Styling Vintage Shirts.

Happy Saturday my lovelies! I hope you all had a very Happy Halloween! What/who did you dress up as? I was the mad hatter! I can’t believe we’re in November already! October just flew by, last month was crazy busy for me but with lots of fun packed in. Now, as you know, I love fashion and quirky style, so half way through October I went to a vintage wholesale fayre!

The vintage fayre I went to was by Worth The Weight Vintage who are a vintage wholesaler who host vintage fayre’s in a different city each weekend. The way the vintage fayre works is that you pay by weight instead of per item! The great thing is that items are capped at £15 for a heavy item, like a coat or jacket and you pay £15 per kilo of clothes you pick up!

So, what did I get from the vintage sale? Well, I found some pretty cool shirts, a head scarf and a jumper! But for today I’ll be showing you how I style my vintage shirts!

First up we’ve got a black and white shirt!

I love this shirt, it’s a bold pattern that’s pretty in season right now, and it’s super comfy. I like pairing vintage shirts with mom jeans, a black belt and accessories that go with the aesthetic of the pattern on the shirt. Plus, I had to add in my telephone bag and boots because the vibe of the shirt just asked for it with this outfit!

Here it is paired with a leather jacket and bright slip ons and paired with a blazer!

• 

• 

Onto the next shirt!

I picked out this shirt because this too felt super in right now, I love the white with the more delicate design on the left hand side.

I feel like this is chic and can be dressed up of down to suite your needs whilst still having that cool vintage vibe.

Onto my third and most challenging but possibly my over all favourite shirt – this bright and very bold patterned one!

Here’s my favourite photos in this super cute outfit!

• 

• 

And that’s how I’m styling my vintage shirts! I love these shirts so much, and they cost hardly anything! As you know I love a bargain so I’ll definitely be looking into more vintage wholesalers, plus I’m into weird and wonderful unique pieces.

Some of these outfits might be a bit out there for some people, but I like standing out a little, and like I always say, you can wear whatever you want as long as you wear it with confidence. All that matters when you’re styling something is that you feel good in what you’ve put on, because like Roald Dahl says

If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

Basically, wear what you want and be nice to yourself because you’re amazing!

And that’s it from me for today! Which outfit did you like the most? And what vintage clothes or more out-there outfits do you like to wear? Let me know in the comments! I always love interacting with you so feel free to follow me on instagram (@theweightofmyworlds) too so I can see all of your lovely faces and interact with you on there!

Have a great weekend lovelies!

Love,

How I Shop Thrifty.

What’s up my lovelies! One thing I get asked a lot is where do I find my unique pieces, and how do I find them at a bargain price. So, this week I’m letting you into my tips, tricks and secrets when it comes to shopping and being thrifty. Like most people, I love a bargain, and because I’m on a budget, I’m always finding new ways to re-invent, re-use and recycle pieces.

Plus I’m a creative; which means I can’t help thinking of a million different ways to change clothes and accessories and make them new to me.

I’ll start by talking about where I like to go to find some great bargains. For a start, I love charity shops. I know loads of people absolutely hate them, but I think they’re great. They help with the environmental impact that the fashion industry has when it comes to fashion waste, it’s cheaper to buy pre-loved clothes and I love having a root around for that diamond in the rough. To the right you can see a polka dot dress I got a few weeks ago!

Another place I like to go to find unique pieces that’re cheap is car boot sales! I haven’t had the chance to go to some for a long time but I recently went to one and managed to find a new mirror for my bedroom, an old fashioned candle holder and my favourite find of all, an authentic vintage Gucci bag! And I picked the bag up for £4!! £4 for a Gucci bag with all the documents authenticating it. Safe to say I was extremely happy with myself that day.

One other place I like to look in for bargains is the clearance sales in stores like TK Maxx. Sometimes I have a look there for bags, sunglasses and accessories, one of my favourite pairs of sunglasses were £2 from there, supposed to be £72, all because there was a small scratch on the inside of one of the lenses. But guess what?! You can’t even see the scratch when they’re on and when you look through them! No one would buy them because of the scratch, which is crazy when you’re only paying £2 for a designer pair of sunglasses.. in near perfect condition.

So.. what are my tips for bargain shopping? Well..:

• Visit the Charity shops on a Tuesday or Friday (think about when people are likely to drop off clothes. In my area lots of people tend to drop clothes off right after the weekend or right before the weekend).

• Go to the ‘fancier’ charity shops – think about where ‘posh’ people are likely to drop their clothes off to. Sue Ryder is a favourite for branded goodies.

• Go to the charity shops that are the most accessible by car. Think about it, if you’ve ever dropped off clothes at a charity shop, you tend to go to the closest one to where you’ve parked, so check there first when you’re on the hunt for something new, because they’ll probably have more of a selection.

• Don’t be afraid of trying something on. If you think something might work, try it on. You might think something will smell bad or be dirty, but they really aren’t, and if you don’t try something on you could be missing out on a great new item. Plus, if you’re buying something from a charity shop, it’s highly likely that you’re going to wash them before you wear them anyway.

• If you see something that is reduced because it has a tiny fault, scratch or snag, ask yourself if it is something you can easily fix; and if it is, wouldn’t you rather pay a lot less for something that you want and can make good as new for pretty much nothing?

So, now you know my tips for getting a good bargain, here’s my favourite pieces and some things I picked up recently:

Here’s my Gucci bag I mentioned earlier, I’m still super shocked I stumbled across it at a car boot sale and it just shows what diamonds you can find when you look around!

I love this dress I picked up at a Sue Ryder charity shop! It was one of those dresses that I wasn’t 100% sure on, so I tried it on, and just like that, I loved it! And it only cost me £5. The black sunglasses are my ones from TK Maxx which only cost £2 because of that tiny scratch you can’t see. These sunnies go with pretty much everything too!

Onto one of my most recent purchases, this colourful shirt. If I’m honest, I didn’t know if I liked this shirt when I saw it, but again, like the dress I tried it on and realised how cool and unique it was! I’ve never seen a shirt quite like this so I’m glad I picked this up. Oh, and here’s my small candle stick holder which cost me £2 at a car boot too!

Have you ever found a diamond in the rough? If so, what was it and where from? My favourite things about shopping thrifty is the rewarding feeling you get from finding something great in a mountain of stuff someone was going to throw away! And getting it for a great price! If you try out any of these tips and tricks when shopping let me know in the comments!

Have a great weekend lovelies!

Love,

 

My Christmas Gift Guide

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And that means shopping is in full swing, and for those of you who aren’t sure what to buy for your family and friends, I’ve put together my own gift guide of presents to give you some ideas!

So, without any further adieu; here’s some gifts that are perfect for the home decorators, foodies, creatives, bookworms, tea, coffee drinkers and makeup lovers!

1 . HA Lettering create gorgeous personalised boards, photo props, room décor and Christmas Baubles! And all of these are for a pretty small price! You can order them here. Board prices vary on the size/personalisation and the baubles are £5 for 3 or 1 for £2! (Limited stock of baubles left so get your orders in!)

2 . Here’s a gift perfect for the book and nostalgia lovers – Quentin Blake illustrations that will make you smile. You can buy these at the London Science Museum and a select few of these gifts can be purchased here! I absolutely love these, they aren’t expensive and I loved seeing Quentin Blakes illustrations in Roald Dahl’s books when I was younger!

3 . For the conspiracy theorist – fifty outrageous scams and hustles. I found this at TK Maxx and it’s perfect for those who love a good crime show and those who love telling weird and wonderful stories.

4 . Here’s one for the creators! These gorgeous brush pens are great for calligraphy and drawing; you can get these from Arteza on Amazon.

5 . For the selfie lover and photographers: clip on camera lenses! You can get these from Tesco here!

6 . Candles are a great gift idea for anyone really, if you know what sort of scents they like, these are an easy yet thoughtful gift! You can find this candle on Amazon by Yankee Candle here.

7 . If you know a tea or coffee lover then this gift and the next are for them! This Help for the Hero’s mug gift set if great for anyone in the forces and anyone else who loves a hot drink really! You can find it in Tesco stores.

8 . Here’s a great gift for a horror, creepy critter or tea/coffee lover. I love this one, especially because it’s something I haven’t really seen before! You can find it here on Amazon by Creature Cups.

8 . For the person who loves home décor. I found this in TK Maxx along with several other gorgeous bowls and plates; perfect for a centre piece or even as somewhere to put your jewellery. You can find it here!

9 . For the makeup lovers! This brushes set is perfect for anyone who’s wanting to get into makeup or expand their current set of brushes! This set can be found at Beauty Bay (my favourite shop for brushes and makeup that’re a good price!), you can also find singular brushes, sets, makeup palettes etc. there!

10 . Hair straighteners are a great gift for those who spend hours on their hair; these ones by BaByliss are my mums current favourite, she said they make her hair feel soft and loves that you can see what temperature you’re at. You can get these from Amazon here!

11 . Here’s one for the person that loves all things selfcare! Not only does this contain small items that’re great for a little tlc on the go, but it also comes in a super cute tin! You can get it from Tesco in store or online.

12 . For the guy that loves some facial grooming; this trio of products include a shower gel, a shaving gel and an after shaving balm. You can get it from Tesco instore or online!

13 . Here’s another one for the guy that loves to keep his facial hair in tip top condition; the beard bib! You can get this from Mo Bro’s, they sell all things facial hair: beard oils, combs, conditioners and more!

14 . I love this one so much! Here’s my favourite item in this gift guide, possibly because I’m a bit of a magpie and love anything sparkly, especially jewellery! And this bracelet by Cote D’Argent is not only gorgeous but also adjustable. You can find bracelets like this one in TK Maxx.

15 . For the little ones who don’t fully realise that Christmas is even a thing yet. I like this toy as it has lot’s of textures, sounds and things a baby can hold onto to chew! You can get this one from Lamaze on Amazon.

16 . For the foodies! If you’re buying for a foodie, the chances are you’ve got either a general idea of what sort of thing they would like or absolutely zero idea altogether. And that is why I think that a gift like this hot sauce taster set is perfect! You get a choice of 8 sauces all of them unique! You can get this set from Tesco instore.

17 . If you’re needing a little stocking filler for someone with a sweet tooth, these peppermint lollypops are super cute and cheap! You can get them from Tesco instore or online here!

I hope you find this guide useful! Finding the perfect gift for that special someone always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (cheesy I know). And seeing their face when they open it is just amazing. Let me know in the comments below what you’re favourite gift is!

Merry Christmas lovely!

Love,

If you liked this post then it would mean the world to me if you could vote for me at the UK Blog Awards here!

Autumn Staples

Autumn is finally upon us! Which means colder weather, warm hearty food and Halloween. Autumn and Winter are quite possibly my favourite times of year. Actually, they definitely are. I love everything about the colder seasons; I prefer cold weather as some of you may already know (see my post about being pale in summer for reasons why!), the food, Christmas and of course the clothes.

Which brings me to this post, my Autumn Staples! (You can find all of these items at NewLook!)

First staple for the season: Tartan!

I love tartan clothes and Autumn is the best time for them. They always remind of Clueless and their outfits are so chic!

Second staple: Corduroy.

So, corduroy, it’s the fabric we all wore in the 90’s it feels like and it’s made a come back! Particularly in skirts, which is actually great because it’s quite a warm fabric and looks great paired with thick or patterned tights!

On to staple three: Burgundy, Mustard and Plum.

These are colours that come back in fashion near enough every Autumn and winter, they’re just great colours for the season.

Number four is another lot of colours: Pastels.

Pastel colours typically remind me of Winter and Spring, but I think they can look great when paired with some of the warmer, darker colours they can look great for Autumn too.

My fifth Autumn staple is: Bold patterns.

Bold patterns tend to look good throughout the year, but they seem to be making a bigger impact than usual this season! Especially check patterns!

Autumn staple six is: All black everything with bright/bold accessories.

I love how much of a statement this is. All of the focus goes on your accessories which makes picking them out in the morning a lot of fun. My personal favourite combo at the moment for this style is a baggy roll neck jumper, high waisted skinny jeans, bright red boots, bright blue bag and a bright yellow necklace. This sort of outfit goes really well with any stand out shoes and accessories to be honest, the bolder the better!

My final Autumn staple is: Comfy Jumpers.

I won’t lie, if I could get away with wearing a comfy oversized jumper, scarf, leggings, chunky socks and boots everyday, I definitely would. I love that aesthetic over all others. Pretty much because I think it can look super cute and I’m a sucker for comfort.

So that’s my Autumn staples! What are you wearing this season? Let me know in the comments or tag me in your instas @theweightofmyworlds so I can see your lovely faces and clothes! Have a great weekend everyone! Love,

Why I Recommend Going Shopping By Yourself

Last month I came to the realisation that I never go shopping on my own, partly because I suffer with crippling driving and parking anxiety when I’ve got to drive to unfamiliar places with risk of getting lost (please tell me I’m not alone on this!) alongside just general anxiety of being out on my own for fear that something bad will happen.

So, my day off during the week came around and I had an appointment in the morning about 5 minutes away from a huge shopping centre with about 3/4 huge multi-storey carparks, and that was when I decided to rip the band aid off and just go and do it. Plus I was in desperate need of some new clothes and I realised that I needed a nice outfit for a wedding I’ve been invited to.

To put in perspective how bad my anxiety was on the day, I had a panic attack as I was parking my car for my appointment because I was scared I wouldn’t be able to get out of a space once I finally got in it. That then happened again when I thought I was lost trying to find my way to the multi-storey carpark and finding a space to park in that wasn’t the size of a peanut.

Once I finally got parked, the fear sunk in that I might never find my car again (irrational I know..) so I took a photo of where I’d parked and rang my mum to tell her about my triumph and to tell her where exactly I’d parked in case I forgot.

So I made my way into the shopping centre, and my sense of achievement was crazy! I literally felt like I could take on the world, for about 5 seconds. Then it occurred to me that I’m all on my own and that I’d also need to repeat what I’d just done to get home!

After this realisation I decided that I would go and have a cuppa before I start shopping to celebrate facing my fears and anxiety head on and this way I would actually face another situation which makes me anxious; which is sitting on my own in a restaurant or café alongside having cake which the lovely eating disorder voices in my head were very adamant would kill me. But guess what, I didn’t listen to those voices and it didn’t kill me! Woo!

I don’t know why I was ever so anxious about this one, because as soon as I got myself a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake and started reading a magazine I forgot all about the people around me and it was bliss. Highly recommend it.

Once I finished my tea and cake I felt a lot calmer than before and it set in that I can do the following:

1. Take as much time as I want looking at stuff.
2. I don’t have to worry about being indecisive and wanting to revisit the first shop I went in 3 times..
3. Learn to stop worrying about what other people will think about stuff I’m trying on.
4. Go and get a snack when I’m getting hungry instead of feeling like I need to wait for other people to be hungry first.
5. No panicking about picking up clothes in shops and comparing my clothes size to whoever I’m out shopping with.
6. Try on as many clothes as I want without feeling rushed.

And let me tell you, I had an amazing time once I’d realised these things because I could just be myself and do what I wanted, taking as much time as I wanted.

Whenever I go shopping with other people I spend a long time looking at clothes with them and then hardly ever buy anything for myself. This is partly because I never feel like I have enough time to try everything I want to on, so I just don’t buy them.

But this time, because I was by myself, I spent about 2 whole hours in Primark (mainly because the shop is so damn huge!) trying on as much stuff as I could get my hands on; and after trying on so many clothes I came away with quite a few lovely pieces and some really cute shoes!

Then I went to around another 5 shops and another café before heading home! And after all of that I came home with 4 new tops, one new jumper, a maxi playsuit, 3 pairs of shoes and a load of new makeup! I felt like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless!

As scary as it was for me to go shopping by myself and face my driving anxiety, the benefits I got from it were so worth it. So worth it that I’m already planning my next trip by myself! I’m even debating an overnight trip to a spa!

Moral of this story, if you’re anxious about doing something or scared of doing something, give it a try and take your time with it, it will seem scary and stressful at the time but you’ll soon come to realise that you’re so much stronger than you think you are.

Also, I completely forgot to mention that throughout my time shopping I was very lucky to have my mum message or ring me every so often to make sure I’m okay and staying safe which definitely made me feel more comfortable and confident; so if you’re going to do this and are super nervous, ask a friend or family member to keep tabs on you to give you a little more confidence and security. Trust me, something as little as this goes a long way!

Have a great weekend everyone!