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Showing posts with label Rain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rain. Show all posts

Friday, 21 December 2012

Sunshine and Rain - Dressing for Tropical Climates.

So, since I didn't get to do a post before I left, I thought I would at least do a quick post here from sunny Barbados! Although the climate is a drastic improvement from the grey skies and bitter winds of London, many similar fashion dilemmas still arise, and it is not as easy to predict the weather here, particularly as it varies so much from place to place! Despite the fact that Barbados is so tiny, it is very common for it to be raining on one part of the island and for another part (sometimes just down the road) to be perfectly dry with sunny skies. This creates obvious problems when deciding what to wear as you really cannot tell exactly how the weather will be where you are.

It is for this reason that when here, there are certain adjustments that I make to my fashion decisions which are slightly out of character for me. For example, I am very very particular when in London to plan my footwear based on whether it is going to rain or be cold. No such planning can be done here and in a way it doesn't need to. A shower in Barbados is what in London would probably be called heavy rain, the only difference is that it is short lived. This means that whatever shoes you have on, your feet will get wet regardless as the likelihood of wearing wellies is...unlikely. So, closed toe or open toe, it really depends on your preference, I don't mind having wet feet so usually I opt for open.

The biggest challenge that I face dressing for Barbados weather is in fact man made. With daytime temperatures averaging 28Âșc at this time of the year, there is no escaping my most hated device - the dreaded air-conditioning! As a naturally cold person, air conditioning makes my life hell, particularly those set to unnaturally cold temperatures. Constantly going from super hot to extremely cold means that it is hard to maintain a stable body temperature, making colds almost inevitable. Carrying a cardigan or shirt to throw over if inside for long periods of time is the best bet, however if going in and out regularly (like when shopping) means most of the time I just have to suck it up and deal with it...

Yesterday was a hot day but had several heavy showers. Here is a replica of what I wore...

Sunshine and Rain...


How do you dress in unpredictable weather? Any advice? Let me know!!!
Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Saturday, 24 November 2012

All Weathers Item of the Week - Fashion Union Turtle Neck Jersey Maxi Dress

After hearing practically everywhere about the Fashion Union £5 party dresses, I thought I would take a look on their website and see what else they had to offer. In all honesty, I had never heard of Fashion Union so didn't really know what to expect. But to my pleasant surprise there are lots of fab, inexpensive goodies on their website in addition to their £5 dresses. Exhibit 1: Turtle Neck Maxi Dress.

£10 - Fashion Union
Firstly, despite the name of this dress, it is more a midi dress than a maxi dress. The pictures on their website show the dressing coming to about mid shin, though if you are tall (like me!) then it comfortably covers the knees. It comes in a variety of colours (red, navy, grey, purple and of course teal!) and the best part is that its only a tenner! And if you use the code 15NOV12 at the checkout you get 15% off and free delivery!!!!! A total bargain right? The really soft, stretchy jersey material makes it comfortable to wear adding to its versatility. Perfect winter wear with a long sleeve underneath, tights and boots but it works just as perfectly for warmer weather when teamed with sandals! See below for 3 different casual ways to wear, all items are currently available online!

The Teal Turtle...

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Soaked and windswept - How NOT to prepare for freak weather

Today was another one of those days where I have failed to follow my own fashion weather advice and have heavily paid the price! But let this be a lesson to myself for ignoring rule no.1 of dressing for the weather: Always check the weather forecast before going out.

In all fairness, since finishing studying I barely venture out unless it is truly necessary. So today's venture, which I underestimated as being quite straight-forward, was somewhat of an aversion to the recent enjoyment of watching bad weather from the comfort of my room which I have been getting used to of late. Let me tell you, getting soaked by heavy showers TWICE before getting lost when your phone decides it doesn't want to give you any internet signal (i.e. no google maps) and battling high winds with your umbrella in one hand, soggy (non-responsive) smart phone in the other is just not cool!  20 minutes late and looking like you've been hit by a giant wave, I've have definitely learned my lesson and WILL NOT be leaving the house in future clueless to the impending the weather conditions.

Let this be warning to you all of the fashion dangers of not preparing for the weather! Here's what not to wear on a day like this...

Pearly Queen of the Rain...

Everything but the coat, cardigan, scarf and earrings are exactly what I had on today. They are all pretty old stuff (so no longer available online) but here are the retailers (and links where available) of where I got my stuff from anyway:
Scarf: DKNY                Earrings: Primark              Bag: Accessorize, 
Collar: New Look       Top: New Look                 Cardigan: Primark
Skirt: H&M                  Tights: Primark                 Coat: New Look 

How did you fair in the weather today? Did it rain where you are? Let me know!!!
Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Thursday, 25 October 2012

Farewell Jacket Weather from Nelson Mandela and I...

Today was absolutely freezing!!! Autumn seems to have come out of nowhere and winter is fast approaching. It seems that in a week the leaves on the trees have turned from green to yellow, the temperature has drastically dropped and the seasons have completely changed!

For me, this sadly means that it is time to say goodbye to my leather jacket, my trusty accomplice for the last few months of dodgy and unpredictable weather. But fear not, for my other trusty goto - the cape! - has come out to play. Perfect for days like today when its not cold enough for the winter coat (I'll probably wait for it to get to 10°c or less) but is definitely not jacket weather (which to me is 15°c or above); a woollen cape is a total Godsend for days like today!

Today, a simple misunderstanding (on my part)! had me standing in the middle of Parliament Square for over half an hour in the wind, rain and cold! As much as I enjoyed the company of Nelson Mandela, had I been stood next to the correct Nelson Mandela statue (warmly located INSIDE of the Southbank Centre) then I would not have had to unnecessarily endure 11°c without shelter! Needless to say the cape saved the day again, and I live to tell the tale...


Here's what I what I had on...
Chilly chilly...
The tights I had on are from Primark, they have a great deal of a 3-pack (one black, one teal and one burgundy) for £3. The best things is that they use heat technology that adjust with the heat - so they warm you up when it's cold and keep you cool when it is hot! Definitely my top pick weather bargain!

What are you wearing right now? Let me know!!!
Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Saturday, 20 October 2012

My Fashion Faux Pas...

This week saw fashionista Kim Kardashian admitting to a major fashion faux pas in her baggy yellow jacket and leather skirt combo. In the spirit of confession I too must admit that I made a major error in judgment, though to a much lesser extent.

Today, in my mission to outsmart and out-dress the weather...I was beaten! In my defence, I broke my own unwritten rule by not checking the weather before deciding what to wear or even leaving the house. Obviously, if I had check the weather and noted the torrential downpours that I'm sure must have been predicted for the afternoon, then I would not have worn my new Dorothy Perkins Leopard pumps and would have gone for more weather-proof footwear! Needless to say that they will never be the same again, particularly since a little trek through a muddy patch of grass insured that when I took them off they were soaked from the inside out!

A couple of hours under the heater and they are now right as rain (lol, awful pun I know!) and in a bid to avoid such horrific shoe atrocities I am on the search for a rain proof boot! Below are two I have taken a fancy too...but which ones?

Office Marshmallow Welly - £7.50




BUDGET: These wellies are a complete bargain at under a tenner, will definitely do the job of keeping my feet wet but are very wellie looking...





Dorothy Perkins Black Stud Back Biker Boots - £49





NOT-SO-BUDGET: These boots are so cute, on trend and could also definitely do the job. But would I really want to wear them in the rain?...






Which boots should I go for? Let me know by voting below!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Rainy Day Retail Therapy - ASOS Sale

As predicted, today was another dismally grey affair in London town. This prompted some serious retail therapy (or browsing as it subsequently turned out) of which I am going to share with you...

I'm pretty sure that the ASOS sale has probably been on for a while but although it initially escaped my attention this was corrected when I came across how many goodies were available, not to mention the added bonus of an extra 10% off with the code MEGA10! Below are just a few items that caught my eye, all of which are under a tenner ;-). Happy shopping!!!

Top - £7.00
Bottoms - £4.50



This unusual bikini caught my eye both because of the print and its style. I slightly cheated here because all together it actually comes to £11.50 but as separates they are both under a tenner! They are loads of bikinis on offer at the moment so its a good time to stock up!






Leggings - £9.00




Animal print is still in at the mo and how better to channel your inner beast than with these leopard print leggings...?









Shirt - £9.00




This basic River Island shirt can be worn in so many ways. Plus it's available in both black and white! See Grazia's 5 Ways to Update a Classic White Shirt if you stuck for ideas on how to wear....







Earrings - £3.50




Another River Island goody! Crosses are everywhere right now and this set of three earrings keeps the look simple.








Belt - £4.50






I am totally obsessed with random animal clothes and accessories at the moment and thought this belt was adorable and at £4.50 who can resist??










There are sooooo many more goodies available so take a look!
Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Monday, 8 October 2012

A Rainy Day in London...Hats Galore


So today was a typically dismal day in London. Grey skies and rain all day with a temperature that didn't go much above 15°C/59°F (if it reached that at all...). I was driving today so didn't have to worry to much about keeping dry but in the spirit of the weather I wore a hat for good measure :-). So for all out there who are facing the similar hair-raising dilemma of keeping your hair dry while still looking good, here are some cool (and rather affordable) hats currently on the market!
H&M - £7.99
ASOS - £7.00
Zara - £17.99
(A bit more expensive than the others, but sooooo cute!)
UPDATE: see here for H&M cheaper alternative!
H&M - £3.99
This is my current staple hat! It's currently sold out in black online but can be found instore all year round.
New Look - £9.99



Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx