What I'm Loving: September 2014

Pictures from my Instagram account

September always rolls around and makes me think of new beginnings - probably a remainder from my school days, even though it's been a good few years since I had to prepare myself for a new school year. That's all about to change though, as in a week's time I will be starting to work my way towards getting a degree (which I am really, really excited about). Don't worry though, I'll still be regularly posting here, and I've got some posts coming up which I am super excited for! Before I get ahead of myself though, here are my favourite things from September...

What I'm Wearing
I bought this gorgeous, woollen green skirt (kilt?) at a car boot sale during the hottest weekend of the year. Sadly, it has since remained in my wardrobe forgotten about, until the recent drop in the temperature meant that I could finally wear it without boiling to death. Bottle-green is one of my go-to colours for the autumn, and I adore the variety of shades in the check of this skirt. On warmer days I can still get away with wearing it sans tights and with a t-shirt, but it looks equally chic with a jumper. Now that's what I call transitional dressing.

This off-the-shoulder striped tee is a relatively new buy for me, and is something that fits right into place in my wardrobe. It's a great casual piece that is super comfy, yet the Parisian vibe of it makes it seem like I've still made an effort. Teamed with skinny jeans and flats, I can tell that this is going to be my new favourite t-shirt. Oh, and it cost £6 (yes, really!) from Asda. Sold?

I've been living in these Faith flats all summer, so I'm still trying to squeeze some extra wear out of them before I resign myself to wearing boots for the rest of the year. Pointed toe, bow, and a t-bar strap, they have got it all going on. So much so that I have stolen the identical white pair from my mum (here's hoping she doesn't notice!).

What I'm Reading
The Lord of The Flies has been a particularly difficult read for me. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I did, and when I did read it, I found myself both gripped and horrified by Golding's narrative in equal measures. I think I struggled with motivating myself to read this, because it is certainly not an easy read, but ultimately worth reading. Of course, there's more to this story than just a group of boys trapped on an island, and I'm still mulling over my thoughts on the big themes dealt with here. Ultimately the big question here is how far humanity is away from self caused chaos at anytime. This read will be one which will stay with me for a long time.

What I've Been Listening To
The peril of small town living has meant that I have found it hard to get my hands on a copy of Alt J's This Is All Yours. Now that I have however, I am really enjoying it. I loved An Awesome Wave so much that I worried that the follow up would disappoint, but for me, this is not the case. This Is All Yours is by absolutely no means a departure from the eclectic, busy sound of Alt J's debut, but is instead a further development of the sound, and it is interesting to see the direction their sound is taking. I'm particularly loving the more piano heavy tracks, and Left Hand Free is all kinds of amazing.

I also did a really, really bad thing, in buying James Vincent McMorrow's Post Tropical, solely because I loved the illustration on the CD cover. I know. But in my defence, I love this album more than I ever thought I could love an album bought entirely on a whim. And in further defence, the cover art is particularly lovely too. I worried that the sound would be a really mediocre, acoustic affair, judging from the album art, but it is actually so much more. A really diverse mix of guitars, strings, brass, and electronics make up the backing for McMorrow's stunning, breathy vocals. Try it if you like Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes.

What are your favourites this month?