Beret Nice: Gucci Geek Chic on the Cheap

It's beginning to look a lot like springtime... which can mean only one thing: it's time for me to come out of #OOTD hibernation. If newborn lambs are braving the April temperatures (albeit in slightly cosier outfits), then so must I.

But before we get to the (recycled) outfit, can we please just take a moment to admire my blurry bricks?! Yep, baby got bokeh! I treated myself to a shiny new lens and (finally) found out that all those proclamations about your lens being "more important than your camera" that I'd dismissed as camera fetishist guff for the past three years were true after all... Well, better late than never.

Moving on. This is my attempt at recreating Gucci's "geek chic" look, using items pillaged entirely from my existing wardrobe. Because the idea that, just maybe, pairing one of the five pin-on flowers I have inexplicably managed to accumulate over the past five years with the beret I have only plucked up the courage to wear once in all that time could completely revitalise my wardrobe was just too thrilling to ignore. I really do need the clear lenses to top things off though, don't I..?

In other exciting news, I have just been signed up to blog for Yahoo! Style and, handily enough, my very first post will equip you with everything you need to know to create your own Gucci moment (just in case you don't happen to own a pin-on corsage for all occasions). P.S. All my posts for Yahoo! will also be published on the all the new Sam Muses Tumblr...

Beret: Accessorize, Blouse: Boohoo, Skirt: ASOS, Shoes and Earrings: Both Primark, Corsage: Not a clue...

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Party Pick 'n' Mix: Dressing Through the Decades

If it will take more than a cheeky Snowball to get you into a pair of sequinned flares this Crimbo, never fear - when it comes to your preferred party piece, this season, if you could have worn it to a shindig at some point between 1920 and 2000, it's probably back in style... so let's channel Betsey Johnson and party like it's 1999... 1989... 1979... or just about any other year you'd care to name...



'20s: Fringed Cape, Miss Selfridge at House of Fraser; Shoes, French Connection; Dress, Reiss
'50s: Dress, Coast; Shoes, Oasis
'60s: Dress, Anna Sui at Girl Meets Dress (To Rent or Buy); Boots, MARY at Topshop


'70s: Jumpsuit, Lavish Alice; Shoes, Warehouse
'80s: Blazer and Trousers, both Topshop Unique; Dress and Blouse, both Topshop; Shoes, Reiss
'90s: Dress, Mango; Shoes, French Connection

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The Sweet Scent of... A Bargain Bag

Hands up: who hasn't secretly (or not so secretly) been hankering after a Chanel perfume bottle box clutch since what now feels like the beginning of time? This Rare London gem may not be able to boast the No. 5 label, but nor does it come with a £6,000 price tag (in fact, it's... £12. Yep, seriously), and, in all other respects, down to that iconic chain strap, it's pretty darn close. Not to mention plenty big enough for your phone, keys, emergency chocolate... even sunnies! For me, the choice was always going to be clear, but if you're not quite so much of an exhibitionist, it's also available in a devastatingly classy black opaque variant.

Completely Gratuitous Hair Shot

Bag: Rare London, Top: Primark, Skirt: Missguided, Shoes: Boohoo (Past Season)

Have you sniffed out any bargains recently?

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Blinging In the New Year

Remember, sequins are for life, not just for Christmas... I begged Santa for this gorgeous little necklace-embellished jumper, having spied it on a "This Morning" festive fashion feature teamed with a sequinned pencil skirt for a '50s-fabulous feel... Enter: the lower half of the beautiful Boohoo co-ords I've been wearing pretty much non-stop since Christmas Day...

Perhaps a teeny bit too bling for ballet at the Royal Opera House, though, even for me... so, for New Year's  Eve, I decided to go tonal, whilst retaining the festive '50s vibe, with last year's cranberry velvet midi... Topped off with the classic camel-coloured version of my  favourite Collectif midi trench, which Santa was also kind enough to pop in my stocking...










Jumper: Wallis, Skirt: Boohoo, Shoes: Primark, Earrings: Topshop

Jumper: Wallis, Skirt: Boohoo, Tights: New Look, Shoes: Marks & Spencer, Coat: Collectif, Earrings: eBay

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