Blue flares and beige jumper

My first Autumn/Fall post!

One of the main trends for this A/W is 'cinched' in waists and high waisted trousers or jeans according to the August issue of Vogue. Therefore I am making use of my new high waisted flares from ASOS which I love! They are skinny cut until the ankle and then flare which is especially flattering for taller women as they show some figure while still have the flared look. I used a skinny brown belt to cinch the waist in even more and to add to the slightly 70's look. (I love the 70's look!)

I paired the look with my plain beige jumper - Minimalism is always a big look! I wore my Missoni sunglasses and added fine jewellery. I also used my favourite little ladylike bag with handle.

I hope you like this look,

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

The black felt hat - is everything!

 

If you go down to the woods today...

 

So the other day I visited the local woods for a day out in the sun. I had to cover up so I choose to wear my now beloved paisley MissGuided flares which I showed on an earlier post, as well as my old faithful black top. My favourite piece of the outfit however was my felt hat.

It really is everything this hat, its so stylish, covers you from the sun and occasionally hides a bad hair day (if and when we all have one!). I wore it on this occasion because of the heat!

 

I love that its felt, it will work so well in Autumn (or Fall depending on what you say!) as well as Summer - its so transitional. A straw brimmed hat just would not work as well. I have many straw brimmed hats and they just look nowhere near as good! Also you cannot wear them in Autumn!

 

As the Summer days left are limited its always good to enjoy every moment outside in the fresh air and the woods is a great place! Soon enough we will all be inside for the winter! *sadface. Although that may be sad I have to admit I am excited about the new autumn looks which will be showing on the blog soon!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

 

 

 

 While on our walk we found this little mysterious message! Im not sure what it even says 'what is drawn and ... something?' but we found it stuck to a tree! What an odd little message!

 

My Coffee and Walnut Cake!

So I baked! Yes I don't do it very often! I decided to make a coffee and walnut cake for the first time. I followed a basic Victoria Sponge recipe. This little recipe book seen is my mums and I think its from about the 1970's! Its so vintage I love it!
 So according to my Mums recipe I used 6 Oz (170g) of self raising flour, 4 Oz (113g) of sugar, 6Oz (170g) of Margarine and 3 eggs. I also added tiny amount of milk and a tiny amount of instant made coffee until it was the right consistency and colour.
Its very easy to make, its a basic all-in-one recipe. You mix the margarine and sugar until combined and light and then add in one egg and a small amount of flour at a time until all mixed in. Then add the milk and coffee until it is sort of 'glupy' (yes its obvious im not a professional baker!).

 

I put the mixture into two tins with grease proof paper on the bottom of each. I put them on the lower shelf of the oven at Gas Mark 4 for 25-30 mins. I checked it regularly to see how it was doing - as everyone cant help but to do! I then used a cake tester to make sure it was cooked all the way through and put it on a cooling rack.

I added icing on the top which is made simply by mixing icing sugar and a small amount of coffee and then put walnuts on the top. Its such an easy cake to make and tasted so good, especially as it was coffee which is my all time favourite!

I hope you like the look of this cake as much as I did eating it!

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)

Pastels - Not just for Spring!

 

My outfit today is a go to look for S/S (although summers getting close to being over *sadface). The pastel colours and statement pieces will basically work for years to come because the items never really go out of style.

 

So the outfit is actually another 'skirt-over-dress' look! I wore my lace dress underneath a pretty floral skirt (which I have had ages) because I prefer the dress as a top! I also wore my old faithful denim jacket - you just cannot beat it. Denim Jackets go with literally anything and everything and beat the struggle people in England know all too well in the summer. Its knowing what to wear when often its too cold for bare arms but too hot for cardigans!

 

 On a quick note the image below of me was a trial of new camera equipment and I really liked the 'soft lighted and pretty look' it gave to the portraits! So although you cannot see my dress too well in the image I hope you like it!

 

My nails were painted in this amazing mint colour, it is a polish by Bijois. I got compliments about it all day because its unusual and so striking. I had never actually worn it before because I thought it would be too pale!

 I love the sunglasses I paired with the outfit, they have crystals in a V shape on each arm. They just add to the 'pretty' look created by the pastels. They are by Valentino.

The showstopper piece for me however is my Parfois bag with its landscape print on the front. Its so vibrant and looks similar to the part of Spain where I purchased it from! Its just so unusual and actually one of my favourite bags.

Finally my shoes are 'jelly type' with a slight wedge heel. They look so cute, the only problem is I cannot remember where I purchased them to let you know!

So I hope you enjoy this 'go to' easy look with its pastels and floral's. I honestly think pastels have the ability to make anyone look much younger which is a very good reason to wear them! To really set it off, pair it with bright lips and your good to go!

Jasmine X

(All images are mine, I am in no way associated with brands mentioned)

Paisley MissGuided Flares

 

This week I bought two pairs of flares, these are part one of two! The first are a denim pair which I will show when they arrive. These ones however are paisley printed 70's styled flares. They are really soft and really, really long! They are regular length yet they are long on me! Therefore if your buying them and are quite small I would advise you'll possibly need heels! They are from MissGuided and are now in sale and I would call them the bargain of the century!

 

 I have paired mine with a white cami top which is pain and simple so that all the attention is on my flares. I wore my round sunglasses to add to the 70's vibe. This look would be great for a festival lounging around in the sun on the grass.

 

I plan to wear these flares loads in Spain on my trip there this summer. I think that they will look great both for a daytime look and also for night-time. This is especially true as some nights even in the Mediterranean can be cool. Therefore these would work so well as they are so light and 'floaty'.

 

P.S. the amount of cute butterflies during shooting the pictures was great, so I had to photograph one!

 

 

 For accessories I wore my pearl tipped necklace I featured on an earlier post. I also wore a really amazing ring I bought, which you can get from lots of markets. Its made from lots of little beads in stems. For shoes I am wearing my boho style camel flats which are hidden underneath the very long flares! Finally I'm wearing my 70's retro styled sunglasses as I already mentioned.

Hope you like these flares and if you want a bargain head over to MissGuided where they are on sale!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine, I am in no way associated with brands shown) 

 

The Suede/Suedette Skirt

 The suede skirt (or suedette skirt) is everywhere at the moment. It is just a great piece to write a post on because of its ability to be worn over practically any season! It looks great for summer but can work just as well in winter. The colour also helps to make it a transitional piece, as it can easily be worn with or without black tights!

 

I decided to pair mine with a seventies style patterned 'top'. The 'top' I am wearing is actually a dress which was very cheap from Primark. Its just short enough to be covered by my skirt which I got from New Look. Having the dress underneath the skirt actually 'poofs' out the skirt a little more which is quite good for an A-line skirt. Its also such a great way to wear a dress in more than one way.

 

I have seen a lot of people pair their skirt with black or muted plain colours. I think that it looks great however with a pattern. I don't believe a pattern takes away attention from the skirt and I think it actually adds to the seventies look.

 

 I wore a long beaded necklace tied up with this outfit. Its in matching colours of orange, blue and purple and looks slightly retro to me. I also wore one of my new Seekers of the Sun metallic tattoos from my Glamour Summer Edit Box. It says 'Follow your dreams' that's a nice motto to live by!

My little bag finishes it off, which I just love. Its so ladylike with its little handle and the patent crocodile finish looks really classy as well.

 

 My boots are brown platforms which are so comfy! With being really tall I don't have many occasions where I wear heels so I'm not that used to walking long distances in them! However when I wore this pair walking around in Los Angeles earlier this year, I found them really comfortable and totally ok.

 

I hope this gives you some inspiration to pair your suede skirt with a pattern as well as plain colours.

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine and of me)

The British Seaside...

 

So recently I spent a couple of days at the seaside. It was possibly the best weekend of the year we could of hoped for with regards to the weather. It was so hot and the sun was shining the whole time, which is very unusual! It was really nice to get away and just enjoy the sun and the cobbled streets of quaint little village streets and seaside towns. The little gift shops there are great too. We are lucky in Britain that no one is ever too far away from the seaside. Even in the middle of the country it doesn't take too long to drive to the edge to reach the sea. I think that the seaside is just a great place for photos too, everywhere there are great photo opportunities. I have to mention though that the photos don't do the day justice, the sky was bright blue in real life!

The outfit I choose to wear had to include a seaside theme too, I wore my H&M crab top which I love! It is actually a crop top but I thought the weather was going to be cold so I chose to wear a white top underneath (and a denim jacket over the top) which wasn't really necessary! 

 

 

I also wore sea themed accessories including a peal tipped necklace and a shell bracelet. I decided to go all out on the seaside look. It possibly made me look very 'tourist'y' but who cares!

 

 

Sometimes it is just so nice to get away to somewhere not to far away without the stress of going on a plane etc (Although saying that I cant wait until I go to spain!) and just to enjoy the simple things in life like watching the rolling waves.

I hope you get to enjoy some sunshine this weekend too!

 

Jasmine X

(All images are mine)