Let there be love.

Roses are red, violets are blue, you've seen my face, so here're some new ones for you

Years ago, I spent most of my free time reading fashion blogs when it was still quite a new concept. Now I've got my own, as I'm sure you've noticed, but I still spend a high percentage of my free time reading the blogs I follow to catch up on the lives of people all around the world. Recently I haven't been so good at discovering new blogs, but there's nothing better than coming across one you adore, and I do check out the blogs of people who comment and notice the same names popping into my inbox again and again. I don't say it very often as I don't want to come across all soppy, but it really does mean a lot to get a comment on a blog post that I've worked hard on, and I just want to say thanks for coming back to this little diary every once in a while, I really do appreciate it - thank you.

As it's Valentine's Day, and I'm going to be spending it with the triple distilled love of my life, I thought I'd share some of my favourite blogs that you may not have come across before. I do have a blog roll (anyone else noticed that these aren't as common any more? That used to be how I'd find new blogs!), and you can always check out who I follow on bloglovin', but here are a few gems who I wanted to share the love with.

Tanya

who is tanya

Without a doubt, Tanya is one of the loveliest girls I've ever had the pleasure to come across. She's currently at uni in Southampton, but I did sort of bump into her in London once, and it's always bugged me that I didn't use my initiative and go and say hello. Always a tweet away, I just know that we'd get on over a cuppa, and reading her blog is like having a catch up with an old friend. It's only a matter of time before we actually do meet up, and I hope it's sooner, rather than later!

Jade

the jade aesthetic

I honestly can't remember when I started reading Jade's blog, but it's got to have been a good while ago now. I seem to remember thinking that we were opposites when I was at uni, as we swapped between Liverpool and London during term time. Now I've kind of mucked that up by moving to Munich (soz), but Jade's blog has had a bit of a makeover and I'm still a constant reader. I put my never finding anything decent in the Liverpool Zara down to her snapping everything up first in her head-to-toe outfits from the store, but I can't really hold it against her as she looks so much better in it than I would.

Hannah

han valentine

I followed Hannah on twitter for ages before I followed her blog, and I'm pretty sure I expected it to be a shrine to the Courteeners when I clicked through (you might have tweeted about them once or twice!), but I found one of the most beautiful blogs around. Her photos' moody lighting, whilst probably owing a lot to the Manchester weather, complements her outfits, all of which I'd add to my own wardrobe like a shot. She's a graphic design student, and, as a result, is constantly changing her layout, and has had some of the best ones I've ever seen. Now I've got the itch to redesign my own...

Sonia

erstwhile felicity

The only one here which isn't strictly fashion (although there are the occasional outfit snippets!), but Sonia's photography is, in a word, amazing, and I couldn't not include it. I came across it at work and spent a good twenty minutes scrolling through the archives. Although not the most productive of mornings, erstwhile felicity has since become one of my favourites and makes me want to explore the settings of my Canon 550D even more.

Jordan

bambi legs

On one of my normal google searches of Arctic Monkeys lyics (fyi, on this occasion it was "stop the world, I wanna get off with you") I noticed someone who definitely wasn't Alex Turner. Jordan's blog was quickly added to my bookmarks, and her AM titles always make me smile when they come up on my feed. Jordan's style is pretty feminine, although she loves to add a chunky boot, and I always look to her recent outfits when I fancy a little online shopping session as she has a habit of finding some really beautiful things.

Sonia

smoke and velvet

I'm pretty sure I first came across Sonia on tumblr, but her personal style blog is one of the best out there, for sure. Her choices are much cooler than anything I could ever wear, but it doesn't hurt to keep up to date and dream that maybe one day I'll look as effortless as her! With real Chung vibes, but not enough to be another wannabe clone, Sonia's the kind of girl who would look good in anything, but you can tell she's got good taste, and that goes for her taste in music too.

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Now then mardy bum.

Zara navy coat: £30. Aubin and Wills breton top: £30. Brag vintage mom jeans (new'uns here). Buckle chelsea boots: c/o Missguided. Topshop frilly socks: gift. Rotary watch: gift. Mememe cosmetics "sparkle" lipgloss.
Photos by Carmen.

Kavita always used to mock my smiling blog photos, but when you look at these it's pretty obvious that my standard facial expression is "bitch face". Surprisingly, I wasn't actually hating life when taking these photos, whatever my face may say otherwise. Anyway...

Considering I never wore jeans a year ago, this is turning into a staple outfit, à la Mlle Purvis. I remember her trying on a pair of AA mom jeans in Liverpool and quite clearly thinking that I'd never ever wear a pair myself, but it would appear that I'm a bit of a hypocrite. Paired with my favourite Aubin & Wills (RIP) breton, some kick-ass boots, and with frilly topshop ankle socks peeping out, I feel like this is something that I can just slip on without too much thought when I wake up bleary eyed in the morning. And, look mum, no burgundy!

Today I'm heading out to see the Nelson Mandela film with a few of my friends, which is the first time I've been to the cinema since seeing Les Mis last year. I'm not really a cinema person, and much prefer watching films in the comfort of my pyjamas, but as this is a little bit of a novelty I'm going to leave the tight jeans at home and go for a smock dress to match my portion of popcorn. A very large portion.

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Make pretend it's 1969 forever.

Vintage gold blouse: 50p, via charity shop. Truffle American Apparel circle skirt: £15, via ebay. Ark cut out boots. Ponyskin box bag (unfortunately now sold out): c/o Missguided.
Photos by Carmen.

When looking through my photographed charity shop bargains it seems like this top has never quite made it onto the blog, despite buying it last Summer and wearing it countless times. In this instance, it was for the filming of the new Stylight TV advert which we got paid for in beer and sweets (what I'd spend the money on anyway) and watching my new pal Rosa jump up and down like a lunatic while Lydie, Aida and Anne took what must've been their billionth shot of the day. For me, however, the final cut at P1 was my cue to jump on the u bahn home to shower, get changed, and head to Lauren's (doing make up on the train, a skill that once learned never leaves) for a real night out which, thankfully, was not caught on camera. I can however confirm that it did involve trips behind the bar and spilt sambuca shots, I'm not really sure what more you could ask for!

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You're gonna see that we're not the same.

Just Female burgundy peplum blouse: €19.50, via Kauf Dich Glücklich. Carven wool shorts: £69, via Cricket. The Kooples leather jacket. Ark cut-out boots. Marks and Spencer bag: £43. Elsie Belle masquerade necklace: £9.

Photos by Carmen.

For a fashion blogger this might sound a little odd, but I actually really don't like buying clothes. Don't get me wrong, I like having new things and collecting pretty labels (probably just me that keeps the nice ones), and finding bargains in the sales is always fun, but I find trying things on and finding the perfect addition to my wardrobe a real chore as I'm so fussy with what I wear. As I hadn't bought any new clothes since being in Munich other than these shearling wedges, Lauren and I decided to forgo the high street and headed to one of the quieter parts to have a browse away from the crowds. Kauf Dich Glücklich is a bit like a tiny Urban Outfitters but with the feel of an independent boutique. And it sells coffee. Lauren bagged herself a half price Cheap Monday beanie, and I was quite happy to get this blouse reduced from €65. (Let's be honest, I bought it because it's a top half version of a smock dress and it's burgundy. Someone stop me from buying anything else in this colour please.)

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This european air it always warms my face.

The Kooples leather jacket. American Apparel baseball tee: free. Topshop black joni jeans: £30. Ark cut out boots. Marks and Spencer leather bag: £43. Tartan scarf: £8, via ebay.
Photos by Charlotte.

It may not feature on the titles of that esteemed television show Eastenders like the Thames, but Munich's river Isar definitely trumps it regarding prettiness. Wandering along its banks on a snowy Saturday afternoon before heading to Beirut Beirut for all kinds of lebanese goodness made for the perfect start to the weekend. It's odd how you tend to not do touristy things the moment you live somewhere, as if paying the deposit on your room equates to some kind of agreement to not indulge in a Lonely Planet travel guide because you're a Münchner (a phrase I had to look up, fyi). So this time Charlotte and I headed down to see the frankly crazy surfers do their thing, and Sunday was reserved for art galleries and coffee, and maybe a bit of fangirling in front of a Fuseli. This girl knows how to live.

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She's up in the sky, up in the domes.

River Island tartan tappy dress: £25, via asos (also in black). Ark cut-out boots. Black floppy hat: borrowed from Carmen.

Photos by Carmen.

At least taking outfit photos results in finding out more about the area I work in! As I'm sure every other blogger out there has mentioned at some point in the last three months, finding the time to take outfit photos when it's light outside and you have a full time job is, to say the least, pretty tricky. Limiting ourselves to our lunch hour, Carmen and I often end up taking photos in the car park, but this time we went a little further afield (it was a whole five minute walk, if that's not commitment, I don't know what is) and found this little wooded area. Give us two minutes to de-coat and swap hats, and then we were snapping away, much to the amusement of the local dogwalkers.

Anyway, must return to my pancakes and maybe change out of my pyjamas at some point as I'm headed to the alte Pinakothek with friends later. However on trend I'm sure this floral primark number is, I think I'd rather people looked at the exhibition rather than myself.

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You're so dark.

Don Valley Bowl Arctic Monkeys t-shirt: £20. The Kooples leather jacket. American Apparel corduroy circle skirt: £15, via ebay. Burgundy cut-out boots: c/o Ark. Marks and Spencer shoulder bag: £43. Rotary watch: gift. Charity shop leather belt: 20p. Charity shop faux fur scarf: £1. Superdry "electric pink" lipstick. Essie "eternal optimist" nail varnish.

Photos by Carmen.

I would put very good money on this being my most worn outfit. As far as pay per wear goes, every item I'm wearing must be in the pennies region, and I know that the boots will soon be heading that way too. When people praise a celebrity for "recycling" clothing, I do wonder what that social media executive thinks is normal, as, come on guys, they washed it and wore it again like every normal person. Unless you're Chris Brown. I don't know what it is about this skirt which makes it so wearable, but I find that it's quite a flattering shape for my hourglass figure, although I may have to retire it soon as it's so bloody short. The leather jacket goes without saying, really. I bought it as a finishing university present, and despite it being the most expensive thing I've ever bought I don't regret it in the slightest as it's become a wardrobe staple that I grab every time when I'm rushing out to catch the u bahn to work. As for the top, you might have heard that I like this little sheffield band called the Death Ramps? I've seen them five times now, and purchased this Arctic Monkeys t-shirt (my second) at their homecoming gig a few years ago and it's lasted pretty well considering how many countries it's been to, festivals I've survived, and times it's been in the wash. Here's hoping the bobble hat I got at Earl's Court lasts as long!

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Why are we losing time.

Pointed collar smock dress: c/o Ark. The Kooples leather jacket. Topshop buckle strap boots: £76.50. Marks and Spencer burgundy shoulder bag: £43. Charity shop leather belt: 20p. Rotary watch: gift. Initial pendant necklace: gift. Sleek matte lipgloss. Essie "eternal optimist" nail varnish.

When people talk about having a type, it's generally in relation to what you look for in a boy/girlfriend, but as I opened this dress whilst wearing this blouse I came to the conclusion that maybe I have a clothes type. I don't experiment with clothes as much as I used to, and tend to dress for my shape (unless I'm tired or hungover, then I turn to a smock dress, which although comfy is incredibly unflattering), and apparently I'm currently going through a monochrome phase, which centres around a good ol' collar. This particular example is meant to be worn loose, but for me it works better when belted, so I turned to my failsafe charity shop bargain to nip it in a little bit.

So next time someone asks, I'll tell them my type can be found in my wardrobe, and wait for the reaction.

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