I’m certainly feeling the chill these past few days, I even noticed some frost this morning so I thought it was high time we did a best of the bunch on Winter coats.

I have a confession: I’m a bit of a coat hoarder! I like to get a new coat every year, but I also like to keep my previous coats, I have even succumbed to giving them wardrobe space all for themselves! Is this ludicrous? My husband seems to think so. I just hate to throw or give away a good coat that still has life in it and that I still love but I also can’t resist each new seasons coat offerings. Of course this year is no different and I’ve been eying up a few coats with my pick of the best below.

I think if I do splurge this year it may well be on the little cape coat from Dorothy Perkins. I love the fur collar and the little shoulder details.

I love this H&M Coat with the leather trim, it would be a great buy for work wear or a bit of glamorous warmth on a night out. I see it teamed with a knitted dress, tights, shoe boots and a pop of colour in a scarf or fun bag.

coat, dress, shoes, bag

As I mentioned above the cape is my fav of these lot. Blue jeans, brown leather accessories and a cosy jumper are fast becoming my uniform this Autumn and I think this coat would be a perfect addition to it.

coat, jumper, jeans, boots, bag, collar, belt

The puffy jacket at the end is also worth a mention. I bought my first padded coat last year and love it. I think a padded coat is definitely on the winter wardrobe essential list, I ended up wearing it every day in January as nothing else would keep me warm

What coats are you eyeing up? Am I the only coat hoarder around here? Any one else still own a coat they bought in noughties?

Lots of ‘Coat’ Love

Mrs M

xo

Happy Bank Holiday Monday lovelies. Hope you are all doing something fabulous to celebrate the end of summer and a day off work

I’ve always been a big handbag kinda girl. I have two Louis Vuitton handbags which I rotate every few months – they are the kinda bags you can pack your life in. I have everything from make-up to diary to perfume to sunglasses stored in my bag, to name but a few. But recently my eyes have been drawn to the oh so glam clutch bags and I have to admit I have splashed out and purchased not just one but TWO in recent months. I’ve been wearing my latest purchase all weekend and I have to admit there is something super sexy about carrying a clutch around – I think I’m hooked!

So with that in mind, I thought I would share with you my top five clutch bags…

There are so many clutch bags around at the minute it was hard to select these four but I thought this bunch were in keeping with the AW 2012 prints and could be teamed with jeans and converse during the day or glammed up in the evening with heels. Finally, my pick of the best, the one bag I will be rushing out to buy today is this utterly gorgeous Topshop Aztec Sequin Clutch, £42.00…

So – who’s loving clutches? Have I missed any beautiful bargains on my search for the best clutches around?

Lots of love

TPW

We love a good fashion blog, if we’re ever in need of some wardrobe inspiration we just need to turn to our google readers and see what Poppy’s wearing in What I Wore Today, Avril at School Gate Style, or Anna at See Jane to name but a few.

We’ve noticed a trend on some of our fav fashion blogesses, the ‘big watch’ has been kicking about for some time now, so we thought it was about time we embraced that trend.

Lovely Pepa, Atlantic Pacific and our very own The Magpie Girl are all fans too, I just think they add a certain something, something to an outfit. And so TPW declares boyfriend watches as a wardrobe essential.

We’ve listed our fav’s below, for me it’s all about the yellow gold and rose gold, but they all do white metal options too if gold ain’t your bag

I rarely wear a watch but I love this look, I see it as more of a bracelet and accessory so I’m not all about needing a great waterproof time keeping piece and so bought the river island number, it’s great and does the job perfectly!

Have you made any watch purchases lately?

TPW x

By now you will probably have guessed that we love shopping – be it for ourselves, for our house or for someone else. We get so excited when we find new shops, especially when they are as ah-mazing as our newest discovery – enter Little Citizens Boutique in Holywood, located just above the gorgeous Red Ruby Rouge. Little Citizens Boutique has been open for 6 short weeks but is already making a name for itself! The company’s opening line on their About Us page on their website says it all really – “bringing the best designs from around the world to children everywhere.”

We called in on Saturday to catch up with the lovely Alicia – the brains behind Little Citizens – and had to literally drag ourselves away! We were oo-ing over Moulin Routy sleeping bags and aa-ing over silk tulle tutus (why do they not do adult sizes?!)! Everything was just so pretty and so flippin’ cute! And look at Mrs Sophie Swan – is this not the most fabulous soft toy you have EVER seen?!

Alicia’s passion shone through as she explained the ethos behind her shop – “”to source designs that transform your everyday experience, reduces overall consumption and brings people closer together. We believe that a few good things will do.”  We think this attitude is so refreshing in today’s throwaway society. The items in her store are not only gorgeous to look at, they’ll also give you a warm feeling inside as you learn they are all made from the highest grade, sustainable and organic materials. These toys and clothes aren’t disposable, they’re the type of items you will keep a lifetime and even pass on to future generations. For example the little wooden toolbox we fell in love with on Saturday:

Each piece is crafted so beautifully and in such detail, it’s a timeless toy and would be a pleasure to give to any child who fancies themselves a DIY person. The boutique is full of items like these. Alicia handpicks all the items in store and picks up little treasures for the shop from all over the globe – LA to New York, Hong Kong to Paris.

We have fallen head over heels in love with Little Citizens Boutique and can’t wait to have some little citizens of our own to spoil with beautiful gifts from the store.We highly recommend a visit and are super excited and delighted to announce that…

Little Citizens Boutique are giving The Perfect Wife readers an exclusive 20% off any purchase for the month of August. Simply quote TPWX when at the till!

So, what are you waiting for?

Lots of love

TPW

The fashion world always boggles my mind, before a season has even started they are already finalising the trends for the next season, I’m walking about thinking I am coooolio in my new coloured flatform sandals of SS 12 and then they have to go change it all and I have to do all the catching up! Those clever, organised people. And true to tradition Summer hasn’t finished yet and already the AW 12 collections are hitting the stores. So we thought it was high time we gave you our top 5 AW12 trends.

On a passing note as I was researching this post at the weekend, Marie Claire posted the Primark AW 12 collection on twitter, and being a huge Primark fan I jumped right on it. It totally affirmed why I love Primark, if there was a I heart primark t-shirt I would so wear it. Take a gander here. Every item  listed is bang on trend, I am jonesing for the black spotted blouse with the stud detail collar. Swiiiiing!

So without further ado here is TPW’s take on AW 12

1. Leather and Fur
Leather is everywhere, from trousers and skirts to vests and shorts. We’re also glad to see the return of Fur this year, faux of course!

trousers – riverisland/jacket-primark/skirt -riverisland.blazer-primark/collar-h&m/shoes-riverisland

2. Embellishments
From studs and pearls to diamante and sequins, we’re seeing lots of embellishments on clothes and accessories.

 Blouse-primark/clutch-zara/dress-riverisland/cami-topshop/shoes -H&M/jumper-topshop/Heels-zara/Collars-topshop

3. Opulence
This trend is for our diva’s. Lace, velvet and brocade are the order of the day.

Skirt-h&m/Blouse -Primark/Earings-h&m/dress-riverisland/trousers-primark/neckalces -topshop/collar-h&m/heels-riverisland

4. Peplum
We for one are glad the peplum is here to stay, we loved its shape in the Spring/Summer season and think it creates the prettiest silhouette.

Yellow top-primark/print top-h&m/dress-riverisland/jersey top-topshop/lace top-topshop

5. Prints
From floral and dogs tooth to geometric and animal, prints are to be found everywhere this autumn. We’ve shied away from bold printed trousers in the past but it seems there’s no escaping it this season

Trousers-primark/tiger bag-zara/spotty bag-h&m/shorts-primark/shoes-zara/scarf-topshop/pumps-riverisland/top-primark

Happy Friday Everyone! What’s the plans this weekend?  After lusting after all these ietms I need a shopping fix on saturday and hopefully I’ll be finalizing the plans for a very special birthday party next weekend.

Lots of Love TPW x

Ethnic prints have been doing the rounds for a while now, we first noticed then floating about at the end of Winter 2011 they were everywhere in early SS12 and apparently they look to be continuing into AW12 so we’re officially jumping on that bandwagon and catching the tail end of the trend.  Not only have we noticed these prints on the backs of some of our fav celebs we’re also seeing Tribal and Aztec prints popping up in home and interiors, we’ve noticed lots of home accesories adorning the pretty ikat print of late and we are serioulsy swooning.

Look how pretty all the colours are

How to wear it though? Usually my clothing choices are very safe. I do love to follow trends but I don’t always feel like I can pull it off in it’s entirety, instead I like to buy key wardrobe items – jeans, jersey tops, blazers and make a very small, if even conservative nod to the trends by adding them as accessories.  So, if like me you want to make a subtle recognition of the Ethnic prints then check out the accessories below.

Our fav is the aztec print shawl for a steal at £10 from Matalan. My little sister wore this to meet me for coffee recently, it was lush and I couldn’t believe what a bargain it was.  I’d wear it with a pair of white skinny jeans jeans and ballerina pumps for a laid back end of summer look and switch for ankle boots once my tootsies get too cold in autumn.

Have you made any Ethnic print purchases recently?  Anyone else rocking the safe wardrobe purhcases with trendy accessories?

Lots of ‘Print’ Love

Morning Wifeys

We are delighted the rain has finally stopped Although we are still finding it a bit chilly for July and notice we are needing an extra layer on these cooler summer days. We’re loving the array of slouchy knitwear in stores and on the backs of our favorite celeb’s. We have picked our best of the bunch below:

Our favorite is the vibrant red river island knit, we think it’s a perfect wardrobe item for that transitional time between Summer and Autumn. I’d wear it with pair of boyfriend style jeans and a pair of tom toms, once Autumn comes round I’d switch those toms for some brown leather ankle boots.

What is everyone else wearing this time of year? Any one else feeling the cold?

Lots of ‘Slouchy’ Love

TPW x

Still on a fashion theme today…. last night we were lucky enough to attend the preview of the Red Ruby Rouge sale, a little boutique in Holywood, Co. Down, which has featured in Vogue no less! And what a night we had. Red Ruby Rouge features a unique collection of US designers from Tucker and Hunter Dixon to Rory Beca. There wasn’t a single item of clothing we wouldn’t happily have in our Perfect Wife wardrobe. I fell head over heels with this maxi dress by Porcelain which was reduced from £199.00 to £119.00. The mix of basic tee and silk sheath is something you don’t see everyday. Wear it with a cropped denim jacket and white converse for day time chic or a fitted blazer and glitzy sandals for a more dressed up look.

This Loup Plaid skirt caught our eye, perfect for a hot summers day (does such a thing exist?) teamed with a plain white tee. We loved the price tag too – reduced from £69.00 to £49.00.Mrs M seriously swooned over this gorgeous Porcelain Navy Boho Top. The slighty off shoulder cut and fitted sleeves were so flattering and who can go wrong in navy? Again, as with most of the fab pieces in Red Ruby Rouge, this top is perfect for both day and night and was reduced from £149.00 to £89.00. Red Ruby Rouge also stock the most fantastic range of jewellery. We thought this Mia Lara necklace, reduced from £49.00 to £29.oo, was the best of a beautiful bunch.

So ladies, what are you waiting for? The sale kicked off at 9am this morning. Get down to Red Ruby Rouge now and pick up some fabulous additions to your wardrobe.

Lots of love

TPW

The Perfect Wife is now officially in love with denim shirts, we’ve been spotting them everywhere this summer, worn buttoned up with a statement necklace and coloured jeans, loose and open over a cool T-shirt and shorts, festival stylee or teamed with a flowing maxi skirt.

Source, Source, Source

Plus we’re foreseeing this trend lasting right into the autumn; I’m seeing it teamed with a bright colour block skirt and tights.

So, we had to jump on the bandwagon and get one. I picked up mine last night from new look and it’s lush, loose fitting and really soft. I’ve teamed it with black jeans and ballerina pumps today.

We’ve listed our pick of the best below.

New look , WareHouse, French Connection 

Have you bought one recently? How are you wearing yours?

Lots of ‘Denim’ Love

Here at The Perfect Wife we were so excited to uncover one of North Down’s hidden treasures. Martha’s Wardrobe has just opened in Bangor in Thornleigh Gardens and is to die for. Stocking Nomad and Seasalt goodies this little gem is well worth a visit. And we couldn’t not stop into the organic coffee shop next door for a cup of tea and a homemade scone.

Make sure and pop in next time you are in Bangor,

Lots of  Love

TPW

xo