Hair knots

Hi Lovlies

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend

My hair is getting to that awkward length between long bob and long, so I went on a little Pinning frenzie to find cute ways to style it when I go out as i'm getting a little bored with it, I have found these cute little knotted ponytails which I love and will definitely be trying out! It would also look great underneath a Fedora for a cute daytime look. 

I'm sure I will post pictures on my instagram once I have tried this out.

TK Maxx Spree

A few of the bits (other than pressies) I picked up during this weekend at TK Maxx. As long as you are prepared to rummage you will always find gems, sometimes they just jump out at you (the Orange clutch and the loafers definitely did!)

I have been looking for t he right kind of winter jacket for a couple of months now, I needed something warm and with a hood and I was struggling to find something that wasn't just a bog standard parka and something that was great quality. This is a size smaller (yay) and fits perfectly...even more perfect IT HAS FAUX FUR!! (my favourite)

I picked up this little jewellery bag (top left) as whenever I go away or want to take jewellery somewhere I end up shoving it n to a make up bag and loosing bits. This one has a bar for earrings and also a bag inside which is attached to keep everything safe. Perfect.

The orange clutch is something I wouldn't usually go for due to its size but I think it would be nice to take out for dinner or drinks, I've already tested it out and I can definitely fit my essentials...phone, cards and lippy.

TK Maxx/Homesense always have the best notebooks, i'm in a positive mood at the moment and I thought this one was great! We should always strike for progress not perfection! No one is perfect after all.

I think the shoes speak for themselves, I love a loafer but find it hard to find ones that have a little something more. I love how the fringing is looped over and think it really makes them a little bit different. They're super comfy too so i'll be wearing them loads.

Anyone else found any TK Maxx/Homesense gems recently?

KatieCorrie xx

Suede by the bell

Did anyone else find a pair of mom jeans in Primark? Nope...just me (You'll probably find yourself reading 'Can you believe this is Primark?' alot but I find the best things in there even if I do say so myself) (Oh and I love a bracket apparently)

I'm all about the bell sleeve at the moment and absolutely love this one from River Island, put together with my fav mom jeans (Primark!! Yes can you believe...Life Savers!) This bag is also a Primark treasure, I love the suedette, the gold and the fringing. Boots are from TK Maxx, I work in the Head Office and managed to bag these on a double discount weekend..they're faux pony hair and leopard) I wouldn't usually pair the leopard with the pattern on the faux fur jacket but I was cold! Another gem found from an unlikely source..F&F at Tesco. I love the high-street!!

I think i'm going to try this top underneath an oversized shirt with the sleeves rolled up to quirk it up a bit or pair with a midi skirt for more of a going out feel.

Denim

Am I the only one obsessed with denim? Such a versatile fabric and so fun to customise.

When I shop not only do I look for pieces I love I think about how I can wear them, style them and also how I could possibly customise it in a few months/years time. This might seem silly but why buy something you know you'll be bored with in a couple months time? Obviously not everything can be customised but it's definitely one of the factors I think about.

Fashion should be fun and with denim there are so many different ways to mic it up a little. My favourite currently is frayed denim, I'm working on a shirt at the moment but have recently tapered some boyfriend jeans that I bought ripped, snipped off the hem and frayed away.

Other ways to 'do' denim;
● Mix up fabrics either layered or side by side (this looks cool with lace)
● Iron on patches are cute right now there's loads on Ebay at the moment
● Dye it: buy a light colour denim and have a play around
●Embellishment and embroidery

Hopefully I'll get the chance to show you my ever growing collection of denim from crop shirts (DIY'd) to midi dresses and jackets.

KatieCorriexx

(Image put together from images on Pinterest, follow my link)

Not so Grey Day

Black sheer maxi shirt - H&M
Black high waisted jeans and Necklace - Primark
Grey sleeveless jacket - New Look
Lace up boots - Public Desire
Bag - Vivienne Westwood

This outfit was just to meet a friend for lunch so nothing too 'put together', I do tend to stick to black day to day and have recently taken more of a shine to grey tones on a not so actual grey day. I tried this sleeveless jacket on quickly in the middle of New Look and a woman made her way at me from the other side of the store to tell me how nice it looked on me so of course I had to buy it and I'm so glad I did, I wear it all the time.

I shot my final collection here for my marketing campaign as part of my final university projects, the location is just round the corner from me, the lighting is okay, it's quiet and its kind of a bit different.

CROPPERS

Now I love a good crop top but being plus size I find it hard to style them on their own and as winter is now in full swing in the UK this means I can get away with LAYERING. I love layering, it's probably my favourite thing about winter...other than Christmas obviously! This also means playing around with crop tops which I bought a few of over summer but never had the confidence to wear!

Here's a few ways i'd wear them, (very few because i'm meant to be working, I'll add more another time or as I wear them!)

I LOVE the detail on this toppers crop so adding a plain blouse underneath I think looks really cute, even a printed blouse I'd also add a chunky necklace, plain black or high-waisted wet look leggings and probably a fur gilet. I like to mix up the textures in my outfits!

Completely forgot I had this dress until I was searching through my wardrobe to style this crop! I like the high collar on this tarten crop but as it's tight fitted and REALLY SHORT I do not have the confidence to wear it on it's own! 

I'd probably style it with a chunky necklace, a chunky black belt around the waist of this midi dress, probably my chunky black boots and tights if it's freezing!

I bought this jumper from skreened.com and bought it in an XXL as I wanted it super oversized! It's also from US so even bigger than expecting and was way too long for me so I got me scissors and snipped it! It is now cropped at the front and the hem dips low at the back with a raw edge which I love because it has a roll to it! I like to pair this with my pleather skirt, blouse underneath, tights and boots or converse for a more casual look (perf for uni!)

I know I don't have many examples but might help you have a think about what you can style your crops with, even if you do have the figure to wear them on their own there's nothing wrong with a bit of layering! 

Right back to the never ending uni work!! HURRY UP MAY!

DIY: Dress > Short shorts

Been on a bit of a DIY frenzy since I've finished my placement, which I guess is kinda good for my bank balance.

I currently have a playsuit that I absolutely love the shape of but not so fond of the print and I was going to buy some fabric and make up a pattern but I remember I had an old dress I bought from ebay for about a pound but the top was far too small for my boobs. BOO But the skirt was so large I thought would make the perfect pair of shorts so...I got sewing!

Step one. 

Lay the skirt flat and measure the front width and back width. Measure the crotch depth before taking to the scissors, and cut this measurement at the half point. Turn inside out and pin the front and back together.

Step Two.

Sew 1cm parallel to the edge and square along the top (basically a rectangle around the edge) Snip into the corners of the rectangle so the fabric lays flat. 

Step Three.

Either roughly roll or do as I did and measure to the point you want them rolled to and fold evenly, it helps to give each press a quick press to hold them in place. I then did a quick stitch along hidden points to keep it folded.

AND FINALLY...

This photo doesn't do them much justice but I will definitely take an ootd photo when I get round to wearing them!

Hope you like!!

Remember to follow my instagram for lots of fashiony photos and ootd's @ Katie_cmanning

Playsuit DIY

I bought this playsuit from the amazing Blitz Vintage in Brick Lane just after my birthday. I absolutely love it but more so because of the high waisted shorts and the AMAZING print but I know i'm never going to wear it as a playsuit so I thought why not seperate the top from the shorts. It's a really easy task, you don't need to be a pro using a pair of scissors and a sewing machine so anyone can do it.

 

Step one.

Lay the playsuit out flat and cut as close as possible just above the waistband.

If there is an elasticated band like there is on mine make sure you hold back the over locked edge and cut just above the last elasticated thread. This will need to be folded and sewn down to make it even along front edge, also to hide the over locked edge.

Step Two.

I love the white funky buttons on the shorts but i'm likely to wear a belt over the top so needed to change them for something a bit flatter. Unfortunately I couldn't find any two of the same in the button tin my nan gave me but I did find two 'make your own' buttons which you can cover in any fabric of your chose. I chose plain black. 

Another step that is so simple to do yet makes such a difference.

Step three

Once the shorts were done I finished the top with a rolled hem, and sewed the edged of the lapels together to make a boxy cropped t-shirt shape with a collar.

Now I have a super cute twosie.

I'll probably wear them more as separates and will style the shorts with a high rolled tshirt, rolled shorts, black studded belt.

The top i'll probably put on under my black pinny dress or with my my super high waisted black leggings.

I'll style both with my chunky gold chain and cut out boots.

So excited to wear these!! I love DIY'ing it's so fun creating new clothes from oldies, changing and customising things can make your wardrobe so refreshing when it's getting a little boring.

AND ITS FREE (mostly)

Have you done any DIY recently or want to customise something but not sure how?

Kates xxx

WAISTE

Cannot get over the selection of the cutest dungarees over at WAISTE. They've definitely inspired me to get DIY'in on some of my own denim.

These two are my absolute favourites. Loving daisy's at the moment <3 

What are your fav items at WAISTE?

POLYVORE

I've always used Polyvore for design research etc but never for it's actual purpose and it's safe to say i'm hooked. It's so great to use to plan outfits, find outfits for events and more inspiration!

Here's a few of the sets I've created so far

FOLLOW ME :)