The Perfect Christmas Gifts for Her under £100

Style Theory: The Perfect gift, chic, elegant and something that little bit special.. I have searched the high street for what would be my perfect gifts..I hope you agree..

Warehouse Black Embroidered High Neck top now £30

I have this top, it is the perfect and flattering Victoriana top, it looks great with jeans or with cigarette trousers and heels, the perfect Christmas Day or Christmas evening drinks top..

Boden Relaxed Crew Neck £130 but 30% off until 8th Dec

I love a cashmere sweater, it oozes luxury and is so soft and comfortable to wear. I always size up at least one size for a slouchy look, they look fab with skinny jeans, wellies and an oversize scarf on a Boxing Day country walk. Boden have 30% off until tonight but keep checking as they seem to have these offers more and more frequently so worth holding off to buy with a discount.

Jack Wills Blanket Scarf £49.50

I spotted this today in Jack Wills and it is perfectly oversized but not so chunky so that you are unable to wrap it around your neck. I love the tartan, would look fab with the cashmere sweater above, perfectly chic and cool.

Olivia Burton @John Lewis £80

I adore the soft pink and beautiful gold tones of this watch, it is simple, chic and would be a super special present.

American Vintage Cardigan £110 Quattro Rish

I am slightly obsessed with this cardigan ( I know it is £10 over £100 but I had to include it) It is on my Christmas list and is so comfy, cosy, flattering and a great length. I love it with a huge grey scarf (love this one from Travelling Bazaar £40) leather leggings and boots.. QuattroRish will send out to you if you give them a call on 01737 235468

River Island Grey Leather Pom Pom Gloves £25

Super cute, leather gloves with a gorgeous pom pom detail, they come in a huge range of colours from all black to animal print, I think any girl would be delighted with these.

Aurora London Willow Bag £64.50

This is a beautiful, compact bag that transforms from a cross body bag to a cool clutch. It is gorgeous soft, buttery leather in a deep wine colour with the option to engrave initials on the front in gold for that personal touch.

Gold Stan Smith Trainers £69.99 - FootLocker

Because is there anything better than a pair of Stan Smiths and now in Gold?! J'adore...completely and utterly. These would see you perfectly through the year, in the summer with tanned ankles, skinny jeans a white shirt, now with black skinny jeans and black pop neck..so so cool.

Missoma Gold Mini Fang Necklace £95

The Missoma range of fine gold jewellery is stunning this season, it has the perfect pieces to layer up. This necklaces sits high on your neck and would look equally stunning in the summer as with a crew neck sweater in the winter.

Missoma 18ct rose Gold Star £89

Love this one too..beautifully delicate, the star sits perfectly without twisting around.

AnnaLou Of London Alphabet Necklace £67.50

This is a beautiful personal present to give a loved one. I have the letter 'J' for my children (who luckily have the same initials!) My Nana had a J too and I always used to love it when I was little so this is really a special item of jewellery I will keep forever. These really thoughtful, keepsake gifts do not have to cost a fortune to be something super special. Me and my sisters normally all club together to get each other presents so we can buy something a little more substantial but still make sure we keep within an affordable budget.

Hush Superstar Sleep Gift Set £55

Possibly the best gift idea I have seen this year, you choose a set of (gorgeous) Hush PJs, a book from a selection and a chocolate bar for a truly luxurious and perfect gift. Love, love this idea, there is a movie gift set available too. In fact, check out all of Hush's gift sets - loving the Cashmere Gift Set £130 and Winter Star Gift Set £85 too.

Miller Harris La Pluie Perfume @Very £95

My favourite perfume, it is quite floral (some would say a little Granny-ish) but I just adore it, my husband bought it for me last Christmas, it smells divine, on my list again this year.

Bloom and Wild Six Month Letterbox Flower Subscription £100

Fresh flowers dropped through your letterbox once a month for six months..sounds like a pretty perfect present to me. They can arrange lily free bouquets (I am not a fan and now we have a kitten they are a no go anyway - you just have to specify at the online checkout) 

Vogue Magazine Yearly Subscription via WHSmiths £29.90

Vogue magazine to be is one of those indulgent magazines that I wouldnt buy myself (it adds a fair amount to the weekly food shop!) so as a gift it is perfect..

 Now I am officially in Christmas mode I could go one forever and no doubt will have a few more ideas coming your way on the blog (beauty/home gifts) ..next to look at the Perfect Gifts for Him...always a little tricky?!

Would love to hear your ideas, what is on your Christmas list? What have you bought the ladies in your life? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Frances xxx

Shhh..It's my AW15 Hush Wishlist...

Style Theory: On this beautifully sunny day it seems strange writing about Autumn and Winter but I know as soon as the evenings draw in and there is a bite in the air I will be wanting to wrap myself in soft, comfortable, warm wool and cashmeres. Autumn and winter is all about layering, vest tops under sweaters with oversize cosy scarves draped across. In the evening snuggling up on the sofa in a sweatshirt and loose sweatpants while sipping a hot chocolate...

Hush, this season, have this look to perfection, it is full of beautifully cut jersey pieces to layer underneath boxy cashmere and their parka, for me, is the star piece it would help you survive the winter in style...

Here is my edit of the my favourite pieces..

The Winter Parka

Hush Fire Parka £170

Fairly expensive but if you are like me you would wear this coat almost every day throughout the winter so the cost per wear is pretty good and worth the investment. The thing that really makes this parka stand out is the fire red fur on the hood, it adds a cool style twist that makes this coat a little different than others. The hood and teddy fur lining are detachable so you can wear it in the early Autumn too. Pair with a grey Tee, ankle length blue skinny jeans or a denim dress and lo converse in the Autumn and with a pair of black skinny ankle length jeans and grey sweater and tan pointed ankle boots in the winter. Love these looks below..

via Pinterest

The Knit Dress

Willow Knit Dress £90

I love a comfy knitted dress in the Autumn and winter, the perfect layering piece, it looks great with thick tights and ankle boots or flat knee high boots (I would wear with my Stan Smiths and bare legs on the warmer Autumn days) Perfectly styled below:

images via Pinteres

The Sweater

Hush Stella Jumper £75

A Hush classic, the star jumper is cool, easy to wear and will add a little style twist to the most dressed down outfit. I love the grey/black colourway, would look fab with black skinny jeans and boots and add a pop of colour with a dark red bag ( I adore deep red and grey together). Or wear in the early autumn with white jeans and trainers. I love a grey on grey look so I would team with an oversized grey scarf as the image below

images via Pinterest

The Cardigan

Nina Cardigan £90

Yes the 90s are officially back and with this comes my absolute love of long cardigans. They are so useful and flattering, they cover up my bottom, slim down my thighs in skinny jeans and are deliciously warm..what is not to love? The colour of this cardigan is beautiful and the styling is perfection, autumn wrapped up in one outfit. Neutrals work so well layered up, camels, soft greys, pale pinks and whites, sometimes subtlety speaks volumes. I love these looks below,a breton and the Hush camel cardigan would work beautifully..

images via Pinterest

The Jumpsuit

Jumpsuit £75

The black jumpsuit can be such a hardworking piece in your wardrobe. Effortlessly chic, easy to style and wear, can be dressed up with heels or worn with a biker jacket, trainers and oversized scarf. I have a jumpsuit almost identical to this and have worn it non-stop over the past 5 years, it seems to fit every event.

image via Pinterest

The Indulgent Cashmere Sweater

Cashmere Boyfriend Sweater £185

Granted this is really pricey but if you were in need of a little indulgence this season this beautiful berry cashmere jumper would be the perfect item to be invest in. It looks beautiful with navy, camel, grey and this season's perfect mix of berry and pink. These images from the Chanel and Givenchy catwalk and also from VB show how versatile berry is..

Images via Pinterest

 The Accessories

Blanket Shawl £35

Adore this blanket shawl, it is a gorgeous colourway and would look stunning over a black, camel, pink, grey or navy coat. Or throw over a leather biker jacket for extra warmth, at £35 this is a fabulous buy.

Check out Hush' nightwear and brand new homewear too, their pyjamas are gorgeous as are their new range of candles, smell divine!

My Style

This is what I have been wearing over the last couple of days before the heavens opened and it started pouring with rain....

For lunch out with the family..

Top: Zara £22.99
Jacket: Primark old similar here
Trousers: Topshop similar here (better as they do not have the rips)
Bag: H&M old
Shoes: H&M sold out

For a heavenly shopping day in Wimbledon with the girls and then drinks in the village in the evening... I think these jeans have been my best buy this summer, I have worn them so much and as they get older the distressing looks better. They look as good with heels as with flats and trainers. I sized down two sizes as they do come up big...

Sunglasses: Spain
Top: Asos
Jeans: Levis 501CT @Very £95
Shoes: Isabel Marant (sold out)

 Yesterday for dinner with the family, going for the preppy look...

Shirt: Gap similar here
Shorts: Urban Outfitters
Knitted Jacket: Henri Lloyd
Trainers: Platform Superga £50

And today I am wearing warm clothes and a cagoule..it just has not stopped raining!! But on the positive side I am getting in the mood for lounging in beautiful Autumnal layered clothes and sipping a hot chocolate in front of the fire (or in reality throwing back a cuppa whilst picking up the toys flung around the house, one day I will be serene and calm!) 

What are your Hush picks, what are you favourite items for Autumn?? ** Use the code AWXX15 for 10% off and free delivery and returns (valid until end of August) 

 As always I would love to hear you thoughts and comments, until next time, Frances xxxxx

The Long and Short of it...

Style Theory: Shorts..incredibly practical, a key item in any Summer wardrobe and when styled right they can look pretty cool....

ph via Pinterest

Here are a selection of the best shorts from the high street that will be endlessly useful throughout the summer..

The Khaki Short

Hush Marseille Shorts £40

H&M £14.99

Khaki is a neutral that you can throw on with any colour top. I particularly like khaki with bright oranges and denim. These shorts would look stunning with a lightweight denim shirt and a pair of tan strappy sandals.

The Denim Short

Levis 501 Cut Off Shorts £45

Fat Face Short £38

Denim shorts, year after year these are the perfect item to wear on hot sunny days, perfect for walking down to the beach with a boho top and a pair of black sliders. I have the Fat Face shorts, they are a supersoft denim and actually slightly longer on than in the image (see photo in My Style below) so they are perfect for wearing day to day in the UK, I tend to feel more comfortable in the shorter shorts on holiday!

The Patterned Short

Zara High Waisted Print Shorts £29.99

H&M £14.99

A dressed up version of the short, taking you seamlessly through from day to night. During the day pair them with a neutral grey t-shirt, in the evening wear with a loose, soft cream blouse tucked in and again I would pair with flat tan strappy sandals.

The Skort

Topshop Textured Wrap Skort £36

Topshop PU Asymmetric Wrap Skorts £36

These are really flattering as the front section hits further down the leg and the points elongate the legs. These are great when chasing after the kids in the evening on holiday, they create the effect of a skirt without the exposure when bending down to pick up a child!

The Longer City/Boyfriend Short

Asos Linen City Shorts £18

Gap Boyfriend Short £24.99

I have long been a fan of the long short (see streetstyle Pinterest photo above top middle of Pandora Sykes) the styling is perfect. I love these with an oversize striped shirt and flat black pointed shoes. I wore these when I was in my 20s constantly and I really feel the need to bring back this styling as it is super flattering and such a cool look.

Shorts are definitely worth their weight in gold for me in the summer, so easy to throw on, so comfortable and look good. My advice, as usual, is to try, try lots of different styles on, length is really important so they hit your leg at the correct, most flattering point. To flatten a tummy avoid pleated fronts and go for a flat fronted short. 

MY STYLE 

Coat: H&M similar here
Top: Zara similar here
Shorts: c/o Fat Face £38
Bag: Spain Boutique
Sandals: Mango £19.95

Are you a fan of shorts, do you wear them constantly in the summer, or am I just getting older and loving the idea of them?! 

As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Frances xxx