I went for a punk look today for work. I just started interning 2 days a week at Motel Rocks in Bristol and I am loving it. So far I have been writing blog posts and updating their social media channels. Finally something fashion based is happening career-wise!
Punk is definitely a trend to watch for AW13 with the 90s grunge fashion of earlier this year not looking to go away any time soon. I always wanted to be a punk (to an extent…). I love tartan, the colours black and red, chunky shoes and converse and dark eye make up. I’m not sure I would go as far as wearing dog collars and safety pins through my ears (my mum actually did this in the 70s!). I love these tartan leggings, which I paired with a simple loose white tee because, to be honest, the leggings speak for themselves. As you can see, I found it difficult choosing which shoes to wear with the outfit so I thought I’d show you all my punky options.
Bristol Harbour Festival, or ‘Harbourside’ as it is generally known, is a free annual event based in the docks area of Bristol, which took place at the weekend. With a variety of musical, theatrical and circus shows as well as market stalls and boat trips, it really is a great event that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Unfortunately, the Saturday was rather wet. In fact it rained solidly from 3pm until way into the night so we spent most of the day in the pub and under an abandoned gazebo. Of course none of us had come that prepared so we had to fashion some waterproof gear out of bin bags. I know, so chic.
Sunday was much sunnier and I took advantage of this by visiting some of the boats and the market stalls. The outfit photos below were taken on board The Matthew which is a replica of the boat sailed by John Cabot from Bristol to Newfoundland in 15th century. It is a really pretty boat which resides in the Bristol Docks so I thought it was the perfect setting.
Dress – Topshop / Bag – Vintage / Necklace – Vintage / Sunglasses – Asos / Lace cycling shorts – H&M (old) similar here
I can hardly stop wearing this dress at the moment. I know it’s quite a common item that everyone will have in different colours because it’s a Topshop basic but it is so easy to wear. I actually thought I would never wear orange, it being my least favourite colour, but I saw this and loved it. I wear it with lace cycling shorts just in case a gust of wind blows up my dress!
In the afternoon and evening I went to see some local bands play such as Peter & The Harmonics and a personal favourite of mine, Yes Rebels. I would highly recommend a trip down to Bristol for Harbourside next year if you want a weekend filled with lots of boats, lots of culture and as much local cider as you wish.
Top – H&M (old) / Culottes – Asos / Boots – Choies
So that’s it, the sun has gone in so let’s get back to one of my favourite trends of the season: monochrome. I have always been a fan of black and white, so much so that in my first year of uni my friend jokingly criticised me for only wearing those colours! Since then I have expanded to wearing more colours and love brightening up outfits with block prints. Monochrome is such a simple but effective trend and I couldn’t resist these culottes when I saw them on Asos. I love them because they’re so easy to wear, they’re comfortable and bang on trend.
As for the cut out boots, I think they are just a genius design which are perfect for a British summer as well as winter. Most of the cut out boots in your high street shops have silver or chrome buckles whereas I favour gold, so when I found these on Choies, there was no way I wouldn’t buy them!
I wore this outfit down to the Bristol Harbour Festival on a very wet Saturday. Watch out for my full post on that event coming soon!
It is inevitable that trends come back into fashion again and again. When I started wearing skinny jeans or “drainpipes” in the noughties, my parents could remember the last time they were in fashion, but this time I remember the trend from the first time around. Let the nostalgia begin as we all go back to the 90s.
This outfit is my slightly more modern take on a 90s look. I think these jeans look great with a platform/creeper shoe and the crop top makes the jeans look less bulky. I bought these Levi jeans off eBay last summer after being inspired by watching re-runs of old Friends episodes. Rachel, Monica and Phoebe are wearing, in the early episodes, exactly what is in fashion now including jeans like these, check and crop shirts, loose tops, and lots and lots of denim.
Denim
As you can see, I am obsessed with denim. It is such a versatile material and goes with everything – except for maybe itself. Although it was done in the 90s and some think they can pull it off now, I cannot say that I am a fan of double denim. Denim was certainly big in the 90s and its popularity in recent years I welcome with open arms.
Doc Martens
Doc Martens were the shoe of choice in the 90s if you were a teenager listening to grunge. They were also the shoe of choice for a certain 6 year old; me. I was so in love with my pair of red patent Docs that I had a few pairs of them over my childhood! This winter my love for Doc Martens was revived and I bought some lookalike cheap ones from Topshop. But I am definitely going to be investing in either black patent or maroon DMs for next winter!
Platforms, flatforms, creepers; whatever you want to call them they were a massive 90s trademark and who were their pioneers, the great Spice Girls. Now, they’re back and everyone is loving it.
Accessories
This is slightly a strange mix of essential 90s accessories but it can be random which trends make a come back. Scrunchies have been available in some of the high street shops for about a year now and I have seen these tattoo style bracelets on some people last time I was in London. Both are cute and quirky additions to outfits.
What I really love about the 90s throwback is how a top end designer like Chanel has got involved. My friend Gina, who describes herself as a “total Chanel devotee”, recently tried out Chanel’s new coloured mascaras…
…and gave me her thoughts:
“Originally I thought it would be unwearable, but now that summer is finally here, adding a little bit of light blue to your lower lashes instantly brightens the eyes. Definitely a fun addition to your make-up bag, and a great way to refresh your make-up for the summer!”
Although I haven’t tried Chanel’s mascaras yet, I completely agree. Adding a bit of colour to your eyes is a great look for festivals and summer parties.
I am loving the dip dye trend. I’ve already done my hair so I thought I would try it on some clothes too.
DIY dying is great because it’s super cheap in comparison to what you pay for a pre-dyed top on the high street and it’s also fun to do!
What you need:
Dylon hand wash dye
Rubber gloves
A bucket
A top to dye
Table salt
Rubber bands (for tie dye)
I just went to Primark and grabbed a Men’s medium white t-shirt and a women’s white crop top. I bought my dye from Wilkinson’s – they have a great selection and it’s just £2.99.
Dip Dye
1. Follow the instructions on the dye packet for how to mix the dye and the water. I have chosen ‘antique grey’ for my dip dye. I halved all of the quantities so that I can use the rest of the dye another time.
2. Wet the part of the top that you want to dye (the top in my case).
3. I found it useful to put the non-dying part on a hanger so that you are sure not to get dye on it.
4. Gradually, every couple of minutes move the top a couple of inches out of the dye.
5. Once you have removed the top from the bucket, wash to dyed bit in cold water. I wrapped the white section in a plastic bag for this to avoid splash marks.
6. Machine wash at 40 degrees with powder.
7. After the top had dried, I made slits up the sides and sewed the sleeves turned up to make it a bit more feminine.
1. First you need to decide on the design you want. I have chosen vertical stripes, which are created by folding the top length ways and then putting elastic bands along at intervals. Other options are horizontal stripes or circles, for which you would put the first band around the middle of the top and work outwards.
2. Wet the top.
3. Submerge the top in dye (I chose navy for this one). I left mine in the dye for about 30 minutes because I didn’t want it to be too dark.
4. Cut the elastic bands off and wash in cold water.
5. Machina wash at 40 degrees with powder.
TOP TIP: To save money on dye, dip dye one top at the same time at tie dying another!
