Working Girl - Intern shopping spree.

I have been off uni since early June que me embracing slob life after working hard for exams however I always love the idea of a stress free summer then end up getting really really bored. So luckily I have the opportunity to intern for a few weeks at a magazine publishing company which is rather exciting. However since being at uni my wardrobe has started to consist of mainly casual clothes and I cannot rock up in crop tops/ stupidly short denim levi's etc. I'm a working woman now I need to get my smart on. Having said this I interned there last summer for 3 month and at their sister company the summer before and the dress code is pretty laid back for an office but still I feel it's probably for the best that my chest and arse remained covered at all times. After numerous trips to Milton Keynes I found NOTHING que a slight breakdown and a genuine moment considering whether I could just rock up to work in my birthday suit (JOKING I would get arrested). So my mum and I hopped in the car and off we drove to Birmingham and boy did it not disappoint.

 

First off is this skater skirt from Oasis of all places, genuinely don't think I've bought anything from there possibly ever. But I walked past and this pleather skater skirt caught my eye and I had to have a nose as I missed out on the H and M one from a few months ago. I tried it on and bam it was perfect, honestly the most flattering skirt in the world and is a nice length so won't be exposing myself when I bend over which is always a win. Worn with studded collar shirts, slouchy tees or floral blouses I can tell this skirt is going to be my go to piece all winter not just for work.

Next up is All Saints. If you have read my Oh Gatsby post you may recognise this bad boy. I have lusted after All Saints sequinned skirts for as long as I can remember so just had to pick one up as it was so discounted. It looks equally good with slouchy tees in black or neutral tones as well as knitwear, tights and boots. 

I also found this blouse for £32 quid down from around £60. I love the details; the frills, the buttons, the neckline. I just could't help myself as I haven't seen anything like it before.  However I do feel I look a bit like a beautician in it but hey.

Next up I hit Urban Outfitters. I am also cursed when it comes to denim jackets I.loose.them.every.year so had to pick up a new one after loosing my third one in three years. I bought it over sized so it looks sort of 80's, my boyfriend says it looks like something Kelly would have worn in Saved by the Bell which is I personally think is a good thing.

 

I've been loving neons for a while so when I found this neon yellow Cheap Monday t-shirt I decided I needed in my life. I love the shape of it, it drapes beautifully and it looks A-mazing with my Oasis skirt.

My obsession with The Kooples has been a long one and with a 50% sale I couldnt not pick up a few bits. This stag print shirt with neck tie I have had my eye on since it first came into store so with 50% off i new i was taking this bad boy home. 

This knit jumper looks beautiful with the All Saints skirt and I love the stone colour, it's also the most flattering shape known to man.

Toppers is my go to place every winter for a pair of boots. I chose the Ambush boots over the Allegra's last year however they are looking extremely tatty so when I saw this season Allegra's called the Alexy's I couldn't leave them!

I have been looking for a gold chunky knecklace for months and finally spotted this beauty in Selfridges in their Go Go Philip range for a very reasonable £15. Boom.

So that'a what I picket up on my shopping spree, I just needed a few key pieces that smartened up my wardrobe and overall am very satisfied with my buys. However me being me I definitely am thinking my work wardrobe won't be complete until I bag myself a camouflage jacket and an embellished gap-yah jacket and perhaps some jacquard skirt.... I think I need help.


Kathryn x

The hunt for the perfect maxi skirt.

For the last few summers I have wanted one thing: the perfect maxi skirt. I'm rather short and not exactly a skinny mini so if I'm honest I feel I resemble a house in them... a very wide house. I initially wanted a jersey one however made my hips look far to wide and then last year I wanted a pleated one but dear god my arse is too large for that. So anyway I had resigned myself to a maxi-skirt-less life. But, this season I noticed something different. Instead of bulky wades of fabric, the high street are offering chiffon maxi's, with short skirts underneath with splits up the thighs. Meaning a bit of flesh was still on show and the dreaded bulk is somewhat avoided. Suddenly I knew my prayers had been answered.

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1. This beauty is my ultimate love, I found it in the Zara store in Milton Keynes, however it was the only one left and the zip was buggered and the sales woman said that Zara refuses to discount damaged clothing (SHAME ON YOU ZARA). I went on a search in Manchester and online and I had friends in Leeds, Bournemouth and Sheffield looking for it but I couldn't find it ANYWHERE however when I was in London for my birthday I found it!!! The only issue being it's a size too big but I bought it anyways and hopefully the mother can take it in. 
2. Before I found the Zara one in London I went on a hunt for a similar one, I found this ASOS beauty but yet again IT WAS SOLD OUT IN MY SIZE - que me having a minor breakdown over my unluckiness. However my lovely mother kept checking ASOS on the sly every 5 mins and eventually a size 10 came back in stock and she surprised me with it on my birthday! Ta Mum. 
3. I'm loving my coral however I'm defs thinking a black one is needed in my wardrobe EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD IN BLACK and I have this weird thing where I like to buy the same thing or very similar in various colours.

Anyway they are, I tend to wear them with a block colour I'm especially loving them worn with this black crop top from Blue Rinse as there is the perfect amount of skin left showing. I then wear this simple collar necklace from H and M and I'm good to go.

What I love so much is that depending on the weather (which is extremely variable in England) or occasion I can style them up or down...

For dinner or drinks with friends/fam//boyf I accessorise with my Zara beaded clutch and these white wedges from Topshop. They're so beaut however after a rather *ahem* intoxicated night out they're a bit scuffed but ho hum I still love them.

For sunnier days (these are few and far between but sometimes miracles do happen and we have sun) I wear them with this statement Zara Clutch and River Island sandals. 

For the more common rainy and nippy days I whack on my trusty Topshop Ambush boots and Mulberry Alexa neither of which ever fail to complete an outfit. 

So all in all they're versatile, can be worn day or night with heels or flats. They're also perfect for work, I'm interning at a magazine publishing company this summer and although it's fairly casual I dont't want to rock up in stupidly short vintage Levi's as it may be slightly inappropriate to flash the ol' bum cheeks at work. 

Kathryn x 

Oh! Whats Occurring?

I love a bit of leather. A leather jacket is obviously a must in every girls wardrobe and it's one of the items I own that I will always spend that little bit more on because I know how loved mine always are. However leather is generally expensive so when it comes to other pieces like shorts and trousers im not adverse to a bit of faux leather *ahem* pleather. 

These waxed trousers are from Zara, I would have killed for the real leather J Brand or All Saints beauties but I cannot justify spending hundreds of pounds on real leather trousers which realistically I will only wear a couple of times a year. I love the gold zip detailing and as they are only waxed rather than full on leather they are much less scary to wear as well as more day time appropriate!

These pleather shorts are from Topshop last year and have been seriously well loved. The look gorgeous with a chunky knit jumper for day or with heels for a night out. 

This leads me on to my hunt for a leather/ pleather skirt. The hunt has been on for quite a few years as I won't lie to you every time I found one I had hideous visions of Nessa from Gavin and Stacey and that is one comparison I can bloody well do without.

So anyway it was absolutely chucking it down in Manchester recently (shocking I know) so I decided to take refuge in the H and M on Market Street. I have a strange relationship with H and M, their advertising campaign and look books are always really impressive and quite a few people I know find some absolute gems in there, I on the other hand am usually left empty handed and disappointed. However it's been newly refurbished and looked bright, uncluttered and quite a few things in the window caught my eye: essentially the opposite to the store environment before. So I walked in and there it was, a leather, well pleather,skirt that ticked all my boxes. It’s barginous (£14.99), a simple design and although it’s faux leather it avoids that awful shine fake leather often has.

Paired with a simple shirt and a statement necklace or a neon knit (there are the PERFECT fine neon knit sweaters in Zara at the minute I will be running to buy tomorrow) the skirt makes the perfect dinner/drinks outfit when worn with wedges but styled with embellished sandals I can see myself wearing it come July when I start an internship. 

Kathryn x

P.S. I am sure some of you are thinking, leather?! In Summer?! That could lead to some sweaty situations. However as I write this I kid your not it is as if it is the apocalypse, I have never seen so much rain. So I feel I am very much justified in buying essentially winter clothes in June. 


P.P.S You will only understand the title if your a Gavin and Stacey fan! 

Oh Gatsby.

One of my all time favourite books is F Scott Fitzgerald's ‘The Great Gastsby’, I love everything about it: the decadence and frivolity of the time, the characters, the desciption of Gatsby’s house and of course the fashion. I’m also mildly obsessed with the 1974 film so when I heard Baz Luhrmann was re-making it staring, victim of one hell of a girl-crush, Carey Mulligan and, my four year old self’s ideal man, Leonardo Dicaprio I got far too excited. The trailor has just been released and I won’t lie I’m watching it over and over again... I’m that sad. 

Any how I have obviously been loving the costumes and this got me thinking to last September to the Ralph Lauren and Gucci shows who provided us with an abundance of 20’s style pieces with drop waists, heavy embellishment, cloche hats, palazzo pants and art deco patterns. Ralph Lauren’s collection in particular could have literally been the costumes for the movie and coincidentally he designed the costumes for the original film.

This got me thinking to my own wardrobe, I new I had some 20’s style pieces to wear in homage to my Gatsby loving. And after looking through a few boxes I found them.

The first top is from Topshop and I bought it around a year and a half ago in Bristol and rather shamefully it still has the tag on! It’s a beautiful deep mint green colour and what I love so much about it is the neckline which hints at an art deco pattern. I will definitely start wearing it now!

The second top was actually a birthday present from an ex boyf when I was 17. It was from River Island and I have literally worn it to death.

The final 20’s style piece is actually my Year 11 prom dress so that was back in 2009. I’m not really the sort of girl to wear a diamanteed up My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding style prom dress and I yearned for an All Saints 20’s style dress but I couldn't afford the hefty £250 price tag as an unemployed 15 year old so this Oasis number had to do. And actually I love it and I still wear it nearly 3 years later!

Three years on and All Saints are still selling the 20’s style dresses I love, however they are now offering slightly more affordable skirt versions which I definatley intend to treat myself to when I get some birthday money.

I am aware the film isn't released until christmas time, what can I say I'm massively keen!

Kathryn x

I am stressed therefore I shop.

Apologies for the massive blog slacking, exams have been casually ruining my life. I have gone home in a last ditch attempt to try and revise without distractions so my day to day existence is spent sat looking over lecture notes I do not, and will never understand and then occasionally leaving the house to either see the boyf or travel back up to Manchester for an exam. You don't have to say it, my life is thrilling. I'm going through some serious uni related confusion at the same time as doing exams. This combination means I do one thing ... shop. So off I popped to Milton Keynes shopping center with the intension of doing some serious retail therapy. And you know what I feel 100 times better post spending splurge. Here are a few things I bought.


First off are what I have dubbed as my 'Birthday Shoes'. As it's my birthday at the start of June, I obviously feel I need a whole new outfit and when I saw these bad boys in Kurt Geiger I simply couldn't walk away. I'm a sucker when it comes to studded shoes (lets be honest I'm a sucker for studded anything) and have a worrying obsession with Sam Eldman and these have a feel of his footwear. I can't walk in them to save my life mind and have a feeling when these are combined with alcohol they may make a lethal combination which results in me being rather too well acquainted with the floor. But oh well, they're pretty.

Next up are a slightly more sensible pair of shoes. I popped into Office and bought some plain white low top converse. It was a toss up between these and Vans but went for Converse as I think they look better with Disco Pants which I, along with the rest of the world, have been living in. Their a little dirty already as I have  worn them i kid you not every day since buying them.

Next up I went to Topshop and found just a simple floral crop top which'll be perfect when/ if we FINALLY have some sunshine.

I of course couldn't go shopping without visiting Zara. I have a minor obsession with tie-dye and felt I needed this top in my life as it was less than 20 quid and I have been eyeing up a similar jumper in Urban Oufitters at over double the price! Boom. 

I've also been loving crochet and this white jumper with ribbon detail just needs to be paired up with leather shorts and converse and it's good to go!

Finally from Zara I bought this mint cardie. Like every other girl, woman, blogger in the known universe I have become obsessed with pastels this season. My wardrobe is now full of pastel shades where it was once a sea of grey and black. Am I turning into a human fondant fancy? Yes yes I am.

Me and the madre also went for a cheeky Wagamamas. How much do you love that restaurant? I do go there slightly too regularly, it's got to the point where the staff know me which is always slightly worrying. I had chilli squid and Yaki Soba it's what I get EVERY TIME and it never disappoints.

So the moral of today...When your feeling down, buy clothes and eat Wagamamas. Simple pleasures.

Kathryn x