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?

Autumn = Knitwear

Hey,

So this time of year is my absolute favourite. The mornings are cooler, the leaves fall, the sun shines brightly but there's a nip in the air - oh, and it's also my birthday!

I've just had the most wonderful birthday weekend; basically just eating and drinking a lot with excellent people.

I've generally felt super happy these past couple of weeks, everything is going fantastically (work, wedding planning), I've had a brilliant birthday and the change in seasons has really perked me up (I was so done with 'summer').

We've been so lucky with the weather here. It's been blissful, perfect and definitively autumnal. I felt like as soon as the 1st of October hit, the temperature significantly dropped too - which has got me all excited for adding to my autumn wardrobe.

The first piece of knitwear I acquired this season is this Stripe Colour Block Jumper from Matalan* - who have a great range of classic styles at the moment and have even put together a handy Knitwear Guide on their site.

Jumper - Matalan*

Choker - ASOS

Jeans - ASOS

Boots - Kat Maconie

It has a real 90s feel to it. I think it's the tonal grey and black in the wide block stripes. It actually reminds me a lot of a jumper my mum used to wear a lot when I was younger!

I live in chunky knit jumpers at this time of year so I'm sure I'll get lots of wear out of this piece.

I decided to dress up the jumper and new slim 'mom' jeans (ASOS' 'Farleigh' fit) with some red lippy and spangly red shoe boots from Kat Maconie. KM is brand I've only recently come across but when I happened upon her site I was in LOVE!

I'd say KM's prices are a stop gap between high street and designer - the new collections are more than I'd probably pay for shoes but there are some amazing bargains to be had in the Sale and Outlet sections (like these boots!).

I was so excited to find the brand, I thought twice about sharing it! JK. In all seriousness, KM's shoes are totally my bag - quirky, edgy and affordable. I can't wait to add more to my collection.

What are you wearing this Autumn?

Unboxing: Jeffrey Campbell Platrane Boots

Hello!

I thought I'd break up the holiday posts with some birthday fun.

Yes, I turned 24 earlier this month. Really must update my bio...

I had such an awesome birthday this year. The celebrations spanned two weeks with my boyfriend, family and then finally friends this weekend just gone.

My boyfriend bought me some new Jeffrey Campbells- yeah he did!

I had my eye on the Platranes, platform stacked gorgeous cousin of the ever-popular Coltrane boot, for a while which apparently didn't go unnoticed. I love them!

Black jumper- H&M

Isis print skirt- Freak of Nature via ASOS

Some chair posing! This brown leather tub chair is a recent addition to my flat. For anyone interested, it's from Lakeland Furniture who do lots of reasonably-priced lovely furniture like this!

I've had my Platranes on non-stop; they're seriously comfy for anyone wondering what they're like to wear.

They got a very stylish outing last week when I wore them for the Vogue Fashion's Night Out in Manchester. Hopefully I'll be able to cobble together a post from the sparse selection of pictures I took.

I think you'll be seeing these babies a lot more!

What shoes are you currently digging?

Love,

Foxy x

Sunday Girl

Hello!

I started getting into the habit of blogging every Sunday but as you can probably see, it didn't last long!

Once again I feel like I've been all over the place recently. I'm originally from North Yorkshire, my boyfriend whom I live with is from Warwickshire and we both went to uni in Birmingham so we're constantly all over the country seeing friends and family.

Last weekend I was in Birmingham for a uni friend's birthday and the weekend before I went out in Leeds with one of my oldest and best friends. It was in Leeds that some nasty person decided to steal my phone- boo!

Any time which could've been spent blogging was occupied with eating McDonald's (and other, not so well-franchised fast food eateries) and feeling sorry for myself. I'm thoroughly sick of my old phone and am bidding on a new one as I type!

Last week I took the opportunity to grab a quick outfit snap after work so I'd have something to post about!

Fluffy Jumper- Oh My Love

Trousers- Topshop

Boots- eBay (these)

Cross Earrings- Primark

Gold Chain- Charity Shop

This is typically what I'd wear to work which is fairly smart/casual. I'm so in love with this fluffy 90s-style jumper from Oh My Love. Seriously impressed with my first order from them.

These chunky platform boots are pretty 90s too and have rarely been off my feet since they arrived- an eBay bargain at £19.99.

Another reason I snapped this outfit was because I've got my new glasses on! I was lucky enough to win a money off voucher with online glasses store Firmoo with Maddy from Unstitchedd's blog giveaway! If you're after a cheap pair of fashionable glasses, you should really check them out.

I don't normally wear lipstick to work either but wanted to do a quick review of a little product from Lush I picked up recently.

It's the lip scrub in bubblegum and sells for £5.25 a pot.

I wanted to try this as I wear lipstick quite often at weekends and find that if my lips are a little dry, it doesn't always apply so well and spoils the effect.

The scrub is made of natural sugar and you simply scrub a little product into your lips with your finger and lick off the excess. Trust me, this stuff smells and tastes so nice, you'll find you put on a little more than necessary!

This is a really great step to add in before applying a lip balm to make sure your lips are silky smooth.

It also comes in 'Mint Julip' and 'Popcorn' flavours which also sound amazing!

Sorry for the thrown-togetherness of this post!

I went to a really great blogger event on Thursday so I've got a post on that coming up which should have much more direction!

Love,

Foxy x

Meet Lana...

Hello!

Sorry for being away so long; I'd like to say that I've been really busy with work and other unpleasantries but truth be told, it was my birthday!

And birthdays mean lots of lounging around, being waited on hand and foot (hopefully), sat around drinking cocktails and scoffing birthday cake. For the past two weeks I've been in the birthday mindset and been totally lazy- my gym bag has been in my car, unused for three weeks! Oh dear...

Anyway, I wanted to share my fave birthday present which was gifted to me by my amazing boyfriend.

Drum roll please.

JEFFREY CAMPBELL LANA'S!!!

Another pair to add to the collection!

I've had my eye on them on Motel Rocks since they went live so was really chuffed to get them! They're so bloody high but amazingly comfortable- even more so than the Lita's, I would say; I think there's extra padding inside.

I love them because they're a bit different. I find that the Lita has been copied to death and there are so many good fakes that sometimes I go out in mine and doubt that anyone knows the difference. These are really quirky; I love the curved heel, cut out back and the distressing around the toe. They're really unique.

If they look a little scuffed it's because I'd already been out in them. Far too keen.

The Jeffrey Campbell shoe boxes are always so lovely with pretty illustrations on them.

I wore them out on my birthday and lasted all night without blisters or having to limp, dance standing on the spot or taking them off- a feat rarely achieved by most of my other shoes!

I also wore them out to the cinema earlier this week (watched Looper, it was brilliant!). This is what I wore:

Earrings: Car boot sale; Patterned blouse: £3.50, charity shop; Cuff: Portugal; Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell @ Motel Rocks

Love,

Foxy

x

Transitional? More like Torrential!

Hello!

I'm now convinced that the minuscule amount of summer we've had is over!

This morning I awoke to glorious sunshine and 20°C heat, so with a spring in my step, I pegged my washing out, broke out the bare legs and set off into town in my sandals.


I wore this:

Sunglasses: Forever 21; Earrings: Car Boot Sale; Jacket/Shirt: Army Surplus Shop; Dress: Forever 21; Belt: Charity Shop, Sandals: New Look

In true Manchester style, two hours later the heavens opened and it absolutely chucked it down! I resembled a drowned rat when I arrived back and to add insult to injury, my washing was soaked!

Luckily, my spirits were high after a successful shopping trip, thanks to Office Shoes who literally have the best sale on ever!

I popped in to look for sandals for my holiday (which I'm yet to book- so organised) and was drawn to the Jeffrey Campbell's which appeared to be... in the sale section?

My eyes did not deceive me- £50 off!

I chose these in burgundy as I thought they'd be really wearable for A/W too

From my Instagram- 'katieafox'

They're the 'Foxy' style (how apt!) and I'm totally in love with them! I already have the Lita's so I thought these would be really nice as they're open-toed.

I trotted off to House of Fraser in search of a bikini where I bumped into the lovely Sarah of Fashion Dotty who I promptly showed my new purchase off to.

She mentioned that Office were also knocking 50% off their own brand sale prices too! Now, this I missed earlier amidst all the Jeffrey Campbell excitement.

I moseyed over to the Office concession and couldn't believe my eyes.

After trying on around 20 pairs of shoes (no word of a lie), I settled for these:

Was £55, bought for £12.50- madness! They're suede too.

And...

Also suede, was £68, also £12.50!

All in all, £80 for three pairs of shoes that would have originally cost £228.

I'm so happy, I could weep.

Have you picked up any amazing bargains in the summer sales?

Love,

Foxy

x

Hey, I put some new shoes on...

Or rather I put them on my bed- haven't had much chance to wear them!

They are of course my new Jeffrey Campbell Litas, eek!

Yes, I'm a bit late but I've wanted these for SO long. I couldn't justify buying them whilst I was a student then I did the whole moving, getting a full time job, generally struggling along thing, THEN, I had my birthday and got paid the same day and it was apparent that the time had come!

After discovering a few months ago that Office stocked them online, I've been dying to add them to my basket. English girls will know how difficult they were to get over here!

Even the box is beautiful. It's got a gorgeous crossword illustration on it. The subject matter? Shoes of course! I really want to complete it but probably shouldn't spoil the box.

I'll do an outfit post with them soon. I wore them for the first time to the cinema last night (watched Drive. I was dubious but it was actually very good. Loved the 80s vibe) but didn't have time to take pictures. Admittedly I didn't walk very far but I can confirm that they didn't hurt my feet in the slightest. Hoping that the reports of them being amazingly comfortable to wear are true- I'll let you know when they've had a better run!

Does anyone else think they make your feet look big? I reckon mine look at least a size larger in them. They get away with it for being so awesome though.

I'll also do a post soon on other pressies and bits I got for my birthday.

Have you treat yourselves to anything nice recently?

Foxy

x

A new coat fur me...

Firstly, I vow to get my arse in gear and blog more regularly...
Secondly, look at this gorgeous new (well, old- you know me) faux fur coat I bought!

Sorry about the pictures by the way, I've lost my camera again! These were taken on my amazing new phone (though admittedly the photos aren't great!) And my general appearance probably warrants some sort of apology too...

Anyway, the most amazing thing about this coat, I think, is where I got it from.

Now, the words ‘Perry Barr’ may mean nothing to you, but to those familiar with this north Birmingham area, I’d image you’re saying, ‘seriously’?

Yes deadly. Perry Barr is the unfortunate area where my university is located. Let me tell you, it’s in no way Birmingham’s style hotspot.

Perry Barr, from what I’ve seen of it, has one charity shop- Age Concern (another which hasn’t yet made the switch to ‘Age UK’). This branch of Age Concern is right next door to the train station, so I pass it often enough.

Doesn't look pretty, does it?

I can’t really justify why I don’t go into this charity shop; though I did once pop in to buy a cheap picture frame for a uni project.

Maybe it’s the location within Perry Barr- so many students pass it on their way to and from uni; however I’m not embarrassed about my bargain hunting or anyone spotting me (I do blog about it for God’s sake!) so this isn’t really a good enough excuse.

Perhaps it’s the mindset that won’t allow me to believe that any residents of Perry Barr (besides the students of course, who I doubt give their clothes away often) have a single scrap of style consciousness.

(N.B. I’m sure there are some stylish Perry Barrbadions out there, they’re obviously just an elusive bunch)

So what made me go into this branch that particular day?

Well, I was on my way to uni via the inconceivably unreliable London Midland train service, a record 40 minutes late for my lecture (I still slipped in unnoticed), when I passed the Age Concern window.

I spotted said coat, proudly displayed at the front- and it wouldn’t leave my poor brain alone all day. It was like the coat was sending me telepathic messages of “buy me!” throughout my day.

With less than 5 minutes to spare on the way home, I decided to call in for a closer look. The coat had been removed from the window but I soon found it hiding around the corner.

I flung it on, had a quick glance in the mirror and made the split decision to buy at £10- and I’m so glad I did!

Like most things I haven’t had the chance to think about properly, I wasn’t so sure about it when I first got it home. I thought it looked too big on me and noticed a stain on the collar I hadn’t seen in the shop. Upon first outing however I loved it. It’s so warm and I got lots of compliments.

A yellow stain and a black one on the collar (noticed the black one after buying)

The fur is really soft, much better quality than my black C&A faux fur. It’s from Debenhams, and going off the label, looks like it could be a few years old- anyone like to hazard a guess?

 The label underneath says ‘tissavel of France’, which I’ve seen on a few other vintage faux furs. The lining is an orangey colour in a silky fabric. There were also a couple of the coat's original buttons, which had been taken off, in one of the pockets. I've placed them on top of the coat so you can see what they're supposed to look like. Personally I think I prefer the coat buttonless.

Anyone who knows me is familiar with the fact that I haven't really been a massive fan of brown in the past; however I've quite warmed to the colour.

I'll be wearing my new coat with this gorgeous satchel bag that my lovely friend Lucy bought me for my birthday (it's from Topshop) and these New Look brogues, only £27 with my student discount- bargain!

I didn’t really have time to look in this branch of Age Concern properly, but I also spotted a sheepskin flying jacket and a full length leopard print fur coat.

It may be worth a trip back; sorry for the preconceptions Perry Barr!

Foxy x