Batoko Vintage Store

The lovely Melanie of Yes I Dress, a blog I only recently discovered, is running a giveaway right now, giving readers the chance of winning lots of lovely bits and bobs including a handbag, hair grips and earrings. To enter you simply have to go to her online vintage store Batoko, select your three favourite items, and write a post on your blog explaining why you like them. So, here is my entry! Why not enter yourself as well here, and follow!Oversized silky shirt in blush orange Okay well this is definitely by far the best shirt I have seen in forever. Obviously the colour is stunning, as it's not too bold but still not pastel-y, so perfect for the colourful summer trends. The breast pockets bring just the right amount of military feel to the shirt, and the floppy collar stops it from looking to 'sharp' or structured. I think the shirt looks great with shorts, so I would personally pair it with my high waisted blue denim shorts for a colourful beach outfit!Oversized purple floral vest top Again, the colours- wow. I adore the duskier colours in this top, which to me make it feel more autumnal even though the material and actual garment look summery. And also, the orange again! I think orange suits me much better than red or most other bright colours, because my skin sometimes looks quite red in patches. I really like how the top drapes when it's knotted at the front, so I would probably wear this late summer around town, preferably with a floor length maxi skirt (even better if the skirt is partially sheer and/or pleated!).Knitted pink cape/poncho with fringed tassels Well, I this is just the cutest bit of knitwear. I don't think I own any pink clothes, so this must change soon! The shade is lovely and dusky, and I can just imagine myself dancing around a campfire like a little girl wearing this and some pyjama shorts and vest top. (Well okay I never go camping, but if I did I would wear this!). I think the tassels just make it, I am constantly fiddling with anything hanging off my clothing (e.g. beads on scarves) so this could keep me occupied for hours!

On a side note after the 'official' entry, aren't the sunglasses worn with the vest top just stunning!? I really fancy some round sunglasses, though i'm sure that where I live I would be made fun of no end by various chavs. Hey ho, they can keep to their trackies and I will have the sunnies!

Big Day!

So, yesterday was gcse results day. After feeling totally fine and not too worried for the whole of the holidays, I had a bit of a last minute scare on monday evening when I suddenly realised that if I had done really, really bad in the final exams then I may not have got into the sixth form of my school, and I hadn't even applied to anywhere else! Luckily I needn't have worried, I found out that I got 6 A*'s and 8 A's!! So so happy about that, I even managed an A* in textiles which I never expected at all. This is what I wore to collect my results, along with my brogues and a short trench style coat.

top- H&M, short- thrifted, tights- Jack Wills

As a sort of reward to myself after exams I went into town with a couple of friends for lunch and allowed myself to actually spend some money! Only at the charity shop though, obviously. The first thing I saw as I walked through the door was this Warehouse shirt in a size 10. I'm sure I remember seeing the same one actually in store not all that long ago, which may have been what drew my attention to it. It is a little tight around my chest and the buttons do bulge a bit if I move my arms weirdly, but other than that it fits pretty well. I really like it buttoned all the way up for a more quirky look.

shirt- thrifted/originally Warehouse, everything else- as before

Also bought some leopard print bows from H&M, because I don't have many hair accessories.

hair bow- H&M

Best buy- a pair of boots! £3.75 from the charity shop. I have similar ones which you can see to the right in this photo but they have little heels, so I though as these are flat they would be more practical for walking on days out and such like. Mainly, as usual, I was thinking about the art trip to Paris in October! I now have plenty of clothes and shoes to keep me comfy yet relatively stylish whilst walking around loads of art galleries and museums.

boots- thrifted

Mum took me for a haircut in the evening, and they straightened it so it looks really long! Sorry about the rubbish photo but I only remembered to take one right before I went to bed.

This necklace also arrived in the post today, a free gift from one of my lovely flickr contacts along with two prints of her photos. I don't have many short necklaces that aren't too chunky, so i'm sure i'll be wearing this one lots!

dress- Jack Wills, cardigan- H&M

The Perfect Bangle

Back from a rather windy weekend from Hunstanton- thinking about blogging even on the beach! ^ Hopefully this means I'll get into the habit of blogging more regularly...

I don't usually like candid photos of myself, or generally many photos of my by other people, so I really had to post this one taken by my brother when he hijacked my camera on the beach. Not only is it candid but i'm actually smiling and showing teeth which is something I would never have done a couple of years ago because I was so self conscious about my teeth. The reason for this was that my two incisors (?) are pointier than most peoples, so I thought that whenever I opened my mouth people were staring which obviously wasn't true. Although once at primary school I did have one younger kid come up to me in the playground, point at my teeth and say 'aaaaagh a vampire!' and then run away! It didn't particularly offend me at the time, I just laughed, but maybe that's part of the reason I was so self conscious??

The charity shops at Hunstanton always seem to have one or two good things in them, although they're mainly just accessories seeing as I don't think I've ever bought clothes from them. This bag is for me and mum to 'share', although I think it's quite likely that I'll use it more than her! I normally only use cross body bags but I liked the subtle pattern in the leather, plus for some reason i'm really attracted to red accessories lately. I don't really like the white stitching but it's not too obvious from a distance, so I'll just learnt to ignore it. Another thing which appealed to me with this was the folding over top- I won't lie, I was thinking of that Mulberry Alexa bag! Ohh what I wouldn't do to have that bag!

I think this is one of the best things I've ever found in a charity shop! I used to be obsessed with jewellery and base my entire outfit around it, but for the past couple of years I just don't seem as bothered about it. I have a couple of simple necklaces which I wear often, but other than that having anything around my wrists or neck just seems to annoy me. I noticed this a couple of months back and decided that I had to find some cheap yet good quality vintage jewellery. Thing is, since then I've seen none whatsoever in the charity shops, and in 'proper' vintage shops in London everything is so expensive! But then yesterday I happened to glance over at the jewellery section in one of the charity shops, and alongside the usual bought-in cheap looking bangles was this beauty! It's fairly old and worn, and looks a bit like a mini tapestry around it. I've actually worn it every day since I bought it, which is saying something for me as it just goes with everything in a strange way. And it only cost £1.50! I don't think my love for charity shops will ever fail me....

Rain Rain GO AWAY!

This is yesterday's outfit, although I have to admit I didn't wear these shorts all day because they really are very tiny, and so not so comfy for sitting down in! I bought them not long ago on holiday, mainly because I wanted some high waisted ones but not those which have lots of buttons like a corset. Though these are indeed very short, I still love them. I was debating with myself whether or not to sell this bodysuit/leotard yesterday, because although I do really like it, I never know what to wear it with. It's ever so slightly big on my around the belly, so the excess fabric does make me look a bit larger, but I really do like the pattern along the sleeves. I think for now i'm going to keep it, but if I haven't worn it much in the next month or two I'll have to let it go.

I got this backpack from a car boot sale on the second day of holiday, and I was just so happy when I spotted it! A few weeks before then I had gone to a show with my family and there was a stall there selling leather backpacks, but they were around £40 each and I don't have that much money to spend on something which isn't really essential. But this one only cost £4, and the leather looks like it's in pretty good condition without scratches or anything. I think it'll be really good for the art trip to Paris in October, because it's so strong and I can put all my art materials and camera in it for walking around lots and lots of museums and galleries!
These boots have been so great, I found them in a charity shop at Hunstanton for mere £2.50! Every time I've worn them since people have asked me where I got them, and is it bad that I kind of like saying that they were thrifted?? Haha, i'm one of those people who hates it when people have the same stuff as me, not because I want to stand out or anything but I would just rather my clothes only belong to me.

I'm staying at Hunstanton again this weekend until monday, so who knows I may find some other good things on the charity shop crawl with mum!

bodysuit, shorts, boots, backpack- all thrifted, tights- H&M, socks- Topshop