FRESHERS: Outfit Inspiration

There's only another ten days or so before freshers' week kicks off here in St Andrews, and I've found myself reminiscing more and more about being a fresher myself since I'm about to enter my fourth and final year! I remember spanning such a range of emotions, from feeling so nervous I made myself sick to being so excited I couldn't concentrate on anything! In hindsight, I should have channeled some of that nervous energy into considering what clothes I would take - instead, I basically packed everything I owned! I ended up with a massive Harry Potter-style trunk (which now, put on its side and opened up, doubles as a wardrobe for my winter coats - that's how big it is!), three large suitcases and numerous other holdalls and cardboard boxes.

I had absolutely no need for all this crap, and I don't think anyone else would either! Even the most hardcore fashionistas end up recycling items of clothing at some point, and although it can be nice to have lots of different outfits to fall back on, you need to remember that your parents will not be happy if they have to hire a van to bring all your stuff back home multiple times a year! I still have way too much stuff, but there is a much more even spread across my boxes stuffed with clothes and those packed full with books - and everything can fit in the boot of a car! It can be tempting to bring everything you own to uni, but remember that life becomes so much easier if you have a few wardrobe essentials that you can fit into a holdall to travel between home and uni with and build many different outfits around.

With that in mind, I've compiled a few different outfits and essential items that you'll almost definitely need for freshers' week - whether a fresher or a 're'fresher like me!


OUTFIT #1: MOVING IN
You'll most likely have travelled up in this outfit, and depending on how far you're travelling (I live about 6 hours away!), you'll probably want to dress for comfort. But don't forget that this is probably the first time you'll meet the people who you'll be living with, not to mention other people dotted around your halls, so you don't want to be wearing your oldest leggings and a ratty hoodie! (don't even think about wearing your leavers' hoodie - nobody cares what school you went to, and if they do, they won't be impressed by a hoodie. seriously.)

Keep it simple with some worn-in skinny jeans, a decent-sized bag to stash your essentials (so you don't need to worry about unpacking straight away), and a comfortable-but-stylish lightweight jumper. Stay on trend with some glittery loafers and an embellished collar necklace - which can be recycled for that night's outfit, hooray!

Jumper: H&M (£19.99) // Collar necklace: Miss Selfridge (£18.50) // Jeans: Topshop (£38) // Bag: ASOS (£65) // Slippers: ALDO (£30)

OUTFIT #2: FIRST NIGHT OUT
You'll be tired after travelling, moving in, and introducing yourself a zillion times - but the show (or the party) must go on! Make it easier for yourself by recycling some items that you wore earlier in the day. On my first night, we had a meet-and-greet in my halls' bar and then went on to the union - save your clubbing outfits for later on in the week, on your first night you'll probably just be exploring and getting a 'feel' for the place! This drop hem dress (so Victoria Beckham) can be dressed down for daytime or dressed up for a night out, as here - such a gorgeous, bright red!

Collar necklace: Miss Selfridge (£18.50) // Dress: Topshop (£42) // Bag: New Look (£15.99) // Cardigan: H&M (£14.99) // Slippers: ALDO (£30) // Bracelets: Dorothy Perkins (£10)

OUTFIT #3: DEPARTMENT RECEPTION
At some point during freshers' week you'll probably get the chance to go along to a little 'meet and greet', where you'll meet your tutors and classmates. This is pretty nerve-wracking if you haven't yet met anyone on your course, especially as there'll be lots of free wine on hand! My advice: err to the 'smart' side of 'smart casual', wait until the professors have left before you start necking the wine, get to know the phD students - they'll probably be the ones marking your essays in your first year.

Jeans: Topshop (£38) // Jacket: Miss Selfridge (£35) // Shoes: ALDO (£75) // Top: Topshop (£35) // Bag: New Look (£15.99)


In the next couple of days I'll be compiling a similar post dealing with the first week proper of university - what to wear to your first class and how to stay classy in the library whilst piled down with a ton of books - don't forget to check back!

And if you're looking for a unique way to decorate your new student accommodation, don't forget to enter my giveaway to get the chance to win a fashion illustration print of your choice from my Etsy shop, FASHION inked!

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Holiday Outfit Inspiration

This post is an entry for New Look & Daisybutter's #HolidayHop competition

Outfit #1: Travel Style

1: Trousers // 2: Vest // 3: Cardigan // 4: Hi-tops // 5: Scarf // 6: Bag // 7: Slippers

Comfort is my number one priority whilst travelling. These printed trousers are super-comfy pyjama-style - cosy and on-trend, perfect! The cardigan looks so soft and snuggly; it could double up as a pillow if the weather was too warm to wear it.

I always get really cold whilst travelling - especially on flights and buses where the air conditioning seems to be constantly set to Arctic temperatures - so I always pack a cosy scarf and a pair of slippers. In fact, I always carry a pair of slippers around with me everywhere I go! I like slipping them on during long seminars or library sessions; I'm much more likely to concentrate if I feel comfortable!

Outfit #2: Poolside

1: Bikini top // 2: Bikini bottoms // 3: Sunglasses // 4: Corsage // 5: Skirt // 6: Sandals

Brightly-coloured jungle print bikini + metallic sandals = ultimate poolside wear. With a flower corsage in your hair and a cocktail in your hand, you can't lose! Add a cute and lightweight striped jersey skirt for wandering over to the bar.

Outfit #3: Beach It

1: Bikini top // 2: Crochet top // 3: Sunglasses // 4: Backpack // 5: Keds // 6: Hat // 7: Shorts // 8: Bikini bottoms

I absolutely love this neon-y, ombre-y, aztec-y bikini set! It would look perfect worn with this crochet crop top and super short denim hot pants for a beachy festival vibe, or with these bright pink Keds and AMAZING pink leather backpack for a more sporty look.

Outfit #4: Sunset Supper

1: Earrings // 2: Wedges // 3: Dress // 4: Cardigan // 5: Clutch

I thought it'd be a cute idea to dress for a 'sunset supper' by wearing the colours of the sunset! Adore this multicoloured tribal print dress, and I just can't get enough of these purple wedges - I need these in my life! Add some super swingy earrings and a chic clutch bag, and a cosy cardigan for a nighttime stroll along the beach.

Outfit #5: Beach to Club

1: Swimsuit // 2: Earrings // 3: Skirt // 4: Bag // 5: Shoes // 6: Bracelet

Now this is what I'd call a true 'beach to club' outfit: use your swimsuit as part of your clubbing outfit! Just slip off your flip-flops, chuck them into your bag, and add these amazing platforms and leather-panelled skirt. Accessorise with lots of bling!

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A/W Trend Inspiration: Gothic

It seems like every UK blogger is talking about the weather in their posts, but it really is such a pain in the proverbial arse at the moment! When I posted about summer dresses inspiration, the weather was warm and sunny, but today it's been freezing and pouring it down with rain! So I think that the changeable weather is going to replicated in my changeable blogging schedule: summer inspiration when the sun is shining, and looking forwards to autumnal trends when it's not!

1: Alexis Mabille AW Couture 2012 // 2: Jean Paul Gaultier AW 2012 // 3: Givenchy AW 2012 // 4: Jean Paul Gaultier AW 2012

With that in mind, the top trend on my list is gothic: a dark colour palette, luxurious velvet and leather fabrics, and studded embellishments. Layer up lace and sheer fabrics on top of each other, accessorise with lots of heavy jewellery (especially crucifixes) and studded embellishments. Toughen up with skin-tight leather, or go for a more romantic look with billowing sleeves and flowing velvet.

1: River Island // 2: ASOS // 3: Jeffrey Campbell // 4: Topshop // 5: Topshop // 6: Kelsi Dagger // 7: River Island // 8: Topshop // 9: New Look

Inspiration: Festival fashion

This summer's musical festival season is well under way, and although events such as T in the Park and Download have already been and gone, there are still plenty of massive headlining festivals to come, including Reading and Leeds (August 24th-26th), Bestival (September 6th-9th) and V Festival (18th-19th August).

Sadly, lack of funds have made it impossible for me to go to any festivals this year (although considering the horrendous weather so far this summer part of me thinks I'll be much safer watching from the comfort of my sofa..!) but I've thrown together a few outfit mood boards for those of you lucky enough to be attending:

The folksy boho look: lots of fringing, beading, and crochet

The grunge rocker look: think Kate Moss and Alison Mosshart with leather and leopard print

The sporty pop look: lots of colour and clashing prints, what better way to brighten up a soggy British summer?

Inspiration: Graduation outfits

It's graduation week here at St Andrews, and although I myself won't be graduating until next year (fingers crossed!) one of my housemates is doing so tomorrow morning and the whole town is filled with fresh graduates in swishy gowns and coffee shops offering afternoon teas!

There are a myriad of different events going on during graduation week with varying levels of formality - from the prescribed dress code of the ceremony itself to dinner with the parents, garden parties, afternoon tea and of course, the long-awaited grad ball!

Different universities have varying traditions and ceremonies but as far as I'm aware each one has a black/white dress code for the graduation ceremony and a formal black or white tie dress code for grad ball. I've come up with some outfit inspiration for each of these events, plus a couple of bonus semi-casual outfits for dinners, lunches, garden parties, or whatever else you might have planned!

one: Topshop // two: Zara // three: ASOS // four: ASOS

one: Zara // two: ASOS // three: Topshop // four: New Look

one: Lipsy // two: ASOS // three: ASOS // four: New Look // five: River Island at ASOS

Celebrity Style: Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is quite possibly my all-time favourite celebrity style inspiration. She always looks immaculate, whether dressed down casually during the daytime or glammed up to the max for an awards ceremony. Taylor's equally at home in earthy muted palettes, bold primary brights or gorgeous vintage prints. Her looks are fairly easy to copy from the high street as well, here's two of my favourite outfits...

one: ASOS // two: Zara // three: A|wear // four: Warehouse // five: Office

one: Zara // two: Matalan // three: Oasis // four: Zara

Hair Inspiration: Braids

I LOVE braids, plaits, whatever you want to call them. They're perfect for hiding hair in need of washing, adding a bit of visual interest, or both. To me they scream - or rather utter nonchalantly - carefree, pretty, summery effortlessness.

The combination of braids + bun is my favourite. I went for this look at a friend's garden party last week, wrapping a couple of braids around a simple high bun. It camouflaged the fact that I should have washed my hair and prevented the wind from blowing my hair into my quiche - perfect!

I also loved Kate Middleton's braid + low bun look she rocked at the 'Our Greatest Team Rises' Olympic concert last week; it was a nice change from her usual long wavy locks and showed off the back of her amazing Jenny Packham dress really well.

Image from Grazia

Here's some more of my favourite braid looks:

Braided fringe from IKnowHair

Another take on the braided bun from IKnowHair

Super cute fishtail braid from WeHeartIt

The best, longest pigtail plaits from WeHeartIt

When I went to school, my mum always used to do my hair in pigtails like the last photo, because I had the thickest, craziest hair! During reading sessions though, I'd always untie it so I could play at hairdressers with my friends, and at the end of the school day I'd run out with it sticking out everywhere and drive my mum mad!

Inspiration: Study Spaces

I'm currently in the middle of revising for my penultimate end of year exams, and it's terrifying! My study space is not exactly conducive to learning - it's just a messy mishmash of textbooks, pens, craft products, magazines, nail varnish and teapots! So I've been scouring Pinterest and We Heart It for some inspiration, and found some amazing photos!

This is my current study space in all its cluttered and messy glory... hopefully posting this on the internet will shame me into doing something about it!! I have two desks: a standard Ikea/Argos one that makes an appearance in every student bedroom and an old battered one that my mum found me, it used to be a school desk and it even has some graffiti on it! I also have a shelf, a few baskets, a little chest of drawers and one of those letter holder things. I don't really want to spend much money, so I've been looking for inspiring ways to organise and transform what I already have...

Design*Sponge

theglitterguide

Apartment Therapy

caitnicole7 on Pinterest

001: Hanging photos and magazine clippings on a little string washing line would be a much neater and sleeker way to display things!

002: Effective use of bright pops of colour and fairy lights add warmth and interest without overpowering 

003: Utilising every single spare space for storage is really important for small rooms! Magazine racks, hooks, shoe boxes - use everything!
004: Pretty patterned bulldog clips to separate different class notes/other loose papers together

I've got lots of shoe boxes and old delivery boxes that I can either paint or cover in pretty coloured paper to make more storage space, and I've also got some coloured pegs lying around somewhere so I'll definitely be adding a couple of photo 'washing lines' soon! I'm quite lucky in that my landlord lets us decorate our rooms (within reason!) so I've already added a couple of shelves to my room. I think I'll do some rearranging to try and make my desk area more sleek and peaceful! I'll post with updates in the next few days, hopefully a clean study space will make me much more productive!