Sadie's Wardrobe

The Birds

2012-01-19T17:28:00.002Z

Just before leaving home to come back to uni, I was lucky enough to spend some time in the company of a small flock of beautiful birds, all hand made by talented mosaic artist Kate Rattray. Quite unlike what the title of this post might imply, these birds were all very friendly and happy to co-operate for a photo or two!

Each bird has its own individual personality, and I can't quite decide which one is my favourite! They are designed to be hung either indoors or outdoors - don't they just look fantastic twinkling in the trees?

Kate produces her mosaic creations in a workshop at the bottom of her garden. Her pieces range from large framed works of art (have a look here), to wall sculptures (my personal favourite is this homage to Dali's 'Ruby Lips'), to smaller items like these birds, as well as necklaces, all available through Folksy. Flower brooches, eye brooches, and 'flying ducks' have been promised for the future, so keep your eye out for these!

It was a real privilege to borrow the birds for a mini photoshoot in the garden out in the winter sunshine. I hope you like the photos!

Kate also has a blog, so if you are interested in seeing how her mosaics are created, as well as background information on the inspiration for various pieces, be sure to have a look :).

What do you think of the birds? Where would you hang one?

Sadie xxx

Christmas Bokeh

2011-12-31T21:02:00.000Z

This post was inspired by this blog post on the lovely Meredith's blog, 'One Sheepish Girl' - which in turn, was inspired by a post on The Friendly Fox! They both blogged about this beautiful photography effect, which I think is called Bokeh (photography experts, feel free to correct me!). It just so happens to be perfect for the festive season, with all of these pretty lights twinkling all over the place.

It's so simple to do - just cut out a small shape from a piece of card, hold it in front of your camera lens with the aperture open really wide, and snap away!

The shapes appear smaller as the aperture gets smaller... and that really is all there is to it. I'm not sure if it works on ordinary digital cameras, but my DSLR made it work perfectly. (Totally justifies buying it!).

Sadie xxx

Christmas Time

2011-12-27T23:08:00.003Z

Call me Scrooge, but I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas. Something about its scale just seems to odd, in a country that is hardly religious anymore. That said, I do love the whole 'warmth' of it; the pretty lights, the indulgent food and coming back home from uni (and literally being warm, of course - I've never appreciated heating so much).

Just thought I'd write a short post to share some of my Christmas snaps, which I hope get across that certain Christmassy 'je ne sais quoi'. Including one of my old piano duet books, complete with instructions on which finger to use - cute!

The obligatory chocolate coins... and notes??

Mum's special request - 'wet walnuts'

New reading material - can't wait to get cracking on these!

...after finishing these :(...

...Aaah! Unfortunately the whole shebang is somewhat ruined by the impending deadlines that a new term at uni will bring. First on my agenda: a rather soul destroying economics essay. So if blogging is a bit intermittent, this is why!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas and that school/uni/work isn't getting in the way of having a good time!

Sadie x

Boutique by Jaeger

2011-12-18T13:29:00.000Z

You'll have to excuse the label-loving nature of this post because, well, I just can't help it! I can't remember how I first found out about Boutique, a new line from luxury brand Jaeger, but I really do love the pieces in their collection, which is described as 'combining a playful ‘60s spirit with a clean, contemporary aesthetic'. Just up my street.

So you can imagine my delight when I went for a spontaneous look around Birmingham's Selfridges with my house mate, only to discover a large corner dedicated to Jaeger and its younger sibling... with a sale. It was only supposed to be a bit of post-dinner window shopping!

I picked up these blue corduroy high waisted shorts, reduced from £60 to £35 (although I have seen them on ASOS for £99!). They look like a match made in heaven with my vintage Jaeger blouse (£2, charity shop!), don't you think?

As you may or may not know, I am currently trying to shop much more ethically. I've tried to cut out cheap fast fashion completely from my shopping diet, leaving just three options when I want to buy 'ethically': second hand clothes, specific ethical brands, and 'luxury' brands (i.e. clothes built to last). Whilst I might not be quite there yet with my wardrobe choices, I'm hoping these shorts are 'built to last' - and after a quick once over, I can see the seams are nicely bound and the material is good quality. I hope they do not disappoint.

Sadie xxx

Late Night Sewing: Cushion Cover

2011-12-04T23:29:00.001Z

Last month I finally got around to making a cover for a plain cushion that I spontaneously bought at Ikea at the start of the summer (Ikea: the land spontaneous and unnecessary purchases). I thought I'd make use of some of my old scraps of material - you may recognise the lace from my shelves at uni! The dark boiled wool is from an old skirt that didn't fit, and the pretty retro green fabric is something I pulled out from the bottom of a pile offcuts at a carboot.

Cushion covers are probably the easiest thing in the world to make, the only thing you need to remember is leave enough overlap for the seams, and to sew the two pieces together inside out when you assemble them. Apart from that, the world's your oyster - it's a good way to upcycle old bits of material, and they make sofas and beds extra comfy (and pretty!).

What do you think of them? I couldn't resist taking some photos of them basking in the warm light from my lamp... makes me feel all wintery... and dare I say it, Christmassy? (I'm normally a bit of a Scrooge!)

Sadie xxx

Clothes Show Live: an ethical perspective

2011-12-03T16:09:00.000Z

I was lucky enough to be given a press pass this year's Clothes Show Live, so yesterday I ventured to Birmingham's NEC all on my lonesome to join the masses of shoppers at this humungous event. If I'm honest, I was kind of dreading it - several football pitches' worth of fast fashion terrifies the living daylights out of me. But I wasn't really there for that: I had given myself the challenge of looking for ethical fashion brands, which thankfully were sprinkled in and amongst all of the rest of it.

For any of you who might be heading to The Clothes Show over the weekend, here is my ethical fashion round-up...

Oxfam Fashion
I couldn't not mention Oxfam Fashion here (I am one of their blog contributors, afterall!). I was pleased to see that they had two stalls, one filled with vintage clothing, and another for clothing customisation. They were selling vintage cashmere jumpers for a mere £15, so I snapped up a lovely green one. Wish I bought two now!

I watched one of the volunteers expertly customising a baby blue jumper with a pretty lace peterpan collar and some buttons - it makes all the difference, and is so easy to do (who needs Topshop?). Here is her work in progress...

Oxfam were running a competition at the show, to win a dress and necklace as worn by Beyoncé! It also included a 10% discount for their online shop. Very generous...

Vintage
My second stop of the day (actually a happy accident... I had no idea where I was at any point, despite having a map), was the vintage section. Buying vintage is one of the most ethical ways to consume, as it means clothes are recycled rather than going into landfill, and it also means new clothes aren't created. And as a vintage lover, I'm not complaining...

I'd like to say a quick hello to the lovely lady who recognised me!

Brooches, necklaces, earrings, bracelets... at Sallys Jewellery

My top picks from Anita's Vintage Fair... can't believe I left that mod dress behind. It was only £25!

Ethical Brands

I was deliberately searching for ethical brands, but unfortunately only came across two! Nevertheless, these two t-shirt brands really stuck in my mind. Here are my favourite t-shirts...

On the left: This was from a selection of fairtrade t-shirts made from a rage of ethically sourced and sustainable materials, including bamboo! The illustrations were all original designs by Tomoya Hiramatsu - I found this particular design rather creepy but characterful! The people on the stall were very chatty and I so very nearly bought this t-shirt, priced at £25. You can find them online at Conquer Gear.

On the right: I wanted to buy this T-shirt at last year's show, but couldn't quite afford it (same applies this year). It is from the Environmental Justice Foundation, which successfully campaigned to get the poisonous chemical Endosulfan banned in many countries. They were selling a range of organic fairtrade t-shirts featuring illustrations by prominent fashion designers. This one by Luella Bartley was my favourite.

Sknitch

This is a rather innovative section of Clothes Show Live, and offers the public the chance to learn new skills and how to upcycle old items of clothing. They had an 'Inspiration Stage', upon which an appliqué competition was taking place when I walked past. There were also two knitting workshops which looked like a very good place to relax after a tiring day shopping.

So, what did I buy?

I thought I'd treat myself to a lovely green cashmere jumper from Oxfam Fashion, which I have already worn once - it's so cosy! I also stopped off at Dahlia to see what all of the blogosphere fuss is about. I picked up a peter-pan collar dress on their £10 rail - the dress was originally £60! And finally, a book on Eco Fashion from Laurence King, which I'm hoping will help me work out where I aim to work in the future.

I hope you enjoyed my guide... sorry it was a bit long!

Sadie xxx

Masscob

2011-11-19T16:34:00.000Z

I must confess, I have a serious problem with buying coats. I now have a family of at least 8 spread across various wardrobes, and last weekend they gained a new sibling.

Now, just to explain, last weekend I went back home so that I could work and earn some extra money. But unfortunately, I work in a designer outlet, which somehow transforms even the poorest student's mindset into one that believes that £165 is a reasonable price for an item of clothing. So over the course of the weekend, rather than gaining lots of money, I lost a significant portion of my student loan and instead came home with a beautiful beautiful beautiful coat.

The coat is from a Spanish brand called Masscob, and if you look carefully you can see my coat in their Autumn/Winter lookbook. Mmmm-mmm. According to the website...

"Marga and Jacobo (the designers) just follow their instinct, they don´t have a precise point of inspiration. Their designs emerge spontaneously and do not follow any predetermined process, sometimes just a substance of a fabric or a vintage detail it’s the beginning for a new collection."

I can certainly see vintage details shining through the design - the cut on the shoulders is a particular favourite of mine, as of course is the pretty peter-pan collar detail (how very predictable of me). In any case, I feel chic and sophisticated when I'm wearing it, if a little scared it might get damaged (it officially retails at £331). And as such, I have named it 'The Paris Coat' for my impending year abroad starting next year.

I have been a bit absent from Sadie's Wardrobe lately, but that's because I have been busy working on various other blogging projects! One of which is for Oxfam Fashion - you can find my first article here! The other project is a new paid job I have sort of stumbled into... but more on that at a later time!

Sadie xxx

TheWellingtonBoot.com giveaway winner!

2011-10-31T15:09:00.000Z

Thanks to anyone who entered the $15 voucher giveaway for TheWellingtonBoot.com!

I have just selected the winner, using a random number generator, and I'm pleased to announce that the winner is comment number 14, 'Miss Congeniality'!

I will be sending an email to you shortly :).

Sadie xxx

Dungarees

2011-10-23T00:22:00.003+01:00

For my birthday, I received a generous £30 voucher from my friends (thanks guys)! I was pondering how to spend it for about a month, thinking I should probably buy something for my impending 'year abroad' work placement, but in the end I came away with these dungarees. I've wanted a new pair of dungarees for ages - I do have an old ill-fitting chambray pair, but these ones are much smarter (very APC, don't you think?). Anyway, after buying them I wore them for 4 days straight. That is a testament to how comfy and easy-to-style they are!

I wouldn't have naturally thought to pair them with this shirt, bought at the vintage shop I mentioned previously for £4, but by some happy accident they found themselves together when I was trying on my 'purchases of the day' to show my housemates. I rather like the combination - I feel like I should be on the set of 'The Good Life', especially with my rather wild-looking morning hair and 70s satchel.

On the subject of hair... I'm definitely due for a hair-cut soon... haha. The reason it's so volumised is because I'd just blowdryed it properly, in a hope that its 'settled state' would be a little less flat than usual. My hair doesn't like to co-operate though.

This may well be the last thing I buy from a proper shop for a very long time... I've had what could be described as an 'ethical fashion epiphany' since reading Lucy Siegle's To Die For, and now feel like I should be doing more to help stop morally corrupt practices in fast fashion production. But more on that in a later post.

In other news, I have just been accepted as an official blogger for Oxfam Fashion - which is basically my dream job!! I am really really pleased and excited about the next few months! If you are interested, you will be able to find my articles here - I'd highly recommend visiting their blog for lots of vintage-related goodness!

And finally - don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I forgot to explain the backdrop to these photos: I live in a large mass of student housing, where builders think it is fine to just chuck all of their rubbish into pathways. Along with the 'classic' stolen traffic cone, I thought it would be a nice unusual setting, to indicate how unglamorous my lifestyle actually is...

Win a $15 voucher for TheWellingtonBoot.com!

2011-10-15T19:53:00.001+01:00

Since starting my blog, I have teamed up with jewellery maker Fern Martin once a year to host a giveaway for her online shop, The Wellington Boot. This will be the third year that we've hosted the giveaway - how time flies!

This year, Fern is kindly giving away a $15 voucher to be spent in her Etsy Shop!

I'm always happy to help out independent jewellery makers, who always produce goods that are much more unique and far better made than items you can find on the highstreet. The Wellington Boot certainly ticks all the boxes for me - an online shop filled to the brim with quirky little pieces, all at very affordable prices - perfect for Christmas presents too!

Here are some of my favourite pieces...

How to enter...

Competition Now Closed

~~To enter, all you have to do is have a look around~~ ~~The Wellington Boot's Etsy Shop~~ ~~and comment on this blog post naming your favourite item! Please include an email address or link to your own blog, so I can contact you if you win.~~

~~The winner will be picked using a random number generator at 9pm on Sunday 30th October.~~

Good luck! :)

Sadie x

Out and About

2011-10-10T19:03:00.001+01:00

On Saturday, the boy and I headed into town to have a look around the vintage shops. Digbeth in Birmingham is filled with hidden gems, and on our trip we discovered a shop we had never seen before - a great find as it was filled with extra cheap items (£4 for a blouse... yes please!). I'm a bit fed up with vintage shops charging extortionate prices, so this was a very welcome addition to my list of shopping haunts. The shop had some very pretty displays, including a row of russian dolls keeping an eye on customers from a central table, a pile of retro suitcases, and even an old Biba bag. I love finding places like this on roads I wouldn't usually wander down!

I made a few purchases in Digbeth (no doubt to be featured in a blog post soon!), then we headed to the dreaded Bullring to spend a voucher I received for my birthday. The Bullring is a complete no-go zone on a Saturday... I struggle to comprehend the amount of money that must change hands there in an hour, if the queues for the escalators alone are 15 people long. Seeking a bit of tranquility, we popped down to Selfridges for a nose around at all of the interesting food on the ground floor, as well as a quick look at the really expensive handbags next to the champagne lounge...

Anyway, on our way out, and with the enthusiasm of two excitable young children, we decided to try out a sushi bar! We were watching the conveyer belt go around for a good 15 minutes, waiting for some Vegetable Tempura to pop up, before a kind soul pointed out that you can just request for something if you ask a waitress! Dur. At least the wait allowed me to take (far too many) photos of the conveyer belt. It was very entrancing.

Note to self: brush hair before having photo taken on expensive camera!

If anyone wanted to visit the vintage shop, it can be found at 91 Allison Street, Digbeth, Birmingham. I'd highly recommend it! There is a good little vegetarian café on the same street called Warehouse Café - another favourite of mine.

Sadie xxx

P.S. Stay tuned as I have a giveaway coming up at the end of this week!

Une fille comme tant d'autres

2011-10-07T16:33:00.003+01:00

I've been experimenting with a new photo location today! Naturally, I'm far too scared to actually take outfit photos in a public place - it takes me so long to actually compose a shot using a tripod (take a shot, have a look, move a bit, take a shot, have a look, move a bit more... I'm sure you all know the drill) that I don't think I'd be able to cope with the amount of stares I'd receive. So my new back garden will have to do! It's actually rather picturesque - the only draw back is that sometimes the leaves like to balance on your head just as the shot is taking, as is seen below.

As my UK readers will know, we've just had an 'Indian Summer' here. Although I was grateful for the heat, it isn't quite as enjoyable when you have a 2 hour accounting lecture in the hottest room on campus... cue short attention span/almost falling asleep. Despite this weather, I somehow managed to get tonsillitis and a cold, which has left my voice a few hundred octaves lower... hoping it will get better soon!

Anyway, today it was absolutely freezing cold and rainy - good old temperamental Great Britain. I decided to don my favourite vintage pinafore dress along with my River Island coat, in an outfit combination that makes me pretend to myself that I'm in a Francoise Hardy video.

In other news - I've just started a Blogger of the Week feature in my university newspaper. You may recognise my first featured blogger as Liv from whatoliviadid.com - whose blog I can highly recommend! If any of you have any suggestions of other good student bloggers, please do let me know!

Sadie xxx

My New Room

2011-09-30T11:06:00.001+01:00

You may remember last year, I posted about decorating my room in university halls. Well, now I've moved out and into a house, into a room double the size and half the price! I've been busy decorating it since moving in, including pinning (yes, pinning) up a feature wall of Anagylpta paper, painted a rich green colour. I'm facing the same problem as last year in that I can't make any major changes to the room, but after a quick re-arrangement of the furniture, bluetacking some lace edging to my mismatched shelves, and of course, filling said shelves with all of my important junk, the place seems more like home.

I've taken a few snaps of my favourite areas of the room (again, as practise with my new lens). Please excuse the lack of sharpness in places - I'm a beginner!

Slightly wrinkled anaglypta! I got so much criticism for this from my parents, who can remember it the first time around, but I think its great! And I think I may have won my mum around...

A little retro hornsea honey pot and another little pot

Some rather dashing little 50s? 60s? 70s? Salt and Pepper pots and a highly flammable lightshade...

My retro sewing machine cover

Pretty little vintage makeup bag, picked up at Clothes Show Live last year

Although you can't see properly, this is a floor standing lamp, found in a local charity shop for £7.50!

I'll be back soon with a proper outfit post - a bit rushed off my feet at the moment with uni things. I'm trying to join more societies this year, and my diary is now full to bursting!

Sadie xxx

20

2011-09-25T23:52:00.000+01:00

In the past week I've moved back to uni (along with at least 2 suitcases of clothes), and turned 20! I feel so old... no longer can I have a lie-in with the excuse that I'm a teenager!

I had a bit of an odd birthday, waking up in a completely empty house as none of my housemates had arrived, then going off to uni to help out at a societies fair all day, but it ended well when I met up with the boy and headed to a jazz club.

I've spent most of the week settling into my new house - no more noisy uni halls! - and running to and from campus. I've barely had a chance to use any of the gifts I received, but I thought I'd photograph them as they are all rather photogenic! And of course, it gave me a chance to practise with my new lens :).

In the photo above, I'm wearing a vintage 70s lace blouse, purchased on eBay as a birthday present to myself! It is quite rough to the touch, but I love it all the same and can't wait to style it properly.

Here are a few photos of my other gifts (can you tell I'm addicted to that 'narrow depth of field' look?!).

What a romantic boyfriend :)

Very very pretty dainty brown gloves from the 60s!

Posh eyeliner for my cat-eye flicks!

And finally, I can't wait to start reading this book, a gift from my boyfriend. Here is an extract from the blurb...

'In this impassioned book, Lucy Siegle champions sustainable solutions that will break the cycle of exploitative style with its heavy, secret price tag.'

It sounds like it will give me motivation to analyse my clothing consumption habits and make a few changes to how and where I buy clothes. I'll probably review it on here once I've finished reading it!

Sadie xxx

Sessun

2011-09-17T18:37:00.001+01:00

After noticing that lots of other bloggers use a 50mm lens, I thought I'd quite like to jump on the bandwagon, so earlier this week I ordered one to go with my new camera. It arrived this morning, and I just couldn't resist testing it out straight away... even though it is supposed to be a birthday present for next week (eek, turning 20!). Since taking these photos way back in 2009, I've been itching to do some sort of similar shoot. The floaty white curtains in my room soften the light just perfectly for taking dreamy photos - and it was all wet and gloomy outside so it felt decidedly cosy indoors.

A few weeks ago I purchased this Sessun jumpsuit in the sale section of Urban Outfitters (NOT that I particularly like the idea of buying from UO; most of their stock is horrendously overpriced, and there was a big scandal recently which involved them stealing the ideas of an independent jewellery designer!). Anyway - I'm quite delighted with my purchase, which is a wonderfully high quality chambray jumpsuit with lots of nice details - pretty lined pockets and carefully covered seams, to name a few. Which is what you'd expect from a jumpsuit that originally cost £130(!!!). It seems I was in the right place at the right time - I bought it for a mere £20. Best purchase ever!

I've been waiting for the right occasion to really do it justice, and I'm quite proud of how these photos turned out, especially as I was working awkwardly with a tripod and self timer! Sorry if I come across as really vain - I promise I'm not!

What do you think of them?

Sadie xxx

Golden Hour

2011-09-16T19:51:00.001+01:00

It sounds silly, but since buying myself a new camera, I feel so much more motivated to blog! You may have noticed that I've been rather absent from the blogosphere over the summer - working full time was probably to blame, but I'm glad I have got back into the swing of things.

Now, I know in my previous post I concluded that I simply couldn't buy any more coats... well, the very next day I bought another new coat. To be honest, it's more of a jacket than a coat, but it seems to be 'boyfriend fit' so kind of counts as a coat on someone as short as me. At £7, I did have to have a long think about it, but in the end I just couldn't put it back on the rail (which incidentally, is a wonderful vintage rail at my local Cancer Research shop).

It's quite a masculine coat, which lends itself perfectly to an outfit featuring my skinny leather tie, previously seen here. I'm also wearing my absolute favourite retro blouse, originally from Jaeger, but thrifted for £2 some time last year. Very 1940s-gentleman-goes-to-work, don't you think? Haha.

The boy and I made use of the incredibly flattering light at 'golden hour', just before sunset, to take the photos. Saved me from having to add a 'vintage glow' on photoshop!

Finally, my friend has just re-launched his photography website at stewartgiles.com - please do have a little look! He does some great fashion related shoots :).

Sadie xxx

P.S. I've just been added to MyStreetChic.com - you can find my photo here!

You can never have too many coats...

2011-09-12T19:12:00.000+01:00

... or at least, thats what I try to tell myself every time I fall in love with a new coat and 'just have to have it'! Luckily my coat buying habit mostly takes place in charity shops, so I can feel a little less guilty - and that is the case with my newest wardrobe recruit!

I picked it up for just £10 in one of my local charity shops (I'm going to miss my town and its rather high charity-shop-per-capita score so much when I return to university). There is no label inside, so I'm guessing that it was once handmade by a fashionable little seamstress back in the 60s - I adore its peterpan collar and gentle A-line shape.

I donned my beret, bought in a vintage shop in Paris no less, and braved the extremely windy conditions outside to take a few snaps of it with my new camera. Most of the shots turned out to just be of me holding my hair out of my face, but a few of the photos were vaguely successful (thanks dad).

Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for my bulging wardrobe), I'm actually going to re-sell the coat :( boo. After my impulse buy, I realised I really do need the funds - after all, I did splash out on a new camera last week. But I couldn't resist posing in it before putting it up on eBay!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'm off to a salsa night tonight. This is going to be very difficult seeing as I am completely incapable of copying dances or even dancing to any sort of rhythm... wish me luck.

Monochrome

2011-09-09T20:11:00.002+01:00

I had a very exciting delivery this morning - a new Canon digital SLR camera! I've been wanting to buy one for ages, but was always worried about how much use it would get (they are rather heavy and seem rather bulky to carry around!). But after working full time for most of the summer, I really wanted to reward myself with something special, and a new camera fitted the bill. I bought it second hand, a snip at £240, on eBay. I've been fiddling around with my new gadget all day looking at all the interesting features - who'd have thought there could be such a thing as a self cleaning sensor?

Anyway, I ventured off into the countryside and dragged the boyfriend out with me to take a few outfit photos. I think they came out quite well for a first attempt, admittedly with the camera set on 'Auto'. (Handy tip: never give a male a shiny gadget with lots of buttons. You will not get it back for ages).

I'm wearing my absolute favourite new dress, bought in the French Connection sale for around £40, reduced from £90 (another work 'reward'). It is made from a luxurious boiled-wool style fabric, clearly built to last, and in my favourite shade of grey. And yes you can have a favourite shade of grey! The blouse underneath was thrifted for around £2 and is about 10x too big for me but it has a pretty little collar. The tights are from Miss Selfridge and the shoes from Clarks.

My boyfriend's family have befriended this stray kitten - he(she?)'s so tiny and cute but wasn't too keen on having his photo taken. This photo is a bit blurry but I couldn't not include it - and after all, we match!

Sadie xxx

People Tree

2011-09-07T19:38:00.001+01:00

After my recent blog post entitled 'Green Guilt', I have been trying my best to look out for ethical and sustainable clothing companies when shopping for clothes. I first heard of People Tree as a result of Emma Watson's involvement with the company, and realising that they were an ethical brand, I decided to head to their website for a bit of online window shopping.

I could easily have bought anything on the website - all items are beautifully handmade (not only the garment, but the fabric itself!), dyed using natural dyes, hand embroidered or screenprinted, and everything is Fairtrade. Local people are employed to make the clothes and they are paid a fair wage, helping them to send their children to schools and to enjoy a better life. The prices are extremely reasonable for such well made items, whose provenance you can trace right back through the supply chain!

After much umming-and-ahhing I decided to buy this beautiful white peplum blouse with a small rounded collar, which was a mere £18 in the sale! It is hand woven (and according to the label, this means that 1 ton of CO2 is saved per year, per handloom!) and has a really nice texture and quality. I'm glad I decided to invest in it as it will be a real wardrobe staple - even good for wearing under jumpers in the winter!

I added a little green velvet bow and wore it with my favourite thrifted Jaeger cardigan and skirt - although unfortunately, my outfit choice doesn't show off the peplum detail very well!

I highly recommend having a look on the website - the prices are really competitive and the quality greatly outstrips that of your usual highstreet brand. They even have collections from Orla Kiely and Vivienne Westwood! Here are some of my favourites...

Sadie xxx

Velvet Cave

2011-08-28T21:14:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite things to search for on eBay is 'mod dress' - usually not with the intention of actually buying, but as more of a 'window shopping' exercise and a place to find inspiration for my next sewing project.

Well, I recently found myself scrolling through the search results, when a collection of stunning 60s/70s dresses passed before my eyes - complete with a beehived model and striking 60s makeup. I clicked through to 'See More Items' and discovered Velvet Cave Vintage - an eBay shop filled with all of my favourite things! (i.e. lots of retro dresses).

All Images from Velvet Cave Vintage

If I had the money I'd buy any of these dresses in an instant - and they would of course take pride of place in my wardrobe. I am aware that I say that about most of my clothes... but there is something super special about really cool old dresses. Of course, they would also be the perfect outfit choice for when I'm wailing along to the Shangri-La's when my flatmates are out...

All of these ones are on their eBay page at the moment - with about 2 days remaining until the auctions end!

Oh - and they also have a blog and a twitter :)

Sadie xxx

P.S. I know this sounds like a sponsored post - but I assure you it isn't! I just fell in love at first sight!

The Cheat's Guide to Re-Hemming

2011-08-20T22:35:00.001+01:00

I'm always talking about how amazing charity shops are, and forever blogging about my recent finds - but I often fail to mention that with nearly every purchase there is always a bit of extra work involved: re-hemming. Being 5ft 2" and with a particular fondness for wearing most things super short (à la 1960s/because in theory I think it makes me look taller...), I'm fairly used to lopping of the bottom off of dresses and running them through the sewing machine, often only to realise that I have in fact cut off far too much. But it must be said - all the effort is worth it when you realise you have just breathed life into an old unwanted garment that cost you a mere couple of pounds, turning it into a wardrobe-worthy item to cherish.

For those of you who don't have access to a sewing machine, I can imagine that the potential of charity shops seems much more limited - but it doesn't need to be! Although I'm sure most people have heard of re-hemming tape, I feel I should point out just how good it really is - in fact, I may even be ditching the sewing machine for these jobs in future!

For under £2 I bought 10m of tape, enough for at least 5 items of clothing. It can be found easily in most haberdasheries and supermarkets at very little cost. With this magical invention, the entire process of re-hemming takes under 15 minutes!

So without further ado, introducing the item to be re-hemmed - a stunning mondrian-style shift dress, picked up in a local charity shop for just £4. Admittedly, it doesn't look very long in the picture, but you will have to trust me that it just didn't feel quite right!

1) Always try on your item before deciding on a length! Once I had the dress on, I decided I wanted it to be about 8cm shorter. So, allowing for a 3cm hem, this meant that I needed to cut off around 5cm all around.

2) My mum taught me a very quick technique for measuring how much to take off, which means you won't need pins or markers. Simply fold over a piece of paper so that it is the desired width of the amount you need to cut off (5cm for me), and place it against the fabric along the current hem as you cut. Note that this works best with straight hems!

3) I used straight scissors, as I planned to turn the hem in on itself as I ironed in order to hide the raw edge, but pinking shears would also work very well and would mean that the ironing stage is less fiddly.

4) Fold your new hem up inside the dress/skirt/trousers about 3cm, and iron it into place. The dress will hopefully now be your desired length - but double check in the mirror before ironing the hemming web in! In the photo below, I've actually ironed two creases - one to conceal the raw edge. But if you used pinking shears, ironing two creases is unnecessary.

5) Lie your re-hemming tape along the crease and fold the hem over it, ready to be ironed.

6) Making sure that none of the tape is visible, carefully iron along the hem to melt the tape. You will need to have your iron set to cotton heat (but be careful with synthetic materials!) and make sure you press quite hard!

7) Wait for the hem to cool

8) Model your newly shortened dress in the garden! haha.

There are some amazing advantages to using tape rather than sewing the hem - firstly, you can't see stitching (which in my case is always wonky!), and secondly, most types of tape can be peeled apart if you re-iron them - so even if you make a mistake, you can go back and change it easily!

So everyone - go forth and thrift those odd-lengthed and unwanted skirts and dresses and turn them into something lovely!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I will be back soon with an amazing jumpsuit which I am very excited about!

Cabbages and Roses

2011-07-31T22:55:00.001+01:00

I know that in my last blog post I mentioned that I feel guilty buying brand new items of clothing, but I just couldn't resist purchasing this charming mod-style dress last week at a designer outlet sale at Kilver Court. The dress is from London based brand Cabbages and Roses, which was founded in 2000 by designer & author Christina Strutt. Since its creation, the brand has expanded from its roots as a vintage-inspired textiles company by adding homewares and clothing departments, all in keeping with their very 'British' image.

Of course, I did feel a slight pang of guilt as I handed the money over for the dress, but after having a look on the company website I feel more than comfortable with the values they represent:

'We cherish quality and individuality. We aim to run our business in the kindest way possible, with the best quality of product and with the best treatment of the people involved in the provenance of the product; from beginning to end. Quality, uniqueness and fair prices paid to all our suppliers are reflected in our prices.'

So... I think I can justify it?

(Also... it reminds me a ~~little bit~~ a lot of the dress I made back in May 2010 - only my new one is properly lined and much higher quality!)

I took great care in shortening and re-hemming it by hand, as it was slightly longer than what I'd usually wear. It was nice to sit down for half an hour with my needle and thread in front of the TV - this particular dress certainly deserved more than my usual 5 minute job on the sewing machine!

The dress is actually from a few seasons ago (I bought it at an outlet), but I was lucky enough to meet the designer who assured me that they will be bringing out some similar designs this Autumn/Winter. I can't wait to see what they produce!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I was recently interviewed over at MissBeliever.com by the lovely Tamsin - do check out her blog!

Green Guilt

2011-07-21T18:54:00.000+01:00

I bought this dress after seeing the white version on Cait’s blog (hers being perfectly matched with a wonderful hand-made sailor collar from her collection, Wayward Daughter). I loved the shape of the dress – it boasted a fine example of a cinched waist, as well as a demure high neckline and long sleeves to hide my sinfully pale arms. Not only this, but when I clicked through to the Dorothy Perkins website, I was delighted to discover that it was in the sale for a mere £15 – reduced from a slightly less tempting £45. So naturally, I decided to treat myself to it – using the excuse of ‘exam results treat’.

After receiving it in the post I tried it on immediately, but got a rather disappointing reaction from my mum, which if I remember correctly, went along the lines of ‘It makes you look like a granny smith apple!’ Hopefully I have rectified this a little by taking it up and removing the sleeves – giving it a touch more elegance and a better fit. What do you think? I opted not to wear a belt, in favour of jewellery, but it looks quite nice with my brown leather belt too!

Pretty bunting - a present from the boy

Photos courtesy of my very patient boyfriend! Thankyou!

I don’t often buy things new – in fact, I think this is the first thing I have bought new for a very long time now. I think my wardrobe must be at least 80% thrifted – which is something I am very proud of, as I like to think it cuts carbon emissions from clothing production, reduces waste, and for the most part of my clothing collection, means charities receive income. With the added bonus of costing much less!

I must clarify that I am definitely not here to preach, as I am evidently a lover of clothing and inevitably spend money in high street shops from time to time – not to mention feeding ‘the machine’ a little through blogging. But I have recently become so much more aware of my own spending habits, and especially their impact on the environment – and it has got to the point where I do feel genuinely guilty for purchasing things new.

Does anyone else feel this way about buying things new? How can it be justified? I know I will get a lot of wear from the dress and that I will eventually recycle it. But I really don’t need it. Is this just the way that fashion is, or can it be changed? I think I'm going to make more effort to find out about the environmental/ethical policies of brands from now on.

Sadie xxx

Summer Sunshine & A Homemade Blouse

2011-06-14T21:33:00.001+01:00

I have finally finished exams and I'm back home - which can only mean one thing: lots of time for blogging! Unfortunately my blog always gets a bit neglected at this time of year (as does a lot of the blogosphere!), but I'm sure you can understand why - exams have to come first.

I've only been home for a matter of days, but I have been itching to get back to sewing, so I jumped straight back in with the pattern cutting, pinning and hemming to produce this 50s/60s style sleeveless top. It had to be sleeveless, because I only had a metre of material - but I think it is better that way, and besides, I barely have any sleeveless tops for the summer!

The material is left over from when I made a bow-tie for my boyfriend's birthday - so I'm hoping we don't match one day by accident! Since then, it has been a 'table cloth' for my bed side table, but after packing up my university room I thought it might look better as an item of clothing.

This is probably my favourite creation to-date, largely because I spent a bit more time on it and paid more attention to the finish. For once, I have covered all the seams - so I don't need to worry that it will fall apart in the wash!

I used the same pattern that I used for this blouse, and again had to adapt the dress pattern (making sure to add material for the button overlap). I also changed the collar from a pointy one, to a rounded one, in keeping with the 60s aesthetic that I love so much (trying to aim for a sort of 'Orla Kiely' look). The thing that is great about patterns is that once you have found one that fits, you can carry on making lots of different items and feel confident that they will all be the right size!

I know lots of you have asked for advice on sewing, and all I can really say is just try it out! Patterns are brilliant because all you have to do is cut out the pieces and sew them together - they usually include instructions as well to explain the more complicated bits. My favourite place to find patterns is eBay, as there are loads of lovely vintage ones up for grabs! Bear in mind that you might have to go for a larger size than usual - I have used up to a size 14 vintage pattern, although I am a modern size 10. Also watch out for american sizing differences!

Sadie xxx

Trashion Magazine

2011-05-29T22:49:00.002+01:00

I don't know about you, but whilst I can appreciate the need for fashion publications such as Vogue, I often feel as though there should be more creative and DIY magazines on the market. I thought my prayers were answered when I discovered Cloth magazine, but whilst it had DIY credentials, it was lacking in actual 'fashion'. So I was very excited to hear that student Katie Fox had spotted this gap in the market and come up with a new magazine concept; one that combines trends with DIY tutorials, vintage shopping guides and interviews with independent designers!

The magazine is Katie's final year university project, and the hard work she has invested into it really shows across an impressive 30 pages of vintage-related articles, photo shoots and interviews. The concept for the magazine is outlined on the official blog (trashionmag.com):

"TRASHION is a national creative fashion magazine. We celebrate money saving, recycling, creativity and individuality in fashion and are concerned with all things crafty, vintage, thrifty, customised, handmade, quirky and cool.
If you prefer your fashion edgy and original as well as stylish, be sure to keep an eye on TRASHION in 2011."

My favourite feature was, naturally, the tutorials, which include How-To's on Suede Scallop Shorts, Tie-Front Shirts, McQueen-style Clutches and a Jewellery Tidy, all beautifully presented with pictures of the original item and detailed instructions on how to create the look!

I also loved the idea of vintage photo shoots - the perfect retro eyecandy for the vintage lover!

Katie has also managed to incorporate a trend report, but in-keeping with the magazine's philosophy, has provided advice on how to emulate the look using second hand clothing and a few simple DIY techniques. This is definitely a winner in my books, as it makes fashion accessible for everyone - and rather than encouraging us to just buy cheaper high street versions, it has the added bonus of encouraging sustainability.

For the time-being, Katie hasn't got any further issues in the pipeline, but if the concept is received well there is a chance that future editions of Trashion might be published! So - what are your opinions on the idea of a new, creative fashion magazine? What sorts of features would you like to see in a magazine like this?

Until then, the Trashion Mag Blog will be regularly updated with exciting content - and you can follow them on Twitter! Do check out Katie's personal blog as well - The Quick Red Fox!

Sadie xxx

P.S. There are a limited number of copies available for purchase (£3.99 plus postage) here :D

Sunset

2011-05-18T16:20:00.002+01:00

I've now finished the aforementioned nightmare of an exam - only 5 more to go! When I got back from the exam hall I decided to have an afternoon off revision, and treated myself to all sorts of naughty things like... half a tub of Ben and Jerrys (nomnomnom), watching lots of nonsense on iPlayer, filling some pages of my sketch book and reading the new Vogue (at £4.10 for a copy, that well and truly is a treat). I've never felt more relaxed!

I also took the opportunity to dig out all of my favourite clothes and actually wear something nice for a change. Recently, for the sake of revision comfort, I have been living in jeans and a jumper and feeling rather dull as a consequence - so a return to a nice retro outfit was a welcome change. Anyway - it just so happens that I ripped said jeans whilst riding my bike home... so it looks like I'll have no option but to wear pretty things until I work out how to mend them!

Anyway, this morning *cough, afternoon... I am a student after all* I tried my best to blow dry my hair into a 60s bouffant/beehive sort of thing. I managed to get a bit of volume, but my hair has now returned to its normal flat self. I'm considering trying out those BumpIt things, but I'm not sure if they're any good. Have any of you tried them?

Today's outfit consisted of my favourite burnt-orange skirt, a vintage red belt and this blouse that I made back in January. I decided to also don my beret and red coat for added 60s pizazz - not sure about the whole red/orange combination but its nice to feel like a sunset once in a while :D.

Now on to the 'controversial' copy of vogue, which contains an interview with Alexa Chung that caused a bit of an uproar amongst bloggers recently. Here is the offending quote, "Blogs are ridiculous; they're just mood boards." Now I don't particularly find this offensive - in a way, blogs are a little ridiculous, but in the best possible way. And why shouldn't a person be allowed their own place on the internet for their thoughts and opinions? I like to have a place to create a moodboard of my favourite outfits/inspirations/eras/styles, especially as it is my only real 'artistic' outlet in a student experience that mainly involves balance sheets, verb tables and supply & demand curves. What does everyone else think about this? If you are a blogger, were you offended by this statement?

Sadie xxx

The Revision Blues

2011-05-05T19:29:00.001+01:00

Please excuse my very cheesy title - I always think they are very difficult to come up with and this one seemed to be rather apt!

I haven't blogged for what seems like ages, which is largely due to the stress of first year university exams - new subjects, not knowing what to expect and of course, a little bit harder than A-Levels! So over the Easter holidays my head was stuck in a law text book. I honestly take my hat off to anyone who is doing Law as their main degree (fortunately for me, it is just one module) - there is so much to remember!

Anyway, I have been meaning to show you all this dress for a while now, which I acquired at a carboot for next-to-nothing. It is a lovely bright royal blue, with puffy sleeves, and a little collar that I attached a navy ribbon to. Unfortunately none of the full length shots turned out very well - I blame having to stand on a bed! But you'll have to imagine the rest - it finishes mid thigh, and has a lovely matching belt to cinch the waist. Here is the bad news - I was very foolish and actually sold this on eBay before I tried it on :( - it is already in the post to a very lucky person!

Here is a little snapshot of my life at the moment - tort law revision and a diary full of horrible exams :(. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end though! Just in case I'm absent from the blogosphere for a while - this is what I'll be doing!

One of my flatmates remarked on how colourful my notes were. Does anyone else like to get out the felt tips when revising, or is it just me?

Sadie xxx

One Pound

2011-04-15T18:46:00.000+01:00

One of the charity shops in town had a sale on the other week, in which all of the stock was reduced to £1! Although I had only visited to purchase a burgundy-coloured velvet blazer that I had tried on the previous day (unfortunately it had already been sold by the time I got there), when I realised that all the stock was so cheap I couldn't resist having a look.

I came across a rather fetching pair of navy and green tartan trousers, which I immediately envisaged as shorts - à la this post from all the way back in November 2009. They were pretty easy to re-hem as they didn't fray too much, although I did have a bit of a palaver when I accidently melted them with the iron... hopefully no-one will notice :). I tried to give them a 'turn-up' effect, rather than simply re-hemming them, which I think gives them a nice finish.

Of course, after cutting them down to short length, I had two trouser legs' worth of spare material, which I thought would make a nice neck tie. I borrowed this idea from Cait (from the blog Wayward Daughter), who made a very charming matching outfit from some gorgeous tweed material last year. As with Cait's outfit, I've gone for that 'Gossip Girl' look - complete with a boater hat. What do you think?

Before and After pictures:

It was a bit chilly outside so after taking the main outfit shots I also had a play around with the camera settings indoors, and ended up making loads of silhouettes against this frosted glass window. The photos aren't entirely relevant to the post, but I thought they came out quite nicely so I thought I'd share them anyway!

Sadie xxx

The re-launch of Chelsea Girl at River Island

2011-04-07T20:15:00.000+01:00

Chelsea Girl at River Island

A few months ago, I wrote a post about the recent changes in River Island’s ‘direction’ – a move from nasty diamanté-embellished denim, to some much more retro inspired garments that seemed to reference the brand’s earlier 60s/70s incarnation which went under the name of ‘Chelsea Girl’. Well, it seems as though the literal revival of their older self was already in the pipeline, as they recently re-launched the name with a collection of mid-century style garments.

So as a lover of all things retro, you can imagine my excitement when I noticed the ‘Chelsea Girl’ logo appear on their website. But after looking through the clothes on offer, I felt a little let down – it felt like the disappointing re-launch of Biba all over again, albeit a slightly more affordable version. Sadly, some of the clothing seems like it was designed for the mainstream store and then put into the re-launch to ‘pad out’ the collection, whilst other items focus too much on the name without thinking about the styling.

However, there were some particularly ‘of the era’ designs that caught my eye. The current collection seems to be focussing mainly on the 1970s revival, meaning denim flares, ‘gypsy’ blouses and flowing dresses – and a fabulous pair of suede hotpants. I can see some of these pieces fitting seamlessly into my current wardrobe, adding a relaxed bohemian vibe in the process.

All photos (except photo of website) taken from telegraph.co.uk

I think I was just disappointed because I expected an immaculate re-make of my favourite era, forgetting high street stores need to maintain a balance of the old and the new. Although some of these pieces do reflect that ‘carefree’ 1970s spirit, I’d rather have the originals – so I think I will be sticking to vintage shops from now on!

What do you think of their new range? Would you rather own the vintage versions?

Sadie xxx

The Silver Screen

2011-04-05T20:14:00.001+01:00

This month has been incredibly busy - filled with deadlines, revision lectures, London protests and long journeys across the country - so I hope you'll forgive me for abandoning the blog for a few weeks! Also, photographic opportunities are rather limited when you inhabit the world's smallest university room, meaning that I have been rather uninspired. But I'm back home now for a bit, so I'm hoping to finally go thrifting again - with the added bonus that it is carboot season once again!

Anyway, before returning home for Easter, I popped into the city centre with my dad to have a look around the markets. I discovered a little retro stall - the type that looks like a disorganised jumble of musty oddities, with clothes piled high and rails jam packed, making it a real physical effort to look through everything... i.e. the best type of vintage shopping experience! I came across this raspberry pink turtle neck blouse, which is about as retro as you can get - I'm totally in love with the flared sleeves and typical busy 1960s floral pattern. The best thing about it is that it appears to be home-made - I wonder if the person who made it thought that 40 years later, a girl would purchase it and show it off to the world?

The magazine I'm holding is really there to compliment the pink/1960s theme - its an old copy of 'Picture Show', featuring the famous Brigitte Bardot who is looking as stunning as ever. My copy is actually from 1959, and it is filled with pictures and TV/Film reviews from back when the silver screen was a very glamorous affair. I picked this magazine up at the carboot well over a year ago, and re-discovered it when having a rummage through my room the other day!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I keep forgetting to mention it, but I'm on Twitter - so feel free to follow me there if you'd like!

Masculin Féminin

2011-03-09T18:54:00.002Z

I love days off uni - for me, they usually start off with a lie-in (of course!), followed by a raid of my wardrobe (delving to the back for all of the items I'd forgotten about), putting together an adventurous outfit, then parading about the flat in it for the rest of the afternoon. Today's outfit has slight masculine influences, namely the leather tie and my new patent leather brogues.

Words cannot describe how much I love this tie - it has such an amazing retro look, which could be anything from the 1920s to the 1980s (although obviously I prefer to place it firmly in the 60s category!). Unfortunately I'm not daring enough to wear it out on a daily basis, but if I did, then I think it is a match made in heaven for this lace shirt - the masculinity of the tie and the femininity of the shirt strike a great balance. It also looks pretty cool with a brown shirt I own, which is a more subtle look as the colours match exactly.

Anyway, I feel the need to introduce my new shiny brogues, which cost me rather a lot (£50 took a lot of saving up for!) but I love them very dearly. I've actually had them for about a month now, and I still get the same sense of excitement when I get them out of the box as the day I bought them! They seem very sturdy, so hopefully they won't fall apart like my old Topshop ones.

Sleeveless Blouse - Carboot
Tie - Vintage
Cardigan - Newlook
Shorts - Next
Shoes - Clarks

You'll have to excuse the blurryness of these photos - indoor lighting doesn't lend itself very nicely to outfit photos, and there is no way I'm taking my tripod outside to pose (university halls!). Haha.

The title of this post comes from a Jean-Luc Godard film I watched yesterday, which was absolute eye-candy from start to finish. I'm still trying to work out what the metaphors throughout the film meant, but the black and white 'film noir' style, as well as appearances from Chantal Goya and even Francoise Hardy, makes this a new favourite of mine! I've just borrowed A Bout de Souffle as well - have any of you seen it?

Anyway... what do you think of the tie idea? Should I wear it out?

Sadie xxx

Lomography - My Diana F+ Photos!

2011-02-28T17:31:00.004Z

It's sadly nearly the end of the two week 'Loblography Challenge', which has been a brilliant little adventure into the unpredictable land of Lomography, accompanied by the delightful Diana F+. I took her on adventures around the more interesting parts of the city centre, which was very happy to pose for me in all of its photogenic glory! Of course, some of my shots came out terribly, and I definitely need to work on my double exposures (so many failed attempts!) but here are a little selection of my favourites from the 2 films that I sent to be developed.

I think having a little bit of experience with the Kodak Colorsnap definitely helped, as I remembered to hold the camera still and to open the aperture a bit more than I'd naturally think to, so that definitely helped a lot! Although I tried to bear in mind the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography (see below), I found myself planning most of my shots - it's really hard not to when you only have 12 shots on a film!

Take your camera everywhere you go.
Use it any time – day and night.
Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
Try the shot from the hip.
Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible.
Don't think.
Be fast.
You don't have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
Afterwards either.
Don't worry about any rules.

I'd definitely try to 'think less' next time - its just a case of getting used to analogue cameras - and remembering to take the lens cap off, of course! I'd also test out more of the flash colour filters - I was only daring enough to try out a pale yellow one on the strawberry shot, in the hope of getting a vintage glow.

I'll leave you all with a rather ghostly photo of myself sat on a bench. It was supposed to be a double exposure, with a second shot of my boyfriend sat at the other end of the bench, but he seems to have been cut off in an unfortunate case of misaligned frames! Oh no!

Anyway, which is your favourite shot?

Sadie xxx

P.S. Many thanks to Lomography.com for giving me the opportunity to try out the camera!!

The Diana F+

2011-02-17T18:08:00.002Z

A few weeks ago, I entered a competition to take part in 'The LoBlography Challenge'. The prize was to try out a Diana F+ Toy Camera over a period of two weeks - with developing and film all courtesy of Lomography.com! With only 10 places available in the challenge, I didn't think I stood much of a chance, but I was delighted to discover that I was accepted!

The challenge officially started on Tuesday, and it involves competing against the other 9 bloggers to gain the most comments on our Diana F+ based posts - (so I'd love it if you could help me out there, hehe)! The overall winner will win a brand new LC-A+!

So without further ado... introducing my new Diana! Isn't she beautiful?

The camera came in a box with lots of added extras - including this lovely little photo book, filled with immaculate examples of photos taken with the Diana, as well as a little bit about its history, shooting techniques, and a few interviews.

Being a lover of all things from the 1960s, of course, the Diana with its simple yet stylised aesthetics really appeals! Back in the 60s, it was sold as a novelty 'Toy Camera', costing just one dollar per camera - but it was discontinued in the 70s as it didn't take off. It was later revived by analogue photographers, attracted by its unpredictable outcomes, including vignettes, light leaks and random contrast.

I've already taken my Diana for a day out, shooting various sights in the city centre. I'll be sure to post up the results once I get them back from the developing labs!

Have any of you used a Diana before? How did your photos come out?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'd like to say a big thankyou to one of my readers, Holly, for notifying me about this challenge! You can find her Lomography account here - I particularly love her shots of Brighton sea front!

Brighton Rock: 1964

2011-02-08T19:37:00.000Z

Last weekend I was lucky enough to see the new version of Brighton Rock at my local cinema (which happens to have a full art deco facade and matching interiors!). It isn't the typical sort of film I'd choose to watch, but when I heard that the remake was set in 1960s Brighton, complete with mods and rockers, I was compelled to watch it!

The film is based on the book by Graham Greene, written all the way back in 1939. It focuses on a gang of Brighton-based criminals, one of whom finds himself at risk of arrest after the violent murder of a rival gang member along the sea front. In order to stop the evidence reaching the police, the main character Pinkie tries to seduce the only witness, a young naive waitress called Rose.

As the plot unfolded, I fell more and more in love with the various sets and costumes used in the film. It was nice to see so much attention paid to the male cast's outfits, perfectly portraying the lifestyle of the characters with a mix of smart shirts and tatty trench coats. Of course, the female outfits also appealed to my inner mod, especially an ensemble comprising of a dusky pink babydoll dress, white trapeze coat and white tights carefully put together by Rose after a visit to a mod boutique.

I couldn't help but notice that all of the mods seem to be over the age of 30, so perhaps not quite historically accurate, but they still retain their edge... perhaps the local scooter club were enlisted to be the extras?

Anyway, how could I resist the temptation to don my best Mod-inspired outfit after this 111 minute journey into the 60s? Due to a severe lack of funds, I haven't been able to treat myself to as many of the highstreet peter-pan collared delights as I would have liked, so I've combined the jumper from this post with the wonderful polkadot minidress from this post, kindly given to me by my boyfriend's mum. The burgundy cardigan was a bargain at 20p(!) and I've finished the outfit with my trusty Clarks patent loafers!

If you're interested in finding out more about the film, you can watch the trailer here!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I've been lucky enough to be selected to try out a Diana F+ camera, courtesy of www.lomographyuk.com! It's arriving at some point this week - I'm so excited!

How to Upcycle a Chair

2011-01-29T18:16:00.002Z

Way back in December 2009, I wrote a post about upcycling a chair and using it as a unique Christmas present. Upcycling cheap furniture has been at the back of my mind ever since, and so when I found this chair in a charity shop for £3, my thoughts turned once again to paint, sandpaper, staple guns and spare fabric.

This time, I wanted to avoid shabby chic and instead go for something more sleek. I had a sample tin of black matt wall paint left over from when I painted a black and white scene earlier in the year (shhh... wall paint is cheaper than artist's acrylic and basically the same!), and thought it could be put to excellent use on the chair. I had also just purchased a scrap of fairly thick material from another charity shop, which just so happened to go well with the matt black! So the project was born.

Upcycling a chair takes about 2 hours from start to finish. Here are some basic instructions!

Find a chair with a seat that can be removed (test it by pushing up under the seat).
Use sand paper to remove the layer of gloss on the outside and to make a nice surface to paint on. You don't really need to be too thorough.
Wipe all of the sandpaper dust off using a damp cloth.
Paint all the wooden parts of the chair - you may need to give it a second coat, especially if you are using pale paint. Then leave to dry!
Cut your fabric to size so that it fits the seat area (remembering you need enough to wrap around to the underside and possibly fold over for a neater finish).
Hold it in place and use a staple gun or a hammer & tacks to nail the fabric to the wood on the underside of the seat. Mind your fingers!
Once the chair is dry, slot the seat back into the frame!
Find a nice corner to put your chair, for everyone to admire :).

***

I've just found a house to live in next year for uni (the most stressful thing ever!), and I'm looking forward to incorporating the chair into the room design - hopefully it won't be such a 'small space challenge' as this year is :).

Sadie xxx

P.S. Have any of you upcycled anything? I need inspiration for my next project!

P.P.S. I recently did an interview over at Dirt on Your New Shoes. I'd definitely advise having a look at Chloe's blog, which is filled with great outft inspiration!

My 'Mad Men' Blouse - Homemade!

2011-01-19T19:14:00.000Z

During one of my first weeks at uni, I bought a length of delicate floral fabric from a market stall. The fabric waited in my room for the whole semester, desperate to be turned into something! I always had a blouse in mind for it, and I wanted to try out a slightly more pointed collar, à la Mad Men. Anyway, I found the perfect solution when I went to the Clothes Show - an amazing Maudella dress pattern, tucked away in a box of other retro designs in the new 'Sknitch' zone.

I had to adapt the pattern to turn it into a blouse - creating an overlap at the front for the buttons and getting rid of the back zip. I was pretty surprised when it turned out that the blouse actually fitted - it's the most complicated thing I've made, so I'm quite proud!

I decided to be bold and go for bright pink stitching down the sides of the buttons, then added the thin ribbons around the cuffs.

What do you think? I feel a bit like Peggy Olson when I put it on!

I'm in two minds about how to style it - here, I've gone for a land-girl-meets-librarian look, but perhaps a skirt would be better? I might try it out with a matching bow tied around the collar :).

Sadie xxx

Mustard

2011-01-14T14:01:00.000Z

When I first put this dress on, my mum's reaction was 'eurgh!' - mustard yellow isn't her cup of tea! However, I personally am a massive fan of the colour, especially as it's so reminiscent of the 60s. I suppose it is different when you remember the era from the first time around, but I'm perfectly happy to embrace the revival - colours and all!

I found the dress on the same retro rail in Cancer Research as the blouse in my previous post - I love the idea that charity shops have now started to recognise the vintage trend. I'm pretty sure the dress is actually supposed to be a jumper, but who am I to turn down the chance to wear something super short! The dress really reminds of of something Twiggy would have worn, and I love the little Mod-style pockets on the front. It was a total bargain at £5!

What do you think of it? And are you a fan of mustard yellow?

Anyway, although I'm a bit late to jump on the band-wagon, I've just joined twitter - you can find me here!

Sadie xxx

P.S. One of my friends has just started her own blog, Idle but Inspired - have a little look and leave her a comment :D

Heathcliff... it's me, Cathy!

2011-01-05T18:51:00.001Z

Today, I planned to take some outfit shots in the crisp winter sunlight. Unfortunately, the weather did not obey my wishes, and instead presented me with the foggiest, bleakest day I think I've ever experienced!

However, I'm kind of grateful for the weather's choice, as I think it makes for an atmospheric backdrop for winter photos. The bleakness reminded me of the scenery described in Wuthering Heights, a novel that once was the bane of my life back in GCSE years. I ended up with Kate Bush's song stuck on loop in my head, and also out loud... until I realised how much I sounded like a squawky parrot - poor boyfriend.

Anyway, the point of this post is to show off my new blouse, courtesy of Cancer Research's vintage section in my local branch. They have a lovely corner dedicated to everything retro, all hanging on pretty wooden hangers and with a backdrop of 70s fabric. There is an amazing 60s cape and matching skirt in there at the moment! When I saw this burgundy houndstooth blouse hanging there, with a pretty bow neck tie, and even prettier price tag stating '£6' I just had to snap it up.

I paired it with my homemade burgundy coat (remember?), my H&M black skirt, Clark's heeled loafers, and a grey beret that I borrowed from my sister. I felt like a 60s version of Catherine Earnshaw, which can only be a good thing.

Thankyou to my photographer for being patient and for venturing out into the gloom to take these photos :).

Sadie xxx

'Librarian Chic!'

2010-12-29T23:11:00.001Z

There is something rather appealing about cosy cashmere cardigans on snowy winter days. Of course, they're perhaps the most appealing when you're watching the snow fall from indoors (it was absolutely freezing outside), but I couldn't resist posing in this Elizabeth Lau knit in daylight, in order to do the colours justice.

Talking of colours, you'll have to excuse the matchy-matchy-ness of this outfit! Orange and pale blue are certainly not colours I would normally put together, but they work nicely thanks to the little heart details on the cardigan. My vintage beret (bought in Paris, no less!) and orange frame bag seemed to be obvious additions to the outfit, which I've decided to define as 'librarian chic'...

As if it couldn't get any more quaint, that's a little bag of hard-boiled sweets in my hand, bought at an old fashioned sweet shop - the type with shelves and shelves of twinkling glass jars, an old wooden counter with scales, and childlike excitement on the face of each customer that enters. :)

And now back to the cardigan: it's the second of my two cherished items from the designer Elizabeth Lau. It's so characteristic of her designs - cute and playful, retro yet modern, and of course, beautifully made. I can't wait to incorporate it into some more outfits - it looks great with a little white collar poking out from the top too!

Cardigan: Elizabeth Lau
Top: Topshop via eBay

Skirt: Laura Ashley via Charity shop
Tights: New Look
Shoes: Clarks

Hat, Belt and Bag: Vintage

Anyway, I want to know - do you avoid overly colour-matched outfits, or do you like to embrace simple colour palettes from time to time?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'll be back soon with a sewing post! I'm just adding the finishing touches to a retro blouse I'm making!

Black and White

2010-12-22T16:24:00.002Z

I'm home from uni for Christmas and it feels great! I have a new found appreciation of all the mod cons such as dishwashers and televisions, as well as fully stocked food cupboards and somewhere to do the laundry! To add to my list of home delights, my parents have just purchased a log burner, so I've been spending a lot of time huddled in front of that to warm up after trekking into town in the snow.

I've been waiting to show you this dress since the clothes show. Isn't it stunning? It's from Elizabeth Lau - and is one of Elizabeth's more sparkly designs! The dress itself is actually a tunic, but I think (hopefully!) I can get away with it as a dress. It hangs beautifully on its own, but I thought I'd cinch in the waist with a brown belt for added definition. I love how elegant oversized clothes look - this one especially, as it has a lovely off the shoulder detail and low back. Very demure. What do you think of it?

I'm going to chase after my boyfriend with this mistletoe tomorrow! hehe.

Lots of you have been wondering where my usual sewing/thrifty/outfit posts have been - well, they're back now! It's very difficult to sew at uni, not to mention the fact that I haven't even seen a charity shop for the last 3 months! Boohoo. But I'm back home now, sewing machine and retro patterns at the ready! So watch this space!

Sadie xxx

Elizabeth Lau @ Clothes Show Live

2010-12-14T15:51:00.001Z

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be able to go to Clothes Show Live at the NEC in Birmingham. It was a welcome break from university work - I've just had a horrible week of deadlines so it was nice to indulge in a bit of retail therapy! Over the weekend, the exhibition centre was absolutely jam packed with people, so-much-so that it was hard to move in some areas! Luckily, the Elizabeth Lau stall provided a peaceful haven amongst the chaos, with its ever-beautiful clothing in soft pastel colours and with sweet little peter-pan details.

I first became aware of the brand at London Fashion Weekend, where I fell in love with a beautiful coat in their boutique. Elizabeth Lau's designs fit well with the much coveted chic 60s aesthetic, but always include a quirky modern twist - refreshingly managing to avoid the throwaway-fast-fashion-machine in favour of unique, high quality designs that will last forever. These designs certainly appeal to the inner English-eccentric in me!

Some of my AW 2010 favourites include this gorgeous coat (yes, I know I have too many coats!!), and the sparkly tiered dress below - very 1920s, don't you think?

Elizabeth Lau have also set up a Pop-Up shop in London, which I've seen gushing reviews for all over the blogosphere - have a little peep at its cuteness over at Style Slicker and The Style Crusader. Unfortunately I live to far away to visit, but if you're in London doing some Christmas shopping, definitely head over to Carnaby Street as, by the sounds of it, you won't be disappointed. Look at the stunning interior!

Address: Elizabeth Lau Christmas Pop up Boutique, 2 Ganton Street (just off Carnaby St.), London, W1F 7QL. - open until Christmas Eve!

I maaay just have come away from the stall with some items, but I will keep you in suspense until I return home for Christmas, where I can photograph them properly!

For the time being, I'll leave you with their charming SS11 Look Book video!

Sadie xxx

A Styling Challenge

2010-12-04T16:34:00.001Z

I was recently tagged by the lovely Kirsty of Belle Fantaisie (make sure you check out her blog!) to take part in a Tesco styling challenge! I chose to style this lovely lace turtle-neck top from Tesco's Couture range. As demonstrated by the photo on the website, I think the top lends itself really well to a muted palette, and I thought these H&M Garden Collection shorts would be the perfect pairing. Quite a simple outfit, but with the shoulder pads as a (very!) prominant feature, I thought the top would look best with the rest of the outfit toned down!

I really like the top, the crochet-style lace seems very 60s, it's easy to wear, and I love the little details such as the mini buttons along the cuffs - it wouldn't look out of place on the rails of the original Biba!

I have to say, Tesco and Couture are not two words I would usually expect to appear in the same sentence! I'm not too sure what to make of their collection - it's certainly a little different to the usual supermarket ranges, and this particular collection seems to be making a slight reference to high-end designers such as Balmain. The clothes retail at between £40 and a whopping £120 - an interesting pricing decision for the Tesco brand, so I'd be interested to see how successful the range is!

What is your opinion on luxury, high priced supermarket clothing ranges?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'm off to Clothes Show Live tomorrow! So you can expect a full report soon!

A Christmas Market in the Snow

2010-11-30T13:27:00.000Z

This weekend my boyfriend came to visit, and on Saturday we walked into town to look around the Christmas Market. Our route took us along an icy canalside walk - the cold air stung our cheeks, snow crunched under foot, and everything was quiet, still and idyllic. It was nice to snatch a few moments like this, trying not to slip over whilst watching the sun go down behind the railway bridges, and studying the reflections on the frozen canal.

In a way, I quite like wrapping up warm in winter, even if it means you can barely move your limbs for the amount of layers you're wearing! On this particular day I sported my vintage fairisle jumper, my beautiful new River Island coat, a chunky bobblehat from H&M and my mum's old leather gloves. I should have worn a scarf too, as we discovered that the temperature had dropped by the time were on our way back home (after watching Harry Potter!).

In complete contrast to the canalside scene, the Christmas Market was warm, bright and bustling with people buying sweet german delights, wooden toys and mulled wine. The crowds were so thick that it took about 20 minutes to move 10 metres, not that we were complaining - because it was much warmer this way!

As it was rather expensive, we had to be a bit choosey about what we bought. In the end we sampled some mini doughnuts, cooked before our eyes. They were served in a paper cone with a dusting of sugar. They were like a hug for your mouth - still warm from being freshly cooked, and all puffy and delicious! We also purchased some caramelised peanuts, which lasted approximately 3 minutes... yum.

As you can see, I got a bit snap-happy with my camera. I thought I'd try to convey the sights, sounds and smells of the market, as it was such a lovely Christmassy experience (and I'm not even a massive fan of Christmas!).

Has anyone else visited a Christmas market? What did you buy there?

Sadie xxx

The Wellington Boot Voucher Winner!

2010-11-30T12:19:00.000Z

As selected by Random.org, Comment #57...

Olivia from What Olivia Did!

Congratulations!

Sadie xxx

Emily and Fin

2010-11-26T12:06:00.003Z

It isn't very often that I treat myself to clothes that cost over £30... or even £10, for that matter! But something about this dress just made me part with my money. It wasn't a spontaneous decision - I saw it when I first visited Pop Store in Birmingham at the beginning of October, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I eventually decided that me and the dress were meant to be!

The dress is from Emily & Fin, a brand I hadn't heard of before, but they seem to be making a presence both online and in little independant shops. I chose the 'Alice dress', and it's my idea of perfection; nice and neatly tailored, with a smart high neck and a pretty, but subtle, polkadot design. I'm hoping it can work in several different situations; dressed down as day wear for uni, something demure enough for work experience (don't worry, I will let the hem back down a little!), and of course, a nice little number for nights out!

Here's a snippet about the brand from their website:

"The design duo behind emilyandfin met in London whilst Emily was studying at Central St Martins and Fin was managing an independent boutique. Sharing an interest in all things vintage and quirky they soon began making their own one-off pieces inspired by their travels to faraway corners of the world. In discovering their passion for beautiful clothes, and encouraged by their friends and family, they produced their first collection which was quickly snapped up. Sourcing beautiful cotton prints is their starting block from which they'll cut their collection, striving to flatter all silhouettes to create colorful, creative and wearable designs. The ethos behind emilyandfin combines simplicity with individuality. Gorgeous dresses for day and evening to beautifully cut skirts and pretty tops are all designed to complement the everyday wardrobe."

Oh... and guess who bought the glasses? hehe. With an overwhelming majority of 'yes's', I took the plunge and I'm now rather happy with them!

Sadie xxx

P.S. If you haven't already, enter my jewellery voucher competition (for The Wellington Boot etsy store)! The deadline is this Sunday, and it's open to international readers too!

Win a $15 e-voucher for The Wellington Boot!

2010-11-20T19:25:00.004Z

Some of you may remember that last December I hosted a giveaway for The Wellington Boot, a charming online jewellery shop filled with quirky delights. Well, as a special treat, Fern, the jewellery designer, is offering another brilliant giveaway!

Fern has now moved her store over to Etsy, and now has 5 pages of beautiful necklaces, earrings and charms for sale. They vary from classic cameos and little brass woodland creatures, to something a little more unusual - that London taxi particularly caught my attention!

So, without further ado...

The Giveaway! - Now closed

~~Fern is kindly offering one lucky reader a $15 voucher to be spent on anything in the store!~~

~~All you have to do is pop over to~~ ~~The Wellington Boot~~ shop on Etsy, browse through the items, and let me know which one is your favourite by leaving a comment on this post! Simple :). Make sure you leave a way to contact you in your comment - blog/email address is fine!

~~The best thing is - the competition is open to international readers too!~~

~~I'll pick the winner using a random number generator on Sunday 28th November at 9pm GMT.~~

Good luck!

Sadie xxx

I need your opinions!

2010-11-16T18:11:00.000Z

I've never really mentioned it on the blog, but I'm a secret glasses wearer (shh!)... that means that during my photoshoots, I actually can't see a single thing - barely even the camera! For the last 3 years I've worn a horrible pair of half-rimmed metal glasses, which have left me feeling rather personality-less, at least in terms of glasses. I really dislike them.

Anyway, the other day I tried on this fabulous vintage inspired pair from Pepe Jeans, and I'm pretty keen on them, to say the least. I'm in a bit of a quandary though, because I think they might make me look a bit pretentious!

What do you think of them? And do they suit me?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Sadie xxx

The Sunday Carboot

2010-11-15T14:51:00.001Z

Last Sunday I went to my first ever city-centre carboot. When you're used to carbooting in a huge grassy field set in rolling countryside on a warm summer morning, its a bit of a shock to the system to find yourself in a grey concrete industrial estate on an icy winter's day! Nevertheless, I found many a bargain - although admittedly, it took a while to find them amidst stall-upon-stall of wholesale household products and dodgy electronics.

The find of the day was this little leather suitcase, for... wait for it... 20p! I pounced on this case when I saw it - I don't know how it hadn't already been snapped up by vintage buyers earlier in the morning. It now resides on top of two other leather suitcases on my wardrobe; you think I'd have enough of these by now, but I'm not going to say no at 20p!

I was also lucky enough to find a working 1975 Roberts radio! It's a true piece of eye candy; the red leather panelling and wooden sides are reminiscent of an era that I so wish I was a part of! It's a shame that some of the buttons are missing on the top, but it still tunes in perfectly and has a lovely tone.

Sat next to my radio in the '70s corner' of my room is a Sadler tea (or coffee?) set. I loved the tall upright design and the retro styling, which, funnily enough, almost matches my gaudy curtains! The lady was selling a whole set - with pots, more mugs, and a jug, for £3, but I had to persuade myself not to buy them all as I'd never have been able to carry them home. I feel a bit guilty for breaking up the set...

And finally, a pretty sleeveless lace top with brown shell buttons. It really reminds me of something that Zara might sell! It needs a bit of taking-in, but I can foresee it being a summer staple of mine (yes... already thinking about the summer...). I can't wait to wear it buttoned up and tucked into my brown shorts!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I've got a brilliant giveaway coming up - open to international readers too! Keep checking back!

River Island: Turning over a new leaf?

2010-11-05T15:26:00.000Z

Image Credit

River Island is always a high street shop I’ve avoided – on so many occasions, I’ve wandered into the shop and then walked straight back out again, disappointed by the quality of their clothes and also their weird tendency to over-embellish things. After multiple trips to the shop which served to confirm my feelings about their clothes, I didn’t go back for a few seasons and they were mentally noted down in my mind as a ‘not worth looking’ shop.

So when I popped into my local branch a few weeks ago accompanying my best friend, you can imagine my surprise (and delight) when I discovered a shop filled with rails of 60s inspired tops, dresses and coats, as well as mock-Alexa bags and stunning knitted cardigans and jumpers. It seems they’re reverting back to their 60s roots, when the brand went under a different name – Chelsea Girl.

A photo of the Manchester Chelsea Girl (photo credit)

I would so love to have lived back then - you don't get shop fronts as cool as this nowadays!

Their new stock is a far cry from the items I remember from my last visit – out with the diamanté, and in with the retro tailoring and quirky pieces that I could easily see slipping nicely into my own wardrobe. I hope this new River Island image is here to stay!

Here are some of my top picks from this season's stock:

Gold Peterpan Collar Tunic - Blue Floral Fairisle Jumper - Navy Pompom Jumper

Leopard Fur Vintage Coat - Blue Fairisle Cardigan - Navy Swing Coat

I may have made a sneaky purchase of one of the above items... I'll leave you in suspense until I visit home next weekend, where I plan to do a little photoshoot with it :).

Has anyone else noticed a big change in River Island over the past year?

Sadie xxx

Interior Design in a Small Space: My University Challenge!

2010-10-25T22:47:00.001+01:00

Before moving to University, I was thinking a lot about what my new surroundings would be like - especially my new room! I was half dreading the idea of leaving my comfortable space at home for a small boxy room in university halls, and half ready to embrace the challenge of decorating this new blank canvas.

Trying to jazz up such a small space when you're a) not allowed to paint the walls, and b) not allowed to hammer anything into the walls, was a difficult proposition, but I was lucky enough to be given a book about retro caravan interior design by my boyfriend for my birthday, and it has proven to be quite an inspiration! The book, My Cool Caravan, is filled with eyewateringly beautiful caravans decorated to reflect the owners' unique tastes - with the end result of a book containing both immaculate examples of the ever popular shabby chic trend, and slightly more unusual design concepts- one Frieda Kahlo inspired caravan was particularly attention grabbing!

I'd completely recommend the book for any lover of retro-inspired design - or indeed any university student who is in a bit of a quandary about how best to leave their own stamp on what can be a very small and oppressive space. The book has little design tips throughout, as well as hundreds of photos by the talented Hilary Walker (I would show you them but I don't want to break copyright laws!) and a nice little paragraph about the history of each caravan. Just a warning though: you will end up wanting to buy a caravan after reading it!

So... here are a few snippets of my university room so far! The photo at the top of the page is of a cushion cover I made from offcuts from previous sewing projects. Working to the colour scheme of blue and green, I selected materials with similar sized patterns in order to make a subtley matching cushion that adds a little homeliness to my space. The cushion filler was about 79p from Ikea!

My sewing box, material for my next project!, books, tea, and Eustace the owl...

Cheating slightly with these fake roses, but I think they're charming all the same, and add a nice pop of vibrancy to my bed side table. The vase was 10p at a carboot, and the roses were 3 for £1 on the local market.

Some friendly faces and... a cactus in a teacup. As you do.

This poster is possibly my favourite part of the room. It's an old school educational poster from the 40s (to the best of my knowledge) and its just oh so cute! I found it on ebay for under £10 - best purchase ever!

I've chosen quite a bold patterned duvet cover, seeing as its the only major thing I can change about the colour of the room. I absolutely love it - and for only £3 in a charity shop, you can't go wrong :).

I hope you've enjoyed my little tour-de-la-chambre! What do you think of it? Are any of you facing similar small-space design dilemmas?

Sadie xxx

Winners of the Max C Competition!

2010-10-17T17:47:00.001+01:00

Comments number 28 and 41:
Liset from Petticoats and High Heels

and
Catherine from Girl Once Known As!

Congratulations!

To those of you who didn't win, don't forget that Max C are also offering a free top to anyone who buys a Max C coat or jacket - simply email Max C quoting 'SADIE'S TOP OFFER' and your order number, with the e-mail title 'SADIE'S TOP OFFER'. Write down three tops of your choice in ranking order with size and colour details, and Max C will post out according to availability. Offer ends on the 31st October.

Max C are also giving away tickets and vouchers to next weekend's Britain's Top Model Live! Add them on Facebook for more details!

I'll be back soon with a post about my new room at uni :).

Sadie xxx

A Max C GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2010-10-08T11:59:00.002+01:00

As an extra special treat, Max C are offering TWO lucky readers the chance to win the dress and blouse that I posted about recently. Yes - thats two items each!

The bird print dress has been spotted on the likes of Sophie Ellis Bextor and has a very flattering fit, nipped in at the waist and a cute sweetheart neckline. Perfect for a modern take on this season's Mad Men style!

And the blouse is made from delicate chiffon, ideal for tucking into highwaisted skirts, or just over jeans on a lazy day. I'm hoping to wear mine to an office internship!

The lucky winners can choose their size and the colour of their items - the blouse comes in brown, white or black, and the dress in black, red or blue.

Competition Now Closed!

So, how do you enter?
All you need to do is pop over to the ~~Max C website~~, and leave a comment back on this blog post naming your favourite item in the online store (as well as leaving contact details - email address or a link to your own blog). The competition closes at midnight on Friday 15th October! I'll pick the winner using a random number generator. Simple!

~~The competition is open to UK residents only.~~

Good luck! xxx

P.S. Max C are also offering a free top to anyone who buys a Max C coat or jacket - simply email Max C quoting 'SADIE'S TOP OFFER' and your order number, with the e-mail title 'SADIE'S TOP OFFER'. Write down three tops of your choice in ranking order with size and colour details, and Max C will post out according to availability. Offer ends on the 31st October.

A final outfit from Max C!

2010-10-02T21:39:00.000+01:00

I'm channelling a bit of a 50s/Mod mixture with this outfit, again courtesy of Max C! This is the last in the series of outfits - it has been great being their blogger of the month!

I can't decide which of these two items is my favourite - the jacket or the dress. The dress will certainly be useful for nights out at uni (I had a wardrobe crisis last night and just couldn't find anything to wear). It's in a classic Max C 'bird print' - cute but sophisticated.

The jacket conforms quite well to my mod style tendancies - but the necktie adds a great feminine edge, making it perfect for many occasions! It's a great transitional piece :).

I'm back on Monday with a giveaway for this dress!!!!!!!!!!! As well as the brown spotted shirt from a previous post... so don't forget to check back!

Sorry my blog posting has been a bit slow recently - I've been settling in at uni and have barely been on the internet!

Sadie xxx

A Peterpan Collar from Max C

2010-09-28T18:13:00.000+01:00

There's a lot of hype about peterpan collars at the moment and I can certainly see why! As a 1960s fashion lover, they tick all the right boxes, and they add a nice cute detail to any outfit. I'm gradually building up a small collection of peterpan collars... I wonder if they'll beat my collection of Breton tops!

Today I wore this beautiful one from Max C - it has a crocheted collar and three little sailor buttons at the top - and its in navy too... can it get any better? :)

I'm wearing it with these culotte style shorts (charity shop!) - a match made in heaven.

What would you wear with it?

Sadie xxx

Max C - Outfit #3!

2010-09-23T22:06:00.000+01:00

I've had a very busy week - buying the last few things for uni, getting and then recovering from tonsillitis, planning a dinner party and turning 19!! I feel so old... boo.

I didn't really want to blog when I was ill earlier in the week, but I felt well enough today to pop outside and take some photos, just before a huge storm hit my town! So this is outfit #3, incorporating a beautiful victoriana-style spotted chiffon blouse from Max C.

The blouse is a delicate little number, with dainty polkadots, ruffle details and a high collar (although I've chosen not to button it all the way up in this outfit). I've paired it with my paperbag waist shorts from H&M, which I think complement it well, although this shirt would work equally well in the office! (They do it in black and white too!).

Also - do you remember these shoes ^? Well, until a few days ago, they had brown laces... and then one of the laces snapped. So instead of replacing them with more brown laces, I decided to add some cream trainer-style laces, à la these Chloé boots that I have coveted for too long. What do you think of the effect? Yay or nay?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'll be announcing a Max C giveaway within the next week!

All Dressed Up in Max C

2010-09-15T18:14:00.000+01:00

You may remember that a few months back I sported a beautiful peterpan collar dress on a trip to the seaside - and I'm still oh-so enamoured with it :). Well, the dress was from a company called Max C of London - and for September, I'm their blogger of the month!

Naturally, this means sampling lots of Max C products, hehe - I'm loving being a blogger at the moment! So I chose to try out this sophisticated Art Deco clutch bag and a gorgeous black coat, perfect for posh evening events, or simply for a casual posing session in your living room, haha. Anyway, I have to say, once again I absolutely love these clothes!

The Art Deco Clutch Bag is very sophisticated, and as I love all things 1920s this is my ideal kind of bag! The bag has 3 different options for the handles - you can either have it as a long bag, a short bag, or just a small loop to hold in your hand. You can hardly tell its made from PU - its lovely and soft, just like real leather. I chose the red version as I thought it would add a nice 'pop' to evening outfits - which in my wardrobe are usually in a dark colour palette.

The coat is also absolutely gorgeous, and made from a slightly shiny material which gives it a luxurious edge. I think I'll be wearing it a lot this winter, on those inevitable clubbing outings that go with university life! (I'm not going to lie, I've never been clubbing before... help!). I really like the puffy princess sleeves and the fact that it doesn't have a collar - I sometimes find that coats with collars swamp me a bit, so this is perfect.

Yum :)

I've got some more Max C clothes to show you over the course of September, ending in a great giveaway!! So stay tuned!

And I hope you like the photos - I was playing around a lot with the lighting effects :).

Sadie xxx

Next Pop-Up Shop!

2010-09-13T09:00:00.118+01:00

Hello lovely readers! I've got something very exciting for you today... a Next Pop-Up Shop!

Next contacted me recently with this exciting proposal, and of course, I couldn't say no :). They're launching their A/W 2010 collection, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. It seems to encompass all of the top trends - remember me talking about how I'm looking forward to highstreet versions of the Prada 'Mad Men' style? Well, Next have delivered the goods: I'm definitely seeing a 60s influence in the coat and dress below.

I've chosen 4 of my favourite looks from their new collection, so... clockwise from top left:

1) I couldn't resist picking this one, simply for its amazing Burberry-esque aviator jacket - definitely a key wardrobe staple this winter. This version is faux-lamb skin, and looks lovely and warm. I also love how the chunky socks have been paired with the brown boots - I'll be trying this myself soon, although I don't know if I can pull it off!

2) This is my absolute favourite look - slightly preppy but without looking like you've just come out of the classroom. I like how the shorts and lapel details add a nice twist to this classic suit, whilst still keeping it appropriate as office wear. And the lace up shoes are yummy!

3) My favourite aspect of this outfit was the brown leather bag... does it remind you of a certain it-bag...? The coat is also beautiful - very 60s, with its peter-pan style collar and princess sleeves.

4) A lovely simple 60s style trapeze dress with a demure colour palette - perfect for strolls around Paris, as seen in the ad campaign - but also for nights out or posh meals :). The court shoes are pretty lovely too.

And now on to the exciting bit... the pop-up shop! It reminds me a bit of Gok Wan's capsule wardrobes... everything sort of matches everything else. If you like any of the items in these 4 outfits, click on the item on the grid and it should link you through to the Next website, where you can look at the items in more detail... I'm very excited by this modern technology!

I hope it all works properly!
Which is your favourite item?

Sadie xxx

Fabric Supermarket Shopping Bag - Tutorial!

2010-09-10T16:26:00.001+01:00

Working in a supermarket means that I see first hand just how many plastic bags are used every day - and it's pretty shocking! Thats why I wanted to make a re-usable version for myself, as I feel so bad thinking of all of the plastic bags being buried in the ground after just one use.

I'm sure I've seen a how-to for these fabric shopping bags elsewhere on the internet - it's certainly not an original idea - but I thought I'd make my own version, along with a tutorial. With university looming, along with the inevitable weekly supermarket shop, I think it will get a lot of use! And of course, it'll help save the environment, which is always a plus. So without further ado... a how to guide, so you can try making one yourself!

You will need:

A plastic supermarket bag
Some fabric
2m of Bias Binding
Scissors
Sewing Machine/Thread/Pins

1. Find yourself a nice bit of pretty fabric - I've used an old duvet cover (you may recognise it from here!). Then cut along the seams of a supermarket shopping bag, and open it out flat.

2) Trace around the bag with a biro. Make sure you leave a 1cm margin all the way around (except for the right hand edge) to allow for seams.

3) Flip the bag over (along its right hand edge), and do the same.

4. Cut along your biro lines (remembering to leave a 1cm margin all the way around).

5. Using the original bag as a guide, iron along the edges, so that your material ressembles a supermarket bag.

6. You should end up with something that looks like this...

7. Turn the whole thing inside out and sew up the side join. Then hem around the inner handles. (Doesn't really need to be neat, its just to stop it fraying).

8. Then turn it back around the right way and sew along the bottom edge, as well as the tops of the handles (like on a plastic supermarket bag).

9. Finally, just to make it look nice and neat, fold your bias binding around the bottom seam and the handle seams, as well as around the 'neckline' of the bag. I've chosen to use a contrasting bias binding :).

10. Go shopping!

I hope I've explained it well enough! If you have any problems, leave me a comment and I'll try to help. If not, just keep referring back to the original plastic bag, and it should turn out ok. The whole thing takes about 1hr to make!

Good luck! If any of you decide to make one, let me know - I'd love to see how yours turns out :D.

Sadie xxx

In the Countryside

2010-09-07T18:35:00.001+01:00

Although I don't always appreciate it, I'm very lucky to live in an area surrounded by countryside! I think after a few years in the city, I'll start to miss the beautiful scenery and fresh air.

And what better a place to show off this horse-themed necklace - the last of my top picks from the Accessorize A/W collection.

The necklace itself is beautifully embellished with tiny beads, faux diamonds and red stitching, all mounted on leather for a luxurious feel. It would definitely work both during the day and in the evening, making it very versatile!

It is certainly very unique in design - at least, I've never seen anything like it! Which makes it all the more appealing - who wants to walk around with exactly the same necklace as everyone else?

I've paired it with yet another variant of the Breton top - I like how the striped horse reflects the pattern of the top! I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I have 8 different tops in this classic stripey design... eep! Need to break my Breton addiction!

I'll post a link to the necklace when it's up on their website!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'll be back very soon with a sewing tutorial that I've been working on!

A Tea Party & Accessorize A/W Pendants!

2010-09-05T13:02:00.002+01:00

On a slightly drizzly Saturday afternoon I decided it would be a great idea to have a Mad-Hatter's Tea Party themed photoshoot (yes, I know I'm a bit of a late joiner to the Alice and Wonderland bandwagon!). I thought it would be the perfect setting to show off some more of the Accessorize A/W 2010 jewellery - this time, a slightly more whimisical set of pendants!

These ones are my personal favourites from the collection - I'm very tempted to buy myself the 'Pearly Specs' pendant (especially seeing as I'm a secret glasses wearer! shh!).

I think they look good layered together for a nice quirky, 'English eccentric' effect - and as you know, I'm a big fan of this look, especially when it comes to jewellery. Delicate faux-pearl sections and bows add interest to the long chains in true Accessorize style - definitely transforming the necklaces into something a bit more up-market than just simple pendants.

Scissors / Pearly Specs / Magician's Hat

So what if I'm a fan of the 'builders brew'...

I've chosen to pair the necklaces with this beautiful polkadot dress, kindly given to me by my boyfriend's mum during a wardrobe clearout. It's definitely going to get a lot of wear! The Mad-Hatter top hat is homemade - I went to an Alice in Wonderland themed 18th earlier in the Summer and dabbled in a bit of millinery with my PrittStick and Cornflakes boxes.

And finally - what do you think of my teacups? I've been stocking up on vintage crockery for uni, and I found these pretty little things in a charity shop for £3. Incidentally, the 'tablecloth' is also set to be my new duvet cover (very Urban Outfitters-esque, but a complete steal at £4... charity shop ♥)!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I loved your styling suggestions for the last necklace - so, same question here: how would you style these pendants? :)

Monsoon Accessorize A/W 2010 - A Review!

2010-09-03T12:58:00.000+01:00

For me, Monsoon Accessorize has long been a first stop shop for kitch accessories and pretty party jewellery - as well as lust-worthy bags, scarves and hats for the winter. So you can imagine my delight when they contacted me, offering to send some of their new-season jewellery for review!

I've selected some of my favourite pieces, and I'm aiming to feature them on the next few posts before I send them back - so watch this space!

This chunky 'Mary Jane Pearl Necklace' isn't something I'd normally choose to wear, however, I fancied a little styling challenge and ended up chanelling a slight biker look. The necklace itself is made from large bronze-coloured faux-pearls, entwined with a glittering chain of faux-diamonds and all bound together on a thick gold chain. It is certainly a statement piece, and I definitely think it lends itself to this biker look rather well!

I really love the idea of adding a chunky necklace to an outfit, as it certainly gives your look an edge - and I think this one would work both on its own, as well as layered up with other gold necklaces.

What do you think of it?

Necklace - Monsoon Accessorize
Mesh Top - Oasis
Shorts - Charity Shop

Tights - H&M
Shoes - Vintage

Sunglasses - Camden Market

How would you style this necklace? I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

Sadie xxx

(P.S. Sorry for my long unexplained absence - I blame a trip to Brighton, results day and general university organisation! I got in to my first choice though - hooray!)

Motel 'Recycle & Reinvent' Shorts

2010-08-05T14:08:00.003+01:00

With university looming, I really ought to be saving up for such boring things as supermarket shops and electricity bills. Unfortunately for my future wellbeing, I keep finding beautiful clothes at temptingly bargainalicious prices, and of course, inevitably end up taking them home to add to my already overflowing wardrobe.

One such item is this pair of Motel 'Recycle & Reinvent' shorts - amazingly, I (think) they were made from an old flannel shirt. According to the label, 'each garment is handpicked, unpicked and reinvented, to change the future'. Even better was the price - just £7.50 in the sale! They had a pair in every colour/pattern imaginable, but I went for these ones as they seem to go with the largest amount of things.

Anyway, I feel like they're justified as a purchase on many levels, as apart from the price and the fact that they're upcycled, they'll come in very handy in October when I plan to be riding my bicycle everywhere: and you can't ride a bicycle in a skirt!

Vintage Silk Shirt - £6
Vintage Jumper - £2
Motel Shorts - £7.50
Vintage Belt - Can't remember!

Vintage Sunglasses - 20p
Loafers - €10

I paired them with my silk shirt and loafers from my previous post, as well as my favourite jumper and belt. The bag you see is a vintage music satchel - I mainly included it because it matches the shorts so well! haha.

Sadie xxx

P.S. I keep forgetting to mention it, but I'm on the Elizabeth Lau website! See if you can spot me!

Strawberries and Cream :)

2010-08-02T22:58:00.001+01:00

= Proper English summer food.

(I don't actually like strawberries and cream, haha, but I do love strawberries with a liberal sprinkling of sugar).

I've driven past this little roadside fruit kiosk countless times, but never actually stopped off to make a purchase. So the other day I finally decided to pull into their dusty carpark and hop out. Unfortunately, me and my boyfriend (who kindly took these photos for me), only had 20p to our name and left with just one small orange. No doubt we will return some time in the near future to buy a punnet of shiny red strawberries.

It just so happens that it was an ideal location for some outfit photos - handy because I have some new thrifted purchases to show you!

(Excuse the socks)

So, whats new to the wardrobe?

1) Vintage silk blouse: I found this for £6 in a local vintage shop, yum. It's a teeny bit big for me but I love the collar (peterpan, no less) and the pintucks on the front. It goes with everything, hooray! I've been wearing it tucked into shorts and under pinafores.

2) Highwaisted linen 3/4 length trousers: unbelievably, I found these in New Look, for just £8. They're going to be handy for riding bicycles at uni, and are a useful transitional item! Plus, they're my first ever pair of highwaisted trousers.

3) Tan leather loafers: I bought these when I was on holiday for €10 in a second hand shop! They're a total bargain seeing as I've worn them every day since I bought them, and they're oh-so-comfy.

What do you think of them?

Sadie x

P.S. It was very interesting to read your responses to the last post! I'd have to agree with the majority opinion: personal style blogs are definitely my favourites!

1960s as Inspiration: Prada, MiuMiu and AW 2010

2010-07-29T18:02:00.002+01:00

Despite calling myself a fashion blogger, I don't think I've ever posted about runway trends. Personally, I always prefer reading blogs about street style/personal/vintage style than trend reports, and that's why I tend not to focus my own blog too much on specific designers. However, whilst on holiday, I was flicking though a magazine when I came across the most beautiful Autumn/Winter collection, which I just had to write about here.

Looking like it's straight out of the 1960s, Prada's AW 2010 show was just my cup of tea. My attention was mainly drawn by the stunning tan coloured coat above, complete with an oversized collar. I can easily imagine Twiggy striding through Carnaby Street clad in a similar piece. It has re-ignited my love of coats - the only problem being that I have to wait until autumn until I'll need to wear one! Hopefully the highstreet will take note: I'm really looking forward to seeing some more affordable versions on the rails in my usual shopping haunts.

Aside from the clothes, another notable feature was the hair: check out those beehives :D. The one disadvantage of having a bob is that I can't try out one for myself :( boooo.

In my naivity I hadn't realised that Prada and MiuMiu are infact designed by the same person - Miuccia Prada. How someone can design two whole collections is beyond me, especially when they're both so immaculate! MiuMiu seems to be the more daring, 'teenage' version of Prada - perhaps more wearable for the younger fashionista? Anyway, some of my top picks from MiuMiu would be this mustard yellow dress (especially because of the sleeves and the length) - and I'm also really liking the idea of bows tied around turtle necks.
Seeing these beautifully made clothes has inspired me to get back to work with my sewing machine! I recently acquired a real 60s dress at a carboot for just £2, so once I've re-hemmed it (yep, even 60s hemlines are too long... I blame being short!) expect to see another 60s themed post heading your way!

But in the meantime, I'm keen to know - what is your opinion on blog content? Do you prefer to read about personal style, or about runway collections? Or a mixture of both? Does it become a bit boring when you see the same collections plastered all over the blogosphere?

Sadie x

P.S. All photo credits go to Style.com

Rooftops, espressos and crazy wallpaper

2010-07-28T14:46:00.001+01:00

I'm back from France! Thought I'd share some of my holiday snaps :).

Unfortunately, the weather only behaved itself for a few days - the rest of the time it was colder than in England, if that's even possible. So my tan leaves something to be desired! However, I was perfectly content to stroll around taking photos of the rustic buildings - who needs sun when you've got a quaint little French town to explore all day?

I also FINALLY managed to read the last Harry Potter! I've been saving it for the right moment for 3 years, haha. I certainly wasn't disappointed!

The photo above was the view from our balcony - there's just something so attractive about hickledypickledy teracotta roof tops on a rainy day, don't you think?

Classic blogger food - macarons in every flavour... even Foie Gras flavour. Needless to say I didn't try one, being a vegetarian.

The house we were staying in had the most incredible gaudy wallpaper plastered all over the walls... and ceilings. I couldn't resist posing in front of the various samples. These photos took so long to get in focus as it was pretty dark inside... we had to be resourceful and make a tripod out of an ironing board, haha. The bottom right photo is testament to the fact that I cannot do that pose.

And finally, I just had to share this with you. On the first night we stayed in Dieppe, in the north of France. We were in a restaurant when I spotted this unusual sight - a thin band of bright gold light just illuminating the houses around the harbour. About 10 minutes later the light had all disappeared :).

I should be back soon!

Sadie xxx

Off on my travels!

2010-07-15T19:01:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow, I'm off to France for a short holiday! I can't wait - it'll be a great opportunity to practise my French... oh, and top up my 'tan'!

I couldn't resist taking a break from packing my suitcase to show you the latest addition to my bedroom, this beautiful vintage trunk. I feel like I should fill it with spell books and robes, à la Harry Potter, but for now it's going to be a home for all of my old school books and sewing materials. And it was an absolute bargain at £4! I absolutely couldn't believe it, as I've been looking for one for such a long time and they mostly sell for well over £40. Unfortunately I won't be able to take it on holiday as it won't fit in the boot of my car, but it's nice to imagine taking it on adventures to far away lands.

Hat - 50p at the car boot sale!

Today I spontaneously had my hair cut into a long bob with a fringe! Bit of a ridiculous decision to make on a whim, but I've been in desperate need of a change for about 10 years... What do you think?

See you when I get back!

Sadie xxx

A trip to the seaside in Max C of London

2010-07-12T11:52:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! After spending the week in London doing some intense work experience (no time for shopping, BOO), it was lovely to have a day out at the beach with the boy. I roped him in to help with the photos - its so much easier when you don't have to use a tripod! Here's the end result of his photographic talents :).

So - what am I wearing, I hear you ask! Well, this is the most beautiful dress I have ever laid my eyes upon. It's from Max C of London, a brand I hadn't heard of until the other week when they contacted me. Of course, I was delighted to take the opportunity to try on this dress! With its stunning collar and slight nod to the ever popular nautical trend, it's a new summer wardrobe favourite of mine. I couldn't resist taking it down to the beach for an afternoon in the sun.

Look at the beautiful collar!! AAH I am in love :)

Here is my photographer enjoying the waves :)

I'm really glad Max C contacted me as they're a brand I can definitely identify with. Flicking through their online catalogue I saw so many beautiful clothes - lots with lovely mod-style collars - and it's all reasonably priced! My dress was just £25! (but shhh - I think it looks a lot more expensive than that!).

Anyway - keep coming back to the blog because I have a rather amazing giveaway in the pipeline!

But in the meantime - what do you think of the dress? hehe.

Sadie xxx

Fashionary

2010-07-02T19:16:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago my boyfriend gifted me with this BRILLIANT book as a thankyou present for helping him to make a short film noir. I saw it about a year ago on another blog, and have coveted one ever since. The book is aptly called 'Fashionary' - and it contains everything a young seamstress could ever need!

The main point of the book is to make fashion drawing easy. Each page has three faint outlines of a silhouette, meaning you can draw your designs on without having to worry about proportions! I've started to fill in some of my previous creations, of course starting with a Mod themed page. But I've got that problem that most people get when they're given a luxury notebook... I'm really scared to draw in it incase I ruin it!

It looks like it would be a brilliant way to document outfits too. Hopefully it will get be back in the sewing mood, after so long buried in history and economics revision notes.

The book also contains some really useful information, including patterns for skirts/shirts/dresses/trousers, and even a whole page dedicated to different collars! Yum. It also has a list of famous fashion blogs, retailers, catwalk locations and fashion seasons. And it's all bound in a Moleskine-style cover - very aesthetically pleasing :).

It was also a nice excuse to get out my old felt tips. These ones still had little stickers on saying 'Sadie' - believe it or not, from when I was 5 years old and had just started school! They still work!

And finally... say hello to my new bag :). I bought it a few months ago in a sale to lift my mood when I was revising, and I'm still as in love with it as the day I bought it. £55 well spent - it's real leather, and from Clarks.

What do you think of her?

Sadie xxx

P.S. If you want have a nose at the inside of a Fashionary, have a look here.

Prom Dresses from Rare Fashion

2010-06-27T23:10:00.000+01:00

Hello! I have been an absolutely dreadful blogger lately, due to A-Level exams... but I had my last one on Friday, meaning I'm now free for three whole months! AAAH! All I've been wearing recently is pretty much jeans & a t-shirt (revision really sucks all the creativity out of a person), so I'm keen to get back to blogging and actually wearing nice things. Hooray!

As you may remember, in my last post I mentioned that I was desperately searching for a prom dress. Well, I was lucky enough to be sent this beautiful Babydoll Chiffon dress from Rare (you might have seen the brand in the concessions section at Topshop), and it has completely solved the issue! The dress is girly and floaty, and, as an added bonus, it looks like it could easily belong in either of my favourite two decades - the 20s & the 60s. As my prom is going to be slightly less formal than the normal sort, I don't think its length is a problem - and its just that little bit different from all the others. What do you think of it?

Anyway, as its 'that time of year' again - the prom season, I thought I'd recommend Rare if you're still looking for a dress! Their clothes are good value for money, won't break the bank, and the dresses can easily be re-styled for casual wear. I couldn't decide between these dresses (especially as they're now in the sale):

Floral Lantern Dress / Sailor Button Strap Dress / Floral Pocket Tube Dress

They also have a new, more luxurious line called 'Rare Opulence' if you're looking for something extra special. Aaaand... if you type in 'OPULENCE' at the checkout, you get 20% off!

I hope this didn't sound too much like an advertising feature - I'd only ever promote brands if I think you'd like them - I'm really loving the vintage vibe in all of Rare's dresses!

I'll be back soon :) - yay freedom!

Sadie xxx

Get the Mod look!

2010-06-04T21:44:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone :). Over the last week, I've been searching high and low all over the internet for a prom dress for my end of year ball, meaning I've probably seen almost every dress on the internet by now (almost sounds like I'm complaining... but I'm really not - couldn't imagine a better way to procrastinate!). Anyway, whilst looking through billions of dresses, I amassed a little pile of mod-style ones that I couldn't help but put in my 'favourites' folder. So I thought I might as well show you all, because they're rather beautiful (if a little expensive).

Of course, the peter-pan collar was an inevitable addition to the list of 60s mod style! So to kick off... two beautiful examples of the classic collared dress. I couldn't resist adding this TBA one, with its beautiful hand-made collar and luxurious silky fabric - although the price tag makes me want to cry! This YUKI one is a cheaper alternative, and just as charming :).

And some more beautiful dresses! The one on the left is probably one I could just about get away with for the prom itself (obviously hem-lines are rising from the traditional below the knee protocol)... or maybe even the Dorothy Perkins one? Hmm! But my favourite is without a doubt the middle one - just so 'Biba'!

Aaaand, of course, some parkas! Unfortunately I couldn't find any fishtail ones, although I'm sure there are some on eBay. The Urban Outfitters one is quite effective though with its army design.

And finally some accessories (and shoes). I had to include the Cheryl Cole eyelashes because they're the most Mod. In fact, I hate to admit it, but I really love her style sometimes - she sometimes does look like she just stepped out of the 60s! I'm going to have to get myself a pair of false eyelashes, even if its just for dressing up :) hehe. I also couldn't resist these sunglasses...

I should be back soonish with a post about an exciting gift my boyfriend bought for me :)... aah, can't wait to show you all!

In the meantime... which dress is your favourite?

Sadie xxx

Brown paper packages tied up with string...

2010-05-24T22:11:00.000+01:00

...those are a few of my favourite things :).

Who doesn't love receiving parcels in the post? I woke up the other morning with this delightfully wrapped parcel sitting on the kitchen table. It was from Amy, the writer of The Lonely Teapot :). I won a competition on her blog a while ago, and the prize was this pretty bow brooch and vintage bag. I've actually been on the lookout for a nice brooch for a while now, with the sole intention of pinning it to my orange cardigan - a nice bit of 'granny chic' never goes amiss!

Before opening the parcels I just had to take a photo of them - aren't they beautiful? Inside the box was the bow brooch, pinned to a doily - such a delight to open up! Thanks Amy :D.

I found this Topshop skater dress at a carboot the other week for £1.50. It was SUCH a bargain - I'm pretty sure they're still for sale at full price in the shops!

Apart from school work and revision, I've been indulging in the nice weather recently (taking photos in a cashmere cardigan in this heat was rather uncomfortable!). I went carbooting yesterday, followed by an impromptu trip to the sea side for a picnic. Oh, and I've just sent off a roll of film to be developed - if any of the photos came out, I'll be sure to post them up here!

Sadie xxx

'We are the Mods!'

2010-05-14T22:55:00.000+01:00

Hello dearest readers :). I would like to quickly apologise for my very very long absence (a month... ahh). I had a little break from blogging for a few reasons, primarily that my laptop is broken (a blogger without a laptop?!), and secondly, because its that time of year again... exam time! So do bear with me over the next 2 months - I'll try and get a post out once a week, but I've got to knuckle down and get these grades so I can get into uni in September! I hope you'll understand!

Now onto the post!

Some of you may recognise the title of this post - it is in fact a quote from my new favourite film of all time, Quadrophenia. Released in 1979, the film focuses on the 60s Mod subculture - with the clothes, scooters and music that go with it. Apart from being generally good vintage 'eye-candy', the film is great watch in its own right (so watch it!!!).

After watching the film, I just HAD to make myself a Mod dress that wouldn't look too out of place in a scooter rally to Brighton on a bank holiday afternoon. I found the pattern on eBay - yep, its a genuine vintage pattern! I felt so cruel cutting out the shapes, but it had to be done. (Does anyone else feel like you should leave vintage patterns intact?). With a few adjustments, I had the perfect dress for me ♥. The collar was surprisingly simple to do!

Now, Mods wouldn't be Mods without the other essential bit of gear - the fishtail parka. I found this one in H&M a few weeks ago for £30. It's not actually a fishtail parka... in fact, I'm not sure if it really is a parka at all, but I love it nonetheless and I can tell me and the coat are going to be bestfriends - especially as it's my only piece of 'practical' clothing.

Now all I need is a scooter...

Hope you like the photos! I went to a new location today to take them. It was rather chilly. And the cows in the next field kept staring at me...

Sadie xxx

Paper-Bag Waist Shorts: Look #2

2010-04-13T22:20:00.001+01:00

I cannot put into words how much I LOVE these shorts. They go with everything. I've worn them all week - and re-cycled this look twice (shh!). I can tell that me and the shorts are going to be friends for years to come :).

This outfit is probably one of my most 'outdoorsy' ensembles to date, partly because the shorts remind me of explorers, and partly because I've got two leaves and a pair of binoculars dangling around my neck... I normally don't bother much with jewellery, but I thought these items would look ideal layered together. What do you think?

** Please note that the photo on the right is there purely for amusement. I call it my Apprentice pose. Hopefully Sir Alan Sugar will now hire me.**

I've just realised that this blog is officially ONE! Happy Birthday blog :D. It was weird having a look at some of my older entries and seeing how my style has changed over the course of a year! I feel like I should do something exciting like a layout change but I'm too scared to tamper with all of the coding, so I shall leave it like this for a little while. Just thought I'd say thankyou to all of my lovely readers for continuing to read and comment on the blog! I really appreciate all the feedback :D.

Anyway! Which look is your favourite? Look #1 or Look #2?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'm just adding the finishing touches to a Mod-style dress... I'll be sure to show you all when it's finished :)

Paper-Bag Waist Shorts: Look #1

2010-04-07T17:21:00.002+01:00

I went a bit crazy in H&M on Monday... and bought £93 worth of clothes. Poor bank account. After taking part in Wardrobe Refashion for 2 months, it feels SO weird buying new things, at full price... I feel a bit guilty, but I really wanted to treat myself after the history coursework, plus I really really love my purchases.

And here are two of said purchases: some beige paper-bag waist shorts from 'The Garden Collection' (£19.99), and a cropped black jacket, which is slightly assymetric (£14.99). I can tell these two items are going to get a lot of wear! Definitely check out 'The Garden Collection' if you have a spare 5 minutes - they've got some really nice floaty floral dresses and some beautifully structured jackets and shorts. I'm quite tempted to go back and buy a few more things!

It seemed immediately obvious that the two items could be perfectly tied together by my breton top - I'm pretty sure the colour beige is a match made in heaven for this beloved striped companion of mine.

I'm not really sure what the colours are like on these photos - my laptop has decided that it doesn't want to turn on anymore, so I'm left with an old computer whose colour settings are a bit weird; not the best of things when you're trying to use photoshop. Hopefully they're not too atrocious.

Anyway, as you may guess from the title, I've got another look planned for these shorts! They're incredibly versatile - which helps to justify spending so much money! So come back soon for Look #2 :)

Sadie xxx

P.S. There's a competition on over at The Lonely Teapot - a blog that is filled with inspiration, pretty photos and regular 'Top Picks' from the highstreet - Amy, the writer, finds the most beautiful clothes :). Check it out, and don't forget to enter the competition!

Houndstooth

2010-04-04T20:27:00.002+01:00

I'm delighted to announce that I've finally finished that horribly time-consuming history coursework, so I'm freeee now to do as much blogging/shopping/sewing as I want :) yay! I've spent the last few days relaxing, playing monopoly (booo, I lost) and doing a spot of vintage shopping with the boyfriend. Hoping to dust off my sewing machine tomorrow and re-start my clothes 'production line'!

Anyway, today, after donning an outfit involving a houndstooth polo-neck (thrifted for £1) I had a sudden moment of inspiration to take some 60s-style photos. I didn't originally intend to post them up because they were really a spur of the moment kind of thing (I very nearly ran out of natural light as well, hence the graininess). But I was really pleased with how they turned out, so here they are! They're a bit of a reference to Op-Art, mixed up with some old photos of Twiggy and a nice dose of mod style.

Thumbs up for beehives, fake eyelashes and red lipstick!

You may notice that my arms are in the air in every photo - thats because I had to hold up the 'background', haha.

As it happens, the background is hopefully going to be the fabric for my next sewing project - but I haven't decided what to make yet! What do you think, a dress, or a jacket?

Sadie xxx

A blazer, a belt, and a book...

2010-03-22T13:21:00.000Z

On my breaks from coursework I do several things: drink tea, eat copious amounts of food, and occasionally go for a look around the local charity shops/antique shops. The latter is definitely the most productive way to spend my spare time! The other day rewarded myself with a new red belt and a school boy blazer - yes, you heard correctly... a blazer for a 9 year old boy.

I couldn't resist :). It was £3, and made from that luxurious boiled wool material which I am so attracted to. Unfortunately the front pocket is hanging off, no doubt due to some rowdy boisterous behaviour from the previous owner... Anyway, I might try adding some white piping around the lapels when I've finished doing school work! What do you think?

Wool Blazer - £3, Charity Shop
Topshop Top - £6, Ebay
Belt - £1, Antique Shop

Hat - 75p?, Car boot
Shorts - £6, Tesco
Shoes - £30, Clarks sale

There is absolutely no doubt that this outfit is a reference to school uniforms; my outfits are increasingly following this template... It doesn't help that I'm holding a book (which I have READ! it isn't merely a prop :D).

It's also rather matchy-matchy, but I think this is acceptable when using red white and blue :) one of the best colour combinations for clothes! Does anyone else have a colour combination preference?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'll start posting more regularly once this coursework is out of the way. I've made 160 pages of written notes for it so far... just got to actually write the essay now!

A Vintage Satchel

2010-03-08T19:00:00.000Z

Firstly: again, I have to apologise for the lack of posts over the last week. Unfortunately, this history coursework just has to take priority! So if I don't blog for a few days, then thats where I'll be - at my desk scibbling away. The deadline's in 3 weeks time and I absolutely can't wait for it to be out of the way. Aaah...

Hopefully I'll finally finish my post on sewing tips in the near future, but for the time-being, I thought I'd show you my most recent purchase (bought at lunchtime today!). I've actually had my eye on this satchel for a few months now - I first saw it back in January, hanging all alone on the side of a dusty shelf of bric-a-brac in a local antique shop. It has had a place in my heart ever since, so I went back to buy it today. And how much did it cost? £3! Bargain.

I love the buckle detail :).

Floral Grandad Shirt - H&M
Skirt - Homemade
Cardigan - Jaeger via A Charity Shop

Velvet Blazer - Charity Shop
Belt - Vintage
Shoes - Clarks

Satchel - Antique Shop

I'm so glad to be re-united with this top. It has been buried in my wardrobe for about a year! Don't you just love finding long-lost items of clothing?

Sadie xxx

London Fashion Weekend

2010-02-28T21:36:00.002Z

As you may or may not know, I somehow managed to win the vouchercodes.co.uk competition for 2 VIP tickets to London Fashion Weekend - so I thought I'd give you the lowdown on my day out! It was an amazing experience – I’ve never seen so many beautiful clothes in one place! By some miracle, we navigated London’s tube network and found Somerset House, arriving exactly on time to pick up our free Chambord cocktails in the VIP lounge.

Soon, we were all called out to take our places on the front row of the London Fashion Weekend catwalk, which was basically a round up of all of the SS10 trends, as well as a show from Betty Jackson. It was really good seeing a catwalk ‘in the flesh’ – you can actually see all the details on the clothes, and the music created an amazing atmosphere.

Unfortunately I had some camera troubles during the show, but I managed to salvage some shots of my favourite ensembles, including this beautiful Frost French denim playsuit (really loving the bloomer style legs).

We had a chat with presenter Louise Roe afterwards (who was sporting an amazing orange jumpsuit – possibly from Jaeger?), which included some interesting views on the role of bloggers in the industry – I think the general conclusion was that it was a great way to have ‘raw’ and mostly impartial views on fashion, as well as blogs being a brilliant tool for anyone of any age to join in with the industry (think: Tavi Gevinson).

On leaving the VIP area we were given show bags containing all sorts of freebies, and then we went off to wander around the cavernous Somerset House to indulge in some discounted designer shopping. Now, this is where I feel like a let down: I didn’t buy a single thing. Haha. The whole aim of London Fashion Weekend is to be a shopping event, but I really really couldn’t afford any of it! For someone like me, £70 is still too much for a dress! It was nice having a thorough browse though, and we came across some beautiful things, such as patent Luella bags, Crocheted Collars from Aei Kei, vegetarian bags from the Rubber Cow Co, and, my favourite, Biba inspired dresses from Elizabeth Lau.

Left: Coat by Elizabeth Lau; Right: Dress by Elizabeth Lau

Clockwise from top left: Collar by Aei Kei; Necklace by Clara Francis; Necklace (handmade!) by Clara Francis, Dress from Berman Black by Sara Berman

Wanting to make the most of our coach tickets, we decided to head off into London in the afternoon, and stopped off in Portobello Road where they had some amazing vintage designer shops. I fell in love with a pair of black suede Chloé heels and then tried on an APC blazer – but they were both a bit out of my price range – still, it’s nice to dream! Ridiculously, we only got to Portobello market as it was closing, so I think we’ll have to make another trip to London to experience it!

Our outfits, hehe.

All in all it was a great day out; we discovered some brilliant new brands and getting the VIP treatment was definitely a highlight!

Sadie xxx

Some exciting news!

2010-02-26T21:59:00.000Z

Hello everyone! Firstly, I just want to apologise for my temporary absence. I've spent the week reading books on Italian history & politics for my history coursework - sadly meaning I've had no time for clothes related activities. I've got a pile of fabric in the corner of my room that desperately needs to be turned into something - I just need to find a few spare hours! Also, disasterously, my laptop stopped working last night! I don't know what's wrong with it - it just won't turn on. :(.

But it's not all bad news... because I was very very shocked to discover that I won the 'Bargainista Show and Tell Challenge'! I really didn't think I'd win, so I'm absolutely delighted - and EXTREMELY excited about the prize: 2 VIP tickets to London Fashion Weekend! So tomorrow I'm getting up very early (4am...) and travelling to London with my best friend, courtesy of vouchercodes.co.uk!

I don't really know what to expect - but I'll be sure to take loads of pictures and blog about my experience!

The outfit I'm wearing here was the solution to months of pondering about the best way to wear this peter-pan collar top, originally from Whistles but thrifted at a carboot for 75p. It's an awkward colour to pair with things (bright 'Cadbury' purple) - but I think I may have finally found the answer!

I'd best be off now - there's a very early wake-up ahead. And I still haven't decided what to wear...

Sadie xxx

P.S. I just had a hair cut and dyed it again - its not much different, but what do you think?