Perhaps it’s just me, but the temperature in the UK appears to have dropped recently and although it would be premature to declare that winter is on its way, there is certainly a chill in the air that hints at the continued shift in the weather over the coming months. This new autumn bite has left me reaching for my comfy knits and warmer coats earlier that I expected. That being said, this is British weather we’re talking about and its continual unpredictability is legendary.

To celebrate the arrival of autumn I have pulled together a list of my favourite snuggly knits available to buy online from a few select brands. Choosing an overall favourite would be hard, but the cream poncho from Phase Eight does look delightfully soft and comfy. A wonderful alternative to a jacket in the earlier autumn months and an ideal knit to keep you warm and cosy when travelling.

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.

Since the beginning of 2012 I’ve wanted to own a pair of Ash’s Bowie Wedge Trainers. Normally I like to consider an extravagant purchase for a few weeks before making it, but this is the first time I’ve taken nine months to make a decision. This lengthy indecision was a result of the customary question I apply to all fashion trends, “will it/they suit me?”, and in this case I wasn’t sure that they would.

Sports luxe is a trend that I really love… on other people… it’s just not something that I can see working for me. I felt the same way about the trainers; I loved them when I saw other people wearing them, but I just couldn’t decide whether I could pull them off. 

Maybe it’s a result of the Olympics buzz, or maybe it’s due to the slight shifting of sports luxe away from shiny fabrics, baggy cropped clothes and sportswear to a more refined vibe featuring bold colours and relaxed silhouettes that has caused me to rethink my stance on this evolving trend. Whatever the reason, I’ve begun to see how I could incorporate various pieces into my AW12 wardrobe and as I had some loyalty points saved up with my-wardrobe.com I thought I’d put them to good use and invest in a pair of Ash’s Bowie wedges.

I ‘unboxed’ them (YouTube terminology) on camera, so you can take a look at that exciting(!) moment here: http://www.theitguide.co.uk/unboxing-ash-trainer-wedges

My biggest concern with these trainers is that I’d been admiring them on the likes of Miranda Kerr, i.e. a 6ft plus supermodel with never-ending legs. Unfortunately for me at 5ft 6in… and a size 14 that didn’t seem to add up to the same result, but never mind, there’s always Photoshop.

Given my initial concerns I was actually quite pleased when I started styling some outfits wearing my new winter red suede wedges. They worked well with both skinny jeans and dresses – which is useful given that my wardrobe consists predominantly of dresses and jeans… I put together four possible outfits; the first two looks are an attempt to add a bit of ‘sports edge’ to a girly ensemble. The third is styled with skinny jeans and a tailored blazer and the fourth with a basic printed tee.

The real beauty of these trainers is their ability to lengthen your legs, if, like me, you’re not a towering supermodel then the hidden wedges will help no end to make your legs look that little bit longer. They’re also amazingly comfortable, so I know I’ll have no problem wearing them all day long. Overall I’m delighted that I went ahead and bought a pair, the question now is do I buy them in another colour?!

I've wanted a pair of Ash's wedge trainers since the beginning of the year, but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pull them off - hopefully I can, because I've finally bought a pair!

I bought the black taupe and winter red suede wedges available from my-wardrobe.com: http://bit.ly/Qfe16D

I spent a delightful evening yesterday at my-wardrobe’s London headquarters, sipping Champagne, scoffing cupcakes and slowly working my way through the AW12 collections on display in their showroom. Surrounded by beautiful dresses, bold jewellery and statement bags was my idea of an evening well spent!

Favourites from the night include; the new selection of Aila bags (exclusive to my-wardrobe), statement jewellery with a capital ‘S’ from Anton Heunis, sleek and comfy wedge trainers from Ash and the gorgeous range of printed tees, with my absolute favourite being this little beauty from Carven.

I also had the opportunity to chat to one of their buyers, the lovely Georgina, who had only arrived back from her hen weekend 24 hours earlier – nothing like be thrown in at the proverbial deep end! It was a welcome insight into a buyer’s decision making process and lovely to hear her thoughts on the new season trends and what brands she’ll be investing in.

Thank you my-wardrobe for opening up your showroom for us bloggers to rifle through. I think there were plenty of us making mental shopping lists as we went!