#OOTD: 22/06/15

Hello altrocklifers! First of all I’d like to apologise for the slightly misleading post title: today’s outfit of the day is not the outfit I wore today (shock horror!).  Instead it’s the outfit I wore out to my super early birthday bash last week, and it’s honestly my favourite outfit in my wardrobe right now.

Photo by Lucia Photography.

Photo by Lucia Photography.

Shirt, clutch bag, boots: New Look
Shorts: Drop Dead
Necklace: Become Antique

Unfortunately, due to the club’s logo being photoshopped over the bottom half of my outfit, you can’t really tell what I’m wearing, so let me break it down for you:

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I’m so glad I bought these shorts, as they’re now one of my favourite items of clothing.  Up until last week I struggled to find a top to match them with, but this outfit is a solid back-up.  I wouldn’t normally wear so much black in summer, but I think the Drop Dead shorts are best suited to monochrome, and they were the feature of the outfit after all!  The gold touches on the clutch, necklace and buttons of the shirt, as well as the glittery thread running through the shorts, helps to keep the outfit from blending into the background.

What do you think of this outfit?  How would you style these shorts?  Let me know on Facebook or Twitter.

Currently listening to: Jet Pack Blues – Fall Out Boy

How to manage your transition wardrobe

If your weather is anything like mine is here in Bournemouth, planning your outfit each day is becoming more and more of a task.  The British weather is at that annoying in-between stage, where you don’t want to be that person wearing shorts and flip-flops on a rainy day, but equally you don’t want to be wearing a heavy coat on the warmest day of the week.  Oh Mother Nature, why must you be so fickle and cruel?

But have no fear, altrocklife is here to help!  Here are my top tips for managing the awkward spring weather.

Check the weather forecast the night before, as well as in the morning

Getting an idea of what the weather will be like before you go to bed will help to reduce stress in the morning.  In order to even further reduce stress, I tend to pick out the next day’s outfit in the evening and have it ready for when I wake up.  Make sure you double check the weather before you get dressed in the morning, in case the forecast takes a turn for the worst (or best!).  These bands of high and low pressure are extremely fickle.

Take humidity into account

Ah, humidity, the destroyer of hairstyles.  And potentially outfits, if you ignore it!  Maybe the temperature is only going to reach a high of thirteen or fourteen celsius, but if you pair that with 91% humidity it could end up being a sticky day.  On days with low(ish) temperatures and high humidity, I’d recommend a couple of lightweight layers paired with rolled-up jeans and ankle boots, to keep you from sweating everywhere or getting chilly as the evening rolls in.

Layering is your best friend

No longer do you have to put on a bra, vest, t-shirt, jumper, coat and scarf before leaving the house, hooray!  As soon as April comes around it’s officially time to work thick, bulky items out of your wardrobe.  Say goodbye to knitted scarves, thick jumpers, beanies and heavy coats until October.  Instead, if you’re still feeling the chill layer up a cami, shirt and statement jacket underneath a lightweight mac.  Plus, tights under shorts are definitely a thing.  Stay looking summery and chilled whilst protecting your pins from the spring chill.

(Also, by removing the bulky items from your wardrobe, you suddenly open up way more space for new summer clothes!  Perfect.)

Chuck a coat over a summery outfit 

This tip is a bit of a cop-out, but something I do on the regular.  If you’ve put together a lovely, lightweight warm-weather outfit only to realise it’s going to be cold all day, wear it anyway with a nice colour-coordinating coat over the top.  Wear the coat open to show off your outfit while you’re indoors, but as soon as you leave the office or uni button that bad boy up to keep the chill at bay.  Et voila!  You can still look on-trend and lovely in your nice warm office, and if you look a bit bundled up on the way home, who cares?  Secretly, everyone’s jealous that they’re not brave enough to wear such a summery outfit.

What are your transition wardrobe tips? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.

Currently listening to: Out Of The Black – Royal Blood

#OOTD: 21/7/14

So, for the past couple of weeks ASOS has been holding a massive summer sale, which is amazing news for me – usually, ASOS is a little bit out of my price range, and their sales make everything a whole lot more affordable.

Originally I was looking for a pair of tartan leggings, because I was planning on including them in an 80s punk costume I was working on.  Even though I’ll no longer be dressing up as a punk, I knew I had to buy the leggings anyway, because patterns and prints are really popular right now.

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I expected the leggings to be a brighter red, judging by the photos on ASOS’s website, however I am happy with the slightly darker red colour now I’ve put them on and got used to them.

Black and red is always a winning combination, so I paired these leggings with one of my favourite chiffon shirts, from New Look – I normally wear chiffon shirts with just my bra underneath, but for those who want to keep their underwear covered up I would pair this shirt with a plain black bandeau top or thin spaghetti-strap vest.  Even though this shirt has full-length sleeves, I always roll them up to the elbows to help keep my arms cooler in the summer.

Obviously, a plain shirt would be a little boring, so I added a large multi-chain necklace, also from New Look.  Its combination of gold and black spikes and diamante-embellished chains makes the necklace eye-catching, and breaks up the monotony of the black shirt.

If I was wearing this outfit to a summer barbecue or drinks at my favourite bar, I’d add a pair of chunky black ankle boots and a leather jacket – either black or red.

What do you think of this outfit?  How would you wear tartan leggings?  Let me know on Twitter or in the comments below!

Currently listening to: Leave Out All The Rest – Linkin Park

#OOTD: 28/6/14

It’s been a while since I made an outfit of the day post, hasn’t it?  Well today I thought my outfit was particularly inspired, so here it is for your enjoyment!

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Today was a lovely sunny day so I decided to whack my legs out and wear my favourite high waisted shorts, which I picked up from New Look a couple of years ago.  They’re probably one of the most worn items in my wardrobe (in fact, you probably recognise them from my previous outfit of the day post), and high waisted denim is definitely bang on trend right now.

Animal prints and designs are also really popular this summer, so I decided to pair my shorts with a tiger vest top, also from New Look.  My favourite animal shirt in my wardrobe, however, is my tiger t-shirt from Thunder Apparel – which I reviewed here.

I also love to layer shirts, so I paired the vest with one of my favourite red check shirts, from Select.  I started off with it tied around my waist, however thanks to the unpredictable British weather I was wearing the shirt as a jacket by the end of the day.

I colour coordinated my red shirt with red converse and my favourite black and red Vans snapback to add a bit more colour to the outfit, plus my favourite matte black sunglasses to complete the outfit.

I would also wear this outfit with a pair of embellished sandals and see-through bag if I was hitting the beach, or a leather jacket, wedges and chunky gold necklace if I was going out for a couple of drinks.

What do you think of this outfit?  Tweet me or comment below to let me know!

Currently listening to: Last June – Gallows

Review: Thunder Apparel

I wasn’t expecting to be back with another fashion review so quickly, seeing as I’m a poor student and my altrocklife fashion week cost me a significant sum.  However, my family were very generous to me this Easter, and I find it difficult to resist clothes shopping at the best of times, so here we are again.

My brand of choice this time around is Thunder Apparel, an independent brand formed in 2011.  I ordered my Tiger Tee on Easter Sunday and it slid through my letterbox this morning, which I was extremely happy with.  Speedy shipping is what gives me strength.

One thing I noticed that struck me as odd, however, is that my package did not contain an invoice.  I don’t know if this was an error or the general practice of Thunder Apparel, but if I’d wanted to return my t-shirt I probably would have run into difficulties, even though I did get an email confirmation of my order from both the brand and PayPal.

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Anyway, back to the shirt.  The print looks awesome, and the shirt is great quality.  There are a couple of white patches in the print, which I expected due to the style of printing, but they don’t detract from how much I love the shirt.

Plus, the neck hole is a great size for my head!  If you’ve read my previous t-shirt reviews, you’d know that shirts with neck holes that are too small are a major issue for me.

If you’re on Twitter – and frankly, who isn’t – you should definitely check out Thunder Apparel’s Twitter page.  Whoever’s in charge of their account is absolutely lovely, so make sure you say hi.

I would definitely recommend shopping with Thunder Apparel.  I had a really great experience, and I can’t wait to shop with them again.

Want this shirt but don’t know what to wear it with?  Check out my Polyvore for ideas.

Currently listening to: (I’ll Grab You By The) Neck Of The Woods (live performance) – We Are The Ocean

altrocklife fashion week: Rogue City

So, it looks like this is the last instalment of the altrocklife fashion week.  I can sense all of your sad faces from here.  But not to worry; there’s a lot more where this came from.

The third and final brand I’ll be looking at is Rogue City.  I ordered the AKA Orton Bleach Splash Tee on the 2nd of April and it arrived on the 5th, which is great for someone as impatient as me.

They also sent me a handy 10% discount code via Twitter, which I really appreciated.

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I like this shirt; it feels good quality, and it’s the only shirt I featured in the altrocklife fashion week which has a neck hole large enough for my giant skull.

My main issue with it is that even though I ordered a medium, this shirt is massive around my hips.  I knew it would be baggier around my hips, but it felt a lot larger than I’d have expected from the information on the website, especially as I’m only a size 12.  I’ll definitely be altering this shirt so it fits better.

So, overall, I’m a little disappointed in this shirt.  The brand’s customer service is awesome, though.  I got a little note with my shirt which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, as well as a Malteaster bunny!  I was extremely happy with that, let me tell you.

I would recommend purchasing from Rogue City, but make sure you’re 100% happy with the item you’re about to buy before you buy it.  If I’d taken a closer look at the product photographs, I would have noticed the bagginess around the hips and probably chosen something different.  All in all, though, I’m happy enough with the shirt to not bother returning or exchanging it.

Want inspiration for how to wear this shirt?  Check out my Polyvore for ideas.

Currently listening to: Do It Now, Remember It Later – Sleeping With Sirens

altrocklife fashion week: Stay Lucky Clothing

Welcome to the second instalment of the altrocklife fashion week!  Today I’m looking at Stay Lucky, another independent clothing brand.  I ordered my shirt on April 2nd and it arrived on the 4th.  Speedy shipping seems to be a theme with the brands I’m looking at this week.

Another running theme is that these guys also sent me a 10% discount code when I followed them on Twitter, which is great for an unemployed student like me.

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I absolutely love this t-shirt.  The design is vibrant and exactly how I expected it to look from the website.  The fit is great, too, even if once again the neck hole is slightly too small for my apparently gigantic head.

Along with my order, I also got sent a couple of sweeties and a lovely little note, which really made me feel like a valued customer.

All in all, this brand is absolutely fabulous, and I recommend you go check them out.

If you want inspiration for how to wear this shirt, check out my Polyvore for ideas.

Currently listening to: Everything Ends – Young Guns

#OOTD: 25/3/14

Today, I paid homage to my primary school uniform with this cute shirt, jumper and skirt combo.  I couldn’t just leave it at that, though:  playground-chic is so last year.

If there was a school for punk rock, I’d be so there.

As a fan of the Hard Rock franchise this jumper is one of my favourites, and has  memories of chowing down on a chicken club sandwich at their cafe on Pier 39 in San Francisco.

But it’s a little plain and I’m not a big fan of crew necks, so I decided to add a little texture with a white chiffon blouse and multi-chain necklace, both from New Look.

I finished off the look with a simple black skater skirt from Select.  At only £8 it was a steal, as well as a wardrobe essential.  I mean come on, who doesn’t need a black skirt in their lives?

To grunge this look up a little, why not add a leather-look skirt, checked pleats, or a statement collar to make things more interesting.

Currently listening to: Bulls in the Bronx – Pierce The Veil

#OOTD: 22/3/14

You know how it is: you’re scrolling down your twitter feed having the time of your life, and all of a sudden you look at the time to see your bus leaves in 20 minutes.

That, unfortunately, was me this morning, so all I could manage to do was chuck on the first clothes I saw before I left the house.  Thankfully, it all turned out rather well.

I am so working the double denim.

This particular outfit has a lot of memories for me, as most of the pieces were bought on my holiday on the California coast and in New York in July/August 2013.

The vest was bought at Club Tattoo, a tattoo parlour (hence the name) and clothing/accessories store on Pier 39 in San Francisco.  Even eight months later the design is still in great condition, and the fit is super flattering for my body type.

Please, bow down and appreciate the beauty of this purse.

I also bought this gorgeous purse/clutch bag there too, and is to date the most amount of money I’ve ever spent on one item of clothing or accessory at $45, or roughly £30.

The denim shirt I also bought in America, this time at Times Square’s branch of Forever 21.  I love this for its red checked shoulders, which add a bit more colour and coordinates nicely with the red of the vest.

This was also a pretty good value purchase, however it wasn’t until I tried on the shirt at home that I realised one sleeve is slightly tighter than the other for some reason.  So, not massively pleased with the quality of the piece, but the shirt’s still lasted well and I liked it enough not to bother returning it.

The shorts are a staple of my wardrobe; bought at New Look a good few years ago, they’re high waisted and still such a great fit.

Damnit, I can’t think of any time-related puns.

Here’s a close-up of my necklace, an ornate pocket watch on a bronze chain I bought last year in a random gift shop.  It was fairly pricey – £20 – but I absolutely love it, and it goes with pretty much every outfit in my wardrobe.

It also ties in nicely, colour-wise, with the brown lace-up boots I wore with the outfit.  I never put batteries in the watch, though.  Maybe that’s why I’m late to lectures so often.

This outfit is a favourite because of the colour coordination.  Whilst I can appreciate outfits that clash, I don’t feel comfortable unless my entire outfit ties in nicely together.

I’m also really liking the double denim which, if pulled off well, is definitely a popular choice right now.

(And obviously I pulled it off well.  Duh guys.)

Currently listening to: Bones Exposed – Of Mice & Men