Wardrobe: 4

Hi all, it's me, Fran. Ten whole days have elapsed since last week's post, and I find myself confronted with the dual sensation that time has flown by, but also that I have aged a good 15 years in the gap! With my recent life being largely composed of sitting at my desk, frantically trying to package a jumble of thoughts and vague impressions into a breathtakingly wonderful (ha) dissertation, this week's shoot came as a (literal) breath of fresh air.

Those who have been (un)lucky enough to have chatted to me recently will most likely have heard me ramble on about my nascent obsession with Eclectic Eccentricity. Having visited their website several dozen times, I just about managed to escape buying EVERYTHING but found it too hard to resist this little cameo beauty.

Couple that with this gorgeous vintage cameo ring from Forage and Find and I was all set. Cameooh-la-la. (Go on. Give me at least a small chuckle. I spent the best part of three days coming up with that hilarious lexical nugget.)

"This feels like... a tree..."

"...yup, yup, definitely a tree."

For this week's shoot we headed to King's College Fellows' Garden, where I quite quickly realised that high heels and damp grass make me walk like a duck. Who needs the loo. Thank goodness I chose somewhere surrounded by university accommodation. What would be the point in walking like a total eejit if none of my peers were around to see it....?

My lovely photographer Naima has decided that her new "thing" is shooting pictures through foliage. We like to think it's very arty and edgy and raw. And if you disagree it's probably just because you don't understand our vision. Philistine. (Laugh all you want, this is ACTUALLY how some people speak in Cambridge...)

To go with my cameo loveliness I kept things simple, aiming for a pastel palette which would allow me to do lots of hilarious, "totally natural" poses next to flowers, like this inexplicable gem above. Just goes to show, if you're overworked, the way to feel better is to find some flowers and smile at them.

Anyway, that's all for now chaps and chapettes, enjoy the dying embers of the weekend and - if anybody wants me - I'll be outdoors smiling at the flowers.

Top - Warehouse
Skirt - ASOS
Shoes - Marks & Spencer
Necklace - Eclectic Eccentricity
Ring - Forage & Find

Wardrobe: 3

Hello all! Nearly the end of the week - huzzah! Got another lovely clothes post for you detailing my first foray into feathers (key trend for SS14). 

Now, I pride myself on being reasonably ambitious/brave in my sartorial choices, but plumage was never something I had considered before. Still, having noticed them creeping into the SS14 collections of Alexander McQueen, Julien MacDonald, Louis Vuitton, and Erdem, I figured perhaps now was the time to try them out. I must say, however, I'm not sure I went for it with as much chutzpah as McQueen's or Vuitton's lot. Though I would absolutely wear a feathery headdress if it rained less in Britain/was less likely to upset people...

So I did what every money-conscious shopaholic would do: I headed to Ebay. Incidentally, if anyone can think of a suitably snappy alternative to "shopaholic", I would be exceedingly grateful. It is an awful, but frustratingly specific word...

ANYWAY, back to the (highly fascinating) story. I went on Ebay and located a variety of feathered goods, got far too excited and placed bids on.... 5 of them... A £20 feathered skirt which originally retailed at £80 is a really good bargain. 

5 x £20 skirts is not. 

Thankfully for me I was outbid on three of them and only ended up with two feathered beauties. I figured I could sell one on/give it to an unsuspecting friend/family member for a birthday. Then they both arrived and... I-like-them-both-too-much-so-they're-staying-and-any-way-one-is-grey-and-one-is-blue-so-they're-basically-totally-different.

Yes.

Another thing about the skirts is that they are ridiculously short. Like, ridiculously short. And I've never really been a one for flashing too much leg... mostly because I don't have much to flash... indeed, with legs as tiny as mine it is nigh on impossible to find anything that is "too short" for you that hasn't been designed for a Barbie. Never fear, however, I just decided to improvise and wear this grey ex-bird over a dress which covers my posterior. As the above photo demonstrates, it is highly necessary. Any brisk walking or sitting down and the skirt becomes little more than a glorified peplum ruffling gently in the breeze. 

Dress - H+M
Skirt - Ebay
Socks - New Look
Boots - ASOS
Earrings - Vintage

We took these photos bright and early this morning in Bodley's Court, King's College. It had to be bright and early because otherwise my feathers and I would have been on full display to a horde of students heading to lectures and - as you might be able to tell - I am yet to learn how best to pose without looking like a complete and utter dingbat. Dingbat, unlike shopaholic, is an excellent word.

Midi rings - Topshop
Chevron ring (right hand) - Eclectic Eccentricity Jewellery
Spike ring (left hand) - H+M

In honour of my beloved Scotland who, like me, may very soon be bereft of the pound, I went with tartan socks and nails (a clearer picture of which can be found here). Got to love my be-tartaned extremities, they make me happy every time I catch sight of my hands and/or feet. Right! I'm off to write a dissertation/apply for jobs/giggle with glee at my own fingers and you lot - Have a good night and a happy Friday tomorrow.