Autumn Winter 2011 at H&M: buy NOW, wear NOW

The British summer has been, it's fair to say, a bit of a let down. It started well, with a hot April that got us all dreaming of a summer of sun and floaty maxi dresses and denim cut-offs but with May came the disappointing reality of jeans, jumpers and showers. So many of us are now looking towards the autumn collections that are already appearing in stores on the high street for inspiration. Here, I'll take a look at H&M's autumn offerings and how you can make them work now and later in the year too:

A light weight jumper in a bright raspberry is the perfect cover-up for chilly summer evenings - or chilly summer days - and will take you right through to autumn and beyond.

This wraparound dress with draped detail is great for the warmer weather while the patterned lends itself to being teamed with tights and a boyfriend cardigan come the cooler weather.



This imitation suede tunic with cutout detailing is my favourite in the whole Autumn collection for H&M. It can be worn now with a couple of long pendants thrown over and a pair of sandals and teamed with leggings or tights next season and a biker jacket.

Finally, I couldn't resist showing you these two beautiful bags from H&M's autumn collection, aren't they divine?

The large imitation leather handbag on the left is a bargainous £24.99, whilst the bag on the right is a little pricer at £69.99 but is real suede with leather details - and is beautiful too!!

What will you be investing in for autumn? Are you starting now or waiting till summer is over?

Shirt? Check!

This is my preppy look. No doubt about it, when I wore this outfit I felt a little I should have traded my heels for wellington boots and added a Barbour and been out in the countryside. Or alternatively, running in and out of shops on the Kings Road!!*

Super Stylish Sis works for Charles Tyrwhitt and recently went to one of their sample sales and managed to snag this shirt for me - no idea how much it was (it seemed rude to ask unless I was going to offer to pay for it!!!) but the website has some really bargainous offers in the sale.

Do you like the clutch? Do you?!! I am in love *swoon* I have been looking for a leather day-clutch for a while now and when I saw this in the Asos sale I know I just had to have it. Not only that but it's great for this summer's colour block trend too.

I am wearing: Charles Tyrwhitt shirt, H&M jeans, Blink heels (via Spartoo) and Asos clutch.


*Please note - this is not negative but just not my normal style!!

This shirt has been sitting in a bag in the bottom of my wardrobe for a few weeks now and today I decided it was definitely time to get it out.

What Was I Wearing: Saturday Shopping

A couple of week's ago the lovely Hazel of Hazel's World of Joy blogged that she'd ordered a dress from H&M but it didn't suit and so she would give it to the first person to leave a comment on the post. So I left a comment. And a few hours later received an email from Hazel asking for my address. The dress subsequently arrived and yesterday seemed to be the perfect day for its first outing, so I took it shopping:

I think it enjoyed shopping with me!!

I love the strap detail with the three spaghetti straps that tie at the neck to create a halter.

What have you been up to this weekend? After shopping yesterday, I soaked up some sun in a beer garden with the boyfriend. Today has been more sedate, with a quick trip out for a Sunday Roast.

What do you think?

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: H&M Bargain Blue Shoes

How about these beautiful and bargainous blue shoes from H&M for less than £15? Yes please!

Holiday Essentials #2

You might have noticed from my recent holiday snaps that another of my holiday essentials are my denim cut-offs. They are so easy to wear and comfortable.

Here are my picks from around the internet, for whatever budget you might find yourself on:


SAVE:

H&M denim shorts

SPEND:

J Crew denim shorts

SPLURGE:

J Brand denim shorts

What are your holiday essentials?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter! 

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

How to... pack a capsule wardrobe for your holidays

I already told you that I basically lived in my Gap vest, H&M denim cut-offs and Havaianas for the whole of the three days we were in Valencia, but did you believe me? Well, if not, here is the proof. Yes, it is a different colour Gap vest but it is pretty much the same one. This is how I pack a capsule wardrobe for my holidays!!

Do you pack light for your holidays? If so, how do you manage it? If not, who carries your bags?!

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter! 

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

Alright shortie!

Until a couple of years ago I resolutely refused to wear shorts. I think it had something to do with having always had to wear them on summer holidays as a child and feeling the need, as an adult, to rebel against that. Now, though, it is all I want to wear on my holidays. (Mothers really do know best, it would seem!)


This was basically what I lived in for three days in Valenica:

I am wearing: denim cut-offs by H&M, Gap vest (currently on sale), Havaianas and H&M bag.

*These photos were taken at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia.

Is there any item of clothing that you refuse to wear as an adult that you were made to wear when younger?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter!

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: H&M plastic bag

Did anyone else see the Jil Sander Market Bag and kinda wish they could justify spending £90 on what was essentially a plastic bag?

Well, now you can get in on the plastic fantastic action and do your bit for charity, thanks to H&M and their Fashion Against Aids collection:

This bag is bright and summery and yet costs just a fraction of the Jil Sander price tag. Go get yours now for only £9.99!!

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter!

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

SALES SEASON: Best Bargain Buys for your beach holiday from H&M

On Thursday we sorted out your festival wardrobe and yesterday, your summer wedding outfit, today we give you the best bargain beach holiday buys from the H&M sale:

Top row, left to right: Kaftan; Necklace; Dress; and Bangle.

Middle row, left to right: Sunglasses; Flip flops; Bikini; and Dress.

Bottom row, left to right: Wedges; Bikini; Dress; and Bag.

Where are you off on your summer holidays?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter! 

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

How to... Dress on holiday in Ibiza

I know that when my girlfriends and I first booked our little sojourn to the party isle many of us had a little panic over what to pack and turned to the internet for assistance. Now that I have been, I thought I would add my own little bit of wisdom to the pile:

Girls on the beach by Cafe Mambo - photo taken by my friend.

• Beachwear. During the day you will – if you’re anything like us – spend much of your time by the pool or on the beach or somewhere in between the two! Pack your bikinis/tankinis/swimsuits/whatever you prefer. For some a pair of denim hot pants is all that is needed. For others, add a maxi dress/kaftan/cover-up. Personally, I favoured a pair of H&M denim cut-offs and a loose vest.
• Take a hat. For two reasons: 1. It’ll keep your head covered and stop you getting sun stroke. And 2. It looks cool!
• For early evening drinks and dinner I’d recommend something more casual than your club wear (see below) but slightly more dressy than your poolside look. Saying that – we quickly learned that in Ibiza, anything goes!!! But my recommendations would be: A maxi dress and flats/espadrille wedges; or a playsuit/jumpsuit. These were my outfits of choice!
• For club wear, ANYTHING goes!!!! We saw one girl in a rather risqué outfit – wearing a leopard print body with black hot pants underneath! Finished off with a massive pair of stilettos!
• My advice would be, think: sequins, crop tops, hot pants, lace, crochet. It will be hot in the clubs, so less is definitely better!
• I’d also advise flat sandals for dancing the night away until the wee hours – but if that’s not your bag, just make sure you can last for hours on your heels!
• Glitter – another festival favourite and one for Ibiza too! But I’ll leave that for another post (what to pack in your toiletries bag for Ibiza!!!).
• Glow bands – bracelets and necklaces – fill your arms with them. We did!!

Me: glowing!!

Have you been to Ibiza? Do you have any further tips to add - I know I have only just touched the surface here, so please do add to it and make this a really good resource!!


If not Ibiza, where are you going on your holidays this summer?

Bargain of the Day: H&M beach maxi dress

This H&M dress - for only £14.99 - is perfect for covering up at the beach and then heading straight to the bar for a cocktail while you watch the sunset…!!

What I Wore for Afternoon Tea

I know I haven't done many outfit posts recently but I had to show off my shiny new shoes on my trip for afternoon tea with my mum at the weekend, so for your viewing pleasure:

After tea, mum and I took a walk in the gardens by the teahouse - in the rain!!

I wore an Urban Outfitters top (reduced from £35 to £15), H&M jeans (£9.99) and Marks and Spencer Limited Collection brogues (reduced from £25 to £15!!).

I finished the outfit off with my Marc Jacobs bargain wish bone necklace.

To check out more photos of my beautiful new shiny brogues, make sure to visit the Sugar & Spice Facebook page.

What bargains have you scored recently?

This Week I Bought...

Last weekend the UK was bathed in beautiful sunshine and all I wanted to do was run out and buy lots of brand new summer clothes. Of course, I exercised a little willpower but after brunch with a girlfriend on Sunday, I decided that a couple of new things would be alright. Particularly if I found some bargains. And I did.

When in pursuit of value-for-money summer attire, I always make a beeline for H&M. Their summer collections never disappoint. You might remember that back while snow was still lying fresh on the ground in January, I was picking out my favourite things in their Spring Summer Catalogue?

Last summer, I spent weeks months searching for the "perfect" maxi dress until Very.co.uk very kindly gifted me this gorgeous patterned bandeau Rare maxi dress. Which incidentally, is the dress I wore for the aforementioned brunch.

I don't know about you but a bandeau maxi dress has just never seem appropriate for work, so my requirements for a maxi this summer are something that I might be able to wear to the office on a "dress-down-Friday". So when I saw this navy maxi in a slightly heavier jersey material, I knew I had found "the one":

For just £12.99 it ticked the bargain box too. Whilst there I picked up a hot pick long-sleeved cropped cardigan which I plan to throw on over my maxi dresses in the evenings when temperatures drop.

By Monday the UK looked more as it should in April; grey and a little bit drizzly. And I was on a train to Scotland, where I bought:

Postcards.

I don't know about you but I love receiving a handwritten card in the post and therefore like to bestow the same pleasure on friends and loved ones. So I spent a very happy morning sipping green tea and writing postcards in Palmerston's Cafe in Dunkeld.

So after all this shopping, I asked on Twitter, what did you buy this week? And here are some of your answers (thank you ladies!):

If you want to be included in next week's "This Week I Bought..." post, send me a tweet. In the meantime, leave me a comment here and tell me what did you buy this week?

15 pieces, 15 outfits: H&M

A little like the 30 for 30 challenge but without the dressing up part (so not quite so much fun!!), I have decided to trial a new little feature. Each week I will take 15 pieces from a high street store and style them into 15 outfits, to show you just how versatile a capsule wardrobe can be and how much fun! So, as we ease into Spring, I'll pick out this season's essentials for your closet, from colour block tees to simple maxis and classics like Breton tees and chinos:

These are the 15 pieces that I will "remix" into 15 outfits, this week from H&M:

And here are the 15 outfits:

What do you think of this new feature? Fun or flop? Would love to hear your thoughts!