'Tis The Season To Be Shopping

Hey guys!

  Well, most of you, at least I am, are doing a whole lot of shopping these days. I've been raiding online retail shops this month, buying so much stuff that I'll probably never use. However, I just received my pieces for Christmas' and New Years' eve (thank god they arrived on time!).

Every now and then I search through my wardrobe to find some pieces that I forgot about or actually trying to find something I remember and forgot were I've put it. Each time I do this search, I notice I have a bunch of dresses which I bought for special occasions and never got to wear them again. For this very reason, before I chose what to search for this year's celebrations, I decided that I needed something which I can either transform into several different outfits, or something which I can add a jumper or another clothing piece to dress it down.

I finally went with these 2 babies :

This top (almost looks like brocade) hits 3 mayor trends for this season: peplum, baroque, and metallics. The deep scoop neck, gold pattern and its material makes this top a gorgeous piece to own. I planned to wear this over a high-waisted black skirt, which makes it look like a peplum dress. You can always pair it with a pair of black trousers and heels for a night out, or over shorts (I actually really like peplum over shorts, in fact I've tried this top over a burgundy pair which I mentioned here) for a more casual look. Before I forget, you can grab this top for 16€ here.

Ok. This dress is amazeballs. Having pleather shoulders with gold studs (both flat and spiked studs) and an amazing fit, this dress is definitely one of the best buys for this year. Its material is surprisingly very good (boohoo tends to let me down on this aspect), and even though it doesn't have a side zip, it's very easy to wear. I'm planning to wear this with a coat (maybe grey or black?) and a pair of coloured heels. For a more casual look, I can always add a jumper and use it as a skirt, or maybe add an open parka for an urban look. They even do it in khaki which makes the pleather shoulders stand out more. You can click here to see the khaki version or buy this dress at just 22€!

As you can see, I kept within a low budget, and I don't regret it for a sec!

So what will you be wearing this Christmas and New Years' Eve?

-R x

Tights Out!

Hey guys!

    Since the weather has become cooler (finally!), I'm so happy that I'm finally wearing my jackets, sweaters and hoodies. But you know what? I'm even happier that I can wear tights without feeling too hot to actually stand them for long hours.

Don't you just hate that feeling in the morning of having to slip on jeans (or most other trousers) when they're absolutely freezing cold. I don't understand how this works. Jeans are either too hot for summer or too cold for winter. 

Tights and leggings are the solution. You have two options: its either tights/leggings with a pair of shorts or a skirt, OR wear tights/leggings underneath your trousers for extra warmth (and not having to freeze every time you have to put on trousers). 

This year, leggings and patterned tights were huge. Aztec, cosmic, skeleton, weird (in a good way) scenes and designs, anything really. They also had different materials: wetlook, pleather, velvet, lace, cotton and even foil-looking. Maybe you've heard of Black Milk leggings which have an incredibly vast range of different patterns. From many reviews I've read, they have high quality material and they a perfect fit. Down side? They're not cheap at all!  Bright side?  There are a huge amount of alternatives. 

This post is one of those save-spend-splurge kind of post, in which I'll show you some alternatives and substitutions starting from the cheapest. (Sorry for the previous rambling!) 

Save

Ok, so you want a good deal, and not spend that much on a pair of leggings.  However, there is still the fact that they have to be cool and creative in order to stand out. In fact, the leggings (should) make your outfit. As I mentioned in a previous post, Romwe are a cheaper version of Black Milk clothing and yet they still have that creative touch. Thumbs up for free delivery!

Here are some of my favourites:

 

You can find the wine velvet leggings here. For a more daring look you might try out the skeleton ones. However, these baroque leggings stole my attention. I mean, seriously, they're sick. They also come with this anime male print which makes them even more intriguing.

                                         

These tights look cool as well! If you're wondering how you can style these type of tights, I've already put an outfit together with this pair in this post.

For other design check their site: Romwe

Spend

If you can afford, why not go for a better looking pair? Lovelysally, is an italian site which offers incredible looking leggings. Even though there are some delivery charges, they are still cheaper than the Black Milk ones. The thing is, they only have the wet-look type leggings. 

Here are some of the coolest designs they have:

These smoke leggings and the feathery pair look amazing. Oh, and 10 points for the outfit ideas given.

And for you trolls out there, the space cat leggings:

Take a look at their collection: Lovelysally

Splurge 

And finally, if you can afford or you've been saving up (good for you!) go for the Black Milk leggings. I don't have a pair myself but seriously, I haven't seen any bad reviews. The fabric is soft and very stretchy, yet the print doesn't become stretched or see-through. The waistband is wider then the previously mentioned leggings which gives you a better fit and stays as high as you want it. The print is also of a higher definition and remains completely opaque.

Let me shut up and show you some of the prints :

The whole collection can be seen here: Black Milk

Hope you found this post useful! 

-R x

Hello, High low!

Hey guys!

     Every retail outlet seems to have stocked these hi-lo (some shops refer to them as waterfall, asymmetric or dip hem) pieces even for the colder season. Whether its a skirt, a shirt, jumper or a dress, you can always dress them up or use them to put together a casual outfit.

I personally have a couple of high low shirts and a jumper which I absolutely love.

Here are some outfits ideas which I put together:

Outfit #1: Grunge

In this outfit, I put on a khaki sweater from Dorothy Perkins (you can find it here), over a dip hem black dress. You can find a similar one from Topshop here. This is a perfect way to dress down a very elegant dress and make a whole new outfit. I added a pair of taupe Jeffrey Campbell Litas, and although they are really easy to walk in, one might opt for a more relaxed look and put on a pair of brown military boots. These ones are from ALDO. For accessories, I decided to go for a bronze chain necklace and stack up some bracelets and rings (both from asos). Just add a brown satchel and you're ready to go!

Outfit #2: Coral

Whether you believe it or not, this is the same dress used in the previous outfit. However, this is a totally different look and definitely more classy. For shoes I went for a pair of black suede Jeffrey Campbell Tardy. Black dress: check. Black shoes: check. Boring outfit: check. Blazers are a perfect way to add some colour to a plain outfit. I chose this gorgeous coral blazer and this khaki clutch from Miss Selfridge which are a perfect combination since their colours are complimentary. For accessories, I chose to keep it simple and just put on a pair of elegant black and gold studs, which go with the gold waist belt. 

Outfit #3: Preppy

This time, I chose to style a floral dip hem shirt. Although jeggings are a definite no for short and crop tops, I tolarate their use when combined with a long shirt (or any top really). These pair of maroon jeggings look amazing, and paired with a cream brogue make the ideal spring outfit. However, we're still in the A/W season, so I added a cream (or limestone) leather jacket from oasis. For accessories, I decided not to wear any except for this cute mint bag. 

Outfit #4 Lazy  

You know those days when you feel like doing absolutely nothing? This outfit is perfect for those kind of days because it very laid back and doesn't need any thinking really. First, the cobalt blue dip hem jumper from Miss Selfridge. Put on a pair of suede leggings (these ones are from New Look) for comfort and some long boots. I chose a huge black hobo bag (in which you can put anything and there's still space) for an even more relaxed look. To finish off, put on a snood and you're ready for the day. 

Outfit #5: Edgy

On the other hand, this outfit is for those nights when you feel like a diva and ready to rock the red carpet (or maybe just your outdoor carpet). I chose to create on outfit using this champagne pink high low skirt. If you're feeling confident enough to show off some skin, go for a bralet. Do not go over the top or else you'll look trashy. This teal bralet is also from Miss Selfrige, which you can purchase here. Up till now, the outfit is a really girly one, so I added a black leather jacket to toughen it up and a pair of black sandals from River Island (on asos) for an edgier look. For accessories, I chose to go with rose gold, specifically this Coach watch which I'm sure is in many wishlists this Christmas. 

Outfit #6 : Uber Urban

And finally, the last outfit. Again, I chose a dip hem skirt, but for a really different look. As you can see, this one is more for those who are daring enough to combine dip hem with sneakers. The teal colour of the skirt and the orange turtle neck (the famous crop turtle neck from American Apparel) are both bright pieces so I decided to chose everything else in one colour. Grey. In my opinion it is one of the most under rated colours. Grey sneakers and a grey beanie from Topshop are the two things which make the outfit urbanized. To finish off, I added a washed grey denim jacket for the cold weather. 

What is your opinion on high low clothing? 

-R x

OOTD: Burgundy

Hey guys!

 I decided to start doing 'outfit of the day' posts, however, since I have no good quality camera, I have to stick to polyvore for a picture of how the outfit looks. I actually wore this outfit yesterday for university, and even though it was really cold and I wore no jacket, it kept me warm. 

This is how the outfit looks like :

The focus is obviously on the high-waisted shorts which I bought from New Look, just yesterday. You can still find them here. Its colour is a mix of wine, purple (in sunlight) and burgundy. It's a perfect piece to mix and match for the berry trend going on. I decided to tuck in my brown jumper for a smarter look (and preppier?) and I added a cable knitted beige grandad cardi to keep my blood flowing in this cold. For extra warmth, I put on a black snood, which I also bought from New Look together with the shorts. These are already sold out, but they have a similar one here. To finish off this outfit, I wore a pair of black military boots and semi-opaque plain tights. 

Again, sorry for not being able to post actual photos of how the outfit looks on. Hope you like it!

- R x

The Era of De Nîmes

Hey guys!

Recently, one of my best friends asked me how she should style her denim shirt as she always end up more or less with the same outfit every time she feels like wearing it. First things first. Denim. Why is it such a staple piece to have? Well, it goes with almost everything! Leather, fur, animal prints, double denim (careful with this one!), knitwear and anything else, you name it. It also goes with different colours and any pattern.

This year, a denim shirt was a must. Whether you wear it as a layering piece or on its own, in my opinion, the shirt makes an outfit. I bought my denim shirt from Stradivarius, which you can find here. As soon as a saw the studded collars (which are also a bang on trend this year)  I immediately grabbed it and bought it.

Here are some outfits which I put together for any of you who are stuck with the basic, denim-shirt-with-black-bottoms, outfit.

In this outfit, I added an oxblood studded jumper to throw over the denim shirt. You can find jumpers in almost every shop now that the A/W collections are out. These forest green creepers, which I might add are to die for, compliment the berry colour in the outfit. A tan satchel was chosen to go with the tan vamp of the creepers. Plain black trousers were a must so as not to have too much colours going on and these awesome glasses were added to have some quirkiness. 

An open denim shirt with a white printed tee is the perfect combination. To spice up the outfit, I've added these lovely tartan trousers by Ralph Lauren (I'm pretty sure my purse just shouted : ouch! ) and this gorgeous fringe necklace. For a grungier look, I've teamed this outfit with black military boots and backpack.

Denim shirt can also be used for more a urban look. I've chosen to team this denim shirt with a black faux leather jacket. Capri pants can always make an outfit look a bit more chic. These camel pair were one option. You can also wear camel leggings (if the shirt is long enough!). A spiked necklace on top of a denim shirt will make it look more edgy. And finally, the blue suede shoes (Elvis would approve of this outfit! ).

Hope this helped you!

-R x