raw hide.

I love suede, I literally cannot get enough of it's buttery goodness. It's so soft and baby animal-esque. When I spotted this jumper in H&M on Friday I had to buy it. Not only is it tan and grey, unquestionably my two favourite colours but look at all that rawhide, it's perfection in jumper form.

Full time work is turning me into an old hag; I have sore knees, suitcases under my eyes and like to be in my bed by 9pm, THANK GOODNESS FOR THE BANK HOLIDAY! Never have the words 'four day weekend' seemed so sweet and thanks to those lovely Royals I have two in a row.

I am going to be in London for the Royal Wedding and although I am not a royalist I am hugely excited to be at the heart of one of the most anticipated events of recent years. And of course I cannot wait to see the dress! The weekend after the wedding I am heading to Malaga for a few days of much needed sunshine, my current Wednesday Addams look is so last season.

This weekend I plan on partying hard and spending my pay packet on pretty clothes, cocktails and Nandos-so much to look forward to!

Xx

chelsea girl

Generally I find River Island to be a massive disappointment; I see nice things in magazines or in the windows and then when I get in there I am blinded by utter tat. The amount of glitter and diamantes on their garments is astounding, it's a magpie's porno, and more often than not a nice dress or blouse has been ruined with the addition of a cheap, over sized brooch. However if you have slightly more patience than me then there are treasures to be found, especially with the launch of the limited edition Chelsea Girl range. Chelsea Girl was one of the defining brands of the High Street revolution in the 1960's bringing affordable fashion to the masses, in 1988 it changed it's name to River Island but the brand has been brought back to life with a 40 piece collection all with a classic vintage feel. I completely fell in love with this Missoni inspired dress and I had to have it, with a little loan from my kind Mum. Although veering on pant-flashing short it is such a nice shape and the colours are gorgeous plus I think it will look great worn as a top with leather shorts. And it was a total bargain at £30!

That's all from me just now as Masterchef is on soon, I have to clean my teeth before I watch it as it makes me hungry and I am often tempted to sneak into the snack cupboard downstairs!

Xx

we all got old at breakneck speed

This week I made my triumphant return to the live music scene at The Vaccines gig in Glasgow. Triumphant is perhaps the wrong word since I struggled to finish my third cider and blackcurrant and almost fell asleep on the half past ten train home however it was fun to go to a gig again after what seems like forever. A couple of years ago my relationship with Ticketmaster was pretty intense and I would trek up and down from Aberdeen to Edinburgh and Glasgow in pursuit of bands that I loved and bands that I liked and other bands in between. In more recent years my fondness for electronic music has meant that I have spent more time at DJ sets than at gigs but there is nothing quite like the atmosphere at a packed gig where everybody is singing along, fist-pumping like a Guido, eyes closed.

The Vaccines have been majorly hyped and there are no doubt many people out there who won't believe the hype or who will have decided that Radio 1 has completely killed their credibility. The thing is they write damn catchy songs, they don't take themselves too seriously and they sounded great live. Despite having major instrument troubles and a poorly lead singer their set was fun and upbeat albeit short. The crowd was a massive mix of different ages although it has to be noted it was a bit of a sausage fest and I was disappointed to find a major lack of scenesters in geek glasses.

Also this week I went to see my little brother's band The Colours play at Whistle Binkies in Edinburgh. They are really good and musically really tight, although I may be slightly biased. In between all this music and Zumba I AM EXHAUSTED. Roll on the weekend.

girl crush

Lykke Li, photographed at Rough Trade East, Shoreditch, London, February 2011. Photograph: Karen Robinson for the Observer

The Swedes are such babes and I would count the night a drunken Scandinavian man thought I was Swedish to be one of the best evenings of my life. He was obviously VERY drunk. Singer Lykke Li is the epitome of a hot Swede and on a day when I am full of the cold I thought a picture of her would be far more appealing than a picture of me. Her debut album, Youth Novels, was the soundtrack to one of my many failed attempts at romance and I felt that every song resonated with me including the delightfully chirpy 'Little Bit' which was once featured in an episode of Hollyoaks for it's sins. Her new album, Wounded Rhymes, is dark and dreamy, my favourite kind of melancholic melodies and I CANNOT stop listening. Plus I truly seek comfort in the fact that even uber-cool Swedish babes are unlucky in love.

everything will be all white

Today was a glorious day; the sun did not stop shining and when the icy winds temporarily dropped the heat was spectacular. Sunny days make me feel invincibly happy, I think of holidays and BBQ's, beer gardens and ice lollies, shorts and sunglasses. Last weekend when spending my not-so-hard earned wages I made a few purchases inspired by the impending summer season. I have already gushed about my love for Ivy from 90210 and recently when making shopping decisions I have firmly followed the acronym WWIW, What Would Ivy Wear?

And above are just a few of the things I picked up that passed the 'Ivy' criteria; the sweatshirt in the middle is from Topshop (£26.50) and literally hasn't been off my back since I bought it. It is comfier than a pj top, fits in perfectly with the Navajo trend and hangs off the body in a ridiculously flattering way-I am in love.

The fringed waistcoat on the left is a Primark bargain (£12) and is actually rather nice quality, I especially like the little wooden beads on the end of the ties. I will definitely be wearing this over floral dresses and with looses vests and pale denim cut offs in the summer sun.

Finally, and the photo really doesn't do it justice, is a thick knit white vest from H&M (£7.99). I spotted this a week or so ago and thought that it would look ace over a bikini on the beach or just with jeans and jewelery for a smart every day look.

Now all I need is for the weather to stay nice so I can wear all my new things, that and a spray tan as my goth like pallor doesn't quite fit in with the whole California chic vibe!

Xx

ode to the disco pant

So I have been after the American Apparel Disco Pants FOREVER and this weekend I finally gave in to my urges and purchased the Disco Shorts. The super-tight, super-shiny knickers are bum skimmingly impractical but I love them and the thick material is surprisingly forgiving even after several packets of Fizzy Fangs. Worlds away from the ideal work trouser I was searching for I have no doubt that these bad boys will get more than enough wear on the dance floor to make them worthwhile, and I still have a hankering for the trouser version so watch this space.

Image from American Apparel
Disco Shorts £45