Monday Blues.. Cheer up, buttercup!

July, 11th and it is still pouring down with rain here in the UK.. when will the sunshine appear?

I'm not sure about you but I'm so sick of the rainy weather, of course we have had some sunny days but the majority of the 'summer days' so far have been none stop rain.. So what do we do when we're feeling blue? Shopping of course! 

I've just got back from a little mini shopping trip & bought quite a few new blues pieces which made me think.. Monday blues, lets make a moodboard! 

Each of the seriously beautiful items are all via. Polyvore and each most definitely on my dream wish list! I seriously love the dresses with their stunning colours and tassel detailing. I'd team each dress with super chic shoes and a quirky bag as shown above, I particularly love the Charlotte Olympia Kitty Boots, a girl can dream right!? 

How has your Monday been so far? 

Let me know! 

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Archive by Alexa Chung

Of course we all seen this blog post coming.. Archive by Alexa! 

In Wednesday's post I briefly wrote about ordering the Eliza Dress from the Alexa archive collection for Marks and Spencer & so thought it could be nice to piece together a little post fully devoted to this. Although I did only order the one dress online, I may of made a trip to the closest Marks & Spencer store near by and bought the Harry Blouse yesterday.. 

 

Eliza Dress | £45.00

Harry Blouse | £35.00 

As the Marks & Spencer's closest to me is pretty big I did initially think they may have a few of the Alexa pieces in stock however when I got there they actually had the whole collection with so so many sizes left. When I was paying at the till the lady said that they had received double stock of the Alexa pieces and had placed all the remaining stock out that afternoon so once it was gone, it was 100% gone.. 

In terms of what I think of the collection as a whole, I actually think it's really great quality & fits really lovely although I have seen a few posts on social media of people not agreeing with this. 

The prices I also think worked out really well as they were pretty much just normal M&S prices.

I've also spotted some of the items listed on eBay already for literally double their original prices, 

it's crazy what a limited edition item can do haha!

(pink or white was the question.. pink of course!)

I'm not completely sure if any of the items will still be available online at the M&S website as you're reading this, but right this second whilst I'm writing, they currently have a lot left and a whole range of sizes. To click through to have a little look the link is here.

I hope you're all having a great weekend so far! 

Also, be sure to let me know what pieces you picked up from the collection if any, or even just your faves from seeing them online etc. 

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Wednesday Wishlist: Hello Spring!

Spring is in the air & that makes me one very happy girl! 

There is literally nothing nicer than waking up to the sun shining through the window and of course a new season means..new clothes!

I thought I would pick out some of my very fave pieces on Polyvore at the moment & I can't even lie, I am 1000% in love with every single item above! 

I'm thinking embroidered floral's, frills, lace, pastels and of course heels and sunglasses for this wonderful sunny season.. 

Today also marks the day Alexa Chung's Archive for Marks & Spencer's went live.. 

I was obviously super excited to get shopping & was logged into the website bright and early this morning. 

Although I was pretty close to buying the dreamy pastel pink Harry shirt which Alexa is wearing in the image above, I decided to just stick with the one item I'd been swooning over since first spotting it.. 

Hello Eliza dress! 

It's safe to say, I will be eagerly awaiting by my post box for it to arrive. 

Did you get your hands on any of the Alexa collection? If so let me know what you picked out! 

I have a very exciting few weeks coming up in terms of trips (which of course means outfit photos), next weekend I am heading to London and then the following week I'm jetting off to New York City.. 

So as you can imagine I'm so so excited and already pretty much planned every single one of my outfits! 

I can't wait to post all about them once I'm back! 

I hope you're all well & getting to enjoy some of this lovely weather too.

Have a great day everybody!

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These are a few of my favourite things - October Favourites

I actually can not believe we are so close to the end of the year already, it's literally flew by! 

Halloween is this weekend, then Christmas! ahh! 

Anyway, I thought I would post about a few things I have been loving this month.

First up, THESE Topshop bargains!

Last week I went out for a little afternoon shop, not for anything in particular (you know those day's that turn into you seeing all sorts you don't need& before you know if your hands are full&bank balance ran dry..) but Topshop was having a huge mid-season sale so I thought why not take a peek. 

I spotted these pink beauties and felt like it was shoe fate when they were actually my size! 

Wait for the best bit.. These only cost me £10!! Such a great bargain.

Next, Alexa Chung app - Villoid! 

Now of course anything Alexa does is pretty much perfect but her app, I honestly can't explain my love for it. 

Super simple to use & gives me so much inspiration for outfits in no time at all. 

If you don't know what Villoid is yet, imagine Pinterest and Polyvore tied together/ if those two websites had a child.. 

Basically you create boards with images, clothing items, accessories etc. and then save them to your personal profile which other users can see& you can also share them via. twitter, instagram etc. 

Here's a couple of style boards I have created so far.. 

You can also buy the exact items directly through the app, so if you're anything like me be sure to keep your bank card out of reach.. 

 

...There's only so many times I can swoon over Shrimps fur before I crumble!

Also I tweeted about putting together this post& Alexa favourited it, how amazing!? 

I feel like my 14 year old self would be dying over it nevermind me right now at 22!

Moving on, a shop I have been loving this month is Paperchase, seriously from their Christmas decorations to cute funny postcards, Paperchase is like heaven at the minute! I picked up these three decorations last week.. a pineapple, a Christmas ostrich and angel sausage dog, halo included of course! All their Christmas decorations are on 3 for 2 also which basically means you get a free one so why not buy more.. 

(that's a question I'm asking myself at the moment, as I'm sure I'll be heading back soon). 

I also have a photo wall in my bedroom which has lots of mix matched frames filled with photo's, quotes etc. so I wanted to find some quirky little postcards that I could pop into a few empty frames I had.. Ta Daa! 

Literally the coolest postcards ever, &they are super cheap too!

"you looked taller on tinder"

&&

"real unicorns have curves"

My very last favourite for this month is my Alex Monroe Bumble Bee Necklace, this is very much a favourite for me every single day not just this month. I bought it at the very beginning of the year using money I got as Christmas gifts from family. I went for the rose gold version just so it could suit my everyday jewellery a bit more, so far the chain has started to go a bit dis-coloured, but after almost a year of wearing it every single day I can't really complain. 

I love how the little bee adds just enough dainty detail to any outfit! 

Have you found something new that you're particularly loving this month? Or even an old fave? 

Let me know, I hope you're all well. 

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Never Say No; Expensive Inspiration

Recently I've been having one of those times were you want to dress like all the other people you see online, in the street, on blogs (etc.) rather than actually having to wear the clothes in your own wardrobe (all those ones you suddenly despise no matter how much they cost, even if they were bought just a few weeks ago). 

Now I'm not sure if this is just a phase that only I go through but I'm hoping not, anyway whenever I start doing this whole "I neeeeeeeed new clothes" routine, I like to create kind of mood boards // a source of inspiration that I can look at and think how can I adapt the clothes I already have to create my own take on these kind of outfits. 

I know that will probably sound like the most boring thing in the world to some of you but I find it quite fun (sad, I know) plus I also manage to save a bit of money by re-styling what I already have meaning I can buy a few new, maybe slightly more expensive items. 

Anyway I thought I'd share this mood board with you& what it has made me want to buy/ try to recreate with my current clothes.

ONE // A NEW PINK COAT

miu miu coat // here

lavin coat // here

shrimps // here & here

Coats are my downfall, I have a stupid amount of them although to be fair to myself I do get a lot of wear out of every single one, actually one in particular is my pastel pink topshop faux fur that I bought a year& a bit ago now. The coat isn't so much faux fur, just kind of 'a little bit fluffy' (great material description for a fashion student there). Anyway its safe to safe I've had my wear out of it for the £100 that I paid and there's only so many times that I can keep getting it dry cleaned, hoping some sort of miracle will happen in there and make it look just as new as I very first bought it. 

I'm going to start having a good look round into a new pink coat that I will get just as much wear out of, &can finally give my current one a little break / retirement. 

TWO // FEDORA HAT

burgundy&black // marks and spencers 

grey // whistles

I find that wearing a hat instantly makes you feel as if you've put a lot more effort into an outfit, kind of just finishes a whole look off properly.

I've had the same fedora hat which I wear none stop for a good while now, although I have been on the hunt for a new one none seem to be the new 'the one', for example they are always to big for my head, they make my face look huge, not the right colour.. fussy I know but the fedora hunt goes on.

THREE // TEXTURES, PATTERNS AND PRINTS

This is something I want to try out a little bit more, usually with a patterned skirt I would wear a plain top, maybe with a texture however I want to start being a bit more adventurous, by adventurous I mean maybe the odd stripy top with a leopard skirt rather than a plain blouse.. nothing too wild.

Anyway, I hope this post is something a little bit different & that you are all doing well.

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Unlikely Icons; Hey Lolita Hey

Today's 'unlikely icon' is the novel/film Lolita although the story is pretty old its still an intense read/watch.

If you don't know of the story is kind of a twisted love story between twelve year old Lolita and a much older man. I was watching the film the other week and all I could think was how good Lolita's characters style actually was, this got me thinking it could be good idea for this unlikely icon post.

(the are two versions of the film hence the different actresses below) 

Lolita has kind of became famous for the red heart shaped sunglasses, I didn't want to just blog the same so swapped for these red cat eyes (you can see in the image that she actually has cat eye sunglasses so I'm still on track). The high waisted bikini feels really retro especially with the floral print, then a simple pair of white shoes and a pretty hat.

Mum jeans are a huge trend at the minute, adding this vintage black belt just gives it even more of a 90's feel.

Just a plain blouse as she is wearing in the images& I loved these ballet style shoes as the give quite a childish feel to the look since she is only twelve.

I stuck to the crop and skirt from this look, however I haven't styled them as matching pieces, I think the almost neon yellow in the skirt make the look very bold however adding the black shoes&satchel keep it from looking to over the top.

all items show are from Polyvore, 

however if you want a certain link just leave it in a comment and I'll soon get back to you.

Unlikely Icons; Your Five A Day

banana leaf kimono | £220

matching banana leaf shorts | £120

white crop top | £5.60

pineapple gem earrings | £46

metallic sandals | £45

Banana leaf print seems to be huge this summer, everybody has seen the topshop range of this, (I bought the jumpsuit the other day), this look is a bit different and a lot more subtle, the kimono and shorts are pure silk hence the prices. Summer essentials have to be crop tops, a white& a black and you're good to go!

banana denim jacket | £60

banana skirt | £22

bleached cotton crop | £30

cut out brouges | £85

socks | £2.95

sunglasses | £8

Not banana leaves this time, but banana's themselves.. I kept the top and accessories quite simple for this look because of how bold the prints are on the jacket and skirt.. Who knew bananas could be so fashionable. 

vintage printed blazer | £95

lemon jumper | £29

white denim shorts | £20

light blue satchel | £103

striped brogues | £62

This look is a bit more 'out there' with all the clashing looks, but I think it would actually look really nice on, the statement shoes would stand out perfectly against the pastel shades.

Hope you're all well.

"life is too short to wear boring clothes"

Before I start this post, I feel as if I should explain why I have only blogged twice this entire month, I always try my best to blog a few times every week but this month a lot has being happening, as well as 'family kind of things' , I had a interview for a fashion course two weeks ago. I was given one week to make my portfolio along with a few days to complete my ucas application which made me a very busy bee. Luckily I got one of the last four places for the course, which is amazing and means from September I'll be able to call myself a 'fashion student' how exciting! 

The statement I've used for this title really makes me think, and I completely agree with it.. A few funny looks are nothing if you enjoy what you're wearing.

outfit one: giant ostrich kind of dress

I love this dress and think the sequin draped jacket would look amazing with it, kind of a multicolour zebra but then crossed with the feather dress. Also fishnet socks seem to be pretty fashionable at the moment and add that bit of detail any ankle boots.

outfit two: leopards and faces

This outfit is a real miss match of all sorts, with metallics, prints, pastel colours.. the lot!

outfit three: stripes and florals

I'm a huge fan of blazers and trousers at the moment, and think the clashing prints would look so fun on, I also love the white flatform brogue style shoes to add that bit of length to your legs with the striped pants.

all images via. Polyvore.

Hope you are all well!

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