Boldness

I recently read the following sentences from the book 'Hot Milk' by Deborah Levy.

"......It is a matter of having a purpose, less apathy. Why not steal a fish from the market to make you bolder? Why do I need to be bolder? That is for you to answer.
His tone was reassuring, calm and serious considering he was probably mad."

This got me thinking about boldness and what actions we can carry out to achieve it.
Why be bold? How will being bold effect our lives or the way we live?

We often find ourselves in new or challenging situations when we need to be confident, strong and bold, but this can be easier said than done. These situations can have us doubting ourselves and what we are capable of. Being bold is a great way to approach these challenging situations or just generally a great way to stay focused or make life changes.
I'm not saying steal a fish, but carrying out an act of boldness could change our lives in small ways and help us gain perspective of whats important.
Being bold can be achieved in a whole host of ways, big or small. Asking a question whilst in a large group, sparking up a conversation with someone new, discussing a difficult subject  with family or friends, asking for a deserved pay rise at work or going for a work promotion or lastly wearing that bold item of clothing you haven't yet dared to wear.
Some of the above will take more confidence that others but any act of boldness can only positively effect the way we feel everyday.

I'm not one for new years resolutions, I find them too easily broken but I am going to make a stance to be more bold. Ultimately these smaller or larger acts will make you a stronger, knowledgeable and maybe even kinder individual both inside and out and that's got to be a great thing.

Ph Credit: Zara.com.

Ready for the party season?

 Are you ready for the party season? The festive season is here once again therefore it's time to don our glad rags for whatever parties lay ahead. This year I plan on doing it a little different, instead of shedding loads of cash on new outfits (that will probably get dusty in the closet for the rest of the new year) -  I've purchased just a few accessories to uplift my old/current pieces. I've then been scouring street style articles and Pinterest for inspiration and ideas for how to style said pieces. I like to take casual, everyday sartorial and add sparkle or glam in anyway possible - glittery socks or sheer tights and sandals are a current favourite. I'm also loving heavy gold jewellery and textured blazers!

Street Style from the London SS19 shows

Each season of shows seems to arrive so quickly, this weekend saw the SS19 shows open in London.  I love scrolling through images of beautiful designer pieces shown on the catwalk but theres nothing I love more than gettng inspiration from those on the streets. Street style is so much more realistic and can easily be re-created - its also brilliant to see how creatively outfits can be styled. Here's some styling that I will be taking inspiration from this season.

Ph Creadit - Vogue

What we should be wearing this autumn - according to Reserved

I feel like I’m late to the party, but this week I discovered the online store Reserved. I can’t believe this brand has been established for two years in the UK and 19 years in Europe without me even knowing it existed. That’s what I love about online retailing, there are always new and exciting brands out there waiting to be discovered.
I love the Reserved brands clean, simplistic yet stylish aesthetic. It mixes simple pieces with more fashion forward items. The online store is also extremely pleasingly to the eye and I adore their new AW18 campaign.

Here’s what Reserved think we should be wearing this autumn and I couldn’t agree more...

Layers of heritage check in both muted and brighter tones, faux fur (something I'm still undecided on but this one is stunning), luxurious fabrics including satin, silk and wool, midi length textured skirts in denim and corduroy, statement boots in a variety of lengths and lastly tobacco shades across all departments including softs, outerwear and knitwear.

 

Ph Credit - Reserved.com

Earrings are back and bolder than ever

A trend we can all get on board with, an accessory that jazz's up even the simplest of outfits and it's back and bolder than ever for the foreseeable. Yes, I'm talking about earrings. No matter where you look at the moment, whether your fashion conscious or not earrings are everywhere - in all matter of colours, shapes and sizes and I myself couldn't be happier. Yes ladies there is no better time to pull out those Pat Butcher esq earrings than now, whether it be for the office or Saturday night drinks its always acceptable. 

Ph Credit - Pinterest

Trend notes - Socks and Sandals

Seen on plenty of catwalks back in February (Erdem, Miu Miu, Mulberry and Isa Arfen) now adding socks and sandals to all outfits has also become my favourite way of adding pizazz to my style. 

Socks and sandals can be done in many ways, Adidas sliders with pulled up white Adidas socks (never tried this one) sheer tight socks and platform sandals (spotted tight socks are the best) and most commonly heeled sandals and sparkly socks as above. 

Investing in a few pairs of pretty socks is an inexpensive way of styling up old items. This gorgeous multi-coloured sparkling pair are from Topshop and we’re a mere £3 or three pairs for £8 (I also got two pairs of spotted ones too.)

New York fashion week - street style trends we can try in real life

 

It’s fashion month! Hooray!  It’s also the AW18 shows which makes it all the more exciting. Autumn/winter dressing is my favourite, I’m guessing this comes down to it being constantly cold here in the north of the UK and the fact I’m very pale and never get a tan and come summer, I struggle to disguise this. 

So far the New York shows have offered up some amazing pieces and I feel like I’ve fallen in love with fashion all over again, but more on that later. 

Today it’s about the street style! Yes, I know fashion week is about the designs coming down the runways but over the last 10 years those entering the shows have offered us similar exciting, inspiring and (sometimes) wearable fashion trends we can try in real life.

I constantly use street style as my source of inspiration and fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris brings together stylish individuals from all over the globe. Each portray their own personal style using different fashion pieces in creative and beautiful ways. 

Street style doesn’t have to always represent what is trending but what people love and feel comfortable in, which is what fashion is all about. It can often also be a brilliant way to spot emerging future trends too. These are my favourites so far.

Ph credit - Vogue and Harper's Bazaar

Green Corduroy

Each season both new and old trends return to the catwalk, high street and ultimately our wardrobes. At the moment corduroy seems to be having a moment. Yes corduroy, often seen on elderly gentlemen and Steve Braidy in Sex and the City. If you're a fan of the show you'll remember Miranda's yuppy guilt scene when she invites her new boyfriend to a 'fancy' work event and after asking him if he owns a suit he declares 'Its really nice, it's gold, yeah Corduroy'.
My reaction was somewhat different to Miranda's when I spotted this amazing green pair of cropped, flared corduroy trousers in Zara. I'm currently in desperate need of new clothing and this brilliantly fitting pair have been the perfect edition. I find a cropped trouser often creates a difficult styling challenge.They can sometimes sit awkwardly on your lower leg, but these have been a dream. They fit like a glove and look perfect with slim ankle boots, pumps and heels and work for both a day or night look. They come in Green, Navy and Rust but I felt the green colour-way suited my skin tone better and even though a striking colour, they are still safe if wearing for work with an oversized jumper.
Today I've teamed them with this overtly loud candy-striped shirt from Monki, heeled ankle boots and a trench coat because it's the North and obviously its raining.

Zara Cords | Moni Skirt | ASOS Trench | Topshop Boots | Zara Bag

Colour co-ordination trends I'm loving right now

The night I met my now husband I was wearing red shoes, red bag, red tube top (yes a tube top - it was 2006) and a navy skirt. On a girls holiday to Magaluf later that year I wore a white miniskirt, white shoes and white top. Back then colour co-ordination was BIG!
I felt the need to constantly colour co-ordinate all my outfits. I now look back at pictures and cringe, but that's fashion its forever changing.
I actually don't think I've colour co-ordinated my outfit ever since, I constantly mis-match colours trying to create new ways of styling the overly worn items hanging in my closet.
However, as mentioned above fashion is constanting evolving and changing and recently the colour co- ordinating trend has re-emerged but in a relevant and more stylish way. Its left me wanting to match all the colours in my wardrobe even if said wardrobe consists of Navy, Grey and Black pieces - well its definitely a starting point.

Ph Credit - lacooletchic, gudrunolof, alisonpeebles and manrepeller

The Life Story of the Suit

Before Christmas I purchased this suit from the charity shop. I'm sure to some the idea of wearing a second hand suit seems strange, but I love that I'm giving these pieces a new lease of life. It's a men's suit, but even though it fits like a glove. The jacket is a little oversized but that's just what I wanted and the trousers are high on the waist and finish just above the ankle, another perfect styling detail.
Buying this suit from the charity shop made me think about the life of this suit. Who has worn this suit? And where? Maybe to a wedding or job interview. I love knowing my suit has travelled and possibly made one individual a proud owner. On the other hand though maybe it was just a suit that sat in someones wardrobe for many years going unused. Who knows? Since I've owned it I've thoroughly enjoyed giving it a new lease of life by styling it in different ways. Wearing the trousers under floral tunic dresses with white pumps, with block heels and a shirt and here the full two piece with a raglan top, gold heels and bright pink earrings.
We are often too quick to buy new clothes when sometimes there are perfectly good second hand options available to us. Plus it's better for the environment and money is also going to a great cause. Dont' get me wrong some charity shops don't have the greatest sartorial offerings and you have to be ready to rummage. Sites like Depop and eBay are also worth scrolling through for reasonable priced high-street pieces. I've also recently discovered the Vestiarie Collective which sells amazing  vintage designers pieces - from Chanel bags to jimmy choos.

I am wearing a charity shop suit, Topshop top, Asos shoes and vintage earrings.

Leggings post the treadmill

I own two pairs of leggings, one for lounging around the house when hungover and a second pair for either running or visiting the gym. I have vowed never to wear either for any other reasons than the above. However the SS17 fashion shows have declared them as a trend and they are now apparently suitable for both casual wear and evening wear. But is this a trend we can all get on board with?

Lets be honest leggings are not the most flattering of sartorial items. They leave little to the imagination with regards to VPL, if too tight can cause 'camel toe' and if you purchase them from Primark (they sell a lot of them) they are more or less see through - so wearing a thong is probably out of the question. But what else do we expect from Lycra leggings that cost £8.00. 

The leggings that made it on to the catwalk for SS17 were of the more luxury kind (with no VPL in sight), scene at Maxmara, Balenciaga and Celine. They were chic, stylish and often garish but styled correctly with tailoring, soft fabrics and heels. They created an appeal even a non legging lover like myself could get on board with. We also can't ignore the off duty models  effortlessly sporting leggings with white trainers and t-shirts which is probably more practical for every day life. For great high-street options head to Sweaty Betty, Nike, Ivy Park.

ph credit: vogue.co.uk
top row: Balenciaga SS17. bottom row: Maxmara and Celine

Size Zero to Plus Size

Last week I heard one piece of interesting fashion news and one disturbing via my new favourite source, BBC Women's Hour.1) the model Victoire Dauxerre ate only 3 apples a day trying to stay slim to book modelling jobs and 2) a hand full of plus size models on the runway at New York Fashion Week is progress. 
For starters a handful of plus size models at NYFW is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of models walking. Plus, if we're actually calling them plus sized isn't it defeating the object of having them on the runway? These girls basically replicate what real women look like and their size shouldn't even be referred too. These girls Candice Huffine, Ashley Graham and Iskra Lawrence to name a few are very beautiful and are in amazing shape. Shouldn’t these models be chosen to walk the shows on these ground? It’s fantastic to see models of different shapes and sizes on the catwalk but are some designers just choosing plus sized models as a means of adding diversity to their line-up? instead of choosing them for their shape and look. Until these girls are being referred to as regular models then in my opinion little progress has been made. It is however a step forward, but those that can make huge impacts are the designers. These are the individuals who chose to create catwalk designs in such small sizes. It only takes one individual to make the change and hopefully the rest of the fashion industry will follow. That stereotypical model image of being very slim needs to be shunned, it doesn't reflect reality of what regular women look like - unless you are a teenager with an extremely fast metabolism. Which actually many of these models are.
Back to my first story Victoire Dauxerre has revealed in her new book “Size Zero – My life as a disappearing model” that she survived on Pepsi Max and three apples a day to ensure she was picked to walk the shows during fashion week. Dauxerre did get chosen to walk in many major fashion shows including Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga and Céline. After eight months after first being spotted, Dauxerre became one of the 20 most in-demand models in the world. But instead of being happy, “I was devoid of feelings and thoughts. It was as if I were dead.” She writes. Before long Dauxerre developed an eating disorder which caused several health issues and ultimately she sunk in to a spiral of anorexia. She took laxatives every morning and enemas in the evening desperate to maintain her target weight of seven stone!! “I spent half my life in the toilet, my stomach hurt and I felt like vomiting all the time but at least I didn’t feel hungry anymore,” she writes. In her book Dauxerre claims that her model peers suffered from bulimia and anorexia. The more successful she became the more she despised the modelling world. Victoire is now 24 and has left the modelling industry to pursue a career is acting. Maybe Victoire’s story will start to have a positive impact on the modelling industry. If not, at least her story will inform others of what’s happening in the industry. 

Ph Credit. Tumblr