Throwback to summer - Cottage life at Rievaulx

Possibly my favourite picture of me ever...

With winter really coming in now and the darker nights and colder days taking over I started thinking back to summer. Not the summer just gone, as that was filled with so much craziness it's a bit of a blur, what with all the... erm... baby, but the summer before that. The one that was lovely and calm. The one where I could fit into all of my pretty dresses.

I was between one teaching job and another on summer holidays and I was staying with my parents while I sorted things out and moved onto my new place. As a little treat they had booked a cottage at the tiny area of Rievaulx in North Yorkshire. I went to visit with them there with my husband.

I always thought thatched cottages were cute, but a bit weird and I never really believed they would keep you warm and rain free. Buy it turns out they do as we had a torrential thunder storm while we were there and we were still mega cosy!
 

Because of its cuteness couldn't resist a few shots of me in my lovely kitty dress. I've posted about this dressbefore but it looks so grand with the cottage I felt like sharing. It it's the lily of the valley dress which was such a staple of my wardrobe. I've had this dress for about 3 years I think and I wore if so often. I still think its lasting well, even if I can't quite fit into it riiiiight now.

That is Rievaulx Abbey in the background. The view from the cottage was amazing! And of course being an old village it had a lovely traditional red phonebox!

Have you ever stayed in a cottage? I find I end up loving the cute cottage country life while I visit but I do miss easy access to good shopping.

Outfit:

Dress: Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Clarks

Belt: Primark (stay classy!)

Joules Coast waterproof coat - my new go to for rainy days

I'm not quiet sure where this year is going, it seems like it was Christmas only a few minutes ago not nearly a whole year! I must say I feel pretty disorganised about the whole thing and it doesn't help that as soon as Halloween is out of the way all the Christmas adverts start and at the chocolaty coins and yule logs start to appear. 

Anywho, what I'm trying to say is that were well into our journey through autumn and gosh has the weather changed.

I live right on the coast in Northumberland and it is amazing to be able to get up and see the sea straight in front of us it's true the northern weather can get a bit wild (not that I'd ever like to admit it to my southern friends hehe). As I knew I'd be walking around a lot with either a pram or a baby strapped to me I decided quickly after Elizabeth was born I had to get a really good water proof coat. It's quite difficult to hold an umbrella while pushing a pram so I wanted one that was really weather proof. Wind and rain.

After some thinking I knew I wanted one that was suitable for summer, able to be packed up in the bottom of a changing bag just in case and was also suitable for layering up in winter. There are quite a lot of cheaper plastic PVC coats but I wanted something breathable too so I figured I'd need to pay fair money.

In the end I decided on a fisherman style Coast jacket from Joules as I know their stuff is good quality. It was so hard to choose a colour though - I really did want to get a traditional yellow one as I love that fisherman look but I just didn't think yellow would go with enough of my things (not that this is true). In the end I went with the French Navy as I thought that was more easy to match to outfits.

I ordered my blue Coast coat and it arrived promptly. I wore it of and on throughout August and September but it has really come into it's own as we've moved through October and into November (you can see it here). It was so perfect for summer and it was light and easy to pack away just like I wanted. However I have been wearing it a lot layered over cardigans and dresses so I could keep warm and dry.

 I've always been a little dubious about waterproof clothing but I recently wore it in a very heavy downpour and I can say for sure that it is excellent at keeping you dry.

I love the details of the coat, the fact that the pockets are waterproof too and there are ties that you can easily adjust to keep the hood up. And, oh my gosh, that stripey lining is so classic!

The only problem I have found with this coat is that the box shape that is traditional with this coat is a little snug over the mum tum. I can fasten it up but as a lady that has always been a little round in that area it can be a little bit of a challenge. But it won't take long for that to sort itself out.

In truth although I paid around £75 for the coat (I got it from an official Joules stockist) I have easily got my monies worth because I have worn it so many times. It's not the most vintage looking thing but this style is a classic and the clashing colours you can buy it in can be more of a statement piece. I certainly haven't had any trouble wearing it with lovely retro style dresses. The exact jacket I got is now sold out but they have a variation on it every season so it will always be easy to get your hands on one.

Outfit Details:

Coat: Joules Coast in French Navy, Cardigan: Lindy Bop, Dress: Vivien of Holloway Kitty, Shoes: Office

Do you have any coats that are suitable for a wet and rainy day?

A quiet Halloween hiking with my little pumpkin in Northumberland

Halloween had always been a big deal for me. I've always gone somewhere or done something, whether that be a visit to a comic convention or a night out or a gathering at a friends. But I'm living a quieter life at the moment with the (not so) new baby so this year was a quieter affair.

My parents had booked a holiday cottage for Halloween in Craster, a tiny village on the Northumberland coast. From the cottage you could see Dunstanburgh castle on the hill nearby and there was a lovely cool calm about the place - so relaxing!

We went out for several walks along the coast. When it comes to walking and hiking I'm a bit of a weirdo. Most people wear special trousers and fleeces etc. but I've always been adamant that I can wear a dress. I still have a waterproof coat and a good study pair of boots but if I can't wear a dress, it's not worth doing ;)

Once of my current staples is the Audrey dress by Lindy Bop. The Audrey is one of their more iconic designs and the two I currently wear are made from a I'm thick cotton broadcloth with autumnal florals, one in blue, one in black. What is even better I got them in the crazy summer sale this year so they were only £9 each (they are still on sale in a few small sizes). They have definitely paid for themselves 10 times over as I wear them both all the time! I am also wearing them with a Lindy Bop cardigan which is doing okay, but not fairing half as well at the dresses.

We took the little madam for a walk in her ergobaby carrier which is somehow still comfy after several miles even with a 18lb baby like mine. She was so interested in everything around it was fascinating to watch her watching everything else.

We repeated the walk a few days later and I had the push chair, an interesting experience I'll say, and that is when my mum took that amazing silhouette photograph heading this post. The Sun was just getting low in the sky and the light was so perfect.

This is the most relaxed I've ever spent a Halloween but I must say I rather enjoyed it.

Jennie on Jenny: My New Favourite Skirt from PinUP Girl Couture #JennyJuly

I have always lived the look of a big full skirt and a fitted top, whether that comes in the form of a Dior New Look dress or in the form of a full skirt and t shirt. So it was only natural that I fell in love with the Jenny skirt. Even without seeing one in real life I knew they would be amazing. They come in a vast array of novelty prints and colours with huge gathered skirts that really emphasise the waist to hip ratio.

 

In the last 6^th months or so I have been so obsessed with PUG. No, not little doggies, but Pinup Girl clothing. In particular their Jenny skirt. The skirts are not cheap, retailing at around $100 but after a lot of scrimping and saving I managed to scrape together enough money to try a Jenny skirt from the Magic of Mary Blair Collection.

The design I went for was the commuter skirt which was in a gorgeous olive green with a 60s novelty border print featuring train commuters in shades of black and white. I almost felt like this skirt was designed for me ESPECIALLY given the name ;)

I bought the skirt form UK PUG stockists Deadly is the female who were great, super quick delivery and really well packaged.

Once it arrived I decided to wear it for a picnic with my husband in the park. Much fun and frolicking was had, and I spend a ridiculously large amount of time twirling around and lounging in the grass.

 

Pretending to be a statue... as you do.

Now, shall we discuss the skirt itself?

I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! It is the best skirt ever. I feel really special when I wear it - which utterly amazing given how down I have felt about my figure lately.

It swishes when you walk and it really makes me feel like a 50s siren.

It is really full and made with a very thick brushed cotton, it feels very sumptuous and has an almost shiny, luxurious feeling to it. There is also sooooo much of it, like, yards and yards - totally justifies the price.

Now a lot is made about the sizes of these skirts and the fact that they are small fitting. I ordered and XL and when I measures the waist it was 32 inches. This is what I would expect for a UK 14 so the sizing seemed about right to me.

The thing that I really especially love about this skirt how well it swishes and twirls, I imagine it would be great for dancing too! In fact, here I am mid-twirl, looking like I am about to take off. Lulz...

I have decided that I love this skirt so much that I have even ordered another Jenny in the Italian landscape print. I look forward to showing you that skirt too!

Outfit Details:

Skirt: Pinup Girl

Top: Primark

Shoes: Rocket Originals

Bag: Vintage

Several other bloggers I follow are also obsessed with Jenny skirts like Miss Amy May and Atomic Amber of the British Belles. In fact Miss Amy has even started #JennyJuly so that other Jenny obsessives can showcase their pretties. Check them out if you want to see more of Jenny.

Thrifty Vintage: A summer dirndl skirt and a retro jumper

Wow its warm isn't it! I can't decide whether I love the warm whether because it is a chance for me to experiment with new outfits, or whether I hate it because EVERYTHING is too warm.

One day when it wasn't soooooo hot I decided to wear a new to me dirndl skirt in a cotton gingham check. It has a gorgeous gathered skirt that manages to be full, but also quite flattering. I also love the black lace trim at the bottom of the skirt as it add a bit more to the look of the skirt (I am a bit obsessed with border print skirts and that type of thing so I have been on the look out for anything with a border feature).

The best part though is that it only cost £9 from eBay!

 Also on a side note words cannot describe how pleased I was with my hair in these photos!

I have also discovered a new brand of shoes, I am sure lots of you vintage lovers will know of Rocket Originals, but if you haven't you should check them out. Their shoes are not cheap (between £60-80) but they are made in the UK from old vintage designs. I want all of the pairs in EVERY colour.

Outfit details:

Skirt: Vintage

Shoes: Rocket Originals

Top: Wallis

Necklace: Vintage

 

A trip to Northumberland

It was spring break recently and I took a bit of time off to visit home and a little bit further north too. My family rented a holiday cottage on the Northumberland coast at Bamburgh and my husband and I went to spend the Easter break there too.

Northumberland is such a beautiful part of the country and I am really pleased to say that I recently secured a new job up there and will be moving to the North coast in the Summer. I'm so happy to be returning home, not that I haven't had a lot of fun in the South, but this last year in particular I have missed home so much that I knew I needed to go back (and I thank my lucky stars that my husband feels the same way).

Who wouldn't want to live in the same county as this after all:

The weather leading up to the trip was not exactly spring like so I packed sensible warm clothes. I never expected the weather to come out as well as it did.

The first day was a bit drizzly so my Collectif rain mac (the 3rd of the coats I bought in the sale) came in very handy for a walk on the beach.

That's Bamburgh castle in the background.

I this picture sums up my husband and I so perfectly. Walking along the beach on a dingy evening, wearing totally inappropriate shoes ;)

I also couldn't resist having a go on the big swing!

But then the weather changed, and it was very different. Bright and sunny and... warm even! I feel like I have been in this uber long mild winter so to get some warm sunshine was completely unexpected.

Here is me next to Dunstanburgh castle after a long walk along the nearby bay. It was such a beautiful day I felt like I was in another country.

And back on the beach at sunset.

We also went on a boat trip to the Farne Islands and we saw Grace Darling's lighthouse and a lot of seals.

This is my favourite photo I took on the trip:

This seal was so angry at my Dad for coming to close to it.

We also went to Holy Island on Easter Sunday and again, the weather was beautiful:

And there were birds, lots of birds... including a cute mallard couple. I had no idea that mallards could live by salt water, but I guess this proves it!

I also took one of my favourite vintage dresses with me a nice green floral number that I got in Pickering a few years ago and I found that is is super versatile. It even went with walking boots ;) 

I had a lovely week I really didn't want it to end. 

Did you do anything nice for spring break?

You can always trust Cath Kidston to brighten up a spring day!

 Is it spring yet? Spring and Autumn are my favourite times of year as you don't get the extremes of weather and you can really work on layering. The only problem is that sometimes in those months fashion can get a bit dingy and boring.

With the dregs of my Christmas money I ventured into the Cath Kidston sale and I found this amazing bright floral tea dress and lovely red cardigan. I simply couldn't help my self. Especially when I discovered that the dress had pockets!

I have a couple of Cath Kidston cardigans now and I have to say that I find them to be one of the better fitting styles of cardigans. I find that the yarn is high quality and it doesn't stretch horribly when I inevitably roll the sleeves up and it also is able to be buttoned up fully while also having enough stretch to not hang limp when its open. YEY! Living the cardigan dream!

I continued with the colour theme with some burgundy tights and my vintage moreland boots (that have been so well worn the sole on one of them fell off recently!!).

I decided to wear my vintage camel coat with the dress and cardigan. I think the camel colour is a lovely contrast for the red

What do you think? What brands do you trust for a splash of colour?

Outfit details

Dress: Cath Kidston

Cardigan: Cath Kidston

Shoes: Vintage Morelands

Coat: Vintage

Hat: Accessorize

A post about one of my best charity shop finds to date!!! EEK! A vintage early 60s Harrods dress!

I've been very much neglecting my charity shop duties of late as I've been trying to cut back a little bit and save some money. However I missed my train home a few weeks ago so I decided to have a peek in the local charity shop Hospice in the Weald. This is one of the better charity shops in my area as they have a really good mix of items.

Anywho, I was drawn immediately to a blue sleeve on the dress rail and absolutely delighted to to pull out this 1960s shirt waister dress - in my size!!

Things got better still when I checked inside for labels and found the label saying Harrods. EEP! A lovely dress, true vintage and from Harrods? How could it get any better?!?!

Price tag: £6.

Well how could I not get it...

(On a side note I used Vintage Fashion Guild for label checking - they are an amazingly useful resource for the vintage gal/chap)

The only downside was that it was unlined, however I wore it with a vintage slip and I don't think you would ever know the difference.

All in all I thought it was a delightful find. It is also worth noting that this post was one of the earliest with my freshly coloured hair. I think it goes rather well with the dress and belt!

And one last one with my vintage Laura Ashley coat:

What is your best charity shop find?

Outfit Details:

Dress: Vintage Harrods

Belt: Vintage (from my Nanna)

Scarf: Gift

Coat: Vintage Laura Ashley