Mummy Bag

I love making bags, and I LOVE Halloween so the ideas behind this blog work perfectly together. I really wanted to make myself a bag based on one of the classic horror movie monsters; Frankenstein, Dracula, wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon or the Mummy. I do love each of these characters for their own reasons but as I said in the last blog, Frankenstein is my all-time fave………….. but I thought that making a bag of him might be a LITTLE difficult and I have already referenced him in a Halloween blog this year. I decided to go with the Mummy as I already had most of the stuff I would need to make this bag and thought it would be fun to use torn fabric for the bandages and this monster is a pretty under-represented monster in my eyes. Last year just before we plunged into the second lockdown at the end of October, I bought a scarf from Lush. The scarf was covered in brightly coloured eyed mummies. Lush sells the best-printed scarfs to wrap up your purchases using reusable materials. Obviously, with the lockdown, this scarf just sat in a drawer for almost a year and I have been itching to whip it out and use it ever since. The Mummies on this scarf are incredibly cute and provided the inspiration for this bag.

The first thing I did was to get the size of the bag right. I wanted to be able to get the stuff I’d need in it and also for it to be big enough to be able to get all the design detail in. I went for the same size at the orange blog cross-body bag I featured in my blog waaaaay back in April. For the shape, I drew around 2 breakfast bowls overlapping them until I was happy with the oval it created. Once I was happy with the shape I joined the two circles together using straight lines along the top and the bottom. This was the perfect time to mark the centre of the top and the bottom of the pattern. I then got a tape measure and measure the circumference of the oval and made note of it. I then reached for the zip I was going to use for this bag and measured the length. Again, make note of the length and divide it by 2. This gave me the measurement I needed to subtract from either side of the top centre point of the oval front pattern piece. I did this so I could neatly sew the zip into place. From the two measurements I took (the first one-the circumference of the oval and the second The length of the zip), I was able to work out the length I needed to make the side/bottom panel for the bag. I had decided I wanted the bag to be 8cm wide so for the side panels on either side of the zip. The thickness of the teeth on the zip was 1cm so I subtracted this 1cm from the 8cm for the thickness of the bag to be then divided the 7cm by 2 to give me 3.5cm. I drew a line the same length as the zip by 3.5cm wide and then added a 1cm seam allowance around the entire pattern. I used two of these pattern pieces. For the bottom/side panel I drew a line of the circumference of the bag minus the length of the zip by 8cm wide. Again I added a 1cm seam allowance around this pattern piece too. These were the main pattern pieces I used.

For the front panel of the bag, I wanted to add the eyes onto this panel. To do this I cut the front panel out of a black leatherette fabric. I marked on the back of the fabric where I wanted to eyes to sit. When I was happy with the placement of the eyes I then cut the eyes out using a sharp scalpel. When I had finished cutting the two eyes out (I mean you could add as many eyes as you’d like to) I then cut two small pupils out of the black fabric and popped them to one side. I decided I wanted the eyes to be blue so I then took two scraps of blue leatherette fabric and made sure they were bigger than the eye holes and secured them in place using quilting tape. Then comes the tiring and stressful job of stitching these into place. I always do this using a sewing machine but sew it by turning the wheel by hand so I have much more control over making the stitches look neater. A Teflon presser foot helps a load too as there is less friction between the metal and the fabric. Once I had finished securing the blue fabric into place I then did the same with the pupils attaching them to the blue fabric. For the bandages, I got some scrap cotton fabric and cut lengths of fabric 2.5cm thick. I went for a cotton fabric so that the edges would fray and add to the overall look. Then I placed the strips of cotton fabric over the black front panel with the eyes and stitched each strip into place on the sewing machine. I didn’t take much time doing this as the messier it turned out the better it looked! I left an area around the eyes so that you were able to see the eyes and a bit of the black leatherette around them. I wanted the bandages to look as though they were unravelling so I left a strip of fabric hanging just for a point of interest. Once I was done with the bandages I then attached the flanged piping, pinning it in place beforehand. I changed the sewing machine foot to a zipper foot so I could stitch as close as possible to the piece of piping. I did this on the front and the back panels ready to attach the side pieces.

Next comes the zip!!!! I find the easiest way to sew the zip into place is to place the zip on a surface face up and then place the fabric on top of the zip face down. I then stitch along the 1cm seam allowance. I then flattened the zip and fabric making sure the seam allowance is folded under the leatherette and that the zip is lying flat. I then ran it under the sewing machine and top-stitched 5mm from the edge of the fabric making sure the seam allowance will stay in place. I then did the same to the other side and that was the zip done! I then attached folded strips with a D-ring to the centre of the zip. This is so I can add a cross-body strap to the bag. Once these were in place on each side I then attached the bottom side panel creating a loop ready to be pinned to the front and back pieces.

The first thing I did was to attach the side pieces to the front panel matching up all the notches; top and bottom centre points. I then worked my way around keeping the fabric in place with clips. This gave me a good idea as to where I had to work the fabric harder in order to get them to fit. Once it has all been clipped into place I then ran them under the sewing machine using a zipper foot. A zipper foot is the best kind of foot to use because it meant that I could get as close as possible to the flanged piping to make the bag look as neat as possible! I slowly worked the fabric through the machine making sure all edges matched up when it went under the needle. I started with the front side just because this would be the side facing out and that is the side that is more visible and needs to be perfect! I repeated the same on the back panel and all that was left to do was to turn the bag the right way and I was done!!!!

For the strap, I found this chain handle on Amazon. The strap came in a three-pack of marbled plastic curb chain handles for £12. The pack contained a black, white and this incredible turquoise coloured chain. I thought the colour of the chain matched the turquoise eyes perfectly and reminded me of a piece of jewellery from Ancient Egypt. The marbled effect meant that the chain didn’t look flat and new and fit the bag and the theming PERFECTLY!

Now I have been saving these shoes for months. I have wanted them for over a year and managed to pick them up from YOOX. They were reduced to £206 from £400 so I naturally snapped them up. They are from the Moschino Spring/Summer 2020 collection that I love OOOOOOOOH so much. I love the cheeky ghost face on them and would love to get my mitts on a matching belt AND bag for them!!!! I can dream LOL! I would never usually go for a more pointy shoe but I instantly fell in love with these shoes and the thick creeper-like sole really helps!!!!

I hope everyone has a super spooky Halloween!!! Until next year………….. 🎃 🦇 👻

Hat - Ghostly Goods

Ear Rings - ASOS

Chains- - Berska, H&M, ASOS

Green Tee - Collusion - ASOS

Mesh top - ASOS

Bone Bracelet - OS Accessories

Chain Bracelet - H&M

Ring - ASOS

Belt - H&M

Trousers - ASOS

Socks - H&M

Shoes - Moschino - YOOX

Frankenstein Jeans

I really do love me a Horror movie. One of the things I love about them the most is the iconic monsters that feature in them. From Freddie, Michael, Ghost Face to the older faces such as Wolfman, Dracula, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon…….. I love them all. One of my all-time faves has to be Frankenstein’s Monster from the 1931 Universal film. Frankenstein HAS to be one of the most recognized monsters in film history. One controversial point about this monster is its name, Frankenstein or Frankenstein’s Monster…………. I think most go with just Frankenstein (as do I) I think only the most loyal fans of the Mary Shelley novel would opt for later. Although I say this is my fave monster I only like the classic Universal version. Shelley described Frankenstein's monster as an 8-foot-tall, hideously ugly creation, with translucent yellowish skin, pulled so tight over the body that it "barely disguised the workings of the vessels and muscles underneath", watery, glowing eyes, flowing black hair, black lips, and prominent white teeth. Going off this description Universal got the Monster PRETTY wrong, except being tall haha. Saying this they did not only the first but in my eyes the best version of this monster.

Again, I’m going to talk about that BEAUTIFUL Moschino collection in the Summer of 2021 because it still inspires me so much. One model walked the catwalk in a matching green leather biker jacket and trousers covered in Frankenstein-style embroidered scars. As I have mentioned before I wasn’t able to purchase much from this collection and not to mention the price of these trousers was over £1000 and I could never justify spending that on a green leather pair of trousers LOL! Soooo…………….. I decided to make my own pair. I found these jeans on ASOS in the sale. They were priced incredibly in the sale and I managed to get an extra 20% off them so I’m sure I only paid around £12. I loved the fit of these jeans with a more tapered leg and a slightly oversized fit. They only had one size left, which wasn’t mine, haha but I loved them anyway and thought I could always just throw a belt on with them!

Making these jeans really wasn’t too difficult, the only thing about making them was that you need patience……… and I definitely lack this quality haha. I googled ‘Frankenstein scars’ and found a style that I liked. This took some time as I wanted to go for an obviously cartoonish look as I really wanted them to look a little more childish and fun. Once I had found the style I liked I enlarged the picture on my laptop, turned the brightness up, and closed the curtains so I was able to easily trace the design. Once I had the design on paper I cleaned up the design and made a few adjustments to make them more of what I was after. When I was happy with the scars I then placed a sheet of clear acetate over the paper and traced over the design with a sharp scalpel. I wanted to be able to get a few different looks from each stencil depending on which way I placed the stencil or flipped it over so I decided to put a long and a shorter scar on each A4 stencil. The reason the screen printing took so long was that I had to allow the ink to dry between printing and doing the next set so close to the previous set. The 2 stencils meant I could get 4 scars printed before having to wait. The placement of the stencils took some time too. I wanted the scars to look as though they were just randomly placed and at different angles and I think getting this look takes way more effort than a more regimented look. I found putting the jeans in a dark warm cupboard, such as an airing cupboard, was the best way to quickly dry the ink between stencilling. When I was finished and each of the printed scars had dried overnight I then got ironed over the scars on the hottest setting and a sheet of grease proofed paper over the jeans. I steamed the jeans JUST to make surer. I find this is the best way to cure the ink so that you will be able to wash the jeans without the ink running……… or wearing them out in the rain and having the ink run down the leg haha.

Recently I have been obsessing over Monsters In My Pocket. As a kid, I had the entire collection of the first and second series of these toys and I was OBSESSED with them! Now they answer pretty much everything I love in life haha; neon colours, monsters and some crap you can collect LOL. I picked a few different bundles up from eBay and the one thing I was shocked with was how much they go for! Obviously, I wanted the whole collection again but I couldn’t bring myself to part with THAT much cash for small rubber collectables with nowhere to display them haha. I wanted to do something fun for this year’s Halloween blogs and I have been featuring them in each blog using them in a different way. I LOVE my jewellery and thought it would be a fun idea to feature them on a necklace. All I used to do this was a few Monster In My Pocket characters, small screw eye pins, jump rings and a necklace. I picked the characters that not only I had more than one of but also ones with different colours……… ideally colours that clashed haha. All I did was screw the small eye pins into the top of each of the monsters. Once it was in I then opened a jump ring and threaded it through the eye pin then attached it to the silver chain necklace. It really couldn’t have been any easier to make.

I picked these boots up on ASOS during lockdown earlier this year. they were only £35, reduced from £50 and they gave me dupe Bottega Veneta vibes (only at a fraction of the price haha). With the chunky sole, I thought these would have been perfect for this shoot and the Frankenstein look with the jeans. ASOS do still sell these boots and they also do them in grey (which I’d also LOVE).

Hat - ASOS

Jacket - ASOS

Silver Necklace - ASOS

Neck Tie - Lush

Bag - Moschino

T Shirt - H&M

Jeans - ASOS

Belt - ASOS

Boots - ASOS

ITS OCTOBER!

Who can believe that it’s October already? This time of year is one of my faves. I LOVE the change in weather from sweating every time you step outside to feeling that first chill which makes you reach for another layer, I LOVE IT! Another reason I love this time of year is HALLOWEEN! I love that the UK has more recently jumped on to pushing the festive seasons earlier and earlier, I am ready for the Halloween stuff come mid-July haha. Everywhere now has a pretty exciting offering of Halloween stuff which makes me very happy indeed. I think because last year Halloween was pretty much a write off because of the first and second lockdown so this year it seems the shops are pushing it harder to make up for 2020.

One of my many loves in life is collecting patches. I love to collect things, like everything LOL, and patches are the most perfect things to collect. They CAN be reasonably priced, they are readily available and do not take up much room to store. Since 2015 I have been creating the most perfect patched denim jacket and had started to build a small collection of horror movie offerings and thought a Halloween patched jacket would be a dream. I already had this oversized MA bomber jacket for months and thought it would be perfect for the Halloween patches. I love to go for a more oversized jacket as there is more fabric to stitch more patches to LOL!

Some of my favourite patches in the collection are the Cereal Monster ones. I found these on an amazing UK based site called Ghostly Goods. This website offers the most amazing and fun Halloween/horror movie clothing, accessories, homeware and oddities from classic movies and TV series such as The Munsters, Friday the 13th, Beetlejuice to Jaws. I have managed to find many a monster-themed goodie from this site, all VERY well priced too. The Monster Cereals are a line of breakfast cereals produced by General Mills Corporation in North America. They were introduced in 1971, and at various times have included five brands, each featuring a cartoon version of a classic horror movie monster; Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy. These patches are by an American brand called Retro a-Go-go and only cost £12.99 each and since they were bought from the US brand no import charges WHOOP WHOOP! I slowly built the collection of the past year and as soon as I had them all I was itching to get started making this jacket. I really wanted the jacket to feature patches from the classic Universal Monster movies but most of them looked pretty cheap and nasty and you couldn’t make out whether it was Dracula or The Wolfman LOL. I managed to find this large Frankenstein patch on eBay for £14.99. As soon as I saw it I had to have it. Frankenstein is probably one of the most iconic (and my favourite) Universal Monsters so he takes pride of place on the entire back of the jacket. I have mentioned before but La Barbuda is one of the BEST places online for incredible movie-themed patches. Anything from Disney to Lord Of The Rings and Jurassic Park to the Simpsons. They somehow just make patches of some of my all-time fave films. I had seen this Hocus Pocus themed patch a while back and finally made the move and purchased it. This company is based in Spain and sadly, because of Brexit you have to pay a pretty high delivery charge which usually amounts to the same price as the patches. They are always worth it though as the quality of the patch is 👌 I found the other patches either on Etsy or eBay and were all pretty well priced. I do love a mix of more expensive patches mixed with cheaper versions as it keeps the cost down and helps you to fill the jacket. On the zip of the jacket, I decided to put a silver skeleton earring hanging off. I found these earrings at work and since I don’t yet have my ears pierced I knew I had to find a way to feature them on this jacket. I just curled the post gently around the zip and it hung there very nicely! Obviously, I love the diamanté eyes LOL!

As a kid the movie I was the most TERRIFIED of was A Nightmare on Elm Street. Back in the day the entire family used to go to my Grandparent’s on a Sunday dinner time and when my uncle still lived at my Grandparents they would sometimes watch scary movies which I was obviously FAR TOO young to watch. I once walked in on the adults watching A Nightmare On Elm Street and it scared me for life haha. Even in my early teenage years I could watch pretty much any Horror but Freddie Kruger knocked me sick. For this reason the films hold a special place in my heart and when I seen this t-shirt on the Zavvi website I had to have it! I loved the ringer style with it having a nod to the 1970s and all those scream queens that made the horror movies to iconic such as Jaime Lee Curtis, Linda Blair and more importantly Marilyn Burns, who played Sally Hardesty in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974. Team this t-shirt with some wide-legged or flared jean and Converse and your challenging Ms Burns perfectly.

When I was a child I always had a LOOOOAD of different toys because I would lose interest in collecting a series because I discovered a lot to fiduciary my attention on. Monster In My Pocket was the one thing I managed to collect EVERY one before moving on to something else LOL. I used to love the bright and sometimes neon colour of the characters and the iconic monsters made them even more desirable to me. I used to adore the female characters as they were always stood in a glamorous pose in a floor-length gown reminding me of Jessica Rabbit. I managed to get my hands on a handful of the characters from eBay and plan of featuring them in my Halloween series of blogs this year. Can you spot the Hunchback hanging from the front zip?

Cap - H&M

Jacket - BooHoo Man

Necklace - Etsy

T-shirt - Zavvi

Belt - Zara

Jeans - Collusion-ASOS

Bag - Primark

Trainers - Feng Cheng Wang X Converse - Off Spring

Summer 2021 Sale Buys

Now I LOVE sale time! Christmas sale, Summer sale, Midseason sale I ain’t picky haha. Although I like to spend all year round, sale time is when I make my major purchases and I get PRETTY excited for them! I am not by any means a cheap-skate but I just can’t see the point in spending double the amount for something you know will go into the sale a month later……… and the tat I usually want jumps straight into the sale LOL. I think even if I had all the money in the world I would still wait for the sale as it means you can get double the amount of stuff. Throughout the whole year, I visit ASOS pretty much every day and search through the new lines and add them to my wishlist. My wishlist can get preeeeeetty BIG waiting for either the sale or the many-a-year 20% off events. Searching for items you like throughout the year is a good way to get a better item from sites that stock the brands and products you like. I tend to sign up to the site’s mailing list and most of the time you will get an email notification telling you when the sale goes live and SOME sites even give you VIP access to the sale wich is the best way to guarantee you bag the items you want before anybody else!

Last year was one of the best years (since 2014) for Moschino collections in my opinion. Spring/Summer 2020 was the Halloween collection and Autumn/Winter was the Subway oversized collection which I loved, and I could have happily spent a small fortune on each of them. In the Christmas sale, I was torn over the oversized neoprene Sunvisor crossbody bag and the black leather cap crossbody bag. Just because I was buying the oversized tracksuit top I went for the SLIGHTLY cheaper Sunvisor bag and as soon as I pressed the order confirmation button I instantly thought “will I regret the decision?” Although I say regret I mean it in jest, it isn’t a life-changing decision but my life is full of purchase regrets LOL. At least once a week I like to search through the YOOX website as they somehow manage to get some of the most iconic pieces from past collections and in July I managed to find the black and the blue versions of this cap bag. I instantly added it to my Dreambox (what YOOX call a wishlist) and 2 weeks later I got a notification saying some items had either 15, 20, 25 or 30% off. Usually, the newer items on YOOX aren’t included in the promotions but much to my surprise both the black and blue cap bag had 30% off. I quickly added the black bag to my basket because with the 30% discount the bag was reduced from £495 to £333. I didn’t go for the blue version as I have the sun visor bag in the same blue and I actually do not own many plain black bags. The delivery from YOOX does usually take around a week and when the bag arrived I was a little underwhelmed by it. The bag was a dream and I loved it but it looked really sorry just thrown in a box and the longer crossbody strap wasn’t in the best of conditions. I emailed YOOX customer services and sent them a picture of the buckle and when they got back to me they offered to refund 15% of the cost, so I got another £50 off the bag. I was really happy with the outcome and had managed to whittle down the price to almost 50% of the original £495 and a fraction of the £850 price before they went into the sale.

As I mentioned earlier ASOS is my usual go-to site for clothes shopping. During my many visits, I found this red and white striped oversized dad shirt in the sale for £8.80. I thought it would be amazing for throwing on for work in the warmer summer months, and because the wonderful people at ASOS love to have 20% off events I got it for £7; you really cannot complain. They did the same shirt in lilac and mint green……………. so I naturally snapped those up too. The fit of this shirt is perfect in my eyes. The dropped shoulder is extremely flattering and added with the oversized fit just ticks all the boxes for me. It looks great just thrown on, buttoned up and left untucked and also tucked into a pair of high waisted jeans. These black high waisted chino shorts were also an ASOS sale bargain. They were reduced from £20 to £13. Pair that up with a 20% off event and you’ve got yourself a super bargain LOL. I am currently obsessed with high waisted trouser options at the moment and I had noticed that I did not have any high waisted shorts.

There are two designer brands that really hold my interest; Moschino and Versace. I love the fun and pop culture references from Moschino and the excessive glamour of Versace. This year, Versace was one of the first summer sales that went live and I found these socks for £30 in it. These socks were from the Spring/Summer 2021 collection and the way they were styled on the runway reeeeally sparked my interest. On their website, the socks seemed like they were green and gold however when they arrived they were definitely more orange than gold, luckily I’m not shy about colour so this really didn’t put me off. These socks really are the most comfortable socks I have ever owned. There are incredibly soft on the old feet but on the downside they bobble like a devil even after wearing them for a few minutes. It is a small price to pay for such a lush pair of socks though!

I have been watching these Converse trainer’s for near enough a year now. I saw this style on a friend last year in the black and white colourway, and I fell in love with them! Apparently, they were a big deal when they were released and most places had sold out on most sites. I did manage to find them on the Offspring website but at full price, they were £140. I kept an eye on them over the year and, for some reason, the orange versions wouldn’t go into the sale. I got a text from the same friend that I first saw these trainers on, of a photo of the orange versions for sale in Selfridges for £70. I quickly dropped what I was doing, grabbed my MacBook and dived straight onto the Offspring site. To my joy, there they were, the Orange Converse X Feng Chen Wang trainers in the sale for £70 (apparently Offspring supplies Selfridges with their trainers which I didn’t know). I popped them straight into my basket and 2 days later they were delivered to my local Office store free of charge. The first thing I noticed with these trainers was their weight. My feet seem to be very sensitive to most footwear options but luckily these aren’t THAT uncomfortable even after a full shift at work LOL. I am usually not a huge fan of Converse unless they have something about them, like the platform souled Allstars and these beauties. If I could change one thing about these trainers it would be the natural colour of the canvas, I would have preferred them to be white but I suppose this colour will make them seem a little cleaner than the stark white versions.

I found the charm on this necklace on the Tatty Devine website. Years ago I used to be obsessed with this brand but in recent years I felt like it had slightly lost its way. When I saw this charm it was in the sale for £9 and thought I have to have it. It did come on a Tatty Devine thin golden chain which was the only thing I wasn’t keen on. I managed to find this chunkier necklace for £3 from Boohoo. It was an easy fix swapping the chains and I feel like it packs a bigger punch and helps show the charm off. The necklace gives me Kylie Aphrodite Les Folies tour vibes which are all I can ask for LOL.

Sunglasses and T-shirt - New Look

Sunglasses Chain - Boohoo

Necklace - Boohoo and Tatty Devine

Shirt and Shorts - ASOS

Bag - Moschino - YOOX

Bracelets - eBay

Socks - Versace

Trainers - Converse X Feng Chen Wang - Offspring

D.I.Y Saddle Bag

I may have mentioned that I am a lover of early 2000s fashion haha. In my eyes, Dior under the reign of John Galliano was the ULTIMATE in fashion. He managed to create some of the most iconic runway shows EVER and was not afraid of a theme. The Dior Ancient Egyptian collection is one of my all time faves. It features everything I want from a fashion show; theming, glamour, excessive jewellery, luxe fabrics and finishings and it’s unwearable LOL. The Saddle Bag debuted on the runway for Dior’s Spring/Summer 2000 collection - and the rest is history. It soon became the most talked-about accessory and appeared on the arm of every It Girl and soon turned into a defining piece for the fashion house. Some say that the Saddle Bag was one of the first pieces to really fit the description of “ugly-chic’. Cut in the shape of a saddle and made in MANY colourways and iterations. The bag was designed to be worn the same way as the Baguette Bag; short strapped and tight against the armpit. Beyonce and Paris Hilton both sported the bag after its runway debut, which was John Galliano’s take on a cowboy-inspired theme, and later that year the accessory sales were up more than 60%. The bag sadly lost the interest of the fashion crowd 6 years later and then Galliano left the company and more fussy and bigger bags became the sought after thing. Fast forward to 2018, and this iconic bag made its welcome return – both in Kim Jones's first collection for Dior Homme and Marai Grazia Chiuri‘s Fall/Winter 2018 collection. The bag has quickly become a staple with the it-girls rocking versions of the bag. Kim Jones did the most incredible thing and created men’s versions of this bag (not that I’m against rocking a lady’s bag) but these were a cross between a fanny pack and a crossbody bag and they come in the Dior Oblique among many other variations, including a metal version…….. which I obviously ADORE!

The Dior Homme pre-fall 2020 collection really caught my eye, the first door show in a long time. Kim Jones has managed to bring on board a different artist to collaborate with on each of his collections, the artist on this season was Shawn Stussy. The show took place in Miami Beach and the collection fits perfectly with its Havana theming. The collection was the perfect mix of high and low, couture and street chic, which is a Jonesian staple. The colours of the knitwear were PERFECTION and styled with the coloured and textured beret, wide-legged white shorts, sports socks and high top trainers and an oversized tote under the arm had me wishing for a piece of it! Much to my delight, I found that ASOS did a pretty damn good dupe of said jumper so it instantly got saved to my wishlist. The colours aren’t as vivid on the ASOS version but for a mere fraction of the cost (£25) you really can’t grumble. I managed to bag this jumper while there was a 25% off event on so I got it for £20, I am sure the Dior version would have been closer to £1300! What I love about this collection, other than the colours, was the mixture of texture and casual pieces with more formal pieces. I found these black PU high waisted trousers in the ASOS sale for £22 with 20% off and thought they would work a right treat with this jumper. Taking inspiration from the designer runways is a great way to add your own unique spin to a collection. The fit of these trousers is really good, obviously high waisted (a winner every time) lose fit leg and long length. When it comes to a denim jacket I always find a vintage one has a way more interesting fit. I got this one from eBay in 2009 and I am sure I only paid a few pounds for it but it has lasted me aaaaall this time and still looks pretty new. I love the more cropped length of this jacket and the sleeves have a good amount of volume to them. I decided to throw these metallic leather platform Converse on because I bought them a few months back and have only worn them once for a blog, like a load of items in my wardrobe due to lockdown haha. I love to mix high-end items with high street and vintage; your style says more when you do your own thing as anyone with the money can just wear head to toe designer………. look at Daniella Westbrooke rocking head to toe Burberry LOL.

A Saddle bag is something I have always longed to have in my collection and when I first saw the version Kim Jones created for men, my heart stopped and I instantly fell in love with them. The main thing that always manages to put me off is the price. I very rarely make a designer purchase full-price and since Dior doesn’t do sales……. I couldn’t bring myself to buy one. Another reason is that I also love the idea of being able to add a short or longer strap to carry it differently but with the way it has been designed I don’t think that’ll be possible. I decided to run up a Saddle-esque bag. I had so much fun making the bags for my past few blogs so this one should be no different. OOOOOOOOOOH how I was wrong LOL. making this bag was pretty difficult and it didn’t exactly turn out how I had imagined it. I by no means am unhappy with the bag and I think it looks pretty decent…….. it just took a long time to put it together. I already had the vegan vinyl, black canvas lining fabric and thread so having to find and buy a zip and buckle was a breeze. Amazon Prime comes in soooo handy when you have no patience for things to be delivered haha. Designing the shape of the bag was a little more difficult than the others I’ve made, mainly because the shape is so iconic. Once I had mastered the shape the next part was to come up with a plan on how I was going to construct the bag. I always find that trial and error is the best way to learn, make a mistake and you soon find an easier and more effective way to put something together…… learn from your mistakes as they say! I just jumped into the construction and I did need to unpick and re-cut out pattern pieces but I gained something from doing that so it wasn’t all that huge of an issue. Stabilizing sew-in foam is the ONE thing that really helps to pull the bag together for the finishing. I just cut the foam a little shorter than the pattern piece (without seam allowances). For the buckle, I found this belt on Amazon and the buckle was pretty much the same as the one that Dior uses on the crossbody Saddle bags. It was only £11 and I thought I’d be able to use the polypropylene webbing for the straps too. It also came with 2 clips that I thought would have been useful if I wanted to add a strap to the bag.

Hat - ASOS

Necklace - ASOS

Jumper - ASOS

T-shirt - ASOS

Belt - ASOS

PU Trousers - ASOS

Trainers - Converse - ASOS

"Think Ronald McDonald, but make it FASHION"

As you all may well know, I love EVERYTHING McDonalds, especially vintage 1990’s McDonalds. I had so much fun doing my first McDonalds themed blog, playing around with some of my favorite pieces from my favorite catwalk collection…………………………. so I decided to do another.

I have had this vintage sewing pattern for an oversized shirt for years. I bought the pattern from Etsy planning on making a load of these shirts but for some reason never go round to making one, so I went and made a vintage McDonalds-themed uniform shirt using this pattern. There is nothing more iconic than golden yellow working with pillar box red. I get such a warm feeling when I see these two colours together. I really do long for the days when going to a McDonald’s restaurant was an event for any kid (or adult), the happy meal toys included the McDonald’s characters and the staff wore INCREDIBLE uniforms and not a dull grey version like they are today. Obviously, I was lucky enough to be able to see this side of McDonald’s and I used to get immensely excited when visiting the takeaway and this is what I will always think of McDonald’s as.

I naturally went for a retro-inspired uniform idea……………. or what I think of the idea haha. I wanted to get a yellow and white fine candy stripe polycotton A. because it is a dream to work with and B. has a fun yet work-like vibe about it. I found this fabric on eBay and was only around £9 a meter, which was good to know JUST in case I made a mistake and needed to order some more haha. I luckily ordered this fabric while eBay was offering a free £5 voucher and I also had some Nectar points to use so I whittled the price down quite nicely. I found the red polycotton fabric from when I made the M&M accessories so I thought I’d save some money and use it for this little project.

I have had this sewing pattern for around 4 years, although I have looked at the instructions many-a-time I had never used the pattern because the instructions looked pretty scary to follow. I finally bit the bullet and went for it. I was surprised at how easy the instructions were to follow. I would look at the pattern pieces when I was cutting them out and think “HOW THE HELL?”. I wasn’t sure if I was dreading certain parts of the shirt that I could have only have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do and I was just putting my abilities down haha. I haven’t really created something from scratch in such a LOOOOONG time and I really did enjoy it, just taking my time and it really took me back to the one and only time I have actually made a shirt (first-year uni 2005/06) remembering the fun times of my youth haha. I went for the majority of the shirt being yellow then I went most of the shirt’s details in red. I did have to adjust a few of the pattern pieces to be able to get the details in a separate colour. My favorite part of the shirt has to be the sleeve cuffs. They look soooo cute because they are so small and tidy and the button placket coming up from the cuff would usually blend into the sleeve on most shirts but I LOVE the pop against the muted yellow cotton.

I am forever searching pre-loved sites for iconic pieces from past Moschino collections and I was lucky enough to bag this packet of chips bag for £170, which was an actual steal, from www.vestiairecollective.com. The bag is such an iconic piece from Jeremy Scott’s first collection with the brand in 2014 and I was incredibly lucky to have found this bag as it has not been used and still had all the plastic wrap on the hardware. I really cannot wait for lockdown 3.0 to be over and for this little beauty to have its first special outing. I have been desperate to include this in a photo shoot for a blog so I pretty much created this blog purely for this beauty of a bag! I had to feature the infamous sunglasses in this blog too, they cost the earth and still have not had a proper outing, so any chance they get to see the world they jump at it haha.

The pins attached to the pocket of the shirt I managed to find on eBay a few years back. They were supposedly worn by McDonalds staff but due to health and safety reasons, they discontinued them……… I mean I’d have been buzzing if one had fallen off into my chips LOL. The pins are of a burger-flipping tool, a drinks cup, packet of chips and I think they must have been given to the staff once they were trained on different parts of the job. I only have 5 so could you imagine how heavy your shirt would be if there were any more to get? On the other side is a vintage pin from 1994, I was lucky enough to get this as part of my birthday gift last year and have been DESPERATE to give it it’s first outing!

My Favourite Fragrance

It might come as no shock to you that my favorite fragrance is one by Moschino. Moschino TOY was the brand’s first fragrance under the creative genius of Jeremy Scott. 2015 saw Jeremy Scott’s 3rd runway for Moschino and the debut of the first fragrance under his creative directorship: Moschino TOY. Not only does the perfume come in the most ADORABLE soft toy bottle, dubbed as the ‘world’s cutest perfume’, it also smells like nothing else. It really is INCREDIBLE, a floral, woody, musky fragrance which importantly isn’t gendered.

As well as the perfume debut, the catwalk showcased a collection inspired by the designer’s own take on streetwear. Scott's streetwear was colorful, sexy, and altogether irrepressible; offering us glossy sleeping bag coats, evening gowns covered in graffiti, and a neon camouflage print. It also featured items inspired by the new fragrance with the teddy bear appearing on everything from t-shirts to lighter holders. Obviously, I was drawn straight to this collection and I instantly knew I HAD to have a few of the pieces.

I was lucky enough to be able to find this ‘TOY’ jumper from the collection in the 2015 Christmas sale on Net-a-Porter. It had been reduced by 50% so it automatically appeared in my basket. The brooch I found on the Luisa Via Roma website for only £25 (so I bought two to qualify for free delivery). This holdall bag I managed to find on Vestiaire Collective for a mere £50 because the gold hardware was slightly tarnished and the fabric in two corners of the bag had tiny little scuffs. Websites like Vestiaire Collective is the perfect way to get your mitts on past season designer pieces, and sometimes at a fraction of the original price. If you’re willing to take an item that has really been pre-loved you can bag yourself a REAL bargain!

To me, fashion is all about doing your own thing. One of the best ways to really get your style and point of view across is to mix up designer with both high street and vintage. Now, ASOS is my GO-TO website for jeans. They really do get it sooooo incredibly right with mixing up-fits and style. I live in these mid-wash, high waisted jeans! This black denim shirt was bought from ASOS Marketplace for £8.50 during the summer sale and it is perfect for throwing on over pretty much anything….. and the jumper goes perfectly in front of this graffiti I found.

Sunglasses - RayBan

Shirt - Vintage www.asosmarketplace.com

Jumper - Moschino www.net-a-porter.com

Belt - ASOS

Jeans - ASOS

Bag - Moschino www.vestiairecollective.com

Boots - ASOS

Brooch - Moschino www.luisaviaroma.com

Tis The Season For Festive Accessories..... FAAA LA LA LA LAA

Christmas is the season, as they say……….. for lurex and crystals in my eyes. Give me an excuse to make a purchase of a few shiny items of clothing and accessories and I am HAPPY!

I have had my eyes on this Moschino necklace from their Autumn/Winter 2020 collection for MOOOONTHS. I do love a statement necklace and you can’t get much more “statement” then this beauty! Much to my delight, FarFetch put their winter sale on early and low and behold this necklace was in the sale……. with an extra 20% off. When the necklace arrived I fell in love with it right away and simply couldn’t wait for an occasion to wear it, but being in tier 3 lockdown in the North East those occasions are pretty far and few between sadly.

The way the necklace has been made, to me, makes it even more impressive. All of the crystals and details have been embroidered onto a fabric made to look like a chunky curb chain. Now depending on what you wear this with it can catch on seams and certain fabrics and possibly click the fabric, this by no means put me off this Bobby Dazzler though, a small price to pay for something so stunning! The fabric that has been been put on the back as a lining piece does fray like nothing before but it isn’t anything a sharp pair of scissors cant fix.

Chunky sole, glitter fabric, what more could you ask for in a boot? These stunners were in my ASOS watchlist for around a year and I had stupidly not purchased them as I have a pair of shoes pretty much the same colour AAAAAND my size had sold out. It wasn’t until about a month ago that I noticed my size was back in stock so I didn’t waste any time and snapped them up! Now these boots really pack a festive punch and the colour of the glitter in the fabric is a dream. I am a huge fan of a boot, or shoe, that has a little something something about them and the sole is that with these boots. I think without the more chunky sole, the boot could have looked a little more basic.

What goes with your new dazzling boots better than a Christmas sock?………… Not much I say!

I am a huge fan of a sport sock AND a festive theme so these socks are a little dream. They are a tad subtle for a Christmas sock but the play on the idea of a traditional sport sock with the red stripes and candy canes and holly make them a real fun piece for this time of year. ASOS really does stock the most incredible affordable pieces and ALWAYS gets the “holiday” pieces so right!

These fun socks are from New Look and I picked them up for £1.50 in the mid season sale. The gingerbread man is sooo cute and the candy canes on a lurex background really bring the party to the festivities. A Christmas themed sock is the perfect, low key and cheap way to express and spread some festive joy…. and you can wear a new pair each day in December if you’re anything like me!!!

Christmas really is the season for fun so why not add some hand candy to the Christmas accessory game. As you may already know I do LOOOOOOOVE bold and brashy gold jewellery and who better to go to for this then Versace. The Rapper Ring has been on my radar for many a year and this summer it EVENTUALLY went into the summer sale and what better to help you through lockdown 1.0 then an oversized, heavy statement ring! I must say I have not been wearing these rings as much recently because of the use of hand sanitiser and the effect alcohol has on “gold” hahaha.

Long Sleeve T-Shirt - ASOS

Necklace - Moschino - FarFetch

Gingerbread Man Socks - New Look

Sports Socks - ASOS

Gold Rings - Versace - versace.com

Crystal Ring - Swarovski