Cotton T-Shirt, £6.50, M&S
Last month Han and I attended the Odeon-sponsored UK Blog Awards – purely as spectators I might add, despite our febrile attempts to drum up some votes – and aside from some dodgy pizza bites, and strange film-promo backdrops (King Arthur The Legend of the Stone….? Nor me!), we met some truly inspiring individuals in all areas of the blogging industry. From beauty industry experts, to Great British Bake Off finalists, to cancer survivors, we were blown away by the amount of creative energy and the sheer wealth of collective knowledge in the room. Wikipedia, eat your heart out.
We arrived knowing no one, but were greeted like long-lost friends by the awards presenter herself, fitness & lifestyle blogger and fellow tall girl Chessie King, whose down-to-earth approach and positive ‘can-do’ attitude have brought her a huge instagram following. Proof, if any more were needed, that a friendly face often goes a lot further in life than a self-conscious pout. A philosophy that we like to adhere to here at HøFSisters HQ. Pouting is definitely not our forte. As proof, you may remember Hannah’s recent attempt on Instagram :-o. Sorry sis!
So, in the spirit of girl-next-door style à la Chessie King, this week I decided to go with a pared-down outfit made up of classic high-street heroes, but with a Scandinavian minimalist twist. The sort of clothes that take us through the majority of our life when not in the office or out to impress. Good-quality, staple wardrobe items which won’t break the bank, but also stand up to regular use and multiple washes. This is when the stalwarts like Zara and M&S really come into their own.
This classic white T-shirt from M&S is the most amazing quality – thick, soft cotton, with generous length sleeves and body. A delight to put on, and less than a snip at £6.50. The boyfriend jeans are my hardworking Zara pair from last summer (you can find similar ones here). Ok, so they’re verging on a bit short, but hey, summer’s around the corner, who cares? And being out of skinnies on warmer days is an absolute joy.
This was the first outing for my gorgeous L.K.Bennett wedges (similar here). I include them in the high-street hero bracket because they are a classic summer shoe that will never date, and also I picked them up in an outlet shop for half their normal price. I will be trotting around in these for a great deal of the summer (if it ever arrives), so positive cost-per-wear is a given. The handbag is by Milli Millu, a wonderful London-based handbag company establishing itself firmly amongst the leading affordable luxury brands. You may remember Han’s bright blue Midi Stockholm from our workwear shoot way back, which featured in the Milli Millu Diary and catalogue last Autumn. This is the Manhattan cross body in navy, and retails at £225.
Bomber Jacket, £117, Second Female
My Second Female bomber is an injection of Scandi cool and the perfect light weight jacket for this spring and summer. Bomber jackets are versatile and can be worn any number of ways – zipped, unzipped, half-zipped, around the shoulders, like a shrug or wrapped around the waist. There are loads of great ones on the high street right now so if you are after something cheaper, take a look at these styles from Next Tall and Topshop Tall.
So, there we have it, a HøFSisters take on the girl next door.
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Love the bomber jacket look Zoe. Was not sure though if it was the look for me so decided to order the cheap next tall version. Once again it is not available to order online on the republic of ireland wensite or through the store even though it is in the warehouse (thanks to the kind assistant over the phone). This is similar to The peacoat that you wore in an earlier post. Disappointing, so I am once again going to email next customer services to complain. I have a question for you about the zara jeans as I will be attempting to order online! How do they size up? I often find high street store brands either too short in the body or too tight at the ankle or knee ! Thanks love the blogs. You and your sister are a couple of very Elegant, stylish ladies!
Hi Val, Thank you for your kind response to the blog, I’m glad you liked the look this week. Very much an easy look to pull off! I’m sorry that you have problems with getting items from Next Tall, let me know if you find any good alternatives. As for the Zara jeans, I am a size UK10-12 and the pair I am wearing are UK12, so very much true to size. As you say, with high street brands it is often worth going into your larger size (if between sizes like me), as they don’t tend to be so generous with fabric. They are designed to be a loose fit, so I don’t think you’ll find any problems with them being tight at the knee. As you can see in the photos, they are very cropped on me (I’m 6ft), but I don’t think it really matters with this style of jean. Hope that helps! x
Hi thanks for your reply. I will give zara jeans a try. I have emailed next and even mentioned your blog! I will keep you posted on their reply. Have a good week.
Thank you so much Val! Let us know how you get on and enjoy the rest of your week xx
Cool and simple Outfit 👍Great ☺
Have a nice das,
Tabea
http://tabsstyle.com
Thank you Tabea! 😘
My zara jeans arrived today and they fit….. well not in the leg (I am 6ft 1.5) but they are great crops! As per anything with legs that fits I will have to order a second pair! Thanks Zoe
That’s great news Val, I’m glad it worked out. Hopefully Next will get back to you as well. Happy weekend! xx