ALL PRESENT & CORRECT

That outfit you wear just after Christmas that consists entirely of presents, even if they don't really go together.. don't tell me you don't do it.

Christmas was OK actually. Santa was very good to me (ie my mum went a little crazy) and I spent a lot of quality time in my onesie.

I'm wearing:

H&M jacket

Evil Twin dress

Topshop socks

Vans hi-tops

Minkpink clutch

Claire's screw earring

SPARKLE DAY 'N NIGHT

'Tis the season to sparkle, and all that, though this year I've taken a break from the usual rounds of drinks, meals out and socialising, rendering my festive occasion wear redundant. It's all good for the liver, the soul and the bank balance, mind you. Instead of going all-out festive sparkle, I added a little into my everyday life thanks to this sequinned bomber from Motel. I've been looking for a layering piece like this for a while - easy to wear with boyfriend jeans, though also great for nights out.

I don't have too many going out clothes; I attempt to mix up my normal clothes into something edgier, hence the turtleneck and metallic A-line skirt: great with a maxi and a fluffy knit, respectively. It's always good to trade in the sneakers for a stomping boot, too, and incredibly whilst lusting over the Tumblr trend of cleated soled shoes I forgot I had something very similar myself. Miista been doin' that '90s chunky boot thing waaay before Stella Mac.

I hope you all have had lovely festive season, and I wish you a very merry Christmas. I'm heading home today and I'm really excited to see all of my friends and spend a while hanging out with my mum.

I'm wearing:

DAY	NIGHT
Sequin jacket c/o Motel	Sequin jacket c/o Motel
UNIF t-shirt	Evil Twin for Nasty Gal crop (via Steph)
ASOS/DIY distressed jeans	eBay skirt
Nike Free Runs	Miista Luannes
Minkpink bag	Topshop bag

METALLIC HOLOGRAPHIC

When blogging there is a pressure (real/perceived? Probably the latter) to constantly showing off new clothes, and I often don't bother shooting looks I love because it's been featured here before. However, for the first time in a little while I felt really good in this outfit, and the dress is styled totally differently to the previous time it was shown - plus in reality I don't wear new things or even brand new outfits every day - so this time I shrugged the pressure off. This dress is the perfect chuck on 'n go, dress up or down, eat as much as you like kind of thing so gets worn a lot, particularly to occasions like last night: my mum's birthday meal.

The only new thing I have here is my Ciara Clark cuff, whose work first caught my eye when my friend Kerry styled her lookbook. Ciara works with the most fantastically coloured holographic perspex - it looks pink here due to the flash catching it but in daylight it's more of an iridescent lilac.

Oh yeah, and after six weeks, two bleachings, one hair colour remover and infinite shampooings, my hair is back to platinum. For now. Just looks like a blank canvas to me now..

I'm wearing:
Ted Baker dress

ASOS turtleneck

Miista boots

Minkpink bag

Ciara Clark holographic cuff

MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF

Meadham Kirchhoff and Grayson Perry go hand-in-hand, don't you think? The bright colours, child-like connotations and the disregard for conformation. Fitting, then, my Meadham Kirchhoff x Topshop scores had their first wear to the Grayson Perry exhibition at the Manchester Gallery - an exhibition of the tapestries made while creating the TV programme about Britain's classes. No photos allowed sadly, but needless to say they are spectacular so well worth a visit.

The speed at which the pricier Meadham Kirchhoff pieces flew out prove something I've been thinking for a while now - that the British high street is so dull and homogeneous, shoppers are really looking for something unusual. The two pieces I picked were among the more wearable of the bunch, and whilst I still love them (mainly because of the MK label attached) I was really disappointed with the quality. The dress is totally see-through and static, and the tights came in a matte white box. I at least feel there should have been some snazzy MK packaging - shiny candy floss or slime would have been my ideas!

Right now I definitely have bigger fish to fry than how I look, but I feel like my hair, face, and body look so crappy right now (funnily enough, I'm really into my style. Swings and roundabouts and all that). Upon complaining about how bad I look in these photos, though, Chris reminded me of my dislike of blogs whose photos are almost editorial, without a glimmer of any imperfection in their lives. So I've decided to keep blogging through this and know that things will improve. Because, as Chris said, I "just look like someone who has had a rough couple of weeks". And he'd be quite right.

I'm wearing:

ASOS monster fluff cardigan

Meadham Kirchoff x Topshop slip dress & pentagram tights

Charity shop turtleneck

Topshop boots

Daisy Thomas bag

PSYCHEDELIC DREAM

There are many sorts of friends, all of them perfect in their own sort of way: the party friend who gets you drunk, the problem-solving friend who tells you to dump him, the shopping friend who isn't afraid to say when your bum looks big. The best sorts of friends though are the ones that you don't necessarily see all that often, thanks to distance or busy work schedules, but are still there when it counts. Those who travelled from far and wide to be with me at my dad's funeral; Helena, despite losing a loved one herself, always manages to send me a few kind texts  day; and Sara, who sent me a surprise dress of my dreams.

I was actually festering in bed at around midday Friday when this dress arrived (and I am not a festering in bed sort of person) but its arrival made me jump up and want to do something with my day to warrant the wearing of this dress. I got out of the flat and spent the day in Manchester, culminating in a lovely Wagamama's tea and a few pints at the pub with friends.

I'm wearing:

Waiste vintage dress

Oasis mongolian gilet

Dr Martens Britain boots

Minkpink bag

(Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the comments, tweets and texts regarding my last post. Everyone I know has been so kind and it has been most overwhelming.)

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND

Last September my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and received treatment until April. My mum and I had a fantastic summer with him, going on days out to gardens, antiques centres, my Foundation Degree graduation; my parents even went away for a week in Cornwall.

He started going downhill late August when it was discovered the original tumour had grown and also spread to his liver. For the most part he wasn't in any pain and he passed away at home on Wednesday with my mum and I by his side.

Without my dad I would undoubtedly not be the same person I am today: he shaped my taste in music, books, comedy, travel, and also my outlook on life. "Bugger it" was our motto, and I often hear "you're definitely your father's daughter". So not only have I lost my dad, but my best mate, too.

I wish I could offer others in the same situation advice but it's a little close to the bone right now, though I will say: stay close to one another, face up to the situation, be real. Say everything you want to say exactly when you want to say it. Take what doctors say at face value. Make friends with your nurses. And if you have Macmillan Cancer Support in your area, use them, they will be your life support and without them I am sure my family would have had to face losing my dad much sooner than this.

Though I consider my online and real life to be quite separate things, I couldn't not share my recent sad news with you all. After all, I have met many great friends through this blog, some of whom have been a great support network for me. 

Bear with me. I will be back to fashion, blogging, my degree, and my job in time.

My dad in about 1998. Strangeness definitely runs in the family

MODERN VAMPIRE

Here comes the feeling you thought you'd forgotten.. the feeling that your space buns are wonky and there's not a damned thing you can do about it. In my defence they were a lot straighter when I left the house: it was my over-zealous dancing (ahem, pogoing) to Vampire Weekend that knocked them askew. These really are bouncing soles, I tell ya.

I'm wearing:

Minkpink jacket & bag

Lazy Oaf Metal Head tee

Topshop leather skirt

Dr Martens Britain boots

SEA LIFE

Seapunk at the Sea Life Centre wasn't entirely intentional, I just wanted to wear my new birthday threads. Kinda feel like a slime green fluffy jumper and knee-high double soled Docs complete any outfit now though. Also, blue hair has now paled to the perfect icy colour (this is more accurate) though it was much brighter, I swear - evidence here.

The Sea Life Centre at Trafford is just a little one but well worth a visit. They work hard to protect the oceans and don't keep any species too large for captivity, so it's a thumbs up ethically, too.

I'm wearing:

Topshop fluffy jumper

Oasis skirt

Pamela Mann tights

Dr Martens Britain boots

eBay chain

Minkpink bag

DUSTED KNUCKLE

This Eshvi ring has been occupying my brainspace lately, as seen in gold on the spring/summer 2014 PPQ runway below.

Will it go to retail? Maybe. Will I be able to afford it? It's highly unlikely.
(Would I end up losing it even if I did buy it? Almost definitely)

Above image from Wolf Whistle's Twitter; the original obsession enabler.

FEELING THIS

Stuff wot I are feeling right now. Click image for source.

In other news: my hair is blue, I'm working harder at uni than I ever thought possible, and I bullied my boyfriend into buying me my dream boots for my birthday. Which is in two and a half weeks. Just in case you cared.