Sk8er Gurl

Because I'm utterly and totally predictable, I've decided I'd quite like a pair of skater shoes (I don't even know the proper name for them, I'm that clueless about trainers).  As with everything, it started with Celine:

source

It was then was copied by Zara and worn by every blogger ever:

Normally the last bit would put me off something, for some reason, despite them not being remotely my style, I still really want a pair.  Preferably both one of these:

Kurt Geiger £160

YMC £75

I'm already envisioning the paisley ones paired with almost my entire summer wardrobe and the ponyskin ones with black tights and skirts in the winter.  And seeing as I never managed to track down the Liberty print Nikes I has posted about a while back, these would perfectly fill the trainer-shaped hole in my shoe collection.

New(ish) Mius

After months of buying almost nothing, I seem to be going a bit mad on ebay and in the sales at the moment.  The latest addition is these Miu Miu courts, bought secondhand and ridiculously cheap.  I originally saw them on a customer in the shoe shop where I worked circa 2009 and fell in love with the way she had styled them- all black, a bit grunge-y and the perfect contrast to the primness of the shoe.  We actually stocked the higher-heeled version at work and I tried them on multiple times afterwards trying to convince myself I could wear them, but they were ridiculously high and spindly so I reluctantly gave up on them.  I never came across the lower ones, either in the shops at the time or on ebay afterwards but I always had them at the back of my mind (I'm nothing if not loyal to my shoe crushes).  Clearly though, they were (eventually) meant to be, and the three of us can now live happily ever after. 

Louis Vuitton Pre-Spring 2014

Here's a designer I never thought I'd be writing about.  And yet, I love this collection.  To be fair, it looks like it belongs to someone else altogether.  It's so pared-down, insouciantly slouchy and more reminiscent of other French fashion houses than anything Marc Jacobs has been putting out lately either in his role at LV or for his own collections.  I love the silhouettes though, and the colours.  I'd happily spend the summer in a variation of the first look, minus the fact that the top appears to be made of fur (the general trend for pointless fur lately depresses me, but that's another issue altogether).

photos from vogue.co.uk

Continuing on from my last post, a couple more oufits featuring things I've either had forever, or have bought secondhand off ebay.  For the first time in ages though, I'm actually quite pleased with my wardrobe and don't just want to burn it all and start again, so clearly I've done something right.  And whilst everyone else is moaning about the lack of a summer thus far, I'm secretly quite pleased that the low (for Greece) temperatures mean I can wear things like long sleeves and closed shoes for a while longer.  

blazer- Primark (ancient), top- Topshop via ebay, skirt- Zara circa 2010, shoes- CB Made in Italy

dress- Topshop Boutique via ebay, shorts- diy, shoes- Chloe via ebay

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: