Lace and Pearls

After a manic weekend of fashion shows and fancy dress I'm looking forward to a relatively quiet week in work and a weekend in. I think I just need a good lie in. It has been ridiculously cold the past few days so I thought I would dig my warm winter coat out. Wore this to work today and it isn't even cold, just my luck!
I know this is a tad dressy for work but I hate having nice dresses hanging in my wardrobe and not seeing the light of day. I don't see the point in keeping things for best.

Coat: Second hand from Rose Tinted Vintage
Dress: ASOS
Shoes: flat shoes from Clarks.
Necklace: eBay

We are having a bit of a push to get the house ready for Christmas now. The utility room has now been fitted and tiled and the main bathroom is nearly complete. Living in a house while it is being renovated is a total nightmare, wouldn't recommend it to anyone!

I forgot to share these photos from The Cribs and Frankie and the Heartstrings gig I went to last week. I have to admit I mainly went to see the support band Frankie and the Heartstrings but I loved The Cribs too. Was great to hear new material from both bands, they are touring the UK together at the moment and I think you should check them out. You can download the new FATHS single here for free, it was produced by Bernard Butler (formerly of Suede) and its my favourite song at the moment. Frankie Francis has great energy on stage, they really are one of my favourite bands to see live.

(Also, had a fan girl moment this week because Frankie now follows me on twitter. Better stop talking about boys in bands on there all the time)

Dead Celeb Party

Me and my friends had our Halloween party a few days early because we can't party on a school night anymore. I'm way too old to rock up to work with a killer hangover now, takes me days to recover. We went with a Dead Celeb/Bad Taste theme and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the effort everyone put in. We had some cakes, plenty of wine and a good mix of guests which are all the key ingredients for a good party.



I got all the streamers from eBay along with my wig. We had a Steve Irwin, Jesus, Amy Winehouse, Audrey Hepburn, Janis Joplin, Kirsty McCall, Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Princess Diana and Harold Shipman.

Can you guess who I'm supposed to be? not many people could.

St David's Fashion show

The first official Cardiff Fashion Week has been a great success so far and the Fashion Show at St David's this weekend has been a great way to finish the festivities. The live catwalk shows have showcased all that’s new, special and sought after in Cardiff. I've been here at St David's all day as a bit of a backstage blogger taking in all the sights and atmosphere in the centre and I've got a few snaps of the shows to share with you.

The first show was at 11am and featured the winners of the Cardiff's Face of Fashion competition. I won this back in April and found it such a positive experience so I was looking forward to seeing the girls strut their stuff and find out if they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Jordana and Gemma were modelling Ann Harvey and Dash with Accessorize accessories and their make up is all Urban Deacy. Both ladies are size 14+ and it's always good to see variety in shows and events like this.The shows are all 'Fashion Rocks' themed and combine traditional catwalk and dance. Here are my highlights from the day:

All the gold and black, baroque inspired clothes are from Warehouse.

My favourite looks of the day from Republic, plenty of studs, leather and rock and roll edge.

A cheeky little male model snap for all of you ;)

There is still plenty of time to catch some shows, there is a 7.30 show tonight and a show on the hour from 11-4pm tomorrow. Also look out for some discount booklets that are being handed out with up to 20% off some stores. Have you managed to catch any shows in Cardiff this weekend?

Halloween Party Dresses

Hasn't time flown by this year?! It seems like summer just ended and I've only just got back from Bestival but we are only a few days away from Halloween and weeks away from Christmas. Halloween in my house is a pretty big deal and we are already decked out in black, purple and orange decorations and burning our Yankee candy corn candles.

 My brother and I have always been fascinated by witches and I can probably recite the whole of Hocus Pocus and Bedknobs and Broomsticks from memory. Treguna Mekoides and Trecorum Satis Dee! I will always dream about getting my letter to Hogwarts, I'm not too old to still find out I'm a witch right? Although I didn't want to be a witch like Sabrina because her spells always went wrong and she had that creepy cousin Roland...
Anyway, I love getting dressed up for Halloween but hate buying things that I would never wear again. Fancy dress is always made from cheap stretchy material too, bleugh! So here are my favourite dresses and accessories from boohoo.com to get you in the Halloween spirit.



1 Very vampy! Great for Halloween and adaptable for a witch or vampire

2 Rather McQueen, I would wear this if I was going to a club for Halloween. I would feel a little self conscious walking into down in full fancy dress and fake blood on my face but the skulls would fit in with the theme perfectly without going over the top.

3 This would be great as a 2 for 1 dress. Equally as good for Halloween and Christmas parties.



4 Another pretty and very versatile dress. The open parts on the waist remind me of cobwebs, what do you think?

5 & 6 Little skulls will add some dark glamour to any outfit and I don't think I've ever seen tights with gold skull studs on before. I think they would look pretty cool with a black dress and are a cheap way of updating an outfit you already own and making it fit with a Halloween theme.

I'm going to a 'Dead Celeb' themed Halloween party and I'm dressing up as Dusty Springfield (big idol of mine) To get the look on a budget I'm wearing a black 60s shape dress that I already own, a beehive wig and going a bit mad on make up to create the signature Dusty look.

Whether you are staying in and watching a good horror movie or going out to a party I hope you all have a very happy Halloween!

Jileon Wide Fit Wellies

The people at Jileon wellies contacted me way back in Spring to see if I would give them some advice about what colours and patterns to develop some wide fit wellies in. I thought traditional/country colours like navy would be best and maybe some polka dots. Floral wellies are always tricky because they will clash with other patterns you wear. Once they had been tested and developed Jileon kindly sent me a pair of their new wellies to try out and I have to say I'm impressed.

I love the design, you can't go wrong with polka dots and the purple sole and trim are great. You can also get this fit in navy blue. The double gusseted design will easily accommodate calf circumferences of up to 50cm and these are much wider than any wellies I have seen on the high street. I already own wide fit wellies and I can only wear thin socks and tights with them but with these I can tuck in my jeans and still have plenty of room. I think I would only really need wide fit because I don't need to expand the sides out and there is plenty of room but I'm going to wear these when I walk the dog this winter with some nice thick socks.

You can make the boots much wider by using the buckles because there are concealed panels on both sides. Not only are the boots wide on the leg they also have plenty of room in the foot and around the ankles so no squeezing involved.

Do you struggle to find boots that fit?

Sookie

As promised, here are some of my favourite photos of my beloved Sookie. I wanted a dog pretty much all of my life but my mum was never keen on the idea but she finally surprised my brother and I on Christmas day nearly three years ago with the best little Labrador anyone could wish for. Sookie is totally spoilt and gets more affection from me than I have ever given to a human. I'm cold and heartless, but not with puppies ;)



Me making Sookie pose for a photo // Sookie's first day with the family // Sookie helping me out with outfit photos // Sookie doesn't like antlers // Sookie's first birthday (yes, I got her a cake. Problem?) // Adorable // Sookie looking a bit like Dobby // Sookie in one of her many coats // Sookie generally looking pretty cool

I'm not feeling too well and need to be perked up so if you have a dog send me links to all your cute photos please.

Cardiff Fashion Week VIP Reception

To celebrate Cardiff’s first-ever Fashion Week, on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 October St David’s will host a runway to rival, London, Paris or Milan when it bursts into life with a weekend of free catwalk shows on The Hayes. 

Fusing fashion and music in a style spectacular inspired by Fashion Rocks, the shows are set to be bigger and better than ever before with more stores and big brand names showcasing the best of their collections for the Autumn / Winter 2012 season. I will be the 'Backstage Blogger' for St David's bringing you all the catwalk trends for this season, snapping some fashionable Cardiffians for a street style feature here on Fat Frocks and updating the St David's blog through out the day.

For the first time, St David’s will also light up the city centre with a night show, creating a party atmosphere when the sun goes down! This unique show will offer Cardiff’s fashionistas a glimpse of all the hottest party looks as the countdown to the festive party season begins.

One of the highlights of the city’s inaugural Fashion Week, the St David’s Fashion Show will provide a fabulous finale to a week which promises to put Cardiff firmly on the fashion map. With big names like Vivienne Westwood and Armani Exchange also making their debut in the city this autumn, Cardiff’s fashion future is looking bright. 

Over the Fashion Show weekend, stylish shoppers will also be able to make the most of exclusive discounts and offers at St David’s stores, from high-street favourites to designer brands, by getting their hands on a St David’s cheque book at any of the fashion shows.

 
To mark the first ever evening catwalk show taking place at St David’s, St David’s are holding a VIP reception next Saturday (27^th October) and they would love some fashion bloggers to attend.

It will begin at 5.30pm, and is taking place at Jamie’s Italian – so there will be great nibbles and drinks!

If you’d like to attend, please let Megan know by sending her an email:Megan.Dacey@grayling.com

Tartan and Stripes

This outfit has been my uniform recently. I seem to throw on my biker jacket everyday and  now that winter is here I've been getting loads of wear out of my boots. I've had lots of comments and people asking about my snood in work and it was only a £7.99 impulse buy from New Look. I stumbled upon this by chance in the Cardiff branch whilst looking for shoes. I wore this on my day off on Tuesday to pop to the shops and take the dog for a walk.

Dress: H&M
Jacket: Topshop
Snood : New Look
Boots : Daisy Street

Not had a photo of Sookie on here for while so I thought I would share this one. She always comes outside with me when I take any outfit photos and sneaks into them. Did any of you see the dog programme on the other day about people who walk their dogs on Hampstead Heath? I'm just as crazy as those people and call Sookie 'my baby'... I may do a full post on Sookie soon ;)

It's been a hectic week in work, the students have been keeping me busy so I'm really looking forward to my weekend. It is Sŵn Festival across Cardiff this weekend which means every music venue will be hosting live bands and there will be a great atmosphere in the city. I'm going to see The Cribs and Frankie and the Heartstrings (aaargh so excited) tomorrow night and trying to see a few other shows. Going to be a wild weekend!

Perfect Party Dress Quest

It’s that time of the year where there are lots of parties, events and family gatherings where you want to look your best and wear something glamorous. I'm sure a lot of you are experiencing "What do I wear to the Christmas party?"dread, but fear not! There are some cracking dresses on the high street at the moment and I have selected my favourites for all your festive party needs.

Every girl should own a LBD, you can’t go wrong with classic black. For a bit of a spin on the classic bodycon  you could try the Silence + Noise Faux Leather Dress from Urban Outfitters. I think this would look great with some spike detail jewellery and a dark, vampish coloured lipstick.
The Dark Green chiffon and lace dress from New Look is less dressy and would be great for Christmas day with the family or you could wear this work work and pop some heels on with it for post work festive drinks.
The AX Paris Sequin crochet waist dress is another twist on the classic LDB with a bit of added Christmas sparkle.

If you’re feeling a bit more daring and want to splash on some some colour or pattern you could go for the Leopard print wrap dress from Miss Selfridge or the Sequin dress from boohoo.com. The leopard print dress is my personal favourite from all of my picks, I'm obsessed with leopard print and would wear this all year round. Finally, the Black lace sleeve dress from Dorothy Perkins was too pretty to leave off my list. I love the delicate lace on the sleeves and the sparkly detail on the waist.

Have you spotted the perfect party dress yet or is it still way too early for you to be thinking about Christmas and the party season?

Our Boys - Trip to London

I had such a wonderful time in London yesterday, it would be great if all Saturdays could be like that. I got the 7.30am coach from Cardiff (it felt wrong to be up that early on a Saturday) and spent the entire day in Covent Garden.
I wore my new dress that I mentioned in this post. It has a lovely big collar which you can't really see in the photo and it is the perfect length. Why are dresses all so short now? I also wore my new hat which I was a little self conscious in, not sure if I'm a hat person.

Dress: Topshop
Bag: eBay
Hat: H&M
Shoes: flat shoes Clarks

I went to the Primrose Bakery for the first time and had a lovely chocolate and vanilla cupcake. Going to try the lime and coconut next time.

I did a little shopping and spent way too much money in Lush before heading to the Duchess Theatre to catch the matinee performance of Our Boys. Our Boys was about Six young soldiers recovering from injuries incurred in the line of duty. The casting was brilliant and it starred Cian Barry, Jolyon Coy, Arthur Darvill, Laurence Fox, Matthew Lewis and Lewis Reeves.
Laurence Fox gave a particularly good performance as a IRA bomb victim whose mental scars are only revealed at the end. The play is well worth checking out if you can get to London and you can pick up some cheap day tickets when the box office opens each day.
 

As a bit of a crazy Dr Who and Harry Potter fan I was obviously there to see Arthur Darvill (Rory in Dr Who) and Matthew Lewis (Neville in Harry Potter)



I met all the cast at the stage door and they were all very charming. Matthew Lewis felt like his performance wasn't as good as the others in the cast but he had nothing to worry about. I tried to play it cool but I was so excited to meet Arthur Darvill.

I headed off to Byron Burger to calm my nerves after meeting Darvill, pretty sure I was having palpitations. I'm a bit obsessed with Byron burgers after trying them at Bestival and I wasn't disappointed when I had one in one of their restaurants. The courgette fries were amazing, going to try and make these myself at home.



Going to see Our Boys has got me thinking about what play I'm going to see next. Currently on the lookout for cheap tickets to see Peter and Alice with Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench. Got any recommendations for what I should go and see next?

Top sale picks and discount codes

There are lots of mid season sales on at the moment so its the perfect time to snap up a bargain. I'm avoiding all the old summer stock and pastels like the plague and trying to find items that will last me throughout the winter. Here are my top sale picks (I'm waiting for a few of these to arrive, can't say no to a bargain)

Shirt : Dorothy Perkins was £32 now £17

Dress: AX Paris was £35 now £17.99 Love the stud detail on the collar of this dress.

Kitten pumps: Dasiy Street  was £17.99 now £8.99. How cute are these?! 

Dress: New Look was £29.99 now £10 I think this is great for a Cristmas party, very glam.

Bag : Miss Selfridge was £22 now £12 (free delivery at the moment) Classic and timeless, good sale buy.

Bow Tie: House of Fraser Therapy was £12.99 now £3.59 I can never get the bow just right with a ribbon so I will be picking up on of these. Also a great way to jazz up a plain blouse.

The Urban Outiftters mid season sale was launched today and there is free standard delivery all month with no minimum spend.You can also use UO10 for 10% off full price items.

There is  20% off all dresses in Dorothy Perkins this weekend.

There is 20% off all orders and free delivery at Wallis with the code VCFREE2 but this ends tomorrow. Also try FRIEND20.

You can also use the code DAISY10 to get 10% off full price items from Daisy Street.

WELCOME20 will get you 20% off your first order with AX Paris


Hope you find these codes of use, let me know if you get anything nice.

What I've been buying, trying and reading

I got a holiday bonus in my pay recently and rather than being cautious with it I blew it all on shoes, make up in Paris and booking trips to London. Life is too short to be sensible, right? Well I was a little sensible, I scoured the Internet for discount codes to use on all my purchases before buying. I wanted to treat myself to some nice things and even 10% off pricey items can make a huge difference. I used the code AUTUMN15 to get 15% off my Vivienne Westwood purse from Spartoo. I thought that it was about time that I got an adult purse, all my previous ones have been from Paperchase with cakes or animals on. I think this is much more grown up and hopefully it will last me for years.

I got to try out lots of new drinks at Bubblebase including original with tapioca (my favourite), green apple fruity with green tea and green apple jellies and a few more. It is the only bubble tea retailer in Wales and they are very odd but tasty. You can read a great review by Hannah here.

I need a break from  A Song of Ice and Fire series and the trashy Jenny Colgan books that I've been reading recently and I picked up The Virgin Suicides and Bonjour Tristesse, both of which I've been dying to read for ages. I managed to get both for £1 each plus p&p on eBay, bargain!

I've had my eye on a pair of Vivienne Westwood Melissa for a while and a holiday bonus and 20% off unidays code were the final push I needed to finally get a pair. The 20% off code has expired now but you can still use the codes UO10 or AUTM15 to get a discount on shoes like these (or anything) at Urban Outfitters.  

I bought all the make up and skincare items at a huge Sephora store in Paris and I've only just had the chance to try them all out. I LOVE the Bioderma cleanser, it's such a huge bottle and was around 10 euros which is think is a pretty good price. I am taking pretty strong antibiotics for my acne at the moment (sigh) which make my skin very dry, I find this cleanser stop my skin from drying out and reduces some of the redness, it also stops the itchiness when my skin is healing. I bought some miniature shower gels, eye make up remover and cleansers to try out before I buy full size products when I return to Paris or get my Parisian friends to send me some. All these products are good but I really liked the eye makeup remover, not too greasy at all.

The Outrageous Volume Mascara was nothing special, it didn't give me the length or volume that my Lancome one does and runs throughout the day. Don't want to waste it so I will wear this to work or when I'm out running errands. I loved the primer but you only get a small bottle, will be re-purchasing this.

I have run out of all of my perfumes and wasn't really keen on my old ones anymore so I wanted to replace them with a new scent. I opted for Marc Jacobs Dot after wearing a sample for about a week so make sure I liked it. I like the mix of vanilla, red berries and orange blossom but I wish the bottle wasn't so ugly! what's wrong with a nice cut glass bottle Marc Jacobs?

I'm all spend out now, I might leave the debit card at home for a few weeks...

Dress classy, dance cheesy

I went out for a gnagnam style themed birthday on the weekend and had no idea what to wear. I'm old now and this fad has passed me by but apparently you need to dress classy and dance cheesy so I thought this black ASOS dress fitted the brief perfectly. I used a unidays discount code on this dress which meant it was only about £22 which isn't bad considering most dresses are about £35+ now. Remember the days when dresses in Primark were about £8 and a nice Topshop dress was £25... My night out involved lots of cheesy dancing and I didn't look quite so classy when I got home after a few gins and chips ;)

Dress: ASOS
Boots: eBay
Necklace: Topshop

(excuse the lack of skirting board, renovation still in progress)

I did a little (quite a lot, more things to show you in the week) lunch time online shopping on Friday and treated myself to some new underwear. Boux Avenue is were I get 80% of my bras. They have some great 50% off sales and I managed to pick both of these up for about a tenner each.

Delivery is cheap, or free if you pick it up from store and they sell a great selection in DD+ bras so it's one of my favourite stores. Gift wrapping is free and I will be using this when I buy my mum pyjamas for Christmas.

                        

There are so many sales on at the moment and a huge student lock in at St David's in Cardiff tomorrow so I can tell that I'm going to be strapped for cash at the end of the month!                                                                          

                                                               
                                                       
                               

Shaper Jeans

T shirt: Topshop
Necklace: New Look
shoes: Converse
Jeans: New Look

I'm not wearing a dress or skirt. SHOCKER. These jeans are from New Look and are the comfiest jeans I own. Well, they are the only jeans I own... as you may have guessed from reading my blog trousers just aren't my thing and casual jeans are so far out of my comfort zone. New Look sent me a voucher to purchase a pair of jeans from the new shaper range and I'm going to review them from a non jean wearing persons point of view. I got the 30 inch leg, mid blue, super skinny variety.

The jeans are made from a soft, stretchy denim which is great because after about 8 years of exclusively wearing skirt and dresses I was worried that I would feel uncomfortable or restricted in jeans and that wasn't the case. I wouldn't say that the jeans were superskinny and I found the ankles too baggy to tuck into boots but they look great turned up or over boots. I found getting my size online and in store quite tricky but that's because I tried to get them when they were first launched and the sales assistant in the Cardiff branch told me that had been selling really well. There seem to be more sizes available now after the initial buying rush.

I like the colour, blue denim is a classic but I'm hoping that they bring these jeans out in black and seasonal colours like burgundy in winter. These jeans are designed to shape your bum and hide any problem areas. I found this to be true and they were quite high wasted which meant no overspill and a nice silhouette. I wore them to work and to do my shopping and found that they were up to the job and it was quite refreshing not to be pulling up tights or worrying about flashing my behind when reaching for a book on the bottom shelf in work.

In short, I would recommend these jeans to all you denim lovers out there. I'm still unconvinced if trousers are for me but I think these jeans were a good way to enter the world of trouser wearing.

Winter Wishlist

Summer is finally over for me. There are no more festivals and the weather has taken a turn for the worse, feeling pretty down really. I need to replace most of last years winter wardrobe because my old favourites don't fit anymore but winter coats and sturdy shoes cost a small fortune so I'm not looking forward to this. I'm trying to buy better, less often so some of my picks are a little on the expensive side but I'm hoping they will last for many winters to come.

1. shoes: Low smart shoes, Meline I love the little star studs on these and berry colours are all over the high street at the moment. I'm looking for a really nice pair of lace up shoes and I think I've found the right pair. You need lots of layers in wet and cold Wales so I can wear little frilly socks with and stay warm.
   
   
2. Dress: Floral embroidered flippy dress from Topshop. I've actually just ordered this dress and can't wait for it to arrive. It looked so pretty in store and it will be great for work with a cardigan and flats or great for a night in the pub with some heels. Wish I waited one more day to order this though because Unidays have 20% discount codes for Topshop so I could have made double the student saving.
   
   
3. Coat : Leopard print faux fur from Miss Selfridge. I've been on the hunt for a leopard coat for ages. I can't get the right length, colour or collar but this looks just right. Going to have one last look on eBay and at some second hand shops for something similar before I pay out £89 for this one.
   
   
4. Ring: G Alpha ring from Daisy. I saw this ring on Charlene's blog and fell in love I'm allergic to most jewellery but this has a sterling silver band and gold letter which wont make me sore or turn green. At £37 it isn't cheap but Topshop rings are now about £8 and tarnish after a few wears. I think this would be one of those rings that I wear everyday so well worth the money.
   
   
5. Belt: Moschino from ASOS.  This is another item that I've wanted for a long time. I love all the heart Moschino belts and I really want one of the Moschino logo belts but I think a heart one is more wearable. I'm waiting for ASOS to have 20% off and then I'm going to swoop in and buy this. Does anyone else get excited about discount code? I have wishlists of things to buy when codes are available, clearly have too much time on my hands...

Leamington Spa - Sugar Coma

I'm currently on a post Leamington Spa comedown or in sugar coma, not sure which one. Don't think I've managed to consume that amount of cake and sugary cocktails in one weekend before.

I'd had a pretty hectic week as term started last Monday and it's been crazy in the library so I was really looking forward to my weekend away. After a relaxing train journey Sarah took us all to a pretty little shop called Berylune that stocks some amazing trinkets and vintage home ware and accessories. I really think Sarah should relocate to Wales and become my official cake provider because her Victoria sponge was amazing.



After chowing down on cake and drinking at least five cups of tea we headed back to our hotel which is probably the fanciest Travelodge I've ever stayed in. Queen Victoria stayed there and it's a bit of a shame that its just a Travelodge now but the hallways are still very pretty.



We all enjoyed cocktails and food in Wagamama. I had my new favourite, the firecracker which is seriously spicy. My eyes were watering at one point, avoid if you can't handle chillies! It was great to catch up with all the girls over dinner and we made our way to a couple of bars before heading to an interesting club called Moo. We witnessed some of the most unusual dancing I have ever seen there and busted some of our own moves on the dance floor.



Group shot (minus me and Sophie) with Aisling, Sarah, Rosie, Katy, Kim, Char, Lauren and Hannah.



On Sunday morning we headed to Vinteas for afternoon tea (technically my breakfast, how very healthy of me!) I managed (with no difficulty) to devour a delicious selection of sandwiches, quiche, scones and a meringue filled with ganache and dusted with coconut mmmmm.





Just wanted to thank Sarah for planning the weekend and all the girls who came for putting up with my non stop chatter ;)



It was also the first time that all of Team Where Are My Knees have been assembled. We decided who was going to be the final member of the team this weekend. You can find out who that is and take a look at our new design here.