Casual Christmas day outfit

Autumn wishlist

It's been raining loads recently and it's a little bit sad, but summer is basically over so I need to look into what to buy for it gets really cold. 

I'm in the mood for darker colours at the moment and even though I still love pastels, I would love a burgundy cardigan, I think they fit in better with Autumn.

Summer wishlist

So unfortunately, I'm not going on holiday this year. I've got to that age where my parents no longer take me and I can't afford to take myself on holiday. But this doesn't stop me from lusting over bikinis and beautiful beach wear. I suppose I could wear a bikini round the house?

I wanted one of these bikinis for so long. I love the bold colours and sharp edges, they look almost cartoon like. They are from a website called Triangl, and although they are an American company, they ship to the UK. 
The bikinis are around $90 / £52. 

This is the beach poncho by Lisa Marie Fernandez. It's like a towel that you can wear, so when you get out of the pool and want to go fetch something from your hotel room, you don't have to awkwardly wrestle dry clothes onto your wet body, instead you can just throw on a towel, which also won't fall off like normal towels do. 
Poncho is around £345



I don't have any white dresses, I still wear black in summer. But it would be so much more practical to wear dresses like this, also it's not completely white which is nice because it isn't too bright.
Alice by Temperley - £180



I'm really not a fan of Birkenstock style sandals being 'in', I still think they look like Birkenstocks, no matter who wears them with what outfit. These Topshop sandals are what I need but whenever I go out to buy any sensible summer shoes I come home with chunky shoes that aren't that practical and are difficult to walk in. I love the colour of these, even though most of my clothes are quite dull.
Topshop - £26
(I might have to buy these when I have enough money they are quite lovely)



Along with the rest of the female population, I recently watched Orange is the new black and I am now obsessed, so I would love to read the original memoir by Piper Kerman, just so I can see if the things that happened in the TV programme happened in real life.



Anyone that has met me (even only briefly) will know about my obsession for On the Road by Jack Kerouac because it's basically all I talk about. 
(it's amazing and everyone should read it)
Now, I want to read everything Jack Kerouac, but I'm not really sure where to start.
This fits into a summer wishlist because reading outside in summer is a nice thing to do.

Hope everyone's having a nice Summer!

Sophie x

Gingham - the Summer tartan

Gingham has become my new favourite thing, it's the Summer version of tartan so what is there not to like?

As everything was tartan in Winter (tights, leggings, jackets, socks, bags) now everything is in gingham.

I am currently stuck between saving my money for Uni, spending my money on people's birthdays/mothers day/anniversary, or spending every pound I own on gingham. Yep, it's become a new obsession.

Topshop seems to be going all out on this gingham trend, they even have gingham pants and socks. My favourite item in the gingham collection is the black and white smock dress, I love clothes that look relaxed and comfy and it's gingham so even better!

A lot of the New Look gingham items look similar to the Topshop ones, especially the socks, but they're a lot more reasonable on their prices. I like the cute gingham hair accessories and how you can get a whole outfit in the same gingham colours.

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

We used to wait

A few days ago me and my boyfriend went on a little walk to the woods near my house and because the weather was good I decided to make an outfit post out of it.

In these photos I am wearing...

Burgundy Jumper - Topman

Black and white skirt - Cow vintage

Leather jacket - Topshop

Scarf - Peacocks

Tote bag - Page 45

I love that it's suddenly got warmer recently because it means I can wear my leather jacket more! I want to wear it every day forever, I think it makes every outfit look so much better, and it's a lot more flattering that my massive parka jacket. I saw a post on Tumblr about leather jackets improving people's lives and it's getting more and more believable.

I should buy more of these skirts because they're so versatile, and that's my main concern when buying clothes. Cow in Nottingham have loads of this style skirt in all different patterns. I like how they're thin so you can wear them in Summer but with thick tights you can wear them in Winter, you just have to make sure it's not windy..

Tote bags are my new favourite kind of bag because they fit lots of things and are really light and easy to carry. Also, you can put pretty badges and things on them. My boyfriend bought me this one from a comic book and graphic novel shop in Nottingham called Page 45 and if you are in Nottingham you should really go and have a look because it's full of interesting comics, graphic novels and manga. They have books about the art work of Studio Ghibli films which I think are amazing (they have loads of other things too but those are my favourite).

I've noticed that I've forgotten to do the month of photos thing for February so I might start it now, this years going so fast already I didn't realise!

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

Jean obsession

Recently jeans have appealed to me a lot more than skirts and shorts. Maybe it's partly growing up and not wanting to wear the whole shorts and tights combination as much or maybe I'm just getting lazy and would rather throw on a pair of jeans and a jumper than an elaborate outfit involving a skirt or a dress.

So even though I like jeans, I'm not a very good example of someone who does. I only own one pair of jeans. They're from Peacocks and I've had them for about 6 years (they are starting to get a bit small now). 

I'm running a bit low on money at the moment so it's time for a wishlist about the things I want but can't afford. 

I see this photo all over Tumblr and each time I see it I want these jeans more. I have no idea how much they are because I looked on the Acne website and couldn't find them. But I NEED them - they're probably a little out of my price range though. 

I recently saw these black Lana super skinny jeans from River Island on Ellen's blog and saw that they were only £25 so they are a definite want. Next pay day I will be buying these. 

I was once going to buy some Topshop Joni jeans but the idea of a pinafore dress seemed a lot more appealing. But now part of me wishes I had chosen the Joni jeans because they are a lot more versatile and never go out of fashion, much unlike the pinafore dress. I like these jeans because they're not boring. I've always though of jeans as being the safe option and a bit boring but these have a gingham pattern so are in trend for Spring and look a bit more interesting. Does anyone know if the Topshop Joni jeans are worth £38?

It's so hard deciding what jeans to buy that I'll probably just go for the safe option and buy black jeans. 

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

Leather jacket

Today I decided I'd use my iPad to take outfit post photos... But as you can tell this wasn't a good idea as the quality is terrible. Next time I will remember to charge my camera (new years resolution no.1)

I am wearing

Faux leather jacket - Topshop - £26 (in the sale yay)

Tartan scarf - Chatworth house - Christmas present

Levi's shorts - Cow Vintage

Desert boots - Wild Vintage - £29.99

Jumper - H&M

On boxing day I reluctantly followed my boyfriend to the sales and was a bit sad about waking up at 8 in the morning. But, I came home with this really pretty leather jacket! I went into Topshop hoping to find a big snuggly boyfriend coat and didn't have much luck, then I saw the rail of leather jackets. After digging through for about ten minutes I found this one, and it was only £26! I've wanted a leather jacket for years and I finally have one, it's so much better than the boring beige spring jacket I used to wear.

This scarf was a Christmas present from my mum and I love it. I now have three tartan scarves but this is my favourite because it's actually long enough to keep me warm.

I bough these desert boots on New Years Eve from a vintage shop in Nottingham called Wild Clothing. They sell new and old clothes and these boots are from the new bit. They have lots of other different colours like pink, blue, and beige. I like mine because they aren't the typical brown colour and the purple makes them a bit more feminine.

Also, meet my fluffy grumpy cat Monty.

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

Christmas outfits

I can't really afford to buy new clothes recently because I've been doing Christmas shopping but I have loads of ideas for pretty Christmas outfits. So, instead of buying loads of things, I am going to make collages of all the Christmas outfits I want. 

I thought the contrast of the boots with the elegant shift dress made something more comfortable and appropriate for Christmas with the right amount of formality. This really makes me want to pair my purple Dr Martens with a simple shift dress now.

This outfit is more comfortable with the jumper but still elegant and formal with the jewelry. I would probably wear an outfit like this for Christmas if I hadn't worn my tartan skirt last Christmas (I don't like repeating outfits).

Cheesey christmas outfit in case you want to get really christmassy. If this was me I would pair these items with something simple like jeans. Personally, I wouldn't be that confident and just go for the socks or the hat but why not wear as many Christmas things as you can?

Velvet is a perfect winter material because it's so warm and cosy. I also love the colour because red is a typical christmassy colour. The tights are really different because they have interesting detail rather than just being plain black. This is my favourite out of my Christmas outfits and if I could afford it, I would buy something red velvet to wear.


So let's hope I can find something pretty to wear for Christmas then I can do an outfit post about it!

Lots of Love
Sophie
xxx

Cats in fashion

It seems like with the increase of internet memes and the likes of grumpy cat people have recently become a little bit more obsessed than usual with cats. If this doesn't apply to you then you are probably a dog person and will hate this post. But I do love cats, and I have recently noticed that there is a lot more bits of clothing and other stuff covered with cats, and I love that too. 

I've seen cat ears pop up recently - and even before the Halloween season began and every teenage girl decided to dress as a cat by wearing some (honestly, if I had the chance I would've done that too because I would take any excuse to wear cat ears)

Topshop did have loads of cat ears all in different colours but now these are the only ones on the website. They're still cute but I preferred the black ones.

Cat ears have also appeared on other stuff like hats, it seems everyone wants to become an actual cat and dress up with cat ears on everything possible, probably just because if you can, why not?

This cute furry hat is from Next and is £10. As well as being lovely and furry it has cute little ears like a cat. 

Trying to feed my newly found jewelry obsession I've found some pretty rings that look like cats. These rings are both from Asos. So if you don't want to show your love for cats quite so openly as wearing cat ears, you can subtly wear a little ring with cat ears and a little cat face with little tiny whiskers. 

I recently discovered an online shop called Seoulrhythm and they have lots of cat related things, cat tights, cat sweatshirts, cat dresses - so many cats. The prices are all in dollars but this just means the prices are a bit confusing and they ship to anywhere in the world. 

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

Winter Shoes Wishlist

My creepers have sadly broken down, but I've worn them nearly everyday for nearly two years so I think it's reasonable that the soles have grown holes and the suede has turned from black to brown. What I'm saying is, I need new shoes. Sadly, I can't buy new shoes because I need to save my money for Christmas presents and I spent quite a lot on H&M stuff the other day (boxing day sales I will be buying lots of shoes). Because I can't afford shoes right now, I thought I'd do a wishlist about shoes.

Black heeled lace up boots are my favourite kind of boots at the moment. I really want something that has a heel and is casual too. I love these Topshop boots because they remind me of Converse but leather and with a heel. Topshop have loads of boots similar to this is loads of different colours and patterns so I recommend everyone to have a look! Perhaps they're not the perfect Winter shoes when thinking about practicality, you can't exactly walk through snow with them, but they look amazing and they would probably keep your feet warm and dry (maybe).

Topshop Boots - £42

I already have a pair of purple Dr Martens and I've been wearing them a lot more since I've gotten a bit bored of my creepers. When I bought my Dr Martens last year I was undecided on whether to get shoes or boots, after trying on the shoes and realising that they're actually really uncomfortable, I got boots. However, I think these 1461 shoe Dr Martens are really nice. I love the colour, it's perfect for Winter and matching with tartan. Dr Martens are more appropriate Winter shoes because of the thick leather and the grippy sole so you won't fall over on ice (because that always quite embarrassing). 

Dr Martens Shoes - £85

I've seen so many people wearing boots similar to this and I love them. The cut out section is really clever because it means you can wear cute socks and everyone can see them. They also come in white, but I thought that these are more appropriate for Winter. These boots are Jeffrey Campbell so they are slightly out of my price range, but there are loads of high street versions available from pretty much everywhere. They are good for Summer and Winter because you don't have to wear socks if it's warm but if it's cold you can wear socks, very versatile.

Nasty Gal, Jeffrey Campbell - £115.77

Chelsea boots are still in this season and I really like these traditional looking ones. They would go really well with a tartan coat and jeans. The leather would keep you warm during Winter and the elasticated section makes them comfier too. 

Office- £80

There are so many pretty boots out there at the moment but I'm going to wait until after Christmas because then I can get them cheaper in the sales (hopefully)

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

ps. my boyfriend made a youtube channel and I'm in a video so have a look click click click

Getting bored of Summer

I think the title is a bit misleading but it seems to fit too. 

I love Summer, I love the freedom and the sun and doing fun things like picnics and bike rides but every year I miss my jumpers, beanies and snugly clothes. I get a bit bored of shorts and dresses even though in Spring I'm excited to bring my Summer clothes out again. It's partly because I don't have a lot of Summer clothes, I have a lot of jumpers and a few dresses so in Winter there's a lot of combinations you can do with one dress but in Summer you don't have as many options (hence the lack of outfit posts). When it's hot we just try and wear as little as possible so we don't melt. 

As Winter approaches however, I do miss Summer. I miss the floaty dresses and the fact that you can just throw something on without worrying about being cold and having to add numerous more layers that also have to match the rest of the outfit. I also I love how in Summer there is no need for tights, I hate tights. I think they ruin outfits, of course some dresses for example do look better with tights but I'd rather wear socks than tights anyway, however when it's really cold we don't have a choice between tights and socks, it's just tights - and normally 2 or 3 pairs. 

Here in the UK Summer only last for a month - and that's if we're lucky, so by the time I want to buy anything I feel like 'I can't buy this because I'll only be able to wear it for a few weeks'. I have literally been saying this since June, and this is why I didn't ever get round to buying sandals, I still want some but right now, in the last week of August, there isn't any point. 

The Topshop T-Bar shoes I wish I'd bought and now it's too late

With a new season brings new trends so with the colder weather we have the excitement of the new clothes coming into the shops. And therefore brings the end of Summer sales! So you can go and buy bikinis and what not for next year and then wait a year to actually wear them. But really I am excited for the new season of clothes, I love jumpers and pretty soon the shops will be rammed with new ones to spend my money on (I will never have enough jumpers!). 

The start of Topshop's Winter jumpers

So what I'm trying to say is, the end of this season is sad because we will have to put away the floaty dresses away for another year but on a positive note, we can pull out the pretty jumpers and big cosy beanies. Personally, I like change, especially in my wardrobe, so I am looking forward to Autumn/Winter. Does anyone else agree?

Lots of Love

Sophie 

xxx

Floral and denim

(Ignore the hundreds of bug bites on my legs)

Top - It was a denim shirt but I'd had it for years and got a bit bored of it so thought I'd cut the sleeves off to make it into a new top! Originally it was from H&M. I also tied up the bottom bit to make it into a kind of crop top.

Skirt - I bought this from Ark last Friday - as mentioned in my recent haul post.

Feet - Creepers and frilly Topshop socks (as usual) 

I love the pattern and colours of this skirt. I think it goes well with denim but I'm not sure what else I could wear it with.. I normally wear darker clothes so this outfit really lightened things up! If you've seen my other outfit posts you'll probably notice that my wardrobe is a mix between dark, grungy clothes and pretty, floral things like this skirt. I might start wearing lighter things like this outfit but I'll probably change my mind about that tomorrow. 

Lots of Love

Sophie

xxx

Ps. Check out my boyfriends Flickr for more photos of me and other stuff 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgethepoofish/