t have to become a slave to fashion and start lugging round ridiculously heavy suitcases to keep your style cool this summer, it’s all putting together key pieces that suit you and your destination all the while being able to partake in an impromptu skipping competition along the beach, like I do with Boo.
Disclosure: Kaleidoscope gifted me a selection of clothing for the purpose of this review.
Instagram stores for your last-minute holiday buys | AD
You can’t beat online shopping for last-minute holiday purchases – with offers, next-day deliveries and easy free returns, it’s one of the most convenient ways to get our wardrobes ready without hours and hours trawling the shops. What you may not know, is there’s a load of Instagram stores that can make it even easier – you can shop when you’re scrolling. Here are our top Instagram stores to try.
Pool Party UK
For Pool Party UK, it’s all about swimwear. There’s super-cute slogan swimsuits to suit any mood and any holiday – our faves? ‘I’d rather be a mermaid’, ‘Heart breaker’ and of course ‘Cocktails’. If you don’t see the message you want – you can custom make one for you and your squad!
KJ Style Boutique
Up the holiday glam factor with KJ Style boutique. Their clothes are all about flaunting your curves – with body-cons, cut-out maxis and co-ords for days. Their collection help you to show off the summer bod you worked so hard for – in the hottest possible way!
Motel Motel Swim
A sub-brand of Motel Rocks, Motel Swim has some of the cutest bikinis on the market – and there’s something to suit every girl’s shape and style. From daring cut-outs to vintage style one pieces, and everything in between, you are spoilt for choice on your holiday swimwear.
Sonya Bee Boutique
Sonya Bee’s Boutique will help you keep your holiday look stylish and on-trend without the hefty price tag. There’s tailored pants, draped maxis for holiday parties, and cropped sweatshirts for summer nights. They have only a few key pieces on sale but trust us, you’re going to want them all…
Research provided by DLM, letterbox distribution company.
Disclosure: A fee was received for this post.
Kaleidoscope AW17 Home Preview
Kaleidoscope are a brand that most of you will have come across in the past but as it’s transitioned from 90s to purse friendly e-tailer, their style has like their online presence has gone from strength to strength. Riding the elevator up to the penthouse at St Martin’s Lane Hotel I was hoping that I wouldn’t be confronted with festive home fashions – as a blogger you try your hardest to delay the onslaught of premature Christmas because once it starts you know it won’t stop until the main man has delivered the presents under the tree.
The Kaleidoscope AW 17 press preview couldn’t have been further from garish festivities and predictable winter trends. I was greeted by the living area trends which include small accent pieces of furniture that have been designed to be space conscious allowing the eye to flow as much as possible.
Kaleidoscope focuses on key décor pieces and small furniture that can be incorporated into your existing home style at home. For each theme throughout the seasons there are standout pieces that will set the tone for your room and for those of you like me who have a consistent style throughout your home (aka white white and more white) they have key pieces that allow you to softly introduce and incorporate key trends without giving way to masses of seasonal change and maintaining your home’s distinctive style.
I love this living room set up, the clean lines and modern framework are the perfect canvas for family life that is still stylish while being practical. My absolute standout piece of the whole AW17 collection has to be the grey SOHO armchair, at only £275 it’s one of the best priced accent chairs on the market and would be the perfect finishing touch to my living room…
Autumn winter sees the return of layered textures at Kaleidoscope but without the same old pieces, striking the balance between comfort and opulence with their soft furnishings collection for living areas, bedrooms and even bathrooms.
Christmas bling grown up style, these gold finished cutlery by Viners are dishwasher safe; I repeat they are dishwasher safe -no more having to chose between practicality and dinner table bling and whilst they can be styled up for an opulent festive setting, they’re also just at home in your home on a casual date night dinner anytime of the year.
Alongside their classic room set ups, Kaleidoscope also set aside a whole area for a Gin Station – every home should have one! With the largest LSA collection this season there’s a gin glass and cocktail for everyone.
The joys of Kaleidoscope being an online only shopping destination is that preview pieces in their home collection – just like their fashion line – will begin to appear on the website from as early as next month, no more waiting months to get your hands on next season trends.
Kaleidoscope have been slowly but surely repositioning themselves as a serious competitor for the likes of Habitat, Oliver Bonas and the like; they’ve achieved this not with gimmicks, but with consistently improving their home wares offering, each season building on versatile and livable style themes.
So next time you’re looking for those key pieces to add to your home, head to Kaleidoscope – I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the treasures you discover…
Want It Wednesday | 14th June
We seem to have escaped the dreaded rain (for now) so let’s enjoy all the summer we can, while we can…
First up on this week’s want list is this gorgeous ERES Les Essentiels Cachette halter neck swimsuit – I’m normally a blue tone red type of girl but the summer calls for orange reds and I love how a seemingly simple swimsuit can be such a statement piece. Who said choosing a one piece was boring.
My day to day jewellery is pretty low key, a silver B pendant, two pairs of studs, yet it’s been a long time since I wore a bracelet or bangle everyday – this Monica Vinader Linear Diamond Toggle Chain Bracelet is currently on sale and is a great mix of classic and contemporary with just enough understated bling for that polished look.
It’s been a while since I treated myself to a new handbag – a predicament I really must rectify! I stumbled across this Ballet Sommet Medium Carry All and it was a pink love at first sight, there’s something oh so Sketch about it – and yes it may be int he £1000+ bracket but it’s size makes it practical, well that’s my justification and I’m sticking to it.
It’s no secret that dresses are one of my favourite go to pieces, they instantly make an outfit and I’m even more of a fan of dresses like the River Island Light Blue Layer Cami Midi Dress as it can so easily be layered (kind of a must with the British summers!) and works well with both trainers or heels.
Talking of versatile, despite their outlandish clashing of leopard print and neon, the Hula Espadrilles by Air & Grace London are one of those shoes that will go with anything and can easily become this season’s stand out piece for off duty style – and with memory foam cushioning soles, they’ll see you through until the early hours!
I fear my addiction to Chanel may be soon back in full swing, when I was younger I wouldn’t think twice about spending a minimum of a £100 per month on Chanel beauty and skincare; fast forward to motherhood and household bills really should take priority, yet recently I’ve been discovering just how premium Chanel products really are – from effortless to Soleil De Tan Chanel to their limited edition make up ranges – The Rouge Coco Gloss in 714 Caresse and seeing as it’s a limited edition shade I can’t imagine it will be long until I add this to my Chanel collection.
Another premium beauty brand I struggle to resist is Bulgari, I think it has plenty to do with their timeless elegance with some of the simplest ingredients that create a beautiful and lingering scent, the Bulgari Rose Goldea perfume is no exception.
Keeping one eye firmly on the clouds I’m still on the hunt for a waterproof that’s good at keeping out the water while keeping me in with with the style crowd. New Look have some great rain jackets and I spotted this new colour way, yes it may not be a summery bright but it’s neutral tone means it goes with more, winner!
Happy Wanting!
