Mar 28, 2012

Chambray, Converse and Clear Skies

This unseasonably warm weather has thrown the people of Britain into a couture conundrum. Today I saw two girls waiting for a bus – one wearing a fur-lined parka (?!!) and the other denim hotpants. 20 degrees in March? We are SO not prepared!

Primark chambray dress, H&M long sleeve stripe tee, vintage beaded belt via charity shop, wooden bangle via charity shop, Cambridge Satchel Company bag, Converse sneakers c/o Sarenza

Luckily my weather-based optimism has served me well and after unpacking my summer wardrobe this weekend, I’ve had the joy of wearing some of my faves over the last few days. This chambray dress was a Primark purchase just a few weeks ago – I love the lightweight fabric, cute collar and twirly skirt. I’d been waiting for a suitably sunny day to make its debut, and today was most definitely the right one!

I teamed my dress with sneakers that will be known from here on as The Happiest Shoes In The World. I’ve been wearing Converse since my 16-year-old emo days (with skinny jeans and Paul Frank t-shirts – anyone else?) and love them, but often struggle to find them big enough – the women’s range seems to stop at a 7 which is just a touch too tight. These beauties are actually a men’s size 7 and fit like a dream – if you’re a big foot like me, I’d really recommend checking for unisex styles before cramming your crippled toes into a too-small shoe. Men’s sizes come up just that little bit bigger and can be cute too – even the pink Converse sneakers come in men’s sizes!

Happy Wednesday everyone – it’s time to stop reading this post (maybe leave me a comment first), get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Have a great evening!

Fashion Hall of Fame – The Denim Shirt

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

I’m pulling together my Fashion Hall of Fame – a collection of pieces I wear again and again, that rescue me from those no-idea-what-to-wear mornings time after time. Starting with…

Topshop shirt, vintage skirt, very old belt, shoes c/o Bertie, Emma Fox bag via TK Maxx, charity shop bangle, H&M ring

I bought this denim shirt from Topshop last summer. It cost about £25 (I think) and I thought it was a bit pricey at the time, but after countless wears it’s become one of my favourite ever purchases.

The lightweight cotton makes it perfect for warmer days, although with a vest underneath or cardigan on top it’s great for chilly ones too. It’s a fitted style so works well when worn with looser pieces and can be dressed up with tailored trousers or down with floaty skirts. Whenever I’m having a wardrobe wobble it’s the first thing I turn to. If only it would iron itself!

I’ve worn this shirt so many ways – here are some of my favourites:

For spring/summer
Smart with floral trousers
Feminine with a circle skirt

For autumn/winter
Tough with a leather pencil skirt
Quirky with colour clash denim

This time round I paired it with a vintage skirt picked up in Paris (another wardrobe favourite, although maybe not quite Hall of Fame material), a chunky belt and heels and my current go-to bag. A quick and easy outfit for such a glorious day… although running for the bus in those heels was quite a task!

What’s in your Fashion Hall of Fame? Do you have an item (or a few) that you wear over and over and over?

The Great Wardrobe Switchover

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion, Second Hand Shopping.

SUMMER’S HERE!

… Okay, maybe not. It’s only March and I’m sure we’ll have plenty of drab, dreary weather before September rolls around. But after such a glorious weekend and the promise of more where that came from this week, I decided it was high time to perform The Great Wardrobe Switchover.

Vintage dress via charity shop, New Look blazer, ankle boots c/o Sarenza, Emma Fox bag via TK Maxx, ASOS necklace, H&M ring, vintage belt

The Great Wardrobe Switchover is a highly technical process involving the unpacking of summer clothes from storage (under the bed, in my case). If you’d visited me at 6pm yesterday, you’d have found me surrounded by piles of clothes – winter woollens teetering perilously on the edge of the bed, summer dresses strewn across the floor – it was a messy business. But a couple of hours and some serious folding later and I’d packed up my heavy-duty winter stuff and hung up my spring/summer wardrobe. And that means I have lots of pretty vintage dresses to wear! Hooray!

Switching your clothes between seasons is a great way to breathe new life into your wardrobe without spending any money. I always forget about something – whether it’s the cute wedges I bought in the end of season sale or the vintage dress I picked up in January. I was so excited to get dressed this morning (I know, loser) because it felt like a whole new wardrobe was waiting for me.

This dress is the one I bought in January – when I heard I’d be doing a photo shoot with InStyle, I rushed out and bought an entire charity shop (hey, a girl needs options) and this was one of my finds. It’s a size 18 and comes down to my calves but with some clever belting there’s no need for alterations. I love the bold floral print – perfect for a fine (almost) summer day!

Do you change your wardrobe each season? When will you be performing The Great Wardrobe Switchover?

Thrift Finds of the Month – March

Posted in Daily Outfits, Second Hand Shopping.

I’ve spent the weekend planning my mini American roadtrip – in May, Rob and I will be flying out to Chicago, then New York, then Maine via Boston. Four amazing US cities to discover – I cannot wait!

The planning process has involved reading lots of US blogs – although I do want to see the tourist attractions, I really want to experience the ‘real’ USA and do things the locals do. Something that’s top of my list for our NYC stop is a trip to Beacon’s Closet. It’s a buy, sell and trade vintage store that I’ve been obsessed with ever since I started reading What I Wore back in 2009. Jessica’s early outfit posts are full of Beacon’s Closet treasures and she’s found some real gems among the rails, so of course I’ll be visiting… and reporting back!

All that thrifty research had me itching to hit the charity shops, so when Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny I headed out for some second hand retail therapy.

Vintage embroidered jacket via charity shop, vintage lace tee via charity shop, Topshop jeans, brogues c/o Bertie, Emma Fox bag via TK Maxx, Urban Outfitters hat, bangles via charity shop, H&M ring

I picked up this beautiful embroidered jacket for £6.99, while the lace tee was £2.99, both from St Gemma’s. The jacket is the perfect spring cover-up, although I think it could stray into old lady territory… maybe a candidate for my next DIY Divas project?

Vintage embroidered jacket £6.99, vintage lace tee £2.99, high-necked lace top £1.99, vintage pleated floral skirt £3.99 – all charity shops

I found a few other pieces on my trip – more lace, a pretty pleated skirt, a baroque coat (which I’ll be saving ’til winter), a couple of summer dresses – and assembled some of them for a photo shoot with my new camera! I popped into Jessops for some passport photos which came out so truly hideous (they made me take my glasses off! I was unprepared!) that I needed something to cheer myself up. Well, it wasn’t quite that impulsive – Rob and I have been thinking about investing in a DSLR for a few weeks and when we spotted the Canon 500D on offer, complete with two lenses, we decided to go for it. Many thanks to Kristabel for the inspiration – after seeing her amazing LFW pics I knew I needed something better!

Embroidered kitty tote, £2.99 via charity shop (taken with Instagram)

One last thing – as I was paying for my charity shop haul, I spotted this adorable kitty tote hanging behind the counter. A quick enquiry and an inspection later and I’d added it to my total. All those staring kitten eyes freak me out a bit, but I knew Gem would love it so I’ll be sending it her way tomorrow. Kitty overload!

Have you been second hand shopping recently? Pick up any bargains?

PS – I’m often asked for charity shop recommendations – I wrote a post about the ones I visit regularly, but my absolute favourite is St Gemma’s. The entire chain (there are St Gemma’s shops all over Leeds) is brilliant, with very carefully selected stock and great window displays. All the pieces featured in this post were found at the various branches of St Gemma’s near me and although you can expect to pay a little bit more than other charity shops, the prices are still very reasonable. Also, the volunteers at the King Lane shop are absolute darlings (especially Mary, the Irish lady who always compliments me on my outfits). If you’re in Leeds I’d recommend finding your nearest shop and popping in. Keep an eye out for their vintage fairs too!

DIY For Divas – Studded Jumper

Posted in Fashion, Second Hand Shopping.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to get crafty and make something. I was surprised to find that a) I enjoyed myself and b) my creation wasn’t half bad! With the success of that lovely lace collar under my belt, I vowed to swap my debit card for DIY… well, from time to time at least.

As I’m prone to divaish tendencies, I knew my next project needed to be quick and easy to stop me chucking in the towel and hitting Topshop. So when I spotted this jumper in a charity shop, I had an idea…

I picked up this silk/wool mix jumper for £3.99. Beautiful pastel pattern, but that high neckline was a little old lady for my taste…

… which made it the perfect project piece! Inspiration hit me as I wandered round Topshop (quelle surprise) – I spotted a very similar printed pastel jumper (a bit like this but with a swirly pattern) with rows of studs along the shoulders. It was priced at £29.99 but I knew my £3.99 find was up to the job.

Such a simple project requires very few ingredients – a cute jumper that needs a little toughening up, some cone studs which I bought from this eBay seller for £4 and a pair of scissors.

My first step was to chop off the collar, but you might not need to do that. I didn’t want to faff about with a needle and thread (the needle injury from my last project is still fresh in my mind) so I left the edge raw. If I wanted to be ‘fashion’ about it, I’d say the raw edge just adds to the general ‘toughened up’ look.

The first step in your granny jumper makeover is to affix your studs. This involves pushing the arms through the fabric then opening and flattening them underneath. I found actually putting the jumper on helped with the positioning of the studs – I could see where the jumper sat on my shoulders and then could arrange the studs accordingly.

When I had a cluster of studs assembled, I moved over to shoulder two and repeated the process. I used 15 studs on each side, arranged randomly across the front of the jumper. And… that’s it! A one step DIY – does it get any more diva?

I really love the finished result – the studs give this vintage jumper a fresh, modern look and make it much more wearable. And the total cost was just £7.99 – far cheaper than Topshop’s £30 offering!

What do you think – will you be giving this DIY a go, fellow divas?

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Chambray, Converse and Clear Skies

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