The 6 month itch



The sixth month mark has now passed so i definitely feel like i'm on the home straight. Pink bump is still managing to fit into some regular clothes which is a delicious blessing. I totally love all the paper bag waist maxi skirts that are floating around the high street at the moment, from Zara to Primark, but thought they were beyond the bump.  Now, thanks to New Look, i have managed to sneak this trend into my maternity wardrobe. I had some vouchers from a maternity project i did for them and got this layered Voile Maxi Skirt which they had in their Tall section too. I am 5ft 8 and this is a super long skirt so popped over the bump but was still an ample length to remain maxi. I've just noticed they do it in orange too so may have to snap that up. Teamed with a silky white jersey back shell top also from New Look. I found an old skinny belt that i think came with a Topshop pair of trousers i bought ages ago, got to love those little extras.

I'm still undecided about the maxi/heel mix so went for some vintage low heels i got from an awesome place in Nottingham called the Vintage Warehouse and thanks to the cobbler husband, got them looking decent again. I wore some new wedges yesterday which have left my feet a little sore but this morning followed the advice of girl crush Olivia Palermo who in her last blog post suggested deodorant on the feet to stop the dreaded blister.  So after a little TLC with some Sure roll on, i was away and i've got to say it's working so far, even up against swollen pregnancy feet. Not only does she wear Topshop and River Island, she also delivers us from blister evil. Love, love, love her...x Talia

THE dress post

I've been wanting to do this dress post for a while. I got married last September and had originally planned to do my wedding dress post on valentines day but got waylaid with having a house of germs. So in the absense any outfit posts this week i am taking fellow bride, Sarah's advice and just posting it whenever i like and taking you all back to last September to share with you all the most important dress i'll hopefully ever wear. 

The Jenny Packham Minerva.

I teamed it with a Jenny Packham headpiece, some vintage shoes and my great-grandmother's veil.  My husband is extremely camera shy so i have kept him out of these and instead included my two other favourite men; my daddy and my boy Henry. I'm a total wedding dress junkie so please send me any links to your most amazing dress...x Talia

My Great Grandmother Mabel marrying my Great Grandfather Norman Phethean on the same day, 3rd September, in 1924. Wearing the veil she so kindly saved so that my mum could wear for her wedding, and that I, 87 years to the day, could wear on my special day.

Midi Dancer

It's Friday AND it's December AND there was frost on the floor so getting my outfit pics done outside, first thing, sans coat, is getting a little more speedy! I bought this sheer pleated midi skirt a month or so a go, a vintage ebay find, but every time i've put it on it's not felt quite right. When i see it in my wardrobe though i always romanticise wearing it and have finally come up with something that feels rightish.

It's no big revelation, just a tightish 3/4 sleeve top, underskirt, a brown skinny pleated belt and some old favourite shoeboots from Garage Shoes. I love that the neck of this Primark top allows full exposure of my Dogeared wishbone necklace as it's one of my most treasured jewellery items. I also searched for a lower denier tight as there is no danger of any bending over bloopers and thought it might look good as the skirt is sheer but alas my mountain of black opaques would not delivery anything under 100. MUST sort out my drawers!...x Talia

p.s. I tried the hair up but it was all a bit too ballerina so i have it down although i honestly think i have exceeded the realms of acceptability concerning Batiste. A dry shampoo OD. I love the way it looks but it feels horrible. Completely grotbags. How long is too long with Batiste? How many days are acceptable? Answers on a comment card.

Vintage hits and misses

I don't think think there is anything more annoying than when you ask someone where an item of clothing is from and the response is; "It's vintage." The smugness of it. However, when the shoe is on the other foot, it is admittedly the best the feeling ever. With an air of "I am better than you and can find a diamond in a shower of shit."

However with many people selling vintage-style things, the diamonds are a little harder to find.  So it got me thinking about my vintage collection as in my experience there's a fair amount of hit and misses. My latest miss was an oversized mohair cardigan with ombre shading. It was nice and on the right person it would definitely be a hit but on me it was just too try hard. I'll leave it to the Brick Lane brigade. Now for the hits. A few years ago i got an amazing cropped 3/4 sleeve leather jacket from a vintage shop called Wild Clothing in my home town. It was when the All Saints cropped leather first came out for £200, i picked this up for £25. Smug was not the word.

Although i recently ripped the arm clean off so it is currently residing with my local tailor who's restoring it for me. However my all time favourite vintage piece ever is a nude/ peach hued sequined top (top pic) i bought from amazing ebay seller americanarchive. I urge you to check them out. Although their prices can get quite high, their styling is out of this world. Come join us smug folk...x Talia