floaty

Bouclé jacket: H&M . Top: H&M . Floral skirt: Topshop . Platform boots: Topshop . Necklace: A market in Shrewsbury . Clutch bag: Vintage

Although this might be a rather premature observation, I would like to think that Spring has finally sprung, therefore some floaty floral was mandatory. I picked up this gorgeous Topshop skirt in the sale a few months ago for a bargain £10 (down from £45!? I'd have been rude not to...) and have been aching to wear it, but found this Winter slightly too bitter to justify braving it outdoors. Teamed with black tights and a cotton and sheer tee from H&M - which they have in a variety of different colours in store - keeps the outfit still vaguely transitional; the only way I can describe this everchanging and unpredictable British weather.

Expect some more Spring inspired outfits, though, as upon having a good old wardrobe rummage, I came across some pieces I'm more than keen to wear in the imminent future. I'm going to be on the look-out for more Spring-y things during my shopping trip tomorrow to Birmingham - the closest city with decent shopping to Shrewsbury - about which I'm very bloody excited. It will also be pay day so my excitement is balanced with a certain amount of fear that I may genuinely go wild with the little money I have. But my Primark withdrawal symptoms have been frequent and severe so it can't all be that bad...and I'll share with you my purchases post haste, so in the meanwhile, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x

troos

I had an interview a couple of weeks ago and, after some serious stressing and wardrobe hysteria, I realised that I had nothing interview appropriate to wear. You may be wondering where I'm going with this considering the outfit shown below, but you might find it amusing that in a fit of last minute shopping frenzy I purchased these vaguely smart, and actually quite extroverted, skinny fit trousers.

Jumper: H&M . Shirt: H&M . Patterned trousers: New Look . Heeled sandals: New Look

So, yes, as much as I would've loved to have wowed my prospective (ahem) employer with funky trousers and an equally flamboyant ensemble, they sadly weren't appropriate. And I didn't even get the bloody job (oh just shut up with your patronising "not enough experience" crap). But nevertheless, I now have a lovely smart pair of trousers for when I'm professional and important/have a job that warrants smart trousers, or for a nice going out ensemble, and they are delightfully monochrome.

This rust-coloured H&M jumper, that has sadly been neglected of late, has made a comeback due to inspiration from H&M and its introduction of pieces in burnt orange/rust shades which have caught my eye, like this.

I'm still coveting the pastel trend, though, and desperately on the look-out for the perfect Spring jacket on a budget...but which colour?! Baby blue, powder pink, mint green, lilac...all four would be nice! In the meanwhile, a Primark shop beckons me this week, which equates to an inevitable haul...so until then, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x

sweater

Animal sweater: Vintage . Skater skirt: Primark . Platform boots: Topshop . Glitter-trim socks: H&M . Leather satchel: Charity shop

I am, what is clinically referred to as, a hoarder, and a pretty bad example of one. Although I had a good clear-out a couple of months ago, my rather modest wardrobe is already suffering from a few (apparently too many) items of clothing. But an area of my wardrobe I cannot seem to shift is one that falls into the "but when it's really cold I'll definitely need them" or "they're just handy to have" categories, and therefore remains piled up at the bottom of said worn out wardrobe; jumpers.

They range from the humble chunky knit, those hoodies you get from various university functions or societies that you couldn't possibly throw away because of the "sentimental value" - enter garish, bright red, oversized zip-up Cardiff University Kickboxing Society hoodie, which aptly reads "Go hard or go home" on the back, *sigh* - and then amongst the mix you find a few gems that have been forgotten due to being lost in the milieu of knit. One of these gems comes in the shape of this adorable sweater that was very kindly given to me as a gift from my sister during one of her trips to Brighton a few years ago.

I absolutely adore Brighton for the amazingly wild and wacky vintage and completely original pieces that you can merely stumble across whilst mooching down any of its cool little streets. I do think my sister struck gold with this jumper though as I've yet to see something quite so unique. Admittedly, I haven't worn it half as much as I should be, but now I've found this cute Spring-y outfit, I'll be definitely wearing it more.

As for the leather saddle bag, I think it shows that although charity shop shopping can often seem futile, especially when everyone else appears to be picking up amazing pieces from every charity shop under the sun, and all you can find is a potentially cool (probably faux) silk scarf and an oversized man's blazer which is that bit too oversized, every now and then you can be super lucky and come across a genuine leather bag for under a tenner (and doing your bit for charity let's not forget!) like this one. I did have to get the strap fixed, but since then it has been a fantastic, versatile satchel, fitting just the right amount of junk for the day, and being gorgeously unique.

My advice, then, is not to become too despondent with unsuccessful charity shop ventures, as there are still soooo many gorgeous, vintage-inspired pieces on the high street or at independent online retailers, but you could always pop to Brighton to satisfy a vintage urge...but in the meanwhile, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x

españa

Having lived in Spain for 5 months during my year abroad at uni, I was incredibly excited to be going back, albeit just for a few days and to a place I'd never been before. I used to live in Barcelona, and during my time there travelled around Andalucía - Seville, Córdoba, Granada, Cádiz, Ronda, Gibraltar - but had never visited Madrid.

And it didn't disappoint! I'm now even more keen to move out there, especially in a couple of months when the weather's nicer and I'll have saved up enough money to set me up for a while.

What I had forgotten about Spain, after coming back to the UK, was that European high street fashion is bloody brilliant and cheap. Yes, you've got your H&M and Zara stores, that have slightly different collections at usually a cheaper retail price - when factoring in the £ to € exchange rates - but it's sooooo much more than that. Me and my two British flatmates in Barcelona, and incidentally very close friends, Lucy and Lola, would spend a large portion of our time dipping in and out of fashion outlets on our way to university or the beach or just about anywhere, and had to exercise great will to not blow our entire Erasmus grants on the seemingly neverending sales.

Where I was staying in Madrid was incredibly central - just off Gran Vía, the main street running through Madrid city centre - and consequently in the milieu of Spain's finest high street offering. A couple of our favourites during our time in BCN were to be found a stone's throw away from my hotel; Stradivarius and Bershka. As far as I'm aware, Stradivarius does not have a physical presence on the UK high street, whereas Bershka does have stores in London and potentially elsewhere across the country, (but definitely not in Shrewsbury). Luckily both of these stores have the potential for online shopping, where I compiled my mini edits of the items I wanted to purchase soooo badly but knew I wouldn't be able to a) afford nor b) bring home in my hand luggage.

Stradivarius was by far my favourite store during my stay in Madrid. I love this nylon cosmetics bag for 7,99 € - available in 4 different colours - that I would definitely use as a cute clutch bag. I'm kicking myself for not buying one, as well as this gorgeous baby blue necklace for 9,99 €, as I have yet to find one even remotely similar in the UK. I do enjoy a spot of online shopping from time to time, though...

Apart from pretty pastel accessories, I loved their mix of grungey pieces like this lace and jersey skirt and gothic crop bodice, and cutesy girlie pieces like heart-printed shirts and mini skorts. All in all, I was extremely impressed, and left with the desire to relocate immediately.

Bershka left me with a similar feeling after coming across this gorgeous glittery red clutch bag. Being a massive Lulu Guinness fan, frequently coveting her lip-shaped clutch bags (but knowing full well that a small fortune would have to come my way to justify spending £250 on a clutch bag), my heart a-skipped several beats upon coming across Bershka's 20€ version. Although admittedly not sharing the same quality as a Lulu Guinness, it is an absolute bargain and would be a dream accessory for a night out.

PVC mini skirts, lip-printed tees and reversible skinny jeans (yes, you read correctly) have been added to my wishlist, and filled me with the fear that I may quickly become poor but disgustingy well-dressed when I move to Madrid.

Obviously I did more during my stay than peruse the many fashion outlets of Madrid...but I had to do so with minimal outfits due to fear of having too large a hand luggage (I had a slightly traumatising incident in a French airport with a bulging suitcase trying to pass off as easyjet regulation size hang luggage, and ever since I've been scarred). So this is all I could fit in my rucksack! I'm very much used to the concept of a capsule wardrobe, having to fit my entire life into a few cases during my year abroad, so just having a few of my favourite key pieces to play with reminded me of my time in Montpellier, and it was quite familiar and nice.

1. Striped crop top: River Island . 2. Floral pinafore dress: H&M . 3. Roll neck crop top: New Look . 4. Cropped jumper: Primark . 5. Peter Pan collar shirt: H&M . 6. Crushed velvet leggings: Charity shop . 7. Platform boots: Topshop . 8. Aztec print midi skirt: New Look . 9. Puma sneakers: Office

Obligatory frilly socks and Laura Ashley mac gave me a good few outfits to mix and match during my stay, although rather naively I did not anticipate Spain to be cold and rainy, so perhaps a few more layers would have been prudent. Nevertheless, it was a fruitful trip, not only allowing me to fall back in love with the Spanish high street, but also giving me an insight into my new life living abroad. I'm probably going to spend my remaining time and money at home in Shrewsbury on Spanish online stores, starting with a Lulu Guinness knock-off and a nylon cosmetics-come-clutch bag. So while I waste spend my time here, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x

valentine's

Inspired by the H&M #hmloves competition, as well as its gorgeous array of monochrome goodies at the moment, and the overwhelming feeling of gushy gooey valentine's love (ahem), I thought I'd put together a very vaguely valentine's day outfit, which just so happens to be (almost) entirely from H&M.

Cropped tee: H&M . Side split maxi skirt: H&M . Platform boots: Topshop . Heart-shaped bag: H&M . Black tights: M&S

I fell in love with this skirt as soon as I saw it - especially as it appeals to my eagerness to grab a bargain at a very reasonable £12.99 - but was unsure as to whether it would suit me or not, having found that maxi skirts weren't overly flattering for my shape. I'm also a sucker for a mini skirt, feeling most confident being a slut with my legs out. However, the super slutty side split teamed with some suck-me-in tights made me feel like my silhouette wasn't half as lumpy, with the large flower print being an added saving grace.

And being a self-proclaimed lover of the trusty crop, I couldn't resist this semi-sheer and striped white long-sleeved crop top for only £5.99, creating my favourite kind of ensemble; a greyscale one. But a red lip - this one, which is a gorgeous, intense deep claret colour, but I toned it down a bit for a more subtle pinky red - with matching heart shaped bag and red Mondaine watch - which I absolutely will write a post about sometime soon - adds a lovey dovey valentine's-themed colour pop (vom).

Now the reason I have had such a gap since my last blogpost was due to a spontaneous trip to Madrid, which is where - after some change of plans, and indeed heart, - I will be moving in the next few months to teach English, so I thought it prudent to actually visit the place to suss it out a little. Needless to say, I loved it, and I will do a more in-depth post about it soon, including my annoyingly small - yet delightfully monochrome -, hand baggage-sized capsule wardrobe, oh the woes. In the meanwhile, I hope you've had a lovely valentine's day, and good luck to all you #hmloves hashtaggers! Before I further rifle through my extensive H&M collection, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x

pastels

Cropped jumper: H&M . Blouse: H&M . Pink skinny jeans: Primark . Platform boots: Topshop . Leather clutch: Topshop

I've been waiting to find the perfect outfit to go with these bargain skinnies from Primark which are a gorgeous rosy pink colour, but just not the shade of pink that fits seemlessly into my mish-mash wardrobe. Taking inspiration from the SS14 pastels collection from ASOS though, I realised that potentially clashing pastel colours looked fresh and cute, and meant I could wear this cute peachy pink ballerina-esque jumper with my favourite H&M blouse (which, yes, I already had in pink but couldn't resist getting it in white too for just £15 a piece...).

Now I'm super excited for Spring and currently planning baby blue and lilac ensembles, loving everything pastel and patent from Missguided and Boohoo, so while I covet every one of their fondant fancies, hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x

slacks

As mentioned in my previous post, I have purchased some high-waisted trousers that I have recently been coveting, but are neither really something I would feel brave enough to wear or have anything to wear them with. I decided to take the plunge anyway as they were in the sale at River Island, and I absolutely adore them!

High-waisted trousers: River Island . Roll-neck crop top: New Look . Platform boots: Topshop . Grey socks: M&S . Clutch bag: Gap

As much as I have my days where an honest splash of colour is welcomed and encouraged, I do still love wearing an (almost) entirely monochrome outfit. There's something about a classic black roll-neck top which I adore, and this cropped version from New Look (sadly no longer available but can be found in a variety of colours, including black, on Asos) gives this a more night-out feel. The trousers are comfortable yet dressy with my favourite Topshop boots, and the gorgeous belt that comes with them sort of reminds me of fashion worn by rappers during the early 90's (which couldn't possibly be a bad thing). This gorgeous genuine leather clutch from Gap in a colour pop of purple breaks up the monochrome nicely, and is amply sized to fit in all my necessary junk.

High-waisted trousers: River Island . Tartan crop top: Primark . Knee-length cardigan: H&M . Puma trainers: Office

Monochrome and tartan are favourite trends for Winter (because, let's face it, we ain't in Spring yet) so to incorporate them both in one outfit - despite some clashing prints - always makes me happy. Another roll-neck crop top, I find this such a versatile layer, which I picked up for a bargain £4 in Primark; home to many a tartan print of late. I mentioned this knee-length cardigan briefly at the end of my last post, and although I was looking for something a little longer like this one, I found a cheaper equivalent from H&M which I'm really thrilled with, as it's a good thickness and creates a lovely slim silhouette to any outfit. It can be quite dressy worn with a short dress or skirt, acting like a coat but eliminating the heaviness that you want to avoid when on a night out. As an ensemble, my new Puma trainers make this über casual and cosy, showing two very different ways to rock some high-waisted slacks.

For next time: my passion for pastels. In the meanwhile, to satisfy your pastel-coloured needs, check this out, and hasta luego.
eleanorrosemary x