Charity shopping

 In true student style I have once again been raiding the charity shops, my thought process goes down the road of 'if it's from a charity shop I'm allowed to buy it no matter how poor I am'- it's for charity after all... Anyway, I honestly think the charity shops around where I live are some of the best, there's always nice clothes and they're so cheap, so it's a win win situation. The other day it was raining on my way home from college so I thought I would have a look in the shops while I waited for a lift home and ended up buying a beautiful new 'Dickies' check shirt, it's really thick and warm and just generally nice. I wore it out the other day when one of my friends had a Christmas meal for everyone (which was amazing by the way!) I wanted to dress nice, but obviously it was just a chilled thing so I wore a fitted black skirt and top tucked in and then threw my shirt over the top. It was really comfortable, I think this might be one of my favourite charity shop finds so far. Hope everyone is enjoying the festive season, Merry Christmas guys! Love and stuff x

Wishful thinking DIY style

 At some point in the summer I was given an old pair of jeans from a friend which I intended to turn into some seriously cool shorts; however, here we are well and truly in winter and they are still not finished. I've taken to wearing them half finished though, they looked sad just handing on my wall for months on end so down they came. I'm still hoping to finish them when I've brought more supplies, probably next summer when it's more appropriate weather for bare legs. So, here's what happened to create these bad boys: I cut the initial jeans into shorts (Seemed like the obvious first step...) then scrunched them into a ball tied together with elastic bands and dyed them with pink dye, I then frayed the bottoms and turned them up before starting the part which is still in the process of happening, I un-stitched part of the back pocket and started filling it with studs. It was going well, until I ran out of studs. But here they are anyway, still in the process of becoming the 'seriously cool shorts' I hoped for. Obviously, as anybody from England could probably guess I have not been wearing them out without tights, but for the sake of the pictures my house is definitely warm enough to brave the bare legs. Love and stuff x

Playing dress up

I rarely get the chance to dress up, but with a lot of my friends turning 18 this year it seems to becoming a more regular thing which I absolutely love! So a few of my friends had a joint 18th a few weekends back, everyone was dressed up and looked extremely beautiful and I took the chance to show off my new 'body' (is that what they're called, it sounds weird?! Think leotard and you're there...). It's extremely revealing but I think when paired with the right outfit it can look nice, without showing too much skin. Body-con skirt couldn't have worked, so I paired it with a pleated skirt, I felt slightly childish at first, I haven't worn pleats since primary school, but when put into perspective the mainly see through top definitely aged the outfit slightly. In an attempt to look slightly more sophisticated I parted my hair in the middle, hiding my undercut, but I'm not 100% about it still, I think I'm a side parting girl through and through. So here goes, I'm leaving you with a picture of me and best friend Flora (completely outshone by her beauty and stupidly long, skinny legs), I know it's not the best outfit picture but I'm sure you get the general idea. Love and Stuff x 

Rocking a band tee

If we're talking tees, chances are we're talking wolf, as they're one of my favourite things. But nope, today, we're talking band tees. They're always good for casual, paired with jeans, skirts, shorts, shirts over the top, anything goes. The only rule, in my opinion, is that you've actually heard of the band, liking them would be a bonus. Am I being a 'music snob' by thinking wearing a band top when you've never actually heard of the band is just pretentious, opinions please?! But anyway, I currently have a Hendrix one which I cut the sleeves off and a Ramones one courtesy of my brother's wardrobe clear out because who doesn't love hand me downs, and let's face it, they look better on me! My wardrobes also spilling out a couple of Beatles tops, the yellow submarine crop top from H&M a few seasons back is always a winner. All my band tees seem to be pretty old school, but I'm a sucker for old music. I have my eye on an amazing Bowie vest though and I cannot wait to sport my main mans face on my top! I'm gunna have to keep it short because I'm in desperate need of revising for my theory test tomorrow, wish me luck. So, band tees, supporting your favourite band or just a sucker for a fashion statement? Love and stuff x

Sucker for a sleeveless shirt

I am an absolute sucker for a shirt, any kind of shirt, there's just something about them, you can wear them with almost anything and there are so many different types. This summers main trend and quite possibly one of my favourite for a while, the sleeveless shirt. I have a burgundy one from topshop which I love and a check crop one which was a favourite find from ebay, but of course I'm always on the look out for new ones to add to my collection, so when I saw this man's shirt in a charity shop, I knew it was meant to be! It took a hell of a lot of sewing (I'm yet to learn the art of machining so it was all done by hand) but it was totally worth it. The shirt I brought was far too wide for me so I cut the sides and re-hemmed them, which made it more fitted and then, of course, I took the sleeves off! I love it, it has a really nice old fashioned collar on it which works so well with the buttoned up look. I wore it out the other night with high wasted shorts, I tied it so it was cropped even though I was going camping, but it was worth the cold. Apologies about the pictures, there from my webcam rather than camera. Love and stuff x

Dressing to the max(i)

 It's a cliche post title I know, but I couldn't help myself. I walked into my kitchen today and my mum looked at me and asked what I was wearing in a kind of quizzical yet disapproving way, I'm used to this kind of thing but this time I was slightly confused; normally it's because my skirts are too short but today I'm wearing a floor length skirt. Granted it may be that the skirt I'm wearing is one I borrowed from my nan for a play when I was in year six, but it's summer and maxi is on trend right now! I've been contemplating buying a maxi dress all year now but when I tried one on last summer I was told they were for older people and I couldn't pull one off. This may be the case, but I think a maxi skirt dressed in the right way can look just as good as anything shorter. I figured by pairing it with my cut up i love new york tee, it would look edgy and not too grown up. How are we feeling about floor length then, should we save it for the 'grown ups' or should we all save a place for one in our wardrobes? Love and stuff x

Summer's bright

So in my last post I mentioned all the neon jewellery that's filling the shops and fuelling my need for summer (anybody else from England will feel my pain) but it's not just the jewellery that's sporting florescent brights this season, designers seem to have gone all out, we're talking tie dye, coloured trousers, cardigans and dresses. It's pretty standard procedure and not exactly surprising that out comes the sun closely followed by the summer brights, cheering up your wardrobe with the empty promise of warmth (I'm sounding angry, but I just really need some sun!) But I do have to say, coloured trousers are a definite must have; whether we are talking the bright red or blue chinos as seen in Topshop or coloured jeans, there is just something edgy and fun about them. They're easy to wear and manage to somehow bridge the gap between casual and smart. Who knew?! Personally I can't pull of the chino look, I wish I could but it just doesn't work for me so I'm playing it safe with some coloured jeans. My favourite pair are topshop's 'pink' jeans, even though they're more burgundy than pink they're so simple and you can dress them up or down. They're great for when I'm in a rush and just want to shove on jeans and a top before running out the door but they also go amazingly with heels if I'm going out but I'm not in the mood for a dress. As much as I want to carry on writing I have a new camera so I'm off to play, but I've been busy with some fashion 'DIY' so i'll be posting it soon! Love and stuff x

Studs...

It's been a while again, but I have something so show you! I'm getting really into studs at the moment, and customising my clothes. Usually I stop with cutting the neck or sleeves of a t-shirt or the bottom off a skirt but I decided to experiment with it a bit more recently and I pierced studs around the coller of my shirt. I used a shirt I 'borrowed' of my dad a while back (hope you don't mind!) and took the studs of an old studded belt; It was much easier than I thought it was going to be as the studs pierced the fabric so easily, the only trouble I had was making sure they were all straight, but I thought it was successful, it makes a simple shirt look so much more interesting, but it's just as easy to wear. What do you guys think? Also, I think the shirt was from Tesco if anybody was wondering.Love and stuff x 

Fashion, an art form that you wear.

Ok, so I'm officially rubbish at posting and I'm sorry. I've left it ages since I posted last. I've written numerous posts here before deleting them at the risk of sounding pretentious. They were all about not being sure about 'individualism' trending or ultimately disliking the dictation that fashion has on our lives. I think it all sparks from wanting to be seen as an individual, my own person, but really it doesn't come down to what we wear does it? You can't hide behind your clothes (in a metaphorical sense obviously as physically this is exactly what we are doing, which for most of us is a very good thing...) Ultimately clothes don't matter, it's the person you are that's going to get you where you want in life, but even as I know this clothes are still so important to me, they reflect your personality and mood, it's just difficult to understand why. Fashion is just art that you wear, and so much in life is based around art so I'm not sure why I'm finding it so difficult to grasp the concept of fashion, perhaps I'm just naive in thinking everybody is there own person. I've confused myself with all of this. Just tell me, what does fashion mean to you? Love and stuff x

Turn it up...

'Turn in up' applies to both music and jeans; the louder the music the better and all though I'm not sure the same 'highter the better' concept works with turning up your jeans, but turn them to just above your ankle and you're sorted. Skinny jeans are getting boring, so turning them up is definitely the way forward, it just makes them look so much more interesting. It works really well with brogues(which i no longer have, but still miss)but it also works with converse, which is good for me as i have three or four pairs, even if some of them are worn to the point where they have split. Turned up jeans can have a kind of retroey feel(I'm giving myself some poetic licence here as I'm pretty sure this isn't a word...) especially when paired with the right top and just generally look cool; all though sometimes you do have to brave the cold, ankles out in winter?! Anyways, I'm off for a weekend in DISNEYLANDD! I'm so excited, you never are too old! Love and stuff x

Buttoned up...

At some point, possibly around the beginning of the year boys started wearing there shirts and polo's with all the buttons done up and it is definitely a good look, so why has the trend not caught on to girls?! I've seen very few girls wearing there shirts with the buttons done up, all though it is definitely harder for girls to pull off. I do know someone however who pulls it of flawlessly, my beautiful friend Kayla, who has an amazing style and can pull off the buttoned up look  (and most other looks) better than i could ever dream of, i would be jealous if she wasn't so lovely. I do think that when you wear a shirt buttoned up it needs a necklace under the collar to finish it off, I'm not sure why but it just kind of feels incomplete with out one; the one in my picture is a bit too short, it needs to come down a bit lower, but I love cross necklaces even though i am in no way religious. That's all shirt wise, but I'm having blood tests tomorrow and I'm petrified of needles, wish me luck! Love and stuff x

Socks...And heels?!

It sounds wrong, but give it a chance... Its not like socks and sandles, which i agree is completely wrong, but somehow having the heel just makes it so much better, it's cute! Granted, it probably has to be a certain type of shoes and socks for it to work...But i find that my beautiful black heels from Newlook and creame socks with frills just work. I'm not sure if court shoes that have no front would work, but i haven't tried it, so i'm not sure. And the thing is i wear my socks and heals over fishnets, which mixes two trends in one(and keeps my feet warm!) It's edgy, but cute at the same time and you can mix it up depending on what socks you wear, patterned socks with black dress and black heels, so fun! I'm currently part way through my lovely five day weekend, thankyou snow! I'm not sure how well the hoodie works with the socks and heels, but it is cold and i was too eager to go and play in the snow than look for a nice dress that could look cute with it. Love and stuff x

Bandannas...

Bandannas are cool. Fact. I think they are one of those things that are always gunna look good and there are always people that are going to be wearing them. They were quite a big thing in the nineties, although I'm not sure the pirate look (tied over your hole head) is great...Roll them up, twist it a bit then tie it around your head, the little knot at the top just looks so perfect. I have a really nice black one with Chinese writing on it, which I acquired of one of my brothers and a pink one as well as another black one. If you just want  to shove your hair up they can make it look a bit more interesting, and definitely can make your whole outfit. They're more difficult to get hold of now, but there are some really nice ones  in 'Beyond retro' in Brighton, I definitely need to add to my collection, but I think they are slowly crawling back into fashion so will probably be easier to get hold of. The picture's not great, but I'm still ill, i apologise though, hopefully I will get better soon which would be good as I'm defiantly struggling to remember what healthy feels like; it also means I may be able to put some decent pictures up which will make a change... Love and stuff x

Hand knitted

I'm posting allot recently, but I'm ill and seriously lacking motivation to do any form of real work...But on the plus for you guys it means you can hear about my lovely knitted jumper that my Mumma made when she was younger and i have now acquired. I used to wear it to sleep in, but then i realised how cool it was and it now makes regular much needed outings into the world. It's pretty old and hand knitted, so it's starting to look a but scruffy and has whole near the bottom, but i think, like allot of clothing it makes it look more interesting, it gives it more character. It's really warm, and truly lovely. On a different, possibly more exciting topic, i saw a coca-cola Christmas advert on TV last night which means it's definitely nearly Christmas, which means out comes the Christmas jumper (Well, it would be coming out if i hadn't been wearing it all year...) Come to think of it, since I've been wearing my current one all year it doesn't really count as a Christmas jumper anymore...I think a new one may be in order! Before i leave you all i would just like to express my excitement for the fact that it is only 35 sleeps until Christmas , yayayayayyayayayayaayayayyayayay! Here's my beautiful knitted jumper my Mumma made, forgive me for the state I'm in, hopefully i will get better at some point soon.  Love and stuff x

hand me downs (Or ups)...

Allot of people have a problem with hand me down clothing, they want something new and on trend, designer if possible, thank you. I on the other hand absolutely love 'borrowing' other people's clothes (i use the term 'borrow' loosely as they hardly ever get returned). Shirts of my dad, cartoon tops of my little brothers, jumpers from my grandparents, if it's in the washing pile it's fair game. I love really big shirts that effectively work as dresses that i  can steal of my dad, he had a lovely one that he brought for a fancy dress party and only ever got to wear once and i have been wearing ever since, i recently got a sleeveless denim jacket exactly like i had been looking for which had once been my older brothers, passed down to my younger brother then passed to me. My new favourite pass me ups (from my younger brother) would have to be my dragon jumper and wolf t-shirt. They're quirky and kind of retro style, maybe even a little bit indie? They're something that you don't see many other people wearing as i don't think many people shop in there little brother's wardrobe, but best of all is that they're free :) On a different note, my hair is suffering after a party last night when somebody thought it would be funny to cut a chunk out, i know the partially shaved look is in, but i'm not sure the uneven look will be reaching the red carpet any time soon...Love and stuff x

stipey jeans anyone...?

Turns out my computer has broken, meaning i can no longer blog from the comfort of my bed and have had to leave the house to find another computer to keep my approximately 0 readers updated.

But anyway, I'm roughly two weeks into college and I'm wondering if it's too early to bring out the florescent stripey jeans? Now i know I'm completely backtracking after in my previous post saying how bored i was of stripes, but these jeans are in no way a safe fall back option, they are pretty out there. I have one red and black pair from Camden market which used to be my brothers when he was going through a 'grunge' phase and a green and black pair from the North Lanes in Brighton. I love them, but i constantly get weird looks when i wear them out and I'm not sure how well they will go down in college, especially since i have only just started making friends. Maybe i will leave it a few weeks...

I will leave you with pictures of my lovely jeans, they're really old, but seeing as i can't blog from my own computer anymore it's the best i can do for now. Love and Stuff x

beanies

In typical English style the weather at the moment is being very unpredictable. But seeing as September has arrived I'm pretty sure nobody expects it to be very warm anymore, which is disappointing, seeing as i absolutely love the summer. But winter being around the corner does have some plus sides, like the fact that you can wear woolly hats! Hats are my absolute favourite thing to wear, in the summer i wear them in those long evenings but in the winter I'm hardly ever out of one, including when i sleep. Now, i have three fall back hats at the moment, my grey topshop slouchy beanie, my bright yellow topman slouchy beanie and of course the river island panda hat. My collection of winter hats is pretty big, but these three are the ones that i wear the most. Hats are pretty difficult to pull off properly and I'm not sure i do them justice to be honest, i am constantly reminded that i look like a gnome when i wear my slouchy ones, but i just don't care. They keep me so warm and i just love them. This winter I'm in search for a cable knit slouchy one with a bobble, maybe in blue...

You will have to excuse the pictures, i didn't have much time to take them, so they aren't very good. Love and stuff x

Stripes...

Don't get me wrong, i love stripes as much as the next person, they're aways a safe option. Everybody can rock a casual stripe. But they have been in high fashion for so long it's getting boring. First stripes, then nautical style, which is, let's face it, mainly stripes. Since when were fashion designers creatures of habit?
Here's me wearing stripes, just to proove that I'm not completely anti-stripe :)

Love and stuff x