Help me give my sister the perfect present!

[redllamayellowllama]

So, my sister is smartening up her act a little as she embarks on her 'career'. Has a very unique look and sense of style - kind of New Romantic, slightly punky, a bit La Roux-ish (she has the ginger quiff). She is tall and slim, but not one to show her figure off with anything revealing. She can be feminine, but is often mistaken for a boy.

Her current look is Hepburn-esque trousers (Katharine, that is) with DM's and a Victoriana-ish shirt. She likes a bit of a uniform, so would be happy with more of the same. But I'll be damned if I can find it and I do know how to shop. Trousers have to be low-slung and the only thing I can find has a paper-bag type waist. A shirt needs to be a tiny bit feminine but not much. Again, am struggling.

Can anyone be of any assistance?

no DIY ceramics then? (am eating off mine as we speak)

budget??

No, although the other sister was quite enchanted with hers..!

Up to £50, ideally a bit less.

various blouses

wait more coming

Apart from Vivienne Westwood, haven't seen anything like that about lately.

Might be a bit risky if you took a guess - do you know where she likes to shop? Could you take the lazy option and get her gift vouchers for it so she could pick something out herself? Am not necessarily talking about vouchers for run-of-the-mill high street but if her fav shop was a one-off boutique somewhere or a particular designer?

Link is a bad one Cake. ASOS has been playing the fool lately.

The problem with my sister is she hates shopping. She manages to style herself using my Mum's old clothes from the 60's-80's and pulls it off. She went to Carnival looking like Jazzy Jeff, but it worked.

blouse

blouse

I have these so fab

okay ASOS

River Island

peter pan

as in, they are so fab. Not "so they're fab - obviously, since I have them ... "

Schoolboy blouse could be just the thing - but would either colourway work on a pale-skinned redhead?

I love the trousers, definitely too high-waisted for her. She isn't comfortable unless things are round her hips.

Sooo bloody hard to buy for!

Did you see the red dress I linked to?

You're good.

I might have to get the black shirt for myself. Peter Pan so nearly it, but have my doubts about the fabric.

Let me just clarify, I am only reflecting her finickiness. I will buy near enough anything at the mere sight of a link.

oh gosh I love the idea of either colour on a fair red head

these trousers are over budget but amazing. They were mine for a moment in time (sent back, complex rules I have) but hells has kept. They are the bomb.

Love the red dress you linked to but I am large-ish on the lower and fear that my thighs of cheese do not need to be encased in a cheese-dome

Thighs of cheese?? I think not.

The trousers are gorgeous, but too over-budget for Christmas. A birthday maybe, but we're actually meant to be Jewish. Were I not SAHM-ing for the next two years, I'd invest.

how is Baby N??

Hasn't been great actually - reason for my absence. She was in hospital with bronchiolitis for the best part of a week. Is on the mend now, but was hideous seeing an 11 week old on a tube, drip and oxygen. Poor darling.

oh bless her. Friend of mine (on here) had same thing with her newborn last year (few weeks older than L)

L was born with a hideous cough. Never got him checked out (we don't do doctors really although did take him to white witch homeopath) but sometimes he would cough so much that he brought all of his milk back up. So horrid

Hope she is 100% very soon. You must be shattered.

N was doing exactly that - held off on the Dr until she got very lethargic and weird and was then sent to hospital straight-away with some strong words delivered from the Dr.

They watched me trying to feed her for a minute and then told me to stop as it was 'cruel'. Pumping 2-hourly for 6 days while she recovered on a tube.

Now trying to deal with DS' serious abandonment issues. Poor guy.

Sorry, meant to be a Style and Beauty thread...

Don't laugh, but m&s have some nice stuff at the mo... here too

Here

Here

Here

www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/pins-+amp-needles-two-button-front-trousers/invt/5123466726478/&bklist=icat,3,,wtrousers/trousers

trousers

Some lovely ones there tether. Thank you very much.

Had a good mull-over and past experience of trying to buy clothes for her has resulted in many returns. So rather than try to feminise her/encourage her to shop in an up-market fashion, I went for this. She's going to bloody love it, I kid you not.

I, on the other hand, am now looking for reasons not to buy the Chloe trousers for myself.