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I love, love, love that Spring has finally decided to make an appearance but that does not mean I'm leaping straight into summer dresses and frilly bikinis. So how better to toughen up a nice, bright outfit than with a couple of well placed studs and spikes?

 

New Look have got a great range of chunky necklaces in at the moment and I've been searching for a nice, spiky gold one to wear with an outfit I'm planning on wearing to an upcoming ball at uni. I love the blue triangle one but the colour would clash with what I'm wearing so I'm keeping an eye out for any others that take my fancy. If that fails, I'm definitely considering popping into Topshop to see if the spiky ball earrings are in store - such an easy way to go from girly to down-right gangsta. Nearly.

 

 

I'm sorry for such a short post - the first week back at uni is always a bit of a busy one and I'm trying really hard to get into a solid fitness regime which I'm looking forward to blogging about soon. Hope everyone else is having weather as nice as I've had the last few days - it makes everything seem so much better.

 

Jade :)

Firstly, you might be aware of how much I raved about British band Bastille all the way back in April 2012 (click for full-on fangirl-ing) and now, almost a year on, I think I love them even more. If you haven't heard any of their stuff yet (if not, why not?!) go and find them on Youtube. The first song of theirs I heard was Flaws and it sounds just as flawless (sorry) as it did then.

 

Moving on from flaws to claws, it is no secret that I'm a fan of all things animal print. And though I'm currently feeling a little depressed from days of job hunting and CV sending, I'm not going to let a little thing like the lack of money stop me from lusting after things I probably will never be able to buy.

1. I like, foolishly, to think that this America ram tee from New Look is a bit of an edgier take on animal print (and yes, I'm applying the word edgy because there is a skull involved. It's been a tought week, let it slide.) Plus it's in the sale at a bargain price of only £4. Not to be missed.

 

2. As for this swimsuit, there are no words that I possess in my vocabulary to describe just how much I want this. But thanks to my lack of money, a holiday seems unlikely and since the British weather isn't known for being swimsuit friendly, I can't currently justify buying it. Sad face.

 

1. Another great find from Zara, I love the colourful tribal print on this rainbow giraffe tee and is perfect to brighten the bland British weather.

2. This is a white tee with black print AND it's a cat with a moustache. Perfect if you: a) like white tees, b) like cats c) are a hipster wannabe or d) just really like moustaches. Asos, I think I really like you.

3. This final tee from Asos is also very nice, with its almost tye-dye base and cute tiger overlay.

In my opinion, Zara currently have the best selection of animal-enhanced tees and they're so bright and lightweight that it's making me even more eager for summer. As you may know, I also have a petite penchant for wearing men's clothes and I'm happy to report that boys can get in on the animal loving too (which is good to know as my brother has got to the age where he's started to wear printed tees. And I for one am not keen on him parading around with scantily clad women on his tops. The bro should have better fashion sense than that; he's related to me. I KID.)

 

I'd definitely wear this black tiger jumper - it would be great layered over a collared shirt and thrown on with a pair of skinny jeans and black boots. A standard lecture outfit of late.

 

As for this wolf tee, I perhaps wouldn't personally wear this but I do have a wolf tee of my own from (the female section) of Zara and I love it. Wolves are cool.

This last item intrigued me because it's quite an odd design to have such a large animal form a print on a shirt but I kind of think it works. Check it out on Topman for a few similar items of animal print goodness.

I'm currently the proud owner of two black (surprise, surprise) crop tops but I'm drawn to them more and more the closer summer seems. Now I by no means have the body for them but a few alcoholic drinks down the line and I start professing I have the body of Miranda Kerr. (I really, really  don't.)

Still, I am convinced that under my ever-present pouch, I could potentially possess abs. I try (emphasis on the try. I fail quite often too) to work out a couple of times a week. I'm not terribly rigid with it - some days it's literally five sit ups and nothing else - but exercise is something I am conscious of doing. And sometimes, when I'm having a really good day, those low-lying abs come to the surface and I whack out the crop top (with some suitably high-waisted garments of course.)

In other words, I'm tactical. Having a high enough skirt and a long enough crop top gives the very clever illusion that I'm far more toned than I ever could be. In showing only a sliver of flesh, it allows the onlooker - who is usually far more inebriated than I am - to assume I'm some sort of gym-loving golden girl. And if I'm lucky, the camera falls for this trick too. So until this theory is disproved, crop tops will continue to be a staple part of my student wardrobe. (Sorry, dad.)


This tie-dye crop from Urban Outfitters is one that I keep coming back to. I love the colour of it and the little lace section is lovely; my only worry is that I'd be far too scared to wear it out in public. I think it'd be perfect for dance under a baggy, over-sized vest but for me it has just a little too much SPP for a night out.

I really like this Topshop bralet because of how summery it looks. In terms of its style, it's not something I'd usually opt for (it's a tad too tight-fitting and feminine) but it would be perfect paired with denim shorts someplace hot.

I think this white crop top from Fashion Union is one of my favourites though. It's baggy yet beguiling and can definitely be dressed up or down with disco pants or boyfriend shorts. It's a little longer than the other two so if, like me, you're a bit more body conscious then this allows you to still get on trend without any untoned tummy trouble.



Of course any wishlist of mine would not be complete without something black and basic so this eagle crop top from New Look is of course one of my top crops.  It's loose, it's white-on-black print; in short, it's very me. If I bought this (and believe me, I'm very close to doing so) I'd probably wear it with denim shorts, black knee high socks and some pretty grim black plimmies. I am a student after all.

The studs on the middle are the main reason I like this one from Asos - studs are a surefire way of making any outfit a bit more edgy. It comes in black and grey and I like that it has actual sleeves - I'll take any extra warmth I can get.

I also love this cream crop top also from New Look. Lace is ace because it never really goes out of fashion and again this comes in a number of colours. Woo.

So as you can see, crop tops really are all the rage right now. And the best thing about crop tops? By only using half the material, they're usually half the price of a proper top. BONUS.

Anyone else a fan of the crop top? Also, MAJOR apologies for the poorly constructed post title. I like to try and pretend I'm dead witty. I'm not.