Snow day

 

 

Manchester blogger enjoying the snow in style

For the past few days, the UK has been covered in a thick blanket of white snow. Although we are used to seeing a dusting every now and then, it seldom gets this deep or stays long enough to be enjoyed for more than a day. I’m not usually organised enough to get outfit pictures in the snow before it turns to mush, but this time it settled for long enough to give me a chance!

Mango cocoon coat Oliver bonas scarf

I often walk the dogs in the cold, but I usually wear waterproofs and thermals for that and I wanted to try out a  casual but put-together, weather-appropriate outfit, that could be worn to go shopping or even to work )if there isn’t a strict dress code).

doggy kisses in the snow

Ziva came too as she always loves an opportunity for another paddle in the reservoir, even if it is freezing! She’s always eager to be helpful and can be seen here, licking snow off my face!

mango mohair coat

The wind was cold and kept blowing snow into my eyes but I was pleased with my choice of double mohair (jumper and coat) as it did keep me warm, despite the lightweight look and feel.

I played with Ziva on one of the fishing bays, she loves to run around and catch snow in her mouth! I was also impressed by how suitable these boots were, this was my first time wearing these in the snow and for some reason, thought this style may be less hard-wearing than the classic ones (softer leather), however that doesn’t seem to be the case. They have plenty of grip and my toes didn’t feel cold at all for the hour that I was out walking.

grey coat and pom pom hat

I feel the item that really finishes off this outfit, are the long, fingerless gloves. I prefer fingerless gloves so I can touch things without getting wet gloves and use my phone and I love the fact that they are long, because they allow me to make certain style choices that would normally be unwise for the weather, such as bunching up the sleeves on my coat. I prefer the way they look like this, but I definitely wouldn’t like to have cold arms!

I really enjoyed seeing the familiar reservoir looking like a complete new place, the snow covered ice changed the landscape and make it look like snowy plains, divided by icy rivers. The swans and ducks seemed to like it too.

As I have gotten older, I have really enjoyed making sure I have appropriate clothing for all weather and finding items that make me feel comfortable in each situation but still fit in with my style.

OUTFIT:

Coat: Mango, unstructured mohair blend coat (similar)

scarf: Oliver Bonas (similar)

Jumper: & other stories (similar)

Trousers: Zara

Boots: Dr. Martens

Hat: gift

Gloves: Next

Images by Richard Ayres.

All black on a grey day

On Saturday evening we went out to celebrate my best friend’s birthday. It was quite a grey day but I managed to fit in some quick outfit shots, just before walking the dogs.

stacey black fashion blogger

aesthetic contradiction fashion blog

I am making an effort to be more strict with my blogging schedule this year and aiming to take outfit pictures every Saturday, or at least once a week. I have tried this previously and managed to keep it going for a few months but I always end up getting swamped with work and giving up at some point.

aestheticcontradiction dark fashion blog

Fitting in blogging while running a business and a household can be tricky, but I’m trying to change things around to give me more time for blog posts and videos. I also filmed the “furry friends” tag for my youtube channel on Saturday so keep an eye out for that!

stacey Black fashion blogger and Ziva

Outfit Details

Jacket: ASOS

Jumper: Topshop

Trousers: Zara

Shoes: Miista

Bag: Givency

Necklace: Richard Ayres

antler dragonfly banner long

A change in circumstance.

Around the time that my laptop broke and I stopped writing here regularly, I also lost my childhood dog of 18 years, Scamper, who I have previously featured in an outfit post, here.

It wasn’t possible for me not to have a dog in my life and I was very lucky to find my dream dog, in need of a new home.

Screen Shot 2014-12-14 at 17.24.18This is Charlie, the fluffy wolf.

Then one day we met a beautiful female that looked a bit like him and decided he could do with a play mate.

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This is Ziva, her name means brilliance or brightness in Hebrew but it seems she didn’t get such a great start in life.

1501843_10152751785305365_272361432752886498_nBoth dogs were under two years of ages when they came to live with us and had already had several homes.

10401403_10152792368405365_527676189745891949_nI’m glad to be able to offer them a safe and happy place to live.

10614267_10152759682785365_2515092036977737445_nEven though they do various naughty things…

1661042_10152787837000365_8956717407016056294_nSometimes they behave like little angles.

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As cute as these guys are, they are also a lot of work and I have had to make changes to my schedule in order to offer them everything that they need and my blog has ended up suffering.

From the new year, I will be introducing a new program and finalising the layout changes I started in the summer and I’m really looking forward to getting back on track.

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