Friday 29 June 2012

DOUBLE DENIM

As nights out go, last night was a good one! It was one of my close friend's belated 18th birthday celebrations so, despite my current financial situation, I headed out with everyone. Unfortunately, I only have one photo from the entire evening... This photo is not something to be impressed with so you'll have to rely on my incredibly well-crafted description to conjure up a sufficient mental image of my outfit!

We spent our night at Thekla- a boat come club in the centre of Bristol known for it's more casual approach to going out. I chose to wear some indigo denim high-waisted Levi's- unlike most vintage shorts, they're a great fit as they're relatively short and don't have the typically unflattering folded bottoms. Teamed with my black cropped tee from Topshop, bear legs and indigo denim jacket I was set for dancing the night away. That, and the dark colours of my outfit meant that none of the hundreds of drinks that were inevitably going to be spilt on me would be visible...  Going back to my crop top- I can't get enough of them right now. They're so versatile, in particular the range of them that Topshop have brought out. You can see here that they've covered a colour for every occasion. My favourite part about them; they look great both dressed up and dressed down.

As I just mentioned, I went for double denim. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with double denim- you just have to be prepared to look slightly 90's... Like most things, if you feel like you look good in it you most likely will! Alexa Chung always looks great, but some of the best outfits I've seen her in are when she's  pairing more than one item of denim clothing.

This is in no way my photo! 

If you were interested in seeing my superb drunk photo taking, here it is! You can also see my new earrings- they look lovely but I made the mistake in purchasing them from Claire's... My ears were burning the whole night. Never again. 

My Bobbi Brown lipstick in "Guava" is the best thing I own...

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Deathly Hallows necklace anyone?

Life is so busy right now- that is no understatement whatsoever. Hence my terribly short post tonight! 

I mentioned in my last post that I was planning on converting my Deathly Hallows key-ring into a necklace and today I was lucky enough to stumble across the most perfect necklace to convert! Once again, I was rummaging through the Topshop jewellery sale when I came across a cute cross necklace on a suede strap. It was fate. The best part about it, is that the fasten on the necklace is an adjustable knot which meant that I could undo it easily and put the key-ring charm on instead of the cross. It's such a nice necklace anyway that I'm likely to wear it as it comes too. That, plus the fact that it was half price (£3.50) means that I've practically got two necklaces for hardly any money! 








Despite my lack of money, my spending head got the better of me... Among other things, I got a new bikini for only £6 from H&M- bargain. It's super bright and great for holiday. That, and my other purchases will feature in my upcoming posts so keep a look out!

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Do we have any Hufflepuffs..?

I am knackered. You aren't supposed to get up at 7am during the summer holidays, are you? Well, today I did. As you saw in my sneak preview post, I spent my day at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour- The Making of Harry Potter. Totally worth the lack of sleep! I had an amazing time; it was so incredible seeing the props, sets and especially the costumes in person.



I finally got to wear my shorts too! I teamed them with a vintage Sea World  oversize tank top (Urban Outfitters; slightly overpriced but I couldn't help myself) and my Gap denim jacket (men's, bought in the sale for £10). I felt so summery with my round Topshop sunglasses too, especially when the sun came out just as we arrived. However, I played it safe and wore tights (even if they were slightly laddered...)- such a shame it wasn't hot enough for bare legs because tights always take away from such outfits! As I knew I would be on my feet all day I opted for my beat up old Vans. Even though they're wrecked, I think that items like that add something to an outfit that you don't find from brand new clothes- no, not a tramp-ish look... Character maybe? With me, I took my H&M pleather bowling bag- I swear to you, it may as well be Mary Poppins bag, good for all occasions!

Here's a few shots of my outfit-



As I mentioned, a lot of what I enjoyed most about the studio tour was the costumes. The detail that goes into them is just incredible! I particularly love the Yule Ball costumes from the Goblet of Fire- I actually think I'd wear Hermione's dress... Or maybe not, but there's no denying that the design is beautiful. And of course, Ron's hand-me-down dress robes. The costume design team seemed to be able to make even the most unattractive outfits look fabulous. If high street stores made clothes this well, we would be replacing outfits so much less!



















At lunch time (prepare to be jealous...) I had some butter beer! Okay, so it wasn't my first time trying it as I've been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando but it was definitely a treat being able to have it again, even if it does give you a major sugar rush after a few sips.









Having butter beer made me so excited to go back to Florida next week... 10 DAYS EVERYONE!












Another reason why I love Harry Potter so much (if you hadn't already guessed) is the props. There's so many different things to pick out in the films that it becomes a totally believable world. My favorites; the jewellery which once again, I'd definitely wear in real life! I particularly love Xenophilius Lovegood's Deathly Hallows necklace, it's so similar to something that you'd find in Urban Outfitters right now. They sold a replica in the gift shop for £40... I had to stop myself because as you know, funds are low right now, but once again my creativity prevailed. I found a Deathly Hallows key-ring which I plan to put onto a cheap chain or suede strap; it might not be a perfect copy, but it shall certainly do. I have a feeling it's going to look great with high waisted shorts or my new Motel maxi skirt.

Xenophilius Lovegood prop necklace...
...my (soon to be) necklace!
Besides all the cute (strangely) fashionable things that I found around the Harry Potter studios, I of course snapped the classic props that couldn't be missed. It's a slight deviation from the usual topic of my blog, but I'd love to share them with you all!





And finally...


P.S I found the PERFECT thing to customise my Levi's so watch this space!

You're a wizard, Harry

Sneak preview of what's to come in this evening's post!

Sunday 24 June 2012

Work, bracelets, work, shorts, work, work, work...

It's killing me that I'm working so much right now, but I desperately need the money. Wearing my uniform non-stop is seriously dull and it feels like forever since I've constructed an outfit that I've fallen in love with. Thankfully, I have two days off this week (I'm supposed to be on my summer holidays?!) as well as two nights out with my friends- hopefully they'll give me the chance to get all of the fashion tension out of my system. You can definitely expect some exciting blog posts over the next week because I'm determined to make the most of these opportunities to wear something inventive!

Since dying my shorts yesterday, I've been constantly racking my brain for what to put with them. The Topshop sale has been surprisingly good so far, in particular the jewellery so I picked up a few pieces that were half price to team with my shorts. They're just as bright as the shorts which will mean I'll have room to tone down the outfit with a plain vest. I'm so excited to put it all together- just looking at it all makes me feel summery.

I really love the cute little Mexican Day of the Dead skulls right now!

 I have a feeling my shorts and bracelets will act as great festival clothes too- only 58 days until Reading! Is anyone else heading out to some festivals over the next few months? I would love to hear what sort of outfits you'll be taking. My advice would be one pair of shorts that will last the whole weekend which can be dressed up or down and most importantly go with everything, and of course wellies. I'm also planning on buying a bum bag which will be great not only for festivals, but for my holiday to Florida too. There's so many misconceptions about bum bags (I'm the first to admit I used to be completely against them), but I've recently found some gorgeous ones over at ASOS- the only problem is the extortionate price, so I'll definitely be doing some browsing before I make my purchase.

On the subject of summer purchases, I recently bought a new pair of Hawaiian patterned Vans- they're so different to any other pairs that I've seen before! Though there's a chance that when put with my dip dyed shorts they'll look too much, I'm definitely going to try them out together at some point. It's just too tempting!


My wardrobe is undoubtedly suffering a summer overload right now- I can't wait to see if my clothes rail will still be attached when I return from Florida with $600 worth of new stuff. 

Saturday 23 June 2012

How I spent my evening...

So I said in my last post that I would do it, and I have! After a hard days work (and several arguments with my sewing machine) I got to work on dip and tie dying two of my old pairs of shorts. I picked up some Dylon fabric dye from John Lewis- these small packets for hand use are perfect for dying just one or two items. They come in so many amazing colours but I went for "Intense Violet" and "Bahama Blue". 

Dylon Hand Wash Packets


Pink Levi's AFTER tapering 
My flamingo pink Levi's required some tapering before they were fit to be dyed. The bottoms of the shorts were originally turned over which meant they were ridiculously unflattering! I used my denim hot pants to get the measurements exact and the result was some great fitting shorts. After sewing the bottoms of both pairs of shorts (we can't have them fraying!), the first port of call was to soak the shorts in warm water. However, prior to this, I dip-dyed my pink Levi's in bleach (29p from Tesco)- it created such a nice effect that I was tempted to stop my dying there! The bleaching meant that not only did the shorts absorb the fabric dye far better, but they also had an awesome striped effect by the end of the process. 

 

For my pale denim shorts, I decided on tie dying which meant bunching up the shorts into elastic bands like so....

                                                
... followed by soaking them in a mixture of 6ltrs of warm water, 250g of salt and the fabric dye mixed w/ 500mls of warm water. The hardest part of the whole process is not splashing dye everywhere- my kitchen was covered in small purple and blue splodges and I successfully dip dyed two wooden spoons by the time I had finished! Once in the mixture, I left the shorts for 45 minutes and stirred regularly. 

For my pink Levi's I chose dip dying, which was a HUGE success! Following the same method of mixing the dye and water etc, I held the shorts into the dye so only the bottom few inches were submerged- this allowed the dye to soak up the shorts but still left a stripe of bleached material. I left them slightly beneath the water for the whole 45 minutes, but ensured that the dye was not continuing to rise- I was desperate for that bleached stripe...

 
These caused my kitchen some problems...  

I'm really pleased with how my shorts turned out- the best part about doing this was that it only cost me about £8! So worth it considering the fun I had and the fact that the Topshop equivalent are a shocking £34.

Here's the finished result- I hope you all love them as much as I do! 

Tie dyed hot pants!
Dip dyed Levi's!

Here's a quick list of instructions for the tie dye method;
1. Bunch up garment using elastic bands- the more the better! 
2. Soak garment in warm water until wet all over 
3. Fill a bucket with 6 litres of warm water, then mix in 250g of salt
4. Mix the packet of dye with 500mls of warm water
5. Add the mixture of dye to the bucket of salt and water
6. Submerge garment in bucket completely- stir for a couple of minutes 
7. Leave garment in bucket for 45 minutes and stir at regular intervals (every 15mins) 
8. Remove garment and rinse in cold water until dye no longer runs 
9. Wash garment, then leave to dry and your done! 

As soon as I get hold of some money I plan on ordering some studs and embellishing the back pocket of my Levi's, perhaps with a cross! I can't wait to style an outfit to wear with them- I have a feeling they're going to look great on holiday in Florida. I also spotted some colourful, half price, day of the dead skull bracelets in the Topshop sale which would look great with them- I'm going to sneak in before work tomorrow to see what I can find... 

You can definitely expect to see some more of my creations in coming posts!

Friday 22 June 2012

Keeping it simple

Today I had our yearly training at work; it lasted 8 hours... That's 8 hours of powerpoints and quizzes on food hygiene. I've been cooped up in the house practically all week going stir crazy so despite my outing today being horrifyingly boring, I wanted to make a slight effort to look good! That, and I took a quick shopping trip afterwards... I decided on my new Topshop studded shorts - they're SO comfy (once worn in) and due to the detail they make a boring outfit look lovely. With these, I wore my oversize vintage cardi (bought about a year ago at a pop up sale for £10!) and a cute grey tee that I found in my wardrobe the other day... One of the perks of clearing out your clothing! Of course, I teamed my outfit with my Nike Airs- no matter how many people express their distaste towards them I can't help but love them- buy kids sizes (I'm a UK 4) to get them cheaper!
I saw Blink-182 at the weekend... Hence the Boomer mask!
My favourite part of this outfit was the jewellery- though it was again, incredibly simple, I loved how it complimented the studs and how the suede strap stood out on the shirt. I got the shorter necklace for £3 the other day from Motel- it shows my star sign which drew me to it, plus it's quite casual so I've started wearing it with absolutely everything. The cross necklace was from Topshop and unlike a lot of their neckalces, it's plainness is great for putting with everything. 



On my shopping trip I got myself some new Benefit make-up from the "Hello Flawless" range - I am now the proud owner of the powder and liquid foundation featured on the previous link! I didn't get a chance to try them on my face, only a quick colour match on my hand but they look great! If anyone has any reviews of these products (or any other Benefit products for that matter) I'd be interested to hear them.

I'm currently customising some bright pink Levi's which I picked up for £10 last year- they were way too long and big for me so I'm going for more of a hot pant, which I then plan to dip-dye and add a detail to the back pocket. I'm not sure what I'm going to add to the pocket yet as I can't afford to order any studs so your suggestions would be most welcome! I plan on finishing them off tomorrow; that's if I ever find my sewing machine pedal....

Thursday 21 June 2012

If I had a little money...

Let's get down to it- the first fashion related post!

Like most people, I have just finished my A-Levels and have been left with a lot of time on my hands. What does a person with very little to occupy their time with do apart from start up a third blog? They clear out their wardrobe, of course. And bedroom. And study. And bathroom cupboard... As you can imagine, I was left with piles and piles of unwanted stuff ranging from notepads to underwear to practically unworn clothes. It broke my heart clearing out my wardrobe, it really did. But, I'm a student, and I'm poor. So (out of the kindness of my heart) I'm selling a bunch of my clothes! Though my first thought was eBay, so much of my stuff is really good vintage that I couldn't let it go for just a few pennies, so I decided on ASOS Marketplace. I did some browsing and the stuff there ranges from "should be on eBay" to "way too overpriced" but in the middle there's masses of amazing quality vintage and customised clothes. If I had more money I'd have bought half the shop already, but as it stands, I'm in the opposite position... Here's a few shots of what I'm selling- I had a really nice day taking the photos and styling my friend even if we had to keep some of the outfits pretty simple. Everything is available to buy over at my ASOS profile and there will be more items up soon. I just hope other people feel the same way about the pieces as I did because they definitely deserve a good home! 
Floral silk blouse £16
Silk geometric pattern blouse £15

Though I've started going off a lot of vintage stuff recently, these are still some of my favourite vintage styles because they are so simple! Blouses are so easy to dress up or dress down and I firmly believe that a good blouse is a staple item in a wardrobe- precisely why I refuse to sell all of my silk shirts...

More to come soon! x

numero uno

Welcome! As I mentioned in my profile, this is my THIRD blog- one of which was also a fashion blog, the other, well, if you find it consider yourself very lucky... (No, it's not porn) I'm determined to keep up with this new one so you can expect an awful lot of fashion and my opinions on it. I have trips to Florida and Reading Festival planned for the coming summer as well as (fingers crossed) my first term at university in September which are bound to provide interesting style insights! I can't wait to get started so I'm going to keep this post short and start writing something slightly more interesting for y'all. I hope you enjoy my musings- if you find me, let me know about your blog because I'd love to read it and share advice whether it be fashion or blog style related!
First post coming soon...