Topshop Old, Topshop New, Topman Borrowed, Topshop Blue

Top - Topshop

Blazer - Topshop

Shorts - Zara (DIY)

Boots - Bianco

Belt - Topman

Necklace - Vintage

As you may be able to tell from the title, this post just a little Topshop heavy.  Ahem.  It wasn't until I began to attempt to conjure a title though (and, personally, I think that might be the hardest part of blogging) that I realised just how appropriate that old marital adage would be.  And, well, if the shoe fits...

So here we are.  Let's start with something old.  I picked this top up back in the dusky days of 2010 on a pre-university shopping trip in Birmingham.  I found this piece reduced from £38 to just £8 (I remember because I was so darn impressed with my bargain hunting) and I believe there was a 20% student discount event on at the time, taking it down to just £6.40.  Quite the steal, I'm sure you'll agree.  However, when I plucked this item from the rail, it didn't look quite as it does today.  No, at the time it was entirely adorned with silk feathers.  On somebody with a different body shape to me I'm sure this would have been quite the statement piece, but unfortunately as somebody with a chest, I ended up just looking like a large, peach coloured bush.  It wasn't the most flattering.  Never to be deterred though, I took my craft scissors to the foliage and was left with this rather useful, mostly sheer but subtly striped vest.  Not bad for £6.40.

The new, borrowed and blue have rather a less to the story of them.  In fact, the new and blue are actually rolled up in one in the jacket.  No doubt that's bad luck in a wedding, but luckily nobody's put a ring on it yet (yes, let's just take a moment to appreciate Queen Bey shall we?) so I'm safe on that front.  Having hunted for a navy blazer for at least a year now, I was pretty happy to find this one for £20 in the Christmas sales just gone.  It's just what I was looking for shape-wise and it's been a very useful addition to the wardrobe.  I've also taken to layering it with my beige mac to create a little extra warmth and an effect I quite enjoy.  As for the something borrowed, I am of course referring to this belt, also picked up in a sale (£2 for a real leather belt I do recall, yes siree!) but from Topman, so stolen from the boys this time.

Along with my cut up Zara jeans, this outfit is a perfect example of how well worn items can be combined together in a different way to create a new look.  As I'm now two months into my spending ban, I've taken to pulling old favourites out of hiding like this quite regularly, in order to breathe a well needed bit of fresh air into my wardrobe as we head into Spring.  Long may the penny saving continue.