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Spring Lookbook

Although we're well into Spring now, I thought I would put together a Spring Look Book. Its my very first one so lets hope I've done it some justice.

'Lady Mary'

The first look is something I like to call the 'Lady Mary'. It consists of a beautiful mint jacket (Zara), a pale pink pleated skirt (boohoo.com), and a white polo top- complete with buttoned front (-also Zara). The accessories are a bit of an odd mix. The hat I bought a while ago from a company called 'The Tie Rack' which has since closed down. However, I have seen many similar examples on sites such as Etsy, and Ebay. The satchel is from 'The Cambridge Satchel Company', and is my pride and joy. It comes from the 'Batchel' range, and is in the colour 'Vintage'. 

Unlike the bag, the shoes worn in this shot are a recent purchase, yet again from Zara (what can I say? they're coming out with some great stuff at the moment!!). I was really pleased with the final outcome of the look, even if I do look like I've stepped out of the 1920's!

Skirt (actual) http://www.boohoo.com/day-skirts/serena-pleated-woven-midi-skirt/invt/azz31892
Jacket (actual) http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/coats/jacquard-coat-with-pockets-c367501p2008053.html
Top (no longer available online)
Hat (similar) http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Hats-/45230/i.html?_dcat=45230&Style=Cloche
Bag (actual) https://www.cambridgesatchel.com/buy/the-batchel/
Shoes (actual) http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/shoes/high-heels/swiss-dot-court-shoe-c358018p1669165.html

'Blue Danube'

For the next look, I thought I'd bring it back to the 21st century. I bought the blue coat a while ago at Topshop so it is no longer in stock, although I have seen similar articles. The skirt was also bought a while ago from H&M and is no longer available, but I have linked some similar skirts below. The shoes and the top are vintage, but again similar items can be found on the high street (although I would thoroughly recommend having a good rake around your local vintage and charity shops, as there are always treasures to be found!). The Kate Spade belt (which is featured in one of my earlier post) is from TK Maxx, and I feel adds a pop of colour to the outfit.

Skirt (similar) http://www.hm.com/gb/product/25109?article=25109-B
Belt (bought in store- not online) 
Shoes and top (vintage)

'Checkmate'

The last of the three looks is definitely the 'edgiest' of the three as cringeable as it sounds! The high neck knitted top is from M and S, and was a great find. I don't usually like wearing polo necks as I find they irritate my neck, but this has just the right amount of polo 'neckiness' for me to feel comfortable. The jacket was yet another 'treasure like' find as it was bought from the kids section Fenwicks. Let me tell you, this place is like heaven if you're a petite gal. The clothes are mostly designer but are sooooo much cheaper than the normal adult sizes, and the best thing is that most things go up to age 16, which is about equivalent (in my opinion) to a size 8 (UK). The trousers were bought in a vintage shop but I've managed to find something similar on boohoo.com. 

Trousers (similar) http://www.boohoo.com/boohoo/ebiz/boohoo/invt/azz39149/?istCompanyId=ee8a71c1-f1ef-4831-ba72-81474690fb09&istItemId=xmxqtwplq&istBid=tztx&gclid=CjkKEQjwhoGcBRDlu9S3mo7-udIBEiQASEw7Qo5QR5Yo82dhj1qfg0cClWRZH6R3yyg5p96praXnyWDw_wcB

Boots (actual) http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-ADVERSE-Leather-Chelsea-Ankle-Boots/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2897035&cid=14349&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=9999&sort=-1&clr=Black&affid=5571&WT.srch=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=18283950120&utm_content=&utm_campaign=&cvosrc=ppc.google.18283950120&network=g&mobile=&search=1&content=&creative=29429394741&ptid=18283950120&adposition=1o1&gclid=CjkKEQjwhoGcBRDlu9S3mo7-udIBEiQASEw7QlgukLu-54S9CICerrAvZOoaG2sBtFE2sVAJTAOrPmrw_wcB

Top (actual) http://www.marksandspencer.com/textured-cropped-jumper/p/p22292427?mfPartNumber=T506195&carousel=ASPV_RR

Jacket (actual) http://www.childrensalon.com/girls-woven-collarless-blazer.html

Sunglasses (vintage)

Hope you enjoyed my first ever Look Book, and thanks for reading. 

Catherine

x

Ikea Buys for University Room

My love affair with this Swedish home ware store began at the tender age of 10 when my parents took my sister and me- every Friday -for a dose of the best meatballs that money could (and still can) buy. Little has changed since then as I still find myself popping in every so often to browse the furniture (and sample the meatballs of course!!). 

This post comprises of a few of the lovely things I bought on my last visit. Firstly is this black and white print. I bought this (and the other items featured in this post) with university in mind. I'm going in September and thought that this would be perfect to hang up on what would otherwise be a very plain wall! 

 When buying the next two items, I also had uni in mind. These flat pack boxes were extremely easy to assemble, and are surprisingly roomy! I fell in love with the pale pink and white stripes, and I'm hoping that they'll come in handy as a means of storage.

The next item is something that I've seen on countless beauty blogs and youtube videos, and I'm not usually one to jump straight on the band wagon, but at £2 I couldn't resist. I'm currently using this little white pot to house an orchard, but when I go to uni I imagine I will use it to store pens and pencils, or maybe makeup brushes.

Here it is in action, looking right at home on my chest of draws.

Hope this has been helpful to somebody.

 Thanks for reading.

x

Pretty Storage Ideas

Recently I've been having a bit of a move round in my room and experimenting with new storage. Here are a few of my favourites ideas. 

The first is very simple. I love shopping around in charity and vintage shops, as they are the perfect place to find old suitcases such as these. They're great for storage and can be used to hold pretty much anything. Best of all, they're cheap AND cheerful!

The box in the middle was another TK Maxx find, but I decided to try out a bit of 'decoupage', giving it a modern twist by using images from my favourite fashion magazines. I use this particular box to hold art supplies.

My wardrobe has also been looking a bit of a mess recently, so I thought I'd have a Spring clean and sort it out. Whilst wandering through Primark, I found these lovely hangers. Not only are the colours pretty, but the textures is 'velvety', allowing for more grip. And although completely unnecessary, I added ribbon round the top too for another pop of colour. Although my wardrobe now looks like a haberdashery, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome!

 Finally, onto my favourite new addition. It was my birthday a couple of days ago, and my mum surprised me with this lovely wall rack. I'm told it was from TK Maxx, and was bought recently (so there should be some still available). Anyhow, its the perfect place to store my magazines and stationary etc because everything is still on show rather than being hidden away. Some things deserve pride of place right!?

Hope this has been somewhat helpful for someone.

Thanks for reading.

x

TK Maxx Treasures

On the off chance that I go into town, I often find myself wondering round the aisles of TK Maxx. There is indeed an abundance of clothing, stationary etc to rummage through, and if one rummages hard enough, there are treasures to be had! 

Anna Sui Sunglasses:

I have wanted a pair of 'cat eye' sunglasses for a long while now, and when I saw these beauties I couldn't resist! They are by American designer Anna Sui, and were a steal (in my opinion) at around £20. I love the classic shape and deep burgundy colour.

Kate Spade Belt:

The first thing about this belt that caught my eye was the vibrant colour, and bold floral print. I also loved the green transparent buckle, which I thought was unusual and a added a slight modern twist. Another great feature of the belt is that it is reversible. The other side is a lovely lime green colour, meaning you get two belts for the price of one! 

Stationary

As an obsessive stationary hoarder, I couldn't resist purchasing another item to add to my 'collection'. I have a ridiculous amount of notebooks and although I use them, I find it impossible to finish one, before buying the next!

First off is this little red notebook entitled 'A-Z lifestyle'. Firstly, I love how dinky it is, swell as the red and gold colours (- I have a thing for gold inlay). However, the best part has to be all of the little tabs that run along the side. They section off each part of the notebook into categories, giving you free reign to organise till your hearts content.

A Little Introduction

So this is my first ever post! I wasn't too sure exactly what to publish for my first post because we're in that awkward inbetweeny stage with Winter and Spring. So instead of doing a 'Winter' or 'Spring' favourites, I thought I would instead share a little information about myself- yawn. 

My name is Catherine and I'm currently in the midst of a gap year- otherwise known as an 'oh my god what am I doing with my life' year. I'm going to uni in September, so I thought a blog would be a great way of sharing my interests, and hopefully easing the boredom. 

I have a great interest in fashion, beauty and interior design, and I can't wait to start buying things for my uni room when I go away. Hopefully, I'll be able to provide other students with some ideas, or anyone who is moving out for that matter! I also hope to write posts on my favourite beauty/ fashion items of the moment, and whatever else I am enjoying.

Thanks for reading. 

x