Lust of the week: Warehouse shift dress
You can never have too many shift dresses in my eyes; they're so versatile and it's something you can just throw on and go. I love the neckline and collar of this one from Warehouse - and any dress with pockets gets a thumbs up from me.
So long, London
After two and a half years of living in the Big Smoke, I'm leaving this city I've called home for a move back up North. I love London and I've loved living here but honestly, it's just too darn expensive.
I turn 25 soon and perhaps I'm having a bit of a quarter life crisis (or I'm thinking practically for the first time in my life) but if I ever want to get myself on the property ladder and out of the circus that is renting, a move up North where prices are actually pretty reasonable is needed.
Plus, I miss it up there. I'm Merseyside born and bred and I love the character and grit of Northern cities, as well as not being too far from the sea and countryside.
Next weekend is the big move (I have got a ridiculous amount of stuff so I'm not looking forward to that!) and I have a couple of days to settle before starting my new job so it all feels a bit hectic at the moment. This means blogging may take a bit of a back seat for a while but I'm hoping not for too long - I'll be back down in London for fashion week and hopefully there'll be some exciting events in Liverpool and Manchester I can cover too.
Outfit: Men's coat and skinny jeans
Coat: River Island men (similar)
Top: H&M (similar)
Jeans: Light Before Dark via UO (similar)
Boots: ASOS
Looking at these pictures I am in dire need of some sun...I am all kinds of pale, cripes. The temperature has really dropped in London the past few days so I'm bundling up in oversized coats - this is one I pinched off my man (he comes in handy sometimes!)
I'm a big fan of menswear and think it can look great on women - there's something about the sharp tailoring that you don't find very often in womenswear - and I've been looking at the LC:M shows for a bit of inspiration on how I can incorporate the styles into my own wardrobe.
Lust of the week: Topshop suit
I'm loving full suits at the moment, especially when they're dressed down with tees and trainers. I really like this one from Topshop; it's dark enough to not be too crazy, but it still makes a good alternative to black and would make a great injection of colour into my winter wardrobe.
Review: East London Juice Co.
The juicing craze seems to be taking over the world; a quick scroll through Instagram and almost every other person is trying out some cleanse or other. I've been looking to try one myself - I like the idea of getting loads of nutrients in one drink, but I don't like the idea of not eating any solid food for a few days; I feel funny if I don't eat breakfast in the morning, never mind going a full three days! Plus, I don't think it can be particularly good for your body to do that.
So when the East London Juice Company got in touch with me to try out their juices, it seemed like the perfect match. The idea with these is that you incorporate them into a healthy diet so you don't actually have to give up the solid stuff (music to my ears). You can choose from a variety of cleanses and they'll let you know what you can eat while you're on the cleanse, or you can simply buy a load of juices of your choice.
My package arrived just before New Year, so I was ready to jump on the 'healthy eating' bandwagon after the over-indulgent festive season. To be honest, when I got them and looked at the ingredients, I was not looking forward to drinking them; cabbage, turnip, algae and fennel don't exactly sound like they'll make great drinking material.
To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement; it must be the way they blend all the ingredients together but I actually really enjoyed the juices and looked forward to starting my day off with them. The one I was least looking forward to was the 'Beet It' one because I hate beetroot but again, it was really tasty.
The only one I didn't like was the chocolate one. I thought I would enjoy it the most because I'm a chocolate fiend, but it was too bitter for me and it has a few lumpy bits (I think they're the cocoa nibs) which didn't go down too well.
It's not cheap but it's a great way to get a load of goodness into your body - especially if you lead a busy lifestyle and find it hard to get all your fruit and veg in, or feel like you need an extra health kick.
Outfit: oversized leather trousers with nikes
Coat: Zara (similar)
Jumper: Zara (similar)
Trousers: Zara (similar)
Trainers: Nike (similar)
A bit of a Zara invasion in today's outfit! I bought these faux leather trousers in the sale a couple of weeks ago and I've been wearing them with everything. I love leather trousers but sometimes the traditional skinny, biker style can feel a bit too restricting (not to mention sweaty) and more often than not will take me at least 15 minutes wriggling around on the floor, trying to get them past my thighs.
When I saw these in Zara, then, it seemed my prayers had been answered. I love anything baggy and oversized anyway, so it was a match made in retail heaven.
Lust of the week: Acne Studios heat draped dress
Acne is quite possible the epitome of Scandi cool; minimalist, effortless and incredibly chic, and The Outnet is currently offering up to 60% off products from the brand (hellooo perfectly cut white tees and wide leg trousers). I'm a sucker for a LBD - I must have at least 10 in my wardrobe - and this Acne Studios heat draped dress would make a welcome addition. It's a classic, but with an unusual shape to make it interesting. At 55% off, I'm not so sure I can resist...
Outfit: All black with camel floppy hat
Hat: Whistles (similar)
Jumper: J.D.Y
Leather jacket: Topshop (similar)
Jeans: Topshop
Boots: ASOS
My love for head-to-toe black hasn't been left in 2014 but I have managed to break it up a bit with this camel hat from Whistles (I can't find it online anywhere but Missguided sells a similar one). I also can't get enough of these boots from ASOS; I bought them in the sale and have been wearing them with pretty much everything since - I love the zip detail and they're perfect for when I don't feel like wearing heeled or knee high boots.
Post-Christmas sales: best of the rest
Clockwise from top left: Mango choker, Muubaa leather jacket, Michael Kors Selma tote bag, Whistles rollneck, Topshop shoes, Missguided faux fur jacket
The sales are well and truly in full swing and quite a few stores have made further reductions - so I've picked some of my favourites from what's left (see my first lots of sales picks here).
In the sales, I'm drawn to good quality leather pieces so I can score myself a good bargain while investing in something that will see me through a few good years; designer handbags and cashmere jumpers are great for this too.
Outfit: Green trousers with oversized white shirt
Coat: Zara (similar)
Shirt: Mango
Trousers: Zara (similar)
Flats: Zara (similar)
I'm trying to steer away from trousers that aren't black and/or denim to expand my repertoire of winter looks. These trousers from Zara are still dark enough and will work equally as well in the office as they do for a more casual look.
Lust of the week: ASOS babyboot flares
The 70s trend is one I'm most excited about this season and I'm starting to see it trickle into the high street slowly but surely. At the top of my list is a good pair of flared jeans. I live in jeans at the weekend and these will provide welcome relief from my skinnies and a sleeker shape than my boyfriends.
These ASOS jeans are great because they bring flares into the 21st century and aren't too 'fancy dress'. I'd pair these with a shearling jacket and big fedora.
Outfit: Long length grey coat
Coat: Zara
Dress: Zara
Necklace: Moth
Boots: Public Desire
Zara strikes again with this incredible coat and and oversized silk dress. I love how a coat can almost be an outfit in itself - I'll be belting this one up with a skinny belt this January and mix up what accessories I pair with it to create different looks. For this outfit, though, I'm leaving it open to show off this dress (similar here) and dainty necklace from Moth, a boutique in Manchester (similar here).
2015.
Happy new year! I'm back to blogging properly now after a break over the festive period and boy, it feels good to be back. Without really realising it, I think I was getting a bit sick of my blog towards the end of 2014; I work full time and blogging takes up a good chunk of my spare time so I was getting a bit consumed by it all while not really being able to appreciate what I'm doing and enjoy it.
I decided I needed some space from the blog over Christmas - not least because I craved time away from a computer screen and wanted to really enjoy time with my family. Towards the end of my break I started to think clearly about my blog and what I want to do with it; I got excited about it again and it helped that when I caught up with old friends, they were genuinely impressed with what I'm doing. I do this blog for me, first and foremost, but knowing that other people enjoy it as well makes all the hard work worth it.
So with a fresh head (not easy after the amount of prosecco I've drunk over the past few weeks) I'm firing up the blog again for 2015 - and that starts with a fresh new design by pipdig. It's slick and minimal (just how I like it) with bigger images so you can see my face even closer up (pah).
Post-wise it's mainly going to stay the same, with a focus on outfit posts, but for YouTube fans I have started my own channel. There isn't anything on there yet but I'm hoping the first video will be up this month - if there's anything you want to see me cover let me know. If anything, I need a bit of inspiration because video is new territory for me!