Polish Pride - La Mania

Being the Pole that I am (and by that I don’t mean you have consent to dance and rub yourself against me, although it is a frequent occurrence among my friends) I get ridiculously excited when a Polish person does anything remotely news or note-worthy - a guy saving a cat from a tree would have me running around the living room shouting “Look! The dude’s Polish! Legend!" When I discovered the work of super talented designer Joanna Przetakiewicz, the brain-child behind label La Mania, I knew that my roots hadn't completely let me down (and I finally found someone with a surname as long as mine, wahey!).

Fashion Gone Economical

As a student, I was incessantly bankrupt and living off Tesco value packet soups, which made it pretty difficult to find awesome outfits for a decent price. As a now ‘working woman’, I find my situation rather indifferent; with the credit crunch literally chomping its way through our pockets, the desire of grasping on to a pair of chewed up pumps, claiming they’re ‘meant to have holes’  is rising (trust me, I've done it). And so the question arises; what does one do when one is quite literally beggared? Here are a few tips on looking great this winter without busting your bank accounts...

December Treats

 “A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.” 

             - Couldn't agree more, Mr Zusak.

Oxblood and Stone

A prominent hue that I've scouted around this season is oxblood, which is ideal in my eyes considering it's one of my favourite colours in the world. Although I am not a particular trend follower, I am proud to say that I have purchased £40 worth of oxblood clothing in the past week, including these super warm leggings (£4!) courtesy of good ol' Primark. In other news, hello £10 baroque skirt.

Changing Rooms - The Gender Issue

Ah, changing rooms - you pick out a few items in your size, bop over to the never-ending queue, faff and fuss for about an hour or so until you finally decide that you prefer the other dress anyway (plus, the lighting in those places sucks right?) Although for many women this is considered the standard shopping experience, not everyone shares this view; in fact, many steer clear of changing rooms all together. Why? Because they are part of the many women in our world who's attire, stance or hairstyle is not what society would consider ‘feminine’.

Bootylicious

If you guys read my blog post about high heels earlier last month, you'd know that I have big trouble finding decent shoes to go out in that don't a) cripple my feet, and b) make me look like the BFG.

Well, it just so happens that during my disgraceful pay-day shopping spree, I finally found a pair of booties that have completed my life.

Spaced Out

As you've probably noticed, there's been a considerable amount of space-themed items creeping around the shops lately - I'm not complaining, I always thought my love for high school Physics lessons would come in handy one day (plus, the Uranus jokes never get old). As much as I am loving the clothes, the jewellery sector has been lacking a bit, which is why I am grateful to the Tumblr Gods for sending these angels my way.

I never thought NASA could have such finesse.