Hear, Hear, It's Soon the New Year.

As you can see, I was by no means joking when, in my last blog, I put "It's a lose-lose situation on how my face is going to look!"
This was taken this morning before I ran out to work.
And this is the new dress (Matalan) that I was lusting after. In the end I settled on wearing it with my grey skinnies (Criminal Damage from a friend), my knee high boots (Matalan) and to keep me decent, a white strap top underneath (Primark). I think this outfit actually works out to be a bit of a bargain.... I think all together, excluding underwear, it probably only cost about £35.

Now I just have to begin to figure what I want to wear tomorrow for New Year's. I've got work first, and I don't know what time until, but after that it's straight into London for heavy drinking - which I in no way promote kids! There have been severe warnings all over the news though, that people should wrap up warm as it's likely to be freezing temperatures... So to look good and be warm? This shall be a challenge, I haven't ever attempted that - usually I either dress up and freeze my ass off, or dress practically. Also need to figure out what I'm going to wear for the next couple of days after that as staying in London for a couple of nights - seeing Avenue Q on Friday night and shopping on Friday and Saturday.
It's going to be a good weekend. So this will probably be my final blog of the year.

It's been a speedy year - it has certainly flown by. There's been lots of ups and downs. We've hit rock bottom in a recession and started to come up the other side. It's not going to be easy, but lets try and ring in the New Year in style.
Keep stylish, and have a good evening, whatever you're doing tomorrow night.
Remember, it's the end of a decade, so party hard and look great.

Dear Diary...

A while ago, I fell in lust with a dress.
Today that dress arrived in the post. It's made me very happy.

I'll share pictures soon. First things first, I need to figure out how the f*ck I'm going to wear it to work. Not because I need to find an excuse to wear it - just there's a gazillion and one ways I can think of wearing it at the moment, and I need to figure out which is going to be best for in an office where I'm freezing about 75% of the time, and boiling about 24% of the time. That other 1% is when I'm an okay temperature. It's that much of a rarity!

Pictures tomorrow hopefully, before work with me looking sleepy or after work with me looking pissed off and tired. It's a lose-lose situation on how my face is going to look!

Only Nearly

It's only taken me nearly a month to locate the pictures in both magazines, but when I saw both of these, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself a little bit.
These magazines

This advert appeared in December's issue of Harper's Bazaar.
And then the following month, this page appeared as part of a photo story in the January edition of Vogue. The exact same dress, shot in completely different ways.

Now, admittedly, it is only an advert in one and an article in another, but I do love the fact there's a gap in the printing of the two, in two competitive magazines.

I do, however, enjoy the different takes the people creating these shoots have chosen. The top picture puts me off it slightly - I suppose as it seems so unachievable and model perfect. The latter, however, has a darker edge and seems more achievable perhaps because of the imperfect setting.

Not a lot else to say for now, back to the slog of work tomorrow for a few days, that said it is dress down for the week which'll be interesting because I'm not used to dressing appropriately for a work environment in a casual way... We'll see what the outcome is.

Tis the Season...

December is the infamous month of the pantomime. I, personally, am totally over the whole "it's behind you!" factor, and I don't believe I've ever actually been to one. Perhaps a good thing.

None the less, it is the season for them, and I have today chosen to take a small piece of inspiration from it, if somewhat accidentally.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you: Puss in Boots.
I've grown bored of just wearing the newer clothes in my wardrobe whilst neglecting the older ones because they don't have such an excitement factor. So today, I forced myself to only (or mainly) use older pieces from my wardrobe.
This jumper dress (Tammy @ BHS) is something I still remember buying. It's about 3 years old now, and I'm not really sure why I haven't thrown it away, but times like now, make me glad I haven't. It is, in fact, the item of clothing that made me decide maybe leggings weren't so horrendous and so I purchased a pair to wear with it.
The leggings, are indeed the ones I bought for this dress, but I have no idea where I got them from... it's a major frustration. I also cannot remember where the belt came from. I epically fail at this game sometimes.
The boots are my one major failing at the "older items" thing - I bought them a week ago after seeing them in a magazine as one of the "Cheap Trick" items. They're from Matalan and comfy as hell.... But on what was just a bit of an average outfit, they ended up giving it the "Puss In Boots" factor.

I hope everyone's have a good Christmas break and eating their weight in chocolate, etc.

Christmas Christmas, Bah Bloody Humbug!

So it may (or may not) have escaped your attention that I'm not the biggest Christmas fan in the world. That said, I am slowly becoming a convert (just on the quiet), as this year was a fantastic year. And it wasn't a fantastic year for selfish reasons, oh no. It was fabulous because the look on my boyfriend's face when I gave him main present from me; a remote control version of his favourite car: a Range Rover.

And here's a picture of us outside whilst he plays with it. I was dressed as practically as evernot! in my favourite skinnies (Criminal Damage from a friend), strap top (Primark), my favourite shirt (River Island), my hoody (Primark) and my new boots (Matalan) that I saw in Stella last Sunday and fell in love lust with.

For Christmas this year I also got a couple of DVDs (27 Dressed &+ Confessions of a Shopaholic); Pink's Funhouse album; a spider catcher (I have an insanely bad phobia of them); a gorgeous new watch aaaaaand a book about Vivienne Westwood. I've been drooling over the book since I got it, it's been a struggle for anyone to get me to put it down for more than 5 minutes. I got some other bits and pieces as well, and a crazy amount of chocolate that'll take me about 10 minutes to eat because I'm that much of a pig!

And now it's Boxing Day, so we all know what that means.... Eating left overs until we feel sick, and the major sales begin. I'll be the first to admit that I won't be heading out to traipse around shop after shop on the hunt for a bargain - I'm just too lazy. Also, I've grown to hate and love the sales all in one, which makes navigating them a bit of a hassle. I mean, they're horrendously bad because everyone is jostling for their post-Christmas bargains and buying pointless stuff they don't even really want, but still buy because "OhMyGosh it's only £2.50 and it does SORT of fit me!" On the other hand it's a great thing as it means that dress you've had your eye on for New Year's but couldn't justify at £40+ is now a mere £20. Then you just have to pray they still have your size.

Ahh, and whilst watching My Family on the wonderful Christmas television schedule this year (read: crappy as usual), I saw something that made me shriek out in delight (much to my brother and boyfriend's disgust). Janey, one of the characters, was wearing the exact jumper I blogged about a few months ago.
I still lust after it. Badly. However, it is now sold out. Sad times.

Anyway, won't stop for more now, no doubt I will be able to get some blogs out at some point as it's New Year's soon and there's lots of Bank Holidays around this period so I won't be in the office. Also, I'll be having to figure out what to wear for New Year's as I'm going into London for the event, and staying for the night after as well - giving me time to do some sale shopping on the Saturday. Pysched. :)

Out the Window

Okay, adding pictures to my last post has gone out the window. Instead I'll put them here. :)

So, Vogue are convinced we shouldn't be LBD-ing anymore, it's time for pastels and other fun colours. Below, this dress is the only one that may convince me to pull myself away from the LBD... but I could never afford it and I don't think I'd be able to wear it many places... As gorgeous as it is :(


Anyway, onto more current news; here's what I'm wearing today. Lots of layers for the win: long sleeve tee (primark), blue floaty top (Topshop) and skinny jeans (from friend of a friend). And it kinda makes me feel like a 6 year old for some reason. Which I guess is appropriate considering I got to decorate our Christmas tree today.And I got to decorate it wearing this wonderful halo =]. (Hoody - Primark)
In other news, I'm *hopefully* heading out to Matalan this afternoon to buy some sexy sexy knee high boots to keep my tootsies and legs warm. They look vair vair sexy, but as they were featured in Stella (inside the Sunday Telegraph), I don't hold out masses of hope for them still being in stock :(

Ooooh! And, as you may (or may not) have noticed, I've had my haircut. Finally. It's back to nice and short and manageable. It's never felt so good.
Shall be interesting to see the reaction of my colleagues who I'm working with at the moment, in an office. I think they probably thought I was quite conservative as my "smart" wear is rather bland (it's difficult when you don't own many smart things); however tomorrow I shall be in with short hair and cool make up. It's Christmas after all!
Have a good one :)

Contrasts Of Opinion

First things, first, I am aware just how appallingly kept this blog has been for the last few weeks. It's truly shocking. That said, I don't hold out much hope of the standards improving for alittle while longer yet... The temping work I'm on at the moment is great - I'm blogging from work; but my next one (which starts on Thursday and runs for 2-6 weeks); well let's just see how it goes, because I don't want to get mysekf in trouble for blogging instead of working!

Anyway, before I get into a small rant about work and temping, etc, I'll actually write about what this blog is supposed to be about; style, clothes, etc...
During the last couple of weeks I've received my subscription copies of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue (yay!) and have spent my lunch breaks of this assignment reading said magazines. When I got home last night I also flicked to the Style On Monday section of the Daily Telegraph that my parents get. The contrast between a weekly feature and a monthly magazine never ceases to amaze me.
In January's edition of Vogue we have "20 New Year Shopping Resolutions" (page85 for you other Vogue readers) which I have adored reading and flicking through. Number19 on this double page spread fabulously states "Don't Add Yet Another Little Black Dress to Your Burgeoning Collection." There's also a gorgeous dress by Christopher Kane featured just above number19. I think I'm quite possibly in love with it, although it would look ridiculous on me.
In the Daily Telegraph's Style on Monday; however; in great contrast to this item from Vogue; there is a whole article on the fabulousness of the Little Black Dress.
So, it begs the question - which is better - the LBD? Or the Anti-LBD?

Personally? I'm more of an LBD girl. The main reason for this is because I've yet to find a bright coloured dress that doesn't make me look like I'm heading off to a prom. Also, with my lifestyle, it's far easier to just own mainly black clothes as they always look smart and suitable for a work environment.
That said I maybe converted if I could find myself a gorgeous Anti-LBD that I can use everywhere and anywhere.

Anyway, I have to abandon this for returning to work. Eventually I'll get around to adding in some pictures.

Epic Fail.

So it's official, I have managed to epically fail at keeping vaguely on top of blogging at the moment.
I really don't know what is wrong with me; maybe lack of time, but that's a lame excuse considering I'm not working full time. Hmm.

Vague bit of fashion-y news though - the Affordable Vintage Fair is back in London this Saturday. Loved it last time but sadly can't get back there this weekend. Funds just won't allow it... :(

But check it, here, for more details and lush photos to wet your appetite.

Goodies

As promised, though slightly later than intended, this is the birthday blog.

If you've been paying attention to my blogs of late, then you'll know that on Wednesday, I turned 18, a much awaited milestone that I'm still coming to terms with... (I mean, Jesus, I'm gonna be 20 this time in 2011... scary!)

Being 18 does have many great advantages though. It meant I could talk (read: manipulate) my boyfriend into buying me a ring and my parents (willingly) bought me a bracelet:

I'm in love with them both. They're white gold with cubic zirconia set in them, and my, aren't they wonderful? I'm also most chuffed that they match incredibly well. That said it could have something to do with the fact I was very specific about the style of jewellery I like.
I have just realised how poor this photograph is. Not only because it makes me look like I have sausage fingers, but also it cheapens the shade of my nail varnish colour. In reality, the colour is actually a deep red, and rather lovely compared to the bright red that it appears to be here. Ahh well.

As one of my other presents from my parents, I also got The Sartorialist book, which I've been lusting after for a while now, but have been far too lazy to buy for myself (also, I was low on suggestions for birthday pressies, so shoved that on the list). I haven't had masses of time to flick through it (spent most of my week working) but finally got a chance today to continue from where I had got to on Wednesday. I took a couple of pictures of some of the pages that are jumping out at me today...
I think this lower picture just screams appeal to my inner punk that I fail to release. I'm not sure what it is about the top picture that I like so much. Perhaps how he manages to look so classy having a cigarette and riding a bike - something that even separately, a lot people look like twats doing... but together it just seems natural for him.

Not a lot else to say now. Still nursing a bit of a headache that I am adamant is not from drinking last night - I'm just dehydrated. I am certainly enjoying being 18 though, as it means I can happily go and have a drink and not feel worried I'm going to get caught. I'd like to think this new found freedom is showing through slightly in the way I dress when I'm off duty from whatever job I am doing.

Speaking of work though, I should probably finish this blog off for now as I have to try and get the bright red nail varnish off before work tomorrow. This coming week I'm covering lunches at L.K.Bennett which means I have a week of lusting after their lace pieces and the pull on boots that I adore. It's a hard life being a temp!

Today, wonderful people, it is my 18th.
I'm having a fabulous day, but won't be doing a proper blog.

Birthday blogs and normal blogging will resume shortly.

:)