childsplay

I've eBayed so much recently that I lost track of purchases for a few days and had to double check what I'd bought. I've been really naughty with my student budget! I forgot I ordered this coat from a random seller who still has quite a few coats for sale. I try to search for items with normal models rather than the amazing sellers that gain bids of $200+. I've been wanting a new coat for a while as I got my classic Zara one last year but it still had enough wear for this winter. It's now quite rough and the lining is so torn that it hangs down a bit and I have to pin it. So I knew it was time for a new one and eBay has loads of vintage coats that originally belonged to children. Contrary to a popular belief that I probably do want to go to never never land and stay a child forever, I prefer the a-line swing shapes of them and the rich colours. I know I only just posted that I had to stop being excessively girly and when it arrived today I tried it on with what I was already wearing and boy, do I look about five! If I wore this to lectures I think all the 'fashionista' girls would just laugh at me!

I really like the purple lining and the velvet collar, pockets and sleeves but with a red bow and white tights, it's too far. I just took the photos at about 7.30pm but if it were daylight you would be able to see how VERY vivid the colour is; I think I'm going to get alot of unwanted stares in this. It's an amazing swing shape though, so I'll wear it with pride! But to delve into my new 'fierce' mood I paired it with leather leggings and my favourite Mango corset belt. As I walked out my room in my super high boots one of my guy friends passed and said 'What are those meant to be?!' to my leggings, which just persuaded me to wear them to the most cheesy student club ever tonight, to show all the orange, plastic girls. I like the silhouette with a belt, although something tight around my rib cage always gives me a horrible caged feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just showed my friend the coat and I think she may be embarrassed to walk around with me in it by her reaction. Why do some people have such closed minds?!

Comments

[Sherry]

I used to be a very boring dresser, but recently I've been inspired and I bought this hugely bright, red-orange, a-line coat from Zara. I get stares everywhere I go and when I am in shops, people always assume that I work there (and I have no idea why), but I love it.

Your coat is adorable. Wear it with pride and ignore those orange girls! Luckily, I go to a college where they pretty much don't exist.

[Vancouverista]

Are you kidding me? How could your friends be embarrassed to be around with such a stylish girl! You need to find some new friends, I think.
God, your city sounds like SUCH an oppressive place!

[catnip]

the coat looks fab with the belt and boots!

[susie_bubble]

I agree with Vancouverista...I can't beleive a city like Manchester is so closed-minded... I'm going to find out the extent of this when I go up there....

[Polly]

I love the second set of pics but don't understand what you were going to show the 'orange plastic' girls. Where you literally going to show them your leggings?

Man, you are obsessed with these girls! I doubt they give a flying fuck about your leggings.

[Shen-Shen]

I, for one, ABSOLUTELY ADORE THAT COAT. Hot stuff :]

[Claire]

I disagree with Polly- the orange plastics are probably going to be obsessed with your leggings because very secretly they wish they could wear them too!

Anyway, I like it a lot with the belt. It gives it a grown-up Victorian feeling.

[Leah]

Wow, that coat is rather amazing! In all honesty, wherever you are there will be closed minded people, but it's better not to care I find. Which in all fairness, I think you do rather well.

[Victoria]

Fab coat! I love it with the croset belt. I actually did see an orange plastic girl on a friends myspace, she was wearing her leather leggings with denim hotpants and ugg boots.

[Stephanie]

It's funny how your leggings get so much crap too! I saw mine as a pretty average item, considering they've been all over streetstyle blogs and such, but I had tons of people feeling/staring at my legs the day I first wore mine. But don't worry about the orange plastic girls, you look super cool in both styles (girly and fierce).

[Lucy-Jane]

I think it looks way better with the black leggings and boots.
It's crazy that place you live, people here seem completely unaware of the clothes people wear. Or maybe I just don't notice when people stare, or maybe I just dress blander. Whatever the case, who gives a damn! You look good, lots of people around the world are telling you so, what would they know? Even you agree that they don't

[eliza]

I gasped when I saw the picture of the coat - I have one a lot like it! Mine is also a vintage kids' coat, but it's blue and red and has a similar swingy shape. i don't get why your friend dislikes it so much, I think it's a great coat & there's nothing weird about it at all!

[Genevieve]

wow, i love the way you did the coat in the second two pictures! i would never have thought to style that kind of coat that way.
The first pictures are really cute as well, though. You could still have the coat fit your little-victorian-girl (haha) style... maybe you could wear navy or grey nylons instead, shoes with a heel, and a smaller, or darker, hairbow?
love your blog and creative clothes :)

[Ninja]

That coat is amazing. I also have a bright blue coat but I never thought about anyone staring, I'll have to pay more attention next time i go out in it.

[roxanne]

so i often feel a little out of place on campus because the homgeneous clothing that it seems everyone wears, but for the few who do take risks and wear bold outfits, i can honestly say that (to a certain extent) people do seem to be more or less accepting of it. but i have to say that my leather-look leggings also seem to have a very polarizing effect among the people i know as well. but i love them way too much to let anyone else convince me otherwise. from reading your blog over a long period of time, it does seem like you live in an incredibly oppressive atmosphere (for instance, even though my hometown has a judgmental orange population of its own, my best friend is the reddest of redheads, and if she were ever jeered at in the street, not only would they look ridiculous, but there would be hell to pay), but i do hope that you maintain your amazing sense of style and eventually find a place where it can truly flourish.

on a more practical note: when you wear a wide belt with a jacket like you do in the pictures, and you go to a club or something, do you simply hang the belt up loose, along with the coat, or do you have a secure way of storing it? i always want to attempt it, but i have this irrational fear that my belts will turn up missing if they're not somehow attached to the coat itself.

and now, back to my midterm studying..

[Soul Tanggg]

GORGEOUSSS!!!!!

[ams]

its fabulous! your poor toes are gonna hurt with those boots by the end of the day though!

[Ashiya]

People are so weird. It's just a blue coat for christ's sake! University of Manchester students are, unfortunately, renowned for being like that (stuffy, all exactly the same) - if you were in the art school at MMU, you'd be in a totally different situation. People wear amazing things in my buildings! Oh well eh?

[Ashiya]

When I say just, I also mean very lovely blue coat!

[Polly]

But the orange plastic girls *could* wear the leggings if they *wanted* too. They have legs don't they?

I just didn't understand what S was going to show them. I think it is a shame to be getting dressed with the attitude of 'I'll show those girls' when I totally believe that the orange plastics are so caught up in their own little world of fashion, they don't give a flying fuck what anyone else wears!

And for the record, I minced around Manchester in 'leather' leggings and a huge leopard print fur coat last weekend and got no more stares than I do in my work suit.

I just get the impression from this blog that S is so obsessed with her look and her clothes (which is not a bad thing at all) that she is under the impression everyone else is obsessed with her look and her clothes aswell. The reality is, its a very cute, pretty little girl look and while very nice to look at, not really worthy of the hype it apparently creates on campus.

[Fee]

I disagree, I study in Oxford and someone who does dare to dress differently and embrace different fabrics and colours does create a hype.

I think you look awesome, I can only feel sad that I don't have the confidence to pull things off like you.

[Polly]

Maybe so. Its just that spending a lot of time in Manchester, I think it would take more than this style to cause any kind of reaction. Fashion is massive in Manchester!

Don't get me wrong here, I think you look great S, otherwise I wouldn't read your blog, I just don't know why you bother even thinking about these clones.

[the_kitten]

unbelievable, what's wrong with your coat to feel embarrassed?! You have funny friends but I hope they're more understanding in other departments.

I totally LOVE the second look. It's brilliant!

[Bouncing Evil Ginner]

Student time is definitely when you should take advantage of what you wear! These are the years you can experiment, so go ahead and love it.

I suppose I'm pretty lucky being in Oxford - I read a phrase once which was "What will get you stabbed in Hackney will get you laid in Oxford", whilst it's not STRICTLY true (although it was in terms on menswear) I think we can get away with being "eccentric".

130,000 is totally different to Oxford though, with its 3000 undergraduates (not including Brookes, I'm not sure how many students there are there, but mostly they're not in the centre).

[Winnie]

That coat is amazing!! I love it, I have a blue coat I bought in the summer which isn't warm enough to wear at the moment and is very 'Madeline'!

It's a shame when people do have such closed minds towards fashion, it never stops suprising me and because it's always there its kind of hard to ignore sometimes. As you've shown in all your posts with various outfits, who cares what other people think in regards to what is 'fashionable' and what isn't. You're right, life is too short to be worrying about stuff like that :)

[Sonea]

I dont think i've ever seen so beautiful hair!

[Alice]

I really really love that coat, with the white tights and the leggings. I also laughed at the comment about the orange people, does anybody ever tell them how much they look like oompahlumpas?

And I love your blog aswell, haven't posted a comment here before so i just thought i'd throw that in. Digital art is slowing becoming flying saucer time (:

[Jen]

I think you look beautiful and I also think you shouldn't worry about what people think of you so much. It just isn't worth the energy and its not like you know them/want to know them. I used to be like that, but its just a waste.

[The Clothes Horse]

Belting your coat looks fab!

[alicepleasance]

I need a new coat too! I have my ultra pink Pinko one that I still love and it's still in perfect conditions, but my little black one is falling in pieces. I'll wait the Autumn, but I'm crossing my finges cause jeans and coats are usually a difficult research for me!

[Hay]

This coat is so great, I can see how bright it would be by the corner that the light is hitting. Both looks are great, the first look is my favorite ;-)

[Mej (Fashiolution.Com)]

i love the coat and the color is awesome. i know how you feel that people end up giving you unwanted stares just because you're wearing something "different" to their taste, but is actually lovely. i get that even if i wear just one "different" or "loud" piece and i don't even find what i'm wearing different. it's frustrating, i tell you. so might as well go with your instincts and have fun with what you want.;) ooh, btw i hope you can link me and drop by my site some time.

Love lots,

mej http://fashiolution.com

[Lady nasty]

Whaaaa !! I love it ! I'm looking for that type of coat for a long time...

[anna ominous]

now really you are going to the wrong places. Check out club nights like clique, smile at star and garter, barb wire kisses, up the racket... I think you will find that sort of thing more your scene. the coat's amazing and not really very ostentatious at all! they will grow up soon dont worry

[estrella]

That coat is really fabulous!!