Red, White & Blue with Ness

It's a controversial colour scheme in Northern Ireland - particularly so close to the 12th July but I'm not talking flags today - I'm talking coats.

I was asked by the team behind Ness, a fashion label based in Scotland, to pick a couple of items from their latest collection. Unbelievably (for me), I had never heard of Ness prior to their email. They have a flagship store on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and there's certainly a Scottish feel to some of their range but mostly, it's a fun, practical, affordable range of clothing - not unlike Boden or Joules in places but with its own individual flair.

I chose the Evelyn Shower-proof Mac in Navy as I know how useful and wearable a navy lightweight mac is. Loving the red & white detail that just sets this apart from any old navy mac..

Coat - Evelyn Navy Mac c/o Ness Clothing (size 10)
Red Jeans - Room 31 (sold out)
White Vest - Primark
Denim Shirt - Sainsburys
Handbag - Vintage
Navy Pumps - c/o Zalando
Heart Shaped Umbrella - c/o Love Umbrellas

In terms of the detail, it's a heavier cotton/polyester material, lined in a silky material to make it easy to put on and take off. It has lighter blue and white piping around the edges, pockets and cuffs and a large pleat on the back with a button/belt detail which nips the coat in a bit and is adjustable. I ordered the 10 and I would say it's neat fitting so if you're between sizes or more blessed in the bust department than I, size up!

It got it's first outing to Belfast yesterday for a Fathers' Day family trip and kept up the red, white, blue colour scheme of the coat. Love an opportunity to wear these red jeans.

We headed to the market first for a quick catch up with Jeff from Belfast Times who was kind enough to keep with my colour scheme...

(can you tell who doesn't like getting her photo taken?!)

...and then onwards for a walk along the Lagan river to see the preparations underway for the G8 this week. President Obama is speaking in the Waterfront Hall today so there was a significant security presence and lots of areas cordoned off in preparation. But that did mean that the kids got to talk to a friendly police constable who let them take a look inside her Land Rover - and try out police hats too! Such excitement!

Hope you all have a super week - Britmums Live starts on Friday so I'm busy planning outfits for the two days and trying to work out how to fit everything into a tiny cabin suitcase....eek! I'm really excited for the weekend, the line up is amazing and I'm looking forward to meeting many of my blogging friends there. Do let me know if you're going too! x