My Week In Outfits...

in an immediate follow-on from my last post, I have documented some of my favorite outfits from the last week to share with you. I hope you like!!

For a day in London at Winter Wonderland...

Some amazing charity shop purchases; cream cardigan with a fur trim and studded cuff flats, teamed with a sheer collared blouse and bow tie, and vintage silk Parisian scarf worn as a turban

Christmas Day...

a leopard print Topshop skater dress with Chanel-inspired cardigan from h&m, studded ankle socks (also Topshop) and my Christmas presents to me from me: Kiss Like Daisy leather collar and wide brim hat! (I was absolutely chuffed when I was told numerous times on Christmas Day that this made me look like Stevie Nicks!)

and finally...Boxing Day...

my very beat-up but much loved Dr Martens which really do go with anything, and my gorgeous new fur coat helped to protect me from the rain as I ran some errands for my mum during the day, with my (charity shop! great find) festive jumper underneath teamed with a midi skirt I made myself from some vintage-patterned material, an ICE watch which was one of my lovely Christmas presents, and another treat from my Daisy package the Glitter Cat Hat (it's even better in real life!)

I actually got my hair done at a salon this week, so the more observant among you may have noticed that my hair has gone from my trademark white blonde to a more on trend ombre.... not sure how long I will last with this but really enjoying it for the moment!!

and finally, I was so flattered when Katy asked me to help her out by doing a spot of modelling for Kiss Like Daisy! I'd had such a gem of a week with the charity shops and it seemed a great opportunity to showcase the garments. Here are some of my favorite shots:

This black velvet top is a size 18 so I'm having to be really careful what I wear it with incase I end up looking like a potato, but I am such a sucker for velvet so really couldn't resist! Worn with denim flower print turban by Kiss Like Daisy

I had been searching high and low for a new fur coat as the lining of my last one had torn beyond repair, so I was so so pleased when my mum found this one in a charity shop in the next town along from us for only £20!! Faux fur has really made a comeback this season and I was struggling to find one for less than £80, so this was a real bargain. Its a jacket rather than a longer coat like my last one, but I'm quite enjoying this at the moment- its much more wearable. Katy and I teamed it here with the quilted pink double bow from Kiss Like Daisy.      

Last but not least, we teamed the black corduroy bun bow and striped chain bag with a high shine collared shirt that I got from Oxfam for £12. This is a power shirt if ever I saw one: gold buttons, huge collar and shoulder pads with batwing sleeves- so 80s it hurts, but so, SO good!! We teamed these with a little pair of sienna pleated shorts that I picked up from Sue Ryder for £4, then Katy swept my hair into a high side pony/bun to give the overall look a very "Madonna" feel- which, obviously, I loved. (the 80s was when Madonna was good...)                                                                                             

In light of all these outfit posts I have decided to get myself back on lookbook! So any fellow lookbookers can find me here: http://lookbook.nu/siairv

I'm not doing very well on there at the moment so any familiar faces would be more than welcome!! Coming up are some posts about some subjects other than my clothes ;) but nonetheless, I hope you have enjoyed, and had a lovely Christmastime!! <3

What I'm Wearing

I've decided recently that I do actually have enough faith in my wardrobe and the ability to put an outfit together (!!! We'll see) to share with you what I'm wearing and possibly in the new year revive my long neglected lookbook account....
I'm not really one of these people that stays "on trend", even though I wish I could. I might buy one or two key pieces each season (my budget only ever stretching to Topshop, Zara or Asos) but primarily I stick with simple pieces that I know work for me, and charity shops!!
Some of my most important wardrobe staples have been purchased from a charity shop and rarely cost me more than £10. Take, for example, my Joop! handbag. It's a circular box shape which is why it caught my eye- really different from anything I'd seen on the high street, with 2 gold clasps and long shoulder straps. And it cost me £5! Granted, the clasps come undone rather a lot and I have to clip them back in, but it's a small price to pay to have such a unique, beautiful and cheap (yes! I said it!) bag.
The other thing I love about charity shops is the sporadity of them. Sometimes you can come away with whole new outfits, and other times nothing at all. I also find this nice in the sense that if something doesn't fit, it doesn't fit- there's no carrying on with sizes and fretting that in the last 15 minutes, you've suddenly grown 2 dress sizes since the last shop you tried on a pair on jeans in, resulting in you sobbing in a heap in the changing room floor of Topshop with a pair of size 8's around your ankles. I've got a weird body shape anyway (broad shoulders, small boobs, teeny waist, big hips, long legs) so often find myself of an evening sat with my mums sewing box making alterations.... And if it goes wrong, who cares?! I only spent £3! 
So I'm hoping that even though my outfit choices aren't necessarily what you will find in the shops, that they will inspire you to try new combinations, dig through your wardrobe to reinvent long forgotten pieces, and look upon the weird granny shirt in your local charity shop with a new set of eyes. Enjoy! 

This is the outfit I wore yesterday- I finished off my Christmas shopping in my local town, sat and had a coffee and begun reading David Mitchell's "Back Story", and then went to the pub for dinner and bingo with my girls Amy and Emily (I won a fiver!)

For all I've just been harping on about charity shops, it has just occurred to me that this isn't actually the best outfit to reflect that!! However, it was still put together on a shoestring budget, and I had a really good charity shop haul yesterday so I will soon make another outfit post about the items I purchased. 

The skirt I am wearing I actually got from Topshop in the January sales at the beginning of the year. It only cost me £10 and I was so lucky, there was only 1 left and it was a size 10! The weird fluoro-mustard colour got a bit of getting used to at first, but it teams so well with neutrals, and the lace panel detail is so lovely and really makes it stand out. 

I couldn't wear this with anything too busy so I popped into my brothers wardrobe and "borrowed" his denim shirt, which tucks in nicely to prove that I do actually have a waist, whilst also being satisfactorily oversized and androgynous at the same time. So with that in mind- and inspired by my recent Kiss Like Daisy post- I dug out a very old bow from my mums sewing kit and attached it to the collar, and for the sheer cheek of contrast teamed it with my beautiful DKNY watch that I got for my 21st birthday, and my battered old Dr Martens that I bought for £7 on eBay when I was 16. Done!