Hello! As usual, time is running away with me just now and I've left it too late to do an outfit post, but I thought I would do a little something on the items I've bought recently. I'm usually on a very strict budget and these last few months have been no exception, so the items you're about to see have all been very lucky outcomes of sales, charity shopping and good old eBay...!
Both of these peplum tops are from Primark! I've been considering the peplum trend for a while and wasn't sure if it would suit me, but I took a chance with these tops and so pleased I did! I loved the collar detail and the prints on these blouses, and although I wasn't particularly keen on the cheap satin-y feel of the tops, I felt that the shape and the print overrode that, as did the price, as these tops were just a pound each! I wore the navy one today and it just dresses up a plain jeans-and-pumps outfit so well, I know I'll be getting lots of wear out of these.
This shot is the back of a t-shirt I picked up yesterday from a charity shop. It's actually a cream slouch jersey t-shirt from Topshop Petites, but the back is so unusual and pretty that it's definitely the statement point. The back is a clear mesh material, with the black grosgrain seam reminding me of a stocking - it's a really subtle nod to burlesque dressing I think. I'm not sure what the original retail price of this t-shirt was but I picked it up for £3, which was brilliant! I wore it with my swan-print trousers yesterday for an attempt at dressy-but-relaxed - I think it worked quite well!
This is another charity shop buy; when I was at home in London a few weeks ago, me and my mum ventured out to the charity shops in Rochester, where the locals are prone to giving away new-season clothes, sometimes with the tags still on! This was such a buy. This Peter Pan blouse was from New Look's S/S range and I loved it when it hit the stores, but couldn't justify £25 for it. However, when I saw it for £3, I couldn't resist!
The eagle-eyed among you will spot that this is a past-season Topshop blouse. I was looking for something a little more grown-up that I could pair with jeans and still look like I was making an effort, and found this blouse on eBay. I loved the look of the balloon sleeves and the ruffles on the shoulders, all the while remaining quite sophisticated. I won it for 99p! I've worn it countless times in the last few weeks - it's such a good piece to just throw on on a lazy day and still look like I've gotten ready :)
This dress was a belated birthday present from my best friend back home. When she described it to me over the phone, I wasn't too sure, but when she's made up her mind she's stubborn as a bull, so I just had to hope I'd like it. Luckily, I really do. It doesn't photograph too well, but it's a lovely A-line tea dress in soft peach, and the print on it is tiny blue and white birds. The V-neck is a bit deeper than I'd normally go for but the modest length evens it out. It's very elegant on, much more so than I expected from a colourful printed dress!
This pencil skirt is something I've been hunting for for a good while now. Miss Selfridge and New Look both had houndstooth pencil skirts on offer, but they were never quite right, both in terms of look and price. I stumbled across this one in Circa Vintage in Glasgow's West End, and knew I had to have it! It's vintage H&M and fits like a dream, very snug and pulls me right in - perfect! It was also just £10 - so I couldn't leave it there. I've worn this to a few smarter things so far, like an art gallery opening and to dinner, and I'm looking forward to dressing it up for the office next month when I intern at a wedding magazine. It's just the right amount of retro, especially when paired with Mary Jane heels and a bouffant hairstyle!
This Zara skirt was something I knew I had to have. I loved it months ago when it came instore, but couldn't justify the price tag for something I knew I wouldn't wear everyday. Then it went to sale, and I despaired when no store in Scotland had a size small left... And then I went back in on a whim and there it was, waiting for me! I think a boucle pencil skirt is just so classy, and the mint green colour adds a touch of fun to the look, and the peplum gives it a bit more sex by widening the hips and so emphasising a small waist. It was reduced to just £12.99, which I almost yelled with glee at when I got to the till! So far I haven't worn it, but it's coming with me to London Fashion Week next month so I'm sure it'll get a good outing then!
About a year ago, I bought these leather high waisted shorts from H&M, while I still worked there. I wore them a few times and sort of forgot about them, and then six months ago, I sold them. I regretted it almost every day since. So imagine my delight when I randomly had a hunt in my old workplace and found these hanging lonely on a rail, in my size, reduced by more than half price! I absolutely ran to the till with them, and I'm so pleased to have them in my wardrobe again; they'll be a staple for A/W.
Ah, my boucle obsession! It began with these shorts when I saw them back in spring in New Look, but they were about £30 and I just couldn't afford to buy them. I tried to forget about them and their lovely high waist fit, and the soft boucle wool, and all the pretty pastel colours and how they merged... I checked every few weeks to see if they were reduced, and one day they were. Cue a very happy Laura! They were just £6; unfortunately the matching jacket was nowhere to be seen but I live in hope...!
These are also a New Look buy - from the Kelly Brook range this time. I look at Kelly Brook and although I do see a very pretty woman, I don't see anything about her that I particularly like, so I always kind of swerved her range instore - although her underwear is just gorgeous! But clothing wise, I always assumed everything would be cropped-waist, or low-cut, or very tight and bright. I'm not really wrong - her range features a lot of tight-fitting and low-cut tops and bralets and dresses. However, she has really taken inspiration from 50s shapes and there were some real gems in there, such as these high waisted cropped trousers, which cost me just £12. There was a matching pencil skirt too, but I thought that would be a step too far... I've worn these a lot since I got them; they make an outfit very easy to put together and are a real talking point, as well as being so much fun!
Have you got any great bargains recently - I love to hear!
Laura Jayne xox
