Saturday, 23 March 2013

The Chatuchak (weekend) market in Thailand

In 2011 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel the world for 6 months with my boyfriend. We had an absolutely amazing time, seeing some beautiful countries such Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and America.
 

Whilst in Thailand we visited the Chatuchak market in Bangkok, (most commonly know as the weekend market.) Now I am not exaggerating when I say this is the worlds largest market, because it is the worlds largest weekend market. It is MASSIVE!! It took us 2 days just to get around the clothing section. You can buy absolutely ANYTHING in this market, including live animals such as snakes, furniture, food, spices, plants, rugs, jewellery, shoes, bags, fake designer bags, and so on. It covers over 35 acres, contains approx 5,000 stalls and is estimated to receive 200,000 visitors each day.


 Now If you love to shop and if you are ever going to Bangkok then you must make sure you are there over a weekend so you can visit this amazing market. It is split into sections (as you can see on the map above) so you can easily find the items you desire. Me, I was only interested in one section......the clothes section. And the best part about this section is the VINTAGE section!! I know what your thinking Vintage?! in Bangkok?! Really?! But yes!! Asia have a huge amount of vintage products and its just as popular over there as it is here. A lot of it is imported from neighboring countries so there is a lot of it. I have yet to find a market or supplier in the UK that sells just half the amount of vintage I could get at the weekend market. So its probably safe to say I was completely in my element. 




Now the other great thing about this market is that the products are so ridiculously cheap!!! The image above of the vintage denim shirts stating that they are 100baht, well that's approx £2. I picked up vintage dresses for £1 each, maxi skirts for £3, lace shirts for £3, 100% leather pixie boots for £7, and gorgeous soft leather bags decorated with turquoise stones for £10. Now the problem with it being so cheap is that I went a bit crazy, but to be fair even David went crazy buying fake diesel jeans, van trainers, shirts & leather belts and he HATES shopping!!  We ended up having to get rid of some of the clothes we had bought with us from home as well as posting some of it back to the UK. It was so worth it though.


 It really is a great day out, there is a very strong chance you will spend more than you planned and an even bigger chance you will get lost!!

My advice.............
First off wear a money belt!! They are flat which you wear around your waist under your clothes so people cant pick pocket your wallet or take your bag. The market is known for its pick pockets. 

Second....Make sure you drink lots of water. Its extremely hot and extremely crowded and its easy to forget to keep hydrated. 

And last of all.....if you see something you like, buy it!! Don't think, ill come back later and get it, because you wont find it!! trust me!! I thought I knew exactly where a certain stall was but could never find it again. The stalls are so similar and are rammed in so tightly your have no chance. 

Oh and last of all, if you see any of these sweets in the picture below, buy them!! I have no idea what they are but they are AMAZING. we practically lived on these through out Thailand.


And here is one of the dresses I purchased at the weekend market.....



I love this dress, the print is stunning and the tee shape is perfect. I think i paid £3 for this little vintage beauty....bargain!! I paired it with my black faux fur gilet from Topshop and my vintage black leather belt.


My jewellery is a mix of vintage and high street. The silver daisy ring was purchased from My house which is situated down the same lane as With Love Betty.

So if you are planning a round the world trip and you happen to pass Bangkok, I urge you to visit the weekend market, you wont be disappointed!!

I hope to visit the market in the future to buy stock so watch this space. 

Thanks for reading.

With Love.......
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please note that not all images are mine.

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Dungarees & polka dot

First off I want to apologise for the poor location of this post, but to be honest I took one step outside and thought bugger that!! Once again its peeing down, don't you just love living in England! So I got my lovely friend Anna, to take a few snaps inside With Love Betty so im also sorry about the poor lighting. 


I customised this denim dungaree dress by shortening it, it was originally past my knees so I decided to update it a bit. It is for sale (I only put it on for the purpose of this post, Im actually wearing my leather shorts today) and at only £28 I think that is a bargain. It is quite small, it would fit a 6-8 and maybe a small 10. 





I really like it with my polka dot blouse from Topshop, the outfit brings three trends together, denim, polka dots & monochrome!!



All types of dungarees are predicted to be huge this spring/summer, the dress versions look super cute yet don't make you look younger which I think the short dungarees tend to do. If your brave, this dress would look fab worn at a festival with a crop top. 

And here they are styled in store. I have paired them with this gorgeous white blouse with an extra large collar (£28)


A black & white brooch (£6)


And a black leather shoulder bag with colour detail on the front (£25)




What do you guys think of Dungarees? Will you be sporting a pair this summer? let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading
until next time

With Love......
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Saturday, 16 March 2013

The 90's are back!


 There's no avoiding it, the 90's trend is back and its back with a bang!!
 This is the decade that brought you Kurt Cobain, plaid, a "Don't care" attitude, a love of all things baggy, denim & grunge.

Motif sweatshirts are a massive part of this trend and probably one of the easiest to portray. USA motifs, superhero motifs & university logos sweatshirts can be seen in all the magazines, in all the high street stores and even through out all the fashion weeks. What ever your style they can easily be paired with your current wardrobe.

We have a selection of motif sweatshirts, mostly American, they vary in colour and size and best of all are one off, unique pieces!! You will not walk down the street, risking the chance of seeing someone else in the same one. Have a look at some of the sweatshirts available in store. They are all £28.







They are extremely comfortable and can be styled simply with a pair of skinny jeans or a pair of Levi's denim shorts in the summer. Below are some different ways to wear a motif sweatshirt.



So if your thinking of buying into the 90's trend but not sure where to start, why not try a motif sweatshirt. 

Once again thanks for reading

With Love........
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Not all images are my own....










Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Military warmth



 Its a bit crazy.....snow in March!!! What is going on with this weather? I don't know whether I should be putting out more jumpers and coats or if I should start bringing in all my spring stock.....confusing!!! 
At least today is sunny :) 

Jumpers are extremely versatile in these unpredictable spring days and this military style jumper will keep you extra warm whilst stylish at the same time. 
 

I paired it with a burgundy, chiffon blouse so the collar peaked out over the top of the jumper and then placed a scarf clip in the middle for extra impact. The jumper is extra thick and extremely comfortable and is still available in store.





I'm purchased my shoes from the Topshop January sale, I was in two minds about whether I should keep them as I didn't think id wear them very much. Thankfully I didn't take them back as Ive worn them as much as I can (weather permitting) I love them, and for £20 I would say they were a perfect buy. They have a western feel about them but have the added advantage of not being a boot so they are a bit lighter when pairing them with dresses and skirts. I have seen similar ones on ASOS recently so have a look if you like :)

well thanks for reading, until next time

with Love......
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Thursday, 7 March 2013

Ditsy print Jumpsuit


When I originally picked this jumpsuit up during my shopping trip up in Yorkshire, I thought it was a dress, it wasnt until I got home and was sorting through the bags of stock I realised it was actually a jumpsuit, bonus!! I wasnt sure how it would look on, a mid length, wide legged jumpsuit could look pretty bad, but I tried it on for the purpose of this post and really liked it. The silhouette chanels either 90's gunge, which is so big right now or 70's floaty boho style, esp if you wore it with platform wedges.

As you can see the print is a cream ditsy rose against a navy background, which is perfect for the 90's trend. The thing I love about this jumpsuit is that it can easily be mistaken for a midi dress. Its not until you start walking that you realise its not.



I love these flat, red sandals, Ive had them for years, I bought them in Paris when I was 21, they come out every spring/summer. I thought they went really well with the jumpsuit, adding some colour.


Below is a picture of the jumpsuit instore, it looks fab with a levi denim jacket. If you can see yourself wearing this jumpsuit, why not pop in to store to tryit on?!




Thanks for reading :)

With Love.......
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Monday, 4 March 2013

Dungarees are back!!!

 

Now I must admit, I wasn't a fan of dungarees, even though I love them on Alexa Chung, I never imagined myself wearing them, 
Until now!! 


 The only reason I put this outfit together was to solely promote the dungarees on this blog, but I put them on and surprisingly really liked them. I loved the relaxed feel and how comfortable they were and once I put some heels on I felt less casual. Unfortunately these were the only pair I could get hold of so they will be going into the shop to sell :( 
They are Calvin Klein and would fit a size 6 up to a 10. 


Dungarees are going to be so popular this spring/summer and with shops like Topshop, Urban outfitters and ASOS getting on the band waggon, these are going to sell out quickly. I am on the hunt for some more including short dungarees and dresses.
 I Paired these with a simple black & white jersey top from H&M and a gorgeous pair of vintage sandals.


I found my red "G" necklace from Topshop in my jewellery box the other day and thought it would compliment this outfit really well especially with my red lipstick. 


I matched the "G" with my arrow necklace from My house, which is also situated down Watchbell lane. 

So what do you guys think of dungarees? has this post changed your mind on them? would you consider trying on a pair next time u see some? Let me know by commenting below :)

Thanks for reading

with love........
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