Roll Necks & Amazing Jeans

Roll Neck - Miss Selfridge, Jeans - ASOS Petite, Heels - ASOS (similar here), Coat - H&M (similar here), Sunglasses - River Island

How cute is this fluffy roll neck tunic from Miss Selfridge? I love the colour and there's nothing better than snuggling up in cosy knitwear as the weather gets colder! I've also made the BEST purchase ever recently...these ASOS Petite jeans! Finding petite jeans is obviously an absolute nightmare, but honestly, these fit me like a glove. I think I need to stock up on as many pairs as possible before they sell out!

A Little Update | Life and Blogging

I thought it was time to sit down and write a little update, as I haven't done one for a while, and I wanted to to talk about something I've wanted to write about for quite a long time now!

Something I've always struggled to join the dots with, is the concept of having a blog and being a really, really private person. I realise that sounds a little hypocritical, considering I've blogged for 3 years now, I tweet a fair amount and instagram everyday. But I definitely choose very carefully what I share on the internet - and if you read my blog, follow my twitter or check my instagram with any kind of regularity, you'll know that it's normally all about outfits, fashion or beauty! What I put on my various social media platforms isn't personal stuff, like what I'm doing on a day to day basis, how I'm feeling, or any of that - it's all quite restrained. 

I think it's time to change that - at least a little bit!

StylaPetite as a blog turned 3 years old in July! But I didn't end up mentioning that anywhere, or take any time to credit it with the crazy amount of positivity and happiness it's brought me over the last few years. That's because, at the time, I'd decided to take a little step back from it. I felt like the summer, which got pretty busy with friends and work and general life, would be a good time to just back off a bit and perhaps even let it go. I was in a happy place, happy at work, in my relationship, happy in general - did I even really need my blog anymore? 

The answer is, I did, and I do. I felt more than a bit lost without it! I missed styling outfits, I missed writing posts and sharing content. I found emails starting to fill up my inbox with possible collaboration opportunities and people wondering where I'd disappeared to. I remembered some of the amazing opportunities the blog had brought me, the brands I've been lucky enough to work with, the hours spent photographing and styling and building my corner of the internet. Great big tranches of empty time opened up without my blog - I don't know what I'm meant to do with myself if I don't do it -  and I've realised it's all far too precious to me to let slide.

At this point, it doesn't really matter to me if it's 2 people or 200 people who read one of my posts. If I can reach just 1 person and give them 2 minutes of escapism by reading a post, or looking at an outfit, or reading some of my ramblings - then that's why I bother, and will continue to bother for a long time to come! But I think a good blog is about so much more than a series of soulless outfit posts when you don't have a clue who the person behind the picture is. I can definitely hold my hands up and say that I've been a bit of a 'ghost' blogger these last 3 years...and I would really like to change that!!

The bloggers I love the best are the ones who are open, honest and share a little bit of their life with their readers. At the heart of blogging, it's about people coming out to voice their experiences and share things - ultimately it's a way to let people know that you're not completely alone - there will always be someone going through the exact same things as you. So I don't think there's anything wrong with letting you know about more about the 'Holly' behind StylaPetite. I'm planning a few 'get to know me' type posts, I'm scheming a Youtube channel (I know I've been saying that for about a year, but I WILL do it) and I hope that you'll come to see StylaPetite as a place where you can find a bit more of the personal touch, as well as everything else!

Watch this space!

Wardrobe Clear-Out

So Summer is over and it's Autumn, which for me this year meant attacking my disgrace of a wardrobe. New season, new start and all that! I have way too many clothes and until recently there was no order to my wardrobe, and inside it were a tonne of clothes, shoes and bags that I knew I'd never wear again. It was definitely time to get rid!

I'm one of those awful people who can find a skirt with the tag in, un-worn from three years ago and still want to keep it 'just incase'. Or find a sliiightly too-small-for-my-thighs pair of jeans and think 'but these might look nice if I drop a few pounds'. And finally, I dig up an item that's nearly as old as I am but think 'this MIGHT come back into fashion one day'. So I keep everything basically...or at least, I used to.

So what are my key tips for de-cluttering?

1. Be ruthless - you have to be! Or you'll get sentimental and silly about everything - and end up keeping everything!

2. If you haven't worn it in the last two years, get rid of it. You're never going to wear it!!

3. Separate your 'Summer' and 'Winter' wardrobes and pack each away seasonally (obviously some items work fine for all seasons, but I mean the knitwear verses the shorts!) 

4. You love it but it isn't quite you? See if any of your friends want it, or want to do a clothing swap!

5. Don't just chuck your clothes in the bin, you can do some really good things with them! You can donate to charity, or head down to a local clothing swap. And for those nicer items that were expensive and never worn, sell them on! If eBay is too hard, then what I did is go to Cash4Clothing - they'll exchange your clothes for cash and even help you retail on your snazzier item.

You can also see a few bits that I'm selling myself here in my blog shop :-)

Hope these tips help any fellow hoarders! Happy clearing :-)

Roaming

Who else loves a good old Sunday drive around the countryside? Honestly, one of my favourite things to do is to hop in the car with my partner in crime (Nick) and go off exploring. He drives, I take charge of the music playlist! We live in Suffolk, so we're surrounded by so many pretty villages (I posted about one of our trips to Dedham here) and this Sunday just gone we found ourselves in Nayland village. 

Outfit wise, first up for discussion is this beautiful pink satchel bag from Koko Couture. How gorgeous?! It's arrival couldn't have been timed better, because the strap of my faithful black satchel bag broke just a few days before. Sob. But the lovely team at Koko Couture massively cheered me up with this beauty! I do love a splash of pastel pink, and it livens up the look of any outfit.

And then of course there are the BOOTS! I don't think I've been so excited about a purchase for ages...I spied these sitting in Debenhams on Saturday and I feel like they just had my name on. I've been hunting for a pair of grey boots for weeks now, but it's always so bloody difficult when you have the worlds shortest calves. I AM SO HAPPY.

So me and my new boots and bags had a great day out on Sunday...I've got a few more pics of the day to post, so check back here soon!

Outfit: Waterfall Jacket - Boohoo, Top - H&M, Jeans - River Island, Boots - Roberto Vianni, Necklace - Happiness Boutique*, Handbag - Koko Couture*, Raybans 

Designer Bags & Waterfalls

It's coat season...and I'm so excited!! I don't think I'm obsessed with anything as much as I am with coats. I'm always searching for the perfect one, I have way too many already and even when I've just bought one, I still keep looking. Perhaps it's some kind of disorder?

Anyway this year I've been so impressed with the ASOS coat collection for Petites (as we know, finding coats without all the arm-length issues can be a challenge) and sometimes there really isn't much choice! But I fell totally in love with this ASOS waterfall coat...it's just so pretty! All Petite readers will know how bloody difficult it is to find a waterfall coat for a Petite frame...so seriously, look no further.

I also had like the best day of my life when my Mum let me get my claws on her Louis Vuitton bag. It's just sooo beautiful. But obviously not mine...so I think I'll set a few 'bag goals' and perhaps if I've saved up enough money, by the time I'm 50 I'll be able to afford all the designer items on my list!

Coat - ASOS Petite, Jeans - Boohoo Petite, Heels - Office, Bag - Louis Vuitton, Shades - River Island, Top - Boohoo