A dead ringer for Chloe Susan boots as well, eh?
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Studs & Buckles
I've been looking for the perfect pair of ankle boots to wear whilst running about town. And here they are.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
DIY - A €3 Dress
At the weekend I trudged out in the rain for coffee and a jaunt around the local monthly flea market. As I stood sheltering under the cover over a slightly messy stall a golden glint caught my eye.
Ever a magpie for things of a tacky nature, this dress sang out to me. I fully expected it to be a tenner at least, so I was delighted to be told it was only €3! BARGAIN.
.JPG)
I pulled it out of the pile fully and was quite disappointed to see it was quite large. But for €3 it was definitely worth chancing a bit of a DIY project.
First I chopped off the underskirt. And I was left with a lovely, tacky gold & black oversized top. My initial plan was to just wear this over pleather skinny trousers, but it was so oversized that it just looked like a sack of potatoes.
Next I cut the arms off at the seam. At this stage I tried it on again and was disappointed that the "shift dress" I was hoping for was, again, just a sack of potatoes.
I felt slightly defeated and threw it in a pile of clothes to be customised, vowing to take it in with a sewing machine at some point to make it less...voluminous.
And then I had a brainwave. The most obvious of brainwaves and Gok Wan's favourite piece of style advice - I added a belt.
And voila! Here is my €3 dress.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Ever a magpie for things of a tacky nature, this dress sang out to me. I fully expected it to be a tenner at least, so I was delighted to be told it was only €3! BARGAIN.
.JPG)
I pulled it out of the pile fully and was quite disappointed to see it was quite large. But for €3 it was definitely worth chancing a bit of a DIY project.
First I chopped off the underskirt. And I was left with a lovely, tacky gold & black oversized top. My initial plan was to just wear this over pleather skinny trousers, but it was so oversized that it just looked like a sack of potatoes.
Next I cut the arms off at the seam. At this stage I tried it on again and was disappointed that the "shift dress" I was hoping for was, again, just a sack of potatoes.
I felt slightly defeated and threw it in a pile of clothes to be customised, vowing to take it in with a sewing machine at some point to make it less...voluminous.
And then I had a brainwave. The most obvious of brainwaves and Gok Wan's favourite piece of style advice - I added a belt.
And voila! Here is my €3 dress.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Excuse the bad quality photos, blame the iphone.
I've caught the bug now and i've been scouring eBay for 80's peplum dresses so I can make more. MORE!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Brandy Melville
Last year, on my sojourn to New York I discovered this cute shop near my boyfriend's apartment on Spring Street. Enticed in by the beachy feel of the exposed wooden floors and raw brass pipe fixtures on the red brick walls, I was greeted by soft fabric seperates at rock bottom prices.
Already way over my baggage limit, I parted with just 2 items - a grey, baby soft hoody (which i'm wearing right now and is still as soft as when I first bought it a year ago) and a soft knit, striped, oversized top. I have since lost the top and I sometimes cry myself to sleep when I think about it. Sob.
Whilst it won't win any awards for fashion forward styling, it is value and comfort in everyday pieces. I mean, if we could all afford to, i'm sure we'd be buying our white tshirts in from Alexander Wang, right?
But these are recessionary times (sorry!) and as much as American Apparel was hailed as the second coming of Christ when it arrived on our shores, I just can't justify the prices for a plain white tee.
With that in mind, I'm just appealing to a shop somewhere in Ireland to please stock Brandy Melville. I've honestly never felt such soft fabrics in any high street stores over here. For my own sanity I haven't checked if they ship abroad, because even if they do we have the monstrous customs charges to contend with.
And look! It's not just snuggly soft fabrics that they lovingly stock, there's cute little accessories too.
They have stores in a few locations across the states, so if you're over, check them out. You'll definitely get a bang for your buck on some cotton seperates.
I LOVE YOU SOFT, GREY HOODIE!
Already way over my baggage limit, I parted with just 2 items - a grey, baby soft hoody (which i'm wearing right now and is still as soft as when I first bought it a year ago) and a soft knit, striped, oversized top. I have since lost the top and I sometimes cry myself to sleep when I think about it. Sob.
Kate tank (love these low sided vests)
Whilst it won't win any awards for fashion forward styling, it is value and comfort in everyday pieces. I mean, if we could all afford to, i'm sure we'd be buying our white tshirts in from Alexander Wang, right?
But these are recessionary times (sorry!) and as much as American Apparel was hailed as the second coming of Christ when it arrived on our shores, I just can't justify the prices for a plain white tee.
With that in mind, I'm just appealing to a shop somewhere in Ireland to please stock Brandy Melville. I've honestly never felt such soft fabrics in any high street stores over here. For my own sanity I haven't checked if they ship abroad, because even if they do we have the monstrous customs charges to contend with.
And look! It's not just snuggly soft fabrics that they lovingly stock, there's cute little accessories too.
They have stores in a few locations across the states, so if you're over, check them out. You'll definitely get a bang for your buck on some cotton seperates.
I LOVE YOU SOFT, GREY HOODIE!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
"thrash it out"
I'm a bit gobsmacked. I've read blog posts from well known bloggers in the past about bloggers being taken advantage of (stop saying "blogger" in here). I guess because I've never regarded this blog anything other than a hobby it's never really affected me in anyway.
And then today I saw a 'competition' for bloggers to become an ambassador for an online brand. In order to enter you must write a blog post about an item from their website & send it to them. Fair enough. A good way to see if the blogger entrants have a grasp on writing a structured and balanced review on something.
But it was the next part that blew me away. After the finalists are chosen from their entries they are then invited to "thrash it out" on Twitter and/or Facebook to gain the most votes.
So basically, he/she who has the most friends/family/followers, wins.
Of course, ultimately a brand would want to reach the widest number of people as possible, and whilst the reward of "ambassador" is a generous one, with a nominal amount to be spent each month on the brand's website, at the end of the day isn't it all just a popularity competition?
Are bloggers throwing away any chance of their blogs being taken seriously by happily canvassing for votes rather than letting their talent and work do the talking for them?
Perhaps, as I said, because I see this currently as little more than a hobby, I'm just not grasping the whole "blogging" thing completely.
I think i'd rather keep the free monthly "payment" from a brand in return for a review than compete for votes that have little to nothing to do with my ability to write and review.
As a not-so-slight aside, there are a few blogs that I follow that currently have this position for this brand, and I AM a fan of their blogs and their writing. I guess we should just hope that the finalists are all up to scratch so that whoever triumphs as most popular will still give balanced and trustworthy reviews, rather than biased and greedy.
Am I just being cranky?
And then today I saw a 'competition' for bloggers to become an ambassador for an online brand. In order to enter you must write a blog post about an item from their website & send it to them. Fair enough. A good way to see if the blogger entrants have a grasp on writing a structured and balanced review on something.
But it was the next part that blew me away. After the finalists are chosen from their entries they are then invited to "thrash it out" on Twitter and/or Facebook to gain the most votes.
So basically, he/she who has the most friends/family/followers, wins.
Of course, ultimately a brand would want to reach the widest number of people as possible, and whilst the reward of "ambassador" is a generous one, with a nominal amount to be spent each month on the brand's website, at the end of the day isn't it all just a popularity competition?
Are bloggers throwing away any chance of their blogs being taken seriously by happily canvassing for votes rather than letting their talent and work do the talking for them?
Perhaps, as I said, because I see this currently as little more than a hobby, I'm just not grasping the whole "blogging" thing completely.
I think i'd rather keep the free monthly "payment" from a brand in return for a review than compete for votes that have little to nothing to do with my ability to write and review.
As a not-so-slight aside, there are a few blogs that I follow that currently have this position for this brand, and I AM a fan of their blogs and their writing. I guess we should just hope that the finalists are all up to scratch so that whoever triumphs as most popular will still give balanced and trustworthy reviews, rather than biased and greedy.
Am I just being cranky?
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"don't be jealous"
That's what i'd say to my friends if I owned this coat. The perfect colour for spring for someone whose wardrobe mainly consists of black? That's me that is.
Coat via SheInside
Monday, January 16, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)