Paris 2014 - Prints

During our (my boyfriend and I) holiday in Paris, we took time to visit the wonderful building that is Notre Dame. 

My outfit choice was inspired by a friend from work. I work at H&M and she was asked to style an outfit for a 17 year old girl and she combined prints similar to the ones existent in my cardigan and my skirt. I liked the pattern combination so much I recreated it myself.

There is a story behind the skirt though; bought from Depop, originally primark, I paid £7 for and its a size 6! I can't believe that it fits as for bottoms I am usually a size 10; as the skirt is fairly high-waisted and my waist is closer to an 8 than a 10, luckily this gorgeous item managed to fit around my frame!

Bag - H&M // Cardigan - New Look // Top - Hobbs London (Charity Shop Sourced) // Skirt - Primark (Depop Sourced) // Sunglasses - H&M

Shoes - Converse

The attention to detail that is upon Notre Dame is amazing; the carvings are very intricate. The windows in the pictures below from the outside can't be seen, and due to the low lit lighting inside the building my photograph quality had to suffer.

This is perhaps the best shot of a stained glass window that I took from my trip to Notre Dame. The colours and patterns are very inspiring; although my look is very monochromatic with blues and greens thrown in here and there, I can't help but feel galvanised by the colours to perhaps inspire either future outfit, accessories or design choices.

Tell me, what are you favourite print or colour combinations? 

Paris 2014 - Monochrome

This Summer I have been lucky enough to venture to the beautiful fashion capital and city of romance that is Paris accompanied by my boyfriend for 7 nights. 

Whilst on our first holiday together, we nervously and excitedly explored the sights, including the Eiffel Tower, Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and had at least three visits to the infamous Champs Elysees. 

The day before we arrived in Paris was a very important day for me, as I found out whether I had achieved my A Level grades which would grant me access to study Fashion Business and Promotion at Birmingham City University. Luckily I did what I had to do, and I am now a fashion student. Therefore, I tried my best to reflect Parisian style within my outfit choices and looking stylish is even more important to me now than it was before. I do feel that my visit to Paris and seeing the French styles has definitely influenced my own personal style and will shape my purchasing choices also. 

Although I stayed in Paris for 7 nights, I am only going to post 3 Parisian inspired outfits to my blog. 

Cardigan - New Look // Camisole - H&M // Skirt - New Look // Shoes - Converse

Watch - DKNY // Sunglasses - H&M

This outfit includes pieces which have not been worn by myself before, so it was good to be able to combine my recently bought purchases (excluding my converse) to style this outfit. I would have worn my H&M loafers which you will see in two posts time, however my boyfriend and I insisted on walking everywhere around Paris to admire the views that Paris had to offer. 

On this day we ended up going to Place du Concorde, and we had intended on visiting the Orangerie Musee to admire Claude Monet's waterlilies however the museum was unfortunately closed. This meant another visit to the Champs Elysees! 

Here are some shots from our day out. 

Where did you go on your first holiday on your own?

The Charity Shopper

On the 20th June, excited and exhausted, I approached the end of the endurance test called A-Levels. Since then, I have been filling my time with the hobby that I do best: shopping. 

However in the past two months, although indeed I have also been spending my money in the typical high street names such as H&M and New Look, I have also been finding many gems within charity shops such as Oxfam, Shakespeare's Hospice and Acorns to name but a few. 

Although it may not appeal to some, purchasing cast offs is actually one way to save money whilst still managing to achieve a stylish look. It is also a way to find unique pieces, that you perhaps may have not found when they were originally in their high street homes. 

Silk Cami - 99p (Unbranded) // Hawaiian Leaf Print Dress (Originally New Look) £3 // Faux Leather Backpack (Originally F+F) £1.50

Total Cost of the Above: £5.49

Favourite Piece: F+F Faux Leather Backpack; screams vintage and has many handy holders within its two compartments. 

Navy Hibiscus Tank - £3 (Billabong) // Mom Jeans - £8 (Levis!) // Belt - £1 (Unbranded) 

Total Cost of the Above: £12 (+£15 alterations for the Levis... they were Size 12) 

Favourite Piece: Levi Jeans; great purchase, great price!

White Square Neckline Cami - £4 (Hobbs London) // Dark Grey Chiffon Cami - £3 (Pearce II Fionda) // Platform Shoes - £15 (Topshop) 

Total Price for the Above: £21

Favourite Piece: Topshop Platforms! I have to admit, these weren't actually found in a charity shop. They were found on Depop, which is an app for Apple and Android, which is sort of like eBay, but in my personal opinion, better! I have been using Depop to sell my own clothes as well as purchase everyone else's and have made over £150 so far. It is a lot easier than eBay; all you do is take a picture, add a description and price and you are ready to sell.

Both items (Topshop) found on Depop for a bargain price of £27 in total!
Topshop Playsuit £12 // Topshop Platforms £15

The above items as stated previous; not found in a charity shop, but on the app Depop. These are still second hand buys however, and I imagine I have saved a considerable amount of money by purchasing them through those means. If I remember correctly, the Topshop Playsuit worn by my favourite fashion blogger Danielle Bernstein (www.weworewhat.com) was somewhere in the region of £48 to buy new; I purchased this playsuit off a girl that had worn it once and it arrived in perfect condition. 

I like to feel that my finds in the charity shop are on trend; palm leaf prints and mom jeans are very in  at the moment or at least definitely were the high streets are concerned. Cropped camisoles, usually with square necklines or halter ties are also very in at the moment and I like to think that my 99p find satisfies that trend. 

I also like to feel that more of you will shop second hand as you never know what you are missing out on; a major tip of advice though, you have to really delve and search through pretty much every section and every item in a charity shop to find something special. I have come across several designer pieces such as Dolce and Gobanna and Jaeger in charity shops and although they weren't my size, there are bound to be special designer and unique treasures waiting for you in your nearest one, for very affordable prices. 

What's been your favourite charity shop find?