Uncategorized – Hannah Morgan

Fashion Students Take On London

October 17, 2018October 17, 2018by Han ArmstrongLeave a Comment

Considering I’ve been to London countless times, I still act like such a tourist whenever I visit and visiting with my university friends, was no exception. Theres’s just something about London that makes me so happy, a place that I can definitely see myself working in one day!

Anyway, as I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve just started a new project at university, so apart from the countless lectures, seminars and practicals, we also have a few pretty cool research trips thrown in there too, London was one of them.

In all honesty, the trip was a bit unorganised, a bit all over the place and a little bit of a flop. So my day began with the dreaded 3 hour coach journey to London, which half an hour into I needed a wee and I was hungry, shock. After a somewhat bearable trip down, my group of knitters (aka 80 year olds that are actually only 19) took a trip down to Hand Weavers (this was basically the whole point of the trip, to go to one shop…). After forking out for a tube ticket an expense I hadn’t prepared for, I headed down to hand weavers and in all honesty, it wasn’t a completely wasted trip as it did allow me to do a bit of research on different yarns. That being said, I couldn’t buy any, because tell me which student has £90 to spend on one cone of yarn…not me thats for sure.

So our trip up to hand weavers was short lived and took us up to about 1PM, where I was starting to get very hangry and annoyed because all the yarns I wanted were way out of my budget, so I headed back to Oxford Circus, empty handed, but still adamant that I’d make this trip of use and worth while, which I did!

London is the perfect place for fashion inspiration, the sort of place where anything goes, and I mean anything – I think thats why I love it so much, it’s a fashion students dream. So with all the massive department stores being within walking distance of each other, we did a round trip of them all, Libertys, Selfridges and Harrods, which all proved to be of great benefit. Although, I am no where near posh enough to shop in any of these, all of their knitwear fashion ranges gave me the fuel and inspiration I needed to really get cracking with this project. There will be another post up within the next week about all the fashion-esc inspiration I found and drooled over, wishing I wasn’t a broke student. Also, they all had their Christmas decorations out; I had to be physically restrained from buying all the decorations and singing Fairy Tale of New York at the top of my lungs, apparently the people of Selfridges don’t really appreciate that?? Rude.

Of course my trip to Libertys wouldn’t be complete without an obligatory picture in front of the flowers, I couldn’t have looked more blogger if I tried! Stood in my baker boy hat and red trousers, it screamed I’m an art student and you know what, I bloomin’ loved it! Going onto my outfit, I’ve had these trousers for almost 2 years now and I’ve probably only worn them a handful of times, I honestly couldn’t tell you why, look how gorgeous they are! Paired with my new favourite jumper from Femme Luxury, converse and a baker boy hat, I definitely looked very…fashion!

Anyway, I did manage to turn what was looking to be a not so successful trip into a fairly successful one, with a crap tonne of new primary imagery and any art student will know the importance of this, it is literally drilled into us everyday! Like I said previously, there will be a post within the next week or so talking all things fashion knitwear of the garments that really caught my eye in the big city!

All my love,

Han xx

Design, Uncategorized

Can You Still Be Fashionable On A Budget?

October 14, 2018October 17, 2018by Han Armstrong8 Comments

I’m sure I’m not the only woman out here who’s wages don’t match their fashion taste. That, alongside being a university student, means that at the end of the month there’s never really a lot left over for fashion. Having been a fashionista on a budget whilst studying – I’ve got some tips that I swear by when it comes to being stylish, with not many pennies.

It’s a fairly big misconception that being stylish is expensive – I mean this is probably due to every fashion magazine shoving the new Louis Vuitton or Gucci trends in our faces every month. Don’t get me wrong I love seeing these, but lets get real, there’s no way I’m going to be shopping in Gucci any time soon. This is mainly done to make us want to spend a bomb on all the new and expensive trends; after all magazines are just slightly more fancier advertisements, getting you to splash the cash. And, how often is it you see brands like Vouge chat about typical high street affordable stores, like Primark?! Which, may I add is an absolute god send for students wanting affordable fashion!

But, long and behold, being stylish doesn’t have to be expensive. Although it does require a bit of effort on our parts.

If your a student like myself, NUS is an absolute life saver. My NUS card comes with me everywhere, and I mean everywhere! It offers discounts in most high street stores ranging from 10-30%, but it’s always good to keep an eye out for higher student discounts as I know that occasionally places like Topshop and RI will offer 20% rather than 10%. It may not seem like a lot, but it really does make a difference! (The NUS card offers discounts at various food outlets also, so cheap pizza too, whats not to like?!)

Next find out when the sales are going to be – sales tend to take place as the season changes, when shops begin to get in their new stock. Sales are perfect for shopping a year ahead – hear me out on this one. Summer sales often take place just as autumn is getting underway, so obviously you won’t be getting your legs out in November (and if you are, hats off to you, you’re a lot more hardcore than myself), but shopping for the next summer means that you can add to your wardrobe for the following year, at a discounted price. This isn’t everyones cup of tea but we all know you can find some absolute gems in the sales in you riffle hard enough!

Leading on from this one, learn how to alter items. I’ve always had the struggle that when it comes to finding things in the sale, there tends to only ever be bigger sizes left, all the small ones were wiped out as soon as the sale sign goes up! Therefore by having some basic sewing knowledge (I’m talking really basic, nothing too fancy) you can still buy that dreamy skirt that’s 3 sizes too big, because after spending a bit of time adding a couple of darts and a belt, it’ll fit like a dream. Also means you aren’t missing out on any of the bargains!

If theres a specific item that you’ve had your eye on for a while, hop straight onto resale sights to look for it. You’ll be surprised at what you can find on Depop and Ebay, particularly if theres a certain item that you want. I always find myself browsing Depop but never ending up picking anything, unless theres a garment I specifically really want – always good to head into retail sights with some sort of ‘plan’ I guess you could call it!

Layer, layer, layer. Living in the UK, I’d like to think I’ve mastered this whole layering malarky – with it being very cold most the year round, I’m a sucker for layering garments on top of each other. Layering will also encourage you to really look at whats in your wardrobe – that basic top you normally just wear with jeans? Chuck a dress on over the top and pair of tights and boots, you have a completely new outfit. Layering will allow you to take one garment from your wardrobe and style it 50 different ways, meaning a whole new selection of stylish outfits, that cost…nothing!!!

Shop the classics. Pieces that are versatile. You can pair with anything. I talking plain white tees, jeans, you know the classics that are must haves in wardrobes. Having the classics will allow you to then style with more adventurous garments in your wardrobe – classics also tend to be cheaper as well, particularly if their from the mens section. Mens plain t-shirts tend to be so much cheaper than women’s for example; and there’s about a million and one ways to style the renowned oversized top. So again, another selection of outfits, all from one top.

Lastly, spend a day walking around outlet shops. I live near Gunwharf Quays, which is home to a huge outlet centre where if you spend some time digging around you can find some dreamy pieces for just a fraction of the price. I remember finding a Ralph Lauren shirt in the outlet, retailed at £120, and I managed to get it for just £40 – still to this day my most favourite bargain find!

So there we go, being fashionable on a budget can be done! It just takes a bit more effort than being fashionable not on a budget I guess! Take a look at what you already own, branch out, style it with different garments you wouldn’t normally, and there we have it an whole new outfit that cost you nothing!

What are your top tips for shopping on a budget?

All my love,

Han xx

Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Practicing Self Care

October 12, 2018October 11, 2018by Han Armstrong10 Comments

Sort of…

As you can guess, this post is about to be me banging on about self care, but I felt obliged to say ‘sort of’ because in all honestly I get so caught up in life, most the time I’m ~~pretty~~ very crap at practicing self care.

As I’m writing this, World Mental Health Day 2018 has just been and gone. Controversial opinion, but I think this is a load of rubbish. Mental health is something that should be addressed every day of the year. However, it’s always amusing to sit back and watch people who would never even dream about addressing mental health, all of a sudden become experts in the matter.

Anyway, I digress.

What I wanted to write about is how basically mental health and self care go hand in hand together. The more you look after yourself and wellbeing, the better your mental health (pretty much just common sense, I’m sure). But like I mention previously, so many of us get so caught up in general life stuff that we forget to take time for ourselves – I’m particularly guilty of this. I spend every waking hour working; whether that be university related, blog related, YouTube related, whatever it is, I never take time for myself.

However on the rare occurrence that I do chuck a face mask on, put on some crappy comedy (probably Friends, shock) and take out some time for me, I really do notice the positive effect it has on me mentally. Self care doesn’t have to be hard, sometimes it isn’t running a hot bath and pampering yourself. Sometimes it just taking the time to make a good dinner and get an early night. I thought I’d share my top self care habits (mainly for me to look back on and put into practice when I’m tearing my hair out due to stress and my anxiety is sky high), but also for those who forget how easy (yet important it is)

Exercise

Don’t worry, I’m not about to tell you to wake up at 5:30am and go for a 10k (however that is my version of self care when it comes to exercise). I mean just get up and get active. Intelligent Han is about to come out here (don’t get used to it), but exercise releases ‘happy endorphins‘, the same chemicals in some anti-depressants, so there’s a direct corraletion between exercise and happiness levels. Even if you just get up and walk around for 10 minutes while on your break, you’ll feel better for it.

Get Up, Get Dressed

Admittedly when I used to have particularly bad days (ya know, the ones where I didn’t want to leave my bed, spend the whole day sobbing? Those ones) I would stay in my jim jams, no make up, basically look like a homeless person on drugs, it wasn’t a pretty sight. But as soon as I started forcing myself to get out of bed, take a shower, put some actual clothes on (I don’t care how comfy your tracks are) and make an effort with my appearance I always felt so much better for it.

Eat Well

Eating well is something that I have only just mastered, yes, yes it has taken me 19 years to master this. But eating well, for me is a form of self care. Getting in all of my fruit and veggies, and not starving myself is a big thing for me. For someone who restricted for so long, I’m definitely making up for it now, give me all the carbs!!!

Make Time For YOU

Admittedly, I feel like a wee bit of a hypocrite writing this because I some how never find the time for this. But I cannot preach enough about how important it is to take time for yourself. Take yourself away from work, your blog, your social medias. Run a bath, put a facemask on and read a book. Take time to relax and destress. You cannot get through life without having you time, you’ll burn yourself out. Shock, I’m known for doing this – I need a reminder set to chill out sometimes.

Get Fresh Air

Living with anxiety, means somedays I’d rather just sit in my flat all day, not face leaving or seeing anyone. But every time I feel this way, I challenge myself. Force myself to go out, get a few lungfuls of fresh air. Even if it’s just a 5 minute blast, its better than sitting cooped up in the same little room all day.

I swear by all of these little self care tips when it comes to looking after my mental well-being. To be completely honest, I’ve been doing great recently – I don’t want to jinx it though. However great I’m doing though, I still know how important it is to continue to take care of myself.

What are your self care tips?

All my love,

Han xx

Design, Uncategorized

Diaries Of A Textile Student: Week 1

October 10, 2018October 8, 2018by Han Armstrong6 Comments

For those of you who may be new, or unfamiliar with my blog, I’ve just gone into my second year of university studying Textile Design – specialising in Fashion Knitwear. Year 2, as expected has already been very full on, it’s only 1 week in and I’m already buried under work, deadlines, samples, research trips and the most daunting thing, the prospect of placement year. Having said that, I have only cried once this week, where’s my gold star.

So with second year being a particularly busy one, I wanted to keep track of what I’m getting up to, my creative direction, different modules and the whole process of me applying for a placement year next year! What better way to do it than on my blog – I’m hoping to make this a weekly occurrence, providing I can fit it in!

Being on a creative course, this means that a lot of the things I get up to are very practical, therefore it was no surprise that first thing on Monday morning I was chucked into the knit room learning all the new and exciting machinery that I’ll be working with. For my first project, (which I will refer to from now on as my Technical Block), I’ll be using the domestic knitting machines. Luckily, I’ve had previous experience with these from using them at college, so it was no surprise that I was steaming on ahead and by the time my first lesson back had finished, I had already produced a whole range of samples. Teachers pet, I know. This week I recapped some of the basic skills including ladders, lace holes, ombre and stripes – don’t worry from here on in the knits will be much more exciting I promise. If you are interesting in seeing my samples, head on over to my textiles Instagram: @textilesbyhan

Like most projects, I needed to come up with a concept. Now, it has been a very long time since I have come up with one of these, 5 months over summer meant I literally arrived back having forgot how to mind map! A family trip to Devon over the summer has been the starting point for all my ideas, with my concept forming into one that is based around patterns found in the sand/sand dunes and generally ‘sandy‘ textures, professional sounding, I know. Don’t worry it is a lot more exciting than it sounds. Of course the first thing I did once creating a concept was head straight onto my Pinterest and scour the wide web for design, artist and photography inspiration. I aim to look into 2 artists a week – 1 artist that particularly caught my eye this week was Sara Cwyna, a New York based photographer with such an interesting style, that reminded me of the curved structure in sand dunes – hence why I looked into her. You’ll begin to notice through these posts that everything I come up with, create and look into will all be linked in some form or another – it’s the basis of a strong project.

Alongside creating a mood-board of imagery, I have also created a colour palette, which I always find to be such a struggle, mainly because I’m far too indecisive and want to use all the colours! Being a textiles student, colour is a crucial part to any of my work, so the earlier I establish one, the better. After an afternoon playing around in photoshop, I came up with a set of colours that I will be working with throughout this 8 week project. It’s important to me that the colours complement each other well, so that when they sit together, they look like they belong – which I feel as if I have achieved with this particular colour palette.

My first week back has been primarily dedicated to research, finding an abundance of primary and secondary imagery, and really establishing what message I want to get across through this project. I’ve always been interested in constructed textiles and also 3D textiles, so throughout my Technical Block I hope to find a balance between the 2 creating a collection of samples that reflect this idea.

Alongside the creative project that I’ll mainly be discussing in these posts, I also want to take you through my application process of applying for a placement next year. So basically, a placement year, is a year where I will go out into the industry and work, gaining experience and setting me off on the right foot for after graduation. This week has been a very productive one in terms of placement – with the first thing being cracking on with my CV – which I later took to my personal placement coordinator, who thought it was a very strong placement CV. I’ve always struggled with talking about myself, this is mainly due to lack of self belief (which I’m working on), therefore writing a CV is literally my idea of hell. But after getting such positive feedback, thats the little boost I needed to believe in myself and to believe that it might actually be possible for me to go into industry next year. When applying for jobs, I also need a cover letter (again, I’m dreading writing this), but next week I plan to get cracking on it, give it my best shot so that within the next week I can begin applying for placement opportunities. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on the progress!

I hope you have enjoyed the first instalment in my textile diaries – I’m very excited to keep you all in the loop and also see my progress. Next week is already looking like a busy one, I’ve just been informed that I have to have 20 experimental knit samples by Friday, with only 1 day in the knit room, stressed just thinking about it…

All my love,

Han xx

Design, Uncategorized

London Fashion Week – September 2018

October 3, 2018September 29, 2018by Han Armstrong8 Comments

London Fashion week, the week where you can literally get away with anything (fashion related of course). This post is, admittedly, slightly late – but better late than never, right! I tend to keep up with London Fashion week on their website; I’ve never actually been lucky enough to go down there, one day though, one day (I keep telling myself that one day I’ll actually showcase there, but thats a long shot, a girl can dream though). So seeing as I have spent a lot of time drooling over some incredible pieces throughout the iconic event, here are some of my top pics/designers!

Matty Bovan

Bovan graduated from St Martins (any art hoes like myself will know how dreamy this uni is, for any creative) – with a degree in Fashion Knitwear, so of course I was instantly drawn to his very textural approach. His work incorporates a lot of raw edges, woven/knit panels that meet at interesting angles adding a symmetrical-esc structure to his work. With no set colour theme, Bovans’ work really stood out to me, I’m a sucker for anything slightly garish and out there, so this was right up my street. Also, lets just take a moment to appreciate the head pieces, they’re incredible!

Julien Macdonald

Macdonald is a Brighton University graduate student – giving us Southerners an impressive name, he also graduated in Fashion Knitwear…you’ll see a theme here. I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to anything remotely sparkly, so of course loved seeing Macdonalds’ collection come down the runway. His use of interesting shapes, and wrap techniques that run throughout his designs really tie the whole collection together. A broad colour palette is used throughout Macdonalds design going from silver sparkles, to bright, bold very in your face block colour, right through to subtle animal print (I couldn’t resist, I’m sorry). I’m also a massive fan of his use of the laddering effect throughout his collection, this is one of my favourite knitwear techniques, one thats not too tricky, but incredible effective when done right.

Halpern

When I came across Halperns’ work I was absolutely in awe. I’m a lover of 60’s silhouettes/shapes and patterns – when looking through Halperns’ work, I was instantly reminded of those 60’s shapes that always draw me in. His collection is in a very Mondrian style, block shapes, use of block colours – which is then also reflected in his garments shapes. The use of shiny surfaces merged in with the matte surfaces is also particularly interesting and has been done in a way that makes neither surface take the stage but in a way where they both work together to create and entire look.

Sadie Williams

Williams collection first caught my eye with her use of bold woven materials, merged with raw edges, creating a very textural collection. With interesting androgynous silhouettes, that sort of hang from the body, but in a way that doesn’t make the garments lose their shape. Again, Sadie has used a range of mattes mixed with shiny surfaces – the shinier surfaces I think work really well with her contemporary print choices.

Delpozo

I was surprised when I actually found myself being really drawn to Delpozos’ collection – if you look through the other designers that caught my eye, you’ll notice that I often gravitate towards very bold pieces, and well, this collection is completely opposite in terms of colour. But his use of bold, voluminous silhouette is what drew me in. His use of subtle colour, combined with the bold ruffles creates a very classy look, that I don’t think would have the same effect had the colours been of a more bold choice. The delicate embroidery is also an element that I love – I’ve never really got along with embroidery/MMT at university, so seeing his use of the technique is really inspiring.

Zandra Rhodes

I left the work of Rhodes until the end because she is one of my favourite designers. I wan introduced to her work whilst at college, when I was adamant that I wanted to go into print design – what Rhodes is renowned for. Although my interests have slightly diverted, I still appreciate a good print designer. Not only is her use of print incredible (honestly wish I had her talent) but her use of feminine shapes also adds to the appeal of her garments – normally highlighting the waist or collar bones. Annddd of course, bold colours, my weakness, need I say no more.

Like I say, one day I’ll get down to London Fashion Week and if miraculously I get recognised for my deign work, maybe that’ll be me one day! I should probably just stick to getting my degree for the time being!

What’s your favourite pick from LFW?

All my love,

Han x

Design, Uncategorized

Leopard Print & October Goals

September 30, 2018September 29, 2018by Han Armstrong20 Comments

I’m very happy to say that my most recent fashion post (which you can find here) went down an absolute treat, and I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! I think it was the little boost that I needed to really kickstart writing what I’m really passionate about! That being said, todays post is dedicated to all things animal print; particularly leopard, it’s been everywhere recently, and also a little bit about what I hope to achieve throughout October!

As I’ve mentioned before, I really wasn’t feeling the leopard print trend when it first took the high streets by storm, but after having it forced in my face for the past 6 months, long and behold it’s really started to grow on me. I think I was afraid of over stepping that line with the whole animal print trend. It’s a very thin line between it looking classy, then over stepping the mark and it looking tacky – think Kat Slater from Eastenders.

After having a good old browse around the shops at all the animal print available, I’ve added a few pieces to my wardrobe over the past few weeks. I’ll start with the most dreamy shirt from Pretty Little Thing, which should I add, has quickly become my favourite shirt ever! I’m a sucker for a good patterned shirt, I like to overstep the mark when it comes to garish prints, so this shirt was screaming my name when I came across it. It’s made from a lovely silk material – now when it comes to Pretty Little Thing, I always think it’s hit and miss with quality, but this shirt is a definite hit. Not only does it feel expensive, it looks it also. I wore it out for a meal last week, and almost every one complemented me on it. I should add that it was a meal with my flat mates who I had just met, it was at this moment they all realised how extra I am when it comes to fashion…best they find out now I guess! I got the whole, you know we’re only going for dinner right?? In which I replied, I know, but lets be honest life’s too short to dress basic! I paired it with a simple pair of black skinny jeans, grey biker jacket and black heeled boots – perfect smart casual type outfit!

2018-09-18 16:38:14.991

I had had my eye on animal print skirts for a while now as well, but being very picky and a broke student, I wanted to make sure I found the perfect one before making the investment in one! There were a few in Topshop that had really caught my eye recently, my top 2 being a snake skin print and then of course the leopard print one. Unfortunately when it came to me finally buying one they didn’t have the snakeskin in a small enough size, but long and behold, they had the leopard print one in my size, and in petite!!! It was meant to be!!! Also, this skirt is the most perfect fitting skirt I’ve ever bought, it fits my bum, waist and isn’t stupidly short – I never thought the day would come when I found a skirt like this! Anyway, I recently wore the skirt on a night out, paring it with a long-sleeved black bodysuit, and a pair of knee highs (of course, I had to be extra while everyone else was in converse) – again I got so many complements on it!

I’ve had to restrain myself to buying one of everything in animal print lately, but that doesn’t mean I’ve done a bit of online browsing! I’ve linked some of my favourite animal print garments below, a few of which I’m sure I will treat myself to once I’ve been paid!

Leopard Trousers: https://www.riverisland.com/p/brown-leopard-print-belted-ponte-trousers-722843

Leopard Jacket: https://www.riverisland.com/p/brown-leopard-print-double-breasted-jacket-722383

Leopard Boots: https://www.riverisland.com/p/brown-wide-fit-leopard-print-ankle-boots-722326

Leopard Dress: https://www.missselfridge.com/en/msuk/product/petite-animal-print-pinafore-dress-7817466?Ntt=leopard%20print

Leopard Bag: https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/accessories/bags/brown-leopard-print-suedette-ring-handle-bag/p/591269929?comp=Search

Leopard Culottes: https://www.asos.com/lost-ink/lost-ink-wide-leg-trousers-in-leopard/prd/9711965?clr=leopard&SearchQuery=leopard%20print%20trousers&gridcolumn=3&gridrow=4&gridsize=4&pge=1&pgesize=72&totalstyles=36

I also wanted to quickly incorporate a few little goals I guess you could call them, of things I want to achieve throughout October! Also, how is it already October, I mean it’s basically Christmas now right?

We’ll begin with my Blog/Youtube goals. I’ve recently been trying to make my blog much more fashion orientated, which you have all been loving, so I want to aim to get at least one fashion post up a week, maybe more, if I have time! In terms of YouTube, I recently started my channel and alongside this, I set myself the goal of reaching 2000 subscribers by the end of the year, which seemed unrealistic at the time – but last week I absolutely smashed this goal, which I’m mega proud of myself for doing! I’m someone who isn’t really fussed about numbers, as I do it for my enjoyment, but something that I want to get more confident with this year is vlogging in public. I’ve started to do it more, but I still get a bit funny when it comes to getting out my camera in front of my friends/family, this is something I really want to overcome this month!

I start back at university on Monday (October 1st) so with me being in my second year, this year is going to be very full on, I want to, this month, learn how to balance university and social life – as this was something I was terrible at during first year, I basically didn’t leave my flat! The earlier I can nail this, the better! Obviously want to be smashing my grades of course too, that goes without saying.

Then my last goal for October is to throw myself into one of the university societies, again something I didn’t do in my first year, and really regret not doing so! This year I have signed up for a few, consisting of Cheerleading, Amateur Dramatics and the Blogging society, of course! I doubt I’ll be able to do all 3, but I do want to throw myself into a couple, thats for sure!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this kind of fashion, kind of lifestyle type post; it has made me want to go on a bit of an animal print spending spree though, someone take my card away from me quick!

What have been your favourite animal print picks this year?!

All my love,

Han xx

Design, Uncategorized

Autumn Fashion Picks 2018

September 26, 2018October 8, 2018by Han Armstrong19 Comments

I’ve recently been wanting to add to the design/fashion part of my blog, seeing as its what my degree is in and also what I love to chat about, it would be silly not to. So welcome to a new series of blog posts, where I’ll be picking out my favourite pieces/trends from that season, then basically doing what I do best and chatting about them. Like I say, I’m starting off by just making this a seasonal thing, but knowing me (I spend a lot of time looking at clothes), it may turn into a more frequent occurrence on the blog!

Taking a look at my little mood board from this month, I think it’s safe to say that animal print has really taken my fancy recently. If I’m completely honest when the whole animal print trend started popping up on the runways I fully hated it, I thought it looked tacky – not to mention it also reminded me of Cat Slater from EastEnders and I must say, thats not really the look I wanted to go for. But after seeing it absolutely everywhere it has grown on me massively – particularly this last month. I started seeing more and more of my blogger pals rocking the animal print and I thought maybe it was time for me to stop being so stubborn and give it a go; long and behold I bloody love it an am fully converted. Partly think I have Lauren from loulabellerose.co.uk to thank for this, seeing as her Instagram is full of her rocking the leopard print trend, from jeans to shirts, you name it, she’s probably got it!

Animal print, particularly leopard print, can be quite a risky one and can very quickly become not so stylish but here are my top picks for this month. I’ll start with the leopard print co-ord, I’ve had my eye on this for the longest time, I just don’t think that being a broke student I can justify the spend…but then at the same time, think of the blog photos in it! I also popped on here a leopard print shirt, I’ve seen these in basically every high-street store over the past few months, I suppose when they are that forced upon you, you begin to like them. I really like the cut on this particular shirt, and also where it is a slightly longer shirt than the ones I have previously seen, it lends itself well to being tied, and styled differently. Then lastly, a couple of accessories that I have recently stumbled across, of course there’s a pair of boots – my all time weakness. This time snakeskin though to shake things up a bit – the perfect size heel, simply styled with black skinny jeans would look fab. Then lastly, the cross body snakeskin bag, which again took a while for me to actually like, but after a bit of convincing and sort of forcing myself to get on the trend, I think this may be my favourite animal print find, perfect accessory for a night out too.

I’m surprised that only 2 coats made it onto this months picks, seeing as coats and jackets are my absolute weakness. This month I’ve gone for a gorgeous faux fur coat, I’ve been after a faux fur coat for a while now, but in all honesty, I don’t quite know if I’m cool enough to rock one. Then a lovely longline Burgundy coat, I’ve had the same grey longline coat for about 2 years now, which is probably due replacing this season. when I saw this one on the Asos website, it looked like the perfect replacement. I like to have a coat that is slightly more for dressier occasions, and I find that my longline coats have served me well for this so far.

I’ve noticed that checkered prints have also been more or less in all of the shops recently, and I’ve taken a particular liking to checkered dungaree dresses (again am I cool enough to pull them off…who knows) but I recently came across this one, I absolutely love that they’ve paired it with a mustard shirt underneath, the colours scream autumn!

A couple of more ‘dressy’ items that I’ve had my eye on – starting with the wide leg jumpsuit. Again something that I have been after for a while, but having quite a small frame, I tend to find that they just swamp me – although I am tempted to give this one a go, chuck on a pair of heels and a nice jacket, I recon we could make it work. Then this gorgeous dress, which would be perfect for some fancy event (if only I got invited to those). I’m a lover of a good dainty print, and think this print works particularly well on this dress, seeing as its quite a floaty number, anything bigger would have distracted from its cut.

Then lastly, it wouldn’t really be a fashion post from me if I didn’t include something red. As I was scrolling through the new in section on the TopShop website, I came across the most gorgeous pair of patent red boots, which just had my name written all over them. It’s not a want, it’s a need.

So that concludes my first seasonal picks post, I have link all of the items throughout incase there is something that takes your fancy. I’m sure this will start to become a regular section on the blog seeing as 1, I’m a bit of a shopaholic and 2, I’m getting a fashion degree.

Which quickly leads me onto a question for you all, so I’ve briefly touched upon my degree when blogging before, but this year I’m specialising in knitwear, and I want to document my journey/design process/top knit pics (try saying that quick) etc throughout, would this be something you’d all be interesting in reading about too?? All fashion related still, just taking a more direct look into knitwear!

Anyway, hope you have all enjoyed,

All my love,

Han xx