OUTFIT | Autumn Style With Matalan

I have to admit, it took me a long time to accept that Summer is officially over and it's now Autumn's time to shine. It was such a great 6 weeks off, filled with wonderful memories of sunny days out spent with my favourite mini human and we truly were blessed with the weather this year; I think I was in mourning. However, I'm now well and truly over it and embracing A/W with open arms; excited for lots of woodland walks in wellies, trundling through crisp cranberry coloured leaves, wrapped up in chunky knits cradling creamy hot chocolates watching the sky light up with glitter on Bonfire night and cosy nights in front of the fire.

I think this moment came, if I'm honest, only really a couple of weeks ago when I was in town browsing the new collections. You have to understand - I don't get into actual real life shops much these days, a) because I just don't have time during the working week and don't want to drag the poor toddler round shops on our precious days off together and b) I just don't trust myself not to spend money I don't have. It's so much more effort to search through endless pages when online shopping so I tend not to do it that frequently, thus being a much safer option for this recovering shopaholic.

In my more carefree (ahem...financially irresponsible) days, the transition from Summer to Autumn would be one of my favourite times, as I would relish going into the shops, seeing all the new beautifully displayed Autumnal clothes just waiting for me to purchase them. This day the other week, brought back a little of that familiar thrill, and that's when I realised I was ready to leave Summer behind for the next 6 or so months. I immediately got excited to go home and banish all my strappy dresses and sandals to the dark depths of the 'other' wardrobe and dig out all my boots, coats and knitwear. Of course, the seasonal transition wouldn't be the same without just a couple of new pieces to jazz up the previous year's..

Enter Matalan with their extensive range of boots and Winter warmers, after all, you can't go very wrong if you've got great footwear in place. I always used to browse Matalan many moons ago whilst at Uni, for party heels and jewellery, but have to admit I stopped shopping there as I got a bit older and have recently rediscovered it again over the past year or so. They've really upped their game with the fashion stakes and the best thing is the prices remain the same with affordability. I also really love their homeware range and will be starting to stock up on their beautiful Christmas decorations for my tree this year. If you're in a bit of a style rut or still mourning the loss of Summer like I was, I would urge you to pop in to your local store for a little bit of A/W inspo. I am eyeing up a few more pieces myself to add to this year's wardrobe...

*Boots, *cape and *bag: all c/o Matalan | blouse: Primark | jeans (old) and necklace: ASOS

OUTFIT | Slip dress

The final instalment from my Summer outfits - The Slip Dress. I adore this dress and think it is such a versatile piece; back in the hazy Summer days it was perfect to just throw on due to it's sheer fabric, but now in Autumn, it can still be just as great, layered over a black polo neck and woolly tights with chunky boots. I adore the whole slip dress/ cami paired with a long sleeved top or polo neck and it means those gorgeous Summer frocks are not wasted, as they can just be reworked with a few different pieces during the Winter - easy peasy!

OUTFIT | Muted Tones & Seaside Dreams

Another one of my belated Summer outfit posts to go up - this is one of my favourite go to get ups from the Summer...a loose blouse paired with comfy culottes...easy, simple, can't go wrong. There's just something about a white top combined with a denim bottom that I just don't think will ever get old, it's such a timeless classical combination. I love adding a little twist to the expected though, so the interesting lace detail on this cami adds texture in all the right placed, making it a little more special than just a standard white Tee.

Oh Summer, how I miss you so...

Top: thrifted | culottes: Next | *sandals: Missguided | cardigan: Next | *bracelet: M&S

OUTFIT | Painterly Prints

Another outfit shot in Devon from the Summer that never quite made it onto the blog at the time, this time in my all time favourite places when I visit North Devon - a little fishing village called Appledore. It is the prettiest, chocolate box cute, little towns. This dress was an obvious choice when visiting Appledore, due to it's abstract, arty, painterly style, as it just fitted in so well with the narrow, winding roads, pastel coloured houses and doorways and an abundance of flowers adorning every street corner.

We also visited a little beach called Instow which is just at the other end of Appledore, which is actually where I initially wanted to shoot this dress, but it was so incredibly windy that I could only salvage a couple of pictures out of about 1038434 that were taken! I immediately fell in love with this dress when I spotted it, and at only £14.99 it was a no brainer. I thought it would be perfect for the long Summer days and an easy thing to throw on to take Theo to the park or on days out, but still adding a splash of colour. I'm already looking forward to wearing it again next Summer as it's one of those timeless pieces that will continue to look fresh year after year. What's your timeless go to piece for each season?

Dress: H&M | *sandals: Dorothy Perkins | cardigan: Zara | bag: Longchamp | *sunglasses: Miu Miu @ Red Hot Sunglasses