Friday's Want: ASOS White

ASOS WHITE leather wrap front top here

I have definitely blogged in the past about ASOS WHITE, the premium collection from ASOS which incorporates clean styling with luxurious fabrics in inspired cuts. It's not a brand I shop at full price; I have shopped a piece or two at full price when I've absolutely fallen for it but more often than not I wait for the sale because, as most people know, the ASOS reductions are stellar. The introduction of the 'saved for later' list on the site sees me updating mine to include pretty much the WHITE collection in its entirety; there's rarely a piece I don't covet and grouped in my saved list I can keep an eye on any reductions and also watch to see if my size is selling through.

The piece that really caught my eye from the latest drop was this navy leather tie up top. I thought the leather panels on the front were really unusual, and I like the fact that they're navy blue, not black. I have a leather gilet already, but I find it quite uncomfortable to wear; it's quite chunky and heavy and this one is so sleek; it really feels like something I should have in my wardrobe, (well, this entire outfit is actually!)

The top was priced at £125 which was more than my budget allowed and even when it went into the sale for half price I was still unsure about spending out on it; but today I got an email from ASOS stating that there was a further 20% off all sale items which made this £50. So I treated myself! I hope it's as nice as it looks!

Have you bought from ASOS WHITE label before? What do you think of it?

XO Amie

Simple Satchel

Tan leather satchel from Pieces

I am the absolute worst person at filling a handbag to the point of bursting and then carting around a load of stuff I really don't need, all day long, to the point of giving myself a real pain in the shoulder from toting all but the kitchen sink around with me. The problem lies in the size of the bag; if it's sizeable, it will just be filled, so to combat this and actually just take the essential items that I need with me day to day, I've invested in a simple and chic envelope clutch with an added long strap.

When I first got my hands on this clutch I thought it would be miles too small. It is, by anyone's standard, bijoux; I can just about fit my Moleskine notebook/diary in it and my phone and keys, possibly also a lippy and a credit card holder. Out goes the makeup bag, brimming with products I rarely use; and likewise the oversized wallet, carrying a plethora of cards and out of date vouchers. It's forced me to streamline what I carry around, and my shoulder is thankful for it!

The colour of this clutch is a light tan, which is something that never seems to date and, more importantly, goes with everything. It's made of a soft leather which will get better with age, I haven't wanted to stretch it out too much by cramming it too full but it will stretch with wear; of that I'm sure. I love the simple envelope shape and the chic press stud fastening.

What do you carry in your everyday bag? Would you use a bag like this?

XO Amie

#BrizBlogMeet

Wearing: Pull & Bear dungarees Gap shirt Topshop shoes Pieces bag. Dulcie wears skirt from Dahlia

On Sunday, I spent a delightful afternoon in the company of some wonderful bloggers at the Bristol Blog Meet. Arranged by Emily of Pretty Please and Phil of PhilMcCormick events, I was thrilled to meet up with a couple of my blogger friends, notably the gorgeous Dulcie of La Dulcie Vita and Emily of Emily's Elixir. I also spotted Lyzi from Being Little but I never seem to manage to speak to her for any length of time at blog events! I hope this will change!

The venue was Bristol's Vodka Revolutions which has gone under somewhat of a rebrand since I last visited. In place of the dark, after-hours club decor, chintzy fabrics and potted plants abounded, which sat well next to the mismatched table and chair settings. This is a place in which you could happily enjoy afternoon tea or a bite to eat after an afternoon shopping, without feeling at all as if you were in a nightclub!

The afternoon started with cocktails and nibbles and we were able to network and chat to each other which was lovely. I spoke at length with the ladies from iamsociable and met the creatives behind BritFash Blogs as well as having a good old chinwag with Dulcie about what she'd been up to since I'd last seen her. A raffle followed, with the proceeds going to charity, and Dulcie and I took some time to chat to the Lush representative who was on had to talk through some of the latest product ranges they'd launched. 

Emily closed the afternoon following the raffle with a sweet vote of thanks and then it was off home generously laden down with three goodie bags! Talk about treats! I had such a fantastic afternoon, it flew by and I wished I had been able to talk to a few more of the bloggers there but it was time to say goodbye all too quickly!

I really wasn't sure what to wear for this event, and I ended up deciding on these black dungarees from Pull & Bear that I bought recently. They were £7.99 in the sale and I had wanted to try dungarees for ages but didn't want to spend too much, so they fitted the bill perfectly. I paired them with a white shirt, red lipstick and statement necklace; channeling a bit of Alexa Chung androgyny (in my mind haha) They weren't that comfortable unfortunately; nothing would stay tucked in and the straps kept slipping down, I sort of wished I'd worn a dress by the end! However I think they look good as a statement piece and I had change from a tenner-so can't complain!

Have you been to any good blog meetups recently?

XO Amie

Instagram Week #9

Sunny Selfie // #asseenonme // Nice wheels // Spring sunshine // Breakfast // New music // Daily essentials // #BrizBlogMeet // Outfit post

Last week was so changeable in terms of weather, at the start of the week I was wearing a much lighter weight jacket but by the end my greatcoat had come back out again. I am so sick of winter clothes now, but I am also cold most of the time, so until the weather turns properly, I'll have to make do!

I attended the #BrizBlogMeet on Sunday and it was such a great event; there were so many bloggers there, some whose blogs I read and some who I hadn't heard about before but am now following! I'm actually going to dedicate an entire post to this so keep checking back!

Speaking of posts, I also thought I'd do an updated 'what's in my bag' so that's going to go up soon too. I got this really simple satchel from Pieces, which is just lovely but really, really small; you can't fit hardly anything in it but it's making me streamline what I carry around with me on a daily basis (and is a step up from my Primark dog tote bag!)

Hope you had a good week too!

XO Amie

Textural

Crepe shift dress from Topshop here

I have a Topshop storecard, much to my detriment, which I haven't used in a little while. I recently got a letter from them stating that if I didn't use the card, it would be cancelled as it had been inactive for some time. So of course, this was as good excuse as any to go shopping! (dreadful I know!)

As regular readers will know I've got a real thing for texture. I love luxe fabrics; silks, boiled wool, velvet, jersey. Topshop have had a small capsule dress collection in store made of crepe, which I clapped my eyes on with glee because I love this fabric. I love the feel of it, and the way it hangs and drapes. I wasn't certain about the colour; on the Topshop website this dress is called 'red' but it's a much more vibrant, orange hue. Which suits me, because I don't really ever wear red; it's one colour I've never worn, I'm not sure why, I just don't feel it goes well with my colouring. So I actually prefer the orange! It does come in a lot of other colours, if brights aren't your thing!

This dress cost £45 but it was on offer for £30 which was why I bought it. I think it will look really nice for an evening out with heels and a blazer or dressed down with my chelsea boots. The back zip detail and the dip hem shape make it a little more special, and the fit is so lovely.

Would you wear something like this?

XO Amie

Sports Luxe

Wearing: Primark bomber jacker, River Island faux leather trousers, Primark tee, Kurt Geiger sneakers, Pieces satchel, TK Maxx hat

I never thought I'd ever want to wear anything remotely sporty, especially something like a bomber jacket and trainers at the same time but when I picked up this jacket in Primark last week I did think it might look quite cool with these Kurt Geiger trainers that I got with my Elle magazine discount. Primark is such a bugger of a shop, I only went in to buy some leggings, yet I fell into a shopping vortex and ended up leaving with a jacket, skirt and tee shirt to boot. I originally bought this grey boxy tee to wear for exercising but it's such a nice fit that I've ended up wearing it as daywear! Typical!

I'm still not sure if this is too masculine a look for me but I do like it; it's nice to dress out of your comfort zone a little and I felt I was getting a bit 'uniform' with jeans, jumpers and boots. It's not really warm enough for bare ankles yet but these sneakers demand to be worn just so; I couldn't make them work with socks so I just had to go with it!

 Since I wore these leather trousers during the day here I've become a lot braver with wearing them and suddenly they've become quite a staple of my daily wardrobe. They are a really nice shape and even though they do stretch a bit when I wear them, I like the length especially, I like that River Island do a shorter leg on most of their trousers because these always fit me better.

I think this jacket looks way more expensive than it was (£10) and I love it because it's navy; I did wonder if the leather sleeves would be a bit much with the trousers but I think it just about works. I added the tan satchel and burgundy hat to give a bit more colour and I hope it breaks up all the dark shades a bit; got to love a bit of black and navy, mind you!

XO Amie

Mega Midi

I used to be the highest of high heels sort of girl. 'Mid heel' never existed in my vocab. I couldn't understand the lure of flats and I certainly never wore them; the closest I ever got to a trainer was for dance classes only and even then I much preferred to dance ballroom than street, at least it meant I got to wear a heel! 

I only really began to fully appreciate a mid heel during my late 20's. After injuring my back I found that I could only really wear high heels for a small amount of time before I would be in some pain, so from necessity I began to look at alternatives. I often wear ballet flats but these can almost be as bad; I find a mid heel is the most comfortable heel height over a super stillie or a absolute flattie. But could I find any nice ones? Hardly. You'd think a mid heel range shoe was designed with only the much older ladies in mind, hence, they were never really destined for my wardrobe (I love a granny shoe, let it be known, but it has to be ironic, and preferably vintage!)

And then, a couple of seasons ago, the midi became the go-to height for fashionistas the world over. Suddenly, tottering about in manner of a drunken stilt-walker over the cobbles wasn't the one; it was much more impressive to be able to stride out with aplomb (whoops, mind the poetry!) and a mid heel allowed this to happen beautifully. I purchased a couple of pairs of 'midi's' and suddenly revelled in being able to wear them for 8 hours or more with no pain, not only to my back, but to my feet! This was a revelation! Additionally I felt that a mid heel supplied the look and the feeling of empowerment and sense of purpose that only a heel can deliver. Plus, they look great with everything; from a kicky ankle bashing trouser to a swishy midi skirt (all about the midi) they just work. And hence I've been working them into my shoedrobe ever since.

The two latest pairs on the hitlist? Both from Toppers, which is fast becoming my go-to shoe destination; the bottom pair are styled like loafers and, I must confess, I own them already in brown, but I love the patent black pair too. These are in the sale and they are definitely causing me a quandry: to buy or not? I know they're comfortable (I wear the brown ones a lot) but do I need two of the same shoe? Probably not, to be honest but that logic's never stopped me before!

As for the top pair, well, hello there, seasonal footwear savior. Not a shoe, not a boot, but sitting somewhere in between and with a little cut out and contrasting heel, these are crying out to be worn with a pair of cigarette pants and slouchy knit now, and midi skirt and soft knit tee come the spring. They also come in black and burgundy, and I have them firmly in my sights. 

What do you think of the midi heel?

XO Amie