From Choo to Goo

The Bones (Part Two)

So I'm back again with the remainder of Nina Garcia's bones...

6) A man's classic watch

Not technically a clothing item in your wardrobe, but an important accessory nonetheless. I have quite slim wrists, but i do love a chunky watch. There is something that looks so stylish about it in my humble opinion, but do look around, I think you will find there are many others that agree with me.

Nina advocates for a man's watch rather than a woman's as they are "timeless" in comparison to the transient fashion of women's watches. Given I do have quite slim wrists though I do struggle to find ones that fit (and there is a limit to how much adjusting you can do), but fortunately the male style watch is in fashion at the moment and so there are plenty of ladies versions out there.

Now a Rolex or a Cartier is pretty much the dream. I love this Cartier Tank Anglaise
but at £4,650 let's be honest that's just not going to happen.

I do however have this rather lovely Michael Kors watch myself, that does just the trick and was a lot lot cheaper at around £200.

The world and his wife seem to have this watch though, albeit in a range of colours (it is also available in yellow and rose gold). I struggled with which colour to go for, but in the end I went classic with the silver as at the time I thought it better to match my platinum engagement and wedding rings. I also like this slightly simpler version.

Michael Kors Silver Watch

7) Diamonds

....so this will of course be a little tricky to find the budget option, but I will try. I already have a very beautiful emerald cut diamond engagement ring from my hubby, which we designed together and had handmade by a retired jeweller. But I would really love an eternity ring to complete my collection (hint hint Mr Smith).

This is an absolute beauty, it is not extortionate compared to some but in the £££ price range nonetheless

Boodles Vintage Diamond Band £2700

However, do not panic Mr Smith you can pick something similar up which is a little more within the £ price range

Monica Vinader Diamond Eternity Ring £215

8) Ballet flats

Despite being a munchkin, I do love a flat, particularly when you are running around between meetings at work or after a three year old at the weekend. The ballet flat is of course the classic. I have far too many of these in my wardrobe to mention, but that's what makes it one of Nina's bones. They literally go with everything and although there have been attempts to update this classic, pointed flat, lace up flats etc it is still good sometimes to stick to the original.

I find Topshop are great for ballet pumps, they always have a good range of classics and usually some other options such as metallic or snakeprint too. Sticking with the classic, here are there black version, a snip at £16. As my friend at The Eclecticity points out, having had so many pairs runied by the rain it's probably not worth spending a fortune on these.

Topshop Black Ballet Pumps £16

But if you are looking to spend some money, rather than playing it safe and sticking to the classic shape (which can always be picked up relatively cheaply) I would probably suggest getting something a little different, with a bit more of an edge, a pointed toe, a little detail, or why not even both.

Jimmy Choo Gala £375

9) A classic high heeled pump

Yay, more shoes. Nina really is a girl after my own heart with two of her ten bones being dedicated to footwear. Now, the classic pump or court whatever you want to call it, is an absolute essential. They could be any colour, but I would suggest a neutral such as a nude (to elongate your legs), black (a classic that will go with anything) or a leopard print (leopard is the new neutral after all). I have a black suede pump from Whistles that I actually managed to snap up for half price in the sale a few years ago, but I have worn them on so many occasions and they are still going strong so they were definitely worth the money, even at full price. Sadly mine have sold out long ago, but I would highly recommend their shoes for both quality and comfort, so here is the current offering from Whistles.

Richmond Suede Point Pump £140

The most wanted item on my wish list is a pair of louboutins, so I couldn't not include them here.

In leather

Black leather Christian Louboutin Pigalle £425

In suede

Black Suede Christian Louboutin Iriza £425

Whilst I like to find cheaper options, shoes is perhaps something where we shouldn't scrimp too much. I really would not advocate going too bargain basement in this area, as you will often regret it later, and your feet will not thank you for it. However, Topshop do still have some reasonably priced options that are real leather and still pretty impressive looking for the price.

In leather

Topshop Black Leather Court Shoes £59

In suede

Topshop Black Suede Court Shoes £32

10) A great bag

As a lover of bags, I have found this quite hard to narrow down to one type of bag. So I've cheated a little and included three; a classic tote, a clutch and a crossbody bag, as I truly think these are all essential.

i) The clutch

I am absolutely in love with this Claire Vivier Leopard Clutch it has been on my wish list for ages. I foolishly stayed away from the Claire Vivier shop when I was in New York a few weeks ago despite it only being around the corner from our hotel in Soho (what was I thinking!!). I'm pretty sure they may be slightly cheaper in the states, so will have to investigate next time.

For those of you who are not so obsessed with leopard and want something a little more neutral. These two black clutches are ideal. I have the Whistles one and it is great, it goes with everything and despite it's size, you can actually get a fair amount in it.

Whistles Croc Medium Clutch £65

Topshop Black Clutch £45

ii) The classic tote

Whilst I am sure there are some amazingly expensive totes out there, I have actually found some pretty good ones that are quite reasonable. My favourite is the Cuyana classic leather tote. I have this in black with my initials monogrammed on it. It was a gift for our third wedding anniversary and I absolutely love it, it is one of my favourite bags. It is a bit like a tardis and fits an amazing amount in, and even after 18 months of extensive use it is still looking as good as the day I got it. The only problem is that these are only available in the USA. You can order them online and pay for them using a UK credit card, but they have to be delivered to an address in the USA.

Cuyana Classic Tote $150

Here's mine, what did I tell you, amazing quality.

But do not fear there is a another option available in the UK, from one of my favourites - Topshop, and you'll get change from £40. Sadly they don't offer monogramming on this one, but you can't have everything.

Topshop Shopper Bag £38

iii) The crossbody

This bag is also on my current wish list (that wish list is getting longer and longer by the day, and I'm not sure blogging is helping matters!). I absolutely love the Sophie Hulme bags, they are beautifully crafted and in my opinion not as horrifically priced as some designer bags can (yes Mulberry I am talking to you, you used to be my friend, until you went crazy with your prices). This is another perfect mum bag, with enough space to fit your essentials, and leaving you handsfree.

Sophie Hulme black crossbody £350

There is a slightly cheaper crossbody which I have yet to test, but it has been getting rave reviews all over Instagram, and that's the Aurora London Willow Bag, which for a small additional fee you can also get monogrammed.

Aurora London Willow Bag £64.50

But if someone was holding a gun to my head and I really did have to chose one bag (with an unlimited budget), I would of course have to go for the classic Chanel