Tuesday

STYLE: BACON TASTY'S

Jumper - H&M
Playsuit - Primark
Jacket - Warehouse
Purse - Asos






Last week and all of this weekend have been spent in total birthday celebration mode. It began with Ric taking me out for a surprise birthday meal on the Wednesday night - what a cutie! - and ended with a monster hangover which lasted all of Sunday. But it was worth it.

In between, me and Ric ran the 10km Edinburgh Marathon race, which we completed in 56 minutes - my target was an hour so I'm super happy! - had a couple of trips to the cinema (Godzilla and X-Men are both awesome btw), and hung out with friends. All in all, an awesome birthday.

I got some fab pressies as well so look out for a birthday haul post coming your way soon!


Thursday

STYLE: WHITE NOISE

White Noise Dress - Yayer
Leather Jacket - Warehouse
Boots - Romwe
Shorts (underneath) - Thrifted
Choker Necklace - Violet Mists







I lasted a whole 10 minutes between viewing Yayer's latest wardrobe offerings and ordering a tonne of them. I'm weak, I know, but this dress ticks so many of my 'I want this right now' boxes at the moment. It's sheer (tick), it's white (tick), it has an in-built crop-top (tick) and a subtly seductive slit on either side (tick) and, to top it off, it sometimes catches in the wind and flows out behind me like a cape so that i feel like a superhero (tick tick). 

Ric thinks it looks like an apron. But Ric is a fool! I love it :)



Monday

LIFE: EDINBURGH HANG-OUTS, ARMSTRONGS VINTAGE EMPORIUM

A couple of weeks ago I talked about introducing a new monthly series, the first of which is this
Edinburgh Hangouts series. 

Living in Edinburgh, there are so many things to see and do, and so many hidden gems around the city which, unless you’d lived here a couple of years, you would never have known existed. I’ve lived here for three and a half years and I’m still discovering new places! This series will encompass everything, from vintage clothing stores to favourite restaurants, art galleries to cocktail bars, and everything in-between. I want to give you guys an idea of what it’s like to live in Edinburgh and show what this beautiful historic city has to offer.



In the first of this series I took a trip to Armstrongs Vintage Emporium, a well-known vintage clothing establishment in Edinburgh, and where I spend most of my Saturdays. They describe themselves as “a cornucopia of vintage and retro delights” which sums them up in a nutshell. 

Walking into any one of the three stores across the city is like stepping into a treasure trove of vintage gems. Whatever you’re looking for, you can almost guarantee they’ll have it. Racks of fur coats and tweed jackets, rails upon rails of feather boas and ripped denim shorts, stacks of shoes, sunglasses, wigs and hats, and walls covered with dresses from every decade.






I visited the store on Clerk Street and spoke to Veronica, one of the shop assistants, who shared her views on Vintage fashion and why she thinks the Armstrongs aesthetic is invaluable. 


So how long have you worked at Armstrongs? 

Since September last year, but I also worked here a few years ago.


What do you do outside of Armstrongs? 

I’m a painter. Most of the people who work here are creative types, either studying or working in film, art, or fashion.


What would you say is the best thing about working at Armstrongs?

It’s such a melting pot of ideas and every day is different to the next. Our customers are unique and individual in their style and, because we offer such a varied mix of vintage and modern pieces, we attract such a mix of interesting people.







Why do you think it’s important to have independent clothes stores as an alternative to high street chains?

Selling vintage pieces means that our business is economical and more focused on recycling valued and original items, rather than mass producing new pieces. I think that a lot of vintage fashions influence new trends and encourage independent thought; fashion doesn’t end with what the high street stores have to offer. Our customers are willing to be different and have fun in what they wear, and don’t consider the latest trends to be a uniform that they have to adhere to. To them, fashion is a means of self-expression.


Who would you say is your fashion icon?

I’ve always been inspired by the well-tailored classic silhouettes of 50’s fashion and the likes of Katharine Hepburn. I would describe my style as Slouchy 50’s!






Thank you so much for speaking to me Veronica and allowing me to photo all of the lovely Armstrongs garms. If you want to visit one of the Armstrongs stores and experience the wonder for yourself, you can find all their information on the Armstrongs Vintage Emporium website here.

What are your thoughts on Vintage fashion? Do you have a favourite Vintage hangout near you?



Friday

LIFE: MOMENTS


A quick look back at some of the moments over the past month or so that have made me smile.

 Fresh tulips

Flowers in my hair at the first sign of sun

Perfect blues. A house on the Isle of Mull

Getting back into sketching with Kratos.

Trying out the Models Own Hyper gel nail polishes 

 Picking out material ready for sewing some crop-tops

 A lovely present from A Curious Fairytale


Having a play with hair chalk

 CAKE!

 New playsuit, new jumper, new necklace, new everything!

 A very sad (but delicious) fondant pig

 Rubykins <3

 Floral prints

 Signs of spring


Purple lipstick

New ear bling :)


Sunday

STYLE: SECRET SMILE

 Dress - H&M
Shorts - River Island (old)
Choker - Etsy

 



I spotted this dress in H&M last week and couldn't resist its floatiness! It's quite sheer so cant really be worn on it's own just as a dress unfortunately, but I think it works really well with high-waisted shorts and will be perfect in the summer when it eventually comes.... *cough cough*

Hope you've all had a great weekend!