Tex-mexi dress

Howdy partners!

For my sister's birthday she had a mexican fiesta. There were lethal tequila drinks, incredible edibles and a pinata (my contribution). As I love a theme dress, I finally had an opportunity to wear my cowboy-style denim shirt dress (from an East End thrift store fill-a-bag). I teamed it with the new belt I got for my birthday which was very tex-mex- cowboy buckle but made of a colourful striped material remniscient of a poncho (from Beyond Retro). I finished the outfit off with my tatty devine day of the dead necklace and silver snakeskin high heels (good old M&S), as I felt the dress needed sophisitcated shoes to contend with its voluminosity. The close-up is from a little fun shoot my friend Elle and I did in October, hence the difference in hair colour. 

protect ya neck

my other bolo tie from the Sue Ryder charity shop. I'm like accessories central at the mo. Apparently this shirt (Primark, £10) is in Look magazine with several ways to wear, but with a bolo tie is not one of them, swish. 

The lipstick I'm wearimg (MAC, 'Rebel') does not go with the shirt but I asked my make-up artist friend Simone to try out an exciting lipstick shade on me that I wouldn't normally wear and she picked this, I love it but don't know if I'm brave enough to wear it!

I've also rediscovered this suede patchwork bag which I wanted to show as it is from the little RSPCA shop in Upminster and was only £2.50. When I worked in a charity shop they always used to laugh at me because I woud save all the old patchwork bags for the vintage sales I did for the charity, they thought they were really naff and old lady but they always sold!

happy death day to you

as today was the Mexican 'Day of the dead' or Dia de los muertos, I would like to show off my little calaveras brooches from Beyond Retro...

these guys co-ordinate

 

and this guy is a bit of an odd one out but he is drinking a beer and wearing a stetson, I HAD TO HAVE HIM. Yes, I did also wear a t-shirt with a skull-with-a-quiff on it today, its my favourite. The pics of the brooches aren't great because it was so hard to get an up close detailed shot without glare, the Beyond Retro blog has this for a better idea. Gotta catch 'em all.

bolo job

=The style inspirations for this look:

It is a bit weird but its my favourite outfit at the moment, I feel comfortable and confident in it. The basic outfit is all just cheap H&M. I like how the hat (from the Next sale, swish) picks up on the colour in the espadrilles (Kurt Geiger sale, double swish) but the 'key piece' that makes this look current is the little bolo tie and that was of course from... THE SUE RYDER CHARITY SHOP I USED TO WORK IN! I've had it for a couple of years but have only just figured out how to wear it in a way that works for me. I love when you buy something because you like it but have no idea what you will wear it with so you squirrel it away and then years later it is your new favourite thing! I have another 'western' bolo tie bought at the same time which I will blog at some point. I basically love Americana/western/cowboy stuff, I have loooadsss of it (I once got yee-ha'd on the way to work. Twice. By two separate people), I love the kitsch/quirkiness of it. This is a floppy hat rahter than a steston so its thematically confused, but that's probably a good thing.

brown and black and birthdayed all over

Saturday night I managed to have yet another faux birthday, but closer to my actual birthday and still awesome. My actual birthday was kind of lame in the day and then better in the evening, but leading up to it I have been completely spoiled with love and generous gifts, which I will blog when appropriate, as I am basically too lazy to document it all arbitrarily. I don't like how I looked on the night as such, the tranny eyelashes were a huge mistake (again, I think its time to send them to early retirement) and my outfit would have looked nice on a wee waif but on me was just unflattering. However, I like to use this blog to record my charity shop and second hand finds, and this outfit contained a few doozies. I didn't have the foresight (or time) to photograph it so I have robbed these pics from Elle to demonstrate. And Simone had backcombed my hair something fantastic... A classic picture demonstrating how ridiculous Furr and I look together. I've really helped the situation with the frou-grab. The suede jacket was a tenner from my (ex) charity shop, its ginuwine Pioneer Wear, made in the U.S of A, baby. I love its pronounced shoulders. The skirt is vintage Topshop - not from the vintage section in Topshop, actual vintage Topshop. TopshopTopshopTopshopTopshop. I got it from a charity shop in Worcester Park a couple of years ago for a fiver and it was - what is very fashionable now but incomprehensible to me then - midi length, so I had it taken up, although it is still just above the knee, not mini. Wish I had left it alone now but how could I have known that a fashion that accentuates a bulky calf would be something I would want to wear? The print is all kinds of rad animal prints and animals. You can just see my new Little Wing earring, a gift from Elle which has skull beads on the top.

I will eat your heart. Creepy right?
Waaa I wanna be blonde

In the other ear I had a loooong feather earring from Topshop (which pre-dates Little Wing so is allowed...) and I wore a silky nightie from Asda as a top. Oooo look at all my hair. Elle also gave me a necklace and this Dia de los muertos skull bead bag charm. I am mad sick in love with it: .... yes this was the bag I took out on Saturday, I have some perverse matching problem. Incidentally, the bag was £2.50 from the second hand clothes shop that is opposite, and rival to, my ex charity shop.

Next up will be my sissys 21st birthday and I can't wait to see her!

christmas is coming, the luce is getting fat

please put a penny in the old man's hat. If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do, if you haven't got a ha'penny then God help you. - is a song my grandad sings at Christmas. Man, some people are ruined by boarding school.

Wednesday was the annual Christmas Carvery with Sammi. No pics of our roasts this time, the spread was a bit disappointing, they were focused too much on their curry night and it was heaving full of people having work Christmas do's, wearing bad Christmas don'ts.

This is what I wore, it's a bit yeehaa!


Boots are Primark but from my shop; the jeans are my only pair of jeans as I can't wear trousers, they don't fit me, and neither do these, as you can see by the muffin top, but a girl can't wear leggings allll the time, sadly. The shirt I loooove and is an old, I'm guessing 80s number, originally C&A but I got it from my shop along with some other vintage beauts you might see.