Ahhhh it's here at last! SNOW! My favourite weather type, everything (even our city street, my dirty car, the disused factory by us...) looks beautiful. The snow does one other thing to the world that is just absolutely sublime when you live in a city... quiet. Less cars, less people, more peace. I've spent most of today popping in and out of the house to marvel at this January Winterland, and when the soft powdery snow falls it's like a million tiny kisses, I love it. I feel a bit like Madeline in this outfit, I think it's the dress...
Blue overlay dress - ASOS
Nordic knit long blue cardigan - http://myworld.ebay.com/parker-road-trading-company/ It's from this amazing company that operates in the UK but
gets hold of loads of Korean fashion items. You've got to go a bit risk
with the sizing but I love the stuff they sell.
Skinny nude belt with flower buckle - maybe Next?
Long grey socks - ASOS
Grey snood - can't remember it's so old! Maybe American Apparel
Grey knit beanie hat - Ebay (HK, some random shop about £3!)
Shoes - Wooden wedge, peep toe mary janes with blue leather: Topshop
December's Buckcherry gig at the HMV Institute Birmingham - it was a bloody freezing night, but deadly hot in the crowded room. Had a pit pass for photos too, and totally wrecked my new leggings sitting on the back of the barriers, booooo :( It was a great night, the band were amazing and I was close enough to lick the sweat off Josh Todd (I didn't though...) ha!
Anyway,
Proper fan-girl style, it's a Buckcherry tshirt! Mens size with the arms rolled up a little, comfy to move around in.
Dark denim knicker shorts - ASOS
White stud belt - Lowlife
Black leggings - JW
Trainers - Converse high-tops
Accessories - Burgundy bandana, studded and leather bracelets, spike ring, small diana camera necklace
This beautiful collar deserves a post all by itself. It was sent to me by the lovely and very talented Julia of www.juliaheartsu.com who makes a huge range of stunning pieces. I loved ALL of them, but this is just the absolute cream of the crop as far as I'm concerned. Tough biker chic - black leather lined with stiff felt to keep a nice straight shape around your neck, pop fastening beads and a peppering of FIERCE spiked silver studs. Doesn't it just make you want to go to a festival RIGHT NOW?! I can't wait to show this stunner off with everything from chiffon to band tshirts, I'll be saucing up pretty floral dresses, tartan (think Sex Pistols) and even the last of the winter knits, be prepared to see this a lot! I think i'll be popping a cameo type brooch in the middle, it just seems so right for a Harley Davidson meets Baroque mashup, maybe a flocked jumper underneath... Completely inspired! Check back to see what I come up with...
Mad love to Julia for such an amazing collar, go visit her site and snap one up for yourself:
www.juliaheartsu.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/JuliaHeartsU/514239435255004?fref=ts
or @Juliahearts_u on twitter!
Happy New Year! Well, the festive season is over and we're thrust headlong into the inevitable January blues. It's cold and wet, but not snowy... everyone is flat broke until next payday and we're being bombarded with fitness/weight loss related advertising. Sigh. So, reflectively I've decided to post up some pre-Christmas outfits instead, from a time when the glitz, glamour and pure unadulterated excitement over the coming holiday reigned.
The OH's Birthday in December, the Outlaws decided to take him/us all out to Bodega in Birmingham (www.bodegabirmingham.co.uk) for delicious South American fayre. The German Christmas markets were on too so it was a busy mishmash of people in the city centre - lots of swankily dressed Christmas party groups, the nordic-knit set swigging Glühwein and the Saturday night club types, all thrown together.
The outfit is very, Wednesday Adams meets Psy (of Gangnam Style fame). Kept my hair slicked away into a side parting with a neat bun at the back, to create a boyish look from the front.
Blue blazer - Primark (an absolute bargain might I add, it goes with everything, hence the Androgenius quip)
Black thin knit dress with crochet collar - H&M
Stripe boxy bag - Topshop
Leggings - JW
Boots - Carvela
Accessories - Silver Spoon necklace, super silver glitter nails (zoom in to see) from Collection 2000
I'd have liked a couple of teal/blue accessories, a necklace or bracelet maybe, or some cute matching courts. I can always keep looking though ;)
Now then, now then! I feel a bit grandad-y in this getup. Worn to the Jack Wills late night shopping event in Nottingham, with dinner afterwards. I love the shirt (as you may know by now) I suppose because it's Mad Hatter's Tea Party meets Fortnum & Mason. Quintessentially British but kitsch.
Patisserie print shirt - ASOS
Grey cable knit cardigan - Ralph Lauren
Dark wash jeans - ASOS
Navy bow tie - Ebay
Brown boots - Rocket Dog
Ooh, bad naughty blogger! I have been taking photos of outfits, I've just been too crazy busy to upload. Earlier this week I went to Bath with my Mum for a couple of days, relaxed in the most amazing rooftop pool at the spa and went round the Christmas markets - it was lovely, and we had the strongest Glühwein known to mankind, so it felt very festive. Came back to realise that it's actually now DECEMBER and I'm rapidly running out of present-buying time...
How young is too young to just send everyone one of those crap newsletters? You know, the ones where there's a photo of you and your significant other wearing matching festive sweaters, and you basically just write about how great you are and that everything you've been doing this year is just fantastic. If we had a dog, it'd be wearing a jaunty Santa hat.
Aaaannnyway, here's an outfit I wore a couple of weekends ago, it's getting colder now but I've found I can still wear my lovely lightweight shirts if I team them with heavy waistcoats or sleeveless jumpers.
Waistcoat: Navy heavy wool - Joules
Shirt: Cream chiffon with a low pussybow, worn outside of the waistcoat
Jeans: Mid wash with turn ups
Trainers: Vans Burgundy lace ups (bought in the USA by the Outlaws, I practically LIVE in them)
I was thinking, Victorian street urchin: updated, with this one. I like the billowy sleeves, they hide a multitude of sins (particularly when you haven't been training hard for a couple of months!) and they make me feel dressed up even when I'm in jeans and sneaks. The waistcoat is nicely fitted, so it makes me stand up and sit up straight instead of slouching around like a sloth, but it's comfy enough to wear all day as it's still wool and not panels. It's an easy outfit, but quite classic in it's components if you break it down - white shirt and jeans (Calvin Klein connotations), waistcoat and bowtie (every good English gent), turn-ups and sneaks (50's Americana). It's a favourite.
This weekend we're up in North Yorkshire, enjoying Whitby Goth Weekend - an event with music, markets and mystery based on Goth culture. There's one in April too but we missed it this year, so decided to wait a week on our usual trip up here and make it to this one instead. Although we both have lots of Gothic clothing and ephemera, in the last couple of years we've been really getting into the Steampunk side of things, and I think that's probably due to the creativity. I love being able to collect little bits and pieces from all over to fit in with my outfits instead of being constrained to 'alternative' shops, and being able to craft stuff myself too. I'm nowhere near happy with my outfit as yet, but that's half the fun of trawling the stalls each year!
Brown collapsible bowler hat, bought yesterday at Major Tinker's Emporium in the Rifle Club (http://tinkers-emporium.synthasite.com/)
Frill shirt - ASOS
Navy waistcoat - Joules
Black flocked baroque underbust corset - bought at WGW a couple of years ago from the amazing Harlots & Angels (http://www.harlotsandangels.co.uk/catalog/)
Silver waist bow (again, bought at WGW but can't remember the company...)
Green ruched long skirt - hitched at the front in two places using ribbon
Underneath skirt (visable at the front) - Light and dark brown jodhpurs from Aldi, of all places!
Brown Rocket Dog slouchy boots
Accessories:
Big buckle tan belt - ASOS
Mini brown saddle bag - Primark, looped through the belt as a waist purse
Brass pocket watch
Tan goggles
Divers helmet necklace, Key necklace and Bugle necklace, 'a' watch, leather bracelets - all ASOS
Al says I look like a female version of Badger in Firefly. I guess I'm happy with that, it's sort of the look I was going for! I think I could do with some more brown leather strap type stuff, maybe a holster or something roguish...
P.S. Click on the photo and zoom in to see the detail!
