My Favourite Shoes

I love ballerina pumps. They are my go to shoe for most occasions.

It is rare that there is an outfit they won't go with and these days the choice is vast.

I have big feet. I have been a size 9 since I was 15 years old. Thankfully they decided to stop growing. This does however pose some problems when it comes to buying shoes.

Back in the 'day' Saxone used to be pretty much the only place I could buy shoes. Their tall and small department kitted me out for girly shoes. Other than that all my shoes/trainers were from the men's section. I can tell you that does nothing for a teenager's self esteem. Thankfully Dr Marten's were in vogue during the back end of my senior school years.

Even until recently finding shoes in a size 9 for a under £40 a pair was tricky. However, many stores are starting to catch up Brantanto, New Look, Evans, Next and even Asda have started to stock fashionable shoes in the larger size.

My favourite store for choice is Shoezone. They have a massive range of size 9 and above shoes, most importantly (for me at least) they are in a standard width. Even though I am bigger than the average fashion consumer I do have long skinny feet, with really long finger toes.

So back to my current favourite shoes. I first bought these at the beginning of the year for just £7.99. They are a classic shape and I love the print. The insole is cushioned and they are perfect for perking up a work outfit. After pretty much daily wear, over a 3 month period I wore them through.

For me Shoezone is like the Primark of the shoe world. Except they also sell online as well as in store.

Let me know which of their extensive range are your favourite.

OOTD: Dress Down in the Office

On Thursday we had a fake Friday, Easter special, Dress Down Day in the office.

We all donate £1 to our company's chosen charities and as it's Easter there is also an Easter Egg raffle.

Here's what I wore. Bad lighting and all.

This is a tee I picked up in Asda last year, I still love it and have worn it to baggy death. I've paired it with my current favourite jeans from New Look.

On my feet I have a pair of canvas shoes from Shoe Zone, I love them. Shoe Zone is fabulous as you can either buy online or drop into a shop and they always have size 9s in stock. Love them. Check them out here.  

Yours Clothing: Red and Black Ditsy Floral Print Jersey Tunic

I was shuffling through the @yoursclothing website last week and noticed this in the sale. I've been after some dresses for work, and when you stand at 5' 10" in your size 9 ballerina pumps that can be an effort in itself. 

It reminds me of the pattern that you find on bandanas, which I collect and have an assorted array of colours and they'll come out to play during the summer no doubt. 

At the moment I'm between a 24 and 26 for dresses so I plumbed for the 26/28 in the hope that it would make it that little bit longer so I could wear it as a dress rather than a tunic. 

A gamble I think paid off. 

As a member of the not blessed with big boobs brigade I appreciate the faux vest in the v-neckline. 

I also feel I must apologise for the photo, I've been having a few bad face days so have left off the make up. 

I love this item, and in an office that seems to be set to tropical it is just the right sort of material. 

I wore it with some opaque black tights and a pair of chelsea boots, which you can't see on this photo. I need to get me a photographer!

You can find this item on the website here. 

What's In My Bag?

This is my current bag, I'm using it for work and generally live out of it. It is the Storm Cabin Bag in a fantastic teal patent. I love it. It will be available to buy through Avon during Campaign 8. 

I have so much in here, as you are about to find out. 

Microfibre cloth, this is mainly for cleaning my glasses now, it used to be for wiping down the windscreen in my car!

My father-in-law's kindle. It's filled with books, including a pre-release I'm reading for an online book club I work with. 

My purse, I got this for my birthday last year from work. I absolutely love it. 

Giant notepad and pen. I never go anywhere without one. If I don't write my ideas down when I have them, poof they're gone never to be thought of again. 

Body lotion and fragrance spray, in my current favourite Apricot and Shea scent. I love it so much, I've even ordered the shampoo and conditioner now. 

These are my inhalers, got to love being asthmatic. I don't use them often but they need to be there. 

Mini make-up bag, hand sanitiser, tissues and face powder.

Hello Kitty first aid bits, paracetamol, plasters, safety pins. And my favourite perfume.

Apart from 2 loose pennies, that's the main section empty!

Now for the little inside pouch.

Dental floss, fruit knife (me and apples don't get on!), little mirror and my daily vitamins & anti-histamines. Also extra hayfever tablets in case I have an allergic reaction. And a biscuit leftover from a coffee I had last week. 

In the front pocket of the bag I keep my 2 phones. The world's worst Blackberry and a back up android that I use for apps and watching YouTube! A USB charger and some ear buds.

This is my mini manicure set, I picked it up from a poundshop and added in the orange stick - love those for cleaning my nails out on the go, and the tictac box I keep my kirby grips/bobby pins in. Top tip there!

So that is what I have in my bag. 

A Wardrobe Malfunction

So there I was walking down Coney Street in York when horror of horrors I felt a draft. A cold draft at that, right where I shouldn't be feeling a draft when wearing jeans, woolly jumper and a vest top.

I oiked up my jeans and kept walking. I think I got 2 shops down, I had to stop and oik them back up again. What to do? Erm, get some new ones was the best option I could come up with.

So with waistband clasped in both hands I high tailed it to New Look in Blake Street and foraged in the Inspire sale section. I came across a fab pair of black jeans, 32" leg for just £10.

What a difference a pair of trousers make.

I forgot how nice the cut of the trousers are at New Look, especially for taller people. The feel of the material is good, and it feels durable. The over black dye means that they can double as work trousers with a smart top too. Here's hoping that the next time I need some new trousers that they still stock the high-waisted jeans.