Styling OTK Boots (& #Passion4Fashion Linkup)

 Sometimes you just want a couple of key pieces to do all the talking, that's how i feel whenever i wear my OTK boots or this peachy jacket. They're kind of outfit makers. Strong items within their own right that take all the attention. And for me, that means easy-peasy dressing; whatever goes underneath is usually super simple. Here for example are my just my trusty skinny jeans and plain black sweater.. It really couldn't get any easier.
When i first got my OTK boots I was really apprehensive about wearing them in the day, to just pop to the shops or on the school run, because they can so easily bring about the old 'Pretty Woman' connotations, with her famous teeny dress and Over The Knee boots. But once i realised how great they are and how comfy they can be, i was fully committed to the OTK trend (Plus you can wear super thick socks under there and nobody is any the wiser.).
It also ties in with the post i wrote on Wednesday about Dressing to Social Norms, and how living in a small town can sometimes be a little bit intimidating to step outside of the 'Normal dress-code' Box.

I don't think i know anyone IRL who has a pair of these, but that doesn't have to mean i dont have to have some now does it? I'm very lucky that a lot of the school mums/friends know me well enough now to know that i do wear some different to your average type clothes, but breaking the stereotyping is a great way to push boundaries and have fun with it!
Yes some people may think, "What the heck is she wearing on her feet?!" But does it really matter?
I think not.
If we all start to except each others differences, starting with clothing, then that, i think, could lead to a very good place. And in a world of turbulence right now, change needs to be embraced and supported.

Ok.. that was deeper than i anticipated for Friday post, LOL!
Apparently I'm on a mission. A mission in my OTK boots ;)
Join me won't you?
Rxx

Full Outfit Details:
OTK Boots
Pink Coat(not many left) Try This
Black Jumper
Leopard Print Scarf
Black Bucket Bag

Pink Fluffy Coat Option

OTK Boot Options

An InLinkz Link-up

Do Social Norms Determine What You Wear?

I recently mentioned on Instagram this exact question after finding myself not wearing certain items of my wardrobe.
Here's what i said:

"Do you ever feel like you can't wear something

 because it's not common practice in your social environment?

I was beginning to feel that way with this faux leather skirt. 

I live in a small welsh countryside town where everyone wears jeans each day and it's very much the norm and generally the done thing..

So I started to put off wearing it in fear of standing out.

Why? Who knows. I labelled it as too fancy for day wear..

But guess what, I wore it today and nobody cared, nobody stared and I bloody well loved it again.

Strange how small town mentality can get in your head sometimes and then you end up putting your own barriers needlessly in the way..

Wear the bloody skirt/dress/leather trousers. Do what makes you happy.. That is all 😁😁😁

*Edit* it's worth noting that I too love a good jeans day, it's more a case of being happy to wear what I like rather than dressing solely to social norms**

So here's the long of it:
I live in a small cluster of towns in the welsh valleys, Beddau, pontyclun,Talbot green Llantrisant are my usual stomping grounds. Small towns surrounded by rolling hills and farms. Its fairly common to be stuck behind a tractor and see multiple persons out and about in jodhpurs and muddy boots, dog walkers dressed up in their warmest wears and funny hats, this is just general town-country life.
But here's the thing. There is very much a 'social norm' when it comes to dressing around these parts.
When you're out and about the general consensus is usually jeans (skinny, bootcut, straight), body warmers or coats and sensible shoes.
Because of this, i find myself dressing down more to fit in to this 'social norm' not wanting to step outside of the non-trend and wear what i actually want to wear.

I seem to have created an invisible line of constriction that I'm unprepared to cross.
But it's nobody's doing but me.

In my mind I have curated lists of commonly acceptable outfits that goes a little something like:
Skinny jeans and sweater = OK
Faux Leather = NO CHANCE
Sensible walking boots= Yes to the norm
OTK boots for day wear = What are you thinking?

...You get the idea

I do this to fit in and blend in fear of standing out, but really  what does it matter? I don't know most of the people i see each day. We are merely passers by in each others life, without a second thought to one another afterwards. Judgement, if passed, is fleeting and really, why should i care?
So why do i restrict myself?
It comes down to the need of approval and security.
But when i really got to thinking about it, the only person it effects is myself, right? So why am i relying on complete strangers approval to vindicate myself?

Dressing each day is my creative outlet, i can't paint, i can't draw. Dressing in what i want is part of who i am.
So wear the damn skirt, rock the OTK boots and wear that red fluffy coat. If it makes you happy.. wear it.


Here are some of the quotes from the lovely Ladies of Instagram


tjvalentineCouldn't agree with you more. I live in a small Cornish village and the dress code is casual to say the least, I feel a bit radical even with a heel let alone leather below the waist but it does the soul good to wear what you like when you like. Enjoy. You always look gorgeous xxx







anothertallstoryHallelujah I hear you sister, living in Weston Super Mud I feel the same about my faux leather mini and keep for nights out and skirts for work but too long have these beauties lingered in the wardrobe, break them out I say x

ankh35bHear, hear 👍. My resolution this year is to wear whatever I have in my wardrobe especially as I still have lots of clothes with labels on, but this year I am determined no matter what the occasion to wear them all 👌

I think it does the soul good to step outside of the box and reminding yourself its ok to not blend in.

It's ok to be a peacock and show those brightly coloured beautiful feathers in all of their majestic glory, whether that be with leather skirts, silver shoes or a bright red furry coat.

Wear what you want. 

Dress in what you love.

After all, as the old saying goes, life isn't a dress rehearsal!

January Love List

January is always a funny old month isn't it. A contradictory month of new beginnings and winter blues all at the same time. The come down after the festive season, and yet the positivity of a fresh start.
But amongst all of it, i have some things that make me happy, new discoveries, old favourites and just some general curiosities...
So here it is, January's Stuff I Love

1. 
Silver Loafers

Yup i fell on to the silver shoe bandwagon that i thought i would otherwise ignore. But no regrets! I have to say i absolutely love them. They act as a neutral so go with everything and anything and they add instant pizzazz to any outfit, which lets face it pizzazz is always welcome! Plus absolute bargain price! Be prepared for lots of outfit posts with these beauties adorning my tootsies.

Options: here, here (which are my pair) and here

2.
Positivity

I'm really trying to radiate positive thoughts this year, much much more than i have before. I find it so easy to fall back in to old negative ways and forget that to have a positive experience you need to put positive thoughts out there. I truly believe in the Law of Attraction (Remember The Secret? It did the rounds a few years ago, remove the cheesiness and basically, that!)Put out in to the world what you want, and we all only ever want positive change don't we? Its just remembering we are worthy and capable of such things. I'm trying to remind myself daily of this with positive quotes (cheers pintrest!).

3. 
Wedding Outfit attire

Yup i have potentially 2 events this year starting in Spring, and so i have started the grand hunt for the  guest attire. I absolutely love these pretty occasion dresses, aren't they lovely? Perfect for weddings etc and they don't cost the earth! I am all about economising where possible, and these are pretty, and kind to my purse, therefore i'm happy, the husbands happy, we're allll happy.

I'm loving all things bardot at the moment. So elegant and chic, a great choice for an occasion dress. Now to go floral or more plain?

4.
Garlands Cowbridge

I love when a cafe offers vegan options and will happily adapt to GF also. Garlands Cowbridge is my new fave haunt. Their soya cappuccinos are delicious, as is their vegan brunch, with spicy beans, hash browns and smashed avocado! They also substituted the bread for more mushrooms for me, which makes them saintly in my eyes :) If you're in the South Wales area i highly recommend. 

5.
Reading and our #GR8BookChat

I love to read, always have, but i do go through phases where i read more than others. But with our Book chat on Instagram (GR8BookChat) i'm reading lots more different genres of books and absolutely love it. January's book was The Dead Wife's Handbook, which we will be having a relaxed chat on IG next Monday, anyone is welcome. We have just posted our 4 choices to the account for everyone to vote what our February book will be!

6. 
Tv: The Good Wife

I know i know, I'm sooo behind with the times its scary, but see above.. i love to read, which means i sometimes don't watch a lot of TV. It has to be a very good series to keep me watching, and i have to say i am really enjoying the strong female role of The Good wife. Julianna Marguiles is a brilliant actress which i remembered from ER, which drew me in to start, i also heard Jeffrey Dean Morgan is also in the series (which i'm not up to yet) which was also another pull for me to watch, because he is also one of my absolute favourite actors..ahem.. not to mention that knee buckling smile of his 😍. SO yes.. so far, very good, to the point where i have to drag myself away from binge watching episode after episode.



So there we have my favourite things in January so far..

What have you enjoyed? Any good TV? The husband and i are looking for a good series to get in to, any recommendations?
And have you purchased anything you've loved?

Frill lace top and Red Glove Shoes ( & #Passion4Fashion Linkup!)

I put this outfit on a few days back and instantly felt the bee's knees. I think its the red shoes, red shoes sure do put a hop in my skip and a spring in my step. Plus they are comfy like no other!
I will be completely honest and say that i was not a fan of the Glove shoe style when they first came out, having worn court shoes for a lot of my Travel agent's days, they reminded me too much of the navy vessels i begrudgingly encased my poor feet in, day after day.
But then I saw these...and thought maybe, for £14, i could give them a whirl. The glove style of the fabric is soft on the foot and the block heel is just the perfect height for daywear-running around and they add that desired pop of red that I do love so very much.
Add in a beautiful lace top which I was gifted for Christmas and i felt like a new woman.The lace top is such a great twist on a classic white top, which I'm always partial to wearing, but this one added a much needed detail and some added interest which i've been craving of late.
I added in my old trusty jeans and black crombie style coat to finish the look and headed on a day date with the husband to the cinema (Assassins Cred..twas good!). It felt good to feel good in an outfit and added a little boost to what had otherwise been a terrible week (Long Story.. onwards and upwards!!)

Have you tried any new styles of late?
How do you add a bit of interest to an outfit?

Outfit Options:
This coat is sublime
These jeans (the last pair on the page.. take a look) would be perfect (and yes i want them so badly)
DKNY red bag
Red Glove shoes also gorgeous in Silver or Black

Lace top options:
Shopbop Lace top offerings

Right : Joie

Middle: Wayf

Left: Endless Rose

Asos Lacey offerings

Right:Vila

Middle: Fashion Union

Left: Asos

An InLinkz Link-up

Hair Jazz Hair growth Shampoo: 6 Week Result

 I wanted to give an update on my experience with Hair Jazz hair growth acceleration shampoo and conditioning treatment as its been approx 6 weeks since I first started using it.

I'll start by saying that its a resounding YES the set definitely did aid in the rapid growth of my hair. From the image below you can see the results are clear and the growth is more than i have ever seen my hair increase in length in such a short time.

Its also worth mentioning that i didn't use the post wash spray lotion religiously. Sometimes i would forget, so for me it was mainly the shampoo and conditioner.

The combination of the shampoo and conditioner worked tremendously well. The thick viscosity of the conditioner feels glorious on the hair and not only did i experience rapid hair growth, but I also noticed the condition of my hair improved vastly too. Usually through winter my hair is dry, wiry and frizzy, where the Hair Jazz treatment from Harmony Life left it so smooth and soft with much, much less breakages also.

6 Week Trial of the Hair Jazz system

The only thing that was slightly off putting was the smell. Its quite a poignant medicinal smell, which if you use product after you wash your hair (gels, hairsprays etc...)  it won't matter to much as other products will mask the scent, and it does wear off as all shampoo scents do. But over Christmas i took a week off from using it just to have nice smelling locks for a change.. crazy i know, but sometimes its nice to have a fresh pretty smell.

However, in the greater scheme of things, if you're looking to accelerate your hair growth this is definitely worth purchasing. My hair was short when i first started, just literally skimming my collar, and i was dreading the awkward in-between length, but thanks to the Hair Jazz set its helped get me through the awkward phase in no time at all and my hair is stronger and healthier for it also!


Are you thinking of growing your hair?  This may just be the product to assist!