WIW / Spring Sunshine

It's been a while since I've done an outfit post, I enjoy dressing myself and thrifting but am awkward in front of the camera lens for all sorts of reasons (1. asking someone to do it, 2. said person not being especially good at taking photos). This is an ultra girly outfit, and I was mistaken for being in my mid-teens while wearing it, but I like to mix things up - I could be a vamp next week, who knows.



Cardigan: Thrifted, Jaeger wool/pattern label / Dress: H&M / Shoes: JuJu Jellies / Bag: Accessorize (c. 2009) / Watch: One Spot

The past couple of months I've thrifted some lovely woolens in my local charity shops. This cardigan was €4. The label reads 'Knitted from Jaeger handknitting yarn' - it needed a lot of TLC, the lining was sagging - a sure sign that the cardigan had been machine washed and shrunk. So I patiently handwashed it and gradually stretched it out, to restore it to some of its original length. I love the pattern, it reminds me of 60s prints and art nouveau designs. It's perfect for the weather we're having recently, the sun is shining but its cold and windy.

I increasingly find myself spending more time sulking in front of the mirror lamenting on how I've nothing appropriate to wear, probably because I have excess free time on my hands and have more time to think about such things. These shoes, the dress and bag are probably some of the oldest items I have in my wardrobe, the bag and shoes were bought 4 years ago, the dress 2 years ago. I need to be more discerning about what I buy, but for now I'm just having fun!

Novelty is the spice of life

I was once a teenage (wannabe) goth. This "black period" lasted for about a year and a half, til I entered a confused ~kawaii/fruits phase, like so many internet kids before tumblr. I still have an eye for colour, or quirkier patterns, I'm not sure if my attraction to odd prints and styles is a remnant of these days. I get a kick from finding something unusual on the rails, and charity shops are the business for this.

I picked this skirt up in my favourite charity shop in Sligo town for €2.50, its viscose (don't google that!), with a very nineties interpretation of an art deco/1920s print. It's about 2 sizes too big so I've attempted to belt it in. I've been wary of maxi skirts this long time for fear of looking like a banshee (imagine for a moment the combination of my hair down, with a long dark skirt and my usual ghostly "away with the fairies" expression, just no). However, the distracting pattern of this skirt made this long skirt a little less serious, and less "fashiony" (is that even a word?) that some of the trendier maxi skirts I had been eyeing up. Ana is a girl who can rock a maxi skirt. FYI Georgia is a novelty print goddess.


Skirt: thrift (probably 90s) / High tops: Cheap Monday / Belt: Monki / Top: H&M

Still feel a bit awkward ~posing as of yet, but its not hurting anyone, so whatever. The third picture is meant to be ridiculous, if I was a lookbooker I could photoshop me into space or something, but I didn't because I want to taken seriously (debatable).

Mad for the thrift

I hope you lords and ladies are out enjoying the sun this easter weekend and not confined to the desk like me!

It's safe to say that I am a charity shop junkie. I even like the familiar damp, musty smell that puts people off. The pokier the better. The dingiest, most cramped shops can sometimes hold the greatest treasures, as most people are put off by the prospect of wrestling through narrow aisles of clothes. Not me, its how I like to spend my free time. Whenever I'm in a new town I'm itching to explore the local charity shops.

Here are some of my favourite recent buys:


Reiss cropped jacket, €6.50


Wallis purple lurex disco top, €3
Worryingly, I'm becoming more and more like a magpie for lurex items of clothing


Max Mara wool drape skirt, £4


Denim shirt (I've been wearing this consistently for the past 2 months), £3, originally LOGG by H&M


€1 - I couldn't resist this! You Irish kids will probably have read this, around the same time as Under the Hawthorn Tree, right?

My recent charity shop/second hand bookshop acquisitions:

Brideshead Revisted & A Room with a View I already own, but i can't resist buying multiples of my favourite books, particularly if the cover is attractive. I'm frivolous that way. I also stock pile books and buy them so I won't forget to read them, eh, its a ... faultless system so far.

This is sort of a silly excuse for a post but I don't want yous to think I've upped and gone! Personally, I love seeing what gems people have picked up in charity shops.

My rules to myself - I don't buy something just because of a label, I ask myself if I actually will wear it/have any use for it. Although this sometimes goes out the window in the case of picking up something to give to a friend (like a pair of tight gold trousers I can recall). I don't want anymore clutter in my wardrobe.

Sometimes its just the fun of browsing and the strange things you come across in some places. It's a hobby for me, its retail therapy without spending a lot. The rummage can sometimes be relaxing. If a place is very busy I won't linger because the good stuff is probably gone and I'm never really in the mood for clashing elbows with a couple of hipsters or a wan who doesn't understand the concept of personal space, as applied to the real world.

I'm going to York next month, and London, so if you have any recommendations for charity shops (or indeed in Glasgow and Edinburgh) please send them my way!