Tee wishlist 2016

“Tees me, tees me, tees me baby…….“ - ah yes, the crappy tunes of the early 1990s, it can mean only one thing. Yes, that’s right, there has been sunshine for more than two hours so to us Brits (well, us Northerners) its basically summer. Oh look, I managed to get a reference to awful music and the purpose of my post into the opening words! 

While true that summer is allegedly here I have found myself for months now pouring over the fashion boards on Pinterest looking for clothes to help me cope with the stifling temperatures on London Underground. I honestly do lose hours of my life on Pinterest whether it’s looking for new aftershaves to try, clothes I really think would suit me, art that takes my fancy or just quirky stuff I would like should I ever to be in a position to have my own little room in a house. At the moment though I’m stuck in casual wear and tees in preparation for some glorious sunshine for me to worship. With that in mind today I’ve pulled together a tees wishlist I could really see myself in over the summer months and want to buy.

If you want to see my main boards over on Pinterest you can here - there is loads of cool stuff, promise. My board dedicated to tees can be found here. So this is what I have picked out. I have tried to pick a cross selection of tees to suit a range of budgets, after all, this would be very dull if I just said “everything from the Hugo Boss shop or anything by Paul Smith”.

With that in mind I have actually started with Hugo Boss and the most expensive of my choices - the tee below (left) is £85 and available here. It’s a regular fit cotton tee but I really like the all over pattern that looks as though someone has thrown ink or black paint all over it. It would go really well with a pair of tapered jeans and boots. 

Second up is a grey tee design from one of my favourite online stores, Buy Me Brunch. They have lots of off the wall humour tees and some frankly offensive ones. For $28 a pop though they are really affordable and last for years.  I ordered a number of tees from here over a year ago and they have kept their shape, colour and comfort. The tee (above right), with the 'Handsy as Hell' print makes me laugh.

Third is this blue Captain America tee (below left) from Next at £18. At that price it makes an excellent knocking around top that would go with a pair of cargo shorts or jeans. It also isn’t that dark so it would be great in the hot weather and won’t attract too much heat.

Fourth up is a faded floral print from River Island (above right) and again only £18. I have found myself drawn to this style of print for ages and I’ve finally found one that I think would go brilliantly with a pair of charcoal or black skinny or tapered jeans.

Last up is another from River Island but this time just £15. The splatter print below again looks as though someone has gone to town with some paint on a plain tee, but unlike the Hugo Boss tee, this one won’t break the bank!

What do you think to my choices? Could you see yourself or someone you know wearing these?

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest
Google+

Bloglovin
Facebook

View Post

Westfield London - Suit Style

Suits used to be an obsession of mine, I still have a wardrobe full of them, from French Connection and Ted Baker to a series of lovely numbers from Tom English. Being colour blind I’ve never been one to opt for a whacky suit or louder colours, instead opting for solid colours or the boring old navy blue pinstripe. Wearing a suit was a must when I worked in financial services and also when I found myself running press offices for Councils. My latest job (which is by far the coolest) while still dealing with the media doesn’t require me to wear a suit, we go smart casual. So when I was asked by Westfield London if I would like to go in centre and find some accessories to show off my style I was apprehensive but thought in the end, why not, I will have to wear a suit again. So when I head off to conferences, how am I going to accessorise my suit?

As a bit of a closet goth I do quite like to break from the norm and I think this comes through with some of the items I bought.

As full disclosure, I was provided with a Westfield card charged with credit but alas, there are no images of me actually shopping as there was a mix up with my press pass to allow me to do so. 

That said, on with the show….

I’d never been to Westfield London before so after arriving at Shepherd’s Bush underground station the better half and I (she always comes shopping with me to help with colours) followed the signs to be greeted by a very long street of bars and restaurants - you can read the full list of places to eat here but needless to say, within ten minutes I was really hungry and after spotting a Five Guys there was no other place I wanted to go. So before the shopping I topped up my burger levels, chowed down on some amazing Cajun fries and was raring to go.

Picking up the Westfield Card was really easy - I had received codes for the card by text and found the nearest concierge desk, of which there are lots scattered throughout the centre. The process was incredibly quick and painless and the concierge couldn’t have been more helpful. Step one of the process went well.

Taking a map of the centre I was impressed with the sheer number of quality outlets there are - you have everything from run of the mill Next and River Island to Tesla and Thomas Sabo within the centre. You can see the full list of stores at Westfield here.

After a casual wander around the first floor we can stepped into Beauty Base with the wife muttering something about it being a poor mans beauty store. She came to eat her words some seconds later as like a child in a candy store I developed a crazed look, cheeky grin and moved towards the aftershave section as though I was going to hug them. Wow, the range of aftershaves on sale was immense and the prices ridiculously reasonable. I picked up a bottle of The Dreamer for myself and another bottle as a giveaway for my blog readers (you can enter the draw to win a bottle of The Dreamer until 31 May 2016 here). I didn’t use my Westfield Card, although I did think to myself “can I spin an aftershave purchase as an accessory” before opting to pay cash. 

So what did I buy to accessories my suit?

First up was a pair of cufflinks - they were only £20 from Menkind.

Second up was a bit of a chunky belt with a slight industrial twist in my view not the usual subtle number I would wear normally with a suit. This one wouldn’t look strange with a pair of jeans. This was £10 from Next. I also picked up a pack of five pairs of socks for only £12.

As I mentioned earlier, being a bit of a closet goth I really wanted to pick up some bracelets and after popping into River Island I picked up a pack of four bracelets for just £8.

We did go for a wander into Debenhams where I could have gone wild in the suit section. I saw a lovely light blue suit from the Jeff Banks range for just £250 and a few ties and pocket squares. I actually opted for two ties that came in at £25. When I took them to the checkout there was a problem with the card and it had been blocked. By this stage we had been walking around for nearly four hours taking in the vast nature of the stores on offer and rather than go back to get the card unblocked we called it a day and headed home (it was also one of the hottest days of the year so far).

I enjoyed my walk around Westfield and picked up a few things that I believe show off my style (dark and humourless - joke). The range of stores available to shoppers is jaw-dropping and I was impressed with the sheer number of luxury outlets. Personally I will be going back (if only to pick up the Jeff Banks suit for summer) and can see the pain that my new found love for Westfield London will have on my bank balance. There really is something for everyone and every individual style at Westfield London. Give it a try, you’ll lose a day of your life wandering around the stores. 

RECOMMENDED

For the avoidance of doubt, this post has been sponsored by Westfield, by way of credit on a Westfield card used to make the purchases on the day. No further payment was or will be made.

Like what you see? You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin
Facebook

View Post

Winter coat wish list

I’m known for having one long cashmere coat that seems to serve me well all year around, the simple addition of a scarf and gloves when the temperatures start to plummet always do the trick.

However, constant ribbing that I really should mix it up a bit has resulted in me looking further a field to find the perfect coat that I like for the approaching winter season.

I’ve found four that I like, some are well out of the price range I would normally stretch to, after all I think a coat for around £150 should be of sufficient quality and style to last for more than one season.

The first coat I’ve fallen in love with is the Roman from Reiss but at £275 my first thought was “ouch” but I just can’t help but admire the finish of this wool-rich peacoat. The older I get the more I find myself drawn to double-breasted coats and suits. 

Made from a wool-rich blend, the Roman peacoat is a classic yet contemporary design and it screams “buy me” every time I see it. 

After the mind-melting cost of the first and my new found love of fishing (yes, I have firmly become middle aged) I have been taking a peek around for something a little old school and much cheaper. Enter the Dark Grey Holloway Road Waxed Coat.

With a flannel hood, faux leather trim and thick waxy exterior this has the power to cut dead the iciest of winds. Available from River Island at £128 it sits in the reasonable category for my own personal coat shopping budget.

Another coat that sits at the top of my budget range is the Barbour Quilted International Ariel Polar Jacket for £150 from House of Fraser.

I know Barbour have increased in popularity over the years but my decision is based purely on the comfort and warmth factor. Having tried this one on it was like having a second skin with levels of comfort from seen his the days of shell suits (that’s a joke to see if anyone is paying attention).

Last but not least is the John Lewis Buckle Neck Donkey Jacket in Navy. I’m 99% certain that this is the one for me, the only thing holding me back is the Navy colour, I much prefer my clothes to be black (and not because I need the slimming effect before any starts that).

Being wool rich rather than being 100% wool means that it won’t irritate my skin (I’m weird like that) and it truly is a modern twist on the traditional donkey jacket.

This is my favourite, it would look good for work and still as that slight snazzy edge for casual nights out. The coat that has everything in my book, except for a huge price tag. 

As you would expect from John Lewis it isn’t cheap but it also isn’t massively inflated - at £140 this is a reasonably priced coat.

What do you think to my winter coat wish list?

You can keep up to date and follow Beautykinguk.co.uk using the various social media below:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+
Bloglovin

View Post