W is for Wardrobe Organisation (Part I)

W: Wardrobe Organisation (Part I) 

Good Morning. 

My name is Ginger, and I am a clothes/shoes/accessories-o-holic! 

I'm not a shop-o-holic or anything, I just really, really, really like having lovely things in my wardrobe that make me feel amazing every time I wear them! Part of me feeling good about myself, is feeling that I look good too. So on days when I don't have work, I like to put in 110%. 

I don't do it for anybody else. I do it for me. 

If there are days when I want to stay in my pyjamas all day, I happily will, even with friends who are over. If I'm feeling confident about my skin, I'll go out with a small amount of make up on rather than a bucket-load! 

But clothes, accessories and shoes do make me happy. 

Sometimes, I just open my wardrobe and gaze....

Of course, having clothes comes at a price. You have to keep them organised. Now, I'm quite fortunate. I have my own house, and I live alone, so I have a fair amount of space to work with (2 wardrobes, a chest of drawers, and under-the-bed storage.) 

This is how I store my everyday wardrobe. I decided to do my wardrobe organisation in a few parts, as I have bits and pieces stored in different places. 

I usually keep clothes I'm planning to wear hung up outside my wardrobe to air

Here we go. This is my bigger wardrobe. It's on the side of the bed closest to me. Inside are my clothes and necklaces, and on top is where I store things I need to find a home for (it's a bit messy, so I kept it out of shot.) Even though I've lived by myself for nearly 3 years now, I'm still trying to sort things out and get used to having extra space!

I try to keep my clothes in a specific order so that when it comes to hanging clean clothes up, I know exactly where to put them. As you can probably tell, I do like to mix and match colourful and neutral pieces. I try to go for a colour palette that I know will suit my hair and skin tone, and items that I know I will wear time and time again (thank you to the Duchess of Cambridge for making this cool again!) 

On the inside of my wardrobe door I hang all of my necklaces. I bought a small row of coat hooks - which one of my handy friends put up for me - and just screwed it in to the door. This saves all my chains getting in to a tangle, and means I can just open my wardrobe and get what I need, instead of rummaging around for things. 

On the very far left of my wardrobe is where I hang up all of my jackets/jumpers/cardigans that I wear on a day-to-day basis. The things I hang here will depend on what time of the year it is, so, at the moment, I have lighter jackets and thinner cardigans, with a few thicker options just in case the weather turns colder unexpectedly. Most of my jackets are black, because it looks good with everything. I tend to be a little more colourful in my cardigan and jumper choices!

L-R: Blouses, Skirts, Dresses

In the middle, I keep all of my every day clothing pieces. Starting from the left I have blouses and tops that need to be hung up, then I move on to skirts, and then, on the right hand side, dresses. In a lot of my fashion choices, I look for things that can be worn from day through to night. Sometimes, if I'm out for the weekend with friends, we go out during the day and stay out until late, so it's good to have crossover pieces. Colourful items are a must, especially for Spring/Summer!

At the opposite end of the wardrobe to jackets, I hang all of my clothes solely dedicated to nights out....dresses, tops, playsuits and jumpsuits! I don't have a standard order in which I store things, but the things I wear most often tend to find themselves nearer the end that is closest to my other clothes.

There you have it for Part I of my wardrobe storage. 

Keep your eyes peeled for more parts to come.

How do you store your clothes? Any top tips for saving space?

Ginger x

Fashion Haul Feb/March 2013

I LOVE shopping, 

Shopping LOVES me, 

It doth fill me much with glee..... 

Buuuutttt....My purse hates it! Times are hard, so lately, I've been really focusing on choosing key items that I can wear loads, and that are on the lower end of the expense scale. 

These are the items I've picked up over the last month or so fashion-wise. Another haul post for my beauty buys will be coming next week. 

As always, please don't think I'm showing off. I just wanted to share things that I have picked up. You may see something that you like, and then you can go and pick it up too! Yippee!!! 

Dresses

The dress on the right is actually more red, but the photo makes it look slightly different.

 Firstly, a big, fat APOLOGY. I know that the dress on the right is a tad creased. I had worn it out to town, and it was queued up to be washed.

I picked up both of these dresses from Primark. They are the classic skater dress, with an empire line and capped sleeve. Basic style, and an absolute staple. These dresses are so flattering, and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion (it's so important to be I have crossover items in my wardrobe.) The dresses finish mid-thigh on me, so are the perfect length for a day or night look, and the tiny sleeves are so flattering!. I'd nip in the waist of these dresses using a black waist belt to add more definition, and for a more casual look, throw on a boyfriend/oversized cardigan

Both of these dresses were £5 each - bargainous!

I picked up this dress for £10 during an H&M event, but the  normal price is £14.99

 I was out shopping with Mama Ginger in H&M when I saw this dress. I walked passed it, and the print caught my eye. The style I was a bit unsure of though. I'm not the most confident in wearing bodycon dresses, but I thought "Hey-ho, I'll give it a go." I didn't regret it when tried it on. The black paneling at the side is incredibly flattering, and creates the illusion of creating more of an hourglass shape. The fabric has a good stretch too, which, for me, is golden (I have been known to get stuck in dresses trying to get them off!)  The print is bright and bold, and just looking at it makes me feel more free, wild and daring! 

All the dresses in this haul I have featured in my Spring Nights Lookbook if you want to see how I'd style them up for a night out

Tops

Another beautiful Primark find. I don't know if you find this, but I always find that different Primark stores stock different things. Or maybe I'm just not looking in the right sections?! I saw this top in the Primark where my 'rentals live, and knew I needed it in my life. I am a sucker for a hi-low hem, especially because I wear leggings lots. You need to have a certain length of hem for legging-wear-idge...well, I do anyway. It was the print that caught my eye first. But then, when I tried it on, the style sold it to me. The cut is quite flattering o my bodyshape (I think this is partly due to the light gathers in the fabric), and is super comfy and lightweight, so perfect for the upcoming warmer Spring/Summer weather! 

 There is a section of gathering in the back, and a small lengthwise cutout, which creates an interesting and unexpected feature for a basic shaped top....Ooooo, interesting! 

I picked this top up in a UK 8 because of the stretch, and it is plenty big enough. If you are a bit smaller on top, I'd say try a size smaller, because this top does a bit of a stretch. 

I can't quite remember how much this top cost, but it was definitely under £10!

Up close on the gathering a the back

Accessories

 All of these accessories I picked up at Primark. You may notice a common theme. I don't know what it is,m but at the moment, I've been drawn to more Gothic style jewellery. I saw the necklace first. I thought the length was really flattering, and the mixture of different colour/style of chain and "charms" was really interesting. Plus, I'd not seen anything like it anywhere else So straight in to my shopping basket it went. 

Skulls, Peace Signs, "Fangs" (?!), and Crosses

The bracelet I bought as a complimentary piece. I thought the flower design of the cuff was really pretty, but not overly feminine. I'm quite a big fan of gold jewellery for everyday wear. Silver I tend to save for special pieces

And I'd been eyeing up the skull-print scary for ages. Primark have had skull scarfs in their stores for a while, and in various colours, but it was the monochrome that made me finally decide to get one. I have quite a lot of bright coloured scarfs with colouful patterns, so having one in grey and black means I have a scarf that I can wear with most other colours. 

I always pick up a pair of suspender tights or patterned tights from Primark when I go. They are relatively cheap, and are a great way to dress up/accesorise an otherwise simple outfit. 

I couldn't find the prices for the accessories I bought, but Primark accessories are always quite good value for money, so it's definitely worth having a look around. 

The Hat

I am a big hat fan! But I do have quite a big head, so sometimes finding hats that a) fit me, or b) make my head look EVEN BIGGER is sometimes an issue. 

However, with this bowler-style hat from Topshop, it was love at first sight, and wear. I think it is just amazing, and is the perfect way to accessorise a day look, or night look, which is why I decided to buy it. I have worn it loads already, and in both capacities, and it has got a lot of attention. 

If you are in to hats, and looking for a bowler style to add to your collection, give this one a try. It was £25, but it is a great hat, and so versatile! I think it is the perfect way to finish off any outfit. 

Ginger x

Spring Nights Lookbook

It has been March for ten days now. I ca hardly believe we are here already. Spring is definitely on the way! 

Woohoo! 

Although it WAS snowing today, but still. I'm sure it was a blip on the weather radar.... finger crossed. 

Spring brings with it a great opportunity for re-birth. And at the moment, I feel like my fashion boundaries are in labour (without the terrible pain.) So with that in mind, I've brought together a Lookbook of outfits I intend to try out/have tried already for the new season. You will notice that some of the pieces and accessories are the same. I am a STRONG believer in owning items that can be worn over and over, and always try to get my cost per wear! 

Look One 

 Hat: Topshop

Blazer: H&M

Waist Belt: ASOS

Skater Dress: Primark

Tights: ASOS 

Jewellery: Primark 

(I wore this look on Friday night and LOVED it. The hat was particularly popular. It got a lot of action!)

Look Two 

Bodycon dress: ASOS

Black Tights: M&S 

Peeptoe Heels: New Look 

This bodycon dress does ALL the talking, so if I wear this out, I'd keep accessories to a bare minimum. At most, I'd make a statement with a bold lip or smokey eye, but no more. Too much and I don't think I could pull it off. 

Look Three 

Hat: Topshop

Bodycon dress: H&M 

Flower cuff: Primark 

Ring: New Look (I think) 

Black tights: M&S

Shoe boots: New Look 

This dress makes such a statement on its own that you don't need to be ostentatious with anything else or you'll draw attention away from it. I'd go for understated jewellery, and my new Topshop hat to coimpliment the punk/rock feel of the dress, and keep my hair a little bit unkempt and wild!! 

Look Four 

Hat: Topshop

Green tunic/dress: H&M (in the Netherlands) 

Ring: New Look (I think)

Flower cuff: Primark

Black tights: M&S

Peeptoe Heels: New Look

 This dress is very, very short. It is not for the faint hearted. Again, I'm keeping accessories simple in this look so it doesn't look overwhelming. If it was chilly out, I'd team this with the black blazer from Look One,  to mix in a bit of masculine with the feminine. 

Look Five 

Hat: Topshop 

Blazer: H&M

Printed skater dress: Primark 

Waist belt: ASOS

Black tights: M&S

Knee high socks: Primark 

Shoe boots: New Look 

Flower cuff: Primark

Ring: New Look (I think) 

This look is very similar to Look One, which is probably why I like it so much. Although this time, I've teamed it with a pair of knee high socks instead of statement tights. I really like the idea of taking a super girly dress and teaming it with a dark, longline blazer. It adds a casual touch, and the masculine style of the blazer constrasts with the feminine quality of the dress. This is probably my favourite look, because it is so versatile. Definitely a Day to Night ensemble! 

Ginger x