Homemade dress

I've finished all of my exams now so I've got a week of literally doing nothing until I start A2- so happy! Plus, the sun's out which makes it so much better (22 degrees next Saturday apparently). 

So, this is the dress that I made recently. I'm really pleased with it because it's quite a complicated design. The fact that there's loads of different sections (8 to be precise) on the top means that it's actually quite a difficult design to make compared to some of the other things I've created and it's definitely good practice trying out something new. I saw this dress in Topshop recently and decided that I'd make a variation of it (the fabric was from Southall and only cost £2 per metre!) rather than spend more money. Usually when making my clothes, I just really quickly and easily make a pattern using my mannequin but this design actually required a level of skill to work it out. It's actually really interesting figuring out how this sort of style is made (well, it is to me anyway!). Anyway enough of me talking about sewing stuff. (By the way, please excuse my white legs in these photos. I'm not wearing any tights and my legs haven't seen the sun in about 9 months).

Are you enjoying the nice weather? What do you think of my dress?

dress - homemade
shoes - Office
necklace - bought on holiday
sunglasses - River Island

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

I haven't been doing much blogging recently (commenting, looking at blogs etc.) as I've been revising for my last exam tomorrow. I find it slightly disconcerting when I feel as if I know enough and I'm not panicking for my exam (because it probably means I'm not prepared enough (if that makes sense?)). I feel like I do hardly any revision compared to some people who seem to be studying all of the time but I guess I'll find out which is the better technique when I get my results in a few months time (too scary to think about at the moment).  In between my revision sessions, I've been making a dress which I can't wait to show you in my next post. It's a slightly different style than my usual.

Anyway, onto this post. I have a real obsession with shoes. Sure, getting a new dress or skirt is exciting but finding the perfect pair of shoes just makes me ecstatic! Often I don't like to spend a lot of money on one item but shoes are the exception. I've collected some of the shoes I've been obsessing about recently below. I can't get enough of the stiletto style heels that are around at the moment. Zara sell the perfect pair and River Island also have a lot of nice ones as well. I'm thinking about buying a cheap pair from Primark (£12, I think) and perhaps leaving them how they are or diy-ing them, depending on how I feel. I know that the opinion on jelly shoes is varied but 1. they're practical, 2. they look good, 3. they're perfect for summer so why not!?. 

What shoes have you been obsessing over recently? Which of these are your favourite?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Don't forget to look at my giveaway - only 2 weeks left.
and visit my shop.

Paisley Pattern

I saw the Great Gatsby on Wednesday. It was really good but nothing particularly spectacular. The costumes (Carey Mulligan's dresses = amazing!) and the soundtrack (I will never get bored of this song) were the best parts in my opinion, but I'd still recommend going to see it.

I went to Westfield yesterday with my Mum and my brother for a bit of holiday shopping. I couldn't resist buying this wonderful dress from River Island (I really wish I had a huge pair of Jeffrey Campbells to pair it with!). It cost £25 which seems a bit pricey (especially since I have no job and am trying to save up money for my summer holiday) but I just couldn't help myself! It's very similar to the ones you can get in Urban Outfitters for about £50 and I can tell that I'm going to wear this dress a huge amount (I really adore the style and shape) so I don't feel too guilty about the purchase. I think I'm going to have to give myself a spending ban for a while or force myself to find a Saturday job. I worked at my local garden centre during Christmas (hence why I have the money to go on holiday) but I've sort of come to a dead end with my job search and I  came to the conclusion that I can manage on minimal, cheap clothes. This can't last though and there's lots of other things I need to save up for now - it's so scary that in under a year I'll legally and officially be an adult with adult responsibilities and adult things to worry about. God, things are so much easier when you're only 17!

What do you think of my outfit? How is your week going?

 shoes - New Look

dress - River Island

 Don't forget to enter my giveaway here

and visit my shop here

Giveaway!

I have amazingly managed to reach 350 followers on GFC (never thought so many people would be interested in my blog when I first started) so I've decided to thank everyone by hosting this giveaway!

So what can you win?

I am giving away 2 prizes:

 - the dress below - the dress is originally from Rare. It has no size label but I would say it could fit UK sizes 6-10. I've styled it quite formally here but it's also great worn casually for the summer or for a more edgy look with black boots/shoes. 

 - the bag below - I am so glad I found this lovely bag. It's a perfect size for taking on a night out and has a really stunning gold shoulder strap. How could anyone not love this bag!?

How do you enter?

 - Simply follow the instructions below

The giveaway will run for 3 weeks. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pedro Lourenco

Pedro Lourenco (it's with the funny 'c' thing but I don't know how to add that on this!) is a Brazilian designer who has been showing at Paris Fashion Week for the past 7 seasons. These designs are a lot more wearable than the previous designers I have shown but still at a far higher standard than high street stuff (every design has a bit of a twist to it). What do you think?

Autumn/Winter 11

 

 

 Autumn/Winter 12

 Autumn/Winter 13

 Autumn/Winter 14

Blue Knit

You may have noticed may incredibly boring post names during your time reading my blog. I'll often be non-stop writing during the creation of a post but as soon as I get to the title, I have a complete blank. Do you get that? Anyway, I've stuck to generic describing the outfit titles so as not to make a complete fool of myself! Not much has happened recently (I've been bored to death stuck at home) but my biggest news is that I've finally gone and joined instagram (a bit too late I feel). I'm a complete amateur but I have been getting into the swing of it recently so if you'd like to follow me, click here. I'm looking for people to follow as well so feel free to leave your usernames below and I will check them out. 

I had these photos spare from my shop so I decided I'd use them as an outfit post today. I do really really like this jumper. It's the perfect granny-style item I've been lusting after for ages. Don't you just love this colour? (It makes me think of toothpaste!). If I don't end up selling this jumper, I'll have absolutely no problem keeping it in my wardrobe! The velvet skirt can also be seen in this post. The truth is, I haven't worn it much since I first made it (probably because I see it more as a summer item than one to be worn in the cold) but that doesn't mean that I don't love it! You must be so so bored of seeing these shoes by now but they just go with everything and my shoe collection is still very limited - more reasons to buy some new heels!

How has your week been? What do you think of my outfit?

 jumper - vintage (buy it in my shop)

skirt - cut from the bottom of a vintage dress (see here)

shoes - New Look

Interview with Amy Valentine

Just got back from a Politics exam (didn't go so well but at least that's another exam down) so only 1 proper exam to go! I really should stop scrolling through online shops, my longing to buy something is growing even more, so please don't forget to have a look at the items in my shop. I'm planning to put up a few new things soon and I also possibly have a giveaway coming up so watch this space!

Today, I'm treating you to an interview with the very stylish Amy from Amy Valentine. Here goes...

Q 1. Why did you decide to start blogging?

A: I actually used to co-own a jewellery business with my best friend so set up a blog like the other jewellery shops had, then I got into the swing of it and was inspired by fashion bloggers to set up my own!

Q 2. What inspires your outfits?

A: I take a lot of my inspiration from street style photos, but probably my biggest influence is other fashion bloggers.

Q 3: What's your favourite item of clothing?

A: Since I bought my Jeffrey Campbell Spiked Coltranes not so long ago I haven't been able to take them off, I love them so much!

Q 4:Where do you like to shop?

A: High street-wise I like shopping in Topshop, Primark and Urban Outfitters, but they can often be quite expensive, so I prefer shopping online as you can find everything a lot cheaper and use discount codes, as well as pick up some great finds on ebay. I also try to go charity shopping when I can!

Q 5: What's your favourite thing about being a fashion blogger?

A: I love being invited to blogging events as you get a sneak peek at new collections and are able to network with other bloggers, so fun!

Q 6: What tips would you give to new bloggers?

A: Get yourself out there! Post regularly with good quality content, try to network via twitter and leave lots of blog comments with your blog URL at the end, just so the blogger has the choice to get a look at your blog if they want, do not beg someone to follow you, ever!

All photos from Amy Valentine

Don't forget to take a look at her blog here!