Every Picture (Skirt) Tells A (Vintage) Story!

 Hi everyone!! One of my very favourite vintage thrift finds was this skirt a couple of years ago from a local boot sale for the princely sum of 25p. It's a typical 80s style, but what drew me to it- apart from the price of course!-was the print all around the skirt.

It's of a ladies bedroom with a dressing table, mirror and perfume bottles and the beauty of it is that it can be dressed with a simple cami top to show the prettiness of it and be the statement piece that it is:

These pictures are from a couple of Summers ago- I do still have the skirt and the Zara cami top and Alberta Ferretti sandals, although the skirt waist button needs shifting slightly before it can be worn again this Summer!!

Do you have a statement skirt or summer dress that you'll be wearing this Summer?

St Katherine's Dock and Tower Bridge, MyStyle Out and About

Hi everyone! Today I thought I would share some pictures from last month when the weather was especially hot and sunny where I live. We decided to visit St Katherine's Dock and Tower Bridge, which is our favourite choice for either a spot of weekend breakfast, a mint or fennel tea pit stop or just for an afternoon browse taking in the sights, soaking up the sun and a spot of people watching.

Stylewise, I was a tad overdressed for all the sunshine- I wore Wrangler tan boots, Zara bleached jeans, grey Whistles tee-both thrifted and a new Primark scarf:

I really love this part of London-to me, it can't be beaten when you want to have a chilled out, relaxing time in the sun for a while and with it only being a 15 minute drive from where we live we do tend to visit fairly frequently:

Everytime we visit I always say that when I win the lottery, I'll be buying an apartment in one of these blocks!!

The Marina has some awesome yachts and sailing boats, sigh.....

A gorgeous view of the Thames, the Shard and Tower Bridge

This was the flotilla used in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year

My full outfit of choice for the day!!

What is your first choice destination for getting out and about in the Sun this Summer?

London Collections:Men 2013 Hunger TV Backstage by ChrisSearle.com

Hi everyone!! Today I thought I would share with you the excellent work and photos that my eldest son Chris took at the London Collections: Men 2013 last week for Hunger TV magazine

This is his second time of covering the event and you can check out his whole portfolio on his webpage Chrissearle.com To say I am proud of his achievements to date is an understatement-he only left college this time last year and he has regularly worked and contributed photography for Hypebeast and i-D Magazine online as well as working full time in London for a men's fashion PR company-phew, he is one busy bee!!

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do and please feel free to check out his work too !!

High Heels, Wedges or Sandals-Take Your Pick!!

With the weather so intermittent lately, it's really hard to try and put together any chosen summer pieces or outfits without layering up a little. So it's great news that footwear from Heels Republic have some fabulous styles of sandals and shoes here which will all be perfect for dressing an outfit up during the day or for choosing a night time stylish look that doesn't have to be weather reliant.

Whether you opt for heels, wedges or sandals this Summer, there are different styles to suit all occasions and budgets and they come in a lovely variety of different colours too. I've picked a selection of my favourites, which are not only ideal for Summer and evening wear, but can transcend the seasons through rain or shine:

Black strappy heels, 69$

Low Summer Wedges 59$

Multi colour wedges, 79$

Grey platform heels, 59$

Here's hoping these styles will inspire you on your next shoes or sandals purchase!!

Wimbledon-Inspired Fashion

Wimbledon Tennis is just round the corner, and so too is the annual courtside catwalk. Sharapova and Serena showdowns aside, the fiercest competition surrounds fashion. It’s little wonder, with Kate Middleton (royalty) and Anna Wintour (fashion royalty) as regular attendees. Place all bets now for this year’s champion–my money is on Mrs Beckham!

Whether you’ve bagged yourself centre court tickets or you just plan on drinking Pimms in the beer garden, there’s no excuse not to get into the festive spirit with a Wimbledon-inspired outfit. You don’t need to don all-over tennis whites to sport a preppy cool look however. This pleated Cromer dress from Fever ticks all the boxes, and the navy body means spilt strawberries and cream won’t ruin your fashion moment. Nor will grass stains if you’re cheering on Britain from Murray Mount.  Plus, its vintage feel is a sure way to stand out from the floral maxi-dress wearing crowd.

Team with pumps for a sportily chic trifecta of pleats, plimsolls and patriotic colour, and take inspiration from the umpires with a blazer thrown on top.  Keep hair down to avoid overkill – you don’t actually want to be mistaken for an umpire – but make sure it’s in good condition. Last year was the battle of the blow-dries between Kate Middleton and Andy Murray’s girlfriend Kim Sears, and this year is sure to all about bouncy hair and sun-kissed highlights again. I’ll be slathering on a deep conditioning mask and popping my hair in heated rollers for Wimbledon-worthy hair.

If you’re looking for something a bit more glam, the dress can be dolled up with wedges – a Wimbledon style staple – and a red lip for effortless summer gorgeousness.  For the brave or those who are not going to be traipsing around the lawn club all day, this season’s pointed-toe skinny heel will look equally amazing. Cover up with an elegant cardigan, and you’ll be fit to go from day to night effortlessly. What’s more, you’ll have Roger Federer look-a-likes swooning in no time. Who knows, you might even catch the eye of the man himself! We can dream.

My Recipe for Successful Thrifting and Recent Finds: Zara, Topshop and Church's Shoes

Hi everyone!! I've been pretty quiet on showing my thrift finds recently and also having regular 'bloggers block' bouts lately too where I've been not sure what direction my blog is going in and what I want to regularly post about really hasn't helped. Thankfully I've had a 'lightbulb' moment in that my blog is ThriftMyStyle so I should really go back to my roots and get back to sharing my finds with you all, so hopefully you gain some thrift inspiration for future purchases and get an idea of what 'thrifting' is all about.

 Searching out decent pieces at the boot sales and charity shops seems to be getting increasingly harder, but not impossible and I hope my finds will inspire you to get to your local boot sales or charity shops and check out what's on offer. 

When I go on my thrifting trips I try to stick to an agenda of things I want to get-like normal shopping, it's still important to have an idea of pieces that will compliment and enhance your wardrobe so you don't end up coming home with carrier bags of clothes just because they were cheap. When I am on the hunt for things my main priorities are quality and potential: whether it's a vintage, high street or designer item it has to be right for me and not just bought because of the label attached to it- I've knocked back plenty of designer pieces on my travels-just because it's got a Chloe or Roberto Cavalli label in it if it's not my style or doesn't suit me, then it's not coming home- I'd rather go away empty handed then spend money on items that I know I don't completely love. In the same breath, be prepared to keep your eyes open, rummage and expect the unexpected to pop up as you never know when you're going to come across that 'right' item for you.

After searching for weeks and weeks in early Spring for denim shirts and coming up with nothing I've now found about three which will be real staples in my wardrobe. This particular one by Zara was £2 at the boot sale a couple of weeks ago and is a nice longer length to wear over cami tops and tees open in the summer:

It also has some lycra content so it's nice and comfortable for wearing as a casual piece this Summer and I love the short sleeves and navy popper detailing too:

My other thrift find from last week is this pair of mock croc leather heeled shoes from the legendary shoemaker Church's English Shoes which is a brand with such heritage and quality, it was actually taken over by Prada in 1999. These were from my local Sue Ryder charity shop and the person who had them before me had actually newly reheeled them- bearing in mind this normally costs about £6 now, the shoes were worth buying for just £5.75 and in my size too:

They are a timeless, classic design and will go perfectly with jeans so they don't look too matronly or mumsy. I love the gold gilt chain and the little heel is the perfect height for me:

This Topshop gold and silver lurex tee was from the boot sale a few weeks ago for just £2. It is actually more gold in colour with a silvery thread running through and is my nod to the metallics trend this Summer:

It has a real slouchy relaxed feel to it but being metallic it can easily be dressed up or down-the down side of the top is the glitter comes off it a bit, but for the money if it lasts the summer it was worth buying:

Even though it is currently sales season, boot sales across the country are now in full swing with plenty of ladies of all ages trying to sell their quality unwanted items-so for a Sunday morning change go and take a browse and try and bag yourself a bargain, after all it's the cheapest and easiest way to tap into a particular trend for the coming season without breaking the bank!!

Outfit Post: Red Stripes and Denim and The Rough Guide to Vintage London

Hi everyone! Yet another hectic week, the time is flying by and it's been mainly filled with work and home priorities but I thought I would sneak in an outfit post from last week.

This red and white striped Breton tee was only £1 at the booty a couple of months ago but has been a real staple in my wardrobe as it goes with everything. I paired it with another thrift find, my Gap denim jacket from the PDSA charity shop bought earlier this year and my black wet look ruched leggings. I am also wearing my new Topshop cream western style shoes that I bought earlier this year- they are perfect with leggings and jeans and I'll be wearing them a lot this season:

The weather has gone back to being windy, rainy and rather un-Spring like and it's so frustrating that summer pieces have still not been worn yet. I tend to be less adventurous stylewise when the sun isn't shining (or is it just laziness!!) but I still haven't fully adapted to dressing for Summer yet.

I was sent The Rough Guide to Vintage London last month and it's an invaluable guide for anyone wanting to know where to shop, eat and drink with a vintage vibe going on, whether you're in the North, South, East or West part of London. The guide also features specialists through the decades gone by, as well as where to go for vintage fairs, festivals, museums and nights out. There is also detailed maps so you can't get lost trying to find that special place on your agenda. The book's consulting editor is Wayne Hemingway, who originally founded Red or Dead and who now organises the The Vintage festival which will be in Glasgow this year.

I definitely recommend it, not just because I am featured in the websites section, hehe, but it really is a useful and well documented book on all things vintage in London.

I hope you all have a really good weekend, I am hoping to do a boot sale this weekend-depending on the weather that is and generally just chill out. Have a good one, whatever you get up to!!

MyStyle Outfit Post: A Christian Dior and Coca Cola Kinda Day

Hi everyone! I apologize for my lack of regular posts on here and my other style blog Live To Love Denim but there has been a lot going on in my family and personal life which obviously takes priority- hopefully when things start to calm down a bit I will get back in to my regular posting and reading of all my lovely blogger friends. Until then, I will try and do blogposts fairly regularly and come around to read your blogs even if I don't leave a comment.

This particular outfit is from last week and features my current favourite tee and is a thrift find from last month. I don't have a plain red tee and when I saw this Coca Cola one in a local Sense charity shop for £3.45, I snapped it up. I love the 'right' kind of slogan tee and this is slightly oversized and fits perfectly under my leather biker jackets, denim jackets and blazers. It's a great piece to style with anything too and I'm wearing my River Island dark denim pencil skirt which I bought from my local PDSA charity shop a few months ago for less than £4: 

I also decided to wear my lovely Christian Dior clip on earrings which have been the perfect jewellery piece to wear at the moment and were a present from my mother in law:

I am sure I will be wearing this outfit a lot this Summer, the denim skirt makes a fresh change from jeans and the tee gives the whole outfit a relaxed vibe:

Unfortunately the white sandals which I've had for quite a few years decided to snap later on that day which means I really do need to start looking out for a replacement pair of flat white or metallic sandals.

I am linking this post to the lovely Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. 

I hope you all have a great week ahead and here's hoping to continued glorious sunshine wherever you may be! A big thank you to all my lovely readers and followers too, your viewing and commenting is so much appreciated xxx

Found- A casual hat for those bad hair days!!

Hi everyone! I've noticed a continued thread on a lot of my posts in that I've been doing a fair bit of shopping  for accessories in Primark over the last few weeks.

Price wise, it's been great picking up trend led and stylish pieces for well under £10 and this cap I'm wearing is no exception. I was on a hunt for clothes for my younger son-promise!-but made a slight detour, still keeping in the men's section to the accessories where I spied this hat-only a bargainous £3!! But what I like most about it is it doesn't have the traditional 5 panels that a lot of baseball and trucker caps have and from trying on my eldest sons evergrowing collection of caps, I knew this was a style I had to steer clear of as it really doesn't suit me or look right either. This particular style has just a couple of panels and a fairly curved peak-not dead straight and not too curved-for the money I am pleased that I've actually found one that I really like:

This look just has to be worn casually, so I wore my black leather biker jacket, grey marl top and grey River Island skinny jeans:

Hmm, some more Primark here too- these 3 necklaces were a set for less than £2, but style wise, just perfect for me- I do love a touch of skull and diamante!!

Plus I'm wearing my large neon hoop earrings-also from Primark!! I must admit that I do like a lot of their items, but I do have to hunt for the pieces that are right for me and make sure that I ignore a lot of the lesser quality and overly trendy things that are really not my cup of tea at all.

Wishing you all a great week ahead, the weather here in the South East of England is positively glorious and I'm trying to make the most of it by being out and about as much as possible, here's hoping you get a chance to do the same!!