Christmas in a capsule - getting wardrobe ready for the festive season!

If you ask me, you can never be TOO ready for the festive period. I've never been the sort of person who is frantically buying presents in September or counting down the day still Santa's arrival, but I do love dressing for winter and I especially love the guilt free time off work and uni (well, I say guilt free... for three days of the break at least!)

It was this aspect of Christmas I decided to focus on when dotcomgiftshop asked me to take part in their blogger competition. Christmas is so much more than just the day itself... it's the cold nights drawing in, the amazing comforting winter food, the crap telly specials, the warmth between friends and family... yeah, I know I'm beginning to sound like a hallmark card, so I'll stop. But with all the social occasions that the holiday period brings, it's important to have an outfit on hand for every event. Having rummaged through the high street and dotcomgiftshop itself, here is my outfit guide to some of the days that are tradition every December for me. And hey, if you're feeling selfless, they might even give you some gift ideas!

for more amazing stocking fillers and homey Christmas trinkets, visit dotcomgiftshop.com.

What's on your Christmas list?

September Shopping

Ola readers! How have you been? It's been a bit quiet on the shopping front this month - student loans are still a week or so away and I've been focusing on getting rid of lots of my old stuff on eBay rather than buying. With graduation looming in less than 12 months (eek!) I'm making an even keener effort to put some of my wages aside each month and watch the spends on things I don't really need. Sorry justeat.com, no more saturday night fun for you.

Still, I did make a few purchases this month - little treats or things that I actually could justify as needing!

Collection 2000 Nail Varnishes and Make Up Bag, Poundland - £3 for three lots of each colour, £1 for the make-up bag

One of my favourite things about being at a uni so far away from home means that I don't get to see my parents and brother that often. Wait, I'm not being heartless, stick with me. It means that when I do go home on visits, I get to spend some proper quality time with them and appreciate the time we have together. One of the things I miss most when I'm away is shopping with my mum. We're both savvy shoppers and invariably end up going to town and then coming home four hours later empty handed, but it's the looking and the laughing at how tacky lots of modern clothes are that I love. Luckily on our latest trip, Poundland yielded some true bargains. As we all know, my nail varnish addiction is well and truly alive, so I was thrilled to find some Collecton 2000 bottles (my favourite brand!) in lovely shades of brown ('All That Jazz') pink ('Milkshake') and Grey ('Angel Wings'). Each colour came in a pack of three, so mum and I bought a pack of each colour and split them. 9 varnishes for £3 - can't complain!

Mum also treated me to this satin russian doll make-up bag, which is super roomy for only £1. My old cherry print bag was looking a bit stained and sad so I was desperately in need of a new one. I'm not that big of a make up wearer compared to most girls my age, but I do love a good mascara, eyeliner and of course nail varnish, so it made sense that I had somewhere nice and girly to keep all my bits and bobs. 

Granny Cardigan, Matalan, £22 (£9.20 for me with student discount and a Matalan voucher- winnng!)

Anyone who follows matalan on twitter will know that they do something called #fashionfriday, where they give away £10 vouchers to their followers who come up with the best way of spending the money instore. I was lucky enough to win one a few weeks back for my summery festival suggestion of their adorable gingham cropped trousers and an ice cream coloured vest. Sadly for me, the beautiful summery weather has taken a bit of a dive, so rather than buy my suggested outfit I put the £10 towards a well needed autumn cardi. With four shades to choose from, I went for this lovely faun which goes perfectly with dresses or jeans. Don't expect me to be taking it off any time soon!

Rimmel 60 Seconds Varnish in Lilac, B&M Bargains, £1

I know what you're thinking - another bloody nail varnish! Still, I have been searching for a lilac one for ages and now my pastel collection is complete, I feel I can give it a bit of a rest. What can I say, I love varnish - painting my nail is one of the my favourite therapeutic things to do and it's a great way to modernise an old outfit.

Filofax Diary Pages, WH Smiths, £5.50

A pretty boring way to spend £5.50, but much needed. My friend Georgie bought me a beautiful Filofax when I started University and I decided that the start of third year was the time to do it. Now I've got all my lectures, work hours, gigs, journalism deadlines and little note-to-selfs all safely and neatly jotted down in one place, and I've got to admit, I love feeling this organised. 

Dresses, £5 total, Huddersfield Market

These were a little but naughty, but hey, freshers week is coming up and as it's my last I'm determined to go out. This means party dresses! Anybody who lives in Huddersfield knows that the go to place for bargains is the market, and my favourite stall is the one that sells the most amazing old or damaged Arcadia stock at next to nothing. Both of these dresses are Topshop (the Aztec was originally £30 in store, the mustard £46), but I got them for just £4 and £1 each! The mustard maxi dress was £4 but only has a really tiny rip in the strap, nothing I couldn't easily stitch up. Despite being a really summery dress I think it'll look lovely this winter with warm leggings underneath, a jumper and some boots. The Aztec dress was £1 due to a broken zip, but considering that it won't cost me more than a fiver to buy a replacement I think it has to win as best bargain of my blog so far! It looks really cute worn as a pinafore over a band tee with converse - ideal for lectures or a casual night out.

What have you been buying recently?

Bring on Beacons! My festival fashion guide 2013

Hello readers! I'm feeling pretty excitable today as I've realised that in just over a week, I shall be touching down at my first camping festival of the summer, Beacons. If you've never heard of the festival, it is a relatively new three days event that takes places in the gorgeous town of Skipton, Yorkshire, and attracts all sorts of indie and dance acts. They also offer a plethora of arts and crafts, independent food and vintage fashion.

Having been lucky enough to attend as press last year, I had an amazing time watching Wild Beasts, Cloud Nothings, Willis Earl Beal and many, many more, and was thrilled when I was asked to be part of the box office staff on top of my normal press duties this year.

Being at this years festival partly as staff and partly as a journalist, style AND comfort when it comes to my festival packing has never been more important. Whilst I don't want to rock up to the likes of Local Natives, Django Django and SBTRKT looking like a mess, we do live in Britain and I have to consider every kind of weather as a possibility, which means planning my outfits in advance. Now, I know people who put waaaaay too much effort into picking suitably trendy festival outfits or even go out to buy something new (something I will never understand - festivals are dirty places that don't suit clothes you really love!), so I'm very sorry if you're here looking for a shopping haul. I'd love to have the money to buy on trend festival clobber, such as the amazing two piece trend I'm lusting after (sigh) but HaberdasHer has always been and always will be a thrifty and affordable blog! So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to some of my failsafe pieces that I've gathered over the years that should be making in my 2013 Beacons Festival Wardrobe.

Stripe shirt from Next - I remember buying this a few summers ago when I did some casual work in the sales. I can't remember how much it was, but due to its versatile colour, it has definitely earnt it's keep over the years.

Dungaree Shorts from Internacionale - I bought these in my first year of University using a voucher I got from my sixth form, so completely free, for me anyway! Dungarees are perfect for girls like me because they look girly whilst being practical in the 'going to the portaloo' department.

Knee Socks from Primark - I believe they still do these, and two pairs for a pound when I bought them. A great festival sock as you can fold them over the top of your wellies to reduce rubbing, and they can be a more fun alternative to tights.

Shoulder bag from Tesco - Chances are at a festival you're going to be lugging some bulky bags, so it's always useful to have a smaller shoulder bag with the essentials you need quick access to when you're getting through the gates. This one cost me £2 in a tesco sale many moons ago and fits a phone, small camera, purse and ticket with ease.

Wellies from Asda - My ultimate festival fashion tip - get rid of the patterned wellies! Sure, they look great on their own, but you can't beat a good old fashioned green pair when it comes to making sure they 'go' with every outfit. And if your feet are on the slightly smaller side, it often works out cheaper to look in the kids collection- these were £7 from the boys section of Asda last festival season.

Homemade Headband - Avid readers would recognise this headband that I made from discarded old dress material! You can check out the tutorial here

Oversized Blouse from Rokit Vintage - As we all know, I love a bit of colour, and I especially love a polka dot. I bought this blouse from Rokit Vintage in Covent Garden last summer for a fiver, and it is one of my favourite bits of clothing. Now 90's fashion is all the rage, I feel pretty smug at having grabbed this so cheap. Layers are definitely a festival essential, and this is thick enough that it should keep me warm as the sun sets.

Broderie Dress from Primark - This dress was part of Primark's basics range a year or so ago, and I have worn it to death. However, I have recieved so many compliments on it when I wear it that I wish I'd bought it in every colour! The broderie top part adds a feminine side to the deep colour which should hopefully provide the well needed mute tone to the pink. It is a little on the short side though - I might need to add tights!

Belt from Old Internacionale Shorts - I bought a pair of chunky cord shorts for £5 from Internacionale last winter, wanting to try something new, but when I got them home I realised that they did nothing for me whatsoever and as they were a sale item I couldn't return them. They have since been passed onto my mum, but I kept hold of the belt and makes any outfit because of its simple brown design.

Necklace from H&M - I rarely spend any money on jewellery, but this was too cute not to buy a year or so ago. I love the subtle bling of the little owl's jewelled belly and eyes, and I think it complements the other colours in the outfit really well.

Converse High Tops from Office- These were my very first pair of real branded converse that I bought for sixth form nearly four years ago, and since then they have been to every festival with me. Reading, Leeds, V, Mumford & Sons in Huddersfield... you name it. They're reaching the end of their life now, but it would seem wrong not to take them to Beacons because they're so comfortable.

Two tone Sunglasses from Parklife Festival - These were entirely free, because I found them on the ground at this years Parklife festival. After asking around a little, I figured that I might as well give them a new home. Result!

Jack Daniels T-Shirt from Free Gig - These tees (festival classic, I know!) were being handed out last summer in Wakefield when The Cribs played a gig to celebrate a Jack Daniels anniversary. My friend Charlotte and I weren't lucky enough to go to the gig, but we were in town and met two guys at the train station who said they'd been to the gig but had picked up the wrong size and did we want them, Absolute result! The tee has got a really cool map of Wakefield on the back which makes it a great music-themed one off.

Oversized mens shirt from Rokit Vintage - I bought this shirt on the same trip as the pink blouse, but this one was only £1! It's massive so I normally wear it as a nightshirt, but it has a cool grunge-almost-kimono vibe about it that I think will be cool for a festival. It should match well with my round framed tortoiseshell sunglasses that were a pound from Primark (I forgot to picture them here, oops)

Denim shorts from Primark- Another item I wish I'd bought two of, these shorts cost me £4 from Primark ages ago and I've never found any quite so comfortable since. Sadly, they are starting to look a bit worn in the crotch (dangerous!) so this might end up being their last trip

Doc Martens from eBay - After lusting after them for years, these were my 18th birthday present from my Mum and Dad, but they still count as a bargain because Ma and Pa got them for just £50 brand new on an ebay shop. I might not end up having space in my bag for those and my wellies, but I shall do my best to squeeze them in.

Hip Flask from eBay - Arguably THE biggest festival essential, this was bought off ebay for 3 quid and then I made the slip myself out of an old fabric sample. Classy!

Basic top from Primark - Bought an age ago for a couple of quid in an attempt to add some basics to my wardrobe, this top has become the eternal match for the dress, a subtle, well needed pop of colour. It'll also double up as a top to sleep in once I've worn it in the day - classy I know, but when you're packing for a festival, you need to pack light!

Floral Pinafore dress from eBay - A find I stumbled upon on eBay last autumn (just before pinafores properly came back into fashion), I wore this all winter layered up with a chunky knit and glittery scarf. I'm looking forward to testing it out in a more summer way!

Sunglasses from ASOS - These were a birthday gift from my best friend Anna way back when, but I've grown to love the pastel shade even more recently, and they are the only pair of sunglasses I own that are truly comfortable.

Handmade Crochet Headband - Made from the waistband of an old tiered skirt I used to have and then cut up to make cushions, this crochet length makes a lovely belt or headband, a nice way to add a little festival detail to an outfit.

Polly Pocket Necklace - I'm so glad I found this! It was right at the back of one of my old drawers when I visited my family home recently. It's so 90'stastic it hurts, and unclicks to reveal a little secret garden with a polly doll on a swing. So cute! I'm fully waiting for these to come back into fashion, although I might have to swap the string chain for a metal one first.

Plimsolls from Primark - These were £1 last summer and  are just placeholding in the picture until the Converse-type white primark low tops that I ordered from eBay for £2.20 arrive (they were meant to be here today, grr), but you get the picture. A white shoe at a festival is always a risk, but fingers crossed they'll be enough dry grass for them to be acceptable and as they were so cheap, a little mud might give them character.

Fake Pearl Bracelets - I have no idea where I got these, I think they were probably part of a set I bought to go with my dress for my cousins wedding. Still, they add the finishing touch of girliness.

Mens Shirt from Judys Affordable Vintage Fair - One of my buys from the Judy's Kilo Sale I blogged about a few months ago. Seen as I got four dresses and this blouse for £20 and it's light as anyway, I reckon it probably cost me about £2. I LOVE the old fashioned bright stripes and it fits me perfectly despite a missing button or two. I never wear it buttoned up anyway. Even better, I love the fact that the colours perfectly match my ....

Wild Beasts T Shirt - I bought this tee from their gig two years ago in Leeds. Wild Beasts are one of my all time favourite bands and watching them headline Beacons last year is one of my favourite gig memories, so I thought it's be nice to remember that by wearing it this year.

DIY socks - Another blog favourite. You can get this lacy tutorial here

Sunglasses as above

Shorts as above

Plimsolls as above

So there we go! I hope you like my outfit choices. If you fancy grabbing a last minute ticket to Beacons, head on over to greetingsfrombeacons.com. 

New online discovery - Oasap High Street Fashion

Evening! Just a quick post to update you all on my latest favourite online store, Oasap. I'm not even sure myself how I stumbled upon this one, I think I spotted it on a different blog. But that's not important! The important thing is how cute and affordable some of these dresses are. Taking inspiration from High Street fashion around the world, they are a Hong Kong-come-American based brand and offer all sorts of trends. They're also incredibly blogger friendly, offering free shipping around the world and an affiliation service which earns bloggers comission for click through links from their site through to oasap's. Sadly, I am definitely not a big enough deal in bloggerland for that to work for me, but that didn't stop me putting together a lust montage of some of my favourite pieces anyway.

I LOVE the bunny dress and pastel heels - I think they're look great for a summer BBQ or garden party. Looks like I best get saving that student loan!

Have you visited Oasap yet? You can find them at http://www.oasap.com/. Enjoy!

Overcome with Joy

Hi everyone, how are we all? I've been a bit stressed of late moving house (and realising I own far too much crap) but everything has settled down now and I am becoming accustomed to the new place.

Unfortunately, the swap-over between old and new house meant that Kev and I were essentially homeless for the weekend, but luckily my delightful friend Charlotte put us up at hers! However, with all our possessions in storage, we were at a bit of a loose end in terms of entertainment all weekend, so decided to treat ourselves to a bit of window shopping in Leeds.

Anyone from the West Yorkshire area will know that Leeds town centre has been undergoing a bit of a rejuvenation the past few months, with Leeds Trinity Shopping centre a new fixture boasting a massive food court, huge Urban Outfitters and in the coming months, a Primark of a size that will rival even Manchesters. Not bad for bargain lovers like me!

But what really excited me about my trip to Leeds was the discovery of an even newer shop, called Joy. According to their website bio, they are a London brand, but I had never heard of them before, which I realised was a crying shame the second I stepped inside. Imagine Urban Outfitters having an older, more demure sister, and you can pretty much imagine what Joy stock. Gorgeous, sophisticated patterns without any annoying cut outs (a massive pet hate of mine) or booby bits, all of joys dresses, blouses and knitwear were quirky and fun, but still of a high enough quality and subtlety that you wouldn't feel weird wearing them in lectures or the workplace.

With principal label Louche providing most of the stock, in which women can 'indulge sartorial fantasies with exclusive style and vintage flair.', there is certainly an upmarket high street feel about Joy, the same sense of timelessness you get from Next, Monsoon or Debenhams. Luckily, the price tags are more than reasonable, with a fantastic sale on this month.

Alas, my self-imposed 'clothes spending ban unless absolutely necessary or from ebay' (jenessa trademark) stopped me from purchasing anything myself, so I thought I would live vicariously by assembling some outfit posts. Enjoy, and check out Joy's stock for yourself at joythestore.com! 

Bargain Hunting in Manchester - Judy's Affordable Vintage Kilo Sale!

With summer finally in my clutches, like some sort of nefarious over worked villain, I thought I'd reward myself for getting a First in my second year of uni with a little trip to Manchester. Having been to a few Judy's Affordable Vintage events in the past, I jumped for joy a few months ago when the Leeds based comapny announced that they would be bringing their legendary Kilo Sale to Manchester's People's History Museum.

For anybody who isn't accustomed to Judy's work, what they do is admirable and completely fair-focused. They tour the country with their vintage wares, all within student friendly budgets, in an attempt to share the wonderful world of sequins, peter pan collars and circle skirts with vintage fans all over the country. As somebody with a build slightly bigger than your average Topshop model, I have always loved vintage clothing - dresses from the 50s and 60s were made with the average, realistically sized women in mind, meaning plenty of space for a few extra inches on the waist. What Judy's are doing breaks down the elitism that sometimes surrounds vintage shopping, suddenly making it something affordable.

Whilst Judy's run 'normal' vintage fairs, their kilo sales are a different beast entirely. Based on a principle of paying £15 per kilo of clothes that you pick up, they are not for the faint hearted - after queuing to collect my Judy's carrier and pay my entrance fee of £1, I entered a hall that had ten enormous storage tubs on the floor, with effortlessly cool girls and boys alike crowding around like wise men at the nativity. Well, maybe slightly more ruthless versions of wise men, anyway. All grabbing items, holding them up, bagging some and discarding others, only for somebody else to leap on their relegated piles in search of a bargain. Carnage.

Despite the competitive native of magpie-like searching, the camaraderie in the room was amazing. Three seperate times I picked something up only for a complete stranger to smile at me and say 'buy it, it'd look amazing on you!'. Totally heartwarming, and not something you get in normal changing rooms. I myself took great deligh in helping other sort their piles, and coax the more reluctant of shoppers into buying that item that fitted them perfectly.

So what did I buy, I hear you cry? I went to the fair with the intention of buying some summery things to brighten up my wardrobe, and I think I managed to meet my goal. After just over an hours work and endless soul searching over whether or not that gingham skirt really did look like a tablecloth, I ended up with the following - 

Rainbow Stripe Euro Club Blouse (styled with my already owned dungarees and a white tee)

Whilst this was in one of the men's tubs, I fell in love with it's pastelicious stripes - very Vampire Weekend prep! There is a teeny stain on the front but I'm hoping that'll wash out with a bit of luck. I'm hoping to wear it to the festivals this summer with my dungarees or buttoned to the neck and tucked into a bodycon skirt.

Take Nine Red Button Down Dress

This dress was sized as a small maternity, but I didn't let that put me off. One of the things about vintage fairs is that they often require a bit of creative vision - the fabric is often more important that the size if you think you can do some alterations. This dress was actually floor length, but having faffed around in front of the mirror I think I'm going to cut it to just above the knee to give it a more summery feel, and whip out the shoulder pads too. Paired with a denim jacket, a skinny belt and my topshop red patent mary janes, I think it'll make a nice casual day look.

Wurzer Dirnl Green Patterned Prom Dress

This was the dress that a fellow shopper told me I had to buy, and I'm so glad I did! It's super heavy, I absolutely love the length, the way the skirt falls and the colour - forest green is one of my favourite tones to wear. I'm actually wearing the dress back to front in this picture, but I quite like it - the actual front is a very low square with a hook fastening (I think from this and the brandname it must be some sort of german design) but I think it makes a much more elegant back that means I don't have to show too much barmaid-esque boob! With a little round neck cardi and a satchel I think this dress will be great for uni or shopping weekends.

Deus yellow floral summer dress

I was a bit wary of trying to pull off Yellow to start with, but I simply couldn't resist the prettiness of this dress. It also fits perfectly, so was a good find in amongst the jumble! Like the red dress, I think I'm going to lop off the bottom, make it knee length and then have some fabric left over to make a matching hair bow. I might also swap the buttons on the top half to blue, to match the flowers. I think this dress is the perfect excuse for me to buy some summer coloured converse... I've had my eye on a duck egg blue pair for a while that would co-ordinate just right.

Lisa Jo Floral Pearl Dress

Last but not least, probably my favourite print of the day. Thanks to the lace up back, this dress also fits perfectly, and I don't think I'm even going to shorten it. This has gone right to the top of my list of potential festival outfits, so I might test drive it at Parklife next weekend with black tights, dm's and my light parka over the top, just in case it rains...

So that concludes my lovely selection from Judy's Kilo Sale, which I am delighted to say came to the lowly price of £20! With all of the items in really good condition, I couldn't recommend a rummage more. Sure, it requires a bit of patience, but the potential for wardrobe rejuvenation on a budget is simply too good to pass up! 

For more information on Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair or Judy's Kilo Sale, visit http://www.judysvintagefair.co.uk/

What do you think of my outfits? Have you been to any of Judy's events recently?