Polo Neck Top | Shout (cheap shop in Nottingham)
(Similar ones - 1 | 2 )
Skirt | Internacionale
Coat | Primark
Tights | Henry Holland
Boots | New Look
Belt | Primark
Necklace | Dorothy Perkins

I quite enjoy putting together dressier outfits for my blog at the moment. Due to a lack of money, time and desire to go on a night out I don't get to do this for real much! I like the odd night out when I'm in the mood for it, but I get tetchy in a nightclubs. Boys and girls alike seem to turn into vile creatures in those horrid, packed rooms of sweat. So I end up at my point of respite by 1am: Maccy Ds!

Anyway, on from that rant! I bought this top from a really cheap shop in Nottingham, it was £5! What a find! They also had some with cold shoulder cut outs, but I decided it might be too cheeky to wear in an outfit like this.

These Henry Holland tights are pretty old now but I got them in the River Island sale for about a fiver. Suspender-look tights were of course a massive trend, but I'm re-living it with these kind of 'ornate' ones. Cheers Henry.

So according to Good Charlotte I'm like the seats in their Cadillac - all black (minus the coat and gold jewellery). That doesn't impress me lads, sounds like pretty standard emo-customisation. If you're wondering what the hell I'm on about, Good Charlotte are a band I loved back in the emo days. This is the song I'm referring to (if anyone wants to take a trip back to age 14: kohl eyeliner at the ready). Plus Joel (the lead singer) was quite dishy (and still is in my books). Nicole Richie you stole him, but we're cool with each other now because she designs some proper amazing accessories.


I put together a little haul video as I grabbed some SUPER cheap jewellery on the weekend. And super is in capitals for a good reason. I got 4 pieces of jewellery from BHS for £7. I kid you not chaps! I know, BHS may seem like a peculiar choice of shop, but just look at what I got - some absolute steals! I also spent about a fiver on a more statement-y necklace from New Look, which I'm hoping will grow on me a bit!

I genuinely don't have a lot of jewellery, so this was my excuse to snap these up after an utterly divine Wetherspoons breakfast (I bet that's the first time anyone's used that sentence. But nothing beats their veggie breakie minus beans). Anyway, I'm sure you'll see them all featured in tons of future outfit posts!

Definitely scoot on over to a BHS and have a rummage around the jewellery sale. Among the 'Nan' necklaces are some things with potential. I'd love to know which of the pieces I got is your favourite!

A quick note to say that I also have some things up on eBay - so if you'd like a look, click here!

Alright, so this is a wee bit late. Yesterday was the anniversary of the first day I ever posted on this blog! Making this little spot on the web a sprightly one year old. You might not know that this blog was initially a beauty blog - it wasn't 'Robyn Mayday'. I consider my blog to have become a style-based blog within the past 8 months or so, after I changed my blog name. So maybe this is more of a blogging birthday rather than a blog birthday! 

Cue the soppy bit: A huge, ginormous thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my blog. I bloody love blogging and it wouldn't be the same without you. I'm so pleased that (according to your feedback!) I've been able to help and entertain people in some way through what my posts. I massively appreciate my readers and the numerous, wonderful fellow bloggers I've met or chatted to, be it through my comments, twitter or at events! 

Oh and hello and thank you to my Mum and Dad too (and some of my other family members) - they sit and read my blog posts regularly, which puts a huge smile on my face! And gives me some pageviews! I love their fascination with this little hobby of mine!

On a final and less soppy / serious note: You might be wondering why the heck I'm holding a candle. It's a vanilla cupcake candle, so it's a stand in for a cake haha! I don't think I could have stopped myself from eating an actual cake that I'd purchased just for this photo (not even joking, I have such a sweet tooth).
 

(also available in black suede effect)

Have I got a treat for my fellow shoe lovers or what!

Two of the most popular shoes at the moment are UNIF Hellbounds and Jeffrey Campbell Night Walks - Hellbounds costing around £90 (and that's in the sale!!!) and Night Walks £130. But on my worldly bargain travels -procrastination- I've found incredible dupes for these two that are both under £15 from eBay!

The UNIF Hellbound dupes are a little different in terms of the look of the heel and some other little details, but obviously it's  illegal (I assume) to copy a design exactly. They're the best Hellbound dupes I've seen and the cheapest. They also come in a suede effect finish as well as these faux leather versions.

The Jeffrey Campbell Night Walk lookalikes are almost spot on apart from missing the spikes along the strap. The lavender shade is tasty though - I'm a lilac fan in spring! To stop myself buying these I'm telling myself I don't need anymore spiked things; plus I'd probably break my ankle in that insanely sculpted heel.

It's taking a lot of will power to resist either of these, so I beg you to buy ALL the available stock in a size 5 so I can't do so myself... much appreciated!

'Buck' Banana Print Top | Fairground via Zalando*
Khaki Pleather Sleeved Jacket | New Look (teens)
Bracelet | Cheap Monday via Zalando*
Faux Fur Stole | H&M

As soon as I saw this top it made my day. I mean, how could bananas and polka dots fail to make your day a slight bit better? Plus, it was £60 reduced to £20 - that's 70% off! Sadly, I must confess that wearing this top yesterday has actually been the highlight of my week (crazy prints make me a tad happy). I had heard of Fairground before browsing Zalando, but I'd never been able to afford it, so finding this in the sale was nothing less than splendid. Zalando has SO much stock it's basically a giant playground for anyone who loves clothes - I could spend hours on the site!

What I now will describe as a 'band t-shirt situation' imposed itself upon me here though. By that I mean I don't like bananas. Just like some people may not like AC/DC or The Rolling Stones yet wear their logo on t-shirts. Am I endorsing bananas? So, as I don't even like bananas I'm not sure I qualify to wear this top, but the print is flipping tremendous.

Anyway, enough banana talk. I did try to take some outfit photos outside out house yesterday, but it proved too awkward as our neighbour was tinting his car windows (have fun with that Mr neighbour). So I ended up indoors. Maybe another day!

Also, as a little bonus you can see a little video of this outfit on my Youtube channel!

Ps. Primark super cosy tights under disco pants is a SUPER-fuzzy-warm combo.
Studded Peplum Top | Magenta in Nottingham
Cuff | Boohoo
Heels | Republic

Featuring this peplum top in an outfit post is LONG overdue. I wore it on the More! 'How Would You Wear...' photoshoot in September, having bought it a few days earlier. I'd never thought a peplum would suit me, but as this one was only £10 I thought I'd go for it. Because of the handy stud detailing around the neckline I don't have to accessorise much with it, which is grand because I'm lazy like that!

Unfortunately my eBay disco pants decided to start more or less falling a part, plus the zip kept deciding to fall down, never a good situation... They gave me a good ten months or so of wear (thanks little buddies!) but now it was time to move on. I opted for some Daisystreet disco pants this time, as they're fast becoming one of my favourite online retailers! This is the first time I've worn them - solely to show off the peplum top - and they're comfy and pretty flattering. I must say, I could be considered as a bit of a rebel mixing gold and silver here, but I think it jazzes up the outfit!

As I'm writing this, I'm thinking how good this outfit be for a meal out / drinks... I bloat when I eat or drink booze (yum), so I need something to hide my big old food baby. The peplum skims my belly and those delicious disco pants hug and slightly suck in my legs an tush. Ideal. I'd just throw on my monochrome coat and I'd be good to go (... aaand maybe swap the heels for wellies in this weather.).



 
Filming a few videos before heading back to uni has proved a pretty good idea. I've been really busy these past few days so I decided to upload another video this morning! This time, it's just a chatty one so you can get a better idea of my style and the things I love to wear. 
 
Doing this video made me realise that I probably only frequently wear about 30% of my wardrobe, so I need to either start wearing the stuff that gets neglected or sell some of it on eBay! I feel an eBay listing session coming on soon...

I have unlimited internet once again, finally, hooray! So, as promised I've uploaded my 'How to Dye Your Hair Baby / Pastel Blue' video. I hope it's useful to someone - haha! I've got a couple more videos to upload over the next week or so too. It's been a nice change to talk to a camera instead of tapping away on my laptop, as much as I love it! But I definitely need to stop rambling so much to the camera... and to find better editing software, although I don't think there are any brilliant ones available to Windows. But please let me know if you have anything better than Windows Movie Maker!

 If anyone has any questions about my blue hair then let me know, I'm more than happy to answer!

Also, if there are any videos you'd particularly like to see then let me know and I'll try my very best to do them (... within reason...!)! Because I'm good like that.

I have some rather incredible news to share... I'm Company's Forum Blogger of the Week! I found out yesterday and was absolutely over the cheesing moon (as I put it on Twitter out of absolute joy!) and feel so privileged for my face to be popping up on the Company.co.uk landing page.

Sindy, who blogs over at Article 21, was Forum Blogger of the Week last week and having my blog appear alongside hers is amazingly cool as since meeting her at an event before Christmas her blog has been one of my new faves!

So, this isn't all about me I promise! I wanted to let you all know about how this works. Basically you just need to partake in the Company Fashion Bloggerati Forum, submit your link in a thread and have a chat (that's what I did anyway!). Company then select the blog that they want to feature as their Forum Blogger of the Week. That's it! It's so simple and a really super opportunity for us bloggers with smaller followings.

By the way, I'm in the moving back to uni tomorrow, so if posts are sparse for a few days, it's because I'm settling back in. I'm excited to upload some new YouTube videos to my channel within the next few days though - first up will be how I dyed my hair blue!

Bat Jumper | Internacionale
Studded Shirt | EverOurs
Jeans | Internacionale

Thee joys of rainy England. Yesterday was the first time I wore these spiked loafers from Boohoo that I bought for a minuscule £3 a couple of weeks ago so I felt obliged to take some photos despite the weather (hence the umbrella!).

I'll confess that having blue hair is not all the fun it may seem - finding clothes to match is harder than expected! I'm sticking to mainly black and white at the moment (not too much of a struggle as that's the majority of my wardrobe). I was a bit concerned about how these orange loafers would look with the blue 'do, but I actually think it makes quite a cool combination - let me know your thoughts! I'd recommend everyone is nice to me when I wear these loafers as the spikes are a bit vicious. You wouldn't want them to meet your derriere, put it that way.

I'm a bit in love with my new EverOurs shirt; it's perfect under jumpers. I've been after a cream or white shirt like this for a while, so bagging this for £5 was a tad incredible.

Having worked out that this outfit set me back just £25 in total I've genuinely excelled myself here (if I say so myself)! Which moves me onto something quite exciting...

I'm planning on starting a new, regular feature on my blog that should be up soonish. It's all about bargains, so completely in line with my scavenging self / blog. It's something that other high street  / bargain finders can contribute to sometimes if they like. I'll let you know how you can get involved soon (if anyone is interested!).

Coat | Primark - TEN. POUNDS people.
Top | River Island
Rings | Dorothy Perkins and eBay
 
I feel that sometimes (some of) us bloggers can take ourselves a bit too seriously. We see vampy models posing all ... well... vampy and kind of glum a lot of the time and I have no idea how to post in font of the camera, so it seems that has proved to be my inspiration (I also think my teeth look weird in photos... not sure why?!). But there are those fabulous bloggers, like Katy and the rest of the Little Winter clan, Becca from Fashion-Train and Becky from Becky Bedbug who always make me smile because they smile (or take less 'serious' photos. Less serious in really good way, where you get some personality - ok, lets not get too deep here). It makes a blog way more welcoming I think, and I want a blog that has that welcoming vibe. Also, I'm really not a serious person in real life; in fact, I'm pretty much the complete opposite. So today I decided on changing my photos up just a smidge.

I've given the death stare (as I call it) only a third of the glory in this post so I hope you enjoy my little jig that I've captured in the first photo and my odd (kind of) smile in the third. As they sandwich the death stare I hope it's a little less disconcerting. Anywsy, so I'm going to throw in the occasional 'fun' photo in future so my blog is more 'me'! That's what blogging is about after all, right?

   But really, the most important thing in this post is my £10 Primark coat. It's something that immediately grabbed me in a strange way a few weeks back (but not physically... or pervey-ly... because that phrasing does sound a bit odd). I didn't think it was worth the £30 price tag as it's something I'd not normally pick out. But my love for it has grown in those few weeks that we were away from each other, so when I saw it for a tenner, this cheap and beautiful thing was mine. These pleather shorts are a new purchase too, I've wanted a pair for a while now but it's been difficult finding a flattering fit, but these Daisystreet ones are literally perfect.

I washed my hair for the first time since dying it and it looks much more even now (it looks a little bit lighter here than it does in real life I think). I'm starting to really quite like it!

Do you guys have any bloggers whose posts always put a smile on your face?
 
Top Left | Studded PVC and Velour Boots
Top Right | Patent Round Toe Oxford Shoes
Bottom Left | Studded Creeper Shoes
Bottom Right | Skull Front T-Bar Platform Shoes

Although I've never ordered from Everything5Pounds.com, but I've read some good reviews about their products and service (all you need to do is scroll to the bottom of the page to read customer reviews of each product). There's the odd less positive review in there too, but from what most customers say it looks like you can grab yourself a bargain if you read the reviews!

Here are 5 shoes that I've picked out to share with you - they're all just a fiver each. The top right pair are obviously Doc Marten lookalikes. Not really my style, but I know a lot of people will be super impressed to see these for just £5. With heels I'm quite an advocate of 'go high or go home' - so that's where a platform front comes in handy. They definitely make wearing heels a significantly more pleasant experience! So these two are perfect! As for the creepers, I've never seen a pair so cheap!

Postage is a bit steep in my eyes at £3.95 for one item, but I'm used to opting for free delivery sites, so I don't really know how that compares. Plus the shoes are so cheap I feel like a right old pessimist complaining about the postage!

Have you ever ordered from this site? Let me know about any other similar sites you've come across - as you know I love super deals like these!
(I've not been sponsored for this guys! I just love cheap websites.)


While I've still got the freedom to do it, I gave dying another pastel shade a shot - this time, pastel blue. I've not got long now before the inevitable happens... the full time job. And when that happens I'm pretty sure crazy coloured hair will be deemed unacceptable. So I may as well get my rainbow shades in now! I decided on pastel blue purely because it's a colours I've not tried.

So how do I feel about it? I feel quite mermaid-y and a bit like that cocktail from Wetherspoon's... I think it's called Blue Lagoon? The one that tastes of toilet cleaner... (I actually quite like it admittedly) but anyway, yes, I quite like it! I used diluted blue semi-permanent dye (like this one from ASOS).

I've only been living with blue hair for 3 days now and surprisingly it's not attracted too much attention yet, although I have only been out the house once... therefore the only reactions I have to go by is my Dad's (typical) reaction of 'MY GOD ROBYN' and my Mum claiming she quite likes it! The woman at the Post Office looked a little taken aback, but you have to forgive the country folk for their unworldiness. Although, I probably do look a bit unworldly in the other sense.

I'll be posting a video on how I achieved this pastel blue, as it's not a colour I've seen that around a lot compared to those who've also shared my previous ventures into the realms of baby pink / lilac. I'm editing the video at the moment, so you can expect that to be uploaded late next week!

The shirt is from Ever Ours. It was £5 in the sale - incredible right?! I'll be posting it in an outfit asap!
Jacket | Boohoo via Next2Nowt.com
Top | Topshop

Oh hello decent lighting! This is genuinely the first time the whether has permitted me to take photos outside since being home! 

Right, straight to the point now, these Topshop x JW Anderson Tortoise Print Jeans are flipping fantabulous. £50 reduced to £15 - yes Sir! And 10% student discount on that - so £13.50. Thank you Topshop, thank you JW Anderson. I've been after printed jeans for a while, so spotting these babies in the sale overjoyed me! I love statement prints. I'll definitely be cracking my little tortoisey friends out plenty in spring!

I paired a black top and pleather jacket with them in this outfit as I think they stand out even more that way! The reason they look a bit tight here is because I've learnt to size down when buying jeans (which is once in a blue moon!) - otherwise I end up with them being baggy and misshapen after a couple of wears.These are quite a thin denim too, so they're much more pleasant to break in, as such!

There are also these JW Anderson Cat Print Jeans that I didn't buy. Bleedy heck, I must like tortoises!

Ps. My hair is now blue. I'll post pictures soon, but for now here's a photo of my newly blue hair from my twitter.

Bracelets | Miss Selfridge
Belt | Primark
Lipstick | 17 Supreme Shine in Hot Stuff
Boots (hidden!) | New Look

I once hated maxi dresses. I thought they were hideous slabs of fabric that only size 6, 6ft models could pull off, no word of a lie. But with the wonder of the blogosphere, over spring and summer 2011 I was shown the beauty of the maxi. I bit the bullet and bought a maxi dress for my holiday last year and actually ended up wearing it several times for going out in the evening. I had officially been converted.

After spotting a pretty insane 50% off deal on FD Avenue (formerly Funk Divaa, where I bought last years maxi from)  I bagged this little number. I've been loving the split skirts / dresses I've seen popping up on blogs and in shops recently, so decided this one was the maxi of choice, especially as it was just £8.50!

 I was a bit worried the split would come up too high, but as I'm about average height (just under 5ft 5) it's not too raunchy! I think if I wore this out I'd pop some shorts under it though, as a gust of wind would be bad news! It's also a little long to wear with flats, so I may have to make some adjustments with my trusty old sewing machine to wear it with sandals on holiday.

I think it's probably the most 'elegant' article of clothing I own. My sister described it as 'Morticia-y' (hence the title of the post!), but that's fine with me as a former wannabe-emo. Actually it could be classed as a compliment - Carolyn Jones looked pretty sassy as Morticia back in the 1960s!

 I'm thinking this one will make an occasional appearance for fancy meals or the like. Are any of you maxi converts too?


Sales: I love them. As a self confessed sniffer-out-er of anything cheap it's unsuprisingly my favourite time to shop. I must admitt though, 90% of my sale shopping occurs online as I can't stand the hectic sale rails and the people who attack them with such terrifying fervour. Ok, so I am one of those people, but usually I'd rather do it from the comfort of my sofa!
I can't afford to shop in Topshop all year round. Unsuprisingly, I wish I could shop there more often. I liked the prints on a lot of the pieces from the JW Anderson collection in particular this season, so I was really pleased to see lots of the collection in the sale. I ordered these JW Anderson Tortoise print jeans on Sunday for £25. Considering they were around the £50 mark I was practically doing a vitory dance as I paid for these. But having snooped on the Topshop site again today, I was a bit peaved to see they'd gone down to just £15! Thank god for their new deliver to store option, they should arrive tomorrow.

I snapped up some spiked loafers in the Boohoo sale for an unbeliveable £3 the other day, unfortunately the colour I got are out of stock, but here are the turquoise and black options. As I was browsing I also came across this studded cuff for £2. I'm a bit mad for accessories that combine black leather with gold hardware, so I had to buy it that price! Boohoo were offering free delivery at they time, so it was a bit of a 'why not!' moment as I added it to my basket. I really have no idea what I'll wear it with yet, but we'll see eh!

The bag is another black and gold piece. Clutches have really grown on me recently, I think they look way more elegant (if a bag can be elegant) with a dressy outfit than a handbag. I haven't bought this one as I rarely go out (out-out, I do go outddoors... sometimes.), so I doubt it'd get the use it deserves!

Finally, these Daisystreet boots. If you missed yesterday's post then you've missed another gorgeous pair of Daisystreet boots - click here to have a gander. But these ones are a fantastic price. Plus they'd look fab with a casual or dressy outfit. I'm going to have to use my favourite word 'versatile' here - for £16.99 I can imagine getting so much wear out of these! I've resisted buying them as I'm so enamored with the Daisystreet boots in yesterdays post I don't need any other boots! (I can't believe I'm saying that. Who am I?)

I'd love to know what sale bargains you've bought this year! Do most of you shop the online sales or do your still brave the highstreets?
Iron Man Jumper | Forever 21
Disco Pants in Grey | Hidden Fashion (ebay)

A week before Christmas my boyfriend and I took a trip to Westfield in Stratford. I actually failed to buy anything (apart from a cheeky box of Krispy Kremes), but he very kindly bought me this rather cool Iron Man jumper. He's a huge Marvel fan so it was funny that we came across this in Forever 21 while I was rummaging through the rails for leggings.

Oh and these fabulous shiny things are my £7.99 disco pants from Hidden Fashion - these are some seriously dupey dupes. The fabric is pretty thick compared to a lot of the other dupes I've tried on, plus they're available in lots of jazzy colours like green and red. A few of the shades are out of stock, but fingers crossed they'll be restocked soon! I got my usual size and they're a bit tight, but better tight than loose!

And more fabulous things - these boots. I'm a little behind the pack having only just got my hands on some Chloe Susanna lookalikes, but I love these lookalikes from Daisystreet - they're more understated with just two buckles and a little less stud detailing, I actually prefer them to the originals! I was preparing for my feet to be crushed in these if I'm honest as I don't usually get on with pointed shoes, but these babies are some of the comfiest boots I've ever worn! I can tell I'll be wearing them just as much as I wear my Docs. Daisystreet also sell them in tan and red.

Well, there are two fantastic dupes for you to have a look at! Have you come across any great lookalike clothes / shoes recently?

Apologies for the slightly rubbishy lighting, it's been tipping it down here for days and the lighting in my room at home isn't great for taking photos! Fingers crossed I can get some outdoor photos soon!

Youtube

Contact

© Robyn Mayday | UK Fashion and Style Blog
Design by The Basic Page