Burgundy and Leopard Print + Style With a Smile Link Up

It’s been quite a week! I decided to post the link up today instead of Wednesday because I just ran out of both time and energy. On Monday we travelled back down to Cambridgeshire for another family funeral, staying overnight. We had a nice meal with my dad, who stayed on longer than planned in the UK. Isobel had her first of two induction days at college today. She starts lessons proper next week.

I took her and a friend to the Trafford Centre yesterday to buy new outfits for college. That was quite the endurance test! Only a masochist goes to a busy shopping centre during the school holidays, and yet there I was! The shops were a bit of a disappointment, which was good for my bank balance but seriously lacking in dopamine. The layout of the new Zara store is totally bizarre; it’s more like a museum or art gallery than a shop selling fast fashion. I couldn’t wait to get out.

My answer to this trans-seasonal dilemma is to turn to autumnal hues in lighter fabrics

I find this time of year very discombobulating, in many ways. The weather has done an abrupt U-turn from hot and sunny to wet and windy. The leaves are falling now and it feels very autumnal. Unusually for me, I haven’t felt like wearing bright colours lately, and yet dressing in dark shades feels equally at odds. I think part of it it that it’s still quite warm, so even though summer’s over, I’m not ready to fully embrace new season styles. My answer to this trans-seasonal dilemma is to turn to autumnal hues in lighter fabrics. Khaki, dark orange, burgundy, leopard print and metallics are failsafe transitional options.

I added the hat because it was windy and my hair wasn’t looking its best…

Last week I featured this jacket with faded jeans and sandals, this week I’m wearing it with the matching trousers and a cotton leopard print blouse. Burgundy and leopard print make a striking but understated combination. Rather than wear the tie in a bow I decided to leave it hanging so it’s more like a man’s neck tie. I added the hat because it was windy and my hair wasn’t looking its best…you got to style these things out!

My site has been experiencing frequent outages (my inbox is full of Jetpack notifications!) and I have no idea why. I will have to get in touch with my host provider to try to fix it. In the meantime, if you have problems, I apologise and will endeavour to get it fixed!

Monsoon jacket* (previous PR product) and trousers | Baum und Pferdgarten blouse | Zara hat | Guess trainers | Monica Vinader rings* (previous PR products)

This is where I link up

Disclaimer: Items marked * have been gifted. This post may contain affiliate links. It means I may earn a small commission for any purchases made through them, at no extra cost to you. This helps towards the running costs of the blog and is very much appreciated. Unauthorized use of text and photos is prohibited.

This week’s featured bloggers are…

Jennifer of Curated by Jennifer, Nicole of Huisvlijt and Cheryl of Cheryl Shops!