a brogue idea

RE: yesterday's post, I'm into flat shoes too. Maybe I'm migrating from feet to head? Not that interested in heels right now. All flats considers, but nothing too flimsy. And, actually, preferably something with a heel, but a tiny heel. A brogue heel, yknow? You'll see.

I bought these (Topshop sale, £10) the other day - they really need to be worn in but they're rather lovely and go with everything. I need my flats to be interesting, a shoe needs something if it hasn't got a heel.

Anyway, to fuel my need for flats, I set off round the internet. Maybe these 'monk brogues' from New Look [a mere £15 in the sale, and no, I've no idea what's 'monk' about them]?

Or these two-tone numbers from River Island? [£29.99]

Not exactly brogues, but ASOS have these less-than-ankle boot things for £28

BUT THESE - again, not brogues - from ebay (where else), which i missed out on by 50p and few minutes some days ago. Dream shoes.

They're orig from Office, so, yknow, if anyones got a pair of 5s (even 6s, whatever) kicking about, err, gimme gimme gimme.

Waaaaaahhhhhhhh. Suggest me some more?

THE boots.

you might have noticed me mentioning, just a little, my search for 2 pairs of perfect boots for the winter - THE tan chelsea boot and THE goth boot. it's not like i don't have an abundance of boots, not to mention shoes, but both these things were necessary right?

as if to prove my love for ebay, both perfect pairs popped up and i won them within 2 days of each other. WHO'DA THUNK IT?

comfiest. shoe. ever. i think they're kinda cushioned and they literally go with everything (see below), which is awesome. also they're half a size too big, so i can don a thick sock with them. AND they have grips, making them the most practical shoe i own. WINTER BOOT WIN!

throw them on with jeans and a fur collared coat! throw them on with sequins and a jumper and a parka! why the hell not!?

as for the goth boots, well...

i think my eyes popped out of my head when i saw these on eebs; even more so when i won them for under 20 quid. they, also, are remarkably comfy (i think it's the platform; they're aren't really that high in the foot angle sense) and they are awesome.

i reckon there are three ways you can do the goth boot - embrace the goth (BLACK, BLACK, MORE BLACK. maybe some grey.), go for the contrast/lolita look with the frilliest, girliest dress you can find, or do none of the above and just whack some stripes and a parka on it. also, note new rings and peach/blue nails.

shakuhachi dress//uniqlo cardi//H&M+vintage necklaces//topshop tights//parka+rings; primark

also new/perfect red lipstick; models own OF COURSE, new favourite brand in the world, IN THE WORLD.

recent scores.

both charity shop-based and ebay-based. one leather bra top, one lace maxi, and one pair of shoes.

note a) the lack of face - i couldn't take a photo without looking odd and b) the air of fetish around the whole thing...

thrifted vintage maxi+shoes//ebayed top+jacket//primark belt+tights//diy-ed shorts//necklaces = thrifted or gifted from ana!

i reckon the top treads a very fine line between "brilliant" and "questionable", but mostly i was thrilled to find a bra top that fit. they might well be all over the high street but they're either for the smaller chested lady or they go by sizes (8, 10, 12, etc) so anything fitting the bosom wouldn't fit the back. le sigh. always trust vintage - although i totally did have to sew it in at the back. but, whatever. it's leather, i wasn't going to let a little thing like it being too big stand in my way.

the dress, on the other hand, fit like a glove but it SO delicate and already had holes in it... no worry. remember what i said about british style being a bit rough around the edges?

and so begins my gothic autumn/winter! *awaits the arrival of THE goth boots in the post*

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.

--------------

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

in real life.

this is essentially (BUT NOT QUITE. must own another leather jacket+ goth boots. like these, but not these, because they are a size 7 D:) the outfit off of this post...

vintage dress+bag (off of the same ebay seller; hot damn!)+celtic cross necklace//jacket+shoes from ebay

well, if that outfit description isn't proof that i spend too much time on ebay, i don't know what is.

yeah, the dress and bag came.

the bag has for too many buckles and fastenings, but it is awesome.

the dress fits like a glove. and this is why i buy vintage. no dress on the high street would fit my chest, waist and hips all at the same time without me buying a bigger size and pulling the waist in with a belt. le sigh ♥

the benes effect.

in relation to a previous post, i give you a new acquisition.

i call it 'the elaine dress'.

dress+jacket from ebay//shoes from select//moody face

as is common knowledge, selling half your wardrobe on ebay* inevitably leads to perusing the vintage section, which inevitably leads to bidding on this and a(nother) leopard print dress.

but who could say no to a vintage, calf length, silk, blue, polka dotted laura ashley dress which is a couple of sizes too big and therefore the perfect amount of slouchy?

though, it is actually ankle length. and i hoiked it up over the belt. hoiked is a word, shutup.

also, here is that sheer cardi thing i was blabbering on about the other day. ahhh rspca.

amazingly that H&M skirt continues to reside in my wardrobe, through all the clear-outs. well done, old chum.

*there is a link, under shop venturess on the side bar. do it. i have over 50 things to sell, including a pair of amazing Bally loafers. yesyes.

if the boot fits.

second post about shoes in a row. third if you count the ones in this weeks ebay post. third post in a row involving ebay.

good work!

so autumn is creeping up on us - the a/w lookbooks have been circulating for some time, and stores are starting to get their stock in. it's time, in my eyes, to start thinking about winter footwear, which is, of course, focused around the art of the ankle boot.

this year, i'm mostly looking for something with a platform, or perhaps a wedge, but mostly for the perfect tan chelsea boot. definitely not docs again, as my ill-advised foray into docs around this time last year will show you. stubby legs + 10 holes = not good. also the blisters were unbearable....

ideally i want pair of boots number 1 from this ebay post, but they were too big. i'm hoping a trip to absolute vintage, aka where i got my favoured flat black vintage boots last year, when i'm in london, will bear fruits, but otherwise....

if money were no object:

all from net-a-porter//clockwise from top:

chloe; £580

alexander wang; £555

alaïa; £1000

burberry; £475

gucci; £720

i find myself drawn to the wangs more than i ever was when they were on the catwalk, but the chloes would be perfect if they were a few shades lighter. (good job they're not then. £580!?).

if i save up a bit:

1-5 from nastygal; 6 from the outnet//top row:

sam edelman; $185

jeffrey campbell; $162

jeffrey campbell; $192

bottom row:

jeffrey campbell; $188

jeffrey campbell; $225

vanessa bruno; £115.50 on sale

seriously considering the vanessa brunos, if they're still in my size when i have money. they're also in black, and white (i think), on the outnet site...

the big mustard jeffrey campbell platforms AND the tall black ones are making me drool. =/.

the high street

top row:

asos; £45

asos; £40

asos; £45

bottom row:

asos; £75

new look; £60

topshop; £65

new look are ABSOLUTELY winning the chelsea boot race here. almost perfect. if only the elastic part was black! in fact, in a strange turn of events, i find topshop not to be ahead of everyone here - this is the best boot they have right now, and it's not all that. i assume they have some stunners up their sleeves, though, which will no doubt be in store soon. probably too soon, in the sense that they will be SO AWESOME that they will sell out before loan times. sigh.

the realistic

the questionably photoshopped ebay and etsy haul!

i'm not linking all of these - partly cos i can't be bothered, partly cos i'm watching a couple and maybe i don't feel like sharing, huh? though, the bottom left pair, which are here on etsy for $40 are too big anyways, so have at them!

pairs 2 and 6 in particular have caught my eye (and are both at seriously good prices right now) but maybe a pair of black chelseas would be good too?

in which direction are you taking your boots this winter, mes amis?

copycats.

there.

part of the much talked about, and much lauded (especially on the blogs) Miu Miu shoe collection for SS10. yes, it's nearly autumn now, especially in shopping terms, but that's really not the point.

whereas those who've been going crazy for the shoes all seemed to love the print and the colours, it's merely the heel shape that drew me in. chunky and square; high but with a surface area that suggests they might be comfy for longer than your average high shoe, and in a range of styles and colours. of course, while i adore the print versions - the first pink bejewelled number and the kitty-print of the second style, in particular - if i was actually going to spend real money on expensive shoes, i'd probably err on the side of caution and go for these:

img from 5inchandup

WOAHWOAHWOAHSTOP.

this WAS intended to be a 'where can i find a similar heeled shoe for significantly less money?' post, but since the answer to that was, as it is for everything, 'trawl ebay', i stumbled across these.

these ones aren't Miu Miu, of course.

they are, in fact, a rip off. and while that is a subject that has been written about time and time again, i offer you not 'real vs fake', but 'fake vs fake'.

img also from 5inchandup

now, River Island 'borrowed' from the above pink bejewelled number and these cherry print ones sold for about £65, but the first, plain option comes from Korea and will cost you about £25.

and that's not all!

a glance at their shop (which is completely overstocked to the point where i really couldn't face the 60 pages of shoes before me...) reveals all manner of copies - some of which are really rather detailed/similar to the original.

mcqueen, chanel, balenciaga (or sam edleman if you're that way inclined), even a rodarte/nicholas kirkwood-esque number - and this is just a smattering. and all of wxyon shoes shoes are between £20 and £40, ish.

by this point, it should be obvious that i'm not against the rip-off industry. this is because a) i like shoes, b) i can't afford the originals and c) i'm pretty fickle, and spending £500 on a shoe probably isn't a good idea if it's possible you'll get bored of it in 2 months.

if i like a designer shoe A LOT and a similar version of said shoe happens to pop up in River Island or Topshop for a fraction of the price, i'm gonna want that option. especially if it's in Topshop, because that's what store cards were made for.

if some shop on ebay sells better copies for a third of that price, well, which one would you buy? of course, the quality won't be all that (i assume) but given the nature of point c) above, i might not care if they fell apart within a couple of months. and as i've seen from other peoples experience, price doesn't always equal quality anyway.

that said, if the black Miu Mius were to be on sale somewhere, i'd be all over them in an instant.

but what would you do?

------------

...and to get back to the original point of the post - since the selling point for me is the heel, perhaps these numbers would make me happy anyway:

£65 from office, also in black

and, let's face it, if i'm looking for something specific i'll almost always try the vintage section of ebay before i try anywhere else, and of course eebs hasn't failed me this time:

i stopped and gasped at that last pair. i mean, they have the heel, and they're printed, which is a bonus, but ALSO THE PRINT IS LEOPARD BASED I MEAN ITS LIKE ITS MEANT TO BE YOUKNOWHOWMUCHILOVELEOPARDPRINT*HYPERVENTILATE*.

brb, trying to decide if i can fit into a size 4.5

amazing world of ebay; 25/7

the 70s edition, i guess. check out these platforms!

(1), (2), (3) and (4) would be the platform shoe section, of course, where you can find Marilyn boots, brocade wedges, and other delights. or you could take the more sensible (?) duck egg blue desert boots option (6).

a bright yellow kaftan (5) and multicoloured AND fringe detailed jacket (8) bring the hippie brights, and while
(9) might be a lot more 80s - with its graphic print and batwing sleeves - it was also too awesome/odd to leave it out.

7&10 were just for fun, and for your sheer fill - whether a waistband in a boyfriend jacket (courtesy of last week's spotlight shop, funkin junkie') (10), or a sportswear suit affair (in two separate auctions - the jacket (7a) and the shorts (7b)).

next week, ebay takes a back seat as the worldwide blog sale takes over, as mentioned here!

amazing world of ebay; 18/7

i am properly tired for unknown reasons today, but here i am, soldiering on, scouring ebay for awesome pieces and randomness. today's pickings?

firstly, this week i'm celebrating the store funkin' junkie, which ALWAYS has some great pieces in - this week you can find items (3), (4), (5) and (6), aka slouchy denim/camel perfection, a sheer hooded cover up, a SUEDE LEOPARD TOP (aka my *leopard item of the week*) and a vintage take on the "camel" "trend" that "people" keep banging on about.

also on the topic of "trends", i guess chanel brought that whole crochet thing back, and you can find a plethora of lace and crochet this week, including a "suit" which may or may not have finished already (9), but you can always look at for a little bit. oops. took too long working on this post. there are slips (12), shorts (11, also ending soon), babydoll efforts (17) and slinky jumpsuits (8) on offer too, as well as this chain mail affair (1) at $245/£160 if you have that kind of spare change about your person.

while we're on the sheer front, you can find maxis which are perfect for layering (2), as well as super wide pleated flares (7) for a ridiculously laid back 70s...thing.

in shoe corner this week you can find AMAZING CLOGWEDGE THINGS (15) which someone needs to buy and blog about posthaste, leather&lace boots (13), cute brogues (14) and interesting wedges (16).

and to top it off, you can find genuine vintage biba (10) in the form of a blue jumpsuit, starting at £25.

----------

so 'the amazing world of ebay' is a lot less "what is this fuckery??" and a lot more "OMG HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!?" these days, huh? i say these days like this isn't only the 3rd week.

ho-hum.

most wanted.

despite saving money for a trip to london in the not too distant future (for research and definitely not for any sort of shopping), i'm now, as always, coveting some items.

i don't know about you, but if i'm a fan of something it ends up in my bookmarks posthaste.

currently bookmarked (and ebay watching)...

top row: asymmetric dress; topshop//asymmetric dress; topshop//grey maxi skirt; asos

bottom rows: navy tights//leather jackets//vintage lace+satin bodies//

more leather//cute vintage dresses//tiered leather skirt//

sequin bustier//anything khaki//err, a stainless steel jug for frothing milk. how'd that get there?

sheer sleeved dress//more vintage lace nightwear//graphic swimsuit

you know my love of asymmetry. although the first one is a beach cover up and the vest and maxi are both thin jersey and therefore totally supposed to be summer pieces, i'm looking ahead to autumn and desperately wanting these pieces for layering up and teaming with fabulous coats. preferably leather-based ones. which brings us to the ebay portion of the evening post.

i have a search out for leather jackets (as well as vintage pale blue jeans, preferbs high waisted, and chelsea boots, preferbs tan, but none in my size are presenting themselves to me. what gives, ebay?), in a cropped, tight, biker style. i love, adore, and cherish my Rick Owens inspired leath-urrr, but i just want cropped sleeves. i can't help it. the perfect one will turn up eventually.

vintage lace+satin nightwear numbers are all up in my grill right now. i own one - bought for layering purposes - in cornflower blue, from beyond retro, which has since made it into my pyjama rotation. cute, comfortable and perfect for warm summer nights. i can't bear to be uncovered when i'm sleeping, whether we're talking clothes or bedding. unless i'm drunk. or err, not alone. anyways, i want more in more colours, but of course the "underwear as outerwear" trend renders these expensive. ach.

as for the rest? i like anything khaki, sheer, leather, sequin-ed or polka-dotted most of the time, and these just happen to be on my watch list as of now.

side note: also craving pale pink.

hey new followers, btw. sometimes i have a surge; it is nice.

amazing world of ebay; 11/7

more ebay fun!

this week sees a wealth of cool shoes and some denim, with a dash of wtf-ery in the form of gold sequin flares (9) and a gingham dress (11) which can surely only be fancy dress.

i need tan chelsea boots in my life, and these are perfect (1). or they would be if they weren't a size 7.5... there are on trend vintage pieces in the form of Wang-esque wedges (2) and clog-esque black leather numbers (3), as well as patterned pumps (5), but then there are also these inexplicably horrific boots too (4), so it's not all good.

the onslaught of denim sees polka dot shorts (6) (a nice twist on the average denim short), and 80s-tastic (take that as you will) bleached jacket (12), and a cropped vest which is so very cute (10). oh and these striped things. hmm. (13)

store wonderland vintage has a LOADS of floral trews in various colourways (7), if you're that way inclined, and this pale yellow lace crop with a floral pattern would look cute with a great number of them (8).

thanks ebay!

gotta have faith.

it was my housemate's 21st yesterday - i made him a 6 layer rainbow cake; no lie - but all the post was for me. as was the package delivered around 3. (my new printer. no excuse to now be doing work now...)

in said packages were a number of recent ebay purchases.

ah, the curse of ebay. once your selling stuff, you're searching for new things that you want too. dammit.

vintage cross earrings (SOMEWHAT REMINISCENT OF FAITH-ERA GEORGE MICHAEL, Y/Y?); khaki blouse; vintage lace dress.

...worn with things found on my floor, of course (thrifted velvet dress, H! by Henry Holland cycling shorts, Oasis wedges, H&M ring, hat from ebay...)

as much as larger bosomed ladies "shouldn't wear high necks" (which is one 'rule' i do, actually, sometimes consider given that they can and do look massive in said outfit situations), i think a high neck under a strapless dress breaks it up and you can "get away with it".

which is good, cos shirts buttoned up all the way/high necks are very much relevant to my interests right now.

damn you, elaine benes.

also, this card was in the package with my lace dress. no idea why i have the earrings in this pic, but there you go. (it came from ebay store the purple lizard, which you should mebs take a gander at.)