Lovely Lowie

Lowie is a cute collection of handmade, knitted vintage inspired clothing and accessories. Every item is beautiful, fantastic quality and they're 100% cotton so super soft!
I am in love with every item, and even rather tempted to buy the design director's 'Love to Knit' book!

This sweet bow hairclip looks high quality, yet only costs £5.50!

I love the contrasting colour of the white buttons against the black leggings: they turn a dull basic into something unique! They cost £32.

Again, the black and white contrast jazzes up the shorts, and paired with the stripy top you get a fabulously nautical playsuit perfect for an English summer with sandals, or in winter with tights. This versatile piece costs £68.

In conclusion: although the prices are in general too high for a tight-pursed teenager like me, the quality is fantastic and they're pretty, unique pieces so if you have the cash to splash, don't hesitate!

London calling to the faraway towns

YES I went to London! And I was determined to visit the Rokit store in Covent Garden. Due to some phone issues, this involved around 30 minutes of wandering around the Covent Garden area aimlessly, but it was WORTH IT!
I've only ever been to one vintage shop of that size, and that was Beyond Retro in Brighton. However, Rokit was completely different.
While Beyond Retro is overwhelmingly crammed full of thousands of items, Rokit is calm and well-organised. It has much more of the feeling of a high-end shop than of a bustling bazaar and the prices were gobsmaking! I picked up one dress for £13 and this seemed to be an average price. While there were some much higher end, designer items a lot of the clothes were amazingly cheap!
This is the dress that I bought: the first vintage item I've bought on this voyage.

As the dress is originally a size 14, it fits loosely but with a belt it suits my figure better, and the length is perfect. However, for a more casual look I could leave it loose.

I also wore some of my favourite jewellery on this trip: this leopard necklace and owl ring... Oh God, I'm like a bloody zoo!

The staff were lovely, the prices were great... my only negative about Rokit was that I didn't bring enough money!

Look what I found 4

Today, I found out something that had me excited. I haven't been this excited since I found out that Katy Perry was appearing in Gossip Girl... possibly even more!
Pret a portobello has been a favourite of mine for window shopping for a year now, so during my weekly check up I saw a section of the website I hadn't properly explored before. Vintage!
Yes, the online fashion market also has a sweet little supply of cheap, beautiful vintage items!
Hard to pick, but my top 3 items from the website are...
3) This festival cool suede and crochet waistcoat is a shocking bargain for £35.

2) An item that never goes out of fashion is the Chanel jacket, and this Chanel-style tweed blazer with HOT pink trim is FABULOUS for £55.

1) I'm a big supporter of the flirty, frivolous fifties shapes so this a-line skirt is a clear winner for me. Although the summer's pretty much over for us Brits, this is another timeless piece that will last for many summers to come. The fact that it's only £35 makes it impossible for me to resist!

An update of some boring outfits...

My wardrobe at the moment is starting to lean too far towards 'comfy' and away from 'cool' for a range of viable excuses...
Firstly, I got THE WORST cold... I didn't even want to get out of bed, let alone go out! But I decided to bite the bullet, scrape my hair back and (SHOCK HORROR) change out of my pajamas and into this cool, super comfy vintage aran jumper, bought from Goodwood. This isn't necessarily the most flattering outfit, but it's like the chicken soup of outfits: massive warm jumper, soft leggings and slipper-style ballet shoes. Plus the amazing bag! I love it so much, I'm using it without the strap, but it can be made into a cross-body bag. It's superbly made of sumptuous leather and makes me feel like I'm carrying an it bag!

Arghhh sorry, different computer... can't work out how to rotate pictures!

Next, I went camping. Yeah, you'd think my family would have had enough after 2 weeks in France and the Vintage at Goodwood weekend but NO!
Actually, it was a lot of fun despite the stormy (yes, stormy!) weather and the fact the wind destroyed 50% of our camping utilities...

But not exactly the best opportunity for a glamourous outfit. The varsity jacket is vintage from a fashion fair. (impressive, right?!) The crop top is Max C, bought from the Clothes Show London. I love this minty green colour, I have a great dress in this colour which I'll show off as soon as possible! :) 

Snooper's paradise

Two things: firstly, sorry for the lack of blogposts. I had a serious computer disaster; the screen just STOPPED. Although it was completely not my fault... I think...
The second is to apologise for the nature of these posts so far... I realise they've all been about various (amazing) shops I've found, but due to the laptop apocalypse I've been unable to upload any pictures.. but earlier this week I took part in my first real voyage into the vintage world!
Snooper's Paradise is a flea market in Brighton: the perfect place to find some great new vintage clothes.
Now, after living in Brighton for around 9 years I'm not saying I've never been in before, but it was more a half-hearted wander with my friends. As a shy person, the idea of having to do things like ask the cashier for keys to cabinets and *gasp* maybe even haggle fills me with a paralysing sense of dread but I DID IT!
Ok, so I wasn't on my own (I ashamedly took comfort in my 12 year old sister and mother) but I still DID IT!

The main reason I approach places like this with trepidation is because I always feel that I will be instantly spotted as a phoney: none of MY outfit has been determinedly hunted out from a bucket of second hand items, it doesn't have any story about its origin, millions of others have all the same items as me.

BUT

If I'm going to succeed in this challenge I'm going to have to face much harder days than a simple browse in a shop! So I did. I picked up a few items, I looked at some prices, I considered a gorgeous cameo necklace, I got a teeny bit lost... and then I left. Feeling surprisingly proud of myself considering all I did was... walk.

Look forward to seeing my growth in this voyage!

Look what I found! 3

!TARA STARLET!

Wow. This is the shop for me! Vintage inspired garments, great quality and within budget! Ok, calm. *ahem*

Right. Yes. Tara Starlet offers a magnificent selection of 40s and 50s style outfits with a very impressive range of patterns in each design. Perfect for picky purchasers!

My favourite items have to be these high-waisted sailor trousers for a sophisticated, pin-up style (£56) and this forties shirt dress in a cutsie red gingham print for £68.

Ok, just one more time: wow.

Look what I found! 2

I LOVELOVELOVE Love Miss Daisy! Not just for gorgeously glamorous clothes, such as this faux fur cape: add this to any old jeans and t-shirt combination and you'll look like a hollywood starlet for just £49!

...But also for a fantastic range of the cutest vintage home accessories! I'm a huge fan of the world of cakes, so I adore this pretty cake stand, for £50.

Even if you're not as scarily in love with cakes as me, these cake stands are great for a 'shabby chic' decoration: I have a cardboard cake stand which I use as a jewellery holder.

Go and check the lovely Love Miss Daisy out!