I wasn't expecting this...

Not a Jamie Lawson moment...you know I don't get deep on here! But for me, a surprise outfit hit from a brand I wasn't expecting to be impressed by. I'll share the photos first starting with this most brilliant leopard print coat.

I've been looking for a leopard coat with proper black (not brown) in the pattern for a while and this ticks the box. I also love that it has a nude/blush colour going through it as well as an off white. It's just a little bit different, a little less Bet Lynch and a lot more stylish.

I've styled the coat here with all black but I also wore it last week with jeans and I have to say that I think it looks even better with denim than it does with black. I'll do a post on that very soon so you can see how versatile it is casually as well as formally.

But the coat isn't the only special part of this outfit. This jumper is another find. It's got zips at the shoulder that open to totally change the look.

I loved the detail but as I'm not a huge fan of the cold shoulder look, I didn't think I'd want to open the zips. But when I did, I was won over. It instantly became a going out knit. The absolutely perfect day to night top....

I have been struggling to find work trousers that aren't wide-legged (another blog post is in the making on this topic) so I opted to try these 7/8 cropped ones. They've got stretch in them and fit like a dream. I'm wearing the size 10 but they are neat, so size up if you are in-between. They come with a funky snake print belt which you can't see in the photos but I'm looking forward to showing it off with a crisp white shirt tucked in. The shape is perfect for all year round wearing but for winter, it's a great length of trousers to try with ankle boots....leading me onto my my final surprise.

These boots are an amazing find. From the almond shape pointed toe to the shape and height of the heel, they tick lots of boxes for me and I'm very fussy about my footwear. The best bit though is that they have a cushioned cosy lining (in a leopard print fabric, incidentally!) so they're really comfortable. They did dig a little into my shins at the top of the boot but I think that's to do with them being so new and once I start wearing the tights again, it won't be as obvious.
For the price, they're really a great boot and I know I'll get lots of wear at choir events as well as work. I'm wearing the size 6 and they're neat so size up if you're in-between.

The whole outfit came in at £174 full price (but there's a 25% offer running at the moment for new account holders)....and here's where I tell you it's all from.....Kaleidoscope! A brand that I've actually worked with before but these items are head and shoulders above anything else I have reviewed from their site. Here are all the links to help you find the items easily...

Leopard Coat - £55 (size 10)

Zipped Roll Neck Knit - £25 (size 10)

Black Ankle Grazer Trousers - £35

Black Patent Ankle Boots - £55

All Kaleidoscope AW16

Handbag - Yoshi

There were two reasons I was asked to do a review for the team at Kaleidoscope. Firstly to highlight the hidden gems that you can get from this brand, all at the click of a mouse and all with 25% off for new customers at the moment. It's not a brand that you might think of to look at but they are listening to younger customers and getting more and more wearable on-trend pieces into their range each season.

The other reason was to tell you about their new TV ad which showcases some of the hero pieces from the AW16 collection. It was that video that brought the jacket to my attention in fact. You can watch it here - it's just a short one and you can see the leopard coat about half way through. There are several other great pieces in the ad too - especially loving the fur coat and the black cape jacket. The whole range from the ad can be seen on this link.

Finally, huge thanks (once again) to my amazing photographer - Nic from Strawberry Blonde Beauty. We have so much fun when we catch up and in fact, we giggled non-stop when these were being taken as it was pouring with rain. We couldn't have picked a worse time of the day but thankfully we found a large tree to shelter under for most of them. You can imagine the looks we were getting from the walkers who passed us with their wellingtons, rain coats and umbrellas. We hadn't even brought a brolly with us!

Till next time...

Ax
Disclaimer - I was gifted the items to allow me to write this post but I wasn't paid to write it and all the words are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands who support this blog.