Shoplifters of the World Unite.

I have been debating on whether or not to buy these Smiths T-shirt Transfers for a good long while now. As a hugely passionate Smiths and Morrissey fan (not ashamed to say it either) I would like to own a few (or a wardrobe full) of Moz/The Smiths T-shirts. However, I find that all of those available are made of that horrible slightly translucent scratchy cotton and have no shape to them at all. I like a good, masculine T-shirt that hangs off me but these things look like it cost less than a penny to make and just look awful. They’re not certified merchandise, and they’re not nice and I just don’t see the point in spending £15-20 on one just to go in the pocket of some out-of-touch middle-aged business man who has found the internet. Anyway, enough hatin’, I simply don’t like them. But these are quite cheap at £1.89 (incl. P&P) and would allow me to use my own already much-loved tops to flaunt my pathetic contribution to my fandom. I’d probably use them on a good ol’ trusty H&M apparel top. Either way, you’re paying less than a tenner for something that can be quite personal and very wearable. What more could you ask for people?

NOTE: The reason I have been 'debating' to buy them is because I am yet to pop my Ebay cherry. I know, I know, shocker! I just don't like the concept of bidding. It's my nature to get attached to things and I would spend the whole 'time left' obsessing over the item and would be actually hurt if I didn't win it. I am also majorly competitive and absolutely shite at controlling my money so Ebay bidding would just be a terrible, terrible idea.

Love and let(s) wait (for them to go on sale)

I have been lashed back into the turbulent, exhausting practise of falling in love. With these shoes. But Alas! For these BANK shoes and I, it was not a tender tale of love at first glance; in fact, when I first saw at them my eyes lingered only milliseconds more on them than all of the other shoes on the page, and I moved on, favouring others before them. But since I was on Shopstyle all of these pretty little pieces kept screaming my attention with their beautiful red reduced prices. They were all from BANK, and they were having a sale. Now I don’t tend to shop at BANK- I don’t know why, really- I guess it is just one of those shops that I don’t immediately consider when I think of High street clothes stores. That’s probably down to the fact that Liverpool only got the store along with Liverpool ONE and the other dozens of unfamiliar names a few years ago. Anyway, back to these bad boys. I was looking at the shoes (as I do) and (sound Angels singing and a distant, but blinding, buttery drip of white lights...) there they were. And I have to have them. However, I am horrendously cheap, and I have never spent £40 on a pair of shoes before, and I don’t intend on starting now, in the midst of my I-don’t-know-how-to-budget-and-I-have-never-had-a-wage-before-and-the-only-other-time-I-have-ever-had-such-a-large-sum-of-money-in-one-go-is-Christmas/birthday fortnight-and-that-was-disposable-but-this-has-to-keep-me-from-starving-and-sleeping-rough crisis. So I am going to do what I do best. Forget about them and wait for them to be cheap enough for me not to shake on the bus home feeling like someone has ripped my intestines out and fashioned a Turban out of them to sell at discount prices to market stalls.

One dress: TOPSHOP

.I did intend going on all my favorite (by favorite I really mean "shops I may or not be able to actually afford but still lust over the clothes and plan to shop there when I eventually, and I will, win the lottery") clothes sites and do my usual (pathetic) routine of filling my virtual bag with thousands of pounds worth of items; it started as "I know! I'll put them all on here!" then I considered and concluded that a) I have already 'filled by bag' at most of the sites, and cannot be arsed doing it again b) It would take a lot of blogging, and I am easily distracted and awfully, awfully impatient. Then I thought I'd just do all the dresses/tops/shoes/etc. but then I though, nah, I'll just pick one. I am lazy.
.So this is my TOPSHOP choice. There were 19 dresses I like in Topshop and I was extremely inclined to go for one of the pretty-print shift dresses, but I am drawn to this one every time I visit the site.

I wouldn’t say it was a day look; it definitely wouldn’t be something I would brave in the day around the small middle-class Yorkshire town of Ilkley anyway, maybe if I was still in Liverpool, however I would wear it with these flats and an oversized, slouchy cardigan just to help it steer clear of the potentially red-light-esq look it could quite easily convey. The bright pink lipstick is just a matter of my personal taste really- lipstick is my downfall, and I rarely go out without it, plus I think it takes the edge off all the greys and black a little. I actually love those shoes... I am not really a massive ‘bag person’ so the bag I just liked. I wouldn’t pay that much for it though (the bag I am never without cost me 25p at a car boot, it made my life). I think I’m overanalysing slightly now so I’ll stop. I don’t think I could get away with this outfit personally. Just because I am quite disproportionate in that I am 5ft 1” (basically borderline garden gnome) and am quite broad for it, with short legs and a short torso. Plus I have gained 13lbs (Argh!) since I moved here and I tend to steer clear of flats when I can help it as my legs look about the size of a Subway Sandwich (not even the footlong) in them. Now I have definitely gone on too much. Enjoy!

Total outfit cost (below): £348
Total cost if supplemented with given cheaper options: £161.98

Sleeveless Tops by Topshop
Boots at Debenhams

Cheaper (aka, my budget) alternatives: This trusty H&M skirt and the non-designer oversized cardigan.