Dark Paradise: The Patent Midi vs. The Victorian Shirt

Blogging has had to take a backseat recently, since Shakespeare and Stanislavsky took over at the wheel. Shopping, however, has remained a non-negotiable fixture on my increasingly overloaded schedule. Last week, I finally got my hands on both (faux) patent leather midi skirts from Primark's AW13 collection, along with two more amazing shirts from New Look's teens section (I actually head straight there now, with little more than a cursory glance around the adult area!). I have plenty of plans for all of the aforementioned gems, but, for starters, decided to pair two of them up for a gothic ensemble in honour of Halloween (complete with vampiric pallor, shortly to be obliterated by Vita Liberata).

Shirt: New Look (Teens - Available Here), Skirt and Boots: Both Primark

Happy Halloween everyone! I'll be spending mine with Frankenstein... well, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller - all in the name of art, yah?

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Doing it Like a Lady...

I've been grunging it up with the best of them recently, given the recent influx of plaid and pleather into my Autumn/Winter 'drobe, so perhaps it wasn't too surprising when my never-particularly-well-suppressed urges to dress for an imaginary '50s prom overcame my more season-specific impulses to dress as if for a '90s Nirvana gig. Where was I actually going? Erm, about as far as my sofa, to partake in the delights of The Face followed by Made In Chelsea, but so what?! How I love the decade we live in, in which we can pick and choose from whichever portion of the 20th century fashion archive takes our fancy, staying dead on trend regardless! That fluffy Primark "It" jumper is already proving to be far more versatile than I'd initially have given it credit for, too...

Jumper and Shoes: Both Primark, Tutu: Coast (See more of it here), Body Chain: Miss Selfridge

What era are you channeling this season?

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'90s Child: Pleather and Plaid Picks

I was 4 when the '90s began, so technically this is my second go style-wise, but back then I was all about slip dresses, Appleton-alike parachute trews and skirts-over-trousers (once I'd moved on from Mothercare to Topshop, that is), so I'm having a whale of a time unleashing my previously spurned inner grunge goddess this time around... perfect for welcoming in the new season!

If you're a long-time reader, you'll know I harbour a long-time love for (p)leather - last winter, it was somewhat eclipsed by disco (pant) fever, but, this season, it's back with a vengeance! You've seen the skort; now feast your eyes on the pinny (yes - we can rock pinafores all year round!), cropped tee and high-rise trousers... oh, and a couple of pairs of '90s throwback ankle boots for good measure! 

This year, it rather handily seems to make the perfect partner for the cascade of tartan showering down upon us too... Considering the enormous quantities of the stuff piling up in shops at the moment, the hunt for my perfect tartan shirt and kilt was surprisingly long and arduous, but worth it once I'd nabbed both with change from £30!

Shirt: Forever 21, Pinafore Dress and Boots: Both Primark

Top and Boots: Both Primark, Skirt: Red Herring at Debenhams (Reduced from £28 to £11.20!)

Shirt: Forever 21 (As Above), Trousers: Boohoo, Boots: Primark (As Above)

Are you going hell for pleather or mad for plaid this season?

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Transitional Neon

Summer has officially left the building. However, I've been very pleased to note that neon (along with florals and, yes, monochrome!) has retained a firm grip on the high street rails this A/W - much as I love a good burgundy, you can't beat a shot of shocking pink for an instant mood uplift (something we surely need more and more often as the nights and clouds close in). 

So, I couldn't resist picking up this cropped waffle knit jumper in Forever 21 for a neon hit in chill-beating form! It's been invaluable during England's recent period of "between-seasons" schizoid weather, allowing me to carry on rocking my summer staples whilst avoiding the urge to smother my legs and midriff in additional layers for as long as possible! I'm sure I'll find a way to work it into my "deepest winter" wardrobe in due course, but, in honour of the passing of that brief window of opportunity during which knitwear/skin combos can be flaunted without risk of (a) heatstroke or (b) frostbite, here's how I've been wearing it over the last couple of weeks...

Tapestry Mini

Jumper: Forever 21, Skirt: Primark (Current), Shoes & Bag: Both Primark (Past Season)

Denim Dungarees

Jumper: As Above, Dungarees: New Look (Teens - See more of them here), Beanie: New Look + DIY, Shoes: Primark

Strawberries and Cream

Jumper: As Above, Skirt: Boohoo (See more of it here and here), Shoes: Marks & Spencer

Will you be rocking neon into winter?

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DIY Embellished Shirt Collar

If you follow me on Twitter, or live within a 5 mile radius, you may have borne witness to my outrage and despair on discovering that my dentist's orange putty had permanently damaged the collar of my beloved stripy shirt. Yes, it was from Primark, but it had the most perfect tailback boyfriend-style cut I'd ever encountered, and you know how attached I am to my monochrome stripes! Copious quantities of stain remover and much time spent scrubbing eventually succeeded in removing most of the errant orange pigments, but also began to fade the stripes themselves! OK, the final result wasn't that bad, but, since I still seethed with anger every time I looked at it (I did reclaim the cost, plus a little extra to compensate for my extreme distress, but, since the shirts were sold out, I couldn't buy a replacement), there was only one thing for it - DIY!

Yep, for the first time in nearly 2 years, I got out an actual needle and thread! I used the same eBay pearls and floral buttons as I did for my embellished sunglasses, but as they were actually intended to be used this time! I decided to go for an irregular cluster effect, polished off by 2 of the roses acting as "collar tips", and am rather pleased with the outcome... even if I did have to do some damage control on finding that I'd accidentally sewn the collar to the shirt on one side!! It adds an interesting feminine touch to the androgynous style, no?

Shirt and Jeans: Both Primark, Shoes: Boohoo

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