Let your body talk.

The Kooples leather jacket. Therapy monochrome dress: c/o House of Fraser. Adidas Spezial: £27.

Hello, is it sports luxe you're looking for? Even if it may seem like the person asking the question is spam call number 23 of the day (and it's only 10am), I think I might have just found the perfect way to dip my toe into a trend I've been avoiding just as much as the gym.

I've been living in my Spezials since nabbing them in an outlet store in Braintree Freeport, but I'd never really tapped into anything more sporty since. Much like my attitude to dating, there's not all that much point in wasting my time of something that's not going to work out until I find 'the one'. Thankfully, there's proof true love exists as I found this monochrome badboy on the House of Fraser site. It's a bit bodycon, it's a bit colour blocky, and it's a whole lotta need-this-in-my wardrobe perfect. It might not be something I pop on for a trip down the shops, but it definitely held up for a day of coffee, then afternoon tea, then cocktails in Shoreditch. Perfect first date, all things considered.

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Tongue-tied and breathless.

Warehouse leather jacket: £1, sample sale. Warehouse check shirt: £1, sample sale. Oasis Isabella jeans: £27. Hobbs boots: £40. Asos fedora hat: £25. Jaeger clutch bag: £25, Freeport Braintree (similar).

Hello, is it a mid-week post you're looking for? Regardless of the answer (or if you're reading this on Saturday), this is exactly what you've stumbled across. I'm not one for blogmas, vedj or whatever weird acronym is magicked up next, but I'm feeling blogtober and am aiming to get two posts up a week for this month only. Which either sounds:

a) lame. But then again, you're the one reading it;

b) not that much effort. You try working full-time, having a 37.5% abv social life and then touching your laptop post-collapse at home; or

c) superhuman. The one I'm going for, as I cough myself into oblivion.

Depending on the audience*, I tend to tell people I'm from Chelmsford. This is true - I do live here, sleep here, write this blog post here. But aside from vegetating in knitwear of an evening, my trips into town don't really consist of much more than heading to the station before the sun's even risen or a rare trip to the gym. To mix things up a little, my mum and I headed to Chelmsford Museum as they had an exhibition (strong word, it was a room) on about the history of swimming costumes. It's an odd little museum, featuring a lot of military history, shout outs to Marconi and some taxidermy, but there's a lot to be said for day trips that take less than half an hour to travel back from. A trip down the road calls for ultimate comfort, so I plucked my skinnies from the top of the pile and learnt a little bit more about where I live. Some people (I'm looking at you, Dickens) may have thought Chelmsford was "the dullest and most stupid spot", he might not be far wrong, but apparently Hendrix played here once, who knew? 

*Never ever tell boozed up men you're from Essex. Ever.

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Cute but psycho.

Brandy Melville 'Cute but psycho' tee: £18. Vintage suede skirt: £8, via charity shop (similar). Zara velvet slippers: £9, via charity shop (similar). Karen Millen patent mini bag: £5, via sample sale. H Samuel and Pandora bracelets. Vintage and Forever 21 rings. Barry M "Road Rage" not-quick-dry-at-all nail varnish. Topshop "Really Ruby" lipstick.

As time passes, I like Maldon more and more. It's a pain to get to, provides dubious phone signal and the average age of its inhabitants is probably sixty, so I really don't see where the drawbacks lie. I did find it a little amusing when a brand took fifteen or so bloggers to an island just off its shores for a super-fancy event, as to me it has always been, and will always be, a place so far removed from "blogger life" - and the world in general, there's only one bus an hour - as it's possible to be. But there you go. This time we didn't head down to the river as is our usual way of spending the day there, and instead explored its bloody hills quaint backstreets, before heading to a café just behind M&S for a late lunch. Can't remember for the life of me what it's called, but it sits off the high street and serves a mean BLT.

There's not really much to say about this incredibly standard tee and no tights outfit, but I do have to give a special shout out to Jazmine who picked this tee up for me from Soho after I spotted it on Pinterest a while back, as Brandy Melville's online shop is appalling/does not have any stock. 'Cute but psycho' might not be the most PC turn of phrase, but after last night I will be acting with "abnormal or violent behaviour" towards my breakfast as soon as I drag myself downstairs.

I've popped links to old Maldon blog posts below (hello, second ever outfit post!), so you can have a tour of the town:

The Hythe | Promenade Park | Heybridge Basin | Beeleigh Road

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