29 November 2010

Who says you can't wear summer shoes in winter?

Especially when they have a lovely chunky platform the elevates your feet up out of the snow? Well, they did serve this purpose until the snow got really bad - now they probably won't see the light of day again until spring. However, for dinner out at Seadogs in Edinburgh on Saturday night, they did very well, thanks v much. 

So just what is it that allows you to wear peep toe, sling back shoes in winter without fear of catching your death (though judging by pics in the papers of the middle of Newcastle, some people do not have this fear! I used to live there so I know it's not some unsubstantiated rumour. I've never lived anywhere with so many nearly naked people out in all weather!)? The answer my cyber friends is: SOCKS! You know by now that I am loving a frilly sock of late and my black Urban Outfitters pair made shoes # 41 (Red or Dead from schuh), totally wearable in the slightly arctic conditions.


I actually only picked these shoes up recently. And in the schuh sale for 25 quid too. I'd eyed them suspiciously all summer, torn between their slight resemblance to the clog (I don't do clogs - fashion or no fashion) and the fact that they're a sling back, (don't do them generally either. In fact I reckon this is the only sling back-esque shoe I own) and their thick chunky heel, stompy platform and lush tan leather (love these things), but never made the leap. However, when a shoes gets reduced from £75 to £25, the bargain lover in me starts to get excited. And when it's a shoe I was considering anyway, the combination becomes dynamite, explodes and boom, there I am with new shoes in my hands. I mean, really - where's my self control or sense of decorum? Here I am running off in them before anyone can stop me.


Not really. It was so icy out when I wore them, I mainly just slid along trying to look semi graceful and taking comfort from the fact that all the sliding and tensing was probably doing toning wonder for my ass and thighs.

Here I am getting some kinda Chloe on your ass and embracing camel. Ha! Actually I fancied this ASOS dress in black and white and they didn't have any left so I decided to give the nudey colour a whirl and I actually quite like it. Plus, it was fortuitous that it's really rather nice with the shoes and will be cute with my wear-anywhere schuh brogue boots too. Check me considering the items in my wardrobe for a change instead of just buying that things that catch my fancy and go with nothing. That's a lie actually. I did just get it because I liked it. It just so happens that I have things that will go with it. Eek!

shoes: Red or Dead @ schuh, dress: ASOS, cardi: Topshop, belt: H&M, bow: ???
Anyhoo, I am pleased to report that the dress is very comfy, yay! Plus, I've got right into a cheeky wee Peter Pan collar of late. I don't know what it is about them. And, on account of being out for tea, I decided to fire on a wee bow at the front. I tried pinning it a little higher up so there was no nude dress above it but it looked kind of silly, so I settled for it being down a bit. Lovely jubbly.


It's nearly time for me to go. We had (for the first time in the 7 years I've been there) a snow day today - my place of work is completely cut off from the normal world (hence why I'm able to post pre 5pm on a Monday without setting an auto post!) and we were all told not to come in - dramalicious! Hopefully (yes, I did say that), we'll be back tomorrow. However, tonight I have Lush (PT job) staff training in the form of a pub quiz (fun!) so, on account of the fact that I shall be venturing out into the snow soon, I'm off to consider dinner options. Wish me an upright journey there and back! Whee!

27 November 2010

Crafty!

This year I decided to go less high street and more local, small and crafty for Christmas presents. Twitter and blogs have proved to be a goldmine when it comes to discovering individuals running small craft based stores and I've been getting my own craft mojo on too. I figured I'd share my questionable efforts with y'all as well as giving a cheeky wee plug to a couple of the best shops I've come across.

So, it's my blog - let's start with me. I started with some fancy nail painting last night:


 I am no artist - this will become apparent when you see my Christmas cards - but I was feeling inspired while watching Kirsty's homemade home.

I have a gorgeous H&M maxi dress - it's orange and has peacocks on it. It's lovely for wafting about in, in summer (remember summer?). Or it was until some punk cycled too close to me, making me rub against a fence which snagged then ripped the dress irreparably. I spent the rest of the day having to be on constant guard against accidentally flashing lady garden (well, knickers but still...). Anyway, as I love the dress so much, I decided I'd keep it and do something with it. Here's what I did...

 Et voila! An owl cushion for my friend's house warming present!


And onto the Christmas cards:


 
I was one of those kids who quite enjoyed art but was ultimately sort of shit at it. I haven't got much better but I don't really care. And who doesn't love the personal touch?

So that's about as far as I go craft-wise. When it come to jewellery, I have to rely on others. I mean I could knock out something and have made the odd brooch here and there but I'm not massively skilled when it comes to jewellery. Unlike the lovely Stars n Scars, who I discovered through Twitter.

 
I can't show you what I bought from her as it's for a Christmas present and I don't want to ruin my friend's surprise but look how prettily presented the, er, present is! How lovely. Here's a little selection of some of my favourite pieces from the store:

 
 I believe all the designs are hand drawn/doodled by Vicky, the talent behind Stars n Scars. I also believe she's doing free P&P today so pop on over and have a look! 

Next up is Crown and Glory whose stuff I came across on Magpie Girl's blog. I saw her teapot and cup hair slides and couldn't resist popping over to the shop for a look.

 
 
I love how cute and kitschy they are. Crown and Glory sell all kinds of, mainly hair related, goodness, including clips, slides (some of which double as brooches), fascinators and hairbands. It's not your usual run of the mill fair though and items are adorned with flowers and laser cut felt. Here's a wee look then get yo' ass on over there!
 

Time to head off out for dinner!

25 November 2010

Going for the quadruple!

Do you ever have that thing where you buy a new pair of shoes and you wear them ALL the time? I pretty much don't - almost never. I'm such a shoe hoarder/aficionado that I'm always wearing different ones. Not in a 'ooh, look at all my shoes' kinda way, I just change my mind as to what I'm in the mood for day to day and it seems wasteful not to flex the collexion. Plus, if I'm gonna be on my feet a lot, I'll wear flats but if I have a desk bound day, I'll bung on some mental heels I can barely walk in. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bad shoe mother and I do have my favourites but on the whole, it's a pretty mixed bag for me.

However, last week I got the Bronx Herald Brogue boot from schuh. Shoes # 39. And, man, I can't take them off my feet! Four days in a row I've had them on now. It's partly because I've been driving this week, partly cos I've had a day out of the office (whee! Fun trips!) and partly because I love them! Here they are with some slightly jester-esque socks.


I know they don't necessarily look much but four days in and I haven't had a sore foot and there ain't been a blister in sight, even after nipping down to London and spending the whole day on foot, punctuated by trains (7 of them), planes (2) and automobiles (4). They come with a slightly battered 'faux vintage' look (and a wee disclaimer for the anal explaining that they are supposed to look battered), the leather is deliciously soft and the brogue detailing is classically gorgeous in a mannish way.

boots: Bronx @ schuh, socks: Urban Outfitter
Here's what I wore them with day 1:

coat: eBay, scarf: Accessorize, dress 'n' leggings: Uniqlo
Evidently something on the ceiling's caught my eye.

Then here's me showing those beatches on Top Model how you do a jumping shot. Ahem. I looked so freakin' mental good, I was forced to chop the top half of my head out of the picture so as not to alarm evoke jealously in people. Look at the movement in the cardi though. Lovely!

shirt: H&M, cardi: Topshop
Seriously, my face is so scrunched up you couldn't see my eyes in this pic even if I hadn't chopped my head off. Anyway, what you can't see in the pictures is the very cute necklace I'm wearing that I got for my birthday from my kind friend Lynsey. It's a piece of NYC inspired kitchness from Accessorize. You can get it here, if you so wish.


Now I don't have shots of days 2 and 3 (day 3 I wore the boots with this dress, should you care to imagine the ensemble) but here's day 4 (today) of boot-wearing-gate.

dress: H&M, scarf: Primark


Can you tell I was still shattered from London (I was down there for a work meeting then the schuh press day for s/s '11. It looked fantastic and the girls did an amazing job! And that's not just me being biased on account of knowing them - they truly did a fantastic job) today and flung something on, scraping my hair back and foregoing make up? I promise to try harder tomorrow!

And in aid of looking fresher and more daisy like tomorrow, I'm off for a nice hot bath. Ahhhh...


23 November 2010

Stripey pear.

I came across a new (to me) blog the other day. I'd spent a bit of lunch finding a bunch I hadn't looked at, by way of funny comments and whatnot - I barely have time to keep up with all the ones I follow anyway but that's by the by! The period in between Christmas and New Year is allocated as my organisational time. Until then I promise solemnly to blog and read as much as possible, albeit in a haphazard kinda fashion. Anyway, Alex of Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks talked about the breaking of fashion rules. I firmly agree that, if you like what you're wearing and it makes you feel good, then you should hurl the rule book out of the window. On account of the cold weather, I advise that you open the window, throw the book out and close it again quickly - no smashing. You'll thank me for the tip when you're not boarding up a broken window to keep out the bitter wind. Anyway, here's me well and truly stomping all over the 'don't wear stripes on wide bits' AND 'don't wear short/tight skirts if you have stumpy/chunky legs' rules:

Good lord - I look like I'm ready to go back to sleep. In fairness to me, this is my first EVER morning blog pic. The reason the image is blurry is because my camera was balanced on a towel and I think the floofy edges just busted their way in there. Ah well, as ever, this blog ain't about the photography. The images are just to help better illustrate the pictures the words paint. Anyway, as you can see, the stripes are no enemy of my relatively slim top half. However, my saddle bag region looks huge. And that's always the case, stripes or no stripes because I have ample thighs and a massive ass (you don't get much bum on this blog actually - it's a shame). So why should I not wear stripes if I enjoy them?! And I love this cosy little knitted dress. I'm right into my woolly things just now and this is not only stripey but has silver and gold metallic cuffs neck and hem. Which itch as bad, I'm sure, as any STD going (condoms kids - use 'em. I speak not from experience but from the sensibility angle) but I couldn't care cos it's cute! It's from Primark - I thought I'd let you know in case you've been charmed and would like one.

This outfit also included shoes (well boots) # 38. They're 80's-tastic black suede ankle boots from schuh. They're a good few years old and, fact fans, the only pair of boots I've ever actually had to re-heel because they're so well worn. I think they'll need re-soled this year too.


I love an almond toe and these have the perfect shape for me. They're high enough for a bit of glamour but low enough to get away with walking a bit in and I adore the pirate-esque folded ankle. Battered they might be but seasons worth of wear says they're a keeper!

And finally. Here's the brooch you can just make out in the first pic. He's a couple of stones down now but he's doing alright given that I've had him for ages. He doesn't have a name and, much as I'd love to tell you he's some thrifty or vintage find, I'm afraid he's from Topshop. Ah well, if I hang onto him long enough, he could become the vintage of the future.

22 November 2010

Saved by the hearty socks.

Bit of a public service type announcement for you before this one kicks off - this is not a particularly exciting outfit. There are elements of the enjoyable in there but, overall, it's more of a 'I can't go out naked, pass me the clothes' sort of an ensemble. I'm really selling it aren't I? However, there are shoes involved in the look that haven't been previously documented and, on account of my 'wear all my shoes in a year' challenge, I feel it would be rude not to let these little guys get their 15 seconds of fame...

They're shoe #37 and they're schuh Cherie Ballerina. They're still online (yes, for once I'm not wearing something I got ages ago!) and, I think, a bit of a bargain at £19.99. And while they may not be the most exciting and glamorous shoes ever to have lived, they're shiny and leopardy and have a nice little bow on them. Ordinarily, I am NOT a fan of leopard satin shoes (they're for hookers, innit?) but on a flat shoe it's kinda cute. Plus they didn't take the skin off my ankles/dig into the front of my feet/hurt me in any other way - always a winner.

Anyway, here's the whole shebang:



Top and jeans (I almost never wear jeans now. I used to almost never not wear jeans): New Look
Cardi - either my Topshop or Primark one...
Belt - H&M I think. You can't really see (and I could not get a decent picture) but it's white with tiny gold palm trees on it. I enjoy a good palm tree. Ideally I'd enjoy it from underneath, with a cocktail in my hand. The cocktail will be in a coconut shell. There will be a good looking man fanning me with an enormous leaf. Possibly Fabrizio from the Strokes. Definitely Fabrizio.

Another dodgy picture alert! It's just so you can actually see the cute ruffled front. It's pretty sweet (I like dots and ruffles so combining them is good) and the little buttons are like flowers too - girlie-licious.



Whilst the shoes haven't previously featured on the blog, the socks have. They're fame whores. They're like Jordan without the orange, Peter Andre without Jordan, Kerry Katona without the drugs (or prawn ring) or anyone off the Hills without the inane 'issues'. Only far prettier. They're from ASOS.



Ooh, shiny lining! Let's hope Mr Scribbler doesn't notice that I've been shooting shoes on the bed sheets... 


18 November 2010

I'm goan catch me a bear - aar!!

It's the furry hat and checked shirt, innit. Something about them says that I'm gonna go catch a bear or wrestle a squirrel or something. My friend, after seeing my checked shirt on t'blog before, had a dream that I told her I only bought a checked shirt to try to bag a King of Leon (none in particular, just A King of Leon). Now, to my mind, this seems like a perfectly good reason to buy a checked shirt and I feel that if sales assistants used that line, more checked shirts would be sold the world over. However, I simply bought mine because a) I like it and, b) I'm apparently regressing back to my checked shirt and leggings wearing 14 year old self. These days I wear a dress too though as I no longer have my 14 year old self's thighs. Admittedly they were still on the ample side back then. Anyway, here's the bear catching look in all it's glory:



As you can see, there's also a definite bag lady vibe going down here too (a multi-faceted look, this one. Bag lady, bear hunter and, I'm putting it out there, I reckon I could walk onto your average trailer park and not an eyelid would be batted.). It's because it's been so FREAKIN' cold that I've needed the layerage.

T-shirt and (faux fur) hat: Primark
Denim dress: New Look
Shirt: H&M
Cardi: Toppers or Primark
Leggings: Uniqlo
Shoes: Topshop
Necklace: Lady Luck Rules OK

In the word of Chandler Bing, "Could I be wearing any more clothes?!"




Shoes # 36 are, as above, from Topshop. From about 3 years ago when their shoes suddenly got awesome but before they became almost entirely unaffordable. I feel head over heels (actually, I really have fallen off these shoes too and I did myself a proper ankle mischief. I had to cancel the gym and everyfink. Satan's minions at work.) in love with them on first sight. The grainy cream leather, the chunky wooden heel, the gorgeous frill up the front, the girlie styling. They're just dreamy. Dream-a-licious!

16 November 2010

Take it to the max(i)

Yay! I'm back after my birthday hiatus. And, no, I'm not yet 30.  And I'm not well enough organised to have planned scheduled posts or anything while I was busy so, post last post, time simply ran away ahead of me and I'm just finding the time to blog now. However, I hope you'll agree this one was worth waiting for. Not because I've suddenly started taking amazing quality pictures. Or because this post is gonna be super funny. Or even because I wore the awesome giant leopard print wedges (though I do think you should spare a mo' to revel in their greatness). No, this post was worth the wait because I finally wore the gorgeous electric blue maxi dress I bought months ago from Miss Kitty Litter Vintage (which sadly closed down just after I bought the dress - I'm fairly sure it had nothing to do with me but who can ever really be certain?)

I wore it for my birthday night out to Electric Circus in Edinburgh. You walk in and you see a bar with some seating and a wee dance floor - it looks alright and on the cool side. However, the hidden cheesy genius of Electric Circus lies along the corridor off the dance floor. Seven rooms. Seven private karaoke rooms of varying sizes for between 4 and 50 people. Oh yes. I'm one of those losers who cannot help themselves when the karaoke cracks out and who gets more and more carried away and excited as the evening wears on. Therefore, this place was perfect for my wee party and, once you stopped smelling the sick-masked-with-bleach (mmm!) in the room, it was such fun! You program in the songs you want to sing and away you go. You even get waitress service to your room so you don't waste any singing/laughing time going to the bar. It's such fun! Plus after we finished with our room they had a wee indie nightclub going which suited me just fine.

Would you believe, this picture is from the END of the night and, if I do say so myself, I reckon I look in not bad nick, given the vigorous sweaty dancing I did and the fact that we walked most of the way home in the pissing rain (good old Scotland living right up to its weather stereotype).

Dress: Miss Kitty Litter Vintage, £12.50
Wedges: 20-ish quid from a saucy sounding shop on eBay
Belt: French Connection sale
Necklace: Lady Luck Rules OK

I'd decided the dress should be styled up in a Studio 54-esque disco style on account of the karaoke partying, which is why I went for the sparkly belt and wedges. There are a few reasons why I love this dress so much. I absolutely adore the colour. It's good for dressing up but I reckon it'll be cute with wooden/tan sandals and a tan belt in summer too. It was £12.50 and when it arrived it fit perfectly. How often does that happen when you buy something that's a good price and vaguely sized from a vintage site you've previously never heard of?! Almost never - that's how often. I reckon we all have plenty crappy eBay purchases to back that up. Plus, it's one of those items that, when you put it on, it's like it was made for you and it makes you feel awesome. And you gotta love a dress with that kind of power, right? I even looked graceful in it when I fell off my wedges on the dance floor (well I did in my head at least. In the same way that, dah-dah, dah-dah, I'm the greatest dancer). If you're gonna fall though, off your wedges on the dance floor seems to me to be a good way to do it. I must start being careful - I'm going to do myself a mischief with all this shoe falling off!

Here's the stag ring I wore. My very kind friend Lynsey, knowing my recent obsession with animal rings got me a set that included this little guy, a squirrel and a fox. Between them and my bunny ring, I'm one finger (or a thumb) away from a hand forest!

 
Before you go, I thought it seemed only fair, as blog pics are all too often all nice and posed, to share a pic of me maintaining my dignity while belting out a bit of Whitters. The moment was almost certainly topped by my rendition of the Jay Z section of Crazy in Love (seriously - that little Cher on X-Factor ain't got nuffink on my mad rapping skillz) but who can resist a bit of karaoke Whitney?
 

11 November 2010

There must be an angel...(or two, or three)

I have a confession. Whilst I love all the fashion weeks and I LOVE couture fashion week (it's so costume and so make believe and there's just something wonderful about that), one of my absolute favourite shows is...the Victoria's Secret show!! Does that make me a pervy teenage boy!? I love that it's not too serious and that it's so colourful and sexy and fun! What's wrong with that? I also love that I can happily look at it on my lunch break at work, where if the boys did (and they want to. Oh, they want to), they'd get a slap. Tee, hee!

This year, in a genius masterstroke, my lady crush Katy Perry, current queen of the rubber dress who somehow pulls off Barbie fashion and still looks good, played the show/party. She has the same fluffy and girlie vibe as Victoria's Secret (whose underwear I actually think is a bit over priced and usually on the crap side - it really is just the show I love!) and her shiny pop (which I can take or leave a lot of the time. I'm not kidding - this is all about the aesthetic for me) just feels perfect for the occasion. Anyway, I'm not gonna do too much more chattering - this one really is just about looking at ladies in not many clothes - haha! But, the clothes they do have on feature rubber and feathers and basket and sparkles and a million other embellishments. Oh, and wings. Gotta love wings.



Yes, the skirt is minorly dodgy but Katy gets away with it! And don't even THINK about stepping on her blue suede shoes.


Hooker boots...give me back my blue suede shoes!


No-one can pull off a crinkly lilac crotch. Sorry K. Good wiggly head piece though.


I want peacock wings and black feathered ass curtains! And Karolina Kurkova's body.


Or a blue 'splash' backing board!


An outfit made of basket! Why don't we see this used more in fashion?!


Wooly arms and legs and everything else on display. Taste the rainbow of the flavours! Plus, perspex-a-licious!


Nice, er, wings...


Awesome wings!


Saddle up cowgirl! Farmhand? Whatever.


This one's sugar sweet. I'd wear that jacket!


Is it me or does Lily Donaldson not pull off smiling? Cos that's what we're looking at.


More peacock mega action!



This one's so good it deserves a close up too. Wings made of bubbles!! Poufy dress! Polka Dots! Exclamation marks!

You could kill/collect people with those wings. Awesome.

Hope you enjoyed the frothy fun. I'm off for a frothy bubble bath full of Lush goodies now!