a la prada.

a spot of charity shopping yesterday resulted in my finding a great jumper.

i need more jumpers, really.

i live in northern england; it is, more often than not, pretty chilly up here.

said jumper was giving me a Prada a/w vibe....

imgs from style.com, ofc

...so i figured i'd see if the 'chunky jumper/belt/full skirt' look was one that was gonna work for me. if Prada is celebrating curves*, i'm really the target audience, right?

thrifted jmper+scarf//vintage dress//primark belt//topshop shoes

h&m skirt//all others as before

apart from the shoes (sos Prada, the bulky silhouette on a short person really doesn't lend itself to kitten heels, or indeed, anything dainty. midgets take note, a high heel is almost a necessity if you're gonna go chunky jumper/full skirt), i think this is a pretty fair 'budget' replica...

the first dress gave me too much bulk, even with a belt pulling said bulk right in.

the skirt-based look, though, was much better. but still, leave your waist undefined AT YOUR PERIL.

even though this trend/look/whatevs is pretty much geared towards my body type, and the skirt-based look was pretty much a winner, i think i'll more likely end up wearing this jumper in this way (aka pretty much over the outfit i posted yesterday.)

dress bought in rome//h! by henry holland shorts//leopard belt//others as before

so my initial "i'm getting a Prada vibe, but for £3.25" didn't really pan out, but the shoulder shape and pattern of the jumper is a keeper for sure. and pretty similar to some of the jumpers on the high street right now (hi Topshop.) - finding a "trend" piece in a charity shop always makes me happy.

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*and by curves, i obviously mean boobs. y'know.

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PS

I'm down in London from Wednesday (4th) til the following Tuesday (10th) - mostly researching for sketchbooks, but also partaking in some blogger meet ups if that's your thing. Londoners, also, lemme know if anything good is occurring in that time frame.

PPS

Blog Sale. tomorrow. be there or...else. i have, like, 40 things to sell. some high street, some vintage, and a valentino skirt.

simple layers.

just a quick post, yknow.

thrifted coat+scarf//uniqlo cardi//h! by henry holland shorts//leopard belt

//

shoes from ebay//dress bought in rome//pretty moody expression, what?

no jewellery AT ALL. I MEAN, WHAT?

dumdum.

i went to see the dum dum girls on monday night. i forgot/couldn't be arsed to take pictures.

apart from having a whole load of tuuunes, they dress pretty well too, yknow. always look at things from a fash-un perspective, etc. of course, by "they dress well", i mean i'm looking for a jacket like dee dee's (front left in the above pic), and already have the tights she's wearing. and i wore them on monday. pure coincidence, honest.

oh, and they have a blog of sorts...

listen below!

scorpion.

you may recall a most wanted item i posted about here the other week - sheer, asymmetric black dress (ok, beach cover up affair) from Topshop. as it goes, it's the only thing from that post that i DID buy (oh, and the spotty dress from ebay, but it's too small so it's been added to the blog sale pile. SUNDAY. BE HERE.) and it's pretty awesome.

i do not know what i'm doing with my face in this pic.

leather jacket+bandeau top from ebay//jeans+dress from topshop//

rings+necklace from H&M+etsy//vintage boots//barry m nails

eurgh, i hate my hair down.

beehives/tiny topknots make everything in my wardrobe look better.

the scorpion ring is new, and bought from Aquanetta at etsy which is AWESOME and full of star sign based rings and other cool/cute jewellery at like $6 each. ridic.

being the actual epitome of a scorpio*, i had to get it. the store sells some pretty cute vintage too....

oh, and: hey, new followers! say hi ;)

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*or an even more typical scorpio III, if we're getting into personology. i have the book that link goes to, as discovered at the charity shop mecca that is RSPCA byker, after first taking an interest in it when my housemate in london owned it. fascinating. and dead on about other people i know, not just me.)

if the boot fits.

second post about shoes in a row. third if you count the ones in this weeks ebay post. third post in a row involving ebay.

good work!

so autumn is creeping up on us - the a/w lookbooks have been circulating for some time, and stores are starting to get their stock in. it's time, in my eyes, to start thinking about winter footwear, which is, of course, focused around the art of the ankle boot.

this year, i'm mostly looking for something with a platform, or perhaps a wedge, but mostly for the perfect tan chelsea boot. definitely not docs again, as my ill-advised foray into docs around this time last year will show you. stubby legs + 10 holes = not good. also the blisters were unbearable....

ideally i want pair of boots number 1 from this ebay post, but they were too big. i'm hoping a trip to absolute vintage, aka where i got my favoured flat black vintage boots last year, when i'm in london, will bear fruits, but otherwise....

if money were no object:

all from net-a-porter//clockwise from top:

chloe; £580

alexander wang; £555

alaïa; £1000

burberry; £475

gucci; £720

i find myself drawn to the wangs more than i ever was when they were on the catwalk, but the chloes would be perfect if they were a few shades lighter. (good job they're not then. £580!?).

if i save up a bit:

1-5 from nastygal; 6 from the outnet//top row:

sam edelman; $185

jeffrey campbell; $162

jeffrey campbell; $192

bottom row:

jeffrey campbell; $188

jeffrey campbell; $225

vanessa bruno; £115.50 on sale

seriously considering the vanessa brunos, if they're still in my size when i have money. they're also in black, and white (i think), on the outnet site...

the big mustard jeffrey campbell platforms AND the tall black ones are making me drool. =/.

the high street

top row:

asos; £45

asos; £40

asos; £45

bottom row:

asos; £75

new look; £60

topshop; £65

new look are ABSOLUTELY winning the chelsea boot race here. almost perfect. if only the elastic part was black! in fact, in a strange turn of events, i find topshop not to be ahead of everyone here - this is the best boot they have right now, and it's not all that. i assume they have some stunners up their sleeves, though, which will no doubt be in store soon. probably too soon, in the sense that they will be SO AWESOME that they will sell out before loan times. sigh.

the realistic

the questionably photoshopped ebay and etsy haul!

i'm not linking all of these - partly cos i can't be bothered, partly cos i'm watching a couple and maybe i don't feel like sharing, huh? though, the bottom left pair, which are here on etsy for $40 are too big anyways, so have at them!

pairs 2 and 6 in particular have caught my eye (and are both at seriously good prices right now) but maybe a pair of black chelseas would be good too?

in which direction are you taking your boots this winter, mes amis?

copycats.

there.

part of the much talked about, and much lauded (especially on the blogs) Miu Miu shoe collection for SS10. yes, it's nearly autumn now, especially in shopping terms, but that's really not the point.

whereas those who've been going crazy for the shoes all seemed to love the print and the colours, it's merely the heel shape that drew me in. chunky and square; high but with a surface area that suggests they might be comfy for longer than your average high shoe, and in a range of styles and colours. of course, while i adore the print versions - the first pink bejewelled number and the kitty-print of the second style, in particular - if i was actually going to spend real money on expensive shoes, i'd probably err on the side of caution and go for these:

img from 5inchandup

WOAHWOAHWOAHSTOP.

this WAS intended to be a 'where can i find a similar heeled shoe for significantly less money?' post, but since the answer to that was, as it is for everything, 'trawl ebay', i stumbled across these.

these ones aren't Miu Miu, of course.

they are, in fact, a rip off. and while that is a subject that has been written about time and time again, i offer you not 'real vs fake', but 'fake vs fake'.

img also from 5inchandup

now, River Island 'borrowed' from the above pink bejewelled number and these cherry print ones sold for about £65, but the first, plain option comes from Korea and will cost you about £25.

and that's not all!

a glance at their shop (which is completely overstocked to the point where i really couldn't face the 60 pages of shoes before me...) reveals all manner of copies - some of which are really rather detailed/similar to the original.

mcqueen, chanel, balenciaga (or sam edleman if you're that way inclined), even a rodarte/nicholas kirkwood-esque number - and this is just a smattering. and all of wxyon shoes shoes are between £20 and £40, ish.

by this point, it should be obvious that i'm not against the rip-off industry. this is because a) i like shoes, b) i can't afford the originals and c) i'm pretty fickle, and spending £500 on a shoe probably isn't a good idea if it's possible you'll get bored of it in 2 months.

if i like a designer shoe A LOT and a similar version of said shoe happens to pop up in River Island or Topshop for a fraction of the price, i'm gonna want that option. especially if it's in Topshop, because that's what store cards were made for.

if some shop on ebay sells better copies for a third of that price, well, which one would you buy? of course, the quality won't be all that (i assume) but given the nature of point c) above, i might not care if they fell apart within a couple of months. and as i've seen from other peoples experience, price doesn't always equal quality anyway.

that said, if the black Miu Mius were to be on sale somewhere, i'd be all over them in an instant.

but what would you do?

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...and to get back to the original point of the post - since the selling point for me is the heel, perhaps these numbers would make me happy anyway:

£65 from office, also in black

and, let's face it, if i'm looking for something specific i'll almost always try the vintage section of ebay before i try anywhere else, and of course eebs hasn't failed me this time:

i stopped and gasped at that last pair. i mean, they have the heel, and they're printed, which is a bonus, but ALSO THE PRINT IS LEOPARD BASED I MEAN ITS LIKE ITS MEANT TO BE YOUKNOWHOWMUCHILOVELEOPARDPRINT*HYPERVENTILATE*.

brb, trying to decide if i can fit into a size 4.5

public relations.

there is a full on proper post coming later, but right now all i want to do is watch the first episode of season 4 of mad men, or play this song which was at the end of the season 3 finale until said episode has downloaded. enjoy said song below, posthaste.

Roy Orbsion - Shahdaroba

EDIT: great episode. also, my topshop order came. also, ALSO, this skirt is SO PEGGY FROM MAD MEN and you should buy it if you are that way inclined - i briefly considered a 'mad men' based style post but i couldn't be bothered. also, most things would be from ebay cos that's how i roll. YKNOW.

amazing world of ebay; 25/7

the 70s edition, i guess. check out these platforms!

(1), (2), (3) and (4) would be the platform shoe section, of course, where you can find Marilyn boots, brocade wedges, and other delights. or you could take the more sensible (?) duck egg blue desert boots option (6).

a bright yellow kaftan (5) and multicoloured AND fringe detailed jacket (8) bring the hippie brights, and while
(9) might be a lot more 80s - with its graphic print and batwing sleeves - it was also too awesome/odd to leave it out.

7&10 were just for fun, and for your sheer fill - whether a waistband in a boyfriend jacket (courtesy of last week's spotlight shop, funkin junkie') (10), or a sportswear suit affair (in two separate auctions - the jacket (7a) and the shorts (7b)).

next week, ebay takes a back seat as the worldwide blog sale takes over, as mentioned here!

"classic revival".

Karlie Kloss in Vogue US

...and some kind of move on from the vogue italia shoot i posted last week (though with more clothes).

although i have NO LOVE for the rochas shoes in the first pic, i do have admiration and/or love for everything else in this shoot (Derek Lam skirt in pic 1, balenciaga shoes in pic 2, 70s feel to whole shoot, entire look in pic 5).

might look to adding scarves to the beehive, which is currently being dyed, since the roots were ridiculous. trying to keep the blonde bit blonde is a task, i'll tell you that.

imgs from fashiongonerogue

adventures in repurposing.

back to blogging.

went to leeds yesterday for to see regina spektor with daniel.

twatted about in a bar and had a beer beforehand, aka wrapped my necklace around my person in different ways.

despite significant manface in the last pic, i'm a fan of that style. note to self: more messing.

daniel did similar with his denim shirt (and my necklace, because it was gaga-tastic)

"look, it's a muff!"

oh, here are some gigpics (all a little blurry and samey, we were far back and it was dark):

leeds academy is a nice venue. long train back though (we got a later one so we didn't have to rush, hello having another beer on the way to the station)...

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so on sunday, august 1st there's a big, all encompassing international blog sale occurring. am i selling it to you?
basically loads of blogs from all over will all be selling stuff on the 1st, from 11am, and if you're taking part you should email pearl (see below) and let her know, and every blog taking part will also link all the other blogs taking part. which is exciting, non?
anyways, read all about it (and contact pearl) at fashion pearls of wisdom, posthaste.

part II; beehives and concealer.

following on from yesterday's post, i wore this for oh-so-exciting trips to asda. having not found the perfect checked shirt* yet, my somewhat dishevelled pyjama top had to make do. believe.

H&M necklace//Topshop trousers//thrifted bag+pyjama top//Mam's shoes

i swore off pointy toed shoes, and kitten heels, a number of years ago.

but a combo of a) only having pumps which didn't suit the trousers or 5 inch heels with me, and b) mam's feet being a bit dodgy right now resulting in her poor heels going unworn, meant i reconsidered.

turns out i love them and wore them today as well.

wonder if she'll notice they're missing?

the bag is from a charity shop when i was looking for 4th-year-research books last week. fell in love INSTANTLY. £3 for a slouchy leather number reminiscent of AWang with gold accents? yesyesyes. if i can find flat bottomed studs for a decent price in that same gold, the bottom of the bag is getting well and truly "wanged".

as for the concealer of the title:

my touché eclat ran out and Ana said i could have this cos it was too light for her. benefit itstick - it's like a crayon, and while i need a big sharpener for it now, it is actually brilliant. couldn't recommend it enough.

PS

this popped into my inbox this morning - part of an Outnet newsletter - but i loved the silhouette/closeup effect. might inspire some sketchbook-ery.

PPS

go see Toy Story 3. it's brilliant. then come back and discuss the genius of Buzz in spanish mode with me.

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*much like the denim shirt fad, i wasn't into checked shirts when everyone else was. but i found the perfect denim shirt in a charity shop, and now it's never off my back. so there you go.

beehives and eyeliner.

i adore vogue italia something rotten - my favourite vogue. oh yes.

so vogue beauty done a somewhat NSFW (before you scroll down, yknow) shoot involving 60s-tastic beehives and makeup which i am pretty enamoured with.

fyi, Ana does a mean beehive, as you can see on pics from last monday. watching her put it in was like watching some sort of performance art.

imgs from fashion gone rogue

Dioni Tabbers by Ellen von Unwerth; Vogue Italia, July 2010

the few clothes add to the effect (leopard print! sheer!) but the OTT beehives and eyeliner flicks are the stars of the shoot, non?

amazing world of ebay; 18/7

i am properly tired for unknown reasons today, but here i am, soldiering on, scouring ebay for awesome pieces and randomness. today's pickings?

firstly, this week i'm celebrating the store funkin' junkie, which ALWAYS has some great pieces in - this week you can find items (3), (4), (5) and (6), aka slouchy denim/camel perfection, a sheer hooded cover up, a SUEDE LEOPARD TOP (aka my *leopard item of the week*) and a vintage take on the "camel" "trend" that "people" keep banging on about.

also on the topic of "trends", i guess chanel brought that whole crochet thing back, and you can find a plethora of lace and crochet this week, including a "suit" which may or may not have finished already (9), but you can always look at for a little bit. oops. took too long working on this post. there are slips (12), shorts (11, also ending soon), babydoll efforts (17) and slinky jumpsuits (8) on offer too, as well as this chain mail affair (1) at $245/£160 if you have that kind of spare change about your person.

while we're on the sheer front, you can find maxis which are perfect for layering (2), as well as super wide pleated flares (7) for a ridiculously laid back 70s...thing.

in shoe corner this week you can find AMAZING CLOGWEDGE THINGS (15) which someone needs to buy and blog about posthaste, leather&lace boots (13), cute brogues (14) and interesting wedges (16).

and to top it off, you can find genuine vintage biba (10) in the form of a blue jumpsuit, starting at £25.

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so 'the amazing world of ebay' is a lot less "what is this fuckery??" and a lot more "OMG HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!?" these days, huh? i say these days like this isn't only the 3rd week.

ho-hum.

most wanted.

despite saving money for a trip to london in the not too distant future (for research and definitely not for any sort of shopping), i'm now, as always, coveting some items.

i don't know about you, but if i'm a fan of something it ends up in my bookmarks posthaste.

currently bookmarked (and ebay watching)...

top row: asymmetric dress; topshop//asymmetric dress; topshop//grey maxi skirt; asos

bottom rows: navy tights//leather jackets//vintage lace+satin bodies//

more leather//cute vintage dresses//tiered leather skirt//

sequin bustier//anything khaki//err, a stainless steel jug for frothing milk. how'd that get there?

sheer sleeved dress//more vintage lace nightwear//graphic swimsuit

you know my love of asymmetry. although the first one is a beach cover up and the vest and maxi are both thin jersey and therefore totally supposed to be summer pieces, i'm looking ahead to autumn and desperately wanting these pieces for layering up and teaming with fabulous coats. preferably leather-based ones. which brings us to the ebay portion of the evening post.

i have a search out for leather jackets (as well as vintage pale blue jeans, preferbs high waisted, and chelsea boots, preferbs tan, but none in my size are presenting themselves to me. what gives, ebay?), in a cropped, tight, biker style. i love, adore, and cherish my Rick Owens inspired leath-urrr, but i just want cropped sleeves. i can't help it. the perfect one will turn up eventually.

vintage lace+satin nightwear numbers are all up in my grill right now. i own one - bought for layering purposes - in cornflower blue, from beyond retro, which has since made it into my pyjama rotation. cute, comfortable and perfect for warm summer nights. i can't bear to be uncovered when i'm sleeping, whether we're talking clothes or bedding. unless i'm drunk. or err, not alone. anyways, i want more in more colours, but of course the "underwear as outerwear" trend renders these expensive. ach.

as for the rest? i like anything khaki, sheer, leather, sequin-ed or polka-dotted most of the time, and these just happen to be on my watch list as of now.

side note: also craving pale pink.

hey new followers, btw. sometimes i have a surge; it is nice.

murder on ninth avenue.

in which my housemate turns 21 and we celebrate by dressing up, eating fabulous food, adopting dodgy accents and getting rather drunk. it's murder mystery time, bitches.

my dress+jewellery+ sunglasses are all vintage; my shoes might as well be. must find some black new suede pumps.

the usual suspects...

aaron got changed out of his outfit; he got bored of being a woman.

oh, and dean (said birthday boy) was the murderer so of course we had to take an accusatory shot.

i done some cooking:

yeah, that is creme brulee. AND a blow torch. believe.

ALSO, so jealous of cat's hair - big ass bun/top knot thing with glasses clips in it. this is the best picture, if you ignore aaron's face....

an excellent evening all round!