Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Vintage Wedding Fair This Weekend!
Enjoy if you do end up going! I am not going. I'm not getting married. This morning I asked my other half what he would say if I made him a Leap Year proposal. His reply? "of course, dear". That's the kind of response I'd expect to nagging questions, such as "are you taking out the rubbish?" or "don't forget to buy the milk", not a marriage proposal!!
Thursday, 23 February 2012
The Fitness Bug
Sorry readers! I hope you're not groaning that yet another blogger is bringing up this topic.
Credit: FlickRivr
I wish my fitness gear was as stylish!
I've been a bit quiet because I've started on the 'Olympic' training programme featured in the Sunday Times Style section a few weeks back. It's all about run, stretch, and burn, apparently.
At the moment I have 3 jobs(!), one of which I do from home, one which is part-time office hours, and another which necessitates working evenings and Saturdays. So, I have time off on weekdays and I've experimented with ways of filling this time. (Who'd have thought it possible you could fill days and days with cleaning, laundry and watching Escape to the Country?) I'd love to do something more creative, and I've been to sewing classes and cake-decorating workshops, and even dabbled with starting to sell vintage clothing on Ebay and Etsy, but my motivation for all of these things has waned somewhat. I'd love to keep the clothes selling going, but I have no capital to invest in the stock, and no space to store it (I rent a room, not a house!). I just have to accept at this point in my life that it's not possible.
So, my free time, when not looking at dresses, shall henceforth be dedicated to creating athletic perfection. I want to be in tip-top condition, and there have been a few things that have planted this seed. Fleur's post on 'do it NOW!', the discovery of a grey hair or two that proves I'm not getting any younger, a BBC Radio 4 documentary on the history of sport for women, and the pressures of a very sporty set of colleagues in my new university job.
On your marks, get set, go!
I wish my fitness gear was as stylish!
I've been a bit quiet because I've started on the 'Olympic' training programme featured in the Sunday Times Style section a few weeks back. It's all about run, stretch, and burn, apparently.
At the moment I have 3 jobs(!), one of which I do from home, one which is part-time office hours, and another which necessitates working evenings and Saturdays. So, I have time off on weekdays and I've experimented with ways of filling this time. (Who'd have thought it possible you could fill days and days with cleaning, laundry and watching Escape to the Country?) I'd love to do something more creative, and I've been to sewing classes and cake-decorating workshops, and even dabbled with starting to sell vintage clothing on Ebay and Etsy, but my motivation for all of these things has waned somewhat. I'd love to keep the clothes selling going, but I have no capital to invest in the stock, and no space to store it (I rent a room, not a house!). I just have to accept at this point in my life that it's not possible.
So, my free time, when not looking at dresses, shall henceforth be dedicated to creating athletic perfection. I want to be in tip-top condition, and there have been a few things that have planted this seed. Fleur's post on 'do it NOW!', the discovery of a grey hair or two that proves I'm not getting any younger, a BBC Radio 4 documentary on the history of sport for women, and the pressures of a very sporty set of colleagues in my new university job.
On your marks, get set, go!
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Beautiful Winter Days
Some photos I took recently at a Victorian pier in South Wales - the watery winter colours of the sky and sea made it all feel a bit magical.
I hope you all had a good Valentine's Day, and remembered to treat yourself if nobody else did!
Miss P xx
I hope you all had a good Valentine's Day, and remembered to treat yourself if nobody else did!
Miss P xx
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Never Buying Trousers Again. Ever.
Hurrumph!
I'm beginning to think that some people are not meant to wear trousers. I think I am one of those people. In the past year or so I have tried out Tara Starlet's pedal pushers, Lady K Loves' sailor trousers, numerous trousers from Next, M&S, Jaeger, Zara...the list goes on quite a way. The bottom line is none of them fit properly! Whether they're too short, too tight on the waist, too tight across the crotch, too loose on the hips, the end result is exasperation.
I have ONE pair of trousers that fits me really well - grey swing trousers from Heyday, that I just sacrificed the turn-up to get the leg length. I love these trousers so much!
So, why not just buy another pair from Heyday?
Well I did. And guess what? They didn't fit!! (I actually sobbed. SOBBED.) I tried out the lovely new navy pair with the self-covered buttons, in the same size as my grey ones that do fit. But I think a combination of the slightly thinner fabric and an adjustment to the 'rise' in the new version meant that they gaped at my waist and were loose around my hips. Whilst still fitting my derriere snuggly, so I don't think I could go down a size.
In desperation, I ordered the Rosie trousers from Lady K Loves. When they arrived, they were blatantly not a 33" inside leg as stated on the website (I measured and they came up under 30"). So they had to go back too.
Overall, in lost postage costs, I think my experiments with trousers over the last year or so has cost me in excess of £30.
Never. Buying. Trousers. Again.
Is anyone else in trouser hell?
I'm beginning to think that some people are not meant to wear trousers. I think I am one of those people. In the past year or so I have tried out Tara Starlet's pedal pushers, Lady K Loves' sailor trousers, numerous trousers from Next, M&S, Jaeger, Zara...the list goes on quite a way. The bottom line is none of them fit properly! Whether they're too short, too tight on the waist, too tight across the crotch, too loose on the hips, the end result is exasperation.
I have ONE pair of trousers that fits me really well - grey swing trousers from Heyday, that I just sacrificed the turn-up to get the leg length. I love these trousers so much!
So, why not just buy another pair from Heyday?
Well I did. And guess what? They didn't fit!! (I actually sobbed. SOBBED.) I tried out the lovely new navy pair with the self-covered buttons, in the same size as my grey ones that do fit. But I think a combination of the slightly thinner fabric and an adjustment to the 'rise' in the new version meant that they gaped at my waist and were loose around my hips. Whilst still fitting my derriere snuggly, so I don't think I could go down a size.
In desperation, I ordered the Rosie trousers from Lady K Loves. When they arrived, they were blatantly not a 33" inside leg as stated on the website (I measured and they came up under 30"). So they had to go back too.
Overall, in lost postage costs, I think my experiments with trousers over the last year or so has cost me in excess of £30.
Never. Buying. Trousers. Again.
Is anyone else in trouser hell?
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Sale Treat!
Naughty but nice!
Lots of Kiss Me Deadly sale items around at the moment on Hepburn and Leigh, or Joanna's Wardrobe. I have purchased the DeVille longline bra, and the blue Alouette plunge bra is on it's way.
I've also made a Heyday purchase but you'll have to wait to see that one.
Is it nearly pay day yet?!
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Lippy Trial
A sneaky post on one of my now very, very precious days off!!
This is 'Carmine' from Besame. I normally steer clear of orangey reds, but I tried this one out just for fun and loved it! It was one of six included in my red lips set in a What Katie Did goodybag, so expect five more lipstick trial posts...
Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!
Miss P xx
This is 'Carmine' from Besame. I normally steer clear of orangey reds, but I tried this one out just for fun and loved it! It was one of six included in my red lips set in a What Katie Did goodybag, so expect five more lipstick trial posts...
Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!
Miss P xx
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Vintage Inspired Review: Tara Starlet Pedal Pushers
I have a spare ten minutes so can squeeze in a quick post! The 'Pedal Pushers' trousers from Tara Starlet are available in leopard, black, or orange and white stripe. I purchased the black along with the 'Victory' skirt that I posted about before Christmas. I was trying to channel the look of Christina Hendricks in Mad Men or Christina Ricci in Pan Am - both have worn black pedal pushers and they looked fabulous on both kinds of figures.
Price and Delivery - 3/5
£59 I thought wasn't too bad for trousers. Delivery was next day, costing £5.
Sizing - 1/5
Awful. I am normally a Tara Starlet size 12 (in both their 'Peggy' dress and their 'Dancing' skirt). But with these trousers the sizing was way, way off - the size 12 was ridiculously small. I sent it back and got the size 14, which I could just about zip up if I breathed in really hard, but it was honestly still about an inch too small on the waist to be comfortable to wear. Would I seriously be a size 16 in these trousers when I'm a size 12 in one of their dresses?! At the price I'd paid I didn't feel comfortable having a go at making some adjustments myself, and the attentions of a professional seamstress would have been an extra £20. I nearly cried, because otherwise I loved these trousers!
Fit - 2/5
Great fit on the legs, bum - but as mentioned above, the sizing on the waist and upper hips was ridiculously small for a size 14, especially when I'm a 12 in their other garments and my measurements are well within what's on their size guidlines. Nice length on the leg. These pics below are of the size 12 just to illustrate the huge difference in sizing between this and the size 12 Peggy dress, which fits me perfectly!
Fabric and Quality - 5/5
Lovely fabric with a nice stretch. The quality looks perfectly good, no issues there at all.
Online Description - 1/5
If a garment runs small, it would be really, really helpful to mailorder customers for this to be mentioned. It would also be nice to see more images of the trousers on a real person, from different angles. They are also longer than on the model pictured on the website, which was strange because I am 5'9'" with a 33" inside leg, so unless the model is super tall, the trousers have been rolled up for the photograph.
Postage Costs - 1/5
To return an item you have to send the parcel back by recorded delivery. I sent the first trousers back by Special Delivery, which cost me £7, but I wanted the insurance, as the parcel with the skirt and trousers was worth over £120, and recorded delivery only covers you up to £40 ish. The refund they must have forgotten about, because I had to email them some weeks later to remind them, and then it went through. The second lot of trousers then I returned by recorded delivery, it was a couple of quid, so all in all I've lost just over £20 in this escapade!
Customer Service - 4/5
Although my initial refund was delayed, the moment I contacted them I received an apology and the refund went straight through then.
Overall Score = 2/5
I'll be grieving over these trousers for a while.
Price and Delivery - 3/5
£59 I thought wasn't too bad for trousers. Delivery was next day, costing £5.
Sizing - 1/5
Awful. I am normally a Tara Starlet size 12 (in both their 'Peggy' dress and their 'Dancing' skirt). But with these trousers the sizing was way, way off - the size 12 was ridiculously small. I sent it back and got the size 14, which I could just about zip up if I breathed in really hard, but it was honestly still about an inch too small on the waist to be comfortable to wear. Would I seriously be a size 16 in these trousers when I'm a size 12 in one of their dresses?! At the price I'd paid I didn't feel comfortable having a go at making some adjustments myself, and the attentions of a professional seamstress would have been an extra £20. I nearly cried, because otherwise I loved these trousers!
Fit - 2/5
Great fit on the legs, bum - but as mentioned above, the sizing on the waist and upper hips was ridiculously small for a size 14, especially when I'm a 12 in their other garments and my measurements are well within what's on their size guidlines. Nice length on the leg. These pics below are of the size 12 just to illustrate the huge difference in sizing between this and the size 12 Peggy dress, which fits me perfectly!
Fabric and Quality - 5/5
Lovely fabric with a nice stretch. The quality looks perfectly good, no issues there at all.
Online Description - 1/5
If a garment runs small, it would be really, really helpful to mailorder customers for this to be mentioned. It would also be nice to see more images of the trousers on a real person, from different angles. They are also longer than on the model pictured on the website, which was strange because I am 5'9'" with a 33" inside leg, so unless the model is super tall, the trousers have been rolled up for the photograph.
Postage Costs - 1/5
To return an item you have to send the parcel back by recorded delivery. I sent the first trousers back by Special Delivery, which cost me £7, but I wanted the insurance, as the parcel with the skirt and trousers was worth over £120, and recorded delivery only covers you up to £40 ish. The refund they must have forgotten about, because I had to email them some weeks later to remind them, and then it went through. The second lot of trousers then I returned by recorded delivery, it was a couple of quid, so all in all I've lost just over £20 in this escapade!
Customer Service - 4/5
Although my initial refund was delayed, the moment I contacted them I received an apology and the refund went straight through then.
Overall Score = 2/5
I'll be grieving over these trousers for a while.
Monday, 2 January 2012
Happy 2012!
Happy New Year!
Did you all have a good festive break? Christmas for me was a very relaxed, quiet affair. We ate enough to sink a battleship, and I am still using up leftover Stilton, cranberries and such like. For me, the highlight had to be that I am the proud recipient of the coveted Golden Spoon, as I won the family baking competition with my yule log masterpiece! Having said that, none of us want to see a yule log ever again, as they are time-consuming to make and we had six of them to eat!
Here's a little pictorial summary: Me as an elf at a party; Christmas wreath; Present opening on the big day; The Yule Log entries; Golden Spoon Winner.
I'm afraid that this will be my only blog post for January - I start a new job tomorrow, and so for this month only will have a total of three jobs on the go. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Wishing you all a good start to 2012 - good luck with all of your resolutions!
Miss P xx
Did you all have a good festive break? Christmas for me was a very relaxed, quiet affair. We ate enough to sink a battleship, and I am still using up leftover Stilton, cranberries and such like. For me, the highlight had to be that I am the proud recipient of the coveted Golden Spoon, as I won the family baking competition with my yule log masterpiece! Having said that, none of us want to see a yule log ever again, as they are time-consuming to make and we had six of them to eat!
Here's a little pictorial summary: Me as an elf at a party; Christmas wreath; Present opening on the big day; The Yule Log entries; Golden Spoon Winner.
I'm afraid that this will be my only blog post for January - I start a new job tomorrow, and so for this month only will have a total of three jobs on the go. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
Wishing you all a good start to 2012 - good luck with all of your resolutions!
Miss P xx
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Giveaway: Heyday Voucher!
A Christmas competition? Count me in! Over at the Heyday blog, Shona is giving away a £25 voucher to one lucky festive winner.
I'm currently eyeing a pair of black swing trousers (waiting for them to restock in my size), and the lovely Dynamite Mary dress (also out of stock!).
I'm currently eyeing a pair of black swing trousers (waiting for them to restock in my size), and the lovely Dynamite Mary dress (also out of stock!).
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