Anna House Review: Blouse 016-1347 in Black and White

Hey everyone! I recently made an order with Anna House for the very first time.

I really needed a new black, short-sleeved blouse (I was very unimpressed with a certain Bodyline one that people rave about. The material was so...plasticy), and I've never owned a short-sleeved white blouse so Anna House seemed like the perfect place to buy them. Their prices are very affordable, and their quality seemed far superior to the Bodyline equivalent, and yet were the same price. Onto the review...
I ordered on Friday 14th June, and my package arrived on Friday 21st June! I didn't get charged a customs fee because Anna House marked the package as a gift, and of $20 value.

I opened the package (a sturdy cardboard box, with the blouses inside wrapped with bubble wrap and plastic packaging) and was greeted with two lovely blouses.

This is the white blouse (obviously...) It has a really flattering shape to it, nipping in at the waist and flaring back out at the hips. It's a great length, so you won't need to worry about your blouse riding up or your tummy being visible.

The lace details on the collar are beautiful. It is detailed but not excessive.

The puff sleeves have lots of stretch to them so they will be comfortable on a range of arm sizes. The lace used is soft, and doesn't irritate the skin.

The buttons are like little roses-- so cute! You can see the soft cotton lace better here.

The black blouse is exactly the same.

The blouse is a true black, but it's quite hard to photograph and still capture the details.

Again, very pretty lace details at the collar, adorable buttons, and soft lace on the body of the blouse.

I'm really impressed with Anna House. These blouses cost just $41 each! Very good value for money, and I highly recommend them.

A Little Loli Meet in Oxford

On Saturday, I took the train to Oxford for a small lolita meetup. It was supposed to be a craft meet and picnic, but due to the crazy weather, we ended up having a meal at a nice "beefeater grill" restaurant called The Mitre. There was me, Sammi, Nicola, Luna, and her husband James.

We took ages to order just so we could make sure we'd have plenty of time to shelter in there from the rain. I ordered a burger which turned out to be incredibly juicy and delicious.

After we were finally done eating, we decided to take some pictures as it had stopped raining outside.
I really don't know my way around Oxford at all, so I couldn't tell you where the hell we were. All I know is that the buildings we posed in front of were really beautiful, and there were tours being held for foreign tourists throughout our little photoshoot. One family got us to pose with them, and then wouldn't let go of Luna! It was quite bizarre and pretty hilarious.

Here's my coordinate for the meetup:

It was super windy when it was my turn to pose! Add in a tiered skirt and you've got flashing galore! Anyway... I was so happy to have a chance to wear my Metamorphose Vintage Poodle jumperskirt. I went quite casual with this coord due to the unpredictable weather, adding a simple cardigan with wristcuffs, and some comfy Primark flatforms.

Here's the group photo, taken by a very patient James! I did some quick editing to make the colours more vivid as the cloudy sky washed it out quite significantly. Mind you, cloudy days are quite good to take pictures on, because nobody's squinting at the sun, and there are no harsh shadows on people's faces.

Me, Sammi, Luna and Nicola!

Everyone looked so pretty! Sammi's Whip Magic skirt was so adorable on her, Luna rocked the rather spectacular Day Dream Carnival, and I was super impressed that Nicola had made her skirt herself! I need to start making my own clothes! At least some sort of craft motivation came out of the meet.

After taking photos, getting free fudge samples from Fudge Kitchen (we got Blueberry Muffin which was pastel pink and melted on the tongue-- mmm!), shopping in Primark and getting a few items for the next meetup in Poundland, we headed to the river to hang out and have the beautiful cake which Nicola had made.

I can tell you now, that cake tasted absolutely gorgeous! We went about devouring it in a less-than-elegant manner, first eating chunks of icing and then messily hacking at it with a knife. The cake was so moist and chocolately without being overpoweringly rich.

We chatted for a while until we decided to call it a day. I only had to wait a couple of minutes for my train, so I said my goodbyes to everyone, and went home.

I had such a lovely time. I prefer smaller groups because I tend to get lost in the crowd and quite socially anxious. It's nice when everyone gets to be heard and great conversations are had over great food.

Thanks for a wonderful Saturday, guys ❤

Bodyline Review: Jacket L502 and Cutsew L146

Hey everyone! I managed to survive my end-of-term exams, and I'm currently on my summer holidays so I can get back to blogging again!

This week, after waiting around for my package which was apparently stuck at the Langley HWDC, and paying a customs fee (grrr...) I finally received it! I only got two items this time.

First off, the black jacket.

I love this! It's much better quality than I'd been expecting. The fabric has a nice soft, yet very sturdy and with a smooth feel to it, plus the small amount of lace trim used is thick cotton. I normally buy Bodyline items in size M but I opted for 2L with this one, so that if I wanted to wear layers underneath I could. 

The buttons have a fabric layer to blend into the rest of the jacket, and there are two bows going up the front to add a little extra cuteness. The back of the jacket also has one of these bows.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this jacket! I think the blazer style is really flattering, and adds a classy touch to any outfit.

Next up, the pink cutsew.

I thought the cutsew was cute at a first glance until I began to pick up on a couple of details that bothered me.

What is going on with the random cream lace? It doesn't go with any of the other white lace, and ends up making the cutsew look like it's dirty. The lace along the collar seemed pretty unnecessary to me, too. I decided to do away with both of these dodgy details.

Much better, don't you think? It was all a bit too much for me before, but I find it to be more wearable this way. The fabric feels super soft, and it's nice and loose on me (I went for size 2L on this item, too, so I would have lots of breathing space if I wanted to wear it on a really hot day).

The sleeves have just the right amount of puff, and cute pintuck details. There's a little bow on each sleeve, same as the ones used around the collar and they're very well made. I found the fit just right for me with a max arm circumference of 27cm, but if you have bigger arms, you will not fit this cutsew. The sleeves have no give whatsoever.

I'm looking forward to wearing this cutsew, paired with a skirt on a hot summer's day.

Thanks for looking! ❤