For one moment a couple of weeks back, I didn’t think the sun would make an appearance, but here it is & I hope it sticks around, my fingers are firmly crossed!

The best option & easiest thing to wear in the summer heat is a dress, it’s a no brainer when getting dressed in the morning. I would opt for comfort & feeling cool, whether you are still working from home, grappling with public transport or doing the school run. For me fabrics have to be light, it has to be loose but have some versatility & it has to be easy, throw it on & your done (it cannot be like being in an episode of The Cube with belts, buckles & 50 buttons) and if you have acquired some lockdown love handles, as have I, then this seasons styles are perfect, so no need to stress about what size you are buying.

When searching for summer dresses, I always think… would I be happy to wear this next year, the year after etc, when my weight fluctuates will it look good, also I try to buy to keep, so as not to contribute to the fast fashion problem. In terms of styles, slip dresses, tea dresses, voluminous styles, mini smock styles & button-through are all in the line up. Don’t forget vintage or preloved (a greener option)

All of these have been sourced from the high street.

Today I should have been blogging about spring dresses, but I have chosen to write a different kind of blog post and cover a subject that means a lot to me. This week is ME awareness week, it runs from the 10th- 16th May. I was struck down by ME in my twenties, you may think ‘struck down’ sounds rather dramatic, but that’s exactly how it happened.

ME/CFS stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, the World Heath Organisation classification is that it is a neurological disease, the Department of Health officially recognises ME/CFS to be a neurological condition of ‘unknown origin’. The symptoms are wide ranging & debilitating, and it can be mild or severe, some of the symptoms (& there are many more) are fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches & pain, sore throats, breathlessness, urinary symptoms, nausea, digestive problems, IBS, headaches, brain fog, alcohol intolerance & PEM – this stands for Post Exertional Malaise, this means when you exert yourself over what your body will tolerate, whether physical or mental, your body suffers a shutdown after effect, you experience what feels like the flu; your muscles are weak, your body will not carry you & all of your symptoms flare up & hit you one by one, this can be delayed for up to 72 hours after you have overdone things, so it is hard to establish the activity that pushed you over the edge, In order to go back to your previous levels of illness, you have to rest & not do anything until the relapse or crash passes.

Considering this illness has shaped my life, I have never really spoken about my experience, other than to the people that helped me through it & others I know with the same condition. I believe if I had a different illness this would not be the case, as when I was ill there was disbelief from some doctors, & some people around me, which is hard when you are dealing with illness. There was a stigma attached to ME/CFS in the 80’s & 90’s, it was referred to as ‘yuppie flu’ because it was linked to high flying career driven people, although the history of this condition dates back to the Victorian era, with other famous outbreaks happening in the 1930’s in a community hospital in Los Angeles, then later in the 1950’s at The Royal Free Hospital, this has carried on over the years, these clusters seem to be linked to an initial virus, in the same way that Long Covid occurred after Covid infection. ME/CFS can also start with a virus, infection or trauma, & many other ways, it can hit you quickly or take you down slowly, It also can effect you no matter your age or ethnicity. I know of people who have recovered, but I also know of people where there has been a devastating effect.

Here is my story…

When I was in my mid-twenties, I was loving my life & full of energy, I had been working as a freelance textile designer having graduated from Uni & I was hoping to move into the fashion world. All of a sudden I developed severe acne, my siblings both had acne as teenagers, I however, thought I had a lucky escape. The spots were painful, my face was covered & I tried everything to improve my skin. I was on work experience with a fashion designer in London & travelling to Carnaby St, but my self confidence was shot, make-up did not cover my spots & people did stare. I was referred to a dermatologist, who prescribed a strong acne medication & I remember in the consultation, I asked “Does it have side effects?” and the answer was “Everything has side effects, even paracetamol”. I was healthy, I was rarely ill, so I thought it would be fine. The prescribed course was 4 months, it wasn’t working very well, so the dermatologist put the dosage up, (he shouldn’t have, as it was measured by my weight & I was too light for the increased dosage) but the drug started to clear my skin & I was delighted.

On finishing the course of medication, I booked a holiday with a good friend of mine, we flew out to Fuerteventura and had a lovely week of eating, drinking & swimming. I remember the night it happened, it was a pretty perfect night, sitting in a sunny square having a beer, It was the night before we were due to fly back so we were taking it easy. That night, in the middle of the night I went to the bathroom & my legs just buckled, I could not walk, all the muscle strength in my legs just went, they just felt numb, I woke my friend up & she helped me to the bathroom & then back to my bed, my heart was racing as I thought I was having a stroke, I was terrified. As It was the middle of the night, we decided that no doctor would see me & it would be best to just try to make it home back to the UK, where I could see a doctor. The next day I felt weak, my glands were swollen, I felt fatigued and I had a headache which felt like my head was in a vice. I made it home and collapsed on the sofa.

The Early Days

This was the beginning of weeks, months & years of symptoms, swollen glands, severe fatigue, temperatures, muscle pain & weakness, bone pain & UTI’s, IBS & much more. I contacted the dermatologist who wrote to the manufacturers of the drug, I was told these types of side effects could occur, but they should clear up in 6 months… they did not! What I did not know, was that the change that had occurred in my body was permanent. I slept for huge amounts of time, I would sleep for 17 to 20 hours in a stretch, food would go straight through me, I felt like I had the flu a lot of the time, but also like I had been poisoned, I could not walk more than a few steps, I had problems lifting my head up, I couldn’t get up or down the stairs. I could not do the very basic things, like washing & brushing my hair & brushing my teeth, my muscles in my arms would not work, they would start twitching constantly, it was almost like I was lifting a 10 ton weight, when I was actually holding a hairbrush! At this stage, I was bed-bound, I had all my meals upstairs, but some days I didn’t eat. I couldn’t watch TV or read as couldn’t concentrate, my brain would not function. I slept & cried sometimes because of the symptoms & sometimes because of the life I had lost. My friends would ring to arrange a night out, they expected me to get better in a couple of weeks, (to shake it off) but it didn’t happen. Days felt the same & slipped into each other. Big stuff happened around me, friends bought flats, started careers, went travelling, my sister got married, I missed most of the day, as I was in bed with a temperature. My GP ran some blood tests, I had glandular fever when I was young, I hoped I had it again, but I was negative for Epstein-Barr Virus, my bloods did show I was fighting something, but what that was, they couldn’t say. About a year & a half into the illness, I was referred to a Rheumatologist, he found I had an under-active thyroid and discovered some anti-nuclear antibodies in my blood, which would suggest I would go on to develop Lupus, it meant there was an autoimmune response going on in my body, a bit like MS, but I didn’t have Lupus or MS & the thyroid medication made no difference to my illness.

The Diagnosis

My GP referred me to Professor Findley, who was a consultant neurologist in charge of the ME/CFS service in Romford, I had a brain scan & an EEG on my brain and on that same day I was diagnosed with ME/CFS, I was relieved & sad in equal measures, but there was a way forward at least. Under his supervision I started to take a very low dose trIcyclic, he said it would help with sleep & pain, he also told me to manage my illness by pacing activity and rest. A few weeks into this medication, my pain & my cognitive function improved, I could watch a tv programme & follow what was happening, my short term memory came back, the medication also helped with pain & because I was well rested at night, I had a bit more energy the next day, I could finally see a glimmer of light. Over the next months, I continued to make slow progress, I staggered my day with rest periods, and sometimes I was symptom free for a day or a few days, sometimes I would fool myself into thinking I was better, so I would overdo things (I did this quite a bit!) this would result in a relapse, where I would be back in bed again with flu like symptoms, it would sometimes take me months to work my way back to where I was before. In these periods of being symptom free, when I thought I was better, I occasionally tried an aerobics class, when I was 30 minutes in, I could feel my glands under my armpits swelling & my legs wobbling like mad, but I didn’t stop, for fear of standing out, so I ignored my symptoms ( little did I know I was damaging myself). Eventually my relapses became further & further apart, but I was still frustrated & I wanted full recovery, I still couldn’t stand unsupported ( I would find the nearest wall & lean), stair climbing was hard, I had problems finding the right word, & my glands would swell up all the time. I did lots of research to desperately find a cure, I tried… homeopathy, reiki, the candida diet, herbal medicine, the lightening process, reverse therapy to name but a few, but none of these worked for me & some made me worse & resulted in a relapse. I was no longer able to see Professor Findley, as he was only seeing patients privately, so my GP referred me to Dr David Smith who specialised in ME/CFS.

Recovery

The first time I entered his waiting room, something struck me, letters were stuck to the wall from patients who had recovered, I had never seen this or heard about this in the ME world, people just didn’t seem to recover! Dr Smith was a kind & slightly eccentric man, he treated people with low doses tricyclics as Professor Findley had, but also added a low dose of Fluoxetine Hydrochloride, the trIcyclics were for reaching a deep restorative sleep and the Fluoxetine Hydrochloride had an anti-fatigue effect, he provided all patients with his recovery programme which was a pacing programme and it was to be followed strictly in the early days of illness. Some patients (like me) were unable to tolerate all or part of the medication, so for me learning the recovery programme, finding out what made me worse was key. Dr Smith stressed two things to me about the illness, two things always made it worse…doing too much of one thing or just doing too much and stress. Over the years my appointments with Dr Smith helped me to see there was life after ME/CFS, patients of his were living normal lives and achieving great things, going back to school, getting qualifications, getting jobs, but always being realistic about what could be achieved and keeping stress in check, if there was a bad boyfriend in the wings he would say get rid, if you had a job that made you ill, change career. Some stress is unavoidable & for those times you may need a little help getting through, in the form of therapy or medication, but try to eliminate anything that does not help you in the here and now, and be OK with saying no to people, know your boundaries. Dr Smith has now retired, but I know his past patients & I am very grateful for his help, guidance & positivity. A couple of my symptoms still pop up from time to time if I am not mindful and I think my recovery is described as a ‘functional recovery’, I have had to change the way I live my life to stay well. Over the years I have gained a huge amount of knowledge of ME/CFS, I have talked and shared my experience with many newly diagnosed people, & quite a few have their own recovery stories too & since recovering have achieved great things. The good news is, if you are diagnosed these days you can make a quicker recovery, when I was ill there was disbelief, stigma, the wrong advice from some of the medical profession, my diagnosis took a long time, I lost a good five years to the illness & then 3 years after this I was recovering but functioning. It is very important to surround yourself with people who support you & believe you. The people who helped me through my dark days were my Mum, just being there for me was so important & knowing I wasn’t alone, The ME Association, I rang the helpline when I was feeling desperate & read any information they shared, I also joined community groups, (it helped to see I was not the only one), a boyfriend that I dated for a while was hugely supportive & brought humour back into my life, I had two friends both with chronic illnesses who understood, so we would meet & chat, my GP who although was learning herself about the condition, always believed me & would go that extra mile, & Professor Findley & Dr Smith.

Life After M.E/CFS

If someone had knocked on my bedroom door when I was at my worst with ME to tell me that I wouldn’t be stuck like this forever, I would not have believed them, I could not see how I would get better, as I was ill for such a long time and nothing seem to help, if they had told me I would be a mum to an amazing girl, meet my husband at Glastonbury festival, travel to some amazing places, go to gigs, cook, drive, eat out, laugh, work, write, care for family, socialise, walk, dance & swim, I would of thought it impossible, so this is a blog of hope, for anyone you may know who is sick with ME/CFS or Long Covid or any other chronic illness, please share this blog post & give them hope that recovery is achievable.

Where You Can Get Help

For anyone that needs help, here are some services (£) & free resources

https://meassociation.org.uk

Raelan Agle has a YouTube channel with many recovery stories & some great content https://raelanagle.com

Pamela Rose is a fatigue coach and will offer a 25% discount to readers of my blog, use code ’25OFF’ off the Three Week Fatigue Rescue Course https://www.pamelarose.co.uk

Lauren Windas is a Registered & Licensed Nutritionist & Naturopath https://www.laurenwindas.com/cfs/me https://www.instagram.com/laurenwindasnutritionist/

Toby Morrison https://www.cfshealth.com/home Toby has some free training & you can find him on YouTube.

Danielle Williams Registered Nutritionist https://daniellewilliamsnutrition.com

James Wythe https://healthylivingjames.co.uk

Any minute now, (if it hasn’t happened already) Topshop is about to go into administration. It probably won’t disappear off the face of the earth, it is likely to be taken over by Boohoo, like Warehouse & Oasis, but Topshop as we know it, won’t be around anymore. In my wildest dreams, someone like Jane Shepherdson would ride in on a white horse & save the day (Shepherdson was the boss at Topshop before Philip Green turned up) She transformed it, when it lost its way, from a shop that sold cheap stretch dresses that made you look like a sausage in a skin, to a shop that sold dresses that made us go ‘ooh’ & ‘ahh’ and Topshop Oxford Circus was the ‘top’ ( see what I did there ) shopping destination for fashion loving girls & women all around the world. 

I grew up loving Topshop & a Saturday trip to Southend when I was a tween & teen centred around my visit to Topshop. I am sure my first ever ra ra skirt and jeans with white piping down the seam were both Topshop. When I was in my twenties, I would meet my friend outside Topshop Oxford Circus & we would spend hours in there, carrying around massive handfuls of stuff, listening to great playlists, it was like a daytime club with fantastic clothes thrown in. 

Topshop had some great collaborations, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders and the most famous one yet was the Kate Moss collaboration in 2007 & later in 2014, the original collection included a bias cut satin nightie dress, & chiffon one shouldered tulle dress in lemon & floral tea dress which is solely responsible for the ditsy floral dress that is still everywhere.

I am holding on to my Topshop favourites, I reckon they will be just as sort after as Biba one day. I hope Topshop don’t get lost in the fast fashion abyss & one day they come back with gusto to be crowned queen of the British high street once again, till then… goodbye old friend, thanks for the memories. 

When I was a teenager my nickname was Orville, for those of you old enough, Orville was a green furry ventriloquist’s Duck, who was operated by the entertainer Keith Harris who was big in the 80’s. This nickname came about, because I wore a rather special emerald green faux fur coat, (I could easily be picked out in a crowd) I often wonder what ever became of that coat, because I ruddy loved it!

This autumn/winter I will be hunting for another faux fur ( I have my very loved leopard print ) but as I will be spending quite a bit of time outside, a fake fur or a teddy coat would be the perfect coat, they are great for outside dining or drinking a gluhwein or hot choc or whatever tipple takes your fancy and, it looks like we may be heading the way of our Nordic friends and socialising outside this winter (if we are ever allowed to socialise again!)

Faux furs were the epitome of glamour in the 1950’s and 1960’s and were inspired by the Hollywood actresses, the faux version became an affordable alternative to real fur and each decade since, they have been a fashion staple in one form or other. But now they have become an everyday piece, worn with trainers or chunky boots, they can be layered with a denim jacket underneath or a ultra light down vest like this one from Uniqlo or a jacket like this one from M&S

We are 34 days in to our lockdown, and by week 3, I suddenly realised when looking in the mirror, I was channelling Hagrid in pyjamas with more facial hair, so after chatting to Mum, she basically shamed me into making more of an effort, she always looks good and dresses well, as mentally it makes her feel better, and she told me that her friend Ann, is still putting on her pearls every morning, during isolation, because she always has.

Over the last year I have made a concerted effort to avoid buying fast fashion, and only buy if I really love it and will wear it forever, so actually there’s lots of gaps in my wardrobe, and one of them is  ‘ LOUNGEWEAR’ Since lockdown, I have realised that my daily uniform of jeans and a shirt, doesn’t cut the mustard, in fact my jeans feel uncomfortable, so apart from one pair, I have ditched the jeans and I want comfort, as it makes me feel better. I tried wearing sportswear for a couple of days, but every time I put workout clothes on, I feel they are screaming back at me “Who are you kidding Lady! ” …although I do love a tracky bottom, and hoodie!

Here are my 5 outfits for 5 days, all shopped from my wardrobe.

Thank You NHS  

If you are in the market for a winter coat and you want it to last beyond this autumn/winter, Marks and Spencer have a plethora to choose from. A smart winter coat can take you places where other coats just can’t go, you can put it over something quite casual like jeans and a crew neck jumper and it can instantly make you feel sharper, it’s obviously the perfect item if you have a commute to work and you are on public transport and, if you wear it over a midi length dress and and black heeled ankle boots, you have your evening drinks outfit sorted. My favourite this season, is houndstooth, but sadly the one in M&S was too long even in my size, it was a really good fit though elsewhere. If you are petite you may struggle, not only because of the length, but also arm length, (I felt that only two worked with my height), but if you are 5’5 or over you should be fine.

Here’s the low down.

M&S Collection Wool Blend Dogtooth Print Overcoat T49/1257 £99, M&S Collection Cocoon Overcoat in cobalt T49/1919 £89, M&S Collection Double Breasted Overcoat in copper tan T49/1913 £99, M&S Collection Wool Blend Tailored Herringbone Coat in oatmeal/mix T49/1894 £79, M&S Collection Checked Overcoat T491920 £89, M&S Collection Tailored Jacquard Coat with Wool T491893 leopard £79 

The houndstooth, herringbone and leopard print are true to size the others fit big.

 

 

Let’s start off with a given, I love fashion, always have done, but recently I have had to review my shopping habits. Last year there was a programme on that totally opened my eyes to how damaging fashion could be for the environment, it was a called Fashion’s Dirty Secrets, part of the series Stacey Dooley Investigates. I discovered a lot of shocking facts; one being that the fashion industry is one of the top five most-polluting industries in the world, besides the oil industry. Lucy Seigle who is a journalist who specialises in environmental issues has said that “Globally, we are producing over 100 billion new garments from new fibres every single year, and the planet cannot sustain that,” Another fact highlighted in the programme, that was unbelievable, but sadly true, was how much water it takes to produce one pair of jeans. Oxfam have said … that ‘from growing the cotton to the dyeing process, it can take an estimated 20,000 litres of water to make just one pair of jeans and one t-shirt. To put this into perspective, it would take more than 13 years to drink this amount’ If you want to read more about the impact of fast fashion is having please check out Oxfam.

So what can we do? Oxfam are asking everyone to make a 30 day pledge to buying no new clothes in September, #secondhandseptember (you can still shop second hand)

And going forward after your 30 days are up, when shopping, just ask yourself

Do I really need it?

Try to buy from stores that have sustainable credentials, H&M and Mango are two high street stores that do. Online ASOS have sustainable options.

Always give your old clothes to charity, or swap them with friends, give to textile banks or even take them into high street stores that have clothes bins for recycling, high street shops that offer this are… & Other Stories, H&M, Zara, and M&S.

 #secondhandseptember 

Today it is 14 years since I met my husband at Glastonbury (Happy Anniversary SOM 😉 )  I’ve always thought we would have made an entertaining segment on The One Show, us and all the other couples who met at Glastonbury and married, grinning behind Matt Baker and his plus one…come on BBC!

My husband and I have been to Glastonbury once more as a couple, the mud that year was just a bit too much, a small packet of hand tissues were just not cutting it, after I had been pushed over by a festival goer and was covered in mud, a few minutes later I got hit in the face with a muddy football, we ended up leaving on the Sunday night, which was the best idea we had all day. I also went in my twenties with a friend, courtesy of Island Records, I will never forget seeing Pulp (the whole band) drive through a farm gate in their Robin Reliant, it was the funniest and the most unstarry thing and typical of Glastonbury.

I would love to be going this year, I have no desire to sleep in a tent that may or may not be washed away, or peed on, but I am envious of those doing it in comfort in a camper van or glamping. Glastonbury festival is a one off, you never know what you are going to see next or who you will meet, the sheer choice of bands, food and experiences is mind blowing and nothing beats driving over the hill when you first arrive and seeing how massive it is, it does take your breath away, Glastonbury holds 180,000 people, which is equivalent of the population of Oxford, it’s a festival as far as the eye can see.

So if you are going and still wondering what to wear and what not to wear here’s my short guide and my OOTD’S

Women No playsuits, or boilersuits, (too difficult to navigate in a cramped portaloo and after a few drinks). Jeans wil be too hot, if it’s hot! A dress or skirt would be good and put some tights in your pocket for when it gets colder. Take a hoodie and tie it round your waist (you will need it later). A vest top or tee with shirt on top is a good bet with denim shorts, the shirt can be tied round the waist when it’s too warm. Welly boots, Converse boots (if forecast is dry), walking boots or Dr Marten boots, no flip flops or sandals, don’t even try it! 1) in case it rains 2) to protect you stepping in something unpleasant in the loos. Take a ‘cross the body bag’ or bumbag, in the bag take hand sanitiser, hand tissues, a mirror, 50 ml suncream, small purse, lippy and if you can fit it in, a plastic bag for sitting on. Take a hat or small scarf in case it’s really hot or your hair’s got a mind of it’s own. A lightweight waterproof jacket is a must (with hood) preferably one in it’s own little bag, that you can attach to your bag, check out ASOS for waterproof jackets. And don’t forget you are at a festival, so shimmer and sequins, big prints like batik, seventies florals, animal print or tie-dye. If there was ever there was a a time to wear a seventies embroidered vintage frock, take your inspiration from Adele’s 2016 Glastonbury Chloe dress, if you want something similar on the high street, try Zara, or Free People from ASOS.

Men No shirt is a must, all in one spandex leotard, flag worn as a cape, tall hat made of foam, adult sized nappy, women’s clothes, flip flops and no suncream.

Happy Glastonbury 

Day 1 

Day 2

Day 3

 

So it’s LFW and it was made all the more exciting yesterday, as The Queen took her seat on the ‘frow’ next to Anna Wintour. There was all sorts of hoo-ha about Anna Wintour not taking her sunnies off, I am sure HRH didn’t give a royal fig about Wintour’s shades, she was probably busy wondering why those stick thin girls were wearing motorbike helmets indoors!

Now back in the real world, Topshop are top of their game with some great spring trends.

Spots

I love spots and polka dots of any sort, a shirt, dress or jacket with a spot is a classic item that will never date, so if you get anything this spring, pick a spot or dot.

Check or Dogtooth

A checked coat is the perfect transitional coat from winter to spring and again is a classic. It’s also a great day to evening coat.

The Printed Shirt

Printed shirts are big this season and the more fun the better, think stars, hearts, bees, cherries and chihuahua’s and if you don’t fancy going quite that far, you can’t go wrong with a floral.

The Pinafore

Pinafores come in many different styles, the denim or cord type for every day or a floral version for a night out. Check out the fragrant Floral Midi Pinafore Dress.

The Ankle Boot 

Perhaps the biggest trend this season is the ankle boot and if you are after a pair, you will be spoilt for choice, faux snakeskin, red suede, white patent, shiny lilac, black and buckled, Topshop are drowning in boots for Pete’s sake!

The Patterned Midi

The patterned mid length dress is everywhere this spring, whether you go for plain, floral or striped. The midi dress looks great with knee high boots, trainers or the trusty ankle boot and team with a biker jacket, fur gilet or long belted coat.

Check out Topshop for more spring trends.

 

 

 

 

…the great man said, and you’ll find most of these party looks take inspiration from ‘His Purpleness’, a few ruffles here, a bit of glitz here and a pair of silver boots, what could be more Prince?

Many workplace Christmas parties are now in Christmas past, but we still have NYE to go, if you are celebrating big style for NYE and going somewhere quite swanky, I would say you can’t wrong with sequins or velvet. But if you want to invest in just one thing to see you through the rest of the festive season plus NYE and beyond, I have a few ideas for that too…and some of these gorgeous festive frocks and the like, have already gone into the sale so, Merry Christmas Everyone.

Warehouse Velvet Sequin High Neck Dress £59.00

 

,Marks and Spencer Crackle Drape Long Sleeve Wrap Midi Dress £55.00 

Warehouse Metallic Tunic Dress £15.00