Recent Outfits...

Am utterly and totally lacking in inspiration at the moment- all I want to wear are bare legs and shoes that are not boots, but that's not quite possible yet, and as much as I'd love to get rid of most of my wardrobe and start again, that's not possible either, so I've been trying my best to work out  new combinations with what I've already got...

top- Topshop, trousers- Topshop Boutique, shoes- Repetto

 

Strangely, despite essentially being a tracksuit, this is probably my favourite thing that I've worn lately.  The trousers remove the need for black tights (my sartorial foe at the moment- I can't even bear to look at them anymore) and this top is my favourite thing ever. 

shirt- Asos, tights- Oysho, boots- Beau Coops, shorts- diy

Aubergine coloured tights are a good compromise on the would-rather-be-tightsless front.  Also have decided this shirt only really works with denim, which is a bit unfortunate.

jumper- Topshop Boutique, shorts- Oysho, shoes- Dieppa Restrepo

 Erm yes, I do appear to be wearing shorts that are meant to be sleepwear, once again.  But one cannot live on denim cutoffs alone, so I've really been scraping the barrel searching for suitable bottoms.

Also, I don't think my new shoes have been properly introduced:

I think it's safe to say I've officially given in to the whole man shoe look, several years after the rest of the world.  Even I've had to accept that ballet pumps tip a lot of my outfits into too-twee territory, so I'm hoping these loafers will balance out all the girly skirts and dresses I tend to wear in spring/summer.  Also, they were incredibly cheap in the dregs of the sales, so I was obviously powerless to resist.

Ombre Eyes

Think I've stumbled upon the perfect spring makeup- ombre eyeshadow.  I found this orange and fuschia version on the Free People blog and really, really want to try it out for myself.  So far any attempt I've made at eye makeup beyond smudged-on-with-my-fingers eye shadow, or eyeliner just on the top lid has been a massive failure (the perfect winged eyes will never be mine, *sob*) but this seems easy enough to replicate, and weirdly, I think these colours are actually more flattering than a lot of the other versions I've seen.  You can see a video how-to and the products used here.  I'd also quite like the model's nose ring and white-blonde hair colour, but that's slightly more difficult to achieve...

Pastels vs Grey Skies

My pink obsession is showing no signs of waning, and has instead transferred itself to pastels in general (what's happened to me?  Pastels were the one trend I would reliable flip past in every spring magazine feature ever, writing them off as too saccharine and unflattering.  Now I want everything in my life to be the colour of sugared almonds and Easter eggs).  They've been working their way into my once-neutral coloured life and have cheered me up considerably in the face of the never-ending winter we're currently experiencing.

 

New pyjama trousers- my single favourite thing to wear at the moment.  Especially good as the rain makes me want to do nothing but hide inside and dream of summer.

 I had the idea of a making a pastel rainbow of an shawl/oversized wrap for spring- this is the first batch of colours I'm planning to use (it'll be a variation on this).

striped top- Pull & Bear, glittery top- Meadham Kirchhoff x Topshop, skirt- Topshop, shoes- Kurt Geiger

A super-girly outfit worn during a rare break in the cold rain, which just about allowed for bare legs.  This is so seriously out of character- I'm not wearing a single thing in black or navy.

Of course, if I continue like this, I fully expect to end up dyeing the cats lilac and painting flowers and rainbows on all my walls.  Let's hope the sun comes out soon, so I can return to my usual dark and sombre self.  

WANT (again)

I'm always on the lookout for new shoe designers, especially ones that are vaguely affordable.  They seem to be thinner on the ground than their clothing counterparts, so I'm always excited to make a new discovery.  I was browsing Not Just a Label and stumbled on the most perfect pair of heels for spring- the sort I had been looking for without actually knowing exactly what it is I wanted:

I love the contrasting colours, the shape, the walkable heel.  The designer is the Cordwainers-trained, East London-based Elizabeth Dunn, who seems to make every pair to order, and also offers bespoke shoe-making.  Sadly, they're out of my budget at the moment, but for anyone who's not completely skint, they're available here for £235. 

Starry Night

At the moment, I seem to be cultivating a minor obsession with moon and star prints. As stars have never exactly been a trend, the way say, owls or hearts have, I'm guessing it's my inner teenage hippie-goth trying to make herself heard.  So far, I've managed to amass a small collection of star jewellery (photographed on my new-to-me Meadham Kirchhoff x Topshop sparkly top, which deserves a post of its own):

ring- Made, pendant bracelet- Topshop, bead bracelet- Estella Bartlett

And now, I've finally found the exception to the rule that anything featuring a moon must look like it was purchased in Camden Market circa 1996- this ring:

It's from Catbird in Brooklyn, which I suspect would be my favourite jewellery shop ever, if I were to ever actually visit.  They have matching earrings as well.  *swoon* And carrying on with the night theme, I also really, really want these:

Fleurs de Nuit candle and Nuit lipbalm

And not from Catbird, but equally amazing:

Luna ring by Paper & Chain

My black maxi skirt and Dr Marten wearing 16 year old self would be so proud.

Chanel A/W '13 Makeup

I think the oversized silver glitter used to line the models' eyes at the Chanel show was possibly my favourite look this whole season.  I never can resist makeup that's more appropriate for fancy dress than real life...

Today...

Have been feeling massively uninspired lately (why have all the fashion weeks been such a let-down?  Even my perennial favourites like Dries van Noten and Chloe didn't do anything for me) but the sun is finally out, which has been what I needed to wake from my traditional winter hibernation (more figurative than literal unfortunately- how amazing would it be to just sleep through all the horrible winter months and wake up when it's warm and sunny?)

I also received a long-overdue order from Asos, which included the perfect pink lipstick I've been after for ages:

 

It's by American brand Laqa & Co and it's a super-bright-yet-not-obnoxious pink.  I stumbled across this when I was searching for cruelty-free lipsticks, which are quite hard to find in non-neutral colours.  I'm trying to move away from just wearing pale lips and dark eyes, and I thought pink would be perfect addition to my lipstick wardrobe (which currently only consists of two shades of red, several nudes and Please Me by Mac).

I also received this black and white spotted top: 

 I've vaguely been looking for something like this for a while now, but never found a version I liked enough.  I'm sure I'll be sick of anything in graphic black and white by the end of this season, but spotted shirts are a bit of a classic, so I can always just move it to the back of my wardrobe until the high street has moved on. 

And in honour of the weather, an actual outfit photo!  In daylight! Un-blurred and not taken in a fitting room mirror!  In retrospect, my outfit is a bit boring, but I was in a rush and just wanted to wear my new top.

cardigan- Topshop Boutique, shirt- Asos, jeans- Primark, shoes- Surface to Air

If I were still in London, I would have run for Hampstead Heath to lie in the sun with a pile of magazines, but I'm not, so I had to make do with going here: