camel capes.

i got a message on facebook the other day from a friend seeking advice - in search of a camel cape for winter, and not finding much luck. might i be able to use my expertise to help?*

you might be thinking "cmon, everyone's done the 'here are some winter coats/capes/trend items you can get on the high street this autumn/winter' posts already!", but to you i say: THINK OF THE STUDENTS, WON'T YOU?!

by which i mean: it is loan day on monday.

...and at this point i would normally say "...and if the rest of the student population is anything like me, they have a wishlist of items bookmarked to buy when the money shows up", but it's not a case of if. loan day is one the best days of the year (the other best days being loan day in january and in april, and perhaps christmas and birthdays. and halloween. and any excuse to part-ay. september loan day is probably the best though, given that summer is a long time to go on a little bit of loan and you are definitely becoming desperate by this time... ok, enough loan rambling.)

my point is, now is the perfect time to be doing such posts, as the ever-growing student population are at top bookmarking and mental noting time right now. and one assumes trend based winter coats are top priority.

of course, i scoured the usual haunts - straight to topshop (no joy; i hear they already sold out of their camel cape. bummer.), and all around the online high street. as such, here are my picks - they're all under £100, so an investment for any student but also pretty affordable. and they're all camel or nude tones, naturally.

asos

contrast trim cape; £80//pleated swing coat; £70//hooded military cape; £70

the third option is definitely my favourite of the ones i came across - and at £70 it's one of the cheapest options out there; especially since asos now do free delivery and returns. and of course i'm aware the second one is a coat, but it's also swingy - a great option if you are a fan of the camel cape trend but not quite sure about the practicality of it all, says i.

zara

cloth studio cape; £99//woollen studio cape; £99//double sided 3/4 length coat; £69.99

zara is a GREAT choice for coats and if you're going for a more minimal feel the £99 options are fantastic - there's even one in a darker camel shade if you're that way inclined.

miss selfridge

stone cape parka; £42

as is the miss s way, this is rather more casual and 'youthful' than the other options, and if you've been drawn in by parkas and the like from watching this is england '86, but also want a piece of the camel trend, you might as well combine the two for £42, no?

and of course, ebay

camel cape one; currently at £21//camel cape two; currently at $61

aka vintage...

one assumes the second one (ok both...) will go for a pretty penny given that a) it's amazing and b) it's from renowned vintage ebay store bustown modern. the first one is a simple option but a great one, of course.

if you're really after a bargain (and who isn't?) i recommend scouring the coat and vintage coat sections. i just did a quick search for camel cape and picked the stand outs, but some people don't understand the power of keywords and you could end up with a great find.

i mean, there was also a reversible cape which was fuzzy and leopard print on the other side but APPARENTLY it was a buy it now (for £85) and has now gone. ultimate sad face; it was the camel cape of dreams.

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*these may not have been her exact words, and i may have embellished a little, but that is of NO CONSEQUENCE, k?

miss selfridge; a/w10.

according to twitter just after these pics surfaced, there are very few fans of Miss Selfridge's A/W collection.

now, while some of the clothes weren't to my style (miss s is often too girlygirl for me), and some of the shoes raised an eyebrow (lots of open toes and a pair of clogs. clog-inspired boots for a/w = good, actual clogs are a little...summer-y, non?), i'm actually quite a fan.

or at least, i'm gonna get on the defensive.

imgs from instyle

the shoes: come ON! wood (effect, i assume) heels and plaftorms, big brass effect rivets, lots of laces and buckles?

there were some heinous boots, yes, but these are all solid pieces (partics pairs 1, 2, 4 and 6). dark brown peep toe wedges with brogue detailing? very similar to my betty jackson ones, so i wouldn't buy them, but sweet-ass none the less.

accessories: leopard print ear muffs. i don't think i really need to say more.... i shall be wearing my fuzzy black ear muffs this a/w, though, huh?

these bags are all pretty cool too - all with that 'vintage' vibe, though the furry one reminds me of Giles' collection.

as for the fur coats - the first is so similar in colour, shape and size to my vintage one that i can't help but love it, and the coat with the collar and cuffs is similar to the one i'm slowly diy-ing (looking for a vintage fur collar to attach to it in a similar colour/shape to the miss s one; no lie)...

the clothes themselves are weaker, probably, than the accoutrements, but still with great potential.

ok, i'll give you this, the second dress is a little.....hmm. but imagine the middle skirt layer also in lace - a full bodice and a tiered lace skirt. not too dissimilar to the asos dress i loved from yesterday?

ok, so, it's NOT like that, but it's not quite as bad as the 'twitterworld' seemed to suggest.

as for the first dress (and the other 2 dresses + cardi, but not as much as that first dress) - ace. i assume/hope it's sheer - floaty perfection.

while i might not rush to the shop when this collection launches, i have a feeling the end of season sale will be a treat and a half for yours truly.

This Time Next Year We'll Be Millionaires. Please?

Firstly, drool.

Secondly, yum.

Thirdly, oof.

...and if I were to link all the things I want from Asos, we would now be on approximately 'twenty-firstly'.

This is, of course, my weekly "check-topshop-asos-and-miss-s-websites-to-see-if-there-are-any-new-RTW-styles-for-my-placement-report" ...thing.

Which inevitably becomes my weekly "wish-i-had-money-for-most-things-on-these-websites" thing.

Sigh. I need money.

I need something to do over summer.

I NEED THAT PAID SUMMER PLACEMENT.

...no news on that front yet, although my phone is upstairs so you never know, maybes there's a missed call.

*checks uni email for 56th time today*

Anyhoo, for now I'll have to make do with the 27402957498352 things I've bought on ebay since I made some $$$ selling crap I no longer want. I say crap, it's all good quality stuff, obvs...

I'll wait till I've won all the things I want til I do a 'here's what I've bought recently' post, though.

Right, back to desperately trying to remember which website had the animal print bra to replace the one thats too big for me now...

(I'll wait till I'm on the train tomorrow for a 'this was my weekend' post, FYI.)

OH HAI

So first post.
Hmm.

A little about myself, i spose - if, perchance, you have wandered here from some god-forsaken part of the interweb, and are not, in fact, someone who knows me.

I'm a 2nd year Fashion student at Northumbria Uni (this makes me 20, fact fans), currently on placement year (for the whoooole of 2009) and living in London where I've been for 2 whole months O_O.
I'm living in Harringay, and working in Kensington (just off Ladbroke Grove, at a company called RTW who supply Topshop, Miss Selfridge, ASOS, etcetc.).
On my days off I am to be found wandering the streets of London town, in my awesome chelsea boots, taking photos of random things and spending too much money on coffee.

Also, I like brackets.
Infact, I like punctuation in general. And smiley faces.
:)

The idea of this 'ere blog, I guess, is part online diary, part keeping my friends back home up to date with my whereabouts, and part ramble about what I'm doing at work/around town/what I'm wearing/what music I'm listening to today. Fun times.

I probably should have started this either at the start of this year, or when I started placement, but I only just thought to do it, so....deal with it.

so, today

I was at work ^_^ and didn't do much of anything...research and stuff, dealt with my scarf project (I am official scarf designer for Miss Selfridge, I'll have you know.), posted something, had the best chicken wrap ever from a cafe on Golborne Road and couldn't finish it cos it was so massive (I have the rest in the fridge for tomorrow, of course).

But I did buy tickets to see my beloved Patrick Wolf in Camden in June.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D.

Clearly excited.
I'm also trying to round up anyone whose free on April 24th, if there are tickets left, for Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Camden Crawl. Don't actually want to see anyone else on the bill. It's Blitz! = awesome.

Here is a nice picture of Mr Wolf. He only serves to jazz up this post a bit, tbh.

Ah, the tiny shorts. At least he's wearing underwear too in this pic, t'were a different story the first time I saw him live, I tells yer.