The Jumpsuit Game

At a pint-sized 5"3 I've often shied away from trousers and long-length clothing because most (all) of the time I have to either roll the legs up or get the hem altered to make them fit. However, after purchasing my first jumpsuit earlier this year, I'm a full on trouser fiend. To me, ASOS currently have the best offerings by a mile. 

When Queen Chung wore this navy utility jumpsuit on The Great British Bake Off for Comic Relief, I knew I had to find a similar outfit. (Mary and Alexa in the same photo! It's too much!) 

(Source: Comic Relief)

I personally favor a more slinky alternative to a chunkier cotton boiler suit, these are both beautiful.

Vila (via. ASOS) £28

Whistles (via. ASOS) £225

ASOS have also fully immersed themselves in the wide leg trouser and brought them into jumpsuits. I particularly like all the cut out detailing which I think counteracts the wide legs to make for a more flattering silhouette. This black number is my favourite...  

ASOS, £50 

The wide leg culotte is not something I will be embracing myself but I think they look amazing on the taller ladies out there and admire those who are giving them a test drive- how gorgeous is this denim all in one?

ASOS, £50

ASOS, £25

Little Blue Dress- Chung Style

I like to think that having a few 'Little Dresses' that never fail to make you feel a million bucks will set you up for most occasions that life will throw at you....Little Black Dresses are perfect for any occasion, particularly for a special evening.... A Little White Dress for elegant summer days...And finally I have found a new addition to my reliable collection, The Little Blue Dress. After seeing the Alexa Chung for AG Jeans collection I absolutely loved the blue denim dresses that are featured. However, for my tight purse strings an ACxAG dress was always set to remain a dream. 

(Images from www.net-a-porter.com)

I then found this blue chambray oversized dress for £6 in a charity shop. I always think of chambray as a lighter alternative to denim, it's a lighter material and better suited to the Spring (yes, I'm already counting down the days 'til Spring!) I altered this dress to suit my shape a little more as when I originally bought it was near ankle length and very oversized which I personally find to be a bit swamping. I did the alterations by taking it in a few inches at the sides on the sewing machine and then hemming it to a mini length. I think this item mirrors 'The Julie' by Chung with the sweet pintucked detailing to the front and back which adds a bit more interest to a simple button down. 

(Sorry for the poor quality images here, dark rainy days and no laptop at the moment! The iPhone has had to suffice here) 

Top Sales Picks

As we near the end of January the sales are for the most part over and so I thought a top sales picks round up was in order. Although, there are further reductions in most stores so you might be able to snap up even more bargains in the coming weeks.

My best advice for bargain hunting is to go out with an idea in mind of what you want to find, this avoids impulse buys when you are faced with hundreds of items on the rails (or webpage). Try and think about things that you have loved in store that were a little too pricey at the time, or things that you genuinely need in your wardrobe or basics that could do with replacing.

My favourite items that I picked in the sales are as follows:

TOPSHOP

Topshop ended up being the best store for sales this year. I had my eye on this black velvet jumpsuit before it went into the sale so at just £20 it went straight into my basket!

This berry coloured teddy nightie was something that I hadn’t spotted before. It’s got some gorgeous lace detailing and a lovely low back in a woven material that’s perfect for sleeping in. It’s a great replacement for constantly sleeping in my boyfriend’s PJ bottoms and old uni tshirts.

I also ordered a simple black bikini which I need for my holiday next month which I can mix and match with other items. (I’m still trying to build up a new collection of bikinis after leaving them in a hotel room a couple of years ago! Always check your drawers before leaving the hotel, guys).

ASOS

I ordered these Ridley skinny jeans with a ripped knee as I’d been looking for some ripped knee jeans for a while and these went down to £16. The only problem with these was that after I wore them a few times, they were a bit baggier and I should have sized down which is what I would recommend with these jeans.

KURT GEIGER

These were some of my pricier buys but they are great quality and I needed both black boots and black flats after mine had started falling apart.

I got these Slice boots that I had been admiring for a while which were down to £69.99 from £150. They are gorgeously soft leather and are worth every penny for the quality.

These flats were down to £25 from £50, they’re a great shape and the patent finish adds a little more interest to the shoes.

Those are my main sale picks- have you found any gems in the sales? 

Normcore

Like postmodernist, self-conscious metafictional writing that tries its best to move away from the conventional story, the Normcore clothing ‘trend’ is somewhat similar. The ‘trend’ moves away from the conventional idea of fashion trends and peacocking by deliberately wearing basic unassuming pieces. It’s a ‘non-trend’ that tries to avoid pretension- a move from 90s grunge to basic normality- the deliberate pursuit of the ordinary.

To me this is reminiscent of my Dad in the late nineties always pairing jeans with a white tucked in T-shirt, a black belt and trainers. Which, in all honesty, is exactly what he wears now- who knew Mr. D was so stylish? He mixes it up a bit in the winter by wearing fleeces- something else in the approved list of clothing that constitutes as Normcore. I might start calling it Dadcore.

Personally, I do live in a pair of denim cut offs that were once my Mums, and would definitely wear them with a plain top- but not in the deliberate avoidance of trends. I would also have to throw something garishly over-embellished on top. I don’t think I could stand a vague array of basic greys, whites, blues and blacks staring back at me from my wardrobe, or, (snob warning) feeling so damn average! My personal clothing thrills come from seeking stand out one-of-a-kind pieces that I know no one else will have- the opposite of the desire to blend into the crowd.

Normcore is supposed to be a symbol of anonymity, and the slightly fluffy notion that ‘difference comes from within’ and that difference should not have to be translated through clothing- I’m not convinced. Will this really catch on? Since (pretty much) the dawn of time people have used clothing to convey difference and to denote subcultures. There’s a reason ‘Highschool Stereotypes’ is a fancy dress theme.