see the fire is sweeping our very street today

I love Fridays. Especially when the sun is shining and one more of my exams is over at last. I've had an incredibly relaxing afternoon painting flowers, drinking cranberry juice out of one of my many china teacups and reading snippets of my current book 'The Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens. I'm enjoying it so far, although not much has happened yet. I was actually going to sit out on the little bit of roof outside my window but I abandoned that mission after realising the tiles probably wouldn't take my weight and I didn't particularly want to fall through the ceiling into the kitchen. It was a nice idea, though.
Anyway, this outfit was from Monday (I need to start posting outfits on the day and not like a week later I'm sorry) and as per usual I decided to go against multiple fashion commandments in order to complete the whole look. I have spent the vast majority of my life being told that you must never, ever wear double denim, and you must never, ever wear socks and sandals. If you haven't already noticed, I don't really like being told what to do when it comes to clothes, so on Monday I decided to break both rules in one outfit. Sue me.

I have had my eye on the super cute bralets from Motel for absolutely ages now, and so you can imagine how excited I was when I managed to get hold of this one from their sample sale. I like the bold, floral pattern combined with the soft leather - it gives a slightly edgier feel to what would be quite a kitsch, retro-style top. It is definitely on my list of things I absolutely have to wear to festivals this summer, and is going to be layered over many shirts and tops this winter too, I'm sure.

I wore it with Topshop jeans and socks, a Rokit jacket and shoes, belt, beads and sunglasses from Beyond Retro.

Despite not having my usual collar to adorn with jewellery (shock horror) I decided to wear multiple necklaces anyway. I love layering beads, and am looking forward to expanding my collection a little over this summer.

I bought these sandals for £14 from Beyond Retro in Brighton...I used to wear Birkenstocks when I was little, and I just couldn't resist the brightness of these ones. They're the kind of shoe people either really hate or really like - and to be honest, I can't dislike anything brightly coloured especially when they can be worn with so many different patterned socks. Also, they're kind of my take on the whole 'slider' trend. The original adidas sliders are great and all but I don't think they're quite my style, whereas a slightly kookier version like these are much more my thing.
Have a great weekend!

somewhere in her smile she knows

Motel Florals by elliecp featuring a vintage print dress

Motel vintage print dress, $59 / Motel vintage print dress, $59 / Motel crop top, $34 / Motel vintage crop top, $37 / Motel vintage crop top, $37 / Motel flared skirt, $51 / Motel vintage pleated skirt, $42 / Motel print legging, $37 / Motel high rise shorts, $51 / Motel vintage canvas backpack, $71

 Hi guys! I know I only posted the other day but as I've just finished the worst of my exams I thought I may as well take the time to share a little summer inspiration with you. I'm going to Reading festival this year and am really looking forward to the outfits more than anything...I mean I have literally been planning each outfit meticulously even though it's almost three months away. I am really into florals at the moment, not only because they are a summer essential but because they are literally designed to be clashed. I adore clashing patterns...for me, if I'm not wearing at least three different patterns at once, the outfit is just not complete. So, I think I am going to be spending this entire summer encasing myself in as many floral prints as humanly possible...and where better to find them than Motel?
I was featured on the Motel blog after London Fashion Week, and although I had actually already bought a few of their pieces before (they're sold in the Oxford Street Topshop as well as online) I had never really realised just how much they have on offer. They stock a lot of really cute, just ahead of fashionable items such as fluffy skirts (the 90s will return this summer I'm sure of it) and cropped Polo necks to the BEST selection of co-ords and an awesome range of reworked vintage pieces. I made the above board to try and demonstrate the awesome-ness of Motel's florals and patterns in one image...which was pretty difficult as there is just so many pretty things!

(Some tumblr inspiration...sources here: 1,2,3,4)

I felt these images kind of summarised the summery, hazy feeling I'm starting to get into, and they kind of go with the Motel board's aesthetic. I'm really looking forward to being able to wear lots of light, floaty floral layers...and am hoping to maybe pick up a few similar pieces next week at Motel's Pop Up Sample Sale! If you are in London next week, I totally recommend nipping down to Great Portland Street and trying to grab a few bargains before the warm weather hits (hopefully). I'm definitely going to go...I have my eye on a few nice pieces for the summer!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend...I am in Brighton tomorrow for a little respite before the next lot of exams begin, so I'll have a post from there up when I get home. Also, if you do get a moment to vote for me again tonight (I thought tomorrow was the last day but it turns out today is!) in Company's Style Awards that would be amazing! Thankyou!