Ode to Snazzy Suits

I've been tormented lately by the surge in availability (or, should I say, my realisation of the availability) of what I've aptly named snazzy suits. My torment was, of course, embittered by the fact that I've only recently bought my prom suit, which, at the time, appeared to be the only truly snazzy suit on the market. And by market, I mean the Topman, H&M and River island websites - I thought I'd play it safe. Yet only the other day I stumbled across some truly snazztastic little gems, which, apparently, I'd overlooked in my first search.

What is a 'snazzy' suit, you might ask. The criteria are quite simple:

1. The suit must not be the usual dull shade of grey or pinstripe black.
2. The suit must have something exciting about it, eg a striking pattern, a particularly slim cut, outrageous spikes or glittery lapels.
3. The suit must make me physically yelp with excitement. 

A New Outfit (and a belated apology)

First thing's first: sorry to all my followers about the three week gap between this post and my last. An onslaught of various courseworks and projects (all very important, of course!) has kept me away from the keyboard for a while. Fortunately for me, however, the extra stress of all this schoolwork gave me an excellent excuse for a bit of retail-therapy in Cambridge.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I love Cambridge. Yes it's full of 'mainstream' shops, and yes there are a lot of pigeons, cyclists and leaflet-wielding students, but that's just part of its charm. Besides, there's really nothing wrong with the mainstream shops - they're mainstream for a reason, after all, and they're often (or in the case of Primark: always) cheaper than vintage clothes and expensive alternative garments like leather basques and skull encrusted beanies. At any rate, there are a few vintage gems in Cambridge: there's Vintage Jemporium in the Grafton, and another little shop on the way to the train station.

Anyway, the point is that I was in Cambridge- in my opinion: second only to Camden market where clothes shopping is concerned. And there are advantages to going to Cambridge over Camden. True, you probably won't get a bargain on a fantastically rare Ben Sherman shirt from 1988, but then again, you won't end up paying £50 for a decent pair of jeans in Cambridge (unless you get them in River Island's expensive section, maybe). Similarly, in Cambridge you won't see as many people wearing creepers or DMs - and it always makes me feel a little special when I'm the only one wearing oxblood Docs in a crowd.

I did my usual circuit around town- through the arcade, through the highstreet, back to H&M then up to the Grafton, where I check out Primark before hitting the shopping centre. Then the whole circuit again in reverse- just to double check I haven't missed a sale on some fancy footwear or jazzy jeans or something like that.

I was with a few girls last time I went, and I must admit that I was struck by the womenswear on display in Ark; a shop I'd previously condemned as a cheap imitator of American Apparel. They had a great range of tops, jackets, shorts and various dip-dyed tees and jumpers. I'd definitely recommend anyone going to Cambridge to have a quick look.

There weren't many other surprises- Topshop was as on-trend as ever, River Island was solid, H&M had a very good selection and Vintage Jemporium had a lovely range of timeless classics: denim jackets, fancy silk scarves and shirts, snazzy bow ties and so on. I picked out a very versatile camouflaged jacket (which I've studded since) for £22. It gives the perfect level of warmth for the season- sort of end of Winter, beginning of Spring chill protection. I also grabbed some acid washed jeans from H&M for £19.99, and picked up two gothy bracelets, which were two for £10 in a piercing shop in the Grafton. Combined with some rugged DMs (as usual!) and a home-tie-dyed tee shirt (which I confess to a personal sense of pride over), I think the jacket and jeans make a really good outfit. The camo with the spiky bracelet is a little scary, but the colourful tie dye (which, sadly, you can't really see in these pics) is much more friendly. I hope you like it too!