Apologies once again for my appalling lack of blogging. Hopefully slightly more regular posting will resume after my exams finish in two weeks time.
Anyway, as promised some time ago, this post is dedicated to my completed prom suit. I stuck to the Topman suit I bought online, however I must say I was rather disappointed by the trousers, whose darker shade of cream contrasted terribly with the lighter coloured blazer. In fact, though the trousers are very unique and elegantly styled in their own right, they go with very few blazers, I found to my cost, as I tried them with every tweed blazer I had at my disposal. Finding a shirt to go with them was also very challenging; in the end I had to resort to simple blacks and greys.
Having decided to ignore the trousers, I was left with something of a problem: what to wear with a patterned blazer designed to go with matching trousers? Perhaps black was the boring option, but in my desperation, it seemed like the option with the lowest risk of prom-night-embarrassment. To liven things up, I took a black shirt and glued diamantes all the way down the centre. You can't see it in these pictures, but I also stuck diamantes around the cuffs and applied a line of studded diamantes across the seam on the back which stretches from shoulder to shoulder.
The party piece of my outfit is the diamante bow tie. It may have taken hours of painstaking labour to apply the 3mm diamantes to the black backing, but the rewards were immensely satisfying - I relished each compliment all the more knowing that I had made the bow tie myself. Unfortunately I cannot take credit for the manufacture of my two-tone shoes, but they're such classic shoes that they've garnered almost celebrity-like status at my school. Would definitely recommend them to anyone seeking to stick out in a formal environment. They're also great for disguising an inability to dance!
Just to remind you, here's a picture of the suit from the Topman website
and here's me in it (looking a little uncomfortable)
You can't buy this bow tie anywhere, but contact me and I will happily make one for you (for a fee, of course!)
(diamante earring, on sale at Topman for 90p)
To those seeking to emulate my hair-do, a ton of hairspray is a firm prerequisite
My wing-ring from Camden
My babies.
A slightly more sassy pose!
Well, I'm not sure where my sudden enthusiasm for Topman - a brand which I had previously condemned as being too mainstream - has come from. The point is, it's here now; and it looks like it's set to stay for a while at least. In fact, if they keep doing sales on the same scale as the ones they're doing currently, I don't see myself ever losing interest.
And when I say 'sale,' I mean SALE. A tonne of really nice items are up to 70% off right now - and you can take another 10% off if you have a student card! I could, of course, show you a selection of my favourites... But the list would contain almost half of the catalogue, and I wouldn't want to bore you with another selection of clothes I hope to own (one day, maybe).
So, instead, I've perused their jewelry collection, which is all 30% off, and picked out some must-haves. These are my faves (NB I haven't subtracted 30%):
I think chain earings are really cool. And I like skulls. No-brainer, really. £5.
I've never seen anything like this before, and I'm not quite sure what it's actually for. But I like it nonetheless. £8
I think chunky chain necklaces are really cool. This one has three chunky chains! As well as skulls and spikes! What more could one ask for in a necklace? £25 (not cheap either)
A split skull ring. Looks very pretty! £10.
Overlapping chains and crosses thrown in. Beaut. I imagine this would go well with a plain white vest top. £12
A feather bow tie?!?! How could I resist? £10
Spiky bracelets are fab. This one is a bit more interesting that the usual plain black/gold/silver spikes. £15.
Cross collar tips. This would really jazz up a plain shirt. £8.
I like bow ties (if you could call this a bow tie), and I like studs. Not really jewelry I'm afraid. £10.
A bendy cross and a funky chain, you say? £12
My year 13 leavers dinner dance (or 'prom' as everyone seems to call it) may not be until May, but, as the saying goes: the early bird catches the worm (or, in this case: the best prom suit). Prom is one of those occasions where it's of the utmost importance to get the right outfit. It's important also, to remember that a prom suit is not just for prom- true, it may only be worn on prom night, but the photos will linger for the rest of your life; particularly if you end up being a celebrity and journalists are actually paid to scour year books and school photo albums to find the most embarrassing pictures of you.
A bad prom outfit can scar you for life. In 20 years time you could go to a school reunion, and the only thing your ex-classmates will remember you for is that awful neon pink tie you wore to prom, or the shocking yellow shirt poking out from underneath your grey pinstripe blazer, or, if you're a girl, the daring monochrome dress that just stuck out a bit too much. I certainly regret the boring dark suit I wore to my year 11 prom, so I'm keen not to waste this opportunity to redeem myself. A straightforward black tux would be far too predictable. A white tux with shiny black lapels would at least stand out from the crowd a little more, but it's still a bit too wedding-meets-casino for my taste.
As much as I'd love to turn to top-end designer labels like McQueen or Prada, my budget sadly limits me to the high street. I can't deny that I was feeling somewhat optimistic when I began my quest- I went into Topman's flagship store in Oxford Street just before Christmas, and was very pleasantly surprised to find some lovely tweed jackets, monochrome blazers and brightly coloured two piece suits. Hence I was disappointed to find that, by the time I thought to look online, most of the suits I liked the look of had already sold out in my size in the Sales. Fortunately, however, my disappointment did not last when I browsed quickly over Topman's new range.
It really is a fantastic collection of very on-trend garments, but what really stood out to me was this blazer with matching chinos. What really drew me to it is that it's full of surprises. When I first saw it I thought 'ooh, that's a pretty floral pattern!' Then I thought it was paisley. Then, when I looked even closer, I realised it's more like a sort of graphic print. Then I realised there were subtle differences between the blazer and chinos: the first being the fact that they're actually different colours (maybe this was actually a fairly obvious difference, but it was only a small photo!), the second being that the pattern on the chinos looks slightly more condensed.
My friends recommended wearing black trousers with the suit, but I think wearing double pattern is a little more risque. I might make a few small changes- some skull buttons wouldn't go amiss in place of boring black, and maybe I could add some plain lapels, just to highlight the edge of the blazer. Of course, these are just ideas- the combo is still fantastic just as it is on the Topman website. In terms of what to wear with it, I'd have to try the suit on first, but I'm sure anything plain and dark (maybe even with a contrast collar) would do the job nicely. Add a few bracelets, a fancy homemade tie and some dark brown Chelsea boots, and my prom suit is complete! I'll be sure to post some pics when I get it!
(blazer- £90, Topman)
(chinos- £44, Topman)
(this is the contrast collar I was talking about)
(shirt- £28, Topman)
(Chelsea boots- £22.99, Shuperb)
As I am currently suffering from a slight cash flow deficit I decided I would make a wishlist of the clothes I like, rather than actually buying them. And seeing as I've been somewhat enthralled by vintage looks recently, I felt as though a return to the high street was in order. So these are some of the things I would really like to buy- I've tried to keep to a fairly realistic budget, as though I were actually buying the clothes, though you'll notice I let fantasy get the better of me with some items...
Navy striped vest top- £12 (River Island)
Red slim fit trousers- £14.99 (H&M)
Dark green cardigan- £14.99 (H&M) (yes- £14.99!!!)
Unsung hero devon men's casual brogue boot- £60 (Very)
Orange aztec belt- £15.99 (River Island)
Armani Leather bracelet- £165 (the Jewel Hut)
Grey cable knit Beanie- £10 (River Island)
Tweed flat cap- £10 (Boohoo)
Braces- £12 (Topman)
Altogether, I think the outfit combined to give a very contemporary, chic, stylish look. It's also rather cheap- the H&M items are an absolute bargain, and if you exclude the fancy bracelet and replace the brogues with something a little cheaper (though £60 isn't bad for brogue boots!), then you have the basics of an outfit for about £50 (a little more with the braces and belt). Each item has its own merits- the aztec print belt is very funky, and will create a nice contrast line between the bright, bold red of the trousers and the stripes of the vest top. The darkness of the cardy will go nicely with the brightness of the trousers, and guarantees the wearers' warmth. The hats are lovely too- the Beanie says edgy indie, whereas the flat cap says smart sophisticated. I hope you like it!
