What the f*** is everyone wearing at Coachella

Coachella is now behind us for another year (thank goodness) but after scrolling through various websites, my reaction was "what the f*** is everyone wearing?" 

RITA ORA was wearing white and blue checked cowboy boots, a metallic dress and a hat that resembles a shit white 90's Kangol version. I know it's each to their own and I always encourage anyone to wear whatever they want but there is a difference between creativity and fashion victim. 

Rhianna, a Coachella regular wore a diamante encrusted all in one. Probably not the most practical of outfits for the Californian weather but shock and awe is the key when dressing for this festival.  

Illustrator Joolee Loren depicted what the rest of the Coachella attending individuals wore and this illustration couldn't have been more fitting - hilarious. Fringing, suede, lace up sandals, chokers and my favourite, a groovy world view. Each of these sartorial items worn separately may be plausible but all together they look, in my opinion, damn ridiculous.

Ph credit:Vogue and Instagram

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

Weekend Inspiration #14

If there's something that is definitely needed come the weekend its a break from our daily routines and sometimes a break from life in general. That's why in late January I headed to Stow House in the beautiful yet very cold Aysgarth in the Yorkshire Dales. Aysgarth is small but sweet, the waterfalls were stunning and a sunny yet cold and crisp day created the perfect backdrop.

Stow house was incredibly beautiful, an interior design dream. The decor has been well thought out 

by the owners Sarah and Phil and features a brilliant mix of classic and nostalgic, with added quirky details (the badger on the wall in the top floor bedroom to be exact).

My favourite room of the house, the lounge bar, was truly beautiful. A vintage bar complete with your favourite alcoholic beverages, coffee table books, log burning stove and gorgeous pink and navy blue sofa's adorned with printed birds. We stayed in the Badger room on the top floor of the house which gave us beautiful views of the Yorkshire Dales and the bedroom like the rest of the hotel was beautifully decorated. 

After a delicious home cooked English breakfast in the dinning room we headed home. I very much can't wait for my next free weekend so I can head back to Asygarth and the beautiful Stow House.

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