High-street find: Coral coloured jelly shoes

The weather is just perfect at the moment, so Elliot and I have been hanging out with other mums and babies in London’s parks.

Being outdoors in the sun calls for bright, summery shoes.

I’m a big fan of jelly shoes, like these coral coloured ones that I bought in Kurt Geiger last month when it was still pouring down with rain every single day.

They cost 25 pounds and are really comfortable.

And I like that they are still quite elegant and not too casual or rubbery looking.

Kurt Geiger Maddy Jelly Shoes, £ 25. Buy them here.

The sensible tan leather sandals

I haven’t worn high heels since the beginning of the pregnancy. It’s not comfortable, definitely not healthy and it just feels wrong to totter around in stilettos .

So I’ve been on the hunt for a pair of very simple leather sandals in a decent quality, that can replace my beloved jelly shoes,  and live on my feet for the rest of the summer.

And yesterday I found the right pair.

These Silas sandals from Office are both cheap and comfy. And they have that perfect durable rubber sole which guarantees a long shoe life and steady feet, even on the most slippery of surfaces.

They cost £58 and come in navy blue too. Buy them here.

Habitat sale – shopping spree 2.0

Well. Apparently the Habitat sale doesn’t end until NEXT Sunday. So I had a second go in the one at Finchley Road.

The Dachshund pillow was nowhere to be seen, so instead Sam chose this cheerful one with pears. £10.

We also bought some ecru Thea towels w. gold details. £30 15.

I couldn’t resist the playful colours of this Madras table-cloth (180×270 cm), £30 15. I also bought 6 matching napkins £2 1 each.

 

Last, but not least: I’ve been going on and on about wanting to get an atlas/world map shower curtain. So when I spotted them on sale in Habitat, I didn’t hesitate for a second.

Before:

After:

The Mappa shower curtain costs £22 11.

And, as alway, there was a further 10% off on check-out.

habitat.co.uk

Habitat spring sale, here I come!

The always cool Habitat stores are having a great sale on at the moment. Furniture, cushions, bathroom accessories and many more products are discounted with 50%…..and you get a further 10% on everything at checkout. Last day is Sunday.

Habitat sales are known for being pretty great, and with the discount their prices are shot down to the same level as cheapo IKEA’s = a win/win situation, as Habitat’s quality and designs are just so much better.

So I popped by their store on Tottenham Court Road yesterday to check it out.

I left the shop with a bathroom mat, a stylish toilet brush (oh yes, you just can’t live without one of those!) and this grey Foxglove cushion, £35 17.50. It’s big and fluffy and stuffed with feathers. So much nicer than the ones I saw in IKEA.

I also stocked up on towels. This pack with 2 bath towels and 2 hand towels cost £20 10. The “soin douche extra pure rose” from Savon de Marseille was £9 4.50.

Oh, and then there was of course another 10% off the prices above.

Photo via habitat.co.uk

And I might just have to stop by again today as I have my eyes on this cute Flipnfriends jigsaw puzzle. Aren’t those eyes just begging to be bought? £25 12.50.

Photo via habitat.co.uk

And I need another cushion. I hope I can track down this turquoise Dachshund one £10 5.

If not I’ll have to bite the dust and pay full price for this charming Joane “Love” cushion, designed by Ella Doran. £20.

Photo via habitat.co.uk

All items can also be bought via habitat.co.uk

Dressing the bump – H&M cropped animal print top

So, I stopped by Topshop the other day to check out their maternity range. I left empty-handed (apart from a pair of leggings) as the collection failed to impress me, especially when you consider their pretty high prices.

Instead I stopped by always cheap and reliable H&M where I bought this cropped viscose top for £13.

I haven’t really had any weird pregnancy-related food cravings, but when it comes to clothes I don’t seem to be able to resist animal print at the moment. Very strange.

Here I’m wearing it with converse boots (bought many many years ago in India), a long viscose skirt from H&M and a wooden second-hand bracelet, found in Chiswick (notice how I’ve colour-coordinated boots w. bracelet….wohooo).

Dressing the bump – H&M python print dress

My old cold has been substituted by a new one. Great. But in between being sick I did manage to pop into H&M at Regent Street.

I was there to buy socks and leggings,  but their sale is still on and I just couldn’t resist the flirty looks from this python print dress.

It is made from a mix of cotton and modal and is so comfortable and best of all: stretchy. It was half price and only cost 15 pounds.

Topshop Maternity Favourites

My cold is slowly getting better, and today I’ve even had the energy to check out Topshop’s  brilliant maternity range. Online that is, as my health is not really ready for the over-crowded flagship store at Oxford Street.

Anyways, it’s always a good idea to have a clear idea about what you’re after before heading into the high street clothes jungle. Here are a few of my favourites that I’ll be checking out IRL soon:

Maternity tan grandad style collarless blouse. £35.

Love the colour and the comfy factor. It would look really nice with a pair of skinny black jeans. Or maybe with the tan blouse above.

Maternity camel ottoman bodycon skirt with an elasticated waist. £25.

Again, nice colour! I would wear it with a tight black top, heels and a cropped jacket.

Maternity navy teddy tunic with gold military style buttons on shoulders. £35.

Simple and stylish and I love the navy/gold buttons combination which saves it from being boring. Comes in this colour as well.

Maternity grey baxter skinny jeans with front panel elasticated support. £40.

Last, but not least, the jeans. Topshop make really good maternity jeans. I know because my friend has given my a pair of her old ones that I’m wearing right now. They’re almost identical to the pair below but in a very light blue colour, so they’ll be perfect for summer.

Most of Topshop’s jeans are skinny and have a wide elastic band under the stomach which makes them really comfy.

All pictures from topshop.com

See their entire maternity range here

Dressing the bump: new from H&M

So, the other day I finally reached a state of “oh my god I don’t have ANYTHING to wear”. I needed a quick fix and didn’t have enough patience nor time to rummage through numerous charity shops.

So instead I headed straight for the always helpful and cheap H&M, and apart from maternity leggings and tights (oh boy, are they comfortable) I came back with these three items in my shopping bag.

Neither of them are from the boring maternity range, I’ve simple bought a bigger size.

First up is this oversized grey polyester *shudder* poncho/sweater. It comes in off-white and dark blue as well. Price £14.99. I’ve paired it with a wool skirt, Carvela wedges and an old plastic necklace from a Wood-Wood fashion show.

I love this long cotton dress because of its crazy animal print-like pattern. And because it was reduced to £10 from £24.99.

Last up is this beige and black striped cotton dress. It’s very stretchy and sooo comfortable. It cost £14.99. Here I’m wearing it with a second-hand necklace and my beloved Shoe Biz boots.

My new practical black boots

The last couple of years I’ve realised that I’ve become an old woman, – at least when it comes to footwear.

When I was in my 20s and living in Copenhagen I was armed with a bicycle and able to run around in high heels most of the time. My closet is still filled with 30 pairs of pumps and stilettos from that period, as I would stock up on them every time I spotted a great pair in a charity shop.

But fast forward to today and these lovelies hardly ever see the light of day or the pavement. The distances are so much bigger here in London and my poor feet would be torn to shreds after an hour in high heels.

Lately I’ve been on the lookout for practical, simple and comfortable boots to supplement my Carvela wedges in these shoe-abusing snowy times. I’ve had a hard time finding boots like that in London as most of them are too high, flimsy or filled with ugly shiny buckles and zippers.

Luckily the Scandinavian designers have a knack for making minimalist boots in sturdy and downplayed designs. I instantly spotted these Shoe Biz leather boots while in Copenhagen last week. Shoe Biz is Danish shoe brand Gardenia’s younger and cheaper range that focuses on wearable and comfortable shoes.

I’ve been wearing them ever since, through sleet and snow and they’re just perfect. The fit like a glove, are easy to walk in and I love how the subtle rubber wedge adds a bit of height. Price 799 DKK (£90). Buy them here.

New from H&M: animal print harem/jodphur/peg trousers

I bought these in H&M yesterday. They cost 20 pounds and are 100% viscose. Basically I just bought them to have something comfy to lounge around in at home, but I might wear them out with a pair of wedges and maybe a black cropped jacket.

They come in black as well, but I of course had to get the animal printesque version. I’m not normally a fan of patterns this sharp and bright, but needed something to lighten up these horribly dark and rainy days.