Jumpering for Joy!

Day 261

Outfit 233:

Wow! It has been a busy few weeks since I last updated but rest assured the rose still has no new clothes. However, I have been WEARING a hell of a lot MORE, I can assure you! 

The cold weather has resulted in the unearthing of my knitwear collection and I've found that this year my cardigans have been pushed aside in favour of the classic pullover.  I have been getting A LOT of wear out of my sweaters and jumpers, not least this festive number: 

Outfit No 221 - Feeling Festive
Jumper - Little Ealing Boutique (2012)
Jeans - River Island 
(these were a friend's unwanted pair that I inherited in 2007 - still going strong!)
Boots - Office (2013)
Coat - Anthropologie via eBay (2010)

Isn't it fun and fluffy? So comfy. I think it looks like lots of little Christmas trees. Good job because it's the closest I'm getting to a Christmas jumper this year I'm afraid. Yesterday's Outfit 232 was pretty much the same as Outfit 221 but with addition of a hat and jeggings instead of jeans. 

Outfit No 232 - Hats Away!
Jumper - Little Ealing Boutique (2012)
Coat - Anthropologie (2010)
Hat - Primark...I think (2012)
Jeggings - Primark (2013)

The colder weather has resulted in a lot of rehashes. This next outfit has become another staple. I'm a SUCKER for black in winter.  I just love the way it can really set off your wintery accessories (like this gorgeous owl necklace which was a gift from my lovely Spanish friend, Marta). It's also pretty great when you have got bright red hair...

Outfit No 212 - Twit-twoo...
Black Batwing Jumper - Never Fully Dressed (2012)
Aztec  Shawl/Poncho - Never Fully Dressed (2012)
Owl Necklace - A gift from the lovely Marta - I LOVE it!

The batwing jumper is a favourite because it's comfy but the cut and fine knit make it feel quite chic at the same time. The aztec shawl-come-poncho is great for added warmth under my fur coat and a delight to wrap around and keep me warm when I'm stuck working in front of my computer.  I have worn a variation of this outfit time and time again in the last few weeks, changing it up with a different necklace or scarf.  I also have this sweater in charcoal - SUCH a winner.  

Another black one that I'm loving at the minute is this bad boy which was a bargain purchase from New Look a year or two ago.  Just the perfect slouchy and oversized black sweater:

 
Outfit No 193
Dress - Couples, Coleraine (2008)
Jumper - New Look (2012)
 Pumps - Office (2013)

I have to say, despite the fact that I clearly have enough of them, the winter jumpers have been the BIGGEST TORTURE whist I've been doing my Christmas shopping. 

They just look so cosy, safe and inviting in the midst of all the Christmas mayhem.... I want to put on about six, as knitted armour, and then curl up and drift off in the middle of a fortress of neatly folded woolly stacks. The perfect escape from the hell that is Oxford Street in December.

And it is hellish.  Even for a shopper like me. Or perhaps PARTICULARLY for a cold-turkey-going-shopaholic like me?  

I'm drawn to the dark wintery green colours that Pull & Bear have loads of at the moment:

Pull & Bear - Aran Knit Sweater with Kimono Sleeves in Duck Green

Pull & Bear - Pearl Knit Jersey in Bottle Green

Pull & Bear - Basic Sweater in Bottle Green 

Topshop are also doing a nice dark green one (although if it contains Angora best to stay clear...)

Topshop - Knitted Cable Jumper in Forest 

Gorgeous aren't they? BUT I guess I'll have to make do with the green I already have in my wardrobe. I really like this little Missguided batwing sweater which I have in a dark sort-of-duck-green (I also have it in both black and grey). It is great to jazz up with jewellry or a nice collar like this crocheted one.  My friends have named this outfit my Pilgrim's Choice... but I like it!

Outfit No 213 - Crochet-tastic!

Collar - Etsy (2012)

Green Jumper - Missguided (2012)

Dress (worn as pencil skirt) - Primark (2013)

Here I have thrown the black version of the same over this cute little leopard print collared dress:

Outfit No 229
Dress - New Look (2011)
Jumper - Misguided (2012)
Boots - Office (2013)

I've really been loving a bit of a fluffy jumper recently!  So my other green sweater has been getting a lot of tender loving wear.  I got this for a pittance in a discount store that sells seconds (the rejects from normal stores).  I think it was in there because its shape is a bit wonky but that's what I love about it (apart from the fact that it is fluffy and green, what's not to love about that?)! - works really nicely with the batwing sleeves 

Outfit No 230 - Going Green
Jumper - Little discount store (2012)
Green Velvet Skirt - eBay (2013)

Outfit No 192 - The Green Green Grass of Home

Jumper - Ealing discount store (2012)

Denim Skirt - Primark (2012)

Here is another faithful fluffy number:  

Outfit No 205 - Fluffy!
Jumper - Missguided (2012)
Skirt - Miss Selfridge (2008)
Head Band - just an old ribbon I had about the house

There's no denying it, some of the best jumpers out there are those made for men.  Last year I picked a couple up in Primark's menswear department.  These are my go-to-comfy-cozy-day-sweaters but they get loads of compliments. Although I have had the odd comedy 'matchy match' moment with a few poor unsuspecting guys (worse for them than for me, I can assure you). What did I expect from Primark? Oh well, at least all the women in the UK aren't wearing the same as me; even if the guys are...

Outfit No 220
Jumper  -  Primark Menswear  (2012)

Outfit No 224
Dress - Great Plains (2009)
Jumper - Primark Menswear (2012)

Outfit No 216
Coat - New Look (2012)
Jumper - Primark Menswear (2012)
Necklace - Primark (2013)

ANOTHER Primark number (seriously, after this year, I am banning myself from setting foot in the place), this time from the ladies section:

Outfit No 218
Jumper - Primark (2012)
Waxed Cape - ASOS (2010)
Boots - Vintage from  Beyond Retro (2011)

What other sweaters have been catching my eye? Well, I've always got time for a bit of mint and this Topshop quilted baby would certainly brighten up my life a little on these dull winter days *sigh*

Topshop - Knitted Quilted Jumper in Mint 

And this ZARA oversized mohair is pretty special:

Zara - Mohair Oversize Sweater in Wine

But what I've got a real notion for is a cobalt blue cable knit jumper.  I just REALLY want one (This might have something to do with the fact I spent seven years of my life wearing a school jumper in that exact shade and, after a ten year break, I'm finally ready to wear it again).  BHS are doing a lovely little one for a steal at £12. 

BHS - Cobalt Long Sleeve Cable Jumper

I'd love to get my mittened hands on this! 

I'd wear it with black jeans, black boots, black coat and top it off with black woolly hat... Perfect winter outfit. 

Hey, a girl can dream... Right? 

Love the button detail on the back: 

A gorgeous real wool cable knit in that colour would be amazing.  Someone knit me one, eh? 

Have your jumpers been stealing the winter lime half-light?

Over & Out 

M x

Unloading and Wrapping Up

Day: 210
Outfit: 207

I've done it. I've made it well past the SIX MONTH mark! On the 1st of October I hit the half way point, this Thursday I will hit seven months and I STILL haven't bought anything or killed anyone. Yet.

Also, I've FINALLY started The Great Wardrobe Sort Out (TGWSO).

It hasn't exactly been stress free. 

My lovely friend, Nicola, braved coming round to assist and, even armed with a bottle of wine, I reckon it wasn't long before she was regretting her decision... There were clothes EVERYWHERE. And tensions started to rise when she, entirely reasonably, tried to get me to get rid of a lot more stuff than I was willing to part with. 

She was a super duper help.  I definitely wouldn't even have started to sort out that mess had she not put pressure on me to get stuck in and do it. Thanks for being so patient with me, Snickers! :) 

That night we made some real headway, managing to tuck all my summer stuff out of the way and fill a couple (more) bin liners full of stuff to bring to the charity shop. I was very determined that this time they would actually make it there and not just hangout in The Cupboard of Despair for years..

Over the course of the next week I managed to sort the wardrobe in such a way that I can now see everything! AT LAST!  It's amazing not having dig and rummage to look for stuff. Before I had to empty everything out of my wardrobe to find anything.

So this:

Would often become this:

It's probably a good thing that this is a little blurry...

But not any more!   Now, between the ample storage in my bedroom and the walk in cupboard in our hall (no longer The Cupboard of Despair :)) it is all sorted quite beautifully and I know exactly where to find whatever it is I need, be it one of my fifteen jumpers ( :o/ that's Autumn's sweater trend sorted) or one of the twelve(!) kimono jackets (yeah, I finally counted...) that I love so dearly.

When I did TGWSO I unearthed all my heavy coats and discovered that I have nine that I'd still wear.  Nine!  Who needs nine coats?!  Nobody.  And I REALLY need to sort out some sort of storage solution for them now. Even without them that coat stand looks as if is about to fall down. Already laden with pashminas, hats and scarves, it couldn't take my newly resurrected outerwear too. 

I recently made a vow to my flatmates to sort it out and transform our wasted downstairs space into a pretty storage solution for coats, shoes and handbags. That will be easier said than done, as it has recently become of a dumping ground for excess clothes and a load of stuff I want to put on eBay... Some day soon this will become something pretty:

Watch this space. 

Recently I have been favouring two members of my coat collection. This black tie wasted number, picked up on eBay last year.  It was originally £100 from Topshop but I got it BNWT (that's Brand New With Tags for the eBay novices out there) for a mere £25!

Great with a hat!

Coat - Topshop/eBay (2012)
Vintage Hat - Hope & Gloria (2012)

Wore it last week with this ensemble:

Outfit No 204 
Dress - Primark (2010)
Boots - New Look (2012)
Pashmina - I found this in the flat,
no idea where it came from or who it belongs to. HB?

The other that has been getting a lot of wear is my Coat of Dreams.  Even a full three years into our relationship I am still completely in love.  I first spotted it Anthropologie in New York in October 2010. It was towards the end of my three-week trip and I had barely enough money left to buy dinner, let alone a $600 dollar coat.  I was absolutely heartbroken.  

Apparently finding love and losing it in all of five minutes was so monumentous that my friend Val and I felt the need to capture it; so here I am on that fateful day (the face says all):

Then, about 18 months later, having been tagged in that photo on Facebook, I was inspired to have a little gander on eBay in case, on the off chance, someone was selling it.  And there it was! One lonesome Coat of Dreams. In my size. BNWT. And at a fraction of the original price. I was in eBay heaven.  My love and I were reunited at long last! Our love was meant to be. Here we are hanging out on Sunday last.  We love lazy Sundays:

Outfit No 202 Rainy Sunday
Coat - eBay/Anthropolgie (2012)
Sheer Batwing Tee - eBay (2013)
Scarf - Charity Shop (2005)
Navy Jeggings - Primark (2013)
Red Sneakers - New Look (2013)

Outfit 202 Take 2 - Dressed up a little for work
Boots - Office (2012)
Batwing Cardie - eBay (2013)

Now we are into cooler weather and I can start wearing my Autumn/Winter stuff I feel like I have gained a whole new wardrobe of clothes.  This has not come a moment too soon because the autumnal window displays were killing me a little.  I particularly love warm and wooly wintery layers (hence the aforementioned sweater overkill). Hell, I love clothes! - and in winter I get to wear more of them! How bad can that be?!

It's not really been cool enough for coats everyday so I have been having some fun layering up with these bad boys:

Outfit No 148 - Back to Boots & Autumnal Colours
Smock Top - Primark (2007/8 I think)
Skinny Jeans - Primark (2013)
Boots - Schuh (2013)

Layering Up Outfit No 148
Poncho/Blanket - Never Fully Dressed (2012)

I love this thing - I don't really know what to call it - Poncho? Blanket? Wrap?  But it's super pretty, great for just throwing on to wrap up a bit and also reversible which is a total winner!  I've been wearing it quite a bit:

Outfit No 154 - A lazy Norn Irish Break
Music Tee - Topshop (2012)
Heavy Duty Leggings - Topshop (2013)
Pumps - Office (2013)

Outfit No 160
Head Scarf - Charity Shop (2008)
Tee - Primark (2013)
Denim Shorts - Topshop (2009)
Fringed Boots - Miss Selfridge (2013)

I have another one and like it a lot too but the black and white isn't quite as wearable:

Outfit No 159 - Wrapping Up
Poncho/Blanket - Primark (2011)

TGWSO has also inspired me to start mending the many things I have that need mending. I have another big bag full of stuff that needs fixed, such as a lovely pair of burgundy trousers that I haven't worn for a couple of winters because they need a new button.  A button!  It would take five minutes to fix it!

I'm proud of me. I have started sewing on buttons, dropped overflowing bags to the charity shop (which proved incredibly therapeutic and pretty hilarious, thanks to a hole in a bag and many, many pairs of rolled up fluffy slipper socks...), ordered coat rails and come up with some great DIY storage solutions for that junk space.

I am ON. IT. and so busy I don't even miss shopping...Well, that's what I keep telling myself.

Over & out.

M

Jungle Jackpot!

Day: 144

Outfit: 146

I found some snake print in the depths of my closet! 

Another skirt. 

I completely forgot I had it when I wrote this post, lamenting the lack of snake print in my wardrobe.  

Can't believe I didn't think of this one; it's such a beauty! But it had slithered its way to the bottom of the pile.  Sssneaky.

So pleased to have rediscovered it. It's like having something new and will certainly keep my snake print craving at bay for a while! 

Also, its nice brown colour means it goes with pretty much anything and will be perfect for transitioning into Autumn...

However, it IS still summer (and long may it stay) so today I brightened it up with a simple neon orange tee (such a cheery colour) and..

...wait for it...

...a headscarf!

 Just for a change.

Outfit No 146
Skirt - Topshop 2009
Neon Tee - Primark (2013)
Headscarf - New Look (2012)
Pumps - Office (2013)

Over & Out 

M x

The Mighty Headscarf

Day: 139

Outfit: 141

Outfit No 141
 Dress - Primark (2008)
Leather Belt (knotted)  - Topshop (2010)
Headscarf - New Look (2012)
Pumps - Office (2013)

Today I am wearing a 1940s style red button down shirt dress.  This is its first outing since The Challenge began and I don't really know why because I love it dearly. It is only a cheapy Primark number (yes, I'm guilty again) but I don't think it looks it at all. In fact I originally bought it to wear to my undergrad graduation, back when I was on a shoestring budget and wanted something sophisticated and not too dressy that would be suitable for the ceremony.  

Today, I have styled it up much more casually, with pumps, a belt and a headscarf. I like to knot my waist belts rather than buckle them.  Weird, I know, but I think it adds interest and also means I don't have to worry about the extra length flopping about!

I have been wearing headscarves A LOT recently.  There are a number of reasons for this:

1. They are a fab way of jazzing up the dullest of outfits.  

2. I am currently growing out my hair and wearing a headscarf makes the in-between length a little easier to bear (I am SO close to giving up and chopping it all off again!).  

3. They protect my red locks from the sun's glare, which has been particularly fierce of late.

4.  They help make me feel girlie on the days I find myself pining for my long blonde curls... 

I have spent the last week or so moving into and decorating my first studio base for my freelance voice coaching business. It's been a very exciting and busy time (I'll tell you more about it soon) but a lot my outfits have been rather dull, practical, box lugging, painting and man-with-a-van friendly.  The headscarf has been my saviour, enabling me to add a bit of colour, fun, frivolity and a touch of vintage charm. 

Outfit No 140
Headscarf - New Look (2012)
Top - TK Maax (2013)
Shorts - Primark (2013)
Leggings - New Look (2013)
Pumps - Office (2013)
Jacket - Manchester Northern Quarter Boutique (2009)
Brooch -Greenwich Market (2011)

Outfit No 133
Neon Tee - Primark (2013)
White Vest (just seen) - Primark 2013
Skinny Jeans - Primark
Headscarf - New Look (2012)
Sandals - Topshop (2009)

Outfit No 134
Headscarf - My lovely flatmate, Emma's
T-Shirt - Pull & Bear (2013)

Outfit No 138
Headscarf - New Look (2012)
Top - Primark (2013)
Pleather Skirt - Miss Selfridge (2013)
Phone Cover - Cath Kidston (2012)

Outfit No 126
Headscarf - Charity Shop (2008ish)
Dress - Topshop (2013)
Necklace - Primark

Outfit No 122
Headscarf - Charity Shop
Maxi Dress - H&M (2011)
Black Top - Primark (2013)
Sandals - Office (2009)

Here are some other examples of times I have worn headscarves throughout The Challenge.  I love how many different ways you can wear them! 

Outfit No 120

Outfit No 118

Outfit No 117

Outfit No 91
Headscarf - New Look (2012)
Blouse - eBay (2013)
Skirt - Primar (2013)
Leggings - H&M (2013)

Outfit No 69Headscarf - My friend, Emily's.
Shirt - Topshop (2009)
 

Outfit No 67
Headscarf - New Look
Dress - Dunnes Stores (2009)
Sunglasses - Primark (2009)

Outfit No 47
Headscarf - Charity Shop (2008)
Dress - Topshop (2009)
Sandals - Topshop (2013)

Here's some 'Headscarfspiration': 

 

They really are timeless. No wonder they have become a wardrobe staple for me. I do wish I had more in my collection though...  Perhaps I can make some new ones from off cuts of fabric I have in my stash...hhhhmmm.... watch this space...

Over & Out 

M x

P.S Donations of silk scarves welcome.