Dune Mongolian Scarf & Liberty Tartan Scarf- Scarves of the Week

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely week so far and like me, looking forward to the weekend. This week has seen me start my official role as a library assistant which I'm really enjoying plus I'm meeting really nice co-workers too, making the transition of starting a new job so much easier!

I'm not sure what I'll be doing this weekend but if the weather turns particularly nasty it will mean having to stay indoors snuggled up watching TV, films and listening to music, whilst catching up with my blog reading and book reading!! 

I thought I would show you this weeks scarf purchases-the first one is my Dune Mongolian shaggy wool scarf/shawl which I treated myself to whilst in London on Saturday:

It really is a scarf of substance and I actually felt naked after taken it off instore to put back the display piece- I love the softness and shagginess of it as I've always wanted a scarf like this for so many past winters. I really would recommend it if you're looking for a shawl like item over a variety of different coats and jackets this winter-it really blocks out the cold and looks really nice on too.

My second scarf was an accidental find whilst in town early this week, as I'm trying not to spend anything on myself after my splurges this month. I was really only trying to browse my local Salvation Army but it's always the way-when you don't want to see anything or are watching the pennies, something always shows up! Thankfully when I saw this scarf, it was well worth buying and I couldn't leave it behind for just £1.99:

A pure wool black and white tartan scarf which is immaculate and still has the original Liberty paper sticker on it too:

I'm so chuffed to find this one as I don't have a monochrome scarf and this fits the current tartan trend perfectly. It's a lovely length and width and it looks like one of those items that has been bought and not used and donated to charity, waiting for me to swoop and buy!!

I keep saying it, but I'm really on a strict (ish) self imposed thrift and shopping curfew-apart from maybe getting a new pair of black trousers or jeans for work that will be my only spending for the forseeable, but I can never say never.....sigh!!

Here's hoping you all have a lovely weekend and what with the Festive Season and my new job I may not be around as often to blog new posts and comment back, but I always take pleasure in reading your blogs via bloglovin' and google+ to see what you are all up to in the style and fashion blogosphere!

Scarf Fever.....My Current Obesessions of the Moment

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great week, it really feels like it has flown by-which is a good thing, being on the cusp of the weekend! I've been really good this week with getting myself organised- putting things on ebay, filing away months old paperwork and bills and getting round to my 'to do' list of ringing around companies that I've been putting off doing. Just when I think all the current bills have been sorted and paid for, I get a reminder from the DVLA for the road tax due at the end of the month- so any style items in double figures that I've been eyeing up will either have to come out of ebay sales or just wait.

So with this in mind I indulged this week in one of my two style obsessions-scarves. My other obsession is denim and jeans but my scarf addiction is currently the one that has been taking over recently.

With my love of leopardprint showing no signs of abating I had to get a scarf that featured it in big print and the viscose one below was just £4 from the scarf man in our local shopping centre. I'm now lusting over a tiny print one so that may well make an appearance in the wardrobe over the weekend if I venture back into town-highly likely!

My other purchase earlier this week was this 100% French navy pashmina scarf by Tie Rack from my local Sue Ryder charity shop for just £3.99. I have quite a lot of printed scarves so for a plain one to appear is just perfect- I have a plain black wool pashmina scarf and it's so versatile and stylish and for me a necessity to have so I'm sure the navy one will be worn loads. The bright pink pashmina is one pulled out of my summer scarf collection and put with the Autumn scarves. I won't be doing the pink coat/jacket trend this season (unless I spy a fabulous vintage one of course) so this scarf will add a great pop of colour on days when I fancy something vibrant on:

What are your style obsessions at the moment? Are they items that can comfortably fit into the budget or are you saving for something in particular or special?

Wishing you all a lovely weekend whatever you get up to, I'm going to try and get stuck into at least one of my books in the reading pile- which has since grown due to some library books borrowed midweek (not sure why I can't cope with what I've got, but hey-ho!). I may even venture out for a little thrifting trip too, my budget of £5 to £10 a week can really reap dividends if I'm lucky!! 

Thrift Inspiration......One Scarf In, One Jacket Out

Hi everyone!! Like a lot of style and fashion bloggers I have been reorganising and sorting out my wardrobe for Autumn and Winter over the past few weeks. I recently sold my Kate Moss for Topshop Liberty print jacket on ebay as it was too small (alas I have gained some weight which I should address by regular exercise but am still slow to gain any inspiration for this)-anyhow the jacket was too small and surplus to requirements and it gave me some ammunition and funds to put towards a new seasonal purchase.

I've been inspired by a few style bloggers recently who like me have a scarf addiction and have been wearing the new berry tones in existing scarves they have or by their new purchases. I decided that I wanted to get a statement scarf such as the Mulberry one I got last Christmas. 

Requirements for the new one included pure wool content, cream and berry hues with black if possible and I really did want a heritage brand thrown in for good measure. My local T K Maxx is generally a walk-thru from one side of the town to the other, but yesterday as I was walking through I had the brainwave to check out the scarves and I'm so pleased I did. After searching through the racks I found the perfect one for me which ticked all the boxes:

This scarf is by Aquascutum and has the cream, black and berry colours I wanted, plus it's 100% wool. It's wider than a normal scarf but smaller than a shawl, so will provide perfect coverage for colder spells:

The price was spot on too- for a heritage brand such as Aquascutum I would have expected to pay at least double what I did, so when I saw the price tag at £24.99 I was really pleased and knew I would be taking it home with me. 

This was a perfect swap for me, I now have the scarf I wanted and the jacket has gone to a new home. Reassessing and selling what you don't want in your wardrobe is a great way to raise funds for potential new purchases-will you be doing this for Autumn and Winter, or have you done so already?

Springing Forward with a Pop of Pink

Hi everyone, I hope you've all been having a great Easter weekend! My weekend has been a mix of going in to town, r&r with the family listening to music, watching films, some (not much) housework and surfing the net.

As I was doing nothing in particular, I decided that a uniform of cardigan, tee and jeans were the order of the day and to bring a pop of colour to the look I dug out a pashmina that I've had for a few years that is in the summer pile. It's a perfect shade of pink, not too vivid and not too pale:

I'm wearing: Gap Always Skinny jeans (ebay), J Crew tee (charity shop), M&S black leather biker style ankle boots, Edinburgh Woollen Mill lambswool cardigan (charity shop), pashmina (local ethnic shop, now closed)

I went into town to take back the River Island jacket and was nearly tempted to buy a bag in there, but resisted. I'm trying to hold out for the boot sales to get into full swing and nab a couple more for the wardrobe, preferably in Summery colours.

I'm linking this post to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday, wishing you all a really good week ahead!!

Thrift Inspiration....Loving Liberty London this winter

Hi everyone!! This time of year is when I really enjoy going through my scarf collection to see what ones I will still keep and wear and also determine what will be this seasons new purchase for myself.

I have adored Liberty scarfs forever-not only are they super stylish and timeless, but they are certainly an investment buy which will last for decades too.

For inspiration, I browsed Liberty London's scarves section and immediately fell in love with this black winter fruits wool silk scarf which is massive enough to wear draped as a shawl or spun round to form a more everyday scarf. In fact Liberty have made 2 great video series on  'how to tie a scarf'. Do check it out, my favourite is of course the oversized scarf video which is exactly how I intend to wear my newest purchase.

 

Liberty London black winter fruits print wool mix scarf, £195

Unfortunately the scarf  above is way out of my budget, so I put my thrifting skills to good use and I found this wonderfully large Liberty Veruna wool scarf  a liitle while ago from a vintage seller on ebay for around a fifth of the cost of the ones currently in Libertys:

 

The print looks like it could be from the 80s and the scarf is in excellent condition-I have already worn it and its proved to be a cosy and stylish addition to my scarf collection. As a lover of all things floral, this is a perfect winter accessory that will stay in my wardrobe for years to come.

What winter accessory will you be adding to your collection this season?

My Pashmina Rainbow for Summer

For the last couple of years, I've been collecting different colour pashminas. Depending on the 'in' colour for the season, dictates what colours I buy for the year. Last years buys were the khaki and white ones and this year I added orange, navy, cream and camel to the collection.

I generally get mine from my local ethnic store in the High Street for £1 or £2, when I visited Lakeside Shopping Mall last month I got three for £5 and they had a lovely range of colours to choose from.

The only one not in the picture is my nude colour one, which I seem to wear so regularly, it goes with anything and everything. The coloured ones will certainly be worn this summer and will go with any type of outfits-dresses and denim mainly, either as a throw over my shoulders or as a scarf with a jacket.

How will you be injecting colour into your wardrobe for this summer?

Pashmina/Scarf

Now the weather is getting warmer, I'm tending to wear lighter jackets and if needed, one of my pashminas when it gets breezier.

I find this is such a versatile garment-I love the different ways you can wear them, as Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba show below.

The most trendy styles at the moment are wound round the neck and left open; wound round the neck and tied up, or the newest trend is folded into a big triangle, worn to the front (middle eastern style) with the ends dangling to the front or back.

There are plenty of people doing them-from top end designers to the ethnic suppliers with their own market stalls or high street shops- a definite spring staple!!