Time to invest in a Winter coat

I'm off to London at the end of the month and I wanted a winter coat that was warm but would also look nice and go with whatever outfits I decided to take on the trip. I've wanted a shearling look-alike biker coat since seeing this amazing outfit on Pinterest and I finally decided to treat myself.

The hunt began and ended in Topshop after stumbling across this beauty. I wanted an oversized style and after initially trying on the size 12 I decided to go all out and pick up the 14. The coat isn't as thick as you might expect but it is fluffy on the inside and if you size up there will be plenty of room to wear a jumper beneath on those really cold winter days. 

The suede effect is so cosy, soft and of course cruelty free! I spotted a similar version in Warehouse that was a leather effect but I decided to go with something different from the biker I already have.

I'm so happy with the purchase and I'm excited to try styling it in different ways!

Coat - Topshop

Dress - Primark

Socks - Adidas

Boots - New Look

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OOTD... Autumn sun

I'm still loving this pleated skirt that I bought last winter and I'm excited to try styling it in different ways. However today I was my typical self and I went for all black everything except for my pink hightops that I wear constantly!

I'm excited that my hair is getting longer now and I can finally put a cheeky braid in the front which is disguising the ugly mullet fringe that's going on. Can't wait to be able to tie it up again!

I've just invested in an amazing new winter coat so keep an eye out for my post showing it off!

Jumper - Stolen from my Boyfriend
Skirt - Primark
Earrings - Claire's
Hightops - Primark
Sunglasses - Forever 21

Thank's for looking!

Life update...

Here is another apology post for neglecting the blog lately, although I have been super busy so I actually have a valid excuse this time.

Mike and I got engaged in August so we've been busy planning, making tough decisions and booking stuff for the wedding. It's been stressful at times but mostly I'm having fun and it's been cool planning something completely to our own specifications.

I'm just relieved to have the venues booked and my dress sorted, hopefully everything else can be sorted slowly to keep me from stressing! I'm so psyched to marry my love... (queue the wedding related blog posts).

When we haven't been wedding planning, we've been buying a house. We've been trying to get a step on the property ladder for two years now and we finally seem to have found the perfect property. The buying process has been slow so far and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but hopefully it won't take too long and we can finally get stuck in to ripping out and updating what will be our beautiful first home.

I've got a few posts planned out so I will be back on track from this week!
Thanks for reading,

OOTD Pretty in Pink

Am I Molly Ringwald yet? I've been obsessed with pink this summer and today I celebrated my love for the colour by wearing lots of it.

This amazing Topshop pinny was a charity shop find a few months back and I haven't got much wear out of it. I gravitate more towards trousers and leggings so often my dress collection gets neglected, maybe if the sun made more of an appearance I would be more inclined to get my legs out.

It's a nice chunky cord material so I'm planning to carry on wearing it through the autumn and winter with thick tights.

I've just realised if I dye my hair red I could live my teenage dream of being Molly Ringwald and I would like young Judd Nelson as well please.
Thank you.

Pinafore - Charity shop
White T shirt - Charity shop
Sunglasses - Quay
Hightops - Primark
Earrings - Claires

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Tips for Charity shop success

I've been obsessed with Charity shops forever.
I love finding one off timeless pieces, but it's also great for finding current trends without spending a lot of money on something that you mightn't get much wear out of.
People are often asking me how I find such great stuff and honestly it's always a hit and miss, so I thought I'd share with you some of my tips and tricks!

My fave find of the week £1

Look through everything
I can spend hours going from one charity shop to another and I always make sure that I search the entire place. The Mens section is great for finding flamboyant shirts, cool alternative tee's, hoodies, flannels and often the pricing is even cheaper in this section.
Another favourite of mine is to look through the accessories, I love finding interesting hats, bags and cool sunglasses.
If you're in to interior design I reccomend rummaging through the home ware shelves as well. Most of the artwork on my walls are thrifted (can I use that word if I'm English?) and there are always cool nik naks and antiques to be found!
Just be sure to scan through the whole shop if you're eager to find amazing pieces!

Be creative
With the prices being so low, it's good to think outside of the box. Think about if you could alter a piece if it's too big or small, or if something could be cropped or altered to fit you better. Another idea is to buy a cheap denim or leather jacket and customise it with pins, patches or even paint it!
Recently I found a satin slip dress and it was waaay big, I ended up cutting it in to a vest and for £2 it was definitely cheaper than the high street alternatives.

Use the fitting rooms
I like to completely ignore the sizing when charity shopping and instead I'll just try on everything that I've picked up. It's tempting to just grab a load of clothes and buy them straight away since it's so cheap but make sure you use the fitting rooms.
I think it's best to set yourself aside a few hours to check in all of the charity shops and remember to wear something that's comfy and easy to take on and off so you stay motivated. Honestly I'm always motivated by the amazing pieces that I find! I'm constantly being laughed at by the people who work there for overloading of my arms with clothes.

The shorts were £2

Visit different locations
It's a lot easier now that we have a car, but I've always made the effort to travel to different high streets where I know that there are several charity shops.
By my house the charity shops are really cheap and the clothes aren't usually that great, but if I travel to higher income areas it will cost more but the variety of donated clothes will be awesome!
It's always exciting to find designer pieces and clothes that are currently trendy and expensive on the high street.
If you're interested in vintage clothing then definitely visit up and coming areas with a hipster vibe, the clothes will be cost more than your usual charity shop finds but when comparing it to normal vintage shop prices it's usually still a bargain!

Both jackets were £4

Buy for others
earn instant brownie points by picking stuff up that you know friend's or family members will love. I will often find amazing pieces that I love but I know I probably won't get much wear out of, so I like to pass them on to my mum or other family and friends to see the clothes go to a good home!

I think charity shops are great for pushing your style and really experimenting with what you wear, so have fun and think outside the box!
All of the stuff in the photo's is what I've found this week alone and as you can see I'm in three stripe heaven at the minute!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any other tricks that you like to follow!

Instagram @wolvesandflames