It's always darkest before the dawn

Taupe Lambskin Medium Leather Pouch; £46; American Apparel. Copper Embellished Shorts; £58; Topshop. Bone Chiffon Tee; £40; American Apparel. The Collingdon Blazer; £269; Jack Wills. Python Serpent Heel; £195; Allsaints

Bow-embellished Suede Ankle Boots; £320; Red Valentino. Octet Key Pendant; £1,150; Tiffany. Glitter Velvet Bow Clutch; £28; Topshop. Melissa Dress; £175; Whistles.

Models Own "Mixed Up" Nail Polish; £5; via Motel. Aloë Lace Playsuit; £175; CoCo de Mer. The Huntsgrove Jumper; £125; Aubin & Wills. Poinsettia Boot Sock; £7.62; Free People.

Peacock have £5 pizzas (goats cheese, obviously). The Yule Ball gives me an opportunity to twirl around a dimly lit basement in a fairy dress. Then home means duvet snuggles with the usual suspects, lots of food, and a DVD or two.

Just because I'm turning twenty in a fortnight doesn't mean I have to grow up. Or aspire to have clothes I can afford.

I've been spending a lot of time being your cliché English student recently (poetry readings, open mics, film screenings, etc.) which has been FUN, but now I feel slightly delirious from lack of sleep. It was wonderful to meet Olivia a couple of days ago and talk about scones, trains, and the importance of taking the teabag out of your tea before putting the milk in (no joke, this is a really important issue). I just got another disposable camera developed so expect to see some (but definitely not all) of them here very, very soon.

xxx

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treats

Gemma dress; £20; Motel. Aldgate heeled chelsea boots; £70; Topshop. Masquerade necklace, £9; ElsieBelle. Vacation necklace; vintage.

Since the beginning of term I've tried hard to save money (a ban from coffee shops is currently in operation), but here are the things I've succumbed to. Massive love for the dress, my nod to the cutout trend, even if it's normally hidden beneath a cardigan in these chilly months. I've wanted a pair of chelsea boots for ages, so finally took the plunge when Topshop did a 20% student discount and chose these over the slightly less practical higher cherry red pair. I may have also indulged in Domino's pizza menu due to my (apparently weird?) love for feta cheese. Hey, everyone's got their vice...

xxx

Mandatory shot of me dancing around, trying not to get run over by dustmen:

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with a scowl in his pocket and a smile on his face

Reading about Starbuck in Starbucks.

I've been in the South of the country since Thursday, catching up with friends from home, and spending far, far too much time between coffee shops and Wetherspoons. I'm heading back to Liverpool tomorrow (with a rather large box of Twining's english breakfast tea) to see Arctic Monkeys and attempt to get through my reading list a little bit more. I'm also attending the Motel evening on Thursday, will I be seeing any of you there?

xxx

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I'm the ghost in the wrong coat

So, it's a lot harder to dye over ombre than I expected.

xxx

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it's a mixed up muddled up shook up world

There are always such wonderful surprises to be found at Amy's house!

xxx

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we've got a city to love

t-shirt; luella via ebay; £5. skirt; zara; £7. belt; primark; £1.50. cardigan; charity shop; £2.50. coat; topshop; £63.

IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR LAYERS.
So I present to you three photos indicating said layers, in which I look like an idiot.
(Featuring hair and make up, courtesy of walking up and down Liverpool's hills in gale force winds.)

xxx

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hell is empty, and all the devils are in middle-class england.

photos by paolo zerbini, styled by nic jottkandt, for i-d magazine.

these photos were taken in tilbury, essex. an essex just slightly different than portrayed on towie.

i'm going to go and make some important life decisions (i.e. whether to buy some new boots or not) over cold domino's, then start on my emily dickinson presentation for tuesday. student life is a cliché.

xxx

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noon burned gold into our hair

It's been quite busy recently.

Instead of walking straight back to my accommodation I decided to go for a wander around bits of Liverpool I'd never been to before. Lots of deserted car parks, bombed out buildings, rubble and brick walls. The Tobacco Warehouse looked so beautiful in the late afternoon light. I noticed a hole in the wall (next to where I'm standing in the second photo, actually) and through it was the most delightful canal.

A nice little break from reading and responsibilities. Then I had a jacket potato with coleslaw for dinner.

xxx

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t shirt; £20; arctic monkeys at don valley bowl gig (take me baaack). skirt; £15; topshop. belt; 20p; charity shop. tights; £1; topshop. boots; £30; topshop. bag; mother's. jacket (over bag); £22; primark. messy hair; c/o essex seaside breeze.

this is such a ridiculously "me" outfit. just minus a collar of some kind.
i'm back at university now, so no little quaint places like this to take photos in (thanks mum).
feeling a little bit lost, and drowning in "bleak house".

xxx

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an overgrown house party.

last photo by ashlea hugh

i attended brownstock festival for the second year in a row (see my post about last year's here). of course i managed to successfully avoid any of the professional photographers, yet i managed to go through a total of two and a half disposable cameras, as well as most of the film on my lomo fisheye (yet to be developed, the suspense/fear lies palpably inside my bag).
i don't know whether it's the board games, pianoke (there was a rather impressive rendition of parklife), or the mindset of the local rugby club to dress up (i saw mankinis, a french maid, and some nuns), but i just love brownstock. it's small, especially when compared to the only other nearby festival v, but that just adds to the charm. and lessens the queue for the mediterranean wraps. so good, i can't even.

and somehow we adopted/inherited/won a pink unicorn, christened dave.

xxx

ps, i've been featured by florrie on british style bloggers. click through if you fancy a little read about paying to wash your clothes and how film photography is fab.

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last ones standing

blouse; £3.99; st michael's via charity shop. skirt; £30; american apparel. belt; 10p; scouts via charity shop. shoes; £40; swedish hasbeens x h&m. sunglasses; £1; primark. bag; gift; marks and spencer limited collection.

taken in leigh-in-sea a few weeks ago, when it was sunny and could pass for summer.

i have to go to tesco and buy last minute (i.e. i forgot) stuff for this weekend's festivities chez morris farm. i'm a sucker for example, i'd never change the way i kiss him. follow me on twitter for fairly innocuous updates on my iniquitous behaviour.

pow

xxx

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a series of photos in which my hair covers my face

photos taken by oliver (i think?), jazzy, and charles.

i refuse to believe that summer's nearing it's end. i've still brownstock and varying birthdays and parties to look forward to. and there better be an indian summer (no doors reference intended) else i'll freeze during (re)freshers.

oh, and i met jazzy (aka hivenn) yesterday, maybe we should just set up a film photography appreciation society? just got to wait for me to finish the film and then i'll share them here (although the second photo does depict me falling over in front of the cathedral when i was with her). garlic vodka shots shouldn't exist, but they do, and so do jalapeño ones.

xxx

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'cause i sez so

pineapple tee; £??; topshop. floral shorts; £28.80; topshop. most amazing sunglasses in the world; £1; primark. socks; £1; topshop. shoes; £25; russell and bromley via ebay. necklaces; vintage and gifts.

it was selena's birthday yesterday and she had an inflatable palm tree, so i went dressed in embroidered pineapples. too much of this outfit is topshop (i'm beyond ashamed) but the bag was the prize i won in claire's (aka jazzpad) giveaway last year.

DISCLAIMER: there's a lot of concealer on my legs. in the words of natasha bedingfield, i bruise easily.

xxx

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but we do it anyway because we love a bit of trouble

oh, hedi slimane.

i'm wearing ballet tights and i spent the day dancing in town to the dead weather, wishing i had tattoos like freja beha.

xxx

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The world needs fantasy, not reality. We have enough reality today.

peter pan collar tee; £12.50; american apparel via ebay. floral denim shorts; £28.80; topshop. cardigan; £63; carven via sample sale (almost cried at spending that much money). masquerade necklace; £9; elsie belle. skull bracelet; £11; made via ebay. blue and gold ring; £8; topshop.

For those of you who may not have noticed, Look Magazine is holding a competition offering the chance to blog front row from their LFW show. And this is my shameless entry for it. (As well as a little bit like an extended "About Me")

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you live for the evening 'cause it’s the best part of the day

heartofglass
viking splash splash splash
even more splash
lily and me and elizabeth
pete and i, proud parents of chuckles
just because i ought to be at one of his gigs right now

by the looks of things, my summer so far has consisted of wearing this top too much. i fully intend to continue this trend.

(photos taken on my beloved lomography fisheye camera)

xxx

ps, in regards to the current riots happening across the country, i know i can't put across my view as concisely and well structured as others, so i'll just wish that everyone is well. it's horrific to see places i grew up ("oh, east london!"), go to uni and went to last weekend going up, literally, in smoke. i just... i don't understand people.

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he whistled and he sang till the green woods rang

green post boxes. no joke.

dublin castle!! and you can't see up my skirt, i checked.

my inner lit geek went wilde in dublin. so did my bank account. ughhh.

it was lovely to see tessa, and we bought matching temple bar shot glasses. i don't know what her excuse for being a tourist was, she's been there all year! i'd love to go back when i have a disposable income (is that a myth? i'm not sure?). i took some more photos on my lomo (hurry up boots!) so i'll do a higgledy-piggledy post when i get that film back.

oh, and here's a photo of a peacock by the duck pond in the village where i live. i will never understand why there's a wild peacock roaming the rural streets. ever.

dress; £1.20; urban outfitters via ebay. belt; 20p; charity shop. cardigan; £2; charity shop. necklace; £9; elsiebelle. shoes; £25; russell and bromley via ebay.

xxx

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