In The Pink: Summer Casuals

Hey,

Here's an outfit I threw on after work; seizing the opportunity of the warm evening to walk down to a close by beer garden for a few drinks in the sun.

It was so sunny, I couldn't even open my eyes without my sunglasses! Also shadows galore in these photos...

Clubmaster sunglasses - Rayban

Faux septum ring - Elisha Francis*

Colourful beaded choker - Primark

Pink orb tee - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania @ Repertoire Fashion*

Blue skinny jeans - Jailbird Jeans*

Chunky patent mules - ASOS

I was seriously lacking in cool, casual tees so when Repertoire Fashion got in touch to see if there was anything I'd like from their huge collection of designer brands, I immediately went for this colourful orb tee from Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania line. 

I'm not necessarily a pink person but I thought this bold colour would look wicked for summer.

I've casually paired it with my new skinny jeans from Jailbird. These high-rise blue jeans are amazing value at just £23.99 (currently in sale). The denim is really thick with a slight stretch, and I like that the cuffs have contrast binding so they look good when turned up too.

I made the look a bit more pub-friendly with some chunky mid-height heels. I also popped in one of my new faux septum rings from the Elisha Francis Bomani Woman collection. These are great for adding a bit of edge if you don't have the bottle or maybe an appropriate job to be able to sport a real septum piercing. 

I've met Elisha before and she has real talent for jewellery making and a fantastic creative eye. As well as making gorgeous pieces of jewellery with crystals and semi-precious gemstones, she also has an incredible line of customised trainers.

What's your go-to finishing touch to your casual outfits?

My Bag - AW Preview

Hey,

I was recently lucky enough to get a sneaky look at the Autumn/Winter collection from My Bag at their beautiful event held in Artisan restaurant, Manchester.

My Bag is, first and foremost, an online destination for luxury bags of all shapes and sizes but not only that, they carry a fantastic range of accessories too.

A handful of other bloggers and I were treated to a private viewing of some of the key upcoming styles in Artisan's cosy back room.

The range of items was stunning! From sumptious leather bags from brands like Paul Smith, Cambridge Satchel Company and Grafea; through to covetable accessories from Ray Ban and even lingerie by Agent Provocateur.

I am so an Autumn/Winter girl (give me dramatic skies and frosty mornings over sunshine any day - well, maybe not every day...) so the delectable palette of plum, earthy brown and reds and of course black, suited me down to the ground.

Among my favourites were the classic backpacks from Grafea and Lulu Guinness' quirky lips clutches, being huge fans of these brands already. I also fell in love with the Paul Smith bags on display, particularly a slick black leather backpack with gold hardware. Yum.

Speaking of yum... I was so happy when the Artisan staff brought out trays and trays of their famous chips for us to sample. I'd had the pleasure of trying these previously after going to the restaurant last year for my birthday meal out. These handmade crinkle cut chips really are the best; you need to try them if you're local to Manchester!

Though the chips were truly spectacular, I'm not sure what was the most appetising thing on the table - the food or the bags!

If you're not quite looking ahead to Autumn just yet, My Bag have an incredible selection of Spring/Summer items too.

Given that I'm currently hating everything at Glastonbury right now through a tremendous fit of jealousy, I've put together my top festival picks which are all available now on the My Bag site.

Clockwise from top left: Ray Ban Clubmaster Sunglasses, £143 // Minkpink Misty Inca Halter Bikini Top, £24 // Rebecca Minkoff Fringe Julian Backpack, £345 // By Malene Birger Hacia Gold Cuff Bracelet, £87

Would you wear any of the pieces above, or are you coveting something from AW15?

* A big thanks to My Bag for a wonderful evening and lovely goody bag including a Look Fantastic beauty Box and goodies from Vita Liberata and The Cambridge Satchel Company.*

(Bank) Holiday in the Sun

Hello!

Hope you're all enjoying the remainder of the Bank Holiday weekend.

I'm so happy that we had some nice weather for once. I'm lucky enough to live right by a big park so thought it would be a shame to waste the sunshine and not take some photos.

Scrunchie- Junk Love

Sunglasses- Ray Ban

Earrings- DIY (see below)

Cropped tee- Forever 21

Belt- charity shop

Jeans- American Apparel

Sandals- Jeffrey Campbell (Mynt buckle sandal)

I don't think these Jeffrey Campbell Mynt gold buckle sandals have had an airing on the blog yet. I bought them in the Christmas sales after falling in love with them last year.

To be honest, I'm wearing them just for show; they absolutely KILL my feet. All my other JCs are so comfy so I was really surprised to find that these hurt so much. I think it's all the buckles, they rub like every edge of my foot. I had these on for about 15 minutes in the photos and I've now got two huge blisters. They are so beautiful but thinking that I may have to sell them!

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen me sporting these green pompom earrings at several opportunities this week.

I've seen them around the web and thought it would be easy enough to make some myself.

I picked up these fluffy pompoms for 30p each from a haberdashery in Manchester. You can of course make your own pompoms pretty easily with wool but I wanted some extra fluffy ones like these!

I got into making my own jewellery a while ago (with the intention to sell it but never got around to making enough...) so I have boxes full of all the bits and bobs (findings they're called in the biz).

I used gold earring hooks and some chain to dangle them from and then just attached a jump ring to the end of the chains and sewed them to the pompoms. You could of course just use a length of string or ribbon and sew that to the pompoms.

I love going to my local bead shop to pick up cool charms and once you've got all the findings, you'd be surprised at how easy it is to create a necklace, bracelet or earrings- cheap too!

I always found eBay a good place to pick things up cheaply. For beginners, it's really easy to get ready-made gold or silver plated chains in different lengths with the closures attached, then you'll just need jump rings (small hoops) to attach to your charm before you put it on your chain. You'll also need a set of pliers; if you search 'jewellery making pliers' you'll find collections of the different sorts to prise open jump rings, nip close the jump rings, cut wire etc.

If anyone would find a post on jewellery-making tips useful, do let me know.


How have you been spending your Bank Holiday weekend?

I went to Manchester Fashion Week on Saturday evening so look out for a post on that soon!

Love,

Foxy x

Topshop x Adidas Originals

Hello!

I was probably more excited about the Topshop x Adidas Originals collection than any other collab they've done in the past.

Being a big fan of Adidas from a young age (I'll show you some snaps of me as a 9 year old in my prized sky blue and canary yellow tracksuit if you like?) and with sportswear and urban influences creeping ever further into my wardrobe, I wanted to be part of this!

I was glad that I got online super early to bag this T shirt as it seemed to be one of the pieces that sold out fastest.

You can take a look at the remaining pieces in the collection on the Topshop and Adidas (bit more of the range left here) site's.

Sunglasses- Ray Ban

Earrings- eBay

Choker- eBay

Denim jacket- charity shop

T shirt- Topshop x Adidas

Backpack- La Moda

Jeans- Primark

Boots- Vagabond

I teamed my T shirt with more of a sportier bag- this amazing backpack from La Moda. If you've not checked them out before, I urge you to have a look; their footwear selection is on point!

Also wearing my prized new Dioon canvas boots from Vagabond. I've wanted them for ages and really don't know why I held off buying them for so long- they're nothing short of awesome. Worth. The. Money.

Did you manage to get hold of anything in the Topshop x Adidas collection? What did you think of the range?

Love,

Foxy x

Portugal Part Two

Hello!

As promised, I bring you the second round of pics from my holiday in Portugal earlier this month. You can read the first post here.

Last time, I brought you the pretty side of things; the beach, the port etc. but I really enjoyed exploring the older, run down streets of the poor part of the town. There were loads of really interesting buildings with pretty tiles on the outside.

And of course some obligatory shots of what I wore!

My actual favourite holiday dress- had it for years!

Dress: Urban Outfitters (old)

My 'sack' dress!

Sunglasses: Ray Ban; Dress: £25, Blue Rinse Vintage; Backpack: £1.10, charity shop; Pumps: New Look

Towards the end of the week we went on a boat trip to explore all of the little caves along the rocky coastline. This was no ordinary boat- it was a pirate ship!

Sunglasses: Missoni, £15 (I know, right?!) @ TK Maxx; Cropped tee: Forever 21; Skirt: Missguided.co.uk

I'd really recommend taking one of these trips to anyone going to the Algarve. The majority of the caves can only be visited by boat and many are hidden out of sight from the land. I didn't take photos inside but once anchored up, we filtered into smaller motor boats and were taken right inside the coves.

I can't believe how awful the weather's been since we got back- so glad I didn't go overboard (haha awesome pun, no?) on buying summer clothes!

Have you been away recently?

Love,

Foxy

Portugal Part One

Hello!

I got back from my holiday on Friday evening and thought I'd share some photos (there will be a 'part two' post as there are so many!).

Me and Chris went to Portimão, Portugal and stayed in the Praia da Rocha resort (where the huge beach is), a short walk from Portimão's old town and port.

This (and the next) post will be a bit of a mash-up between the outfits I wore and general scenery- enjoy.

Treated myself to some Ray Bans at the airport!

The port at Portimão town.

Sunglasses: Ray Ban; Twist back crop top: c/o Forever 21; Backpack: £1.10, charity shop; Skirt: c/o Forever 21

Exploring the old streets of Portimão.

Taking in the sights while getting lost.

Earrings: Gogo Phillip @ Tophop; Cord and fringe top: ASOS sale; Lightning ring: ASOS sale

Enjoying the local Super Bock (a little too much!).

The BEST cocktail. I can't quite remember what it was but they won an award for it! The strawberry 'caviar' in it was amazing. Hats off to the very talented bar men at Absolutely Lounge.

Dress: c/o Forever 21

Not the best view of a derelict hotel opposite but lovely to have a drink on the balcony before going out!

The rocky Praia da Rocha coastline at sunset.

I had an amazing time and have thoroughly got the holiday blues. I spent the first two nights back in the UK under a huge fleece blanket and developing a timely cold...

I will be bringing you part two soon!

Love,

Foxy

x