catch me on fire

Floral zip-up top, Topshop (old stock); Pink skater skirt, Topshop (old stock); Flats, New Look; Sunglasses, c/o Romwe; Cardigan, Mango.

Sometimes my style completely reverts back to how it was two or three years ago, and this little ensemble is a perfect example of that. I wore this little get-up to our Bloggers Picnic a couple of weekends ago, but realised that I didn't post any photos of what I wore, so I've sneakily recreated it today and I love the colours together. A lot of people think skater skirts and A-line skirts are a tad passe now, but I wanted something fun and something that would let me attempt to catch some rays!

The floral zip up top is an A-line kinda piece that sits really awkwardly on me - let's just say I bought it after college (yup, that long ago!) after being paid from my first job. One of those purchases. Either way, I adore wearing it tucked in, bralet style, with a multitude of different high-waisted pieces.

Back to work today, and as you read this, I'll have already been awake and at it since 5:30am! Oh those pesky Olympics, eh? Following my ranty-infused build-up to the Olympics, I've spent a chilled weekend channel-hopping between several sports, and can now confirm that I'm back on the positive side towards this - just. ♥

Forever 21 Christmas Press Day

Forever 21 Christmas Press Day, available from November 2012.

One of the little bonuses of being a blogger of sorts is getting to pop along to press days once in a while. Christmas Press season is in full swing at the moment, so after work, I met some of the Dream Team (namely Sarah, Sarah and Aisling!) and we ventured over to The Music Rooms near Bond Street to have a preview of Forever 21's festive offerings.

As with most of Forever 21's collections, you can expect a myriad of slouchy fabrics, lace textures and an overwhelming amount of sparkle. There are three main lines to the collection, but my personal favourite has got to be the pinks and pales of course. That jersey blazer will definitely be making its' way into my wardrobe soon. I also spied an oyster pink silk/chiffon blouse that is going to be the ideal replacement of my slightly shabby New Look one.

In terms of partywear for those all-important and all-awkward Christmas parties, Forever 21 have a huge selection of Little Black Dresses, embellished with studs, sequins, faux fur and metallic boucle. Ooh la la! Finished off with a truckload of their infamous jewellery, I think Forever 21 is definitely one of those brands to keep an eye out for if you're attending lots of events over the Christmas season, and need a multitude of dress options. ♥

a (contented) week in photos

Follow me on Instagram for more daily photos: 'winyeemichelle'.

Dad's day off always mean ridiculously good dinners: Malay chilli veg, lychee marinade duck and roast duck with babycorn and mangetout · Blue skies in London on Monday after work · Post-work, awaiting my ride home · Went to my favourite place, Selfridges · Wonderstruck finally entered my life and has quickly become my signature scent, as if you expect any less! · Popped to the summer launch party of Marie Claire Runway · Attended a The Only Way is Essex party for the launch of their latest fragrances - review coming soon! · Dinnertime with a plethora of bloggers at the Soho Pizzeria - thanks to Zozo for the snap! · Outfit of Wednesday · Olympic flags in Covent Garden · Platform 9¾ · The Harry Potter Studio Tour made me cry and reinforced my desire to turn to Potions Making · Yo! Sushi with Mamabear · "Soupa hot." made Daisybrother and I laugh for a good ten minutes... · GlossyBox July goodness · This week in paper bags.

Hello one and all!

It's been a while since I did one of these, huh? This week has been one of the best in quite a long time, and I've absolutely loved sitting here today, watching the Olympics (artistic gymnastics, badminton and swimming on rotation, FYI, we've mastered this channel-hopping bizniz), and editing photos for this post. I could have included hundreds more in terms of photographs, as I seem to have amassed two SD cards full of snaps and videos. Oopsie.

I've had half a week off work this week, which has been pretty nice. I spent most of it working on Issue Two of Aesthetic magazine, and finally sending off proofs to the majority of my amazing team. Aside from that, I've spent a lot of time catching up with the blogging ladies, reuniting with Emma, indulging in my Harry Potter habit and my Taylor Swift 'Wonderstruck' fragrance arrived at my doorstep too! I practically wrenched that particular package out of my postie's hands!

Anyway, I'll let the rest of the photos do the talkin', you can catch up on more from me and my week in yesterday's HP photo post, over at Katy's blog where I styled a white dress, and also on the ol' Instagram. I'm off to cheer on Team HK, GB and Malaysia! Whew! ♥


PS. I was shortlisted for a Cosmopolitan Blog Award this year! Please, please continue to support Daisybutter by submitting your votes for us to win Established Fashion Blog here. Love you guys, SO much.

"don't worry, you're just as sane as i am"

NB: This post contains photographs from the Harry Potter Studio Tour, so avert your eyes if you don't want to see spoilers! x

Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England. Tickets begin at £21.

Wearing: Minnie Mouse sleeveless shirt, New Look; Pleated dress, c/o Ever Ours; Mint green peeptoe wedges, Urban Outfitters; Bag, Luella; Golden Snitch necklace, Wallpaper Rose; Red friendship bracelet, c/o Dainty Roses; Bunny bracelet, Dolly Bow Bow.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, I finally managed to hop the Hogwarts Express (well, in some semblance), onto a poor man's Knight Bus that played a plethora of Harry Potter soundtrack favourites, and went on the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden. I'm sure I'm not the only one who delights in throwing in the odd HP anecdote, quote and reference into several conversations a day, and who has followed the entire journey since way back when. Having read every book, sobbing my eyes out periodically through the final installment, and watched every film, the Harry Potter 'phenomena' holds a special place in my heart.

I'm not going to ruin the tour for anyone who hasn't been yet, so these photos are just a teeny tiny portion of the ones I snapped away at! Of course I was that gal who took close-ups by Ron Weasley's bed, snapped outfit photos on the (real) Knight Bus and at the Ministry of Magic, and who even took a mirror photo with Tasha, MySpace style, in the Mirror of Erised. Honestly guys and dolls, the tour was much, much more than even I expected, and I can't wait to be going again next week with my HP-illiterate Mama!

Ooh, and before I Disapparate, onto what I wore on a swelteringly warm day in London. I opted for my favourite Ever Ours dress, which features the softest ballet pink pleating, with an old Minnie Mouse sleevesless top over the top to downplay the lacy girliness. Thrown in the mix were my Urban Outfitters mint green peeptoe wedges and Luella leather tote, both of which are now discontinued. Finally, a very Harry day just wouldn't be complete without my Golden Snitch necklace that Gem and I went a little obsessive over a few Christmases ago! ♥

PS. Butterbeer is some pretty good stuff.

Marie Claire Runway Launch Party

Marie Claire Runway Autumn Winter 2012. Launches Thursday 26th July 2012, £6.

Marie Claire Runway is the definitive guide to the key trends, fashion shows and designers in the lead up to the new season. Earlier this week, I was kindly invited by the ladies over at Marie Claire to celebrate next week's launch of Runway Autumn Winter 2012 with a summer soiree. (You can only imagine how excited I was to open up that particular invite!) It was a lovely, if not hot, evening and it was amazing to meet the Marie Claire 'team'.

Runway is a silk, perfect-bound number, and feels perfectly weighty in my hands. It has a lovely matte cover, feeling luxurious and very high-end to suit the content inside. Inside, you can expect titbits of insider information from Fashion Week back in February, quotes from all the top bods in Fashion Land (a place I just conjured up on the spot...), grown-up cut-outs and pop-ups, as well as beautiful imagery that hasn't been seen before.

I'll save the rest for you to read and discover yourselves: for £6, you can enjoy the second edition of Marie Claire Runway right now. You heard it here first. ♥

chimerical

Black assymetric hem tunic, Miss Selfridge; Polka dot and lace slip, via a market in Hong Kong; Boucle blazer, Zara; Mint green peeptoe wedges, Urban Outfitters.

chimerical (n.) - merely imaginary; fanciful.

One of my more eclectic ensembles, this outfit is a mix and match of some of my favourite things to wear, paired with my pretty new blazer. The assymetric hem tunic is something I bought years and years ago, in fact it featured on one of my first ever outfit posts, that I've since deleted. I did pop a little slip dress underneath just for comfort and safety though! I'm itching to pair this slip with that huge collared Ever Ours dress that I acquired a few weeks ago.

I bought this boucle blazer from Zara last week on a whim as a reward to myself for getting my first graduate job and receiving my degree results (still in shock and amazement at them!), and absolutely love it. It's a soft, boucle kinda jacket, slightly longline for a flattering fit, with slightly padded shoulders. I think I'll be wearing this with the cuffs rolled up in future though!

Yesterday I finally visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour with my amazing friend, Tasha. As you can only imagine, I Transfigured into an excitable ball of, er, excitement (maybe a Pygmy Puff?) and it was hands down, the best evening of my life. Tonight though, I'll be chilling out at home, preparing some content and freelance articles, which is half exciting and half why-are-you-talking-about-this-online. Last week was a little insane from Thursday onwards, so I'm thankful to even have an evening to myself! Hope you're all enjoying a lovely pre-weekend day! ♥

revelation

Graphic tee, London Fashion Week; Waterfall skirt, c/o Glamorous; Black ruffle sandals, Primark; Mulberry Alexa in Petticoat White

Well the sun has finally got its' act together and whipped out some of Britain's finest, hasn't it?! This is an outfit I wore yesterday when I spent the day with my family on our usual Sunday rounds: dim sum eating and bad jokes all inclusive. There's no greater excuse than 'SUN. IT HAPPENED.' to don a dipped hem skirt (in fact I was going to wear this to the picnic yesterday), so as soon as I prised myself out of bed, I was straight into this floaty chiffon number.

Glamorous is one of those brands that I've seen floating around the Internet and blogging community for a while, yet had never looked at properly. While, if I'm honest, I probably wouldn't wear a large majority of their pieces, I instantly fell in love with this skirt. Following my recent Ways to Wear post, this has fuelled my inspiration once more, although, er, a graphic T-shirt is hardly inspiring! Paired with simple shoes and my current handbag, I was good to go.

This week sees my work hours shift ever so slightly due to those Olympic things that are coming to London, if Boris hadn't already told you on the Tube. I hate to be that guy who puts a dampener on things, but I already can't wait to be rid of them! Having to catch a train at a casual 6:45am is just not floatin' my boat. What are your thoughts on London 2012? ♥