2015 - an outfit round up

Beige trench coat

Snakeskin shoes

Happy 2016 guys! We made it here in one piece.

One of my favourite things to do on the blog is to take a look back at my outfits throughout the year and see how my style has evolved. Once a shopaholic...

Orange midi dress 

Floral midi dress

Floral culottes

Looking back I feel like I hit a bit of a style rut. Despite filling my wardrobe with midi lengths and high necks, I always felt 'young' and with it. But this year I just felt frumpy. I felt self-conscious about covering up and a lot older than 26.

It may have been the fact I've put on weight and feeling generally uncomfortable in the way that I look. My self-confidence seems to have a hit a all time low. That's a blog post for another day. I haven't been able to wear some of my favourite clothes in my wardrobe due to the fact they look too tight or they just don't fit anymore. So I feel like I've made do a lot of the time in my outfit choices this year. 2016 New Year resolution to actually start getting in shape for longer than a month?

Pink midi skirt

Floral duster coat

Red kimono

Grey duster coat

Red gingham midi skirt

But despite all the doom and gloom, I have treated myself to some pretty snazzy clothes this year and felt like a #girlboss at times. 

I've been a bit more adventurous and worn dresses above my knees. Shock horror! I've found that short skater-style dresses are very flattering on my shape. I've learnt again that midi lengths really do look much better with some sort of heel. I've discovered that ankle boots are currently my favourite type of shoes to buy. I've learnt that wearing the exact same outfit again isn't always a bad thing. If it's not broke, then why fix it? I've come to the conclusion that jeans may be the best thing ever invented. Those bad boys can hide a multitude of sins and still look bad ass. My waist is definitely one of my best features so fitted, flared dresses will always been the most flattering. 

What have you discovered about your style in 2015?

Mustard roll neck jumper

Purple glasses

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Recipe: leftover turkey Vietnamese-style broth with Brita

Brita got in touch and asked me to put together a soup recipe using their snazzy Russell Hobbs Purity Glass Kettle. During the winter months soup is my go-to. It's healthy, filling and really doesn't take too long to rustle in the kitchen. I love a spicy Vietnamese inspired broth. This won't win any awards for authenticity but it's great way to use up the leftover turkey hogging your fridge.

Feeds 2

Ingredients:
1 litre of vegetable stock
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 bag of beansprouts
1 chilli, deseeded
1 tbsp Fish sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp of Chinese 5 spice
Leftover cooked turkey
150g dried wholewheat noodles
A handful of fresh coriander
1/2 pack of baby sweetcorn
1 lime, cut into wedges for decoration
4 spring onions and one chopped chilli for decoration

Method:

1. Pour the stock into a large saucepan, stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce and garlic before popping in the finely chopped chilli. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Pop the baby sweetcorn, Chinese five spice and pepper in the stock. Leave to cook for around 15 minutes - keep stirring. I prefer the vegetables to still have a crunch to them.

3. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

4. Pop the turkey into the broth to warm through. Add the beansprouts too.

5. Divide the noodles equally and poor over the ready made broth.

6. Garnish with the chopped spring onions, a sprinkling of coriander, chopped chilli and a wedge of lime.

As with all my recipes, I'd love to know if you attempt them so please drop me a tweet!

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OOTD: Ombre coat

Outfit:
Burgundy and grey ombre coat: ASOS (similar)
Black skinny jeans: New Look
Black vest tunic: ASOS (similar)
Burgundy heeled leather ankle boots: Next (similar)
Blue plastic glasses: Julian MacDonald via Vision Express*

So the last week of 2015 eh? I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I certainly did! It will full of lots of family bonding, incredible food, too many bubbles and lots of films. I feel utterly exhausted and not quite sure how I'm going to get back into a decent routine. Does anyone struggle with knowing what day it is between Christmas and New Year? It just feels like a fun-filled blur!

I was very kindly gifted this gorgeous coat and these boots from my parents for Christmas. I think the coat was actually bought around October time so I was patiently binding my time until I could finally wear it. Talk about a slow torture! It was well worth the long wait. I have such a soft spot for statement coats. Spending the last 26 years living in the UK - also known as the Arctic during the winter - had given me a deep appreciation for a decent coat so they're always worth the investment. After all, you wear them for nine months of the year!

I also just wanted to say thank you so much for your kind comments on the last post. You guys are pretty darn cool!

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