Thrift Inspiration....Autumn Classic Must Haves, The Brogue

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend and what a mix of weather we are having at the moment! The sun is out in spurts and it's really quite nice and warm- those extra layers have been held at bay for the foreseeable future. So when layers are not necessarily needed the next logical style step to think of is footwear. After indulging in some skate shoes and wearing these in between trainers and sandals, I was really pleased to find some long lusted after pair of  shoes last week which are ideal for all seasons- the classic black brogue. Here are my picks of the best this season:

Saint Laurent patent leather, £530

TODS, £270

ASOS Millionaire leather brogues, £35

ASOS brogues, £25

Here are my version- they are vintage Loakes, bought as new and unworn in my local Salvation Army charity shop for just £15. Brogues are such a versatile and stylish alternative to a trainer or skate shoe and can so easily smarten up a jeans and jacket combination too:

To what I wore one day last week for a day out in London- my newly thrifted Monsoon blouse in one of my recent posts, some Reiss skinny jeans which were thrifted last year from my local Sue Ryder charity shop for just £1 in their sale and my Primark skate shoes:

I can't believe how comfortable skate shoes can be, if I'd realised I definitely would have bought some in Spring, but better late than never, huh!

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead and I do thank you for your continued reading, support and comments- they are so much appreciated and I look forward to visiting you as soon as I can! 

Thrift Inspiration....Singing The Blues in All Saints, Reiss and Vintage Yves Saint Laurent

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great week so far-my day today has been so up and down, I don't know if I've been coming or going! Firstly this morning saw me running late for work, completely run out of petrol on the way, problems parking which led to me being late and then on my return to the car park later a parking ticket! I was rather stressed by the time I got home early afternoon but it got better with a meet up with girlfriends for a meal and catch up at a local restaurant and with hubby cooking and washing up for himself and younger son I feel like I'm now fully calmed down, hehe!!

I was really chuffed to have been nominated for 'best thrifty blog' by The MAD Blog Awards for Mums and dads 2014 this weekend. I've displayed a 'Nominate Me' badge on my sidebar and would deeply appreciate it if you could take time out to nominate me please! IF I get through to the next stage then more voting is required and I could be in with a chance of attending a lovely finalist awards evening and winning an iPad Air, woo hoo! Anyhow, it's been lovely to have been nominated and any further nominations and votes will be much appreciated!!

Back to style matters in hand, I thought I would show you some fairly recent thrift finds that seem to be very much on a recurring theme-blue to be precise.

As you all may be aware I am very much a denim enthusiast-ok, addict might be a better word if 25+ pairs of jeans is slightly more than the norm! I'm thinking that it's not so much jeans I'm into but the colour more so? I pretty much love denim jackets, waistcoats, skirts shirts and jeans and all in different shades of blue but particularly this year faded blue has definitely been on my style radar a lot, very evident on my denim inspiration pinterest board if you fancy taking a look!

My latest thrift finds were from a couple of Saturdays ago- I found this fabulous vintage cheesecloth Yves Saint Laurent mens shirt in a neighbouring town's St Francis Hospice charity shop for just £2.50!!

It's such a great fit and is definitely my current favourite go to shirt for summer, to be paired with faded jeans, cut offs and white jeans (if I find a pair that I like):

My next find that day was in the afternoon at my own local Sue Ryder charity shop, which was a pair of Reiss high waisted skinny zip ankle jeans for a bargainous £1 in their sale!! In my size too and another pair of perfectly shaded blue jeans that I can't wait to start wearing!

The middle pair are some Gap boyfriend jeans that I thrifted in January for just £3.99-again the perfect distressed lighter shade of blue that will be perfect once ankles can be shown in warmer weather!!

The 3rd pair are some Levis demi curve straight leg jeans which if I can remember were also less than £2, thrifted last year in Autumn from a neighbouring towns Sue Ryder charity shop:

Left to Right: Reiss, Gap, Levis

The last picture features more shirts that I've thrifted and been gifted since Autumn last year:

From top to bottom: All Saints checked shirt, £2 from the St Francis Hospice,  River Island acid light wash shirt from the DEBRA charity shop for £3.99, my gifted degrade denim shirt from the swap shop party and dark wash thrifted H&M chambray shirt from the Sense charity shop for £3.50.

So you've seen a sneaky peek into my denim obsession and what sort of items are making their way and staying in my wardrobe.

What style and items are actually making their way into your wardrobe this season? Please share I'd love to know! 

Reiss, George and Primark - Recent Style Thrift Finds for this Summer

Hi everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the glorious summer weather we are having at the moment, school holidays are just arriving and it's such a nice feeling not to be worrying about ironing school uniforms, setting the alarm and making packed lunches- a nice hiatus until September for a lot of us mums!

I thought I would share some fairly recent thrift finds which I intend wearing for this summer. The first blouse featured here is a find from last week from my local British Heart Foundation charity shop for £3.75. It's a George by Asda top and is brand new. I've been after some coloured leopardprint for a while so this top really fits the bill with it's vibrant purple and red hues and with it's silky and loose feel it's a great dressy style top for right now:

This next find was in a neighbouring town's Scope charity shop and when I saw the price I couldn't believe it- £2.50 for a silk Reiss tunic top!! What made it even more unbelievable was there was a Primark top I really liked too but it had a visible run/pull on the shoulder and was priced at £4.95!! The only instance I've seen Reiss cheaper than Primark, hehe!! It's a really cute tunic top with satin buttons, pintucking detailing and lace around the front top and back:

It's an ideal evening top with a pair of  summer leggings or skinny jeans and is a great trans-seasonal piece too, one of my most bargainous quality finds of this year.

I have also wanted some coloured denim for the Summer but not in jeans- I was hoping to find either a skirt or jacket. So I was pleased to find this coloured denim yellow, fairly neon skirt by Primark for £3.50 at a neighbouring DEBRA charity shop last month. I've already worn this a few times and it's proved to be a real summer asset in my wardrobe- I just love the bright colour of it and it looks great with a black or white top:

So have you managed to plug the gaps in your summer wardrobe? Are you looking for any particular pieces or are you making the most of what you already have in your summer closet?

Why not check out your local charity shop's offerings next time you are in town, you may well be pleasantly surprised that you can pick up a real quality item for around the same cost of a large latte from Starbucks-that is how I view it and at least I've still got my item long after the coffee has been consumed!!

Have a great week ahead!!