There are a few simple things in life that I take great pleasure from and peacock feathers and cocktails are two of those things. I can also add leopard print, florals, spending time with my boyf and family and sunny days to that list. Mix them all together and I am in heaven! Here's a round up of some of my favourite feathered items including a fabulous peacock-clad mannequin that I snapped in the Forever 21 store in Times Square. My peacock necklace is from there. I really love that store and am so glad it's now available in the UK! In those pictures, I am also wearing some of my other prized possessions, namely the Michael Kors watch that my gorgeous girlies bought me for my 30th and my House of Harlow 1960 ring, which I have in black and tortoiseshell. I love the nail polish I am wearing with it. It's Model's Own in Jade. I can highly recommend it - it lasted the whole week in New York!
The peacock earrings are from River Island. I wore them to my work Xmas party. I wish I had some full length pics of my outfit from that night because I loved it. I wore this dress from ASOS with my fabulous new lace-up Jimmy Choos that I bought in New York. I hope to blog them here soon.
I hope that during this holiday season you've all been enjoying and indulging in the things that make you happy!
(t-shirt: ASOS, necklaces, bag and bracelets: Primark, jeans; Sass & Bide; shoes: Zara, rings: Ebay and gifts, watch: Casio)
Isn't it frustrating when despite your best intentions some things just get in the way. For example after my last post, I had a brilliant follow-up post all sketched out in my mind but then Blogger temporarily deleted my blog because they thought I had been spamming! For a moment there I thought I had lost everything but thankfully I had a rare moment of patience and pragmatism whilst going through the reinstatement protocol and after some days and many deep breaths my beloved blog was back!!! But then I jetted to Edinburgh to celebrate my birthday and I just lost track of time....
These are the pictures I wanted to post before my birthday, showing my newly discovered liking for mixing my metals - something which to be honest I have previously avoided like the plague. But after cruising many jewelled websites looking for sparkly treats to ask for for my bday, I became inspired. The outfit is pretty basic as I wanted the jewellery do all the talking. The t-shirt is one of the four that I blogged about here. I love them all - real wardrobe staples.
I had also intended to blog my birthday wish list fuelled by my inner magpie, but obviously that never happened. But in what I like to think is a purposeful twist of fate, whilst I got many beautiful expected and unexpected treats for my birthday that will no doubt be shown here soon, some items remain on my perennial lust list. Ever the optimist, I see this as the perfect shopportunity! And where better to shop than New York city where I will be landing in precisely five days time!
Pending a sudden massive cash injection which I am sure must be imminent any day now (ha ha!), currently top of my wish list is anything from the talented Dannijo:
Beautiful juxtaposition of chunky metals and dazzling crystals. I'm in love...but their heavyweight nature is matched with an equally heavy price tag so it looks like I'll be tracking down suitable substitutes at Banana Republic, J.Crew and Forever 21 in New York.
Anyone got any New York must-sees/things to do/places to eat and drink? All tips gratefullyreceived.
Isn't it an amazing coincidence that my New York trip, which we booked and planned over a year ago, coincides with New York Fashion Week??
Look at these gorgeous beauties that I just purchased from ASOS! Jealous much? I can't wait to get back to the UK next week to pick them up - I adore the petrol-like look of the ring and necklace. As you can see from here and here, I love House of Harlow 1960 and I love ASOS. It's so hard to find decent House of Harlow 1960 stockists in the UK so well done ASOS! I think Nicole Richie is a true style icon. I'm also on the stalk for this ring and the whole of her Winter Kate collection as well. Now if only I could get my hands on this cape from ASOS as well.....
How are you all? I hope you have been having a wonderful weekend - mine has been so relaxing. I finally cracked out the sewing machine my boyf got me for Christmas and started on a project that I am really looking forward to showing you all. I am not a very patient person and I know that my mum especially was a bit dubious of me embarking on such a hobby. I tend to be a bit faddy and start things but never finish them, for example I haven't been back to hot yoga since I blogged about it here, oops! But I haven't once got stressed with sewing even when I've had to unpick it all and re-sew it, which is quite unlike me (perhaps the yoga's not needed anyway!). Instead I find it quite cathartic and I'm really enjoying learning via trial and error. I hope I sustain this enthusiasm; I'm going back to sewing classes this week to pick up some new tricks....so watch this space!
As well as sewing, I've also been thoroughly abusing my credit card via online shopping. I wasn't going to show you all the things I've bought since the last time I did that here and here only a handful of my purchases actually looked any good on me and most had to be sent back. But I suppose that it's the tight rope you walk with online shopping and I am not deterred but determined!
As seen in many of the 2010 autumn/winter collections, I am very happy in the knowledge that harem pants are not going anywhere so given the fact that ASOS are still continuing with their amazing clearance sale I just had to scoop up these 3 bargains. I don't imagine that all 3 pairs will look great on me but there is no harm in trying. I'm not planning on keeping them in my wardrobe until the autumn though, I plan on teaming them with cute crop tops and/or floral bustiers and chunky platforms during the spring (see below).
(from left to right, ASOS Wrap Front Tailored Trouser £38.00NOW £15.00, Tailored Peg Trousers in the style of Fearne Cotton £32.00NOW £20.00,Vila Tailored Jersey Trousers £35.00NOW £24.00)
Because of my love for prints and all things beautiful but outlandish, my wardrobe commonly lacks the basic essentials so I also bagged these 4 crop tees from ASOS. I got them in all 4 colours since they were so cheap and basic tees like this never go out of style. I opted for the cropped tee because I am so short in the body that proper tees often drown me and cropped tees actually stop at place just below my waist, which I prefer.
(ASOS Basic Cropped Tee £10.00)
I love playsuits and after blogging about the one on the right here, I finally got up the guts (aka bank balance) to purchase it. It's got a gorgeous low back and I think it's tailored cut looks so chic. I've got a few special occasion coming up soon and it would be perfect for them paired with my House of Holland mock stockings and some supersized chunky platforms - I really hope it looks good on me. As for the one on the left, the same rules apply really, great tailoring gives it an uber chic feel. Plus, this one was massively reduced and a complete steal. I think I'll wear this one to work although it would also look amazing with some skyscraper heels and lashings of jewellery....perfect for cocktails with the girls....mmmmh!
(from left to right: French Connection Belted Long Wool Mix Playsuit £100.00NOW £30.00, Warehouse Halter Tailored Playsuit£60.00)
So, they were the things I bought...now onto the things I want....I realise there is a lot of black in those purchases, which if you look back through my outfit posts, is quite unlike me. Hence my love of these beauties...once again Topshop has not let me down and I can see myself wearing outfits just like these two in the not so distance future...
Outfit 1:
I think this polka dot trench is a great twist on the classic trench and will be perfect for spring. It's so pretty and if you click on the link you'll see that at the back it has this super cute bow detailing. This is the item out of the 3 that I definitely almost maybe think I am going to buy - I spotted in Topshop a while ago and liked it then and as time has gone by I've re-visited it many times on the website and think that my liking is growing closer and closer towards loving. I love this floral playsuit, think the cut out detail is fantastic and I would definitely wear a print like that with the spotty trench, but I'm not so sure that this particular cut would suit me so with this fab print in mind, I am going to keep on looking. With these two pieces, the icing on my feet would be these fabulous wedges - nude, ribbon tie gorgeousness! I am a avid wedge-wearer, not least because they often sort out the problem of achieving statue without needing to adminster anesthetic to the balls of my feet. But again, even though I think these shoes are beautiful, I'm not entirely sure how much wear I personally would get out of them and since I am really trying to cut down on wasteful consumerism...for now I am going to keep on window shopping.
Outfit 2:
Just to highlight the versatility of the trench and wedges, here they are again! This time, I think they'd look great with these cropped chinos, which are very in keeping with the neutral pallette that was prevalent in so many of the 2010 spring/summer collections not to mention a closet classic. Just to add a bit of "me" and my penchant for mixing and matching prints (see here and here), I thought I would wear this with something like the leopard corset or the floral bralet. I already own a few similar corset-like items that would go well but what I am actually looking for is this floral studded corset that Grazia's editor at large blogged about here, but that I cannot track down anywhere...
Despite the fuzzy pic I can tell that this will be a very welcome addition to my wardrobe!
Wow, I think this has been one of my longest posts to date - hope you liked it! Let me know what you think will look great for spring or things you can't wait to get your hands on.
Yesterday, I was searching through all my old photos on my computer and found some of a little black dress that I love. I decided not to blog about it here but posted the pictures on my Chictopia and Lookbook profiles instead. You can see it here and here. I wrote on my Chictopia blog that "Sometimes life is complicated enough so when it comes to my wardrobe I often adopt the philosophy that simple is best and that’s why I love LBDs in all shapes and forms", but after I wrote that I thought that this philosophy doesn't just apply to LBDs for me. Whenever, I am shopping, whether it be in store or online, I am immediately drawn to the dresses and now I own hundreds. I was worried that this complusion meant I was getting stuck in a rut so I tried implementing a "dress buying" ban on myself but now when I think about it - what's wrong with loving dresses? They are the simplest outift to wear, often requiring little to no accessories and thus very little effort, yet can make you look and feel fabulous because of their easy elegance. Like I said, life can be full of complications even at the best of times and fashion should be fun, so what is easier than throwing on a fab dress and heading out the door to get on with your day? Don't get me wrong, I love accessories and the finer details that make an outfit "zing" but life infrequently lends itself to decorating yourself in the manner presented in fashion editorials and even blogs. So whilst I will still definitely accessorise to the max when the opportunity and time presents itself, when I am in a rush and running late (as I so often am!) I'm no longer going to feel guilty when reaching for one of my tried and tested dresses. Long live the dress!
Dress: Primark
Pearls: ASOS
xxx
p.s. is there anything in your wardrobe that makes you feel fab the minute you put it on?
Yesterday I was prancing around in a little skirt and top, albeit with thick tights and a cardi, but still I thought the sub-zero temps of winter were finally on their way out. But today I woke up and it was FREEZING! -10 C…brrrrrr! It’s so tricky trying to look and feel good in such cold conditions. I think the only thing to do is layer layer layer. I’m wearing a lot more black here than I usually do and my friend asked me if I was rocking a biker chick look – maybe I subconsciously reflected my dark thoughts re: the chilly weather via my outfit – ah the power of fashion! Anyhow, this is what I ended up wearing today: thick black tights under black harem pants (wierdly after a long hiatus from proper trousers in my life, I'm really getting into them now, see here and here as well) with a leather jacket layered under a fur gilet with hood. I was toasty! However, the boots were a little impractical on the ice and I nearly skidded my way to a broken hip on a few occasions! No pain no gain eh?
These pics aren’t great (no change there then :-P) but I am just so happy that we managed to get home from work in time for last few rays of sunshine….finally an outdoor post! Hopefully, there will be many more of them to come.
Have you all have a great weekend planned? I’m going to try hot yoga tomorrow for the first time – don’t think I’ll be posting any pics of that though considering I am so unfit it is embarrassing!
Fur gilet: Coco and Lolly
Leather jacket: Primark
Black tee: Primark
Black harem pants: asos.com
Side tie boots: asos.com
Hat: Knitted by my grandmother
Black leather gloves: H&M
Sunglasses: Superdry
Hello my name is Anna-Jayne and I am a shopaholic. I dreaming of chunky black heels paired with massive metallic jewels and tiny little black outfits. Pair with mussed up hair, smokey black eyes and nude glossy lips and you've got the outfit I wish I was wearing right now.
I am developing a thing for insect jewellery. I’ve always loved massive statement jewellery but I usually stuck to chunky pearls and/or massive gems. That was until I went to Miami last November where I was strangely attracted to this twinkling spider ring. I put it on and showed my boyf – I expected him to revolt in horror, not least because he hates spiders, but because of its sparkly jewelled form. But to my surprise he quite liked it too which meant that I had to buy it. I thought I’d be the only one to like it since most people I know also have a fear of spiders and I imagined that me wearing one immortalised in crystal on my finger would be horrifying to them, but I keep getting compliments on it from the most unusual places.
So that spurred me on to search for more glittery insects – and that’s when I found this gorgeous Stephen Webster 'Malaria No More' Mosquito Ring on asos.com. I think it is just fabulous and the perfect addition to my ring collection. This ring is an absolute bargain at £50 and what makes this ring even better is that these rings have been commissioned by the Malaria Awareness Campaign to raise awareness of malaria among UK travellers. So fashion for a good cause – doing a good deed never looked so fabulous!! I wish I could just scoop it up now but my poor credit cards are already hurting from the drive buys I did on asos and hm.com last week (their sales are too marvellous!!!) so I’ll have to wait a while :(
In the meantime, I have taken this one step further and I have spent many recent EBay trawls looking for bargain crystalline octopuses and snakes – yes I know these aren’t insects – but I am strangely drawn to the sparkly, beautiful irony of them as well.
Watch this pics for more crystal creepy-crawly treats!
ASOS are having a sale and I cannot stop looking through their website trying to snatch up anymore bargains. I have already purchased the bottom four beauties, although they have yet to arrive (1971 Reiss Blackjack Pocket Detail Tank £39 NOW £20; ASOS Leather And Suede Mix Skirt £65 NOW £29; Whistles Asymmetric Zip Skirt £85 NOW £34; ASOS Oversized Seam Back Top £16). And I am now drooling over the top three pieces (ASOS Strappy Back Long Sleeved Dress £35 NOW £16; ASOS Pocket Detail PU Skirt £30 NOW £13; Supertrash Pocket Jersey Bubble Dress £70 NOW £35).
God, they are such bargains, I’d be a fool not to snap them up as well, don’t you agree?
I am loving anything leather-looking, a look I am glad is still going strong in the spring collections, so I reckon these pieces will be great additions to my spring wardrobe. Think the grey tone suede and leather skirt is especially great (partly because it was an absolute steal!) and I can’t wait to rock loads of neutrals for spring. Clearly, I am drawn to anything black but I also love red, hence the Supertrash bubble dress – what a great graphic colour and such a fab shape. I can layer it over tights and leggings in the winter and wear it with bare legs and wedges in the summer. Oh, and it would look so fab with this grey biker jacket I bought a few months ago from Primark.
Oh dear, I think that by typing this post I have just convinced myself to buy the rest – hope they look as good on me as they do in my head (I’ve already started visualising them with all my accessories!).
No sooner have I blogged that I got picked again for FabSugar's looks of the week than I go and get the look I blogged about in my "As the leaves fall" post picked for today's Look of the Day. Lucky me! Thanks again FabSugar - this is so encouraging!
I recently enrolled in a sewing course and am busy attacking thrifted clothes with my scissors and a sewing machine....hopefully my new creations will go down as well. I'm really looking forward to posting them as soon they are finished.
