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

ZEBRA.

Feminin sweatshirt- WHISTLES / white blouse- H&M / Ashby jeans- old season ALL SAINTS

Adidas zebra Stan Smith trainers- FOOT ASYLUM (in store)

Firstly huge apologies for the lack of posts of late- as if it's been just over a month since I last posted?! I put it down to the January blues catching up with me, catching flu for the THIRD time in 5 month period and just general lack of inspiration regarding anything fashion. Sometimes I get stuck in that transitional period of wanting to buy new things that are no way near appropriate for the current weather, so can't as I hate buying clothes hat I can't get use out of straight away. Anyone else get what I mean...?!

However never fear, with fashion week in full swing and Zara finally dropping their full stock package online (seriously lusting after everythang right now) I am starting to feel majorly inspired again by all things fashion. Hurrah,

For the time being though my most recent purchases have either been on super sale finds or shoes, like these amazinggg Stan Smiths that I am wearing above, which feature a zebra print on the back of the heel. It was love at first sight. I got them the other week when I went birthday shopping with the Madre. A  couple of days later (last Wednesday) me and the boy ventured up to Scotland for a few days and knew they would be perfect for the 4 hour car journey a head. Although it was super windy in Manchester that day as you can probably tell by the photos (and lack of), I was just happy that I was able to venture outside for a couple of minutes without having to wear a coat while we stopped off at the Trafford Centre en route.

I teamed my zebra stans with a Whistles sweatshirt which was a complete steal in the boxing day sales; pairing a cute peter pan collar underneath and throwing on fave comfy jeans for a super casual vibe. Btw how cute are these dino socks??! Whilst shopping with the Madre, my apparent lack of socks was pointed out (I didn't wear any that day, my bad) therefore these were a necessity and I got them on a 3 for £8 promotion so not too shabby.

Hope you're all having a good week and I promise that my next post will be here before the month is up!

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

PINSTRIPES & PONY HAIR.

coat- MANGO // polo top- HM // duster- ZARA // pinstripe trousers- MANGO // bag- ZARA // trainers- asos white x le coq sportif @ ASOS

I don't know about you, but I have definitely noticed a sudden drop in temperature in the last ten days, a weather situation that I am never prepared for. My wardrobe has always consisted of a higher ratio of summer and transitional wear in comparison to wintery garms. I think this is usually because in the dead of winter I tend to hibernate more and just want to cover up in the same items, because let's face it; in winter it's too dark and too cold for people to even notice that you're wearing the same cosy jumper and hooded coat for the fourth time that week. If there was a choice between being super stylish whilst freezing my arse off, as opposed to being unfashionably warm, I would choose the latter. Which thinking about it,seems ironic, as my 17 year old self would have rather frozen herself to a fashionable death. Anyway today bearing the current temperature in mind, I decided to layer up in items that I have gradually accumulated in the last four months including my beautiful duster/cardigan that I picked up from Zara at the beginning of Autumn, however have barely worn it due to how it looks better as an outer piece. I decided to try it under my fuzzy cocoon coat and to my suprise, the mixed proportions actually didn't look half bad. I'm loving the layers on layers look atm, so I'm going to continue to experiment with the pairing of items in my wardrobe that I don't usually wear together.

As well as trying out new ways to layer up, today was the first time that I let my new pony haired beauties outside. If you follow me on instagram, you will have noticed my sheer excitement of being able to get my hands on a pair of the beautiful asos white x le coq sportif trainers. Not only is this a unique collaboration between the two brands, there were only 100 pairs to get hold of. Hence why they literally sold out within 48 hours. I am still pretty smitten with my new sneaks, especially since I failed to get hold of the sweatshirt I wanted/needed from the wang x collection. The only down side right now is the fact that Manchester is well known for sudden and heavy down falls and learning from experience pony hair/rain do not bode well together.

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend & happy new year btw!

Elle.x

W E E K L Y I N S P O: OFF DUTY STYLE

All images via TUMBLR

Trying to make my 'weekly inspo' post an actual weekly feature is at the moment proving to be alot harder than I originally thought, due to being so busy and caught up with work during this particularly tiresome festive season! Finally have a few hours to myself this eve though (I'm working all weekend- boo hoo), so get the chance to share my latest inspirational theme with you. This week my thoughts turned to 'off duty' style. 

If like me you have to conform to some type of work related attire 5 out of 7 days a week, on those rare days you actually get to wear all your latest purchases, sometimes deciding what to wear first as well as what with, can actually pose as a real head scratching moment. As all our favourite brands and stores get ready to go into sale and new season collections are slowly trickling onto shop floors in preparation for spring/summer 15, sometimes it can be so easy to automatically convince yourself that you must buy something because it's either in the sale or because you are fed up of sale/stock that you've seen around for the past 2 months and 'need' some newness. Sound familiar? This is definitely a thought process I have found myself giving into during the twice yearly transitional period. Most of the time though I already have a great outfit in my wardrobe, I just haven't got as far as working out how to actually piece it together. 

So I have collated some of my 'off duty' style inspiration, which I'm sure will be food for thought for some of you lucky people that have some time off work during Christmas and need some help deciding what to pack for your visit home. I have covered all the style staples that have been street style favourite's for a while now and I'm sure that most of you have somewhere in the depths of your wardrobes : over sized coat, check. slogan sweatshirt, check. pinstripes, check. old school trainers, check. And of course, grey, navy and camel, check. The last image is more of a directional thought towards the upcoming season. I am seriously in love with the military details of the skirt and also an avid fan of getting my pins out- yes I am already getting fed up of having to wear tights. Anyway hope you enjoy and happy holidays!

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