Vintage Presents.......The Classic Car Boot Sale

Keen to fulfill your love for classic cars and vintage collectables? 

For the second year running, the banks of the River Thames will transform for The Classic Car Boot Sale, a TWO DAY EVENT on March 15/16 2014. Curated by Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway + the Vintage Festival team, the event will welcome hundreds of shiny classic cars and vintage goods to the riverfront.

Be prepared to discover wonderful vintage clothing, homewares, pop culture memorabilia, vinyl alongside the best in street food, cocktails, impromptu street performances and a London Routemaster bus hosting a bar and DJs.

The weekend is set to be a classic car and vintage enthusiast's dream.

Put the date in your diary and enjoy a vintage weekend with a difference!

The Perfect Professional Hairdressing Scissors To Create Fashion Forward Looks

When creating fashion-forward hair styles hot off the catwalk this season, a pair of super stylish professional hairdressing scissors is essential to create bang-on-trend haircuts. The coolest stylists match their tools to their individual style - try Jaguar scissors for the most chic and fashionable designs. Available in an array of trendy styles from zebra print to neon shades, the fun scissors are ideal for creating this season’s most-wanted SS14 haircuts.

Edgy Bob

The bob takes on a new identity for spring and is cooler, edgier and more daring than seasons past. Marc by Marc Jacobs and Chanel saw choppy textures, blunt ends, short fringes and bright and bold colours take over this iconic style, bringing it bang up to date. The new bob is ultra-modern, yet also nods back to the nineties thanks to its grungy twist. Think Milla Jovovich in the Fifth Element with her fiery messy bob, the perfect example of nineties does the future.

Dead Straight

Voluminous, bouncy hair is out and dead straight, so cool it hurts hair is in, according to Chloé, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Miu Miu. Super sleek, flat and shiny hair is perfect for rocking a model style, meaning one thing – the straighteners are back! To avoid frazzled, over styled hair, heat protectants are essential to avoid the dreaded frizz – a huge no-no for this look. Hair needs to be seriously straight, with little or long layers and a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude. A layer of shine will give the grungy look a glamorous twist.

The Crop

All the fashionable rebels out there will be chopping off their long hair for a funky short crop this season. From feminine side-swept long crops, choppy punk styles to sixties pixie crops, all seen at Burberry Prorsum, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Chanel, the crop is perfect for those craving an image refresh for summer. A short hairstyle may seem simple and sensible, yet it allows for adventurous makeup and statement outfits. Team a cute crop with extreme eye makeup to counteract the masculine style.

With an array of cool designs to choose from, such as animal print or colour pop, the specialist Jaguar Scissors come in an abundance of colours and patterns to suit your individual style. Essential for fashionable hairstylists, the scissors boast superb performance and reliability, enabling the trendiest haircuts be created in style.  

My Round Up: Outfit Post, More Thrifted MaxMara and Total Spends for January

Hi everyone! I hope your weekend was a good one, I spent Saturday afternoon in a neighbouring local town thrifting and yesterday afternoon I finally managed to track down a pair of skinny distressed jeans- I had planned to splurge and get the Always Skinny distressed jeans from Gap instore, but when I went in to try them I wasn't impressed with how they had distressed them. Around the distressing was squares of white stitching (?) which to me really spoils the appearance of the overall look- I checked the website earlier and zoomed in on the picture and there is definitely shapes of stitching around the distressing of the jeans online too. So these jeans were ruled out before I even tried them on! I decided to check out River Island and H&M and was pleased to find my pair on the sale rail, reduced from £24.99 to £9.99- I'm sure they will appear on the blog sometime soon!

My outfit of choice on Saturday was my oversized Hype grey sweatshirt which was a Christmas present and I wore them with my Levi's boyfriend jeans and Dune biker ankle boots:

I have a real thing about distressed jeans at the moment, my newly found interest of Pinterest has a dedicated Denim Inspiration board which is chocka full of distressed jeans! I also made my distressed rips and holes a bit larger on these jeans on Saturday too: 

My favourite go to this season, a grey sweatshirt goes with anything and the fleecy lining keeps me just snug too:

Going to town on Saturday the weather was lovely-all sunny and dry. Midway through though, the clouds blackened and the heavens opened-the rain was torrential so it was lucky I had a lift back home! 

My thrift trip was quite successful- I found two items that will be lovingly worn and used and this first one was on my style wishlist for a while too. As soon as I saw this wool blended steel grey blazer by Maxmara from Barnado's charity shop and in my size too, I knew I had to have it:

It's ideal for Spring and Summer and the just the right shade of grey too-not too dark:

It's my kind of perfect jacket to go with all my jeans regardless of the style and colour-with a tee underneath and my footwear of choice this will feature a lot in future outfits- I may already have a lot of jackets but I haven't got a grey blazer so it was definitely worth me getting it.

My second item was a Gap dusky pink leather mini slouch bag for £1 which is just perfect for Spring and will provide a pop of colour with neutral styled outfits.

So with the end of January in sight, I've bought the DKNY bag (£3.99) faux fur collar (£2.49), black bobble hat (-50p), necklace (£3) and earrings (£3) from TU, Windsmoor longline jacket (£10), Gap slim boyfriend jeans (£3.99), a white shirt (£1), Primark checked scarf (£4), MaxMara jacket (£6.99), Gap bag (£1), H&M jeans (£9.99) TOTAL £48.95 for 12 items. 7 Thrifted, 5 Shop Bought.

Would I be without any of the above? I am quite happy with all my purchases and I'm pretty sure they are buys that will fit in with what I already own- I am trying to make sure that any purchases I get will be instantly wearable with pieces I already have and are not one season wonders either. If they don't get used this season, then I would want them to roll over to the following appropriate season and not be too trend led that it could easily go out of style.

How has your style spending been going this month-have you managed to stay on track with your budget and did you buy items that will truly fit into your existing wardrobe, regardless of how much you paid for it?

I hope you all have a good week ahead, I'm working most of the week from tomorrow, so I hope to catch up with you all soon!

Windsmoor Grey Longline Jacket Find.......Thrift Mission Accomplished!!

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great week so far, I don't have to work until Friday but I'm currently busy with my younger son and hospital and dentist appointments this week. Monday and Tuesday were fairly free days so I decided to go a thrifting in 2 or 3 local towns. 

I was looking for a grey longline tailored jacket/coat which had so far eluded me and I've come across plenty of grey blazers and jackets which wasn't really what I wanted. Ever since the Isabel Marant/H&M collection was launched and I saw their version of tailored grey jackets, I knew I wanted something similar but not so masculine styled. Also from looking around I came to realise that plain grey was not really flattering on me-it's funny how we envision how much we want something in particular but when trying on the said item it doesn't quite live up to expectations! Here are pictures of what's inspired me lately:

I love this next look-the coat is not too oversized and the whole outfit is simply casual yet chic-my type of look!

I soon realised that going for something texturised might be better suited for me as my black and white tweed coat that I'm always wearing is a real favourite and I love the mix of colouring more than just one plain colour.

With this in mind I was really pleased to find this Windsmoor wool longline jacket yesterday for £10. Windsmoor is an English company that has been going since 1939 and was always synomynous with traditional tailoring using quality woollen textiles in British mills. The company is now owned by the Jacques Vert group, who also own Jacques Vert, Precis, Planet and Windsmoor.

 My very first work coat was bought in our local town's department store from the Windsmoor label and was pillar box red in a longline cocoon shape. The brand has a strong British Heritage that is still popular in major department stores now, such as House of Fraser.

Back to the jacket, it runs true to size and is quite a good fit-the material is a virgin wool mix in a black and white textured tweed style. It is not coat thick but will be so ideal for layering with a grey or black tee (or black merino wool sweater) and a denim shirt or jacket- I might even experiment with a leather jacket or black tailored jacket underneath. Of course my bottoms of choice will be my favourite jeans of the moment! 

So one item ticked off my wishlist- I'm now hunting the perfect pair of bleached distressed skinny jeans and so far my favourite store find has been from Gap, so I'm either going to treat myself next month or hold out for a thrift find for something similar!

Thanks as always for your continued reading and leaving comments, it goes without saying that it's much appreciated and even though I am not commenting as much, I am certainly reading and catching up with your blogs via bloglovin. Enjoy the rest of your week!! 

WhiteBirdPaperwork: From Romy, A Hippy at Heart

"Do small things with great love - That's the mantra of White Bird Paperwork. Business cards don't have to be boring, they shall make you stand out and reflect your personality and benefits. Featuring filigree superfine prints, sophisticated quotes or quirky slogans on eco-friendly high-quality paper, these cards are little pieces of art. They are sure to be noticed by the one you hand them over to! Nothing to throw away and forget, but a lovely treasure for anyone's desk or wallet - and an unique reminder of your business and your qualities!"

So says the lovely Romy of WhiteBirdPaperwork, a newly set up Etsy business that is offering uniquely refreshing designs that are handmade and ethically printed from petroleum free colours and eco friendly inks onto uncoated paper and vegan printing materials, all designed with Romy's attention to detail and hippy chic style in mind.

If you recognise her from her Etsy shop it could well be you have seen her blogging over at Hippy at Heart-she has been a regular blogging friend of mine for a few years now and is based in Germany and she has a wonderful blog which diaries her wonderful vacations, her passion for furniture and fashion and her new addition to her family-Hendrix the cat!!

I thought I would show you her fabulous designs of business cards which would be ideal for any bloggers or style lovers who wish to own a set that are not only unique but are ethically made too:

For Mexico Lovers and Flower Childs: set of 250 for £62.50

Wanna Hire Me? set of 250 for £62.50

Jack Kerouac Quote: set of 250 for £62.50

Little Pieces of Art: set of 250 for £62.50

For Vintage Sellers and Lovers: Paisley design, 250 for £62.50

I hope you manage to get over to Romy's Etsy store and her blog, she is such a lovely young lady and her style is most inspiring and chic! As she says in her own words-'My business cards are perfect for Etsy sellers, vintage sellers, writers, photographers, fashion designers and individuals with a free spirit'.

Pre Fall 2014 Designer Looks for Inspired Wearing & Potential Future Thrift Finds!

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend, mine involved the normal grocery shopping and catching up with housework, mingled in with a little thrift shopping and some downtime relaxing with a few good films.

Although I'm not thrifting as much as I have been used to, I love gaining inspiration from designers and what they're showing off on the catwalks season to season. 

For winter, I am currently loving denim, chunky knits, neutral knits, tailored coats and faux fur and I've found that there is a lot of inspiration from the pre fall 2014 season. My go to weekend outfit currently revolves around either a camel or black and white tweed coat or leather and faux fur paired with my favourite pair of denims- which currently jump from acid wash skinny jeans, to boyfriend jeans to faded distressed.

I am such a fan of longline tailored jackets/coats too- I have a black crepe one and am currently on the hunt for a grey one- the Michael Kors check one below is certainly a gorgeous style which would really fit into my wardrobe and mix easily with items I already have! Likewise the last coat is very reminiscent of my Tissavel coat from a few posts back which is oversized and very laidback in style.

The first chunky jumper by Chanel is a style winner for me too- I love the colours and it works perfectly with denim and this style of jumper is definitely a thrift style inspiration for me too. Likewise, Louis Vuitton is another style aspiration with the tailored coat, faux fur collar and light jeans being my type of wearable, on trend look for right now:

CHANEL

LOUIS VUITTON

MAXMARA

MICHAEL KORS

Images: Vogue.com

Have you been inspired by any designers looks-do they resonate with your own style or do you prefer to gain your style inspiration elsewhere?  It's defintely given me an idea of items that will be on my thrift list and I'll be sure to share them with you when my style hunt is successful!!

Wishing you all a really great week ahead, whatever you are upto!!

January purchases so far and Jaeger sweater and Levis jeans

Hi everyone!! Thank you all for your kind and lovely well wishes and comments that you've been leaving for me, they are so much appreciated and I hope to be able to visit you all soon with comments by return-I'm just getting over feeling ill and with working too blogging has definitely fallen by the wayside!

I am hoping to do the odd posts here and there as I can't publish regularly at the moment. I thought today's post would be ideal to share as it is mid month and gives a running diary on what I've bought so far this month. I've tried to just stick to what I said in previous posts and just thrift or buy items that I know I will love and make use of, the first being this mini cross body bag by DKNY. A black mini cross body bag has been on my list for ages and I've been looking for a while to find the right one-this one appeared at my local PDSA charity shop in the New Year and was a bargainous £3.99. It's as new and I've been using it virtually everyday for work as it holds my phone and cards and I wear it as I work:

Another purchase was from my local TU at Sainsburys on Sunday and is this lovely glass beaded 3 string necklace which was reduced from £10 to £3-a bit of a dodgy picture, but the colours include vivid purple, blue and green crystal style beads and all in all was well worth the money:

I also picked up these chandelier style earrings, also reduced to £3, which will be ideal for dressing up a tee and jeans outfit:

My next purchase was inspired by lovely blogger Michelle over at MyFashionable40s and whose style is impeccable and very covetable!! She bought her black pom pom hat from Warehouse last month but I was unable to find one in my local one and was pleased to eventually track down a similar one in Marks and Spencer in their Limited Collection section. It was £9.50 but as I had taken back an unwanted Christmas present which was £10, I can credit 50p off my other spends!

The next item that was found on the day of the DKNY bag find was this H&M faux fur black collar which was £2.49 from my local Salvation Army. A faux fur collar always comes in handy for day or evening and will jazz up any given jacket or coat and I've been mentally wanting a black one for ages too, so another item ticked off the list!

So a grand total spend to date this month of £11.98 for 5 items. I'm still looking for the elusive and perfect longline grey jacket but as I'm not thrifting regularly I guess I'll just have to be patient before the right one comes along! 

My outfit post is from Sunday in which I wore a thrifted Jaeger striped merino wool crew neck sweater, my new necklace, distressed by me faded boyfriend Levi's jeans and my new black patent trainers which were a Christmas present from my eldest son:

I cut the hems so they are frayed and also distressed the front with my cheese grater and scissors!

I do hope you are all having a great week so far and it would be great to know what you've been buying so far this month-have you got a great sales buy or have you bought a much needed/wanted item from your style wishlist?

A Thrifted and Gifted Outfit Post!

Hi everyone!! Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a healthy and prosperous 2014 to us all! For me the 1 January was greeted with the worst migraine and flu like symptoms I've ever experienced and I was in bed all day and all night, I don't know what brought it on as I didn't get at all drunk on New Years Eve but I did have a couple of glasses of ginger wine which have sulphates in it and I have since read that sulphates can trigger migraines. Well I won't be drinking that ever again and thank goodness I was well enough to go to work today!

Here is an outfit from last week which features some Christmas gifted items and thrifted pieces too, both recent and from 2012.

My Christmas gifts were my Anerkjendt (Danish brand of clothing) camo beanie and my grey Hype sweatshirt, which my lovely son gave me-him working in fashion pr definitely has its perks! I so love the sweatshirt, it has a lovely warm interior and is just perfectly oversized- I love wearing my cuffs poking out of my sleeves as shown here. 

My thrifted items are the River Island wine colour skinny jeans which were from the Salvation Army last month for around £3, my faux fur Maine (Debenhams) gilet which was a jumble sale find in 2012 for £1.50 and my midnight navy blue leather Jaeger jacket which was also from Summer 2012 at a local boot sale for £2.50:

Not forgetting my trusty Primark tartan scarf that I can't live without and my Dune black leather biker ankle boots which were gifted to me in Autumn.

I also received some trainers from my son and I'm sure they will make an appearance on the blog at some point soon! I hope you've all managed to pick up some fabulous bargains in the sales this season-I actually haven't done any sales shopping as it's not near payday and also I'm really just going to thrift or buy items that are on my style hitlist to be worn and kept for a long time to come-one of them being the 'perfect' grey blazer, preferably a wool longline version to wear over skinny jeans. 

What is on your style list for this coming year? I'd love to hear what items you are currently lusting after!

Wishing you all a really good weekend whatever you get up to- I've a mound of housework to catch up on and am hoping to be near on 100% fit for a week of work from Monday!