The Life Story of the Suit

Before Christmas I purchased this suit from the charity shop. I'm sure to some the idea of wearing a second hand suit seems strange, but I love that I'm giving these pieces a new lease of life. It's a men's suit, but even though it fits like a glove. The jacket is a little oversized but that's just what I wanted and the trousers are high on the waist and finish just above the ankle, another perfect styling detail.
Buying this suit from the charity shop made me think about the life of this suit. Who has worn this suit? And where? Maybe to a wedding or job interview. I love knowing my suit has travelled and possibly made one individual a proud owner. On the other hand though maybe it was just a suit that sat in someones wardrobe for many years going unused. Who knows? Since I've owned it I've thoroughly enjoyed giving it a new lease of life by styling it in different ways. Wearing the trousers under floral tunic dresses with white pumps, with block heels and a shirt and here the full two piece with a raglan top, gold heels and bright pink earrings.
We are often too quick to buy new clothes when sometimes there are perfectly good second hand options available to us. Plus it's better for the environment and money is also going to a great cause. Dont' get me wrong some charity shops don't have the greatest sartorial offerings and you have to be ready to rummage. Sites like Depop and eBay are also worth scrolling through for reasonable priced high-street pieces. I've also recently discovered the Vestiarie Collective which sells amazing  vintage designers pieces - from Chanel bags to jimmy choos.

I am wearing a charity shop suit, Topshop top, Asos shoes and vintage earrings.

Winter Bulking (with added knitwear)

Topshop Boots here and Jeans, H&M Jumper similar here and Matalan Slip

If your from anywhere in the north of England you will know that winter has come a little early this year. On Wednesday morning we awoke to snow, yes snow in November!! Not that I'm complaining I personally LOVE this colder weather. It means I can winter bulk and I don't mean with food. It's finally time for all the layers which means throwing on my favourite jumper, or all five of them (it's been freezing). There's just something about throwing on a woolly jumper that feels so comforting - which is probably why I own so many on them. White, Cream, Navy, Grey, Pink plus many more of this winter sartorial continue to take over my closet, so I'm very happy sweater season is upon us. 

Do my shoulders look broad in this?

Topshop Dress (here) and Shoes (similar here)

It's taken me 29 years to learn how to dress for my size and shape - yes nearly 3 decades! Over that 29 years my size has changed but I'm sure if you're a female over the age of 25 you will know that  entering your early twenties causes weight to creep on easier and becomes much harder to shift. 

Although I have gained a few pounds, I don't think that my body shape has changed that much - I'm rather big boned and maybe somewhat broad and it's only really dawned on me in the last few months what actually flatters my figure and shape. I've noticed that broad shoulders and bigger boobs require much more thoughtful dressing.

I love fashion and clothing but I've come to understand that not all pieces suit my figure. I own so many oversized clothes that I love, but I've recently noticed they make me look broad. 

It took a striped long sleeve T-shirt (that I have been wearing regularly for months) to make me realize that oversized sartorial doesn't always suit me.  

So I've now got a new fashion rule which is working so far and that's buying tops, dresses and jackets that cut at the shoulder. At last I've found the cure to a top heavy body! and what's even better is this actually gives me a much more slimline look. 

This is such a simple idea which has affected the way I've been buying clothes over the last few months. However, the high-street has left me with little choice when it comes to garments that cut at the shoulder. Due to this not being something I've ever thought about I've never noticed how many items are oversized and cut off the shoulder. So far I've purchased this amazing leopard print dress (and a denim jacket and black ruffled top) - please note this is the first ever piece of leopard print I've ever owned and leopard is now my new floral.

With such little offerings on the high-street I'm wondering if I'm the only broad shouldered gal on this planet?!

You can wear ruffles without looking like a flamenco dancer.

top (here) | Zara. jeans (here) and scarf | Topshop

Ruffles are everywhere this fast approaching SS16 season. Way back in September when the spring/summer shows took place the likes of Mary Katrantzou (a long term favourite of mine), Marques Almeida and Roberto Cavalli all created amazing pieces with ruffles at the heart of their collections. Fast forward a few months and ruffles are all over the high street, letting us all show our love for the trend no matter what our budget.  Back to the catwalk though - because let's face it the originals always do it the best! Marquez Amelda went for dramatic, shredded ruffles while Mary Katrantzou went for a more laid back minimal look with structured layers. 

And here is my (off the catwalk/ on the street) version, not looking too much like a flamenco dancer because come on that's what we imagine when we think Ruffles, either that or 1980's wedding dresses!

The jamie jean

Jeans | Topshop. Coat | ASOS. Trainers | Nike. Hoodie | Razors (Boyfriends)
Ask any man or women and I'm sure they will say jean shopping is probably the hardest shopping task (besides bra shopping - that's just a whole other ball game.) Whether you're tall, average or petite sized, there's something incredibly difficult about finding the right pair. Sometimes you can search the high street for hours and not find a jean that suits your height, shape and size. Come on retailers, its 2016 - Is it really that difficult to create that perfect pair of jeans that fit? Unfortunately it is and I'd say I currently only own one pair of jeans that fit, don't fall down when I walk and are not too short. Behold, the Black Jamie Jean from Topshop - (featured above.) These came to me on an after work shopping trip when I'd tried on everything in the shop and felt totally deflated and shit (we all have those shopping days). I thought they called it retail therapy- sometimes I leave needing therapy (slightly dramatic) or at least a glass of wine. But once you finally find a great pair of fitting jeans the fun really does begin, so far I've teamed these with heels and a blouse for dancing, trainers and hoodies for casual/lazy/hangover days and with anything else that creates that in-between look. I often wonder if I should have bought two pairs but then the high street has far too many other goodies to enjoy, don't you think?

Five t-shirts and three dresses later

Dress, Coat and Boots | Topshop

It was only yesterday when my sister proceeded to ask me if I have bought anything new that I realised in the last two weeks I added two new striped pieces to my wardrobe. One being this striped dress that has me slightly resembling the Hamburgular from 1990s McDonald's ads and the other being a frilled number from Zara, which I'm sure will be making an appearance on the blog in the near future. 

This Friday in the office was named French Friday. We donned stripes and berets and enjoyed cossaints, jam and Brie. I instantly knew dressing for these newly named Fridays would be easy (last Friday was pleather Friday) due to the amount of striped t-shirts I own (5 to be precise and this doesn't include the 3 dresses hanging in my closet) 

There's just something that draws me to stripes. Most of my wardrobe is devoid of any other prints - I prefer plains. I'm guessing stripes just add a side to my plainer pieces, kinda like adding garlic bread to pasta (yes I'm all about the carbs - in moderation of course.)

Knitwear and Loafers

Jumper and Shoes | Topshop. Jeans (old) | New Look. 

I've been pretty much living in this ensemble at the moment, winter has finally set in here up north (we were even greeted with snow this morning) and its all about Layers. 

Minus the ripped jeans this outfit keeps me pretty toasty and as for flats they have become a season must have and provide much more comfort than my favourite heels. However that has taken time - don't you just love how new shoes put your feet through hell. As for the jumper - which I'm sure will be making many more blog posts appearances, is just delightful for those not sure what to wear days. Not that you can tell in these photo's but it's in my favourite colour of the moment - NAVY BLUE. 

Are Navy, Green and Oxblood the only colours we need for autumn?

Jumper (here) and Boots (here) | Topshop. Skirt (here) | Zara 

Are navy blue, bottle green and oxblood red the only autumnal colours we need this season? 

Autumn has arrived and we have finally said goodbye to our summer wardrobes and pulled out our autumn favourites. Whatever colours they may be, a flick through this mornings Sunday Times Style and a trawl around the high street yesterday show these three colours are going to get your style on point for Autumn Winter 2015.  

No matter what your style is, darker colours and a multitude of textures are something we turn to when the days grow shorter, nights turn longer and the weather feels colder. 

Yesterdays jaunt showed the great British high street has endless offerings this season - see robe style, floor length wool coats at Topshop and Primark. Leather, suede and denim skirts at New look and H&M and bohemian floral printed dresses at Zara. 

For on trend and on price stylish pieces hit Primark and Dorothy Perkins. 

Happy Autumn Folks

It's all about street style

 

Fashion month is officially over so I figured what better way to celebrate then taking a look back at what the fashion glitterati wore to the shows.

An eclectic mix of style could only be found in London.

Getting creative, or at least trying

Shirt | Urban Outfitters (boyfriends). Jeans (here), Shoes (similar here) & Bag (similar here) | Topshop 

I say getting creative what I mean is putting on a shirt backwards, but hey I'm always trying to differentiate the way I style up my/the boyfriends wardrobe staples. This is definitely different but I have to say I love it!

This weekend I also tried this look with a cotton striped shirt and skinny jeans which probably worked better due to the softer fabric but I just love a denim on denim ensemble. The look is finished off with these beautiful Topshop snake print platforms that give it that added (hot trend of the season) 70's vibe. 

The shirt dress

Dress (here) and Sandals (here) | Topshop

First of all I must appologise for my lack of posts recently (and lack of tan in the above photo's), I say recently its been over a month!! I think a full time job (placement), the gym and having my own place has literally taken over my life. But tho shalt promise from today to blog more often. I have all the content or at least post title's wrote down in my little note book, but don't seem to get the chance to actually finish them. 

Anyway back to today's agenda - THE SHIRT DRESS!! 

Since purchasing this somewhat brightly coloured shirt dress a few weeks ago I haven't been able to remove it from my body. There's something about a one piece that makes life feel much more easier. 

No mess, no fuss dressing is officially my new fashion moto! Or at least till I get my life in order! 

The midriff saga

Shirt | Zara. Culottes | Primark. Sandals | Topshop. 

Yes its finally summer so time to bear the midriff, right? 

This is possibly the first time I'm trying this - both on the blog and in real life. But I have to say I'm loving it - but only with high waisted trousers, I'm still working on those rock solid abs (Yeah sure!)

After reading a variety of fashion fulled websites on how to bear the midriff  -  I decided to ignore them all and opted for that 'Baby' from dirty dancing look. 

Next up culottes or cropped flares, whatever you want to call them I can't stop wearing this navy blue pair. Comfy and flattering what else can a girl ask for in a pair of trousers!

Seeing BLUE

Top | Topshop. Jeans | H&M. Shoes | Topshop Unique. 

I've been searching for the perfect denim top for some while however after finding it I didn't think of the reaction I would get from my boyfriend. We literally laughed our way around the super market aisle - apparently I resemble Robinson Crusoe. I'm guessing that has something to do with the frayed denim which I happen to love.

That's what I love about fashion though, it's a way to express yourself creatively and who cares if it's not to everyone's taste - it's about being you. *cringe inspirational rant over

This post has also alerted me to how much blue I own, I never knew it was my favourite colour!