Sunday, 24 February 2013

Jackets and Jackets and Jackets

After an absolutely amazing weekend in Prague, I've spent the rest of this week curled up in bed nursing the flu. In between trying to get my housemates to venture out and bring me back supplies and making very ill noises down the phone to my mum, I managed to find the time to fit in watching some of the fall shows. When I'm feeling a bit more up to it then I'll write up my thoughts on the shows. However, I thought I'd do a quick post on a trend that I can't seem to get away from but am really loving... layering jackets!

It has been seen both on the streets and on the catwalk, most recently in the A/W13 DKNY show.

DKNY A/W13 (photos from style.com)

I particularly love the black/grey/white contrasts and different jacket lengths as shown above with the cropped jacket paired with a blazer at DKNY. I think a classic coat such as a pea coat or trench coat and a blazer underneath is the best way to work this trend but I've seen great casual versions the trend  such as on this off-duty model below, who looks great with a shearling coat and simple hoodie:

Credit: jak&jil

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I have work experience in a few weeks where I will be required to dress smartly so I'll use that as an excuse to pair my new Zara blazer with my coat. If I did it for lectures it would probably look a little too smart amongst the sea of hoodies...


All from Topshop


Monday, 4 February 2013

Snowy January and Recent Purchases

Sorry I have been absent for some time. I've had exams throughout January and the snow has proven a rather large distraction. Here is what I've been up to:

An amazing curiosity shop we stumbled upon when taking a midnight walk in the snow.

Drove up to Snake Pass (the road connecting Sheffield to the rest of the world) with three of my housemates and had a walk around the reservoir. It was so lovely in the snow.


However, with February comes the start of university again so I'm hoping to post a bit more regularly. I turned twenty on the 16th of January and after feeling very angsty about the end of my teenage years, I ended up having a really nice day at home in Blackburn with the family. It was nice to be cooked for and I went shopping in Manchester with my mum. I was lucky enough to get the much-pined-after Dr Martens that I mentioned in my last wish list. They virtually haven't left my feet since I got them and I'm finding them to be more versatile than my larger black Dr Martens.



In my previous 'wish list' post I rambled about my mission to find a good dark cherry lipstick that was wearable (I'm not very adventurous with lipstick!) I went to the MAC counter in Selfridges in Manchester and after swatching just about every lipstick they have, I stumbled upon 'Dare You' which is this lovely velvety dark red. I apply it with a lip brush for greater definition and it is pretty drink-proof.



I also treated myself to the Studio Fix powder while I was at the counter. I already use the Studio Fix foundation and this powder is so much better than my old Natural Collection pressed powder. I have oily skin but I didn't want anything too matte and this powder takes away excess shine without being extremely mattifying. The eye shadow was a lovely birthday present but I'm yet to discover which shade it is!



I finally got sick of my awful Rimmel eyebrow pencil and invested in the Sleek Brow Kit. It is such a joy to use and has made my brows look infinitely tidier and well defined. I'm quite sparing with it as I'm not a fan of heavy brows but if you are then the kit allows the intensity of the shade to be built up quite intensely.


I had a pretty blah week last week so I popped into a few vintage shops to take my mind off things. I do love vintage clothes but I'm a terrible vintage shopper as I find it difficult to root out amazing finds. However, I was just about to leave Cow empty handed when I spotted this shirt under a jacket on a display. It is very oversized but I love the slight gaudy print. It looks great paired with the new docs and high waisted 'Joni' jeans.


I'm very loyal to my Topshop Leigh jeans and have repurchased them quite a few times over the years because of their great skinny fit around the leg and ankle. However, I've always wished they were a lot more high waisted. I toyed with the idea of getting the American Apparel Easy Jeans for a while but they are a bit too long in the leg for me (as are Cheap Mondays, wah), and a bit too expensive, so I just stuck with the Leigh jeans. However, Topshop finally released some high waisted skinny jeans in the form of the 'Joni' jeans. I immediately rushed out to get some and have been completely coverted. They are incredibly comfortable and very tapered around the ankle which is exactly what I was looking for. They look a lot like the Easy Jean but are a mere fraction of the price, so I definitely recommend them if your budget won't stretch to American Apparel. I might have found 'the' jeans!