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Treat Yo' Self Gift Guide

My saved baskets and bookmarked list of things to buy has been growing increasingly bigger in the past few weeks as I'm DYING to start dressing for more spring-appropriate weather - not that it's coming anytime soon. With Valentine's day looming, it seems like as good a time as any to splash the cash and indulge in some shiny new pieces for my wardrobe. I put together a list of things I've been lusting after recently. I never need an excuse to treat myself but I'm taking full advantage of this time of year and waiting in optimistic anticipation for my fave brands to help a gal out by dropping an extremely generous promo-code...

I've been dreaming about owning this & Other Stories striped jumper, priced at a v reasonable £25. The only problem is deciding which colour to choose because it comes in eight different variations and I'm obsessed with every single one. I really don't need another striped jumper - or any kind of jumper at all, come to think of it - but & Other Stories is one of those irresistible brands which I'm always so impressed by and I just don't think I'm strong enough to resist. I think I've narrowed it down to this green and pink number so I may have to visit the new store in Leeds Victoria Gate centre to make a purchase closer to pay day. 

I've also been obsessed with this asymmetrical midi skirt from Topshop which I think would look so cute with an oversized jumper or a slogan-tee and high-top converse. Given my limited student budget, it's a bit pricey at £39 but it's not often I find something in Topshop that I absolutely MUST have so I reckon I'd regret it if I missed out. It's not often that I wear red and I've never owned anything in such a statement print so I need to see this purchase as more of an investment in a unique but extremely transitional piece rather than an unnecessary splurge. For the sake of 'treating myself', it will be mine.

The next item on my 'treat yo' self' gift guide is 100% aspirational and completely inaccessible but one day I hope I'll have the necessary funds to be Shrimps' number one customer. While I'm in a constant state of grief over my lack of statement faux-fur Shrimps coat, I've also found myself hopelessly wishing for the new-in Mary jumper. I'm still unwaveringly committed to the ruffle/frill trend and recently picked up a grey long-sleeved jumper from Primark in a similar style to this, which I suppose will have to do for now.

I'm off on my hols at the end of April to soak up some much needed sunshine. Huddersfield is potentially the least sunny town in the whole of England and I'm desperate for some vitamin D. The weather lately has only been pushing me to start preparing sooner - at this rate, I'll be packed and ready to go to the airport with passport in hand by the end of this month. I was on the hunt for the perfect pair of espadrille-style sandals last year but I think I left my search a little too late. I love this ASOS pair because the wedge is the perfect height to wear during the day and in the evenings and I expect they'll be quite practical to wear when the weather (hopefully) warms up here in the UK too. Also over on ASOS, I've found this extremely cool ban.do beach towel which is just so me - definitely not something I've ever said about a towel before. Inspired by Megan and Faye, the ridiculously cool Mellaby sisters, on their recent trip to Miami, I've decided that it's about time I invest in a pair of statement sunglasses. I LOVE everything by Quay Australia, including this gorge Quay x Chrissy-Jetlag pair in black and rose-gold... my only issue is that I'm short-sighted, so I'm having a serious internal struggle over whether I can pay so much money for a pair of sunglasses that I can't really see out of. First world problems, I know.

I also decided to show myself some non-materialistic love this week by ordering myself a bunch of Bloom & Wild flowers which are just starting to blossom in time for Valentine's day! I think buying yourself a bunch of flowers is a seriously underestimated act of self-care; so whether you're single or not right now, go buy yourself some flowers and treat yourself to something in your much neglected saved basket this Valentine's day. 

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I'm currently writing this from the dark depths of the library on a Saturday evening, with nothing but a 3000 word report and a portfolio of CV/intern development standing in the way of me, my happiness and all of the Christmas festivities that await me. To take a break from the sheer agony of yet another SWOT analysis or inDesign layout, I thought I'd take myself back to (slightly) more chilled out days and reminisce on my latest trip to Manchester. I had a bit of an impromptu outing last month with the uni gals to visit the Fashion on the Ration exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. I made the most of the rare opportunity to visit one of my fave cities by bringing out my brand new and beautiful Zara coat which I got for my birthday and (keep it on the down-low) may have opened a bit early. I literally can't stop looking at it. I didn't realise it was possible to adore an item of clothing so much until now. I think it's love. The mix of colours in it are so beautiful and like nothing I've ever owned before. I feel like it'll translate well into my wardrobe during all seasons - the plum tones are v autumnal but I'll appreciate the pops of pink and red when spring eventually rolls around. I teamed my dreamy coat with a basic black turtle neck jumper from Primark, my beloved M&S Archive by Alexa skirt, a pair of fishnets and some western-style River Island boots. Also, when fur collars are no longer a thing (although I hope they stay forever) I can detach it - but why would I ever wanna?! I always find it so amazing what a good piece of expensive and much-loved clothing can do for your mood. It was a bitter, drizzly day out on the grimy streets of Manchester but I felt blummin' marvellous. 

On the topic of moods and feeling marvellous, I thought I'd take this opportunity - given my current, unfortunate location in the library right now - to talk about how utterly UNmarvellous I am currently feeling. From an outsider's perspective, my day has been pretty hard going. I haven't really had a 'proper' lie-in in weeks and sadly, despite it being the weekend, today has been no exception. I battled a million and one Christmas shoppers onto a lunchtime train to get to work where we were packed in shoulder-to-shoulder. From work, I came straight here - I picked up a McDonald's for tea (my second in a week) and now I inevitably feel like shit. I'm catching up on all the vlogmas videos that I've been falling behind with although my battery is seriously starting to dwindle and literally all I want is to be wearing my pyjamas and drinking wine from the bottle. Despite it all, I'm trying to be optimistic. I didn't meet my personal targets for the evening (I had planned to finish a project) but then again, my expectations of myself are always too high. And although everything always takes so much longer than I expect it to, I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All I need is some cheery Christmas songs to help me through my long walk home and the promise of hot chocolate and much Nutella once I make it back. Time to wrap up in my bloody beautiful coat and face the cold wind and rain. I'll be back here in twelve hours time. Christmas holidays - Please. Come. Quick.

Collaboration Fixation

We're halfway into November and my bank balance has suffered hugely already this month as I've been totally and utterly drawn into the intoxicating world of high street collaborations. But it's my birthday month so I deserve it, right? While I'm trying to get back into the habit of student budgeting and sitting at a desk writing for hours on end, I've also found the time to give my thoughts on the new Archive by Alexa collection and H&M X Kenzo collaboration. It's nice to be integrating a bit of fashion into my blog for the first time, since I am a fashion student and (sadly) not a full time travel blogger.

I loved every piece in M&S's first Archive by Alexa but I didn't feel any of it was very 'me' or wearable to my own personal style. I was very excited, however, in the run up to the release of the second collection as the snippets of things I had seen were definitely right up my street. Unfortunately, the 1st November rolled around and I had overslept (possibly due to my Halloween antics the previous night) so I really missed the mark on bagging my favourite item - the Kirkgate mini - and it had already sold out in my size. I WAS GUTTED. I took a disappointing trip into store where everything was sold out and did a lot of frantic, obsessive online checking until I finally got my hands on it! I LOVE IT. I did feel a little let down by the quality of the more affordable items when I had a look in store. I was kinda intrigued by the 'Aire', a metallic grey shirt with a peter-pan collar and pussybow neck tie but the feel of the fabric completely put me off as it was so thin and crinkly.

The second collab to rob me of my money this month has been the long-awaited H&M X Kenzo collection. I even got up early (!) for this one, to sit at uni ready and waiting when the site went live. It took me almost an hour to actually get into the website which I finally did via the app. I've seen a lot of comments in the fashion world lately about whether the concept of the collaboration has lost its edge now that it's been repeated by so many high street brands but I have to say, I don't agree. The H&M site (predictably) crashed and multiple pieces sold out almost instantly - so the hype clearly isn't dwindling yet. I chose a pure silk blouse with ruffled capped sleeves which I'd planned on buying and then made a rather last minute decision to get the black frill-collar sweatshirt too. I'm actually still kinda undecided about the sweatshirt and my 28 days to return it are running out. I've been feeling v guilty for making such an unnecessary (ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY) purchase and my conscience is trying to talk myself out of it. I read a hilar post predicting the success of some of the pieces over on Manrepeller.com and they named it as the most easily justifiable item to buy from the collection. So maybe I should listen to those guys and keep it... but the collar just doesn't sit quite like I imagined and I'm worrying that my only reason for keeping it would be the thrill of having a designer logo across my chest. 

So basically, what we can take from this blog post is that I'm a very naive and easily swayed human being with a shopping addiction, a good wardrobe and no money, hoorah! The era of the collaboration is far from over, in my honest opinion - I'm already looking forward to the next one.