H&M Autumn Haul

I’m so excited to be writing this. It’s been way too long since my bank account has allowed for anything remotely like this to occur, but when I saw the nice little payment for my work over Freshers week pop up in my bank account, I knew there was only one place I was going to be heading. H&M.

I’m not going to lie, I probably spent well over an hour in my local H&M store, but not having an endless supply of money as a full time student has made me super stingy with my spending, and I won’t buy anything unless I really really like it. But inevitably, I found too many things that I really really liked, and had to restrain myself. Anyway, rambles over. Onto the good stuff…

Autumn Berry Thin Knit Jumper- £12.99
I’ve been dying for a less chunky knitted jumper to fit nicely under my coat on those crisp, cold days. When I was wandering through the shop and spotted this number, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. This is probably my favourite thing I bought. The colour just fits perfectly in with the new autumnal berry coloured trend that’s plastered everywhere at the moment, and although it’s a jumper that’s more on the thin side, its baggy and cosy enough to keep you warm on those winter nights. At £12.99 and with the number of times I’m guaranteed to wear this, I’d say it’s an absolute bargain.

Plum Geometric Scarf- £9.99
This one was more of an impulse buy. I’m an absolute sucker for scarves, I have way too many of them, yet I just can’t ever seem to resist buying more. It’s a bad habit, I know. But I’m yet to have one in this material or colour (until now that is…) so I’d say I can be let off the hook, right? The autumnal colour of this scarf is perfect for the colder weather that seems to be setting in here in Britain. I hate thin, barely there scarves. If you’re going to wear a scarf you might as well have plenty of material around you to keep all snug, and this one definitely fits the bill. There’s not too much to stop you from being able to physically move, but just enough to keep you all cosy and warm. Win.

                                                                  Basic Black Vest- £3.99
I feel like basic tops are something that everyone needs in their wardrobe, but can never bring themselves to buy. I can’t help but always feel like I’m cheating myself spending money on basic vests and t-shirts rather than fancy patterned pieces. H&M basics are always a go to for me, being super cheap and pretty decent quality. I picked up a basic black vest, which turned out to be super long, and as a girl on the shorter side, this could probably be worn as a dress for me. I however have no problem with folding the bottom under and making it the length I want it to be, and at only £3.99, this isn’t too much of an issue.

Checked Skater Skirt- £12.99
My obsession with skater skirts is getting quite frankly unhealthy, but when I saw this I just couldn’t resist trying it on, and of course buying it. I like the darker pattern of it, making it ideal for the coming autumn months, and keeps me away from the plain black options which I have way too many of, and naturally wear way too much. For me this skirt is perfect for either a night out, or dressed down for the daytime with black tights and a pair of boots.

Dark Grey Crop Top- £1.99
This whole crop top trend took me a while to get into. I’m not the biggest fan of flashing the flesh, but I’ve definitely warmed up to this look. I already have a couple of crop tops, but they definitely fit into the more summery clothing category, so I thought it was time to add one more suited to the current season. At £1.99 this is probably the best bargain I came across in H&M, and it’d be a flipping good find to come across one cheaper than this.

Anyone else come across any good H&M finds recently?

xoxo

I made a skirt!

This summer I made a skirt. Yep, that’s right. A skirt. I made one. There’s apparently no better way to waste away a summer than to attempt to make an item of clothing. This idea actually came from my mum, who noticed me trying to make a new skirt out of an old one that wasn’t getting any wear, but instead told me to get my own fabric, and start from scratch. And that’s exactly what I did. So thanks mum, I guess this post (and skirt) is down to you!

I’m not going to lie to you and say this was super-duper easy, because it wasn’t. It took me weeks to finally complete, and required a lot of concentration, something I can lack at times. But with persistence I finally achieved it, and it resulted in something even I’d say doesn’t look too shabby at all, and I’m actually quite proud of the fruits of my labour.

When I started making this skirt the weather was so lovely and sunny, but as I’m sure all Brits can agree, British summers are pretty short lived. So in the spirit of the weather at the time, I picked out a lovely pink patterned fabric, thinking it would look perfect on a summers walk down the beach. This makes me kind of sad because by the time I’d finished the skirt, any remnants of British summer had disappeared, and opportunity to wear it had gone in front of my eyes. Luckily our weather can be pretty unpredictable, so fingers crossed for an autumn heatwave eh?! Otherwise, this shall have to wait patiently until next spring/summer to get some wear.

But to make this skirt, I went old school and bought a skirt pattern. The pattern I used was by a brand called Simplicity, and I used number 1369 to make it. Clothes patterns are basically huge pieces of tissue paper with the pieces you’ll need to make the skirt drawn onto them, so you just have to work out your size, stick them on the fabric, cut around them, and go from there. Although this turned out to be a little harder than it sounds, I think it creates a nice sturdy skirt, and you can use the patterns over and over again so you can have the skirt in every colour of the rainbow!

So here’s the final product (apologies for the bad quality photo, my camera didn’t want to behave today!). It’s turned out to be a nice high waisted skater style skirt, and I’m actually really happy with how this turned out. I think it’ll look pretty cute with a floaty vest tucked into it, and I look forward to getting some wear out of it when the weather allows for it!

Anyone else ever had a go at making their own clothes?

xoxo

Keen on Kimonos

Something I’ve really noticed bombarding high street stores at the moment is the kimono. If you set foot into a New Look you’ll probably see 10 of them within your first minute in the shop. I’m not complaining about this though, I’m a big fan of this new trend. I think they’re pretty versatile pieces, and can create a cute indie daytime look or even a more sophisticated evening outfit. 

I own two kimonos, one I bought quite a few months ago (I’d like to think that makes me a fashion leader, not a follower.. a girl can dream with these things right?) and one I bought more recently when I saw the influx of them in the shops and simply couldn’t resist another with the amount I wore my first one. I think they provide a nice alternative to the cardigan, and I personally find them more flattering in nature than your bog standard cardigan.

The first I bought was a bolder, deep red pattern, and I find this dresses up a plainer outfit nicely, the second I bought is a more girly pattern, with the floral design and tassels at the bottom adding a bit of something different to it. Both of the kimonos I own are from New Look, I can’t remember the price of the first one I bought (oops) but my more recent purchase was only £24.99, but a bit less for those of us who are lucky enough to still get their 10% student discount, and with the amount I’ve been wearing it I’d say this was an absolute bargain!

 

xoxo