Dusty and Dylan

Last Tuesday, after running amok at playgroup for a couple of hours with my daughter (well she was running amok, I was more following and apologising...), I decided to treat myself to a little mooch round the charity and vintage shops in Headingley. My little girl was pretty chilled out in her pushchair and seemed happy enough to point out hats, flowers and inflatable palm trees for fifteen minutes while I rummaged.

I'd spotted new vintage shop on the block Dusty and Dylan (www.dustyanddylan.com) a few weeks ago and been meaning to make a trip there. It's a pretty sweet little shop selling reasonably priced vintage clothes including a wide choice of dresses, most of which were around the £20 mark, plaid shirts and boots. There's plenty of stuff to keep both girls and boys happy and I plan to make a trip back at some point to pick up some shirts for my husband. As I walked in they were playing the Jenny and Johnny album which instantly made my day. I tried on a few things, including something from the £5 bargain basket which I realised after failing to put it on properly was actually a culotte playsuit and not a dress hence why I'd had such difficulties pulling it over my head. 

I ended up buying this black leather skirt which was £15. It's tulip shaped and I like it a lot...but - what to wear it with? I'm a little late to the party with the whole leather trend that's been around for a while. I think leather skirts look great when dressed down with a t-shirt and flat shoes or trainers to stop them looking too, well, trashy. However I'm a bit wondered that I'm not (whisper it) edgy enough to get away with it. Hmmm, watch this space... 

black leather skirt: Dusty and Dylan, £15

Clearing out the clutter

We've now been in our current house for over a year, which finally makes it the place that we've lived in the longest since going travelling in 2008. We're actually putting down roots. I still spend far longer than I should checking out other houses on RightMove, even though we've promised that this is it, whatever the problems with the house, no matter that with its anaglypta wallpaper and cream carpets it's not our dream house, we're committing to it and making it our home. We've now got to the point at which we're starting to decorate, which is very, very exciting. What's most exciting of all is that we're planning to have our bedroom finished by the end of the summer (we're giving ourselves very reachable targets). I've chosen the wallpaper (Marimekko whose prints I love so much - check it out here: http://www.wallpaperdirect.co.uk/products/brewers/lumimarja/74627) and the next step is to strip the walls and get them plastered. 

I recently re-discovered this silk blazer in a bag of clothes when emptying out the clutter from our spare bedroom in preparation for decorating. I bought it four years ago for £4 from a charity shop in Headingley. The night before, I'd gone out with a group of girls from work and after champagne cocktails, a few bars and two night clubs, the night had ended about 3am with us staying over at a friend's house in Leeds as at the time we were living in Saltaire and had missed the last train by a long way. It reminds me of a time gone by when spontaneous nights out after work were possible and frequent! Now I still see the same group of girls but it's more about coffees, playgroups and trips to the park.

It's definitely French, but I haven't heard of the brand. I love the colours: grey with pink piping round the outside which makes me think of old school blazers. There are also little pink covered silk buttons on each sleeve. Blazers, jeans and Breton tops are some of my favourite things to wear. 

grey silk blazer: Martin House, Headingley

Breton top: ASOS

jeans: Topshop

suede gladiator sandals: New Look

watch: Triwa

bird earrings: Topshop

bumblebee necklace: Alex Monroe

pink resin ring: Dinosaur Designs