Fashion Et Moi

May 30, 2019

Thoughts on Gifting & Sustainability

Sustainability is hardly a new subject for me to tackle but today I want to talk about it from a gifting perspective.

Ever since the new Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules for influencers were introduced last year, it has become apparent just how many gifted items we were (and are) seeing on our Instagram feeds. From the freshest dresses to the newest beauty bits, it is shocking. But now it’s also just something we’re used to.

It is a rare occasion when a brand kindly offers to send me something but I decided a while ago that when such occasions occur, I would have the same attitude to gifting as I would purchasing: mindful consumption. I consider everything I do, from purchasing food not wrapped in plastic and following a near vegan diet to buying most of my clothes second hand, I consume with thought. This is not me trying to be preachy or self-righteous – I’m simply stating how I live my life, in the hope that it influences others to do the same. So, I’m applying the same to gifting – just because it’s free, doesn’t mean I need it or want it.

La Redoute recently contacted me offering to send me something from their Icons Collection. Based on timeless wardrobe pieces, the concept certainly appealed to me. These days, when I do buy something new, it has to either have longevity in my wardrobe, offer something a vintage alternative can’t or (on rarer occasions) be a real head-over-heels, love-at-first sight piece. From a trench coat and check blazer to Breton tees and blue jeans, the La Redoute Icons collection really does consist of pieces that never go out of style, most of which I already had in my wardrobe.

I thought long and hard about whether to choose a gift and finally decided on the leather jacket I am wearing in these photos. These were my reasons.

I will wear it almost every day of the warmer weather season (and I have). It is a classic, timeless shape that will go with everything from simple jeans and T-shirts to floral vintage dresses.
I have wanted this style of leather jacket for a long, long time. I do already have a leather jacket. However, it was my mum’s and for sentimental reasons I want to preserve it a bit so this La Redoute one is a great everyday alternative.
It is an investment piece and as it is leather, it will last a very long time. As a nearly vegan, I am very mindful about my leather consumption. Maybe this is a topic for another post but to put it briefly it is tricky because leather production is harmful for the environment but so it the production of “vegan leather” goods, which are essentially plastic. I currently choose to consume real leather in moderation because I believe it to be more durable than its vegan counterparts, thus having longevity in my wardrobe.

I hope this piece has been a useful insight into the way I consume and my attitude to gifting. Of course, the brands and PRs play a big part in this, from carefully selecting who and what they gift to how they send their products (let’s stop with all the excess packaging please!). In a world where lots of us are trying to make more sustainable choices, I just wanted to highlight that this should also translate into gifts (whether from brands or loved ones) and free stuff. I know it is impossible to make changes to all areas of your life but it is just about being mindful. What are your thoughts on blogger gifting? Are you a blogger and do you think carefully about which gifts you accept? I’d love to have a discussion below. X

May 9, 2019

Introducing Anita is | My Own Vintage Brand

Hello, it’s been a while hasn’t it? Well, today I can finally explain my little absence…

On Sunday, I launched my own vintage brand! It’s called Anita is and it’s something that I’ve working on for a long time (and very intensely for the last couple of months). Born out of years of experience working with vintage clothing in London, Paris and Montreal, and a passion for fighting against fast-fashion and mindless consumerism, the idea for Anita is began almost two years ago. Since then it has grown with me and adapted to current attitudes within the fashion industry and is a brand I am super proud of.

Let’s start with the name shall we? Because it’s something that I’m always asked about. First of all, let me tell you that it is very hard to come up with a brand name. Do you make up a new word, choose something literal or go ambiguous? Do you use your name, someone else’s name or a mix?

Well, I sort of went for a combination of the above.

Anita was my mum’s middle name. Being born in the late 1950s, it’s a name that is authentically retro and in keeping with the decades of clothes I am focusing on – the 1960s and 1970s. But I didn’t just want the brand name to be a woman’s name (plus there’s probably already a brand out there/some copyright on it) so I started to play around with other words to add. I came up with ‘is’ – the first two letters of my name – and it stuck.

Ambiguous yet open to interpretation, Anita is whoever you want her to be. As stated in the brand manifesto, “she is romantic, nonchalant, a nostalgic daydreamer. She is bold, styled, elevated. She is also modern, forward-thinking and responsible because above all, she wants to create a sustainable solution for our fashion yearnings.”

I wanted to create a brand that elevated the notion of wearing vintage, made people want to wear vintage and made it easier for people to shop sustainably. Anita is clothing is all handpicked by me, styled and shot on a person (me!), and worn out and about - we see how the clothes fit, how they move, how they look in natural light, rather than on a hanger in a studio like many mainstream online vintage clothing brands. I think this approach will elevate the idea of wearing vintage, make it relatable to more fashion consumers in this era of Instagram dominance and allow people to envisage themselves in vintage, through seeing it styled well.

Sustainability is at the heart of the brand. A current buzzword, yet something I have preached for a long time, I am proud to say that Anita is sustainable. Its very essence is kind on mother nature - buying vintage breathes a new lease of life into an old garment and reduces the need for a new one. Many modern day garments - especially high street ones - are rip offs of vintage items so I say, why buy new when you could wear the original?

In addition, I’ve made a packaging commitment. I am constantly stunned at how much excess packaging is sent out with online orders that I’m stripping it all back. I call it (nearly) naked packaging. Each order will be sent out in a cardboard box made from recycled fibres, stamped with the Anita is logo so there’s no plastic or stickers in sight. Inside the box, the garment is enlaced with a ribbon made from 100% untreated cotton that can be re-used, maybe tied in one’s hair! And that’s it.

And now onto the collection. Last month, Lewis and I headed to Paris to shoot the first SS19 drop. Two solid days of shooting later, we had produced images I am really proud of. The collection is a mix of beautiful vintage blouses, 60s mini dresses and summery, knitted tops, in a soft feminine palette with the odd pop of colour. Going forward, there will be regular drops of newness but to kick off there are 26 amazing vintage pieces for you to choose from (there were 27 but I’ve already sold one!).

With this passion project finally out there in the big, wide world, I think it’s about time to shake things up around here. I last rebranded my blog around two years ago so it’s time for a refresh. Watch this space.

Thank you for reading. You can find Anita is online, on Instagram and on Facebook - go show us some love! And I’d love to know what think in the comments X

March 7, 2019

A Favourite Winter Look

With the unseasonably glorious weather of last week now a distant memory, I wanted to share a recent favourite winter look of mine, before the weather warms again and we are thrown into the arms of spring. I must admit, I am getting a bit tired of winter dressing now but this is exactly the kind of outfit I know I will miss wearing when the winter finally ends.

This look came together with ease thanks to a couple of clever, new purchases. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; any new purchases I make these days are always extremely well considered, due to a gap I’ve noticed in my wardrobe and to enable pieces I own that I feel “stuck” with, styling wise, to shine.

I recently picked up some new coloured tights from Calzedonia. Having almost exclusively experimented with wearing burgundy tights over the past couple of winters, I wanted to try some new colours, in particularly white. White tights are such a classic 60s look, which of course I love, but I’ve often wondered if they were a bit difficult to wear. Inspired by Hanna Steffanson and some other Scandi gals on Instagram, I gave this off-white pair a go. They are a much softer pairing for this yellow 60s mini skirt and invited the rest of this tonal outfit with ease.

The white knit is a new purchase from & Other Stories. I had been searching for the perfect white cropped turtleneck jumper all winter so when I got a Stories voucher for my birthday and spied this one on their website a few days later, it was a no brainer. I have worn it so much and it has given a new lease of life to many trousers and skirts in my wardrobe.

Finally, let me introduce you to my new favourite boots from Miista, a brand that I’ve lusted after for a while so when they brought out my dream 70s-inspired boots, I treated myself for my birthday. With the majority of my boots collection being black and ankle length, I knew these caramel tan ones would offer lots of new styling options, especially with their mid-calf length too. They look equally good poking out the bottom of my various 70s flares as they do worn in full glory as I have here.

I finished off the look with my beloved yellow coat, which is probably the piece I get excited about the most wearing in winter. I absolutely love the colour yellow and have absolutely no qualms with wearing the hue twice in one outfit. None whatsoever.

For accessories, I wore my burgundy Coach bag whose rich colour pairs well with that of the boots and contrasts in a way which I’ve discussed before, with the yellow shades. Lastly, when the winter winds picked up, I added this faux fur leopard print hat that I’ve had for years and years. I haven’t worn it ages because I wasn’t sure of its shape but with the resurgence of the bucket hat last summer, I’ve begun to see it in a new light – it’s like a faux fur bucket hat! How wonderful and perfect for hiding under during the long winter.

I hope you’ve liked this post – not only is this one of my favourite outfits of the season these are some of my favourite photos too! X

February 5, 2019

Three Ways To Wear Blue Corduroy Flares | A Cord Story

It’s no secret that corduroy had a massive resurgence this season. From blazers and matching mini skirts to shirts and trousers, both cropped and flared, the high street and our Instagram feeds have been awash with this fabrication.

My love for corduroy began back in 2001. I’d just started secondary school and being able to wear black trousers of choice as part of the uniform, I opted for some low-rise, very flared black cord trousers from a hippy shop called Katze on Gloucester Road in Bristol. I loved them and continued to repurchase the same pair for years to come each time the hem became too ripped from dragging along the ground (oh, the noughties...). I also had a turquoise corduroy backpack that I wore to death/until it was covered in scribbled marker pen that it was time for a new one.

Fast forward the best part of two decades and corduroy slowly began to trickle back into my wardrobe and it's not surprising due to my love for seventies styling. From the Motel Rocks retro floral two-piece I wore to Paris Fashion Week in 2015 and a second hand Paul Smith cord bomber jacket to a pair of 70s Levi’s cord flares that I wore to LFW last year. My most recent corduroy acquisition is these ice blue cord trousers by Jigsaw. I have worn them non-stop this winter, shot a ton of photos in them and yet never shared them on this blog. So, I thought I would share my three favourite looks in a classic ‘three ways to wear’ type post – it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these!

First up is an outfit that I wore towards the end of autumn when the weather was still quite mild. I paired the light blue corduroy flares with a rust orange turtleneck top to showcase one of my favourite colour combinations of all time - blue and orange. This retro colour pairing lent itself perfectly to the whole seventies feel of the look so I ran with it and vamped it up a notch with my 70s blue vinyl coat. A marmite piece, which I certainly adore, the coat adds another blue hue to the look - you'll see later on (or you'll already know by now) how much I champion colour block dressing. I finished off the look with my Coach saddle bag whose burgundy shade goes perfectly with the orange yet clashes brilliantly with the ice blue cord trousers. The white patent boots continued the sheen theme of the vinyl coat well but if I was to restyle this look, I think I would swap in my Miista tan boots to match with the turtleneck.

For the second look, I paired the blue corduroy flares with this knit I bought from a secondhand shop in Göteborg. I was actually wearing the cords at the time so I knew instantly that they styled well together. The jumper really reminds me of something & Other Stories would do - the pointelle detailing, the candy cane colours, the scallop stripe - making this a very trend-led look. I really love the colours of the jumper - the pale pink and cream lend themselves well to pastel blue hue of the cords while the rust brown shade clashes in a similar way as the orange turtleneck in the previous look. I finished off the look with my white patent boots (again, I would now opt for my Miista boots), my Coach saddle bag and threw on my shearling coat for added warmth.

Shot at the weekend, after a week of snow and plummeting temperatures, this is how I’m wearing my blue corduroy flares right now. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I love colour blocking, whether that be matching hues or differing shades, so this combination was too good to miss. An almost identical ice blue, this faux fur teddy coat is one of the cosiest pieces I own and I love how its A-line and oversized shape looks with the flares. Layered over a cream & Other Stories knit - the ultimate way to style these trousers I've now decided - this is my favourite of the three looks. I finished off this very blue outfit with some brown accents. I'm not usually that into brown but I do think it can look really nice with blue. The boots are new from Miista - they are the ultimate 70s-style platform boot I have been searching for and go so well with the trousers. I added the leopard print faux fur hat initially for warmth but I actually really like the print, texture and colour clash it brings to the look.

January 31, 2019

Postcards from Lisbon

Seeking sun, cute streets and just generally a break from the UK in January, Lewis and I headed to Lisbon for a long weekend.

Having already visited the Portuguese capital at the height of summer six years ago with my mum and sister, I was excited to rediscover the city with Lewis who had never been. We landed on Saturday afternoon to not a cloud in the sky – that feeling when you step off the plane, hit by warm sun rays is almost indescribable. Unfortunately, that glorious weather didn’t last for the whole time we were there but at least it was clement enough to walk around the city whilst soaking up the colourful architecture and tiled buildings, taking photos and sampling lots of pastéis de nata along the way.

We stayed in a lovely Airbnb overlooking a quaint square in Lisbon’s old town, Alfama. Characterised by narrow, winding streets, steep staircases and orange trees, Alfama is simply charming and it was the perfect location from which the explore Lisbon. The city is really walkable and that’s essentially what we did for three days, racking up over 20k steps a day. Each.

Some particular highlights were walking up to Miradouro de Nossa Senhora do Monte for the best view of the city. Situated at the highest point, it is a romantic spot to hang out and watch the sun go down behind the rooftops and river beyond. We loved giving our feet a momentary rest and riding the 28 tram from Martim Moniz to Estrela Park and then slowly retracing our steps on foot. It is a very touristy thing to do but experiencing the rattling tram car navigate the narrow streets of Alfama and feeling like you’re on a rollercoaster when it lets loose on a steep hill makes it definitely worth doing. And it’s a great way of getting your bearings of the city.

Let’s talk food. Lisbon – or more generally Portuguese food – is not great for vegetarians so we opted for failsafe cuisines like Italian and Mexican. Valdo Gatti is a bio pizzeria in the Barrio Alto quarter that we stumbled upon on our first night and it was solid. The pizza was delicious, the prices were good and the service was quick. Always creatures of habit, we also returned to Valdo Gatti for lunch on our last day. On our second (and last) night, we really didn’t know what we fancied but after a quick Google, Lewis suggested a tacos place called Pistola y Corazon. Arriving to a queue out the door – yes, even on a Sunday night – we knew it would be good. We sat at the bar to avoid the wait and it made the whole experience much more personal and cosy. Again, the food was delicious, the prices were good and the service was quick. Plus, you get served endless bowls of handmade tortilla chips.

Following our Mexican meal, we headed to a cute bar I remembered going to with my mum and sister all those years ago. Café da Garagem is situated on the side of the hill and has stunning views over the city. Open until midnight every day, it is a really tranquil place where students can be found working during the day and locals hang out in the evening. We finished the night with a glass of red wine and a gooey chocolate cake and it was heaven.

This mini Lisbon guide would not be complete without an even mini-er guide to the city’s pastéis de nata. We tried three different pastelerias, each with different selling points. Pastéis de Belém is worth the hype – and the quick bus or train ride out there. The custard is very creamy, more egg-like than the others we tried and the pastry is extra crunchy. My sister had recommended Manteigaria, which has a few dotted around the city. These were out least favourite purely because they had a slight cinnamon taste to them. Our favourite pastéis de nata were from Pastry San Antonio, which we had on our first and last day. Perfectly creamy with a crunchy bottom, I could eat them for days on end.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little Lisbon city guide. We didn’t find there was a lot “to do” there as such but it’s such a beautiful and relaxed city to walk around in. X

Photos taken on Olympus Mju ii.