Hey everyone. Just a quick outfit post!

Casually taking outfit pictures on a residential street on a grey day. Much chic. Such fashion. Wow.

Hat: vintage // Dress: Jollychic // Boots: Jollychic

This dress from Jollychic is probably the most 'body con' dress I've ever worn (I thought it would be more of a 60's a-line shape when I saw it online hoho). I just love the pattern. Wearing it with my blue bow hat that I wear with everything ever and some black platform boots. These boots are so tall they make me look like a normal-sized person. Rejoice! Bit of a challenge negotiating Durham's cobblestones however.

Just working and enjoying the weather at the moment. You know spring is approaching when you suddenly feel the need to ask for your coffee iced. Of course in England that point is reached at about 12°C... I just really want it to be summer now, okay?

Personal shopping at Topshop Knightsbridge

So last month I went down to London to visit the Topshop Knightsbridge personal shopping department! Personal shopping is not something I had ever previously thought of doing. I assumed that unless you were absolutely clueless when it came to fashion, they'd just get you all wrong. Recently, however, I had been discussing with a friend of mine that it would be interesting to see how someone else would dress me - someone really stylish - if given the chance. Short of actually paying for a stylist, a personal shopper is as close to this as you can get! This meant that as soon as I got an email inviting us blogger-folk down to meet some personal shoppers, I booked my train tickets down to London.

Contrary to what I had assumed, I learned that personal shoppers - or at least Topshop personal shoppers - don't merely tell the clueless what to wear. They'll tell you what's new, what's cool, what would look nice on you, and what they like. Having a pretty strong sense of personal style that's been built up over years of being interested in fashion, this actually ended up being a pretty interesting experience for me. We were not, in practice, personally shopped for (although I believe that was an option?) rather the Knightsbridge personal shoppers, Jess and Amber, took us around and showed us what was new, some of the outfits they'd put together and what they were into. It was so interesting to listen to some really well-dressed ladies enthusing about fashion. We were so inspired afterwards that we ended up heading straight over to Topshop Oxford Street men's personal shopping department to see what they'd find for my friend!

This was probably my favourite collection. I don't for the life of me remember what snappy name it was given but I can clumsily describe it as... modern, bright, and candy-coloured (the word 'candy' may have actually been used haha). Personal shopper Jess - who was very well dressed and I would certainly trust her with finding me cool things to wear - was especially into this pink leather jacket. And thus the value of personal shopping becomes apparent to me. I would never have even thought to buy a pink leather jacket but as she gushed about how fabulous it was, sure enough I found myself pondering whether I had £185 to spare (...I did not). In that sense I think personal shopping can be a fun experience even if you don't need 'help' as it were. You get a fresh perspective on style, have suggestions made to you that you just might not have thought about yourself, and you get to have a good natter about fashion.

All in all, it was a really fun experience that well and truly changed my mind about personal shopping. There was champagne, pastries from Paul, and a tonne of great clothes we got to peer over and try on. So... thank you Jess and Amber / Topshop! In fact, our personal shopping experience at Oxford Street that followed wasn't even a blogger event but we had fun there too! I've also heard they have computer games. I'll report back next time I go. A pleasant respite from law student life though, I'm sure you'll agree. Here's a blurry photo of what I wore hoho.

Corduroy jacket: vintage // Turtleneck: American Apparel // Dress: vintage // Shoes: Asos

Bye!

Spring approaches

Hi guys! I've been so busy lately. Just finished a summative essay and my dissertation draft and have another summative essay due tomorrow. I've also been writing various applications and just... working! Despite all of that I've been feeling very calm as of late. I'm enjoying all of the work I'm doing at the moment. My dissertation is on sex trafficking and prostitution law so it's my first real opportunity to write a long academic essay on something I'm really interested in. It's stressful in some ways because this adds another layer of pressure - I have to do my views justice - but easier in the sense that I would be reading about this topic in my free time anyway so it feels less like work. That being said... it has still been tough to write. I also just got my most hated subject completely finished and I have only three other subjects left and the dissertation! So... yes! I feel calm. For now.

This is what I wore yesterday for going out to lunch, walking along the riverside and doing a spot of work. The other day I got a sudden urge to buy... a jumpsuit! Haha. Even the name sounds faintly ridiculous. So buy one I did. I think it's the first time I've worn proper trousers in months. I felt so free and practical hoho. Accessorised with this necklace from Sammydress (find it here).

Jumpsuit: Asos // Shoes: Asos // Necklace: Sammydress // Backpack: Chicwish

How are you guys?

Happy new year!

I arrived back in Durham about a week ago and it's taken me exactly that long to get over my 'awaysickness' (as opposed to homesickness). I've had a crazy month.

My mum flew over to spend Christmas with my sister and I in Cambridge. We were all too disorganised to book Christmas Day lunch so we had a fancy Christmas Eve dinner and a hotel breakfast to make up for it haha. Not too bad! We did manage to find some mulled cider and mince pies in a pub overlooking the River Cam on Christmas Day so it wasn't a total failure. Plus the weather was perfect! I think I've realised that what I like the most about Christmas is not Christmas Day itself, but the whole season. Christmas Day doesn't even have to happen haha. Just give me the tinsel and festive food and I'm done.

A couple of days after Christmas we headed over to Brighton where we stayed for a couple of weeks. It was so, so weird to be back. I haven't stayed for more than a couple of days at a time since I left for uni in 2011. It felt like I lived there again. Definitely bittersweet. It was like returning to another age. I forgot just how very at home I felt there and how much I loved it. So many great places to just sit and hang out, shop, eat etc.  Just the knowledge that I could be doing something else was enough to make working bearable, in a way! I had a great many meals out. A great many well made coffees. It was also very nice to be around my family (well, not the whole family but still nice).

Also - look at the last photo of this bunch below! It's called an 'egglette'. From what I remember, it's a cup made of bacon, a layer of pesto, and then an egg cracked into it and sundried tomato on top. I'm guessing it's baked. Gonna try to recreate it one day.

I also got a probably long overdue haircut! I went to Simon Webster on Gardner St and was given a fabulous (albeit expensive) bob. Unfortunately this all coincided with that week of almost apocalyptic rain - my hair kept its shape for all of 20 minutes. I broke four poundshop umbrellas that week. FOUR.

So now I'm back in Durham with a tonne of essays to write. I don't plan on doing much except work over the next couple of weeks at least. At least I had a good holiday!

Outfit time! I was recently contacted by Bank to select a few things from their online store and put together some outfits, as ya do. Admittedly, prior to this I had never been inside Bank. Generally the sight of parkas and trainers makes me think that a store probably isn’t for me. But I stand corrected! I really do. There ended up being an absolute tonne of brands to choose from (over 100), and consequently a lot different looks. For me, it’s also nice to know that there is a physical store to visit and that the company is UK-based. I ended up picking these three things:

1 // 2 // 3

Can you see what mood I was in when I picked these? Haha. This is the very simple outfit I ended up wearing with the jacket (not sure how these photos became so grainy)! Will post the other outfits later this week. But anyway. Thank you Bank!

Bye guys!

Baby its cold outside

Hi guys. Hi. It’s been a while! ‘I must update more often’ I cried, before not posting for two months.

Well, I’m in my third year of university now. Things have been surprisingly hectic. Everyone told me that third year is the easiest because one gets ‘used to it’ by then. Not true! There has been a significant increase in workload. Luckily I do enjoy most of what I’m studying this year. There’s also the added stress of preparing for post-uni life. Do I apply for masters programmes or do I apply for jobs? I haven’t got a clue and yet I need to start doing at least one of the two like… right now. The end of student life fast approaches (scream)!

Probably due at least in part to the stress of this year and the fact that I’ll be moving somewhere else soon, I’m thinking of ‘decluttering’. While the idea of a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t appeal to me - I love environments that are aesthetically pleasing, cosy and full of memories - I have way too much stuff. I am one of those people who is very deeply affected by her environment so I think this is a good thing to do… but how to do it?

Unsurprisingly, most of my possessions are clothes which just happen to be the hardest things to throw away! The ‘six month rule’ just does not work for me. If it’s in my closet, it’s been worn in the past six months.  That’s one downside of knowing what you like - the years pass by and ya still wanna wear it all! Consequently I have a tonne of stuff. I think the route I’m going to have to take is asking myself whether a particular item of clothing is in line with how I want to dress over the next couple of years. It means that I’ll force myself to stop wearing the clothes I bought when I was a teenager. Probably a good thing!

Have any of you guys had a good ol’ clear out before? Or given yourself a total style overhaul? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

I’m spending a few days in Durham before leaving for Christmas. I forget how quiet it gets when the students leave. One of my housemates has gone home, the other leaves today and I leave tomorrow. I’m off to Cambridge until the 27th and then off to Brighton for 2 weeks. Right now I’m just hanging out trying to get things done - what else is new? I’m really excited to go back to Brighton and have a potter round London. I just love this time of year.

Outfit time! This is from one of my 'mod days' which I have occasionally. The jacket is from FrontRowShop! You can buy the exact one here. Ten points if you can recognise which famous horror film this exact pattern can be seen in.

Also - check out my interview at Tntst.com here!

Hope you're all well!

Quick outfit post!

Hi guys!

Here's what I wore a couple of days ago.

Took me ages to post about these but at last I have photos! I'm sure you guys have seen these Jump From Paper bags around the internet lately. They're super cute little handbags designed to look as if they're drawn on. While they're small, they actually feel very sturdy / good quality. I have to say I'm a fan. I love pastels and I love contrast so this bag is pretty ideal! Interested to know what the larger ones are like too.

Click here for the shop.

I thought the 'outline' effect went perfectly with this vintage coat I found on Etsy!

I'm also wearing a faux leather pleated skirt from Lashes of London. You can find it here. I actually think it looks better in real life than it does on the website (am I allowed to say that?). It looks more understated and less plasticy. Before I received it I thought it would be a little 'hi, I'm a trendy person wearing a leather skirt'. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? Actually, it has ended up fitting perfectly into my wardrobe and will be worn a lot this autumn/winter! The only thing is ... I'm afraid to wash it because what if it crumples? How do you iron plastic? Someone teach me how to take care of clothes please.

Fresher's week begins today! Seeing everyone arrive has made me feel a little emotional because it reminds me of my fresher's week and how awful it was hoho. If any freshers are reading this, congratulations on getting into uni and good luck!

x

Hats!

I am terrible at coming up with titles. Every post is a slight struggle. Perhaps it’s time to embrace their awkwardness.

So I’m back from Belfast. It was not what I expected at all! Well, being honest, I had no idea what to expect as neither I nor my friend had actually researched the city that much before we left haha. It was actually quite small and, while it was nice and I am very much interested in visiting other parts of Ireland, I’m not sure I would visit Belfast again. Hmm, I think this might be the first time I’ve written about somewhere I’ve been on this blog and felt so distinctly ambivalent about it (I have a lucky tendency to love pretty much everywhere I visit). I don’t want to be mean about Belfast so I will say that there are a few possible reasons for this unrelated to the city itself e.g. I got sick right before I left haha.

I suppose in one way it was good – I’ve learned more about what I should do to make a trip a good one. Don’t get sick, pick where to stay myself, research the place beforehand and figure out what I want to do, get enough sleep. But yeah. I’m glad I went but I know it would have been better had the circumstances been different. I also didn’t get that many nice photos! Darn it. Generally, it might have been one trip too much for this break.

For now, I’m happy to be back in the north east of England. My head feels messy and I need to sort everything out, come up with a routine, get healthy and start taking care of myself properly before my classes start again. This is going to be a tough year, but hopefully the good kind of tough rather than the kind I experienced last year. I’m optimistic!

So on to more fashion-related matters, I wanna talk about hats. My relationship with hats. Hats and me. I have a few of them. I think 8 or 9 now. More will be bought. When I was younger, my parents used to say that I looked good in hats. I thought they were just telling me that so I wouldn't end up with skin cancer but I now realise, many years later, that actually hats are pretty great. While I wouldn't want to return to an era where every outfit required a hat to be 'finished', they are certainly a very stylish way of hiding the fact that you're too stingy to get your roots done.

While I was in Sydney, I tried to take a whole bunch of outfit photos with all the hats I brought with me haha. Maybe you will see how they turn an otherwise simple / whatever outfit into a slightly better than whatever outfit. You will also see pretty much all the clothes I had with me! haha. I think my hat to other clothes ratio was a bit off.

This is my black bowler hat. If there was a 'basic' hat, this would be it. I resisted bowler hats for ages because of how trendy they are. I mean, wearing the above outfit made me feel almost like I was in some kind of 'alternative girl' uniform with the hat, glasses, tattoos and all black outfit. But you know what? It's an easy way to make a simple outfit not a boring outfit. Embrace the uniform. Occasionally.

Click here for the exact hat I'm wearing!

A summery straw bowler in an autumnal mustard colour? I'm wearing that forever. This was $5 from a Dangerfield discount store in Newtown.

Now I grant you this is rather wide categorisation but I don't possess enough wide-brimmed hats to break this down any further hoho. I own but a single variety - a navy blue, wool hat with a chiffon bow that I bought in Camden in my first week of arriving in the UK back in January 2009. It was once completely stiff and is now a little floppy (and as of last week slightly crumpled). I have not taken good care of it, poor old thing... but only because I wear it so much because it goes with seemingly everything I own. No, really. I'm not exaggerating. It's just one of those things.

This is not a Sydney photo. This is actually from 2011 haha.

See, not the most fabulous of outfits but with the addition of a hat, it has ... slightly improved? I could totally be a fashion writer.

I don't know guys, they keep the sun off your face, the rain off your fringe, a slight air of mystery if worn with sunglasses? A felt halo? (too much?)

Here are some on Etsy I like!

 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Pillboxes. These are my thing. Any look I would go for is always such that a pillbox could easily be included. They are probably the most impractical of hats. They provide neither warmth nor protection from the elements. Brimmed hats kind of make sense. Bowlers and cloche hats kind of make sense. Pillboxes are literally just a little block of colour added to the top of your head to make you look more put together. I don’t know guys. It works somehow.

This is the one I wear most often – my plain black, wool felt hat. 

Hat: vintage // Coat: Primark // Scarf: Edinburgh Woollen Mill

Here are some Etsy links:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Our little woollen French friends who will, without fail, make you look like you should be riding a bicycle with a baguette in the front basket. Some might say you should beware pairing a beret (almost wrote baguette) with a striped shirt. I say don’t let the bastards tell you what to do!  …Unless you are a man with a moustache… shave it off, you beast.

Shirt: Saba // Collar: Chicwish // Backpack: Chicwish // Skirt: Bettina Liano

Thanks to Chicwish for the collar and bag! Click the links above for the exact product pages.

I also LOVE the berets in Orla Kiely SS14. Please let me look like that when I wake up tomorrow. Please. Please.

I can post no more. I must leave the house and stop tempting myself by surfing Etsy hoho.

What are your favourite hats? Do you have a certain kind you like / that contributes to your overall look?

x