Where them girls at.

I am currently in Jakarta, abusing some free wi-fi to post - so here comes one of my pre-written posts about some English shenanigans. I am creating some more so that when I can`t upload pictures I can still keep the blog ticking over and keep you all interested. I haven`t quite disappeared off the face of the earth! All I can say about my holiday so far is that the flight was hell! Oh and traffic in Jakarta is killer. 

I love all my best friends, especially my closest girls. Of course, my very best friend lives too far away which is sad, but some of my other besties were close enough to go out with me last Thursday! We hit our local town after some pre-drinks at mine while getting ready, dropped in by my lovely parents before drinking, dancing and generally having an amazing time. I love nights out, and these girls were perfect to go out with.

Small confession.. I got so carried away with the good times that I didn't take an proper outfit photos, but I have cropped in on myself in the group photo to give you an idea of my outfit.

Top - River Island; Skirt - H&M; Clutch & Shoes - New Look; Ring - Miss Selfridge.

For going out I always like to dress up - the more glitzy and glamorous, the better. Metallics and sequins like this gorgeous top and skirt combo always look good on a night out because they just scream party, and look good under the lights at a club! The peplum shape of this top was also super-flattering and really comfortable, which I love. Next time I will try and style it up for day..

Here is the group picture in full of all of us dressed up and ready to roll!

My girls are stunning.

And here come some more snaps of me and my girls - love them all!

Heather & Claire.

Me & Ashleigh - pre-drinks!

Alison, Sammie & Ashleigh flicking through Vogue.

Sammie, Georgia & I.

Only 18 but we walk the streets so mean.

Minus the straw this would be beautiful.

Georgia & I - love this one.

Love and kisses, Tara xox

I live for mornings like these.

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for. A Saturday morning where both an absence of work and gorgeous sunshine have collided, and this can mean only one thing - shopping! Yes, I know, I spend way too much money, but honestly even if I don't spend very much I love being in shops, looking at all the new pieces and trying on things I can't quite let myself buy. Shopping is one of the most pleasurable activities ever, and I actually think that Topshop is my natural habitat.

Top, Bag & Ring - Topshop; Skirt & Earrings - River Island; Shoes - New Look; Bracelet - Temporary Secretary; Necklace - Accessorize; Sunglasses - ASOS.

The summer sunshine today meant that I finally got to put together an outfit without a single hint of black - I stuck to confectionary colours for a bright, cute look. It's also very rare that I don't have print on at least one piece of clothing, but today I was going for something fresh and light. This may look like a simple outfit, but I am working in my SS'12 references - 1950s cat-eye shades & A-line skirt, shimmery metallic vest, candy-pastels bag. For once I also wore my hair up, on a complete whim, and I am surprised to find that a simple ponytail looks perfect with the amount of trends going on in this outfit.

This shopping trip I didn't actually buy too much - I just got sucked in by the gorgeously stylish and affordable dresses in New Look..

I adore this dress. For once it doesn't swamp my petite frame, thanks to the mullet hemline, and the print is completely gorgeous. It is perfect for summer with those oversized daisies, and the floaty fabric - I can't wait to wear it out in the bright sunshine!

This next dress caught my eye because of the beautiful tropical print that just makes me dream of my summer holiday! It's so bright, and absolutely perfect for long, lazy summer days. But what really attracted me upon closer inspection was the retro shape. Indulging my 1950s dreams, I love the cut of this dress with the fit-and-flare shape, as well as the cute tie-up detail on the back.

Love and kisses, Tara xox

On holidad.

Okay, wowzers. I've been silent as the grave post-wise for the past five days. That is practically unheard of, right? Normally I can't wait to ramble at length.. Well, I've got a legitimate excuse right here - last Friday I jetted off to Madrid with some of my fellow Spanish students for a college trip, and I only got home last night at some ungodly hour. I could blog all day about how much I love Madrid, bore you all sick with endless lists of things we did, things we ate (it was a real food holiday) and how much I wish I was back there right now, but I will try to keep mindless musings to a minimum & stick to the fashion side of it.

First up is my first holiday outfit, which had to be a versatile affair since it needed to see me through a morning in college, some coach-airport-coach transit and then an evening in some kind of tapas bar.

Blazer – ASOS; Top  & Necklace – Topshop; Shorts & Cuff – H&M; Tights – Primark; Shoes – New Look.

I opted for a quick mix of some spring trends – scarf print and pastels - with my new paisley shorts, and a simple scalloped vest in my favourite colour of the season, mint green. The combination works in a way I wasn’t sure it would, probably due to the black blazer and black opaques that frame it, and the cute colour-pop slippers.

Day one was over quite quickly, lost in transit, and day two rolled around. I tried not to let being on holiday and dressing out of a suitcase lessen my style, and although I knew the weather would be good, I didn't let myself slip from trend-driven dressing to lazy-holiday style.

Blazer – ASOS; Blouse  & Shoes – Primark; Skirt – H&M; Tights – New Look; Bracelet – Temporary Secretary; Ring – Topshop; Bag – H! by Henry Holland.

Another bit of pastel confectionery burst out of my suitcase for the first full day in Madrid, this time my pleated lemon blouse and mint green shoes. I was a little unsure about doing the double pleat with this blouse & my colour-block skirt, but I think the fairly simple colour combinations made it work. This was almost a print-free outfit, until I added in my star print tights for a little bit of extra interest.

On day two we ended up hitting the Prado museum, after a bit of a walk, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. I’m no art critic, and probably would have preferred it if we went to a Prada museum, but I do admit that some of the paintings really impressed me, and we spent a fair while in there quite happily. Then came the usual gift shop frenzy, followed by a minority of the group wandering through Madrid back to our youth hostel (the others took the metro – lazy!), while we entertained ourselves looking around and adding ‘idad’ to every word. Yes, I study A2 level Spanish.

Then we went out for the evening in the red light district – not on purpose, it just happened to be the area we were staying in. I will admit we peaked too soon as we kicked off with a good jug of Sangria. This was followed by an immense amount of walking, some serious snacking, wine, and the discovery of cartons of Sangria for a little over a Euro.

We all woke up on day three pretty sleepy, ready for some coffee. Again I tried to maintain the standard of my outfits..

 

Blouse, Jeans & Sunglasses – H&M; Necklace & Shoes – New Look; Ring – Temporary Secretary.

Jeans may not have been the wisest choice for a super-sunny day in Madrid, but I really loved this combination of a bold floral shirt, shimmering metallic jeans and colour pop slippers. I did feel quite eccentric as I strolled through the streets, but maybe that's just my style. This look worked very well day-to-night though, because those metallic jeans are a little too glam for day (but can be dressed down) and are totally party-ready.

Day three consisted of an incredible amount of walking, firstly to the Plaza Mayor, then back to the hostel, then out again for lunch, more random wandering and a visit to the park. Days in Spain seem very long because nothing really gets going before lunchtime, so you can walk around for absolutely ages, and then everything stays open and buzzing until late, even the shops. After the park, we went back to the hostel again to get ready for another night on the streets of Madrid. Much like the night before, the evening consisted of Sangria, snacking and walking, only this time we ended up in a bar that we were pretty sure was a gay one. No issues with that whatsoever - besides, they mixed a good mojito.

Day four didn’t start well since we overslept and had to get ready in a rush, and I was ridiculously glad that my obsessive-compulsive planning had led to me packing pre-composed outfits for each day. 

Top – Mary Katrantzou for Topshop; Skirt – River Island; Shoes – Primark; Necklace – New Look; Bracelet – Temporary Secretary; Earrings & Ring – Topshop; Sunglasses – H&M.

By this time, I was feeling brave enough to bare my pale English legs in my favourite 50’s style skirt, paired with one of my Mary Katrantzou pieces. I love a good floral print, as you can probably tell, and I especially like how feminine I felt in this combination. Honestly, I did look feminine – just excuse the bad light of the youth hostel!

On day four we visited the Reina Sofia museum, full of modern art that was mostly incomprehensible to me. I went a little photo-crazy in there, but resisted the gift shop frenzy (okay, couldn’t find it). We then had a free afternoon to make our way back to the hostel any which way we fancied, which was basically lunch followed by another long walk. It was our last proper evening in Madrid, so even though we were tired and not really up for it, we went out again. It was a pretty funny night, again consisting of Sangria, snacks and lots of laughs.

The final day, day five, began in a bit of a packing frenzy, and I rolled out the simplest outfit of the trip..

Top, Cuff & Sunglasses – H&M; Shorts, Earrings & Ring – Topshop; Tights & Shoes – Primark; Necklace – New Look; Bag – H! by Henry Holland.

Baring a little more flesh again today, I left my shoulders bare for once. I’m not fussed about tanning, but there are occasions when I want to walk along feeling the sun on my skin. I love the cute butterfly print of this top, and the way the slouchy fit balances the uber-short shorts (tights are necessary). My mint green shoes are a bit of an unexpected colour pop, and I think I will have to get some more since this trip has pretty much battered them to death!

On our final day we went to the royal palace, and then on the last afternoon I finally got some free shopping time. It started with frozen yoghurt, churros and one final cocktail, finishing up with hitting clothes shops hard, then trying to fit everything into my suitcase. Then before I knew it we were on the coach back to college, and my mum was picking me up. I literally collapsed into bed last night.

Phew, that was a super-long post. Since I’ve already blathered on far too much I will post my scant buys another day, and just leave you with a few thoughts. Since my return to Madrid I have been thinking I could easily spend more time there, and I may just have to return soon! I am also glad that I opted out of college today, since I am suffering a severe post-holiday crash. Finally, I want to say how ridiculously excited I am for this weekend, going to see my best friend for the Kylie Minogue Anti Tour!

Oh and one last thing – if you actually made it to the end of this post, you deserve a medal! 

Amor y besos, Tara xox

You can't take me anywhere.

I was in Birmingham today for a uni visit day, to find out more about my course & see whether Birmingham is in fact the place for me.. Turns out, yes, it is. Bring on the uni years. But since we had driven up the night before and the actual visit day didn't start until 1pm, we had a whole morning to fill. And knowing me, I think you can guess what I did... Yes, I went shopping! This is why you literally cannot take me anywhere - I literally home in on the nearest shopping centre and end up finding amazing things. 

Blazer - ASOS; Top - Pull & Bear; Skirt - Internacionale; Tights & Shoes - New Look; Bracelet & Ring - Temporary Secretary; Necklace - Accessorize.

Mixing and matching my separates for the uni visit day, and I think I might wear this leopard print skirt too often! It just goes with so many things and creates a really flattering silhouette. Today with my print I was going for metallics and bright colours, which, when framed by my blazer & topped off with some bright pink lipstick, made a look that was very 'put together' as well as quirky for daytime.

Now here comes the extent of my little detour to the shopping centre.. It was actually relatively contained, since I only actually bought things in H&M, but it was definitely a good bit of impulse buying. Massive thankyou to my mum for fronting the money though, claiming it was a birthday present (even if my birthday isn't until the end of April), because I am definitely on the skint side at the moment.

First up is this super-cute butterfly vest. It's a bit too summery to be appropriate now, but the print was far too cute to pass by, and I can always layer it!

I seem to love gold jewellery at the moment, and statement cuffs always add an edge to outfits, so this chain detail one is perfect for me. I can't wear massive jewellery because it looks ridiculous on such a small person as me, so again, this is perfect.

I had seen this shirt around a bit, on other blogs and in those tempting catalogues H&M keep sending me, and was seriously debating buying it online. Then I saw it in store and literally grabbed it, because it looks even more gorgeous in person. The print looks a bit like curtains/wallpaper, but I absolutely love it. 

I realise that it looks a bit like I've raided an old granny's wardrobe, what with the floral shirt and now the pleated skirt, but I couldn't resist. I love pleats because they are just such a cute detail, and the pastel colour blocking on this skirt makes it unique. 

Just to complete my eclectic little combination of purchases, I picked up these gorgeous paisley print shorts. Scarf prints are hot property right now, and this coral pair are totally catwalk-inspired. 

And that's my shopping haul! Loving the early birthday present, and it's a good thing I don't have to wait until my birthday to wear it all... 

Love and kisses, Tara xox

A double dose of style.

Catch-up time! Since yesterday was all about my amazing night seeing Florence & The Machine, my Monday college style got passed over.. So today's post is a double-up of Monday & Tuesday's looks, both of which were designed to make my sleep deprivation less noticeable. I have nearly caught up on my ZZZs now, but I still nearly nodded off on the bus a few times. 

Also, since it is March, the coats have been well and truly packed away because it is officially Spring, so these looks may have been a little impractical for the windy weather, but since when was I practical? And as Kylie says, a girl's gotta suffer for fashion! Here's Monday's style..

Blazer & Skirt - ASOS; Top & Necklace - New Look; Belt - H&M; Shoes & Bracelet - Topshop; Tights & Ring - Primark; Bead Bracelet - Accessorize; Earrings - bought in India.

Apologies for terrible light! It was early in the morning.. Anyway. The basis for this look was the tribal trend of SS'12, which is one of the key looks. I bought this top on Saturday and was keen to wear it, and then I remembered this gorgeous tribal skirt that I had from a few years back (it's a bit big now, but nothing a belt can't fix!). I love the idea of mixing prints, and the tribal look lends itself so well to that because it is just so more-is-more. Of course, I had to put my own stamp on the tribal look with my beloved blazer, and some glam gold accessories.

And here comes Tuesday, yet another bright look.

Blazer - ASOS; Jeans & Ring - H&M; T-shirt - Mary Katrantzou for Topshop; Shoes - New Look; Bracelet - Pull & Bear; Earrings - Topshop.

Again, not the best light I have ever seen.. Sorry. Today's outfit started off with my gorgeous Mary Katrantzou for Topshop t-shirt, making its debut. I am still completely in love with the digitized floral print, which manages to combine modern cool with a romantic spring print - that's the genius of Mary. It is also amazingly well cut in a beautiful-feeling material, so it was definitely worth the frantic shopping & the pricetag! I styled it with my blazer to add structure, then tucked it into my metallic skinny jeans which add much-needed colour, and another SS'12 twist.

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Shaken, not stirred.

Last night one of my friends turned the big 1-8 (seems like everyone is now an adult, except me!) and decided to celebrate by challenging us all with this theme - Shaken, Not Stirred. Of course, what she was referring to was the uber-glamorous, high octane world of Bond, James Bond, and we rose to the challenge. Thinking of James Bond as a theme, there is really only one way for a girl to go and that is all-out Bond Girl - high heels, glam dresses & a good excuse to be overdressed! Here's my attempt at being a Bond Girl..

Dress - H&M; Shoes - New Look; Belt - Primark; Necklace, Bracelet & Ring - Accessorize.

Nothing screams glamorous like a flash of metallics, and luckily they are achingly on-trend for SS'12 too. I got this dress for Christmas, but as soon as I heard about the Bond party I decided to save its debut until then, because it is perfect. I love the glittering, metallic fabric and the simple cut - all it needed was a skinny belt to create a flattering silhouette with curves I don't possess, along with lashings of gold accessories, and I was ready to meet 007 himself. I also loved the shoes I was wearing, again they were virginal heels that got their first outing at this bash & they did me proud. Super-glam, eyecatchingly metallic and surprisingly incredibly comfortable with it.

This was also the first chance for some of my friends to see my new hair, and it went down well. Everyone said it suited me, once they got over some of their shock.. I hadn't re-styled it since going out to lunch earlier in the day and as a result it was not quite as preened and polished as it had been - but I like to think it was in a casually sexy disarray, not just messy!

I have to admit, however put together and done I looked at the beginning of the night, a few hours dancing etc and I ended up looking less and less classy & glam - but I had fun, so who cares? Letting your hair down is fun! I hope the birthday girl had a good time, she looked amazing (okay, everyone did, but Sammie especially!) and did us proud with decorations, food & awesome music.

There was a selection of my favourite photos where we aren't all making fools of ourselves.. It was a good night though, and I loved that the theme gave me a chance for some glittering glamour! Love and kisses, Tara xox