summer wanting...

Is that sunshine I see outside... Probably not but I'm going to pretend it is. I can actually feel the heat on my back as I type this. So.... as we head into summer I realised that after my weight loss (about 18 pounds and counting!) I don't have loads of great casual pieces. I need to get a few pieces to tide me over... And of course a few new accessories to jazz up what I already own (and what fits me again.) These pieces are but a few things I want to get for myself (I'm also getting my talented friend to make me a dress.) I also need to invest in shorts but I haven't found the perfect pair yet.

Dress: Asos

Brogues: Topshop

Tank Top: So Worth Loving

Necklace: Etsy/Favouring Brave

Book Clutch: P.S Besitos

holiday footwear...

I really have no intention of wearing these in Ireland. Unless miraculously the sun decides to get off his arse and heat this island up a bit. No, these shoes are ear marked for a little holiday I'm taking in August. A holiday to the island of Tenerife. To say I'm excited is honestly an understatement. I haven't been on a sun holiday since I was ten. That is no word of a lie... AND it's my first holiday with my fella. I know.... It's taken us seven years to go on one but we finally have the funds to do so.

So back to the shoes... I'm not really planning on bringing a lot of heels. Maybe just one staple pair. I want to be able to walk and dance and run around this little island and I feel/know that heels (even though they would look better) wouldn't be as comfortable and I just would like to completely relax. But that doesn't mean I can't look my best. So I have picked out two very interesting pairs of sandals from Zara (oh amazing Zara!) One for the day and one for the night but they'd easily cross over. I'm already planning outfits for both! The tribal ones will look great with khaki shorts, band tees and possibly a black jumpsuit while the blue ones will be divine with long floaty maxis and short satin dresses.

What footwear do you find essential when going on a sun holiday... Am I forgetting something?

long mane...

I have been toying with this idea for a long while... My hair has been pretty much the same for the past
six years. Just longer than shoulder length with layers. The layers were to give body and the only reason it was that length was because anytime I got it long enough my hairdresser would tell me it's too dry and chop it all off again. But not this time! Oh no! This summer I am going have free flowing locks that I can tie in plaits, low lying buns or simply let hang in a careless fashion. Gosh I love carefree hair!

When I was younger (around 15) I had long, glossy hair that fell into hippie style ringlets. I saw a photo of it recently (I was holding up my unamused cat and grinning from ear to ear) and I longed for that hair again. I want to say good bye to my layers and let my hair grow down past my eh chest area... I'm going to get my mum to trim a tiny bit every so often and keep it nice and conditioned and hope for the best. My only issue is that I have quite fine hair so I am hoping that the regular mini trim will encourage growth and thickness (or is that just a myth).

Hopefully it'll all work out and I'll have the hair I covet. If anyone has grown their hair out at all please give me ALL the tips you have!

dress to impress...

Ok, it's April... Which means it's nearly May, which means it's technically really close to summer. And the temperature is slowly (really slowly) starting to creep up. (Saturday is to be a balmy 12 degrees!) So despite the weather being a tad dismal I look toward the near distant future in hopes of a warm summer.  Or at least a summer where I can wear dresses with nude fishnets... That's not a lot to ask for!

Anyway, when I was in college I dreamt about wearing pretty dresses and heels all day, everyday. In college, this attire wasn't hugely acceptable (or practical). But now that I'm in the working world where I sit at a desk and design most days (and the odd photo shoot out in the real world) I feel that the clothes I desired to wear are now, finally, deemed suitable. So you can imagine might excitement at the very idea of this and how I rushed to the online shop windows to see what I might purchase in the coming months. There were loads (and some really pretty ones for bigger busts on Pepperberry) and it was hard to narrow it down... In fact I couldn't narrow it down so I picked some at random some that I liked. The three I chose to show you are fresh and fitted that will highlight my waist without the requirement of a belt (this is always a huge bonus). They look comfy yet still have an elegance (and a slight eccentricity) that I want my work clothes to exude. I'm not really ever in meetings so my work clothes can be quite casual but I still want to look and feel smart. I want there to be a slight difference between what I wear to work and what I wear at home. Let's face it, it's an excuse to dress up slightly, smarten oneself.

Do you have different work clothes? What do dream to wear in work?

yellow town blues...

The weather has been pretty okay in Carlow over the past few days. Rain here and there but mostly dry and quite warm. It's nice to be able to wear skirts and shorts (yes I actually wore shorts yesterday) without tights and yet not sweating like a mad yolk in the heat. I like the balance at the moment. Though I hear we will be a getting a teeny heat wave over the next few days and I am perfectly happy with that too! I shouldn't complain so I won't...

I actually went to take these photos in an empty house at the end of my street. It has some gorgeous old stone work and since it was not being inhabited I thought what's the harm?! I started setting up the tripod and checking the screen when an elderly man popped his head out the front door. Too embarrassed to say I wanted to take pictures of my outfit I simply said I wanted a photo of the wall! Which I realise now sounded much worse. He asked "just the wall?" to which I responded with a definite "yes." He seemed awfully confused by the whole thing (which is understandable since now he had what appeared to be a lover of walls and who also collected pictures of them on his hands) but he let me carry on regardless. So I took a few quick snaps and got the hell out of there! That's what I get for trying to be daring with my outfit post photos...

At least I can use the wall shots in my collages for FELT. So there was an upside.

Top: Miss Selfridge

Skirt: Dunnes

Shoes: Miss L Fire

Ring: Gift (from France)

Locket: (Gift)

soft and light...

Believe it or believe it not, Carlow is having a lovely day. I hope it's the same for everybody... 

I went to work in a denim shirt and ski pants thinking it wouldn't be all that beautiful out. Thankfully, I was wrong and as soon as I came home I was out of the heavy black and into the super light and super soft white. This dress is the perfect summer dress in my opinion, it's comfy yet still fitted, it's white (which as you all know reflects the light away to keep one all cool and lovely) and it's really cute. Little house on the prairie and all that shiz. AND all those little holes make it very airy! Perfection... The only thing I am not to pleased about is how low this dress is for a 'day dress'. It's grand for some people but I always feel like Bosoms MaGee most of the time anyway so it's not the best. Tis simply rectified with a lace body underneath though. Result!

To follow on in the comfort and coolness stakes I pinned back my hair loosely and donned chunky sandals. Now to find somewhere cool to work...

Dress: Oasis

Body: Penneys

Sandals: Lotta From Stockholm

Rings: KKajoux (gold) Vintage (silver)

Necklace: Etsy/Glitz Glitter

wish I was wearing #11

The weather is fresh... Sunny then wet then sunny then cloudy then breezy then sunny then wet again. For me fresh weather calls for a long comfortable dress with my old reliable converse. I am finding my maxi skirts a Godsend in this weather. They are cool enough for the sunny days but still keep me covered and warm on the wetter days. To add some colour (since it is summer after all) I want to just slip on a pretty blazer and and carry around a massive bag to hold everything: from my camera to my compact.

Also I just really want that watch.

lumberjack comfort...

The last few days I have been just kicking back... I have been so busy the past few weeks that I am just enjoying doing nothing for a little while. Thankfully the boyfriend is finished too so we are spending our days going for drives, playing computer games and eating comfort food. I have to say I wish I had this shirt a few weeks ago... It is so very comfortable, would have been perfect for those late nights in the college. Staying in college til 11pm is just unreasonable! Nevertheless I have a little inkling that this shirt will become a summer staple. 

My father has been going around singer the infamous Lumberjack Song from Monty Python ever since he saw me in it. I think that means he likes it.

Shirt: Dunnes

Maxi skirt: Warehouse

Converse: Littlewoods

Bag: Gift

fire...

The weather is scarily good outside and I have the curse of two wardrobes. One at college and one at home and of course all my lovely summery shoes are at home. I am stuck in leather t-bars that are proving to be a little overwhelming. What I need is a good pair of Miss L Fire. Their spring/summer collection has me salivating severely (which is never a good look). Not only are they open toed and comfortable (to keep you both fresh and unburdened while going on about your business) but they are brightly coloured, super dotey and just plain happy looking They are indeed summer shoes and they make my heart sing. I need to invest!

Ok, back to work :(

pretty underwear...

Kelly Brook Collection/New Look

s/s 2012 New Look

s/s 2012 New Look

I am all for having pretty underwear. Nothing makes a gal feel more awesome than when she has got some snazzy underpants on! Since I was 16 I have strived to keep myself always in good underwear and it was always something my mother instilled in me and my sisters. So when I saw New Look's Kelly Brook collection and then their upcoming spring/summer collection I was little excited. For one thing they are so pretty and for another there are some GORGEOUS high waisted knickers thrown in their (which I have already bought!)

Sadly I am too big for their bras but not by much. Their sizes range from a 32B to 36F which I think is a great range considering the prices which are between €14.99 and €17.99 for the bras alone. The Kelly Brook collection is on sale now (I should know I have bought some already!) and the spring/summer collection is available in early February, just in time for my birthday!

The skirt that blood, sweat and tears built...

I made this skirt with my mother over a couple of days... It was all going smoothly until we needed to do the waistband, for some reason I could not spin it up on the sewing machine correctly. We must have done it about three times until we gave up and I let my mum do it. Then we had to put the zip in. We couldn't find the zip we bought, anywhere! So the next day we bought another zip. So after the zip was in and we hemmed it up and ironed it smooth and all that I went (gleefully) to try it on. Twas about three inches too big! Which confused us because we measured it correctly and I don't remember losing three inches off my waist in the past two weeks (if I have, yay!) I was not qualified to take the skirt correctly, regular sewing I was grand at but neither my mum or I trusted me to correct the mistake without ruining the skirt. So mum went back at the sewing machine, ripping out my good (in my opinion) sewing and re sewed it... After that I tried it on again. It was now too tight. I was thinking sure maybe I could live with it but mum took it off me again, ripped out the zip and then sewed it back on with a centimeter extra. 

Put it on...

Perfect.

Top/Heels: Penneys

Skirt: Homemade (material: Threads of Green)

Rings: Gifts

Tweed and beads...

Seriously don't know what to do with this weather, one day the sun is splitting the stones the next it is doing that awful drizzle thing that our weather evidently loves to do. Still I'm keeping my legs bare for as long as possible, eventually my love for tights will come back and I shall raid Penneys for them before I head back to college.

This skirt is also a recent "college" purchase. I don't know if anyone else does this but I often feel I've to pick stuff up for when I head back to college, almost like going to buy your new school shoes and shirts and the likes. I thought this would be a great winter skirt with chunky tights and loafers. Looking all studious (in a fifties sort of way).

The necklace was a gift from Forever 21 from yesterdays media morning. Thank you! Tis loverly, nice and chunky... and sometimes noisy. 

Don't forget to enter my Forever 21 competition, tis ending tomorrow.

Top/Heels: Penneys

Skirt: River Island

Belt: off a Monsoon dress

Necklace: Forever 21

Guest Post...

Blau von T from Blaubushka and The Hostess Handbook here. Blaubushka; an edgy scrapblog of fashion, style and beauty. The Hostess Handbook; a parlour of delicate beauty, a lounge of wit and the obscure, a kitchen of the kitsch and all things tempting.

Looking for a festival with a difference? Then totter along to London's Southbank for The Vintage Festival 2011 (29 - 31st July). Over three days and nights, Vintage at Southbank Centre sees the Royal Festival Hall dressed up as never before. All six floors of the iconic riverside building will be transformed into a 13-venue playground where, over 13 hours each day (from 12pm to 1am), pass holders can learn the dances of the decades, take in over seventy live performances (including three themed multi-artist ‘revues’ in the Royal Festival Hall) boogie along to the tunes of an incredible 150 DJs, enjoy exclusive catwalk shows and decade specific make-overs and sample Vintage food and cocktails. While the Royal Festival Hall Cafe is transformed into a North/South divide pub; the Ballroom will re-create the sights, sounds and smells of Wigan Casino in the late 1970s; the basement provides a suitably industrial location for a 80s-style rave. Elsewhere though the building will be rooms be dedicated to Prohibition-era jazz played original shellac; 1940s swing; 1950s rock ‘n’ roll; 1960s era pop; the pioneering DJs of disco era and iconic London clubs Le Beat Route, Blitz and Wag Club. Beyond offering what is arguably the world’s best-ever excuse for dressing up, Vintage at Southbank Centre boasts the most incredible line up of music from across eight decades, including themed revues in the Royal Festival Hall, the tunes of 150 top DJs to a re-creation of a jumping 1950s rock ‘n’ roll joint.

So whats a gal to wear?Not the usual wellies and cut up shorts, oh no! This is a festival for the retro glam and vintage darlings!

Dresses from Oasis, bags and sunglasses from ASOS

Blau x

That girl's in vogue...

This is the final inspiration outfit post... Thanks for all the comments that you have given me!

Kathryn O'Regan is the wonder behind She's in Vogue. Filled with patterns, paintings, full skirts, opinionated words, rings, icons and petticoats this blog is for ever "arty farty" girl who sometimes feels she was born in the wrong era. Her collages are a blend of old and new, of lady like chic and forgotten girls. Not only does she share her love for fashion but she shares with us her love for art, of artists she admires as well as her own work (her room is filled with her artwork-tis awesome!)

Her style and her blog have a wonderful juxtaposed nature. There is a constant theme of elegance with hints of childish fun, a young woman who understands the greatness of the full skirt, of the "below the knee" length, of pearls and fascintaors. Yet this girl will also rock a busted up pair of converse, layered dresses, oversized cardigans and cat eye shades.

Yes, there is something very special about this girl with the unruly hair and big eyes...

Cardigan: Dunnes

Dress: Vivien of Holloway

Belt: Coast

Heels: Penneys

Watch: Gift

Rings: Gifts

Teaser...

These a spreads and the cover are from an on-line, german, fashion magazine known as Teaser. It is their summer spread and I wanna show it to you not only for the fashion (isn't that last dress amazing?!?) but also for the editorial design of it and the art of the photography.

There is something so sleek about this editorial. The monochrome finish, the typography, the use of white space as well as the sexy/sultry shoot all add up and make quite a work of art in my opinion.

Photography by Carsten Witt...

Enjoy!

Oh so pretty...

Was out on Saturday night to celebrate my friend's birthday and she was wearing the most gorgeous dress ever (the red stripey one). After I was done drooling over it she told me where it was from. It is (like the rest of them) from Closet. Awear and Dorothy Perkins stock them and the range from a size 8 to a size 16.

So I was obviously impressed with her dress and I was intrigued, I needed to see more. Sweet mother divine their dresses are gorgeous! Just gorgeous! I want them all! Gimme! Please... I would happily wear these everyday (but then again I do love my girly dresses.)

They have loads of different styles and the colours are very pretty, as well as that the cuts are flattering and lets face it they are all just darling. Perfect for summer occasions. I'm in love... I must own one

But which one?