Time to party

Sometimes you gotta up the ante when you're hitting the town! The skirt I got for a steal in the sales last year and I liked the brightness to balance the new blonde! I love how it's long but the sheer and the high splits give it a sexiness and an edginess. I kept it simple with the black string top and blue low-heeled boots. I teamed it with blue brows and some new statement jewellery I got in a trip to Camden Market a few months ago. The hat kept me warm on my way to the club and gave it a Rita Ora - ish feel. I also turn the string straps into more of a halter by lacing them together at the back (give the chest and lift and makes your shoulders look a little broader). To fix the hair I scraped it into a tight french plait on one side to give the illusion of a shaved side, I also pinned the other side into a half up to keep the hair elegant without restricting the movement of it!

Patterns upon patterns

So this is my first outing with phase one of project blonde-you can see some of it still as a noticeably auburn hue. The shirt is new from TKMaxx and is wide cut and heavily patterned with flowers and mushrooms. I decided to overboard the colour with some old red leopard print jeans that I cut into pedal-pushers/three-quarter lengths. To keep the colour game strong I topped it off with a birthday gift from my dear friend (and highly appreciated blog follower) Sharon, who obviously knows me far to well! My friends have particularly appreciated the irony of the word 'NATURAL' emblazoned above my highly unnaturally coloured hair!

Blonde Ambition

So my bloggees I have made a rather drastic change. I am going undercover to see if blonde's really do have more fun.

I'm in the process of bleaching my hair to platinum white (known to other hair-dye addicts as murdering your hair).

For anyone trying this you want serious bleach, a toning shampoo and the strongest conditioner you can get. I won't make any recommendations as I am a poor, jobless student who just uses the cheapest option she can buy in bulk.

I also recommend to the brave folks out there to liven it with a coloured brow (the turquoise here just eyeliner pencil) because if you're used to colour like me you may take a while to get used to having a more traditional hair colour.

Styling

So I'm thrilled to finally be posting these. I have been writing for The University Times fashion section in my university and we had our first photo shoot based on childhood storybook characters (see the issue here.) I chose the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland having dressed up as him for Hallowe'en and because he is one of the quirkiest of all the classical characters.

I got to choose my model and picked my stunning friend Aisling  because of her gorgeous hair, pale skin and amazing bod (without mentioning her stunning eyes). Due to a scheduling problem, I did not get to borrow clothes from highstreet and vintage shops like the other stylists so I dressed her in items from my own wardrobe.
The shoes are vintage and green velvet inherited from my mother. The culottes are from a charity shop. The corset is amazon which I tinted green with fabric dye when it was part of my Debs dress. The waistcoat is unknown and the blazer is actually Penneys from a few years ago. The gloves are Fatface and the top hat is from Lucy's Lounge in Templebar. The collar is my own making.
We had three fabulous hair and makeup artists come in to get the girls styled into character-mine was Tee Elliot. Our photographer was the incredibly talented Hayley K. Stuart. The full photosets from the shoot can be found on her Facebook page.

As my first official experience as a stylist I completely fell in love with the process-planning the outfit, picking the model, describing the hair and make-up and even posing the model were all part of the experience and it was very professional. Can't wait until the next shoot-who'd have though being behind the scenes was just as fun as being in front of the camera?

A hairy question

So I had a few requests to explain how I manage my hair, which I do myself. The underneath layer has been blonde for two years now and I dye the top red. Here are some stunning photos of how I look while keeping my hair separate during the dying process. It involves a hell of a lot of big hairclips. I usually dye the bottom layer first (vaseline around the hairline to protect from the strong chemicals in the blonde). Then get the dye on the top. Originally I would dye and wash out one colour then do the other but now I put the dye in both at the same time then rinse the red off by turning my head upside down in the bath to prevent it from tinting the blonde, then I rinse out the blonde!
Again if you have any questions or stuff you would like me to talk about or elaborate on email alternativekitten10@gmail.com.

Hip to be Square

I have outdone my hipster side with these glasses but they are, believe it or not, my anti-glare specs for my light sensitivity. They have the extra function of being nice and bright to quirk up this outfit. The acid-wash high-waisters are from Urban Outfitters and I teamed them with a plain black tank top and a lace cardigan to sex up my grandma jeans! I finished it with my vintage black docs to keep everything together.

You can see the specs a bit better here and I showed off my full fringe by scraping the hair back into two small buns and added some very large kitschy plastic earrings and a dark purple lipstick.

Mexican inspiration

So not so long ago I went to a themed party where I took inspiration from the incredible Frida Kahlo who has been a hero of mine from a young age. She is so unique and unusual and an amazing creative spirit so I really enjoyed trying to put a look together. I braided my hair over the top of my head and used a lay that had been decorating my room to act as flowers in my hair (the real flowers had already withered in the Autumn cold) . In Frida's honor I gave myself much stronger brows than usual and lively Latin red for the lips! Much as I loved it, I'm not sure about it for an everyday look (I've seen more and more flowery headbands on the highstreet but they're a bit OTT from college methinks!).

Vive le trouser revolution

These my dear readers and fellow bloggers are culottes. They are vair french and very oldschool. I am in love with them because they have all the chicness of a pleated vintage skirt but with the prospect of frolicking movement! You can spend the whole day surprising people by revealing that what appears to be a skirt is in fact trousers! Magic!
In all seriousness though they are delightfully unusual and I think they are a statement piece. I kept the ensemble simple and comfortable with my hair back and a plain black string-top. The hoody was to keep it casual (and keep me warm outside) and the shoes are just plain crazy. I have yet to find another pair like them. I got them for a steal in TKMaxx and was more than surprised at their versatility.

Goin' to the chapel..

I'm working through a backlog of posts, editing and updating as most were left with just the images!
Here's one from my cousin's wedding in September. I went to England with my mother and youngest brother to celebrate with my beautiful cousin and her new husband.
In these picture's I've borrowed my little cousin's cravat to see how it looked (not quite blending in seamlessly with the rest of the look!)
The bowler hat is from George's Street arcade and I used it to really dress up for the occasion. The dress is from Templebar and my dad bought it for me. It's a classic 50s dress with a halter strap, very tight top with a sweetheart neckline and a bell-shape skirt from the waist. It has a netting hem and is a silky black with purple velvet polka dots. The shoes were from a little boutique in Mayo and I hadn't worn them since breaking my foot in them the previous year!

On a further style note I've included a picture of my brother, uncle and wee cousin sporting part of my heritage. There were a large number of the Scottish members of my family at the party so my brother was kitted out appropriately. Kilts are fantastic formal wear for men and really standout in most situations. They do have a lot of accessories required, such as the sporran, socks, sgian dubh etc. My brothers outfit is a more casual modern twist with just a plain jumper and a bow tie and my other brother has been known to wear his with just a plain t-shirt to keep things a little casual. I couldn't help wishing I had a tartan dress to wear!

And of course, on a final note -you're never fully dressed without a smile! 

feeling top

This is one of my favourite items I own-my miniature top-hat! They are easy peasey to make if you can't find one in the shops and can be held on with a comb or a big hairclip which make them an easy and comfy way to quirk up an outfit! It also means you don't have to worry about keeping track of a hat at a party or worrying about it blowing away!
I wore this for a tea party my friend was having for her birthday (teacups were filled with plenty aside from tea though!). I love the spring colours of this one which I got in a sale in Accesorize a few years ago. It was offset by my bright hair and I teamed it with my usual 50s style catflick liner and a red lipstick!