Take it Easy

Before Christmas I was thrilled to discover that a branch of Ed's Easy Diner opened in Westfield Derby and couldn't wait to try it out so I dragged the kids in for a refresher during a pre-Christmas shopping trip.

It was opening weekend so was really busy, the queue was round the block to get in - however we managed to pick a quiet moment in between the queues which was lucky and were shown to a booth straight away. The décor of the place had a great 1950s vintage / retro vibe that perfectly matched my outfit of Freddies of Pinewood vintage style jeans, red converse all stars and red top purchased in Westfield Derby, from the sale rail at Oasis for the bargain price of a fiver.......great buy and goes with everything!!!

Service was a bit slow and they forgot my order which I got around 15 minutes after the kids, I also had to ask for our bill several times as the waitress was more intent on sweeping the floor. The menu doesn't have many options for non meat eaters so the kids chose pancakes, unfortunately these had sold out so they waffles instead with a milkshake each. I had a coke float which was delicious and perfect for the American vibe. I'm hoping the glitches were simply because the staff were all new and had been super busy on opening so I would still go back for a return visit although I would love to see more fish and non meat options on the menu in future. It was tempting to get up and do a bit of a Grease song and dance routine whilst we were there and would be a great place for a photoshoot too.

It's a great place for a pose and a pit stop during a shopping trip and definitely worth paying a visit, particularly if you enjoy he 50s rockabilly vibe and are partial to a spot of people watching. I was slightly disappointed that the staff didn't have retro uniforms as these would have looked super cute.

 

Enjoying my coke float

 

 

Matching the décor in my Freddies of Pinewood classic fit jeans

 

The cute mini juke boxes on each table - the money you put in goes to charity

 

The kids enjoying their waffles

 

The Twelve Clothes of Christmas #2

Nothing beats a cosy pair of PJs in Winter and I can't wait to change into mine almost as soon as I get home from work, in fact I spend more time in my PJs than anything else and consider them more as loungewear rather than nightwear. Therefore it's important that my PJs are cosy, comfy and above all warm.

My favourite place to shop for PJs is La Senza in Westfield Derby where you can buy both sets and separates from sexy, silky to cosy fleece. I have several pairs of their cropped bottoms and loose fitting tops for Summer but now the weather is on the chilly side I wanted to pick up something a bit warmer, especially as my early morning doggy walks with Winston involve me pulling on a pair of wellies and a faux fur coat over my PJs.

There were plenty of styles to choose from and I went for PJ bottoms in a schmexy 'long john' style, there were plenty of patterns to choose from. I chose this cute stripey pair and on discovering there was a Black Friday 'buy one get one half price' deal on I chose a pale leopard print pair too. As I type I'm snuggled up on my sofa in my new PJ bottoms with a sweatshirt, thick socks and a chunky fair isle cardigan.......cosy!!!

 

PJs make a great gift for Christmas and I would highly recommend you pop into La Senza to have a look at theirs. The great thing about buying separates is that you can choose different sizes for top and bottom as required as well as mix and matching your styles and prints, something to keep everyone happy.

The Twelve Clothes of Christmas #1

One of my favourite things about Christmas is that it gives us the opportunity to wear lots of lovely clothes that only see the light of day over the festive season. Therefore I have decided to dedicate 12 blog posts to our Christmas wardrobe starting with my festive favourite.......the Christmas jumper!!!

Not much divides opinion like a Christmas jumper does. Regular, stylish people tick off the days until it is considered 'acceptable' to wear one whereas others would rather gouge out their eyes than wear what they consider to be a hideous monstrosity. I myself am rather fond of a Christmas jumper and can't wait to wear mine this year.

I tend to steer clear of the novelty robins, reindeer and Christmas tree jumpers in favour of the more Nordic and fair isle designs although I was rather tempted by a sweater in Topshop covered in the cutest little gingerbread man print.

On a visit to Westfield Derby I found my perfect Christmas jumper for this year in The Sweater Shop which is tucked away at the back of the top floor. Everything is made in England and the prices are brilliant. I spotted a fab, Scandinavian jumper in black and red with a band of white snowflakes and pine trees across. After much deliberation I decided to buy both at the bargain price of just £25 each (as you can never have too many Christmas jumpers!!!) and can't wait to wear them throughout December. I bought the red version in a smaller size which gives it a more fitted look to wear with pencil skirts and red shoes for work. The black version I bought a size bigger for a looser fitting, more casual look with skinny jeans on weekends. They can easily be layered up with a polo neck underneath for the colder weather but are still a light enough knit to wear on rare warmer days.

 

If you need more of an excuse to get your Christmas jumper on how about supporting Save the Children on Christmas Jumper Day, Friday 13th December and do your bit for charity. Why not get your workplace joining in and give out a prize for the best jumper. There were some cracking novelty jumpers to choose from in The Sweater Shop - pay Westfield Derby a visit and see for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

It's getting parky out there..........

Autumn is most definitely here now and the time had arrived to get the daughter a new winter coat. Even though she's only 1,2 she is tall for her age and a ladies size 10 which gives us lots of choice but sadly higher price tags. We decided to go late night shopping last Friday in Westfield Derby to check out what was available.

She had set her heart on a parka which would be warm and practical for both school and weekends. All the shops seemed to be selling them so we conducted a thorough investigation on prices and styles. Here are our top three..................

 

This Superdry one was our favourite, the fit was great and we loved the furry hood. However the £140 price tag was out of our budget.

 

 

This parka from Topshop was ace and had a detachable lining so it could be worn all year round. At £85 it was still a bit pricey and we were convinced we could get something cheaper.

 

 

In the end we went for this great version from H&M at just £49.99. The fabric and fit was great and, like the topshop version it also has a detachable lining. The only thing missing was a furry, warm edge to the hood but otherwise perfect. I think she's going to get plenty of wear out of this over the next few months!!!

 

There were also similar green parkas in New Look, Dorothy Perkins and Vero Moda so go check out Westfield Derby for a cosy and stylish warm coat to wear for Bonfire Night.

 

 

Super Skinnies

Much as I love my fab Freddies of Pinewood jeans I also love a great pair of skinny jeans. They are perfect for tucking into wellies or boots for winter dog walks and also look good with heels for going out. However it can be difficult to find a great fiting pair that are also flattering.

Whilst at Derby Westfield last weekend with a bit of time to spare, I stumbled into Vero Moda and quite by chance came across the most perfect skinny jeans I have found for a long time.

The label on them calls these 'wonder jeggings' and whilst I agree that they are wonderous they most certainly are NOT jeggings. They are reasonably high waisted for high street jeans today and almost come up to my belly button. They are front fastening with button and zip. The denim is super soft, stretchy and a really comfy fit. I'm an ample lass myself but these are a very flattering cut that suits all shapes. In a variety of leg lengths I like to turn mine up to wear with heels. 

At the bargain price of just £35 why not go and give these fab, rockabilly gal skinnies a try yourself. In blue, black and khaki I will certainly be going back for another pair on payday. 

In the Swim

The recent heatwave we've been experiencing here in the UK has got me thinking about swimwear. Some days I've even wished I could go to work in my bikini but for the sake of decency thankfully restrained myself (not a pretty sight to be perfectly honest). Even if you're too shy to break out the swimwear here at home then maybe your thoughts are turning to what to wear on the beach for your holidays...either way a trip to Westfield Derby is just what you need for a bit of beachside inspiration.

My own personal preference is for vintage style swimwear...high waisted bottoms, long line tops or swimsuits with lower cut legs and maybe skirt detailing. I find these are most flattering and tend to hold in all the bits you'd rather not have on show and believe me we all have plenty of those!!!

This  emerald green bikini from topshop is my absolute favourite pick from the Westfield. The high waisted bottoms hold in the tummy and are incredibly flattering for all figures whilst the longline bra has removable shoulder straps to reduce tan lines and the emerald green colour looks amazing with a tan or with a paler complexion (I'm a slave to the factor 50 myself!!!)

Another favourite of mine for swimwear is polkadots, believe me they can disguise a multitude of sins!!! There are a wide variety of polkadot swimsuits available in Westfield Derby you really will be spoilt for choice. My top picks come from Marks and Spencer, a sassy, hot pink number with a cute, built in swim skirt, and Next who have a great range of retro inspired swimwear in at the moment. You couldn't fail to go wrong with either of these beauties....

               

Wedges are essential footwear for the beach as you don't sink into the sand and don't forget to pop into Accessorize to pick up a floppy sunhat, glamorous sunnies (remember to check they have UV protection), armfuls of bangles, hair flowers and a roomy beach bag to complete the look. Personally, I prefer to stay in the shade and read my book so I always pop into WH Smiths to check out their latest selection. I like to make sure I'm well stocked up on sun protection too, there are some great offers on at Boots and Superdrug at the moment.

So Westfield Derby really is your one stop destination for all your holiday requirements.....even if it's just a back yard holiday this year!!!

Minty Madness

One of the things I love best about this time of year is that the shops don't just stock drab coloured clothes and instead colour bomb you with ice cream coloured clothes in pretty pastel palettes to tempt your fashion tastebuds.

Last weekend I went for a mooch around Westfield Derby and was blown away by all the pretty pastel shades available....in particular mint green. Such a pretty, flattering shade that can be worn easily as clothing or accessories and really adds a summery vibe to an outfit.

I picked up these GORGEOUS mint green converse from schuh . I had been after some for a while so was delighted to finally pick a pair up. I usually go for the lo version but they didn't have them in my size so instead I got hi-tops. They are super cute and I can't wait for the weather to improve so I can wear them with shorts.

I love chiffon headscarves, they are great for concealing my pincurls, improving a bad hair day or adding a bit of colour to an outfit. Tie Rack in Westfield Derby has a special offer on at the moment for buy one and get one half price so I picked up this adorable mint green polkadot scarf. They also look great tied around the neck or even added to the strap of a handbag. The lady in Tie Rack packaged it up so beautifully I almost didn't want to open it when I got home!!!

I adored this mint sweater in TOPSHOP but sadly they didn't have my size....I will be going back again for it though. Perfect for those cooler summer evenings and such a pretty shade.

These mint coloured ruffle ankle socks in Topshop were also cute but I think I'm probably a bit old to get away with them. Instead I might get them for my daughter and 'borrow' them occasionally.

If you aren't brave enough for mint coloured clothing then why not add a summery vibe to your outfit with a pretty mint green nail polish like this Essie one from Boots. It would look great with a tan on your fingers and toes.

After a good old shopping session I decided to refresh myself at the newly opened Patisserie Valerie. Have you been yet??? A Parisienne vibe with waitress service and scrummy cakes refuelled me nicely and it was fab to sit and watch the world go by for a little while. Word of warning though the cakes are BIG so go with a friend and share if you can although you will be spoilt for choice by the delicious menu.

Make a Date with Westfield Derby

Well....we had a glorious Bank Holiday but since then the weather has gone downhill, rainy, cold and downright miserable. If the kids are fed up of staying in and you’re fed up of going out and getting wet then why not make a date with Westfield Derby. Lots to do there for everyone and not a rain cloud in sight. In fact, my children and I did exactly that last Saturday to escape the rain and had a really fun day.

We parked in Westfield Derby’s car park so we didn’t even get our tootsies wet and once inside I headed straight to WHSmith's to pick up the latest copy of Vintage Life Magazine. This is my favourite magazine and it’s great to be able to pick a copy up locally without having to subscribe. Have you discovered it yet? You won’t be disappointed when you do and best of all it’s handbag size!!!

Next stop was schuh as my daughter needed a new pair of converse. Sadly the amazing red polkadot pair we spotted was out of stock but there were still lots of other styles and colours to choose from. In the end she chose this funky pink pair and I think I’ll be heading back on payday to treat myself to some mint green ones, such a cute pastel shade for summer.

After that we were ready for a pit stop so headed over to Mr Pretzel for our favourite cinnamon pretzels still warm from the oven. Did you know that you can get a collector card that gives you a free pretzel once you’ve filled it with 9 stamps? Genius idea!

After filling our bellies we headed upstairs to the cinema to watch Ironman 3. We all love a good, family friendly action film to keep us entertained and this certainly didn’t disappoint. The kids thought it was “awesome” and had great special effects. Go see it while it’s still out. You can even pick up souvenir Iron Man toys and memorabilia from the Westfield Derby toyshops – including dressing up costumes for the Build a Bears...who’d have thunk it!!!

So.....next time it’s a grey and miserable day make a date with Westfield Derby. There really is something there to keep everyone entertained.

Westfield Derby Official Blogger

I'm rather excited to announce that I have been chosen by Westfield Derby shopping centre to be their official blogger.....squeeeeeeee!!!!! This is a fantastic opportunity to share the fab shops, entertainment and eateries at one of the East Midlands largest indoor shopping centres. It is not a paid position so all the views I share will be entirely my own but it is a great place to go for leisure and shopping and we never leave empty handed (or empty of belly!!!). We are regular Westfield goers ourselves anyway so it will be nice to share some of the things that are available there in my blog alongside my regular blog ramblings...of which I have many ready to post!!!

Stay tuned for more......................