We're Avid & Wise, We're discussing our Buys, we're not so keen on Flys, We prefer Peep-toe Sky-Highs!!

[LetThemEatCake]

sorry couldn't help myself

Good point re karma Hanaflower - I do fret over things like 'what goes around comes around'! Will hold off on the M&S purchases for now to redress the balance - and see what DH's reaction is to owning up - but think it will involve a splutter and muchos eye rolling!

Really like the Phase Eight dresses notyummy - esp the second link - the Ally jersey dress. Never think to look in there either but some nice things on the website. This dress is bit like the LA one blossoming and I have got here
and I also like the Helga striped cowl in blue.

Real shame about your purse traceybath. Was it Hellesbelles who lost hers and then it turned up a couple of days later??? Maybe something like that may happen to you. Lets hope so.

Notyummy, I've said this on another thread today, that dress is really sexy. My dh went wild for it. It would definitely suit a tall, it needed really high heels on me, 5'7. The neckline isn't too high so it's okay if you have some boobs. Get the trench! I have it in blue and considering the grape for when I go back to work.

I love that middle one notyummy. Surely somebody on here is a size 8 and needs a fab purple frock

Thanks Moneyspider, I was convinced I'd seen it in the wide stripes...

It's hard to keep up but will do my best... Thanks to all who advised me on my wedding guest outfit! Am pretty happy with it now.

Hana, that is a magnificent dress. Think it is detailed enough that you don't need any accesories.

Ltec, love the rabbit collar, very luxurious and at £50, a bargain. Don't think fur is a huge problem, I mean, people are happy to wear leather so why freak out about fur? Also, that woman who made the nasty comment at you - she is clearly struggling herself and lashing out all around her, I wouldn't take her words to heart.

Verity good idea re buying clothes on etsy - I really should check it out more often because anytime I do, I inevitably see a few treasures.

Georgina, I like that Monsoon dress. I'm really warming to their Fusion range.

Allbuggiedout, am shocked fatface would send you a dress with a hole. Tut tut. They have a store near here but the name has always put me off going inside before now.

notyummy, usually I would consider Phase 8 to be bit fuddy-duddy but I like the ruched dress; I suspect the colour is different irl though.

My daughter's Christening tomorrow. Will wear Whistles many-coloured silk print dress (hard to describe, can't find a pic online); milky tea coloured cashmere cardigan; black, Chloé-ish maryjanes; black opaques and blazer. Aiming to look elegant and sensible. All old pieces being reworked - how wise am I?

Frances - your outfit for today sounds lovely.

Hope the christening goes well.

OWW meant to say your Tiffanys do sounded fab.

Notyummy - really like the third dress. The first one I fear could look a tad maternity like but I'm not a fan of empire line. The second - I'm not sure about the neckline. But the third is stunning.

Quite excited about buying a new purse - old one was gucci and would cost about £300 to replace so am hoping I can use that money to buy a different purse as no longer such a fan of gucci really.

Have just purchased the Ponterosa dress from Phase 8 that I linked to that nearly everyone seemed to like. I have some stuff from elsewhere on order - so some things will def have to go back as i intend to be WISE, honestly!

W&A's I need your help! Need to order the wallpaper for our bedroom today and I really can't decide between two. Both from the same LA Erin range - which I linked to last week. Which is best - the gold with green
here or the linen here
DH says its up to me. I love them both but think the linen one would be less girly - and it is DH's bedroom too after all. Could do it with chalky cream walls and bedding - but then is that too much cream?? If we went for the other one, could have pale green walls and simple cream bedding? We have a large room, with 3m high celings, a corner fireplace, hessian/seagrass style carpet and one wall of windows/balcony doors(gosh that sounds very grand but its standard Dutch style bedroom in an old house!!!). Wallpaper would be on just one wall behind the bed. Faff faff! WWYD?!!!

OWW I'd go for the gold, I prefer the darker colour as the flower rather than the background. But both options would work, the decision is marginal!

notyummy, really like the dress you've just ordered, would be tempted myselfif it wasn't going to be about 15 months before I need workwear again!

My toast alexa glads have arrived, but as I am having a lovely lie-in complete with a cup of tea in bed, I haven't ventured down to try them yet.

OWW - having examined both - I think I prefer the linen.

Your bedroom and house sounds gorgeous.

Morning all, good night last night but tired this morning. Off out for a walk with DCs after lunch so that will no doubt get me wide awake again!

Love the dress notyummy

Sorry to hear about your purse tracey

Enjoy your lie in apuski

Reading the wallpaper descriptions I thought I'd go for the gold (am a fan of colour, rather than neutral tones on the whole) but when I looked, I really liked the linen one. To my mind the gold one looks like it should be darker but has faded I think? The linen one is lovely.

Like the linen OWW

I prefer the linen..shockinglyas i imagined i would go glitz..i usually have to be gently steered away from all things gold or leopardskin by my dh!..hmm do they do leopardskin wallpaper..

sorry about your purse tracey i feel for you..when my dd1 was a few weeks on i had my mobile phone stolen and i cried for about a week at the fact i couldn't look after my phone so how could i be trusted with my new baby

apuski..are you poorly from morning sickness...hope you get lots of rest and it passes soon..thanks for the sam edelman sandal tip too..i love them,though no sunny days to enjoy them yet..my-wardrobe.com/sam-edelman/pewter-greco-plaited-leather-sandal-750421

ooh and notyummy the dress you ordered is lovely

OWW..i have to admit ogling the spanish chef too..did you mention on another post you liked colin firth or am i muddled..i saw him in rl and not usually my bag but actually totally gorgeous in the flesh.

bodsmum, thankfully not morning sickness any more, I had a grim time with it for the first few months, on meds, off work, but thankfully it passed. Now it's just bog-standard exhaustion and pelvic pain, will get tested for anaemia on Wednesday, so hopefully some of the tiredness is iron related! Hope you're settling down well with the new baby!

As it turns out the delivery was not my sandals, but some vests and pants for ds, disappointing but much more practical for this weekend! Potty training going well so far.

OWW - I prefer the linen one too.

Notyummy - That 3rd dress (evelyn) is super sexy gorgeous.

Tracey - glad you'll be able to get recompense. Have fun choosing your new purse!

Has anyone seen April's Marie Claire? Is it just me or is the feature on "Sporty Chic" absolutely cringe-inducing? I mean even the model looks embarrassed to be wearing such shite. Am I hopelessly missing the point? Any opinions?

Absolutely dismal weather here today, I really hope it's not like this for the rest of the holiday.

Following on from asking about heritage can I be nosey again and ask what you all do for work? I know some of you are SAHM but would be interested to know what you did before too. To kick off I used to be a public sector project manager but took time out to come over to France. Now looking to get back into it through contract work.

oww, I like the linen one too.

bodsmum, those glads are gorgeous. I'm looking for a silver pair though, I think.
I still feel a bit strange about glads as there's a photo of me aged 15 in a pair, and people have laughed at the photo.

bunjies, I was a foreign language teacher, mainly Spanish, but I'm qualified to teach French to A level too. Haven't taught in a school for almost 6 years, but have been teaching Spanish evening class for about 20 weeks a year for the past 2 years.
Off to France tomorrow to practise. Sitting here instead of packing. Have packed on paper though, so it won't take me too long.

apuski good luck with the potty training.

notyummy, hope you like the dress as much as I do.

traceybath re gucci. I think it had a moment there back in early 2000s when Tom Ford was there, am I right? I wouldn't think of buying a bag there now, but I absolutely love that 2003 red one I've got. Any ideas where'll you look for a new purse? Can we help?!

Bunjies - I am a Relationship Director.

I know - WTF??

Basically I 'own' the relationship between central government and local government in a certain area of the country and negotiate with the Chief Execs and Council Leaders how much money they are getting/what key targets they have to meet to get them. Can be tricky because the majority of the councils are Conservative controlled, and I am essentially trying to get them to toe the line on a whole load of indicators driven by Labour policy initiatives....

Essentially I am (allegedly!) senior civil servant. I work 4 days a week with a long commute thats a bit of a killer. Used to be a management consultant and loved it, but being away 3/4 nights a week didn't fit around a dd and a husband who is away a lot in the military so I moved into the more fmaily friendly pubic sector for the time being.

rushes in quickly (!) inbetween feeding DD her lunch. OWW - linen!

NY - how did you manage to find so many good links on phase 8. Whenever I look in the window I never see anything good.

Catch you all later ladies. I'll need your advice on leather jackets

LTEC thunders down the motorway past Bath and waves to Tracey

I am a freelance copywriter. I write websites, press ads, brochures - and the junk mail you put straight in the bin

Rather less glamorous than the journos on this thread (LTEC!)

I'm a psychologist by background, and now work in a corporate HQ doing succession management, development, career planning and coaching for the senior managers.

Mostly love it, but am looking forward to mat leave, and with things as they are wouldn't be surprised if I get made redundant whilst I'm off. In which case I'll set up as an independent.

Back to clothes, I'm feeling the need to post a 'way too expensive, no occasion to wear it for, and wrong colour for me but I still love it' dress link here. One to admire from afar.

The linen wallpaper has been ordered - but not without a faff (as per usual in my case!) Website only had 2 rolls left and we need 3 to be on the safe side - so had to phone round some stores near to where my parents live and reserve some from the same batch - and then sweet talk my Mum into getting them for me! Thank you all for helping me choose - it made it so much easier to have the W & A collective opinions! Will def be doing that again!

Re occupations - or former in my case! I'm a (ex) local government employee too but nothing so exciting or glam as some of you. I was a Town Planner who worked in the Planning Policy making section at several rural District Councils in Glos & Worcs before ending up working for Kensington & Chelsea Borough Council which I loved! I really miss it - esp the team who were all great, hardworking but very sociable too - it was a pleasure to go to work! Had a few celebs submit planning applications but never got to meet any - just their agents! Hope to look for some PT work next year when DS2 starts school but doubt it will be in planning unless my Dutch suddenly improves!

Apuski - that def is a WOW kinda dress to be admired!

Notyummy - cool job title - my friends DH was a Global Talent Manager for a big multi-national - I used to think of him as the Simon Cowell of the business world with a title like that!

Bodsmum - yes it was me who expressed a bit of a crush on Colin Firth! Not prone to going on about other blokes (as DH is very yummy!) but there is something so lovely about him! Glad you admired the Spanish chef too - tho hope I am not becoming one of those ladies of a certain age who letch after men (a la Harry Enfield and "oh young man"!)

Just popped into town for a flying visit and came back with a lovely navy jersey blazer from Vila which I brought on a real whim. Lovely shape - quite fitted and cuts away at the front, jersey material is quite thick. Have looked but can't find any links. Has DH's seal of approval too as it - and I quote "shows off your hourglass figure"! Bless!

Oh yes - just off out with DH and DSs to a pirate themed restaurant for a special Easter treat! Apparently it has some sort of softplay area attached...........what was I thinking! Will report back later!

Hello LTEC!

How embarassing - I've found my purse - was on firguard in sitting room so goodness knows how I missed it!

How to train a dragon very sweet indeed - a little bit scary towards the end though but only last 10 mins.

Went to wagamamas for dinner which was nice and dc's well behaved which is always a bonus.

OWW - pirate themed restaurant sounds interesting .