I need you tonight.

A few weeks back i snuck into to Topshop on Oxford St. and made a few sneaky purchases. Teamed with a gift card and an unusual but rather delightful discount that came with Stylist magazine, i made a beeline for two items that had caught my eye. I decided to make thorough use of my time and take the fifty thousand items to the fitting room to have a good trying on sesh, while mentally add them to my 'Must-buy-in-Sale' list. In the mean time i snapped some obligatory changing room snaps, terrible photos, but alas i couldn't resist..   

My actual outfit:

Cranberry Coat - New Look (£34.99)

Fur Stole - H&M (last years stock)

Grey Knitted Tights - Tesco (£6.00)

Red Flats - New Look (£12.99)

Striped Nautical Dress - Topshop (£22.00)

I do love snippet of nautical, in-fact my entire wardrobe is one big stripe overload. Three quarter length sleeves, slashed neck, a hem line that stretches further than your bum and amazing body-con powers, this dress clings in all the right places. And, not going to lie, makes my bust look rather impressive - optical illusions i dare say ;) It is the ultimate staple item, yes sir-re.

Bird Sequined Jumper - Topshop (£46.00)

Oh look at that - i ventured outside for that outfit photo. Tad pricey i must admit for a jumper, but really cannot resist any sparkle, especially in bird form! A bit lost at what to wear this with, apart from black skinnies, but Michelle clearly came to rescue with her What To Wear post, the beautiful dark purple shade skirt will be mine. This jumper is the perfect blush/apricot shade and it super soft, not itchy like i feared. I would definitely look out for this in the sale if its caught your eye. 

So many thoughts and scribbles i have to tell you, but most importantly, one phrase: the NET-A-PORTER SECRET SALE LADIES! Thats right you heard, get in line, behind me. I've whipped out my fifty quid voucher and touch wood, i hope i get lucky! The details: 11am, tomorrow, follow the link from the Net-A-Porter Facebook. 

Will you be logging on?

Heaven knows i'm miserable now.

This is - i must say - investigate journalism at best. Raw, emotive and digging out the true facts of the matter. For months, years even there have been rumours passed around back and forth, building excitement only to be squashed by the unknown. So it was time i felt, for Sarah and i to seek out what lay ahead and see the truth for ourselves. Last Wednesday, we battled it up the Northern Line to a dingy little shopping centre in north London to Edgeware, where we came across perhaps the best kept secret in perhaps, none other than the Topshop Outlet. 

 Our first thoughts when we approached this very small store dedicated to previous sale items was the sheer amount of stock. Each wall bay and stands are jam-packed full of last season stock at very low sale prices, with every item on the offer buy one, get one free. The stock we saw was mostly high summer, with the exception of pieces that are actually brand new (such as this dress) and items that have just hit the online sale last week. Everything is in size order, and naturally most items graced the floor. The ladies that work in their must have the patience of saints i tell thee. We saw numerous ladies filling up trollies worth of stock, to presumably be shoved on eBay. The other customers mostly looked like locals,  unlike Sarah and i who were completely fazed by the whole time and dug right in. There were racks upon racks of tops, blouses, shorts, dresses and trousers; with a limited amount of accessories and shoes. Piled up with a variety of items, we hit the changing room to find a number of bits completely faulty, with zips missing and slashed holes, i guess this has happened at its previous store destination and has been shoved out anyway.

After grabbing most things in sight, i spied this dress on the changing room rail, had a slight heart attack and fell in love again. I say again, due to desperately wanting this dress over the summer and never buying it, yet finding it now half priced! Hurrah!

Nice tights line!

Sequin Dress - (reduced from £65, to £30.00)

I then picked up this dress as my free item, a simple striped dress that can be worn in the summer.

Overall, although i am over the moon with my purchases, Sarah sadly left with nothing. Although this shop is clearly wonderful, i dare say it is fairly hit and miss. As its quite a fair journey, in norf norf London its would be a major disappointment to not find anything. However we have decided to visit after Christmas, when more seasonal, easier to wear items will hopefully have better stock. Watch this space.

The Topshop Outlet is situated in the The Broadwalk Shopping Centre just a stones throw from Edgware tube. We hopped on the Northern line from London Bridge and found it pretty easy to find. All the shop details can be found here.

So there we have it, will you be visiting?

Growing pains.

How could i not resist? I was so there. Admittedly at eight am on Wednesday morning none the less, but i did literally get first dibs on the sale pieces up for grab - and i'm glad i did as by mid-morning most items had already disappeared. With the sole intention of nabbing some extra holiday bits, i thought the sale was a tad pants, i guess we are still holding tight for our British summer. I did however manage to nab three bits..

Orient Maxi Dress (£15.00) 

The word maxi doesn't exist in my wardrobe vocabulary, don't get me wrong i think they can look so effortless in the summer, but i've never really been drawn to the longer hem, preferring to get maa legs out. Clearly caught up in all the excitement of sale shopping i added this to my basket, the print is so very pretty and it's more of a beach cover up than anything. In a light, thin material i thought this would be perfect for my holiday, walking on the beach or going for lunch. I'm still not all convinced on the maxi side of things, may have to rope in my grandmother to slash the hem line in half..

Knitted Spacedye 70's Top - (£15.00)

I've had my eye on this Missoni-esq jumper for a while now, toying whether to purchase. I adore the burnt reds and orange shades, i'm seriously hoping its as soft and finely knitted as i imagine. I think this is that item you glaze over when you see in-store, but when worn it looks completely amazing. Basic but simple. Can't wait to pair this with white linen shorts and tan moccasins.

Tall Bell Sleeve Dress - (£20.00)

As soon as i saw this pretty lace and chiffon dress i snapped it up, in which i must confess a smaller size that what i would normally purchase. I then instantly regretted it and made my way into my local branch to see if they had my size, to which they had a full rack full of different sizes. I picked up my normal size ten and when i tried it on later that evening and found the sizing to be really, really generous, it looked pretty stupid to be frank - maybe as to why they are in the sale? So i'll be returning the size ten and hoping the size eight i ordered is a better fit, and i don't resemble a lacy sack. If not, i'll just have to order the Miss Guided dress everyones banging on about!

I intend to raid the in-store sale over the weekend, on the look out for another two (cheap) bikinis. Did you purchase anything from the Topshop sale? 

RANT.

Following on from yesterdays post i thought i would clarify the saga on the recent Topshop palaver. This morning, Thomas from their customer team gave me bell and explained the problem. Every time i have been ordering this blouse, the Chiffon Side Tuck Blouse (13L36YCRM)..

..And then receiving this blouse three times..

.. is because the first blouse is last years stock and the buying team basically haven't changed the photo. Despite the fact that a) it has completely different buttons, b) it has a completely different collar c) appears far more cropped at the front and even has a completely contrasting product code. I bought this item under misleading  and basically out of date stock images, because of Topshop's laziness to update a correct image. 

So my some what dream blouse is clearly, so last year, literally. Thanks for that.

Overnight Celebrity

Since handing in my dissertation and finishing my Magazine Publishing degree i have thrown myself in to my part-time job in retail, which technically feels like full time at the moment. I have worked as a sales assistant in retail for the past five years in the same women's clothing shop, and i'm not kidding when i say you haven't worked a hard day unless you've tried retail. General moaning aside, i have some fabulous loyal little ladies of whom i would adopt as grannies if i could, who come in every week and need dressing up for the one occasion or another. So whilst i've been busy styling the nations grannies, i decided to go a tad crazy on pay day and treat one's self. And throughly abuse the students 20% off at Topshop.

Animal Print Vest - Topshop (£30.00 w/ £24.00)

I picked this sheer leopard print blouse simply on a whim, among the other fifty thousand items i tried on and i loved it! I don't have any animal print in my wardrobe what so ever, it was time for a change! I can't wait to dress this up and down, especially with a nude/black sharp blazer.

Mink Pintuck Shorts - Miss Selfridge (£32.00)

I fell in love with the gold vintage style buttons against the mink silky material. They are simple yet classic, for summer with a tan or winter and black tights. I think these look so much more expensive than what they were.

Cherry Print Fifties Sundress - Topshop (£36.00)

I could not deny my inner 50's Mad Men character this dress! The shift cut is so flattering, and the cherry print - how bloody cute! This will need to be worn on a seriously hot summers british day, but definitely a winner for my holiday wardrobe. Its a rather thick material too with added pockets, so a fairly reasonable print for Topshop i dare say.

Metal Leaf Sandal - Acessorize (£32.00)

I had been hunting high and low for the perfect sandal, they are either to bright and clashing or just simply cheap looking. Although Zara has some majorly pretty pairs, swoon, tad pricey though. However, the golden metal grecian leaf detail is so understated yet so pretty, in stark contrast to my rather scary other studded sandals from last year.

Belted Holiday Shorts - Topshop (£32.00)

These white linen shorts will not only be a staple for my holiday, but for the british summer too. They aren't ridiculously short short like i have seen else wear, the shorts are also double lined so no frantic worrying about the need for nude knicks! Overall they seem really fantastic quality, and i love the belt too! Might have to pop back in for the navy pair. These can be dressed up with so many of the chiffon, silky tops i er keep buying.

Cactus Flower - Nars Cream Blush (£20.50)

How could i resist when ASOS had 20% off branded items? I think i was rather restrained if you ask me. A very pretty creamy light red with a golden shimmer, swoon.

And to finish off i bought this dress from H&M for only £15 from the use of the discount codes i posted last week, despite it being a size 10 it was super tight, no way would it have fitted a B+ cup. Tut. I returned it to store, after i 'lost' the dispatch note and swapped it for £30 worth of stock, hurrah! But the sales assistant mentioned that all H&M sizes were rather odd like that? Bizarre! I bought this lace shirt, some much needed leggings - which i highly recommend and a simple navy nautical cardigan, perfect! 

I've just gone shopping crazy at the moment, at least its clothes and not.more.make.up. What have you been buying recently?

Bittersweet.

My absence has paid off, i now have a good sixty pages of dissertation draft, detailing the exciting trials and tribulations of men's magazines. Twenty thousand words later my brain is frazzled to say the least. I really am a worrier, a total stress head. Embarrassingly so, that when a lady stopped me a few weeks back to ask where i purchased my dress, i replied FHM not H&M. Queue awkward looks. 

Alas freedom is still very far off, as i have my final meeting with my supervisor tomorrow to discuss whether any last amendments have to be made. Despite the fact i'm shitting it and feel like projectile vomiting with nerves, i'm so relived to finally say i'm somewhat finished. So whilst i keep everything double crossed and pray that it doesn't need a complete overhaul, i leave you with some lovely lustings. 

Mexicana Embroidered Shift Dress - Topshop (£38.00)

Whilst this dress looks rather basic, the embroidery detail on the sleeves and chest is awfully pretty. A perfect, simple summer dress that can be worn casually with tan sandals and loose curls, or dressed up with wedges and loose up do.. lusting much? 

Red Flower Print Wrap Sundress - Topshop (£36.00)

As soon as i spotted this dress on a mannequin i was instantly drawn too it, surprisingly so. I never tend to branch out to bright colours, preferring to stick with classic neutral tones. But saying that, i'm really drawn to the burnt orangany red shade, not to mention the 50's style is definitely warranting a trying on session for sure!

 Chiffon Side Tuck Blouse - Topshop (£34.00)

I've been biding my time to find the perfect chiffon blouse, some are far too 'shirty' for my liking, and not near enough feminine. I adore the cute gold buttons and the loose sleeves, its simple yet classic - plus it would go with absolutely anything. 

Cream Beaded Jacket -Miss Selfridge (£65.00)

Every season i gaze longingly at the embellished beaded blouses and jackets, but completely thrown off by the price. They had a stunning dark navy beaded and sequinned blouse around Christmas at Topshop,  although i'm sure i would have worn it to death, the fifty plus price tag is just too steep. But i can't help but fall in love all over again with this Miss Selfridge jacket throw over. It doesn't have to be overpowering, simply over a white tee matched with some cigarette pants it could look fabulous. yay or nay?

Orange Blossom Tea Dress - New Look (£39.99)

Another amazing piece from New Look, still seriously upping their game this season. This tea dress is disgustingly pretty, with tiny little buttons adding the perfect touch. I literally need this in my life pronto. Clearly i am not the only one, as this limited edition dress is only available in size 8 for the mean time. This would look perfect with a pair of tan brogues or ballet shoes. 

Scallop Collar Top - New Look (£19.99)

Some while ago i spotted a shirt in H&M, even now i feel bloody angry at myself for not purchasing it. A simple crisp white shirt, yet it had a small black ribbon tie around the neck, in a little bow. Ever since, i have searched high and low for a similar style.Yet this New Look blouse is near enough the same, with an added scalloped detail collar, how many trends can you fit in one blouse eh?

Any items you are lusting over recently? It is pay-day tomorrow! 

MR BLUE SKY

Sitting in my garden in my sunshine is my absolute favourite place to be, especially with a good book and an iced tea - my idea of heaven! So before i pack up my books on masculinity - who knew men were so interesting? - and head on out to the sunshine i wanted to share a few items that i picked up the last couple of days.

Yesterday i popped into Central London for a few errands, mainly to pick up a few books from London College of Fashion, attend a press day with Sarah and of course, track down that dress.

After many squeals of delight of spotting the perfect summer dress, i practically legged it to the fitting room to try it on. Thats when the disappointment crept in. Although it fits perfectly, its just too short, literally only just covering my bottom! I'm no stranger to short hemlines, but theres a difference from mini to practically showing your ass off. Major sad times, hopefully they will bring this out in the Tall range and i might have better luck - here's hoping..

In the meantime, i  came across this cotton, floral summer dress. I snapped this pretty sharpish i can tell you! I cannot wait to wear this with my plaited waist belt and sandals, for lazy summer evening drinks.

And finally! last week i placed an order with ASOS using my two Groupon vouchers, i had £40 to spend so i decided to divulge in some high-end make-up, as its a fail safe option to purchasing clothes and hoping the sizing is correct, well so i thought! 

I had set out to purchase some bits and bobs from Nars, however every time the pieces i wanted appeared online, they were snapped up so quickly by other shoppers that they sold out on the asap. So i decided that i would branch out and purchase the Benefit Magic Ink and a Jemma Kidd blush with my voucher. The very next day, they re-stocked the entire Nars line..

Jemma Kidd Blush - 5th Avenue (£12.00)

There's been a lot of hype around Jemma Kidd products, it has a fairly reasonable prices and some really pretty shades. I chose the Jemma Kidd blush in 5th Avenue, it is simply beautiful, light and slightly shimmery. It adds a sheer but reasonable amount of colour on the cheek. With many coral blushes you have to employ such a light hand, but this always distributes just the right amount of colour without resembling being tangoed. I'm so very glad i purchased this - definitely should check this out. This is the perfect coral for pale skinned girls, at a very reasonable price!

Although i am slightly baffled as to why the pan of product isn't attached to the actual packaging, odd?

Benefit Magic Ink Liquid Eyeliner - (£14.50)

This item was a slight impulse purchase, only after declaring my love for the L'Oreal liner, i thought i would try a more brush type liner rather than a wand, as i find it easier to create a better flick with this type of brush. I had high expectations for this product, many moons ago Benefit produced a Bad Gal liquid eyeliner which i swore by, but of course like most of their products they eventually discontinued it - boo! And i was pleasantly surprised to see this is basically the same product, good black pigmentation and long-wearing eyeliner. 

With my final voucher left and to my uttermost delight i finally got my hands on a lipstick and blusher from Nars! But of course, things never ever run smooth do they? ASOS sent me my package and i received it yesterday afternoon, i eagrly ripped off the packaging (as you do) and went to swatch away. After modelling the new blusher to the Mother, i realised that they had sent me the wrong bloody shade.

 I swear ASOS and i have a long, turbulent relationship which has amounted in most of my orders being lost or equally messed up. I hopfooted it on to Twitter to moan my heart out, and amazingly their customer service team were EXCELLENT. They apologised, sent the right blusher out to my first thing this morning and told me to keep the wrong shade. So i now have two Nars blushes, thank you very much ASOS! 

I've had long had my eye on Nars' lipstick in Barbarella, a very sheer peach is the ultimate summer tone! Especially on days like this!

On the left we have Gilda, a warm rosey red coral and then Gina, the mistake, which is a very bright pop of coral. I must have an entire family of coral blushes in my collection now, who knew there were so many different tones and shades of coral? ;)

And here are some very pretty, more accurate swatches: Gilda, Gina and 5th Avenue.

A very long, coralisous post indeed!