Here's To My Old Friends

There comes the days when you just aren't feeling the go to black outfit and want to bring some colour in a crowd. This cute collared shift dress is now top of my list for those days - even if I have to risk the chill by baring my legs.

I fell for this dress on the Zara website. Its geek chic take on the 60s shift dress drew me in pretty damn quick, and after coming across a streetstyle snap of Anna Dello Russo in a similar Valentino creation the purchase was done there and then. 

The only downside of this dress is that finding shoes to pair with it is a little challenging when you like to be a little matchy matchy. In the end, patent brogues seemed to be the best fit. 

Being one of the many that has arrived home from Reading Festival this week I have brought home with me a nice selection of new artists to fill my Spotify and iPod. This band, Dancing Years, performed on the introducing stage on Friday (here's a little snippet on my Instagram of them performing). They're a band I'll definitely be singing along to in my car, with my windows shut of course.

This song in particular I seem to know most the words to already. 

Dancing Years – Here’s to My Old Friends

Enjoy!

xoxo

Big Jet Plane

Denim will never die. Agreed? From starting out as work attire in the 1800s to becoming an everlasting fashion trend now, denim never seems to fade out. In one way or another it hovers. Whether that be a double denim get up, ripped boyfriend jeans or a James Dean-esque denim jacket, every era seems to find a spot for it. 
Unable to master the double denim look yet I have decided to half attempt it with some black denim. This bandeau top was a Topshop bargain I couldn't resist, for £5 in the sale it was another top to add to the collection for nights out. Although the only thing I was hesitant about was that it was a bandeau top, they've never really been my thing, I find they feel a little too lightweight and unsupportive that I am in constant paranoia that I'm on display. 
If you fancy something similar, here's some in the Topshop sale for you to grab yourself a bargain; Bralette + Floral Denim Bralette.  

Sunglasses - Matalan

Top - Topshop

Jeans - Topshop

This weeks song was recommended to me recently and ever since, I think I have listened to it a good few times a day. Angus and Julia Stone, an Aussie sibling duo released this song on their 2010 album Down The Way. If you like artists like James Vincent Mcmorrow or Boy & Bear then I reckon you'll be a fan of this one. 

Angus & Julia Stone – Big Jet Plane

Enjoy!

xoxo

Young Chasers (Book Review)

This rainy weather has ruined all my plans for style posts, god knows what I'm going to do come Autumn. Therefore, in replacement I have changed it up a little. So here is my attempt at a book review. 

#GIRLBOSS 
Author: Sophia Amoruso
For those of you who have your eyes and ears open for all the talk in fashion, you may know that this book is becoming a popular one. Sophia Amoruso, the founder of NastyGal an online fashion, accessories and shoe retailer, taking from her book is a quirky one. Do you read The Man Repeller? If so, Amoruso's writing reminds me a little of Leandra's. 
This book is an autobiography of Sophia Amoruso's rise to become founder and CEO of Nasty Gal. Starting with her childhood, Amoruso talks about her failure at school, her rebounding from one job to another, stealing, hitchiking and finally, how Nasty Gal, in only 8 years has risen from one woman to 350 employees and 550,000 customers over 60 countries (that's some crazy ass success for a woman that dropped out of school to work in Subway).
#GIRLBOSS is incredibly inspiring through both the content and the cute chapter pages that contain a quote and illustration. Plus, unlike many books I discover, it makes you giggle at times too. 

The Devil Wears Prada
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Okay, so this may be the one and only book I've read that I haven't said the typical 'Oh but the book is so much better than the film'. This may not seem the most enticing comment in relation to the book but I'm sorry, the film is so amazing with all it's drama, glamour and fashion that nothing can meet it. The book, unfortunately doesn't follow the same narrative or characters as the film but at least then you don't already know the ending, they'd be no fun in it then. 
I wouldn't necessarily say this is the most brilliant book I have read but despite this, I still really enjoyed it. Although I think that may be because it is related to the fashion industry, so right down my street, and also because, I love the film so much.  

Beauty 
Author: Louise Mensch
Politician turned author, I think Mensch has created a great book. Beauty. A book that appealed to me mostly through the title turned out to be a book that I didn't want to put down. 
Beauty is based around the character Dina Kane, a woman that as a child was neglected from her mother and grew to be incredibly intelligent and beautiful. Dina's character is interesting, Mensch delivers her to be a natural beauty that is lonely, confident, intelligent and a serious work a holic that despite her neglected upbringing became uber successful, but it isn't just a plain old story of a small town girl that found success. There is plenty of drama. 

The Rosie Project
Author: Graeme Simsion
I picked up this book mostly because every book shop I went in, it was there. A silly reason to pick up a book I know but it turned out to be reasonably okay. If you like romance novels but have grown out of the Nicholas Sparks novels you read when you were 15, this romance novel has a nice scientific twist. A first person account of a man named Don Tilman, a geneticist who decides, at 39 years old should try and find the perfect partner, therefore creates The Wife Project - a questionnaire based on Don's ideal woman, created for potential partners to fill in (his character is certainly a picky one). He discovers one woman from this experiment. Another woman, Rosie, who Don concludes would fail mostly every part of The Wife Project comes along, and together, they join forces to track down Rosie's unknown father. 

The Great Gatsby
Author: F.Scott.Fitzgerald
This one is an absolute classic. The recent Baz Luhrmann film adaptation did it wonders too. 
It's a short book, so for those of you that struggle with reading 400 page romantic novels or 600 page Harry Potter novels, maybe this one is for you. I found it took a while to get into but the second half is great. If you have seen the film, you'll know that it is a book based around a successful, rich man that throws amazing parties and has an obsessive love for a married woman which along with their re connection comes a whole lot of drama.   

This week I've chosen a song by indie rock band, Circa Waves. They are quite new on the scene and bearing in mind they only formed in 2013 they're doing pretty well, they're playing at Reading festival, that has to say something. You may have heard Stuck In My Teeth? Here is another one of theirs that I'm loving, its a feel good song that I can imagine will be a gooden at Reading. 

Circa Waves – Young Chasers

Enjoy! 

xoxo

Meet Me There

Staple items seem to be the thing that are impossible to find. I will never understand why high street stores don't provide us with well manufactured basics.

This polka dot denim shirt, for example, was my alternative find for a perfect denim shirt that you can throw on with some cut offs or jeans and be set to go. Which in this case was exactly what I did after work, ready to grab some lunch and spend the evening at an outdoor cinema. 

Admittedly, slow, singer/songwriter music is what tends to fill your playlists come Autumn. But to be ready for almost autumnal days like this, you still need a good stock of this genre to get you through the day. Well, I've found another to add to your list; Nick Mulvey – Meet Me There. 

You may recognise his voice. Maybe you've heard his song Cucurucu. A song that no matter how hard you try, you cannot pronounce 'cucuracu' the first few times you listen to the track, and until you really read the word on paper - I think I've only just got it. 

Enjoy!

xoxo

Bubble Pop Electric

Have you been watching Channel 4's 'This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show'? If so, has it also been enticing you into vintage shops? It's honestly making me want to get on the train to Brighton and have a good nosey through the shops in the lanes. I blame Dawn O'Porter for that. Her style is amazing. 

This week I made my first charity shop purchase, it's not vintage but I saw the hat in the window and knew it would be a bargain I wouldn't regret. Who could ever regret buying a cute hat that cost less than an M&S sandwich. 

Okay, so some of you may hate me for a throwback to Gwen Stefani circa 2004, but I love a good noughties sing along. This one is one of the best of her album, Love.Angel.Music.Baby and with a few listens, you absolutely will know most the words to the song. Have fun singing along to it on road trips this summer. 

Gwen Stefani – Bubble Pop Electric

Enjoy! 

xoxo

Raise Your Love

Burberry is a brand that is so British you have to love it. It's heritage certainly helps. We all know that Burberry helped design the trench coats used in war, but did you know, that the men who made the first flight from Britain across the Atlantic ocean were suited and booted in good old Burberry. They really do have quite a heritage (if you want to learn some interesting facts about their history have a looksy here). 

Anyway, before you get all excited that I have invested in a Burberry trench coat or something similar, I haven't. Not rich enough for that yet. The reason I'm talking about Burberry is because, as you probably saw, their Autumn/Winter 2014 show was loaded with models wearing scarves that were cinched at the waist with a thin belt. I've stolen their stylists idea and used it for a summer alternative with some denim cut offs and a plain tee. 

Scarf (Stall In Brighton)

The one thing I love about the Burberry fashion shows is that unlike many, they have music played live by British singers, not the average pop singers either. They often choose singer/songwriters that are more up and coming rather than the ones of the moment. At the Autumn/Winter 14 shows they had Ed Harcourt, Rhodes and Paloma Faith performing. 

If you fancy a listen to the live recording (at the Burberry show) of Rhodes song  Raise Your Love, here you are - RHODES – Raise Your Love - Live From Burberry Fashion Show. 

Enjoy!

xoxo