Fashion which survives the test of time

Sometimes I look back at old pictures and thank my lucky stars that cameras were much less evident in "the olden days" and sometimes I wish I had kept particular outfits which are right on trend years later.

Although some of my tastes have changed I find that some of the labels I used to love are still showcasing outfits I love, even if they sometimes look better on my teens nowadays.

Take Dorothy Perkins for instance. I used to spend all of my clothing allowance in Dotty P's as we used call it as I knew that sizing was always accurate and the clothes would be well made and stylish.  I knew I could whizz in in my lunch hour and grab a new outfit for that evening without too much fuss.

Decades later I know I can always still find pieces I love in Dorothy Perkins - check out this beautiful vintage-style dress for example.

I think the fact that the store has survived in the High Street for so long as well as thriving online says a lot for the quality of fabric and fashion, but If I'm honest my style nowadays is much more Joules. I love that I can find great prints and quality pieces there which I love and I think suit my stage of life and style.

Quirky gifts for all occasions from Red Candy

In the good old days I only really had a few people and events to buy gifts for. Birthdays, Christmas and the occasional wedding or Christening.

Nowadays I'm older, my circle of friends and family is bigger and and I have a few more added to the list - teacher's presents, "big" birthdays, significant wedding anniversaries plus thank you gifts....it can be hard to find inspiration for all the gifts you need to buy.

You could trawl round the shops- I end up spending more than I need to paying parking, stopping for coffee, lunch, more coffee. Or you could trawl round the internet hoping to find something original and in your price range.

Or you could take a peek at the Red Candy website which has an awesome array of quirky items for you to buy. I was going to say "as gifts" but to be honest when I was let loose on the site all I mainly focussed on lovely things I wanted for myself!

Take this 746 phone for instance. I have a thing for anything vintage, including telephones and I just love this famous classic design from the 1960's recreated and updated to work on modern phone systems.

The mustard yellow phone with an authentic mechanical bell ringer just plugs into your standard phone socket. It has push buttons which I love less than the original dial but you have to look hard to spot the buttons and it does make life easier when dialling out!

You can also get the phone in a variety of colour ways including copper on the Red Candy site- right on trend.

Red Candy focusses on funky homeware, kitchenware and gifts and I defy anyone not to find something there they simply cannot live without. It's the perfect site to find something for the person who has everything. Or thinks they have everything.