Be yourself. Unless you can be a unicorn, In that case, you should always be a unicorn.

I reckon this dress would go a long way towards making up for the fact that I can't actually be a mythical horned creature...

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...

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...

House of Hackney x Asos

It's been a while since I've been able to get excited about a designer/high street collaboration.  Isabel Marant for H&M left me cold (the high street has been overrun with IM copies for years now- the last thing I want to see is more of the same, even if it is officially sanctioned by Miss Marant herself), and Meadham Kirchhoff for Topshop was brilliantly bonkers, but ultimately, not for me.  So when I came upon House of Hackney's capsule collection for Asos, I couldn't help but add half of it to my wishlist and fervently hope Asos will continue offering 20% off everything next weekend, as they have in previous weeks.  I was expecting the collection to be a bit more floral-heavy, which is what I've come to associate with the brand, but tartan is probably a lot more "me", and it reminds me of both my beloved Dries van Noten S/S 13 collection, and the Stella McCartney coat I've been lusting after this season.  Now I just need to decide what to actually buy- I'm leaning towards the slip dress, which is, unfortunately for my bank balance, the most expensive piece in the collection...

Pink Wonderland

This photo from Pink Sweater shoot which I stumbled upon on the Wonderland site made me realise that my wardrobe is still entirely lacking in pink and that I clearly need to do something to rectify this.  I'm thinking the perfectly fluffy mohair jumper I've been lusting after from Cos might just do the trick...  

Portamento

One thing I find sorely lacking in UK/European fashion is mid-range independent designers.  Even fledgling designers just starting out seem to be completely out of my budget, and the gap between the high street and proper designer is increasingly being filled by brands like Whistles and Cos, which isn't terribly inspiring if you want something that can't be found on every single high street. I'm a bit rubbish about actually visiting many of the independent boutiques I admire, especially the ones based in deepest East London, which would appear to be most of them.  So I'm always happy to stumble upon websites that introduce me to brands and designers I wouldn't have otherwise known about.  A while back, I posted a pair of Chelsea boots by Portamento, available at Swanfield Boutique, which in itself is probably worthy of a separate post.  My hunt for the perfect Chelsea boots is still very much on, after an ebay disappointment, so I was contemplating whether I shouldn't give that particular pair a try after all and I ended up searching out the brand's website.  And I fell a tiny bit in love.  

Prices range from £29, for the espadrilles I wish I had been aware of this past summer, to £189 for the black Chelsea boots.  They do a wide range of styles, including a lot that are far more girly than any of the ones I've posted, but at the moment all I want is classic, men's styles.  According to their website, Portamento is run by a couple based in Hackney, and is "a gallery of art, contemporary fashion and unusual objects in an eclectic mix resembling the world of the owners."  They don't seem to have a physical shop, which is a shame, but I'm incredibly tempted to order at least one pair...

& Other Stories (again)

I blogged about the latest addition to the H&M family before they opened at the beginning of the year, but like their sister chains Monki and Cos, I've tried to avoid looking at their collections too much as I didn't actually have access to a branch in person and they limit online shopping to a handful of countries.  Now that I'll actually be able to potentially shop there though, I had a quick browse and compiled a mini-wishlist.  

Leather Shoulder Bag

Claire Judge silk playsuit

Leather brogue boots

The bag is potentially the perfect black everyday bag to replace my knackered Zara one, the playsuit is the sort of silky, indulgent loungewear I always aspire to but never manage to actually own, and the boots could be a good compromise between clompy army boots and mannish brogues.  I'm also completely obsessed with their collection of nail varnish, which has names like Moire Green and Shoddy Pink.

Chelsea Boots

As I get older, I've realised that my seasonal searches tend to be less for something new and exciting and more for the perfect version of a long-standing obsession.  I mentioned in my previous post how I had let the perfect pair of Chelsea boots slip through my fingers a few years back.  Obviously, I've been searching for a similar pair ever since, to no avail.  Every autumn, the high street is awash with every possible variety of Chelsea boot, but none have been quite right.  I did find the perfect pair in Massimo Dutti, of all places, last summer, but resisted buying something so wintry in the midst of a heatwave and, of course, by the time I was ready to buy them they had long since sold out.  I ended up buying an oxblood pair, also from Massimo Dutti, and whilst I love them, I'm still hunting for the holy grail pair I want to believe is out there.  This year I'm starting early(ish) and compiling a list of possible contenders.

I instantly fell in love with this pair when I stumbled upon them in my search for something entirely unrelated.  But they're white, which I suspect would leave me still craving the perfect black pair.

Portamento boots

These are, without a doubt, pretty near perfect.  They also cost £500 and are sold out in my size.  *sniff*  I'll just gaze on this photograph adoringly and try not to imagine how I would happily wear them every. single. day.  and how much better they'd get the more battered they became.

Balenciaga boots

I'm intrigued by these Dr. Martens ones, but, pleasingly stompy though they are, I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer lace-up boots in this cut.

Flora boots

These Acne boots are probably my dream boots- they've got the perfect heel height, and look like they would fall at the perfect just-above-the-ankle spot.  If I had had £500 going spare last autumn, I would have bought them the second I laid eyes on them.  As I didn't, I've now resigned myself to searching for them on ebay for all eternity.  There's currently a pair in a size 3 starting at 99p here. 

Topshop A/W '13

Recently, during one of my daily trawls of Topshop's new-in section, I wondered if I hadn't maybe outgrown the brand, as none of their offerings tend to particularly catch my eye anymore.  For most of my post-teenage life, an embarassing percentage of my wardrobe came from the the high street stalwart, but in the past year or so, most of what I've bought has ended up being either sent back, or worn a few times and sold on ebay.  So, following on from my coat lust, I've just spotted the newest Topshop lookbook on Caroline's Mode and they've manage to completely win me over again.  I particularly love the shearling (?) coat, which might have just pipped the navy peacoat to the top of my wishlist. 

Too Soon?

 

Buy here

So I seem to have found my winter coat.  It popped up on Topshop's new-in page, and suddenly I became convinced a peacoat is the answer to my cold-weather (sartorial) problems.  I had a similar one when I was about 13, which had originally been my father's and was therefore ridiculously oversized on me.  I loved it though, and it fitted in perfectly with my grunge-era wardrobe of lace-up bovver boots and loose smock dresses.  This time round though, I fancy wearing it with skater skirts, ankle boots and slouchy jumpers- an homage to the schoolgirl style I eschewed as an actual schoolgirl.  I'm not entirely convinced it's not much too soon to be looking at winter woollies, but last winter, I ended up selling my older coats and was left with only a navy oversized boyfriend style I randomly bought from Primark in the autumn.  This year, I thought it would be nice to actually put some thought into what I buy, so it surely can't hurt to start dreaming of coats and jumpers in July. Normally, I tend to avoid buying things this far in advance, and can't bring myself to go bikini shopping (for example) before it's actually beach weather.  This year though, summer came late, which means that by the time I actually wanted to buy warm weather clothes, they were all in the sale and looking decidedly less tempting.  Therefore, I've decided there is absolutely no point in summer fashion and am skipping straight to next season.  Especially as I've just come back from two weeks spent by the sea, where I wore an outfit that did not consist of a bikini and flip flops exactly once.  And it was lovely.  So I'll continue to muddle through with my collection of beach cover-ups and denim shorts (fine, and a few actual clothes and sandals) until the temperatures drop and I can revive my interest in fashion.  In the meantime, I'll be working on my autumn/winter wishlist.  Next up, the perfect block-heeled chelsea boots and a pair of monk-strap brogues...

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.

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: