Red

source

source

A couple of photos I came across on tumblr made me suddenly really, really like the idea of red on my toes and scarves in my hair for summer.  I think my pastel obsession might finally be waning- continuing on from my last post, I'm into more feminine, grown-up looks at the moment, and the red nail varnish which I always found to be too serious for me suddenly feels right.  We'll see if this manifests itself in the rest of my life... 

Second time round...

I think I've made it fairly obvious that when it comes to fashion obsessions, I don't tend to move on ever too quickly.  I posted about a year ago that I had finally managed to get my grubby paws on a pair of Miu Miu shoes that I had been lusting after for four whole years, thanks to the magic of ebay.  Well, this time, the wait was a bit shorter.  Meet the newest addition to my footwear family:

They're by Chloe, from Resort 2012, and I've wanted them ever since I first saw photos of the collection online.  Sadly, they were completely out of my reach, even on sale, even at bloody TKMaxx this past autumn.  And then the gods of ebay smiled on me and I found them, in my size, at a price that would be more at home at Topshop.  I've got a bit of a soft spot for all things multi-strapped, and seeing as I can't have the Vivienne Westwoods of my dreams, these will do very nicely.  As a side note however, I must say that Chloe shoes, in my limited experience, are an absolutely nightmare to break in.  These ripped my feet to shreds the first time I wore them, and left me hobbling slightly the second.  I've literally never felt leather so stiff and unyielding, at any price point.  It does make me think that perhaps I'm hasty in writing off high street offerings as sub-par, when something that cost hundreds orginally is of such comparatively low quality.  However, I'm thoroughly smitten, so I'm quite determined that they will one day be broken in.  Fingers crossed that day comes soon... 

Craving change

top- Cos, skirt- vintage, shoes- Charlie May

 It's funny, after a winter spent in jumpers, shorts and trainers, I'm suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to wear skirts, dresses and proper shoes.  I'm even finding myself craving heels for the first time in probably years.  I don't know what's behind this really- possibly a combination of my reverting to form (tomboyish dressing has never really been my cup of tea) and my flea-sized attention span- after wearing/eating/doing anything for too long, I get bored and want the exact opposite of the offending clothing/food/activity.  So it's no surprise that the grey suede vintage skirt I'm wearing in this photo is possibly my favourite recent purchase (I want to pair it with floaty cream tops, of which I currently own precisely none).  I instead chose to pair it with my trusty old favourite Cos top and my new-ish Charlie May x H by Hudson brogues which I've since decided are not quite me and are currently up on ebay (*ahem* not that I'm shamelessly plugging my own listing or anything...)  

The below outfit I think illustrates that shapeless sport-inspired tops do absolutely nothing for me and are best left as ghosts of sartorial mistakes past.  Luckily it was only £2.99 in the sale and will work quite well as a beach cover up come summer.  I am incredibly pleased with my scallop-hemmed skirt from Toppers though- I wish they had brought out more colours, I would have bought them all!

    

top- Pull & Bear, skirt- Topshop, shoes- Kurt Geiger

What I've been wearing...

Left: jacket- Primark, t-shirt-Gap, trousers- Zara, plimsolls- H&M; right: top- Pull & Bear, trousers- Zara, shoes- Chloe

 Left: top- DIY-ed H&M, dungarees- Zara, shoes- & Other Stories; right: jumper- Etoile Isabel Marant, jeans- Masscob, boots- Massimo Dutti

A few examples of how I've been trying to dress for the dreary, wet, and unpredictable spring weather.  I'm literally the only person walking round with bare legs here, but the thought of digging out the black opaques again is too unbearable...