Fashion from a young age

So i haven't been blogging as regularly recently simply because I've been very busy and not dressing as beautifully as normally. Hence as compensation I present you with this gem of where my stylistics started. Since I was very small I have always had my own style. My mum tells me that when I was 2 or 3 I used to order her around when she was laying out my little outfits for the day. When I started school I was the only girl without the usual frilly white socks patent leather shoes combo-I had teeny doc martins with rainbow stitching and rainbow laces. A boy in my class dared to call them clown shoes so I kicked him in the goolies at playtime!
Growing up I never wanted to wear the same things as other people. not even in ballet class-i was furiously frustrated when another girl had the same leggings as me for jazz class! I guess I just wore what made me happy and as I got older I became conscious that I wasn't happy wearing the same stuff everyone else did because I didn't want to be anyone but me and I didn't want o be compared to anyone but myself. I love colour, I love clothes and I love how they make me feel when I wear them. I won't let anyone else change any of that-because badass little me didn't so I'm damned if big me will!

Be BOLD

So this is a party outfit that I chose for this feature because I think in fashion you have to be brave with pattern and colour to stand out. This dress is very graphic and the black makes the red and blue pattern really pop. The pattern is really abstract and striking. I don't have a good picture to show it but the shoulders are quite square and the sleeves are really light and flowy giving it an interesting shape. I borrowed a tux jacket from a friend at the party ditto the bowler hat seen in the bottom right photo. I paired it with floral patterned fishnet tights to really offset the two patterns. To tie it all together I threw on black heeled boots with some nice buckly bits to keep it a little more rocker-y.

Snapshot 9!

SO here's another snapshot for all ye out there in the bloggosphere. I apologise once more for the orthopaedic boot throwing off the whole look though if it's a fashion statement you fancy working by all means go for it! I've featured these hippy pants before and they remain my favourite fashion-comfort piece. The top is actually a Penneys leotard I bought a few years ago for dancing. I love the colours because the grey makes it easy to team with other colours while the orange keeps it bright and noticeable. The jacket  is vintage -another gem from my mum's 70s wardrobe. I would normally team this with converse but I opted for runners from a purely functional point of view (cons are too flat with the orthopaedic boot plus i have to wear some super fashionable insoles at the moment!

Slasher in the loose

So this is just a super easy super quick customise tip! Slashed tights can add that hint of badass to any outfit but if you wear them over coloured tights they can be really quirky and look quite chic and artistic. The best way is to do it is to make clean slices with a pair of scissors rather than cut circles or holes as they will be prone to tearing or stretching more easily. I sliced mine with a set of keys on the way to a concert once. A good way to prevent the tears from stretching or spreading is to dab the corners with clear nail varnish like you would a ladder in your tights. They're also a more interesting alternative to just plain black tights.
A word of caution; if you are self conscious about your legs-especially your thighs-don't wear these with a short skirt or shorts because with tightness of the tights can cause mild bulging from the slits (though this is counteracted if you wear two pairs!).
Happy slashing!

Hey Sailor!

So these are some photos a friend took of me for her photography portfolio. I was feeling sassy so I put together my little nautical number! I got the dress a few years ago in the west . It's generally surprisingly flattering. I have a huge affinity for stripes and I love the chains across the front of this. The buttons have little anchors on them and all! It's hard to see in the picture but I teamed it with polka-dot tights. The shoot was nice as the weather had finally warmed up and it made the light really beautiful. Sunshine means summer fashion people! Get ready!

These photos were taken by the fabulous Chelsea Kiernan; check out her tumblr at #chelsmonsterr!

Bowtie week!

So this week I had a little fashion project; bow tie week. I decided that every day for a week I'd try to work a bow tie into my outfit. Honestly it was more difficult than I expected but it was fun nonetheless! I received a lot of positive comments and compliments on them throughout the week.

I borrowed several clip-on bow ties from my friend apart from the first one which is my own and I had to tie it myself (not an easy feat!). I'll also include pics and  comments on each of the outfits! I generally tend to wear bow ties as an accessory like a necklace but on two of the days I made an effort to wear a collared shirt. I found it quite odd  wearing it buttoned right up to the top to accommodate the bow tie!

Day 1

I don't have a full body shot from day 1 as no one was there to take it for me! As I said I wore my own self-tie dickie to accessorise my blue outfit. I teamed a navy tank top with my self slashed skirt. The skirt was a stripy wrap-around I got in a market in Portugal a few years back. I cut the ends in a zigzag to create a layered and levelled effect. To complete the outfit I added teal over the knee socks and my brown high cut cons. The only other accessory were my pink button earrings!

Day 2

today was a high collar day. This purple shirt is one of my favourites, its such a vibrant colour and the sheerness means it can be sexy if you feel like it. Today I wore a tweed bow tie that I borrowed from my besty Sean. The blue skirt is new, it claims to be a/wear but I got it in the Debenhams sale for just 4euro! The fabric is super shiny and I got several compliments on the pleats. I loved that it was shorter at the front and longer at the back-a common cut this season. Because of the brightness of the top and skirt I kept the legs simple with black tights and the black and grey leg warmers.

Day 3

This outfit was outside of my comfort zone as I don't generally wear jeans or buttoned shirts and today I was wearing both! I wore jeans mostly because it was lashing and I didn't wanna be cold! They used to be one of my favourites as I love red and they're a kinda groovy snakeskin pattern. The shirt is something new-ish and I like the dual tones and the unusual shaping.  Today's bow tie was purple with little silver flecks and I thought it actually worked awesomely with the outfit! I wore my blue high-rise cons and styled my hair like a 50s housewife because it was wet and I wanted it outta my eyes.

Day 4

So day 4 of my bow tie adventure was Valentine's Day so I saved a red bow tie especially for the occasion! I've already featured my valentines outfit so I won't go over it again! I later added loveheart facepaint for going out!

Day 5

Day 5 was a bit of a disaster. Having been up late on Valentine's Day I was in a tearing rush on the morning of my final bow tie day. As a result I don't have a picture of what I wore! The last bow tie was a very slim grey bow tie that I thought was really versatile. I didn't get a chance to photograph things in the evening either because of a family occasion but I did get a friend to take a few snaps when I was in college to document the bow tie!

Overall I really enjoyed bow tie week and I think the bow tie is definitely an accessory I'd like to utilise more often. It's unusual on women and adds a quirky dimension to any outfit.

A huge thank you to my besty Sean who very kindly shared his spectacular selection of bow ties with me for this project!

Valentines outfit!

Happy Valentines Day from Wear it like you made it! Apologies for the post being a day late but I was out with friends celebrating life love and most of all red and lovely lovehearts!
I'm saving my full snapshot of the outfit for the extra special feature I've been telling you all about! Here are a few of the key features though!

If there's ever a day to wear loveheart earrings it has to be today! I also wore my skull t-shirt to make a quirky valentines statement-the skull is made up of little hearts! I wore the shirt over a cutesy flowery dress for a sweet and summery look! I also kept up the theme with pink cons and the tights had little bow patterns up the back.

Gettin' shirty!

This is a quicky shirt change I made last week. I bought the shirt a few years ago for while I was on work experience. It has distinctive puffy sleeves that I never really got used to. The puffiness of them made my shoulders look huge. I removed the sleeves quite easily with scissors along the seams. The shirt actually completely changed style with the removal of the sleeves and I found it much more flattering. I just put this up as an example of really straightforward simple things that you can do to give clothes a new lease of life. I would never have worn the shirt as it was before and I definitely think I will now.

Blue and gold

I haven't been posting as much lately as I have been working on  a couple of special projects for the blog this week. This is a quick snapshot of a very simple outfit. The gold dress is an edited piece. I inherited it from a friend of my mums and it originally had long sleeves. It one of a few non-fitted dress I have and I actually love it. Its a soft shade of gold and sparkly and it honestly makes me feel like a fairy without looking like a crazy wannabe 5 year old impersonating tinkerbell. I was in a rush the morning of this outfit so while I normally team it with quirky tights but this day I just wore it with dark blue jean leggings. The beanie is an old favourite and I plaited my hair which I normally don't like  but with the two tones I have in my hair it actually looks quite interesting!

Eye see you!

This is a little quicky feature on eye make-up. I love groovy eyeliners and usually do something wild and colourful for parties. These eyes were for a fancy dress party I attended recently where I wore the leggings featured in Snapshot 8! and basically tried to be opposites (it was a late notice invite so I didn't have time to think of an elaborate costume! I used black eyeliner and white mascara on one eye and white facepaint and black mascara on the other to create opposites. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for everyday wear but it was a look I was wanting to try for a while!

It ain't easy being scene

So I wanted to feature some old pics of how my style developed over the years and I would have to label my 'scene kid' era as the defining period of my style history. Now my main focus in any outfit is colour and pattern. It also added strongly to the passion I still have for over the knee socks! The concept of scene style is big over the top and brightly coloured clothes. Tutus and lumo colours are hugely a part of the style. Big colourful hair is also encouraged as well as copious amounts of wrist wear and earrings. Piercings are common with this style which is sometimes referred to as the colourful sister of emo style! For ages I always admired the style and loved looking at it online. The inspiration from Japanese culture and style adds a cutesyness and brightness that I love. It was difficult to really get into it as an everyday style as I didn't have any friends who dressed that way. While I'm in college now and can wear whatever I like and people wont hold it against me back then even my friends would tease me about some of the over the top things I liked to wear and I got a lot of funny looks on the dart. Happily it fostered in me the creativity that has helped shape my style and personality today and its a look that a still consider both fun and lovely!

Snapshot 8!

So this is a quirky little number that I put together in my head before I wore it. I'd been dying to wear the leggings since I got them but hadn't been able because of the cast. I love that the legs are mismatched especially as I love combining different patterns! Of course the two patterns on the legs wasn't quite enough, I had to team it with the multi-patterned top too!

The top was my mum's and is incredibly thin and soft from year of being worn and loved! (A little like my mum herself actually!) I normally wear it loose and baggy as a cover over outfits in the summer but today I belted it to make it more central to the outfit. The belt is great; really bright and it just adds that bit more shape to the outfit; the modern, neat-edged style of the belt also acted as a kind of contrast to the baggy vintage jacket.

The purple top underneath was just to keep me clothed under the jacket rather than for the look of it and it also helped tie in the purple bandanna. I like having my hair pulled back a bit like this as it shows off the blond layer in my hair (meaning my hair, like my outfit, is multicoloured).

Snapshot 7!

Before I talk about this outfit I would like to apologize for the sock on the right hand side; am just out of a cast and I took the leg brace off for the photo! With that out of the way welcome to snapshot 7! The shorts are actually Dunnes from a few years ago and are my favourite high-waisted item. It's difficult for  me anyway to find high-waisted shorts or jeans that fit both my stomach and my legs so these are my little miracle shorts! I like that there's an option to wear them with a belt too. The top is a really soft crochet and I love the colour. Today there were three of us wearing this particular shade of turquoise in my Russian class so it's clearly a good colour for all skin tones! I love the fit of it and the slightly puffed sleeves give it a 70s look (nicely juxtapositioned with the 50s inspired high-waisters). I usually wear it with a cute waistcoat and a long skirt for a laid back hippy look. The rose pattern cutoffs were to add a bit of flavour and a contrasting colour, you can probably see they have a whole in them but I cant bear to throw them out because they're quite unusual and I haven't seen them anywhere else! I teamed them with the light cardigan just to have something to keep my arms warm and to cover my ass for sitting on cold bus-stop benches! The hat was featured in my 'found items' post and is really simple and cosy. I also painted my nails today so they're in the below picture, bitta blue and black to add some more shades! The bracelets I'm wearing are homemade.

Bags that have been places

I haven't done a lot of stuff yet on customising because I've been busy with college work so I've been mostly just wearing things I've already made (and here's one I made earlier!). I thought I'd so a quick feature on how to make an ordinary rucksack into something a little quirkier!
Tips first! The best thing you can do if you want to be creative is make sure you have supplies for when the mood strikes you! I have a box of what my mum fondly refers to as 'junk'; ribbons, beads, buttons badges, patches and scraps of fabric! I collect sew-on/iron-on patches every time I travel so I have little mementos of the places I've been. If not I like to use badges. Most places you go you can find little button badges for a euro or less each. These are a good size because if they break you can always sew on a button and glue the badge front to the button. A lot of my badges are found items or were picked up in bags of freebies at various events I've been to so not all of them have a huge relevance to my personality but they add colour and texture and most of them are aesthetically pleasing! Another great way to quirk up a bag is with scrap fabric; for instance I used a lace panel that I had left over from a customised top. I also used orange fabric to  create a little flower. It's simple; cut out equal sized flower shapes and layer them before using a star shaped stitch in the centre to hold them in place.

Snapshot 6!

SO this was a tricky one to photograph cos the skirt wouldn't poof when I told it to! The dress is so old I don't actually remember where I got it. I've had it since I was thirteen but luckily its quite stretchy so it still fits (just about in the chest area!) The jumper is a/wear sale and is great with so many things. I generally wear it with a tighter fitting skirt simply because it's slightly shapeless. I was originally going to wear this with my rose patterned tights (which will make an appearance in snapshot 7!) but my room's a bit of a clothes explosion at the moment so I couldn't find them. I think the blue worked well to tone down all the warm colours in the flowers on the skirt and the jumper of course. 

I'm wearing the zipper earrings again which people seem to enjoy so much! The necklace is also a favourite item as I made it myself from charms that I got for my bracelet which wouldn't stay attached! The cat because my name is cat was my favourite when I was younger. The rhino is now my favourite to a ridiculous inside joke with a friend in my Russian class!

The main reason I didn't wear the dress on its own is because it has a tendency to slide down as its a little small in the chest! Also my mum commented that the white flower on the right side of the chest looked like a nipple (fanks for that).

Snapshot 5!

A slightly more subdued number again. Had a pub night after college so wanted to dress up a little! This dress was in the bargain section in TKMaxx because there was no underdress with it (saucy!). My mum gave me the red slip for underneath. The knitted waistcoat is also a hand-me-down from my mum. She never wore it herself and had it from before she had me! Its surprisingly warm (probably partly because of the fact the lace dress underneath is made from mostly acrylic). The belt is something I would usually add to dresses; I think I have a waist cinching belt in every colour under the sun at this stage! As per usual I've included my two clothing addictions; converse and over-knee socks. I originally got these grey and black stripe socks for school because I didn't like the plain grey ones I was required to wear!

Final note is again on make-up and accessories. I used red eyeliner as an alternative to complementing the look with red lipstick. The blue star earrings were to add a splash of another colour and I wanted something quite big and statement-y.

Crutch couture!

SO as I got my cast off yesterday I though now was a good time to publish my little guide to fashion while in a cast! Where i go to college one could not turn up for lectures in trackies without attracting concerned looks and possible stone throwing so I had to make my usual look work! TIP 1 make sure your cast is well decorated-get some coloured sharpies and go to a party! I had random people in the street from Amnesty International wanting to sign mine so I just carried a marker at all times! Its also fun to doodle on it if you're bored! TIP 2 if like me you don't see trackies as an option invest in some funky baggy shorts or hippy pants (like in snapshot 3!). Its a chance to be a little funky while being comfy! TIP 3 dresses are a sweet and easy option, ditto skirts (if you want to hide the cast long hippy skirts or long trousers can work). I like to show it off cos when you're on crutches its pretty obvious anyway! Because it's winter then TIP 4 will be especially useful. Two words; footless tights. Leggings won't generally stretch enough to go over a plaster cast and tights just look damned ridiculous.

 What I did was look some footless tights and regular tights and just cut the bottom of them off. U can hem them to prevent rolling but in this case its best not to as it leaves the ends really easy to stretch and pull over the wide heel of the cast. If you have a couple of pairs that you don't mind to much not keeping as tights its nice to have a variety of options. I was on crutches for 6 weeks so I needed the options! The only other advice I'd offer is to invest in some fluffy socks as your toes get a bit chilly being exposed to the elements ( I always thought people just did this as a style thing but it's a genuine necessity my friends!)