This morning, as I was rushing about in a tizz about to be late for work when I asked my mother if she had a headband I could borrow because my nice one was sopping wet (turns out my coat wasn't waterproof but let's not go there) and she said no but that I could borrow a scarf. At this point she seemingly whipped a lovely white, blue and gold print scarf out of thin air and helped me do my hair. Anyway, when I got home and asked her where I should put the scarf in her room she replied that I could have her box of scarves.

Now these scarves are all lovely, some are silk, some are polyester, some have beaded fringes but they all got me thinking about scarves in general. Are they old fashioned? Who wears them now? How do you wear them? At least those were my original questions, five minutes into my googling I changed my questions to this one: How many more ways are there to wear scarves?! 

One of my favourites has to be this idea for turning scarves into scrunchies, unfortunately it uses elastic and involves sewing so it's not very instantaneous; another great idea I found was this awesome idea for just tying a scarf up into a bag, I just adore this! And again I saw this on how to turn two scarves into a shirt with some easy sewing. I hit the jackpot when I found this at scarves.net, it has every way  to tie a scarf under the sun. All that remains now is to buy some more scarves, I'm thinking this one:

So today I was driving (or rather, being driven) up to yorkshire; it was a long hot journey in the car for six hours and so I feel that today is a good day to talk about travel clothes. Personally I wore my most basic comfortable pair of straight jeans, a prana top, sensible flats and a fluffy warm hoody. Let's just analys my choices. Straight jeans; comfortable and sensible but yet slick in whatever situations and they don't easily show dirt, perfection. Prana top; far from prada knock off this is a yoga/climbing brand which does great built-in bra stuff which is beautifully comfortable and not too hot, except well it is hot because hello clingy fabric! Sensible flats; I'll admit I wore some old fat face flip flops but only because I wasn't driving, if I had been driving I would've worn some ballerinas. Fluffy warm hoody, beautifully warm and with a lovely fuzzy lining it is easy to shrug on and off so means I was comfortable in both the freezing garage and boiling car. 
Can I just say, I rock at travel wear.

Now that we've covered what I wore (definitely a do, see brand list at the end if you're interested) let me cover some don'ts for travelling. Firstly, onesies; for mooching around the house then fine, if you must you may but really. In public? This is definitely a don't! Secondly, formal business wear; let's face it people all this stuff does is crumple and stain and look weird at any time other the ten past nine on a monday morning. Thirdly, dresses/skirts; I'm not a an anti-girly person but travelling means a lots of moving and the odd gust of wind too, so please ladies, trousers or shorts only.

I apologise for the brevity of this blog but I do occasionally need some sleep! Anyway as promised the links to the clothes worn are the top, the hoodie and the flip-flops.

Now I can't be the person on the earth wondering if there are any nice bras left, I mean, this is a serious problem people. To me in shops currently there seems to be no middle ground, it's either the white padded cotton T-shirt bra or the neon pink, lacy balcony bra. Both have their (very infrequent) uses but I can't be the only one wanting something both cute and functional. Hence the following internet quest for some nice bras. And just so you can see it, here's an example of everything that's wrong.

My first port of call was Victorias Secret where I did a little bit of random browsing and found the following monstrosity, leopard print paired with florals? Even if this bra is otherwise okay this massive nono immediately discounts it. Pick one print and stick to it.

But I stuck with VS for a while longer given their fairly stellar reputation, this is what I found next. I'm sure this seemed like a good idea to the designer at the time but honestly? The lace helps but other than that this is just padded white cotton. Yawn!

So I switched tactics and looked through some Agent Provocateur bras. The result was the same only this time, none of it was dowdy. There wasn't a single bra I feel I could of worn out of the bedroom, not one. The worst example is on the left. I mean are these people for real, can I not just find a nice bra that I could wear under a shirt to work or seductively or is that compromise seriously impossible?!

So I gave up on the focussed hunt and googled 'cute bras' after a few results (including an angry birds bra) I came across this, nude underneath, classic black and white, unobtrusive ribbon, classic shape. I love it, I want it, now.

A few more carefully worded searches revealed several more bras I liked, most from vastly different places. Either way a slideshow of some of the nicer one (ie ones I would buy) is below. Comment if you actually want links for any of them but otherwise I'll let them keep their mystery.

Anyway I'm on holiday for the next week (up in Cumbria with the family, yeah) so there'll be no posts until next saturday at which point I'll hopefully do a whole weeks worth and just backdate them. That'll be fun at three in the morning. Either way see ya then people.

Now I haven't really been one for bags aside for using them to carry things ever since I started getting terrible shoulder ache from my shoulder bag and was told my a physio to only ever wear backpacks. And well backpacks, eewww?! However when I'm at school or work I need to carry stuff (food, nearly always food) so I have a very utilitarian troop back pack below which is nice but limits what I can wear, I mean dresses or florals with a backpack? I don't wear dresses much but it's nice to have the option hence why I'm not really a bag person.

However today while browsing teen vogue (I know, I know but it has a total different set of clothes to actual vogue which can be useful sometimes!) I came across an article on the best backpacks. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of the list.

I'm sure that many of you would think that most of these bags are fine but frankly I can't stand them, the contrasting blocks of colour? The bulky styling? No, just no; if there's one thing that never goes out of fashion it's style (and pearls) and these simply don't have any.

Here are some bags that I'm just not sure about, they have the right whimsical prints or on trend carpet bag fabrics or funky colours or downright awesome patterns but for some reason none of them quite do it for me. What do you guys think?

Finally here are the promised highlights, I love the simple colours and denim but am also digging the lovely prints. My favourite has to be the red and yellow print bag combined with the nude leather it reminds me of Van Gogh's paintings in an intangible way.  Anyway, not bad for a teen vogue article huh? And finally here is the much anticipated photo of me meeting Warick Davis the actor at a McDonalds in a service station.

For those of you who haven't seen any photos of me before I'm the tall girl in straight jeans, a saltrock hoody and no makeup. Don't blame me, I'd already been in a car for three hours.

I know I often talk about country and cit style and the differences between them on this blog but I figured that I should do at least this one post on what exactly 'Country Style' is. A similar question was recently asked by a farming magazine the answers mainly talked of old wax coats and jeans held together with baler twine, the odd reference to flat caps was also thrown about. If the question had been asked in an equestrian or land owners magazine the answers would vary a little but the gist would remain the same.

Above is the simple wax coat, a staple although more often green and shapelessly unisex; used by just about everyone in the countryside at some point or another. I myself don't own one but there are about five ownerless ones floating around the kitchen which I regularly borrow.

Wellies, forget the funkily patterned and coloured wedge wellies you see at festivals and think of plain green or black wellies plastered in mud from daily winter use. It's these, work boots or everyones favourite compromise the steel toe capped welly.

But to really understand anything to do with country style you have to look at the young farmers. Note this chaps sensible jeans and work boots paired with the undoubtedly witty T-shirt and John Deere branded gillet. For anyone who didn't grow up in a rural area John Deere is a brand of tractor that also do a few clothes, please note the vivid yellow and green logo visible (sort of) on the gillet.

Now check out this trendy lot, they have everything tack, jeans, wellies, boots, coats, hoodys, mud and I bet every single one of them have some baler twine and a pocket knife in their pockets. Perhaps I should explain this phenomenon to the uninitiated; baler twine is brought in large rolls and is used to tie up bales of hay and straw, when the hay or straw has to be used it is cut of. Given that hundreds of bales are made and then used each year by all but the smallest farms this means that there's a lot of this stuff lying around. As such it is used for everything, tying up gates and jeans, holding together coats and making dof leads in a fix. I've even seen photos of it crocheted to make a dress.

And of course then there are pocket knives, carrying them is only for gang members in cities but yet in rural areas everyone has one, whether the handle be wooden or fake deer antler and the blade be new or notched they're in our pockets somewhere. Personally I have a beautiful Opinel No.7 in aubergine. 

I had the choice between buying it and a lovely pearl bracelet, guess which one I chose? I hope I have a explained a little of the b'tweeded and b'checked country style to all you city dwellers but I think I'll leave you with the photograph below which I truly feel summarizes what dad to day life and style is like in the backwoods.

Now I'm not a massive fan of preppy but I do like surfer/beach style so Hollister almost kinda sorta appeals to me however the majority of sane people you speak about will rally against Hollister so I've decided to do some detectiving and decide what my official stance is. So I went on their website and randomly clicked through to a page to see if much of it appealed to me. About five items in I saw the tank below. Cute print, check; sensible racerback, check; discreet but clear branding, check. I like it, simple as that. It looks nice for the beach or a casual day out.

I look through the site a bit more and see more stuff that I like, for example the adorably sexy balcony bra below, the colour, lace and general style all win it points with me.

However after the odd cute item things start to go downhill for a start the price is astronomical; secondly the whole dudes/bettys instead of men/women is just pretentious; thirdly the sizes only go up to L, this isn't a problem for me but this just seems a bit mean to bigger girls; fourthly there are no longer or shorter styles available and finally a quick internet search reveals how awfully the employees are treated with zero hour contracts, minimum wage and forcibly brought uniforms. But even these problems aren't the main source of my newfound hatred of this brand that comes from the fact that it masquerades as a 'surf' brand; surfers are indie anti-mainstream hipsters they would never shop at Hollister but rather at seasalt and saltrock and that shop on the corner in falmouth that sells seconds wetsuits. Therefore this is just another shop for wannabes with to much change and well, if they're stupid enough to shop there then let 'em.

Every monday I do an outfit challenge, I basically pick one cool piece and work out a look with it for under a $100. Sounds simple huh? So today's piece is..

a pink tulle skirt at $22 from wetseal

Now I could go all cutesy ballerina but that's just overdone so I figure let's go cowgirl with it, because why not?
 Below are some brown leather cowboy boots at $61.38 from ebay.

Next comes a mens check shirt from matalan at $12.28 to be worn open.

And to be worn open over this cheap but cheerful white cami from forever 21 for $3.80.

And to top it off a sweet cowboy hat for $15.33 again from ebay.

So the grand total is $114.79, the hat tipped it over but you could just not get the hat, but then again, cowboy boots but no hat? Seems criminal to me! Just so that you get the whole impression here's a polyvore of the outfit:

During winter when I'm on the family farm all I wear are checked shirts, padded and warm they feature somewhere in the multitude of layers I have on. Somewhere under the old wax coats you'll find one. Now I'll be the first to admit that they aren't great for showing off your figure, the padding and unisex shape means I've been called sir while wearing them a few times but god are they comfy!

As we've established  I have no problem with padded check shirts, my problem comes in that last winter they became fashionable. Seriously people? For real? They're comfy and they're warm but why would you go out in public in one? Ever? They just look frumpy! 

And so my conclusion to this (very short) blog is checked shirts are yay at home but nay in public. Also I met Warwick Davis the actor today, pictures to come!

I have so much stuff that I want, I see it and I need it. The massive list in my head is gradually growing more confused (did I want the Doc marten dress or the Chloe boots or both?!) so I figured it was time to write it all down by a) doing a post on it all and b) making a new page with it all listed and updating it when I need to. So here goes!

A white silk sleeveless blouse. I don't have any really posh tops and I just feel like this is an essential basic that I need. Versatile, posh, timeless; need I say more?

Brown leather boots. I often hang around with pony club girls and this is basically all they wear, you can ride or walk in them and they always look smart. I know I'm not a massive fan of country style but borrowing my mum's old yard boots has to stop!

Palazzo pants. I've mentioned these at length and sadly they still remain upon the 'stuff I want' list. *sobs*

Skinny jeans. The only pair I currently have are purple, they're gorgeous and I love them but they just don't have the same day to day practical wear abilities.

A pearl necklace. I don't have one and I just feel that I should, even if I never wear it I just feel that every girl really should have a single strand of good white pearls. Is that really too much to ask for?

A white strapless top. Great for layering, perfect for a pair of statement trousers and hot but not (too) slutty.

An AC/DC top. They really are my favorite ever band and I feel I am deserving of a cool top that shows this (and my waist) off.

Black leather ballerinas. I don't really have any delicate flat shoes, just my three pairs of doc martens. I feel I need some smart flat shoes and these really do look perfect.

Black capris. I have to admit that capris've never appealed to me but come summer at work I find myself in either jeans (boiling) or skirts (impractical) and so I admit I need a pair. Formal, versatile and dare I say flattering?!

Hair products for curly hair. My hair is naturally curly but I somehow always end up treating it like straight hair so all it does is frizz. I need some products for my curly hair.

A hair brush. My old hair brush broke a week or two ago and at the moment I just keep on borrowing my sisters and my mums. I need a new one and ASAP!

Okay so some of the stuff on there was a bit extravagant but every girl deserves some luxury! 

So let's just head straight into the great debate, heels vs flats which are better? Now perhaps I'm a little bit bias because at 5'11" I don't feel the need to wear heels much. If you're short and you don't feel confident with your natural body and feel you would look better taller then by all means wear heels. When you fall flat on your face or jam your heel in a grille don't ask me for help because I'll already be a street or so ahead of you.

Not that I'm not saying that heels aren't pretty, I mean look at the louboutins above. For a minute or two and honestly tell yourself that you don't want them. It's impossible right? But that's all they're there for, to look aesthetically perfect. And look at the flats below, okay so they're more Zoey Deschanel than Megan Fox but they're the kind of thing you could wear anywhere are feel comfortable all day (or night).

So maybe there isn't one answer; flats are great, for work and home and flights and shopping and holidays but when you need to look good or whenever you need a pick me up