friday favourites 021..

001: Seeberger straw visor, £5.50, ASOS

002: Floral prom dress, £35, Clothing at Tesco

Oh gosh, in a week's time I will be on my way to Bestival. I've never been to a festival before, but in my imagination it will be sunny, and therefore I think I will be needing these things..

001: How fab this cute visor will be to keep the sun (I know, wishful thinking!?!) off my face? Practical as well as being a bargain..

002: I love this dress - I really love the shape and cut of prom dresses, although I wear them for every day. I tried to go and get it the other day, but it wasn't in the store I went to. I can just envisage it with wellies. No, maybe not? I'd make good use of it elsewhere, though..!

keep or return..

I've been a bit hopeless with shoppping recently. Well, if I'm entirely honest, it's not so much the shopping I'm hopeless at, it's my own view of myself, but that's a big and scary post for another day. I have picked these up over the last week or so from various sales and want some opinions as to whether I should keep or return, please. Don't be afraid to be honest with comments, I would rather know something looks unflattering.

001: I picked this dress up in the Tesco sale - that annoying thing where they only have one left and you REALLY like it, and therefore want it to work. I'm not sure if it looks waaay too stupidly big. Or if I could alter it a little and make it ok.

002: Another Tesco dress, same dilemma as above although this time a size smaller than I would have picked, had I had the option. I'm scared it looks waaay too skin-tight to be acceptable to wear out in public without giving women and small children nightmares?

003: These shorts were a sale purchase from Matalan last weekend, with Bestival in mind. I think I'm just a little unsure as they are quite a bright colour, a lot more casual than I would usually go for with being sweatpant material, and I guess I'm just not convinced about whether they look good or awful. Let me know what you think about all three..? I can't be the only one who wants to like something but just isn't quite sure, sometimes?

testosterone boys and harlequin girls..

dress: primark

cat shoes: office

cardigan: clothing at tesco

 

So yesterday evening I *had* to go to a large Tesco store nearby to look for something a friend is trying to track down. I didn't find it. It would have been totally rude not to check out the sale rail, whilst I was there, wouldn't it? Otherwise, what with not being able to find what I was looking for, and the fact they didn't stock camping chairs, or this dress, it would have been a totally wasted trip!

I got a few other things as well, but I think I will post a 'keep or return' post, tomorrow, as I'm not sure about either of them.

Really like the cardi though, I think I was first of all drawn to the pattern and then to the top-button business. Given that I haven't worn this before, or the dress for ages, I will count them both towards the Only Once August challenge. When it rained this morning I was desperately trying to think of flat, grey shoes. Can't believe I'd forgotten about these - which totally count towards the challenge, too.

damsel in a dress..

I was quite excited when this lovely parcel arrived from the folks at Damsel in a Dress. I've only recently found their site, if I'm honest. Look how nicely everything arrives - I love it when companies take care over their packaging!

'Pia' dress: Damsel in a Dress

heels: primark

belt: vintage (from my nan's wardrobe!)

When I was asked to pick something from the website, I perused a lovely selection of evening dresses but have to admit this one, the Pia dress, stood out to me. I think it's down to the lovely texture of the fabric - all these different threads making up a rather lovely tweed effect.

I wasn't entirely convinced it flattered my hips when I first tried it on - my hips are a recurring feature in my recent nightmares if I'm honest - but I think that adding the belt may have helped. What do you think?

I think I need a pair of pale green or maybe grey shoes to go with it. And perhaps the beautiful Sally coat, in green, for when the weather gets colder.

i won't stay but i can't leave, some twisted sense of loyalty..

dress: primark

heels: office

cardigan: george at asda

I think I need to dedicate an Only Once August style challenge to the, frankly, oodles of unworn cardigans I seem to have collected over the last goodness knows how long. I'm sure I've worn this one at some point in the past, but I can't recall when and it certainly wasn't recently. There are so many which I haven't worn.

The dress was a birthday present; it's from Primark and I found it on the rail when I was looking for things which I hadn't worn. I think it's quite nice with a belt around it (the belt was nicked from a pair of shorts).

These photos just make me go "argh, too much leg!". I'll be honest and say I changed to flats before I got to work, to avoid freaking out too much. Hope everyone is having a nice bank holiday.

with great power comes great responsibility..

chair print jacket: ASOS

spiderman skirt (worn as dress): handmade from vintage fair

So I was having a total dilemma the other day. What on earth would one wear with a jacket with chairs printed on it? I'd bought it in the ASOS sale months ago and hadn't found a chance to wear it until Only Once August challenge made me. ANd then it came to me. A skirt with Spiderman printed on it, obviously.

I bought this skirt from a random little vintage fair when I was in uni. (I loved things like that, but used to basically find that in vintage shops etc I would just panic buy pretty much anything which fit me, because most of the things did not - I don't have a vintage body shape).

I do rather like it, although it used to be more of a pencil skirt fit and is now too loose for that, so until I take it in, I found that the jersey leopard print section meant it could be kind of worn as a dress, and then cinched in with the jacket over the top. I'm definitely going to take it in so that it works as a pencil skirt again though.

I know it's crazy, but there's something about it that makes me think it's not quite too crazy.. What do you think?

p.s I saw Spiderman at the cinema recently (having never seen any of the other films) and really rather liked it.

i'll keep chasing the soles of your shoes..

dress: vintage monsoon

belt: dorothy perkins

heels: new look

Last Saturday I was having a bit of a mooch around the shops with two of my best friends, when I spied this belt on one of the mannequins up on a high shelf. When the three of us had grown tired of buzzing around trying to track it down, I asked about it and eventually one of the staff grudgingly agreed to get some ladders and reluctantly retrieve it for me. I was pretty pleased when it was only £6!

The dress is a vinatge Monsoon one, picked up an age ago in a charity shop, which has sat in my Wales-wardrobe ever since, so I picked it out on Monday morning having stayed longer than anticipated, and tried out the new belt in order to cinch the waist in a little. Both items counting towards Only Once August. Is anyone else taking part?

friday favourites 020..

001: Sally Coat, £269, Damsel in a Dress

002: Eley Kishimoto fox tights, £99, ASOS

With the weeather doing what it does best when a Bank Holiday approaches, my thoughts have turned to my autumn wardrobe, and this week's wishlist is a couple of things which have stolen my heart and need to be a part of my life when the weather turns colder!

001: How lovely is this coat? I've only recently discovered Damsel in a Dress,but can say that they have some lovely pieces on there. Since I no longer seem to have any winter coats which actually fit me, I'm going to sell some of my old ones (blog sale, anyone?) and put the money towards this beauty. The only dilemma is which colour to get it. The blue is lovely, although I think I like the green best at the moment.

002: How well would these fox print tights fit in with the wardrobe zoo? Honestly, if I had these to keep my legs warm in the winter, I'd probably never take them off - I love them! I think they would look fab with some flat ankle boots.

What are you wishing for this week? Has the weather got you wanting autumn to arrive?

quit looking at the clock, it'll only bring me down, and it won't bring you here..

jacket: marks and spencer limited collection (via ebay)

dress: h+m

heels: primark

 I'm so pleased I managed to track this jacket down recently. I saw it in a magazine feature a couple of years ago, I think. It was from Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection range and obviously was impossible to find once it had been in print! It's been one of those things I've stored in the back of my mind to eBay search for every now and then.

A few weeks back I managed to snap it up and I'm really pleased with it. It's it's first wear so I'm counting it towards Only Once August, but I'm pretty sure I'll wear it loads, given the boucle jackets which seem to be springing up everywhere at the moment.

I tried to sort of match the shoes to the mustardy edging details, although I know they aren't quite the same colour. Do you think that really matters? I went for this ancient H+M brown dress, which is a lovely shape but I managed to spill make-up on on it's very first wear, which didn't come out whatever I tried to shift it. The only reason I haven't got rid of it is because it's one of the only 'plain' dresses I have and I like to keep it for layering, where you won't see the stain.

I seem to have amused a few of you by mentioning that I was going to meet my 'hard work friend'. She's lovely, but a bit full-on; does nobody else have people like that?! I'd not want to stop seeing her, but keep our visits to every now and then. I hope that isn't too horrid of me.

i am not afraid to walk this world alone..

dog print skirt: henry holland

dalmatian print shoes: george at asda

polka dot cardi: h+m (via charity shop) // t-shirt: h+m

necklaces: primark

Today's Only Once August item is this pair of dalmatian print shoes, bought on a whim when I saw them a little while back in Asda (whose clothes section, might I add, has got rather good recently) and then popped away in the wardrobe room and promptly forgotten about. I'm terrible like that.

So, having noticed them again when I had a bit of a clear-out the other day, I decided to wear them with an almost monochrome outfit. I don't like to do a completely monochrome look as it reminds me too much of heading off to work in a bar when I was younger. Not that I'd have worn the dog print skirt. Well, maybe I would have actually; I did like to push the uniform boundaries.

I have to admit I feel a little bit odd in a pencil skirt with mini heels on; these are definitely not the kind of height I would usually wear with a skirt like this, but I guess this challenge is all about wearing the things you wouldn't usually..? 

One of the charity shops in town has a section where they sell off lots of old H+M stock at super-cheap prices, so I picked up this cardi at some point for £2.99 and then saw it still for sale in H+M the following week at full price, so I can only assume there is some fault with this one somewhere which I haven't noticed.

I haven't worn necklaces for ages, of any kind, so perhaps these can count towards the challenge, too.

Off for swims again this evening, I'm doing fairly well at going every day now that I've got it into the routine. I do really enjoy it, especially during school holidays when there seem to be less kids jumping in in my way. Then I'm off to meet a friend, probably for tea. Argh, so much eating this week.                             

ribbons in our hair and our eyes gleamed mean..

heels: primark (via new life charity outlet)

dress: c/o OASAP

belt: monsoon

I am not really enjoying the weather this week, but I hope it gets this rain out of it's system before the Bank Holiday weekend! Also, I knew if I wore this dress today I'd probably seem too summery. Judging by the rain pouring down outside I wasn't able to tempt the sun to shine.

Never mind. The dress is from OASAP and I sort of hoped that this belt would go with it ok, to cinch in the waist a little. I love the fact it's so floaty, but always worry with this kind of thing that it will make me look massive, if I don't do something to pull the waist in a little. I had to DIY a new hole or two on this belt, which I nabbed from a skirt which I really ought to wear soon as well as part of the Only Once August challenge. {This dress is new so totally counts!}.

Off for swimming this evening, and then having a friend over for tea. Which is a nice thing, so I'm not sure why I'm feeling stressy about it. I always get on well with her, she's not hard work (unlike the friend I'm seeing tomorrow eve!) but I'm feeling a bit as though my evenings are so full I don't have time to do any of the things I want to, like baking for the weekend or making postcards, since I can't seem to find any cute ones in the shops or online.

I am still a bit miffed that last night after my swim I went to the allotment to meet a grumpy potential new plotholder and show her around, except she didn't show up. I'd finished my planting and watering and then sat around for another hour as I didn't have her number. So I was less than impressed when I got an email from her this morning to say "oh I missed that part of your email, can you do another evening?" and I had to say no. Which I still feel a bit bad about. Even though it wasn't my mistake. Gaah.

Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland..

deer print dress: zara

crocodile ring : c/o OASAP

boots: primark

So, this weekend it was fairly easy to keep going with outfits which would fit in with Hazel's Only Once August challenge. Mainly because I was in Wales at the beach house so I had a whole other (neglected) wardrobe to wear. I don't go very often so most of those clothes get worn very rarely.

This is my scruffy Friday evening outfit. I'd been to work, then swimming, and then stopped at home on the way to Wales to pick up the parcel I knew ASOS had left in my corridor, as I didn't want it sitting there on the doormat for the weekend, and decided to change into something a bit more comfortable and rain-appropriate for the journey up there.

I usually hate flat ankle boots and dresses together as I think they make my calves look chubby, but I seemed to be in a 'don't really care' mood and threw them on anyway. I was rather in a good mood as when I purchased this dress, ( a couple of years ago) I did so from the Zara sale in a rush and didn't try it on, and when I got home I discovered it was too tight around my thighs and hips for me to ever want to wear it. Which was a shame as I loved the print so much. Hence my excitement when I put it on and realised it's now ok to leave the house in. Yay, deer!

The crocodile ring arrived last week c/o OASAP. I really like some of their jewellery; it's very affordable.

sunday shoes 006..

Kurt Geiger 'Bella' heels

I've been watching these in my saved items on ASOS for so long now, I thought it was almost time to give up, as they'd only had a size 6 left in the sale for an absolute age.

Until Monday morning, where I was doing my usual pre-work browse of all my favourites, and saw that my size was back in stock. I placed my order with some of the Paypal funds which have been burning a hole for a month or so now, and they arrived with me on Wednesday. 

In the midst of a heartbreak, what's a girl to do?

archers in your arches..raise your fingers for one last salute..

dress: dorothy perkins

black stripe stockings: tightsfashion

Flicking through my dress rail for one I haven't worn in a while for Hazel's Only Once August challenge I remembered this Dorothy Perkins shift which I spent so long trying to track down.

Since picking it up a couple of yrs ago (here!) I have always been a little unsure about the length, which has meant it wasn't worn as often as I'd anticipated.

I guess today I just thought 'sod it'  because I wanted to wear my striped stockings which I haven't worn for ages either. So two more items worn as part of the challenge - how is everyone else getting on?