I was going to post a few photos of recent outfits here and I realised that, even as infrequently as I take outfit photos, I'm still wearing things that I've previously worn- a lot.  And I think that's quite symbolic of my style, and finally feeling comfortable in my own skin.  I've spent a long time collecting inspiration photos of girls who look nothing like me, wearing things I never would.  Wondering if I shouldn't try things that were more quirky/colourful/trendy.  But none of that is quite "me".  So I'm coming to terms with the fact that I like quite simple, classic things.  That I don't really wear patterns.  That I feel most comfortable in non-colours like black, grey and navy.  Some of my favourite items of clothing were bought 3 or 4 years ago, most frequently the only item of jewellery I'll be wearing is a pair of gold hoops I bought ages ago on ebay for 99p.  This all coincided with reading this post by Garance Dore, about buying fewer things that you absolutely love rather than lots of things you're meh about.  It's something I've been attempting to do lately, often by filling my basket on various sites and then closing down the browser window.  Anything I'm still thinking about hours, or even days, later is worth actually clicking home.  So far I've bought nothing (bar a few ebay bargains which, as previously mentioned, seem to be my favourite sort of shopping at the moment).  But I'm re-learning to appreciate what I already own, and trying to find new ways to mix individual items together.  

Last year's Pull and Bear top and Surface to Air shoes with Zara trousers bought in the sale 3 years ago for £15.

Chloe sandals and Topshop jacket- both via ebay, leather shorts- Very by Vero Moda

Zara lace top, Primark jeans, Beau Coops boots circa 2010

And something that is a new purchase- the perfect pastel yellow nail varnish by Korres.  I've been wanting, and failing to find, this precise shade for literally years, so I'm so pleased this has come out:

I *heart* Ebay

I mentioned previously that I had bought some ridiculously cheap Chloe sandals from ebay but didn't want to say any more lest they not be quite right.  Well, they've arrived, and they're perfect.  

I've been searching literally for years for the perfect pair of neutral, go-with-everything sandals and had failed spectacularly to find anything suitable.  It doesn't help that I for some reason don't consider sandals proper shoes and refuse to spend very much on them, despite living in them in summer months (yes, even in rainy British summers).  They're just not very exciting, and more of a necessity than something I'd fall in love with and need to own.  So any perfect specimen I found, from K Jacques to Miu Miu, never actually came home with me, and I'd end up with some inferior version from Topshop or Primark, which would get me through the rest of the summer and the whole process would start again the next year.  This year though, the fairy tale finally has its happily ever after, and these shant be leaving my feet until at least September.

Lusting After...

I know that I've literally just been moaning about how uninspiring the high street is, but I think I've just come across the most perfect summer outfit ever, which I would wear exactly the way it's been styled- black skirt that I've been searching for forever, sleeveless top that is not the dreaded basic cotton vest, earrings for a bit of colour (when it's 40 degrees, necklaces, rings, basically anything at all touching your skin, is out of the question).  It's all from H&M's trend collection, and you can get it here.

 

 I also wouldn't mind this take on the infamous Kenzo lion jumper:

A couple more outfits, as strangely for me, there seems to be nothing interesting me at the moment in fashion.  Or rather, the only things I like are massively out of my price range, as the high street seems to be doing variations of the festival look, the things I wore as a teenager in the 90s and/or rips offs of Isabel Marant, a designer whose collections look increasingly like they actually come from the high street and ought to cost about a tenth of what they actually do.  But I digress.  My last few purchases have come from ebay, and they include a pair of stupidly cheap Chloe sandals about which I refuse to say any more lest I jinx myself and they're horrible/don't fit/get lost in the post, so secondhand is clearly the way forward. 

top- Pull & Bear, shorts- Oysho, shoes- CB Made in Italy

playsuit- Zara, shirt- Asos, boots- Dries van Noten

I've decided my favourite combinations involve bare legs/closed shoes and long sleeves, which is a bit unfortunate considering the temperatures are back up to about 30 degrees this week.  That, plus the fact that I found myself admiring jumpers on Asos makes me think a move back to the UK is definitely in order- actual summer clearly doesn't agree with me...

Also, despite my initial enthusiasm over the dungaree trend, they're actually proving near-impossible to actually wear.  The first time I wore them, I paired them with a t-shirt and ballet pumps and was told I looked like a 14-year old.  I've decided a smarter top and heels is a pre-requisite if I want to look anything close to my actual age.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, fashion's been largely absent from my life as of late.  I placed a rather large Topshop order which got sent back in its entirety, the white ebay dress from a previous post was the wrong size and went back as well, and the weather briefly went straight from winter to high summer which left me at an utter loss as to what to wear.  But now the temperature's dropped a few degrees and, for the first time in ages, I wore a couple of outfits that I didn't actually hate, so I thought I'd share them (apologies once more for the terribly cameraphone quality)

left: blazer- Primark, top- H&M, trousers- Zara, bag- Massimo Dutti, shoes- Surface to Air. right: blazer- Topshop, t-shirt- H&M, shorts- Oysho, shoes- CB Made in Italy

The main conclusion I've reached lately is that my £8 Primark blazer bought no later than 2009 is the single best purchase I have ever made and I will cry when it finally dies.  I also don't know why it took me 4 years to purchase a second blazer, they add a much-needed smartness to my wardrobe, which at the moment consists almost entirely of basics.

And one successful purchase I did manage to make- this hat from H&M.  This is a big deal as I can never find hats to fit my ridiculously large head, so I'm incredibly pleased that Hennes do theirs in Small, Medium and Large.  So far I've managed to wear it to a birthday party which took place in a field.  My life is clearly very glamourous.