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I saw so many things I adored during my YouTube channel filming with Matalan that quite frankly I’m surprised I’ve been able to keep this to a 2 part post! Out of all the looks I tried, these two are definitely my faves – so I thought I’d take them out of the fitting room to places around my home town of Hull (City of Culture 2017). Those of you who follow me on social media will have seen the mood board teasers I posted, I wonder if the outfits are what you were expecting…

Look 1 – Sports Luxe

This was all over the Top Shop Unique runway amongst others at LFW/NYFW but since shooting this look I’ve also seen Armani rocking the cobalt blue sports luxe in Milan…it’s like I knew! You may have to excuse the mardy looking facial expressions in certain pics 🙈

Taken at St Andrews Quay, Hull

This is obviously a less casual take on the look that walks the line between funky and chic – the added bonus being that the stripes of the skirt act as illusion panels and draw the eye to the black area which creates a sleeker silhouette. I experimented with tucking in the jumper in and letting it hang out and to be honest I like both. Tucking in creates waist definition which shows off the smallest part of the traditional hourglass shape (or pear in my case) and leaving it out kind of skims over this and creates a different line with the White hem – however, I’d possibly approach the untucked option with caution when wearing a skirt as it could cause extra bulk on some figures and have the opposite effect. If in doubt, wear them separately. I wore the jumper with a pair of black skinnies and boots untucked and liked the look, and the skirt would work with so many other styles of top for a daytime or evening look. Since I was doing a sports luxe I thought I’d try channelling a bit of sporty hair a la Sporty Spice. She used to do these really sleek high ponytails when the Spice Girls did concerts so I thought that would look so fab with this outfit, as well as finally giving me a chance to try out my Hair Rehab London ponytail. When I left the house, it was indeed straight and sleek but the wind kind of put paid to that a little bit! And the shoes….oh, the shoes! I instantly liked them because they’re delicate with the t-bar and point at the front but very funky and practical with the block heel (and may I add, super comfy). They also come in the same cobalt as the skirt panel and a fabulous lime which I’m desperate for.

Jumper – £22 http://www.matalan.co.uk/womens/shop-by-category/knitwear/s2573256/colour-block-jumper (it also comes in a slightly different colour variation which on the site)
Skirt – £14 http://www.matalan.co.uk/womens/shop-by-category/skirts/s2579932/textured-panelled-pencil-skirt
Shoes- £18 http://www.matalan.co.uk/womens/footwear/heels/s2575136/t-bar-pointed-court-shoe
Hair- Hair Rehab London Syn wrap ponytail in Chocolate http://www.hairrehablondon.com/hair-products/hair-pieces/syn-wraparound-ponytail/syn-wrap-ponytail-chocolate

Look 2 – Clueless Chic

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Cher Horowitz is a style icon for my generation! Pink and check were strewn over so many of the catwalks for next season, and as one of my fave colours it was bound to make its way into the post…bit of a pic overload on the way!

Taken at Hull Marina, Humber Street and Matalan Hull central

So, I, like, totally meant this look to be all about Cher (see what did there?) but looking at the shape of the coat I kind of felt it also channelled a bit of Cilla Black circa 1960 which was is another era of fashion I completely heart (and thanks to Sheridan Smith is being brought to a new generation). The shape of the coat is a cocoon/boyfriend style so if you’re a bit unsure of hiding your figure then keep it open and the silhouette of the bottom half slimmer. This jumper is girly overload! But very warm so a great buy and does come in other colours for the less girly fashionista. Again with this one I tried tucking it in and leaving it out, whereas I think it works both ways I think for me I prefer it tucked in to show off the full pleat detail at the front of the skirt. The same grey shoes as before pic up the colour in the jacket too so keeps the look tonal. It’s a look that’s cute, girly and a bit retro – hit Hit HIT!!

Jumper – £18 http://www.matalan.co.uk/product/detail/s2566380?id=S2566380&color=C508
Skirt – £8 http://www.matalan.co.uk/womens/shop-by-category/skirts/s2566408/pleated-mid-wash-denim-skirt
Coat – £40 http://www.matalan.co.uk/womens/shop-by-category/coats-and-jackets/s2567741/checked-boyfriend-coat
Shoes – As before

You can see why they’re my faves right? They’re such fab pieces! And such great bargains as well. I have one more Matalan look to share with you very sooner too so keep a look out. Don’t forget to keep in touch via social media and let me know what you think of the looks:
Twitter: @IamJennyChat
Instagram: thisisjennychat
Tumblr: iamjennychat
Google+ : Jenny Chat
Depop Market: @iamjennychat

Stay Stylish

J 😘 xx

As somebody with an ‘interest’ in fashion and style (biggest understatement ever) I enjoy nothing more than looking at how other people put looks together and how they wear clothes – sometimes I like it, sometimes not so much. You’ll notice from my weekly style round ups that SJP is somebody’s style who I watch and like a LOT (second biggest understatement ever) In last week’s style round up I included a pic of her being papped on the school run (it’s the middle pic in the ‘SJP Watch’ section if you fancy sneaking another peak) which inspired my next student/mums on the run look. Mine is a slightly different but still proves that women of varied ages and opposite stages of the life can embrace the same sort of wardrobe staples and look good by adapting them to suit themselves.

Photos taken at Kingswood, Hull

A Basic Top

Loads of you told me you like these, so do I! They can be dressed up or down and are usually worn to death if you have them. I picked this one in particular as I enjoy a good stripy tee, I know a lot of people are a bit nervous of horizontal stripes but you shouldn’t be! There’s normally some sort of strip that comes in every season so is a good staple to have. You can make like Kate Moss/Miranda Kerr (and me!) and pair this with black skinnies, boots and a cool jacket and it’ll look so chic as well as relaxed as it does here. The longer arm is good for the chillier months as well as hiding the top of arms so people don’t love and the slash neck feels a bit more stylish. I have this top in plain black and white too and have worn them all to death! For these sort of basics intend to hit Primark as they have a ridiculously vast amount of styles at super cheap prices which is always a winner.

A Comfortable Flat

Essential for running around after little ones and navigating the dodgy pathways on campus! SJP is wearing some kind of brogue meets dolly shoe – I did try brogues but they didn’t feel right for me (but I know there’s a few of you who are very into brogues so if you rock this look I need to see it!). I also know most students are obsessed with their Converse (Which I also have) or ballet flats/slippers but I thought I’d go for my new season fave two tone slip on pumps to give the look an up date yet practical edge – as they’re slip on you don’t need your hands so can still be getting the kids ready or grabbing your brekkie as you head out of the door. Fashion made convenient, what could be better?

A Warm and Comfy Coat

Everybody needs one of these no matter what they’re doing! For the school run/walking to uni it needs to be cosy, warm and keep the rain out – tick, tick and tick! I’ve always been a parka fan. I went for black as I’ve done army green with pleather sleeves for the last couple of years and decided it was time for a change, this one is obviously a more basic colour and is less bulky but more fleecy so is just as warm. It also has the toggle/ties at the front and sides so it can be pulled in if you wanted it to be a it more fitted (I suspect the fact that they hide a little bit of shape is what puts people off) This isn’t the only coat I own but is my main go to for a casual day time look, I also have another jacket staple coming in part 3 as a more figure hugging (yet slightly less warming) option. And, as this was a bargain £25, you can totally justify a a second jacket too!

Top- Primark
Jeans- Primark
Shoes- Matalan
Parka- Primark

Hope you’ve enjoyed Part 2, get in touch and let me know if these are the sorts of things you wear for the school run or to lectures:
Twitter: @ IamJennyChat
Instagram: thisisjennychat

I’m also over on Depop market under @iamjennychat so come join me there!

Stay Stylish
J 😘 xx

Which celeb would I probably most want to be….like, ever? Queen Bey y’all! Sadly I realise that this will never be (although it may be more likely if I did a few more squats at the gym to tone it all up) however thanks to my friends at LBB I can still rock her frock and at a fraction of the price… Even though I’m less toned I have similar vital stats to Bey so I thought this look may work for me too, hopefully I was right?!?! However I think my version is more wearable for a lot of people because because the top is more fitted and has slightly longer arms than her original boxy tee style so is a bit more flattering. See if you agree

I did contemplate trying to recreate the original pose from Bey’s Instagram pic but clearly instead thought ‘let’s pull some random ass faces instead’…I have one of those ‘resting bitch faces’ so I should try and be more careful! I tried this outfit with my trusty shoe boots but it turned out to be a bit of a fail – more clunky than funky with the pencil skirt bottom, gutted! This is going to work best with minimal accessories I think – barely
there sandals and a clutch, let the print do the talking.

Two Piece- Little Bird Boutique http://www.little-bird-boutique.co.uk/shop/product/beyonce-celeb-style-twin-set

So what do you think? Get in touch and let me know:

Twitter: @IamJennyChat
Instagram: thisisjennychat

I’m also on Depop Market so get following for some fab bits (some of which you may have seen) search @iamjennychat

Stay Stylish

J 😘 xx (and LBB)

Yesterday I had the had the pleasure of spending the afternoon shooting a fashion piece for Matalan’s YouTube channel. I’ve grown up shopping at/wearing Matalan clothes so I was super excited to take part, and I had a ball! There were literally soooooo many fab things that I wanted (correction, that I WILL be getting more of in a follow up expedition) but I managed to pick a few things that also embrace some of my favourite trends from London Fashion Week (as I wrote about in my last post), which means you can buy them now and wear them all the way through to next summer….marvellous!

Look 1 – Print and Check

We saw on the runway that any print goes! In theory, tartan and animal print shouldn’t work…but I think because the animal print is quite subtle that in this case it completely does. Plus, it combines two of my fave prints together! The bright colours of the check keep it cute and fun so I pared it with this brogues to kind of channel a bit of a quirky Taylor Swift vibe (brogues were also championed on the Giles Deacon runway) I’m quite a fan of the loose fit shift so it’s nice that I can carry on embracing the shape for the next season – for those of who prefer something more figure hugging you could experiment by laying it under a longline cardigan/kimono and then belting it them both around the middle, it would possibly give the dress more of a cool ‘paper bag’ middle than a smooth line. But hey, half the fun of fashion is playing about with it to suit your style right? Make the fashion fit YOU!

Dress – £16
Brogues – £12

Look 2 – Chiffon

There were more pictures of this look but I was a bit fidgety and they ended up really blurry! As well as chiffon this top also embraces the check/print trends so it’s a triple threat. It’s a chiffon panel just at the front, because the pattern is quite busy it’s fine to just wear on its own (it’s only when you get really close that you see a hint of bra). I teamed it with black jeggings and my new fave flatties (I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of them later) to keep it more autumnal and casual. This would also look really great styled for the evening with a colour pop heel, Matalan literally have them in ever colour right now, or perhaps for the really brave a colour pop trouser? If anyone does this, I need to see the results!

Top – £14
Jeggings – £14
Shoes – £10

Pictures taking in the fitting rooms at the Hull central Matalan store by the lovely Lissa. Big thanks to Helen, Gemma and their team in the store who were so kind and helpful to us, I will be back SOON!

I have another 2 looks to share in part 2 – Sports Luxe and Clueless Cute so look out for those. Make sure you get in touch with any of these pieces you buy and how you’re wearing them or your fabulous Matalan buys:

Twitter: @IamJennyChat
Instagram: thisisjennychat

Stay Stylish

J 🙂 xx