Category Archives: accessories

Best of British (part one)

21st November 2014
It’s been a long time since I had a new addition to my tights collection that wasn’t plain black or nude. Tights used to be “my thing” but ever since I started working pretty much full time there has been less and less place for my crazy colours in my wardrobe during the week and at weekends I tend to find myself slobbing out in jeans and a jumper. Still, when Marks and Spencer offered to send me a couple of pairs from their “Best of British” collection (which celebrates British Design with some cracking pieces) I could hardly say no- the tights queen still resides in me somewhere!

Coat: Joy | Dress: A-Wear | Tights c/o Marks and Spencer | Boots c/o Duo | Necklace c/o Modern Vintage Style | Bag: Mulberry

I’ve not really managed to capture the pattern on the tights here but they are a truly gorgeous grey and black houndstooth which just so happen to be perfect for work. I paired them with this simple skater dress that I picked up a couple of years ago for just £5. I wish now I’d bought a couple as it just gets better with age, it has the perfect flattering fit and is the softest jersey I’ve ever worn. My trusty Duo boots finished the office attire, I’ve been living in this ever since they arrived and I get compliments all the time.
No outfit would be complete at the moment without my pink coat, it’s the redeeming feature of the colder weather and attracts a lot of attention. I’m hopeless at capturing what handbag I’m using on a daily basis but as I was out and about on a little (Christmas) shopping trip with my best friend and my Mum it seemed rude not to pop my Mulberry in to the pictures. I was so worried I would be too scared to use such an expensive bag, but actually I use it most days as it’s the perfect size for carrying around all my rubbish; on a cost-per-wear basis it’ll soon be practically free!
Lately I’ve been wearing this gorgeous necklace from Modern Vintage Style with everything. I love the unusual Smokey Quartz and the way it catches the light. The website is a fairly new find for me and I love everything they have on sale. With a gorgeous mix of vintage and handmade pieces there is something for everyone. My magpie eye has homed in on several more stunners to add to my collection.
This has turned in to quite a lengthy post as for once I have a lot to say about what I am wearing. I have another pair of these tights to style and feature in an up-coming post which I can’t wait to show you…dear tights, I’m sorry I neglected you for so long!

Posted in accessories, brands I love, jewellery, life, life stuff, M&S, outfits, shoes, tights

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Meet the Mighty Buds

01st November 2014
Following on from my blog post the other week featuring the awesome Mighty Purse I now bring to you the Mighty Buds– yet another brilliant idea from the people at wowthem.com and yet another idea to file away for Christmas shopping (yeah, I’m on a roll it would seem…)
The Mighty Buds are an innovative product that uses electroluminescence technology to cascade light up and down a pair of super bright and bold headphones so music loves don’t just hear the beat, they can see it too! I seriously rate these as a pretty good headphone, and thanks to the customisable fit cushion tips they are also really comfortable to wear (which is saying something when you have an ear full of piercings) and despite being a bit of a novelty item they don’t compromise on sound quality.
At £29.99 these make for a perfectly packaged and super snazzy gift for the music lovers in your life. Available in three eye catching colours- orange, blue and green there is something for every one and every listening device. My orange pair (c/o) have been plugged non-stop in to my iPhone, brightening up rush hour bus journeys to see Ben no end. If you don’t fancy being the centre of attention you can easily switch the light effect off and just enjoy the high quality sound and you can also seamlessly switch between listening to music and taking a call.
When it comes to present buying this year I will be heading straight to wowthem for something slightly off the wall. A Mighty Purse is on my personal wish list and I have spied a few bits and pieces I’d like to pick up for other people too.
What’s on your list to Santa this year? What are you listening too right now? I’m alternating between a bit of Ryan Adams for some good old American rock ‘n roll as well as The Unthanks for a more haunting, folky vibe.

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Posted in accessories, christmas, gadgets, gifts, tech

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Bespoke Glasses with Atelier

02nd October 2014
It’s hard to resent wearing glasses when there are so many awesome and stylish frames on the market these days. That being said, I am quite lazy when it comes to wearing mine, tending only to reach for them when a headache threatens…oops! I was recently contacted by Atelier about their range of glasses and sunglasses and boy was I impressed!

Atelier provides glasses and sunglasses that are handmade to fit your face. I was really intrigued as to how this could possibly work with it being an online service (and the average person probably not knowing their facial measurements) but I was ever so kindly offered a free pair of specs so I could try out the service for myself.

Ordering is super easy, you decide whether you want suglasses or glasses; I went for glasses as I wear them more than shades. You then choose which frame style you want and which colour-way. I loved that all of the frames were available in all of the colours on offer as in the past I’ve had to compromise on colour to find a frame that suits my face. There’s a handy feature on the site that allows you to see how your frames will look in any given colour- I opted for the Fratiina frame in a cool tortoiseshell design.

To order your glasses you need a webcam, this allows you to see what the glasses will look like on you and also for Atelier to get your facial measurements. It was a somewhat bizarre process but really simple and quick. Once you’ve placed your order you do face around a four week wait for your frames to arrive, but trust me, it’s worth it.

I am so in love with everything about these glasses, especially the fact that my name is on them (handy for when I leave them lying around at work!). They don’t come cheap at £245 delivered but you can pay almost that, or more on the high street and there is something incredibly luxurious about having them tailored to fit your face and being in complete control of what they look like.

I’d highly recommend Atelier if you’re in the market for a new pair of glasses or sunglasses, especially if you’re someone who needs to wear them all of the time. Let me know if you do try out the service and make sure you tweet me your new frames when they arrive!

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Hey, Hema!

28th August 2014

I love it when I brand I’ve previously only been able to access overseas hits British shore so when I had an e-mail about the opening of some Hema stores in the UK I pretty much did a little dance in my seat.

Hema is a brand I know through having Dutch relatives. When I went over to Holland about two years ago I spent ages browsing through the shelves of awesome bits and pieces and I’m pretty sure I grew up eating chocolate letters from there, sent over as a St Nicholas gift every year by my Auntie.

As well as announcing their arrival via e-mail Hema also very kindly sent some sunglasses my way. Typically by the time I got around to photographing them the best of this month’s weather had passed, but I’m one of those people who will wear shades whenever the mood takes me.

Cropped Tee: H&M | Skirt: Zara (ancient) | Aviators c/o Hema

These aviators retail for a mere £5 at Hema and are a welcome addition to my sunglasses wardrobe. I couldn’t resist popping them on our stone Buddha for a more up close shot (nobody needs a close up of my mug) so you can see how sleek and simple these are. Perfect for a laid back and minimal weekend look, which is exactly when I wore them- to town for a cinema date with Ben.

I can’t leave this post without mentioning this amazingly cute cat cropped tee from H&M. A very recent purchase at £5.99, they did a whole host of brilliant designs but I just had to have this in my life, determined to wear it even though it’s cropped and I’m feeling not so great about myself. It reminds me of tees I used to beg Mum for in Tammy Girl, back when I was a pre-teenager…sometimes I wish I had kept hold of some of them!

Back to the topic of Hema though, there are currently three stores in the UK and if you happen to be near one of them then they are well worth checking out, selling all kinds of things from makeup to food, from stationary to home wares and all at insanely excellent prices. Have you discovered the joy yet? For those of us who sadly don’t live near one of the stores, the online shop is due to go live mid-September so watch this space…

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Shore Projects

26th August 2014
My watch collection is growing at quite an alarming rate as I am lucky enough, as a blogger to have been sent some really gorgeous designs. My latest addition is probably my favourite to date and comes via the folk at Shore Projects who specialise in British Seaside inspired watches that feature an awesome customisable strap feature meaning you can mix and match to suit your mood.

Dress: Primark | Shoes c/o Yull | Necklace c/o SuShilla | Watch c/o Shore Projects

I picked the Portland watch face (£85) for the base of my watch which comes with an already lovely mint green strap. I then picked one of the polka dot straps (£25) also in mint green so I could test out the concept for myself. Switching the straps is so simple to do thanks to a handy little clip and I love that with a classic face you have the basis for having a new watch whenever you please. I’m going to be adding to my strap collection in the future, I’m thinking a timeless brown leather one for an instantly chic look.
This outfit is what I wore the weekend before last for a day catching up with my best friend. The dress was a mere fiver in Primark and is an item I’ve been after all Summer- I’m so glad I didn’t see it until after it was reduced! The shoes are one of my all time favourite pairs that Sarah at Yull has sent me (she’s such a sweetheart) and I thought the colours in this outfit complimented each other nicely. The necklace is another favourite piece of mine and it was the perfect finishing touch.
If you’re in the market for a new watch then I highly recommend checking out Shore Projects- here’s the link to their lookbook so you can get a better idea of what they do…let me know what combination you’d go for below.

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