MARQUES ALMEIDA FRAYED DENIM

Jacket- MANGO (similiar) / stripe top- Zara/ skirt- marques almeida x topshop @ Netaporter

pony hair trainers- ASOS (similiar) / back pack- Urban Outfitters (similiar)

Even before denim took over the high street, I was eyeing up the Marques Almeida x TOPSHOP collection as soon as it dropped online in A/W 2014. So obviously when the entire collection was given a hefty discount during the Christmas sales, it was inevitable that I was going to purchase something and that something had to be the frayed denim skirt. Rewind a good few years ago, during the summer before I started sixth form, I pretty much lived in a denim skirt and white wife beater teamed with gladiator sandals (I thought I was the bees knees). Therefore as soon as I saw the return of the denim skirt, I couldn't help but get all nostalgic. And I sort of still have the legs for it so why not?! 

Right now I'm loving denim mixed with suede and leather, not only does it work well together, it's a good way to give your outfit a subtle nod to the seventies that is trending massively right now. Therefore my suede and leather mixed bomber jacket that I picked up last year, seemed like the most obvious outerwear option. I also enjoy pairing more than one staple piece together, as I think it makes for a good laid back casual vibe, therefore I reacquainted myself with the breton stripe top which sits nicely under the bomber. Once summer is officially here I would trade the bomber for a cotton boyfriend shirt half tucked in and teamed with lace up sandals.

I finished off today's look with my super comfy pony hair sneakers and a leather back pack to add to the super casual vibe. Both items have been hidden in my wardrobe as of late. Rain and pony hair are a recipe for disaster so I've been patiently biding my time until British summer time gets its act together and finally it looks like it has hurrah.The back pack was picked up way back in the January sales, however the lack of compartments inside compared to my other bags had put me off using it. I've gotten over that now as sometimes beauty outweighs practicality.It's super similar to the KARA bags that I have been lusting over and happened to be genuine leather so that purchase was a no brainer really. I love how minimal it is and the lack of compartments has actually forced me to pack only the bare essentials.

What staple/denim pieces have you been enjoying recently?

Elle.x

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

Follow me on bloglovin here

  

THE HIGH STREET SS15: DENIM EDIT.

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9

Yeah so you might have heard that denim is set to be one of the biggies for SS15 (old news I know). Which is fine by me as I've been after a frayed denim top for absolutely ages and now the hunt is not so difficult anymore, seeing as denim everything is absolutely everywhere at present. So I thought I'd make it a little easier for you and narrow down the selection to a few of my fave pieces right now.

I am seriously in love with the Whistles denim jacket and back pack with frayed edging, they would definitely be my go to pieces right now as I think these items have got a bit more individuality in comparison to some of the offerings from fast fashion retailers at the moment.Which isn't always a bad thing I guess, because today I found an exact copy of the Miss Selfridge denim dress that was a dead ringer for Alexa Chung's ACxAG popper dress and obviously sold out instantly. However never fear, Topshop are here with their own take on the denim shirt dress and it happens to be an absolute steal at £40.

I thought I'd also bring your attention to some super cool denim coordinates for those of you who are wondering how the heck to pull off double denim- well Zara and Urban outfitters have made it easy.

What denim pieces have you got your eye on at the moment?

Elle.x

THE SIXTIES SHIFT.

Dress- YUMI, Shoes- ZARA (sale)

So in my last post I mentioned that I had ventured up to Scotland for a few days the other week. Grant's Mum and partner moved into the most idyllic house situated on the Scottish borders, just over a couple of years ago. It's almost as if someone decided to plonk a decent sized one floor house/cottage with 2 acres of back garden, literally in the middle of one massive stretch of windy country road. Also there is pretty much no signal within a 5 mile radius so it's pretty much bliss for the few days that we get to stay there for.

On the last day of our stay, it was super sunny outside, the sky was clear blue and as always I got excited and dug out a new dress from under the piles of jumpers in my overnight bag. I'd bought it a couple of days ago as part of my work uniform, but wanted an excuse to wear it. Obviously it was bloody freezing outside so didn't go bare legged for too long. Hence why these pictures were taken in the 'gym room'. As the ceiling was pretty low, I somehow look giant in comparison and because of the overall styling of the room and what I'm wearing I almost look like i'm in a doll house. Do you like my fellow companion btw?! Obviously Kale heard what we were up to from the next room and wanted a piece of the action. Who can blame her though, she's more photogenic than I am.

Anyway once Spring finally rears it's pretty head, I think this dress would be perfect bare legged and paired with some flats for work and for a more off duty style I'd wear a fedora, suede jacket, ankle boots and a fringed bag. At the moment I've been wearing it with tights and my COS jumper over the top to ward off the cold while in work.

I think the vintage style ditsy print and overall darker colour way make this dress a great transitional piece and the cute collar gives off a slight sixties vibe. Here I have just pared it with my fave flats which I picked up towards the end of the Zara sale for a mere £30 which I think is pretty good going for real leather and I absolutely adore the stud details. I've not been able to wear them as much as I'd like though, as they have proved to be seriously hard work when breaking them in as you can probably tell by the state of my ankles. Does anyone else have a hard time breaking in new flats? I hope it's not just me...might revert back to trainers next time!

P.S.apologies for awful hair, I didn't have access to a hairdryer so had to towel dry...boohoo.

Elle.x

WINTER WONDERLAND.

 fedora-TOPSHOP // cream knitted jumper- YUMI // ashby jeans (aw 13)- ALLSAINTS //

black wellies- HUNTER @ HOUSE OF FRASER //bag (ss 14)- ZARA // coat- MANGO

The phrase 'lazy Sundays' is frequently used between me and the other half, especially during the dark and colder days of the year, when we love nothing more than hibernating on the sofa, watching Sheldon Cooper and eating ourselves into a food coma.  For a change though, today the boyfriend and I decided to shake off some cob webs and venture out for a winter walk around one of our favourite local haunts- Alderly Edge woods. On an average summer's day by British standards, this particular spot is pretty magical to walk through- covered in pure white snow, even more so. Now usually I am not one of those people that gets overly excited by the sight of snow, as snow plus me results in bambi on ice. 

However today's little walk around the woods was more like something out of Narnia and thanks to my Hunter's in 'original gloss', my feet stayed firmly on the ground. As well as my sensible choice of foot wear, I changed out of my denim skirt into jeans at the last minute, while still keeping my pair of tights and two pairs of socks on underneath. Now this is not something I intended to pair together, I was just being lazy by keeping the tights and socks on, however I would highly recommend it. Considering it was minus one degrees, I managed a good 40 minutes before my feet started to feel sever coldness, which I think is pretty good going! I also wrapped up warm on top pairing a pink pure lambswool fine knit jumper underneath my cream thick knitted bobble jumper from YUMI, which I purchased from work the other day. Initially I had told myself that I was to refrain from buying anymore wintry garms in the sale, however I was in desperate need of a new jumper for work due to a problem with the pipes which has resulted in a major lack of heating. This one is perfect as although plain in colour, consists of a chunky knit and is adorned with bobbles and lace for added texture and interest. Also I have always had a massive thing for cream and white knits paired with light denim washes. I think it makes an ideal pairing for cosy and casual off duty style.  

Of course my favourite coat was thrown on top along with my trusty Zara bag- I do own more than one bag btw, it's just too much effort for me to keep transferring all my day stuff from one bag to another! As I didn't opt for my hooded coat today, I made sure I popped my topshop fedora on, to try to ward off the chill. I think the only thing that I was missing today was gloves. I am still yet to find the perfect pair of gloves that are not to restrictive or too long (I have very dainty hands). I don't want to have to take them off every time I need to brush my hair of my face or I need to get into my hand bag- surely that would be defeating the point right?! So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Sunday!

Elle.x

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

coat- WAREHOUSE, polo neck- H&M, biker trousers- ZARA, clutch- Micheal Kors A/W'13 @ SELRIDGES, boots- TOPSHOP, ring- MOTHSTYLE

After spending most of this morning cleaning our apartment, the boy and me decided to get some fresh air this afternoon so we went for a little wander around our West Didsbury surroundings. 

Now that I have come to terms with the fact that this cold British weather is here to stay for another couple of months, I found myself dressing a little more appropriately this weekend, with special thanks to my new favourite coat which I picked up yesterday after work. How fab is the colour of this quilted sleeve parka from Warehouse?! Available in three colour options, I was instantly drawn to this burgundy number, which contrasts nicely with the black faux fur detailing and compliments my dark features. I was also in favour of the huge fur lined hood which provides the perfect amount of shelter against gusts of wind and sudden down pours, which I am often subjected to living in Manchester. It also happened to be a mere £40 in the sale- not too shabby. Ultimately it is the perfect all year round 'go to' as it is light weight enough to wear during summer rain, but still provides enough insulation when teamed with layers, for the colder months. 

Today I decided to wear my new purchase over a simple all black ensemble, which I think makes the burgundy shade 'pop' and the sleek layers were ideal for partnering underneath the slightly voluminous silhouette of the coat. I packed light today and opted for my checkered clutch bag which I have been in love with ever since it was gifted to me last Christmas. I think a striking clutch is a great way to add interest to mono heavy and pared down outfits; they make a great conversational piece and also make the ideal gift! And of course I wore my trusty Margot boots, which I will be watching like a hawk on the Topshop website this boxing day as I really want to snap them up in patent as well, but only if they end up in the sale. Hope you all managed to brave the winter chill in style and warmth this weekend!

Elle.x

B L A C K F R I D A Y B U Y S: LEATHER ELBOWS & WINTER WHITE.

fedora- Topshop similar HERE, jumper- COS, jeans- TOPSHOP, shoes- Primark see in store, coat- Zara similar HERE, bag- zara last season similar HERE

Yesterday was spent catching up with some dear friend's in the city and drinking mulled wine at the German markets in Albert's square. However I was not prepared for how cold or how unforgiving the weather was going to be- yes it may have looked deceivingly sunny, but 2 minutes later it was hailing! It was my own fault for not wrapping up warmer, but I have been finding it hard to wear anything other than my black Friday purchases all week.

So I may have been working throughout the entirety of the black Friday fever that graced upon us during the previous weekend, however I still managed to find the time to indulge in a little bargain hunting to ease how stressful it all was ( stressful being an understatement for those of you that also work within retail!).

First up was a little visit to my local  COSSTORES concession situated within Selfridges Exchange Square. For anyone who has been stalking there collection recently, errr how dreamy is all the knit and outerwear that is on offer at the moment?! I was already fixated on finding the 'perfect' black jumper, a staple piece to compliment my existing everyday wardrobe. I picked up every offering that matched the criteria and headed straight to the fitting room. As soon as I popped on a beautifully soft black crew neck jumper, comprising of 100 per cent lambswool and adorned with genuine leather elbow patches I knew I was in love. Selfridges were also offering a 20 percent discount to it's customers over the black Friday weekend so obviously it would have been rude of me not to take advantage of this rare opportunity. 

However instead of ending there, a day or two later I found myself heading back to Selfridges, after not being able to shake the idea of whites jeans in winter out of my head. I'd previously seen some when walking past the Topshop concession and was annoyed at myself for not just trying them on the first time round. So anyway finally popped a pair on and just wasn't convinced. It wasn't the colour concept that was bothering me, as the white looked striking against the jumper and personally makes a fresh change to your standard mid wash; it was the fit. For some reason the 'Jamie' jeans I had picked up in white had far too much stretch in them so I instantly knew that after a few hours wear there would be some serious sagging going on. This is a huge issue I have had with Topshop jeans in the past, resulting in several pairs having to be chucked out and as a result this was the first time in a years that I had put a pair of topshop jeans back on. 

However almost ready to bail on the whole white threads idea and head home, the nice assistants handed me another pair of the exact same jeans in the 'Leigh' version. The denim was that little bit thicker, the fit was so much better and after turning up the hems a little I was pretty happy with my new found friends. Which is surprising as I up until now I have always been subconsciously against white jeans/trousers in the winter, it has just never been something that I have ever seen or considered to have worked for daytime attire. For now though I am enjoying the refreshing break from black tights and dark denim and since my new game changing purchase my white ripped skinny's have only come off to be put in the wash- they seem to attract every kind of mark including pen! At the moment I like to wear mine turned up, with either grey, navy black or neutral tones and a trainer or chunky shoe like my Primark vamp shoes- save the ugly sandals and man shoes for the summer.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and happy Monday!

Elle.x

S H A D E S O F B L U E.

Coat- MANGO, Jumper- Topshop (old), Skirt- Zara similiar HERE, Boots- TOPSHOP, Bag- Zara similiar HERE.

Every year when autumn/winter creeps upon us, I subconsciously go into auto pilot in the bid of finding the perfect winter coat and boots. This time round I got pretty lucky to come across both items so early on in the season. Usually I am that critical as to what deems as the 'ideal' compromise of quality and the right price; that by the time I make my mind up I have either run out of funds or the wanted item has sold out. Which is basically what happened to me during the Alexander Wang/H&M frenzy that was yesterday- a topic that we will just try to forget about for now.

The coat in question has pretty much been swaddling me ever since I purchased it a few weeks back when MANGO had a 30% off coats and knitwear promotion and since I had already lusted after it when the Market Street store had just reopened I immediately had to snap it up! I will of course be featuring it again in upcoming posts in more detail. As for the boots, they were a very recent pay day purchase that I spotted online the day before and mainly bought them on impulse. However they are literally so comfy, have the ideal heel height for all day wear and feature the right amount of point that i had been looking for, so I am super happy with my purchase. So much so I now want them in the patent black option now as well!

So on Wednesday, armed with my new coat and boots and faced with a super sunny winter's day, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test drive my new babies. I'm really enjoying blue hues as an alternative to black at the moment and as my coat is the most gorgeous shade of blue-grey, I opted for my jacquard Zara skirt and impulsively teamed it with a super old Topshop jumper that I wore back to front as an experiment and love the combination so much so, that I am no longer going to sell this forgotten gem on depop- well for now anyway. To finish the look off I grabbed my trusted Zara leather chain bag and popped on some black tights last minute as I know how deceiving winter sun can be especially in Manchester- it was bladdy freezing btw! I had so much fun on our little walk around a nearby park though, even more so when the sunshine was beaming down on me. It has to be said that the new booties were probably not the most sensible choice of footwear, especially when it came to walking over planks of wood covered in nails; in spite of this minor error in judgement, they did shelter my feet from the chill and they do look ahhh-mazing on.
Anyone else managed to find the perfect coat and boots for A/W'14 yet?!

Elle.x