Macklemore - Thrift Shop

Everyone should listen to this song. It literally sums my blog up in about 3 minutes. Plus it's as catchy as Chlamydia!

Ode to thrift

At dawn I wake, with good intent

To make sure all my money's spent

I'll head to town, I will not wait,

Knowing my day will surely be great.

don't have a job, hence little cash,

To squander on this worthy trash.

But what I've got, I must make sure,

Is destined for velvet, silk and fur.

I head to Digbeth, knowing full well that,

There I will find my abundant tat

I'm greeted by satin in all patterns and shades,

My desire for bright colour never fades.

Before I know it, my hands are full,

With denim jackets, blouses, and wool

It smells of must, but I don't care,

Some are even a little threadbare.

I try them all on and to my delight,

They all fit wonderfully, perfectly right!

It's amazing how, in piles of junk,

One can find such wonderful funk.

I dash to the counter, tenner in hand,

This escapade has gone just as planned.

So remember this, my frivolous friends,

A real fashionista customises and mends.

Jumpers are like dogs

I'm aware that I have already written about jumpers but I have had a stressful few days and my jumpers have, strangely, lifted my mood.

Jumpers are warm.
Jumpers come in all sorts of colours.
Jumpers cover every lump and bump.
Jumpers never go out of fashion. (Apart from V necks... Shudder)

 

And I've eaten lots of biscuits as well. And crisps. And chocolate

 

My jumpers are the equivalent of dogs to me.

Some are small and cute; some are big and loud; and all of them always seem to be pleased to see me. I am aware that I sound CRAZY. But please, observe my reasoning.

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favourites. I bought this jumper when I first discovered eBay for about £4 and I have worn it to death ever since because it really does go with everything. With regard to its canine equivalent, this jumper is my answer to Clifford the Big Red Dog. It's happy and it's soft. Just like Clifford. 

 

 Then there's this one. My beige one. 
 

 

I wouldn't usually buy insipid colours but this was £4 from Cancer Research and I bought it in grey as well. Yes. I bought neutrals. It's like a little beige corgi. I love to hate it.

 

Now, this jumper was the birthplace of my obsession.

 

 

 

 If this jumper were a dog it would be a Black Labrador. Reliable. Cosy. Good with children - including big kids like me. I just LOVE this jumper. It's got a slight polo neck which is always risky, but I think the pattern is so mad that it's okay!

 

 

Now this one might be pushing it. In fact it definitely is.

 

 

 

There's a close up for you, just in case you were wondering if your eyes were deceiving you.

Yes, they are cats.

 

I got this jumper from the Cat Protection Society Shop.

I wish I was joking. It would be churlish to compare this sweater to a dog - as it is clearly covered in cats... And I hate cats. But this sweater is an exception.

 

I guess judging from this, I am fashion's answer to a crazy cat lady. I am a crazy-cat-jumper-lady.

 

 

I hate it when people take photos of themselves in the mirror but this is my Christmassy jumper that I wore today, and I didn't want to take it off because I can see my breath in my room..

 

P.S. Clashing patterns is cool. I did it today ^ and I felt like the beezneez.

Now I need to get into bed before my fingers freeze off

 

 

 

 

What I wore today - don't judge me

I do love having a GOD. No, I'm not going all religious - I mean a Good Outfit Day.

Today was one of these days.

I was off into Uni today (which always warrants dressing up for - as I only have 6 hours a week, education has become an occasion) so I thought it was a good day to wear something that I haven't worn in Uni yet.

Brandishing a pair of perfect black jeans that I got fitted in America (the sales assistants in H'n'M US walk around with measuring tapes - so much better than the UK!) and one of my finds from the Sack Sale - a satin, green, floral shirt - I wasn't quite content.

Now this is where you may - quite rightly - judge me...

I own an item of fur.

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!

But it was just too gorgeous (and too cheap) to leave on the shelf. It's a splash dyed 80s denim jacket with a rabbit fur collar that quite frankly feels like

Heaven. Whenever I feel down I rub it on my face like a comfort blanky. (Jokes) It malts and everything - it's the closest thing I can get to a pet at University.

Up until now I've always been against fur. It really is horrific what happens to animals in the name of fashion... I'm not even sure if I agree with medical testing sometimes. But my reasoning is that I'm not actually fuelling the fur trade by buying this jacket because I bought it second hand. So surely I'm just helping a small business by buying Cruella DeVille's cast-offs. It was £12, but when I wear it I feel like a million dollars.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank the little rabbit that gave its life for this jacket.

ALSO. Follow me on Twitter - mkevans92

#threelostboys

I know it's not really fashion related...

© My drawing of Jamie Laing, Oliver Proudlock and Francis Boulle - hope you like it! All three of them retweeted it which was pretty amazing!

Guilty pleasures

When it comes to what I wear, I do push it a bit sometimes.

I'm a true believer in "if you're confident enough, anything looks good"... but on more than one occasion my housemates have ripped me to shreds for wearing pink Timberland boots and a cord patchwork shirt.

Yes. I have these.. Don't judge me.

There is something exhilarating about wearing something hideous.

It's a challenge as to whether you can actually make it look cool or not.

I like the idea of someone looking at my Timberland boots and thinking "Good God those are brave." All attention is good attention. What we wear says a lot about who we are - it tells whoever glances your way if you're a conformist or a boundary-pusher. Or just downright mental.

My guilty pleasures get me stick, yes. But I still can't help but love them. I'm a SUCKER for velvet. My sister bought a black velvet shirt from our local Salvation Army for 50p and I genuinely considered stealing it and taking it back to Uni with me. Am I a bad person?

Another guilty pleasure of mine is furry things.

I wouldn't go as far as to wear furry space boots (although I did bloody love them in year 6) but I definitely am all over the fur collar coats that are so on-trend this winter.

Look at this jacket. Om nom nom.

Click here to have a mosey at it...

I like to wear something completely weird - because weird gets noticed. And surely that is better than just being another boring pawn in Urban Outfitters' evil game!

Wool Jumpers

Gosh I haven't written in so long! Had loads on at Uni and just haven't got around to it. :(

My love at the moment is woolly jumpers. The jazzier the better - I believe that a jumper should be a statement. None of this beige or burgundy nonsense (although I do love burgundy.) What's the point in wearing something if it makes you look like every one else?

The best places to buy jumpers are in charity shops or on eBay. Literally go on eBay and type in "Woolly jumper" and you will get thousands of results. My top tip is to NEVER type the word 'vintage' unless you want to get ripped off - this is internet sellers' best way to make a quick buck so you're better off buying a genuine old jumper that someone's Granny gave them.

If you change the preference to 'Used' the price will drop dramatically. Make sure you check the material type as well, because photos can make anything look better than it is. If you want good quality - check for 'genuine wool' rather than 'nylon' or 'wool alternative' - they just don't feel or look the same. Another top tip of mine is to look for a men's woolly jumper if you're a girl, they're usually bigger and cosier!

If you're not too savvy with eBay (it can be pretty bloody scary) then the vintage shops in Birmingham are a good place to start. Try Mr. Bird's Emporium (mentioned in one of my previous posts!) because they literally have rails and rails of them. But beware for grubby necklines, because wool can be a bugger to wash.

Other than that, the charity shops in Birmingham are pretty good. If you go up towards the Western Arcade, there are some really good ones (such as the British Heart Foundation) with lots of stuff.

Get your rummage on and you will be rewarded!

Sack Sales on New Street

Now we all love a bargain. And there really is no better shopping feeling than finding a treasure in the Topshop sale or old-school designer in a charity shop.

But "Sack Sales on New Street" has taken the bargain hunter experience to an entirely new level.

 Looks promising doesn't it

 So, you go in and on the bottom floor you are greeted by a sound system playing stupidly loud music. (A pet peeve of mine.) The ground floor is dedicated to all the second hand clothing that these entrepreneurs have obviously fished out and deemed worthy to be labelled as vintage. A lot of it was actually nice.

But then they had to put a sour edge to it, didn't they? Looking at some of the very 'in' Levi's shorts laid out, i smelled a rat. ..They'd been clever here. Upon closer inspection, only about a quarter of them were ACTUALLY genuine Levi's - the rest were nasty denim shorts that had cheekily had (probably fake) Levi's labels stitched on the back. And people will pay for this... Quite frankly it seemed a bit naughty. And a few pairs were absolutely filthy. The fact that there were dirty items immediately made me doubt the quality and, indeed, hygiene of the rest of the shop.

But, nevertheless, i powered on. Having heard about this place through a friend, and having been to a sack sale in the USA, i had high hopes. Basically, you are given a binbag and you can fill it for a tenner, half a bag for a fiver. (Btw, you must excuse my lack of capital i's. My i button has annoyingly broken so i have to copy and paste a lower case one in every time. The most frustrating thing ever.)

This is what i found up the stairs. Literally piles and piles of clothes, seemingly designated into sections such as dresses and denim.

There was a LOT of shit.

And i mean really shitty stuff - stuff you wouldn't even see the tramp that lives on Dawlish Road wearing. (My friend bought a hideous sequinned gypsy skirt simply because it made her laugh.)

i was not going to give up though. i threw myself into the musty piles in true retail-magpie fashion and managed to claw a few little gems out. But only a few. i did find a nice army jacket tbf, and it's made up of more beigey tones than my other one... So i can see it working with black jeans and worker boots. Other than that, there were plenty of funny old slogan t-shirts that have tie-dye potential for wearing to the gym!

But seriously, only go here if you have a lot of spare time and you have plenty of hand-sanitizer. 

i left the place feeling (and almost certainly smelling) like a dirty crack-whore who had been foraging around in a bin. it's good fun - but i dare say that the irritating music and the fact that the clothes were dirty made me yearn to be in a trusty Cancer Research shop fishing out fresh-smelling second-hand clothes that i could be sure that a prostitute hadn't died in.

My top 10 fashion peeves right now.

10. Football shirts.

Ugly. And common. Just horrible.

9. Girls getting their midriff out during cold weather.

I don't know why but when girls do this outside of a night-out it just looks slutty and "look-at-me!!" ish. Good fashion should grab people's attention... but keeping your internal organs warm is more important.

8. Duffle coats.

These should be left to anyone young enough to be sitting their SATs. They're just not in any more. Get rid.

7. Badly fitting bras.

Ladies - you want your boobs to sit up and say "hello world, look at how perky I am." You do NOT want to cut them in half with a bra that is too small. Two boobs are better than four.

6. Wife-beater vests.

Especially if the guy has excessive armpit fuzz or b'acne. They just make any boy look like a disgusting dole-scrounger. Even worse if worn with a chain.

5. Sports trainers.

Worn outside of the gym. Just NO.

4. Ill-fitting jeans.

There is just no excuse. Go into any high street shop and there are literally endless pairs of jeans. And they're not even expensive. Granted, a truly great pair of jeans is an investment for a student. (I find River Island never fails - they cost between £35 and £50 usually, but they're really good quality denim and fit my shape brilliantly!) There really is nothing worse than a saggy denim bum and faded knees. Please girls. Throw them away or cut them into rocky shorts.

If you put on a pair of jeans and they don't make you feel fabulous, they're not worth the wardrobe-space.

3. Guys wearing flat-peaks/snap-backs/whatever they're bloody called.

To me, boys at Uni wearing flat-peak caps is just an annoyance. Whenever I see them, I half expect the guy in question to be donning Vans trainers and a Quiksilver rucksack... The skater look should have been left in the dark depths of Year 8. Hideous.

2. Knitted Uggs.

I don't like Uggs that much at the best of times to be honest but why would anyone want them in a chunky knit with a big ugly button on? Uggs should be worn in their original state - tan suede. End of. None of this yarn nonsense.

And my number one pet peeve...

1. Wearing leggings as trousers.

The ultimate mistake that any innocent girl can make - believing that Primark leggings can be worn as trousers. Just no. Too many times I have found myself walking to Uni behind one of these poor creatures - with an eyeful of their ill-fitting knickers and far too much arse cheek for one to to cope with. Please ladies. If you insist on doing this - buy some nice THICK treggings. I'm all for wearing cheapie leggings in front of the telly, but only your very closest and dearest friends should be subject to the sight of thinning cotton stretched across one's bottom. Good god.

Tie-Dye a Sweater

Tie dying is really 'trendy' at the moment. And it is really easy to do it yourself.

(Aka don't go to Urban Outshitters.)

I grabbed this sweater from the boys section in Primark, mainly because I liked the colour. But as you can see, it is tres boring... so I need to do something to it to set me apart from all the other Primark-wearing people in Birmingham.

What I'll need:

the sweater

elastic bands

some household bleach

a washing up bowl

a clothes airer

Most student houses in Selly Oak should have these items. (But, if like me you don't have elastic bands, you can get a big pot of assorted ones from Poundland.) So go and get an old sweater - preferably a darker one that you don't mind playing around with. This one was £8, so I won't cry if it goes terribly wrong!

Now scrunch it up bit-by-bit and randomly shove elastic bands round the scrunched up bits relatively tightly. It literally doesn't matter where you put them - the more mental the better!

Do that until your sweater looks something like this...

Now go and fill the washing up bowl 3/4 full with warmish water and about 100ml of house hold bleach (make sure you're wearing an old t shirt or something in case you get splashed... And rubber gloves so your hands don't get itchy.)

Shove the jumper in, making sure it is submerged. Mine didn't quite go fully under, but I just moved it around a bit every now and then.

Leave it in there for a good ten minutes. If you can't really see anything happening, add another 100ml of bleach and give it a bit of a stir. Leave it for another ten mins.

Tip: If there are any random bits sticking out of the surface, drizzle (and I mean DRIZZLE) a bit of neat bleach over the top to get some paler splashes... looks really nice.

Tip the water away and it should be looking something like this...

Now go outside with a clothes airer and let it drip dry for a bit so that all that nasty bleachy water can drip away.

N.B. Last time I bleached some jeans I didn't bother washing them before I wore them and I ended up with legs like a Leapor. So you MUST wash stuff you've put bleach on or you'll have irritated skin.

Don't put the jumper in with any other clothes, you could knacker everything. Put it on a low heat wash (30 degrees preferably!) and give it a good, long wash, with nice smelling washing powder to get rid of the nasty bleach smell. Don't put it on anything higher or it will fall apart!

Wait for it to dry.

Put it on. (I'm gonna wear mine with glam jeans and shit-loads of chunky jewellery!)

Are Student Lock-Ins worth the hype?

Student lock-ins are shopping events held frequently around Birmingham - enticing all students in the city to squander their loans by taking advantage of big discounts and offers.

Shopping on a Saturday in the Birmingham Bullring is, for most, as enjoyable as attending a 9am seminar with a hangover. Personally, I believe that student lock-in events can be a similar experience.

Lock-ins tend to run outside of day-to-day shopping hours (usually between 6pm and 10pm) and involve the big-name chains such as River Island, H&M and Topshop offering out-of-the-ordinary discounts for students.

But here's the catch (well, one of them) - it is key to sign up online for these events, which involves a tedious online form. Then, upon arrival at the Bullring, there is a queue to pick up your confirmation of registration before you can actually start shopping. This whole routine is what one might call - for want of a better word - a "faff."

Granted, if you are willing to go through the motions, lock-ins can be brilliant when it comes to finding bargains. For example, Forever 21 - a huge high street store exclusive to Birmingham and London in the UK - has, on several occasions, offered a huge 21% discount for students. So, if one had seen something in there prior to the event but couldn't justify paying full price, these sort of events can make buying a treat less of a blow to a student purse or wallet.

However, with some of the shops (Mango for example), there is a further requirement - having a standard University ID Card is not enough. For a few of them, you'll need an NUS card - so it is a good idea to check the small print before setting your heart on something.

The main thing that personally turns me off is the sheer amount of people. Topshop during a lock-in can get pretty claustrophobic, and if you're more of a 'browser' the packed shops are not ideal. In addition to this, it's near impossible to try anything on as the queues become ridiculous.

On the other hand, lock-ins can be a great way to socialise - making a refreshing change to a night out. And for some, a lock-in may prove to be a cheaper alternative! As well as the shopping perks, a lot of food chains also offer deals during these events - big names such as The Homemade Burger Co. usually make an appearance on the list. So it does provide a cheap meal out for a group of housemates who don't fancy 9p noodles for the 4th night running.

Lock-ins can be fun. But if you are looking for an easy amble around the shops then you're better off going on a weekday. If, on the contrary, you are a ruthless bargain-hunter with your eye on the prize, you could find a real gem. Or a pair of gems.

My new houndtooth jeans.

Look at my new houndtooth jeans.

Aren't they just da bomb? I was bored of wearing blue and black jeans all the time so I thought "bollocks to it" and bought these little beauties.

They were actually only £15 in the River Island sale (although I've just looked again and they've gone down further to £10... FML.)

Nice little crotch shot there.

So yeah, I'm in wuv. I wore mine with an oversized, red, woolly jumper and I looked like a massive Scottish haggis but I don't even care. Long live Scotland. And long live my new jeans.

Mr. Bird's Emporium



So this place looks brilliant.

Check out the latest addition to Digbeth's vintage clothing scene, Mr. Bird's Emporium.



Was given a flyer in Urban Village and I cannot WAIT to get down there. I've heard very good things. My housemate came back with a lovely, cosy-looking Christmas jumper covered in reindeers. So I better get down there sharpish!

So this is happening. Wow. Goodbye money, was nice knowing you.


Will let you know how I get on and what bargains I find. I have needed a velvet burgundy blazer for ages now...

And a bow tie.  :)

Bastille

Wednesday the 17th of October, 6pm, HMV Institute. Bastille are playing, and I'm as excitable as a Jack Russell puppy.

Casually trying to forget the 9am seminar that I had the next day, myself and two friends from home got the train into town and made our way into the depths of Digbeth alongside a throng of terrifying Trivium fans - as they were playing too.

Lois, Holly and I getting a quick snap outside HMV, exciting times

The queue moved quickly, and before we knew it we were in 'The Temple' room of HMV, where a warm-up band were helping out with the sound checks and having banter with the crowd. Because we'd got there early, we were right at the front - giving us an amazing view of the stage.

In what seemed like no time at all, the supporting band, Swiss Lips, were up on the stage. Now, I'd done my research on them beforehand so I knew what they were like and got familiar with their bigger songs "Danz" and "U Got The Power", which they played. However, they had such a fun vibe that everyone was dancing after the first song - even though most people probably didn't know who they were. If you're a fan of The Black Keys and/or La Roux, you should definitely have a listen to them. They were really friendly too - I had a chat with the keyboardist who promised to check out Uoblogfest!

Great view of Swiss Lips, check out 'U Got The Power' here

Then they appeared. Bastille are what you might call an 'indie' band. They're an up and coming quartet from South London, who have recently found success after their latest single 'Flaws' was made Greg James's 'big thing' on Radio 1 - and after this evening, I have no doubt that their success will only continue to grow.

I've been following Bastille on YouTube for a while after hearing "Flaws" on the Made In Chelsea advert about a year ago. When it comes to their sound, they're a perfect mix between electronic and indie, and I've yet to find a rotten egg in their collection of songs so far.

Starting with the rousing "Icarus", the front man Dan Smith had the crowd going wild within minutes. But he wasn't your typical cocky front man - he was very humble, as were the other members, thanking the crowd after every cheer. You could see it in their faces that they are still coming to terms with their rapid success, and were genuinely amazed by how much love they were getting.

After a few more of their bigger hits (some of you may know "Laura Palmer") everyone was waiting for one of their brilliant covers that have been particularly popular on YouTube. We didn't just get one though - we got THREE. A slow, sensual cover of Lana Del Ray's "Blue Jeans"; their fantastic version of City High's "What Would You Do"; and towards the end, the pounding 80s anthem "(Rhythm) Of The Night". Their covers are barely even covers though - they literally take a song and just make it undeniably better.

Still, the highlight of the night was yet to come, and I was getting exceedingly "squiffy" (as my mum would say). When Dan jumped into the crowd - that was it. I was like a feral child, treading on everybody and anybody just to get near him.

And my barbaric behaviour paid off - my friend and I found ourselves sandwiching him, belting "Flaws" down the mike. I was like a twelve-year-old who had just got an autograph off H from Steps.

I am not ashamed to admit that I did indeed lick his face.

So open a new tab now and get on YouTube if you haven't already - you'll be hooked quicker than you can say "sweaty moshpit." 

Go to see these guys if you ever get the chance, and I advise you to go sooner rather than later - because they are destined to be HUGE.