A Peterpan Collar from Max C

There's a lot of hype about peterpan collars at the moment and I can certainly see why! As a 1960s fashion lover, they tick all the right boxes, and they add a nice cute detail to any outfit. I'm gradually building up a small collection of peterpan collars... I wonder if they'll beat my collection of Breton tops!

Today I wore this beautiful one from Max C - it has a crocheted collar and three little sailor buttons at the top - and its in navy too... can it get any better? :)

I'm wearing it with these culotte style shorts (charity shop!) - a match made in heaven.

What would you wear with it?

Sadie xxx

Max C - Outfit #3!

I've had a very busy week - buying the last few things for uni, getting and then recovering from tonsillitis, planning a dinner party and turning 19!! I feel so old... boo.

I didn't really want to blog when I was ill earlier in the week, but I felt well enough today to pop outside and take some photos, just before a huge storm hit my town! So this is outfit #3, incorporating a beautiful victoriana-style spotted chiffon blouse from Max C.

The blouse is a delicate little number, with dainty polkadots, ruffle details and a high collar (although I've chosen not to button it all the way up in this outfit). I've paired it with my paperbag waist shorts from H&M, which I think complement it well, although this shirt would work equally well in the office! (They do it in black and white too!).

Also - do you remember these shoes ^? Well, until a few days ago, they had brown laces... and then one of the laces snapped. So instead of replacing them with more brown laces, I decided to add some cream trainer-style laces, à la these Chloé boots that I have coveted for too long. What do you think of the effect? Yay or nay?

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'll be announcing a Max C giveaway within the next week!

All Dressed Up in Max C

You may remember that a few months back I sported a beautiful peterpan collar dress on a trip to the seaside - and I'm still oh-so enamoured with it :). Well, the dress was from a company called Max C of London - and for September, I'm their blogger of the month!

Naturally, this means sampling lots of Max C products, hehe - I'm loving being a blogger at the moment! So I chose to try out this sophisticated Art Deco clutch bag and a gorgeous black coat, perfect for posh evening events, or simply for a casual posing session in your living room, haha. Anyway, I have to say, once again I absolutely love these clothes!

The Art Deco Clutch Bag is very sophisticated, and as I love all things 1920s this is my ideal kind of bag! The bag has 3 different options for the handles - you can either have it as a long bag, a short bag, or just a small loop to hold in your hand.  You can hardly tell its made from PU - its lovely and soft, just like real leather. I chose the red version as I thought it would add a nice 'pop' to evening outfits - which in my wardrobe are usually in a dark colour palette.

The coat is also absolutely gorgeous, and made from a slightly shiny material which gives it a luxurious edge. I think I'll be wearing it a lot this winter, on those inevitable clubbing outings that go with university life! (I'm not going to lie, I've never been clubbing before... help!). I really like the puffy princess sleeves and the fact that it doesn't have a collar - I sometimes find that coats with collars swamp me a bit, so this is perfect.

Yum :)

I've got some more Max C clothes to show you over the course of September, ending in a great giveaway!! So stay tuned!

And I hope you like the photos - I was playing around a lot with the lighting effects :).

Sadie xxx

Next Pop-Up Shop!

Hello lovely readers! I've got something very exciting for you today... a Next Pop-Up Shop!

Next contacted me recently with this exciting proposal, and of course, I couldn't say no :). They're launching their A/W 2010 collection, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. It seems to encompass all of the top trends - remember me talking about how I'm looking forward to highstreet versions of the Prada 'Mad Men' style? Well, Next have delivered the goods: I'm definitely seeing a 60s influence in the coat and dress below.

I've chosen 4 of my favourite looks from their new collection, so... clockwise from top left:

1) I couldn't resist picking this one, simply for its amazing Burberry-esque aviator jacket - definitely a key wardrobe staple this winter. This version is faux-lamb skin, and looks lovely and warm. I also love how the chunky socks have been paired with the brown boots - I'll be trying this myself soon, although I don't know if I can pull it off!

2) This is my absolute favourite look - slightly preppy but without looking like you've just come out of the classroom. I like how the shorts and lapel details add a nice twist to this classic suit, whilst still keeping it appropriate as office wear. And the lace up shoes are yummy!

3) My favourite aspect of this outfit was the brown leather bag... does it remind you of a certain it-bag...? The coat is also beautiful - very 60s, with its peter-pan style collar and princess sleeves.

4) A lovely simple 60s style trapeze dress with a demure colour palette - perfect for strolls around Paris, as seen in the ad campaign - but also for nights out or posh meals :). The court shoes are pretty lovely too.

And now on to the exciting bit... the pop-up shop! It reminds me a bit of Gok Wan's capsule wardrobes... everything sort of matches everything else. If you like any of the items in these 4 outfits, click on the item on the grid and it should link you through to the Next website, where you can look at the items in more detail... I'm very excited by this modern technology!

I hope it all works properly!
Which is your favourite item?

Sadie xxx

Fabric Supermarket Shopping Bag - Tutorial!

Working in a supermarket means that I see first hand just how many plastic bags are used every day - and it's pretty shocking! Thats why I wanted to make a re-usable version for myself, as I feel so bad thinking of all of the plastic bags being buried in the ground after just one use.

I'm sure I've seen a how-to for these fabric shopping bags elsewhere on the internet - it's certainly not an original idea - but I thought I'd make my own version, along with a tutorial. With university looming, along with the inevitable weekly supermarket shop, I think it will get a lot of use! And of course, it'll help save the environment, which is always a plus. So without further ado... a how to guide, so you can try making one yourself!

You will need:

• A plastic supermarket bag
• Some fabric
• 2m of Bias Binding
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine/Thread/Pins

1. Find yourself a nice bit of pretty fabric - I've used an old duvet cover (you may recognise it from here!). Then cut along the seams of a supermarket shopping bag, and open it out flat.

2) Trace around the bag with a biro. Make sure you leave a 1cm margin all the way around (except for the right hand edge) to allow for seams.

3) Flip the bag over (along its right hand edge), and do the same.

4. Cut along your biro lines (remembering to leave a 1cm margin all the way around).

5. Using the original bag as a guide, iron along the edges, so that your material ressembles a supermarket bag.

6. You should end up with something that looks like this...

7. Turn the whole thing inside out and sew up the side join. Then hem around the inner handles. (Doesn't really need to be neat, its just to stop it fraying).

8. Then turn it back around the right way and sew along the bottom edge, as well as the tops of the handles (like on a plastic supermarket bag).

9. Finally, just to make it look nice and neat, fold your bias binding around the bottom seam and the handle seams, as well as around the 'neckline' of the bag. I've chosen to use a contrasting bias binding :).

10. Go shopping!

I hope I've explained it well enough! If you have any problems, leave me a comment and I'll try to help. If not, just keep referring back to the original plastic bag, and it should turn out ok. The whole thing takes about 1hr to make!

Good luck! If any of you decide to make one, let me know - I'd love to see how yours turns out :D.

Sadie xxx

In the Countryside

Although I don't always appreciate it, I'm very lucky to live in an area surrounded by countryside! I think after a few years in the city, I'll start to miss the beautiful scenery and fresh air.

And what better a place to show off this horse-themed necklace - the last of my top picks from the Accessorize A/W collection.

The necklace itself is beautifully embellished with tiny beads, faux diamonds and red stitching, all mounted on leather for a luxurious feel. It would definitely work both during the day and in the evening, making it very versatile!

It is certainly very unique in design - at least, I've never seen anything like it! Which makes it all the more appealing - who wants to walk around with exactly the same necklace as everyone else?

I've paired it with yet another variant of the Breton top - I like how the striped horse reflects the pattern of the top! I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I have 8 different tops in this classic stripey design... eep! Need to break my Breton addiction!

I'll post a link to the necklace when it's up on their website!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'll be back very soon with a sewing tutorial that I've been working on!

A Tea Party & Accessorize A/W Pendants!

On a slightly drizzly Saturday afternoon I decided it would be a great idea to have a Mad-Hatter's Tea Party themed photoshoot (yes, I know I'm a bit of a late joiner to the Alice and Wonderland bandwagon!). I thought it would be the perfect setting to show off some more of the Accessorize A/W 2010 jewellery - this time, a slightly more whimisical set of pendants!

These ones are my personal favourites from the collection - I'm very tempted to buy myself the 'Pearly Specs' pendant (especially seeing as I'm a secret glasses wearer! shh!).

I think they look good layered together for a nice quirky, 'English eccentric' effect - and as you know, I'm a big fan of this look, especially when it comes to jewellery. Delicate faux-pearl sections and bows add interest to the long chains in true Accessorize style - definitely transforming the necklaces into something a bit more up-market than just simple pendants.

Scissors / Pearly Specs / Magician's Hat

So what if I'm a fan of the 'builders brew'...

I've chosen to pair the necklaces with this beautiful polkadot dress, kindly given to me by my boyfriend's mum during a wardrobe clearout. It's definitely going to get a lot of wear! The Mad-Hatter top hat is homemade - I went to an Alice in Wonderland themed 18th earlier in the Summer and dabbled in a bit of millinery with my PrittStick and Cornflakes boxes.

And finally - what do you think of my teacups? I've been stocking up on vintage crockery for uni, and I found these pretty little things in a charity shop for £3. Incidentally, the 'tablecloth' is also set to be my new duvet cover (very Urban Outfitters-esque, but a complete steal at £4... charity shop ♥)!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I loved your styling suggestions for the last necklace - so, same question here: how would you style these pendants? :)

Monsoon Accessorize A/W 2010 - A Review!

For me, Monsoon Accessorize has long been a first stop shop for kitch accessories and pretty party jewellery - as well as lust-worthy bags, scarves and hats for the winter. So you can imagine my delight when they contacted me, offering to send some of their new-season jewellery for review!

I've selected some of my favourite pieces, and I'm aiming to feature them on the next few posts before I send them back - so watch this space!

This chunky 'Mary Jane Pearl Necklace' isn't something I'd normally choose to wear, however, I fancied a little styling challenge and ended up chanelling a slight biker look. The necklace itself is made from large bronze-coloured faux-pearls, entwined with a glittering chain of faux-diamonds and all bound together on a thick gold chain. It is certainly a statement piece, and I definitely think it lends itself to this biker look rather well!

I really love the idea of adding a chunky necklace to an outfit, as it certainly gives your look an edge - and I think this one would work both on its own, as well as layered up with other gold necklaces.

What do you think of it?

Necklace - Monsoon Accessorize
Mesh Top - Oasis
Shorts - Charity Shop

Tights - H&M
Shoes - Vintage

Sunglasses - Camden Market

How would you style this necklace? I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

Sadie xxx

(P.S. Sorry for my long unexplained absence - I blame a trip to Brighton, results day and general university organisation! I got in to my first choice though - hooray!)