Drive Time

Aaaah so in an hour I have my driving theory test (yeah I'm pretty nervous) but having a good outfit improves confidence!

So, although I need to focus on my hazard awareness, I still need to keep a fashion awareness too.

Shirt- Charity Shop

Bolo tie- Topshop sale

Leather brown belt- Charity Shop

Leather shorts- Brick Lane

Velvet shoes- Topshop

Vintage batchel- Ebay

Because the shorts are high waisted and the shirt is so oversized, I decided to tie the shirt, revealing that I actually have a waist as baggy shirts can swamp me. I also decided to wear my worn leather belt matching with my schoolgirl satchel. I also paired this outfit with some chunky velvet shoes, introducing a new colour and texture. (I'm also having a bad hair day, so thought felt pork pie hat from Topshop would help hide that haha).

Wish me luck gals and guys!

EDIT

It was actually pretty cold outside, so I changed from shorts to black mom jeans and also changed my shoes to something more casual.

Mom jeans- Topshop sale (£25!!)

Shoes- River Island

Sunglasses- Rayban

Hat- Topshop

I kept the top half the same, even keeping the brown belt as I thought this would break up the dark colours. I switched to boat shoes which have leopard print laces as I thought that these would suit the mom jeans and have a laid back feel. 

Oh and I passed in the end!!! WOOOO!!!

Crown Jewels

Yeah, I'm not exactly helping defy the Essex stereotype here, but I love things with jewels!! Okay, minus the vajazzle and the pejazzle, but just general things with jewels on.

I've always wanted a really tacky iphone case. Ever since watching an episode of Hannah Montana (okay I know this is starting to sound lamer and lamer but bear with!) I saw she had this amazingly tacky phone case and wanted one. After probably 3 hours searching through Etsy I found a small store called VintagebyRachael which had my perfect case! Unfortunately for me living in England the postage is £10, and that + £23.41 = way too expensive for a phone case. But luckily for you Americans, postage is only £1.34 (I really should be saying that in dollars, sorry I'm too lazy to convert haha).

Another jewelly pretty crystally thing that I instantly fell in love with was this gemstone hip flask from urban outfitters. It is seriously the most tacky really cool hip flask you can get and perfect for festivals and general naughty shenanigans (you don't even need to have alcohol in it, use it for squash or lemonade, it just looks so fierce!!) I bought this from an actual Urban Outfitters store, and nearly every one had a jewel missing. After taking it to Glastonbury and using it there, I have lost so many of the jewels, so I may take it back which is really upsetting because I love it so much. The flask costs £20, but with a student discount of 10% the total price is £18.

The front hasn't got many missing
jewels, it's mainly the sides and
one big jewel at the back.

On a more fashiony note, statement jewelled heels are on the rise, with Miu Miu starting the trend with their crystal embellished heels. I first saw these when I went into a Miu Miu store just to have a nosy, and I have not stopped lusting over them since. Unfortunately for me, I do not have a spare £590 in my bank, and therefore I will continue to weep and dream of owning them.

Very few high street stores have adapted this trend, but unexpectedly Next have introduced their own version in their new Autumn Winter collection! Although I don't think they are as lovely as the original Miu Miu heels, Next's jewelled heel ballerinas are less than 1/10 of the price, being only £30! 

Topshop have also adapted the silver block heel with their gorgeous metallic square toe sandals. These would look perfect with a pastel co-ord set or midi skirt. They are at the top of my wish list at the moment, but at £65 I'm not sure if I can fork out that much for shoes that I cannot walk in (I'm not good with heels you see :( ).

There are so many lovely jewelled things that I haven't even touched on, like nails, collars, sunglasses, Chanel eyebrows etc but I am loving this trend at the moment and I will give a girlish squeal if I find a cheaper replica of those Miu Miu shoes. 

#4 Summer Updo's: Messy fishtail

It's basically a fishtail plait, but a very loose, undone version for that edgy and easy look.

Texture is key in this look, so try this out a day after you've washed your hair.

1.Tie your hair in a low, side pony tail

2. Carefully pull the hair from your crown upwards, you can adjust how much you pull depending on how raised you want it. This should mimic a very shallow beehive, don't worry if it's gappy.

3. Split the pony into half

4. From one bunch of hair, take  a 4mm thick section from the outer part, then cross it over so it is wrapping the bunch and in the middle. Do this on the second bunch. Continuously create a cross over effect.

5. Make sure the 4mm thick sections are not straight,  try and curve them by pushing them up instead of pulling them down. If not, do a normal fishtail and pull random sections out.

#3 Summer Updo's: Ballerina Bun

The easiest way to achieve this hairstyle is using a hair donut or a sock.

Here's a video to show you how:

If you don't want to do this, then do what I did.

1. Do a bun that you would do if you wanted to tie all your hair up.

(It's like a natural hand movement, like when you fold a pony tail, then tie the elastic round once then fold it again and secure it with a second tie).

2. Fan the bun out by continuously tightening the bun like you would a pony...this should spread the bun.  keepndoing this up till its a complete circle.

3. Secure with pins.

Neon Jungle

The trouble makers Neon Jungle are an emerging girl group who are a mix of 4 feisty adolescents around our age, another reason why I love them! At the moment they've only got about 1000 followers on their personal accounts and 3000 followers on their main account. BUT, give it 6 to 8 months and they'll have way more. Their début single has already reached 500'000 in less than a month without any mainstream radio play. I was right about The 1975 wasn't I? So believe me when I say, Neon Jungle will soon be hitting the charts rivalling Little Mix. They've already started mingling with X Factor royalty; the Loveable Rogues, Union J and even rubbed shoulders with Everything Everything and Kesha!  

Watch their reckless video here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMIy_PNlAcE

I know music should solely revolve around the talent and sound, but what draws me more into the group is that they've got a half Japanese girl in it. It's very rare that a British girl group who are trying to appeal world wide would have an oriental band member, like seriously, name one mainstream UK girl band with a far east girl in it. I'm not being biased, it could be any minority and I'd favour this band. I think they represent something new and refreshing, they're adapting to the new age and I'm excited to see how they evolve and I'm hoping everyone else will jump on this band wagon too. 

@NeonJungleMusic

Jessica Plumme: 20 - @Neon_Jess@

Asami Zdrenka: 17 - @Neon_Asam

Shreen Cutkelvin: 16 - @Neon_Shereen 

                 Amira McCarthy: 17 - @Neon_Amira

#1 DIY: PaPa Pants

Move of Mom, Dad jeans are here.

Yesterday I began my summer hanging out with my dad...I know...COOL RIGHT!

Whilst rummaging through his typical dad clothes, I came across a trunk of 90's treasures. There was a heap of old denim jeans which I couldn't let go to waste, after all, I'm all for recycling and sustainability. The light, washed out blue caught my eye so I thought it would be fun if I put them on and imitate my dad and his briiiilliant sense of style. When they were on I actually had clothes envy because I didn't have any denim this colour! So I got inspired and decided to remake them his jeans into high waisted hot pants. 

      

Before               After

    

I was really eager to finish them before I went out, so I didn't measure anything. I ended up having to add a side panel because I underestimated my size (embarrassing!)

I'd really recommend measuring your waist and how much to trim on each side. Another thing, before you destroy the jeans, try them on and see if they'll reach your waist without the crotch bunching up to look like you've got a camel toe. 

You can see at the back where the material gathers a little but I  quite like the inaccurate sizing, it makes them feel more customised and less calculated. I think that's a key feature of dad jeans (I'm hoping it'll catch on) omg..maybe they can be papa pants? Or is that too cringe? Anyways, don't be too precise and just cut roughly. You'll need a belt to keep the shorts from falling down, or you could use braces! I'm imagining daisy print ones...oooh. 

Steps

1. See if the jeans can reach your waist comfortably

2. Cut the basic shape of your shorts 

3. Unpick the sides ( or just rip them open ) 

4. Measure (or don't) how much excess you'll need to cut off on both sides

5. Cut both sides

6. Sew ONE side of the shorts

7. Put on the shorts and see if you've estimated the right amount to cut on both sides
8. If it's too much, add a panel, if they're too big cut more unless you want more of a gathered waist.
9. Sew the second side
10. Fray the hem either using your fingers, tweezers or a pin to separate fibres in the twill weave. 

Things to do in London

There was only 3 of us, but if there is 4 of you, make sure you get a group saver for £30! 

Try bubble tea! 

There are so many bubble tea shops scattered about London, but if you stop off at Leicester Square station you can find most of the cafes around there.

If you're a newbie, I recommend the juice type flavours; mango, grape, orange, peach, strawberry etc. They'll taste like Costa ice drinks but with the chewy tapioca pearls.

But I personally find that if I'm trying something new then I want a completely different experience. What's the point of getting bubble tea if it's going to taste like Starbucks.

Try the taro or red bean for a longer lasting, rich, textured flavour! Taro tastes like rich tea biscuit and red bean replicates a sweet pasty taste. I hear mochi is good too!

Visit China town for little gift shops. They have really inexpensive restaurants, wayyy cheaper and wayyy nicer than Nando's. You'll also come across independent Chinese bakery's with sweet rolls, sugary filled pasties, and the softest cake in the world, JUST for £1 or £1.50. The smell will compel you to buy more than one thing, but the food is too delicious to feel any guilt.

Visit uni open days!

Goldsmiths is highly recommended for arts but not so much for fashion. I found that out the hard way when we attended the presentation on Design. They showed us products like a bird house and space suit! I asked if it was more product design then fashion design and got completely mugged off. 

Visit the ten pound basement.

Everything is £10.00 and they give you free mints :)

You can buy a shirt or skirt, where is a couple of times and then customise it for more wears. 

It's in Bricklane near Blitz. 

Go to Camden. They have the trendiest sunglasses for the lowest prices. The food there is fairly expensive, so eat in China Town before you leave if you want to reserve money for bits and bobs later. Toilet queues are long, and generally filthy, so hold it, or go before you get to the crowded area. There are lots of market stools too, but hold on to your bag...some people are dodgy there (not snobby just street smart). Especially this guy who tried to sell "Prada" shoes to us for £120, "a discounted price because they were donated to the church"...WHAT?! He was an absolute lunatic. The shoes were immaculate to be fair, so I wouldn't be surprised if the lustre of oxblood masked the blatant con for some people. 

Tip: Don't forget to H.A.G.G.L.E.