Once upon a December.

Embellished christmas pudding jumper: c/o New Look. American Apparel double U dress (worn underneath): £36. Vintage bag: £3.99, charity shop. Dorothy Perkins brogues. Becca cosmetics Hotel California lip gloss.

And, just in case you were wondering, Frojo designs christmas cards, Sainsbury's mug and Phoenix cards wrapping paper.

Much like how is it dark that early, I can't help but ask myself just how is it December already? Having had the C word on the brain for the last few months, I've managed to compartmentalise it in The Distant Future department, and now we've got the bare trees, crisp mornings and ready-made excuses to keep Yorkshire Tea on tap before I've even begun to think about my plans for the month. And now we're three days in. Wandering among the evergreen trees made me rather melancholic about knowing we're due to put up a fake tree this year as opposed to the real deal, but it'd be more than a little sad for these grand folks to only be seen by a few people. Even without being covered in tinsel or (inevitably broken) fairy lights, I think they look rather festive, so it was only fair I decided to add a red lip, dig out my oldest and most faithful red dress and pull on a christmas jumper for the occasion. New Look challenged me to dig out some old Christmas jumper photos which has given me the chance to scroll through the archives for a little lol at my own expense. The closest I could find was this little gem (which now lives with my friend Clarity!), but I did love stumbling across this old post, i.e. the first set of photos from my DSLR that I was truly happy with - memories!

Has anyone got exciting plans for this month? I'm happy to have my first non-weekend/bank holiday day off in what feels like forever on Friday for a pre-birthday celebration, but I'm not quite sure how I'll spend it yet. As long as there's red lipstick involved, I'm sure I'll be fine.

Read more

I must admit I can't explain any of these thoughts racing through my brain.

Zara double-breasted navy coat: £30 (similar). Luella dress: old, ebay. Black leather brogues: c/o Dorothy Perkins. Marks and Spencer oxblood leather bag: £43. Christys fedora hat: £20, charity shop. Rimmel Kate Moss 107 lipstick.

Autumnal colours are back with a vengeance. I hadn't worn this navy coat since flying back from Munich (proved by finding 0,75 euros and a nail varnish in the pockets), but it certainly felt like pulling back on an old friend. We popped over to one of our favourite villages Writtle for a late lunch and a wander round the green and gift shops, and I couldn't resist borrowing this beautiful backdrop of black and white houses for some quick outfit photos.

These brogues appealed to my inner Chung fangirl the moment I saw them. As the first pair I've worn for about a year which haven't absolutely ripped my feet to shreds, these ones are definitely a winner, and they're in the sale right now. Fancy winning a whole year's worth of shoes from Dorothy Perkins? Just upload a photo of you wearing your DP shoes to instagram or twitter with the hashtag #MyDorothyMoment or #DPShoeSelfie for your chance to win - more information here. Because, let's be honest, even if you have hundreds of them lining the bottom of your wardrobe there's always space to squeeze an extra pair in there!

As it's the last day of November, I suppose it's about time I start turning my thoughts towards my birthday next Saturday... Other than the mandatory night out, my friends and I are planning a little getaway early next year. Do you have any suggestions for city breaks? We're deliberating between Paris and Dublin, but are open to suggestions. Answers on a postcard!

Read more

I bet that Juliet was just the icing on the cake.

Asos bardot top: £10. Dorothy Perkins floral midi skirt: via House of Fraser. The Kooples leather jacket. Vintage patent bag: 20p. Bally chelsea boots: £8, via charity shop.

Southend is one of those places I tend to forget how much I love till I visit again. Although it offers a pretty good Monday night out, it's probably more famous for its pier, Adventure Island and Rossi's ice cream - nothing beats it! My mum and I popped over a couple of weekends ago on a whim and treated ourselves to a stroll along the estuary and, of course!, some fish and chips at the end of the day. There's nothing quite like a trip to the seaside to lift your spirits, and I just couldn't help but make the most of the day trip by taking some outfit photos, even if I do look rather windswept. Even though I'm no queen of the bardot neckline Dunya, I've found myself drawn to the shape quite a lot recently, and I snapped up this bargain top for a tenner on asos. Are you a fan of the trend?

Today has been considerably less cute, and I'm currently sat nursing a rather persistent hangover which even a trip to Nando's hasn't seemed to fix. I'm about to make my first cup of tea of the day to try and ward it off before settling down to catch up with blogs and youtube to round off the weekend - happy Sunday!

Read more

It's late in the evening, glass on the side.

Dorothy Perkins floral midi skirt: c/o House of Fraser. Pink silk shirt: 75p, via charity shop. New Look heeled sandals. Urban Outfitters straw hat: £12. Brandy Melville thug life necklace: €6. Vintage belt: 20p, via charity shop. Vintage patent bag: 20p, via boot sale. Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelet: gift from Harriet. Topshop lip polish (this is the new season version).

It looks like taking photos at this sunflower field may become an annual tradition, and I am totally okay with that when it means that I can come home with locally grown blooms which perk up my early morning starts during the week. After lunch breaks perusing the rails at House of Hackney and reading Kim's blog, I've been pretty determined to work some tropical palm prints into my wardrobe, and whilst the HoH palm print dream remains up that pipe, I'm more than happy to take things the midi way with this beautiful Dotty P skirt from House of Fraser (and it's only £22, tell me that's not a bargain). I'm planning to wear it with my new black Bardot neckline top next time, but I think it works rather well with this hot pink silk vest top I picked up in a charity shop a couple of years ago, don't you think? Add in some more thrifty finds, and you've got a pretty me~ outfit, if on a rather girly day.

I prepped in true Cohen style for these photos by eating a massive two course meal at a pub down the road, and would truly recommend the seafood sharing platter if you're planning to head to a chef and brewer pub any time soon - those whitebait, you won't regret it. Finished off with a passionfruit cider and catching some rays in the beer garden, I really don't think that Saturdays come much better than this.

ps, don't forget to enter for your chance to win a Lilylulu kimono!

Read more