New Store Opening: Jake Shoes in Altrincham, Manchester

Hey,

It's not often (actually ever, come to think of it) that I'm invited to an event in my hometown of Altrincham so when I heard about a new store opening on George Street in the town's Stamford Quarter I jumped at the chance - and did I mention there would be shoes there?

Any frequent shoppers to Manchester city centre may know of Jake Shoes via the main store on the upper level of the Arndale Centre. I've popped by myself many times to peruse some of my favourite brands; namely Dr Martens for lust-worthy window shopping and Hunter for pre-Glasto wellies.

Jake Shoes is a lovely independent, with just three stores (all based in Greater Manchester) but this small chain packs an impressive punch of internationally renowned brands including Vans, Converse, Superga and Ugg.

I stopped by my new local store on the launch night to check it out!

The store is seriously slick inside. It manages to be industrial and cool, while being quirky and fun. With lots of exposed brick and shelves made from reclaimed wood and steel piping, it could easily feel cold and uninviting but all the colourful nostalgic touches create a welcoming atmosphere.

The new Jake Shoes store holds an incredible range of brands, ranging from iconic names like Dr Martens and Converse, as well as lesser known and more 'out there' styles from the likes of cult favourite Saltwater Sandals and wacky pieces by Irregular Choice.

Of course it's not just about women's shoes at JS, they've an impressive selection of styles for men and kids too. There's definitely no danger of bored tag-a-long shoppers either - the men's corner boasts a full size pool table and the kids section features a retro grabber toy machine.

For the launch night, Jake Shoes filled the grabber machine with lots of great prizes and I was lucky enough to win a voucher, which I used towards some classic Docs shoes which I'd been eyeing up as soon as I'd walked through the door. They've rarely been off my feet since - they go with everything and are so comfy.

Check out Jake Shoes' great selection of women's Dr Martens, here.

Spotted any of your favourite footwear brands here?

On the Road Again...

Hello!

I feel like I've been all over the place these past few weekends, visiting family and work stuff. Clifford the Clio has seen his fair share of the country and I've neglected my usual weekend duties of slobbing around in my onesie, shopping and doing a bit of blogging!

These snaps were grabbed just before setting off to Warwick to see Chris' parents a couple of weekends ago.

Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Fringed Leather Jacket: Topshop (sale, old)

Top: Urban Outfitters (sale, very old!)

Belt: Charity Shop

Jeans: American Apparel

Pewter Brogues: Dr Martens

Vintage Head Holdall: Charity Shop

I'm wearing my new American Apparel high-waist jeans. After getting frustrated trying to find the perfect pair of vintage jeans, I flirted with the idea of getting the new Topshop 'Mom' ones; though I'd seen these and loved them but I do tend to find AA a bit over-priced. Luckily, an email popped into my inbox a while ago with a 30% off offer so I snapped them up. I had a nightmare getting the right size though so be warned- try them on in the shop first!

The old school Head holdall bag was quite the bargain- a £2.99 charity shop buy, perfect for a weekend away.

It was surprisingly sunny so I felt the need to break out the Bans for the first time this year! I don't know why but I enjoy driving so much more with a pair of sunglasses on.

I think sunglasses instantly make almost anyone 10x cooler; I recently watched David Lynch's Wild at Heart so for no reason other than they look awesome driving across America in a pair of shades, here's messed up lovers Sailor and Lula.

(Fairly obscure reference there but it's an awesome film- watch it!)

Have you been on any road trips recently?

Love,

Foxy x

From a Galaxy Far Away...

Or Yorkshire as it were!

Yep, I'm back home in the countryside for Christmas and thought I'd use the extra time off for a quick post.

Unfortunately, it's not Christmas-related (I got far too caught up in the day to do proper photos etc.) but in fact a little outfit I wore to brave the shops for a bit of last minute present shopping.

I've been dying to show you this awesome sweatshirt I bought recently from Veronica Fever- a cool independent brand selling cool customised clothing, all by one talented lady.

Looking moody thanks to absence of the boyfriend to take photos and make me smile- I hate tripods!

Sweatshirt- Veronica Fever
Faux Fur Coat- car boot sale

Beanie Hat- Honour Over Glory
Earrings- Topshop

Shorts- made by me from thrifted jeans

Boots- Dr Martens

I opted for the very blogger-esque tie dye one with a double CC drip galaxy motif, but she makes other very cool ones; the Jurassic Park one is next on my list!

                                  


I'm not normally one to do posts raving about a brand but I love coming across unique little places to buy things and knew I had to share this one!

Have you come across any amazing sellers/e-shops recently?

Love

Foxy x

A completed quest

Those who've been following will have gathered that I was on the hunt for a vintage dress for an upcoming party.

The search is over!

Amidst the panic that broke out on day 'week before party' I committed to buying something- this dark pink, fluffy shouldered thing from COW2, Birmingham.

Again, it's not as authentic as I would've liked, but the rush of getting something (anything!) got to me somewhat. It's actually one of COW's reworked pieces under the Salad brand.

I'm not crazy about it, but I like the colour, it was only £15 and it has wear-again-ability.

It was marked as £16, however I managed to get £1 knocked off (to the disgust of the shop assistant). I thought it was fair enough to ask as one of the belt loops is broken, as is the loophole for the button on the back at the neck. Fine for original vintage, but for a piece that's been altered, I'd expect things like that to be sorted.

The dress is a bit sheer, flesh coloured bra on the night methinks!

I picked up the fascinator in the first picture from ebay for 99p. Not sure whether I'll wear it or not though.

If you look closely, you'll see I'm also wearing a pair of black back seamed tights, which I thought would be a nice touch. I got these from TK Maxx and couldn't resist picking up a few more pairs.

The dogstooth ones are Jonathon Aston and were only £2.99- anyone who knows me should be all too aware that I'm drawn to anything with a dogstooth pattern.

The other pair are nude with a really cool black snake back seam; they were £3.99.

I've never heard of this hoisery brand before but they have some awesome tights! (I love these). Dots, bows, leaves, flowers and all kinds of gorgeous patterns. I almost took them all home with me.

And today I've been very, very bad because I splashed out a little. I came home with these beauties.

 

I lusted after these patent Dr Martens boots all last autumn/winter. I literally saw a girl walk past in a pair today and had one of those 'fuck it' moments; so off I trotted to Schuh to buy.

With 10% discount they were a completely justifiable £67ish.

And a swift internet check finds that they are, in fact, even more bargainous than I first thought.

In Schuh, I couldn't understand why a shorter style was £10 more than my 'Diva Darcie' boots. I also thought that the boots were around the £90 mark when I tried them on last year. Hmmm...

Looking on the Dr Martens online store, the boots are listed as £90, as are they at ASOS. Schuh's website however confirms that they are indeed £74.99.

Good job Schuh was my first point of call!

Foxy

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