We're contagious.

Monochrome. It's everywhere. It's going to continue to trend through A/W. I love it. It's classic, it's sleek and it's pretty difficult to get wrong.

This outfit was worn to my big Sisters' 40th Birthday dinner, so I wanted something nice but not crazy formal. I'm totally channeling Wednesday Addams here, if only I had black hair and a sickly pallor...

Shirt/blouse - Primark. I got this in a size smaller than normal, I think the next one up was a bit baggy. Black light material (not chiffon-y or see-through, but light almost silky) with white cuffs and collar. It's kind of ruched a little bit in the chest area, which gives it some shape instead of being flat - nice.

Jeans - ASOS. Black acid wash high-waisted skinny jeans, I love these. So comfy and I always feel more confident with the high-waist under shirts.

Shoes - Primark. Black cut-out flats with buckle. Love that Primark have got on the cut-out trend as for some maddening reason, everywhere else that's jumped on the bandwagon seems to have priced theirs at double the cost of normal shoes! Anyway, I actually had to size down to a 5 in these as the 6 was ginormous, even with socks on. They're comfy and halfway between a sandal and a shoe, so kind of formal but cheeky. So pleased with them!

Accessories:

Hat - Ebay. Roll brim felt bowler, black. Ebay sellers are totally winning the war for me with hats, priced at anything between £15 and £50 in the highstreet shops, I'll be continuing to purchase mine for around the £3 mark from Hong Kong.

Chain necklace - H&M. Chunky rose/brassy chain. This comes up almost like a choker so it's perfect for sitting right under collars. I love the colour, I shy away from the big gold chains I've seen other bloggers rocking - I just feel a bit too Mr. T. in them... I might give silver a go at some point, but for now I'm wearing this with EVERYTHING. Should still be in H&M if you want to grab your own!

Key necklace - Primark. Just an ornate brassy key on a long necklace. It's heavy not flimsy, and well, you know how I love keys.

Rings - ASOS. Not a very good picture but they're fine gold bands with tiny symbols on them, one is a cloud with raindrops, one is a lightning bolt and one is an umbrella, so adorable! Had lots of comments on these, but I think they may be sold out on the site now.

Here's a close-up of the shoes for you shoeaholics like me...

Winter is coming...

Brrr-freakin-rrrrr! Autumn has definitely arrived with a bitter edge, even sunny days have me reaching for a scarf now, I love it! So, I was ridiculously excited to receive this awesome package from Hi-Tec... it's a pair of their St. Anton 200 Snow Boots in a lovely grey (black/graphite) colour! Woohoo! They also come in a really nice chocolate/taupe colour, so maybe one to think about if you wear a lot of brown or autumnal colours. I have a heap of grey accessories in my wardrobe so it was an easy choice for me.

On top of being super-cute and easy to style, these boots have a ton of amazing features to get you through the Winter months, like strong but soft leather uppers (instant comfort, no 'wearing in' needed with these) and the all important waterproof element of course! I can't wait to test these out in the snow, but I can tell you from a bit of a splash in some puddles these certainly did keep my tootsies dry.

They also come padded with crazy-warm 200g Thinsulate (saviour of hikers/campers/festival goers everywhere) so I did actually stay warm with just a pair of regular socks on. Now, I'm a cold-footed sort and usually pop on a couple of pairs of socks or some thick walking ones with boots, but they always give me sweaty (but not warmer) feet. So pleased I can wear normal socks in these AND they're moisture wicking, so that solves that problem too!

 

The adorable fuzzy-furry bit is really soft/pliable too, so you can wear the boots loose like I have them, or ruch them and tie them tight with the laces for a snug fit. I've got fairly narrow feet and these fit like a glove, so if you have wide feet they may take a bit of moulding, but there's so much lovely padding inside it'll be easy peasy. 

My number one favourite bit of all? The grip. Seriously, these are built like tank-treads - proper chunky grippy wonderfulness, I know these will be great for tramping about on snow, ice, mud, whatever! So often have I got a pair of boots I really love for A/W (cute... waterproof... cosy.... etc.) but they have rubbish traction on slippy surfaces, these Hi-Tec St. Anton's are the full package and I will be rocking them with EVERYTHING, as they're quick to put on too. Swap out your Uggs people, these are properly Winter friendly!
 
You can snap up your own pair here, let me know which ones you like better, grey or chocolate??

Rest of my outfit:

Hat - Grey pom pom, ASOS

Tshirt - Snowbombing

Skirt - Grey cable-knit, Primark

Leggings - Jack Wills

Mini bag - Fair Isle with grey fur, Primark kids section 

Snood - Grey rib knit, ASOS

Sunglasses - Wayfarer style, Primark

 
This sample product was gifted from HI-TEC. Opinions expressed here are my own.