F.D. style sense makes a comeback

 A long overdue post. In fact I wrote it last week but I never got round to taking photos and then posting it. I haven’t bothered with the photos, but you can see what I was thinking last week. Obviously, what I wrote in the end has not taken much effect.

I feel rather pleased today. Why? Because for the first time in AGES, I went shopping AND actually managed to buy some new clothes! I thought I’d lost all of my style sense for a while, but it seems that it is far tougher than I believed.

The most success I had was when we ventured down to the Big Yellow Vintage Shop - which I think most either love, hate or aren’t too fussed by (personally I love it). I hadn’t been there in a while, so I dragged my friend down (kicking and screaming… well, not quite, she didn’t mind). The people in there seem quite nice - the lady complimented me on a skirt I picked out (£6) and the man was telling me about the bags (it apparently takes very little for me to think people are pleasant) which was helpful seeing as I was looking for a bag (£8 - yes, I probably could’ve gone to a charity shop and bought one for £2.50, but that is beside the point).

All in all, a successful trip for me. And it’ll be beneficial for readers here because it’s given me some renewed fashion inspiration which may equal better posts.

Ethical fashion - Primark scores just 2.5

I apologise for not updating over this weekend. I’ve been avoiding the computer until I finished Harry Potter. I visited London on Saturday, which was quite nice. I’d forgotten just how busy it is (I was about 12 last time I went). Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photographs because the weather was horrid and I feared getting my camera out & being robbed. Maybe next time.

I was speaking to my friend on the phone yesterday and we got onto the subject of clothing & how awful shops are nowadays. We eventually got round to Primark - the shop many love (I personally hate it and have never purchased anything from there) and how, in order to produce clothing for such low prices, their ethics must be compromised somewhere. My friend mentioned she had seen an article in the newspaper (this independent article I think) on how little they paid workers and other such things.

Ethical Consumer, in its January/February edition published next week, criticised the company for not having a code of conduct, selling leather goods and “environmentally-damaging” PVC products and for operating in an oppressive regime - China.

“If people shop in Primark because the prices are low then they must be aware that they are low for a reason,” said Ruth Rosselson, a spokeswoman for Ethical Consumer. “And they must start asking questions: ‘Where is this made? How do I know that this was made under good conditions?’ Then the companies will realise that people care.”

The magazine suggests shoppers buy from charity shops, try vintage clothing and seek out organic cotton. Conventionally farmed cotton is treated with 10 per cent of the world’s pesticides, which the Pesticide Action Network estimates causes 20,000 deaths in the Third World every year.

It must be said, I love a bargain as much as the next person, but honestly, I’d much rather fork out for something that has been produced ethically than spend far less on something that is not. It is one of the few fashion “avoid if you can” things I have (fur being in a similar category). I mean of course, this is difficult because I’m certain pretty much every high street retailer has the downfall of being unethical in some respect.

However, since we are the consumers, the power to change minds rests with us. It’s just a matter of whether we use it to alert retailers to the fact that we don’t agree with what they do to make our clothes. I mean not only does everything look similar in shops, they’re probably produced in the same way was well - cheap materials which won’t last, appalling conditions and sweatshop labour. Everyone knows it, but how much longer must we turn a blind eye?

Oh my

Finally, after absolutely AGES, I went into Birmingham to have a (semi) shopping session. I don’t think it could be classed as even a semi-shop since I bought nothing and was impressed by nothing.

Really, what has happened to shops? They all sell the same absolute rubbish. It’s so dull. Maybe it’s just me, but the introduction of the high street made everything so similar. So plain and un-inspirational. Not only that, but for what it actually is, prices are far too steep.

It actually disheartens me slightly. Which is not good considering I’m already lacking inspiration at the moment. Maybe I ought to go for a bit of a hunt in some charity & vintage shops (thrifting is the term) to get my spirits up rather than rambling at the few that read the blog.

Topshop Charity Sale

Something which may be intriguing to those living in the UK is the Topshop Charity Fashion Sale, which is taking place this week. Unfortunately, I am a bit late in posting this and the London and York events have already taken place, but if you live in the vacinity of Manchester or Brighton, then it’s all a go.

Oh and you can apparently get your own stall! It’s just a shame that I don’t live anywhere near where they’re being held.

I started this trend

Being away from blogging, fashion and life in general for so long creates problems when you return. It’s hard to get back into the swing of it especially seeing as I am feeling very uninspired lately.

I will however say that it did amuse me when I saw this T-shirt (pictured right) on Topshop. The slogan reads “I started this trend” which I find rather ironic because obviously they didn’t.

In fact, this latest trend for oversized writing on t-shirts was made popular by everyone’s lusting after the House of Holland t-shirts (such as that pictured left). Personally, I’m not attacted to any of these t-shirts because I do not find large writing appealing on a T-shirt, but hey ho, that’s just me.

In fact, if you think about it these large writing T-shirts aren’t a new concept and if I had to wear a T-shirt with oversized writing, give me one with a political message such as Katherine Hamnett’s designs.

Hell, with present day political situations, I’m sure some amusing slogans could be thought up.

Images from Topshop or Google

History is a mystery

I love learning about the past. History is a subject which really inspires me, though I hated taking history gcse because I’m terribly slow when it comes to writing essays (the time is just not enough - an extra 15 minutes was all I needed). Nevertheless, I still love learning about history because it is the foundation of the present day and I find it incredibly interesting.

For some of that time when I was meant to be ‘revising’, I actually started reading this book that I have on my shelf - “Fashion - The Century of the Designer“. I’d often glanced through it, but I’ve never actually sat down and read it. The history of fashion is something that I do not know much about, which is terribly sad because it is rather exciting. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to finish reading it because after reading up to the 1960s I thought it was best to start doing some revision otherwise I would actually fail (and I didn’t want that)

Fashion as we know it, is a fairly new concept. But all throughout history people have dressed in beautiful clothes. As I was browsing amazon uk for a link to the above book, I came across this book “Four Hundred Years of Fashion“. I can’t formulate an opinion as to whether it is good or not because I have not bought it, but it does look most interesting. I think I will indeed have to buy it to read.

Fashions past are the inspiration of many many collections. And there is no stopping people bringing past concepts into their own styling. I’ve always thought that incorporating different ideas is the way to go - no boundaries, no limits.

The past week

I’ve been appauling with updating recently. I don’t really have much of an excuse either. I suppose the biggest fashion news this week was Kate Moss for Topshop collection being released. Honestly, I am not going to bother doing any posts on it because frankly, I don’t find much of it appealing. You can of course check out various other blogs (such as Fashionologie and Catwalk Queen) for sufficent coverage if you are a Moss fan.

I on the other hand, have been celebrating a birthday and consuming more than I normally do (in the way of shopping not eating).

I’d rather buy things from shops in the sales or when they’re reduced. And Topshop’s buy one get one free offer means I have aquired 4 different garments.

A small browse of Urban Outfitters also saw these shoes (pictured) coming into my ever so small collection. When shoes are reduced from £35 to £9.99, you just can’t say no, even if you can’t walk in heels! At least now, I can learn/practice before the school prom in June (oh yay, what fun… that was sarcasm).

Vintage bandwagon losing it’s wheels?

Well, I’m back! Whether that pleases you or not I have no idea.

There was an interesting post on Style Bubble today about a Times article on vintage clothing. (on a side note: I do love the way Susie presents things on her blog - you can tell she is genuinely interested and a true blogger because she updates often with useful things)

It’s a bit tricky really, because I’m not about to deny that I am unfortunately one of those people who probably only really got into “vintage” when it became a more mainstream craze. I am only (almost) 16 so you know. In all honesty, if it hadn’t been some sort of craze, it probably would have clicked eventually. I mean I used to buy things from charity shops to alter when I was 12 anyway, so it’s not as if I’m being one of those vintage thrill seekers as it were.

So in that sense, I would be a complete hypocrite if I started saying that it really annoyed me that it became a trend to own vintage clothing. And a hypocrite I do not wish to be. But I would like to clarify, I have never once thought that vintage clothing was the pathway to individuality.

Sure, vintage clothes can contribute to personal style, but it’s always HOW you where the clothes not what the clothes are. That’s probably why I don’t buy fancy designers. Although the quality may well be amazing (it should be), to me, it sometimes seems a bit extortionate to charge so much money for a single garment - it’s not the clothes themselves that give someone style, it’s the way the person wears them.

I agree with Susie in that sense, but in favour of the Time article, I do wish that vintage as a trend would go away. I can only imagine how much money vintage shops have made over the past few years. I’m not surprised if many people have jumped on the bandwagon and bought into the trend. I’m sure the number of websites/ebay stores selling vintage has increased over the past year alone, not mentioning actual shops. The thing is although I do wish the trend would go away, it seems to be one of those situations that as soon as it’s been introduced to people, it’ll be difficult to erase it. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem whatsoever with “vintage” clothes or with people who genuinely love to wear “vintage” - I myself have found that the clothes I always seem to turn to are things I’ve robbed from my mother (if she’s planning on throwing them out, I see no problem in this) as opposed to things I’ve purchased from a shop.

I suppose it’s just a question of what people want. As long as there is demand, it’ll be a trend. However, trends come and go like the blink of an eye and soon enough there will be something new. Maybe it’ll be the complete opposite - futuristic anyone?

Jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly

A year ago, my friend and I had a discussion about jelly shoes. I say discussion, but it was more exclamations about how wonderous these shoes were in our childhood and how we wished they made them is bigger sizes. The people surrounding us just looked at us as if we’d lost our minds, but neither one of us cared. Jelly shoes were the most amazing things when we were children - they had the ability to allow your feet to get completely soaked at the seaside, but still protect you from pointy rocks and stones etc. That day we both agreed that we would try and hunt some down and of course we had no luck. We even laughed about how in a year’s time, jelly shoes would be back.

Sure enough, we were right and whilst I am not going to start claiming we were the ones who started it or the ones who were there first (because people like that have a tendency to annoy me), I can excitedly pronounce, WE WERE RIGHT!!

And with shoe shops around the UK going jelly shoe mad, I am going to embrace this trend and buy myself a pair. It’ll take me back to times gone by and that makes me happy.

Photos from Office

Get the thrift on

Sometimes I forget the sheer wonder of charity shopping - then I remember.
(Note to self: Have a charity shopping spree rather than complaining about lack of money.)

The only thing with charity shopping,  is that loads of other people are doing the same thing because of their desire to be ‘different’, - resulting in a) nothing good left for you and b) everyone actually having a similar style. The world works in strange ways.

Topshop browsing

Just had a small search of the Topshop website (I was trying to find something metallic for another post I was doing). Although I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I noticed that there are some lovely things in the Brands at Topshop section at the moment.

All images from www.topshop.com

Shopping in Birmingham

I’ve been sort of like a zombie this past week. I was helping out backstage (doing make-up urgh) at the school opera thing and although I didn’t do a lot, for some reason or another this week has been packed. Thus the no posting-ness.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, so I thought I may as well really. From all the posts that I’ve done since August, there is one which constantly seems to have the most views. As a result, I’ve been thinking about compiling a list of good shops in Birmingham (UK), because although I often dislike the city, it does actually have quite a bit to offer. (If you know of anywhere I haven’t mentioned in the following post, feel free to leave the suggestion in a comment)

High Street
Of course, there are all the typical high street shops…
Topshop, H&M, Dorothy Perkins, Mango, Oasis, Primark … I could go on, but you’ll find them mostly in the Bullring and the surrounding area.

Vintage shopping
As I posted before, there is the big yellow vintage shop, which is big, but there are also loads of other great places in the city. There’s Yo-yo (they don’t have a website as far as I can see, but this shows you where the shop is) and Urban Village (which has moved from the custard factory to china town I think) which are both really good. Then there is the Saturday Flea Market, which is every Saturday at the Custard Factory, that’s really nice because it’s loads of different sellers. I also recently discovered that there is a vintage stall in the Rag Market (Saint Martin’s market), I did feel it was a bit pricey considering it was in the market (where I think everything should be cheap), but it had some okay stuff. Of course, the Custard Factory does have a few other little shops in it which do sell some vintage as far as I am aware.

Charity Shopping
This is the one area that the city centre does fall down, because I think the only charity shop it has in it is Oxfam. If you venture out of the city centre, I know that Sutton Coldfield has a couple of charity shops, as does Wylde Green and Erdington has tons of charity shops.

Other random places
When I was younger I used to go to Oasis Market. I was never a goth/punk/grudge etc type person, but for some reason I did go there a bit. For someone who is into the whole alternative scene (you probably already know it exists, but nonetheless), it’s somewhere to go.

The Rag Market (Saint Martin’s market) and the indoor market are pretty good for crafty folks as there are tons of fabric stores, haberdasheries, wool shops etc.

That’s pretty much all I can think of at the present moment. I realise this post isn’t incredibly useful to someone who doesn’t live in the Birmingham area and if I’m not too zombie-like again this week, I post something of use.

Design competition at Tammy

Just thought I’d let you all know about this competition they’re doing at Tammy. Basically, it’s a design competition for young people (8-18 years old) and you do quite literally that - design something. Don’t quite know what as I haven’t looked properly (it was actually my cousin who told me about this because I don’t particularly like Tammy). I don’t reckon I’ll be entering, but if anyone is interested in entering have a look at their website for more info. I think the closing date is something like March 31st.

Oh my, oh my!

Golly gosh, it’s been a long time. I will admit, I sort of lost interest in blogging for that brief time. But I’m back and ready to ramble on once more! Before I go into the actual postness, I am just going to mention an addition to the blogging team we’ll be having in the close future. I’m not going to say anything about her, she can do that herself, but hopefully, it’ll be some good blogging-ness coming your way.

Well, as I mentioned before, I sort of lost interest in blogging for a while. Partly to do with my losing interest in fashion (shock horror!!) for a while and my inability to shop that occurred. But a newly revived fashion-itis (I don’t think that’s even right) has occured and I actually purchased things on the trip to town yesterday. A pair of shoes (from Topshop, on left), jumper and belt to be exact. Rather mind boggling as currently I am rather money-less (I must be having a ‘-less’ mood today).

Also, I may not have purchased these and my friends may have disliked them, but as someone who has an inability to dress in summer (thus I dislike summer sometimes), I was quite amazed that I found some shoes that would be appropriate and I liked (also in Topshop). Plus, I am not much of a shoe person and only recently have I started aquiring shoes (as opposed to wearing dunlops/converse with everything) and boots.

I really don’t know what’s come over me really. I think it may be the snow we had (truly amazing - we actually did find narnia. If I ever get the photos from my friend, I shall post them to demonstrate the wonderousness that was the snow), sadly it is melting now. However, 2 days off school, so I’m not complaining. Thinking about it, that was not a real post, it was meerly me rambling on about purchases and such the like.

Neon days and neon nights

(photo from google)
Neon - a trend which I’ve been noticing for a while now! What can I say, I’m not surprised and I love it! Loads of clothes have been really dull recently, I love grey as much as the next person, but after a while it gets tedious. With dull weather, who needs a dull waredrobe as well?!

Topshop has a new line called POP - which has ‘neon’ clothing (inverted commas, because in my opinion it’s not bright enough).

(photos from topshop) Okay, so some of that I may not wear (partly because it’s really quite expensive and not nearly neon enough) but, it’s still quite nice. The other big high street brand, H&M also seem to have some decentish stuff in their spring/summer07 collection. Which is good because I have been really disappointed with h&m recently (and topshop come to think of it). Some being brightly coloured yay!

Sorry, seemed to go off the original neon topic there. Back to it: I personally quite like neon, probably because I have been liking this electro vibe (CSS, Ladytron, Robots in Disguise etc) recently, which my friends and many other ‘indie kids’ have also been experiencing I think. The only question remaining is, is neon suited to everyone? My answer is why not?!