Bold prints and bright colours; two common features of my wardrobe and subsequently the majority of my outfits. It’s very rare for me to choose an outfit with no colour at all, but I felt that the simple cut of this Lipsy dress along with the black bead embellishment was the perfect base for a purely monochrome ensemble.

During our adventures in London I wanted an elegant outfit for evening drinks and this proved to be the ideal choice. I’m a big fan of shift style dresses, not only are they flattering, but they’re also comfortable - an important consideration when you’re trekking round London on the tube. I’m also pleased to report that the beading along the front of the dress remained perfectly intact, which has not always been the case with some of my dresses in the past.

Lipsy is not a brand that I've bought much from in the past, but since discovering this dress that all might be about to change! For this evening look I teamed the Lipsy dress (similar styles here and here) with a black chiffon and sequin cover-up from Topshop, my grey Mango shoulder bag and simply black pumps from Dorothy Perkins.

My first blog post of 2013 and its February already! Apologies to anyone who has been waiting for an update since last year, all usual excuses apply; my ‘actual job’ has been keeping me busy and I’ve also been working with Stanwells’ as their affiliate marketing manager. As a result of all this feverish activity The ‘It’ Guide has had to take a bit of a backseat, but I’ve just about managed to get on top of everything and I’m ready to get blogging again.

Today’s outfit post was inspired by a visit to Marrakech (Morocco) back in January. The purpose of the trip was to celebrate my lovely friend Lucy’s (The Luxe Life) 30th birthday and I was delighted to be invited along. There were eight of us altogether and in addition to Lucy there were a couple more familiar faces from the blogging world; Briony from AGirlAStyle and Olivia from My New Favourite Thing (whose Cobra Society boots were part of the inspiration for this post).

On arrival in Marrakech we were ‘meeted’ and greeted at the airport and whisked off to our amazing riad. The Riad Meriem was situated in the heart of the medina and making our way through the winding streets and bustling markets was quite a culture shock!

We crammed in several activities over the three days we were there; quad biking, a trip to a hamman, a cookery lesson, several meals out and various trips around the medina and the souks. The sheer vibrancy of Marrakech is hard to narrate, if I had to associate one colour with the trip it would be the beautiful cobalt blue that featured throughout Yves Saint Laurent’s Jardin de Majorelle.

For my Moroccan inspired outfit I teamed my blue Marks and Spencers coat with a black shirt and cardigan from Mint Velvet, dark blue skinny jeans from Dorothy Perkins, my beloved Miu Miu bow bag and Jimmy Choo scarf and lastly my authentic Moroccan kilim boots bought in Marrakech.

Thanks to Olivia whose Marrakech photos I swiped for this post and a big thank you to my lovely brother-in-law who took my outfit photos for me on our trip to Richmond at the weekend.

My new style ‘krush’ arrives this week at Dorothy Perkins. The Kardashian Kollection is the aptly named ready-to-wear clothing range from Kardashian sisters, Kourtney, Kim and Khloé. The 100 piece collection launches on November 8th and sees tailored pieces work alongside flattering shapes and party dresses, which embody their signature styles.

Kourtney’s bohemian chic can be emulated with floaty drape sleeve blouses and Kim’s red carpet glamour arrives in ‘look at me’ dresses. While Khloé’s edgier dressing sees playful prints and a mix of textures, making the KK line perfect for everyone.

Keeping up with the Kardashian’s has long been a guilty pleasure of mine, way before TOWIE or MIC filled up my viewing time, I was tuning in to see what Kim, Kris, Bruce and co were getting up to in their latest episode. Despite the obvious closeness between the sisters, their individual styles are remarkably different. Khloé’s bold approach to styling new trends has always impressed me, albeit when she chose to wear sky-high platforms to the beach…

Alongside the signature clothing, the ready to wear collection also includes gorgeous bags that are the perfect accessory day and night. Oversized totes as well as glammed up sequin clutches finish the look perfectly, giving you extra confidence to step out in style.

Available exclusively online at dorothyperkins.com and in stores nationwide, there are pieces to fall in love with that will add a touch of Kardashian sparkle to your ‘Kristmas’.

Jacket – Marks & Spencer, Scarf – Oasis, Bag – Michael Kors (bought at Bicester Village), Watch – Michael Kors (my-wardrobe.com), Jeans – Dorothy Perkins, Pumps – Blowfish (C/O Surfdome)

I had a delightful time yesterday enjoying afternoon tea at Coworth Park with Lucy (The Luxe Life) and my husband Darren. This was Darren’s first experience of an afternoon tea and we couldn’t have chosen a better location to introduce him to this quaint English tradition.

I wanted a comfortable, yet smart outfit and teaming my M&S blazer with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans was the ideal choice. To give the outfit a hit of colour, I wore my new orange Blowfish pumps that I bought using my press gift voucher from Surfdome. This excursion also provided me with the ideal opportunity to take my new Michael Kors bag for a test run and I was more than happy to oblige!

Coworth Park is a stunning hotel set in the Berkshire countryside near Ascot. The tea was delicious and refreshing and the beautiful interior of the hotel and the landscaped gardens really captured the imagination, a wonderful venue to while away the hours on a sunny Saturday afternoon in September.

This is my video diary from my recent trip to London. I've included a review of the apartment that we stayed in as well as several clips from the weekend. Not to mention showcasing my outfit choices and my attempts to get everything to fit in my suitcase!

The reason for the trip was for my Mum's 60th birthday. I'd organised it as a surprise with my Dad and brother and she was delighted when she found out.

We spent Thurs evening enjoying our apartment and my brother and his wife cooked us dinner. Friday morning was spent wandering around Westminster Abbey, which was amazing, followed by a pub lunch and a stroll along the river. On Saturday we headed to the London Eye at lunchtime and then in the evening we had a meal at Rocket in Mayfair, before heading to the Palladium to see The Wizard of Oz.

It was a great weekend, I know my Mum had a great time and we did too!