Last weekend I visited Norfolk for the first time. I will get some more photos up for you soon cos it was super pretty, but for now here are some snaps of me, (in Norfolk), wearing my new JOA dress from Koshka! Admittedly I'd never actually heard of Koshka before, but they stock some amazing products by super cool brands so I'd definitely recommend checking out their site!

At first I wasn't sure about this dress on me; I love the overall style of it but as a rule I don't wear stripes and most of my clothes are quite loose whereas this is a little more fitted.... But after a day of walking around beautiful flower dappled Norfolk in it I'm completely smitten! It's actually a very flattering shape and the detail of the sleeves wrapped around the waist as well as the overlapping fabric at the back make it really interesting and unique. Also, it looks pretty cool worn in a variety of ways so you could always mix it up and do something different each time you wear it!

This is how it's designed to be worn, with the sleeves tied loosely around the waist; it actually has a bit of a Japanese feel I think. (It's a little nautical too).

Alternatively, it can be worn with the sleeves tied a little higher up - this has more of a cool, nineties vibe about it and is also quite flattering as it pulls in at the waist. I also tried it with the sleeves simply hanging down at each side, which is photographed below. I guess it looks pretty odd but I quite liked it anyway! Which way is your favourite?

DRESS | JOA FROM KOSHKA

For my birthday my boyfriend's lovely Mum bought me a pair of gorgeous checked trousers from Anthropologie! Unfortunately they were a little too big though so on my actual birthday I popped into town to treat myself to a smaller size or an exchange and whilst there I couldn't help but fall in love with the store... Have you been in the changing rooms in Anthropologie!? Not only are they super spacious, but they aren't lit to make you look as though you haven't slept for a few days and the seating area for willing friends/boyfriends/parents is pretty alright too!

After trying on about 10 different items I decided on this high neck textured dress by Ganni - you can't see so well in these photographs but it's actually got a beautiful blue stitched through the design too, which is really pretty. I also love its slouchy, soft shape, casual pockets and interesting neckline, (this cut of sleeve is something pretty new for me as I don't often like showing my arms off). What I have struggled with though is finding a jacket to wear with it as none of mine do it the justice it deserves. I think it would look great with a long duster style jacket, (I've had my eye on some Asos styles), but what else could I try pairing it with?         

DRESS BY GANNI FROM ANTHROPOLOGIE

DR MARTENS SHOES

This is what I wore to town on Thursday. Matt and I popped to the Photographer's gallery before heading to the Ports 1961 press day where we had two lovely models to showcase the collection for us! I loved the minimal designs and neutral palette - everything looked to clean and polished! The womenswear was so feminine and elegant but still had that boyish twist that I love and there was also something quite futuristic about their designs.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT LAIN

Is it just me or has there recently been an influx of fab fashion brands coming out of Australia!? First The Fifth came across to Asos alongside the likes of Finders Keepers, and then I was introduced to the effortlessly cool label, JAGGAR. Perhaps I'm just unobservant, but anywho, I seriously want to move to Australia right now!

Clean, tailored and cool with a rock and roll edge, JAGGAR radiates that seemingly unattainable, (for me any way), "off-duty model" kinda look with a luxe twist. Here I'm wearing their leather Stork Embroidered Skirt. At first glance I seriously said out loud, "oh my gosh, that's mental", but then I tried it on... and now I don't want to take it off. Ever! Not only is the fit PERFECT, (I'd been looking for a well fitting leather skirt for at least a year), but it feels great and although it's a tad "out there" I'd say, in comparison to the rest of my wardrobe, I've fallen in love with it! I've also got my eye on this Daze Dress by JAGGAR too - so pretty!

PLAID MOHAIR-BLEND SWEATER BY M MISSONI

STORK EMBROIDERED SKIRT FROM JAGGAR* 

Sorry I've been quiet recently; last week was my final week at work so for the past seven days I've been working as a freelancer, woohoo, and also trying to sort my life out! I had a fabulous two years at Boden, but felt like it was time to try something new... I'll let you know how it goes!

Yesterday I popped out and about in central London for a few press appointments and wore my new dress by The Fifth Label*. Pioneered by Australian designer Amy Hicks, The Fifth introduces a new way to wear relaxed basics with clean lines, fun prints and a nod to streetwear. What's great for us, is that the brand have recently launched in the UK selling through Asos, so you can now own your own piece of Australian style! Shop the range on Asos here or check out their website!    

Also new to my Autumn, (nearly), wardrobe are these fabulous Slip-on Trainers in Leopard Print. I fell in love with these whilst working on the Boden AW14 press day a while back, so I had to have them as soon as they hit the online store! Admittedly I'm not normally a leopard print fan, but I think these are super cool and I love the sporty edge they give an outfit! Shop Boden here!  

DRESS BY THE FIFTH*

JACKET FROM WAREHOUSE

SLIP-ON TRAINERS BY BODEN

On Saturday Matt and I popped over to Hackney. I had some samples to return anyway so whist in the area we went to The Hackney Museum to see the current exhibition, 'London Life - Photographs by Colin O'Brien'. It was really inspiring! I love documentary style street photography, especially from past eras, I highly recommend sticking your head in for a peek if ever you're passing! I fell in love with this charming shot below, which is titled 'Cowboy and Girlfriend', and was taken in 1960.

Rather than heading home straight away we went to Clissold Park to meet some friends. We listened to music, drank wine, nibbled on crisps and soaked in the sun before deciding to head home for a BBQ. There was then more music, more sun, more nibbling and much more drinking before the night ended with Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. I had such a fabulous day and am really looking forward to next weekend so I can have another relaxing Saturday afternoon! On the Sunday Matt and I shot a new editorial with a real Sixties vibe, I can't wait to show you!

I also want to tell you about a workshop that I recently went to, which was hosted by Vonage. The main topic of discussion was freelancing as a blogger and how turn your blog into a business. As I'm planning to go freelance in the next few weeks this was of course completely relevant to my current situation and I left feeling very inspired, filled with new information!

The workshop, which was titled 'Blog to Business' was led by two fabulous bloggers called Emma, who runs a very insightful blog called 'The Freelance Lifestyle', and Elizabeth who has a great lifestyle blog called 'Rosalilium' that covers everything from crafts to cooking! The section of the workshop that I found most interesting was about treating your blog as a brand, and how to achieve that strong aesthetic. I sometimes feel as though this blog is a little confused, perhaps because I've been a little confused over the past year, so a strong brand and overall signature style is something that I'd really like to work on for you guys! I also learnt lots about the "less interesting" parts too of course - some of which hadn't even crossed my mind as a blogger!

Since starting my new job back in January I've been terrible, I repeat, TERRIBLE with money. Excited by the regularity of "that time of the month", (payday that is), I've been eating out, enjoying mid-week wine and the most bank breaking of all, shopping. For once I am completely on board with summer trends and am finding it hard to resist retail therapy; either I'm having an early mid-life crisis or I've turned into a summer person!?

Back to the point - there are so many amazing styles on the high street at the moment! I popped into the Oxford Circus New Look the other day and found lots of great 70s bits as well as cute dresses and basic tops, they're a great go-to place when shopping on a budget. These adorable white dungarees for example are just £24.99! I was asked to style them in three different ways ready for summer... here's what I did!

I thought this vintage floral shirt looked super girly and cute - perfect for summer! As the dungarees are white it was actually harder than I thought to style them, just cos most of my wardrobe is quite dark and I don't like too much contrast in my outfits. Of course I still couldn't resist throwing my new black DMs into the mix though! (I had to throw my old ones away cos they were so trashed!)  

For my next two looks I chose to utilise the only two striped garments I own! This long sleeve funnel neck top is great because it's not really warm enough for bare arms yet, and I added t-bar shoes for a cute little twist. The last look is also very summery, I'll definitely be waiting till June to wear this one, brr! Again, I wore black Dr Martens and also my black leather backpack for an overall monochrome look.