The thin line between necessity and compulsion

That line is definitely blurring. 'I want' is more readily becoming 'I need' as I hopelessly try to justify purchasing yet another item of clothing or footwear. Now let's be honest, I don't need any of it, I just want it real bad. And it's pretty despicable of me, what with people starving across the world, desperate for just a mere sip of water. It's not my fault though, shopping is my addiction, pity me, I deserve empathy not criticism. Hey, I worked hard for this stuff, let me enjoy it dammit.

Left: 3 Buckle Boots - Jane Norman
Aptly named like so due to the three buckle feature. Clever huh? These cute stone coloured ankle boots are neutral enough to coordinate with a variety of outfits, particularly palettes of navy, white, cream and beige. They tend to complete my winter look. And the word 'look' here is so totally misleading because all I was referring to was cream winter gear such as a coat and scarf. These beauties are quite delicate, not like your regular tough, hard-wearing boots, and therefore feel rather slinky when worn, and are surprisingly very comfortable - expect a sexy strut.

Right: Heart Print Tweedy Scoop Neck Jumper - Jane Norman
Jumpers are usually pretty frumpy, and like a camera have the tendency to add ten pounds so I generally steer well clear of all things that even remotely resemble such an unflattering garment. This one is not bulky though, and the heart print is too cute to resist, what with hearts being my favourite shape ever, followed closely by stars. This jumper enforces a tweed style, and features contrasting shades of grey in patterns of horizontal jagged lines. Most importantly, the entire piece is decorated with a silver glittery effect which makes it all sparkly and glimmery. That's right, this isn't your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill jumper, this is one snazzy little number. As it has a lot going on and is therefore quite busy, it is best to team it with a more calm and subdued bottom half, like a simple pair of jeans or a plain short skirt.


Left: Lace Bow Tunic - Jane Norman
If you want a black top with a twist then this is your best bet. It incorporates rose patterned sheer lace along its sleeves and on its back so that you can flash a bit of flesh in a demure fashion. This top is fairly long and so can be worn with leggings, and it comes accompanied with a patent belt to nip in the waist for a more womanly hourglass figure.






Right: Leopard Print 2in1 dress - Jane Norman
Figure-hugging doesn't even marginally come close when describing this dress. This is like something out of Kim Kardashian's wardrobe. Do not purchase if you are self-conscious about your body shape because this body-con dress will highlight every lump and bump, even ones that are not there - trust me when I say it is tight, actually it is tighter than tight. However, in the same manner, it clings to every curve, and whilst it is great for hourglass figures who want to flaunt their proportions, it is also perfect for skinny girls who wish to somewhat create a more feminine physique. This dress is very short so there is a lot of skin on display, especially the thigh region, and because it is such a snug fit thighs can appear chunkier than they actually are. All in all it's a very difficult dress to pull off. The combination of the leopard print upper half and the overall short length can make you look pretty tarty and slutty so it is extremely necessary to accessorise it with simple yet elegant items for a more classy finish. Wear with black tights for more streamlined thighs, this also helps you from baring too much and diffuses the revealing nature of the dress. Black heels are a must, any other colour would be probably shift you into the realm of tacky. As with jewellery, it is best to keep pieces to a minimum, and to stick with delicate silver articles. Costume jewellery and gold creates a cheap, vulgar, market stall-like feel when teamed with this garment so are best avoided. This dress can immediately be made more chic by throwing a black blazer or cardigan in the mix, both of which break the intensity of the original item and take a little focus away from it so that it is isn't too strong in an over-the-top way.

Left: Military Double Layer Dress - Jane Norman
Last of the military as it finally makes an exit, it did seem to linger around persistently for a while there. This dress is vey kind on the figure, the black is naturally slimming, and the pleated tulip skirt is loose around the waist/stomach vicinity so if your problem areas lie around here then they are easily disguised. The gold military tab buttons jazz up what would be a fairly ordinary dress. Take the cue on how to accessorise from here - think gold - gold coin jewellery is most ideal. Animal prints also compliment this outfit well, fuse into the look via adornments like hoop earrings and chunky bangles, or for a less subtle feel splash out with a bag or pair of heels that feature the said pattern. You'll find that leopard print ankle boots are very hot at the moment.


Right: Ribbon Trim Jumper - Jane Norman
Stunning red colour. This knitted jumper has a gorgeous satin ribbon ingrained within the front which makes for a very unique feature. It has an extremely high neckline so find a means through which to exhibit a little skin elsewhere otherwise you will look pretty nun-like all covered head to toe. I wear mine with a short grey pleated skirt.






Left: Rose Print Belted Cardi - Jane Norman
A short light grey cardigan embellished with a dark grey rose print makes for a very feminine and versatile piece indeed. It has a thin patent bow belt which helps to cinch the waist, and utilises gorgeous twinkly buttons for a touch of sparkle. The short length is ideal as it ends at the smallest part of the waist thus highlighting this area. This cardigan enhances monotone outfits but also has the ability to tone down loud outfits as well - see what I mean by versatile? It bodes well with dresses and tops alike - see what I mean by versatile?!


Right: Shaggy Knit Scarf - Jane Norman
What I call my Santa beard scarf. It is heavily fringed and ultra long, believe me, it goes on for miles but is effortlessly stylish. This winter accessory has kept me warm and cosy yet fashionable at the same time.










Left: Shell and Faux Pearl Flower Necklace - Jane Norman
Herein lies the danger of online shopping. No, I don't mean credit card fraud and such, I mean misrepresentation, as in the product varying in reality from how it was shown on screen. Serves my lazy-ass right eh. This necklace appeared much larger on the website but to my disappointment was absolutely tiny when it arrived. I'm not keen on jewellery that requires a magnifying glass to be acknowledged you see. I was drawn to the delicate, romantic quality of the pendant but it is nowhere near as pretty as it looks in the image - photographic trickery and general all round propaganda I say! Hmmm, methinks it is going to be palmed off as a gift to some poor, unfortunate soul.

Right: Black Denier 120 Opaque Tights - Topshop
Perfect winter tights. Not because they are woolly or anything, but because they are pretty high on the denier scale which means legs are not visible to the naked eye. Okay, let's get this straight, I don't mean that you put them on and your legs become invisible, no, these are not magically powered tights. What I mean is that the body of the leg can be seen but no skin is on display. Clear? I love these because they allow me to continue wearing my favourite dresses and mini skirts well into winter without them looking season inappropriate. Plus if you're having a lazy day or running late these gems can let you get away with not shaving your pins - result!

Left: All Over Hearts Tulle Tights - Topshop
I decided to venture into the patterned tights domain. Don't get me wrong, nothing beats opaque tights but sometimes there is an urge to spice it up a little. These cute sheer pair are designed with vertical lines of little hearts, and as we all know, I love all things heart shaped. You can spruce up a plain-ish outfit with these, or even team them with more formal work attire because they are absolutely adorable and inoffensive, that is if your workplace doesn't enforce a strict dress code that's anti patterned hoisery.




Right: Lace Back Sheer Tights - Topshop
These kinky pair are sheer at the front and have a lace pattern that runs vertically along the back from the side of each leg so that they are of a semi plain-semi patterned composition. They tend to work well with a variety of outfits because they are not overtly adventurous or risky.




Left: Corset Back Opaque Tights - Topshop
First and foremost, boy are these tights comfortable - just like the denier 120 pair. Whereas the others are quite stockings-like in the sense that they are mega tight, these are all stretchy and cushy. This does not detract from the fact that they are also very sexy, the sheer corset panel that streams along the back gives them a racy burlesque quality. Apologies for the pretty useless pic - if you squint and focus mega hard you can see a jaggedy line at the back, this is where the said corset design takes place.



Right: Flock Rose Sheer Tights - Topshop
These are bolder than the rest. They are sheer with a darker rose pattern decorated all over, and therefore have a somewhat tattoo feel about them. Wear with a short skirt or dress so that the gorgeous design that runs through them can be fully appreciated. Absolutely beautiful and alluring, plus they feel very graceful. I totally recommend them.




Left: Boudoir Tulle Tights - Topshop
A little trickier to pull off. They have a dominant pink chain detailing that runs vertically in lines alongside columns of faint dots (image fails to showcase this pattern well) - it is this pink design that is overpowering, and so these pair of tights must be teamed with something more devoid of colour, stick with darker skirts or dresses here otherwise these tights can look fairly tacky.



Oh and in further shopping news, I am not impressed with River Island. I ordered a few bits from their website, three weeks flew by without the purchased items arriving, despite them claiming that the parcel had been dispatched and what not. I couldn't track it online via the delivery service either, something about it not being available or details not being registered, so I sent them an email and completed the contact form on their website, another five days passed before I received a response, and it was only a standard one at that - that they had been inundated with enquiries about missing parcels due to the adverse weather conditions over the busy Christmas period, blah, blah, blah, and that they would take another three to five working days for a more personalised response. Their more personalised response was that they were looking into the issue and that I could call their customer service helpline instead. Cheers River Island, very helpful and informative, big thumbs up. I tried calling their customer services but they had reduced the enquiry hours from nine-five to ten-four which meant it was impossible to call during the working week (because I'm at work silly, that's why), and when I eventually managed to call within the reduced time period, well they just completely ignored me, I didn't get an answer at all, it just rang and rang and then cut off. Grrrr! At this stage I was absolutely fuming and had to resort to sending a fairly mean email, which I was not very pleased about and felt slightly guilty about afterwards, but hey, it did the trick, within a few minutes I received two replies, that's right, not one, two - one informing me that the parcel had been lost by the courier service, and the other acknowledging me of a refund like I had demanded. I also received a further weird-ass email, something about the items being dispatched again, made no sense to me at all. Anyway so because of all that aggro I just want to say that River Island, your customer service is pants, it sucks, big time, fix up, pronto.

Phew, sorry for the definitive rant but thanks all the same for listening folks!