A nod to the 1960's

Last night I watched the new Dawn O'Porter series 'This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes show' on channel 4. It's not very often that I watch TV anymore but once I'd read the write up I had to give it a view as I love vintage and thrifting. Half of my wardrobe came from eBay, and I'm not ashamed of that. It means I can play around with my style on a budget. Any of you vintage lovers who didn't catch the show last night, I'd strongly advise catching up online, the upcycling ideas were fabulous.

Today's post was partly inspired by the 1960's vibe given off by many of the vintage trends, and was also influenced by a new musician I've discovered whilst doing some research on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Adam Holmes. I've been listening to his 'Heirs and Graces' album non stop since last night, it sounds like the kind of music you'd hear in a cool coffee shop or a late-night bar. It's not often I plug music, but if you're into folk at all I would strongly recommend giving him a listen!

So today I built my outfit around my new-to-me top I received in the post yesterday from my recent eBay spree. It was originally from Boohoo, but I'm not sure when, but it has a real 60's feel to it. The pleather peter pan style collar and the A-Line shape are all reminiscent of what was arguably one of the most influential decades in fashion, so I decided to go with it.

Top: eBay (originally Boohoo), Trousers: Next, Boots: Topshop Premium

I had a lot of fun trying to persuade my hair to style this way, it was definitely not easy, I miss having longer hair a lot. But I wanted to try and make it as beehived as possible to compliment the overall look of the day. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

I chose my Zara city bag for today's outfit because the simple, yet chic style really does work with everything, I'm a firm believer in carrying all of my belongings around with me all of the time(!) and this bag definitely lends itself to that. The only problem I have is finding anything in the bag when I need it! And of course I've gone with the freebie Cosmo sunglasses. I've seen so many lovely pairs on other style blogs recently, but I'm a massive fan of these.

The trousers were a purchase last summer and I only wore them once as they are very, very bright. Originally I was worried they looked a little like wallpaper because they are patterned but I've grown to love them. They're a real statement piece, and I think they work well with the monochrome details of the rest of the outfit.

So that's me for today. I'm considering doing a payday wishlist post in the next few days, what do you lovelies think? Hope you all have a good afternoon/evening. I'll be kept entertained by very unexciting housework jobs for the rest of the afternoon, feel free to leave me some comments to break up the fun!

Em x

Whimsical

Today I have bitten the proverbial style bullet and decided that my beautiful Zara dress featured last week is far too pretty to sit in the wardrobe unworn.

I've come to the conclusion over the last few days that this blog is more about my personal style than it is about following the trend. To me fashion isn't about being a sheep, it's about being expressive and so today that's exactly what I decided to do.

Dress: Zara, Leggings: Urban Outfitters, Sliders: Next

So I've paired this beautiful dress with my purple disco leggings and my faithful zebra sliders for a rather whimsical look. I know it's not going to be to everybody's taste but it is most definitely a look I'm in love with. This weather is too good to wear black all of time, no matter how tempted I always am to do that.

The back of this dress is so beautiful, it's a bit of a practicality issue as it's impossible to wear a bra without showing the straps, but it really does feel almost bridal. To say this was under £35 I think it really was a bargain.

The detailing on the bodice is literally beautiful as well, it hardly even needs accessorising. 

This is a fairly dressed down look despite the dress itself being so evening ready. The only thing I would change is how opaque the fabric is as I would love to wear this on it's own however the fabric doesn't lend well to that idea. It really is ultra transparent. 

However, I'm comfortable and I feel confident today, I always find my confidence levels are higher when I'm happy with my appearance - or as happy as a girl ever is! It's made even better by the fact I'm sitting out in the sunshine in a beautiful park typing this post. Now who could complain about that?!

What do you lovelies think of this outfit? Would you have worn it in another way? 

I hope you're all having a lovely day and are enjoying the sunshine!

Em x