Outfit - The Striped Top

I love stripes! Mainly this kind -black with white stripes, it's like stripe heaven. This top didn't even cost me much, it was £4 in Primark! You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a cool chic vibe, which is always good in my opinion. 

Outfit - Transeasonal Green

A few days after writing my last blog I went into town and spent some money on clothes! Yay. I tried on quite a bit in Topshop and came out with a few bits, which was quite nice. I decided to buy clothes which I could easily wear throughout winter as well as the rest of our summer. 

This dress is just perfect for this. The colour, the shape, the fabric - perfect. Oh and the price! This basic green high neck dress was only £20, which in my mind is a bargain, seeing as I will happily wear this ALL THE TIME. It is ultimately comfortable, the colour is the best kind of green you can get - in my opinion - and the neck line is just well great. 

I don't have any flat summer shoes, which aren't converse or vans, so I decided black boots will do today. It wasn't too hot so I guessed these would pass as ok footwear for summer. In my eyes boots are always ok to wear - ok maybe not when it's so hot that you melt as soon as you leave the house...that is my exception. 

Forgive Me Blog For I Have Sinned

Hello,

I have been away for too long and for that I apologise. I have struggled for some time in working out where I place within the blogging world. I came into blogging three years ago now, when it was starting to gain more and more momentum into the powerhouse it is today. A lecturer at University told us all, that blogs were the future and we should all be blogging about anything and everything. I decided to start this blog, writing about what I knew...my own personal style. 

This was fine throughout university as I was always wearing whatever I wanted and I always had spare time to take outfit photos and write up pieces. Nowadays I work full time, where I wear an all black uniform and I find it difficult to find time to wear anything else. Home from work - leggings, jeans or my pyjamas are my first ports of call. 

Then on my days off I am so busy with other things that it is very hard to fit things in, especially when blogging has completely gone out of the window. I also find that I buy less clothes now as I don't have as much time to wear them! I still absolutely love clothes and personal style. It's funny as I work in the womenswear department of John Lewis, where I merchandise great brands, such as Warehouse - which I adore. I see all the newest clothes and I always have something in my hold pile! I feel like I may have lost my passion for it, and getting a work/life balance as proven very difficult, I seem to see clothes as work now rather than play! However I know in the back of my mind that I really want to get back into this world. 

I have always been passionate about fashion and style, and mine has definitely changed throughout the years (for the better) much like near enough everyone reading this! *cough* stripy arm warmers *cough* *cough* parachute pants with tassels *cough* - that one I am most ashamed of. 

On a slightly different note, I find the blogging community quite intimidating - I am not the most social person with people who I do not know, as I feel like I will be judged for not having great make up application (eyeshadow is my problem, I just can't apply it properly!) or the wrong lip stick colour on. I have gotten better through the years of being 'grown up' but I still find it hard, it really scares me - walking into a room where everyone knows everyone and no one knows you. Daunting! (this is just speculation as I have never had the courage to ever go to one!)

I also feel that blogging has changed throughout the years, it is more about advice than looking at what someone is wearing - which is great and I do enjoy reading them. However I feel that a lot of advice blogs have already been written or talked about. I think I want to go into more lifestyle posts - more restaurant reviews, travel writing, decorating ideas and tips etc. 

I really want to carry this blog on and really develop it into something I am really proud of. So please bare with me and I know that my little piece of the internet will grow and expand with me, as I get more ballsy and become more confident in my own skin. 

Thanks for sticking around! 

Speak soon

x

Pie and Vinyl Southsea

Recently my boyfriend and I ventured out to Southsea - a seaside town in Portsmouth, where we were recommended a place called Pie and Vinyl by a friend. This restaurant does exactly what it says on the tin, it serves pie and also sells vinyl - where two beautiful worlds collide and it works perfectly well! 

Pie&Vinyl sign

Pie and Vinyl is located down Castle Street in Southsea, which is around a 15 minute walk from the parks across the seafront - perfect for a quick and simple lunch, but also packed with flavour and goodness! 

The decor alone is amazing, with a cute vintage feel throughout the whole place - walking in you are instantly greeted by someone who works there. We decided to have lunch first and then go for a browse around the vinyl, so we picked a table and perused through the menu.

Pie&Vinyl menu

There were so many pie's to chose from, so it made the choice quite difficult - because I wanted to try them all! But I settled on the Irish special - Lamb Stew with Whisky (It was Saint Patricks Day after all). I ordered it as 'the works' which means you get the pie with mash, minted peas and a choice of either the traditional pie liquor or gravy. I chose liquor as I'd never had it before. 

We also ordered drinks, I had a Strawberry and Kiwi sparkling cordial and my boyfriend had a sparkling Cream Soda cordial. The waitress brought them over in two different tea pots, which was a cute touch, and you can get around 2/3 glasses of the drink - which is great because it was so tasty! It was lovely to have a different choice of drinks instead of the usual coke or lemonade! 

Strawberry and Kiwi Sparkling cordial.

The whole atmosphere of this place was so welcoming, it's chilled and cafe like, but they also have quirky details, as well as the amazing music that is playing. The walls are covered in music memorabilia, along with teapots and little knick-knacks, which just made it a really awesome place!

When the pies came out I couldn't wait to try it - it looked delicious! 

Irish Stew Pie with traditional pie liquor

My pie was so good - the pastry was just the right kind of crispy, and the lamb was perfectly cooked inside - it was literally falling apart! The pie also had potatoes, carrots and a whiskey gravy. The liquor was interesting (in a good way!!) and it worked perfectly with the whole dish. Again the mash and peas were so good, I just wanted to eat it over and over again!

I tried some of Craig's - Chicken and Chorizo pie, which was so tasty, very different from mine but wonderfully delicious. 

Table in Pie&Vinyl

After devouring our pies, we slowly wondered over to the vinyl side of this wonderful little place, where we flicked through many records from new to old, unfortunately Craig couldn't find the vinyl he was hoping to find, but it was fun none the less. 

I'm quite surprised they haven't branched out into other cities (come to Southampton!) such as London - there would be a queue out of the door all of the time! I will definitely be visiting here again because I need to try all the different pies! 

 x