JEANS – VINTAGE LEVI’S | TOP – VINTAGE | COAT – VINTAGE | BOOTS – OLD ASOS | BAKER BOY CAP – VINTAGE
Today I’m wearing a yellow coat. That is not something I ever thought I would do but here we are. When I was younger I used to hate colours like yellow, orange and bright green thinking they were too brash and, well, I just simply didn’t like them. However, in recent years I have become fond of these colours, especially for adding a bit of interest to an outfit whether that be in the form of a statement shoe, a loud bag or, in this case, some bright ol’ outerwear.
It was love at first sight between me and this gorgeous yellow wool coat. Honestly, if it was black then my search for the perfect black wool coat would be over but I love the fact that it is yellow. This type of shaggy wool coat paired with its loud hue run the risk of being labeled a “middle aged coat” if not styled right but I am pretty happy with today’s retro inspired look.
I decided to let the coat do all the talking by wearing blocks of colours that were not too overbearing. I paired my new vintage blue Levi’s 501 jeans (video coming on Sunday with more ways to style them) with a simple cream turtleneck; a baker boy hat finishing off the look perfectly with a nod to the sixties. I felt great wearing this outfit and I certainly added a welcome bit of colour to crowds of black puffer jackets on this milder Sunday a few weeks ago.
I feeling rather frustrated with footwear at the moment because I am certainly not going to let the snow and gritty pavements of Montreal ruin any of my precious shoes so for the time being expect old black boots like these or my Dr Martens. Oh, I actually think my burgundy DMs would look great with this coat – perhaps I will try a more wild, colour clashing outfit next time, what do you think?
Hello and apologies for the lack of blog posts last week! I have been feeling a bit under the weather so having not prepared blog posts in advance (as per) and with snuggling up watching series and sleeping taking priority, there has been a bit of a radio silence – we are all allowed a week off sick though right?
Anyway, I am here to tell the tale and today I am kicking off a new monthly series where I’ll be dolling out the blogger love by sharing with you some of my favourite blog posts from the past month and writing my thoughts/responses to the post in question. I think this will be a great way to communicate on a deeper level with some of my favourite bloggers and posts – rather than just leaving a comment – and bring to attention to rather special posts and perhaps new blogs I have discovered! So let’s get cracking with January!
Lizzy Hadfield from Shot From The Street always writes bloody amazing blog posts. Many of them just talk about outfits but occasionally she writes these very meaningful posts that really get me thinking. There were actually two posts from Shot From The Street that I especially loved in January but this one about being uninspired just took the top spot.
With this outfit post, Lizzy takes us back to the street in Leeds she used to shoot on when she first started blogging, which at the time she felt held back her content and was not as inspiring as other bloggers’ shoot locations in Paris or London. She shares links to some of her first outfit shoots and I love that she is able to not only laugh at herself but also recognise how far she has come. She also proves with this outfit shoot with interesting shots of her sitting on the pavement or shot from angles other than just straight on rather than just in the middle of the street, that it is how you use your location – and your resources in general – to your advantage.
This post really spoke to me because I am always blaming things outside my control for why I am struggling to produce content that I am truly happy with. I am currently very frustrated with the snow/ice/grit ridden pavements of Montreal that mean I am basically stuck in my Dr Martens boots (which are burgundy therefore restricting the colour palette) for the next few months and dreaming of a mild winter where I could where some statement ankle boots that I do not own. That’s another thing – I am always worrying about my lack of income so I am unable to just impulse buy a cute shirt because it costs the same amount as my electricity bill. I know that is due to the travelling lifestyle I have chosen over the past few years, working minimum wage jobs and not staying in a place long enough to climb any career ladder. I know that if I had stayed in England it is likely that I would be earning a lot more money but then I would probably be frustrated about my lack of travel experience.
The moral of Lizzy’s post and my response to it is that as humans we are always going to find things to be frustrated about but we need to try and make the best of our situation. I am going to try and find places to shoot indoors while the weather is terrible for the next few months and I am excited by this challenge and the new element it will bring to the blog. I am also going to fully utilise being able to borrow clothes from the vintage shop I work in – I know this will be frustrating for you readers not being able to just click on a link to a new product but that’s the way things have got to go, this girl ain’t got no money! So let’s get creative and I am sure we can all produce content we are extremely proud of!
I discovered Charlotte Goodowl’s blog just this month through someone I follow on Bloglovin’ liking one of her posts that really caught my eye – Why It’s Okay To Be Shit…Sometimes. Charlotte uses this post to tell herself off and explain to her readers why she has not blogged since August, which is basically due to a huge case of comparison to others – surprise surprise – and procrastination, both of which are things I can definitely relate to. Initially it was the title that totally spoke to me because sometimes I consider myself to be a rather shit blogger. I am not saying that I think that the content I produce is shit – oh no – because similarly to Charlotte, I will never publish anything that I am not totally happy. No, I sometimes feel a bit shit that my content is inconsistent, especially on social media. I complain that my Instagram following is stagnant but is that such a surprise when I have a few days of posting consistently, perhaps twice a day, and then I can go into a few days of hibernation because either I don’t have content or the damned comparing myself to others mindset has made me believe that my content is just not good enough. However, I decided at the beginning of the year that I was not going to let this blog – and social media – stress me out as much as it has done in the past because where is the fun in that? So for now I am taking things slowly for a reason as I want to be fully confident with everything that I publish. Of course, we are only human and it is so natural to compare ourselves to others but instead of it getting us down let’s make it an inspiration! As Charlotte says “you do you” and I guarantee there will be people out there who will find you and I an inspiration next!
