Tarts and Vicars

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

Liquor is Quicker

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.

Kill your velocity, not an Air Kraken!

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!

Feeling Twee

This another York weekend outfit, based on the fact that it was quite cold outside but I didn't want a heavy winter coat to drag around the city. So English country style describes over half my wardrobe, lots of tweed, shirts and waistcoats, knitwear and tarnished leather, but this Jacket has been my staple throw-on for the last few years. It's boxy and a little big in the shoulders but I absolutely love it!

Tweed jacket - Joules
Lace skater skirt - ASOS
Navy Leggings - JW
Navy jersey tshirt with buttons
Khaki boots - Carvela
Leather saddle bag
Equestrian print scarf 

I like mismatching something soft and twee like lace with something rough and countryside like tweed. It's a balance, but cute meets function works and isn't one of those toothache-sweet styles you can get if you over-do lace.

A rose is a rose is a rose

We went to York for the weekend to celebrate our 5th Anniversary at the end of September, just milling around the city and eating lots of fine things at the Food & Drink fair. It was relaxed and lovely, and the first non-festival weekend away in a while!

Cream coloured lace shift dress with black ribbon tie (Primark) - I always steer clear of whites and creams because I'm a complete mal-co and spill stuff down me a lot, but managed to keep this clean all day!

Black light jersey dip back cardigan (ASOS) - waterfall style, it hangs quite nicely and gave me some arm coverage as the dress is sleeveless.

Black JW leggings (new ones from the shop in York, hurrah!)

Brown slouchy Rocket Dog boots - pretty sure these were around £15 from tkmaxx a few years ago, I remember being supremely happy that they were cheap enough to buy from the cash in my purse instead of getting out the bank card!

Tiny key necklace - ASOS

Foxy Lady

Like I said, Bestival 2012 was Wildlife themed (much to my joy, as I have a number of animal onesies AND it meant an excuse to buy the red fox one). I knew exactly what my outfit was going to be the minute the theme was announced and since I already had most of the stuff it was pretty easy. Since I was a little kid, Fantastic Mr. Fox has been my very favourite Roald Dahl story by far, it's just brilliant, so of course it was my number one costume choice.

Red Fox Kigu - Sazac (ebay purchase)

Tweed waistcoat - Joules

Purple cravat - ebay purchase

Accessories:

Al's cherry wood pipe (ebay)
Bugle necklace (ASOS)
Mini pocketwatch (ebay)
Misc bracelets
Photopass & media wristbands


What an epic weekend. I found this costume really comfortable to wear around site (even if it was a bit hot at times) and a lot of people in the front row took photos of me whilst I was working in the photo-pit. Rizzle Kicks were wearing Kigu during their set and they both winked and stuck their tongues out at me! Only a couple of the other photographers were wearing costumes but I felt pretty great, in a show-off kind of a way! 

You can read my Bestival review and get to my photos from here: 

http://www.summerfestivalguide.co.uk/Reviews/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/120/Bestival-2012--Review.aspx

and my news stories here:

http://www.summerfestivalguide.co.uk/Reviews/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/118/Stevie-Wonder-Bestival-2012-Review.aspx

http://www.summerfestivalguide.co.uk/Reviews/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/117/New-Order-Bestival-2012-Review.aspx

http://www.summerfestivalguide.co.uk/Reviews/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/115/Florence-and-The-Machine-Bestival-2012.aspx

Running Wild

Just a quick update, I've got files and files worth of photos to go through from the last part of the summer and any blog pics are mixed in there somewhere so I haven't been able to post in a while. Promise I'll get through them soon! So here's a little photo from the first day of Bestival (which was AMAZING, as usual) to fill the gap. This year the theme was Wildlife and since it was too hot to travel in my proper costume I picked up a pair of absolutely hideous leopard print leggings from Primark. They're actually pretty comfy but I can't really see them being used outside of a Bestival outfit...

The rest of it:

Eden Sessions 2011 T-Shirt

Khaki mini shorts with braces - River Island

Hello Kitty leopard print sunglasses - Ebay

Hello Kitty low socks - H&M

Chunky skate trainers - DC's

Silver insoles - Crocs, I've listed these because if you're a festival goer, you NEED them. Seriously, they were absolutely amazing, never going without a pair again!

Raccoon City

Ohh how I love a cool day! Now that the weather is turning I can wear far more interesting layered outfits without boiling to death, it's awesome. We were heading into town for a little lunch and shopping, but I didn't really want to get out of my joggers, so this was a comfort compromise - the whole thing is very easy to wear and smart enough at the same time. This outfit is inspired by... steam train drivers and wildlife.

Shirt: Raccoon print baggy shirt from ASOS (completely in love with this, it's so cute and I caught a lot of people admiring it all day).

Waistcoat: Navy stiff wool from Joules

Skirt: Straight denim from Animal

Leggings: Navy JW

Trainers: Converse laceless sand camo

Accessories: Cheap glasses from Primark, Silver Spoon necklace from ASOS

Ladycham

Quick trip into McArthur Glen York to get some Birthday presents (sneaky sneak...)

Grey open waistcoat

Deer silk button-up body (they look like the Babycham deer!) - ASOS

Maroon skinny jeans - New Look

Nude patent skinny belt - River Island

Laceless camo Converse trainers

Hello Kitty plastic tortoiseshell sunglasses - Ebay

The more expensive the wine, then the gooderer it is also...

So we went over to OH's parents house for the weekend and they took us out for dinner to a lovely little French restaurant (I had delicious crayfish) but I did the entirely stupid thing of taking only one dress option with me to choose from, for the evening. Duh. Anyway, during the day we popped into Merry Hill mall, which was insanely crowded and busy (his family call it 'Merry Hell') to do a bit of shopping, and I picked up this dress/tunic thing from Primark for a mere £12! It's burgundy with a shift style body and chiffon sleeves. It was lightweight and comfy and the colour is bang on autumn trend (trust me, the shelves will all be brimming with maroons and purples this season).

Black leggings from Jack wills

Nude coloured brogues

Black belt with flower buckle

Gold and silver moustache bracelets and 'a' watch (both ASOS)

Living next door to Alice

Another Bloodstock Festival outfit, Sunday was slightly cooler weather and these shorts were even shorter so leggings underneath were essential! This was the day I got to take photos of Alice Cooper, totally amazing experience - the man is a legend. Anyone who ritually gets their head sliced off by a guillotine, brings a live snake and wears a mirror-encrusted top hat and tails at their shows, is ok by me.

Wacken 2011 T-shirt, purchased last year in Germany at Wacken Open Air festival which is an enormous metal-fest. We road-tripped it the whole way from Leicester and back, visiting places on the way (Munster, Hamburg, Koln/Cologne and Brussels) it was awesome.

Short shorts are faded black denim cut offs from ASOS

Black and white stripe leggings from an ebay seller that specialises in rave-wear

Shoes are platform soled Gordon Jack boots which were around £10 on ebay a few years ago. I don't think the company exists any more but you can find similar stuff at New Rock and Buffalo. This pair is a combination of bright red and stonewash denim, and they make you a bit taller for the photopit which is a bonus!

Accessories:
Red bandana
Plastic cherries necklace
Belt (black with blue studs from Lowlife)
Studded bracelet from Lowlife
Skull and rose ring from Alchemy Gothic
Camera and photopass for work!

M is for Mosh and also for Metal

Bloodstock Open Air - the UK's premier metalfest, is held at Catton Hall in Derby, and I go every year. It's an amazing festival, great people, great music, great vibe. The fashion is mostly centred around the 'black tshirt' theme as you can imagine, but the piercings, tattoos and accessories are where it's at. I love the creativity.

Friday was scorching hot (can you believe it?!) so I wore short shorts without leggings for a change. Normally wouldn't do this outside of the gym but it really was hot. The shorts are pink paisley bandana print knicker-shorts from ASOS.

I'm wearing a Skindred Newport Helicopter tshirt, if you've never heard of this band you are sincerely missing out. If you've only heard their old stuff you're sincerely missing out. Union Black is one of my favourite albums of all time, go get it.

Boots - Dr. Martens soft leather tall lace ups with check pattern inside. They're the first pair of docs I've owned that haven't ripped my feet to shreds on first wear, love 'em. I tie them around mid height so that you can fold over the flaps to reveal the pattern inside/let your feet breathe if it's hot.

Accessories:

Pink bandana from ebay (tied through my belt for later)
Metal stud wristband and belt (from Lowlife)
Purple sunnies from Breo
Camera necklaces x 2 (one is a mini Diana F+ !)
My camera
Photopass and media wristband (essentials!)

Vintage Vantage

I know I haven't posted in ages but it's been a crazy few weeks in my world! I've been taking photos of outfits though, so here's an update...

Heading off to the Vintage Fair in Whitby at the Pavillion with Al and my mum for a morning of drooling over EVERYTHING. Seriously, I wanted it all. Bought some wedding related artifacts (but that's on info lockdown, sorry!) and a couple of presents for people, and here is what I decided to wear;

Lace top, Navy with white collar - it's completely see through as you can tell, so I wear it with a grey floral vest underneath.

Stripe short shorts. They remind me of peppermints. Tied up with a nude skinny belt underneath the tshirt. 

Jack Wills leggings, Camo laceless Converse trainers

Accessories: 

Diana F+ Camera (Amazing Birthday present from Al!)
Diving Helmet necklace (ASOS)
Pipe Necklace (Anna Lou of London)
Navy Bandana with rocket clips
Plastic pearly bracelets, leather wrap bracelet
Cream Sunglasess (in my pocket)

Have your cake, and eat... tapas

Engagement Celebrations! Went out to dinner with two of our bessie mates for tapas and Wedding-talk, casual and cosy:


Patisserie sheer shirt (ASOS) - I completely love this shirt, it's lightweight and is covered in sweet treats, cakes and pastries. Just reminds me of Tea Parties a la Alice in Wonderland, or that amazing book 'Pass The Jam Jim'


Skinny jeans, turned up


Brown low cut brogues - these aren't real leather, they're cheapo ones, but they're comfy and since they're inexpensive I also have them in white, black and nude! (Bought about 4 years ago)


Had a lovely night chatting about ideas and plans, eating chorizo and goats cheese balls (a particular vice of a certain friend of mine!) <3

Meow!

Bright right? These beauties were a Birthday present from my Sister and Bro-in-Law, combining two of my favourite things: vans sneakers and Hello Kitty. Absolutely adorable and they're super-comfy (as you'd expect) so they're already a staple trainer, which means they live by the front door instead of in the shoe-cupboard. Yes, I have a shoe-cupboard. More about that later... Worn with stripy socks which have a bow with a tiny anchor charm on. I think they were from Primark some time ago.

Cider inside 'er insides

Heading out to a friend's Birthday (to play cider-pong!) but not out into town, so decided to wear something more casual than my usual going-out stuff...


Mint green gingerbread shirt dress from ASOS. It has little gingerbread men printed all over it, and it's sleeveless so quite light when it's warm out. It would probably look good with a nice big bow-tie but it was too hot to wear a high collar.


Black jersey boyfriend style blazer with grey turn up cuffs. This is a pretty standard throw-on blazer so I wear it quite often.


Black skinny belt with flower buckle (from River Island or Next... can't remember)


Black Jack Wills long length leggings


Black scrunched leather ankle boot with studded toe caps (from Office). I love these boots but I don't wear them very often as they're kind of loose at the top so I find it hard to choose what they'll go with. Maybe skinny jeans in the winter would be better, but they are comfy.

The Garden of Eden

I was shooting a Noah & The Whale (supported by The Vaccines) gig last week at The Eden Project, which is honestly the best music venue ever - it's absolutely beautiful there. It was raining and I needed to be comfy, so here's what I wore...


Blue and white stripe knicker shorts from ASOS with navy Jack Wills leggings (as per usual!)


Jack Wills sailing tshirt - I bought this in Salcombe when we went to my friend Jub's Wedding last year. It has turned up sleeves and is nice and slouchy


A denim shirt with the cuffs rolled up so they didn't get in the way of using the camera


Accessories - a navy bandana, my Seiko Formula 1 watch (present from my Dad), some leather bracelets and the all important photo-pit wristbands from The Eden Sessions.


Footwear (not pictured) before it was raining I had some pinstripe trainers from Superdry on, but as the downpour looked imminent I switched into Merrell waterproof walking shoes. They're not pretty but they are better than soggy feet!


Anyway, you can read my review here: http://www.resonanceuk.com/2012/07/live-review-noah-the-whale-eden-sessions/

Peep my Prints

Pretty prints! These are some of the garments that will cropping up in my posts soon, I just wanted to share how beautiful they are! Cakes and biscuits, jukeboxes, birdcages, love sayings, fish and doe-eyed deer - all statement, all different. I can't wait to try them out...

Wedding Belles

So this is what I wore to the OH's Brother's wedding last weekend. Decided to change for the evening part as we were in a hotel down the road from the venue, so there are two dresses!

Day:


Blue and white tulip dress with capped frill sleeves (ASOS) with a white skinny belt 


White lace platform heels (ASOS)


Cream loop fascinator (Ben De Lisi at Debenhams)


Cream and snakeskin clutch (River Island)


I chose the dress (after trying on about a million others) because it was lightweight and comfy, and was worried it might be a little short/casual but I think it came out okay. It's probably going to become an event staple as it's easy to wear and easy to get accessories for.


Night: 


Navy chiffon shirt collar dress (sleeveless, ASOS)


Silver platform heels (ASOS)


Silver skinny belt

Silver bow tie (ebay)


Pewter bead bracelets and a magnifying glass necklace


Evening outfit was entirely based on it being light as the room got pretty hot once more people turned up and started dancing (and I began to consume alcohol, haha). I really like the bow-tie but I'm not so sure everyone else thought it was as natty, HA! Oh well, you've got to wear what you want, right?

Teenage Kicks

Grey Friday evening. Not feeling very chipper obviously.


Tortoise-shell style glasses


Stonewash denim button-up shirt


Unicorn T-shirt (from Bestival)


Floral chiffon shorts (from ASOS)


Black leggings (Jack Wills)


Blue gingham lace up trainers (Vans)




This is a pretty thrown-together outfit, I just needed something that was going to be comfortable to travel in and not too hot as it was really muggy outside that day. The chiffon shorts are really cute and lightweight, they also have an elasticated waistband so you could tuck a nice shirt into them as well. The denim shirt is a wardrobe staple but you've gotta be careful throwing it on last minute, or else accidental double denim... it's an issue! I suppose this outfit is sort of a foray into the clothing of an 80's/90's teenage girl.

Hello Sailor

So, I was planning on uploading a photo from the RHCP gig I was reviewing (http://www.resonanceuk.com/2012/06/review-red-hot-chili-peppers-live-at-knebworth/) but it rained the entire time so I was just in my ski-jacket with the hood up!

Instead here's an outfit from the next day, which I wore to my Mum & Sister's monthly craft meet thing. They were having a late Jubilee party with cupcakes and stuff which was really nice, I didn't have all my kit with me but started a Pinky & The Brain cross stitch!


Shirt - Sailor style with a flat collar (cream with navy piping) from Joules. My sister picked this shirt out for me, it's really lightweight but a little see-through...


Shorts - Navy denim, from George at ASDA.


Leggings - Grey long length, from Jack Wills.


Trainers - Pinstripe sneakers from Superdry, they're blue and cream coloured, with red piping.


Bag - Retro space print satchel from Cath Kidston kids section. It can also turn into a backpack, and is the exact perfect size for carrying around my netbook and all the cables, truly brilliant. It has a little Hello Kitty plush keyring attached to it too.


Accessories - Navy bandana (ebay), rocket ship clips (bought at Download Festival a few years ago), blue bangles from Gap (I think...)

Dames love Dollars

Forgot to upload this one a couple of weeks ago, we went to McArthur Glen York on the way home from Runswick (Designer outlet) and this is what I wore...


Black skinny jeans - turned up


Vans lace-up baby-blue gingham trainers (with special low Vans socks)


White chiffon shirt with black ruffle - ASOS. This shirt is great but you kind of have to wear something over it, cause it's a bit see-through...


Grey knit cardigan - Ralph Lauren. I wear this a lot, it's really cosy. Would like to get it in Navy as well so if anyone spots one, let me know please!


Green quilted gilet - Joules. I completely love this gilet, it's super-lightweight and has the most enormous pockets.


Accessories: 
Dollars and Diamonds handbag - Paul's Boutique. This bag is HUGE which is both a blessing and a curse. I can fit all the crap I like in it, which for a gadget lover is fantastic... but the more 'In-case-of....' stuff I put in, the heavier it gets.


Sunglasses - Breo

Rage against the Shopping

Saturday = Shopping day hell. Everyone in the world seemed to be trying to get into town, the traffic was backed up the whole way there. I had to go looking for a dress to wear to a wedding though, it's pretty crucial stuff. I must have tried on ALL the dresses in John Lewis from various companies and nothing was quite right, all either going out style (too short, too tight) or tea party grannies (too long, excessively floral, you get the gist). I've resorted to ordering online and keeping my fingers crossed.


Extremely annoying, but even that wasn't as bad as the RUDEST woman ever I encountered at the fitting rooms. I was waiting to go in, as was a lady behind me. Rude-Lady rocks up with about 20 items bunched in her hands with a scowl on her face and loudly leans around me to the clerk and says "I assume this is the queue then" with a dramatic sigh. She then shamelessly looks me up and down, I can only assume this is because I'd dared to come into John Lewis wearing a denim-mini, and not a bloody power suit or chinos. She proceeded to have an argument with the clerk about how many items she was allowed to take in, and swore under her breath (not very quietly, I might add) and then when a customer came out of the changing rooms she tried to bustle her way in front of me and the other lady who was waiting! Luckily the staff had something to say about that and I went in, never to see her again. If you really think shopping there is beneath you, perhaps you ought to pop off to Milan and get something tailored for you instead, you stuck up loser!


Anyway, here's what I'm wearing...


Vest - Cream coloured with flowers print


Jumper - My sister took me into a shop called White Stuff, and this gorgeous grey oversize knit spoke to me. It said "Buy me, I'm comfy and lightweight" so I did. It's got pockets and a dipped back.


Skirt - Denim mini from Animal, with a peach coloured skinny belt (which you can't see, sorry)


Leggings - Navy from Jack Wills


Shoes - Ankle boots from Carvela (present from Alex one Christmas)


Accessories - Brown tall satchel - ebay purchase, Flower crochet necklace - Claire's accessories, key bracelet - ASOS.

I moustache you a question

Stuff is my favourite. Stuff makes an outfit. Stuff keeps you sane on train rides. Here's some of my stuff.

Totoro mini handbag and fluffy purse - both from ebay (somewhere in Tokyo) - this gets an equal amount of funny looks and impressed looks. I like that.

Moustache purse - by Loungefly from www.beadesaurus.co.uk which I'm using as a sunglasses case

Mint green patent belt with bow - from Primark

Frilly dolly socks - again from ebay, I'll probably stick these on with my black Dr. Martens mary-janes, but they might work with Converse as well. Maybe high tops... not sure.

Pack of 3 magnetic mini-frames - we picked them up from IKEA last week with the express intent of putting photos of awful face-pulling in them for our fridge.

Chocolate mirror and Eat Me mirror - one for the bag, one to use as a necklace! Both ebay purchases but the Eat Me mirror is made by a company called 'Re Ment' who specialise in dolls house style minatures.

Mini Cassette tape thing - it's actually a winder for your headphone cable, so that it doesn't get tangled up in your bag. Pretty smart. 

Hello kitty - bright pink watch. This is probably going to be part of my outfit for Hyper Japan, along with every other kitsch item I own!

Big Mac keyring - it's a beanie from ebay, I just liked it. Again probably part of the HJ kit

Vintage buttons and sewing labels - freebies from www.molliemakes.themakingspot.com magazine. Think I'm going to use these on a mini blanket I'm attempting to make. I might post a photo if it goes well...

Curiouser and Curiouser

I've got a couple of posts for today but I wanted to do this separately as it has links!


I'm an Alice In Wonderland fan, and have a lot of themed accessories, jewellery, hats, clothing, fancy dress... even a teapot shaped handbag! My family know what I like and always manage to surprise me with the things they find. 


This amazing cup and saucer ring with matching teapot necklace is made from a tiny hand painted ceramic dolls house set and was bought for me by my lovely sister! You can find it at: www.madamecherry.com who sells many other beautiful things besides.


The phone case in the second photo doesn't have a relationship with the jewellery (other than that it has CAKE on!) but it arrived unexpectedly in the post today and I wanted to show you how cute it was. It was sent to me as a freebie from the people at www.hyperjapan.co.uk which is an event I am BEYOND excited about this year. Hopefully I'll get to go, wear some exciting stuff (buy some new stuff...) and take a load of photos!

Hand Candy

These little beauties are cheapo from ebayo.

One leaf wrap ring, two teeny weeny crowns that only fit on my pinky fingers and two wolfy eared rings. For some reason (apart from the leaf one) they were being sold in pairs of gold/silver. No idea why but I won't complain as they were about a quid for the two, delivery included. Awesome. I bet they stain my fingers, but I simply do not care because they are PRETTY.

Drownload Festival 2012

Due to the wet and grubby nature of Download Festival this year, I didn't really vary my outfits very much other than changing my tshirt (and pants obviously...) but here's a couple of photos of the Sunday (with yes, a little smackerel of sunshine) outfit.


Tshirt - Men's Lemmy tshirt customised


Skirt - Straight denim, from Animal


Leggings - Stripe, from ebay


Socks - grey heart print with bows


Wellies - Yellow short lace ups from Hunter (these really remind me of that little kid Georgie from Stephen King's IT... the one that gets pulled into the sewer by Pennywise... creepy)


Accessories - Purple Breo sunglasses, Purple bandana from ebay


Despite the weather, we had a blast at Download as usual. Top band of the weekend for me was Skindred - the Newport Helicopter was amazing! Got to meet up with a load of mates, bought a Skindred tshirt, rocked out. You can read my reviews of the bands over at www.summerfestivalguide.co.uk (main one coming soon).

Jubilations

I know I'm a bit slow on posting this as it's from Sunday last, but we got back from Runswick Thursday night and went straight on to Download Festival on Friday! (Outfits coming soon from that, but since it's been cold and rainy the whole time they probably won't vary much!)


Anyway, the Jubilee street party was fantastic, ate a lot of cake, drank a lot of Pimms! This is what I wore:


Skirt - Pink and orange Union flag skirt from Boden


Leggings - Navy Jack Wills


Socks - Union flag ones from Primark


Shoes - Baby blue deck shoes from Timberland (really soft leather)


Vest - Dark flowers


T-shirt - Navy blue lace front with jersey back and white collar


Cardigan - Navy blue longline


Bandana - Union flag


Accessories - Bird necklace, white leather wristband, key bracelet


I didn't have the items to go full out red white and blue, but I kind of like the subdued patriotic thing. The skirt is bold but paired with all the navy it's sort of sweet instead of in your face.

A bird in the hand

This is the necklace Alex bought me yesterday, it's a little bird carrying a flower! I loves it.

2p or not 2p?

Out and about in Whitby this weekend, eating fish and chips, playing on the 2p machines in the arcades, looking in all the seaside shops...


It has been absolutely freezing the whole time, so it's jumper and coat territory. This gilet is grey marl with a baby blue lumberjack check lapel and it's from Animal.


The stripy top underneath has a scoop neckline and is from Jack Wills


Skirt: standard denim straight mini which I've had for years and years


Leggings: Navy blue from Jack Wills


Trainers: Converse, lace-less low-tops in desert camo print


Snood: Mustard coloured stripe, from American Apparel


Accessories: Purple wayferer style sunglasses from Breo, Skull ring from Alchemy Gothic, Key bracelet from ASOS.


I'm also wearing my brown saddle bag to which is attached a little furry Chewbacca keyring. When you squeeze him he makes wookie noises!

Top Cat

Lunching with my sister, my Nana and the boy today - I decided it was time to crack out the Panther-print jeans. They're a kind of washed burgundy colour with cute little black Panthers stalking all over them and they're a bit baggy at the top so I have to hike them up and put a belt on. Since they're funny looking around the top I always pair them with a long top. They're from ASOS.


This top is a sleeveless collar jersey top, really comfy and floaty at the bottom, and it's very Rockabilly 50's.


The glasses are cheap leopard print ones with gradiated lenses (probably from ebay at some point, just plastic!)


My trainers are Converse high-tops with a grey rib-cuff, they're only loosely tied and they have a padded tongue as well which always makes me feel like Marty McFly trying on the 'self-tying sneakers' in the future!


I guess I was thinking Americana with this style, I'd spent my morning packing whilst watching Grease. I'm not wearing any big jewellery with this outfit but I really think it could do with a black leather wrist cuff or something.

Dorothy got nothin' on me

Haven't worn these since last year, they're adorable! They are from Irregular Choice (one of my very favourite shoe brands, everything they make is interesting and exciting) and they have a tiny heel, leopard print inside and they will be paired with turn up jeans, a collared shirt and a red bandana in my hair or worn as a neck-tie. Think Rizzo in Grease.

Hey boy, Hey girl

The last week has been the sunniest of the year so far, amazing considering it was raining enough to keep the Kalahari as a cottage-garden a week before. Just in time for the annual 'Oldboys Game' of American Football, where the Uni alum come back and play the current team. As ex-uni cheerleaders, a couple of us usually try and go along and cheer them on, unfortunately this year only a few of us could make it so we took a picnic and sunbathed instead. It was really nice to see people again, the weather was gorgeous and our picnic was epic. This is what I wore:


Sheer fabric sleeveless shirt (very see through but the print makes it ok to wear without a vest on underneath). I didn't think I would like this, it's a bit bold for me, but it's light and airy and was fine paired with the shorts.


Navy blue soft jeans shorts, from George at ASDA. They are SO comfortable.


Blue gingham VANS lace-ups.


Accessories: Flower anklet, leather bracelets, tortoise-shell look sunglasses.

Bow down

Delicious deliveries: Today my bowties arrived (ebay purchase), they're silky smooth and perfect, can't wait to wear them! I'm especially in love with the Harlequin one, but I think it'll have to go on a plain black shirt so that it gets pride of place.


Bow ties remind me of... Huckleberry Hound, old teddybears, George Lamb, The Cat in the Hat, Winston Churchill, Groucho Marx, Poirot and old-school Vampires. 

Me casa, es su casa

So we did go to town for a bit of shopping (mostly Birthday presents for other people) and then popped through the little green door of Leicester's 'Casa Romana' which is a secret little Italian place that does GREAT seafood. Yes I know we're about the most inland you could possibly be, but those scallops were to die for, and I know good scallops (once scuba-dived for my own in Scotland - no more than 30mins out of the water and into my tummy). We sat outside on their little terrace in the sunshine and had a really lovely night, and this is what I wore:


Blue and white zigzag stripe dress (it has a V-cut front and back, is really lightweight and sort of baggy capped sleeves... bit hard to explain). Can't remember where this was from though :-/


Navy long open front cardigan (the kind without buttons) which is super-thin and fine for this weather.


Denim-look leggings turned up mid-calf height, it was just too hot today to wear real jeans and anyway when you're wearing a dress it's weird to see a lumpy button section underneath. I have a feeling they were from George at ASDA actually...


Dr. Martens white T-bar Mary-Janes, I LOVE these shoes so much (in fact I also have them in black) but as you may know Docs are notoriously hard to wear in, especially for someone who changes shoes on a bi-daily basis... I've had them about 6 years or so but they're in absolutely perfect condition still.


Accessories - 
Brown saddle bag that Alex bought me for Christmas, I use this alllll the time.


Totoro mini-purse, attached to my bag. This was from HongKong Ebay, Totoro is awesome but the inside space of the purse is so small it's pretty much redundant. It's still cute though.


Matchstick necklace, key necklace (both ASOS) Jack Wills navy wristband.

Sun is shining, Weather is sweet...

This smashing weather seems to have turned the entire population of Britain red like lobsters in only two days so I'm pacing myself a bit, hoping that it's going to last out for the festivals and important outdoor stuff (weddings etc) this summer. I'm enjoying getting out the floaty dresses, shorts and chiffon at the moment as I've lost a bit of weight and some stuff fits me a bit better - like this dress!


It's a butterfly print maxi with an underlay and then chiffon over the top. It's steeply V-cut at the front and back and it has a ruched waist that I've covered up with a brown clip belt. 


I really hate the look of that ruching stuff but it does make the dress hang properly. Anyway, I'm having a break from tidying and listening to The Shins before Alex picks me up to go to dinner. Usually I'm a winter person but clearly the sun is a mood-changer, feel all possibility-y and new today.

Alphabetty

Ohhh how I love a quirky print on a classic cut. There's something sort of naughty about having a grown up shirt covered in an unusual print, it's a bit like you've managed to get away with something at school, like having your trainers on or your skirt hiked up. 


I got these about a month ago and I love them dearly! Both from ASOS.


Cream cropped shirt with black collar and red piping button down, with alphabet print.


Blue skinny stretch jeans in alphabet row print.


I've not worn them together yet, but the shirt looks really good with a bow tie. I think I like the alphabet print because of being drawn to writing and poetry, there's something comforting about having words around you all the time. I guess that's why we turned our spare bedroom into a library too!

Bows and Bandanas

Ooooooh, new accessories - skip in my step for these badboys...


Black and white collar - I'll be wearing this to tomboy up summer dresses with bowties or cameo brooches.


Bandanas  - Navy blue, forest green, burgundy and purple. Mostly for the festivals for when my hair is gross but they'll probably sneak their way into other summer outfits too


Silk bows - navy blue and shiny red. I wore the red one last night with a shirt, but they're a bit tricky to add to the collar because of the flexibility. More practice needed...


I'm really into patterns at the moment, but you really have to make sure you don't go all catwalk overboard with them so accessories are a really easy way to use the styles without looking completely mental. I'll be using these to liven up my more subdued days.

Life's a Beach

A few weeks ago we had a quick mini-break at Runswick and this is a photo from when we were exploring the rock-pools. It's really casual (obviously!) but I decided to post because it's made up of items I wear all the time.


Jumper - it has a block geo print on a soft grey jersey loop material, it's a Men's large so it kinda swamps me but I love it. It reminds me of the kind of jumpers we wore at school when I was little.


Cut-off denim skirt - It's a bit big for me now but ok if I wear a belt.


Navy leggings from Jack Wills - honestly the comfiest leggings I've ever bought, they have a flat elasticated waistband so they don't dig into you if you're wearing another waistband over the top (like a skirt or shorts).


Stripe wellies from Joules.


A green quilted, but lightweight gilet from Joules - this has MASSIVE pockets, perfect for beachcombing treasures.


We found a lot of hermit crabs that day and despite it being absolutely f-f-f-freeeezing out there, it was nice. I don't usually let anyone take my picture out there because of the lack of makeup and random collection of clothing, but this one is kind of alright so it'll do!

Summer Ball

Last weekend I went to a ball at the Birmingham Hilton Met, and decided on this super-cute (but fairly short) lilac leopard print skater dress from ASOS. It has a little silk-lined underlayer that makes it stick out a bit and float nicely. I'm also wearing a Jet necklace which was made in Whitby out of jet found on Runswick Bay beach and a thin black belt with a flower on (possibly from Next). I wore a pair of black suede closed toe platform heels as well, nice and plain next to the big print on the dress.


I wasn't at all confident about the hair, but it turned out pretty awesome in the end. I did two side Victory Rolls (having learnt them from a book called Style Me Vintage and a couple of youtube videos) and a front under-curled one, hair-sprayed the hell out of it after I'd pinned it, and stuck in a sparkly curved hair slide that looked a bit tiara-esque. Everyone else at the ball had standard wavy hair down or classic up-do's with their evening dress, so I definitely stood out a bit, but the response was pretty good, mostly people couldn't believe that I'd done my hair myself. Thank you video technology!

Happy Birthday Lil Bro

Last night we went out for my brother's 24th Birthday meal, to a nice pub in Meriden. I decided on:

Blue skinny jeans (turned up at the ankle)

Vans slip on ballet-trainers (white with red hearts on) - I'll get a photo of these soon I promise

Plain white shirt with capped sleeves and an open neck collar

Soft wool stripe round neck jumper from Joules

Black 3/4 sleeve blazer with the sleeve turned up

Red silk bow-tie that I found on ebay, worn loose

Mini harmonica necklace (it really works!) and a key shaped bracelet.

I have a lot of school themed bits and pieces, I particularly love blazers. They add a bit of sleekness to most outfits, be it on top of a tea-dress or a t-shirt. This 3/4 one is made of jersey material so it's not so stiff to wear on a casual night out, plus the turn ups mean that you can see the stripy jumper poking out just a little bit, so that the red theme goes right through the outfit. I took a brown handbag out with me that evening because I didn't have time to swap everything over, but I would have finished this school-look with my black leather satchel if I was wearing it anywhere else, and earlier in the day I had on a pair of red Wayfarer style sunglasses just for an extra splash of colour matching. I think the school obsession comes from reading Enid Blyton books as a child - the characters always seemed to be having a great time at boarding-school and getting up to mischief, plus I'm a big Harry Potter fan and my middle school had 'House Teams' which is a nice Brit-tradition (I was in Davies, the green team). 

However, red is my confidence colour. I used to wear big red statement pieces at college and uni, but haven't really felt bold enough recently. Using it as an accent or theme colour means I can still rock the red, but not as violently as sticking on a block colour. This is a pretty safe outfit, but I like it. 

Welcome

So, everyone has their own personal style and ideas about fashion in this world, and most of them are mashups of personality - like where someone has been and what they've experienced in their life. 

My statements are based on what I love, what I aspire to and places I've been, with an emphasis on the kitsch or fun. It's who I am and how I express myself and my mood without saying a thing. I'll try and explain the reasons behind my outfits with a little background and maybe say where some of the items are from (if I can remember!) hope you enjoy my posts,

DorkDandy xx