Little Black Dress

I’m still catching up on my 2013 outfits here, oops! This one is from either Boxing Day or the 27th December – one or the other, days just run into each other between Christmas and New Year! I received this dress from Wolf & Whistle at the end of November and have since worn it multiple times. Because of the plain black colour and simple shape, it’s so versatile, so I’ve worn it with flats, heels and boots, jackets and cardigans in a variety of colours, and belts and tights in several colours, and this is just one of the ways, but the only pictures I have of it! It has a slightly turtle neck and a pleated skirt that hits just above my knees, so it’s perfect for smart attire as well as casual (well, casual in my world!).

A few months ago, I started getting rid of my clothes and stuff so I gave first pick of them to my friends. Charley picked out a few things then decided to give me a few in return, and this cardigan was one of them. It’s slightly cropped, which is just how I like my cardigans, and has quite a retro feel, so is perfect for me! The fur headband I bought at the Manchester Christmas Markets when I went with the female half of my family before Christmas. I was seeing them all over the place and loved them, so when I spotted a stall selling them, I grabbed one straight away. My mum and aunt actually bought one each later and I ended up swapping my original one (a more grey-brown colour) for this one which was the one my mum bought because the more red-brown colour worked with my hair.

And finally, the jewellery – I’m wearing different jewellery for once! Eclectic Eccentricity contacted me to let me know about their new collections and offered me a couple of pieces to try out from it – this is the Sibyl Affinity Stone Necklace in Amazonite and the Thalia Gemstone Bracelet in Amazonite, known as the stone of courage. I often forget to wear different jewellery, but decided to pair the green in the cardigan with the green stones and loved it 🙂

Headband: Manchester Christmas Markets (similar)

Cardigan: via Charley

Necklace and Bracelet: c/o Eclectic Eccentricity

Dress: c/o Wolf & Whistle

Belt: Topshop

Heels: ASOS

So, back into real life! I went shopping with my sister on Saturday to have a look at what’s still around in the sales and to get some of the vouchers we received for Christmas from friends and family spent! I had one for a local department store (Browns), some for New Look, Accessorize and a local vintage shop, and I only managed to buy one thing! I have more than £100 for New Look, yet nothing caught my eye – I think it’s because we’re sort of in between seasons at the moment, and because I’m looking for more classic pieces, which New Look doesn’t really have right now! I think with Accessorize, I’m going to have a look online for some things I want but couldn’t find in store. In Browns I had wanted some towels, but didn’t like the ones they had in store because they all looked a bit faded, and even in the sale were pretty expensive (£15 at half price for a small towel, not even a bath sheet just seems a bit much to me, even with a voucher!). I also looked at the clothes, make up and lingerie in there but nothing jumped out at me. I was surprised though to see 28 bands in their lingerie section, so I’ll probably be back there soon, but none in my size on that day. The 28 bands were only in Freya and Curvy Kate, but there were only a couple of styles of each which I already had or didn’t really like, then a few more in the final sale section but not my size, even though I did like the styles! So, I only used my vintage shop voucher in the end, and I could have done with having the amount from my New Look voucher in there because I loved so much! My sister actually picked out both things I tried on – a 1950s white knee length full skirted dress and a retro burgundy pencil dress. In the end, we decided between us that surprisingly the white dress was the more practical and would get more wear, so I went for that one as I couldn’t afford the both! I’m tempted to go back for the other, but I’m searching online for a similar (or the same!) one to buy.