Get ready for some serious awkward posing, coz I’m about to chat about two of my favourite things: reading & clothes. Recently, thanks to some pre-Christmas sales, I got a couple of clothing items, and I AM IN LOVE. As I am now officially a grown up, with an actual desk, I felt as though I should invest in some grown up, work appropriate clothes. And I’ve realised that, although I’ve been leaning vintage for like, all of my life, that my aesthetic is most definitely retro inspired. I basically wanna dress like a Disney princess from the fifties.
*SIDE NOTE: obvs when I am in my house, like all normal people, I am either dressed in PJ’s or the oldest, comfiest sweatpants. And a dressing gown.
But, as I LURVVE ma new clothes, and I LURVE ma books (I know, shocker, as you’re currently reading a blog all about books), I thought I’d pair the two of them together. I picked some of my fav, or most hotly anticipate reads that seem kinda fairytale-ish. Here we go:
OUTFIT #1:
This first look (OOH look at me, such a fashion blogger), is a basic striped top, paired with this gorg Lindybop circle skirt, which I got in the Black Friday sale! (If you fancy a gander, check it out here).
And the book I paired it with is SO FAR UP on my TBR it hurts. A SKINFUL OF SHADOWS by Frances Hardinge.
This is the story of a bear-hearted girl . . .
Sometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide.
Some people have space within them, perfect for hiding.Twelve-year-old Makepeace has learned to defend herself from the ghosts which try to possess her in the night, desperate for refuge, but one day a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard.
And now there’s a spirit inside her.
The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, and it may be her only defence when she is sent to live with her father’s rich and powerful ancestors. There is talk of civil war, and they need people like her to protect their dark and terrible family secret.
But as she plans her escape and heads out into a country torn apart by war, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.”
Isn’t that cover just BEAUTIFUL!?
OUTFIT #2:
Then we came back inside, coz guys, IT’S FREEZING in England. I also put on a cardi, and got a cuppa coz I was still cold. The cardigan is from New Look forever ago, and the skirt is another Lindybop purchase (can you tell they’re like ma fav shop?). It was also in the sale, which is extra good coz I’m a cheapskate. (It’s gone now, I’m sorry, but they’ve still got some cute bargains online!)
And the book I’ve paired it up with is one of my fav, A MOST MAGICAL GIRL by Karen Foxlee. This is JUST such a magical, (can you tell from the title?) quirky and charming adventure set in Victorian London and it’s lovely.
From the author of Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy comes the story of a friendship between two girls set in Victorian England, with magical machines, wizards, witches, a mysterious underworld, and a race against time.
Annabel Grey is primed for a proper life as a young lady in Victorian England. But when her mother suddenly disappears, she’s put in the care of two eccentric aunts who thrust her into a decidedly un-ladylike life, full of potions and flying broomsticks and wizards who eat nothing but crackers. Magic, indeed! Who ever heard of such a thing?
Before Annabel can assess the most ladylike way to respond to her current predicament, she is swept up in an urgent quest. Annabel is pitted against another young witch, Kitty, to rescue the sacred Moreover Wand from the dangerous underworld that exists beneath London. The two girls outsmart trolls, find passage through a wall of faerie bones, and narrowly escape a dragon, but it doesn’t take long for Annabel to see that the most dangerous part of her journey is her decision to trust this wild, magical girl.
Sparkling with Karen Foxlee’s enchanting writing, this is a bewitching tale of one important wand and two most magical girls.
OUTFIT #3:
Feat. Scatty the cat, who is seriously peeved off in this photo. This blouse has lightning bolt prints on (which I love), and is from Topshop a billion years ago. The skirt is now my one true love, and I brought it from Shein (which is a great website with really cheap stuff on it!). Also, these shoes make me feel like a witch, so that’s great.
And the book I put it with is equally pretty (both inside & out!). It’s THE GIRL OF INK AND STARS by the lovely Kiran Millwood-Hargrave. It’s lyrical and poetic, adventure filled and whimsical to the max.
Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.
When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.
But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself
So there you have it, a whole blogpost of awkwardness, fashion + books. Let me know what you think in the comments below. ALSO, massive thanks to ma sis who did not bat an eyelid when I asked her to take loads of photos of me!
