Showing posts with label topshop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label topshop. Show all posts

Monday, 12 February 2018

Cute & Cosy









Jumper - GANT* / Dress - Topshop / Boots - The Whitepepper (RIP) / Belt - River Island
Scarf - Topshop / Beret - eBay / Necklace - Rock N Rose

Well it's been almost two years since I last published an outfit post so I figured it was about time that I started doing them again. A few days ago it was my blog's 8th anniversary & blogging has changed in so many ways since I started this website. I think that fashion blogging in particular has become a lot more professional with many bloggers hiring photographers to take their outfit pictures. One of the reasons I stopped documenting my outfits was because I felt that my photos taken indoors against this same ugly yellow wall were no longer good enough.

Back in the OG blogger days everyone took their photos like this & it wasn't a problem at all. But when everyone else started taking more artistic shots outside, I didn't think that anyone would care about my posts anymore. I can't afford to hire a photographer & my attempts to teach Andy to use my DSLR have been fruitless so I just stopped. I've definitely missed doing it though & as always comparison is the thief of joy. I shouldn't have let what other people are doing affect me & stop me from doing something that I love. Fashion blogging is supposed to be about showcasing an outfit, not competing to see who can take their photos in front of the prettiest house in London. I still get quite a few emails & messages asking when I'm going to start doing fashion posts again so this one is for all of you!

Looking cute when it's absolutely freezing outside is harder than it seems. More often than not I end up throwing my burgundy parka & beanie on top of a hoodie & thermal leggings because it's too cold for anything else. In between the recent snow showers we've had, the weather has been a lot more agreeable & it's not long now until Spring arrives. One of my favourite ways to make my outfits more exciting whilst still dressing appropriately for the cold weather is to layer. It's much easier than you might think as you can play around with length, colour & texture to create an entirely new outfit from pieces that are already in your wardrobe.

The mini polka dot wrap dress I'm wearing here is rather revealing despite having long sleeves. I paired it with a thin cable knit jumper to cover my chest. The length of the jumper covers up too much of the dress so to keep things in proportion I rolled it up which makes it even cosier & doesn't hide my shape. I added a belt under the jumper to further emphasise my waist. I'm obsessed with these double ring belts from River Island. They give the same effect as those £300 Gucci belts but without the hefty cost! These gladiator style boots from the much missed The Whitepepper are another great Winter/Spring transitional piece. They feel much warmer than they look & are just a bit more interesting than your standard black boots. Winter is the best time to experiment with hats. I recently bought loads of cheap berets on eBay & they are my new favourite way to hide my roots! As I'm wearing a grey jumper & a grey hat, I decided to finish off the outfit with this super cosy nude pink scarf. It adds a bit of colour to an otherwise monochrome outfit & the texture contrasts nicely with the cable knit jumper. If you keep your top half warm, you can get away with wearing less on your bottom half & I always like to show off my legs haha!





One thing that has definitely cheered me up during all this cold weather we've been having was the arrival of this package from GANT. I love the timeless preppy style of their clothing. There's no better brand if you're looking for a classic button down shirt or premium casual knitwear. I'm wearing their Mini Cable Jumper & it's the perfect piece for transitional layering. This lightweight jumper is made from 100% Merino wool so it feels super soft & keeps me really warm even though it isn't a chunky knit. I adore the look of the mini-cable pattern & the elegantly draped sleeves. Layering this jumper with a short skirt & boots is my favourite way to stay looking cute & feeling cosy this Winter.


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Saturday, 30 December 2017

Christmas Presents



Peppermint Treats
Whilst chatting to my mum on the phone I briefly mentioned that I was planning on making some peppermint bark for Christmas. I was just gonna look for recipes on Pinterest but she got me this awesome cookbook filled with all sorts of recipes for making bark & ways to use it in other desserts. The peppermint bark brownies are currently top of my to-do list! She also got me some gourmet treats from Williams Sonoma. The hot chocolate is utterly divine and the pretzels are that perfect combination of salty & sweet, yum!



Tom Ford Black Orchid
I've been wanting a Tom Ford perfume for ages but they're just so expensive! I could never decide whether I preferred Black Orchid or Velvet Orchid either. Luckily my mum made that decision for me & I was delighted to receive this bottle of Black Orchid for Christmas. Black Orchid smells unlike anything else in my collection. I normally go for girly floral fragrances but this is more of a spicy oriental scent. It's luxurious, sophisticated, sensual & I love it! I think I'll probably save this one for special occasions as it's just too good for everyday wear.



Real Techniques Filtered Face Set
You can never have too many makeup brushes & this set from Real Techniques has it all. You get loads of brushes, three sponges & a cute pot to store them all in. When this set went down to £35 in Boots I decided to treat myself & wrapped it up as a present from Chloe haha. Real Techniques brushes are some of my favourites so I think it's always good to have a few backups. I've never tried the pink & purple sponges so I'm looking forward to giving those a go.



Elemis Pro-Collagen Hydra-Gel Eye Masks
My sister got me these eye masks. I love sheet masks & the hydrogel ones are often the most effective. These ones are just for the eye area & sound really good. My eyes often look puffy & tired so I'm sure they'll be of use to me. I love Elemis products & have heard such great things about their Pro-Collagen range so hopefully they'll work well!



Makeup Geek In The Nude Eyeshadow Palette
She also got me this Makeup Geek eyeshadow palette that I've lusting after for quite a while. Makeup Geek do such brilliant eyeshadows but no one really talks about them anymore. I have a custom palette that I made using their single shadows that I absolutely love & use all the time. The In The Nude palette features a gorgeous array of neutral colours. MUG's matte formula blends like a dream & their foiled shadows are simply stunning. It took me longer than most people to get into the warm brown trend but now I'm fully on board & I can already tell that this is gonna become my new everyday go-to eyeshadow palette.



Kylo Ren Funko Pop
I've had a huge crush on Adam Driver ever since the very first episode of Girls so I was super excited when he joined the cast of the new Star Wars films. Kylo Ren's relationship with Rey was my favourite part of The Last Jedi & I'm a shameless Reylo shipper. The store that Andy manages sells Funko Pops so he got me a little Kylo Ren! I love it so much & he has already earned a permanent place on my desk.



Topshop Goodies
Andy also bought me loads of things from Topshop. I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting him to spoil me at all & I love everything he bought! The only thing I asked for was some gold jewellery & he got me three long layered necklaces. The one with the stars & moons is my fave. He also got me this lovely pink scarf & polka dot wrap dress. I hate to be one of those people but the boy did good!



Rifle Paper Co. Stationery
I always treat myself to a new diary & some stationery at the end of the year. For 2018 I decided not to go with my usual Frankie Diary & ordered some items from Rifle Paper Co. instead. I'm a huge fan of Anna Bond's design style & having pretty stationery to use always makes me feel more productive. I never normally spend so much on calendars but this one is beautiful, absolutely massive & features some great inspirational quotes.



Modalu Pippa Bag
My mum is one of those weird old people who are obsessed with the Royal Family. Even though Pippa Middleton isn't technically a Royal my mum still likes to follow her fashion trends. This bag from Modalu was designed & named in honour of Pippa so my mum went out & bought one for all of us. Personally I couldn't care less about Pippa but I do really like this bag. Anything black patent & gold is right up my street. I like that it has both a shoulder strap & a grab handle. There's tons of space inside but it isn't too big & heavy to carry about every day.



Canon 70D
I've been using my Canon 650D quite happily for the last five years but I'm finally upgrading to something more professional! My mum actually bought this camera for herself as she wanted to get into photography but she was completely overwhelmed by all the controls & couldn't figure out how to use it. She knows that I love photography so she asked me if I wanted to trade my 650D for her 70D & of course I said yes! There isn't a huge difference between the two cameras but it's still an upgrade & a chance to further improve my photographic skills. It's been sitting here for the past month all wrapped up for Christmas & now I'm beyond excited to start using it!

Despite not feeling too festive this year, I actually had a really lovely Christmas. Normally I end up feeling a bit deflated by the end of it but for the first time in a little while I just felt perfectly content all day. I'm sure that has absolutely nothing to do with all the Snowballs I drank! I got such a wonderful collection of presents & I'm so grateful for everything I received. I'm especially fond of my little Kylo Ren! We watched loads of films on Christmas Day & played with some of Chloe's new toys. We always get a couple of new board games and this year we chose Monopoly Gamer & Cluedo. I put together a cracking Christmas dinner as usual but I'm definitely ready to get back to eating healthily now. I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas & got everything you wished for!


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Wednesday, 26 August 2015

Twenty Seven





Dress - Vero Moda* / Shoes - Topshop / Bag - Zara / Watch - Michael Kors

As I mentioned in my last post I recently had my 27th birthday. I honestly still feel like I'm a teenager & not a real grown up! Does that feeling ever go away? I decided to wear something quite simple as we were spending the day in Blackpool & I wanted to be comfortable. It might seem odd that I'm wearing tights in August but last time we went I made the mistake of not wearing any & it was so windy that I couldn't walk two steps without my dress blowing up! Anyway this gorgeous Vero Moda dress caught my eye on the House Of Fraser website. I love the floral pattern & I thought the colours looked really pretty together. My obsession with skater dresses is still going strong but this one looks slightly more mature than some of the others in my wardrobe. I've gotten to the stage where I feel that most of my dresses & skirts are way too short for me now so I really appreciate the longer length of this dress! The pattern of the dress is quite bold so I decided not to wear many accessories. I just put on my Michael Kors watch & trusty old Zara handbag. I still absolutely adore these shoes from Topshop. I bought them a few years ago but I wear them all the time. I have a thing for white shoes & they're the perfect T-bar Mary Jane style.

I liked this outfit so much that I also wore it for my birthday meal in York with the rest of my family. Our train was a nightmare as the York races were going on & somehow their train from London was delayed by over two hours! By the time we all met up we were starving. We'd never been to Bill's before so we decided to eat there & the food was incredible! I had a huge burger with sweet potato fries & onion rings followed by pecan pie. Luckily the cut of this dress is super flattering & skims over my stomach so my food baby was kept perfectly concealed!


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Friday, 27 February 2015

Pretty In Pink





Top - Topshop / Skirt - Fashion Union* / Shoes - Garage Shoes
Bag - Whistles / Necklace - Mikey* / Watch - Shore Projects*

Being somewhat challenged in the neck department I used to always avoid buying high-neck tops. I'm really struggling to find clothes that I like at the minute because everything seems to have a turtleneck. Even worse, most of these high-neck tops are cropped as well. Whilst I do like 90s fashion some of it is just so ugly & unflattering. These ribbed funnel neck tops from Topshop are my current fave as they're still on trend but they aren't cropped & the neckline is just right for me. I have them in a few colours but I wear the black one the most. I'm kinda tired of wearing dull Wintery colours so today I paired it with lots of pink things. I adore this bubblegum pink skirt from Fashion Union. It's a bit of a nightmare to iron & creases up again as soon as I sit down but it's such a pretty colour! I really like how the high shine material looks too. Not totally sure if A-line skirts suit my figure but I'm stuck in a bit of a fashion rut & fancied trying something new.

I'm also loving this gorgeous pink necklace from Mikey at House Of Fraser. Although House Of Fraser are generally considered to be a high-end department store they also sell a wide range of more affordable brands. They have so many beautiful pieces of jewellery available. I chose this one because I really liked the combo of pink & clear gems with a gold rope chain. It's so lovely & goes with loads of outfits. I've gone a bit shoe crazy lately & seem to have bought rather a lot of new ones! I'm so glad that chunky heels are everywhere right now because they're so comfy to wear but still give me some much needed height. I've always wanted a pair of tassel loafers but I'd never been able to find any that I liked until now. These ones are from Garage Shoes & they are perfection!


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Monday, 17 November 2014

Age Of Innocence







Shirt - Urban Outfitters / Dress - The Whitepepper / Shoes - Topshop
Necklace - Urban Outfitters / Nail Ring - Choies* / Watch - Michael Kors

A couple of weeks ago I went to my niece's christening and this is what I wore. I never normally go to church so I had no idea what to wear but I figured everyone else would be dressing up. It was the ideal occasion to debut one of my latest purchases from The Whitepepper. I had my eye on this dress for ages and then it went down to £25 in a flash sale so I snapped it up immediately. It's very oversized so I ended up with size XS which fits me perfectly. I really love the frilly armholes & I think it looks great with a white shirt underneath. I feel like a Victorian child in this outfit or like I work at a Japanese maid cafe, if only! I adore this little black cat nail ring I got from Choies too, so cute!


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Friday, 29 August 2014

Shake It Off




Blouse - Urban Outfitters / Shorts - American Apparel / Socks - Topshop / Shoes - JuJu Jellies / Necklace - Urban Outfitters / Watch - Michael Kors / Bracelet - Alexander McQueen* / Backpack - LYDC*

Anyone else unashamedly obsessed with Taylor Swift's new song? I haven't been able to stop singing it all day long! If only I looked as cute as she does in the video. I wore this outfit yesterday as the weather was finally warm enough for shorts again. I bought these high-waisted ones from American Apparel last month. Their shorts always seem to fit me a lot better than ones from other stores. They're really expensive for what they are but luckily I had a 30% discount code. I also got their watermelon shorts as I just couldn't resist! I paired them with this lovely lace collar blouse from Cooperative at Urban Outfitters. Cooperative are probably my favourite UO exclusive brand, I basically want everything they make! I'm trying to make the most of my JuJu Jellies before I inevitably have to retire them for the coming seasons. It doesn't matter how many Jesus sandals comments I get, I still love how they look with frilly socks.





I think this would be a really sweet back to school look, especially with this amazing Holland Park backpack from LYDC. I've wanted one like this for ages! It reminds me of the ones that Japanese school kids wear, I've always thought they looked much better than the slouchy kind. It's such a great size, I've been using mine to carry about all my camera equipment. Everything fits in there easily & feels very secure. I'm also absolutely loving this gorgeous Alexander McQueen leather wrap bracelet from Harvey Nichols. I can't get enough of gold hardware & this is such a cool piece of jewellery. It encompasses McQueen's rebellious attitude & adds a tough-luxe accent to my outfit. I normally go for black & gold together so the white leather makes a nice change for me.


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Saturday, 17 May 2014

The Throwback Dress




We all have those clothes in our wardrobes that we just can't seem to get rid of. I have a hard time letting go of old clothes even if they don't fit me anymore. New Look are currently running a 'throwback dress' campaign to celebrate those wardrobe favourites you've been hoarding for years. My throwback dress has to be this pansy print tea dress from Topshop. It was from Kate Moss' first ever collection for Topshop back in May 2007. I remember staying up all night for a college deadline & I'd just finished my work as the collection launched online. I treated myself to this dress and the rest is history. I love the floral pattern & the shape is so incredibly flattering. It's actually a couple of sizes too big for me but for some reason it looks fantastic no matter how much weight I gain or lose. I've worn this countless times for evenings out but whenever the sun starts to shine it's one of those dresses I always reach for. It's still going strong after seven whole years so it was well worth the £45.



The lovely people at New Look offered me the chance to choose a 'future throwback dress' from New Look's range of dresses. As I love the style of my Kate Moss x Topshop dress I decided to go for this red floral tea dress. If something looks flattering on my figure I'm much more likely to keep it around for a long time. The colour & pattern are absolutely stunning. I don't wear a lot of red but I think that this bright tomato shade looks really nice on me - if I do say so myself! I wore it out yesterday and I got so many compliments on it. I love the little bow detailing on the shoulders and the overall quality is brilliant. It's the perfect little dress for the Summer. I simply adore it & I'm sure it'll be sticking around in my wardrobe for as long as my Kate Moss dress has! What's your throwback dress?


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