Project Take 10 Challenge 3

Posted in Daily Outfits.

10 girls, 1 piece, 10 different looks. That’s the simple premise behind Project Take 10! Our third challenge was set by Peacocks. They sent us a dress from their Pearl Lowe range – a collection I’d never paid much attention to, but now wish I’d taken note earlier!

Here’s how I styled the piece – a flirty, flattering dress the colour of damsons.

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Pearl Lowe Chiffon Frill Dress courtesy of Peacocks, Steve Madden leather jacket, Primark tights, leather brogues via eBay, purple stone ring via car boot sale


The dress is designed to hang oh-so-casually in that draped, off-duty-model way that really never works for me, so I cinched it in at the waist with a skinny belt that was hidden by the folds of the dress. Crafty.

I love the slightly Victorian sleeves, so went with that schoolmistress thing and paired the dress with patterned tights and prim brogues. The leather jacket adds just enough behind-the-bikesheds cool.

Here’s how the other girls rocked it…

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Shini, Adele, Saskia, Sarah, Sherin, Sabine, Vicki, me, MJ, Nic


I’m loving all the looks for challenge 3! How would you style this dress? Any pointers for me?

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Talk of Inadequacies, Pimples and Single Life

Posted in Blogging, Daily Outfits, Writing.

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Next blazer via charity shop, H&M jeans and long sleeved tee, Chockers boots, Primark swallow brooch, name necklace

Andrew Marr thinks bloggers are inadequate, pimpled and single. We’re also “cauliflower-nosed young men sitting in our mother’s basements and ranting”… *looks at photos above, shrugs*.

The childish and deliberately inflammatory language doesn’t bother me. It’s Marr’s references to ‘citizen journalism’ that jar. The notion that bloggers are second-rate journalists, failed authors and/or washed up reporters is a huge insult to this community of talented, ambitious and influential people.

Many bloggers actually are real-life journos. They’re writers, editors, photographers, authors. And others have stella careers in all sorts of industries, from fashion to finance. Some are students, unemployed, working towards their dreams or just plodding along, happily or otherwise. Their blogs don’t define who they are and nor do their jobs.

Yesterday, Bangs and a Bun posted about her experiences with a PR agency. The one thing that stood out most in her story was the clear lack of understanding of her influence as a blogger. If she were a Guardian journalist, would she be treated in the same way? Probably not. But Bangs is a blogger, and as we’ve learnt from Andrew Marr, what she says could never replace journalism. So why bother trying to understand the platform? Best to think of bloggers as pretend journalists whose words hold less clout than Rooney’s marriage vows. No matter that Bangs has been interviewed by PR Week after the fall out from her post…

I wonder if Andrew Marr thinks all McDonald’s kitchen staff are wannabe Ramsays?

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Life Through a Lens

Posted in Daily Outfits, Writing.

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Next blazer via charity shop, H&M long sleeved tee, Topshop high waisted jeans, Primark brogues and ring, Zara Taylor owl necklace, Gucci glasses

I was in London on Friday and took the tube across to Green Park. I’m probably one of few people who pay attention to advertising on public transport, and one particular ad shell caught my eye. It featured a poem written by Hattie Grunewald for the British Arts Council’s Young Poets on the Underground initiative. Just like good advertising is supposed to, the poem stuck in my mind and I tracked it down online later that day:


The day the optician unframed my face
and took away my childhood:
I would no longer hide behind glass;
I would wear eyeliner and wink
at boys with smiles and piles of maths textbooks.

I balanced my new life on the ball of my finger,
its translucent rim and pooled blue rainbows,
I said “This will make me pretty.”
My spectacles rolled their lenses
and dozed in the bottom of my bedside drawer.

The first day I wore contact lenses,
my eyes glittered. But no one noticed,
looking right through me with their 20/20 eyes.


I don’t often have an opinion on anything that could be classed as art, but I guess the message in this piece has a particular significance to me. A while ago, someone told me they’d like to see me without glasses, ‘just for a different look’. Although I don’t think it was meant as an insult, it did get me thinking about my glasses and how intrinsic they are to who I am.

I’ve worn glasses since I was 11 and for the most part, I’m proud to flaunt my faltering eyesight in Gucci eyewear. No, I can’t see in the shower, I get embarrassingly steamy going from cold to hot temperatures and they are excruciatingly expensive considering they’re vital to my existence (yes, Gucci frames are vital to my existence…), but there’s no denying the barrier they put between you and the world.

Sometimes that barrier is good – under eye circles are pretty much invisible behind glass. But there are plenty of situations that leave me longing for 20/20 vision. Dancing cheek to cheek, pulling off the perfect flicky eyeliner and my future wedding day photos are just a few.

I can’t wear contacts as my eyes are too sensitive and laser eye surgery disgusts and terrifies me in equal measures, so for now I’ll stick to my specs. I’m due some new ones and have my (weakened) eye on a delicious Dior pair. Mmmm, designer labels on prescription.

Do you wear glasses or contacts?

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The Classics

Posted in Daily Outfits.

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Topshop high waisted jeans, Primark mac and pumps, Miss Guided long sleeved tee, Zara leather handbag, Zara Taylor necklace, Me & Zena ring

Oh, Topshop high waisted jeans, how I love thee. Bought on a whim after a long and tiring day in London (comfort shopping), I thought they’d be straight back in the bag for a return trip and a refund. Maybe I’d buy a cardigan instead, or a pair of comfortably familiar flats.

I was pleasantly surprised when I slipped them on. Not only do they fit like a dream, but they’re as comfortable as pyjamas and fantastically flattering to boot. The £40 price tag may be a little steep, but jeans are my sartorial Achilles’ heel. I have rather long legs so prefer to spend a few extra pennies (well, pounds…) to clothe them in their entirety.

I’m adding these denim delights to the dusky grey blazer and chestnut faux fur coat I picked up at the charity shop this weekend (both considerably cheaper than the jeans!). Have you made any purchases recently? Tell me what’s in your shopping bag(s) today…

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As Inspired By… Girl in Pub

Posted in Daily Outfits.

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Topshop blazer via charity shop, Zara dress, Topshop leggings, very.co.uk boots, Me & Zena jewellery

My As Inspired By… posts usually feature bloggers – I’m hugely inspired by the style and creativity of my fellow bloggers, and they shape my wardrobe daily. However, I also love street style. I’m often guilty of openly staring at people I find intriguing (something the Mr tells me off for constantly), noting the way they put pieces together. Models don’t do it for me – it’s all about real people.

After a girls’ night out in Nottingham on Friday, my friends and I dropped in at a local pub for a hangover-busting breakfast. With tired eyes and serious bed head, I wasn’t expecting inspiration to strike, but behind the bar one girl’s style caught my eye. A simple striped tunic, paired with a loose-fitting blazer, leggings and Chelsea boots. Perfect for lazy days spent chilling with friends (and working the Saturday morning shift at a pub, obviously).

Who’s inspiring you today?

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