winter warmers

It's my first day off in seven days, and I'm ill. Blergh. So I've wrapped up in knitted tights and a cosy cardi today in a last ditch attempt to get this cold out of my system. I don't know about any of you, but when I'm feeling rubbish, I find the best thing to do is dress a little girly - makes me feel that little bit less gross when I'm all sniffly. This one (below) is a new favourite of mine. I bought this old Topshop dress from a thrift store for £5, and worked a little magic on it. Cue shortened hemline and cute ribboned belt to add a girly edge.

Black Dress, Topshop (bought at a thrift store for £5)
Shortened hem, and customised with ribbon belt detailing

Red Lentil, Chickpea, and Chilli Soup, Recipe avail. at bbcgoodfood.com
Perfect for cold, horrible days - the warming chilli is great for that dreadful winter cold

Chocolate Brogue Boots, Topshop £38
I'll be purchasing these very shortly in a bid to get ready for the winter.

Grey Cable Socks, ASOS £7.50
I'm gonna get stocking up on these. Perfect over tights, under jeans, or with cute winter boots.
Versatile to the max.

WIW: Degrees of style

Sooooooo.... a couple of weeks ago I had my University Graduation. Three years of equal parts work/play culminated into one nerve-wracking - and might I mention, really very boring - ceremony designed to inspire, and congratulate all 1000 (yes, one-thousand!) clever little bunnies sat in the room. Photographs were taken, speeches were spoken, friends were reunited, more photos were taken, hands were shaken and then some more photographs were taken.

It was with this in mind that I began planning the outfit I would wear - one that would sit, taking pride of place on my mother's mantle-piece for years to come. An outfit that would, ultimately represent me, and my coming of age, for the remainder of my life. Dramatic? Yes, possibly. 

And so, after months of consideration, I decided on this little beauty:

Red Wraparound Dress, Topshop, £32
Nude Waist Belt, Dorothy Perkins, £5

I found this dress in the 'Buy It Now' section of Topshop's flagship recently whilst in London for a job interview, and while it wasn't my usual style/colour/fit, I instantly knew it would be the right one. Classic? Check. Fitted? Check. Stand out? Check. Grown up? Double check.

An extra benefit came on the day, when it also managed to look effortlessly perfecto avec my Red/Black University Graduation gown - an element I (along with many others- some who had completely mismatched outfit/gown) hadn't even thought of.

I teamed my dress with a nude belt and a pair of nude chunky-heeled mary-janes that I managed to bag in the New Look sale for a bargain £9!

What do you think? Any of you have similar stresses about what to wear to your graduation?

Hope you're all looking forward to this (hopefully) bright, sunny weekend!
xoxo

WIW: Urban Beach

Sunday: Day of rest, and, apparently today, ridiculous humidity. After a hectic week, it has also been a day of some much-needed recuperation - cue beach fun, dog-walking, and losing myself in some of my favourite films (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Fight Club FYI).
And as walking the dogs = an almost instantaneous covering of mud, sand and dog fur, a jeans/tee combination seemed the only appropriate option.

So here's what I wore:

Pleated Double-layer Vest, H by Henry Holland, £20
Spray On Khaki Jeans, Next, £20

A little jewelly fav of mine:
Brass Stone Pendant, Topshop, £12

I also wore my cute little Urban Outfitters mini-satchel, which I'm saving for another blog, so keep a check out in the next few days.

Hope you've all been enjoying the heat as much as I have. It's here so infrequently, god-forbid we complain about it, eh?!

Oh, and Happy Sunday!

xoxo