Your daily dose of pretty: Skirt by B Original

Following on from yesterday's "curtain fabric but in a good way" post, today's pretty looks like it was made from curtain fabric from the 70s. But in a good way.

That's a very bold print and I'm pretty sure my friend's parents had curtain made from this when I was a kid, but again I like it! On sale for NZ$70.40 from New Zealand store B Original.

Your daily dose of pretty: The Sophisticate Skirt from Red Dress Shoppe

Since my recent healthy eating has seen my weight going down (at the doctor's today I was 10kg lighter than when they last weighed me, hooray) I've been on a hunt for really sexy pencil skirts, because I now feel brave enough to wear them. So of course this summer sees all the shops stocking floaty maxi skirts or cute wee a-line skirts. Both of which are lovely, just not on me!

The Sopisticate Skirt from Red Dress Shoppe has me very tempted, and I may just put it on my Christmas Wish List. (If you're reading this, Eccentric English Boyfriend, the following skirt is on my Christmas Wish List - please see me for sizing details!):

I'm such a sucker for the whole "Sexy Secretary" look. I love the pleat and bow detail at the waist, and the 'relaxed pencil silhouette' should be nicely forgiving on the wobbly bits! The Sophisticate Skirt is US$49.00 from Red Dress Shoppe.

In other news, I mentioned a couple of days ago that I thought my MS might have flared up, and sure enough I am now having some vision and cognitive problems. I saw my doctor this morning, and we are just waiting to hear back from the Neurology Department at the hospital. Anyway, my wonky eyesight and slightly scrambled thought processes mean it's becoming quite hard for me to focus on the computer screen at times. I will try my hardest to  keep up regular posting as much as possible, but if I do disappear for any length of time you'll know why.

Your daily dose of pretty: Topshop 60s Sequin A-Line Skirt

The beading and sequin detail on this skirt is so pretty. I love that the large disc sequins are all different.

I could never own a cream skirt though. I can guarantee that within minutes of me putting it on it would be covered in dog hair, muddy paw prints, sauces of various indeterminate origin (and startlingly bright colour), chocolate (even though I don't eat it any more), zombie blood and ectoplasm. And let me tell you, ectoplasm is the very devil to get out!

If you're not as disaster-prone as me, the 60s Sequin A-Line Skirt is available from the Topshop website for £35.00, or of course if you're in Auckland you could always check out Topshop at The Department Store to see if they're stocking it.

Your daily dose of pretty: what I didn't (and did) buy at Collectif

Another shop that I was very much looking forward to checking out during our sojourn in London was Collectif, although this time I found it not by design but by Eccentric English Boyfriend. As we were leaving Covent Garden Markets he said "let's go this way, I want to show you this shop I found, I think you'll like it". When we got there I was all "omg it's Collectif, you are totally, like, the Best Boyfriend Ever" and he was all "well yes obviously, now don't spend too much". And I didn't. But oh how I wanted to:

The Sailor Pencil Skirt (£30.00) is such a cutie, is it not? Unfortunately on my five foot frame skirts this length end up being mumsy-mid-calf-length, and the anchor embroidery means taking it up would not be an option. Le Sigh.

I did, however, buy this:

The Bow & Crossbones Pirate Ship Necklace (£4.00) is so adorable that even the middle-aged lady behind the counter at the Tower of London gift shop complimented me on it!

11 Year Old Boy was most unimpressed about being subjected to yet another clothing store, until I got into a conversation with one of the Collectif staff members about Australian rock band Airbourne, who were playing on the shop stereo. Next to AC/DC Airbourne are his favourite band and when she revealed that she'd actually met the band his eyes grew wide and I think he might have developed a wee crush. It was very cute. Don't tell him I said that, I'd hate to incur the wrath of a (very cute) 11 Year Old Boy!

Your daily dose of pretty: Roxy Tutu (I wanna be a fairy!)

Look at this gorgeous confection of frouffiness:

I'm such a sucker for tutus, as is 14 Year Old Daughter - who can get away with wearing them more than I can! Tutus are the reason I look forward to Halloween - I can dress up like a fairy to take a gaggle of neighbourhood kids trick-or-treating and not feel silly. Well ... maybe a little silly, but Halloween's all about the silly. And the sugar, lots of sugar.

The Roxy Tutu is US$40.00 from EverydayFairytale on Etsy, and they make them in children's, adults' and pets' sizes.

Your daily dose of pretty: Pink ruffled skirt by Kerrys Closet

I have decided I need more pink in my life. The colour, not the singer. Although she looks like the sort of girl who could be fun to have around.

Pink is not a colour I carry off well next to my face though, so a pink skirt would be the order of the day. I love the ladylike shade of light pink of this skirt, and the asymmetrical ruffles are gorgeous:

The Ruffle Layered Skirt by Kerrys Closet is also available in black, and is US$60.00 from YesStyle.

Your daily dose of pretty: Requiem Skirt by Kitty Bridges

Hello my pretties, and apologies for being absent - I forgot to tell you that I was going to be away at a wedding over the weekend. And also, what is up with hotels that charge NZ$50.00 PER DAY for Wi-Fi access? Seriously?

One of my favourite NZ clothing labels, Kitty Bridges, now has an Etsy store. With new items being added regularly it's worth checking out.

I'm rather partial to this cute skirt with it's wee bows and black broderie anglaise detailing:

The Requiem Skirt is US$97.00 from Kitty Bridges store on Etsy.

Your daily dose of pretty: Calypso Skirt from ModCloth

I love swooshy skirts:

This skirt reminds me of when a friend invited me to an open evening at her belly dancing class.  I really enjoyed the belly dancing, but the absolute highlight of the evening for me was the guest Flamenco dancer - I loved the tempo and passion of the dancing, not to mention the gorgeous shoes and swooshy skirts. This skirt would be totally awesome for flouncing around being all Spanish and passionate.  Or you could take your cue from ModCloth who describe it more in pirate wench terms, in which case you'd be wanting to swing a cutlass and say "harrrrr" a lot. Or something.

Whatever you choose to imagine yourself as when you wear it, the Calypso Skirt is US$54.99 from ModCloth.

Your daily dose of pretty: Twist collection by Forever 21

The new ballet-inspired Twist collection at Forever 21 might be not at all appropriate for those pushing 40 (ie: me), but I can imagine 14 Year Old Daughter having conniptions over some of the pieces, and they're reasonably enough priced that Santa might not be averse to seeing them on her Christmas wish-list.

Beaded Mesh Pleat Skirt, US$19.80

Oval Mesh Net Skirt, US$17.80

Poised Ballerina Tunic, US$17.80

Charisma Beaded Bracelet, US$6.80

What about you my pretties? Could you wear them? Would you wear them? 14 Year Old Daughter is going through a tutu phase at the moment. There is a very short period of time during any girl's life when she can get away with wearing a tutu, so go for it while you can I say!

Recycling is good

I love trawling through recycled clothing shops. Although it does seem to me that now that we call them recycled or vintage clothing shops their prices are quadruple what they were back in the day!

Anyway, The Eccentric English Boyfriend and I did a spot of browsing in some suburban second-hand (sorry - 'recycled') clothing stores, and I found myself a couple of gems. First, and most outrageously, these:



How unbelievably delicious are they? I don't like flowers on shoes, and I'm not often swayed by wedges, but I am so utterly in love with the over the top frou frou of these shoes! NZ$15.00 from a lovely wee shop whose name (or even location) completely escapes me, but I know I will be going back there. I also found this:



Ok seriously, I have no idea why the image is turned that way - it was fine until I uploaded it! You'll just have to turn your head. Hardly worn and a bargain at NZ$20.00, the denim is beautifully soft and it fits like a glove. Those sleeves are even the exact right length, no small feat on my short arms. Obviously it was meant to be.

Then at another shop in Ponsonby I picked up this cute wee cotton skirt for NZ$21.00.



Lovely light cotton, perfect for hot summer days.

Excuse me for just a moment here though, while I have a little rant. New Zealand may be a long, long way from anywhere, but online shopping and international delivery mean that overseas shops are not the exotic novelty they once were. Also, most of us are not too shabby at doing currency conversions in our heads. So when I see a pair of shoes with their original Marks & Spencer price tag still on I'm quite capable of working out that the price being charged for them second hand converts to not much less than they cost new, and I am most definitely NOT going to be stupid enough to buy them.

End of rant. And something yummy and pretty that we picked up on the way home:



Not quite as yummy as the ones I tried in Melbourne, but look at the adorable little care bear on the bottom right cupcake! And yes I totally ate him, and he was ... well actually, he looked better than he tasted!

Your daily dose of pretty: in which I try, really I do

*sigh* ... asos are having a sale. I try to be restrained, my pretties. Really, I do. I search high and low to bring you the prettiest of the pretty, and I fall in love with so many things. But, and this is the important bit: I. Don't. Buy. Them. Mostly.

And then asos have a sale.

*sigh*

I mean, just look at these (£52.00):



I know, I know, they have cork soles. But look at them, for the love of all that is pretty, look at them!

Or what about these elegant beauties (£54.00):



Also, purple! (£20.00):



And that's just the shoe department.

What about this (£18.00):



Or this cutie £24.50):



And oooh, what about this (£22.00):



And also, KAPOW! (£8.00):



14 Year Old Daughter is in love with this (£10.00):



So. Much. Pretty. Why? Why must this be? When will the reasonably priced prettiness end*?

* No, seriously, when will it end? It doesn't say on the website!

Your daily dose of pretty: swallow skirt

The lovely swallow print on this skirt is copied from some vector art found online.



Here is a close up of the swallow print:



And the lace-up detailing on the back:



That's one cute wee skirt. US$40.00 from Miscy on ArtFire.

Your daily dose of pretty: Country Club Skirt from ModCloth

How ladylike and feminine is this skirt?



Wearing this, you'd feel compelled to stick out your pinky in the most ladylike fashion whilst sipping upon tea from a fine china cup. US$39.99 from ModCloth - I want this so badly. I also want pretty shoes to go with it ...