Winter whites

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A very cosy Sunday attire for the start of some festivities, wearing winter whites (actually both garments are cream but we can pretend). The Christmas tree was bought and decorated in our usual mismatched fashion, with a ton of Christmas songs on full volume, competing with the rowdy bickering of four siblings; not evening a Christmas tree will prevent arguments. I felt very snuggly thanks to this lovely All Saints knit, a perfect addition to my wardrobe (which is quite limited in the knitwear department) and so this one is definitely a perfect addition and will be great for layering this season. I was kindly invited to the All Saints December look book event on Tuesday evening which was lots of fun and I got to try on lots of lovely pieces from the new collection – the ‘Rox blazer’ being a particular favourite. The sleek black silhouettes and intricate beaded dresses were definitely getting me excited for the Christmas party season, but for now it’s Nikes and knits only.

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ALL SAINTS jumper
TOPSHOP jumpsuit (similar)
MALENE BIRGER Jacket (from this really unknown little shop called my mum’s wardrobe)
NIKE air max Thea

Black and blue

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BACKROOM jacket
UNIQLO jumper
H&M trousers (similar)
ASOS shoes (similar)

A very navy and black themed outfit today, styling this great sleeveless jacket from lovely people at Backroom. Certain I’d miss coat sleeves, paired with this thick wool Uniqlo turtleneck, I was actually pretty cosy on this chilly last Sunday of November (where has the year gone?!). I love how easy and versatile this sleeveless coat is – which would also be ideal thrown over an easy dress for an evening out, or paired with some skinny jeans and a pair of chunky boots for an very effortless look. I don’t know if I went a teeny bit overboard with the co-ordination but I liked the matching of the jacket’s navy panels and the trousers, and of course, went for a faux pony skin bag and pointy loafer combo too. My love for pointy shoes is continuously growing and I was super excited waiting for these beauties to arrive – probably the last purchase I’ll be making on myself for the rest of the year as Christmas shopping and saving for next summer is key right now. Attempting to fight the urge to make a purchase with Asos’ 20% off promotion…who’s with me?

 

Hold on to your hats

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MANGO coat, H&M hat, jeans and necklace, TOPSHOP boots, WHISTLES bag

I’ve never been much of a hat person, I just don’t seem to have the right face shape – I’d like to thank the chipmunk cheeks I was blessed with as a baby that have not seemed to disappear with age. Nevertheless, I was very much drawn to this wool hat in H&M and was pleasantly surprised with the fit (and the price tag). I quite like the very interesting, structured style of the hat’s crown and how it differs from the typical fedora styles. When trying to shoot this outfit, however, the forceful winds today seemed to be attempting to blow it off my head. A sign that hats are definitely not for me? Perhaps so, but a gal can experiment.

On the topic of unexpected buys, I picked up this Whistles clutch in the sale for a ridiculous £25 (!!!) thank you sale prices plus ELLE’s £20 off voucher the other week. Pink’s not a colour I would have ordinarily opted for – black or white would of course be my go-to colour – however, this shade of pink is so gorgeous I couldn’t resist. I have become partial to carry clutch bags recently rather than an actual handbag when I don’t have to; phone, keys, cherry Carmex, money – done. I think I’m so sick of being a crazy bag lady at school, with my school bags, canvas tote for sketchbooks, as well as various other carrier bags, that I try and stick to an easy clutch on weekends.

 

Back to black

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ASOS jacket, NEW LOOK TALL culottes, MANGO jumper, TOPSHOP boots, HM bag

Do you know what sucks? Plans. I had intended to use this half term to get my arse in gear, as I’m sure every student says at the start of each break. I’ll catch up on coursework, I’ll complete a whole load of blogposts, I’ll sort out my UCAS, I’ll go into London then, then and then, etc etc. And were half as much of the thing I wanted to do achieved? Nope. I’m definitely a list-making kind of person, so when writing my to-do’s on my beloved Garance Doré pad, I perhaps get a bit carried away with planning all the one-hundred-and-one things I need to do. So, here I am again, on the day before going back to school, still with needing to start an English essay to hand in tomorrow and an additional ever-growing pile of coursework, with that Sunday feeling creeping up on me. Final year of school and my lesson has still not been learnt.

Moving on, I opted for an almost all black outfit today; styling my black culottes with a leather jacket and leather fringed bag from H&M – which are both equally as enjoyable items to wear as the same time…especially in the breeze…free, floaty and freakin’ fun. You just can’t beat a high-waisted pair of wide-legged trousers to brighten your day.

Hola Coat Season

 

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GAP coat (similar here), MANGO shirt, H&M skirt and necklace, DUNE shoes.

There’s a great feeling you get when wearing a coat with bare legs; it’s like a big coat and sunglasses combo, you just feel good. Unfortunately, this may be the only bare-leg-coat outing I’ll be braving this season as the weather will probably be dropping to -12842°C; this country doesn’t seem to recognise transitional-autumnal weather and just plummets straight into the icy depths of winter. A slight exaggeration perhaps, but the constants rainy, grey, dreary weather is pretty grim.

This camel coat from Gap has returned for another year, being an utter life-saver last winter. It was picked up on a whim in the Gap sale just before Christmas, and was not taken of ever since being excitingly flung out of the box. Unfortunately, living in this coat has taken it’s toll and I’m not sure this jacket will make it through winter ’14/15 too. The buttons just can’t bring themselves to stay attached, even with multiple attempts at re-sewing, and re-sewing, and re-sewing. I don’t know if it’s that my sewing skills aren’t quite up to scratch, but being an A Level textiles student I’d like to think that wasn’t the case. The classic shape and amazing colour of this camel coat will be hard to replace and with that, the boring, yearly winter coat hunt begins. Boring because I can never find the ‘right’ and reasonably priced one, not because of the coats – I love coats.

The boyfriend shirt was another sale purchase, a bargain picked up in Mango. I love the over-sized and thick, soft quality of the cotton, and this style is great for layering in the winter, as well as being teamed with a pair of comfy tailored shorts in the summer, and accessorizing with a good ol’ statement necklace for a feminine touch. This h&m necklace does the trick, but a triplet of dainty necklaces is equally as flattering – basically, I just adore gold necklaces.

Keeping on the topic of wearing items to death, I couldn’t not mention my favourite pair of shoes from Dune. Pointy, monochrome, beautiful – I needn’t say any more – I will be wearing them until the day my pinkies poke through the edge.