OOTD: Autumn Wine

I suppose this is a daytime take on the slight goth trend everybody seems to be talking about, but not actually wearing.

Vest top, tights: H&M

Necklace: my mother's drawer

Cropped tee, shorts: Topshop

Belt: Uniqlo

When you think of lace, you expect people to try the usual – lace dress, lace tights, maybe a lace top – but you never expect lace shorts, which is why I snapped these up in the Topshop sale for a mere £10. The only problem is that they're a size too small ... I've had them for a year and only managed to fit into them once, after fasting for the whole day on Good Friday! So last night I'd finally had enough and made a little v-cut in the waistband. I may have to make a couple more to wear them comfortably, but it's a small price to pay. Here's a close-up of the textures:

... oh no, I've just read the label: dry-clean only.

WHY, TOPSHOP, WHY?!

xxx

The Obsession Continues ... Part 2!

(If you missed the first part, you can have a quick peek here.)

Here's the second pair from my Friday shopping trip with Millie. I snapped these up for £3.99, reduced from £14.99, again from Zara:

I wore them out to my friend Freya's 18th birthday bash on Friday and got lots of lovely compliments, but I'm still thoroughly mystified as to why anyone would shell out £15 for a pair of high-street tights. (And this coming from someone as hosiery-obsessed as I am ...)

If you've got any guesses then please enlighten me via the comments!

Love Sanchia xxx

By The Back Door

Y'know that post where I spent hundreds and hundreds of words talking about how much I hated lace?

Today I realised that, not only do I own the world's most beautiful lace ankle boots, I also own a pair of lace socks (which I'm totally in love with):

Lace socks: £5, Topshop; suede shoes: £15, Dorothy Perkins.

... and I almost bought a pair of lace tights in the Topshop sale last week.

I'm not sure how I feel about this!

– Sanchia xxx

The Obsession Continues ...

Today I met up with my friend Millie – actually some of you might know her! – for a spot of shopping and a general catch-up. We did the usual sale browse, and while totally failing to help Millie in her quest to find suitable clothing for her trip to Nepal this summer, I stumbled across two beautiful pairs of tights in Zara. The first is below:

I got them for £3.99, reduced from £9.99 – I was surprised that they were so expensive in the first place, but I'm starting to understand why. The pattern is stunning, nicer than any patterned tights I've seen in high street shops before, and they're made of a lovely, light wool that feels really comfortable next to your skin. I'm hoping they'll last me for a good while, although I tend to wear my tights and socks into the ground after about one season. (What can I say, it's an obsession!)

And don't worry, of course Millie and I took outfit photos for each other! Stay tuned ...

Love Sanchia xxx

I Love You, Universe.

If you've been following our blog, you may remember this, from my trend focus on lace:

You may also remember me mentioning how much I coveted those Topshop lace shoe boots (see above, they're black) – but in the end, I decided to stay away for my own good, and save the £28 for something else!

Anyway, today I wandered into the Topshop sale with my friend Naomi to help her find some (quote) "nice but not trashy" leggings, and came across these beauties again ...

 

... reduced to £15! It was a sign. And now, they're mine. Ah, the world is all poetry and roses!

I am very much in love with these: they're the most unique, beautiful boots I think I've ever seen, and my heart does all kinds of funny flips when I look at them. (Should I be worried by this?) I know they're not everybody's cup of tea, judging by Naomi's determined silence while I was trying them on (haha!), but that only makes me happier because I'm less likely to look like other girls walking down the street! I was going to wear them today, but sadly the heavens seemed to have opened on Norfolk. I'll be back with my OOTD in the evening – off to the cinema now.

Love Sanchia xxx

OOTD: Knitwear In Summer?!

Took a quick trip down to John Lewis today with the parents, wearing this:

Stupid poses and no make-up! That's just how I roll ... ;)

Top: £9.90, Mango
Skirt: £15, Dorothy Perkins
Belt: $19 = about £11, New York
Shoes: €15 = about £10, Barcelona
Hair slide & ring: £1.50 each, The Clothes Show


Knitwear in summer may seem a bit excessive, but I found this grey jumper in the summer sales and it is so light! Perfect for layering – finding all these great new season buys makes me so impatient for Autumn ... sigh.

I haven't worn these espadrilles for a while, but for the last few summers they have been my absolute favourite shoes. I picked them up on a family holiday to Barcelona (one of the most amazing cities in the world, if you love fashion or you just love life, then you need to go!) – they were handmade, and some of the stitching is a little loose because I've worn them into the ground. When they finally give up the ghost, I'm going to be on a plane or train straight back to get a new pair; they're just too versatile to lose!

I haven't had a haircut in an absolute age (next appointment is August 18th: you'll be the first to know what I think!) and I just can't be bothered to deal with it in the summer, so it's either pulled back with a big hair grip or in a ponytail usually. But today I found the September 2009 issue of ELLE which was full of big, messy plaits, so I thought I'd have a go ...

Let me know if you think it works!

Love Sanchia xxx

Ring The Changes.

I've been paying a lot more attention to my hands lately, as weird as that sounds! But since July, I've stopped playing piano and guitar regularly, which meant two things: firstly, I actually have fingernails now, and secondly, I've started wearing rings a lot more.

I say 'a lot', but actually my collection is pretty pathetic! I'm trying to get mine from sales and low-price shops as much as possible though; I don't want it to become an expensive habit like my earring collection. The first ring I ever bought was a beautiful £8 snake design from Topshop, which wrapped around half my finger, but it broke after I'd worn it about twice and I've learned my lesson!

 

From top to bottom: £1.80, ASOS (see this post for more); £1.50, The Clothes Show; £2, Dorothy Perkins; 

£3, Topshop; £4, Accessorize; £2, The Clothes Show; £2, The Clothes Show.

 

£4, Accessorize. Millie spotted the pendant version at the Liverpool Street Station sale and I fell in love with the ring!

£2, Dorothy Perkins. I picked this up in the sale to wear to my Leavers' Ball. 

My newest addition is this H&M ring:

 

They have a matching pendant too (only £2.99, unbelievably cheap!) but I don't want to fuel another jewellery collection just yet! I got comments from the changing room assistant, the girl at the till, and even the woman behind me in the queue, all saying how cute they thought it was – not that I needed much persuasion at this point since it was a mere £3.99. I've seen a lot of owl jewellery on the high street recently, mostly from Miss Selfridge, Topshop and Urban Outfitters, but nothing as low-priced as this for such a statement piece.

I just can't resist a good bargain!

Love Sanchia xxx

AW 10/11 Trend Focus: Lace

by Sanchia

"Ah, Lace. So we meet again ..."

Word on the catwalk: lace will be HUGE next season! I thought I'd write this post because I (brace yourself) hate lace with a passion, and since it's still firmly on the fashion radar, I thought it was about time I embraced it. 

Ugh.

We first started seeing lace way, waaaay back in AW 08/09, when Miuccia Prada decided that it would be interesting to see if she could base an entire collection on a material that she (at the time) just couldn't stand. 

 

But I've got to admit, the collection was more than just "interesting" – it was feminine, luxurious and seductive, and yet prim and stiff at the same time; it reminded me of forbidden love in a gothic novel. Back then the trend didn't really filter through past the couture houses ... but it resurfaced for SS 2010, and it hasn't stopped there! The L-word is a huge feature in some of the biggest new season collections: Valentino, Burberry Prorsum (damn you, Christopher Bailey!), Givenchy and Christopher Kane, to name but a few. 

I think it's got to the point now where I just cannot dig my heels in and ignore it any longer! So I've been doing a little internet shopping to see how I can try the trend by adding just a couple of key pieces here and there ...

Although I do need a new sweater, out of the above I think I'd go for the Topshop ankle socks! Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am absolutely obsessed with socks and tights (if you are too, check out this post by Sarah Williams), so no doubt I'll fall in love with them (and lace in general) on sight.

Oh gosh. The brogues. Are beautiful. Sadly they're white, and I don't know how long they'll last on a wet English street. While I love the peep-toe boots so much more, I think I'll regret them too the moment it rains, which I imagine is going to happen pretty often come November! But having said that, both pairs are very reasonably priced, so I may just eat my words and pick up one or the other (or both?) very soon. ;) (Ooh, before I forget, the TFNC dress is £17 reduced from £40 in the ASOS sale, so pick it up now or you'll miss out!)

The hoodie dress is staring at me. I'm hiding my debit card, just in case. (But just so you know, it's £65 reduced from £180, also in the ASOS sale. See my previous post for evidence of my ASOS addiction if you're a fellow sufferer!) I included the Warehouse blouse because the lace detail is very subtle, which makes it perfect for someone like me who wants to try the trend but isn't overly keen on it – and I can reference the white shirt mini-trend while I'm at it!

If you have any recommendations for ways I can try the lace trend, please let me know! And I'd love to know if and how you're going to reference it next season.

Love Sanchia (@wakeorsleep) xxx

P.S. Kudos if you managed to read that whole post! :) Have a free virtual hug: O

My Favourite Four-Letter Word

by Sanchia


I didn't have to think about it for very long: my favourite four-letter word has to be "SALE" (especially when it's in big, red capitals) closely followed by "ASOS"! Here are my spoils from the current ASOS online sale.

 

I snapped up this ring for £1.80 (I know, it felt like theft!) a few days ago:

The first one they sent to me broke in the package, so they replaced it with a new one the next day – and best of all, I now have a "free" ring and brooch (the broken-off top bit with a safety pin on the back)! Total win. :D

Secondly, I found this beautiful purse for just £10.80, after my 10% discount:

 

I'd seen it a few weeks ago but didn't have the money to get it before my holiday, and I found myself daydreaming about it more than once! (I know, I worry about myself too sometimes.) ;) It's blue and tan leather with a gorgeous (and very on-trend if I do say so myself) tassle, and enough space for my various cards, receipts, other assorted junk, etc. etc.

That's all for now; I've decided I'm going to give my debit card a break and put together a few trend edits for the next few days instead of shopping!

See you beautiful people soon ...

Love Sanchia (@wakeorsleep) xxx