GEORGE

First & foremost here's a rather belated Happy New Year, hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I was unfortunately too busy eating, drinking & being merry while I was home, now I'm back at work I'm definitely feeling the need to get inspired & blogging again! I got back into drawing at home, I had a look back at my uni portfolio & did a few quick linear sketches. I'm determined to start going to life drawing classes this year, & I really want to get back into using my sewing machine too. Perhaps I'll finish my patchwork quilt this year? Although to be honest I think there might be a greater chance of pigs flying...Thought this graphic New Year text went well with my gorgeous new embroidered pillow- a Birthday present from my good friend Sarah which I haven't stopped showing off! Love the pom poms--

I finally bought the kimono dress from Urban Outfitters I've been banging on about for months, £30 in the sale BARGAIN! I was pleasantly surprised to see Sara of the fabulous Waiste blog doing a spot of modelling for UO. Even better, she was modelling a few of my prints! Absolutely love this tile smock, so pleased they went for this print. Think it really suits Sara- her blonde dip dye is a great contrast to the rich deep maroon & it looks so comfortable I just may have to purchase!

Finally, a bit of sad news I'm afraid. I came back to London on Thursday eve to find we had been graced with the presence of mice. Unfortunately this meant we had to give up our much loved budgie George. It wouldn't have been fair to keep him while there were mice around & I don't think we'd have managed to get rid of the mice with his cage being an easy source of food for the little buggars! I was surprised as how upset I was, George is such a character & I hope he goes to owners who fully appreciate him!

So, not a great start to 2014 but onwards & upwards! All images via pinterest apart from my doodles at the beginning of the post, & the beautiful George montage- hope you like! Ps. George was with us & named well before the Royal Prince showed up!

Uniform Appeal

I loved that pink coats had a moment this year, I fully appreciate them on other people, they're just not for me. This satchel from Miss Selfridge is a gorgeous berry shade & a snip at £49 for real leather. I thought the bag was a great base for an outfit I've had in mind for a while. I wanted to do uniform with a twist, the understated collar on this All Saints shirt is perfect for this. The sweet skater skirt from Urban Outfitters is one of mine, the dainty nude roses look great on such a dark ground. Acne Pistol ankle boots have been on my wishlist since they first came out. I have my trusty Mighty boots from Topshop which are a great & affordable alternative, but I just LOVE this pony skin pair on Kurt Geiger. This embellished Roksanda Ilincic coat is incredible, although so is the price at almost £4000!! Topshop as ever has some lovely accessories, really tempted to get this ombre snood-think the colours are quite unusual, & this beautiful ethnic pendant. I think they're the icing on the cake for this simple & chic outfit. Ive added a few alternative ideas that would also work well with the satchel, this floral boiler suit from Topshop is stunning, it looks so comfortable. The sweatshirts are from River Island & could be great chucked over the skirt. Happy Shopping!! Ps. Asos have just started their sale, up to 50% across all departments!!! At least I have the excuse of my Birthday on Friday for already making a few purchases!

Winter Wishlist

Christmas fashion isn't usually my bag, each year endless tacky sequins on hideous clingy dresses seem to rule the high street, sky high spindly heels or spikey Jeffrey Campbell rip-offs are all over the place and, if you're anything like me, you're sick to the back teeth of the choice of either black or red for your yuletide attire. I'm hoping this year's the turning point for Winter tack. There's been such a varied choice, stores are finally embracing colour, different textures & more interesting shapes. Topshop, I have to say really is leading the way with their Christmas offerings. They've brought out some beautiful embellishments, jacquards & applique. Their printed leather is just brilliant. The below 5 dresses are standouts for me, they look as if they could be designer pieces

I'm loving all the sheer/lace layered offerings, the high street has really upped it's game here with high quality pieces you'd actually be prepared to pay more for. The forest green Asos shift is just divine. I think you can really go to town with accessories here, perhaps keeping jewellerey to a minimum & going OTT on shoes & bags. Really really want one of the Proenza Schouler holographic purses, absolutely gorgeous! The mint quilted Lanvin bag is a beauty, it's a great match to the cutout Sophia Webster cutout heels. Also, aren't these Tory Burch beetle slippers incredible? They're £177 which is obviously expensive, but not unreasonable for the level of detail there, tempted to give myself an early Birthday present...

Going back to what I was originally banging on about, the high street has been spot on with their fancies this year, this Urban Outfitters sequin on lace dress is inspired, as is the printed leather Topshop dress. I think that's been marked down now too, will definitely be purchasing in the very near future! I've been so excited for this exquisite Asos piece to come out, I truly think it wouldn't look out of place in a D&G show. Such detail & quality for £120. The embellished skirt is also rather wonderful. I'm going to have a go at customizing an old pencil skirt, need to find myself a decent bead shop methinks

Last but not least, PRINTS. The central tartan floral border dress is one of mine, think I'm going to get this too, the shape is lovely. The rather outthere skirt & trousers are mine too, I was surprised River Island went for this print as it is a little scary, but I'm glad they did, look great made up. The red tropical smock is a print from another of our talented designers, bit gutted as I absolutely love it but I honestly don't think I could warrant buying another red dress! I found a new brand today, Romance Was Born, WOW!! I would love to one day own a Missoni cardie, a McQueen signature scarf & an authentic Givenchy handbag, sadly these 3 items will remain on my wishlists for many years to come! Really liking prints worn together, matching & clashing. I think to pull this off though you need to keep everything else super simple & neutral. Unfussy coats, boots & knitwear make great accompaniments to head-to-toe print.

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.

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!

Wishlist

This could of course go on forever, but I had to stop somewhere. Currently hunting around for boots, I've always wanted a pair of witchy lace up boots just never managed to find the perfect pair. I'm loving all the tartans & checks that are everywhere at the moment, the cold shoulder asos dress is beautiful. I'm a big paisley fan too, the Urban Outfitters paisley kimono style midi is one of my prints & I love the dress shape, think I'll be purchasing. I'm feeling all the grey hued beauties too although being brunette it's not the easiest look to pull off. Kenzo's always going to be on my wishlist but I think that's probably where it'll be staying!! Likewise for embroidered anything, loving the embroidered jumpers & bombers. The lace Urban Outfitters oversized dress is amazing, it's a little pricey but I'm very tempted. Off for a spot of retail therapy this evening methinks!