the clip

April has been basically a dud month. Nothing really exciting happened. Well that's not true. I have accepted a new job offer, which is very exciting. Apart from that though.. my love life has gone to sludge and uni has gone into stressful mode.

Bloody bring on May I say.

Before I head in the direction of a small disaster, I'll tell you about my little fashion obsession this month - hair clips aka 'the clip'.

No, not the mini butterfly ones we had in the 90s, but the big tortoiseshell 'claw clip' ones.

My mum has always worn them, and I used to associate them with older women. Now this is not the case. My housemate has one and wears it all the time. So what better way to test them out, then to borrow theirs!

If you have thick hair like me, then size does matter, the bigger the better.

If you have thin hair then you're in luck, because you can experiment with all sizes.

Without taking photos of my Mum and my housemate, this look was very hard to find photos of, so
I've also included some hairstyles which I think could benefit with 'the clip'.

My favourite one - check it out

Here's me wearing 'the clip'

black

So when I told my housemate I was going todo my blog post on black, she was like "whattt that's boring", but little does she know that I'm secretly in love with black at the moment and now I feel obliged to prove that black is in no way boring!

slimming / elegant / sexy / easy to wear / suits everyone / goes with everything / timeless, 

etc etc, you all know this, this is common knowledge, pretty sure it's the dictionary definition.

I have decided to wear more black. Not every day, just more often.

 My mum always told me to wear more colour and don't get me wrong I love wearing colour - always good to stand out in a crowd, "See that girl in the orange top?".

Whereas now I will be more mysterious "See that girl in the black jumper?" "No!"

So I will be pairing black with black and black this winter, and then maybe a tiny bit of colour somewhere as I will probably have colour withdrawals. 

Here are some of my favourites:

studded

So I've been thinking to write about this for a little while now, but then I've always found something more interesting. Not that this blog post is a cbf post. I think it's actually the perfect time for it. While the warmest of weather is on the decline and the cold is lingering on our tootsies, I want nothing more than to write about winter fashion. As I'm writing this my song has ended and in the 3 second gap I can hear the rain falling on the sky light. Which only means one thing.... my washing is going to get wet. Bugger.

I've always associated studs with rebels, goths and punks but recently I have been seeing quite a groovy side to them. I'm not talking about the tacky gold squared studs that you will find on a clutch at dotti, but the simple and delicate black (sometimes silver or god forbid - gold) studs that tastefully appear on leather boots, belts, bags or jackets. Leather and perhaps suede would be the only fabric I would allow studs to appear on. Other wise it defeats the purpose of the rebel/biker look. 

Imagine black studs on navy silk...they would weigh the fabric down and look like a drowned condom = tragic.

So I feel for this autumn/winter I will try channel by inner rockstar rebel and add something studded to my wardrobe. I'm thinking some black boots or maybe a belt. I feel Kendal has modelled this studded belt well and that my waist will definitely look as small as hers with one. 

linen

If Mr Iron is the only man in your life and you have a phobia of crinkles I would advise to stop reading this post as linen is not for you. 

Now that we have smoothed that over I would like to say that linen is supposed to crinkle - that is all part of the fabric. In fact it I think it gives it character!

Although Linen can be rather hard to manufacture, it is 100% worth it. It delivers a fresh and cool finish. That's why in the peak of our summer it is the perfect get up. Coming in endless colours, patterns and shapes linen should be in everyones wardrobe. 

If you are a new linen lover I have some suggestions for you:

- a white shirt of some design (doesn't have to be the classic cut, although that would be a good investment).

- a bedspread and/or sheets. Although linen never ages - colours do, so best to invest in a plain colour, the simple the better really. If the whole bedspread is a little out of your price range, I would suggest just the pillow cases. These would add texture to the most vanilla of beds.

- a shift dress in any colour, perhaps a brighter orange or green this time. It is summer after all and I'm all about wearing colour. Although you definitely couldn't go wrong with a lbd.

A look I would definitely try to avoid at my age is the long linen tunic with wide leg pants. This look is strictly for 50+ even if you are a size 4 and flowy things still make you look tiny, please try and steer away.

Here are some of my favourites:

My Instagram

shades of blue

What else is there to do when you have heat dehydration, from getting too sunburnt and not drinking enough water, and are stuck in bed for the day, than to write a blog post!

I could do a big december post on what a great year it's been but you could probably read that on every second blog out there. So I've decided to do another colour crush. This month I'm going to go with a shades of blue, but very specific ones. 

limpet shell blue, serenity blue, snorkel blue, indigo blue

These shades of blue all sound ridiculous but they do put an image in your head of the exact colour. agreed? I mean we could just keep going and say 'IKEA bag blue' or 'Mitre 10 blue'...

Blue has that feeling of relaxation and calmness and during the silly season it's the best time of year to take some time out to relax and regenerate.

So next time you're out Christmas shopping keep an eye out for different shades of blue. Let me know if you come across of any other shades I should know about. 

Also a side note - have you noticed that you rarely see any blue cutlery or crockery? Apparently it is because blue is a de appetising colour so it sends your hungry feelings away (well so they say)!

ps: now go and drink a big glass of water because being dehydrated sucks.

victorian blouse

So the word 'blouse' is not a word that we regularly hear, or if we do, we imagine something very old fashioned. This is now not the case. The Victorian blouse is making a comeback - and so is the word 'blouse'!

This trend particularly refers to the white blouse. Key words with the victorian blouse include 

- frills

- collars

-buttons

-sleeves

-cotton

-linen

The Victorian era is typically from 1837 - 1901. Ending with the death of Queen Victoria herself. This type of look became popular in Britain during her reign, and I've noticed that it has been making a resurgence. I expect we will be seeing more of it in 2016.

Everyone can pull off this look you will just need to add some personal touches to it. Whether its ripped jeans, over the knee boots or just some statement jewellery. Up to you. 

Enough with the history now lets some see some photos:

tile print

So as the warmer weather has begun and we have all panicked and forgotten everything we wore last summer, it is time to start again and this is what I'm loving for the coming months.

The sort of print I'm crushing on is the 'tile print'. You know the one - Portuguese - Italian - Pomegranates - Mediterranean - Lemons... these key words ringing any bells? There is just something about this particular pattern that I'm really attracted to. I think it's because the inspiration for these clothes comes from little seaside towns, warm weather, Mediterranean fruit and it just makes me want to go travelling again.

Brands like Tigerlily and Dolce and Gabbana are all known for their patterns and tile print. If you still don't know what I'm talking about then look at the photos below.

This summer it's time to forget those denim shorts and cropped tanks (thank baby jesus), and make room for printed shift dresses and big flowy tops - well that is what will be in my wardrobe anyway. This really is the time of year to embrace colours and patterns. I know we all have those safe little black and white dresses, but I think it's time to make them plan c. Buy that patterned maxi, or those aqua floppy shorts - you know you want to.

Colour gives you confidence. It is a conversation starter and you will stand out. Trust me that the people around you will be annoyed at themselves for wearing their 'old faithful' when they see you looking banging in your green tessellated jumpsuit.

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