Book review: Thrifty Style by Janine Chisolm

Janine Chisholm is an Eco designer and stylist who works from her Bristol harbourside studio and through her passion of vintage clothing, sewing, arts and crafts has just published her new book, 'Thrifty Style'.

It is packed full of ideas of how to upscale and accessorise existing items in your wardrobe or pieces that you've found in the charity shop or boot sale and wish to alter to recreate unique and wearable loved items.

Step by step guides for beginners and sewers alike will find this very inspirational- my favourites in the book were the boyfriend shirt tunic, a white dress with a back crotchet insert and tops made from vintage scarves.

There are also 3 pull out patterns in the back of the book to recreate totally new pieces from existing items that are no longer required in your existing wardrobe too!

There is also some very handy sections regarding sewing techniques, equipment and UK suppliers too.

This book is really ideal for anyone who has toyed with the idea of recreating existing things in their wardrobe and are not quite sure how to go about it-this book is definitely inspiring and will turn any outdated vintage piece into something modern and stylish for any chosen occasion.

Janine has her own website called 'Custard House Clothing' where you can find out more details of the workshops she runs, buy her book and catch up with her blog.

Whing you all a lovely week ahead,, whatever you are up to!!

Thrift Inspiration.........Net-A-Porter v Marks and Spencer

Hi everyone!! Taking stock of my winter accessories this last two weeks, I noticed I only have one pair of winter gloves which are grey woollen ones, so I felt justified to have a look and purchase a nice statement pair.

Looking at Net-A-Porters offerings for inspiration, their red leather gloves come in different styles and lengths-these were my favourites of what they have to currently offer:

Valentino Rockstud gloves,£390



Lanvin long leather gloves, £675

Causse Gantier Jackie gloves, £180

Red leather gloves I feel are a real statement for winter-they add a great pop of colour to a black or navy coat or jacket and can be worn virtually daily for warmth and style, so certainly a good investment for the coming season. That said, when I saw these at Marks and Spencer I knew they were too good to miss and was very pleased that DH was feeling generous yet again and treated me to them:

Marks and Spencer animal print red leather gloves, £29.50

With the leopardprint insert, they really are a cute pair of statement gloves and will certainly last for a good few winter seasons to come.

I now just need a black pair of gloves before winter really sets in, but I think I will get woollen ones.

What winter accessory is currently on your winter wishlist?



By Lyn Harris for Marks and Spencer

Readers of my blog may well know that I do love a designer and high street collaboration, so when I found out that Lyn Harris of Miller Harris Perfumer was creating a collection for Marks and Spencer, I knew I just had to go and check them out and hopefully bag a purchase.

Lyn Harris has been in the fragrance industry for more than twenty years and her own label Miller Harris has been producing some very unique and gorgeously smelling fragrances since 2000. Her perfumes are not only iconic and distinctive, but they  also offer a fragrance for anytime-day or night, transcending seasons and making them so timeless and coveted.

The range is currently available online at Marks and Spencer and at the moment is only available at Westfield Stratford, Marble Arch and Kensington- so it made perfect sense for me to head over to Westfield this afternoon for a spot of luxurious perfume testing.

I already knew I would want 'Le Cologne', which is classed as a mens scent, but having all my favourite ingredients of 'Bergamot Sicily, lemon and orange Seville with rosemary France and thyme on a base of vetiver and amber'- I knew I would have to have it.

Once I tested 'Le Fleur'-'A white floral classic. White gardenia and Indian tuberose flowers set the tone with gentle woods, vanilla Bourbon and musk', I had to snap it up too-thanks to DH who thought I deserved both!!

At a fabulously bargain price of £25 for Eau de Parfum- 50ml size too, I think these will be flying off the shelves. There is certainly a fragrance for all tastes and occasions and with six to choose from, this will make such a nice gift for yourself or a loved one!

Wishing you a lovely weekend, whatever you are up to, I am hoping for a nice relaxing one and hope to catch up on some blog reading!

Thrift Inspiration...............Net-A-Porter Camo style!

Camo is featuring as a major trend this season, designers such as KARL and ACNE have some much coveted pieces in their Autumn/Winter range and this style of print pretty much goes with any item that you would already have in your wardrobe:

 KARL Ordina camo jacket £260

ACNE Lia sweater £220

So I was pleased to find this military styled camo jacket by Pepe Jeans London at the boot sale a couple of weeks ago for a bargainous £2!! It has a lot of features including floral and velvet trims and sequin and beading on the reverse-two main style trends in one jacket-military and camo is a great addition to my wardrobe for sure!! 

Grazia featured ACNES camo biker jacket a couple of weeks ago in their 'Dispatches from the fashion cupboard' feature a couple of weeks ago, proving that having a camo item for this season really does serve as a stylish, versatile piece in your wardrobe that goes with virtually any day or evening look and will never date either.

I've already worn it with plum skinny jeans and a beige Zara sweater and I know it will be worn a lot this Autumnn with other transitional items I already have.

What trends are inspiring you this season, will camo feature in your wardrobe?

Thriftmystyle inspiration..............Autumn neon

After a long-ish summer hiatus which nearly seemed like it could have been a permanent one, I have redesigned my header and looked into how I want to project my blog from now on.

I've come to the conclusion that I would like to stick to what I do best and what I enjoy-which is to carry on thrifting pieces from sources that I am currently inspired by-be it my favourite magazines du jour, ie-Red, Vogue, Grazia and Look and also of course by fellow fashion blogger and tweeters. Then of course the natural progression to this is to blog about my latest find and share my thrift inspirations with you all!

I have been struggling this last year with what I wanted to blog about and I have also questioned whether I wanted to carry on too. I can't actually blame anything in particular- I think a combination of an unpredictable summer, 'bloggers block', enjoying not being online for long periods of time all contributed to a lethargic apathy towards creating any blog posts, although I have been thrifting every now and then.

So as we approach Autumn, I am hoping motivation and passion for thrifting and blogging will marry together to produce some inspiration worthy blog posts.

Whilst on our summer break in August, a relaxing afternoon meant a choice of some magazines and I picked out Red magazine- I know its a favourite for a lot of fashion bloggers already, but I was suitably impressed to make this a monthly must have from now on. This months issue had inspiration aplenty and one of the main trends I've picked up on is a neon knit for the coming season:

Yes, if you do buy only one thing this month........... a neon knit is certainly a fun and stylish way to add a trendy pop of colour to your wardrobe.

So yesterday I was pleased to spot this sleeveless waffle cotton knit by Lands End in my local British Heart Foundation charity shop. Being indecisive meant even after trying it on I put it back on the rail only to decide last night I should have got it. Thankfully after work today it was still there today and I quickly snapped it up.

It will be great to wear right now in the gorgeous Indian summer we are currently experiencing in the South East of England but will look great over a white shirt layered in the colder weather.

New season trends from the catwalk that are inspiring me are purple and berry tones, black leather and winter florals-all so stylish with fashion longevity and certainly inspiration enough for future thrifting trips.

I look forward to catching up with you all and I really look forward to you dropping by-please let me know what styles and trends are inspiring you for this Autumn and Winter.

Have a fabulous weekend, whatever you get up to and heres hoping for sun, sun and more sun!!