I need never leave the house again

Which is just as well, since autumn has blown in with cold and wet being the new daily default, all day, every day. Bleugh. Roll on winter I say!
But, as I was saying, I need never leave the house again, having discovered Shop Style. I expect I'm the last person to hear about this website, but not reading magazines or high street fashion blogs or shopping anywhere but eBay of late, I'd been in the dark until an accidental googling brought me there this week.
Shop Style seems to just be a massive catalogue of a good portion of high street through to high end clothes, which are searchable. Thus I could look for capes, filtered by colour and price and see offerings from dozens of different shops.

In looking for some wintery clothes recently, I discovered that I've actually forgotten how to shop. I tried eBay, then Marks and Spencer and then hit a brick wall, where else sells clothes? Duhhhhh...
So Shop Style is a bit of a life saver. Not a money saver though; after a happy half hour looking at lovely things I'd placed orders with 3 shops. They'll probably be totally wrong for me but I was tempted by the offers of free delivery and free returns. I'll probably send them all back. Right?
Anyway.
I thought I'd share some of my favourite items so that I don't have to apply for bankruptcy alone. You can thank me later.

I'm having a cape moment. The catwalks were full of belted capes (Dr's waiting room mag - very informative) and these seem to be getting picked up on the highstreet too. Love this House of Fraser one, though it ain't cheap.

House of Fraser cape

 This jacket with a removable cape is a bit quirky but I'm very drawn to it. Mad Granny or stylish vintage?

Tweed cape jacket

Why is a basic rain mac so hard to find? I've spent hours looking for a smart and stylish coat. This one from Zara is nice, but it's a bit short - my legs'll get wet!

Zara raincoat

Better length but dreaded camel colour. If anything makes me look seriously ill, it's wearing camel.

 Zara trench

Now this is much better. A distinctly 70s style, but it looks flattering, is a reasonable length and has big pockets. I'm not sure about the colour, but I've ordered one. Report to follow.

ASOS trench

Having had some success with the coats, I started looking for dresses. I'm always on the lookout for flattering dresses, particularly for winter. This New Look skater style dress has heavy vintage overtones and the princess seams might make it a flattering fit. This too is on its way.

Newlook skater dress

Not one for me, sadly, but I thought someone else might fin this tempting - it's plus size only (UK20 up), jersey and in a very 40s style cut. Just with they did a smaller version!

ASOS plus sized dress

Still on the hunt for jersey, I came across this. Simple but really quite nice. I love the colour, and the longer length on this too. I may order one of these...

BooHoo jersey skater dress

Red is obviously very much in my winter pallet since I couldn't resist this top. It's limited edition and comes in 3 colours.

New Look blouse

And finally, accessories. I didn't really get into the shoes, since any regular reader will know that I have a small 'substance abuse problem' as Carrie Bradshaw would put it. I love this bag though, and have in fact had 3 bags very much like this before but for quite a bit more than they're charging. Ostrich is also my favourite. Black would be more practical, but the tan would go well with my new trench...

BooHoo bag

OK, I lied. There are shoes. But just one pair. And yes, these also went into my shopping bag. They're perfect for winter, though, and RED!

New Look desert boots

Ah, new season shopping. Got to love it.
Are there any other good style websites out there that I've missed? I'd love to hear how to shop a bit better from the experts!

Messing about on the river

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.

Kenneth Grahame

I've always loved boats and water and after watching Brideshead revisited one too many times, decided that I had to give punting a go. So it was that on Sunday I headed to Oxford with Tom and 3 friends to take my chances on the river.

With our Marks and Spencers picnic safely stowed, we gave in to our upper class pretentions and tentitively wobbled our way from the bank. Other than how lovely the boat house and woods were all around us, the first thing we noticed were the champagne corks floating in the river. This isn't a place that kids come to drink White Lightening at the weekend!

Tom heroically took first punt and we meandered our way downstream, narrowly avoiding other wobbly boats and the bank. Whether it's just Oxford, or the fact that most people were absolute beginners I don't know, but everyone was really friendly. Passing boats would swap pleasantries, joke about piracy (I was tempted to raid the boat carrying Pimms myself) and generally make the whole thing feel like a jolly caper that we were all in together.

We stopped twice over the course of the day for picinics and I got out the G&T in a can (thanks Marks for your genius inventions!). Desipte the boathouse being heaving when we were setting off, once we'd gone a few hundred yards away the river became very quiet with only the occasional boat or picnicers to be seen. While the punting itself was reasonably tricky and hard work (I'm just not strong enough to control the massive metal pole), laying in the boat as it glides under trees was a totally relaxing and rejuvinating experience.

When I planned the trip back in May, I'd envisaged myself wearing wide linen trousers and a bonnet. On the Saturday I realised that while I had a suitable hat, I didn't have any trousers and set about running some up. Foolishly, this meant that at 6pm I sat down to attempt my first pair of trousers...

I think they turned out damned well for a first, rushed attempt! I was still finishing them off in the car on the way there, but they stood up to a day of punting and for that I'm giving myself a pat on the back. I'll be posting about them in detail very soon! To continue the blue theme I wore my blue bow blouse and a vintage hat with a pale blue ribbon on it. You can't see my shoes here but they were this pair from Primark.

Sadly I left my parasole in the car - actually I'm very annoyed about that as my shoulders burnt quite badly in the sun! Luckily the hat performed its primary function (other than decoration, obviously) and kept my face out of the worst of it - I have a light tan but no redness. Go hat!
I had a really wonderful day and more than being on the river really appreciated the chance to share something nice with my friends, free from modern distractions (we all though it best to leave our phones in the cars!). We laughed more than I have for a long time as we got stuck in mud, nearly lost the person punting to low hanging trees and getting the pole stuck we drifted away from it, and of course, low bridges.

This one was barely higher than the punt. Much hilarity ensued.

I highly recommend punting for a day's fun. We'd never been before but managed not to drown ourselves and Oxford has the most wonderful scenery beside the river. We hired our boat from the Cherwell Boathouse where they provide everything you'd need for a very reasonable £16phr at the weekends, or £80 for a full day (10am - dusk) and as you can get 6 people in a punt (plus dogs!) it works out pretty cheaply.

Vicarious Vintage Inspired Shopping

I'm in the middle of my shopping fast and needed a fix. Touching real clothes would be too much for my jonesing, so it was an online shopping trip only.
I'm sure you're all familiar with the fab clothes available at Heyday, Freddies of Pinewood and the like, so I'm sharing some of my favourite vintage inspired High Street buys. See, under the guise of sharing with you I'm getting vicarious spending done :)

Zara usually have a lot of great 1940s style clothes, but they've come up a bit short this season. If you're into a 60s Mod look, there's plenty on offer, but not much to suit me.
I'm not sure where the waist sits on these, but if it's close to the natural waist they could look great with a 30s inspired top.

Zara WIDE-LEG TROUSERS 29.99 GBP

Zara has quite a few stripey slash neck t-shirts. I think they could work well with high waisted jeans for a cheeky nautical look.

Zara ORGANIC COTTON T-SHIRT 9.99 GBP


River Island has come up trumps this time round. The have a couple of dresses this style, which claim to be knee length. I'm interested to see if they really do reach the knee, but this one in particular is lovely!

River Island beige 50s embellished prom dress £44.99

 The same goes for this one - it's lovely but how long is it?

River Island brown check belted shirt dress £39.99

This makes me think of Edwardian styles, but also of the Mexican blouses that were popular in the 40s. I think this top calls for a broomstick tiered skirt or some wide legged trousers.

River Island blue print chelsea girl gypsy top £25.00

I really like the buttons and the waist detailing on these, nice for the sunny months!

River Island beige button wide leg trousers £34.99


Marks and Spencer have a limited range of interesting clothes for once, I normally find lots of clothes I like but not much today!
This shirt made me think of Katharine Hepburn, it's a great classic shirt.

Marks and Spencer Autograph Essentials Twin Flap Pocket Satin Shirt £29.50

The Roma range at Marks is higher waisted and a bit more generous in the hip! They fit me the best of any trousers on the high street and are where my trousers I wear most often to work come from. These linen ones look like they'd be nice for the park or walking by the sea when it really gets hot!

Marks and Spencer Per Una Roma Pure Linen Wide Leg Trousers £35.00

 Next I looked at Clarks for some shoes! I've been after some white sandals since last summer, and I think these fit the bill perfectly! They ain't cheap but I think they'd go anywhere and I could dance in them. What more could a girl ask for? Clarks have their usual great range of styles inspired by their own archives - I do go on about them though so I'll leave their range at one pair!

Clarks Orinda Cameo £59.99


Office have some nice sandals too. I like these in particular as they're not so high as some of the others!

Office GOLD STAR FOR YOU DARK GREY RAFFIA £46.00

Despite all those lovely things, I think the only things I'd like to go and look at are the Clarks shoes, the M&S trousers and the River Island blouse. At a pinch, maybe just the shoes...am I getting less keen on spending money with my fast?

Primarni footwear

I have come to realise that my claims about owning only Clarks shoes is a false one. With a recent splurge of a whole £30, I added 3 new pairs to my collection of Primark shoes. I'm not normally a huge fan of Primark - on the whole their stuff is cheap and poorly made, and there are cheap labour issues, of course.

All that aside, their shoes can often be real leather (something I look for in shoes) and actually quite comfortable. I wear mine quite often and they've aged pretty well.

This is the pair I wore in my outfit post earlier this week. They're so frivolous that they brighten up any outfit! 

I wear these instead of trainers - dancing, hardcore shopping expoditions, popping to the shops. They're so soft that they're probably the most comfortable shoes I own!

I've been a bit wary of masculine brogues before - I worry they make my feet look massive! These ones are quite a narrow cut though, and the low heel gives them just enough of a feminine touch!

I bought these for summer - they're canvas and leather. Perfect sporting shoe for croquet and other genteel summer activities!

I didn't need these, but I loved the cut outs and the raised pleats on the front. These aren't real suede, but they look pretty good. And actually, I'm a bit short on evening shoes, so maybe I did need them!

Seeing as I'm on a budget this year, I think I'll be doing more Primark shopping in the future!

Living with less doesn't apply to shoes

In all honesty, I bought these before I made my New Years Resolution to live with less and spend less so it doesn't count against me. Also I was given money for Christmas, so these shoes doubly don't count. Plus they were in a 50% off sale!

Anyway, now that I've justified their purchase, I present my new shoes!

I'm learning to be more honest and therefore I will say that actually I think I only have one pair of shoes that aren't from Clarks. It's pointless me trying to pretend I ever shop anywhere else now. If only they'd sponser me I'd be in heaven.

Their sale (still on) took both pairs of shoes down to around the £25 mark, so they were really affordable.



Cadiz treasure in Claret

The red pair are suede with a mock-snakeskin patent toe, all in a wonderful red. I had a pair of red ballet pumps a few years ago but the soft leather got so torn and tatty that I binned them and regretted it ever since. Red shoes go with a surprising large number of other colours and brighten up an otherwise dull outfit. Plus, as flats I can wear them to work without hobbling to the bus stop and for casual times with jeans. You see, cost per wear will be virtually nothing!



Cubin Hat in Navy Suede

Slightly less practial were these blue suede wedges. Step on them at your peril. I love the details and the shape around the buckle.

I'm always dubious about women who describe high heels as 'surprisingly comfortable', but I'm about to. They're higher than my average day shoes would be, but certainly wearing them briefly round the house was a breeze. I might even wear these to walk to the bus stop in, but only if it won't rain. My poor suede - it does love to get wet and it's never quite the same afterwards!

Oh, and I 'needed' a pair of blue shoes to go with my navy skirts. Honest!
Just tell my husband I've had them for years, ok?

Shop till you drop

I have a confession. I've been spending far too much money.
I know it's not a shocking confession to make, but I feel as though I should share my crime and ask forgiveness. To help you bring yourselves to forgiving my crimes, I will share my new treasures with you.

1940s pattern. I'm not sure about the lime green, but I do like the plaid and I thought this would make a great winter dress, something I've wanted for a while and will save me money by stopping me buying one. Not buying it? Nah, I wouldn't either. Still,it's pretty awesome. Plus, the lovely seller sent cute buttons free.

I'm likely to be going to a rock night at a local club next month and my mostly-vintage wardrobe doesn't really cut the alt-rock image so well. I reckon that rockabilly bridges that gap between vintage and rock, so I started thinking about what I coukd wear that was rockabilly! I decided that a check shirt, tied at the waist with my 40 jeans from freddies would work, if I put my hair in Betty Page bangs and punk up my makeup.

So...I stopped by Primark this week, looking for a check shirt. I found this one, which I actually really like and have been wearing round the house since! Bonus!

I also bought this little cotton jumper while I was there...

Then I decided to get these shoes from Clarks. I have the black leather ones, and these chocolatey suede ones were too good to pass up! These shoes are so comfy, and nicely basic to go with most outfits. When I finish my skirt I'm making I'll be wearing them together.

I also picked up these shoes. They're to wear with the ATS uniform I'm putting together for a reenactment group. I'm going to be ATS!

I also saw these boots at office, but I'vwe managed to restrain myself from buying them so far. Aren't they beautiful?!

And I'll leave you with my last purchase, a pumpkin for carving tomorrow. This is not a picture of my owl though, sadly, it's a treat given to the animals at Bristol Zoo. I wish I could buy an owl!

Shoes shoes shoes

I've bought too many shoes this week.
First I was in Marks and Spencer and saw this fab pair of wedges. Then I found some lovely white slingbacks with a peep toe on ebay, and after that some cream brogues.




Now I've seen 2 pairs of great shoes in Clarks.
Vanilla Cream

Ashill Bombay

I thought they both had a good 40s vibe about them. Clark's Originals range are a great source of well made vintage pattern shoes, based on their own archive. They also have some fab 30s style dance shoes. Managed to restrain myself from buying those though! No more shoes till the depths of winter for me!