Tuesday 1 March 2011

How to get ready for casual cocktails in less than one minute!

        So, this is the outfit I wore last night to my local cocktail and favourite bar of all time Cafe Baba.  I never know quite what to wear to these places, particularly in the student areas where most people just rock up in the jeans and uggs; which is the definition of casual.  I personally like to go out a little dolled up these days, I think looking good can make you feel good and when we're all caught up in the busy and stressful world of dissertation, feeling good is important.  But it is also important to be able to look good without much effort and in as quick a time as possible.  
HOW TO?: You can make any outfit smart and suitable for going out for drinks by teaming your current outfit with some heels, a statement necklace, some big bangles or a different waist belt.  You could swap a t-shirt for a stylish shirt, your casual knitwear for a fitted coat or jacket, the list goes one.  If you know what goes with what in your wardrobe then switching and swapping a few items will jazz up your outfit in seconds and you will be ready!  With this particular outfit all I did was wrap my Zara cardigan around what I had been wearing all day in the library, shifted my belt from my hips to my waist and swapped my ballet pumps for a pair of heels, I was ready to go in the space of a minute!
The cardigan is very dark petrol green, it's such a lovely subtle shade, in fact it is almost black.  I bought this in the Zara winter sale in 2009 for £15!
The belt I recently bought from Topshop after my old one that I got free with some Zara office trousers snapped.  I love this belt because it is versatile due to the heart shaped holes that are punched in to the leather all the way around, so you can have it as a waist or trouser belt!  AMAZING!  There are quite a few of this style of belt in Topshop at the moment, including another brown one which has stars on it.
The bag is my mum's old Timberland satchel which is older than me.  I found this on the back of our utility room door and nabbed it before my sister did.  It is surprisingly large and has a secret zip pocket on the back of the bag!
Now, these shoes were an absolute bargain from asos, I caught them in the sale with free next day delivery for a fantastic price of £26 when they originally fifty something!  I love these shoes because they have a Timberland boot look about them and match my bag very well.  I don't know if they have them anymore but they had grey/marl and black ones too.  The shoes are very comfortable and easy to walk in because of the rubbery grip soles, they are also padded slightly around the rim at the top which means they don't rub your ankles if you wear them bare leg with a dress!
This is another version of my outfit which I wore out for dinner last week:
Again, all I did was change my top and put my heals on for a smarter appearance, shoes and belt as above and the trilby hat is from Topshop, unfortunately this item has sold out but I am sure there will be more similar styles in store soon!

For more student fashion bargains and fashion tips keep an eye on this blog! :)

3 comments:

Emmmaaa said...

Those boots are amazingg!!!!!

Tess said...

Words cannot describe how jealous I am of your boots and the amazing price you got them for! x

Natasha cooks cakes and bakes said...

there a quite a few in some other shops at the moment, if you go online to New Looks or KG or OFFICE you may find some! Natasha x