Back to the books

Here's my outfit for the first day back to Uni. The dungarees are probably the chicest I've manages and are actually from Penneys! I love the gold buttons and the legs are a skinny fit which is very unusual for a dungaree!
The purple top adds a splash or colour as do the lumo ribbon laces I used to jazz up my ancient Docs. It of course had to be teamed with my favourite blue beanie so all my friends could spot me from far off! I finished it with catflick eyeliner and shimmery light brown lipstick.

Sunshine shorts

So here's another 50s inspired look! We managed to get a beautiful day for a family barbecue.I was thinking about the carnival scene at the end of Grease. I showcased the edited stripey shirt in an earlier post when I changed it. I really like the way the blue contrasts nicely with the bright yellow of the shorts. I tucked in the shirt to emphasise the high raise of the shorts and also because the shirt is very loose around the bottom and it's more flattering held a little closer to the body. I wore my hair up to keep cool and so it wouldn't take emphasis off of the outfit. I finished it with a wide, purple bandanna for the 'We can do it!' housewife look!

Combo

Felt like I couldn't call this a snapshot without a full length pic! This was one of those effortless but hip outfits. I got a new jumper, its ridiculously cosy and was only 15euro in Tesco! The Penneys leggings you've seen before and the shoes were for comfort rather than style, though they did co-ordinate plus the yellow added a splash of colour.
The bandanna made the whole thing look a little more America during the Babysitters Club era! It was also a super handy way to keep my new fringe out of my face (or to hide a greasy hairline-student tip!).
I'm posting the outfit mainly to show you how you can work an old-school stylish twist without any real effort and still being comfy, cosy and easy to wear!

Snapshot 22!

So another snapshot to mark my back-to-college shopping trip. I had books and nose rings to buy and I woke up with only a few hours of the afternoon left before the shops closed. I threw myself into something simple and comfortable. The dress is a blue, skater-style from Penneys that I bought for a date, the over-knee socks are inherited from my mum (God knows when she wore them!) and used to be school socks. The jumper is another inherited number that I found in the bin-bag my mum had gathered to give to the charity shop. I love that its the classic, simple 90s sweater; plus it's black and it goes with everything! The orange bandanna and the silk brogues added a splash of colour. The brogues are from TKMaxx and are my new 'instant-quirk' item. Several strangers complemented me on them while I was out in Dublin plus the are super flat and comfortable. The necklace also got some compliments-it's a real bug set in glass that my dad brought back from a work trip. Weirdly enough the casing glows in the dark I recently discovered! It was my usual cat-flick liner and after taking pictures I threw on my new bright-orange Clarins lipstick to brighten it all up. Comfy, simple and a slight nod to the back-to-school style dominating the highstreet this time of year!

Snapshot 21!

So recently I've developed a slight obsession with blue. I own far too many blue clothes. On the plus side, it makes it easy to co-ordinate a bright and breezy outfit. This one was for a pub night with some friends out in Dundrum. The blue hat is a found item, the Aztec print top is Penneys, the belt is lost-and-found sale, the shiny leggings are a hand-me-down from my mum and the skirt is Debenhams sale and the boots are Oxfam.

I love that the skirt is shorter at the front than the back it gives it a slightly more interesting shape. The shine on it brightens any outfit and the pleats are those fantastic ones that require no ironing. The leggings were to keep myself covered as it was chilly and the shiny skirt looks much too short at the front with bare legs sometimes. It also sits elegantly high-waisted which worked with the shorter Aztec top. The belt was sorely needed to cinch in the waist of the short top otherwise the whole outfit would have looked a little..wide. The hat was to cover a recent travesty of a haircut. The boots were to top it off and add height. 

I kept the make-up simple with a black cat-flick eyeliner and my dark purple lipstick which makes any outfit a little more chic.

Jeans

Today marked day 35 in my hunt for fabulous high waisted jeans.
I have not bought jeans for myself for nearly 7years. I have been blessed with a friend who periodically throws out jeans in my size and was the previous owner of all but one pair of my jeans (the remaining pair having been a bonus of helping a friend with a video shoot where they were part of the costume).
Jeans shopping is right up there with bikini shopping for most of us women. It is a kind of peculiar torture that ruins the usual pleasure of treating yourself to new clothes. High-waisters have added a level of difficulty to my jeans shopping previously experienced by no sane human on this planet. It is killing me.
My body is designed to not fit normal jeans. Luckily I am not hugely fond of wearing jeans but that could have come from years of having to choose between jeans that fit my legs or jeans that fit my ass. I never manage to get both! Now I have decided to torture myself further by trying to find ones that fit both waist and booty. What have I done. My naivety led me to believe that since high-waisters were originally from a time when curves were the in thing that it wouldn't be the impossible dream to hope that there would still exist pairs for a woman like myself! I was wrong. They are for the skinny, boyishly fabulous, assless model types. The fact that my shape would rock it too is I could just get one to fit an hourglass is irrelevant to the mainstream jeans-makers.
But my fabulous ass will not be giving up til it is clad in sassy high-waisted denim! Even if I have to hunt down someone who owned a pair when they first came out and steal their wardrobe. It is on.

A little glam

This dress was a step away from my usual style, I borrowed it from my girl Lorena. She tends to wear a much more sophisticated, put-together classic look. The dress is a pale pink-nude colour which contrasted nicely with my tan. It's completely sheer in the front panel and at the back but I wasn't confident enough to wear it with a bra! The bralet is in a similar colour with black lace. To tie the lace in with the outfit I added the slim black patent belt and my black bowler to create a quirky but co-ordinated look. I wanted it to combine style and fun and to create a dressier look for going out! I kept the hair soft and simple with a low messy bun and understated natural make-up.

It's the bright time

So this was another outfit for just going to hang out with friends. I stuck to a more singular colour palette with purples and reds but livened it up with some colourful eye-liner and shadow. Orange shadow and light green liner. The purple top was actually my mum's but wasn't really her thing. It's long enough that I wore it as a dress (with hot pant shorts underneath for the protection of dignity in breezy Irish climate! The belt was a find in a lost property sale in secondary school. I teamed it with over the knee chequered socks from Camden Market in London and my red hat from George's Arcade. To finish I slapped on some red lipstick and just wore trainers (my bad ankle was acting up). To accessorise I wore the brown and gold rosary beads my brother bought me from Rome and my new green nose stud!

Young and Fun

This is an outfit I wore for a house party recently. It's a little barer than I would normally dress as I'm just back from holidays and wanted to show off my tan!
I've featured the H&M dungarees before and I love them because they're cute and playful. I put the slim, black, patent belt with them to add a touch of sophistication. The black crop top was a pre-holiday buy in Penneys (4euro!) and the flower pattern fishnets are Penneys too, I slashed them from tights, inspired by the likes of \Rihanna who wears cropped tights with shorts a lot. Normally I like to combine colours but I kept it simple with black black black to keep it a bit more tied together. I threw on black cons with rainbow lace and added some colour and quirk with my eye makeup. The little stars are done with liquid eyeliner and the pink flicks are these cool new stick on colour strips I found recently. The hat was to keep things quirky and I finished it off with dark lipstick and kitschy Japanese pucca bag for colour!
Putting a fun outfit together that I think looks well always puts me in a good mood for the night ahead!
The partygoers were particularly impressed with the eye makeup!

Snapshot 20!

I do lament the Irish summer! 

Here's another snapshot of simple summer style. The skirt is home made from a striped fabric, I cut the shape at the bottom a little differently a year or two ago, I wanted it really choppy, uneven and just textured. I wore the blue bike shorts underneath mostly as a fashion statement but they're also a great way to fend off the Irish breeze and if you are, in fact, a cyclist! I wanted to keep the colour scheme simple because the skirt is quite lively so I teamed it with a black tube top (if you're a bustier girl always get one with an elasticated top and preferably with a hidden support even if you do wear it with a bra-it'll stop you have to hoike it up every two minutes!). Tube tops are a great way to make a look a little more summery and help get a tan on those shoulders. I finished it off with green converse (never wear less than three colours in my opinion!). Hair in loose waves for that summer-y, laid-back look!

Extreme Style

When I was tidying my room (as we all must do from time to time), I was sorting through old clothes and bits and bobs and came across a number of style projects and random over the top items I made for shows and such. I'm really considering taking some of these over-the-top, statement, mad things and somehow working them into my everyday look for a project-just to see how extreme I can get away with out  on the street! 

Now rather than putting them away and swiftly moving on, I had to , of course, throw different things together and take some wacky pictures just to show off precisely how many mad things I own! I guess this is my own little Gaga style moment! I think the crab-head hat in particular would be an easy one to wear casually to college don't you?

Snapshot 19

This was another gig outfit. It was Lorena's birthday so she joined me for a gig I was reviewing and we went to a bar after. The leggings are Penneys and I've featured them before. In fact this whole outfit is a re-combo of items from previous outfits. The hat is George's Street Arcade and the belt was plundered from a lost property sale at my secondary school! The boots are Penneys a few years ago too. I like that no part of this outfit cost more than 15euro but it has a chic, put-together air about it. I love combining and contrasting different colours and I was surprised how well the jacket and leggings worked together despite the very different patterns. In my opinion some dark lipstick and a blazer can give any outfit a kick of sophistication-even those that are a little fun, glittery and zany!

Hip like the fly folks

So this is an entirely borrowed outfit that I wore for a video interview with a friend of mine. We had swapped jumpers-he got my red and black Denis the menace style cardigan and I got this cosy blue number. We then tied his blue patterned silk tie around my head to give me that hippy hipster quirkiness that many youths parade on Dublin streets and nightclubs from time to time. I thought I would post it because it was fun, co-ordinated and a little stereo-typed. If you feel like making a very obvious stylistic comment on your eccentricity a tie around your head is a simple and fun way to do that. Stay colourful people!

A touch of 50s!

I got this skirt in my favourite charity shop in Dun Laoghaire on the one euro rail again. It's long, just past the knee and dark purple with blue stripes. The length and flare of the skirt give it a little bit of a 50s feel-reminscent of the classic circle skirt (think Grease or Stilyagi). I teamed it with a blue top that matched the blue stripes to make it look slightly more like a dress. The blue beanie hat is kind of my trademark so I wear it if I'm going into college so that people can spot me. I also wanted to keep the outfit casual and I think it worked to tone down the outfit-as well as adding a splash of brightness! The boots are actually Penneys from a few years ago-I like that they can be worn up or rolled down and the fur keeps them fun and cosy! They're really versatile with the dark blue colour and have a little chunky heel which gave me the height to carry off the long skirt without looking stumpy or dowdy!

I think the skirt was particularly suited to my hourglass shape-cinching in my waist (at the risk of emphasising the curvy hip region). The length gave me a nice silhouette with a small waist and a long leg line! Teamed with the clunky boots and casual beanie it was a slightly boho look.

Helloooo Summer!

Summer has arrived! And I get to break out all my shorts at last! Today i wanted quirky summer comfort for going to sit in the library. The turquoise dungarees are a favourite of mine, Zara from a few years ago. I kept it fun with the stripy top and since this is Ireland I had footless tights for warmth. The sunglasses are a super foldable pair I got from an English guy I met in Galway. Get your rainbow brights out for summer you guys!

Snapshot 18!

These pictures are appalling because this was at the end of the day and I fell asleep in my clothes but I thought I'd throw them up here anyway.
The slightly high-waisted trousers have been featured before (Debenhams) and combined with my sleepiness I did get asked by my male friend if I was wearing pyjamas! I wanted to keep things a little bright with the pink-purple tank top and the purple shirt (there's purple in the trousers too but it's hard to see from the photos). I repeat the photos don't really show off how the outfit looked especially combined with shoes and accessories It was comfy but (at least when I was awake) actually looked quite classic and chic. I kept the makeup simple because the outfit had a lot going on.

Snapshot 17!

This outfit was super simple, comfy but still kept a little flavour. The jeans are Penneys which I got for being in my friends music video. The hat I featured already in my ball post and when worn casually transforms an outfit into something a bit on the quirkier side!
The aztec print shirt is also Penneys, I just love a good pattern and aztec print is always eye catching and has a little more culture to it than standard stripes or spots!
I completed the look with my usual black cat-eye eyeliner and a dark purple lipstick.

Nerd chic

So this is a photo from a party I went to a little while ago where I tried to work the nerd look!
The shirt is a pretty simple but well cut Dunnes number that my mother got me for my transition year work experience. I wore it over a bright blue crop top to keep things bright. My navy shorts are a few years old and I can't quite remember where I got them!I Accessorised with blue hair and a black patent belt and suspenders (suspenders from Claire's Accessories). To jazz it up a little for the party. I wore highish, thicker-style mary-janes in a bright blue (from Penneys) and teamed with ankle socks for added funk.

You shall go to the ball!

So I recently attended Trinity Ball which, for those of you who don't know it, is a black tie music festival on the grounds of Trinity College.
As per usual, I really wanted to stand out and above all be colourful but only had an hour or two to put something together with things I already had at home so here is what I ended up with.

The floor length skirt was to hide my big trainers and I made it myself from a debs dress (it actually formed the lower half of my homemade debs dress!). I teamed it with a black strapless crop top so as to keep things a little fun and informal. The hat was actually the staple thing that I really wanted to wear-I got it in Georges Street Arcade (I also got a black one but felt like being colourful!). The jacket is a/wear I think from a few years ago and I used my red belt to keep the waist cinched in and sexy. I used 'hip' accessories wearing a hipster-glasses necklace from Accesorize. I topped the whole look off with colourful make-up; bright red lipstick and half orange, half yellow eyeliner!
I have fondly nicknamed this look 'clown style' because I really went over the top with lots of bright colours!

A statement tee!

While I like to make a statement with my clothes every day, some days you rush the morning routine or you simply feel like throwing on any old comfy thing and not worrying about your style. When this mood of 'meh' strikes you it is time to grab one of your 'signature' clothing items. A signature item is one that makes a statement all by itself without needing the help of a striking overall ensemble (though they obviously also look rather well when enhanced with other pieces!).
Statement t-shirts are probably the easiest way to do this because they quite literally make a statement.
Pictured is my favourite slogan tee-a vibrant little Bershka number which I like to think reflect my personality-a little quirky with the suspenders and a little flirtatious while of course being nerdy! 

Snapshot 16!

This is one of my favourite snapshots so far as this outfit was comfy, easily put together and still, I think, standout. The brown dress I inherited from my mother who never wore it and it's usually a summer item (though my favourite thing about it is that it's incredibly soft!). The hat and jacket have both featured before-again acquired from family members. The rosary beads were a gift from my youngest brother. The mustard coloured leg warmers (not a sentence even I ever planned to say..) are Penneys and the green tights are ancient and ripped for 'authenticity'. The shoes are best not talked about!

Snapshot 15!

So this outfits deviates from my usual highly-coloured wardrobe to give a slightly more elegant and, dare I say it, grown up look. I still had plenty of fun with shapes though. I partly wore the trousers because their length had the dual benefit of making me look taller while simultaneously hiding my physio-ordered runners (apparently 'I have a style blog' is not an acceptable excuse for escape from shoe purgatory!). I really love the vintage cut of these trousers with the over the top, extra-wide flares. They're patterned with little purple and white flowers. While I did receive several compliments on the trousers (and one question from a male friend of why I was wearing shoes with pjs in one of my photos-philistine!) overall I had several complaints about the lack of vibrancy in my outfit. Despite these complaints I really liked this outfit as it was comfortable, practical and flattering! The top particularly I love because of the flowy bottom half which hides any tummy concerns you might have (big dinner here I come!).

Snapshot 14!

I had to snap these at the end o the day with no make up on but here's the outfit anyway! I had a salsa class the day I wore this so I felt the skirt would really add to the movement with its asymmetrical cut (home done). The leggings I think take away from the outfit but it was a particularly miserable day out so it was necessary! The shirt is and old silk wonder of my father's which I cut the sleeves off of. I also had to take it in quite a bit as it's a little on the large side! I wore it tied at the front in 50s style and topped the outfit off with a set of old-fashioned style rosary beads my little brother recently brought me back from a trip to Rome. I wore my hair down most of the day.

Vintage yo!

Christy Turlington, Vogue Oct. 1990

Today I wanted to look at some colourful 90s fashion that I find inspiring. I recently started following a blog about 90s super models and I love seeing some of the style!

As soon as this outfit appeared I was in love! I'm a huuuge fan of anything multicoloured because it's an easy way to look distinctive and stand out in the crowd. The detail on the front of the dress and on the shoe was really cutesy, kitschy and just a tad over the top which acts as a bit of a contrast to the very sexy bodycon style of the dress!

This is another example of some 90s style that I loved. I adore red and green as a combination because they contrast and therefor look really distinctive together. I love the coat and the cute of it is gorgeous but my favourite part of this is the hat. Hats are such a fantastic accessory, but big hats are the best. Top hats and bowlers add a class and a unique twist to any outfit and I think they should be worn casually more often.  The whole outfit looks elegant without being formal and of course its still colourful!

Bein' green

I know I'm posting it a little late but since I had the photo's I thought I'd showcase my super simple Paddy's day outfit.
I would normally wear something extremely over the top involving tutus and lumo colours in the flattering Irish theme but as I was having a 'grown-up' Paddy's day just going to a pub with a friend.
I couldn't resist having a little bit of a theme. These green three-quarter lengths were a steal in a little shop in Portugal but I usually only where them when I'm feeling confident. I kept it really simple with the black string top but jazzed it up with the suspenders and the extra splash of colour from the orange runners (the orange runners were also one of the only pairs of shoes approved by my physio!
Of course, it being a festive occasion I simply could not forgo a little bit of festive face-painting.

Snapshot 13!

That's right as a special treat we have two snapshots today! This one is another example of super simple comfy fashion. Admittedly I wore it for comfort rather than style and one of my classmates commented that I didn't look as wild as usual (a blow upon my honour!). However I maintain that these trousers are funky as funk! They were my first set of slightly hammer-esque pants and are the softest things you can wear outside the pyjama zone!

They trousers are actually surprisingly flattering too (felt like I had skyscraper leggies!). The jumper was to take these summery trousers in a more wintery direction given the recent cold snap. (the jumper is also super soft and cosy. I liked that the lack of colour actually made my hair the statement colourful piece (that and my yellow shoelaces).

Snapshot 12!

ITS SNAPSHOT TIME! I enjoyed this outfit greatly-green is my favourite colour and the top and skirt are really distinctive shapes. The skirt is oldish and I love the little military style button layout on the front. It's super cinched in at the waist. I would normally wear this outfit with something like sheer or patterned tights and ankle boots. The top is from Oxfam and I love how bright and distinctive it is. It's actually quite wide top which looks great thrown over something tight like a bodycon dress or a tank top and leggings but because I wore it over a skirt like this one I used a belt to cinch it in at the waist making it look similar to the peplum tops currently dominating the high street. I liked the layered effect this created. The belt, I think, went exceptionally well with the outfit (something I acquired from lost property in secondary school).

Snapshot 11!

I don't really feel like this should be entitled 'snapshot' simply because the actual full body shot is such poor quality  There was no one around to take a full length for me and the focus was off when i set the timer I'm afraid! I felt I should put it up though because it featured one of the hippy skirts from 'bargain'! I received a number of compliments on the skirt which really surprised me as the hippy look is not one many people wear to college! The colour was certainly noticeable and as I said my favourite feature of the skirt! I felt the need to utilise layers to really emphasise the hippy look so I wore a thin, colourful, tribal pattern long top underneath the more neutral tones stripey tank top. I tried to maintain a slightly chic look with cat-flick black eyeliner and a brown-toned dark lipstick (apologies again for the photo quality. For warmth i threw on a long baggy cardigan and my biggest coat! I would generally recommend to wear some cute pointy or chunky boots with a low heel with an outfit like this or, for a summer climate, sandals.

Fashion Show!

SO I recently went to a fashion show. Admittedly it was a local thing in my rugby club but there was a raffle and goody bags full of freebies (hair products squee!) and we got all the tips we need on hair trends. It was run mainly by a Blackrock hairdressing salon and so they gave makeovers to a bunch of mums and women involved with the club and a few of the coaches! There were some great clothes and the hair was done amazingly and I actually learnt a lot!

One of the hairdressers (bottom left above) had great style despite having to wear all black and the most lovely little boots! The shoes were stunning all around and some of the clothes the women brought were stunning! They all dressed very well especially considering it was mostly women in their 40s.

The highlight of the evening however was undoubtedly the men! My dad was actually one of the male models for the show! They all had to have their hair cut and coloured but also got to model suits by Diffney's. My father quite frankly rocked the catwalk and with the music pumping he perfectly executed the strutting and turning we choreographed beforehand with a twist-he had all the male models do the Zoolander poses at each end of the catwalk! They brought the house down! The evening was great craic and the freebies were fab and to top it all it raised plenty of funds for the under 12s London-Irish trip!

Snapshot 10!

Wow look at that we're in the double digits on snapshots! So here's another look into my daily wardrobe. These shoes will. I'm afraid be featuring very heavily because they are the  only shoes bar Asics approved by my physiotherapist! I thought they were more than a bit too matchy with this outfits but I'm afraid there was not much I could do! I wanted something comfy but still wanted to be standout so I teamed my cosy striped leggings with my much loved yellow shorts to ensure a nice splash of colour! The top is one I haven't worn since freshers week of college (another charity shop item) but I actually though it pulled the shorts and leggings combo together quite nicely! I did ensure I wore a hoody though-partly because it's been a chilly week and partly because I didn't want to be overwhelmingly stripey (fashion no-no ladies and gents!). The hair was a step away from my usual style but I wanted to experiment with an up-do to mix things up and I thought it added a slightly classier edge to an otherwise extremely casual outfit!

Bargain!

SO today while on my physio ordered walk I came across a little charity shop I'd never been to in Dun Laoghaire. It was a permanent 1euro rail! (this includes shoes and bags!!) I snapped up these two gorgeous hippy skirts from this magical rail but she gave me one of them for no charge because there was a rip in the waistband! That's right people two full length skirt for just 1euro!
The pattern of the blue one caught my eye straight away and it has beautiful neat tiers. The purple one is a really cute length for wearing with boots and has a really lovely velvet strip near the bottom. Happy days and I'm sure they'll feature in a snapshot soon!

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!