Everything5Pounds.com – A Kenzo Wannabe OOTD

Hi beauties!

Today I wanted to share with you another item I got from Everything 5 Pounds.com. As you probably gathered from the name literally everything on there (coats, shoes, bags, dresses, bikinis) are £5 (plus postage). I’ve reviewed a couple of things from there before – with mixed results, but I’m really loving this jumper so thought I’d do a quick OOTD.

 

It’s a fairly unsubtle copy of the Kenzo tiger sweatshirt that every celebrity and blogger seems to own….

Credit: http://www.yourcoffeebreak.co.uk/fashion/26338741014/kenzo-says-roar/

Sadly, it comes in at £180 so not exactly within my Pauper budget! So when I saw this version on Everything5Pounds I immediately added it to my basket and crossed my fingers the quality would be ok.

I didn’t want it to look too sporty and casual, so I think tucking it in or wearing it with a formal mini (see Joan Smalls and Style Scrapbook above) makes it more upmarket. I paired if with a high waisted leopard print skirt, and a denim shirt underneath for a modern preppy  summer look.

I’ve been inseparable from this bright red (faux) Chanel bag since I picked it up in Thailand last month – the colour, shape, and design are just perfect and seem to lift any outfit to that extra level of glam! I’m addicted. I also added my favourite carboot sale leopard print flats (watch my Vlog haul featuring them here) to match the skirt.

I’m also loving my new glasses (also from Thailand!) and I’m finally choosing to wear glasses rather than just wearing them when I’m not seeing anyone, or really can’t bear being blind that day! Anyone else who has had glasses all their life will know what a big deal this is, and I’m glad I finally decided to invest in a beautiful designer pair. A big spend for me… but I such a great choice for my health and confidence.

Outfit breakdown:

Kenzo style sweatshirt – £5 (plus PP) – Everything5Pounds.com

Leopard print mini skirt – £1.50 – Barnados charity shop, Ashley Road, Poole

Leopard print flats – £1 – Pimlico Carboot sale, London – vlog here!

Denim chambray shirt – £1 – Life Church Poole £1 charity clothing sale

Faux Chanel handbag – £15 – Koh Lanta market, Thailand

Have you ever bought anything from Everything5Pounds? What did you think? I’d love to hear from you!

 

OOTD – Hmong Recycled Fabric Two Piece (Thailand)

A little throwback today to one of my favourite Thailand outfits. I got this matching top and shorts set for £2 each in the Chiang Mai Night Market. The seller had them in every colour combination you could imagine and it took me forever to choose! Really happy with the green tones though – think it looks nice with blonde and doesn’t highlight my pale skin too much.

 

 

The fabric is actually called ‘hmong’ which means it’s made in the traditional tribal way from the villages of Thialand. The markets are full of bags, purses and cushions made of it, but I was really glad to find something so wearable everyday that didn’t look too costumey. It’s wonderful to wear something with a bit of history that will always remind me of my lovely time in Thailand.

The only problem with buying clothes in Asia is that they’re all TINY and you generally can’t try them on. For these shorts I used the classic ‘neck trick’ where you try wrapping the waistband round your neck and if it’s tight it’ll fit perfectly on your waist, and a bit looser is good for your hips. These shorts just about fit (with a bit of hopping around!) and I’ve been wearing them pretty much non stop.

I also added my tiny gold bedazzelled elephant necklace. I picked this up at the Chiang Mai Saturday Market for £1 and think it’s so adorable! Apparently if they have their trunk up it’s lucky, so hopefully this’ll bring me an awesome 2015.

Similar items here:

Embroidered tribal shorts

Tribal print oversized scarf

Short and top set

Tribal print flare skirt

 

What do you think? Have you got any great travelling finds?

OOTD – Thrifted from Thailand

First off – sorry to everyone who’s stuck back in rainy/snowy England/America but I’m in Thailand and it’s BOILING! Don’t hate me….

 

Thought I’d share with you a little thrifted OOTD, and another great reason to break all the rules. Head to toe white totally works – I’d highly recommend it. Plus it also shows off my existent white girl tan.

I got this top at Free Bird Cafe charity shop in Chiang Mai (read the review of it here) and it was only £1! Yipeee. Everything was super cheap, and all the money goes to helping Burmeese refugees – gotta love a charity shop.

I paired it with my white high waisted denim shorts. I got these from a second hand market in Estonia (I know right – I’m SOOOO international right now). They were only 20 cents buried in a heap of random clothes – winning!

I wear my hair up pretty much all the time right now because it’s super hot, so today I did a fancy(ish) French Plait that went all the way round the back and to the side.  I’m currently growing out my ‘lob’ so plaits are proving a little tricky.

 

Did you like this outfit?

Send in your best thrifting finds to paupertoprincess@gmail.com and I’ll featured you!

How much did your outfit cost?

I recently came across this fab article where people at New York Fashion Week were asked how much their head-to-toe outfit cost. It’s fascinating to see the range of answers, and how almost always the big bucks go on bags and shoes.

 

http://www.theslicedbreadclub.com/awesome/stylish-strangers-reveal-price-looking-good/

 

Would love you guys to send in pics of your favourite outfit (thrifted or not) and the total spend. I’m going to start doing this on all my outfit posts – love it!

 

 

Happy reading 🙂

xoxo

My new favourite blog!

Sorry Tinderella – you were my all time favourite blog for all of 2 days, until I discovered this beauty. Bad timing my love.

(but p.s. toats do check out Tinderella because it’s the funniest thing ever made)

 

Everyone – I’d like to introduce you to Knickers Model’s Own….

It’s written by a fabulous lady called Caroline, who’s taken on a one year challenge to buy and wear ONLY charity shop clothes (except pants – hence the blog name). It’s all in aid of Cancer Research UK, as she raises money to commemorate her Mum’s great style and the fun they had shopping together. Every day she posts a fabulous outfit on her facebook page to get you inspired to head to your local charity shop.

 

Here are a few of my fav outfits so far… She layers like an absolute GODESS and I love her fun print mixing and energetic posing. Best of all, she’s a real person, just like you & I, and it’s such an inspiration to get out there and play with some charity shop finds.

 

So, if you’d like to donate (which you obviously do) head to her JustGiving page and support.

And then, head right out to your nearest charity shop and send me a pic of the results! You know you want to….

 

 

OOTD – How to dress like Clueless (when you’re not going to a costume party)

Obviously I love Clueless (as every self respecting fashionista does), and have always been inspired by the outfits in it. Charity shops are full of nineties throwbacks so it should be easy to dress like Cher every day, but it often comes across costume-y. So, I was thrilled with this outfit as I felt super cute and preppy, but also still modern, and was definitely channeling Ms Horowitz.

I so love wearing bright colours in Winter, and always try to fight the endless jeans urge with some nice thick tights – don’t let those skirts and dresses get packed away all season!

 

 

 

I tried to keep the accessories quite vintage too, with this charity shop necklace, and royal purple suede clutch.

 

 

 

 

Couldn’t help but be happy all day in a flippy skirt and bright colours – loved it (plus was super warm)!

 

 

Shirt – £1.99 – Barnados charity shop, Ashley Road, Poole

Tweed skirt – £1.50 – Age UK charity shop, Ashley Road, Poole

Purple sweater – £2.75 – Lewis Manning charity shop, Ashley Road, Poole

Gold and pearl necklace – £1.50 – Lewis Manning charity shop, Wimborne, Poole

Purple handbag – £3 – Lewis Manning charity shop, Wimborne, Poole

Black tights – £1 – Primark

Black studded boots – £4 – CRY charity shop, Ashley Road, Poole

 

 

What do you think? Do you have any good Clueless style outfits?

Highstreetoutlet.com – awesome ex-chainstore bargains!

I was approached recently by High Street Outlet.com to do a review of their collection. When I heard they were local (based on the Nuffield Estate in Poole) I decided I’d love to collaborate, and they kindly sent me a selection of clothes to try out.

 

High Street Outlet is perfect for savvy shoppers like me who hate paying full price for anything! All the stock is factory surplus, and de-labelled and sold at less than half the RRP sometimes at 80% less. Their January sale starts on the 14th so things will get even cheaper! Delivery is free over £30 so you’ll save a fortune compared to buying from the highstreet. I saw a gorgeous Monsoon dress on there (which is still in the stores right now) for £15!

 

 

It’s always super exciting to get a delivery in the post, and this was certainly no exception. I went for a top, two dresses, and a jumpsuit. The jumpsuit I gave to my cousin as a Christmas present, the knitted dress to my boyfriend’s Mum, and the rest I kept for myself. It just shows what a varied collection it is that it worked for a 17 year old to a 50 year old and everyone looked amazing!

 

So, first up the super cool TopShop Boutique leather-look dress (£29) I got for myself, and my cousin’s TopShop black and white jumpsuit (£9). We wore our outfits on Christmas Day and took some lovely festive pics for you 🙂

 

Isn’t she just too beautiful? So photogenic – totally not fair!

 

My dress is super thick – it feels like amazing quality. I got it in a size 8 but they come up fairly large so maybe go for a size down for yourself. It’s still available in 4-10 at the moment.

 

Rebecca’s jumpsuit is an 8 and I was too tall for it, so maybe a size up for this one! They’ve got it in 8-16 and the price is insane. It’s lovely and silky and I love that you could wear it for office or evening depending on how you styled it.

 

My bag is from Age UK (£2) and is featured in my Ashley Road charity shop haul video!

I don’t have a picture of this next item being worn, but I can assure you it looks amazing! It’s a Phase Eight navy knitted dress and the quality is gorgeous. I’d expect nothing less from Phase Eight, but for £20 to get that silky luxurious feeling is incredible. It’s sadly only available in size 14 (and it comes up fairly large I think) but it certainly gives you a taste of the kind of bargains you can get on HighStreetOutlet.com.

Finally, I got myself a really gorgeous black top. It’s from C&A originally and is only £9.99. It’s got a silk body and knitted sleeves and I ADORE it. It’s so easy to wear, and looks really smart and chic for any occasion. So far I’ve worn it shopping, to a breakfast party, to a family occasion and just general life! It’s only available in nude at the moment, but if I were you I’d snap them all up!

So, if you like what you see, or just simply like bargains, go along to HighStreetOutlet.com and check out their selection, or like them on Facebook for more updates. Their January sale starts on the 14th so things will be even cheaper than normal! I’m counting down the days….

Let me know if you get anything, and how it turns out.

Guest feature – Happily Polly – summer thrifting

Today we’ve got Polly from Happily Polly as our guest blogger. She’s sent me this lovely summer throwback outfit that I am totally obsessed with. Love how nineties it is without being too dated. I actually think it would work well in the winter too if you swapped the black vest for a black loose jumper tucked in, and a bright scarf.

A few details on the clothes:

Cross-strap, backless top – PDSA – £1.99

High-waisted lilac checked trousers – PDSA – £3.99

Brown envelope clutch – Shelter – £1.99

My jewellery was from ASOS and my shoes were on sale from Office

The trousers are a really cute lilac gingham, and the turned up cuffs definitely give a little extra detailing.

I think the necklace is gorgeous too – really simple and effective. This look already has quite a bit going on so you wouldn’t want to over accessorise, but a pop of gold never did anyone any harm!

Thanks so much Polly – I love your outfit! Definitely head over to her blog Happily Polly to get some fab recipes, DIYs and outfit inspiration. I’m a huge fan!

Guest feature – Thrifting in Surrey

This week the fabulous Lydia got in touch to share some great charity shop bargains with us. I love hearing from you guys about things you’ve found so please do send me in some pictures!

“Hello! my name is Lydia, I am 19 and I am from Surrey. I love charity shops! Here are some things I recently found. I love supporting such great charities and I really do hope that more people start shopping at charity stores. It’s so fun when you find something great!”

“The Skirt was £2.75 from The Red Cross charity shop, It is covered in daisies and is definitely my favourite.”

 

“The Cami was £3 from The Red Cross charity shop”

 

“The tartan jacket was £5 from Scope! Amazing. Have always wanted one of these.”

“The coat with fur collar is from Cancer Research at £7, a bit more expensive, but really is still a bargain.”

 

What do you think? Nice to see someone with a bit of a different style to me!

Guest feature – Tartan Coat mega bargain!

 This week I discovered a lovely email from one of my wonderful readers – Beckie, who is a fellow charity shop lover. She’s sent in this picture of her amazing tartan coat that was just £2 from Age UK in Neston, and a 90p dress! Definitely think she could teach me a thing or two or about bargain hunting. Perhaps a trip to Neston is in order?

Oversized tartan coat – £2 – Age UK, Neston

Bright blue skirt – £3 – eBay

White blouse – birthday gift – Top Shop

Flower print bodycon – 90p – charity shop, Neston

Would love to see some more bargain outfits from you lovely readers. Send in a snap and a list of where it’s from and what it cost and I’ll share with the thrifting world!!