elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress

i think i need to stop beginning my blog posts with really awkward sentences. after this one, evidently.

so, yes. to the crux of the matter. (sorry, i'm fully aware this is making no sense at all. my brain appears to be highly frazzled due to large amounts of english coursework - which technically i should really be writing now, but i'm procrastinating by writing this, which shall only serve to make my brain more frazzled. alas, so the cycle continues)

for christmas (& my 18th birthday, which is in like 3 weeks, crikey and a half) my dad bought me a camera, which i totally did not expect & am still slightly bewildered by. don't get me wrong, i am unbelievably grateful for it! it is lovely, and very, very good. this makes me feel a little unworthy, & that i should be putting said camera on a high shelf in my room surrounded by candles, before which i shall sacrifice a goat every morning. 

ahem, cue obligatory camera & mirror shot;

(can we all just ignore how fat my hand is in this picture? and how messy my hair looks. thanks)

last week, my friends & i exchanged our secret santa presents, and i received some very lovely pieces of jewellery from my friend kiran!

some very sweet vintage feel brooches, in fact i'd had my eye on the paris one for quite some time! i've decided i need to buy some sort of jacket for all occasions where i can pin on & interchange all of my brooches - like joe strummer's leather jacket, except less scuffed & in a more neutral tone.

she also gave me this lovely coral ring which - horror of horrors! - was almost too small, until i realised i could put it on my little finger or wedding finger (even though that is supposedly bad luck, although seeing as i don't believe in marriage it can't very well be bad luck, can it?)

my favourite out of the gifts is the pair of earrings she gave me, which you can see here! they are little black bows with pearls hanging from them - very chanel as mother said!

my hair has started to grow out a bit, which i really like because it gets a bit more curly that way, & i can tie it up without having to use about a zillion kirby grips.

due to the earrings having a bit of a thirties vibe, i decided to pair them with my peter pan collar blouse (which i'm totally cool with being see through by the way, paha). i didn't like the bottom half of this outfit though, i think really i need to buy some all purpose high-waisted shorts, either denim or in a plain colour.

sorry if this has been a bit of a ramshackle post, i just wanted to update & i knew i wouldn't have the chance over the next few days!