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 : 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 #5

I have incredibly fair skin, so apart from picking up a few freckles here and there, my tan is unfortunately pretty non-existent! But at least I didn't burn. I did, however, get eaten alive by the mosquitoes of Croatia - repellent wipes didn't even work!

This oversized, vintage shirt is maybe the best thing I ever bought. I love ASOS marketplace but I hardly ever purchase anything from it - this was a complete impulse purchase and I'm so happy with it! It's just the right amount of Hawaiian shirt without me looking like a complete douché (I hope!)

Shirt - ASOS Marketplace

Shorts - Monki

Belt - Amsterdam Markets

Birks - Office

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