Yay, Coats!

I've been buying more coats. Can't help myself.



Check this one out though! Cute, no?

I'm assuming it's last year's Florence & Fred as I bagged it from a charity shop last month and it doesn't really look as if it's ever been worn. One person's cast-off is another person's treasure though and I'm super pleased with it.  It's like a longer version of the H&M jacket I've got (which you can spot in this post, along with my many many other coats) and I've always wished that was a bit longer.  I may even complete the charity circle and donate that one now I've got this one.

Tis a size too big but I always prefer my winter coats that way. It means I can chuck massive chunky cardigans on underneath.



Also sequinned skirts.  Yep, I wear it to work.  It's not like I've ever got a more suitable occasion for it and it might as well get some wear!





Coat - Florence & Fred via charity shop
Cardigan - New Look
Skirt - H&M sale
Top - Ruby Rocks
Boots - Irregular Choice
Necklace - Tatty Devine, present

A New Old Frock

Yes. It's me. Wearing clothes!



Feels like about a million years since I've done an outfit post...



I bought this frock when shopping with Char a few weeks ago. It looks like an absolute sack on the hanger and I was expecting nothing from it but I liked the print an awful lot and it's always worth trying these things on, isn't it? Imagine the look of surprise on my face when it a) fitted and b) looked nice. That never happens!



Not convinced it photographs quite as well as it looks in real life but it's excellent fun to wear. It sort of pretends to be a bit of a 40s day dress with the floral print and the pleats in the skirt but then it's all HELLO with the mad 70s collar and polyester.



Pretty, isn't it? 





Also any chance to bust out heeled brogues is most welcome. They're amazing and they're too pretty to languish in a shoe rack all summer. Plus, ribbon on footwear = epic.



Dress - vintage
Cardi - Monsoon sale
Seamed tights - Marks & Spencer
Heeled brogues - New Look
Pearls - BoBijou

All About Alice

Isn't it a true blessing to have friends that are both amazingly talented and super generous?



This beautiful Alice skirt made its way to me via Char. Not only was she kind enough to pass it my way when she got too slim for it, she made it with her own fair hands! Isn't it gobsmackingly good?




I poofed it out a bit with the crappy underskirt/petticoat I made a couple of years ago and then proceeded to feel thoroughly girly all day. Hurrah!




As I haven't worn these IC heels for a while, I dug them out of their box and gave them an airing. They look like they defy physics but they're actually v. easy to walk in. You don't notice the odd heel!






Cardi - New Look
Skirt - handmade by Char
Heels - Irregular Choice
Ring - MerCurios
Necklace - Eclectic Eccentricity
Bracelet (which is actually a necklace) - Dorothy Perkins

ps - Mah hair is huuuuuuuuge!!

Polka Dots and Petticoats

I'm all shopped out. There was not a scrap of shopping enthusiasm left within me when the time came to think about what I was wearing to the work Christmas do. Luckily I'm not the sort of person who finds it essential to have something new for every occasion! I've got about 4 dresses suitable for evenings so I was pretty sure it was going to be one of them that got hauled out of the wardrobe and matched up with a pair of party shoes.

Then I remembered the petticoat I bought for the wedding outfit. It turns out that with the addition of loads of frills an everyday dress can be magically transformed into something fit for a party.



I made this frock back in the summer and it takes a petticoat rather well, doesn't it? The other big benefit over the plainish green frock I was going to wear is that I could go mad with the red accessories rather than sticking to basic black. Any opportunity to whack on the MAC Russian Red lippy and strap on my ridiculously clompy Shellys heels is much welcome!




Dress - I made it
Petticoat - Vivien of Holloway
Blazer - Warehouse via Oxfam
Shoes - Shellys
Clutch - c/o Matalan
Earrings - New Look
Ring - Dorothy Perkins sale
Bracelet - vintage

The thing I love most about petticoats is swirling round in them. Obviously. But the second best thing is when you step out of it and the entire carpet is a sea of frills. Such fun.

The Wedding Outfit

*SOUNDS THE WEDDING KLAXON*

My brother got married on Friday. It was a truly marvellous day from start to finish and I'll be blogging properly about it all later on in the week but as I have a bajillion photos to sort through, you may have a quick outfit post in the meantime.

I knew what I'd be wearing ages ago - hark at me blogging about it in June but I'm so pleased that my plans turned out well. I LOVE this dress. Even more so after I made the bold move to chop 4 inches off it and alter the halterneck a wee bit. Isn't it pretty? And the shoes are gorgeous too. And the seamed tights. And the bows. And, well, everything really. Told you I loved it!

The venue was flipping beautiful but as is the way with old buildings, somewhat on the dark side. Also I was in a hurry and had to rope in the mothership to be my photographer, hence the photos are all a bit dark and not fantastic. Just ignore the slightly dodgy pic quality and tell me I look gorgeous, plskthx.

Oh my god, how fun is it to wear an enormous petticoat? No-one told me about that part! Ok, you need more space to sit down but it looks ace and dancing is way more fun than usual!

You know what else is fun? Sparkly accessories! Lovely Sophie at Crown and Glory made me a big old bow to go in my hair and a matching tiny one to go on my bag. How cute are they?!

Dress, petticoat, belt and jacket - Vivien of Holloway
Shoes - Vivienne Westwood/Melissa Lady Dragon
Bag - New Look
Hair & bag bows - Crown and Glory
Jewellery - inherited and charity shop!
Seamed tights - M&S


ps - I would totally dazzle you with a picture of my beautiful makeup here but Blogger is playing silly buggers with some sort of Halloween "fun" thing and whenever I attempt uploading the photo, it turns my eyes black. I am quite annoyed.

Totally Tapestry

Everyone's seen The Sound of Music, right? Well I hadn't until a couple of years ago. I sat down with my mum one lazy day during the Christmas holidays and watched it for the first time. By the time Julie Andrews had whizzed up an entire set of outfits for the children from one pair of curtains I was in absolute hysterics. Seriously, I was lying on the floor gasping for breath because I was laughing so hard I'd slid off the sofa and ended up in a heap.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I still don't know quite why making clothes from curtains tickled my funny bone so much. Just one of those things. I think it triggered something deep within me though because my life mission now appears to be to dress entirely from the soft furnishings department. I've got dresses made from curtains and duvet covers and upholstery fabric and now I've got a dress that looks like a chair.


Yeah, my Nana had some awesome furniture. Almost as good as that outfit I'm wearing. I want a grownup version!

I know they don't match but you cannot have too much tapestry!

Dress & cardi - New Look
Boots - ASOS
Hat - Jessica Simpson c/o TK Maxx