Pin-curling and charity shopping!

Since it was the Easter holidays I have been to Brighton. I've really found myself missing Brighton since I moved back to the south. I think its because I'm so close, but 2 hours on a bus is just a bit too far for me to bother with a day trip so I'm really glad to be back for a bit.

One of the reasons I was so happy to visit again was to go shopping! During my time in Brighton I've managed to find a small selection of favourite shops that always have some good bargains. Perticular favourites include Snooper's Paradise in the North Laines and the charity shops around George street in Hove (especially Age UK and Oxfam).

This trip was not exception with some wonderful bargains to be had (thank you birthday money!)

I had also arranged with a friend to go out dancing on Monday night so I whacked up my hair in wet set pin curls to let it dry out (I also spritzed with a little setting lotion).

A few people asked me how I did this so I tried to take a picture of my hair...

I also included some pictures of how I style my hair too:

1. Once it was dried I took the curls out - picture top left
2. Then ran my fingers through to loosen up the curls - top right
3. Then used a paddle brush to brush through the curls - bottom left
4. And kept brushing until the curls smoothed out, I think added a little clip at on side - bottom right

And here is the finished look! Sorry its so yellow, the lighting in the hallway was terrible...

The dress in this picture is the Hobbs dress I got in a charity shop in Hove, it was an amazing find especially as such a flattering fit and one of my favourite colours! 

Dress: Hobbs via AgeUK

Cardigan: Monsoon sale

Scarf: Lush gift wrap

Shoes: Hotter

Glasses: Lipsy25 via eBay

 I finally think I'm getting there with this vintage setting thing, I just wish that my hair didn't fall out so quickly, but I'm looking into ways to help make it last a bit longer so watch this space!

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?

A pick-and-mix outfit inspired by Boden

Last year sometime, while I was still living at my parents house my mum was sent a little catalogue from Boden. Now Boden is a brand I have been aware of a while but I have never bought anything from them; although I do have a blouse and a dress I got from eBay. But the when I flicked through the catalogue I liked a couple of outfits. One that stuck in my mind was this:

I have to say I do love the colour mustard, in dresses and in knit wear, oh and tights, and although I like the blouse and jumper combo its not something I've been able to pull off very well. I already had a vintage skirt that was a little bit like the one above, it is wool and a bargain from a vintage bargain bin (and it fit!) so I was off to a good start. I have searched charity shops for months trying to find the right kind of shirt to pull of this look but I found that almost all long sleeves blouses have frilly or frumpy bits on the front. If I was a bit more flat chested I would have just worn a mans shirt but I couldn't really get away with it.

Eventually I found one! In Oxfam in Tunbridge Wells and I found a mustard jumper too, it was like fate. Here's my take on the outfit:

And striking a similar pose as the model, natch...

Skirt: Ark vintage sale

Shirt: Oxfam

Jumper: Primark via charity shop

Brogues: Clarks

I thought I'd update you a little on my hair too as I have been trying lately to get a bit more creative with it. Here I wore a little beehive, using some Batiste XXL powder (thank you BzzAgent its awesome!) and my teasing/smoothing brush to give it a little more volume.

What do you think?