It is no secret that I love shoes and this season it is boots in particular that I am obsessing over! Here are my top picks for AW15 that I will be struggling to choose from come pay day next week. I have just bought myself some classic suede-will-go-with-everything boots (which will be featured very soon on ‘ere) but it is just not enough. I definitely think I am going to get some fun, disco, shiny boots for the party season and the burgundy leather TOPSHOP ones are heavenly! Too many boots, too little time. Sigh.
Which are your favourite?
Ce n’est pas un secret que je kiffe des chaussures et cette saison je suis obsédée par des bottes! Voilà mes must-haves pour automne-hiver 15 et ce serait dûr de choisir entre tous quand la paie arrive la semaine prochaine! Je viens de m’acheter des bottes noirs en daim qui iront avec tous mais ça ne suffit pas! Je pense que je vais surement acheter des bottes fun et disco pour la saison de fête qui vient et je kiffe trop ces bottes bordeaux de TOPSHOP – elles sont parfaites! Trop de bottes, pas assez de temps. Soupir.
Bonjour! It’s been a long time my lovelies and I’m sorry about that. Between starting a new job, moving apartments and feeling really affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, blogging has been a bit hard. But I’m back with a good ole outfit post.
I have had this purple suede shirt for a while – I bought it back in October when I was in Paris for Fashion Week from KILO SHOP where I used to work. It’s great because it can be worn either as a light jacket – because it has a structured blazer shape to it – or pinched in at the waist with a belt like I have done here. A simple Saturday outfit, all black except this statement suede piece. Perfect.
Bonjour! Ça fait longtemps et je suis désolée pour ça. J’ai commencée un nouveau travail, j’ai demenagé à un appartement à moi et j’ai été tellement affectée par les attentats récents à Paris du coup entre tous ça, c’était un peu difficile de faire ce blog. Mais je suis revenue avec un poste classique – un look!
Quand j’étais à Paris pour Fashion Week en octobre, j’ai acheté cette chemise en daim violet chez KILO SHOP, où je travaillais. Elle est super parce que vous pouvez la porter comme une veste legère – vu qu’elle a une forme structurée – ou serré à la taille avec une ceinture comme je l’ai fait. Un outfit simple pour un samedi, tous en noir sauf cette pièce spéciale en daim. Parfait.
Friday 13th November 2015. This should have been a joyous day for me – I moved into a new apartment in Barcelona and I was about to go out to meet some friends for drinks when Lewis broke the news that there had been some explosions near Stade de France in Paris. We weren’t sure what was going on so we went out anyway and over the next couple of hours, we gradually realised the gravity of the situation.
“40 dead,” Lewis said to me, stunned, around 11pm as I grabbed my phone to text all of my friends in Paris that I had left behind exactly two months before to the day, to check if they were ok. Some of them replied instantly saying that they were just 500 metres from one of the attacked venues, locked into the bar and I cannot even imagine what that must have been like. It was terrifying not knowing that everyone was ok but I am lucky that everyone I know is alive and well.
There are far too many people who were not so lucky. I cannot comprehend that these people, who were just out watching their favourite band or having a drink or dinner with friends, are now no longer with us. On that night, these people made decisions that should not be life changing – to go to a certain bar or restaurant or even walk down a particular street. These are decisions that we, as human beings, make every single day and it is impossibly horrific that these usually banal decisions were so deadly for some. It is hard to put into words my feelings about such an inhumane act – in fact there are not enough words or the right words, this is just what came out. My head is a mess with both sorrow and love. I am completely heartbroken.
I had been really missing Paris this week. Now I miss it even more and I feel almost guilty that I wasn’t there on Friday because just a few months ago, it could have so easily have been me. Having lived through the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January – my apartment was just 3 minutes from the offices – I know how frightening and painful this is. I want to be there for you Paris, I want to support your citizens and I want to stand hand in hand at Place de la République when this is eventually allowed and mourn the fallen. I am not there in body but I am in every other way. Paris, je t’aime.
This is weekend marked my two-year anniversary of living away from the UK, away from my family and friends, away from a language I understand, away from (almost) endless job possibilities. Scary stuff eh? Sometimes I underestimate just how much I have achieved because I am constantly comparing myself to others, people who live in the UK, in a city where they have been building up contacts and a social network for years, who are going through the daily grind of climbing “the ladder”. So what have I achieved?
I became fluent in a second language – French – which was my main purpose for moving away to Paris in the first place. I got myself a permanent job in a vintage shop just two weeks after arriving and my shy self managed to settle in (albeit slowly) into a French working environment, where I stayed for almost two years. I experienced some severe ups and downs during this time but what kept me going were the amazing people around me.
It can be extremely difficult to form real and solid friendships in a new city, especially abroad. People come, people go and it can be quite unsettling and even heartbreaking when someone you have become close to so quickly, leaves. You meet people from all walks of life, from other countries and from different backgrounds, who you may not normally be friends with or get to meet if it was not for one common love for a particular place or foreign language. This is one of the beautiful things about living abroad. Of course these people become your family when you are away from “home”. I met some of my best friends fo’ life in Paris – we worked together, we played together, we laughed and cried together and I do not know what I would have done without them. Well I do – I probably would have sacked it all in and gone home.
You will get homesick. No matter how old you are or how happy you are, you will get that pang for a Sunday lunch with your family, dancing in your favourite bar with your mates or even just being able to get hold of a decent block of cheddar cheese. The sickness can be hard to get through but it is normal and living abroad is all about adapting.
Perhaps the greatest change you have to make is culturally and linguistically. I kind of knew what to expect with Paris but now I am in Spain, Barcelona to be exact so I guess I should say Catalonia, and it is completely different. When I arrived seven weeks ago, I knew next to no Spanish and even if you can get by without knowing much, that is not my approach. I’m a linguist so it can be frustrating but I have to keep reminding myself that I have learnt an impressive amount of Spanish already and that learning a language takes years and requires a lot of motivation, time and patience.
I am a bit worried that this post isn’t positive enough about my experience but this is just kind of what came out. If you are thinking about moving abroad, here are my words of wisdom. It is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have – it’s an adventure that you’ll remember for the rest of your life and how awesome are the grandkids going to think you were?! It can be tough as hell but it’s so worth it. And finally, don’t be put off by not being able to speak the language: learn. If I can do it, you can do it too. The world is a big place, go and explore…
I have been meaning to do a This Is England inspired outfit post for bladdy agggges – ever since I found this beaut of a jacket a few months back. I love the grunginess of 1980s mod fashion, which, having owned my first pair of Dr Martens aged six, is why I identify with it so easily. I paired my skinnies with a simple high neck top but if you want to go all out This Is England, then a FRED PERRY polo shirt is a must.
I doubt I’ll ever shave all of my hair off except my fringe à la Lol but I think my current short hair and fringe suits the look perfectly. What do you think?
Ça fait trèsssss longtemps que je voulais faire un outfit inspiré par le film This Is England – depuis que je trouve ce blouson il y a quelques mois. J’aime bien la mode “mod” des années 1980s et comment elle est “grungy”. J’ai eu ma première paire des bottes Dr Martens quand j’avais six ans du coup je m’identifie facilement avec ce style. J’ai mis mon jean skinny avec un top simple avec un col haut cependant, pour être super This Is England, il faut choisir un polo de FRED PERRY.
Je pense que je ne me raserai jamais tous mes cheveux sauf ma frange à la Lol mais je trouve que ma coupe courte actuelle est parfaite pour ce look. Que pensez-vous?
