Everyone is wearing... Vintage

Everything is remix. Those three words have been lingering around my life the last couple of years, ever since 1st year of college when we were introduced to the remix culture through media studies it has become part of my life. Once you know what remix is and how involved in our lives it is the more you start to notice it and accept it. From music to random remix videos on Youtube like Batman On Drugs or Charlie Bit Me, heck I think we all have watched a video of a cat doing something funny!

We have come to the stage in our lives where we started to remix clothes, new fashions that are influenced by 50s, 60s or even the 90s! But the wonderful thing that this culture introduced in our everyday lives is vintage clothing. Years ago nobody wore old clothes it was all about NEW NEW NEW, only the few individuals that managed to fish out vintage shops that were most likely charity shops with second hand shops... However now vintage is the new thing to be wearing, something old wether its your grans or your mams from the 80s, vintage is the cool thing to do.

We totally agree, its not only cool, its also a great way of living! Its basically recycling made cool... Also there is something about the clothes that have a history makes you feel like special or something, thinking how your mam wore this to her first date with your dad. 

Its also great because nobody will have the same items as you. Thats winning!

The idea of buying vintage is that you get this great product for the fraction of its price, also dont be caught out when buying stuff that says vintage but may just have the look of vintage clothing... 

So where to look out for vintage clothing: the first place I would look would be your local charity shop, great place to start especially if your living in a small town, people always get rid of their old stuff and give it to their charity shops, for some its junk for others its one epic find! 

Another local option are car boot sales, the original ones, I am not talking Fairy House Market kind of thing where everything is from the back of the van! 

An obvious choice would be vintage shops, and there are plenty scattered around Dublin, including Temple Bar. However...some of them may be a little expensive so shop around. I came across one very cute shop in Blackrock, Dundalk that sold amazing vintage clothing from wedding dresses to retro designer stuff. After Sybil was a little original vintage clothing shop, although the clothes were AMAZING the owner however put a damper on the experience by being rude.

There are some unreal opportunities out there that do some really cool stuff like Shutterbug Vintage (http://www.facebook.com/shutterbugshop)  and their 20euro per kilo vintage clothes sale... We have been saving and hopefully we will have a post to tell you all about our vintage buying experience! 

E. ❤

Cute T ❤

I ❤My T-Shirt.

From everyday casual wear to grunging up an outfit with a colourful T-shirt... At the end of the day its a must have and lets face it we all have!
This month I am all about the Ts, since I started back in college I find myself standing staring at my wardrobe for 10 minutes thinking of what to wear and how to wear it, and whats comfortable. So 2 weeks ago shopping in Liffey Valley I went on a mad T-Shirt hunt.

I love wearing H&Ms 4,95 cotton skirts, have them in every colour...They are so darn confortable and go with everything, so I managed to hunt down a few cheap t-shirts to go with them (as well as jeans and shorts, so versatile ;))

River Island

What I find when finding a lovely T-shirt is one, they are soooo expensive 25 euro or so for a t-shirt?!! Say what now! My advice is wait till sales! Only crazy or rich peeps by t-shirts worth 25 euro or more, all your paying for is the over priced print.. Looking at River Island and their cute Ts makes you drool and always end up flicking the tag over and walking away, but they always end up going on sales for less then half the price.. For example, this beut MTV print crop T-shirt with no sleeves! I own three of these in different colours (green, white and grey)
Super cute I know :)

I was such a sucker and bought it when it came out for 25 euro! Was I crazy or what.. Then January sales roll around (which are the day after Stephens day, 27th December  and they were all reduced to 10-12 euro.. I stool in the shop and cried. So to avoid this feeling bargain hunt that shit!

On the same note.. River Island are still releasing these and so are other shops. I highly doubt that MTV will ever go out of fashion.

So back to the purchases, its rare to find a few good buys but I managed to come across some serious gems that day. I bought two Ts in H&M for 5 euro each, one was Beatles print and the other Rolling Stones. Then in Miss Selfridge I fished out a David Bowie t-shirt with no sleeves for 10 euro!

If that wasn't enough I also managed to rummage through Pennies sales rack (dont underestimate the sales rack, it looks like its full of crap but you never know) and I got Lady Gaga t-shirt for 5 euro. Winning.

On another note if your t-shirts are getting boring and you want to do a bit of DIY on them that makes them so much more cooler. Make something your own; wether its cutting it up or tie dying!

Heres a link to a really cool DIY video tutorial to spice of your boring Ts. Scull cut out at the back :)


Definetly check it out and give the DIY stuff a go.. I'll try and do a tutorial soon

E. ❤

Graduation Outfit

This year I am graduating from college... All I can think about are my outfits for the big day/evening ball! Here are my purchased outfits. Day time and night time ball.

Day Time

The hardest bit was finding something that would look nice and be not over too dressy but formal at the same time. Walking around shops and not knowing what you want is a drag. Today I got a dress on sale in Miss Selfridge, I must say the best 15 euro I have spent in a long time. Miss Selfridge, Liffey Valley Shopping Center in Dublin now stocks only sale items, the whole shop is buy one and get another free. The shop is packed full of dresses (a lot of maxis), skirts, t-shirts...etc.

This is a skirt/top dress, if someone doesn't really know what that consists of its basically a dress that looks like a two piece (skirt and a top) here it is:

My lighting isn't great, I think the collar is so pretty. With a bit of home styling it could look even better... I'm gonna eventually do a blog on DIY.

I will be wearing black tights as its freeeeezzzzzing! For a student its hard to be able to afford everything, this leads to compromising  In my case I am referring to my shoe situation. I had to find shoes that would suit my day time outfit as well as the evening. A decision was made that I will not be wearing high heels this year, the full banter can only be achieved with flats.

Here are the shoes I got for both of the occasions:

These are from New Look, sparkly silver flats with jeweled bows. They will go nicely with the two dresses!

Night Time

The night time event of the graduation is the Grad Ball. Not many wear full length gowns to it but it seems more and more acceptable to wear maxi dresses on nights out.

I found a creamy/peachy maxi dress in Warehouse. Its Grecian style, with a see through long layer. I had my mind set on a full length dress because I wanted to wear flats and be comfortable.

I found it online on Asos and then went onto the actual warehouse.com to have a look at it, originally it was priced at 130 euro!! Which was madness, for a second I was prepared to pay that much. Madness. Then I thought I would go into the shop and try it on first before buying. Thank god I did as it was on sale. Reduced to 72 euro (with the 20% student discount went down to 6o something).

Although there was none my size I bought size 16 and got it altered to 12, it was only 20 euro extra and it was worth it I may add.

This is the dress on my hanger, doesn't look as good there so I added one from the site.

Sales

Always remember to check clothes for rips and tears. Sometimes sales items can be dirty with make up and stuff, dont hesitate to ask the sales assistant for money of the clothing item as the stain shouldn't be there even though its a sales item.

Dont forget to try items in different sizes, some shops stock odd sizes for different shapes. This also ties in with the altering, if the dress is cheap and worth tailoring get a bigger size! Its easier to trim around the dress and make it smaller then having to add material to a smaller size.

Also regarding stains dont buy items with oily stains they make not come out, that kind of stain usually looks like grease.

Never forget to check for student discounts!

Update

Just decided to add a picture of the dress at the Grad.. Not the best photo but you get the gist :)

E. ❤

Shopping Online

Shopping online has become the new thing. Ordering clothes seems to be as addictive as sugar. My friend is a fan of online shopping and advised me on the best sites out there.. So after checking them out  I thought I would share the secret with everyone.

Here we go.

2020 AVE - http://www.2020ave.com/

Cute and very affordable clothing. Very current styles from shirts to dresses to jackets to shoes. You cannot go on the site without drooling over the leather jackets! If anything its worth checking out the accessories... Personally my eye was caught by the iPhone bling.

The Caravan - http://www.shopthecaravan.com/category/just-in?page=2

Everyone seems to be all about the vintage this year, and will probably not leave the fashion world ever. So this is the site to find something original and different, with limited stock and funky eyewear! Its affordable and totes cute ;)

Sway Chic - http://swaychic.com/

Trendy clothes. The dresses are so cheap its sick!! I would advice to dip into the site and look around, it has a lot to offer.

Tarte - http://www.shoptarte.com/category/what-s-new?page=2

Such a cute site, very similar to The Caravan yet it has a greater selection and a bigger collection. Personally the custom denim jackets do it for me. Sold.


The Cultlabel - http://thecultlabel.com/index.php

Some very cute items on this. Cant help but get the gothic/grudgey vibe to it, but hey thats what is in fashion right now! A few unique pieces that will definitely will turn heads.

Custom Vintage Dublin - http://www.customvintagedublin.com/#!shop/mainPage

Since I have seen this plastered all over the magasines I could not wait to check it out. Everyone seems to be wearing these amazing custom high waisted shorts <3
Its definitely love at first sight!

E. ❤

Its a Snack World

It seems like my summer revolved around tasting new treats while I was away in France, but now Autumn has rolled around and I now realized I have put weight on... Feels crappy, and with the life its hard to find time, money and effort for gym! So this is my day 5 of the diet world, smaller meals, no tasteful fat filled foods and white bread :(

So with that in mind here is my tribute post to most 4 most delicious things I have tasted in the last 3 months! Yum Yum...

1. Macaroons

What are they? Hmm.. well the best way to describe them is trendy French cookies. They were born in Italy and introduced to the french king in 1547. Yes they are not a new phenomenon, hard to find in Ireland and even harder to find fresh ones. I tasted these beauties in France as a test to this Instagram trend thats been going around! The flavors varie from strawberry to caramel, but my favorite is pistachio flavor. You can find these heavenly treats in 10 South Lotts Road, Dublin 4, here they stock The Cake Stands treats aka Macaroon heaven.

Marie Antoinette had these at her wedding. Enough siad. I have tested out a few here they are:

2. Yogen Fruz

You always see celebrities eating this stuff in mags, thinking how do they eat desserts and look like THAT. Created by two Canadian brothers in 1986, this frozen yogurt piece of heaven is so light and lovely.. You will never know you gave ice cream for lent!
"Yogen Früz provides delicious and nutritious frozen desserts, just what you need to live a healthy and active lifestyle."Yeah that may be true but we dont care because it tastes just as good as the real full fat thing. Yum Yum.

You can find few of the stands around, I located them in the Jervis Shopping center in Dublin.
Check them out on http://www.yogenfruz.com/home/ 

3. 'Crispy Bakery' Baked Goods


Amongst of my travels I had time to pop into a bakery for a coffee and a snack in Lithuania. This bakery in Vilnius is packed with baked goods, unfortunately I didn't have to to explore everything they had to offer. The staff was so pleasant and the interior design was hard not to find inviting and cosy!

I dont even want to know all the calories of the world that are in these goodies but soooo tasty... I got everything to go. Hands down one of the best lattes I have had in a while and these are the treats I got...

https://foursquare.com/v/crispy-bakery/4f467e0ee4b0b2b96b58a4a2

4. Fabulous Welshcakes 

Welshcakes also known as bakestones. My friend brought some back from Wales to try them out, and they are so nice... Dusted with caster sugar they are like pancakes only in a biscuit/cake form. You can eat them hot or cold. I had mine with a lovely cup of green tea :)

E. ❤

Playing iPhone Dress Up

Since the iPhone 5 came out this week I decided to write a related fashion post. Ever since the iPhone came out in 2007 everyone is gone on a iPhone craze, this craze not only included large variety of apps to dress up your phone on the inside but also on the outside with all kind of covers. From jelly to hard covers we have seen them all, priced from 100 euros to 1.49...

Everyone who has an iPhone wants to keep it safe, although you may think insuring your precious is enough it kind of isn't so this is where the cover craze comes in.

Now accessorizing doesn't only mean matching a necklace or a bracelet to your outfit but an iPhone cover. We are gone iCrazy for them... Pinterest and Instagram have brought the craze to a new level, people posting new and funky covers to show of to the iFans.

I have an iPhone myself and have gone through 3 covers in a year, yes that might seem like a lot to people who dont dress up their phone in pretty covers but its actually very little. Many people now have a variety of covers to choose from and change them weekly even daily!

Its mad what people pay to put a cover on their phones. Reading online about these expensive covers I found a blog about the most expensive iCovers exceeding price up to 100,000!!!! http://www.mostexpensiveofthings.com/most-expensive-iphone-case.html  iCrazy. 

If your a more simple person that wants your phone to look great for cheap I suggest shopping around markets where they are usually a tenner and have nice variation of designs. The cheaper covers in the Pound Shops or Value Land stores are usually unreliable and will brake, but then again better the cover then the phone. I have found the best places for cheap covers are either the Chinese shops which repair phones, Penneys and H&M...

I went for a stroll around the shops the other day and have found a few new cool covers in Penneys which might tickle your fancy and are only 5 euro!

E. ❤

Brightening Up Our Winter

Ok so its not winter yet, it surely does feel like that. Its getting cold and dreary, kind of depressing. Was strolling around Temple Bar I was only ment to have a look but on the 3rd floor of Urban Outfitters I peeped into the sale section.

This is what I found and unnecessarily purchased...

Floral Cross Body

Floral Cross Body - Urban Outfitters 

Definitely an unnecessary purchase of the day but its soooooo lovely! The shoulder strap is braided and not as long as most of these messenger bags which is handier. I love anything floral print, its original price was 37 euro!! I would not buy it for that price but when the sale price is only 12 euro, you just cant say no.

Cooperative Crop Solid Button Top

Cooperative Crop Solid Button Top - Urban Outfitters

Crop tops have been so in this summer and they probably wont leave the fashion trend for a while so this is another purchase I am super happy about. I love the detail of the straps on the back and the textured buttons. It will go great with shorts and hight waisted jeans... Originally priced at 33 euro, but on sale only 12 euro! Bargain.

Nude/Cream Lace Dress 

Nude/Cream Lace Dress - Urban Outfitters 

This purchase wasn't mine but I really wanted to add this to the Brightening Up Our Winter post, its so pretty and girly I couldn't help myself but want it too. The lace is not tacky or cheap looking, it has that Tailor Swift look... Original price was 76 euro!! Urban Outfitters aint' cheap but with the reduction to 25 euro it is very much affordable. Plus there is a 10% discount available for students!

E. ❤