I HATE THE SEVENTIES

Hey! 

Sometimes my feelings are too deep to express in a tweet and so I must shout out the World Wide Web for providing me with blogging.

I HATE SEVENTIES FASHION*

This post was originally drafted in Spring  when this trend was hyperbolically making me nauseous. Since, summer has been and gone and it is STILL kicking around so technically, according to my metaphorical timeline of decay, I am currently fatally ill. 

Don't get me wrong, the clothes are not unattractive and I love me some lace up detailing but I just do not like it. The prints are of the garish variety that under normal circumstances I would see in a store, categorise as "not my style//not up my alley", put back on the rack and go about my sweet way. Under normal circumstances, when trends happen I acknowledge them and either choose to ignore them and items of their ilk when browsing (i.e. pastel coloured everything) or follow them, by purchasing items that I believe conform to the trend but also transcend the test of time and won't get thrown away when the hype dies down**, so to speak. For example, when tartan was everywhere I bought a vintage tartan blazer which I still wear now. However, the problem here is that the 70's are INESCAPABLE. 

**this method is not always successful and often pieces I believe to be timeless, go down in my estimations over time. Blah.

Back to concluding the matter at hand.

I live in England where if we're being honest it rains more than it doesn't so why are we trying to make suede happen???

Mean girls reference hollaaaaa

The fashion scene is so obsessed with bringing back decades and it makes me so curious to know whether this is what our children will do. Will there be a time where our descendants try bringing back cross print leggings? I surely hope not. 

Have we reached a stage where everything we wear is a throwback of some form and if so, what trends belong to our generation?

*Would now be a good time to mention this TOTALLY NOT SEVENTIES INSPIRED coat that I bought back in April and have been living for since?

It was love at first sight.

I still hate 70's fashion.

Olivia xo

MONDAY: THE DAY OF BOY CLOTHES

Shirt- eBay
Turtle neck- courtesy of my Mum's wardrobe but can be
bought pretty much everywhere right now.
Trousers- H&M
Shoes- Truffleshoes
Bag- Primark

I'm so sorry this one is out of focus!

This is part two of the Monday Morning series I have going on here on my blog!

 On Mondays, I am so tired that I tend to live by an entirely different set of rules to the rest of the weekdays. No fucks are given in any aspect of getting ready and this is why I tend to gravitate towards the boyfriend fit/menswear section of my wardrobe. I've always been a fan of androgynous outfits/silhouettes and steering away from stereotypically girly outfits and nowadays, thanks to my chronic laziness, comfort wins over all. I wore these straight fitted H&M trousers, turtle neck from my Mum's wardrobe and oversized shirt from eBay with some heeled boots and an oversized Primark bag to stop myself looking like I should officially change my name to Oliver. For something I literally threw on in 30 seconds, I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out. What do you think? 

Check out part one of my Monday Morning series here!

Olivia xo

THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS/NYE PARTY DRESS FOR UNDER £30

Having an event springing up out of nowhere and hitting you in the gut when you realise that you have nothing to wear is a problem that I feel content avoiding. What with Christmas presents to buy, having to budget in a brand new £100 outfit is something no one needs in their life...

So I teamed up with House of Fraser to galavant about in the perfect LBD for the Party season that won't break the bank!

Naturally I paired it with my New Look heels (only size 8's left on asos but similar ones here and here) which have recently become my HG heeled footwear choice. I've wanted a pair of Saint Laurent Jane dupes for ages now but I stray too far away from dainty elegance and sophistication to feel comfortable in them. These however, are the perfect androgynous option because of the chunky jagged platform and for £24.99 it was a bargain that I could not miss out on.

Because the dress is black you can really play up your makeup (which I jumped at the chance to do) or add in a statement pop of colour through your accessories or shoes. I concocted an impromptu smokey eye with my trusted Urban Decay Naked Palette and on the lips used MAC's Brave Red which I think is the perfect Christmas sheeny but not glossy red lip.

The arms of the dress add just the right amount of drama to the look to make it appropriate for the Festive season. The flower-like (not floral) pattern is also ties in well with the Christmassy vibes. It think it's a great length on me but I'm 5ft4 so if you're a taller lady I would take that into consideration here.

That being said, my favourite thing about this dress is that it isn't exclusively Christmas appropriate like some of the sequin numbers that emerge in the shops at this time of year. It's versatile enough to wear all year round, especially in Autumn/Winter with some tights, Dr Martens and a nice warm coat.

OUTFIT TIME!

Mela Loves London Flower Lace dress in a Size 10

Would it really be a Christmas blog post
without an obligatory tree-side picture?

Now for the bit that matters most, the price. At £26 you are getting a well made, true to size, understated yet fancy wardrobe essential! If you want to check it out on the website the link is here.

A massive thank you goes to House of Fraser and the lovely team I was in contact with, for sending me this dress and I hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to leave a comment of what you think of this outfit below and follow me on bloglovin'!

Olivia xo

THE UNDETECTABLE OUTFIT REPEAT.

It's been a while so hello all!

As we all know, Autumn/Winter is all about outerwear...(biggest understatement of my life).

So naturally, a couple of months ago when I was nonchalantly packing to go to Manchester and discovered a dress in my wardrobe which doubled up as a blazery/kimino-y yet-to-be-named jacket thang I was so chuffed I had to share it. I always have an irrational panic whenever I think I'm outfit repeating and worry that people will remember so always save my outfits for rainy days that never happen- I know it's silly to care about outfit repeating and I should listen to Lizzie McGuire's wise words and shun outfit rememberers but hey ho. I wore this as a dress and as a blazer around the same people and received compliments both times and no one thus far has recognised that it's the same item so it's becoming an A/W 2014 fave! It also helps if you're going away for the weekend or something and cannot be bothered to pack loads- I personally wear this undone with a tee and jeans or as a dress with tights and whatever I'm in the mood for on my feet, foolproof! Now it's creeping into the winter months here in the UK, I plan to layer it up as a blazer with a scarf and hoody so I don't freeze to death. I normally get really annoyed when dresses have visible painfully obvious zips all the way down but this has improved the piece massively so praise the Lord for whoever decided to put one on this! 

In short, who doesn't love a two in one item? Here's it in action!

Dress- H&M

Lipstick- Diva by MAC

Boots- Truffle

Overcoat- As before

Tee- Primark

Jeans- ASOS Whitby Ankle Grazer's

Trainers- Adida's Superstar 80's

What do you think, can you tell it's a dress when worn as a blazer? Let me know in the comments!

Olivia xo

MINI LOOKBOOK: Styling a Statement Bomber Jacket

At the start of summer I picked up this burnt orange bomber jacket from Hobbs in Bicester Village (outfit post from that day here) and I'm loving pairing it with simplistic outfits as a statement piece at the moment. I put together this collection of outfits to pair it with, hope you like it!

H&M Joggers, Primark tee, New Look Chelsea boots

Primark tee, Levi shorts, Adidas Superstar 80's trainers

Derp face O' Clock...

Adidas Superstar 80's

H&M crop top, Black Topshop Joni Jeans, New Look heeled chelsea boots

Dress- H&M, Tights- Primark fishnet tights cut by moi, Shoes- Dr Marten's

Topshop Lipstick in Depth

What's your favourite look?

 

Olivia xo

My Closet Confidential Tag

This tag was created by Fleur De Force (original video here) quite some time ago but when I saw the questions I couldn't resist doing it myself! Here's my closet confidential tag! 

1. What is the oldest item in your wardrobe/closet?

My mother dug this out for me from the 'clothes from her youth' section of her wardrobe about two years ago and it's been my favourite item of clothing since. I often find myself wishing I lived a life in which I could wear it more often because it's so beautiful and unique. I've actually never seen anything like it until the other day when saw this picture of Cara Delevingne in a Burberry outfit featuring something very similar. (I almost had to pat my mother on the back for being so ahead of the game). I also love that it has sentimental value, I mean can you believe that this has been kicking about since the 80's?

2. What is the newest item?

I honestly feel like my purchasing of these Topshop Hayden jeans was fate. So as the story goes, I tried these on like 3 weeks before I bought them and fell in love but at the time I was broke so didn't get them. I went into the same Topshop once I'd been paid for a swift browse, tried them on again, bought them AND they'd been reduced from £25 to £15. Now if that isn't fate I don't know what is. Buying these was one of those times where you leave the shop with a massively creepy grin on your face and the urge to tell the world about the amazing bargain you'd just found but at the same time faced the harsh truth that no-one actually cares...

3. What is the most expensive item?

As a 17 year old student who spends more time broke than not, it's fair to say I'm not really at the prime of my life for expensive splurges. Therefore, when browsing for an item to answer this question with, the options were much bleaker than the Louboutins, Chanel bags and Valentino dresses of my dreams. Alas, for now, my most expensive item would have to be my Russell and Bromley black patent Chesters.

4. What is the most affordable/cheapest item (that you use a lot)?

This one hands down goes to this vintage Ralph Lauren shirt I got for £5 from one of the Rokit stores on Brick Lane a few years ago. It goes with EVERYTHING and can be chucked on, tucked in, layered, worn alone, dressed up: the lot. I really need to visit a Rokit soon and pick up a few more shirts because they make forming nice outfits so easy! 

5. What was the biggest bargain?

About a month ago whilst browsing the men's section of Primark for some basic tops I saw this shirt in the sale for £1. At first I didn't believe it but it was actually only £1, amazing right? This is another shirt that goes with everything and completes every outfit and is probably the best bargain I ever have/will pick up.

6. What was the biggest waste of money?

It makes me so sad to have to give this one to my Timberlands. I got them for Christmas last year and thought they'd be perfect for putting a boyish edge to a typically girly outfit but they never look as nice on as they do in theory. I feel like they make me look shorter which doesn't help my already short frame and so they hardly ever get worn. I'm hoping this autumn/winter they'll become more loved but at the moment it's just not working out between us...

7. What are your 3 favorite items right now?

I'm going through a really lazy style stage at the moment and I'm loving just chucking on simplistic outfits. Therefore my black Topshop Joni jeans, plain tees from the mens section of Primark and these heeled Chelsea boots from New Look (also featured in this blog post) are being constantly reached for right now! 

8. What is the most outrageous/colorful item in your closet (that you absolutely love)?

This was a tough one. I love lairy prints and colours and these two rank joint first for very obvious reasons. This Orange H&M jumper is so bright it surprises me that it doesn't glow in the dark and this leopard print Vera Moda shirt dress (that I learned whilst taking these photos is way too short to ever be worn as a dress again) is also pretty loud, but much easier to tone down than the orange jumper. I love them both dearly!

And that's all the questions, thanks for reading!

 A massive thank you goes to my best friend Georgia for helping me with most of the pictures on this post.

If you've done this tag, feel free to leave the links of them in the comments, I'd love to read/watch them!

Thanks for reading :)

Olivia xo

LOUNGEWEAR WITH YOUR DREAMCATCHER

The lovely people at Your DreamCatcher sent me these grey joggers and so here's my review of them! 

I have Sixth Form five days a week and I work weekends so I'm pretty busy and so any down time I get to chill in comfy loungewear is appreciated highly. Although I'll always love a good well thought out outfit, there's something about how easy joggers and a tee is that I will always love.

These joggers in particular are super soft and are that tiny bit baggy that is fundamental for those Sundays where you stuff your face and have no time for skinny jeans that are unforgiving to gluttony. Normally I don't vouch for joggers with no pockets but I don't think they'd suit this style and funnily enough I prefer these to my pocketed joggers. 

The parcel came wrapped so cutely with a Marilyn Monroe quote and divine smelling scented beads. I was really impressed; it's finishing touches like this that really make the online shopping experience for me. This combined with the fact that I've always found dreamcatchers beautiful makes me sure that Your Dreamcatcher are a company after my own heart indeed.

I styled these in the first look with a cut-out vest that I did myself back when I was a scissor happy DIY Godess and my trusted black hi-top converse. I'm not really a heavy jewellery person but felt it needed a little something else so put on this skeleton necklace from Primark to finish it off. In the second look I wore a plain black cami from Primark with this fishnet mesh tshirt I got from eBay alongside my New Look Chelsea boots which I feel like I mention in every post...whoops!

You can buy these joggers here and check out the rest of the range here which includes t-shirts and pretty bohemian jewellery.

Many thanks to Your Dreamcatcher for sending me these, the people I have been in contact with have been so lovely and I look forward to seeing what else the company has to come!

Thanks for reading!

Olivia xo

TOP 10 NEW YORK, LONDON AND MILAN FASHION WEEK SHOWS

Fashion Week makes me so happy. 

I'm a Londoner and unfortunately I'm yet to attend a show but I always feel an exciting buzz in the city when fashion week occurs. I get a fresh surge of inspiration to dress extra nice during NYFW and LFW particularly. I love how High Fashion is more often than not overwhelmingly out of my price range and yet it is my favourite source of inspiration for my 'ordinary person' style budget. Fashion weeks (as well as trips to Selfridges) give me this weird surge of ambition to be rich enough to roam around in such fine garments and they are generally great time for me and makes the camera roll on my phone so pretty!

I thought I'd do a round up of my 10 favourite runway shows and looks from this season's London, New York and Milan fashion week.

1. Burberry

This is the only show I religiously live-stream and it is a dream of mine to attend. I always look forward to seeing the musicians that perform who always reflect the classy Britishism(?) that Burberry is all about. This year I literally ran home to watch it and got in JUST as the live-stream finished so metaphorically cried and redirected myself to the faithful Vogue website to see the looks before later watching the show. As per usual Christopher Bailey slayed. I feel as though he just gets it-women, men, clothes, fashion, England. It. Burberry shows make me feel an unusual sense of patriotism and this one did not disappoint.

Watch the show here and see the individual looks here

2. Alexander Wang

This wouldn't be a Fashion Week post without a mention to Wang. His show was arguably the most hyped up show of the season and he did not fail to impress. Everyone loves Wang but for some reason he isn't personally one of my favourite designers. None the less, this show was amazing and I am now patiently waiting for H&M X Alexander Wang to happen to my wardrobe.

See the full show here

3. Tom Ford

This show make me seriously consider trading in my dedication to a splash of colour in all my sartorial decisions for a life of gothic and sexy all-black attires. I LOVE TF.

See the full show here

4. Fendi

Karl Lagerfeld strikes again. Am I the only person in the world who amuses themselves by imagining him working in McDonald's? I swear the man was genetically engineered for fashion. Alas, this show showcased texture in all it's glory and it was beautiful.

See the full show here

5. Delpozo

Now this is a label that I'd never seen or heard spoke about before but I was struck by the tailoring in their opening looks when browsing the Vogue site and the rest of the show impressed me so much that I can see them becoming one of my favourites. I wanted to shop every look and loved the clean silhouettes, primary colours and overall polished look every model was rocking.

See the full show here

6. Temperley London

I'm a sucker for a boyish monochrome look. As Cher Horowitz says, isn't it classic?

See the full show here

7. DSquared2

This is a label that I never really paid attention to until the mental asylum on the runway last season, which I loved. I got a Victoria's Secret meets Sports luxe vibe from the first half of this show...and then the ruffles came out. Divine.

See the full show here

8. Erdem

Quite simply, I would wear these dresses every day for the rest of my life.

See the full show here

9. MaxMara

The head-to-toe print, 70's influences, waist accentuating silhouettes and that red winged liner were my highlights. I can practically see Kim K in some of these looks already. 

See the full show here

10. Oscar De La Renta

De La Renta was hands down my favourite show of the season. It blew my mind. Normally with shows I love, there's always a section that I'm not too hot on but in this show I adored and was inspired by EVERY look. Oscar De La Renta is a designer I cherish dearly and this show consolidated that love (and my desire to attend the Academy Awards in one of his gowns).

See the full show here

I'm so excited to see some of the looks from these shows translate to the Red Carpet and the like!

What have been your favourite shows so far?

Olivia xo