January? Just.Do.It

Ladies and Gents, I would like to introduce you to the new love of my life....

I started off my 2017 receiving this fluffy bad boy and my god...what a way to start off a new year. It's furry, it's leopard print, it's got flashes of electric blue and a hot pink collar. Faux real, it couldn't be more me if it tried.

 The only way to make an outfit more 'me', is to slap a bloody slogan on it. Whether that be around my wrist in the politest of manners, or on my nails. You know me. Love to show what I'm feeling, rather than say it (Millennial and all that)

While jeans are a lot of people's fail-safe go-to, I've had a bit of a tricky relationship with them. I've got lil' legs and they involve calves so the 90% of jeans out there that are skinny. Not for me hun. As the years have passed though, I've come to realise that the denim friend for me comes in a straight-legged and high variety, and I started off the new year as I mean to go on by embracing the fuck out of them. 

But hey, I'm not going to be abandoning my life-long combo of a jazzy mini skirt and a chill top anytime soon. If it ain't broke, don't fix it and all that.  

Epesically when that combo is a simple striped top and denim skirt that makes you feel like an off-duty Alexa Chung. Let's face it, it's the closest I'm going to feel like Alexa Chung...ever.

And it's good to go back to basics, especially when sometimes you just go a bit too far with ombre, polka dots AND glitter....

 This January also marked a year since I started boxing. And what do you do to celebrate such an event? Treat yourself to some new work out gear that's just as pastel-pretty than the rest of wadrobe of course. 

See what I mean? 

Even when it's -2 degrees, the coat, scarf and hat are all pastel perfect, and covered in fluff. How else is one supposed to wrap up warm eh? 

But sometimes you just have to give the weather the cold shoulder and well, crack out the cold shoulder. Throw caution to the bloody wind y'all and look pretty in pink, especially if it's flirty and frilly.

And nothing more picture perfect in pink than this pleated partner. Honestly, if there was ever a skirt to make you feel like you were part of Gossip Girl, this is it. Silky, swishy and splattered with spots, this baby has been showered with compliments every time I've worn it.

And that's made me blush like a happy lil' piggy every time, without fail.

October pink & pizazz

October means winter is well and truly here, and well, with early nights and darker mornings, that means darker clothes. But before you feel too glum, remember that the festive season is also on it's way! So glitz up your gladrags with gold-stitched shorts, skirts and belts.

Or just, y'know, go the whole hog. If MC Hammer wore playsuits, this is SO what he would be rockin'

Perfect for a night of drinking and dancing, but sadly I will never learn that money and calories seem to still count on the weekend (sigh)

Yep. Sadly a baller at the weekends, and just plain ol' skint throughout the rest of the week. At least spend my weekend wearing sassy thigh highs and a swishy Lakers dress, trying to be a different kind of baller.

And even when the daily grind of your skint life gets to you, you know you can brighten it up with multicoloured scarves and skirts!

And of course, with October comes Halloween. And yes, you could just rock a dark lip to work while rockin' your high ponytail like it's 1990

But why do that why you can go full-blown Ursula, complete with seashell necklace, white hair and  iridescent cheeks worthy of a underwater witch.

 (FYI, the coloured hair spray was loads of fun to wash out the next morning while accompanied by a hangover.) 

But why does the dressing up and fun have to be restricted just to Halloween?! If you need me, I'll be wearing ALL the jazzy accessories from crystal tiaras and fluffy scarves to shimmering butterfly heels.

But at the end of the day, surprise, surprise! This girl loves a bit of pink - whether it's in the form of spots...

...stripes....

...or teamed with sportswear (Baby and Sport Spice, UNITE!)

Heck, I've even got a pink coat that makes me feel like Detective Barbie!

What can I say? I'm just born to be a lil pink piggy.

Until next time!

A.x

Denim & Pink May

Oh denim. How I love you so. I'm sorry for all the hate I gave you as a teenager as I thought you only came in the form of skinny jeans. 

How wrong I was. 

Re-kindling my love of denim skirt and dungarees that I once had as a kid, they're now a true staple of my wardrobe.

And even jeans and I have kissed and made up. They're just now ripped and much less tight. 

Get me all in monochrome. Who thought there'd ever by the day eh?

While on a trip down memory lane, I picked up these platforms with me. They came into my life last Spring and I practically live in them as soon at the weather always my tootsies to be out. I call them my Spice Girl shoes - pretty apt don't cha think?

Or you can be more specific and go the whole hog.

Sporty spice anyone?

If channelling the footwear of the best girl band in the world isn't enough, then why not just wear your love on your tee.

And why just stop down there hey? ALLLL the 23-year-old adults are wearing heart-shaped sunglasses! Especially when you match it all the pink accessories you own in your tasselled pink bag. Obviously.

Pink. The perfect colour for a spot afternoon of afternoon tea. How typically, bloody British.

And the queen of all things pink?

Barbie of course. 

If Spice Girls and kitsch sunnies aren't your 90s bag, then surely Clueless is. Cher Horowitz, eat your heart out. 

I've got fluffy shoes to see from from day to night, from running for the bus to dancing on the ceiling.

Even when you do have to leave the house disguised as an adult, just throw on your brightest midi-skirt, add some stripes (oh, and don't forget your sparkly shoes and mermaid bag).

And if after all this silly-ness, you feel you need to chill things down a lil' bit, grab your camel utility jacket (that secretly makes you feel a bit like Indiana Jones/a cowboy) and slip into your tasselled suede boots.

Got all the bases covered here guys, don't you worry.

Stay happy!

Until next time...

A.x

Sugar Sweet

As we all anticipated, the British Summer was never going to last forever.

dress:LOVE, trainers:Nike, belt:ASOS, socks:Topshop, necklace: Topshop

So, before it finally draws to a close, I skipped out of the house to catch every last drip of sunshine that England had to offer, and what better dress to soak it all up, than this flirty, little off-the-shoulder number.

Keeping everything delicate, and blushing in pink, and I the daintiest of necklaces on, and even my socks were pink (complete with hearts and everything!)

This outfit made me feel all soppy and loved up, frolicking amongst the flowers that coincidentally, matched my outfit too! Good jobs nature!

Keeping things fresh, I laced up my Nikes and popped on my favourite belt (which I always think has a Moschino feel to it, with it's black and gold tones)

Although I am a MASSIVE summer bunny - I love the sun, I love not having to wear tights, I love the BBQs and Pimms and I love that it doesn't get dark until 11pm - I am looking forward to changing up my wardrobe for autumn and having more fun with layering, ample amount of tartan, and lashings of maroon, pine green and mustard yellow.

What about you? Are you holding onto every last bit of summer? Or are you looking forward to wrapping up warm?

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon,

A.x

"You're not a feminist - You don't look like one!"

I got really riled up the other day when a car reversed into the back of mine. And it wasn't because he scratched or dented it.

There's a term that my friend Kim coined once when I was telling her about all the times that people didn't take me seriously because of the purple ribbon tied in my hair, or because I'm on a phone that has bunny ears on.

'Elle Woods syndrome'

If you've seen Legally Blonde (and why wouldn't you have - it's amazing), you'll know what I mean. When people don't take you or your opinion seriously as a grown-up, because in their eyes, you don't look like one.

Let my homegirl Zooey Deschanel explain it to you as she best knows how...

When she said this in New Girl, I practically jumped out of my chair in agreement.

There's been so many times that I've been spoken down to because of my appearance and way I dress. A flatmate of mine once laughed straight at the fact that I called myself a feminist, because - and I quote - I didn't look like one. Apart from not knowing what that actually mean (how is a feminist even supposed to look?...), it's also ignorant and offensive to females and feminists everywhere. 

Feminist or Feminine. 

That isn't a choice that has to be made - why can't you be both?

But this incident really took the biscuit. I went to the supermarket, and as my dad toddled inside to get some milk and other bits and bobs (Elle magazine, chocolate, wine - you know, the essentials), and I sat in the car, all parked up, and waited. And while I was sat there, waiting in my stationary, parked car,all of a sudden there was a big crash sound and I felt a bump. A guy hadn't looked properly while he was reversing, and hit my car. So I got out to check my car and speak to him - like anyone else would do (and also thought to myself, what on earth he was playing at - was he not looking?!)

He just kept telling me how I was making it into a bigger deal than it actually was and that I was over-reacting. The car was fine, but I wanted to take his details in case something came up later on, but he just made me feel like I was being a drama queen!

"Oh, it's nothing really! You should stop worrying - trust me! You don't need my details!"

The way he was talking to me was like I was a useless, little girl, who didn't know my left from my right. He was even getting back into his car while he was saying all this. But then, when my dad came back to the car, the gentleman in question all of a sudden was a whole different person, being super apologetic.

"I am SO sorry. Are you sure everything's OK with your car? Have a proper look - I'd hate for you to drive off and then find something wrong."

I was stunned. 

He would've trusted my dad, who - no offence to my clever and delightful darling dad - is elderly, prone to forget things, English is his 2nd language, and can't even hear my when I say 'Good Morning' to him, rather than talking to a young woman who is socially engaged, studying a Masters degree and does actually know what she's talking about, despite what he thought.

My dad got into the car and I vented all the way home. And when I questioned how I just didn't understand why he did then, even he jokingly replied "Well, you are wearing a dress with hearts on it!"

It just makes me angry and disappointed because it's so ridiculous in this day and age, that people still judge others on their sex, and even more silly, on what they wear! 

Because that's exactly wheat that guy did - he saw that I was a girl. A female. One that didn't dress 'serious' enough, and just assumed that I didn't know anything, and swept me to the side as a silly, little girl who couldn't have dealt with the situation until a male came along.

And in 2014, that just isn't right.

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon.

A.x

Beautiful Ballerina

Strictly Come Dancing isn't a guilty pleasure for me. I just full blown-out love it

And apart from the beautiful sparkly dresses, funny banter and amazing dancing, one of the reasons why I enjoy watching every Winter is the judges, in particular, the beautiful Darcey Bussell.

After watching a documentary about her life recently, she had a whole lifetime as a dancer before the show, that I knew little about - and it's the stuff that fairytales are made of.

While being named Dancer of the Year in the 90s and featuring in modelling in countless campaigns, she was a the youngest principal dancer t the Royal Ballet for many years.

Being awarded a CBE in 2006, she retired from the Royal Ballet in 2007, and was faced with a standing ovation, with hundreds who were tearing up and catapulting flowers onto the stage, begging her to stay!

She is just as elegant and beautiful on Saturday night tv now, as when she was a graceful ballerina. And with my slight obsession with the ballet - it's so feminine and I dream of tutus - it's unsurprising that I dress like a wannabee ballerina every now and again (especially as I am basically a ballet drop out!)

Sources: balletnews.co.uk, dailyrecord,co,uk, ballet.co.uk, royalacademy.org.uk, guardian online, britsattheirbest.com, classicfm online, express online, flikr, hellomagazine online, whatsontv.co.uk, huffingtonpost, digitalspy.co.uk

Although I may not have a beautifully embellished, multi-layered tutu in my wardrobe, a powder pink skirt that swirls like a dream, is just as good when it comes to going to lectures.

With a just as girly sequined bow in my hair and sparkly belt around my waist, I brought the outfit off of the ballet stage and into the 21st century - where a 22 year old girl has to do more than gliding across a stage, and has to do less exciting things like buy groceries - and teamed it with a shearling-lined denim jackets and brown lace-up boots.

top:H&M, skirt:ASOS, jacket:Topshop, belt:Topshop, boots:Timberland, bow:Topshop

I may not live out my childhood dream of being a ballerina, but damn it, I will dress like one!

What profession do you wish you could dress like on a day-to-day basis?

Hope you're all well!
Speak soon,
A.x

Perky & Pink

I must have been a very good girl this year, as Santa had a this pretty, pink piece all wrapped up and waiting for my underneath the Christmas tree.

coat: River Island, dress: Marks & Spencers, shoes: River Island

This coat, as my brother so lovingly put it, looks like it's straight out of the film Clueless, as much as I act like I'm from it...

I love how smart it is, with it's black faux fur collar, yet is still colourful and fun with it's vibrant and pastel pink shade. The perfect combination!

Kicking off the new year in a smart and sophisticated manner, I wore this Wintery, little white number under it, complete with lace and a black ribbon belt. 

With my hair braided and clipped back, I was ready to meet up with 2014!

I can't wait to keep throwing on this bright little number while the weather's still pretty chilly. I've got to say, I'm quite looking forward Winter to pass over and Spring to come along soon...I miss the warm sunshine!

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x