Home is Where the Art is.

I love fashion. But more importantly, I love style - and really, that encompasses every aspect of your lifestyle and your being really.

For the last couple of months, I've been trying to make my room in my flat at uni reflect my personal style - not easy with a limited budget and minimal space for many, many possessions (mostly books, clothes and accessories).


I'll give you the grand tour...


The windowsill.


Kind of the centrepiece of my room, and home of my beloved candles.

My latest purchase for the windowsill:
Love Hearts tealights from Urban Outfitters, £6

...and in action.
SO much nostalgia.
Get them here!

My windowsill. The other candles are from I love... and
are the best-smelling candles ever.
(check out their flavours, seriously)

The Wardrobe.

Goes without saying that this is the home of some of my most prized possessions. I keep half my clothes at uni in Leeds and half at home in London, meaning I can travel pretty light most of the time.

Dresses, bags, belts and shoes. Yes, it's
colour co-ordinated. It honestly makes
getting dressed that much quicker.

Front row: Topshop, Rocha by John Rocha (Debenhams),
and Kurt Geiger. Back row: Dune, Shellys
(I hide my more 'functional' shoes under the dresses!)

Most of my top drawer. Also colour co-ordinated.
(I know it's weird). Nude, nude nude.
No prizes for guessing what colours I wear most.

Second drawer. Blues and black and florals and stripes
and greens and dark greys and stuff.
Somehow not as pretty as the top drawer.

These boxes are from Ikea and are filled with trousers,
shorts, skirts & anything warm for the Yorkshire
winter; (hoodies, scarves, hats, jumpers, gloves).

 The Walls.


I love pictures.When I'm not taking them, I'm looking through them and reminiscing. I love getting corkboards (these are from Tiger for next to nothing) and spending ages arranging them with pictures and little things I've collected on my travels. I have one huge one in my room at home, and these two small ones at uni.

Featuring polaroids of Russia, a painting from Bali, postcards
from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Prague, Paris, Siena and Amsterdam.
(And my boyfriend & I just below centre!)

A painting from Prague, pictures from Paris, Egypt,
Singapore, Thailand, Toronto & Manchester, Disneyland
souvenirs, festival wristbands & a cute baby panda.

I love Polaroids. I take a lot of my own but I
also love these Polaroid Notes I stuck up.
So whimsical.

I got them from Urban Outfitters for £9.99
Find them here.
(Took forever to get them this straight!)

The Desk.

Both worshipped as the home of the laptop and feared as the altar at which studious sacrifices must be made, I figured the least I could do was make my desk both functional and kinda pretty.

20th Century American Drama, speakers, & my favourite
Banksy, the original of which says 'There is always Hope'.
This is where my laptop usually lives.

2 months' worth of Vogue, pens, a bird-cage
housing jewellery, & language books. (p.s. I
love my Starbucks carving from Hong Kong!)

Under the desk, where I can ignore them: Folders.
And my sub-woofer, for big sounds that I don't
want to ignore.

So many books.
I get scared this shelf will collapse when I'm sleeping.
The little empty shelf usually houses jewellery boxes.

The Bed.

Where the magic happens. And by magic, I mean sleep. I have to say, I love this bed. It's the same one my big bro has at home (it's from Ikea) and it's so comfortable, it's sometimes impossible to get out of in the morning. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My lovely, soft bedding was quite expensive but totally
worth it. I got given a throw at Christmas
to add to the cosy effect.

On my bedside table I have this picture of a huge
chandelier installation at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.
It's nice to fall asleep to and wake up to.

 Vanity Corner.


My wardrobe doors are mirrored (very handy), so next to it I store my cosmetics. I keep most of them in these boxes I've acquired over time. I think the first one came with toiletries from The Sanctuary in, and the other was a shoe-box from a purchase in Singapore.

Pretty, fun-filled boxes. I mostly store
things like moisturiser, hair products
& make-up in them.

Jewellery, Miu Miu sunglasses, Chanel Allure,
I love... mango & passionfruit body butter
& flowers in a Malibu bottle (it's my drink)

Yes, the jewellery that's not in a bird cage
or on a tree lives on a cake-stand. Why not?
One of many randomly acquired items.

The futon.

So, recently my Nana gave me a little futon that folds out into a spare bed. Super-handy, and soooo comfortable, but kinda decorated with an 80s/90s pattern. Like, something you'd see in Saved by the Bell. And not in a cool, retro way. Honest. 

So I went out and bought a throw and some cushions. 

At some point I plan to go scouring my favourite fabric shop and vintage stores in Manchester to find something a little more imaginative, but for now I got these from Primark (hell on Earth. Just about the only things I have ever bought there. Don't get me started on my hatred for that place). They're surprisingly soft, though.

Taking bets on how long that throw will be
as white as that.
Can't fault it for comfort though.

When I'm organised enough to know what I'm
wearing the next morning (never), or when I
can't decide (always), I lay it out on my futon.

So I'm pretty pleased with my room at the moment (when it's tidy, at least); I feel very at home here, it gets great light and a decent view, and it goes without saying that a positive environment makes for a more positive, proactive and productive lifestyle.

Next project: Getting some of my favourite pictures from my travels printed off and filling the empty wall opposite my bed to make it a bit more personal. (Like my Paris picture at the header of this blog).


I also really love this ingenious temporary wallpaper, available at Modcloth.

Arbemarle Street Temporary Wallpaper
$79.99 at Modcloth.
Just stick it on and peel it off!

Alternatively, you can actually blu-tack smaller sections of wallpaper to the wall, in which case I love Cole & Son, for whom Vivienne Westwood has designed a range of wallpapers to go alongside their more traditional flocks and florals.

Enjoy making your house a home!

Ciao for now,

Charlotte

It Must Have Been Glove

The view from my bedroom window, 27/11/10.

Nothing is worse than frostbitten fingers. And there's only so many Toffee Nut Lattes you can buy from Starbucks to heat them up before you're bouncing off walls. Which is why gloves are a super-important Winter accessory.

My favourites are soft, pale-grey, vintage leather handed down to me by my lovely Nana, the most glamorous woman I've ever known.

My Nana-gloves (pictures here with a leather Jane Shilton clutch, also from my Nana)

Leather gloves are great - they are slightly easier to text with (though not so much on my BlackBerry, and I'd imagine, touch screens) - and are absolutely timeless, making a huge comeback in recent years. There are numerous great styles at Topshop and Debenhams, but why not look for a bargain pair of genuine vintage ones in, say, Rokit or Beyond Retro?

I also like these from my old friend, ASOS (who, incidentally, are offering 20% off at the moment - just enter the code 'ASOS20' at checkout):

ASOS Leather Bow Glove, £16, ASOS

Bows are a great addition to any look in my opinion, and if you're a shade braver, why not get these in red instead?

(Image from www.asos.com)

The only problem with leather gloves is that they aren't necessarily the warmest, providing less insulation than other styles. In terms of wooly gloves, I love these from Topshop.

Camel Bow Cuff Gloves, £8 Topshop

(Image from www.topshop.com)

These are super-practical for texting yet provide full coverage too:

Green Convert Gloves, £12, Urban Outfitters

I love the combination of the green colour with the bronzed button, though they are available in a range of colours too. (I loved the berry ones most but they've sold out! Sad-face!)

(Image from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

Which brings me to mittens. Probably the warmest have to be from UGG Australia.

UGG Logo Mitten Gloves in Chestnut, £85, John Lewis

(Image from www.johnlewis.com)

But I might even prefer the less pricey option from Urban Outfitters. When I was little I remember trying on my Mum's sheepskin coat (before realising just how literal the term 'sheepskin' was) and finding it to be the warmest thing in the world, so these definitely appeal.

Shearling Mittens, £20, Urban Outfitters

(Image from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

For the nostalgic, amongst you, Outfitters also have a range of mittens on strings. My personal favourites are these:

Knitted String Mittens, £16, Urban Outfitters

(Image from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

Not strictly gloves, but you've gotta love the muff (weird sentence), making a huge comeback. This one from Topshop is just the ticket (though, again, Urban Outfitters have a similar style here). Wear with an on-trend cape, an ushanka and killer heels for high-octane glamour (the ultimate in classic Winter elegance), or dress down with your biggest, comfiest 'don't-care' cardigan and cable knit leggings for comfy, warm, student chic. Another bonus of the muff (strange sentence again) is that, if - like me - you can text without looking (both ashamed and proud of this), you can hold your phone safe and warm inside and text without having to expose your pinkies to the elements.

Faux Fur Hand Muffler, £20, Topshop

(Image from www.topshop.com)

And finally, these sweethearts make it onto the list for being the most fantastically ostentatious gloves I've ever seen - from the satin bow to the leather palms, they take glamour to new levels.

'Don't Mind if I do' Gloves, $79.99 (£50), Modcloth

A bit pricey, granted - but I'm sure the quality is high.

(Image from www.modcloth.com)

Keep those digits cosy!

Ciao for now,

Charlotte

Hat's all, Folks

Woodhouse Moor, Hyde Park, Leeds (Winter 2009)

The scenes outside my window currently are very similar, but I'm too lazy to take a picture!

I know, I know, I keep going on about it - but it's COLD. And I want to be WARM.

So, a few posts about hats, gloves and scarves in the coming days. No beating about the bush, here we go:

Hats

In Winter, I mostly wear berets. I lived in Paris for a while and while I was there I totally bought into the whole beret thing; bought several wool specimens in different colours. Of course, I didn't wear them in Paris (waaay too 'touristy', darling) but when I got home in November 2008, boy was I glad of them.

Berets look great jauntily to one side (if you can pull that off without looking too faux-French and stereotyped), or - as I wear them - pulled back slightly to show the front of your hair but cover the back of your head (and your ears if you so wish).

But you don't have to go to Paris to get a beret - a lot of high street stores and department stores stock a great range. Try Accessorize in particular, they're always great for winter warmers, with a whole section dedicated to cold weather accessories on their website.

And of course, there's a whole range of other great warm hats out there; quirkier knitted 'Peruvian' or furry 'trapper' styles with 'ear flaps' are SO effortlessly cool (wish I could pull them off without looking like a munchkin):

Columbia Navy Peruvian Hat, £22, Debenhams

(Image from www.debenhams.com)

Faux Fur Pom Pom Trapper Hat, £15, Marks and Spencer

(Image from www.marksandspencer.com)

For (faux) fur with a little more high-octane glamour, a Russian 'ushanka' is a great call and something many celebrities have been seen out and about in recently. These, too, often have ear flaps that can fold down. When I went to Russia a lot of my compatriots bought genuine Russian ushankas - I was tempted, but when I learned that they were real rabbit fur I lost interest somewhat. Luckily for us, there are a whole range of options available. This Kangol version is certain to be a hit:

Kangol Wool Ushanka Women's Winter Fur Hat - Black, £35.01, at Urban Excess

(Image from www.urbanexcess.com)

Of course, since Katy Perry famously wore River Island's Panda hat, there's been a wave of recent styles featuring all kinds of animal ears too - gotta love a bit of quirk. River Island still have numerous similar styles.

The day Katy Perry famously wore River Island's adorable hat, sparking infinite copycat styles from every high street store.

(Image from www.sugarscape.com)

And - as always - there's the reincarnation of a vintage darling, the cloche.

Bow Trim Red Cloche, £26, Accessorize

(Also available in black, with similar styles in purple and pale pink with corsage)

Remember, a great deal of heat is lost through your head - but with so many varied and gorgeous hats on offer, that never needs to be a problem again.

Ciao for now,

Charlotte