head to toe.

Late to the party, but dammit, I've been blogging graduates - much more important.
The Topshop autumn lookbook came out a couple of weeks ago, and the images have been swirling around the Internet since. Topshop always do around 4 trends a season, accompanied by interesting names, and this seasons are no different - Psychobilly, Bavaria, Thrift and Glamrock.
Bavaria and Thrift are a little..."throw everything on", though there are some great pieces hidden in the melange, while Glamrock really does what it says on the tin (more glamourous than my usual style, very 'going out' and featuring very short skirts...) and Psychobilly adds an androgynous and really cool selection of pieces, which is something a bit different for the high street, and definitely my favourite of the trends.

Below are the looks I'd wear as is...

1//Psychobilly//chunky jumper (wonderful shape); shiny, skinny, cropped trousers

2//Psychobilly//leopard print boots. !!!. blues and reds and tailoring. wonderful.

3//Psychobilly//HOUNDSTOOTH TROUSERS. wahhhhhh.

4//Psychobilly//heels with socks, bodycon skirt, chunky cardi. yesyes.

5//Psychobilly//more animal print + chunky knits, plus awesome shoes

6//Psychobilly//leopard collar, leather pencil skirt. <3

7//Bavaria//the long and lean look will always be a winner with me. love the scarf under the hat.

8//Thrift//stripy calf length skirt; gorgeous colours

8//Thrift//i can live without the boots, but everything else? nipped in jacket, awesome bag, pleated shirtdress. aww yeah.

lfw snapshot.

aka hannah marshall, charles anastase and topshop unique, thrown together because i only pulled a couple o' looks from each...

see more at style.com

hannah marshall

great sheers, high button up collars (and double collars) and the dark greys were lovely.

see more at style.com

charles anastase

i curse the internet for not having better pics of the mustard wedges(?). but yeah, again with the sheer and the buttons and the collars, yknow...i'm seeing a theme. that's why they call em trends, jenn.

see more at style.com

topshop unique

didn't like it anywhere near as much as their last collection, but the shoes are pretty great, and i could recreate that first look RIGHT NOW from my own wardrobe, which i always appreciate.

gosh, those were quick and snappy 'reviews', what? already with the ton of uni work; do expect a rise in the amount of outfit posts, and a possible drop in the number of words and/or posts for the next 9 months. big apologies; if you have a problem please take it up with the 4th year fashion design programme, kthnx.

scorpion.

you may recall a most wanted item i posted about here the other week - sheer, asymmetric black dress (ok, beach cover up affair) from Topshop. as it goes, it's the only thing from that post that i DID buy (oh, and the spotty dress from ebay, but it's too small so it's been added to the blog sale pile. SUNDAY. BE HERE.) and it's pretty awesome.

i do not know what i'm doing with my face in this pic.

leather jacket+bandeau top from ebay//jeans+dress from topshop//

rings+necklace from H&M+etsy//vintage boots//barry m nails

eurgh, i hate my hair down.

beehives/tiny topknots make everything in my wardrobe look better.

the scorpion ring is new, and bought from Aquanetta at etsy which is AWESOME and full of star sign based rings and other cool/cute jewellery at like $6 each. ridic.

being the actual epitome of a scorpio*, i had to get it. the store sells some pretty cute vintage too....

oh, and: hey, new followers! say hi ;)

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*or an even more typical scorpio III, if we're getting into personology. i have the book that link goes to, as discovered at the charity shop mecca that is RSPCA byker, after first taking an interest in it when my housemate in london owned it. fascinating. and dead on about other people i know, not just me.)

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?

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.

double d.

a tiny, quick post in reference to a quick mention in this post, but topshop's online lingerie department includes this:

"also available in a dd cup"

which means, maybe, they're doing a listen.

although, note, these 5 styles (which aren't the only styles in a dd but were all grouped near each other for a nice screencap) are all completely sold out of dd sizes, apart from the leopard print straps one which still has 36dd in stock.

ok, so all 5 are mostly sold out of all sizes, but still, maybe this is a positive step in bigger sizes, in nice designs, on the high street - they're obviously selling.

ring, ring.

the collection.

i'm so ridiculously all about my rings right now. the 4th pic is my newest acquisitions - two long H&M numbers and an adjustable leaf from Claire's Accessories (!), which i haven't been in since i was about 14.

i need more - currently trawling ebay; although H&M is my ring go-to. they always have good ones.

i feel like posting is a little lack-lustre right now. but i'm planning a new "feature" tomorrow, which hopefully will be a regular occurance.

clockwise from top left: H&M//H&M//Claire's//thrifted//Primark//H&M//

Topshop//H&M stack//vintage//Primark stack (?)//Topshop//Primark//Topshop

denim.

today, i'm wearing jeans.

as you may be aware, i'm not a jeans person. i own 3 pairs - all skinny; one grey, one dark blue and high waisted, one black. i'm on the hunt for some pale blue ones on ebay, but they've got to be perfect.

but that's beside the point.

the black jeans are my favourite by a mile - they're topshop, and they came with a label that said 'ankle skimmers', or something, which i assume means they're supposed to be considerably shorter then they are. on me, they are the perfect length (although i love when skinny jeans are too long and they crumple up at my ankle).

the thing about me and jeans is how i wear them. i don't mean what i wear them with, although that's part of it. i mean, my "relationship with denim" as it were.

jeans are my lazy outfit. since i pretty much never dress down, jeans are my 'lazing round the house' clothes. they are my jogging bottoms. unless i'm being really lazy and wearing pyjamas all day, jeans are my go to. they look good and they make me feel good, but they require absolutely zero effort.

today, for example, i am hungover. well, not anymore, but i was earlier. and, as such, putting effort into an outfit, or indeed, anything, is a bit of a push. i know i have to leave the house later, so, the black jeans plus a slouchy, stripy jumper is an outfit i'm not ashamed to be seen out in but is also the epitome of 'thrown on'.

course, that suggests that any other outfit is born of a time consuming, labour intensive thought process, but the difference between the two is, at most, some standing about in front of my mirror.

no need for mirrors today.

throw on some shoes - anything black, with any height of heel, or even NONE AT ALL, works particularly well. or a chunky boot. the tan chelsea boots i'm hoping don't get expensive on ebay would be great - and maybe some jewellery and a 'chic' outfit is born.

chic. what a horrible word.

luke is moving out today. ;__;

black and blue.

thrifted blazer+skirt//topshop crop top//H&M necklace//Garage shoes//various rings

friday night's 90s flavoured outfit. bought the top in topshop earlier in the day... not in the sale... sigh.

i only went in to pay some of my bill off; typically.

now now, there's only a couple of days left to vote for blog of the month so do get on it, yesyes?

just keep swimmin'.

swimming is fun, right?
i mean, exercise is generally encouraged, and swimming, cycling or walking is about as much as i can muster.
but - and given this is the season for that sort of thing - finding decent swimwear is harder than you'd think.
the criteria?

- affordable
- not too similar to those i already own (one royal blue knot front/cut out Topshop one piece, one black bikini made from H&M high waisted bottoms and a Topshop halter top)
- preferably something in a stripe, an interesting pattern or a khaki/coral/something like that block colour. must be nice, yknow? cut outs/interesting details preferred in one pieces, so as not to be too 'stuffy', or something.
- and (most importantly) be suitable for ACTUALLY SWIMMING IN.

because, as it goes, a large number of swimwear available that fit the first 3 points are suitable only for lounging by the pool.
i am not a lounger.
i don't tan; i burn.
also, i'm not going on holiday any time soon.

so, internet, do your worst:

topshop

as evidenced by my current arsenal, topshop is my go-to. these are the nicest looking on the TS site right now, but i doubt either of them would sufficiently secure the girls while doing lengths. I'm not a big fan of the style of bikini top where the cups are attached to the string but free to move around. because move around they will, and exposing oneself in Byker pool is not at all desirable.

river island

river island (the store), i do not like. i don't know what it is about the north east stores, but they cool stuff from the website never makes it's way there, while the orange hued folk of the north do. in droves. the site though, has good stuff.

my point is, i saw none of these in the newcastle store today but they are varying degrees of awesome. i'd be in love with the second one if it weren't so eye-searingly pink; and the last one if it weren't £60.

side note: river island's shoe department is like a sea of catwalk rip offs. good ones, like, but i could literally walk through it going "miu miu, alexander wang, burberry..."

need supply

need supply is normally a little high priced but these pieces aren't too bad (the first - from cheap monday, is in the sale for $30. i forget how much the second one is, but its from label 'insight' which is pretty cool - see below)

this is another problem i encounter. much like high street bras - hey Topshop; H&M; et al; your bras are gorgeous, a lot of the time, but i'm sure you are losing thousands of customers by stopping at a D cup. isn't the UK average a C? shouldn't you at least consider a range for larger busted ladies? just a thought.

the cheap monday bikini top looks snug on the model; i can't imagine how i'd ever fit into it (see also: american apparel)

and so, to asos.

i was sure i'd been on there earlier and not seen anything, but in writing this post found a bunch of great options.

above are pieces from Mango, two more from Insight (which are way better than the need supply option IMO) and two options from asos' own range.

print!

decent coverage!

the coral asos one is, i think, in the sale, and has the desired cut outs, but this option is cheaper and ticks all the boxes:

asos

ok, ALMOST all the boxes (note the free-to-move cup/strap design. noooooo!) - but it IS khaki with gold accents, with decent straps and plentiful cups, and is under £25 for both pieces. oh, and it comes in a coral-y shade, which is even cheaper.

snap snap

So my camera broke (what's new?). This one held up 6 months. Proud.

The screen cracked, and so I had to trundle all the way to the nearest PC World (MILES. OUT.) and managed to get a better camera than my old one but that cost less.

Do these look better quality to you?

custom leather jacket//H&M tee//Topshop leggings+Boutique skirt+ring//New Look boots//Primark socks//ebayed necklace

So yeah, I got this Topshop Boutique skirt on ebay (coincidently, that link will take you to a bunch of stuff I am hawking in order to make money/buy more shoes) and it came yesterday morning and I fell IN ACTUAL LOVE. I have to hitch it right up in order to cycle, but whatevs.

Oh, and here's a lil close up of the other nail colour; nude and such. I should have macro'd this. Meh.



It's only a lil' darker than my skin colour; took 2 coats; yaddayadda. Go win some TS makeup stuff in my giveaway, ye have....13 hours and 15 mins left to enter. THE WORD. SPREAD IT.

And as for you NorthEastern fashion folk: tonight, 7pm, Grainger Street - vintage fashion show. A few bloggers are going down, I believe, but no one I have actually met/know IRL so if one of my actual friends who what is reading this wants to come, lemme know. (Otherwise, me and my 12mp camera will see yer there!)

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bits and bobs

Continuing the money spending trend (must stop. must list those things on ebay. etc.), I bought a whole ton of stuff on Thursday, other than the makeup. Herein are some pictures of jewels and jangles, and a lil' outfit shot off of the evenings festivities.

2 x H&M necklaces//Primark necklace+ring

I haven't been to Primark for about a year (It brings me out in hives. Seriously. Can't handle that amount of people. It's not worth it. Not my idea of a good shopping experience.), but popped in to find a new skinny brown belt since the buckle gave in on my old one, and that's where I got it.

Couldn't find a plain one, but then there was a braided one; the only brown one left. Score. Then I found this ring, and that necklace, and a bag, and some tights, and some socks, and before I knew it a £2 was a £16 bag o' stuff. Gah.

Oh hai close-up. And a good shot of that ol' light grey polish.

thrifted dress//ebayed jacket//topshop shoes+leggings//primark ring+bag+belt//H&M necklaces

I'm so into hair braids right now. You can do SO MUCH with short hair, honest. You just need to be creative. Although, no top knots. :(

I am now leaving you with the oblig FashionCrew shoe shot.

AND OH YEAH; I've only got a right old Topshop Makeup giveaway on, haven't I?

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