treats

Since my last post, I've been a bit naughty with my spending, considering I'm supposed to be saving as much as I can on relocating abroad...but I maintain that all of my purchases have been versatile and good value, and everyone needs a mini splurge every now and then!

My cousin Lizzie and I - both from the quaint little town of Shrewsbury - decided to embark on a new shopping experience in Manchester, which I realise isn't quite exciting enough to warrant the use of the word "embark", but nevertheless we found our Mecca in the shape of Primark.

Shrewsbury is home to a few of my high street favourites - H&M, New Look, Topshop, and that's about it - but what it is severely lacking is a Primark, for all those spur of the moment 5 items for under a tenner shop to which I would treat myself during my hellish finals last year in Cardiff. Unfortunately us Salopians must go a little further afield if we want to satisfy our bargain shop needs, but the 90 minute or so train journey was worth it just to be introduced to the loveliest Primark I have ever come across. And neither did it disappoint in its excellent organisation and surprising spaciousness, nor its fabulous array of SS14 products!

Somehow I managed to avert my gaze from the gorgeous selection of pastel knitwear (as my jumper obsession is obscene), but I was drawn to row upon row of printed and slogan tees, which I have been interested in investigating since the huge typography trend hit the high street. While I couldn't find much in the line of typography, there were a lot of cartoon and comic strip printed tees which very much appealed to my love of all things Disney (pre-Pixar obvs) and my cousin's obsession with all things superhero. My printed tee purchase, and one of my favourite buys of the day, was this adorable cat print tee, which for £5 was an absolute bargain for something so comfortable and bloody cute.

My next purchase was something that I definitely didn't need, as my striped top collection is extensive enough, but is a lovely cosy long-sleeved top which has been layering nicely with pinafore dresses and skirts alike (as you will see later...). Primark is very good at long and 3/4 sleeved basics so I tend to feel an obligation to reap the benefits everytime I enter the threshold, and I'm not sorry.

Now this next item is not something I usually go for, as I'm not generally that confident about my overall silhouette - separates or fairly shapeless one pieces are more suited to my shape and style - but it was in the sale for £5 and the lovely print and muted hues actually masked some of my lumps and bumps that I was insecure about. Can't wait for a special occasion so I can pair this with some chunky heels.

And last, but by no means least, I picked this little number on a whim whilst on the way to the cashdesk as it was only £2 and I fell in love with the cut out shoulder and dainty daisy print. Having not tried it on before buying, I ran the risk of it not being the perfect fit and, lo and behold, it wasn't. However, I wore it with my scuba skirt and Topshop Astrix boots out to dinner and, providing my bushy hair was covering the slightly gaping neckline, it went down a treat! Needless to say, my date wasn't too bothered about said gaping neckline...

Having not been blown away by the footwear selection in Manchester and incidentally craving a new pair of trainers as my trusty Vans rapidly deteriorate, I took the plunge and bought some Puma suede trainers from an extremely well-timed 40% sale selection on the Office website. I always worry when online shopping as I've always been one of those in betweeny sizes - really I'm a size 11 with size 4-5 feet, depending on a deluge of different criteria - but I am so impressed with the fit of my size 5 Puma suede trainers. They're slim enough not to need a pair or two of socks (which is what I often have to resort to regardless of the size of shoe) and provide lovely padded support around the ankle which, to my delight, didn't rub and still hasn't. I adore the colour, too; I was expecting a more muted maroon, but having a fresh, springy, raspberry shade trainer is immediately uplifting. Highly recommended! Unfortunately they are no longer in the sale, but £55 for a gorgeous new pair of sneaks isn't the biggest drop in the ocean.

My next set of treats came this weekend with my trip to Cardiff to stay with one of my university besties Nina. We had planned this for months as we couldn't pass up the offer to see James Vincent McMorrow playing in Bristol, so we were both pretty excited to be reunited and consequently be a bad influence on each other; we are both self-proclaimed splurgers when it comes to eating out, kooky clothes and brightly-coloured lippies.

Being slightly rushed for time, we didn't have the opportunity to go on a spree, but we did satisfy our lipstick cravings with 3 for 2 Revlon ColorBurst Matte and Lacquer Balms at Boots. We were both taken by the array of shades in both balms, but being fans of a more matte finish, Nina went for a brilliant purple shade called Shameless, and we were both swayed by this gorgeous rosy pink shade called Elusive, so dreamy.

Going back to my recent purchases from Primark, I was keen to showcase my new striped tee to fellow Breton enthusiast Nina, as well as my expanding tartan wardrobe. I've never shyed away from clashing prints and patterns, yet I hardly consider stripes and tartan as clashing, so all the more reason to team the tee with my Asda tartan skirt and almost matching tartan jacket which I picked up in a local charity shop for £6. Complete with new sneaks, here is my I'm-too-comfy-and-happy-to-care-about-torrential-rain Sunday afternoon tea in Cardiff outfit. Apologies for terrible picture quality again; smartphone camera and bleak Sunday greyness to blame.

If you ever happen to be in Cardiff, you just have to get high tea from Barker Tea Rooms in the High Street Arcade, it's just dreamy!

I'm hoping to have more opportunities for Spring outfits soon, but in the meanwhile, posts may continue to be inundated with layers upon layers and knits. Look out for Spring-worthy high-waisted River Island trousers and knee-length cardigans coming soon...but until then, hasta pronto.
eleanorrosemary x

comfies

I may have previously mentioned my love of the humble cropped jumper, so I thought I'd get a couple out and show you how I like to wear them the best; no fuss, no frills, comfies.

Floral print dress: H&M . Stripy cropped tee: River Island . Heeled desert boots: Tesco . Grey and black frilly socks: Primark

Firstly, this is one of my favourite outfits, and a perfect base for cropped jumper layering; just a simple printed pinafore-style dress and 3/4 sleeve top, in the classic clashing monochrome, incorporating my love of striped and slash-neck tees. These heeled desert boots from Tesco (which are sadly no longer available, but Office have a lovely similar version which can be found here) finish the black and white outfit nicely, and are just about the right height for me to bear.
But for the rather chilly January we're having, it's pretty much necessary to add an extra layer (which I always relish), such as a trusty little crop.
And at the moment there are a plethora of cropped jumpers to choose from, ranging in colours, textures and lengths. Here are a few that have taken my fancy whilst doing my daily scour of online high street retailers.

I'm loving this Topshop cropped jumper, appealing to my love of monochrome and stripy things, but for this Winter I'm more inclined to go for something more like this gorgeous River Island number. It's just so fluffy! And I can't imagine feeling any January blues in such a beautiful shade of yellow. The striking colour of this New Look jumper would have a similar uplifting effect I would imagine, yet I find that the best cropped jumpers to be found at New Look are sadly in the teen collection and, although I found age 12-13 to be equivalent to a size 10-12, it's a shame that a larger range of sizes aren't available. Lastly, this adorable ASOS jumper was recently seen on Kimberley Walsh on This Morning (ooh er!) and encapsulates my favourite things at the moment; heart prints and fluffy fabrics, which are more than dominating this season's knitwear trend.

Now despite New Look not having the largest array of cropped jumpers at the moment, at the end of 2013 I managed to pick up three different jumpers which have ended up being staples of my Winter wardrobe.

Coral jumper . Skull necklace: Claire's Accessories * Cream jumper . Beaded collar: Craft stall * Blue jumper . Silver aztec necklace: Primark

These jumpers have proven to be so versatile and as much as I love to wear them with comfy cotton dresses during the daytime, these can easily be dressed up with a shirt, a high-waisted skirt or pair of jeans and some (proper) heels. Cute necklace obligatory though!

I promise I will never mention a cropped jumper again. But before you realise that I am rarely able to keep promises, hasta pronto.
eleanorrosemary x

one shirt, three ways

So for my second outfit post I thought I'd showcase one item in three different outfits as I'm pretty besotted with said item at this moment in time. I have always loved wearing shirts, perhaps for that androgynous-verging-on-masculine edge which I have always loved to channel, or for that vague feeling of appearing somewhat professional. Nevertheless, I find shirts so versatile and classic whichever way they are worn. So when I stumbled across this beautiful, sheer, pink H&M shirt with a gorgeous Peter Pan collar for only £15, I knew I had to have it. I must hasten to add that a combination of my terrible photography and its abundance of creases does not do it justice.

Ever since the purchase, I have been trying it out with everything and wearing it pretty much non-stop. So here are three outfits that I thought were all diverse and rather lovely. Apologies again for poor photography, my feet appear to take minimal preference thanks to smartphone camera.

Outfit #1

Bouclé biker jacket: H&M . Crushed velvet leggings: Charity shop . Heeled sandals: Bertie . Heart-shaped bag: H&M

A new purchase that I'm also currently in love with is this pair of gorgeous, black, crushed velvet leggings from a charity shop in Stone in Staffordshire, where I went to stay with my soon-to-be travelling companion en España, Selena. She was coincidentally my inspiration for this purchase, as she often sports a rather lovely pair of purple crushed velvet leggings that I drooled over during our CELTA classes.

I've never been one to wear leggings as trousers due to being scarred by the sight of women wearing poor quality leggings with undesirable underwear worn underneath, and clearly having no idea that said undies are in plain view for all to see. These leggings however, originally from Tesco (Florence + Fred), seem to be a bit thicker than your average leggings and thanks to the shirt being that bit longer at the back, I can live in fear that people won't be appalled by the sight of my knickers (here's hoping!)...

I thought these two items together could make a pretty going-out ensemble, with some crepe-soled, navy leather Bertie sandals that I picked up in the John Lewis sale over summer for £22 (down from £75!), an (unfortunately last season) H&M bouclé biker jacket, which has been a fantastic addition to my blazer-heavy wardrobe for the last year, and a cute, cerise-coloured heart-shaped bag (worn as a clutch but with a thin, metal strap). Et voilà! I actually cannot wait to find an occasion to wear this outfit, as I've been hard-pressed to have an opportunity to take those Bertie sandals out on the town!



Outfit #2

Midi skirt: G21 at Asda . Cardigan: Topshop . Platform boots: Topshop . 80 Denier black tights: Asda [3 for £5]

From my Staffordshire adventure, I also picked up this sexy, scuba-esque number from Asda (believe it or not!) for £10 and, although it was a bit of a spontaneous, on-a-whim purchase due to the facts that a) I'm always buying skirts upon skirts, b) I rarely actually wear the midi lengthed ones that I do buy, and c) it is made of a very shiny neoprene, I'm absolutely chuffed with it. If I were feeling a little braver, I might have tried tucking the shirt in, but for a more casual, day-to-day look I think it works well being left out, and I prefer it that way. The cosy grey knitted cardigan adds to the laid back feel of the outfit, as well as me feeling less self-conscious about how shiny the skirt actually is (I'm loving it really).

As you may have noticed, my trusty Astrix boots have made a second appearance (re: first OOTD post), as they are so bloody comfortable and maintain the vampish edge provided by the scuba skirt.

This outfit would also be really cute with a pair of flatform/Vans-style trainers, or some dolly shoes, although you may have to wait until the Astrix obsession has subsided for those to get a look in.



Outfit #3

Tartan skirt: Asda . Cropped jumper: Primark . Necklace: A market in Shrewsbury . Blazer coat: Primark . Dr Marten shoes [find online here]

My third outfit may suggest that I spend an inordinate amount of time at Asda, as this gorgeous, wrap-around tartan skirt was another Asda bargain for £12. I'm absolutely chuffed with this skirt, being a massive tartan lover and mini skirt addict. On my quest for the perfect tartan skirt though, the only ones I could find were skater style, or full on kilts with pleats an' all, so to find something distinctly more subtle and a better fit for my pear-shaped hips and bum was a massive plus.

Now I wouldn't have necessarily thought to put a pastel pink top with a navy and green tartan skirt, but actually I think the contrast works really well, and I'm never afraid of putting things together that have the possibility of clashing. Enter the DMs.

Being my most coveted pair of shoes, they are put with everything (except for when I'm sporting the Astrix boots of course...), regardless of what I happen to be wearing. I love the geek chic look that (I like to think) I achieve from wearing them, as well as them being the most comfortable (after a gruelling week or so) and hard-wearing shoe I own. A pair of brogues would work equally well with this outfit too I should think, although I really do recommend a pair of Dr Marten shoes if you don't mind forking out a bit extra for sheer quality and timelessness.

Onto images 2 and 3, you can see that I'm a fan of layering up - something I will truly miss when I'm melting in the Spanish sun. Well, I'll miss it a bit. At first. Anyway, I wanted to show you the versatility of this cropped jumper from Primark, which goes so well with the shirt because the pale blue is flecked with bits of pink and purple to make it a dreamy combination of pastels. I'm also a huge fan of cropped jumpers - and cropped things in general - so will probably be doing a post about those at some point.

Another Primark find that always gets comments is the fairly plain but extremely wearable blazer style coat worn in image 3 which I managed to pick up for £5 last winter. Having quite a black-heavy wardrobe yet a few key navy pieces, I find that I lose the need to conform to rules that darker hues must never be mixed, "especially not navy with black", and I'd like to think that the use of navy and black in this outfit doesn't detract away from the separate items or the entire ensemble itself. Generally speaking, I conform to very few fashion rules, as I'm sure you will see in the future. Nevertheless, I hope you like this outfit because I do.

So here are three possible outfits using this gorgeous shirt! Another idea is combining my first OOTD's leather pinafore dress with today's item of interest...so many options...

And before my pink shirt obsession develops further, hasta pronto.
eleanorrosemary x

OOTD!

Top: Zara . Dress: Pull&Bear . Necklace: Primark . Boots: Topshop . Frilly socks: Topshop . Bracelet: Pandora; Essence Collection

So here's my first outfit of the day!
Having nothing in my life at the moment apart from working (rather infrequently) in a bar, and fretting about the size of my capsule wardrobe that will be travelling with me to my new life in Spain in a few months, I've been spending a lot of time sorting out and trying on the outfits I didn't have as many chances as I'd hoped to wear over my hectic Christmas period.

One item that, since purchased over 3 years ago - from one of the few Pull&Bear stores in the UK (much to my dismay) -, I have been reluctant to wear due to the fact that it's (faux) leather. Although this should not have put me off as it's much more practical than I was led to believe.

The A/W pinafore trend, to which I'm still desperately clinging on, has given us all scope to layer lovely little dresses with any under garment imaginable (or at least I think so). And having been a Breton lover since H&M introduced its gorgeous array of striped jerseys in multiple colour combinations, I was chuffed to bits to pull out one of my favourites - albeit from Zara - and for it go so well with my almost abandoned leathery number.

Another coveted and highly versatile item that I have been throwing with anything and everything at the moment is the Astrix platform boot from Topshop, which combines extreme comfort, kookiness and ease of walking (a big plus for me), due to the platform and excellent support thanks to eight beautiful pairs of eyelets for ultimate lacing power. These are highly recommended and despite the canvas version that I own not being as readily available, the faux leather version is absolutely gorgeous and actually much better suited to the wonderful British weather we're having of late!

I will take this opportunity to apologise for the terrible photograph - I'm camera-less so using my smartphone, shame - as it hasn't shown the true beauty of my boot and frilly sock combo, but the pictures provided below should give you an idea of how lovely they both are.

Finally - just to brag about how spoilt I was this Christmas - I'd like to briefly mention the beautiful Pandora bracelet I have yet to omit from an outfit since its grand introduction on December 25th. Although I've never been an aficionado of charm bracelets or Pandora jewellery in general, I was attracted by the new Essence collection which boasts a thinner, more dainty band with silicon grip charms that each represent a value or quality. My mum completely surprised me with it, especially as she most definitely picked the most beautiful charm, which represents compassion. It's a smoky quartz charm which seems to go with everything, as does the lovely silver band itself. Here's just a little collage from my Instagram to rub it in your face even more.

All in all, a good day-to-night transitional outfit but, without dwelling on it too much, the faux leather dress doesn't do well for keeping perspiration at bay!

And on that note, hasta pronto.
eleanorrosemary x

the resolution

2013 was a fantastic year. I managed to graduate with a 2:1 in French and Spanish from Cardiff University, I became a WWI researcher for the university over the summer, I was maid of honour at my sister's wedding and I bagged myself a CELTA. It is hardly surprising that although I'm hopeful and optimistic for 2014, at the back of my mind I know that 2013's going to be a hard one to beat. Being one of those - admittedly self-proclaimed - glass half full people though, I always endeavour to see light in any potentially dark situation (even if Christmas was so bloody great that I'm having extreme withdrawal symptoms, *sob*). So to ease the inevitable January blues, whilst fulfilling my New Year's resolutions to start a blog, here I am!

This blog will be following my currently fairly mediocre life in my hometown of Shrewsbury - including highly sophisticated chat about fashion, beauty, food and my love of languages - before I up sticks and move to Malaga, Spain, where I will hopefully be utilising my recent teaching qualification and languages degree to help me become a real person (i.e. someone who no longer scrounges from one's parents and is therefore able to maintain one's own financial and emotional stability). I'd always wanted to write a blog during my third year abroad, as I know I would have found it useful at the time to get the inside scoop from a fellow student or peer. So here is my chance to share the planning process of The Big Move and my experiences as a Brit abroad.

I'm incredibly snap happy so please follow me on Instagram if you feel compelled to do so!

eleanorrosemary x