What I Wore: Leeds Festival Edition

Well I had good intentions of getting my better half to take a picture of my outfit when we attended Leeds Festival on Saturday. However the weather (like most UK festivals) was not on our side. We spent most of the day huddled underneath an umbrella sinking slowly into the mud.

As you can see the mud took over. It wasn't very pleasant wading through all of this to get anywhere near the stage. I almost lost my boots to the sludge a couple of times. We made good use of the guest bar (we were on the guest list for the day) and sat drinking pear cider on the grass till it rained.



I thought instead of having the outfit picture, I would put up this picture of what I wore on the day. With all of the items placed in a pretty arrangement. Hopefully you can get the idea. I was also wearing a leather jacket but didn't think this would look right here laid out on the floor. I think I was defiantly going for the 90's look with this get up.

Shorts/Pop Boutique (added the studs)
Top and Bag/Topshop Dr Martens/Best Vintage.

Have any of you hit some festivals this summer?

Vintage Shopping

When I was in high school I really got into shopping for vintage. I used to pick up various items from the little shops that popped up in my home town. But as you all know the prices of 'vintage' slowly got higher and higher. When you think about it your paying high prices for something other people may have worn before and often things that aren't in the best condition.

Obviously I know that if you are searching for particular vintage designer piece then you may have to face the fact that you'll have to put some serious money forward.

I do have a few tips though if you are looking to do some serious vintage shopping. There are the obvious tips such as checking out your local charity shops, as they do tend to have low price points.
There are a TONNE of vintage shops in Leeds; you can find some great pieces. However be careful as they tend to up the prices as many of them know this the only place some people find their vintage clothing.

Found at Halifax Vintage Fair

For me though these aren't my first ports of call for any vintage items I do pick up. I do love a good Vintage Fashion Fair; there is one held at Leeds Town Hall where you can pick up some amazing pieces. The good thing about events like this is you can haggle with the stall owners! It is also worth looking out for any other fairs in smaller areas as these as less likely to be picked over and you can find yourself the best pieces.

Found at Halifax Vintage Fair

The next stop for me is usually Ebay. I know Ebay can be just as over priced as Vintage Shops however it all depends what words you type into the search box. Also some sellers are actually fully fledged businesses so tend to have a higher price mark to start the bidding off. You are really looking for individual sellers or start up businesses.

Ebay piece from America

Lastly raid your mothers, fathers, grandmas, grandads (you get the picture) wardrobes. You can find some gems in there.

Robbed from my Mum's wardrobe.

Joe Brown's Blogger Event

Last night I went to Joe Browns Blogger Event to preview their Autumn/Winter collection. It was such an amazing event we all enjoyed the Mexican food and a few cheeky margaritas. I got to meet and talk to some lovely bloggers who I have admired for a while. Shout outs go to Vipxo, Little Bird Jen, Charlotte's Collection, Becca at Fashion Train, L'Amour Lauran, Kate at ghOstparties, Jamie at TQS Magazine, Laura Rose, Top Style Advice, and Miss Lucy Loves. If I left anyone out, I love you too!
We were treated to a talk from the buyers at Joe Browns. These lovely ladies talked us all through their reasons behind the pieces they have picked for Autumn/Winter.

We were then shown around the various departments. The buying department looked especially interesting; all the clothes were lined up on one wall, so I took a couple of snaps.

We all had the chance to try some pieces on that caught our eye. Everyone loved the cream chunky knit cardigan; it will be great for those colder days, which seem to be frequent at the moment, where has our summer gone? I also tried on these snow flake print leggings, which are a really nice fleecy material. Got a few laughs from other bloggers trying to get my Litas off to try them on. I actually think I could wear the cardigan and leggings together as the cardigan is fairly long.

We were all given this cute goody bag before we left; which had some very generous gifts inside. One of which was a Gift Voucher for £75! I think I'll head over to Joe Browns now and buy myself the above outfit.

Thanks Joe Browns!

A different kind of wand...

Stepping away from my usual territory here, which I think will help generate more posts in the long run.
Cloud Nine were kind enough to send me the Wand. I was really excited to try this out because although I do have straighteners I often find it takes an age to curl my hair with them, as you have to get your technique perfected. The Wand really cuts down on the time you have to spend to get a great style, which is great when you don't have long to get ready. Also if your not a dab hang at hair dos this is the perfect solution.

Here are a couple of snaps of the end result. I only curled my hair from the middle to the ends.

Check out my YouTube video below and laugh at my accent!

Inspiration...

beats'n'pieces (i-D magazine Summer 2011) Photography: Paola Kudacki Styling: Natasha Royt

I loved this editorial from the Summer edition of i-D magazine. I'm really inspired by punk and goths looks at the moment. It also kind of cements the fact that I need to get myself a pair of these:

On my trip around tumblr (follow mine here) I save images that inspire me. The following ones seem to fit in with the theme of this post.

Whats inspiring you at the moment?

It all started...

at a very young age. My family are forever re-telling stories about how I used adorn myself in necklaces and trinkets. Whenever my Grandma came to visit I used to make a beeline for her handbag and drag it around behind me; nevermind that it was almost as big as me. As you can see I was way ahead of all the trends, count them all: hair bows, high waisted shorts, flowered dress complete with knee socks and of course 60's themed colour blocking.

When I started high school I started to get more and more into fashion. I'm afraid you won't be seeing those beauties though, they are to remain buried forever. The first time I saw a fashion show I knew that I wanted to write about fashion for a living. I wanted to be at the forefront, I wanted to be on the front line. When I studied Journalism at University, my career choice wasn't exactly the most popular. Most people wanted to be war reporters or news journalists, and I used to get the pity look when I told people what I wanted to do (still do sometimes). Fashion is important; it creates jobs, brings massive amounts of revenue into the country and can help people feel better about themselves. Whats not to love?

I think if I won the Look Blogging Competition it would only add fuel to my fire and perhaps help me in my quest to become a fully fledged fashion journalist. Also the 17th September happens to be my birthday; so this would be the an amazing birthday present.

Competition - in association with Chelsea Doll

I wanted to be able to give something back to my lovely readers, so here I am with a great competition. You can get your hands on a £45 Goody Bag courtesy of Chelsea Doll, in which you will find the following:

All you have to do to enter is:

• Follow my blog (so I know you are a lovely reader) AND my Twitter.
• Follow Chelsea Doll on Twitter.
• Leave a comment with your name and email address.

This competition will run for 2 weeks until August 19th at 12pm GMT. I will confirm you have done all of the above, after which I will pick a winner on Random.org. The winner will be announced here and will then receive an email from myself to confirm their win.

Good luck!

COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

The Tale of Two Dresses

I wondered if all my lovely readers can help me? It is my Best Friends Birthday this Friday and I cannot decide what to wear. I can see it now, getting home from work on Friday standing in front of my wardrobe stressing out and pulling pieces of clothing out at random. I thought a little pre-planning would do me good.

So I present you with the two options and will let you decide for me.


Red Lace Dress, Peacocks. Shoes, Office.

I am not sure if the red dress even suits me; red hair and red dress, is this too much people? Also I think it makes me look bigger than I am; what do you all think?

Galaxy Print Dress, Romwe. Boots, Office.

The galaxy dress looks like a sack without a belt, but I knew if I ordered a small I wouldn't be able to get it on. So I have added a belt to create a better shape, what do you think? I like the way it hangs but I think I need to play with it a little more.

I would love to know what your opinions; should I scrap these outfits and start again? I apologise that these images aren't the greatest, I'm working on that.