A vintage Laura Ashley pinafore dress

So I have a bit of an obsession with Laura Ashley. I also have an obsession with pinafores, and the colour blue. So what happens if you put all these things together?

I throw my money at it that's what!

Luckily for me this particular blue Laura Ashley pinafore was only £9 on eBay so I couldn't resist. I really like the deck chair stripe and the large pockets on the front.

The only problem is that the waist and bust are not hugely different in size, which I think is to help it slip over your head with ease but being a 'curvy' lady I like things to fit on my waist since that's the smallest part of me.

That was partially solved by adding a waist belt although I'm currently on a hunt for skinnier one as I'm not sure this one does me too many favours. I do adore the combination of the red white and blue though! 

I'm going to try and hold back from whinging about my fringe again today, since its getting a bit old now. These photos were taken on a lazy day so I didn't do much with it, I swept the fringe back with a hairband and rolled the back using a hair elastic.

I put my hair into a ponytail and puled the elastic towards the end and then rolled it up towards my ears forming a roll. I then pinned the loose bits in place.

It is a little bit loose and isn't necessarily the neatest do ever but it was super quick and I think with a bit of tweaking it could be a great work hairstyle.

So I'm a sucker for Laura Ashley.

Do you have any brands you are always drawn too?

Outfit of the Day: Spring in my step with a Cath Kidston dress

Is that spring I sense in the air? I hope so, I'm starting to get a little bit sick of winter tights.

Anywho, with a bit of nice weather my husband and I decided to go for a stroll about town while the gettin' was good.

For said stroll I decided to wear a lovely Cath Kidston tea dress I got from eBay a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen this style of dress before in CK and it was a bit more up my street than the usual tunic style peter pan collar dresses that are really popular.

Of course I bought it second hand for less than half the RRP.

It was super nice to be able to go out without a coat on too! The shoes were from Clarks last year and have lasted surprisingly well for ballet pumps. I was quite impressed. They have a little more cushioning than usual so they don't make me feet ache as much as the cheap ones tend to.

Look at this picture, there are actual SUN RAYS caught on film!

Last but not least is a make up close up (check out part of my fringe with a mind of its own in the wind!). I have been using MAC make up for a while now so managed to save up 6 empty things and I finally tried taking them into the shop to exchange for my free lipstick.

I chose the shade Dangerous as its a bit more of an orange tone than my usual Ruby Woo and I thought it would be nice for spring. It isn't quite as matt as Ruby, but it is pretty matt and it is by far the best orangey red I've ever tried.

What do you think?

Dress: Cath Kidston, via eBay

Shoes: Clarks

Pearls: Thrifted

Sunglasses: North Laines Brighton

 Can you feel spring in the air?

Outfit of the day: A camel coat and a collectif dress

As winter draws to a final close I am desperately trying to cram a few extra days of wear into the camel coat I bought at the end of February. It is a warm coat, but its not too much at the moment as long as I don't wear a cardigan too.

On a particularly sunny day my husband and I went for a walk through the park next to where we live and snapped a couple of pictures of my coat. I had previously had my hair in plaits (my latest favourite thing) and it was a terrible mess so I used the occasion to wear a lovely hat I got from Laura Ashley in October last year and haven't really got around to writing about yet.

I think the black/camel/teal combo is quite striking, but I feel that it is a combination that works really really well.

I got the teal dress on a recent trip to Brighton in the Collectif sale (which is great by the way, if you get a change to pop into the Brighton or London stores I believe it is still going on and there are super bargains to be had).

This dress is the Wilhemina dress which has a lovely 40s sort of shape with really pretty pleats and shoulders.

Here is a closer picture of the Laura Ashley hat. It isn't that old, but its style is very similar to some of the hats seen in episodes of Downton Abbey. It has a distinct early 20th century style.

Oh and last but not least, since I was in a park, I had to do at least one picture posing with a tree. Naturally.

Dress: Collectif

Coat: Thrifted

Shoes: Clarks

Hat: Laura Ashley (thrifted)

Scarf: Thrifted

Outfit of the day: Pink in Brighton

The other week I had a flying visit to Brighton and decided to do a quick outfit post. I totally overshot the number of layers I was wearing as it ended up being no where near as cold as I had expected so I had to carry my beautiful vintage coat for a large portion of the day.

Anywho, as I was in Brighton, I decided to experiment with a colour I rarely ever wear. Pink.

I've had this skirt a little while, it came form Monsoon during the sale around 4 years ago when that folk look was all-the-rage-but-never-actually-the-rage.

I paired the skirt with a very pink jumper. Now this jumper wound up in my possession by mistake as it was listed on eBay as crimson, and my understanding of crimson was something a much deeper and darker colour than this. But unfortunately that is the colour it said on the label so I was stuck with it, so why not try it out right?

If I'm completely honest I'm still not sure about it...

I do adore my 80s across body bag, it is just the right size and so sturdy and well made! Its my go-to bag when I don't have much to carry.

I also had an amazing eBay find where I got 16 enamel bangles for 99p! In loads of different colours. They may not be bakelite, but they're good enough for me!

Here is my black vintage coat that I had to very swiftly remove once the sun came out...

Now my hair is a touch dishevelled in this pic but those curls lasted all day and I was really pleased with the shape of the set. I suppose you get the idea. This set was done with 25 flat pin curls, which seems a little excessive, but I really love the shape it gives and I really do think it gives the curl more longevity.

Skirt: Monsoon

Blouse: Monsoon

Jumper: M&S

Scarf: Thrifted

Coat: Vintage thrifted

Bangles: eBay

Boots: Clarks

What do you think then?

Pink jumper, yey or ney?

Vintage Outfit: Red vs blue reversable vintage cape

Oh, it's been a little while since I last posted, but luckily I'm back with something pretty cool!

I am a mega fan of a vintage cape, I now have 3 in my collection, and so far one of them featured on my blog back in this post. I am now sharing my super versatile winter cape!

This cape was a pretty lucky eBay find and I managed to snipe it for just under £20. The best part is that it is two capes in one as it is reversible.

I honestly have no idea when this cape is from, a wild guess would be 60s/70s but I don't really know. Plaid is one of my all time favourites and especially the various red types that are around, this pattern is red and blue so that it goes with the simple blue on the under side.

Here are each of the reversible sides of the cape:

(the satchel came from Yoshi by the way, they have some really lovely printed leather bags!)

Here is a close up of the tartan. 

I actually have a little Scottish blood in my family so I had to look up the tartan (the Scott family) and found that it was a red one, as I had expected, but it is red and green not red and blue.

It can be quite difficult to properly dress a cape as the size and shape can sometimes make you a bit wider in unusual places. I think dressing with simple lines under a cape is a good idea as I feel that something too poofy and flouncy would spoil the effect.

My outfit of choice continued the red and blue theme with a navy blue pencil skirt, vintage red jumper and a peter pan collar blouse.

These glasses are some of my current favourites from the Ozeal website. I'm also really pleased that my hair is finally long enough to be able to do rolls and things. I pleased that I'm finally getting the hang of styling it enough to maybe have a go at telling you how I do it... although perhaps a little more practice first.

Vintage cape: eBay

Bag: Yoshi Satchels

Scarf: Thrifted

Pencil Skirt: St. Michael

Jumper: Vintage thrifted

Brogues: Clarks

Blouse: New Look

Wearing a cape always makes me feel a little a super hero.

Do you have any clothing items that make you feel super?

Vintage Outfit: A polka dot skirt and green vintage shoes

Oh the cold days are well and truly here which is why my faux fur trim coat from Monsoon has made a reappearance. It is so warm, and I love the fact that I don't need to wear a scarf with it because of the fur trim.

I think after christmas must be the time when people clear out their wardrobe as I'm having a pretty good run in the thrift stores these days.

This skirt is St. Michael by M&S and probably from the 1980s judging by the label. It is unusually for a me a little bit too big and I may need to sew the waist to repair it a little bit but the colour was so lovely. I ADORE that heritage green colour and naturally a polka dot print makes things even better.

The jumper is from Next, but again via a charity shop and it is navy with a very subtly fleck and elbow patches. Totally geek chic. I thought this would be perfect for my work wardrobe.

I have a real problem with glasses now and I got these ones in the perfect glasses sale for a measly £18, including lenses and coatings! Also, I was so pleased with how my hair turned out after a pretty lazy pin curl set. I think I am finally getting the hang of this 50s setting :D

Last buy not least, here are my green shoes. Again, I think they are from the 1980s and are similar to the shoes my Nanna used to wear an awful lot. Good green shoes are so hard to find so getting these in a charity shop for £2 (YES £2!!) I simply had to get them.

Jumper: Next Thrifted

Blouse: Matalan Thrifted

Skirt: Vintage M&S Thrifted

Shoes: Thrifted

Glasses: Perfectglasses

Do you have any green shoes?

OOTD: A 1940s style M&S tea dress

Anyone that has spoken to me at any length about my favourite fashion in films will know I adore the Edge of Love. It is wonderful to look at and part of me wishes that I could dress like that every day. I do not think I would enjoy all the poet wife drama though.

A large portion of the outfits are vintage tea dresses and skirts like these:

As such I am a complete sucker for any kind of tea dress. I simply adore this one I found in M&S and I believe that it is still available now. It is black with a red, green and yellow floral print. There are gathered sections on the waist and a little keyhole detail on the neck. All in all I think it is pretty flattering! AND it's under £40.

My favourite thing about the dress is that the mixed coloured print means that it goes with almost anything. My green cardigan that has been such a favourite of late:

Or this vintage 100% wool jumper I got from a charity shop recently for a more casual look. Its so snuggly:

I also decided to wear the dress with some clogs. Ever since I got my Lotta's I have been pretty into clogs and I found this pair in Mind for a measly £5! They are barely worn which is pretty amazing. Since it is winter though, you can't really wear the clogs on their own, so I wore them with tights underneath. I think since they are closed toe you can get away with it, but I don't think I'd try it with my other clogs.

OOTD: A ditsy blouse, green cardigan, burgundy Docs and how I never though I'd wear chinos...

A casual day here at Fancy Dresscapades and the unusual sight of me in trousers. For my work I am not allowed to wear jeans, a plight of many people out there, and its not a big problem for me since I don't wear them very often, but occasionally I'd quite like to wear trousers without resorting to the ol' black work trousers scenario.

Obvious solution - chinos. With all the weird colour combinations of mustard, terracotta and burgundy I did not expect to find a pair of chinos I would like. Apparently chinos are defined by the type of cotton/cotton mix they are made from, and are typically associated with hipsters and old men. Surprisingly, there are a large amount of designs out there, and M&S have some pretty good ones, so I decided to get a pair of dark blue ones with a slim leg. 

The rest of this outfit was from a bit of a charity shop spree, the ditsy blouse is from a charity shop (originally F&F) and the cardigan is merino wool from Gap, again via a charity shop. It is beautifully soft and has pockets too it is possibly one of the best cardigans I've ever had.

Here is a close up on the colour of the cardigan and the pattern on the blouse.

Shoe wise I wore a pair of cherry DMs, Docs or Doc Martens that I got last year with my Christmas money. They are the Serena style and are lined with synthetic fleece so they are really, really warm. I spent most of the snowy days last year stomping around in these boots. I also got a pair from eBay that are black during the summer months for a super bargain price however they are still in Durham. I'm missing them around this time of year. 

Here is one last shot of all of that with my parka jacket. I can't even explain how much I am loving the jacket it is so warm and snuggly, one of the best investments I made this winter, especially for £16!

Chinos: M&S

Blouse: F&F via Salvation Army

Cardigan: GAP via Salvation Army

Boots: Doc Marten

Parka: Topshop via eBay

What's the most useful thing you've bought this winter?