Grey Sparkles, Granny Shoes and Antique Watches

                                                              Dress-Zara. Shoes- Charity Shop. Bowler-H&M. 

This outfit consists of some of my recent purchases from a spontaneous and somewhat indulgent (considering my bank-balance) shopping spree. The thick grey jumper style dress was a find in Zara for £15. My wardrobe is lacking in casual and easy to wear dresses, so this has definitely filled a hypothetical wardrobe space. 

These are the ultimate granny shoes. Hush Puppies purchased from a charity shop for £5.50. They are undoubtedly one of the comfiest things I have had on my feet and as a fan of comfort over pain in my chosen footwear I am not afraid to say that I am Hush Puppies newest fan. My Granny would be proud. 

Also I thought I would showcase my watch I got for my 21st. I knew I wanted something classic and simple with Roman numerals and a traditional style. After looking online for antique timepieces I came across Rotary watches which, admittedly I did not know much about but was aware of as my Mum received one as a gift. To my surprise they have a lovely range of classic watches which were exactly what I was looking for.  If like me you are not the biggest fan of chunky watches and prefer a more classic piece I would recommend having a look at Rotary. 

Thanks for all the lovely comments guys, I love hearing from you!


Hollie x

Belfast City, Bunny's and Beautiful Boutiques

Here is a showcase of some of my purchases from my recent trip to Belfast, followed by some snaps of the snazzy places we vistied.

I found this GEM of a blazer in a sneaky little vintage boutique which was tucked away in the high street of my boyfriends hometown, Bangor. I love oversized blazer's but I am not the biggest fan of the 'secretary' look so I think the fur on this is what sold it for me. It was also the perfect fit which is a rare vintage shopping find.

The bunny ring was purchased from a gorgeous little shop of trinkets galore! Here is the website, you should definatley check it out, it is a sea of cute little bits and bobs and is very reasonably priced.  

http://strayjewellery.com

The first snap is of The Merhchant Hotel Bar which is officially "The Worlds Best Hotel bar", and going by the cocktails we had this does not surprise me. It was a lovely place to sit and relax although I must admit I did feel slightly out of place sitting there in my soggy clothes and frissy hair from traipsing in the rain all day. If you fancy a treat I would definatley take a look at this place.

The second photo is of Cafe Vaudeville, a snazzy French boudoir style cafe serving delicious and satisfying grub.

My boyfriends BEAUTIFUL FURRY BEAR of a dog also makes an appearance, he makes the perfect dog to sit by the fire with! 

Finally, I want to say a big hi to my new followers!! I have a few ideas up my sleave for future post's so watch this space!:D

Hollie x

Sequins, Banana's and Hello 2012.

Happy New Year people, I hope you all enjoyed the celebrations and danced the night away. The above collection of pictures sum up my 'hogmany' (new year's eve). 

I had a small gathering at my house so my outfit was more casual and comfy than an impressive new years frock.

Blouse-Vintage. Shorts-New Look sale for £5! Boots-New Look. 

These shorts are one of the few things I have bought in the sales. The cord material does take me back to the 90s as I do explicitly remember 'working' a green pair on many occasions, despite this I love the musturd colour and brown belt as it gives them a good vintage feel.

Im currently in Ireland for the week visiting my boyfriends family and am heading into Belfast tomorrow which I can't wait for as I have been told there is a good collection of vintage shops...and it's my 21st at the weekend so im hoping to scope out some nice pieces :D

Hollie x

Siblings, Mittens and Lockets

Belated Merry Christmas!!! Hope everyone had a lovely day and ate until your hearts were content or until you passed out on the sofa. Above are some snaps of me and my older sister and below are some of the beautiful prezzies I received.  

As you can see, red is my favourite colour. The jumper is from UrbanOutfitters, the crochet top is from TopShop and the furry mits are from Vera Moda. 

I want to wear these winter pieces so much but something strange is happening here.....it is WARM OUTSIDE! I think Aberdeen was the warmest place in the UK on Christmas day which I did not enjoy, Christmas isn't Christmas without snow! 

I have always had a bit of nostalgic sentiment towards lockets as I remember wearing them a lot when I was younger and in some cases filing them with cut-outs from magazines. My loved ones must have recognised my love for lockets, or picked up on my 'subtle' hints as to my surprise I got 3!! The black and pearl-esque one is probably the dressiest with a long black chain, the gold heart is a bracelet and the gold and floral one is Cath Kidston and has a vintage/antique look to it. So all 3 are very different which is what I love about them. 

Hollie x 

Wet-Looks, Fur and Mulled Cider

                              Coat-Vintage. Cardigan-Vintage. T-Shirt-H&M. Boots-Marks and Spencers. 

I am finally feeling festive!!! This is what I wore spending the day in the pub sipping on Brothers mulled toffee apple cider......(see below) it is amazing and has definitely got me in the Christmas spirit which is about time seeing as it is three days away. 

I have rekindled my love for this red cardigan which I purchased in a vintage shop in Southhampton last summer. Its got a cool shirt like collar and pretty red buttons so I think it may actually be a dress, but who knows. Oh just remembered it came with shoulder pads so it is pretty likely it is a 80s style dress. 

Happy mulled wine/cider drinking :D

PS. Excuse the blurry photos I think I broke my camera.

Hollie x

Decorative Brooches

I think I do have a little bit of a thing for quirky brooches. Here is my collection most of which I received from my Granny so I have no idea about their age or where they are from! The leaf with pearls belonged to my Great Granny so I guess it is the oldest and the two cameos are presents from friends so are costume jewellery.

I know that brooches aren't the coolest of jewel's but they are a definitely 'old' piece of jewellery and thats why I like them. They immediately make me think of  the 18th century court costume which was lavishly adorned in decorative emblems, so perhaps it is my inner history geek which is attracted to them!

I tend to stick a brooch on most of my coats, I have on my fur coat and my sheepskin coat.

What do you guys think about brooches? Does anyone else adorn their coats with them?!

Also thought I would showcase my beautiful antique ring I got from my boyfriend from the Victorian Market in Inverness. The jeweller said it is 'gothic' and quite a unique style, hope yous like is as much as I do :)

Hope everyone is having a good lazy week drinking mulled wine, watching Home Alone and eating their weight in haribo and pringles! (It can't just be me doing this)

Hollie x

Simple Festive Sparkles

                          All 3 tops are charity shop finds. The gold one is from Oxfam online. Shorts-H&M. 




I think we all know that a bit of sparkle can not be avoided from the festive wardrobe. If like me you are not the biggest fan of glitter and sequin explosions chucking on a sequin-esque top over a pair of shorts or skinnies keeps it casual and subtle while still keeping you in the festive spirit!

These are some of my favourite twinkly tops all of which came from charity shops or Oxfam's online second hand store: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/second-hand-store?pscid=ps_ggl_GR_Shop-Brand&gclid=CNfLm4-ljq0CFVBlfAod2F51lQ (This site also has a decent vintage collection).

I think sequin dresses etc. can be over priced in high street shops so I would urge you to hit your local charity shops where I am sure you will find some sparkly bargain beauties!

What festive sparkle items do you have in your wardrobe this year?!

Hollie x