Fashion Et Moi

May 23, 2018

A Turquoise Skirt & Wardrobe Ruts

Today's post is going to be a quick one. I'm off to Paris this evening (sans laptop) and I really didn't want to miss another upload having not published a post last week. I'm really excited about heading off to the French capital and my favourite place in the whole world, to spend time with friends, have a change of scenery and clear my head, which I feel has been rather full recently. I started a new dream job about a month ago, which is so exciting, but I've been super busy and haven't had much time to think about my poor old blog. A new job naturally results in re-evaluating your wardrobe, with new dress codes and new colleagues to take inspiration from. I am still working in fashion but have moved away from working in vintage, which dominated my professional life and style evolution over the past few years. I felt that I had recently really found my style with my intensified love of sixties and seventies fashion however this shift in career has definitely made me feel a bit lost, style-wise, even though I never like to pigeon hole myself into a certain style bracket.

This sense of feeling lost led my to look for cheap vintage gems on eBay one Sunday evening. This incredible turquoise mini skirt from the 60s was just one of the bits I picked up for around £12 including postage. It's a super interesting piece, with a knitted mesh fabric making it appropriate for both warmer and colder days. I absolutely love its vibrant colour. Having also bought a 60s two-piece in the same eBay haul and a cute 70s mini dress a few weeks back, turquoise seems to be a colour I'm gravitating towards a lot recently and I'm already predicting this fresh colour will be everywhere next summer.

I paired my new skirt with this cute white vintage blouse that I got from a vintage kilo sale last month. Of course, I love its big puff sleeves and multiple strips of lace, making it the perfect summer blouse. I finished off the look with my pink Converse for a day of exploring South West London with Lewis on a sunny Sunday. The bubblegum ice cream colour of the skirt looks great with the playful pink Converse for day wear. I would swap in the Converse for some white ankle boots for drinks or dinner on a sunny terrace.

May 10, 2018

Monochrome Summer

I hope you all had a great bank holiday weekend! I spent mine picnicking in various parks across London and just generally enjoying having three days off at home after three consecutive weekends away. How amazing was the weather?! I fully enjoyed baring my legs and going jacketless for three days straight and this is what I wore on Sunday. While I normally utterly champion wearing colour, especially during the summer months when it seems even more natural to wear bright hues, today I’m sharing a monochrome look. This is how to wear a monochrome summer outfit, without sacrificing on the usual summer favourites and still being able to stay cool in the hot hot sun.

I styled the outfit around this incredible black and white seventies shirt that I picked it up recently at a vintage kilo sale. I knew it would be great for a monochrome summer outfit, with its retro flower print giving a nod to everyone’s favourite summer pattern – florals. In the past, I wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing sleeves on such a hot day but being made from some kind of linen/cotton mix, this shirt felt super light and I didn’t get too hot at all (a miracle). I love its boxy shape and loose shape – it’s technically a man’s shirt – and it looks great tucked into a pair of high waisted denim shorts.

Sticking with the monochrome theme of the shirt, I chose to style it with a pair of white denim shorts. I bloody love white denim at this time of year – it adds a certain freshness to any look and it definitely makes this particular look more summery than if I had worn black shorts, for example. I’ve had these white shorts for a few years now and I love them – they are really high waisted and are the perfect snug fit.

I finished off the look with some pops of colour – How could I resist?! I always feel the need to add some bright hues to a monochrome outfit, whether that be with some yellow plastic earrings or a cute straw bag. Red is often the best colour to inject and while I usually opt for a red lip, for this look I thought I would go for some red shoes. Red clogs, to be precise.

I have toyed with the idea of clogs for the past few summers. In one way I think they are such an unusual yet cool summer shoe but on the other hand perhaps they are just weird, especially ones of this shape. Cool or uncool, I have never been swayed by the reputation of a fashion item before, so I thought I’d give this red pair a go. I actually really like how they look with some denim cut-off shorts, elongating my legs like no other flat shoes do. I have to admit, after a morning wandering around Portobello Road and then a trip to Battersea Park, the clogs did start to rub. However, you know how hot it was so maybe I’ll reserve this particular pair of shoes for slightly cooler days. I think they will look great with some blue jeans and a t-shirt for a cool, off-duty look.

May 2, 2018

White Jeans For A City Break In Barcelona

I’m writing this blog post on my lunchbreak and dreaming of being back in Barcelona, not just because Barcelona is awesome but because today it’s just absolutely freezing (I’m such a drama queen when it comes to weather). Luckily, this rainy Monday in London is just an anomaly (for now) and temperatures should be rising again in time for the bank holiday weekend – hoorah! Ok, weather report over, let’s chat about this look.

I bought these white Levi’s 501 jeans in a vintage shop in Montreal last spring, after years of searching for the perfect pair of white jeans. However, as Montreal’s spring lasted all of about two weeks, my white jeans didn’t get much air time last year, except for a blog post when I discussed the highs and lows of wearing white jeans. So, with a forecast of wall to wall sunshine and not too hot temperatures of 20 degrees, I thought a day strolling around Barcelona was the perfect time to get my white jeans out.

I kept the styling pretty simple and opted for a t-shirt and Converse to complete the look. Always wanting (and needing) to add some colour to my looks, I went for this 70s red and white striped tee that I picked up at in a recent vintage kilo sale haul. I just love its boat neckline, slim fit and the embroidery on the chest – which I’m guessing reads ‘mary’ but I could be wrong. Being still into the ever-popular colour combination of last summer – red and pink – I chose to add more colour with my pink Converse, wearing them with an exaggerated turned up hem. I finished off the look with my favourite Ray Ban round metal sunglasses, which I actually bought in Barcelona a couple of years ago. If you’re ever in Barcelona and fancy a new pair of Ray Bans, head to Optica Universitaria for amazing discounts on classic styles (not spon, just a fab tip!).

This is what I wore on our first day in Barcelona, exploring all of our old haunts, favourite streets and walking until our feet hurt (30k steps and new Converse made me a very footsore tourist). Parc de la Ciutadella has always been one of our favourite spots in Barcelona, we were lucky enough to live so close to this vibrant city park when we lived there, and this is where we shot this look. Not wanting to take my big Nikon DSLR, my film camera and my little Olympus Pen away with me to Barcelona (I have been known to do this on many trips), I decided to drop the DSLR and just shoot on film all weekend (with the exception of Instagram pics on my Olympus Pen).

I have been shooting film for years and years. I studied photography at A-level, where I learnt to develop my own film and since then it has been a great way of documenting the four years Lewis and I spent living abroad. However, since moving to London I have not been as inspired, although let’s be honest, the weather probably doesn’t help. Being back in sunny and colourful Barcelona gave me a fresh batch of inspiration and I really enjoyed shooting little bits of the city on film.

One thing I have not done much of is shooting outfits on film. It is something that I tried a few years ago on a dull day in Bristol but I didn’t stick at it. The problem with film is it’s a commitment and I don’t always know that I'll finish the roll on time to get it developed and ready to publish a blog post the next week. I often shoot just one outfit at the weekend so it’s always easier to just go digital. However, I definitely want to shoot more outfits on film. These ones didn’t come out quite as I had hoped – I don’t know why they are quite dark as it was such a bright and sunny day - but they do have a certain charm to them. Anyway, it’s a learning curve and I think Lewis, who takes my photos, actually preferred shooting on film because everything is much more considered. Now I just need to persuade him to shoot more than one look per weekend – or find some other creatives to collaborate with - get in touch! X

April 17, 2018

Colour Blocking Blue

On the eve of the UK’s first “heatwave” of the year and after the longest stretch of dreary, rainy London days, I’m sharing what I hope will be my last winter-y outfit for a while. This is the kind of look that I have been wearing a lot recently and it incorporates a couple of trends that I have been loving over the past couple of months – vinyl and colour blocking.

If you follow me on Instagram then you will have seen this incredible seventies vinyl coat before (and indeed a very similar look to this one before) but I just had to feature it on this blog before winter was out. I bought this coat back in August last year when I stumbled across a closing down vintage shop in Vancouver. It was reduced from 100$ to just 20$ and as it was love as first sight, I was determined to squeeze it into my hand luggage back to Montreal and then into one of my already packed suitcases when we moved back to the UK a week later. I’m so glad I followed my heart because I am still totally in love with this coat to this day. It’s such a marmite piece – some people love it while others aren’t so sure but ultimately what matters is that I feel fab when I wear it.

Vinyl coats have been doing the rounds for a couple of years now but I find this one to be totally unique to the new ones currently on offer. Firstly, it is not a super shiny vinyl, like many coats are, but it has a cracked effect to it, adding an interesting texture to any look. Of course, I am obsessed with its retro shape. Being a genuine piece from the sixties/seventies, it has a flattering A-line shape but what I love the most is its super oversized dagger collar. It makes the piece even more of a statement that it already is and looks great when paired with one of my many dagger-collared shirts like in this recent Instagram photo. Finally, the colour is an absolute dream. Again, differing from the ever-popular black vinyl coats, mine is a beautiful shade of blue. It’s the kind of blue that goes perfectly with rust tones during the autumn, yellow come springtime and also lots of other shades of blue.

Aside from vinyl, the other trend that this look nails is colour blocking. If you’re unfamiliar with the meaning of colour blocking, it’s simply wearing lots of the same colour in one look and I absolutely love it. I don’t know what it is about colour blocking that excites me so much. Perhaps it’s the challenge of finding different shades of the same hue that compliment each or maybe it’s that colour blocking is actually quite lazy but effective styling? Either way, I am on board.

Since the weather warmed up a bit but whilst it has still been pretty wet I have been wearing this vinyl coat a lot. Usually paired with these Zara dungarees, I just swap the top for something like an orange turtleneck or statement shirt. I love how this 70s chevron print top with its flared sleeves adds to the retro vibe of this outfit and makes the blue colour blocking complete. The dark blue of the print goes really well with the colour of the dungarees while the turquoise shade brings a brighter hue to the colour block. To keep the look fresh for spring, I finished off the outfit with some white ankle boots in a faux patent leather (although, on super rainy days these would have been swapped for some black leather boots).

April 12, 2018

Teddy Bear Print Dress

You all know by now that I’m a total sucker for a good print. Whether that be a classic pattern like stripes or florals or something more out there, I’m always more likely to opt for a print than something plain. Enter this incredible 70s teddy bear print dress, which is new in my wardrobe and is now one of my favourite pieces I own, for many reasons.

Firstly, let’s talk about the print, which is the main thing that instantly drew me to this piece. Rows upon rows of multicoloured teddy bears with stretched out arms, almost holding hands, this teddy bear print is just so adorable, fun and unique all at the same time. Being always drawn to the vintage pieces with weird and wonderful prints, this is not actually the first piece that I own with a teddy bear print – shocker! A few months back I published a blog post entitled Some Things I Love Right Now, based around a 70s blouse with an unusual print of a teddy bear holding a flower. So, if you are looking for a new print to get on board with, I’m telling you, teddy bear print is going to happen!

Secondly, I absolutely love the shape of this dress. Being a wrap-style mini dress, it accentuates my waist and floats out over my hips, fitting me perfectly and flattering every single curve. Having seen the wrap dress trend explode last summer, I now totally get it and will definitely be looking into picking up some variants with shorts sleeves. I’m also obsessed with its collar, being an exaggerated pointed collar as seen on many shirts from the seventies era, yet with rounded tips, which adds a softer touch to this floaty piece.

Now for the colours and I am so obsessed with the colour palette of this dress. With forest green as the background, neutral and traditional coloured teddy bears stand by red teddy bears with burgundy or beige tummies and paws and purple teddy bears with lilac tummies and vice versa. Wow, that was complicated to work out! Anyway, you get the gist – it’s a feast of colours and having loved the colour combination of red and dark green for ages, I’m also loving the introduction of purple into my print collection.

Alright, alright, I’ll stop overanalysing this awesome piece now and chat about how I’ve styled it shall I?! In true retro fashion, I decided to pair the teddy bear print dress with some burgundy red tights as black tights just would not have worked as well. I do think some forest green tights or even some purple ones could have worked equally well – I just only currently have red and orange tights in my colourful tights drawer so maybe I need to rectify that, stat!

I finished off the look with my favourite black boots from Zara and if I had had it with me, my burgundy Coach saddle bag would’ve gone perfectly with these hues. Alas, these photos were taken in Bristol over the Easter weekend and I actually don’t mind going sans sac for this outfit as it just allows the dress to do the talking even more. These are some of my favourite photos in a while – the morning light is perfect and I love the location with the bright red door helping the colour pop in the dress.

If you could create a new print, what would you design? X