La Dolce Vita

Thank you to TFL for the more miserable than normal commute this morning, I'm glad (for once) I'm not in the South West at the moment what with all the terrible weather they've been having, but I've got to say London is just vile when the tubes are down. The studio is a bit of a ghost town right now as you can imagine, so I'll press on with Rome at long last! I've built it up so much over the last few posts, hopefully it won't disappoint!

For my boyfriend's 30th Birthday I surprised him with a long weekend in Rome- somewhere he's always wanted to go. It also happens to be on my wishlist of places to see...I'm a bit of a photo fiend & this trip was no exception, I really wanted to share our Roman experience without boring everybody senseless! Instead of a photo diary I've seen quite a few bloggers post very successfully, I've gone for more of a visual patchwork...let me know what you think!

We were staying in the Monti district which I would highly recommend, it's within walking distance to the Colosseum, Palatine & Forum but isn't overly touristy with inflated prices. Monti also happens to be packed with brilliant cafes, restaurants, bars & art shops- it feels authentic, like a proper locals area. I had a whale of a time rummaging around all the vintage shops-which were full to the brim as you can see from the photos! I even managed to pick up a calf length Missoni cardigan for 40 euros in the rather fabulous Pulp boutique, bargain!

We spent most of our time wandering around soaking up all there is to see in Rome, drinking copious amounts of wine, mostly around Piazza Navona & the Pantheon, watching the world go by. Vural was desperate to see the Colosseum, & I absolutely loved the day we spent at the Vatican- plenty of inspiration for AW14 there!

Ancient Rome

Out & about

Vatican

Vintage & Monti

Rome is a great place to explore in a long weekend, there's plenty to keep you occupied yet you feel as if you managed to get to the majority of the 'must see' sights, the vintage was unexpectedly great, if a little expensive & I can honestly say I completely relaxed into our mini break away- something that's quite rare for me!

All photos taken by myself, please do not use without my permission

Leeds Bound

Actually counting the minutes til we finish today, as I'm off up North to see friends. I haven't properly been to Leeds before, & Im ashamed to say this is the first time Im paying a visit to my good friend Louise since she moved at the beginning of the year! Fingers crossed the trains aren't too messed up from the flooding yesterday. Typical! This is the most organised trip I've sorted, was arranged months ago, & of course there has to be a massive storm the day before! I packed this morning, surprisingly unfrantically & was even able to document it, Im sure you'll be thrilled to hear!

From top left to bottom right; The most comfortable pjs I've ever owned courtesy of Primark. We bought matching sets when the design team went to Paris in September. My trusty woven house socks from Shakeyerbootie, a great hippie shop in Falmouth, bargain Oh My Love oversized dress-I've had so many compliments wearing this, I love it, think it's so unusual, couldn't believe my luck when I saw it on their website for just a tenner!! Old H&M oversize breton tee, such an easy item to just throw on, tribal crop top from ebay & my jazzy blazer from Primark, I feel a wee bit like a gameshow host in this baby but it hasn't put me off yet! Gorgeous embroidered bag my friend Sarah brought me back from her travels round Thailand. I've had this a few years now, funny to see they're all the rage on ebay & the high street at the mo! Finally, my lovely red leather hold all which was a present from my Aunt for my 18th. It's so useful, a great size & colour, I've had it almost 8 years & it's still going strong!

The Boohoo dress arrived yesterday & it's absolutely perfect, yippee!! I also received a free mag & 'golden ticket'. I know these are just gimmicks, but they're nice touches aren't they? My golden ticket prize was 10% off my next purchase, clever marketing there eh?!

I'm so pleasantly surprised with the quality of the dress, the velvet doesn't feel cheap & the floral details aren't devore as I first thought, they're embossed into the fabric, I honestly think it looks a lot more expensive than it was. Can't wait to wear it, the shape is so comfortable too. The green shade goes perfectly with that silver embellished clutch I bought from Primark last week.

I bought a killer pair of heels for New Years Eve last year, I lasted a few hours in them, which is longer than I thought I would. The gems on the back are a great match with the clutch so I think I've unwittingly sorted my outfit already, which I can assure you isn't usually me at all!! Not only that, I think this may be the cheapest party outfit yet, the shoes were about 15 quid from New Look if memory serves me right. Great, perhaps I'll treat myself to a new piece of jewellery!

I also ordered a pair of CHEAP flats from Topshop that came yeterday too, £7!!! Looking forward to wearing these, I reckon they'll look a treat with thick black tights.

I took a quick pic of me today, Im in my trusty Toppers baxters & ankle boots along with a well worn H&M metallic silver knitted jumper over a floral Primark smock--another of mine, love this one. You can just make out my cheery pink polka dot socks too. In case you're wondering (probs not), the rug is from Urban Outfitters. They've got quite a good homeware selection with fairly regular sales & offers. I think they offer something a bit different to your average homeware shop.

Nailed it

Morning all, another quick one just to add a few extras I forgot about from the weekend mini haul. I've been looking round for a decent base coat for a while that doesn't cost a fortune, seems like a bit of a rip off to pay extortionate prices for something you don't even see! So I was very pleased with myself for spotting this twin pack base & top coat for £4!!!! Bargain. Ladies, get yourselves to Boots pronto!!!

I also picked up these beautiful drop stud earrings. I think they're the perfect balance between classy & blingy. I love the rich midnight blue tone matched with the sparklier gems. I'm wearing them today & they're so comfortable, I always worry a little with cheap jewellery but these have been absolutely fine so far today, really comfortable. Plus they were £2.50, I feel a return trip is on the cards this week : )

Recent Swag

Currently sat waiting for hair dye to sink in, I always manage to get it half way down my forehead, there's just not a glamorous way to diy hair dyeing is there?! Yesterday I nipped out early to Wood Green to pick up a few bits & bobs, inevitably I ended up spending a while wandering round Primark. It's almost impossible to come home without making a few purchases there, it's huge!! I picked out a couple of blazer/jackets, which were not only bargains (£7 & £10 respectively) but they're both my prints! I think these look far more expensive than they actually are-they're surprisingly well made & fit really well, aswell as the prints being pretty snazzy-if I do say so myself! The novelty of finding my prints in store, seeing people in them & of course wearing them myself still hasn't worn off, even after 3 years. These silky pajama paisley trews are mine too, think they're a bit too much for me to pull off though...

I also found these fabulous bejewelled clutches, couldn't believe the £10 price tag for all that embellishment. I love clutches but usually hang back from buying them as I don't trust myself with something I have to remember to keep hold of. Luckily for me these little gems have straps : ) I stood for a while arguing internally over which one to buy & trying to convince myself I didn't need both of them, but I just couldn't choose. Well for that price it would have been rude not to get both right?!

It wasn't until I got home I realised the blazers & the clutches coordinated pretty perfectly..

Also, I don't think I've mentioned the cushions you can just make out in these pics. They're another Istanbul bazaar purchase, hand woven kilim patched together, beautiful!! I had a pile I wanted to bring back, but Vural being the boring sensible one managed to somehow convince me I only needed 2. Definitely shouldn't have listened to him!

Just a quickie

So this is decidedly belated-pretty much a week late, but nevertheless, I've finally got round to posting what I wore! It's been pretty manic at work & having family down with us has meant I've barely been keeping up with day to day tasks such as cleaning the flat, let alone blogging! Enough of my sob story, without further ado here they are, details & all--

From left to right; Monday oversized check shirt courtesy of my sisters' wardrobe with bargain cashmere scarf from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, I think it was roughly £5!! It's so soft & warm it's perfect for the increasingly chilly weather. Tuesday H&M slouchy mono stripe sweatshirt over Asos ombre distressed slip-this is one of my prints! I love the colours in this & the fact that they put it on a grungey shape, really suits the print. Wednesday Primark cropped metallic flecked jumper over Topshop animal dress, another of mine!! Love the strong colours in this print & Im so pleased to see bloggers in this one, makes me feel very proud. Ive pinned a cheap ebay necklace which I think picks out the metallic details & complements the jumper really well. Thursday another oversized H&M sweatshirt. They're such good value for money & I love that the knit is chunkier & looser in this one-you can see this a little clearer in the close up above. The colours are great too, as I've said before, I love stronger tones to brighten up dull Winter days! Friday we were on our way to Manchester, so comfort ruled here. I wore my trusty TS baxters along with this snuggly Primark cardie, it's got tiny sequins sewn into the knit, a lovely touch that meant I just had to have it! The sweet floral Asos cami is also one of my prints, another bold little number! I like that the straps are that bit longer too.

Also, I received a little treat in the post, another ebay purchase I'd forgotten all about. It's a Laura Ashley mono floral midi skirt & I can't wait to get wearing it--

I'm going to be writing quite a bit tomorrow to make up for the lack of posts this week, sorry!

November Wishlist & Northern Love

It's been a manic few days, always is when I go home for the weekend. There's always too much to do, too many people to see & then before I know it, I need to get back to London again! It was a lovely trip though, always good to spend time with your family & I think Manchester is a great place to be around Christmas time. The markets have arrived, I swiftly made my way to the city centre for a hot choc & baileys- ridiculously good there, I look forward to it every year! Vural came too & was able to drive my mum & sister back with us on Monday. Hannah's been flat hunting which, if you're a Londonite, you'll feel her pain!

Here's a snippet of my weekend in photos as promised, beautiful sunset on the long drive home, fireworks, markets, city scapes, SANTA!...all a bit much for someone...

On to more fashionable matters, How amazing is the knitted sweat/floral blouse combo from Zara? This is actually a genius idea, I pop knitwear over my summer tops & dresses a la Keira & Sienna in the Edge of Love to get extra wear over the Winter months & brighten up often drab AW outerwear!

I'm generally more of a dresses girl, if I'm in trousers it's usually jeans. However, this AW, & Im guessing it's partly due to the UK arrival of J Crew, Im into capri pants. The slouchy plaid asos pair are particularly wonderful. I'm also feeling those holographic heels & suede boots- I love knee & thigh lengths for boots, but often find the heel is way too pretty woman, the height on the Topshop pair is perfect. Slimleg trousers go beautifully with printed shirts, tucked in or out. This Zara embroidered beauty is really good value for money. I'm rather proud of this shirt from Urban Outfitters, it's one of my prints (from an UO vintage swatch) that took bloody ages to draw! I'd love to own anything from the hand of Emma Shipley, the colours in this scarf are stunning.

Best of the rest from left to right, bargain beanie (£8!!!), fun fur collar, gorgeous Marc Jacobs & Maiyet handbags, & of course J Crew trews. Cute woolly mitts, & this pretty cranberry bralet are perfect for the festive season.

Finally please let me draw your attention to something wonderful I've happened across on my internet travels...

On the left we have the lustworthy Phillip Lim embellished sweat, with the not so desirable pricetag of £625. On the right, French Connection's budget friendlier winner. Nuff said I reckon!

Get Busy

I'm still in two minds about the whole blogging thing, I love having an outlet for things that I've done/seen/bought & have interested me, but I'm reluctant to dive into the posey outfit posts. Don't get me wrong, there's some fantasic bloggers that I admire for their interesting wardrobe choices,& I also find quite a lot of bloggers wearing my prints which is a great feeling. However, when there's so many people doing the same thing already, some well & some... do I really need to be jumping on the bandwagon too? I don't know, perhaps I'll be eating my words in a few months' time, but for now I'm just going to dabble with weekly outfit posts & details as below.

So from left to right; Monday ebay gringo hippy dress, Tuesday Asos Metallic oversized dress (so comfortable & only £25!) with ebay Crazy Mexican lady cardie, Wednesday Asos tropical neon shirt & DP cerise jeans, Thursday Vintage floral maxi shirt dress from Paris & ebay printed quilted jacket-sure Ive seen this on Asos-was a bargain on ebay, Friday Topshop embroidered oriental kimono jacket & Something Else (amazing Aussie brand) Egyptian tunic

This week's been fairly busy, I heard the lovely news that a friend got engaged so we surprised her on Monday night with drinks & a catch up, it was Carnaby Street's Christmas event on Tuesday which was really fun & festive-

On Wednesday Vural & I went to see Gravity at the cinema. I wasn't sure I wanted to watch this but he's obsessed with anything space/astronaut centric so we had to see it in 3D.

As I expected, it looked incredible, you could be forgiven for actually thinking it was filmed up in space! But, it was an anxiety ridden nail biter from start to finish, I felt uneasy the whole way through : ( I'm glad we saw it though, an added highlight was watching the new trailers (it may be sad but for me that's one of the best parts of going to the cinema). A film due to be released around Christmas is 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'. This looks amazing, I can't wait to watch this. You know when something sums up exactly how you feel but can't put into words?- I think this film will do exactly this for me.

My dad was down for work on Saturday so I went for a brief catch up with him, we had a wander round Lincoln's Inn. So beautiful, couldn't get over how peaceful it was considering it's slap bang in the centre of London.

Vural & I had a few drinks in Muswell Hill last night & I think (if I can get him out of bed, the lazy git!) that we're going to head over to Dalston in a bit for the 'Christmas Carboot' at Stunt Dolly. Anyway, hope everyone's had a good week, can you believe we're halfway through November?! Enjoy the rest of your weekend y'all

ISTANBUL

It's been a week & Im still wallowing in the dark depths of the holiday blues. I travelled to Istanbul with my boyfriend (who happens to be Turkish- very handy if you're attempting to come away from the markets with a bargain or ten) We used airbnb for the first time to find our beautiful apartment, & I'll definitely be using it again, cant recommend it enough. We were right in the heart of Beyoglu & as the city is fairly accesible to navigate around, the flat was the perfect base. Istanbul has such a buzz about it, we tried to get round as much of it as possible in the 7 days we were there. I think we managed to pack a lot into a week but there's still more than enough to warrant a return trip...as soon as possible!