Threw caution to the wind, but I've got a lousy arm

I really need a fringe trim! 

Morning guys!

Who's looking forward to the weekend? Have you got anything exciting planned?

I was back at my Sister's for a couple more days this week. I only returned home on Sunday after ten days at hers, but she had a couple of days off again so we took the opportunity to escape and spent a day and a half vegged out in her living room watching movies and some good ol' Vicar of Dibley. The perfect way to spend a lazy couple of days.

Somehow I managed to pack light for the first time in my life, and this is what I wore yesterday for travelling home. A simple black and blue outfit, with a reappearance from my AX Paris polka dot dress- it's becoming one of my favourite dresses to wear again. I wore it with comfortable black leggings, and a three quarter length sleeve black cardigan with a scalloped neckline. I accessorised with the only two accessories I bothered to pack- my new collar necklace (which you've seen a couple of times recently), and my beautiful black Guess bag.

I bought the Guess bag in New York in 2011. I don't normally find myself drawn to black handbags; most I've laid eyes on have looked cheap, tacky, and well, a bit boring to me. I like my colour too much! Though when I saw this one in Guess' Soho branch, I couldn't get it to the till quick enough.

It's a large shoulder bag, with so much room, and the prettiest paisley patterned lining. The fabric on the outside is ruched, and the quality of it is just fantastic; hopefully it'll be with me for a very long time. It's one of those bags that goes with just about everything, and makes an especially good day bag. It was worth the investment.

Outfit Details

Dress- AX Paris // Leggings- New Look // Cardigan- Dorothy Perkins // Collar- Evans //
// Bag- Guess //

Unfortunately my two big toes have become so painful now that I can only wear flip flops, so everything has to be worn with a pair of havaianas... not so fun in Winter! And not so stylish with pretty dresses when the pairs I own are bright pink, yellow, and turquoise! I wore the turquoise with this outfit.

Thankfully, after six months with two unhappy red raw toes, I've finally got a little surgical appointment with a podiatrist arranged for a few week's time. I'm nervous, but mostly looking forward to being able to wear pretty shoes again!

I have a feeling I may have to celebrate that day's arrival with the adoption of a couple of pairs of shoe babies. Well, it would be rude not to!

I hope you all have a brilliant weekend.

Thanks for reading,

Broken down on memory lane

When the sun puts in an appearance and graces us with a beautiful warm sunny day, I always have the urge to dig out some uptempo music, and blast it out. I usually find myself gravitating back to two of my favourite bands: Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco; two awesome bands whose combined hundred or so songs are so catchy and cheerful, and never fail to put me in a content, nostalgic, and happy mood. I associate their songs with summer, and can connect them to so many fond memories.

 I've been listening to their songs a lot over the last couple of days as the sunshine and some warmth has started to trickle back ever so faintly in to English weather. Yesterday was a flawlessly sunny day, one warm enough to dawdle around the outlet village without a jacket, and even with a little arm exposed. feeling comfortably heated instead of fearing frostbite. It was lovely. It's feels like a life time since our last hot summer's day, and I'm excited for Spring. I can't wait for longer days, warmth, and delicate pastel shades making their way back in to our wardrobes. I can't wait for the opportunity to wear maxi dresses and sandals, cropped cardigans, and the excuse to listen to all my favourite summery songs. Winter lost it's sparkle months ago.

So, this meandering in the sunshine warranted an outfit post! The quality of the photos is atrocious, for which I'm sorry, but I hope you won't mind too much...

My outfit was nothing special, just made up of old pieces from my wardrobe. The purple jersey midi dress was a Dorothy Perkins purchase from about a year ago. I don't own many plain coloured dresses, but I was drawn to the vibrant purple of this one, and it's a great wardrobe staple to dress up. I originally started wearing it with tights, which are more flattering on the legs with midi lengths as the elongate them, but the tights were putting pressure on my bad toes, so I switched to leggings. Not great, but couldn't be helped. I wore the dress with my old faithful green striped v-neck cardigan with three quarter length sleeves. The cardi came from Next several years ago. I like the way the stripes on the sleeves become gradually narrower from shoulder to forearm, which give the illusion of slimmer, tapered arms. It's also really soft, and comfortable, and I also own it in red and grey. I accessorised with my new collar necklace, and a green skinny keeper belt.

It's been a while since I've worn the dress and the cardigan, together or separately, so I really enjoyed wearing this outfit out in the sunshine.

Outfit Details

Dress- Dorothy Perkins // Cardigan- Next // Leggings- Evans // Collar- Evans // Belt- Dorothy Perkins

I'm staying with my sister again for the week, and she's determined to drag me out for walks every day regardless of my pain levels, so hopefully I may manage a couple more outfit posts this week... Stranger things have happened! Don't hold your breath, though, I am struggling to move at the minute!

I hope you're all having a brilliant start to the week.

Thanks for reading,

Dorothy Perkins Star Sequined Collar

Just after Christmas, I was spending a few days with my sister down South, when we quickly popped in to town to run a few errands. Whilst in Dorothy Perkins paying a balance off my store card, I found two star sequined collars in their January sales. They were the classic shirt collar shape, of the softest fabric, covered in star sequins and tied at the neck with ribbon.

Exactly what I'd been looking for. They were so beautiful, and made my heart squeal. I had been searching for gorgeous collars which could fit around my neck, and liven up some old outfits.

Well, the collars were just £5 each instead of their original price of about £15 or so each. I forget their original price. My sister just so happened to owe me a tenner, so I quickly sent her to the till to buy me the two collars instead of returning the money to my pocket.

The edges are lined with tiny little beads, and the stars are not only sewn on securely, but embellished with tiny beads, too.

I bought the collars in this beautiful taupe colour, and also one in black. Although I've misplaced the black collar (which is why there is a lack of photos of it). I'm not sure if I've lost it at home, or have actually lost it for good, as I can't seem to find it anywhere. I can't for the life or me remember if I took it to my sister's or stowed it safely away at home with all the travelling I've done back and forth between our homes recently. I'm a little bummed as I have so many outfit ideas for the black version!

I'm tempted to pop in to Dorothy Perkins to see if I can find another.

The collars are no longer available online, but I'd recommend keeping your eyes open for them in your local stores if collars are your thing, as they really are stunning.

Do you like the collar trend? Do you own many?

Thanks for reading,

Rainbow Bright

I've never been much of a fan of disposable fashion. Most of the clothes and accessories I've bought over the years have at least been purchased with hopeful intentions for numerous adventures together. Yes, not everything makes it past the first wear, but I like to think when I part with money for something I love that I'll be wearing it time and time again.

I do wear my clothes and accessories more than once, and I'm not afraid to admit that. I know a lot of people, bloggers and non-bloggers alike, feel the pressure to never be seen in the same clothes twice and only to be snapped in brand new outfits, but that's not me. I simply don't have the finances to afford that way of living, and to be honest, I'm far too attached to my wardrobe to ever dream of retiring most of it after just one wear.

I'm wearing two of my favourite pieces in today's outfit post. A cobalt blue cardigan and a polka dot asymmetric dress. I wasn't going to share this outfit as all of my photos came out really grainy, but in the end I just thought 'sod it' and here we are.

I spent a couple of days at my sister's last week, and this is the outfit I wore for our drive back home. Yes, I even wear pretty dresses when I'm travelling. I love wearing bright pops of colour with black, and here I was channelling cobalt blue, apple green, and polka dots.

The dress is a floaty asymmetric number which I bought in Matalan last Autumn. It's quite loosely fitted on me so it's comfortable to wear, and has a great hi lo hem skirt which is longer at the back than it appears here. I don't own many black clothes, but I adore this dress and love wearing it.

I've worn the cobalt blue cardigan numerous times over the last six months because not only am I smitten with the great colour, but it's so soft, and works with a lot of my wardrobe. I only wish I'd bought one or two more for back ups!

As I was wearing a blue cardigan and blue pumps, I decided to balance the colour scheme with two green pieces.

I bought this beautiful green satchel from River Island about a year and a half ago and had only used it once before, so it was time I took it out of storage and gave it a bit of attention. I purchased it for the bold green colour, but it's a great versatile satchel and day bag.

The belt is a double keeper belt from Dorothy Perkins which I bought early last year. I have several of these belts in various colours which work perfectly over dresses.

You can't see it in very well in the photos because my hair is in the way, but I was wearing this collar. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago from Evans' sale and it was a real bargain.

I was also wearing these little rainbow Accessorize studs, which have been so difficult to photograph well, but they really are a cute little addition to my jewellery collection.

Outfit Details

Dress- Matalan // Cardigan- Matalan // Tights- Evans // Satchel- River Island // Collar- Evans //
 Belt- Dorothy Perkins // Earrings- Accessorize //

Do you wear the things in your wardrobe time and time again, or do you prefer to wear things just once?

Thanks for reading,

P.S. I'm working on changing the fonts in my blog's design, so I apologize for the mis-matched appearance whilst I update the layout.

A Little Bit of Bargain Shopping

A couple of days ago, I shared my Accessorize haul with you. Well, whilst I was in town we also had a quick browse in Evans.

Now I don't often shop with Evans. The local stores to me are usually filled with boring basics in neutral colours, jeans, and very little else. Apparently their market locally is the older lady. I know they do sell some really beautiful clothes from time to time, but as the leading British plus size brand, I just find them a little uninspiring. They have so much potential, but they seem to play it really safe.

Although, that's not to say I don't find some really lovely pieces from them. I usually go in for tights, leggings, and shoes. On the weekend, I came home with a few accessories...

Would you like to see what I bought?

Everything I purchased was on sale. I bought a pair of coloured tights, a bracelet, and two collars and only spent a tenner! 

First up is the gunmetal grey beaded collar which has been made from lots of tiny grey beads woven together. I don't know if this would have been made by man or machine, but there is so much detail and precision to it. It's quite a heavy collar, which seems to help it stay in place when worn. For those wondering about sizing, it fits comfortably around my neck, although I use the extender chain for added comfort. It was originally either £16.50 or £15.00 (I'm not sure which as I cut the tags off both collars without making a note), but it was on sale for the brilliant price of just £3!

The other collar I bought was this peter pan collar covered in beads and pearls. It's lined on the back, and has a generous length of ribbon on either side to tie around the neck, so I'd imagine it would fit almost anyone. This collar is much lighter than the other, and looks lovely layered over dresses and cardigans. Again, it was either £16.50 or £15.00, but on sale for only £3!

I then found this beaded bracelet to add to my purchases. I thought it was quite cute and different to anything I already owned. The bracelet can be pulled gently wider to slip it over the hand and on to the wrist, and it fastens by magnetic beads which line the cuffs. This bracelet was originally £8.50 and was marked down to £2. When I got to the till, however, it was only £1! Now that's what I call a bargain!

And finally, I picked up a pair of the 70 denier berry coloured tights. I've been wearing their coloured tights for over a year now and they're fantastic. The quality is brilliant, they actually stay in place, and they colours are lovely, too. I find a size 2 a perfect fit; size 1 are far too short for my 5'6'' height. They only seem to sell coloured tights in A/W, so their berry ones were on sale half price for just £3.

So, overall I only parted with £10, and I'm really pleased with my purchases. None of these items appear to be online any more, but it's worth going in to your local store to see if you can get your hands on them.

Which one is your favourite?

Have you picked up any bargains recently?

Black and blue and a little bit dotty

I've been a Dorothy Perkins shopper since my mid-teens, and it's no secret that I have a soft spot for their dresses. Over the last year or so in particular, they've stocked some truly beautiful numbers in fabulous prints, with peter pan collars, fitted waists, and lovely billowing skirts. As a fan of fashion from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, such dresses always appeal to me, particularly if it has a quirky print and a circle skirt.

 There have been plenty of knee length and midi length dresses in their collections, too, which I love as I'm not comfortable exposing much thigh to the world. It used to be so difficult to find great dresses that fell past the upper thigh, but over the last couple of seasons that seems to have changed, and I've snapped up so many gorgeous frocks from Dotty P's this year I could open my own dress shop.

I bought the polka dot number I'm wearing in these photos right back at the beginning of the year, but prior to Sunday, I'd only worn it once.

I had seen this dress advertised in Company High Street Edit in other colours a month or so before they went on sale, and I was excited because I thought it would live up to my favourite black polka dot shirt dress. Although the dress is pretty and a lovely shape, it's made from thin slippery polyester which gets so static, and the fitted waist is a little uncomfortable as it's far lower down the torso than it should be. I still love it, but it wasn't quite what I hoped.

So, on Sunday afternoon, I picked it out of the depths of my wardrobe and decided to pretend I was a civilised human being and got dressed up. I wanted to see how the bow collar looked with the dress. I still need to buy some black ribbon to extend it to fit properly, but I really like how it looks with this dress, and how it completely transforms it. I feel it gives an elegant touch to an otherwise simple outfit, and would be perfect for an event. I felt so lady-like in this outfit. Since the collar is so formal, I accessorised it with a lace and pearl corsage bracelet; it contrasts with the masculinity of the collar. Once again I popped the studded tartan flatforms on my feet. I've barely taken them off my feet since I bought them.

Dress: Dorothy Perkins
Cardigan: New Look
Shoes: River Island (via ASOS)
Bracelet: Dorothy Perkins
Collar: ASOS

I'd just dyed my hair with the new Schwarzkopf pillar box red semi-permanent hair dye before taking these photos, and since it was pitch black I was trying to see via the camera if it had made my hair colour any brighter. The findings were inconclusive and I had to wait until morning. I can't actually see much of a difference in the colour; it's only ever so slightly redder.  I'll be sticking to my usual colour, I think.

 I'm also in desperate need of a fringe trim.

I did, however, discover that my camera's timer works on the 'indoor' setting, and it seems to create half decent images, so I may be able to do some outfit posts on those days I wake too late but have enough strength to get dressed. Just don't hold your breath!

Do you love Dorothy Perkins dresses as much as I do?

ASOS/Topshop haul

It feels like Christmas has come early this year, as not only did I indulge myself yesterday on shoes and nail polishes, but today my ASOS and Topshop parcels arrived.

I still get excited when parcels come through the door; even though they're usually paid for by my own money, like today's little haul. There's nothing like diving in to a parcel, tearing open layers of plastic and tissue paper to uncover the wonders within. Sometimes the purchases are perfect, sometimes they're a disaster... the suspense from the moment I buy something to the moment it's delivered is always a killer.

On Friday I bought a few things I'd been admiring for some time through ASOS, and treated myself to a new snood from Topshop, too, after finally coming in to a little bit of money.

 

 

1. Topshop Polka Dot Snood (teal) £18.00

2. River Island (via ASOS) tartan flatforms £25.00

3. ASOS textured bow collar £10.00

4. ASOS Curve knit dress with zip back £35.00 £19.00

5. Models Own WAH nail art pen in white £6.00

You'll probably remember that I was desperate to get my hands on the collar, shoes, and dress... I did mention them a fair few times in previous posts out of adoration.

 





So many beautiful pops of colour in one haul. I love these Autumn hues.





 

 

Fanfare, please! I FINALLY own the tartan studded River Island flatforms I've been obsessing over for the last couple of months! In fact, I'd say obsessing is an under statement. I've not been able to get these shoes out of my head and knew I had to own them by any means. And thankfully after all that devotion, I wasn't disappointed. They're gorgeous!

 

The tartan is bright and quilted, with ball studs capping the toes, and the flatforms have about an inch wedge at the heel. I bought a size 7, and thankfully they're the perfect fit and wide enough to fit my wide feet- although I'll need to stretch out the toes a little. I have to keep them whether I wanted to or not as a cut on my big toe opened up when I was trying them on, and let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight. They're also insanely comfortable, so I'm pleased I ordered them. I love them! They're great for just £25.00. (The heels aren't grey or scruffy like they look in these photos btw).

 

 

Next up is the mustard knit dress from ASOS. I was desperate to buy this knit dress in burgundy for the cold Winter months, but this one was on sale (for £19.00), so I thought I'd try this shade first. I didn't actually own any mustard clothes before, but I do like the shade for Autumn.

 

The first thing my younger sister said (before I tried it on) was 'it looks like it belongs to Maria Von Trapp.' It's much longer than it looks on the model, which makes me think the models are either giants,or the sample piece was a foot or two shorter than those made for sale. It comes to a few inches below my knee (I'm about 5'6''), which doesn't look too bad and would be great for cold days, but I'm not sure whether to have it shortened so it doesn't look frumpy. It fit wells in the arms and on top (I love the v-neck), but below the waist it's very generous and has a lot of fabric. I bought the smallest size in the range, but I would have found room to spare in a size or even two smaller if they started at smaller sizes. The dress is a very warm but thin knit which I love because I get over heated so easily, but it is a little see through in places so a light, unpatterned bra would be best with it.

 

I'll bring it to an OOTD soon so I can see what you think.

 

 

I'd be searching for a cute new snood for a while, and eventually chose this burgundy polka dot Topshop one. Well, you know me and polka dots... The snood is even nicer than I'd anticipated. On the website the colour looked like a very dark brownish- burgundy red, but in reality it's a much lovelier deep purple-burgundy with teal spots. The fabric is super soft, and long enough to wrap around twice without feeling too bulky. It was just £18.00, and although this colour is now sold out online, the teal version is still available. See the links at the top of this post.

 

 

Another piece I'd longed for for months was this textured bow collar from ASOS, which was £10.00. It's gorgeous, but sadly a bit too snug around my neck, which I'm a bit gutted about. I can't decide whether to return it, or whether to try to modify it and extend it with some black ribbon or elastic.

 



 

My last purchase was a white Models Own nail art pen, which I got through ASOS for just £6.00. These nail art pens are fantastic; they have a thin nail brush for painting lines and other designs, and a pen in the lid for polka dots and to do other intricate designs. I've already used it to polka dot my nails, and it was so simple to use but effective! I'll hopefully post a photo of my nails tomorrow.

 

Mostly I'm thrilled with my new purchases (collar aside), but I'll be taking it easy with personal treats for a little while and start Christmas shopping instead.

 

Which piece is your favourite?