Wardrobe Update

With the impending approach of Christmas and student living over the past few months, this has unsurprisingly impacted on my wardrobe. I've finally finished first semester at uni last week and was more than glad to see the back of the reams of coursework that second year has brought. Maybe now I can dedicate some more time to my blog, I miss blogging and having the spare time to chat to other bloggers. I think a new years resolution is to make sure I blog more often like when I first started as I've definitely neglected it (feel like I've said this a million times but I will stick to it!)
A good place to catch up is with a wardrobe update, this post is based around my favourite purchases over the past month or two.

Romwe Retro Floral Short Padded Jacket // H&M Coat in a Wool Blend // ASOS Academy Boots in Black // H&M Bird Print Dress // Romwe Striped Check Long-Sleeved Green Jumper

Firstly, I've had my eyes on the Romwe Jacket for some time now and it's been featured in my 'Dreamy Autumn Prints' and 'Valentino S/S 14; Paris Fashion Week'. I finally succumbed to buying it when I stumbled across the Romwe Check Jumper which I also fell in love with as it possesses a fresher take on the saturated tartan trend and is very similar to Stella McCartney's recent tartan garments.

Since filling in a university questionnaire, I managed to bag myself a £30 H&M voucher which is such an uplifting occurrence as a student, I was dead chuffed and definitely think I will be filling out more questionnaires from now on!
It crossed my mind to wait for the H&M Christmas sales to whisk this voucher away but when Black Friday hit and H&M had a weekend of 20% off for students, I just couldn't help myself especially as H&M never does student discount. So I trotted over after work and going to Manchester's gorgeous Christmas market and spent £55 pounds on the navy blue coat and bird dress (above) but it was whittled down to a mere £15 after the discount and voucher, the most guilt-free shopping experience ever! Although I am slightly disheartened now because the coat's half price at £20 now, so grab it while you can!

Lastly, I've included a photo of my ASOS Academy boots; my absolute favourite staple Autumn/Winter 13/14 boots. I've literally not taken them off and will be in need of a new pair of boots soon as I've worn them out quite a bit! Here are a few photos of these wardrobe updates in use;

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas tomorrow, I'm so relieved to be relaxing with family and away from all the hustle and bustle for a while, as most of you are too!
x

Mum's Vintage Oversize Shirt

I pinched this gorgeous number from my Mum a good couple of years ago but remember it literally drowning me at the time. I thought I was clever by making it into a crop top and skirt (see photo further down) but upon finding them in a draw I could not be more horrified in hindsight and came to realise I'd ruined a perfectly good shirt! So last night I set to work about salvaging it and piecing it back together and I don't think the outcome was too shabby!

Mum will probably kill me for dubbing this shirt as vintage but she had it in the good old 80s so let's face it is kind of is and what she doesn't know won't hurt her! She also felt slight regret about letting me have it when I wore it today. I don't think I've ever loved a print so much; the tones are quite autumnal and I love the subtle tie dye/bleached effect with a gorgeous mix of blues and purples. To give the oversized shirt more shape I paired it with a tan belt and tan shoes.

Love the old Topshop Label; I've not heard of the Coppernob label before but just searched for it and it's still around supplying for places like Tesco! I also love the fact that it was made in the UK as textiles production in the UK now is only a small slice of the magnitude of what it used to be because of the transference to overseas manufacture now.

However I think in the future we could potentially see productions migrating back onto home turf because the need for fashionable, disposible clothes could be fuelled more effectively with closer manufacture. Zara is an example who manufacture in neighbouring/closer countries and can get a product from the initial idea to store in 15 days! Putting this into perspective; overseas shipping alone takes around a month. Other stores like Topshop are also implementing similar fast fashion production methods! Anyway enough of my degree-related ramblings! 

I wore this outfit shopping today in Milton Keynes; I bought a cheap jumper and skirt and the top left ring from Claire's for £2.50. I always recommend Claire's as it always seems to be preconceived as a child's accessory shop (which admittedly I did for a substantial amount of time) but they have some really good stuff in there for reasonable prices. I also applied some new nail wraps that a friend bought me for my birthday which I love!

Here's the horrific skirt and top I made the shirt into initially, what was I thinking! I even made the waist elasticated on the skirt which looks really unflattering on me and the crop top is way too cropped, I never even wore them! This outfit's got me even more in the mood for Autumn fashion with the colours in the print but it was still scorching today and I even regretted wearing tights (never thought I'd say this in September!).

x

The Ultimate AW 13 Trend Guide with House of Fraser

Every now and then you need to treat yourself, right? Spend a little extra on some quality goods as a pick me up or little reward to yourself. Department stores like House of Fraser undoubtedly fulfill this need with the concessions and brands that are integrated into the structure of the company.
I was contacted by a House of Fraser representative to showcase some of their new collection which is rammed full with spot on pieces for next season! Seeing the combination of multiple brands' pieces come together in House of Fraser creates a wonderful collective vision for next season; very much spoiling you for choice!

So here's my Ultimate Trend Guide for next season compiled with key trends from House of Fraser's new collection.

Dickins & Jones Ladies Floral Rose Leather Skirt // Warehouse Panel Pencil Dress // Ted Baker Wyona Jodhpur Leggings

Layering different textures has always been key to styling autumn pieces well, and where can you go wrong with a bit of leather? I'm loving that people are stepping out of their leather jacket comfort zone; pulling off leather pants and skirts to really inject a grungy edge to their outfit! The extra dimension the cut out rose detail creates on this leather skirt is really cool and the leather panels on the pencil dress will really create a flattering womanly shape. It's one of those every-occasion dresses that you can style to suit every need. I've bagged myself a leather (well PU let's be honest) A-line skirt for Autumn and can't wait to wear it.

Michael Michael Kord Long Sleeve Printed Shift Dress // Pied a Terre Bonfire Printed Panelled Dress // Pied a Terre Scratchy Print Jersey Midi Dress

For those cold winter evenings there's nothing better than a practical printed long sleeve bodycon, slap on a pair of tights and you're good to go; comfortable, practical and hot on trend! I'd even wear them with a coat and boots in the daytime too. Both Pied a Terre dresses are real head-turners and the fiery tones of the bonfire print really create some warmth in the dismal weather that's inevitably to come.

Label Lab Shearling Collar Style Biker Jacket // Weekend MaxMara Lambro Double Breasted Wool Coat // Oasis Sara Casual Parka

Of course Autumn/Winter trends are never complete without a hardy coat or two! Earthy greens seem to continue to be an essential coat-colour which I'm not complaining about but I love the darker, slightly teal/blue tinge of the MaxMara coat and the oversized smart tailoring.

Go edgy with the Label lab jacket, sophisticated chic with this MaxMara number or laid-back cool with the Oasis parka; I love them all!

Dickins & Jones Ladies British Spot Wool Pencil Skirt // Karen Millen Peplum Knit Jumper // Oasis Butterfly Jacquard Peplum Top

Burgundy/Oxblood shades usually crop up in winter trends which I think look extra fab in the dark prints. The tailoring and drape of these items give off a sophisticated edge; the subtle peplum (right) especially. I really like this colour against the winter warmer colour pallet despite verging on becoming christmassy!

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Wide Leg Trouser // Jaeger Check Knitted Dress // Mango Check T-Shirt 

There's been a lot of ranting and raving going on surrounding tartan, checks and the general grunge image of late so of course this has to feature in this ultimate A/W guide. I'm loving the subtler tones of tartan and check at the moment in comparison to popular red but the trend's about to boom into the mass market so I'm sure we'll see a lot of all kinds of tartan colour-combos. 

Remember Luis Vuitton's iconic revamp of sixties style checks? (Who could forget?) This Jaeger dress reminds me of this continuing trend with the addition of duller Autumn colours.

Oasis Brush Stroke Scarf Print Top // Warehouse Check Floral Tee // Warehouse Trailing Stem Floral Playsuit

I've previously blogged about new takes on monochrome, the first two tops continue on from the monochrome prints with a hint of colour that I talked about being set to be the next-big-thing in monochrome. The slight colour seems to add another dynamic to the print; being not too bright for AW. I love all of these prints and would wear all these items without hesitation, particularly the check floral tee as I love the merging of linear and floral influences.

I hope you enjoyed my House of Fraser picks and interpretation of some of the upcoming trends. Everyone seems so fed up of summer now and are itching to get their Autumn clobber on so what do you think your Autumn treat will be? What trends are your favourite?

x