I've succumbed...

Well, slightly anyway.  The whole 90s trend that's inescapable at the moment has generally left me a bit cold, mainly because, for the first time in my life, a decade I properly lived through, regrettable fashion mistakes and all, is being ressurected by those too young to remember it.  And I'm starting to think the old adage that if you lived through something once, you're probably too old to wear it the next time it comes into fashion.  Because unflattering clumpy platforms- tick.  Docs- tick.  Rucksacks (mini and full-sized versions)- tick. Ditsy floral maxis, jelly shoes, Birkenstocks, round sunglasses, daisies on everything- tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.  And if looking back on what I wore then has made me cringe ever since, why on earth would I want to adopt any of it ever again?  And yet.  Suddenly, after years of neutral, delicate sandals, and Havaianas for the beach, something alltogether sturdier and chunkier started to seem appealing.  And I found myself contemplating Birkenstocks, of all things.  Thank you Pheobe Philo.  I must admit, 90s minimalism, slouchy trousers with sandals verging on the orthopaedic started to seem appealing.  I blame all the fashion bloggers quickly following wherever Celine leads (and not myself for being a fashion victim, obvs).  So I went as far as actually trying on a pair of Birks in Topshop.  And they were just as awful (on me anyway) as I remembered.  So I scurried away, tail between my legs, and searched for an alternative.  And I found these:

Silver cross-strap Birk-alikes from River Island,  a shop I've barely set foot in since leaving my teens over a decade ago.  *Hangs head in shame* To further cover myself in glory, I somehow, one grey February day, came home with glittery jelly shoes.  I convinced myself they'd be a good beach shoe to replace the flip flops I've become bored to death of.  And they were only £4, so I was powerless to resist.  Now let's see if I get up the nerve to actually wear them.  Meanwhile, I'm trying my hardest to resist the siren call of a pair of full-on plastic pool slides- watch this space.  

Outfits: February/March

 

 

 

Clockwise from top left: jumper- Topshop, skirt- vintage, shoes- & Other Stories; jumper- Topshop, skirt- Topshop Boutique, boots- Beau Coops;  jumper- American Apparel from ebay, skirt and boots- same as before; random navy top, dungarees- same as before, shoes- H by Hudson for Charlie May

Clockwise, from top left: top- Pull & Bear, dungarees- Topshop Boutique from ebay, shoes- Kurt Geiger; hoodie- American Apparel (from charity shop, random t-shirt, shorts- Topshop Boutique from ebay, trainers- Nike; cropped t-shirt- H&M, trousers- Zara circa 2010, shoes- Repetto; shirt- Asos, jeans- Primark, boots- Beau Coops

This is the sum total of outfit photos I've managed to take in the past two months.  This is mainly down to the fact that I've been wearing essentially the same things all. the. bloody. time.  I managed to buy quite a few bits for summer before I left London, but absolutely nothing for spring, which means I'm wearing the same few bits over and over until it's warm enough for little skirts, sandals and sleeveless tops.  Looking at these however, I can't help but notice that almost everything I tend to wear a lot is either quite old (both pairs of Beau Coops boots) or from ebay/charity shops (my two bits of American Apparel, and my much-loved velvet dungarees).  I'm starting to think shopping exlusively secondhand is the way forward...

Dungarees Part II

My obsession with dungarees is still showing no signs of waning.  I originally posted about my quest for the perfect dungaree over a year ago, and so far I've managed to buy three pairs, all completely different to each other:

Left to right: Primark, Topshop Boutique via ebay, Zara

Turns out there's no such thing as the perfect pair of dungarees, just lots of equally cool ones that each work best in different situations.  I've actually worn the velvet ones non-stop, but it's now getting a bit too warm to wear them without sweltering, so I'm reluctantly shelving them until next autumn.  In the meantime, I've decided I need a lighter full-length version to wear in this in-between weather.  Aside from one pair in exactly the wash I wanted, which came online and sold out within a day, from Topshop, I've not found anything that's exactly right.  Then I came across this photo on tumblr a few days ago- turns out it's from a series of photos Jeanne Damas did for & Other Stories (seriously, I can't stop posting about this shop, it's possibly the best thing to happen to the high street ever, and I'm mildly disgruntled that they only offer online shopping to a handful of countries, none of which I currently live in) featuring exactly what I'm looking for:

 

Mid-wash, undistressed denim, in a slouchy fit.  These are the dungarees in question, and for those who live in one of the lucky countries with access to & Other Stories, they're available here:

I'm deliberating over a few alternatives, but can't quite decide how much I want to spend on this particular trend (is something still considered a trend when it's on its fourth or so season?)

Left to right: Miss Selfridge, Topshop via ebay, vintage Lee via ebay

Interestingly, I'm getting a seriously 70s vibe from all of these- perhaps it's the shade of blue?- but overall (pardon the pun!) the 70s are suddenly appealing to me again, after a few years of being the last decade I'd turn to for inspiration.  I think part of it is to do with my Miu Miu love this season (a 70s-influenced collection if ever there was one!), but also the overdose of 90s influences on the high street- in the actual 90s, the 70s were the decade to aspire to (witness every single thing worn in Reality Bites, my favourite film as a teenager).  In the interest of staying (vaguely) on-topic, I'll leave the catalogueing of all the suede A-line miniskirts and wide legged trousers I've been craving for another post, but I''m even considering pairing any of the above with a pair of cork-soled wedges, or tan leather wooden-heeled sandals...

Epitaph For A Darling Lady

source

I'm loving this editorial from the debut issue of Leith Clark's new venture, Violet.  Moody winter lighting, lots of black, my favourite model of the moment (Marine Deleeuw) and the Miu Miu boots I've been obsessing over- what more could I ask for?  I have high hopes for this, as it seems to be aimed at the Lula girl who's grown up a bit and is less saccharine, girly cute-ness, more introspective, romantic eccentric.  Fingers crossed I can find a copy locally, otherwise will definitely be ordering online...

Miaow

Best boots in the world ever.  By Miu Miu, of course.

I also quite want to wallpaper my entire house with the S/S cat print.  Crazy cat lady, moi?

Espadrilles

Ignoring my month of radio silence, due to lack of internet (and unexpectedly early return to the land of online window shopping and blog-reading thanks to stolen wi-fi), let's jump straight into my most recent obsession.  In case it's not obvious, when I decide I want something (Chelsea boots, trainers, a winter coat) I scour the depths of the internet for every possible version before occasionally actually buying one of them.  Usually I just decide my holy grail of the item in question doesn't actually exist or comes with a price tag that's way out of my reach, and I end up buying nothing at all.  This time round, it's the humble espadrille I'm craving, and I've found lots I (sort of) want, but of course the ones I ought to have bought slipped through my fingers whilst I was busy deliberating, so now I'm back to square one...

 The contenders:

Clockwise from top left: Manebi from Net a Porter, L'Autre Chose from Shoescribe, Bimba y Lola, Marc Jacobs from Shoescribe

The out of my reach dream shoes:

Clockwise from top left: Celine, Valentino, Chanel

And the ones that got away:

Aside from clicking daily in case the sold-out ones make a miraculous re-appearance, I'm leaning towards either the Manebi ones, or the Bimba y Lola striped, slightly platformed version.  Hmm...