Someone make it SS'12 already!

Today my half day at college was made even better by a quick shopping dash, and then arriving home to yet another package full of goodies I bought online last week. I can only liken last Friday to a total shopping binge - after the Mary Katrantzou blowout I just carried on chain-shopping on ASOS.. But my wardrobe desperately needed a new season update, so I limited myself to must-have key pieces as much as I could. I am most definitely in the mood to really rev up my SS'12 style, and I wish the weather would let me. Today I did slightly disregard the rain/cloud/wind/cold in favour of some spring style though...

Jumper & Clutch - New Look; Skirt - H&M; Shoes, Necklace & Earrings - Topshop; Tights - F+F at Tesco; Ring - Temporary Secretary; Bracelet - Lola Rose.

I am more than a little bit in love with this candyfloss-pink jumper - it is the perfect way to wear spring's sweet pastel hues while maintaining some vestige of warmth in these icy February days. To juxtapose the slouchy, relaxed, casual shape & style of the jumper I opted to dress it up with lots of sequins, glitter, and a statement necklace, along with a pop of bright pink lipstick. These all made today's ensemble look very pulled-together rather than thrown-together, and I really like the clash of textures between knitwear and sequins. Something that really brings the outfit together is the lipstick; I said only this morning that putting on lipstick always makes it look and feel like you have put some effort in - I honestly don't feel dressed without mine! My favourite little detail though is my Lola Rose bracelet, courtesy of my free shopping spree.

Now you've seen me working spring pastels today, take a look at which SS'12 styles are going to be popping up in my wardrobe soon, thanks to my ASOS goodies..

First up is this gorgeous tropical print pencil skirt - take me to Hawaii! I am now dying for summer, sun, beaches and blue sky.. But this skirt will have to do for now. The main reason I love it is that despite being tie-dyed and crazily printed with digital blooms, the pencil shape keeps it chic.

Alright, so I am going crazy for florals.. what can I say? The new digi-flowers are just too cute and eye-catching not to end up in my wardrobe, especially the ones on these stunning trousers. Not only are they gorgeously tailored, wildly printed with just a touch of neon from the orange detail, and achingly du jour, but these trousers are from the petite section, which means they will actually fit me well! I can't wait to wear them, but I will expect more than a few funny looks, since they are pretty out there..

When I saw this dress online, I literally had to get it. Do I need another dress? Realistically, no.. but there was no way I was letting this dress go. I think everyone is familiar with that gorgeous SS'12 Louis Vuitton collection that starred Kate Moss & was basically the epitome of pretty.. Well, I dreamed of owning one of their dresses, and then along came this little beauty - it is a stunning powder blue, with large, cutout broderie anglaise style lace and a cute fit-and-flare shape.. basically it is so Vuitton it hurts. Therefore, it was always going to be mine.

It does feel a little premature to be buying sunglasses, I'm not going to lie. Then again, if we do get a sudden burst of unseasonal good weather, my peepers will be bang on trend in these perspex, pastel pink cat-eye shades. Trust ASOS to have the perfect addition to any summer outfit on hand!

When I went to town shopping today I will admit that my latest purchases were playing on my mind.. leading to two things. Firstly, a lot of restraint since I spent rather a lot of money recently. And secondly, when considering what to wear with my new ASOS trousers & skirt, the realisation that I don't own a pair of simply black high heels. Well, that had to be fixed..

And the solution came from Dorothy Perkins. These simple, suede effect shoes are exactly what I wanted - a chic pointed shape, sleek black colour & the perfect heel height for walking around all day. They did come in a rainbow of other tempting colours, but I needed black shoes, so black shoes I bought!

I think this ought to be the last major shop that takes place for a while, because totalling up what I have spent recently just gets painful. I don't even want to look at my bank statement! A few weeks of restraint are in order... which will also give me a chance to get creative with my new purchases. So just to be clear, this should be the last shopping haul post you see for a while (or a day or two until I just buy something anyway), but prepare yourself for a lot of outfits...

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Who's a lucky girl then?

I don't even know how to start.. I suppose with a massive thankyou, lots of love and cyber kisses for MyDaily UK and my-wardrobe.com, since I won their£500 to on my-wardrobe, thanks to the See It Tag It Love It competition. All of the prizes are incredible, and I was blown away to have won anything - especially a legitimate chance to spend, spend, spend minus the guilt! MyDaily & my-wardrobe, you are now my NBFs.

Choosing what to buy was a long, excitable, difficult, enjoyable process, since I have never had a chance like this before (God, don't I sound sweet/pathetic..), and after I picked my items I was half expecting to find out it wasn't real - you know what they say about "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".. But it was for real, and my gorgeous, gorgeous pieces came today! I got very overexcited, and a little carried away taking pictures, so prepare yourself for a long-ass post about my first ever designer shopping spree.

Oh the excitement I felt when I saw these little packages.. I took my time opening them, trying (and failing) not to rip the paper - I felt like a kid on Christmas day. First to be opened was this gorgeous Lola Rose bracelet, which came in a sweet little pink bag.

Okay, okay, so there are more photos of the pretty packaging than the actual bracelet.. but I fell in love as soon as I saw that cute pink bag! The bracelet itself is something I adore, but would never have been able to afford if it wasn't free - Lola Rose is a fash-pack favourite, thanks to her combination of semi-precious stones and cute charms. I chose this sweet rose quartz one with a little star because it is pastel-hued, and my name means star so it is kind of personal.

My second beautiful, *free* designer purchase was this green belt by Malene Birger. It was purely an impulse buy, a complete what-the-hell moment, and I wouldn't have bought it, or anything like it, had I not had this opportunity. But I just love how kitsch it is, yet stylish and almost elegant at the same time. The bright hue combined with the plastic just makes it so sweet and unusual, it is the perfect detail to pull together and rev up some of my day-to-day outfits.

The grand finale of my £500 shopping spree (and the thing that took up most of that money) was my first mainline designer dress. I am now the proud owner of a D&G velvet & lace LBD, which I intend to wear, love and keep forever. I saw it on the site and couldn't drag myself away - with an opportunity like this, you want something spectacular, and I simply adore this dress. The mix of textures adds interest and detail to a classic shape, while making sure it remains chic and timeless. I love the side panels and bow belt too, for the sweet yet sexy detail. When I opened this up I literally ran around my house hyperventilating at the fact I was wearing D&G - not cool, I know, but incredibly necessary.

So yes, today is the day I finally got my first real designer items, and they will stay with me all my life I am sure. My favourite thing is of course that dress, it is stunning, it is chic, and it is D&G! I can't wait to christen it by wearing it out to a party, but at the same time I don't want to waste it's first appearance on something that isn't special.. Whatever. For now I am just enjoying looking at it all wrapped up in its garment bag.. 

Once again, thank you so much to MyDaily UK and my-wardrobe.com for making a little fashion blogger's dreams come true! And if you thought my designer tastes were satisfied, you'd be wrong.. my appetite has just been whetted by this stunning dress. Sorry about poor picture quality, but what do you guys all think? Was that the right way to spend £500? 

Love and kisses, Tara xox