The One With The Cape // OOTD

I realise that I'm super late to the party when it comes to capes but when I saw this one in the Topshop sale I couldn't resist snapping it up. Very much influenced by Blair Waldorf's fancy for them on Gossip Girl, I've always wanted to try a cape but I was never quite sure if they would suit me. I'm quite a casual person style-wise and to me, capes seemed a bit on the dressy side. When I was browsing the sales a few weeks ago, I came across this monochrome one from Topshop. I loved the white panelling and the effortless vibe it had. I felt like it was a good start for my endeavour into the world of capes and decided to give it a go.

This cape isn't very structured in shape, so I felt that it still kept a sense of casualness whilst still looking chic. To keep that casual vibe, I paired the cape with some grey ripped jeans and a simple black turtle neck jumper. I wanted to play up the chic element a little more so I wore a pair of pointed black boots that I also bought in the sales. They've got a little bit of a heel which dresses up the outfit a bit. I've been looking for the perfect pair of pointed boots for so long and I can't get over how great these are. 

It's a little tricky to wear bags with a shoulder strap with capes so I opted for a clutch for this look. I love the simplicity of the shape and its minimal detail and the leather material makes a great contrast to the soft fabric of the cape. To finish off the look, I went with a black fedora. Hats don't usually suit me but I've really been into this one from Primark at the moment.

I've also started watching Friends from the beginning- hence the title- as I've only ever seen random episodes before. I know I'm MEGA late to the party on that one! 

Cape: Topshop

Jumper: Primark

Jeans: New Look

Bag: Monsoon

Hat: Primark

Shoes: Asos

New Year, Better Me

Happy New Year!

2015 seemed to last about five minutes before we were already celebrating a new year. New years bring new resolutions and fresh starts, both of which I desperately need. Last year was a weird one for me what with Zayn leaving One Direction (still not over it) and finishing A Levels to begin my next chapter at University- my mind was all over the place during 2015. My mental health was at an all time low last year after making a lot of progress with it in 2014 and it's made me realise how much I need to sort myself out. I'm turning nineteen this year and am getting into the full swing of Uni life and adulthood and so I've decided that it's time to really focus on myself. I don't particularly want to create the cliché 'new me' this year, I want to learn to love who I am already and work on improving those aspects to become a 'better me' instead. I thought I'd share my resolutions on blog as a way of setting them in stone and hopefully pushing myself to follow them for the whole year.

1. Get Fit: Okay, this is a cliché one I know, but it's something that I'm really determined to do this year. I'm not particularly happy with my body and I know for a fact that I could benefit from getting a little fitter. This year I hope to get to a good place with my body, toning up and losing a little bit of weight. Working out will not only help me physically but mentally also; most of the time I'm completely void of energy due to my mental health but hopefully by getting into a routine with my work out and releasing endorphins and all that, my brain will start to benefit from it too.
2. Get Healthy/Cook More: This resolution is kind of a two in one. Since starting Uni, I've really got into cooking. I've always been a bit scared of the kitchen as I never really cooked at home but now I love it and I'm always thinking of new recipes to try out. Also, now that I'm in charge of my own food shopping, I've noticed that I eat way healthier. I rarely snack (only occasionally like if I have 4 essays that I've left until the last minute and the stress can only be controlled by copious amount of chocolate and Kettle's crisps) and I've tried to stay away from ready meals and typical student food, opting to cook instead. This year I hope to continue with that.
3. Read More: This might sound a bit stupid considering that I'm doing a Film and Literature degree but I really do want to read more. I try set myself goals every year on Goodreads but never end up completing them. Despite my reading list for Uni this year being a mile long, I still want to challenge myself by reading about 50 books this year. I have so many books on my 'to read' list and a serious book-buying problem that's resulted in piles and piles of unread literature and so I'm making it a goal to try set aside more time for leisure reading. 
4. Be More Organised: This is another cliché but it's something I seriously need to work on. I have a tendency to let things get on top of me and go straight into panic mode when I have a lot going on so this year I've bought myself a planner to make note of any appointments or work that needs doing so that everything is in one place. I'm also a serious procrastinator, so this year I'm hoping to work on that and not leave everything until the last minute.
5. Be More Involved At University: Despite signing up to six societies, I didn't really do as much as I could have in my first term at uni. I was too concerned with keeping up with the reading and essays and didn't set aside enough time to just get involved. This year I want to start writing for the uni newspaper and magazine as well as becoming more social and going out with friends more.
6.  Be More Focussed On My Blog: It's no secret that I have a tendency to slack in the blogging department and as it's something that I love to do, I really want to push myself to become a frequent uploader. Blogging is a great way for me to practice my writing and styling and I hope that my blog will soon progress into something worth showing in future interviews/applications for internships and jobs, therefore I'm going to step it up and put a lot more effort into this!
7. Work On Myself: This year I really want to focus on myself and my mental health as it's something I've neglected for so long. I know there's a long way to go with it but if I don't start now I never will and in order for me to progress as a person, I need to be happy. This is a big thing to want to work on but I think by working on my other resolutions, I'll slowly but surely get there.

Okay, enough of the soppyness-I hope you all have a wonderful new year full of your own happiness and achieve everything you hope to. What are some of your New Year's Resolutions?