Co-ordination

So, I've finally relented and given in to one of the most popular trends of the summer and I must say, I'm wondering why it took me so long. I ordered this amazing co-ord set from the fabulous Missguided the other day and thanks to their super quick delivery, it was delivered yesterday. I think I'm in love.

I think it looks really Rennie Mackintosh inspired and I love a bit of abstract art. I was initially skeptical about how the quality was going to be given that the whole co-ord came in at under £25 but I'm pleasantly surprised, the fabric is thick enough to be flattering, it's comfortable and quite frankly, I think you'll be sick of the sight of it by the end of the summer!

Crop Top - Iona Spagetti Strap Abstract Floral Crop Top, Skirt - Jamie Abstract Floral A-Line Skirt both available here

I understand now why the whole nation is going crazy for co-ordinates. It feels like a more wearable take on a playsuit, and who doesn't love a good playsuit. It's definitely one for those summer nights and I've immediately started browsing Missguided's other co-ordinate sets... there are some absolute beauties. Next on my want list is this...

Tiffany Yellow Premium Blazer and Neela Lemon Tailored Belted Shorts  

I absolutely love the pastel lemon colour of this set, and think it could work both day and night. Much like the co-ord I'm wearing today. Today I haven't really dressed it up, I've just donned my faithful Topshop boots and some frilly ankle socks, but with some barely there sandals and maybe a black kimono I think this would work really well in the evening as well, what do you lovelies think?

Right, I'm off to continue browsing the Missguided site, I might even pick up a few bits for my upcoming holiday in the sale! I hope you all have a brilliant Tuesday.

Em x

Artsy

Happy Monday lovelies! Okay, so I doubt many of us are actually thrilled that it's Monday, but at least the sun has decided to make an appearance here for once.

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed this morning and I came across a quote which in part inspired today's look. I think it's very true, and whilst I'm not usually one for stereotypes I do feel it's much easier for women to dress expressively than it is for men. That's not to say I don't believe in men's fashion, as there are some very stylish guys about, just that I think there's much more of a societal acceptance of women playing around with their image than for a man.

Whilst I don't agree that clothing is a woman's only form of art, there are some phenomenal female artists, musicians etc, I think this summarises my view of fashion. It shouldn't be limited to high end, your ability to express yourself via your attire and project a different image of yourself onto the world shouldn't be defined by your budget. I'm the first one to say I would love to spend much, much more than I do on clothing, shoes, bags.... (I could go on!) there are unfortunately other things which demand financial attention that are paramount to twenty-first century living.

Anyway, I'm rambling, the quote got me thinking about art and so I decided to try out a combination I've been thinking about for a few days. Print clash. I'm usually quite scared of mixing prints as I'm never sure if the look is too garish or if my creative vision is actually flawed - I expect it is in part! But I decided to pair my Topshop maxi dress with a crop top I thrifted recently for 99p which is originally from Boohoo.

Hat, Dress and Boots: Topshop, Crop Top (worn under dress): Thrifted, originally Boohoo, Bag: Vintage

I quite like this clash of patterns, it feel's quite arty. The tie-dye print and the black patterned effect of the dress really felt like it both clashed and blended quite well.

I'm having a bit of a love affair with summer hats at the moment, I think the fact that I'm currently trying to grow out my pixie cut has a bit of an influence on this. My hair does not want to grow and no amount of willing it to do so seems to be doing the trick.

I've definitely perfected the moody look now, it's the only face I have. 

Hope you've enjoyed this post, what do you all think about mixing up prints? Have you ever had a print clash disaster?

Em x

Peplums and pony skin.

Sundays. I always find my self at a bit of a loss for things to do on a Sunday, as mentally I feel like I should be relaxing, but it often seems to be the day where I finish off all of the odd jobs around the house from around the week. Today I had plans to go and visit one of my lovely friends and then had a few other errands to run so I wanted something comfortable and relaxed to wear.

Top: Zara, Jeans: Topshop, Bag: Zara, Sliders: Next

I decided to wear this peplum knit because I find the fit quite flattering and it's warm enough for days when the weather doesn't seem to able to make up it's mind. These jeans are my current favourite (as you can tell by the destroyed knee rips!) because I love the fact they're pale and patterned. I know I've voiced my reservations around this style in a previous post but I've decided that even though I practically live in them, these are perfect Sunday jeans. They're flattering, comfortable and durable enough that they don't snag or catch when moving around.

I decided to wear my sliders again because I have fallen in love with them. They may not be the most attractive sandals in the land, but that's the point. They're ugly cool. Or quirky, if you will. And I like quirky, a lot. The fact that they're faux pony skin adds a totally different dimension too them, and despite the zebra print I don't feel like they clash with too many outfits. In fact I think they compliment this one.

Sandals: Next, £22 available here

Jewellery wise I decided to stick to the usual. I'm loving the fact that wearing an array of necklaces is now acceptable. I've done it for a while now but I read an article in Company mag talking about layering of pendants etc this season so I'm secretly quite pleased that it's already a look I go for. I just can't wait to get my hands on my BlackTied beauties in the next few weeks because, like I keep saying, my jewellery box is in need of an overhaul!

So, that's all for this week lovelies. Feel free to leave me any comments about any of my outfit choices. I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Em x

P.S I promise my hair won't look as disastrous tomorrow!

Mono Vibes featuring my Dolls Union #OOTD tee

I was really excited to receive my new #OOTD tee through the post yesterday from Dolls Union and spent a long time thinking about how best to style it to show it off in the way it deserves. Dolls Union have so much fab stuff at the minute, the Baby Pink Co-Ord set is definitely next on my must have list. A big thanks to the team there for the quick delivery.

Headband: Homemade, Tee: Dolls Union, Skirt: F&F @ Tesco, Shoes: Topshop

I'm really pleased with the way this outfit turned out. Whilst I'm still not totally comfortable with the whole being photographed element of this yet, I love putting the outfits together, and a mono tee calls for a mono outfit in my opinion. I've been looking for something else to wear this gorgeous skirt with and it's a total steal at only £30. It's so versatile and could be made to look really feminine if that's your thing. Unfortunately for me it's not my thing at all!

I was thinking along the lines of festival fashion when styling this and whilst I would probably change the footwear choice to something like some DMs, the floral headband and OTT dangly earrings feel really suited to an outdoorsy music event. I just wish I was lucky enough to be heading off to a festival this year, although it's definitely on next year's to-do-list!

Back to the tee though, it fits perfectly, its really comfortable and I think it speaks for itself. It's such a statement item it's no wonder it's had so much publicity - TOWIE's Lauren Pope wore the exact tee recently.

#OOTD Slogan Tee in Black on sale for £8 at Dolls Union

Back to the skirt for now though. If you've never had a browse of the F&F collection I really would recommend it. There's a lot of really luxurious looking stuff that's half the price of a lot of high street brands, the collections keep getting better and better and I'm not at all ashamed to say that I picked up this beauty of a skirt whilst doing the grocery shopping!

Skirt: Available from F&F @ Tesco, £30

Then I thought about what other accessories I would use if I were out and about in this outfit, and came up with what I thought was the perfect solution. My trusty Love Moschino red handbag. Whilst it is a break from the mono look, it's such a statement bag that I don't feel like it really matters, instead I think it really compliments the outfit further. LOVE this bag.

That concludes my ramblings for the day. I hope you've enjoyed the read. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today's outfit and how you would have styled it.

x

Ethereal, Check.

There's no better surprise than a delivery first thing in the morning. Especially when you're waiting for something that you've fallen in love with online. This morning I was amazed when before I'd even woken up my Zara dress had been delivered. The TRF line is always amazing and full of covetable pieces so when I saw this beauty online I needed decided to order it to save any in store disappointment. Zara's standard delivery times are really fast as well which is always a bonus.

The packaging from Zara is always first rate as well - impressive for a high street brand!

Obviously I decided I needed to try it on pretty much right away, despite going nowhere worthy of such an amazing piece today, but I played around with it for a while, and it feels so... ethereal is the only word I can think of. It's like wearing a wedding dress everyday, except in a non-Miss Havisham kind of way. The only downside for me is the length and I'll definitely be taking it to get altered as it is very long, even with the trusty Topshop boots! What do you think to it?

I'm getting no better at the whole posing thing, I know.

The detailing on the bodice makes it feel so much more expensive than it actually is, and I don't even mind the fact that wearing trousers/jeans of some sort underneath isn't optional - it really is that translucent. It's just the kind of piece that makes you feel as though you could turn heads, it makes me wish it was warmer and sunnier and that I was headed to Mexico or Marbella. I took some pics of the detail and of the jewellery I paired with this. I didn't want to detract from the beauty of the dress itself, so I avoided huge pieces, although did dig out one of my statement bracelets from a local Vintage jewellery shop.

What do you think? Do you love this as much as I do? How would you style it? I think as soon as it gets a little warmer some Levi's shorts and white sandals will set my (imaginary) tan off perfectly. 

Although, like I said, unfortunately I wasn't going anywhere exciting today and so I decided to change into something a little more practical for everyday tasks... hence the check part of the post. My Topshop checked leggings are a firm fave and despite it being warmer, I still manage to find a way to style them with almost anything. Today I chose to go with frilly socks, my new Air Force 1's and a plain white vest from Zara. Understated cool was the look I was going for. I'm not sure I achieved it, but it definitely made my wander up the canal path this afternoon a little more comfortable.

Leggings - Topshop, Vest - Zara, Trainers - Nike Air Force 1

That's my ramblings complete for the day. I hope you have a fab, relaxing Monday evening wherever you are. Remember, only another three days until it's Friday again!

x

Disentangled wallflower.

The weather isn't exactly fab today, so I decided that instead of dressing in black like I usually would, I'd create my own summer. This Zara skirt is beautiful but I rarely wear it, but I decided today I would and how better to style pastels than with pastels.

I was reading Simon Blackburn's 'Think' again last night and he was discussing how we can never really know how the minds of other people work. I suppose fashion is a bit like that in a sense, we can appreciate other's style but it's difficult to comprehend what someone was thinking when they put together their own outfit. I'm a strong believer in fashion assisting with creating an external persona - so I do tend to wear edgier attire on days where I feel slightly more emotionally vulnerable, equally, like today, if I'm content and at peace with myself I'll go for something more feminine. That's my favourite thing about this, your style allows you to be whoever you want to be. I don't see that as a bad thing.

This shirt is actually an old school shirt I found lying around and decided to make use of. You can't beat a crisp white collar sometimes and I thought it'd look good with this fluffy crop I found in the F&F sale a few weeks ago.

The pendants are just a few I have, but the Alice in Wonderland one is definitely a firm fave, especially in our house - the quote seems quite apt!

I'm the least photogenic person I know but I decided at least for today to step away from the mirror selfies and take. A proper photograph. I can usually tell if my hunch about my outfit is right from the pic, I really like this combo. It's very summery, even if the weather is non-compliant at the moment.

But no post would be complete without a sulky selfie, so here you have it. I always find it hard to be motivated on Sundays, especially if I'm off work, which I am today, although I'm off out for a meal tonight with the work crew so prepare for more pictures of tonight's outfit.

Hope you're all having a good Sunday guys x