For my final post before Christmas, I wanted to share my most festive and fabulous outfit to date. I'm not usually one to wear black, but when I laid eyes on this black & gold jacquard ballerina dress by Ted Baker, I knew it simple had to be mine.
To capture the magic of the look, Jay and I headed to the beautiful Great Fosters hotel in Virginia Water, where the luxurious tudor rooms provided the perfect setting. Starting with my favourite Tom Ford lipstick, of course, the makeup look was a glowing yet classic look, completed with my Hourglass Bronzer. My essentials were enclosed within this fabulous suede sphere bag by Reiss (currently in the sale, might I add!) which perfectly matches my black and gold sandals - a wardrobe staple which I purchased from Reiss two Winters ago.
Being petite, I'm often wary of midi length dresses, but something about this style seemed too perfect for it not to become an essential part of my wardrobe. It's elegant, classical and absolutely feminine.
Scroll down for more outfit details, and even a short video featuring this beautiful look!
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Photographed by Jay McLaughlin using the Olympus Pen and 45mm and 75mm Lens.
Have a magical Christmas, and i'll be back on the 27th!
OK, so Christmas is in three days and your boyfriend has just let it slip that he's bought you something pretty darn special. You've got him socks and a kooky craft beer, and somehow that's just not going to cut it.
Panic not, you've got some time left to make a last minute order or trip to the stores and can pick up some seriously stylish gifts which your man will love. Don't forget, today's the last day for Christmas Next Day delivery, so don't delay!
Live near a Biscuiteers store? There's one on Northcotte Road if you're South of the River, and also a boutique in Notting Hill, or you have until tomorrow to order next day delivery from their website. Whether he is a ski lover, gardening enthusiast or sports fan, Biscuiteers have a huge selection of fun and personalisable biscuits!
You're cutting it fine, but if you make your Daniel Wellington order * right now * you will still be able to treat your man to every instagram lover's dream watch in time for the big day. Use code fashionmumblr to get 15% off too!
Christmas shopping on Oxford Street? Make a beeline to Sunglass Hut to spoil your man with a pair of sunnies, like these folding Ray Bans.
If your man loves to be pampered, or perhaps deserved a little bit of luxury within his grooming routine, there are tons of options which you can still snap up at the last minute. Head to Fragrance Direct today to put in a Next Day delivery order on loads of popular men's fragrances, including my personal favourite *ahem, I mean Charlie's favourite!*, Paco Robanne, One Million.
If you're doing your Christmas shopping around Covent Garden, make a beeline for Molton Brown and Neal's Yard Remedies, both of which are stocked up on gift sets which your man will love - whether it's for a luxurious shave or a muscle-relaxing bath time treat.
John Lewis has been a saviour for me this year, their Click and Collect to the Little Waitrose near my closest Tube Station makes my Christmas Shopping incredibly convenient. I put in a last minute order for the UE Boom 2 speakers and it was delivered the very next day. They make the ideal gift not just for the music lover, but anyone who likes to create a fun atmosphere wherever they are. We've already used ours at house parties, during long car journeys and even during dog walks!
So don't forget, make your online orders today with Next Day delivery to make sure your gifts arrive in time for Christmas!
I have to admit that recently I've been rather spoilt when it comes to afternoon teas. When a best friend visited from Australia, it was top of her wishlist to enjoy an Afternoon Tea in London, even a few of my meetings recently have been over tea and scones in some of London's most decadent hotels. Absolutely spoilt. What many teas do not offer, however, is the grandeur of an incredible building - a palace, perhaps would quite literally be the icing on the cake to create the most fabulous experience. That is why, today's post is all about Afternoon Tea within The Orangery of Kensington Palace. Once the setting for Queen Anne's raucous parties, with ornate ceilings and 18th century architecture, it makes for by far the most grand of Afternoon Tea locations I am yet to encounter.
Last weekend, while still feeling a little delicate following our Christmas Jumper Party the night before, I was invited to try out their Festive English Afternoon Tea. Mum and I took our seats within the bright and airy room before being given a brief history of the building and it's colourful past. Before long, our table was decked with a three tiered selection of sandwiches, scones and sweet treats, but I did struggle a little to see what made it festive! Nevertheless, each 'course' was exactly what I was hoping for, hearty sandwiches including an Egg mayonnaise roll, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini bagels and turkey and cranberry sandwiches (oh, there's the festive part!).
The scones and cakes were traditional and tasty - many teas choose to make their sweet courses outlandish and incredibly creative but sometimes loose the quality of the food itself, but at The Orangery the selection was simple yet delicious.
While munching our way through the tiers, we enjoyed a festive tea as well as a traditional English Breakfast, on beautiful china emblazoned with the royal crown.
The tea itself is very well priced in my opinion, at �26 per person including tea, it's certainly one of the better value teas in town, especially given the grandeur of the surroundings!
And what does one wear to Afternoon Tea in the grounds of a palace? Well, as much as a fan as I am of getting all dressed up, my 'delicate' state lead me to opt for an outfit that I felt comfortable in for the mild December morning; a wine coloured leather skirt, brown jumper and my favourite new neopolitan striped faux fur scarf.
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Have you visited Kensington Palace Gardens for Tea?
It's our fourth Christmas in our London home this December, and it has to be said that this year, the decorations are by far the most beautiful. We threw the rule books out of the window - opting out of a 'theme' which previous years have restricted us to a certain colour palette. This year, we carefully selected all of the decorations and things that we loved, and the results are beautiful.
Before the decorations went up, we scented the room with the Next Winter fragrance. If you've been watching my Vlogmas you'll have heard me rave about how similar it is to Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir, and the candle and reed diffuser are delicately scented our living room with a warm and festive fragrance.
Home made decorations always hold the most memories - and this is the newest to addition to our collection. This 'pearanium' (like, terrarium, but a pear...!) is my favourite takeaway from a festive blogger event, created at McQueens florists in East London, it holds golden pine cones, frosted twigs and even a hanging gold cherub. I imagine this being a new Christmas tradition - filling it with a different 'story' every year.
And of course, the most striking decoration of all - the tree! Filled with ornaments that we've collected over the years as well as some new ones, it's definitely our favourite tree yet. Each ornament brings back a memory, and the newer ones are awaiting memories of their owns. A new favourite is this gorgeous copper cage star from Att Pynta - it's chic and stylish while still being a classic Christmas ornament, and looks equally as beautiful on the tree as it does hanging from a spray painted branch.
Owls, Key's, Santa Claus and even Dachshunds are amongst the decorations which I purchased from John Lewis this year. Christmas Tree decorations that have a little personality make great conversation starters at festive gatherings, and allow your tree to tell a story. I'm still amazed that their decorations are already on sale, so there may just be a few more added to the tree in the coming weeks!
I don't like to spend too much on decorations, even though the most beautiful do come out year after year. Instead, I keep my eye on the sales after Christmas and snap up the baubles that I love, without paying full price. This white swirly designed bauble is one of four that I bought from Brissi, after Christmas last year. I pride myself with the bargain that I picked up - paying just 20% of the original price!
Another new addition, and something a little different are these scented tree charms from Rituals. The tassles come in a pack of four, along with a scented oil which you sprinkle all over to give your tree and the whole room a festive scent.
Finally, our tree is scattered with decorations that we've picked up on our travels, ranging from gold glitter squirrels which remind us of our trip to the Black Forest with friends, to these ceramic charms bringing back memories of our trip to Amsterdam.
Candles are scattered throughout the lounge, and the holders are just too pretty to put away after the decorations are taken down. Also from Att Pynta, this copper tealight holder makes a beautiful table decoration, another stylish yet traditional addition to our decorations.
Final touches include stockings on the fireplace, a beautiful garland weaving it's way down our stairs, and a home made wreath hanging proud on our front door. With the mixture of the old and the new, the homemade and the shop bought, it's easy to see why these are our favourite decorations yet!
See more about how we decorated for Christmas in this Vlog!
How do you usually put together your #ootd? Do you decide you want to wear your new top, and choose the trousers and jacket to match? Well for me, with this outfit, it all started with the shoes.
Let's just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of my new booties. They tick all the boxes, ankle length, chunky heel which is high enough to give me a boost, but I can still run walk in them, and the luxury of the reptile print leather. The warm tones led me to swap my usual winter whites for pinky sunset hues - ranging from a tailored trench coat which will see me through to the Spring months, to this snuggly neopolitan striped faux fur stole which was a steal at under �20.
As well as the boots, Dune was also my go-to for my other leather accessories - you'll be seeing this structured handbag in many of my upcoming #ootds, as I swapped my more Summery backpack for the grey colour block tote. With three inside compartments, it's roomy enough for my daily essentials, and the chic grey colour perfectly compliments my winter wardrobe. As for the pom pom details - I added a keychain to my bag, as well as opting for these fun leather gloves - who said wrapping up warm can't be cute too!
