What I Wore :

Waistcoat : Next

Polo Neck : M&S

Jeans : ASOS

Boots : Vagabond

Yeah I'm totally aware that I'm wearing a waistcoat. But with good reason! 

Walking past Zara in the Trafford Centre the other night, I couldn't help but notice the increeeeedible new season window displays. The item that had taken center space was nothing other that the most beautiful black velvet embroidered waist coat. It was love at first sight. Yet, I knew we could never be together. The reason? The £69.99 price tag. 

So instead, I went home and cried for my long lost waistcoat. And then - as if by magic - my mum decided to have a clear out. And what should be on top of the pile, other than this woolen beauty! 

Admittedly, it's not as delicately bohemian-chic as the Zara one, but it's totallllly 70s and I think I'm going to try and find a way to work it into everything that I wear for the next month or so...

What I Wore :

Tee : Primark

Scarf : Debenhams
Jeans : Primark

Boots : ASOS

Apologies for the total weirdness of my recent backdrops. I can't find anywhere that I like, and by the time I do the sun has gone down... Typical really. So I'm back to my usual garden shrubbery backdrop - missed that little plant pot guy!

Life at the moment consists of writing snippets of my dissertation in between motivational Gossip Girl and coffee and ASOS-browsing breaks. I'm writing about how internships affect the fashion industry, and although I pretend to be bored of it, I am actually enjoying writing it. Mainly because it allows me to write down my own experiences through other people's words and share experiences of which I thought I was alone. 

Internships are great. They give you a glowing C.V to compliment your degree and (hopefully) secure you your dream job. Looking back on your own internship is always a rose-tinted-glass experience I think. In reality, you were probably working for pittance - if anything at all - commuting to a cold office, where people didn't take you that seriously and you weren't really given any training in your supposed job role. But it's an experience and a reference you can write up on your C.V. Am I right?

A lot of students are probably taken advantage of, in that if you won't work for free, you can be easily replaced by someone who will. As there's no official definition of what an internship should be, a lot of companies get away with giving their interns mundane tasks and roles that involve no actual thought process. I think the main the issue is to set a definition within the fashion industry - because really it is just fashion that gets away with bending the rules - of what being an intern entails, including pay, job role and experience. Because what's the point in spending three months at a company, unpaid, paying to get to work every morning and not learning anything particularly substantial?

So this post turned into a bit of a ramble... It was good to get that off my chest and I think I've actually manage to conclude my dissertation over a blog post. Kudos to me.

What I Wore : Brussels Day 3

We stayed at Hotel Bloom, in a superior king room which we found at an amazing last minute price on Booking.com. It's a boutique style hotel with completely individual rooms - each has a mural painted by a different artist from a different city from around the world. Ours was an Irish painter who had created a beautiful, pink scene with a woman stood in the corner, supposedly emulating Spring. The decor of the rooms are seriously cool AND you even get a full blown coffee machine to yourself! I would recommend staying in Hotel Bloom a million times over and if I ever go back to Brussels, I'd most definitely stay here again!

We went out for a meal on our last night to an Italian style restaurant called Drug Opera. The buildings of Brussels are beautiful and all at least three storys high, which means the interiors of restaurants and bars have mezzanine style balcony's and staircases overlooking the lower floors. Because it was Christmas time, everywhere was covered in twinkling fairy lights and it was maaagical.

I wore this amazing yet irritatingly itchy jumper dress from H&M which I want to wear every single day of my life. For £14.99 I can kind of deal with scratching my neck off everytime I do wear it...

What I Wore : Brussels Day 1

A week ago today we were mid-way through our four day pre-Christmas weekend in Brussels. It's now three days post-Christmas and it all feels a bit of a blur. 

Time is the one thing you can never have more of, so it seems a waste to not go out and do things and see the world. The only thing I really want to do in life is to see everything every country, city and tiny little village has to offer. Unrealistic, I know, but I'm yet to spend a holiday lying around doing nothing when I could be exploring...

We mainly decided on Brussels for it's Christmas markets, where we spent most of the weekend drinking gluhwein and amaretto. It's such a beautiful city and the locals are so friendly and helpful and I think we literally walked a hundred miles over the four days just trying to see and cram in as much as we could! 

These photos were taken in the botanical gardens just by our hotel - so worth a visit. The turquoise blue statues stand amongst fountains, mazes and winding tracks that lead downhill into Brussels city centre. The main attraction is of course the domed greenhouse, where inside there is a bar and a roundhouse where they hold gigs every week or so!

I'm so glad I found this coat in the Urban Outfitters sale last year - I hadn't worn it until last week and turns out it's perfect for the cold Belgian weather. I also wore my Vagabond boots all weekend which I'm pretty impressed about, especially with the amount of walking we did. Comfiest-shoes-ever.

Croatia Style File #3

We drove down to Zuljana on our third day for a day at the beach. Most beaches in Croatia are pebbled so we thought we'd just stay for an hour or two! We discovered a tiny cove, off the beaten track, up a lot of very steep steps and through some bushes and ended up staying there a good few hours! 

The thing I love most about travelling is discovering parts of the world and different countries you'd never normally see.

I wore this out for our first proper 'meal out', mostly to disguise the three hundred mosquito bites on my legs! Joking aside, this is probably the most un-me thing I've ever worn, but I'm completely in love with my Waiste vintage skirt! 

I used to wear these type of skirts all the time when I was about 7 or 8, so this is a total throw back. The loose linen fabric and tie waist makes it the perfect holiday piece, and paired with my fringed suede boots I felt like I was off to the wild-west!

Crop top - Topshop

Skirt - Waiste Vintage

Boots - Vagabond

Croatia Style File #2

Day two of Croatia we drove down to Dubrovnik! It's such a beautiful city, but I was kind of disappointed because it was just so incredibly busy. It seemed like there was no time to stop and look at anything, or even just stop for a breather with tourists rushing around and bumping into you. I guess pre-holiday season or even early morning it'd be much quieter, so maybe next time I visit Croatia it'll be on that basis! 

I wore this River Island dress I've had for a year or so as it's so light and airy and I absolutely adore the paisley print! I haven't stopped wearing my Birks since I got them, so for anyone thinking about getting a pair, DO IT. Best footwear choice I ever made.

The main reason for visiting Dubrovnik was for the Game of Thrones tour. Had to be done. I'm not a big fan of walking round with a group of people I don't know, but it was, needless to say, amazing. We were taken round to Blackwater Bay, looked out over the island of Quarth and stood where the purple wedding took place, amongst being shown where various other scenes were shot and where future scenes will be. IT WAS SO COOL. 

 *BLACK WATER BAY - it's called this in real life too...

Dress - River Island

Birkenstocks - Office

Bag - Cyrpus Markets

Sunglasses - Cheap Monday

Croatia Style File #1

Excuses, excuses but I haven't blogged in a while as I've been so busy with work, festivals and holidays (it's a hard life). I promised myself I'd keep a routine with writing posts and styling outfits, but it's so hard once you fall out of step with it!

So to round up, I've just spend the week in Croatia - for anyone who loves scenic places and chilled days by the sea, I'd definitely recommend it. We stayed in a tiny village called Klek, just over the Bosnian border from Dubrovnik, and it was so tranquil and just incredibly beautiful! We met up with my grandparents and Hungarian cousins and second cousins, so it was like one big family gathering!

My first day in Croatia was spent napping - 4am flights are most definitely not the one!

The next day however, we ventured up to one of the nearest little towns called Ston. A lovely red-bricked town full of hidden away cafes, jewellery stalls and kittens. The jokingly named 'Great Wall of Ston' seemed like a great idea in the midday, 30 degree heat... 

We were originally planning to find a beach, hence my lovely ASOS halterneck. I am beyond obsessed with wrap skirts at the minute, the beachier the better. A little souvenir shop was selling them for 30Kuna (£3) so I could hardly resist this with little dolphins on! I'm probably going to take it to Bestival with me and wear it with band tees and inappropriate shoes. 

These were taken from the highest peak of the walls, so please excuse my exhausted appearance. Climbing up there was enough exercise to last me all summer... The views were well worth it. The entire salt flats that Ston is based around spread out on one side, while it's sister town Mali Ston and the Adriatic coastline were to the other. Croatia is probably the most picturesque place to which I've ever traveled!

Skirt - Croatian Markets

Bikini - ASOS

Flip Flops - Adidas 

Sunglasses - Cheap Monday