Monki See, Monki Do

A couple of weeks ago, having cashed in the contents of our piggy bank (saving up all of your silver coins pays off, trust me!) Mum and I headed in to Bristol for a bit of self-indulgent retail therapy. I already knew exactly where I wanted to spend my cash and made a beeline for Monki as soon as we were off of the bus- well, after a coffee stop of course.
I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not that Monki opened their second UK store in the fair city of Bristol. Already borderline obsessed with the brand the arrival of an actual store has ramped that up a notch and my wish list is out of control. Thankfully I managed to exercise some self restraint and left with just a couple of the many items I have my eye on- the rest I have earmarked for a Christmas money spend up!

Dress & Jumper both Monki | Boots: Long Tall Sally

I almost didn’t try this dress on. On the hanger it just looked a bit shapeless to me but I loved the print and with a bit of convincing I added it to my bundle for the changing room (and oh what changing rooms, nice job Monki!). The second I slipped this on I knew it was coming home with me, far from being the shapeless sack I had envisaged this dress drapes beautifully and I loved the midi length as well.

I also picked up this jumper which was an absolute bargain at £20. I intended both pieces to be separates but it turns out they also look pretty awesome layered up which means I’ve essentially bought three outfits for £45 as both the dress and jumper work well alone too.

I predict living in this outfit over the festive period, it’s warm and cosy and the dress has plenty of room for the inevitable festive food babies that will be occurring…the first of which is likely to be today as it’s Mum’s birthday and we’re off to an epic farm shop/restaurant for a celebratory lunch. Happy Birthday Mum!

Are there any shops that you’re currently obsessed with? I’m afraid you’re going to be seeing a lot more Monki on the blog in 2017!

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There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky

Do you ever see an item and just know that one way or another you have to own it no matter what it costs? That’s exactly how I felt when I saw this dress from Miss Patina. At almost £70 it’s possibly the most money I’ve ever spent on a dress (aside from a prom dress when I finished my GCSEs) and I had to save hard but hands down it’s my purchase of the year for sure. It actually took me a long time to get around to wearing it, convinced the timing had to be “just right”…in the end I realised that was a pretty stupid way to think about such an awesome piece and finally popped it on just because.
I’ve included a stock image as well because I somehow didn’t manage to get a decent picture of the epic collar- Bowie and cats are two of my most favourite things ever and this dress represents my sense of style perfectly, paired with my sparkly trainers that I bought in Bershka last year this is about as me as it gets.

I finally feel like I’m dressing like myself again. It’s taken a long time and at times I have felt completely uninspired when it comes to my clothing. This year has been a tough one and somewhere along the way I lost myself for a while- between the stress of moving out of my parental home, finally admitting I had relapsed with my eating disorder, being signed off work, my relationship ending and moving back home again all within the space of 7 months it’s easy to see how everything fashion and style fell off my radar. Finally though life is starting to feel ok again. I’m settled back at my parents, my heart is healing from the break up, I’m getting help and support with the anorexia and I’ve just been given the news that I can return to work in January which is just the best possible feeling.

It’s hard too, in a world where blogging is now so prevalent. I know I’m not the most fashionable person in the world. I don’t have a professional standard photographer, a big budget for new items, the prettiest face or the popularity of so many of the bloggers I look up to and admire. This is just my part-time hobby and sometimes I feel like I just can’t compare. I think it’s easy- too easy to play the comparison game and for a while I forgot why I blog and who I do it for…that is, myself. It’s not my career, nor do I want it to be. I don’t do it for the followers, the admiration or the money/gifted items. I do it because I enjoy having a place to write and to be myself. To share the things I love (and sometimes the things I don’t).

That being said I am now getting more in to taking photos of my outfits again. My choices are getting bolder and my confidence is slowly building. It might seem strange for someone who struggles with an eating disorder to put themselves online like this and sometimes I do question how and why I do it…but the bottom line is I enjoy it, for myself. I see my body as nothing but a vessel for living my life and I occasionally feel like sharing how I dress it and there’s nothing wrong with that in the slightest. It’ll be hard, as my weight begins to creep up- it always is difficult to have a visual diary of a process you’re not entirely comfortable with, but then my blog becomes something else again, a document of how I took on my demons and eventually after 15 years of hell I came out on top.

Wow, this has turned in to an un-intentionally deep and rambling post, I would say I apologise but I’m really not sorry. It’s rare that I find myself able to express the thoughts in my head and convert them in to the written word and I make no apology for the fact that at times I feel like making them public so I have a reminder of everything I’ve been through.

Let me know your thoughts on the dress- do you have any items in your wardrobe that you simply HAD to own?

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Pleats, please.

Anyone else loving the pleated skirts that are everywhere right now? There’s something so compelling about the combination of midi-length and perfectly aligned pleats that has captured my imagination and my current “in my dreams” shopping basket is full of skirts in every fabric from satin to jersey (and everything in between).

Skirt: ASOS | Jumper: New Look (tall) | Boots c/o Ted & Muffy

I’ve seen many of my favourite (and infinitely more stylish) bloggers rock a pleated skirt with a chunky knit so thought I’d give it a whirl myself. This jersey pleated number is by pull&bear at ASOS and was a very reasonable £15.99 although an even better deal for me as it was a gift from Mum. I loved the grey paired with the deep green of this New Look jumper- another bargain at £9.99 and in a fit of madness I ditched my usual black ankle boots for this snakeskin pair from Ted & Muffy which I adore but for some reason overlook.

This has pretty much become my go to comfort outfit at the moment. Perfect for days when it’s a) freezing cold and b) you’re really not feeling your best. It makes a slightly dressier change to slobbing about in jeans, allowing me to feel a little bit more “put together” but still providing the comfort I crave.

Have you fallen for pleated skirts? What’s your go-to comfort outfit? I really wouldn’t say no to a bit more inspiration…

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The Sweater Dress

Despite my best efforts to be on a shopping ban right now a couple of accidental purchases have happened. It was inevitable really- the change in seasons, time on my hands and a love of anything remotely related to cats. Shopping was going to happen and right now I don’t have the heart to fight it.

Dress: Zara (in grey here) | Boots: Banana Republic | Hat: ASOS (sold out but I also love this one too)

You may remember this hat from a recent wish list post. At £10 I couldn’t resist the lure of fluffy ears and glow in the dark whiskers and I justified the purchase by reminding myself that I got rid of a LOT of hats when I moved from my flat back to my parents. I don’t care that it makes me look like I’m 9 years old rather than my 29 years- it makes me happy and that’s enough for me!

Zara is dangerous territory right now. A dear friend bought this dress and when she told me it was under £20 I was straight on the website placing my order. I’ve always viewed Zara as quite pricey but right now that have a huge range of affordable yet highly covetable pieces that are wreaking havoc with my good intentions. Still, I’ve been living in this dress since its arrival so it has already paid for itself in my eyes- and with a still undetermined stretch of time off of work ahead of me I can lounge around in it to my heart’s content.

On the subject of not yet being back at work- I’m working on it. Slowly but surely I’m fighting against the tight grip of anorexia and getting myself and my life back to where it needs to be. 2016 has been one hell of a shitty year and I’m looking forward to building up my strength and resilience ready to make 2017 a year to remember for all of the right reasons.

What have you been buying lately?

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Down at the Piano Bar with Vendula London

The champions of unique Vendula London creative bags have done it again with their gorgeous new collection of handbags. I have quite a collection of Vendula London by now but I think my latest addition, from their Piano Bar collection has to be a favourite.

Dress: New Look | Blouse: H&M | Loafers: New Look | Bag c/o Vendula London

This bag, in what appears to be a first for Vendula London has actual glitter on it. You have no idea how happy this makes me! I opted for the pink version of the bag but it also comes in black. Other than the colour there is one small difference in that the pink bag has a finer glitter which won’t damage clothing whereas the black has thicker, coarser glitter that is only on the front of the bag to avoid potential damages. The attention to detail on Vendula bags is second to none, these are real statement pieces that are well worth every penny of the price. If piano bars aren’t your thing then make sure to check out their other collections…Downtown Abbey fans you’re in for a treat!

This is such a classy piece that dresses up any outfit. With my sights set firmly on getting back to work soon I decided to pop on an office appropriate outfit and I feel that this bag works well with it…but it would also look great with a party dress for a swanky night out.

The pinafore dress is the same as the purple one I featured the other week but in black from the tall range. At under £15 I couldn’t resist getting both, and the h&m blouse was another ridiculous bargain at under a tenner.

This post is a bit all over the place, which pretty much sums up myself right now too. I’m working on getting my head straight though so in the mean time just sit back, relax and enjoy the whole point of this post- the glorious handbag!

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