Heads up!

This is just a quick post to let people know, if they are interested, that there are some massive sales going on at the moment, with some good ones in particular.  The other day, Shriya, Anjuly and I were in town and happened to see 70% off signs screaming at us from the windows of Accessorize.  I love window shopping at Accessorize as much as the next girl, but everything is so ridiculously priced that I normally can't bring myself to buy anything.  And I almost never see them going on sale.

My point being that - if you happen to be near one now, or see one go on sale in future, I'd highly recommend stopping by because the drop in price makes the goods so worth it!

I normally hate flip flops.  I only own one pair here and it takes me from the kitchen, to the bathroom, to collecting my mail.  When I wear them plain, I often feel sloppy and a little too casual, but these embellished ones from Accessorize really changed my mind.  And the pair on the left?  £6.  The pair on the right?  £5!  Can't argue with that!

I love the simple bow and charm detail on the black pair - enough to jazz it up but not so fussy that I have to be worried about running around in them all day.  And I've never seen slippers with buttons - too cute!  All the embellishments are also sewn, not glued, on.

Also really worthwhile?  These anklets with the string one going at 90p (!) and the beaded one at £1.50.  I used to wear silver anklets all the time, but they occasionally rolled and pinched and chafed at my skin.  These string ones are very comfy!

I didn't actually wear them out together - this was just for the purpose of illustration, but I wore the string one out over my purple tights today and I thought it popped rather nicely!  I've never thought of wearing an anklet on anything but bare skin but thanks to 14 degree wind chill, a different style is born.

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This blog, like many others, is a partitioned representation of just one aspect of my life and while I like to keep it separate from everything else that's going on, I just wanted to say that if you are in London (as I know many commenters are) or any troubled places nearby in these unbelievable times, I hope you are safe and stay safe. 

And on a more nostalgic note, if you are in my hometown, Happy Birthday!  I couldn't watch the parade this year, but I was thinking of it with all my heart.

An 18 month moleskine

I had a bit of a shock recently when I realised that my trusty old Wizard of Oz organiser was ending in July.  I’m usually really delighted to buy new organisers because you know, notebook fetish and what not… but I’m also a little sad at the demise of the Wizard planner because it was really beautiful and suited my purpose nicely.

I got it from a shop in Parkway Parade which I believe is called Sationery Island and it’s one of those planners (you’ll get a similar kind from Artbox) which allows you to put in any date and any month and any year.  It came with some really cute stickers and I am, if anything, a sucker for massively cute stickers. The beautiful paintings and Wizard of Oz quotes really sold me too - I'm a massive fan of the movie and the songs and I used an undergraduate essay as an excuse to watch it something like 50 times.

If you’re interested, both Stationery Island and Artbox will have amazing organisers like this and they’ll all be colourful and exciting and will any luck, you can put any month in as well.

I was ready for a bit of a change though, and stuck for what to do about being abandoned by my planner in July, when completely by coincidence, I strolled into Waterstones and found this:

I've wanted to try moleskine organisers for ages, but pocketsized is way too small for a notebook freak like me.  But a moleskine organiser that runs from July 2011 to December 2012 that's medium-sized?  Sign me up!  What really sold me is the fact that it’s a softcover mole and I’ve been DYING to try one of those for ages because they look a lot lighter and more flexible than the hardcover moles. 

(A caveat – I’ve heard some not so nice things about the durability of the softcovers, so I’ll let you know how it goes after some use.)

I bought the moleskine wrapped in plastic without really knowing what was going to be inside apart from a week every two pages, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole bunch of different things, all of which are very useful.

These time zones for instance, are helpful for someone like me who is occasionally living in three at once.

And I really really loved the idea of this ruler because I don’t carry a ruler around anymore and I think this will come in handy!

There’s also a month kind of calendar in the front that you can use for quick appointments or birthdays and so on.  (Update:  There are stickers in the back that I didn’t see earlier!  Little red, green and grey stickers to mark dates!  I’ll show them in the review proper.)

The actual organiser pages are great, my handwriting is tiny, so they’re the perfect size, and the lined page on the right is great for making notes about the week in particular.  For instance, this week I’m travelling, so it has my packing list on it. 

That’s all I’ve got for now, but I’ll do a detailed review of this moley after I’ve used it a bit in case you’re interested in getting one.  For now though, I have to say that I’m pretty satisfied with it so far.

PS  As you’re reading this, I’m probably chilling in the land of the brave.  Hope you enjoyed it though, and I’ll see you soon!

Wordless details: Fringe bib

Fringe bib - Forever 21.  Shirt - H&M.  Jacket - Primark.

Jeans - Uniqlo.  Shoes - H&M.  Belt - Ganked off a dress at Primark.
Earrings - Swarovski.  

Detail: Brilliant Primark bags

Primark's quality isn't always great, but you really can't fault their prices and often, they turn out real gems.  If you haven't seen their bags this season, run, don't walk, to the nearest Primark and have a gander.  Bold tones, colour blocking, really pretty stuff that looks like it belongs on the arm of a model on a yacht.  (Did anyone have trouble spelling yacht when they were young and go around like, "YATCH!  No, YATCH.  No, YATCH!!!")

There were some purses in bold yellows and royal blues and really cute, quirky prints in big bright swathes that I really enjoyed.  Enough of this staid black and brown leather for now!

I really wanted to share this one that I bought yesterday on a small shopping trip with Shriya.  I honestly don't need another bag, but it was £6!  And I thought, Shuli (not really, I don't call myself Shuli in my head), you're a fool if you spend that £6 on something else you don't like as much just because it's not a purse, am I right?

I thought I'd share it in detail first, but I also styled it with an outfit today (are there any style bloggers out there who feel incredibly pretentious when using the word "styled"?  I mean, we're just wearing random shit together in a way that makes us happy.  It's so fartsy.  From now on, I will say wore).  Ahem.  I wore it with an outfit today that I'll share shortly!  I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Details: Swedish Hasbeens for H&M clogs

My classmate Dimitris (I'm putting his name above the fold to catch his attention and also tease him a little because I had no idea he even knew about the existence of this blog) saw these shoes yesterday and told me that he would be waiting for them to appear on my (infamous) blog.  Well, wait no more! 

I had previously learned about cult clog brand Swedish Hasbeens from other bloggers, and had browsed the site in a vague, admiring kind of way.  But knowing that the shoes cost upwards of £100 meant they were a distant dream, not to be taken seriously at all.  And then, I read a magazine (the same one about Kate Middleton's "secret hell" and "shattered self-confidence"... oh, tabloids!) and learned that they were collaborating with H&M to design a more affordable clog line.

My first reaction was breathless excitement, followed by crashing disappointment when I realised they didn't carry them in the town nearest to me.  However, by some miracle, I went with a group of friends to the Birmingham Bull Ring where they did indeed stock these beauties.  When I walked into the store and saw the lines of different clogs waiting to be taken to a loving home, my heart made a brief skip.

If you've seen the Swedish Hasbeens for H&M line at all, you'll see that the clogs are cute and practical and beautifully designed, just like the original line.  (Check the link to see which stores are stocking them if you're interested, there should be loads left!)

Yes, they are pricey at above £30, but they're much cheaper than the original and come with the same great features like the beautiful wooden bottom, vivid, full-grain leather (I will always pay far and away more for leather) and a lot of style for a lot of comfort.

I bought the red clogs (obviously) with a very walkable 8cm heel and gave them a quick preliminary polish with extra virgin olive oil last night.  If you look at the shoes, you'll notice that the pitch is very mild, making them a joy to walk in.  Leather also softens over time, which will make them more and more comfortable.

My only issue (and it's a piddling one at that) is that if you're not used to walking in clog-type shoes, the toe swoops upwards, and that causes the shoe to rock slightly on uneven ground, for example paving slabs or cobblestones.  It can be a little surprising, but it's easily gotten used to, and I've been walking around in them all day with none of the breaking-in pains you sometimes get with new shoes.  I can see they're quickly going to become a staple!

Blouse - present from mother.  Jeans - Uniqlo.

Clogs - Swedish Hasbeens for H&M.  Bracelets - The Disney store.

Necklace - Urban Outfitters.

Estimated temperature - 21 degrees!  Hallelujah!

I let them pop against a simple top and jeans outfit with this amazing blouse that my wonderful, wonderful mother gifted me when we met in London.  I just love that shoes and a cute blouse detail like this can really jazz up and outfit that is basically your quintessential combo of t-shirt and jeans.  I am a real t-shirt and jeans girl and I felt nothing but comfortable all day.

I wore this to a lunch/tea of sorts with Dimitris, Shriya, my classmate Jon and his girlfriend Malley at this beautiful place called the Saxon Mill, a large pub on the water with outdoor seating.

The weather was beautiful and we had a stunning view of the water as it rushed around us, beneath a bridge and under the pub, fringed by rushes, weeping willows and the occasional swooping bird.  Everyone was outdoors, enjoying the warmth and I found myself smiling when I thought of the previous freezing, grey, uncooperative Inklund.  If only it were always like this!

We had a wonderful lunch of smoked Haddock fishcakes and Belgian fries, talked about miscellaneous things like Twilight and parenting, and then walked around the pub, laughing as people waded across the water from the other bank to get their beers.

In other news, if you're interested, fellow blogger Nina on the Moon is hosting a bikini giveaway.  I'm participating, and you should too!  Check out her blog below if you'd like to enter!!