Tag: Zara

Casual To Dressy In Two Simple Steps

I love wearing heels and going for a slightly dressier look, however day to day when running around the city, it just really isn’t practical. On days when I’m going to the gym, I find it easiest just to wear my gym trainers which are also my comfiest footwear for getting around in.

There are times though when I need to make a quick transition from a day to night look. If I’m going to an event or meeting up with friends, I do like to dress up for the occasion. When I don’t have time to go home and change, it’s easiest to just keep a pair of heels in my bag, which I can quickly change into and instantly make myself feel more evening ready…

I love my white leather look back pack because it looks smart enough whilst actually being like a Tardis. I got it from Zara a while ago and since I’ve had it, it’s served me well.

As well as slipping on heels to jazz up my daytime outfit, if I’m wearing a t-shirt, it’s also easy to tie a knot in it to turn my day time Tee, into a nighttime crop top and I’m good to go.

What I Wore:
Black shrunken boyfriend jeans – Asos (here)
T-Shirt – Asos (here)
Black heels – Asos (here)
Biker jacket – Zara (similar here)
White backpack – Zara, last year (similar here)

Samio x

January 10, 2016
Clarks Anniston Vale Outfit – Competition

Recently I’ve been talking a lot about how I’ve been wanting to downsize my wardrobe and invest in good quality items that I can get plenty of wear out of – less is more as they say.

These jeans were a recent purchase and so far I’ve been getting plenty of wear out of them but the star of the show with this outfit were definitely my Clarks Anniston Vale loafers.

I’m no stranger to Clarks shoes and over this past year I’ve accumulated a number of different styles, each which I am glad to say I’ve been getting plenty of wear out of. I think there is often a misconception with Clarks, as many people are often surprised after they compliment my shoes and I tell them where they are from. Yes Clarks are known for their comfort and quality but they should be known for their style too. Whoever said you can’t have style and comfort.

I’d been eyeing up these particular loafers since I spotted them at Clarks A/W press day earlier this year. I’d spotted them in black and a gorgeous burgundy shade and knew I’d have to have a pair. I was over the moon when I was given the opportunity not to only have a pair but to choose my own unique colourway for them too! I’d spotted the brushed animal print on another pair of shoes, so chose that to go on the top part and there’s something so classic about patent black, so that made up my mind for the rest of the shoe. I excitedly ripped open the box when they arrived and I could not be more pleased with them.

What I wore:
Shirt – Zara (similar here)
Jeans – Topshop
Shoes – Clarks Anniston Vale loafers

Win a £200 Clarks Voucher

Clarks have been even more amazing and given me the opportunity to spread the shoe love with you guys by giving you the opportunity to win £200 in Clarks Vouchers! All you have to do to enter this fabulous competition is follow both me and Clarks on Instagram – @clarksshoes and @samiorenelda – Then comment below on this blog post with your Instagram name to let me know you’ve entered. The competition ends at midnight on Friday 16th October and the winner will be selected at random and announced on my Instagram on Saturday 17th. This competition is open to UK residents only. Good luck!

Samio x

Some of the items may have been sent to me for review purposes, however this does not affect my opinions – check out my disclaimer for further information.

Check out my other outfit post featuring some of my favourite Clarks shoes:
Clarks X Orla Kiely
Boyfriend Jeans & Hotel Bustle
Matching Florals

October 6, 2015
Boyfriend Jeans & Striped Tee

Some days it’s nice to go for an easy relaxed Tee and a loose fit pair of boyfriend jeans for the ultimate comfy day, when you still have to leave the house.

This summer I’m loving wearing my Clarks Hotel Bustle sandals. They are really comfy to wear and I feel that they bring a slightly smart finish to this otherwise super chilled outfit.

For days when I’m running errands, I tend to go for this more relaxed type of look and find it good to have a few easy to wear tees that are good to throw on when I need to leave the house in a hurry or just nip to the shops.

Although on these more casual days comfort is the priority, I find finishing off my outfit with a pair of smart yet comfy sandals like these, helps my outfit look that little bit more thought out, even if it wasn’t

What I wore:
T-Shirt – Zara (Similar here)
Boyfriend Jeans – Zara (Similar here)
Sandals – Clarks

What are your go to, on the go ‘comfy day’ items of clothing?

Samio x

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June 15, 2015
That Special Occasion Outfit – The Jones and Jones Dress

Oh how I love to dress up. If I had the choice I’d dress up everyday (although some say I already do to some degree) but unfortunately normal life often gets in the way and heels and a girly lace lined dress aren’t always deemed practicle. But of course there are times when it is seen as acceptable to go all out and dress up for that special occasion. It may not be quite right for popping to the shops in but as the season is approaching, I think that this look that I’ve put together, would be perfect for prom or if you’re wanting to make a special effort as a wedding guest. Unfortunately I’m too old to attend prom (The film Never Been Kissed springs to mind) and the next Wedding I’m going to be attending is over a year away… But, in the mean time, it’s fine for a girl to play dress up right?

I recently picked out this gorgeous pale pink and navy blue baroque print dress from Jones and Jones and instantly knew I’d have to team it with what I like to call my ‘Mrs Kennedy’ jacket, from Zara. I went for a matching pale pink belt to synch in the dress at the waist and slipped on a pair of pale pink heels. I went for a small navy blue clutch purse to tie in with the colour on the dress and a pair of retro style sunnies completed the look perfectly.

What I wore
Dress – Jones and Jones
Belt – Primark
Jacket – Zara (last season)
Heels – New Look
Bag – H&M

How about you, do you have any special occasions coming up this summer? What would be your perfect outfit to wear to a wedding or to prom?

Samio x

April 28, 2015
The Blue Floral Print Coat & Dinner at Solita

I think I need another month of not eating meat as since going back to my carnivorous ways, I’ve not stopped eating burgers. With so many great burger joints in Manchester though, it’s often rather hard to resist. On Friday I met up with the boyfriend after work and after going for a few drinks around The Northern Quarter, we ended up in Solita for a meal.

It was my first time at Solita, so I wanted to try as much as I could by getting starters and mains (any excuse). To start we went for the Buffalo Wings and the Deep Fried Mac ‘n’ Cheese Balls to share. The wings of course were splendid and the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Balls were delicious, I only wished there were more of them.

For the main, Damien went for the Catalan burger; Consisting of grilled chorizo, roasted red peppers, pepperjack cheese, roasted tomato aioli, nicely presented with a padron pepper skewer. I went for the Manc-Hattan burger; Consisting of pastrami, melted Lancashire cheese, fried black pudding, Lancashire sauce and Coney Island mustard. Both were served with skinny fries and we went halfs on our burgers (because I really wanted to try Damien’s Cajun burger). I loved both burgers but my favourite was the Manc-Hattan burger. I would rate it high up there on the burger scale in terms of creativeness and taste. We washed our meals down, with red wine for me and a beer for Damien. The staff were friendly and attentive and the food was delicious, so I’m sure I will be back again soon.

What I wore:
Coat/Jacket – Lavish Alice (Last Season)
Tank Top – Primark – In Store Now
Bracelets & Necklace – Primark – In Store Now
Earrings – Topshop
Black Skinny Jans – ASOS
Bag – Zara (old)
Shoes – Urban Outfitters (old)

Samio x

March 23, 2015
The White Backpack

I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love Zara bags (and of course Zara in general). They always seem to do such well made handbags, that I often find are sturdy and last a long time in terms of faux leather bags, not to mentions the designs are always super cute too. This backpack was no exception and after being on the lookout for a new gym bag, then spotting this appropriately sized backpack, I just had to purchase it.

So I don’t know what me, one of the clumsiest people ever is doing purchasing a white bag but like I said, I just could not resist and as I’m a lover of the whole monochrome look, I’m quite pleased of how well it goes with my black attire.

As handy as it is for carrying round my gym kit, I’m sure I’ll also get plenty of use out of this for overnight trips too as it’s the perfect size. I just love it.

Backpack – Zara
Roll neck top – New Look
Necklace – Primark
Jeans – Asos

Samio x

March 17, 2015
The Floral Polka Dot Playsuit

Saturday seemed like the perfect opportunity to wear my floral polka dot playsuit. I only bought it a couple of weeks ago and to be honest I didn’t think I’d get chance to wear it so soon, what with the constant rain and all. But alas, this weekend we saw some sun and so I joyfully put on the new playsuit.

I would have liked to have worn the playsuit without tights but I’m affriad it isn’t warm enough for that just yet (one step at a time). Anyway I teamed the playsuit with a pair of flat patent blue ballet pumps and matching blue bag, both from Zara. The bag, I bought last year (if I remember rightly) and the shoes I bought only recently in the sale for £12 and this was my first time wearing them. I really love the colour of the shoes (and the bag), I seem to have a bit of a thing for shades of blue lately.

My best and favourite buy of course was the playsuit. I picked it up whilst I was in Birmingham shopping in from Forever 21. I’d originally picked up a pair of shorts in the same print when I then spotted the playsuit. Of course the playsuit became the winner and it was swiftly purchased. The best part is it was only £12, what a bargain! I so need to shop there more often.

Saturday afternoon my boyfriend and I went to T.G.I Friday’s to stuff our faces. We shared a starter of Buffolo wings with blue cheese dip and for my main I went for the Jack Daniel’s burger (I absolutley love that flavour). Hmmm, tasty.

Samio x

March 9, 2015
80s Fashion Friday

Friday was the first day that actually felt like summer might be coming after what has felt like the longest winter ever. Blue skies and not a rain cloud in sight meant I was able to ‘de-layer’. Although it wasn’t time to get out the shorts or crop top just yet, it was nice to be able to ditch the big cosy coat for once and not feel the need to be wrapped in a thousand layers.

Late afternoon I met up with my friend Laura and we went for pizza and wine at Dry Bar before I met up with some other friends to head to The Smiths Disco later that evening.

I wanted to wear something that I could wear from evening through to the night, so I went for blue high waisted trousers and a silky wrap peplum top to dress it up a bit. I’ve had the vintgae top for ages but this is the first time I wore it. I’m guessing it’s from the 80’s and I love how it looks good worn either open as a jacket or fastened as a top. I think I’ll be pulling this one out a lot more now that I’ve finally gotten round to wearing it.

What I wore:
Top – Vintage
Navy high waisted trousers – H&M
Belt – Vintage
Shoes – River Island
Hoop earrings – Topshop
Bag – zara

Samio x

March 7, 2015
Flashbacks of The Last Summer…

I woke up yesterday morning and it was snowing… SNOWING! Now I’m not complaining, no wait a minute, I am. Snow is fabulous, it’s delightful, it’s absolutely fantastically magical when it comes along before Christmas, or Christmas Day, even better! However, two and a half weeks after, when the tree is down and Santa has gone home, I’m over it. I’m sick of being cold and I certainly don’t want to see snow. Now I shouldn’t be moaning as I really do enjoy the different seasons and I’m sure if I lived with one consistent weather type I’d miss it but I blame the shops and Christmas cards for my lack of January weather appreciation. I blame Christmas cards because the pictures always portray snow laden valleys and pretty icicles, which now immediately makes me associate cold weather and frost with Christmas time and the shops are worse because they decide to get rid of all the winter stock at the coldest time of the year and start stocking in spring/summer clothes and bikinis. Now I don’t know about you but that really messes my head up and it makes my need for spring/summer days even more immidiate.

With all this in my mind, I was clearing through some of the stuff on my hard drive the other day when I stumbled across some unused outfit shots from last August. It reminded me how nice it is to be able to wear so few layers. So now I thought I’d finally share this forgotten outfit post on my blog, as a reminder that it was warm once and it will eventually be beautiful spring/summer once again. And to all of you who live in countries where it is warm right now, I’m not jealous one bit. Of course I’m not.

What I wore:
Kimono – Zara
Vest – Forever 21
Jeans – Topshop
Sandals – River Island
Backpack – River Island

Samio x

January 15, 2015
Manchester Christmas Markets, Comfy Clothes & Timberland Boots

I cannot believe it’s that time of year once again. Winter is here and that means so is Christmas… Almost. The run up to Christmas however, has certainly began. Those infamous Christmas ads are back on our screens, the stores are busy with shoppers looking for those all important gifts and the Christmas Markets are back!

In my hometown of Manchester, each year around this time, the centre homes hundreds of German style Christmas Market stalls selling a host of gifts, food and drink. It’s the best place in town to go and get into the Christmas spirit as well as being perfect for getting your hands on some mulled wine and a yummy Frankfurt (my personal favourites).

On Friday, my boyfriend and I had the day off together and so our obvious plan was to head to this years newly opened Christmas Markets. I’d previously walked through a couple of times at night, when I must say it’s ultra Christmassy. However it was nice to stop for a couple of mulled wines and a bite to eat during the day when the crowds were less busy.

we also did a spot of shopping and I got a pair of practical leather boots from Topshop, in anticipation for those icy days that I feel are coming.

Friday wasn’t quite ready to freeze but it was cold and so I wrapped up in cosy knits and my Timberland wedge boots. I bought these Timberlands about a month ago and I love them. These were my original attempt at buying practical boots (I hardly ever find flat ones I like). As they are a wedge boots my attempts at being practical failed slightly (I tried) but I have to say, they are super comfy. I also find that as they are a contrast in colour to my black boots, that they look better with jeans and lighter denims.

What I Wore:
Shirt – Bershka
Cardigan – Gap
Shawl/Scarf – H&M
Jeans – Zara
Belt – H&M
Necklace – Wonderland Boutique (old)
Bag – River Island
Wedge Boots – Timberland

Samio x

November 24, 2014