Autumn Chillz

Buona sera! After a cracking two weeks in London with the lovely lads at Gay Times I'm back in the 'Diff and MY GOD, it's nippy.

Wine-tasting, copious amounts of reading, plenty of quiet nights at Kentish Town pubs with good friends, catching Oli's pal Paul and his band playing their third ever gig and a sleepy Saturday at the Cherry Orchard Arts Festival in Croydon was all very lovely, but it's meant that settling back into a routine of actually learning things has been, well, it's...it hasn't happened yet.

I don't particularly like winter. I totally see why hedgehogs hibernate and birds fly south, but since neither of those options are available to me (despite my best efforts - sadly, nobody is willing to nail me into a fleece-lined box for three months) I'll have to make do with grumbling like the miserable cold-phobe I am.

I did manage to battle the icy climes and make it into Uni this morning, which is a bloody miracle considering I spent the first 30 minutes of conciousness this morning snarling about the injustice of 9am lectures. Oli convinced me to change out of my PJ's and reminded me that hey, this cold snap means I can dig all of my unravelling vintage knitwear out from the dusty corners of my wardrobe without fear of arriving to class a clammy mess.

Beret - H&M
Jumper - Hobo's
Necklace - made by Ursi
Shorts - American Apparel via Sian
Boots -  Chazz

I styled todays get-up around this corker of a necklace, which was a handmade birthday gift from my baby friend Ursi. Ursh has an eye for strangely awesome statement pieces and fashioned this chunky beast out of discarded copper pipe and navy curtain rope. It's my favourite item of jewelry and I wore it pretty much every day of travelling this summer, so I thought it high time to debut it with some winter warmers. It also encouraged me to chuck a bit of navy into the mix, which I never do despite its perennial chicness and prevalence in my chronically stuffed drawers. These shorts especially carry a triple threat of excellence - supreme comfort, a quirky boxy cut and a sturdy corduroy that hides the bucketloads of coffee I inevitably spill over them. Navy, you're alright. Consider me converted.

The shuffle through the autumn leaves was made bearable thanks to the smashing gift Oli gave me when we met at Kentish Town tube station on the last day of my GT placement. Behold, the scarf of wonder!

Scarf - Zara
Coat - H&M

If there's one accessory that sums up Autumn completely, this scarf is it. It matches the colour of the leaves that line the walk home perfectly, goes with every single coat I own (no mean feat) and is almost as toasty-warm as an extended lie-in. It's almost, almost a reason to leave the house in itself. Uber man-props to Ol for that little find.

I'm tired, it's late and I've eaten too many mini-muffins. I'll leave you with a track that'll warm the very cockles of yer 'eart. It's about timeless zones and being a cat - aural bliss.

Betti Baudelaire xxx

Workwear is the WORST

The ode to the Nan-slacks will have to wait (although they do make an appearance), because tonight I'm dedicating my ramblings to the joys of...wait for it...WORKWEAR.
Please don't fall into a dead faint.

I've been on work experience at GT Magazine in London for a week, and as such have not had much time for blogging. Well, not personal style blogging anyway. I've written a couple for the GT website already, which you can find here and here, and am assured the rest will be put up next week. Including one about Nicki Minaj, and you KNOW how much I love her...

I did try to take a few photographs over the week, but my phone camera is SHIT and as a result every sodding one came out like this.

Lame.

Luckily I've scrambled back to Cardiff this weekend to do a bit of reviewing for Media Wales, which means that my on-call photographer/lovely boyfriend was roped in for a retrospective snapfest of my outfits from the past week.

The term 'workwear' generally makes me feel like I'm about to lose my lunch. To me, it's a byword for mundanity. For boredom, pinstripe suits and the slow surrender of personal and style identity. And beige. Ugh. So when packing for my trip to the Big Smoke, I attempted to create a capsule "really, I'm a serious journalist, look at my flesh-coloured tights and sensible mid-heel" wardrobe that was as far from the dreaded W-word connotations as possible.

Piratey Blouse - Hobos
NAN SLACKS - chazz
Belt - River Island
Shoes - George@Asda

Puff sleeves! High-waisted woollen check! A scraggly beehive and pops of ballerina pink! On my first day at the office I opted primarily for comfort with a sly nod to crazy. Enter Adam Ant-esque blouse, which is light, airy and makes me want to go 'YARRR' every time I catch sight of my own reflection.

Bandana - Rebel Rebel
Jumper - Peacocks
Skirt - River Island
Boots - chazz

I woke up on day#2 missing Daveycat like mad so decided to pay homage to her in this natty kitty knit. The woman serving me in Pret A Manger got so excited about this jumper that for a moment I thought she was going to leap from behind the counter and try to stroke my belly. Thankfully she didn't.

Headscarf - Colours in Berlin
80s-tastic all-in-one - The Yellow Shop
Boots - chazz
Day three was a lazy day, so required a lazy solution. I'd predicted this mid-week slump so packed a jazzy vintage playsuit that, when worn, gives the beholder the impression that the person wearing it has carefully thought through their days attire. In reality, I rolled out of bed, slung it on and dashed out of the house, only just remembering to hop back up to the bathroom and brush my teeth. £22 well spent - this thing can guarantee an extra 10 minutes sleep in the morning.

Jumper - chazz
Skirt &shoes- as before

Oh, what to wear on a bitingly cold day with intermittent spells of torrential rain? Answer: Super-cosy embellished jumper to keep pneumonia at bay, plus nude tights and sturdy but easily removable shoes to ensure the rest of the day isn't spent shivering in wet trousers. Simples.

 

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Adios, pals!

Betti Baudelaire