Room31 are my go to site for a fashion bargain, including Vero Moda and other cool brands. Here are some of my picks, and me posing in my glitzy shirt they gifted me.
shirt £8
scarf £5
boat jumper £10
neon clutch £10
bird necklace £5
I'm pretty spoiled where I live, near the capital of Northern Ireland.If I want to buy some retro clothing I can tour the city's charity shops, or the Botanic area's chic vintage boutiques. If you don't have the desirable, past-century clobber on your doorstep, you could have a rummage through the shelves of Brag Vintage, a fashion website selling bespoke, great quality vintage pieces.
I was sent a pretty, pink & orange, seventies' dress. If you are looking for advice on the right vintage look for you, check out The Brag Vintage Blog.
For the past few decades the vintage look has been in. The word has almost lost meaning with oxymoronical auction site listings boasting, "brand new vintage" dresses, coats and accessories. Language evolves and where once vintage meant a second-hand, charity shop piece of clothing, it now determines a look or feel that is instantly recognisable even in brand new items.
It's scary to think that grunge is coming back, and it's the latest vintage trend for teenagers who were literally in nappies when Kurt left us. It seems clothing becomes vintage 20 years on from its original time period. When I was a teenager in the 1990s, it was the looks of the 1970s we tried to emulate. In the period of 2000-2010 it's been the ugly 1980s that has seen a revival, and now as we enter the 2010-2020 decade, like clockwork, the 90s are back.
In my last post I shared with you parkas, a big hit of the 90s. Leggings with DMs, or floral frocks with big boots have come back too. I wonder by 2016 will we be taking pictures of Jennifer Anniston back to our hairdressers & requesting The Rachel? And what comes next? Those horrific parachute pants with all the strings hanging off them? Linkin Park t-shirts and wallet chains? Platform trainers a la Spice Girls? I better stop, I'm beginning to scare myself.
Yes, vintage doesn't always mean classy, and you need to know your stuff lest you end up looking more Marilyn Manson than Dita Von Teese. Luckily nowadays we have reams of fashion bloggers to help guide you safely into the world of vintage, by passing the horrors that should definitely be left behind. I hunted out some proper vintage looks of horror, and surprisingly the worst offenders are the men. The sock adverts are especially bad.
So, if you have anything as ugly as these crimes of fashion, why not make some money out of it by selling your clothing online to Music Magpie UK. Not all vintage clothing needs a come back.
Parkas are back. Well I say that, but as those who do the school run know, they never really went away. When your hands are full of lunch bags, P.E. bags and musical instruments, there's no hand left over a much needed umbrella, so a big, hooded parka is your best friend for the playground. But it's nice to know that this year you'll be fashionable as well as cosy.
New Look have a good range of different coloured parkas in store, but my favourite has to be the classic army green, faux fur-lined hood version priced £49.99
If you want to go full army colonel, then maybe the camouflage print, waterproof parka is for you. New Look has one for just £10 in their current sale.
While we are talking sale season, how about these bright, bold coats for only £10 too? Great to buy now & pack away for next year's festivals. Not only will that save you paying twice the price next June, but you'll have something so unique your friends will be able to spot you in the muddy crowds.
How about this take on the parka, also from New Look? The classic khaki green is there, but with a twist. Aztec, leather look sleeves make this a bang up to date fashion piece, available for £49.99
Carrying on with the Aztec detailing, this more feminine parka has interesting chest detail, and would look great over a neon shirt. You can choose from green or navy, and it's down to £15 in the sale, so if you like the look of this one, snap it up now.
Now all I'm waiting for is parachute cargo pants paired with shoe string vests to come back in fashion. Then we can all go '1995 All Saints' and walk around humming 'Never Ever' to ourselves.
Prom is the high school equivalent of the Grammys or the Academy Awards: the night is all about getting dolled up and making a statement with your style. While most girls opt for a classic fairytale ball gown or slinky evening gown, every once in a while, someone shows up to prom in a dress that is truly over-the-top. Let’s take a look at some of the craziest, most kitschy prom dress trends to ever hit the high school auditorium.
Duct Tape Mania
What started out as a creative money-saver—to make a prom dress entirely from duct tape—has become a huge fad, thanks to the inception of the Stuck at Prom scholarship programme in the States. Over the years, gals have fashioned everything from Renaissance to rodeo-inspired dresses entirely from duct tape. Definitely one of the most over-the-top submissions this year was a “Queen of Hearts” dress that used silver, red, gold, white, and black duct tape to re-envision the style of the famous Alice in Wonderland character.
Wrapper Flapper.
Along with duct tape, candy wrappers are a hot commodity when it comes to DIY prom dresses. One girl showed up to her prom in a Starburst wrapper dress, while another showed up in a dress entirely made from bubblegum wrappers. But our favourite of these wackyCandyland-themed dresses is this frock made from Skittles wrappers. The ruffled knee-length skirt seems to pay homage to the 1920s flapper style.
Light Up the Night.
Want to make sure you’re constantly in the spotlight? Show up in a light-up dress to prom next year. Designers are beginning to incorporate technology into wearable prom dresses—think hundreds of colourfulLED lights that shimmer as you move across the dance floor. Not wacky enough? One look at this Tron-themed prom dress—complete with light-up straps and bodice—is sure to leave you dazzled.
The Cat's Meow.
Why leave your favourite cartoons and animated characters in your past? Pokémon and Sock Monkey have both made big debuts at high school proms, but thanks to Etsy, Hello Kitty was the cat’s meow this prom season. As if the cartoon cat face and big red bow on the bodice weren’t enough, the full tulle skirt lined with fire engine red ribbon makes this frock one of the most over-the-top prom dresses of the year.
I picked my favourites from the F+F current collection. There are some beauties, and as always, affordable.
First, here is me, being an awkward version of a fashion blogger, showing you one of their past season tweed, limited edition dresses. I love the square sequin details and it goes really well with my Pluck & Devour brooch, but then again I wear that with everything.
Just one thing, F+F, and all clothing brands- SLEEVES, WE NEED MORE SLEEVES. The dresses are beautiful but the majority are sleeveless. Put sleeves on more pieces and you can have my credit card.
Floral print jersey dress £18
Horizontal stripe prom dress £25, very Beetlejuicey
Limited edition Jacquard prom dress £35
Works of art for your feet. From Hart Custom Shoes on etsy.com
My little brother got married last Wednesday. It was a huge wedding with dozens of guests, and whilst I wanted to dress as eccentrically as usual, I also didn't want to ruin the photos with my craziness. I wore a fairly plain outfit, a navy satin dress and a Kelly green dress coat, and kept my flourishes for my accessories.
Life was made a whole lot easier by knowing the finest milliner in the land, Gráinne Maher, the talented lady who also is behind the luxe jewellery brand Pluck & Devour. Gráinne made me the perfect hat, and I really do mean perfect. Not just in the colour match, but also the size, shape, and so importantly comfort. It was so easy to wear that I kept putting it back on, even at the reception when everyone else had given up on their hats & fascinators. So much so that my Dad and husband kept making fun of me, "You're really attached to that hat, aren't you?".
Here are some photos, excuse my grumpy face, it was my tiredness on the day. Finally, thank you so much Gráinne for letting me wear your creation.
As heard on BBC Radio 6's Lauren Laverne Show.
