What's in a name?

I picked up this dress on the weekend when Dorothy Perkins had a 20% off sale (they always seem to have them don't they?) and I love it. It comes in all different colours so I had a hard time choosing but I thought the stripes were nice and summery/nautical. I love the shape on this dress, the neckline is very flattering and it fits very well. I may invest in another colour too as this dress is pretty versatile. The thick straps are great, I hate it when you can see my bra straps underneath which isn't classy at all.

Please ignore the silly tan lines I got on my arms whilst cycling around Amsterdam, I spent Saturday in the garden trying to get rid of them to no avail. I have red arms and everything else is deathly white, sigh.

Dress: Dorothy Perkins
Shoes: TUK c/o Spartoo
Belt: Primark
Necklace: mynamenecklace.co.uk

The necklace was a bit of a treat to myself as I've wanted one for ages. I used to wear my Tatty Devine one every day in uni until I snapped it and was devastated. This silver version is a little more grown up then my old pink plastic one and I'm not allergic to silver so yay, I can wear it all day. You can use GIFT or WELCOME for a 10% discount if you wanted to get one. I also bought one for a friend who lives in Australia and sent it via Parcelforce so it arrived in time for her birthday. I'm quite tempted to get a gold one with just my initial on too but that might be overkill as I wear my Daisy alpha ring with a G on every day.

I'm currently worrying because I'm doing a presentation on Friday at a library event, I love talking but I hate public speaking. Luckily the talk is about blogging and how libraries can use it to engage with their users so I shouldn't go too far wrong. Do you have any tips for me? I've not really done anything like this before, lots or external people will be there and I'm scared.

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*collaborative post

It starts and ends with you - ASOS floral smock

This dress was a bit of a post holiday blues cure purchase, after nearly two weeks off work the prospect of returning to students in full swing exam madness was terrifying. The bright flowers on this dress certainly perked me up and I wore this to a library conference on Friday. I did wear it with a cardigan because if you work in a library a cardigan is practically uniform and I had to cover up the open back which makes it a tad sassy for daywear. I wore this with flat shoes but I can't wait to wear this with some heels on a night out and pair it with a bright clutch bag.

Dress: ASOS
Necklace: River Island
Shoes: Vivienne Westwood by Melissa
Ring: Daisy

 

Love the open back, think it makes the dress a lot less ordinary. I wore it with a red bra because if you're going to see it then it may as well be a fun one right? I tried to look a little more put together and slick for my conference and stuck my favourite imPRESS nails on in a nice deep colour. I don't have a suit, blazer or a blouse that isn't leopard print so maybe it's time to invest in so adult clothes...

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday, I'm going to spend the day sulking because Norway didn't win Eurovision, taking Sookie for a walk and watching my Les Mis DVD that I picked up yesterday.

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Marks & Spencer A/W 13 collection

Marks & Spencer launched their new collection yesterday and I was so happy to see a real focus on quality and style in the pieces.I'm a big fan of their current Limited Collection and it looks like we will be getting more clothes like that, exciting stuff!

M&S’s are making lots of upgrades to improve the quality of their clothes, having clearer and more compelling brands and aiming to be more fashionable by incorporating key trends from the catwalk into their ranges. The London Calling trend (my personal favourite) including red and black checks, leather and animal prints and the Modern Elegance trend with its simple tailoring, luxury fabrics and muted colours are both influenced by high fashion. You will start to see the changes from late July, when the new Autumn/Winter collections launch in-store and online.

John Dixon, Executive Director of General Merchandise said: “This is our focus going forward that will reassert our position as a leading, premium fashion retailer.” Do you think they have achieved that with this collection?:

DARK DRAMA
Coat  - £110, Skirt  - £29.50, Shirt - £35 All available in August
Bag - £29.50, Necklace - £25 Available in October
Belt - £19.50, Available in July

 
FEMME FATALE
Coat - £79, Skirt £29.50, Lace top - £22.50, Shirt - £27.50 - All available in October
Bag - £39.50, Belt - £12.50 Boots - £99 - All available in July

WILD OPULENCE
Jumper  -  £55 - Available in October
Skirt  - £199 - Available in August

I'm most looking forward to seeing the Best of British range which will use Scottish cashmere and Yorkshire cloths. A lot of high end companies like Vivienne Westwood and Chanel already use these types of traditional materials so it's great news that high street stores will also be making use of them. It's nice to know that all garments will be manufactured in the UK too.The new collections mark the launch of a three year partnership between M&S and the British Fashion Council, which puts more emphasis on British design and talent. The Best of British collection will be available from the 10th October.

My favourite items from the collection are a predictable mix of leopard print and tartan with 60's/rock and roll theme. I was obviously going to love the skirt, can't wait to get my hands on it.

Limited Edition dress - £45


Per Una coat - £229

M&S Collection Skirt - £35

I know it's not even summer yet but are you looking forward to Autumn/Winter collections?

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All art is unstable - Trip to London

“...Its meaning is not necessarily that implied by the author. There is no authoritative voice. There are only multiple readings.” - David Bowie

On Thursday I went to the David Bowie is exhibition at the V&A in London and was more that a little blown away. It drew from Bowie’s personal archives and over 300 objects were selected to try and show what shaped David Bowie and how he has shaped modern culture. I am a pretty big Bowie fan so I was always going to love this exhibition but I think any music fan could go along and appreciate how important a figure he is. It was very multi-disciplinary with art from Andy Warhol, Fritz Lang movie posters, press from moon landings and fashion creations from the likes of McQueen.  I also got to learn a few new fact about Bowie, he had a tiny 26½ inch waist and his one eye is permanently dilated after a playground fight as a child.

(photo of the exhibition is fro the V&A site, you're not allowed to take photos inside)

My fun wasn't over for the day because after the V&A I went to Byron in Earls Court for a burger and some amazing courgette fries before heading over to the Forum in Kentish Town to see Cold War Kids. Pretty much my ideal day. I booked everything, printed all the tickets and left one thing to my friend, book the gig tickets. They did book the gig tickets but then proceeded to forget to pack them...(if you're reading this, I'm booking everything next time ;) haha ) luckily the nice lady at the Forum box office printed two more off for us and we were allowed in. Phew.

We got up early the next day and headed to The Breakfast Club after a recommendation from Liv and a few other very helpful people on twitter.

Me and Josh both went for the the All American with pancakes, eggs, sausage, home-style fried potatoes, streaky bacon and maple syrup mmm. I had a strawberry milkshake too because I had to make sure I had the strength for a day of shopping and walking around London (not because I'm greedy, obviously...) I would definitely come back again and maybe try the pancakes with berries or a burger in the evening. 

I manged to pick up a few Morrissey records at Old Spitalfields Market before heading over to Portobello Road to hunt down some second hand bargains.

Can I live in this house please? First I need to get a job that pays £100k a year or marry a rock star...
 

My family would never forgive me if I returned home from a trip with out some sweet treats so I picked up some black bottom and red velvet cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery.

I wore my new playsuit around London on Friday which was a great choice because it was so warm. I did pair it with my biker jacket and a light scarf but they ended up in my bag all day. It was £26 in River Island and it would be great for holidays or festivals because it's so light. It comes in a few different prints too. 

Playsuit: River Island
Necklace: Gift

Shoes c/o Spartoo: Boots by Blink

So after nearly two weeks off work and a hell of a lot of fun I have to head back to the library and help all those pesky students print things off for their deadlines and track down books they desperately need, sigh.

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Amsterdam

I've got a serious case of post holiday blues! I've just got back from a wonderful holiday in Amsterdam with some of my best friends and I'm more than a little sad to be back home and back in work. I had planned to see and do loads of things but the weather was too good to be stuck indoors or queueing for museums so I spent most of my time in the lovely parks and eating my own body weight in waffles and ice cream.

My friend Jack lives in Amsterdam with his partner and has been doing an internship there for a few months so I was really excited to catch up with him. (He has his own website about his film making here)
We were also there to celebrate Craig's birthday in style and I think Amsterdam was the perfect place to do that. we went to a club called NYX that had a DJ in the loos (a tad insane) for his birthday which seemed like the cool place to be.

Most people have already made up their mind about Amsterdam before they arrive and yes, there are a lot of Brits there for stag do's and it does have seedy areas but Amsterdam is really pretty and I managed to have a relaxing holiday there.

Obligatory photo of a bike and canal
 

Elio, Me, Craig and Meg (not looking too happy) in Nieuwemarkt after eating waffles. I don't think I can ever look at another waffle... I'm wearing my new favourite t-shirt that I picked up in Monki. I wasn't particularly stylish on my trip, it was all about comfort and it was so hot I just wore my lightest t-shirt. I was going to take boots but I'm glad I didn't because they wouldn't have been much use on cobbles or when I was on my bike. I wore my comfy white Converse most of the weekend. Stick to flat shoes and comfy clothes, nobody is super dressed up in Amsterdam.
 

Vondelpark - My new favourite place ever... might be an exaggeration because I still love Manchester.

We hired bikes to get around the city and feel like locals. It was around 15 euros for 24 hours but you can get one for cheaper if you are happy to cycle backwards to break but I wanted traditional breaks because I'm not a very experienced cyclist. Isn't she a beaut? really didn't want to hand her back in. I think hiring a bike is probably the best thing you could do in Amsterdam, so much quicker and easier to get around and if you're only there for a weekend you get to see the whole city.

Picnicking in Westerpark. Seriously, all I did was eat on this trip. I can highly recommend Burger Bar, they have about three stores and you can get a tasty burger, fries and a drink for under 10 Euros. Amsterdam can be a tad expensive but I found it so much cheaper than Paris.
 

Jack lived in the Jewish Quarter in Amsterdam with the Jewish Historical Museum and Rembrant's House Museum close by. There is also the pretty good Waterlooplein Flea Market in that area which runs Monday - Friday 9.00 am - 5.30 pm; Saturday: 8.30 am –5.30 pm. It's a great place to pick up records, second hand clothes and souvenirs. I can highly recommend the Lunchcafe Waterloo if you're in the area. They do some great sandwiches, and meat/egg dishes and the best iced coffee I've had in a long time.

Beer, food and hanging out with Jack was a great combination.

I definitely want to return to Amsterdam and visit some of the more touristy attractions. It's the best holiday I've had in a while and made a nice change from visiting Paris and Manchester. I don't have too much time to dwell on Amsterdam memories because I'm off to London tomorrow for the David Bowie is exhibition and to see Cold War Kids in the night. So excited!

Amsterdam playlist:
HAIM - Falling (Duke Dumont Remix) - Daft Punk – Get Lucky - Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

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