O U T F I T | Forget the Dress with VoucherCodes

14 December, 2013
I was recently contacted by VoucherCodes to take part in their style challenge 'Forget the Dress'. With New Year's Eve, Christmas and festive parties all over the show it can be an expensive time finding different outfits for different occasions. In fact, VoucherCodes recently carried out some research that showed most 18-24 year old females spend on average £119 on Christmas party outfits! I certainly know I haven't got that to spare right now. The 'Forget The Dress' task had the concept of re-using the same dress, which I already owned three times over but each time with a different set of accessories to style it up differently. I had a budget of £50 to hit the high street for accessories. Simple, right?! Unfortunately not. I'm not much of a high street shopper as the majority of my wardrobe is charity shop bargains, vintage gems or pieces from Urban Outfitters which I've purchased with a generous staff discount. I haven't even been into Topshop or River Island in months! I had no idea of the concept of high street prices, it was a lot higher than I expected. Maybe it's just because there are currently no sales on or maybe prices are creeping up. Also, I'm not much of an accessories queen. I tend to layer up clothes rather than accessories, so it was a learning curve for me in that way too!

My dress of choice was a recent edition to my wardrobe that was sent to me by Motel after their Blogger's Christmas Party a while back. It's a sequin, shift, 60's inspired little number that I saw one of the Motel girls wearing at the party and wanted it automatically. The smock shape is perfect for disguising an after Christmas tummy and is comfortable enough to dance the night away in.



Outfit #1: This outfit is potentially my favourite out of all three just because I adore the turban so much! It was only £5.99 (plus cheeky student discount) too. Anyone who knows me will know my absolute adoration of the 70's and this look was based on my favourite decade. The fur collar from River Island was the priciest accessory within my budget at £25. Although it was a little above my means, I think statement accessories are far more important than dainty ones in changing an outfit. Statement, exaggerated pieces are also essential at this time of year, because when else are you allowed to dress so glamorous other than that one day a year to sit down and have a turkey dinner with your mum? Also, it's strictly black and white colouring matched the dress perfectly and made it that little more luxurious than it already is. This would certainly be a look I would wear to a NYE party (but maybe cover up my skanky festival wristbands with a nice rose gold cuff).



Outfit #2: As the dress itself is very much 1960's inspired with it's monochrome colouring and shift shape, I decided to suit it to it's intentional style with this beautiful check bowler bag that was just £10 in Primark. It's so well-made for Primark and could easily be mistaken for a Fred Perry bag. It's also important to consider your hairstyle when re-styling a dress as this can make a dramatic difference and it's free! As I was aiming for a sixties look, I side-parted my hair flat to my head and tied it up in a high ponytail, which is a look I never really opt for. I've had these knee high, slouchy boots hiding in the corner of my room since I was like 17 years old. They've needed re-heeling for years, but they go perfect with this Mod inspired look.




Outfit #3: It was actually pouring down with rain as I was shooting this third and final outfit. Ideally I wanted a kimono but after blowing a lot of my budget on the fur collar in the first outfit, I ended up going for this tie-dye scarf which was just £1 in Primark! ONE WHOLE POUND! It definitely made up for the blow out on the fur collar. I think every girl needs something 'swooshy' to dance into the New Year in! The monochrome embroidered belt was also a cheeky Primark purchase at £2.50. A belt can be key in transforming a whole outfit as it can change the shape of a dress entirely and it particularly works well on smock dresses. It cinches in the waist giving more of a curved si The incredible pearl and rose gold daisy headband was another goodie from New Look. I had never taken into account just how good and cheap New Look is for accessories! This headband was just £6.99 (plus student discount, again!).

I've got to admit I actually found this challenge rather difficult and I was trooping around the shops looking clueless all day! Accessories certainly are not my forte, but I've learned how just accessorizing can totally transform one dress. So if you're stressing about a festivities dress this season, maybe see what's lurking in the back of your wardrobe and save those pennies you were counting for some accessories instead. After all, you can work them into almost any other outfit too so they make a worthwhile investment!
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O U T F I T | A Sequin Crusade Amongst Velvet Dreams

12 December, 2013







Dress*: c/o Fashion Union
Kimono: Hobbs via Charity Shop, £4
Hat: New Look, £10
Boots: eBay, £5



I have an undeniable love for slip swing dresses at the moment and when I first saw this sequin-embellished Fashion Union number I knew it had to be mine. Choosing a colour was difficult as I loved all three options (gold, silver and black), but for some reason I've always been drawn to gold. I was tempted by the notion of owning a silver dress, but still couldn't resist the gold. I'm not quite sure why I'm always drawn to gold when it comes to clothing as I personally find a lot (but not all) gold jewellery rather tacky. However, gold sequins is another matter entirely! This dress is an almost definite option for either my work Christmas party or a NYE number. After all the loose, smock shape is ideal for hiding unwanted food babies and champagne tummies. I can even see myself getting some use out of it during festival season next summer!

How delicious are my new platform, velvet boots? I never knew one pair of shoes could make a girl so happy! For years I've always had the ideal crushed velvet, 70's boots in the back of my mind, which has led to me searching high and low in secondhand shops. Finally, my hunt for the dream pair of boots paid off as I won these on eBay for just £5! They are officially my favourite pair of shoes ever. Now the hunt for the same pair in wine red is on!
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G I V E A W A Y | Win a pair of London Retro Glasses with MyOptique

10 December, 2013


You may have seen in my last outfit post and a few outfit posts back that I recently teamed up with MyOptique to review a pair of their London Retro frames. I genuinely love them and they're my favourite pair of glasses I own. They've also offered to giveaway a pair away from their London Retro collection to one of my lucky readers. All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter form below and follow the mandatory steps including leaving a wall post on My Optique's Facebook wall saying 'Enter Fox and Feather's Give Away'. Once you've completed the mandatory steps, you'll have a chance to earn additional entries to the giveaway.

The prize is a pair of London Retro frames of your choice (view the options here) with either a clear lens, a prescription lens or even the option of them being customised into sunglasses. The pair I'm wearing in the photo above are the 'Bakerloo' style. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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O UT F I T | New Girl

09 December, 2013









Dress: Urban Outfitters (old), £15
Glasses*: c/o London Retro via My Optique
Brogues: Topshop (old), £30
Bag: Charity Shop, £4



I was recently contacted by Zalando to take part in their 'New Girl' inspired competition in where you feature a blog post dedicated to the show. As a self-confessed lover of the sitcom, and particularly Zooey Deschanel's kooky, retro style I decided to style an outfit based on star of the show: Miss Jessica Day! In terms of style I'm probably most like Jess as I have an eclectic mixture of clothing and accessories, as well as a tendency to hoard pretty little objects. My bedroom in itself is a treasure trove. Admittedly, Jess's style is a little more prim and proper than my own, but her adoration for one-off, vintage pieces is something we most definitely share. A particular episode that I re-call is one in where her housemates are mocking her for her collection of crazy bags, which is something I am also guilty of; WELL, HELLOOOOO CRAZY CAT BAG!

Both the dress and my faithful, battered, golden brogues are rather old and have served me well. Jess is known for her consistent love of pretty, 50's and 60's shaped tea dresses and I can see her wearing this burgundy and lace little number that I'm sporting as she skips around her apartment. Of course, she would not be Jessica Day without her thick-rimmed, geek chic glasses that sit neatly beneath her fringe. I happen to have a similar pair of London Retro frames that were recently sent to me by My Optique. Now all I'm missing is Schmidt with his witty one-liners for a best friend by my side and a beautiful apartment in L.A.

If you want to piece together a Jessica Day inspired wardrobe too, be sure to browse Zalando's 'New Girl' collection here.
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O U T F I T | The Ghosts That Broke My Heart

04 December, 2013










Jumper*: c/o Persunmall
Hat: H&M, £12.99
Scarf: Vintage via Urban Outfitters, £9
Skirt (worn underneath): Primark, £6
Boots*: c/o Sammydress


I'm making the most of my grubby, moss-ridden student house garden as an outfit shot location. It's just getting too dark in my room to snap outfit shots nowadays. Not that I'm complaining! December is my favourite month as I'm one of those sickening people who absolutely adores Christmas cheer! Also, it's like Christmas has come early with these two new treats I've been gifted this month. The jumper is from Persunmall, which I believe may be the best fitting jumper I've ever encountered in all of my jumper adventures (believe me, there have been a lot of them). Whilst being oversized and boxy, which is perfect for snuggling and layering, the sleeves are fitted and ribbed which keeps you even more cozy! When browsing the website I instantly fell in love with the abstract print and slouchy fit, and whatsmore it's an absolute steal at just over $20!

I've been coveting a pair of JC Coltrane boots for quite a few years now, but I've never had the spare dollar to treat myself to a pair. However, I was recently contacted by Sammydress to review one of their products. I found these almost replicas of the Coltrane boots and they're just a little over $20 to buy too! I was a little worried about them blistering as I always suffer with new shoes, but the leather is soft enough so they don't rub. They'll definitely be housing my feet continuously from now on!

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W I S H L I S T | Feeling Foxy

03 December, 2013


I was much inspired by Lyzi's 'Cat Lover's Wishlist' last week, so much so that I decided to create a wishlist for my own favourite animal of choice, the fox (if you hadn't figured already). Every year without fail I get an assortment of fox themed gifts for Christmas and my birthday, which is only a few weeks afterwards! It's a certainty that if I receive a fox-themed gift I'll definitely love it. The majority of what I've picked out from above is from a recently discovered website called Not On The High Street which has a wide variety of cute, kitschy gifts from different crafters and sellers. All I did was search the word 'fox' and voila I was delivered hundreds of cute, original products that make great gift ideas! A couple of other pieces including the temporary fox tattoo are from sellers on Etsy. I love the transfer tattoo so much; if only anyone were able to create a permanent tattoo that intricate I would get it done in an instant.

Ultimately though I'd quite like a pet domesticated fox cub if money wasn't an option at all.

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S T Y L E | What to wear to Amsterdam Fashion Week with FashionChick.co.uk

01 December, 2013


I was recently contacted by FashionChick and asked to create an ensemble that I would wear if I were to attend Amsterdam Fashion Week in January. They are choosing one lucky winning blogger from the UK to go on an all expenses paid trip to Amsterdam during this period. Amsterdam Fashion Week happens to fall over my 23rd birthday and I've never visited the city before although I've been so eager to in the past, so I thought it was worth a pop as winning would be the best start to 2014!

I've recently been enticed by more playful 90's inspired fashion, steering away from my usual 60's and 70's looks. Also, I had to take into account that Amsterdam would be pretty chilly in mid January, so I've opted for these Topshop black Joni jeans. I actually don't yet own a pair of black jeans, because I rarely wear jeans! I'm intending to change this though by investing in a pair because they truly are a necessity for everyone's wardrobe. Also, top of my wishlist this winter is a pink fluffy jumper and this one from River Island is ultimately perfect. It's currently out of stock, but I'm eagerly awaiting on it to be re-stocked so fingers crossed it does! I'm rarely seen without my H&M fedora nowadays, but this spiked one from Missguided is just divine and that little bit dressier for such an event. I kept the accessories strictly metallic-themed as I'm a sucker for metallics in the winter. The New Look holographic clutch bag is such a bargain at just £12.99. The socks happen to be from the Meadham Kirchhoff range at Topshop, whilst the pewter, platform shoes are from ASOS and would look so cute teamed with the socks. To top off the outfit I would throw over a faux fur gilet for extra warmth and add my tattoo choker, which I recently purchased off of eBay for a little 90's nostalgia.
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