Risen from the dead...

Hello hello,
I've taken a little 2 week blogging break (through no fault of my own) as I didn't have internet for the first week I was living in my house AND my laptop had a mental breakdown which resulted in me losing all my files :( It's not been a great week for me and technology. Anyway I'm back now so I've decided to do my resurrection post on my favourite looks from New York and London fashion week, I've picked these two because I'm going to do another post on Milan and Paris when it's all rounded up. For a person who loves fashion I've never really been a massive fan of designer clothes, I know that sounds ridiculous I mean of course I love their clothes and I take inspiration from them, but I can't afford any of the pieces and it's unrealistic for me to think I ever could at this age, unless my daddy was a millionaire, which he is not. I've always shopped on the high street and mostly in vintage and charity shops but recently I've discovered the power of eBay and I've been nabbing myself all sorts of amazing designer lookalike jumpers, shoes etc (post coming up soon when they finally arrive from China!) I suppose I can't deny that if I had the money I'd be kitting myself out in some amazing designer pieces and maybe one day I will be, but for now I can only spend my days drooling over fashion week shows and dreaming..

New York fashion week brings in an array of designers that I love, Phillip Lim being one of them. His collection for this years fashion week was inspired by "all things elemental" which explains his rock formation looking prints on silk bombers and leggings. I've always had an inner battle with myself where my natural inclination to turn to androgynous looks over rides my strong desire to be feminine and dress,look and act like a girl. The great thing about this collection for me is that while the clothes are more androgynous looking than most on the runway, he uses fine silk, pastel colours and beautifully tailored trousers to create that feminine look that makes his clothes so wearable for women, casual and feminine! Here's some of my favourite looks from the 3.1 Phillip Lim show -

London up next, where I find myself spending more time looking at the LFW street style than what's on the catwalk. I don't think I'm being biased when I say that London has it nailed when it comes to street style, it has been said British girls are the most fashionable in the world* and I think I'd have to agree.
I don't think I'd have any room on this post for street style because there were so many fellow bloggers that looked amazing and I couldn't possibly fit them all in, so onto the catwalk..

I found it almost impossible to narrow down my favourite because I fell in love with so many shows, Ostwald Helgason's flower prints could easily turn me into the girliest girl but Richard Nicoll's monochrome goodness was a clear winner for me. Not a designer I'd usually follow that much but with this sporty androgynous collection I was dying over the sheer panel dresses, knitwear, silk bombers and biker jackets. I have so many favourite items from this show that I have to put up this many pictures.

So there you have it, my absolute favourite looks from New York and London, oh my god you have no idea how hard it was for me to make those decisions! I hope you enjoyed this little insight into fashion week if you don't usually look into it and are a high street lover like myself. Now all we can do is wait for someone to copy these and make us a cheaper version!
Love ya's
Katie.

*based on opinion, this is not a fact and is of course debatable for all my non British readers haha.

I'm back in Liverpool...

Everyone sing now "I'm back in Liverpool and everything feels the same!"
I hope you got the wombats reference, if not you probably have bad music taste, kidding. I am however back in Liverpool and everything does feel the same. Oh how I love to be in the city where the brows are big and the tan is mahogany. Liverpool has always felt like a second home to me, well it is my second home but I feel like everything here is just like a bigger version of Belfast, with less craic of course. I'm actually just writing this post to inform you all that I won't be posting until next Monday because I've moved into my new house and my internet won't be installed until then. Lets all just have a moments silence for me here because this is HORRIFYING news. I honestly don't think i'll be able to live if my house doesn't have decent 3G signal until the WiFi is installed! Anyway I won't bore you with any more details except that as soon as my internet is up and running I will be doing a post on my new room and I'm going to start my new feature "Scouse Street Style". I am so excited to get on the streets and take pictures of the lovely ladies and men of Liverpool and cannot wait to show you what they have to offer. Until then I will weep into my pillow and maybe read some of the books that I should be reading for Uni, this no internet thing could be a blessing in disguise. Until then my friends..
Lots of love and kisses,
Katie.

Karl does Kim..

Kim Kardashian is a bit like marmite, you either love her or loathe her. I have a lot of friends who absolutely adore her and her family and regularly indulge in the Kardashian lifestyle through the medium of TV. I've tried to watch "Keeping up with the Kardashians" or "KUWTK" for short and I just can't get into it. Maybe it's their whiney American accents or maybe it's the fact that their mother (Kris Jenner) is slowly but surely invading and exposing every inch of their lives so that she can make lots of money from it, not really my thing.

It was to my great amusement that I heard Kim and Kanye were having a baby because in my mind that relationship was never going to last. I just think they're two completely different people from different worlds, yes they're both rich but it was a struggle for Kanye, Kim... not so much. She's privileged to the point where I didn't think she could ever be normal, but then look at Kanye now, all that money has gone to his head. When I heard that Anna Wintour had banned Kim from the Met Ball I laughed and laughed because lets be honest, Kim isn't exactly a style icon. She's not someone that the "fash pack" would want around, Kanye on the other hand definitely sees himself as a member of the fashion world. He is particularly friendly with Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci, so this simply couldn't stand with Kanye. He seemed to make it his mission to transform her and have Kim dressing to his standards, with Riccardo's help of course.

After all Kanye's hard work, Kim finally got her Met Ball invite and no one could believe it. Anna Wintour allowing Kim on the red carpet, this should be interesting. The theme was announced as Punk and no one could really put the two together but we waited with bated breath to see what she came up with. When the day finally arrived we learned that Kanye's good friend Riccardo Tisci would  be dressing her. I was excited to see what he would put a heavily pregnant Kardashian in for the met ball, and I can only describe myself as being distraught at what I witnessed. She arrived in a finger to floor floral monstrosity that looked like it has been taken from the house of a pensioner and placed on to her body. My first problem was that flowers are not punk, who failed to notice this? I wanted a black Givenchy number with some studs and lace! My second problem was why Riccardo, being a man of fashion and knowing the rules decided to dress a heavily pregnant woman in a floral dress complete with gloves, she looked like a swollen sofa.

WHY?!

I think both Kanye and Riccardo had a vision that went slightly wrong for their woman, that they started to doubt their ability to guide Kim on her high fashion transformation and question their methods. Then out of the blue the fairy god father of fashion came along and did what we never thought possible. Karl Lagerfeld transformed Kim Kardashian into a classy, high fashion and very pregnant beauty.

The photo shoot was arranged and photographed by Karl for Carine Roitfeld's CR Magazine's Autumn/Winter  issue. He called it "Kardashian by Karl Lagerfeld", talk about putting your stamp on something. Apparently it was Kims good friend *cough* PR manager *cough* Riccardo Tisci who suggested Roitfeld use Kim as the cover girl. What happened when Karl and Riccardo got together was some sort of fashion miracle because I honestly cannot fault anything about the spread. She looks flawless, she's obviously heavily pregnant but seeing her so stripped down and raw like that is a real contrast to the image we're always fed of the Kardashians. She was dressed in haute couture for the shoot which featured pieces from Celine, Chanel and Comme des Garcons, I bet Kanye was crying with joy now that his lady had conquered the world of high fashion.

To be honest I am a total Kardashian hater and I really should give the girl a chance, she doesn't seem at all as bad as the media portray her and from here on in I'm going to give her a fresh start. Is this just because I've seen her in a photo shoot that I actually like? probably. Asides from this I can never deny how beautiful she is and I would probably trade a limb to have her looks, she may have the looks but style don't come that easy honey! So here she is stripped down and looking every bit as amazing as Kanye could ever dream she could.

Images taken from http://thecitizensoffashion.com/2013/09/04/kim-kardashian-by-karl-lagerfeld-for-cr-fahsion-book-fallwinter-2013-14/kim-kardashian-by-karl-lagerfeld-for-cr-fahsion-book-fallwinter-2013-14/

Autumn wish list...

Hiyaaaa,

Sorry I've been so bold these past few days but every time I've gone to write a blog post I've just eaten sweets and watched films instead. I think I'm trying to lap up the last of my home comforts before I head back to uni and live in squalor and poverty for another year. Although this time of year gets me SO EXCITED for two reasons, one is that it's almost autumn and I can finally wear all the jumpers,boots,coats and furs my heart so desires. I think I mentioned before I'm not a summer kind of gal. The second reason is that it's almost time to move into my new house and decorate it. The only thing I love as much as clothes shopping is bedroom designing. Oh how I love it. Seriously I could spend hours and hours on Tumblr looking at bedrooms and dreaming of my room and how I'm going to design it, does this mean I'm getting old because I'm having serious joy times over pillows and rugs? I'll actually probably do a post on my new house and room when I get back to show you all what I've bought. Anyway I'm digressing, so I decided to do something with my time and stop eating sweets and seeing as it's almost loan time (yay!) I'm going to do an Autumn wishlist. I think I've spent the whole summer adding things I couldn't afford to my favourites so that I would remember to buy them with my loan, this is a very bad thing to do so please don't do it. I could honestly be here forever telling you about everything that I want so I'm going to try and whittle it down as much as I possibly can by just putting together a virtual outfit.

D&G Green Lipstick (stolen from Azealia Banks' Instagram)

Urban Outfitters Printed Band Panama Hat £28 

Topshop AGE Chelsea Boots £62

Primark AW13 Collection Oversized shirt £12

Topshop MOTO Ripped High Waisted Mom Jeans £42

Zara Faux Leather Jacket £69.99

You actually can't begin to understand how long it took me to decide which items made the cut and which didn't. I think as a full outfit this would be so nice though so decided to go for these items, although I wish the chelsea boots came in black! I think the chocolate would be a nice alternative though, plus I own about a million pairs of black boots already. Sorry this post isn't as long as usual but I'm actually holding off watching Breaking Bad to do this and I cannot hold off any longer. FYI you NEED to watch Breaking Bad if you aren't already watching, it's unbelievably good TV.

Lots of love and kisses,

Katie.
                                      

Monochrome Set

I just can't seem to wear bright colours these days, they don't suit me. Plus I think my inner goth won't allow me to wear anything other than black. This top is a little silky h&m baseball lookalike top which was £14.99 and I completely love it. I think it looks a bit like a Rihanna for River Island top, I'm going a bit ghetto fab aren't I? The jeans are the best jeans EVER from Topshop called Joni's in white. They come in a few different colours and cost about £45 but I got mine in the sale for £22.50 because they're white summer jeans and autumn is around the corner, yay! My shoes I've shown before on my blog because I adore them so much, they only cost £25 from h&m which makes them even better. My bag is from Urban Outfitters and my love of lumo had me dying to buy it even though I don't usually buy bags that often. It cost me £20 though which isn't bad :) The necklace is Primark because I can't even cope with the price of jewellery these days and they also have great stuff in! 

Sorry that I haven't written anything in a few days but I'm currently waiting on some treats in the post for me to review, so when they arrive I'll be sure to post about them ASAP.

Lots of love and kisses,

Katie xxx

Line up the bitches..

Quick OOTD post here of my new "celine" t-shirt with a little play on the word ;) I'm not actually going to say much about my OOTD pics because I prefer to write loads on my other posts about clothes and clothes websites. I'm not interesting enough to write that much about! As you can probably tell I am a massive fan of monochrome, I live in black and white. These trousers I found at the back of Primark marked down to £5 which made me so giddy, the t-shirt I found on eBay cost me £7-8 I think including postage. I also got these shoes in the Office sale for £5 which is a complete barg! My necklace is also Primark (of course) and my head scarf is just a little charity shop find.

Lots of love and kisses,

Katie. 

Veuxdoo people..

Hey there, back again to tell you all about another amazing online vintage shop I've come across in the last week or so on twitter. I honestly think it's crazy how many great shops are out there that we don't know about because they haven't gotten that much hype, so I'm going to hype them now.
My latest discovery is an online vintage shop called Veuxdoo (http://www.veuxdoo.co.uk) which offers really affordable and unique hand picked items. The great thing about this website is that there's only one of everything so you get yourself a unique piece and you won't have to worry about seeing someone else in it, we all know how annoying that can be.
I've been waiting for the owner to let me know when new stock went up and I had a little peek before I went out last night. I actually considered cancelling my plans and spending the night writing about clothes and I couldn't wait to get home to post about it. I could spend forever talking about how I like everything on the website so I'm going to spare you all the ramblings and pick out my three favourite items like I always do.

The first thing that caught my eye was surprise surprise, a kimono! This kimono isn't like the usual kimonos I would pick out because this looks like an actual silk Chinese kimono whereas most of the ones on the high street aren't silk. The flowery pattern adds to the oriental look of the whole thing and the fact that its only £14 just makes me love it even more.

 

Now this next top is actually something else all together because I've never seen an item of clothing more perfectly suited to me. It's a tie dye t-shirt that has "I love you but I've chosen cats" printed on it. I don't think I need to explain this any further because it speaks for itself. A must have for only £10.

The last item that took my fancy was this velvet waistcoat, I have a bit of an inner hippy/crusty inside me that's dying to buy this and prance about playing an accordion. The pattern on this reminds me of something that Esmeralda from The Hunch back of Notre-Dame would wear and makes me wish I was a beautiful gypsy woman. The product description of "Vintage gold and blue embroidered red velvet waistcoat with satin back and lining, with ornate button fastenings" almost has me salivating. I know I'm promoting this waistcoat but I actually think I have to buy it for myself, it's only £20 after all.

These items aren't the only lovely things on there so have a look for yourself and keep checking every so often for new clothes and goodies. With vintage and one off pieces at this price it really does pay off to spend a few hours searching to find sites like this. Plus it's great to help small businesses like this grow in a time where big companies get richer and the little ones get poorer, power to the little man. 

Lots of love and kisses,

Katie xxx

Omg shoes..

I really am the worst at keeping up a steady flow of blogging but I've been feeling very uninspired this week and generally just being a grumpy shit. Apologies and smiles now as I've stumbled upon the most amazing website with the nicest (and very affordable) shoes! If you haven't realised the recurring theme in my blog is "expensive things that I can't afford so here's the cheap alternative" and this is sticking firmly to this theme. If you're wondering where I find all these boutiques and online shops then get yourself on Instagram and Twitter ASAP! I've always been a massive fan of Instagram but recently I've started to discover the power of Twitter (although if you know me you'll know that I am a Facebook devotee,I'm so last year.) So my latest find is called Shop Lolita and you can find it at www.shoplolita.bigcartel.com/products.
Shop Lolita is a small online store featuring the most on trend shoes, think platforms platforms and more platforms. Everywhere you look nowadays you see people wearing flatforms, platforms, shoes that my mum would refer to as "foot problem correctional shoes". I always say if your parents don't like what you're wearing then you're on the right track. I know these shoes aren't to everyones taste because they're quite high fashion but if they are to your taste then lucky you because they're all under £30!
My absolute favourite pair has to be the Tilly lace up's, I have a thing about white shoes anyway but these are just the best. What I love about them is they're lace up's that aren't even lace ups, there's a zip on the back which for me is great because I absolutely hate lacing up shoes. I work in a shoe shop and you can imagine it's not so fun when you can't lace shoes.

If I told you these were only £27 would you believe me?  I know, just too good.

Next up are the gorgeous Daisy sandals, I never usually wear sandals because my feet are so dainty and they always fall off but these would be perfect because they're made of elastic which means they'd sit close to my feet and stretch a bit for bigger feet. I know summers almost over but I think I have to order these anyway because it's just so rare that I actually like sandals.

These beauties are only £21, what a bargain.

And last but not least the nicest boots I've seen all year, and considering I love nothing more than a good pair of black buckle boots I have seen almost every pair to grace the high street. Usually I expect to pay anything from £60-100 for a decent pair of boots from Topshop or Office, but the fact that these look so expensive yet are only £26 fills me with so much joy. It's actually funny how much clothes and shoes can elevate my mood, definitely got to be a name for this disorder.

Sadly none of these beauties are in stock at the minute because I think anyone who knew about this website snapped up all the goodies as fast as they could, smart girls. So now that we know about them, add the site to your favourites and hope and pray that by the time they're re stocked we all have enough money to stock up on a few pairs. The way I see it, I'm getting three pairs of amazing shoes for the price of one pair of Topshop boots. Sorry Topshop but I only love you when I've been paid.

Now that you've seen some of what the site has to offer go and have a look at all their other shoes and I can guarantee you will love and want most of them and be happy for the rest of the day. There really has to be some kind of name for the way clothes and shoes make me feel, when I'm not buying clothes it's like one big permanent come down of no clothes-ness and when I click "place order" the serotonin in my brain does a little dance of joy. I know you all feel the same.

Lots of love and kisses,

Katie.

Out with the new, in with the old...

Hello hello, I've not written anything in a few days as I've been busy working and trying to organise an enormous amount of clothes to sell on eBay which is probably one of the most tedious tasks ever. Most of these clothes are old vintage pieces I've picked up here and there so it inspired me to do a post on vintage clothes and more importantly charity shop gems. I know a lot of people who wouldn't shop for vintage clothes because number one they usually smell like a musty granny and two because someone's already worn them. For me though that's exactly the appeal. I don't know why but I love the idea that someone somewhere wore the clothes that I'm now wearing and loved them, is that weird? maybe. I just think that vintage clothes are great because there's usually only ever one of everything so you'll always have an individual piece and the price is usually very reasonable (unless you're looking at vintage Chanel, that's pricey!) If I'm honest I would absolutely love to be able to afford designer vintage pieces but sadly they're just not in my price range, sometimes you find the odd designer scarf while rummaging through a basket in a charity shop though which is always great. The only designer thing I've ever come across was a Christian Dior men's silk shirt and I actually didn't even know it was designer until I got it home, which was a lovely surprise. Mainly though vintage pieces would usually be between £10-40 which is decent enough, especially if you consider that Urban Outfitters have now got Urban renewal where they "re-do" vintage pieces and slap a big old price tag on them and people actually buy these things just because Urban Outfitters sell them! Come on girls and boys, if you went to your local charity or vintage shops you'd find these things for half the price and you could do them up yourselves. I'm not trying to criticise Urban Outfitters here I mean they're one of my favourite shops but I think that paying that amount of money for re-worked denim shorts is a sin when you could find a pair of old jeans and cut them up yourself. Be wise with your money people! I suppose I say this because I don't have endless amounts of money so I'm always trying to find a bargain wherever I go, but no one should throw their money away like that. I used to work in a vintage shop in Belfast before I moved over to Liverpool and something that I found a lot of customers saying was that they didn't know where to begin to look because nothing is laid out on a mannequin for them. I understand that Topshop has things laid out beautifully and it's therefore easier to find but if you actually take the time to rummage through charity shops I promise you you'll find some hidden gems. If that is your idea of hell then you could try some online vintage boutiques or even vintage fairs, they have less things and usually only display their best pieces so less crap to go through. Recently in Belfast a new type of Vintage fair has popped up, Lola's Vintage is a kilo sale which means that you pay for your clothes per kilo (£20 per kilo) so you could get yourself about 3 or 4 items depending on weight for £20, what a great idea! These fairs are held every month and they have some amazing clothes there, it's especially great because there's cakes and drinks and a DJ playing so you can have a boogie while rummaging. The next one hasn't been announced yet but if you search for them on Facebook "Lola's Vintage" the page will keep you up to date on everything. 
Another great page that I found on Facebook is called "Come Together Clothing" the owner Kirsty sources all the best vintage clothes from up and down the country and brings them to fairs mainly in Birmingham, Redditch, Chester & Liverpool. 
Vintage fairs are great to find one off pieces and they're usually a bit more expensive as the clothes are hand picked, but if you're looking for cheap pieces that are one offs and something a bit different then I urge you to go to your local charity or vintage shop. The charity shop money goes to a great cause and the owners are always so grateful for business in a world dominated by high street. It may not always be your thing but there's no harm in looking, so give it a go! You never know what you might find :)
Love and kisses,
Katie.

Always time for camo..

There was a thunderstorm today so I thought it was the perfect excuse for me to wear all black again, yay! I went for my favourite slouchy harem pants that I got years ago in Primark that seem to have been a timeless investment. My t-shirt is actually just a plain black one from h&m that's been dipped in bleach by my very artistic little sister and turned orange and my jacket I found in the Topshop sale for £20! I know last year was the year of the camo but I will always love a good camouflage jacket. I like how this one is cropped and has a fur collar so it's not quite like the ones that EVERYONE wore last year but still a nod to the camo invasion of 2012. My rings here are a pack from h&m which are their take on those Balenciaga ones that everyone is dying about and were only £4. My necklace is the ASOS version of the Celiné ID chain which cost me £15.

My shoes are Deena & Ozzy from Urban Outfitters but they're actually pretty wrecked since I wore them to death last year so I won't give you a close up of them haha! Thanks for reading,

Love and kisses,

Katie xx

A very royal baby..

Now if there's one thing I love on this earth it's a good old theme. Themed parties, themed cupcakes, anything with a theme really and you can be sure that I'll love it. I don't know if this has stemmed from my obsession with dressing up as a little girl (well I say little girl but I still dress up at every chance possible) or maybe it's because I've always loved the idea that when you dress up you can become a totally different person. This is probably why I also love wearing sunglasses, I always say you can be anyone you want to be behind a pair of sunglasses and it's true! Back to themes though, today I'm channeling probably one of the most well known themes in Britain, "Rule Britannia". Think Kate Moss for Mario Testino in that Union Jack jacket and trousers, now minus Kate Moss, add me and make it less attractive and you've got my very own royal baby outfit. I'm not particularly into the royal family, I mean I don't mind them but they're just sort of there aren't they? They don't really DO anything except sit around and be posh all day, but I suppose I wouldn't mind being a royal so who am I to criticise eh? No one really cared that much about them until the addition of the nations favourite - Kate Middleton. She's just perfect isn't she? she's like that person that everyone wants to be friends with in school who always has nice hair and clothes and is smart as well as beautiful, everyone should hate her but we're all so enchanted by her that we just bury our jealousy and praise her instead. So if we love Kate so much of course we're going to love her new little baby boy who will grow up to become a little heart throb and your granny will say "oh you should get yourself a nice boy like the prince", you know it's going to happen. Anyway enough about that, I need to get this outfit posted so I can sit in front of the TV to get a glimpse of him as he comes out of the hospital!
Lots of love and kisses,
Katie.

Red White & Blue
Shirt - Vintage
Trousers- River Island
Shoes - Kurt Geiger

 Royal Jewels
Michael Kors watch
Topshop necklace
Sparkle nail art by me

Copy Cats..

Hello again!

I was just looking at my instagram and realised that I'd posted about Kenzo jumpers and forgotten all about my post I said I'd do on designer copy cats on the high street, whoops! So basically I was having a snoop in the Topshop sale and found an amazing jumper with a tiger on it which is almost identical to the Kenzo one except for the print on the jumper (and of course the quality but shh.) What's even better is that the jumper was only £18 in the sale which is great knowing that I could pretend I was in Kenzo when really my jumper was about 300 pounds cheaper than the original :-)

The thing that I hate about myself most is that I have the most expensive taste, give me a page of items and you're guaranteed that I will pick the most expensive without even meaning to, maybe I've just got an eye for quality ;) but really though, I hate it. I always want something that I could never afford so I make it my mission to find a similar but cheaper option and considering almost everything on the high street is inspired by the catwalk I always manage to find something. I've decided to do a special post for all of you who want some new clothes but don't get paid until the end of the month; my top 5 under £25!

Number one is this amazing mesh crop top from Motel Rocks. These are a big hit this summer, especially considering we're in the middle of (or coming to an end of) a heatwave! You could wear this over your bikini on the beach or you could throw it on over a really lovely bra or bandeau and pair with a pair of denim shorts/disco pants to head out for the night. Also this is only £19 which is a very decent price for one of the most wanted items of clothing this summer.

Find this here at http://www.motelrocks.com/shop/products/Motel-Lulu-Mesh-Crop-Top-in-Black.html

Number two is a rather raunchy mesh bra from Smut, if you're not already familiar with Smut and their infamous "Naughty Vicar" t-shirt then get acquainted because their clothes are amazing. This bra is not for the faint hearted but I really love mesh bra's. I find them much more comfortable to wear, especially in the summer heat. This is priced at £16 and would work well underneath the mesh crop top from Motel Rocks, if you don't mind flashing a bit of nip that is ;)

Find this product here at   http://www.smutclothing.co.uk/product/smu-mesh-bra

What do you know, number three is a kimono (surprise surprise) which I mentioned I am in love with this summer. If I haven't already mentioned I am all about monochrome, I'm pale so I don't think bright colours suit me that much and I tend to wear a lot of black and white so this Aztec print kimono (£21.99) from Misguided is perfect for me. The great thing about a kimono is that it can change the most simple outfit into something amazing AND the short sleeves on this won't make you feel so guilty about wearing black in the summer.

Find it here at http://www.missguided.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/79776/s/lorayne-aztec-waterfall-kimono/

Next up at number four are Juju Jellies which are just an absolute must for the summer time. These particular jelly shoes are a different style to the usual ones that everyone is wearing but I think they are adorable and are only £6.50 in the ASOS sale (everyone calm down and thank ASOS later.) Sadly you don't get to choose your colour because these are in the sale but I think these off yellow/lime ones are perfect anyway and nice and bright to go with all the monochrome items you've just bought (I'm such a bad influence.)

Find them here at http://www.asos.com/Juju/Juju-Petra-Lime-Slingback-Flat-Sandals/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2800425&cid=1931&Rf-400=13871&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=36&sort=-1&clr=Lime

And last but not least my fifth item is going to have to be an accessory to complete your look so I'm going to go against my rule of always buying Primark sunglasses and instead suggest these Gina metal trim ones from Boohoo. Again black, I'm sorry I just can't help but be drawn to it! Black is a good choice for sunglasses though as you can wear them with any outfit. Even better that these are only £10 so a good investment to complete your summer look. I'm like the clothing devil on your shoulder....

Find them here at http://www.boohoo.com/restofworld/accessories/icat/accessories/sunglasses/gina-metal-trim-
sunglasses/invt/azz56465

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope I've not tempted you too much if you are really short on money ATM like me. Thankfully I start my new job on Saturday so you will all be subjected to my constant posting when I spend all my wages on clothes. 

Lots of love and kisses,

Katie.

Too hot for trousers..

Note to self: don't wear denim in the sunshine. Excuse my wearing of the same blouse but I haven't been home (although I did change my trousers which I brought thinking it would be cold, it wasn't.) These high waisted Levi 501s are my absolute favourite thing to wear because they go with everything and pinch your waist in at its smallest point which is very flattering. They cost me £30 from a vintage shop in Liverpool and you can find them in most vintage or charity shops, roll up the bottom for the ultimate 80s look. My blouse is the same as before from Urban Outfitters and my fedora hat was £8 from H&M last year, Misguided do a great version on their website and it even comes in burgundy so you can buy two :) My bag is from Primark and cost me £10 but I think it looks rather expensive and is one of my favourite purchase of the year, it's a complete Mary Poppins bag and holds everything but the kitchen sink!

OOTD

Hiiiyas! I decided today to do a little mobile post in between my next blog and this is my first ever outfit post as well :) Most fashion blogs usually consist of people posting their own outfits for others to see so I thought I'd give it a go. Sadly I don't own as many lovely clothes as most of the bloggers online but ah well I'll try and make the best of what I have! Today I'm wearing a Primark Aztec print maxi skirt that I grabbed last minute before I left Liverpool (obviously they wouldn't have this in Belfast!) which cost £10 and my favourite summer shirt; my mint green floaty shirt from Urban Outfitters which only cost me £5 in their summer sale last year. My boots are from Office and are the one thing I own which I never have off me, partly because they cost me £85 but it was worth it. So without the boots my outfit cost me a total of £15 and you can find this sort of thing everywhere now. The best place to find maxi skirts I feel is in a charity shop, there's always tonnes of 90's maxi dresses with wacky prints on them and they're usually no more than £7. You'd also be surprised what gems you can find at the back of your mums/aunts/granny's wardrobe so go and have a rummage and see what you can find! Maxi dresses on a hot day are always a winner.
P.S I've tied this skirt up with a bobble to show a bit of ankle clevage so I wasn't walking around looking like a nun, give it a go if you want to jazz things up a bit ;)
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Katie.

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet...

Hi guys, I know I haven't written anything in a while but it's sunny outside and this NEVER happens in Belfast so I've been out trying to tan myself. If like me you're whiter than white and reflect the sunshine then you'll probably not have tanned either, but never fear because I've found a great new tan for us all to fake it with. It's called Xen Tan and it's just great! most people I know are religious about sun beds but I'm far too lazy to constantly go on them so fake tan it is. Usually I find most tans drag on my skin because I have quite dry skin or else they'll all just wash off in the shower but this tan is definitely a contender for the best one I've used. If you go on the website http://www.xen-tan.co.uk/ you can order online or find where your local stockists are and even better which salons use it for spray tans. I'm wearing the dark lotion (236ml) that costs £28.99 which isn't bad considering you don't need to use a lot to get a nice bronzed even look, so it lasts for a while. Usually I would wear medium but this washes off to leave you with a nice glow instead of a horrible dirty brown colour like most tans. The great thing about this is it starts to develop immediately and you can see it on your skin so you know if you've missed a bit while applying, plus it only takes 3 hours to fully develop - the white girls guide to quick tanning.

So apart from tanning myself I've only gone and got myself a job FINALLY which means I can buy lots of nice clothes to bask in this sunshine (if it lasts!) I went for my interview on Tuesday for Schuh and found out I got the job the next day which means SOOO MANY SHOES FOR ME. For anyone who knows me they'll probably know I love my trainers, I would much rather go for a rave in a pair of air max than fall over myself in high heels, unless they're my white wedges from Kurt Geiger because they're just perfect. Here I am with my beautiful friends wearing my beautiful white wedges. I fell over myself SEVEN times that night. 

I'll let you all in on a secret which kills me but I really should spread the joy, they're now down to £59 on Kurt Geiger online, sickening.

Here's a close up of them in all their glory 

I completely digressed from trainers to heels there but as I was saying, I love trainers and have already spied some beauties that I want to get my hands on. When you work in Schuh you have to wear trainers that you can buy there, so that's my excuse for all the trainers I plan to buy. These are actually men's and only start in a 7 so I'm praying they'll be a small fit, look aren't they beaut!?

Nike air base ii - £72

Seeing as I'll have some money soon I've started to make notes of all the clothes and bikinis I want, I'm not actually going on holiday but I figured if this sun sticks around then I'll need more bikinis to wear - right?

My favourite but most dreaded shop is Urban Outfitters because they're so pricey but so god damn good at making clothes that I want. I think they definitely take the crown for best high street bikinis and I actually bought one of my favourite bikinis from there last year. It's high waisted, cost me £30 and was worth every penny. Here I am with my sister pretending I'm a 1950s pin up girl on the beach..

Mia (left) wears Primark bikini & Topshop shorts and me on the right wearing my bikini and denim shorts, both from Urban Outfitters! Headband from a Vintage shop in Glasgow and both pairs of sunglasses from Primark.

Here's my list of summer must haves -

• Sunglasses from Primark, they're cheap and on trend and never more than £4 so you don't need to worry about losing them and can buy as many pairs as you like.
• A pair of denim shorts, they're versatile and go with everything and easy to throw on over a bikini if you're not brave enough to bare it all.
• A head scarf or hat, a burnt scalp is not pleasant and no one wants to put sun cream on their heads (the greasy look is not chic) so get yourself a scarf from a vintage shop or even use one of your granny's old scarves to avoid the pain!
• Jelly Sandals, like flip flops and sandals but comfier and more fun. Embrace your inner 90's kid and get yourself a pair of JuJu Jellies like this. JuJu Jellies can be found in Office, Topshop, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel and many more shops. Check out their website to see where you can get them near you. http://www.jujushoes.co.uk/jujustockists.aspx

These come in almost every colour you can think of!

• Sun cream!! I don't know why people are so anti sun cream, fair enough it stops you tanning a bit but hellooo ladies we don't want to look like leather bags when we're older. Skin cancer is not fun! Plus it's only about £3 a bottle so save yourself the hassle in years to come and get it on.
• A kimono, I am all about the kimono this year. I absolutely love the ones Topshop have in ATM and even though they're a bit pricey, they're the perfect cover up for the beach or even just to throw on over shorts and t-shirt to glam up an outfit a bit. 

  

  This Aztec Embroidered Kimono is £60 from Topshop but I think it's worth it!

• Finally, a tan. Whether you fake it or bake it everyone loves being tanned - it's the ultimate accessory.

So if you're going away or sunning yourself in this heatwave then hopefully that checklist has reminded you of something you need for that last minute holiday, or if you just want to look your best in your back garden. The suns just come through the clouds as I'm writing this so I'm definitely rushing the end of this to get out in it, I am taking every second of these rays as a blessing from the sun gods. I'll be back soon to talk about the sun and more clothes I want, I can guarantee it. 

Thanks for reading!

Lots of love & kisses,

Katie.