Humourous sign

Just came out of the gym...walking to the car...saw a sign in one of the doctor's surgery windows that read;

HAHA!

It's been a while

Sorry I have been a bit neglectful of this dear blog but I have been rushing to get all work finished. I am happy now to say that I have finished my second year now and hopefully if I have not let myself down, I will be starting my third and final year back at uni in September - ahhh!

We ended the year just like last year with a Journalism Party, where a couple of our lecturers who have their own  band; the Hudson-Temple experience (I think that's what it's called) play at a dirty club and all journalist students get together and get merry. We already have one guy in the band who plays drums from our course, and this year a girl had a part as guest vocalist...starting to think that by next year the whole lot of us will have a role in the band. It was a good night (as you can see by the photo of myself on the right and my dear friend megan), more so because I was able to remember the night because I avoided the dodgy vodka at the bar and stuck to trusty cider and black, which I am taking quite a liking to lately.




The following evening was spent at the pub with friends, one of whom has just arrived back from Afghanistan and it was nice to see that he hasn't lost his 'banter' skills. The next day I had a date with my favourite UK city, Manchester. Myself and four friends went to see Dance Gavin Dance (pictured) and In Fear and Faith which was a goody. The highlight of the gig was probably the cover of ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ which In fear and Faith came out with at the end of their set. It was awesome - made me almost buy a T-shirt, almost. What was more funny, were the accomodation arrangements;  myself and the bessie got ourselves a premier inn, the rest found themselves staying in a Muslim hotel with no TV and no alcohol - bad times.

The idiocy that went on after the gig, hitting bars and clubs on-route to Rock Kitchen, involved ripping tights, un-doing zips, spilling drinks, noticing that manchester is shaped like a horse's head, huge lamp shades and generally ruining peoples nights with our drunken slurs of uninvited conversation. At Rock Kitchen the lariness reached a new level and I can only say that the pictures I found on my camera the next morning, were quite upsetting -  it's amazing what one can do with parts of their anatomy. Crazy kids.

So now it’s bank holiday Monday and after sleeping for twenty hours or so yesterday, I am now bored and deciding what needs to be done this summer. The list so far involves, sorting out work experience places (preferably in Manchester), booking a hotel for another gig in Manchester at the end of this month, looking for jobs and trying to find some cities I can take myself to.
I really wanna travel this year, and with my best mate leaving for 7 weeks to be an oper (something I can’t spell), I need to do something to pass the time. First trip will be to Paris, then maybe Barcelona – I Love it! Then maybe Madrid, I plan to go visit my friend while she's opering in Italy so that’s an excuse to go to Milan right?

Hopefully this will go to plan and I’ll get to see some places which would make this blog pretty good - talk about the different cultures, how the fashion’s change, fun times, the bad times etc.

So -  stay tuned, gonna have to have a wee nosy at flights and accomodation, that's always a good place to start.And, for those of you who don't know Dance Gavin Dance - here's a video

Clog On!

Yes, it seems the clog has made it's way into the top summer shoe trend's for 2010, and as reluctant as I am to say this - I kinda want a pair. Now the clogs I'm talking about are the high heeled, chunky sandals - not the  i-live-in-a-windmill-in-Holland style clogs.

Chanel and Miu Miu were rocking their clogs down the runways and it wasn;t long before they were selling like hot cakes! Fashion bloggers and celebrities were rocking the clogs and it seems we're dying to hop on the bandwagon too. They are a fresh take on a familiar style of summer sandal -  think back to last year when Pierre Hardy joined GAP to design their summer sandals that proved to be a huge sell out hit; appearing in practically every fashion magazine of the year!
Photo credits: Above: Flikr, Right: fashion tribes


The slip-on clog design has influenced a lot of the designs this summer eith many re-designing and experimenting with the slip-on design. Now a Slip-on heel, to me, doesn't sound that appealing - but I think it could work well for a daytime look- which is why they're so wearable. They are simplistic but unusual in their design but still allow you to mix and match all kinds of outfits and they'd bring it up to trend instantly.
Chanel

Now I wish I could afford a £300 pair of Miu Miu clogs I really do, but alas I cannot. Instead I have waited to see what high street designers can do -  and decide whether or not it is possible to own a pair of clogs worthy of a "are they designer" comment.

So here goes, I have sat in front of my computer searching away, to find the best designer style steals out there, under £100.








1. £90.78 @ ">Free People 2. £97.36 @ ">Free People 3. £97.36 @ ">Free People 4. £65 @ Topshop 5. £45 @ Miss Selfridge 6. £40 @ Barratts7. £35 @ Barratts

Plaits, braids, knots and twists.

If like playing with your hair and you like trying out different things.Well I've decided that after looking and over the amazing plait trends of last years catwalks, I have decided to make a little collage for anyone who wants to have a try.

Photo credits: Elle, and Hairdresser journal interactive

To help you on your way ...

here's how to fish plait courtesy of Youtube

DIY T-Shirt Dress

A while ago I bought a really big T-shirt off eBay (see previous post), and I wanted to make it into a dress.
Some large T-shirts don't need to be taken in at the sides if they are long enough, but this was like a tent!

So here's how I did it.
First, turn T-shirt inside out and decide roughly how much it needs to be taken in. Make mental note or make a mark with eye-liner and begin pinning down the sides. Pin both sides, and remember to leave about half a cm from the pin.
Sew from where the sleeve startsand sew down. After you've sewn each side try the top on to make sure the size is right.
Once the size is right, you need to see how much you are going to have to take in the sleeves. I liked the longer length of the sleeves on mine, so I decided to go for a bat-wing style. I marked out a diagonal line with pins so that the sleeves were tightest at the end. It's pretty easy to adjust the sleeves and there are plenty of good videos out there depending on what style you want.


Here's a slideshow and finished product...

Tattoo Tights

When Chanel's models walked down the catwalk showcasing Karl Largerfield's Spring/Summer collection it was a fresh surprise to see the use of temporary tattoos.              

Photo credit: Style.com

The temporary tattoo's were available to buy but have since sold out (unless you venture to eBay) and would have set you back £100+. 

That's a lot more than the 20p temporary tat's I used to buy as a kid from the supermarket! Well, if you don't have the money to spend on temporary tattoos - don't reach for a biro pen - try out some tattoo tights before attempting to DIY!

Photo credit: www.grifebolsas.com



 There are many different designs and colours out there. I've picked out a few of what I think are the hottest pairs to wear right now!


1. Jonathan Aston @ John Lewis, £12                       

2. itsocks.co.uk, £9.60

3. Bebaroque tights @ Lilywigglesworth, £25.20

 4. Jonathan Aston @ MyTights, £12

5. Sherry Ann @ itsocks.co.uk, £6.99

The selection at itsocks is where i'll be going to pick out my pair - there's so much choice!
Hope this has helped anyone who has been looking for a pair!

A few floral summer dresses under £30

Maybe it is the burst of sunshine that we have been having lately or maybe it was the fact that student loan payments have gone through... but today I felt the need to purchase a beautiful floral dress. Now I am not a very flowery person - I have one flowery top that I bought about a month ago and I worn in only once. I just cannot seem to make it work. However, when the sun is shining I have to admit I am a bit of a sucker for a floral dress, but since I only have one flowery dress already - these days are quite rare.





Here it is,,, £10 @ New Look







Because it's been so summery lately, and because of my bargain find, I thoughti'd scour the net a little to find my favorite floral dresses under £30. So here goes....

1. Boohoo.com, £20

2. Dorothy Perkins, £25

3. Asos, £16

4. Desireclothing.com, £20

5. Boohoo.com, £20

6. New Look, £25

My new love: peruvian necklaces

You know when you flick through glossy mags, and fashion websites, and you see jewellery that's little more interesting and most of the time a lot more expensive to the that on the high street, and you just wonder - why is it so hard to find jewelry pieces that have a certain 'sass' ?


Now I'm not talking about the beach jewelry that you buy in holiday when you're feeling like a surfer and get home to find you have no clothes or surroundings that match. I'm talking about the the look fo the jewellery - Silvers, gold, stones, gems, detail that doesn't look generic.

Well, i think i've found it. I was looking around the net for some hand made silver jewellery and I discovered a style of necklace 'Alpaca' inspired and made in Peru. I then went on to my cyberspace heaven - ebay- and typed in 'Alpaca necklace' and I was given 848 necklaces to browse through. I was happy to see that if you wanted - you could also buy them directly from Peru with shipping costing around £6. Prices range from 99p - £25 (unless you plan on buying wholesale), which is amazing - Obviously at this prices it is not real silver but you're likely to get one for the same price you'd pay for a neclace from the high street - except this necklace will make your outfit a whole lot more unique.






I could quite happily buy ten of and never need to buy another necklace again. Of course It would be wrong of me to write this post without bidding or buying one, or two or three... So bidded I have done.

(I don't know why the necklaces are called 'Alpaca' but this is what real alpaccas in Peru look like for those who were not wondering)

Get the Chloe spring/summer look for less!

If you like the outdoors and you like fashion you should look to Chloe this summer for inspiration. The safari browns, and military greens of the collection  made the looks look effortless and laid back - you would think the models had just been backpacking around South America! The classic cuts like the denim and linen shirts and the jackets were adjusted to give the collection an 'edge' without being hard to wear.
What I really love about this collection, is how the looks could easily be recreated on a lower budget.

 Photo credit: elleuk

I've found a few key pieces for recreating this look for less.

I managed to find a great selection of clothes for this look, at Uniqlo (who are currently having a huge sale). Uniqlo is store that doesn't really do cutting edge fashion, and it doesn't have a huge amount of choice - but it does have great quality, classic clothes.

A classic shirt is a must. This premium linen safari shirt (1) at just £14.99 is a bargain. It's also available in white and well - every girl needs a white shirt in their wardobe....

I chose a classic pair of beige chino's (2) I found these in New Look for £20 (I already have my eye on the very same pair in khaki).  A beige pair of chino's has the longevity of surviving more than one season and can easily be brought into your usual outfit rotation.

If you live in Britain I don't need to explain how important a mac is in summer. A mac is every girl's necessity, and the farmer-esque examples in Chloe's collection got me all exited about everyones favourite dress-up time .... festivals!!! This mac (3), just £6.99 from Uniqlo, has the staple classic colour - it's not as hefty as a parker but it's not as awful as a kagool. It's just right.

Leather and PUC shorts are looking hot for this autumn/winter but Chloe went for a tight hot-pant style in their summer collection. These can be re-worked if you found a pair of shiny hot-pant/shorts. However I'm not that daring (at least not bare legged)- and so i'd stick to a more versatile satin pair that would work throughout the seasons in day and night. I found this great pair at, again from Uniqlo, (4) for £19.99. I love the wide leg shape and the flattering draping detail.

Here's the a video courtesy or Youtube of the Chloe S/S 2010 collection to inspire you...

Snow in Spring?!

Weather reports are saying that snow is on it's way. This is not  news I want to hear in March. The weather should be bright, with breezes, warm showers and the smell of Spring; everything coming back to life. One thing's for sure; I'm having a lot of trouble deciding what the hell to wear - a sunny start to the day gets me excited, and I decide to ditch the chunky cardigan i've been living in over winter and go for a jacket, but almost every outing involves an oufit re-adjustment before leaving the premises.

I have a mental list of things I want/need for the Summer (if it ever arrives...)

1. Military Chinos, £20 @ New Look
I'm currently eyeing up this pair from New Look but I'm not going in for the purchase until the 20% offer comes in (April 9th)

2. Black Strappy Wedges, £30 @ New Look
Oh my! I have wanted some wedges like this for a while now. Orginally I was contemplating a splurge on a £65 Topshop pair but before my irrational spending could get the better of me, they sold out. These are just as good and at £30 I'm not going to argue!

3. Strappy bodycon Skirt, £15 @ Boohoo.com
I'm pretty boring when it comes to skirts. I'm not very adventurous with them. Mostly, I wear bodycon skirts and use them for layering under a long top. This is a little different with the strap-stich detail, it also has versatility -which is great if you're anything liek me and can;t stand buying things that you'll probably only wind up wearing once!


4. Cropped Top, £15 @ Topshop
I have nothing in my wardrobe this colour. That's a justifiable excuse in itself. I think it would also contrast nicely against the khaki chionos.

It may not be a large list but the season is still young. I once again have a working sewing machine! I have many ideas of what I will attempt to make (I have no idea what I'm doing) and I have already made a pair £3 primark jogging bottoms skinny and taken in a hand-me-down black velvet skirt (I like the Hocus Pocus look.


So, this summers going to be about DIY fashion! See how to make Alexander Wang Sock braces here!
Let's hope we get some sun !

a bit of DIY

On Sunday morning I woke feeling surprisingly spritely after a late night spent catching up on desperate housewives. After a trip to a Dunelm Mill with a friend I had remembered to buy some hemming web and elastic for a little DIY idea I had seen here. It was the customising of knee-high socks to make them look like those featured in Alexander Wang's Spring/Summer 2010 collection.  I came across this girl (after getting lost on a 'blog wander' ) who had created this awesome idea. I thought I'd give it ago (you see i'm a bit creative like that -granted, not everything I make is wearable).

Photo credit: JazziMcG

For anyone who doesn;t know what hemming web is its a bit like ribbon that you cut to whatever length you need, you place it on the inside of the hem and fold the excess material over the web and iron. It's just a quicker and easier way to adjust the length of things like trousers. I love the stuff I have made a garish gothic skirt that I have a strange love for, constructed using just hemming web and elastic, (it hasn't fallen apart yet - though that would be embarassing).

So anyway all you need to make yourself of sock braces as they have been dubbed, is elastic the same colour as the sock about an inch wide, hemming web, needle and thread, scissors and white chalk or eyeliner.

I'm not gonna tell you how to do it becasue I think It's only fair you visit her blog and find out, but I will tell you what I thought.

First off, drawing and oval on the back of the sock whilst wearing it is hard. My attempt looking like a child's drawing, so after squiggling some kind of outline, I took of the sock and tidied it up a bit. After cutting out the ovals and sewing on the elastic (seems more sturdy) I checked the even-ness of the holes in the mirror and with no surprise one was twice the size of the other. I carefully cut to match the largest hole whilst wearing the sock (not something health and safety would approve of but that goes out of the window in my room!). Unfortuneately I only had over the knee socks but it still works okay you just have to trim and iron the hem under. I did this after sewing on the elastic as you may have to stretch the sock a certain way to stop it from gaping at the sides.

Hear is the result! The shorts I'm wearing are DIY cut-off tracksuit bottoms (£3 from primark) hemmed up using...HEMMING WEB!  It's a sporty look i'll be championing when the sun comes out for more than half an hour.

Shoddy photo's by me

Angry, Impulsive Shopping

I received my phone bill today and I was not impressed. I recently haggled my way up the mobile phone tree and upgraded to an awesome htc hero but only under the under the conditions that I would be given unlimited internet usage for free. Well, I should have know it sounded too good to be true because my phone bill told me that I had been charged for internet usage by the megabyte! Luckily, I do not have direct debit and I shall be having some serious words with them on Monday.

This news made me a bit cross so; on a slow Saturday with nothing else better to do I decided to look for weird stuff on eBay. My hours wasted browsing resulted in a purchase of a Red Indian feather fancy dress head band for £1.95 free p&p, and a hard rock cafe T-shirt for £2.99 inc postage. Don’t ask me why I spend to make myself feel better, but I do need T-shirts and I have been to Barcelona Hard Rock Cafe so it's kind of a souvenir and well... who doesn’t need an Red Indian headband!!?
(Barcelona Hard Rock Cafe pictured above [flikr])

New Shoes!

Lace-up boots have been HUGE this autumn/winter. The military lace-up has replaced the popular, classic ballet pump, and I was quick to put a pair on my ‘want list’. The thing is, I have decided this year that I must wear my heels more, and so I had to find an ‘in between’. Oxford style lace-up boots with chunky heels were one option, but I wanted something with more 'edge'. I remembered seeing this gorgeous pair of lace-ups from Topshop a few months ago, but by this point had sold out, so I went to my favourite shop, eBay. Here, I saw them being sold with an asking price of £110! I have no idea what the RRP was at Topshop, but I imagine they would be a bit out of my price range anyway!

(photo credit: obsessee.typepad.com/obsessee)

After scrolling through hundreds of boots under the search 'lace-up boots size 5' I discovered these little beauties. With a 'Buy It Now' price of £26.00 they were sold. I couldn't believe such a good replica would be so cheap. I wear them all the time with my knee-highs (if any of you have read my previous post you will see they are my new love). They are comfortable yet versatile. Definitely my best-buy of 2010 so far!

Best Designer-Inspired Boots Under £50

1. The designer; Balmain

 Price, £1,160

The tribute, available at Schuh

Price, £40

2. The designer, Miu Miu 

 Price, £380

The tribute, available at Myfirstwish.co.uk

Price, £29.99

3. The designer, Hunter

Price, £60

The Tribute available at Matalan

 Price, £10 

4. The designer, Chloe

 Price, £1,245

The tribute, available at Aldo

Price, £39.98 sale

 

5. The designer, Ann Demeulemeester

Price, £675

The tribute available at Asos

Price, £40