RECENT PURCHASES | New Balance 574

These shoes were a controversial choice. I posted them in a wishlist back in December which prompted some 'Oh god, they're awful' or 'Are those really your style?' comments from friends. Others were more supportive in their response, telling me they liked them. It didn't really bother me. Haters to the left, I'll wear what I want to wear. So when ASOS had 20% off last week, I caved. So now these babies are all mine.

I'd wanted a pair of New Balance for a year or so but wasn't sure what colour, until I saw these. As a veteran supporter of the all-black outfit, they immediately appealed. Black with (for lack of a less overused phrase) a 'pop of colour'? Yes please. I already have a bunch of all-black outfits (a.k.a. all my outfits) planned around them. I think with black jeans and some red lipstick, we'll get along just fine.

OUTFIT | #193

jumper: American Apparel; jeans: BDG; shoes: Converse; watch: Casio; necklace: Gogo Philip

I felt kind of ill on and off most of last week so I've been dressing pretty comfortably/lazy. Big, oversized jumpers. Converse or whatever other trainers are lying around. You know the look. I'm really into trainers lately. I wouldn't go as far as to say they'll ever replace my staple black boots, but they're coming a close second on my most worn type of shoe lately. I may never fully embrace the whole 'sports luxe' thing but this is a nod in that direction.

Some days I really like how baggy this unisex fisherman jumper from American Apparel is, other time I wish it was just a tad smaller. On the plus side, it's really comfy and perfect for slubbing about. On the down side, I can't tuck it into anything and, since almost every skirt or pair of jeans I own are high-waisted, that's kind of an issue. 

OUTFIT | #191

top: Zara; jumper, boots: Topshop; skirt: American Apparel

Please excuse my super creased skirt. I'm not sure what happened there. I figured I'd show you how I layered things today for my outfit. I'm a massive fan of jumpers but sometimes I get annoyed because they cover up the cute shirt I'm wearing underneath. Today I liked how my outfit looked with and without the jumper, so I just took pictures of both so you could get a better idea. Plus I've had a few requests to show 'layering' lately anyway so two birds, one stone, etc.

I remember I used to be really into cardigans, which would alleviate the whole 'my cute jumper's covering up my cute shirt' thing. I stopped wearing them so much in the past few years though, and only like a few of my cardigans now. Perhaps instead of buying so many jumpers, I should steer my knitwear interests towards cardigans. Food for thought.

OUTFIT | #190

top, jeans, boots: Topshop; cardigan: Motel Rocks; necklace: Gogo Philip

My new hair is making me more interested in trying out new outfits and not just wearing the same stuff over and over again. Which is great. I wish I'd got a picture of this outfit with my coat over it. I wore a black wool boyfriend style coat, with oversized lapels, and a tartan scarf. I really liked how it all looked put together. It had a slight androgynous vibe that I really enjoyed. You'll just have to take my word for it, I guess.

It's funny how little changes can make you feel motivated again. I've been a bit stuck in a rut, in many ways lately. Having my hair cut felt like a weight lifted and now I feel like I'm myself again, except more excited to get on with new things. I wore this to get brunch and run some errands with friends. My new barometer of how good a place is for brunch is to have their eggs benedict. I feel sorry for people who don't love eggs. You're missing out. I should really start taking my camera places with me again, like the old days when I did more lifestyle posts on here.

OUTFIT | #189

top, jeans, necklace: Topshop; boots: Dr. Martens

I didn't really make many new year's resolutions this year. My only real resolutions were 1) Give less of a shit and 2) Learn to like olives. I think maybe a goal for the year should be to finally wear in my DMs. I've had these suckers since I was 17 and they still give me blisters. I'm too much of a wimp to wear them in properly but my goal for this year is to suck it up and get on with it. They're bearable if I wear 2 pairs of thick socks and don't walk miles so I figure if I wear them for a few hours every other day, they should soften up. A girl can hope.

Yes, I wore this to the library. Again. The dissertation's coming along okay. I decided to completely change the ending a week before it was due in so that was interesting. It was hailing and pouring down all day and I froze my arse off in this outfit. A jumper was definitely needed. Or a scarf, or hat. Anything to stop me wearing my coat indoors, which is what I ended up having to do. 

OUTFIT | #188

skirt, necklace: Topshop; boots: River Island; top: Primark

Something I wore on a night out a few days ago for you. I actually wore it before I chopped off my hair, but liked it so much I made a mental note to take pictures at a later date when I had time. I'd say 1/3 of my outfit posts are actually replicated outfits I wore days ago, but didn't have time to photograph. Life of a blogger, eh? More than anything I just like to have a log of all my favourite outfits I've ever worn. Sometimes I think I keep this blog more for myself than for anyone reading it. I really enjoy looking back at how my personal style has evolved over the years.

This is another Topshop sale bargain skirt. This time a PVC offering. I couldn't resist. Again, another one that I saw full price but couldn't justify. When would I wear a PVC skirt, I asked myself. Then I saw it reduced and convinced myself I would totally wear it all the time. Which is probably true. I love a good mix of textures in an outfit and you can't get much more interesting than this. As my friend so eloquently put it: 'I can see my reflection in your ass' and, at the end of the day, isn't that really what we all want from our skirts?

OUTFIT | #187

jumper, skirt, boots: Topshop

(I took these pictures before the Great Hair Chop of 2014, hence the long locks. Don't worry. All future outfits will feature my new 'do.)

This skirt may be one of my proudest Topshop sale purchases. I coveted it from afar when it was full price but coudn't justify the price. One of my friends bought it but still, I restrained myself. Then I spotted a single one left in the sale at my local Topshop, in my size no less. Clearly this skirt and I were meant to be. I shall henceforth refer to it as my Cher Skirt. Cher Horowitz, that is. Not as in Sonny and Cher. It fulfills all my Clueless-based dreams, and looks ridiculously cute on. What's not to love?

This is a pretty Topshop heavy outfit in general. There might be a lot of that coming up in future blog posts. Soz. I did some serious damage in their Boxing Day sale this year. I went in with a list of everything I wanted and found every single item. Queen of the Sales. But that means no more new clothes for a while now. I'm pretty much set until summer now.

HAIR | The Chop

If you follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, or basically any social media outlet, you'll have already seen that I chopped my hair off. It's been a long time coming. I'm a firm believer in drastic hair changes. Change is good, if a little scary. Embrace it. Whenever I feel like I'm entering a new 'phase' of my life, corny as that sounds, I do something to my hair. When I was 17 and first identifying as a feminist, I cut it into a short pixie cut. In my first year of uni, I dyed it red. Now I'm six months away from graduating and no longer being an undergrad. Shit's getting real and my hair made me feel like I was still a teenager, not a woman in her early twenties. 

I always knew in the back of my head that, when I was tired of the long, mermaid hair, my next hair cut would be a long bob. I had one a few years back, when I was growing out the aforementioned pixie cut, and loved it. My hair's super thick and my natural curl and volume was really getting dragged down by all the weight of that long, heavy hair. It had to go. I love my new 'do. If you've never drastically changed your hair or cut it all off, I'd highly recommend it. It's super liberating, and you'll save a bomb in shampoo and conditioner. 

OUTFIT | #186

shirt: BDG; jeans: Topshop; shoes: Nike

Another day, another trip to the library to work on my dissertation. I still can't tell if I'm stressed about it or not. I tend to work well to deadlines and maintain an eery level of calm when things get down to the wire, but we'll see. I still have a week left to freak out. Pulled out my new Nike Blazers for today. I received, or bought myself, a lot of new shoes over Christmas. They were basically all I wanted. 2013 was definitely the year I became a 'shoe person'. I really wanted grey Blazers but apparently they're a discontinued colour, so I chose this cute baby blue colour instead. 

Whenever I wear this shirt, I wonder why I don't own more soft plaid shirts. It is absurdly comfortable. Perhaps a clothing item to keep an eye out for this year. I need more button-down shirts like a hole in the head, but surely that's half the fun? I did go through my wardrobe and put a lot of stuff away to donate recently after the amount of stuff I bought in the Boxing Day sales. I'm not a hoarder, I try and make sure I wear all the stuff I own. I swear.

OUTFIT | #185

jumper, jeans, necklace: Topshop; boots: H&M

Wearing blue jeans feels odd. I have so many black pairs now I almost never wear anything else. I wanted to wear my brown boots today though and you know my issues with brown shoes by now. Wearing black jeans and brown shoes just never looks right to me. Enter blue jeans. These are my second pair of Topshop Leigh jeans now. I pretty much exclusively wear Topshop or BDG jeans these days. I'm really not into the low-rise look anymore, and they both offer great high-waisted options. Plus, in the past, I've struggled to find jeans that fit because my waist is much smaller than my hips, and I haven't found that to be an issue with Topshop or BDG. Would highly recommend.

This is a pretty Topshop heavy outfit. Lately they've been dead on point. I used to be a big H&M girl, but since their revamp this year they've been pretty hit or miss for me. Whereas I've been walking into Topshop and leaving a lot poorer than I went in on several occasions recently. Oops. I think after the damage I did in the Boxing Day sales this year, I should be set for new clothes for a while now. Probably best to give my credit card a little recovery time.

OUTFITS | 2013 in Outfits

I love a good bit of New Year's nostalgia, so I went through the blog and picked my favourite outfit from all my posts each month of 2013. My blogging resolution for 2014 should definitely be to remember to take more outfit pictures, because I know I wore some great outfits that never made it into posts. Until next year though, these are my picks from the past 12 months.

January, February, March

April, May, June

July, August, September

October, November, December