The Dublin Dress

Whenever I go away somewhere I always try and pick up something that I'm not going to see everyone wearing back in the UK. Ricky and I recently went to Dublin, Ireland and I discovered the A|Wear shop which, in their own words, is a "Irish born female fashion brand" based in Dublin. They have great pieces at really great prices and I immediately fell in love with all of their dresses - they were all so pretty! 

After trying on a selection of dresses I settled on this gorgeous navy blue swing dress which I thought was really classy.

Navy Swing Dress - A|Wear, 45 Euros
Nude Heels - Primark, Old

As soon as I got home I was very happy to find out that it is very easy to find A|Wear online and they ship to the UK for the reasonable price of £3.95! Time to get online shopping...

The Check Addiction

Oh dear... It seems that I have got a little carried away with the tartan and check trend that has popped up all over the high street recently. It started with my tartan dress (see: The Tartan Fetish), it continued with my check scarf (see: The Transitionals) and now my wardrobe is becoming overrun with checks galore!

Black Oversized Jumper - H&M, £14.99
Red Tartan High Waisted Shorts - River Island, £16.00
Black Leggings - Topshop, Old
Black Chelsea Boots - Topshop, Old

I just love these shorts from River Island and they were such a bargain! They look great with leggings for a casual look but I am also going to dress them up with heels and a sheer black shirt.

Short Sleeve Check Shirt - Topshop, £28.00
Black Tube Skirt - Primark, Old
Black Leggings - Topshop, Old
Black Chelsea Boots - Topshop, Old

How cute is this little checked shirt? So easy to chuck on with a skirt or black skinny jeans and a great way for me to get some different colours into my wardrobe.

Black Boob Tube - H&M, Old
Tartan Tube Skirt - Topshop, £25
Black Skinny Belt - Primark, £2 for pack of 2
Black Chelsea Boots - Topshop, Old

I think that this skirt has to be one of my favourite items in my wardrobe at the moment. If you're a regular here, you'll know that I love a tube skirt! I've also worn this one with a baggy black t-shirt for a more casual look.

Must stop buying tartan and checks now... what will my next fashion addiction be I wonder? Watch this space!

The Studded Accessories

So ever since I bought my studded handbag a few months ago (see: The Rock 'n' Roll Accessories) I have always been on the lookout for more studded beauties and my dreams came true when I discovered Zoe Victoria's little shop on twitter. She has some lovely bits and bobs and at such reasonable prices! Here are my faves:

Heart Studded Bag

The heart shapes make these studs a little less 'punk' which I think is a great twist on the embellishment. You can't go wrong with a little black bag! It's great for nights out and those days where you only need your purse and phone.

Studded iPhone Case

Not only is this case stylish, it's also very practical - I'm very clumsy and always dropping my iPhone! I love the lilac colour as well. 

Studded Socks

Aren't these just adorable!? They are the perfect alternative to those cute frilly socks that I have never been able to pull off! I'm going to wear mine peeking over the top of my converse. 

Check out Zoe Victoria's other items here or follow her on Twitter here or Facebook here. 

The Transitionals

So it's September - the kids have gone back to school, it's getting dark earlier and I can no longer ignore the fact that Autumn is slowly but surely taking over. Although I will be sad to say goodbye to the sunny days and warm evenings we have enjoyed this summer, I cannot deny that I love A/W fashion and I knew that it was time to give my wardrobe a bit of an update.
Today my Mum made her way over to Reading. As usual, we headed off to town for some retail therapy and, as usual, I got spoiled! Take a look at these transitional pieces that I picked up today...

Black Marl Knitted Jumper - H&M, £14.99

H&M was by far my favourite shop today - there was so much A/W goodness to choose from! I bough this jumper simply because I love a comfy day and because however many times I try to pull off a chunky cardi or jumper they never look quite right... sigh.

Black Skinny Jeans - Dorothy Perkins, £25

I decided  it was time to get a new pair of black skinny jeans as they are always a staple item in my A/W wardrobe. I often struggle to find jeans long enough for me but these 34" beauties are just right - and the price wasn't too bad either! (Dotty P's have got a special promotion on at the moment as well! 25% off everything on their website at the moment when you enter promo code DPFW25 at the checkout. Now that's an excuse to shop if ever I heard one!)

Printed Scarf - H&M, £6.99

H&M had an amazing collection of scarves to chose from but I thought this red/black/grey check number would be perfect to see me through A/W and at only £6.99 how could I resist!?

Black Pumps - Primark, £4.00

No shopping trip would be complete without a cheeky visit to Primark. I snatched up these slip-on pumps for £4.00 - what a bargain! They're plain and simple so are perfect for a quick finish to any outfit, day or night.

Leather Jacket - Zara, £159.99

Check out my gorgeous Mum! She splashed out on this gorgeous real leather jacket from Zara. It may not be your everyday purchase but she had been saving up her pennies for a long time! What a stunner (my Mum and the jacket)!

The Tartan Fetish

Tartan Dress - Topshop, £36

Tartan has been popping up all over the high street as the Autumn Winter 13 collections start to take over and of course, I've jumped on the bandwagon! I picked up this cute blue tartan dress from Topshop for £36 and although it's rather summery, I will be able to add opaque tights and a cardi to when those dreary winter months are upon us. For now I'm making the most of the sunshine and keeping it simple with minimal accessories and flip flops.

The loose fit is so comfortable when it's hot and I love that the back is slightly longer than the front - gotta keep that derriere under cover!

The problem is, now I've had a taste of tartan - I want more! Here are a few pieces on my Tartan wish list...

1. Tartan Pencil  Skirt - Glamorous, £16.99
2. Tartan Crop Top - Glamorous, £13.99
3. Tartan Cigarette Trousers - River Island, £30.00
4. Tartan Hareem Trousers - Boohoo, £20.00
5. Tartan Midi Skirt - ASOS, £36.00

The Perfect Jumpsuit

For ages now I have been searching high and low for a jumpsuit that fits me properly - they're always too short / too tight in the wrong places / just look plain awful - but I have finally found my perfect jumpsuit from River Island. After searching for so long I was beginning to give up hope but when I spotted this one for only £28 I had to try it on.

Here are some pics of me wearing the lovely jumpsuit to Reading Festival this weekend. It was nice and sunny so I had to pull the legs up a little higher. 

Pork Pie Hat - Topshop, £25
Patterned Jumpsuit - River Island, £28
Black Bandeau - New Look, Pack of 2 £5
Suede Ankle Boots - Topshop, Old

When I bought the jumpsuit they had sold out off my usual size so I opted for a size bigger and popped a bandeau on underneath and hey presto - perfect comfy festival outfit!

Leather Look Backpack - Primark, £12
(See previous post: The Mothers Purse)

The Floral Frock

Every summer I feel like it's not officially summer until I've purchased at least one pretty, floral print item of clothing. This year my item of choice was this lovely daisy print dress from Topshop. I bought it as part of my uniform allowance at work which meant that I got some discount off of the £46 price tag, which would normally be a little out of my price range. However, there are some lovely details on the dress which make it worth while; it nips in at the waist perfectly without being too small everywhere else, it has lovely slightly-puffed sleeves and last but not least some subtle cut-outs at the collar bone and waist.

Daisy Print Dress - Topshop, £46

I apologise for this ridiculously posey picture! Here's one of me and my lovely Mum where I look a bit more human...

What floral pieces have been your wardrobe must-haves this season?