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Hello and welcome to my third official post of 2016… okay, calm it Tolly, it’s not a radio introduction… today’s post has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while now, and it’s all about aesthetics and finding that ‘vibe’ that fits you. I feel like I’m currently in a good place with my personal style, which is a big thing for someone my age because we’re always constantly changing along with our personalities. It’s a good thing though – I like having the true freedom to experiment with what I wear… it’s a shame that, that kind of fades away at a certain point. That needs to change!

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FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR

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I think my current personal style has started to form through different influences, mainly social media. I know I go on a lot about being yourself (because it’s true, you should be) but I think there’s a big difference between taking inspiration from and plain copying. Taking inspiration from different aspects of life can make a huge change in your wardrobe.

Like I said, for me, social media and places like Tumblr have really being do it. Creating an aesthetic isn’t just about looking at clothes, it’s about creating this whole idea and almost ‘way of life’ of how you want to go about things… so I don’t just look at outfits, I look at text posts, quotes, colour swatches, photograph etc… they all add up to create this broader image of what I’m trying to put across.

If I had to put a label on the aesthetic I’m currently channelling, it would probably be called something like… ‘Pink Peanut Butter’. That sounds really odd, but it basically started off when I discovered Rad.co and they’re stunning and simple collection of sweaters (that sounds sponsored but I honestly swear it is 100% not), one of them being a plain yellow number with the embroidered words of ‘Peanut Butter’ (scroll down to take a peep).

If I had to give a list of things I’m loving it would probably go a little something like this…

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SHOP: 1 // 2

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In terms of my recent purchases and how I’ve actually been channeling these vibes into my personal style, I picked up this rather ‘peanut butter’ style sweatshirt from Pull & Bear which has a tasteful slogan, 70s colours and peanut butter colours. I can’t wait to style it up throughout the year, even layering it for the warmer days so it becomes more of a slouchy throw-over (you can see a snippet of it over on my Instagram)… but as I mentioned above, I’m in love with Rad.co and I am eagerly awaiting the day when they start shipping worldwide… *daydreams*

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I didn’t want to write a full post about it because I just want the news to sit with me for a bit, but of course I have acknowledged our tragic loss of the inspirational legend that is David Bowie. I wrote a tiny snippet over on Facebook as to why I’m not making a full piece, so I hope you understand. He made a big impact in my life and I will forever be honoured that I was alive at the same time he was. So thank you, David Bowie, please go and be as free as that bluebird.

Another Sunday…. another Series Sunday post! Today, I have a post from my A-Z Fashion Guide series which I hope you guys are enjoying, and are finding helpful! Let me know what you think in the comments 🙂 We’re on #2 of letter ‘B’, which only means one thing… Burberry! May I just apologise if you have visited my site in the past week or so, and have seen anything offensive. We’re trying really hard behind the scenes to remove this re-direct. It’s been really stressful, but I will update you when it is all fixed. So sorry once again!

We all know about Burberry, do we know all know about Burberry’s history? Burberry was founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry when he was just 21 years old. He was a former draper’s apprentice who decided to open up his own store in Basingstoke, England. At the very beginning the store became known for it’s outdoor attire, but slowly started to introduce a breathable waterproof fabric called gabardine.

The shop started to grow, with a new shop being opened in the Haymarket of London in 1891. In 1941, Burberry was commissioned by the War Office to create a new version of their classic coat, which would be suitable for warfare. This later became known as the ‘trench coat’. Before this, in the 1920s, the classic Burberry check was introduced and is now recognised as a symbol of the global brand all around the world.

For me personally, I’ve always been more interested in the more recent collections from Burberry, but remembering that it all started in England is a nice reminder of how we should all appreciate designers and where they come from. Especially when they come from your home country! Talking of more recent collections, let’s take a look at a few of my favourite trench coats…

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6

I’ve picked a selection of the classic trench coats from each of the different ranges. There’s Burberry Prorsum (1), Heritage Collection (5), and even a Bespoke trench coat which I quickly popped together (6). I’m actually starting to love trench coats. They’re so simple and are the style of coat which go with everything. They’re the striped top of outerwear. Whatever colour it is, it’s simply the style that pulls the outfit together. From this selection I can’t decide on my favourite… I love the burgundy colour of #4 and the cool statement that comes with the Prorsum number, but the idea of having your own unique trench coat is pretty darn cool. What’s your favourite?

I hope you found this helpful! I want to start doing these posts more frequently during 2015 so be prepared! We’re only on ‘B’ and I started in March (or May… I can’t remember)! Whoops! As usual, collage images are from Pinterest, and you can find all the original sources here!

 

Hello everyone, today I am starting a new series. Now, don’t get me wrong, we all know that I am bad when it comes to blog series’ because I never seem to complete them, but I promise that I will. I hope that I can write a blog post every week or fortnight for this series, which is an A-Z Fashion Guide. It’s going to be to do with terms, designers and anything really, from A-Z. The first instalment is Appliqué. I hope you enjoy it…

Appliqué is a French word, for ‘applied’. It basically means, ‘application’. Anything you add to a piece of fabric or garment, is ‘applied’ which means it is a form of Appliqué.  The actual way of adding a piece of fabric or detailing to another piece of fabric, has been around since 980 BC, and one of the first pieces of Appliqué which we know of, came from Egypt, so although the word is derived from the French vocabulary, the actual ‘art form’ comes from Egypt. At first Appliqué was to cover up patches of worn or frayed garment, or to decorate house hold things like curtains.

In the 1800s coloured fabric became more and more popular and Appliqué was used to create historical murals to remember great battles and ceremonies. It was mainly used for quilting, until more recently when designers and artists have used it in clothing. There are different techniques of appliqué, but mainly it just consists of stitching one piece of fabric, to another! There is also reverse appliqué which is where the main piece of fabric is cut and you apply layers of different fabric from behind.

To fit in with London Fashion Week, I have chosen 2 designers which have showed some form of Appliqué. John Rocha & Holly Fulton have both applied 3D floral detailing to their designs, as well as basic Appliqué on Fulton’s beige dress. I will go into these collections more in depth when I come to do my London Fashion Week Review for A/W 14. My favourite way of doing Appliqué is actually the 3D flower, so I do really like the way they have done this, especially Rocha’s metallic detailing onto mesh. The way Holly Fulton’s Appliqué has been done on the beige dress though, almost looks seamless and like a print, but up close is actually slightly lifted off the fabric and looks really nice in different light.

I thought in this series I would show you a piece of clothing from my wardrobe which shows the ‘terminology’ being used. This is my mesh top I got from a jumble sale after seeing Susie Lau – *takes a moment to appreciate the fact that she follows me on Twitter* – wearing a coloured mesh dress on her blog. It’s really pretty and looks so nice over floaty dresses and printed things. You can see me wearing it in this not-so-brilliant OOTD. It was a bargain though and I am very happy with my purchase. *Laughs because she cannot believe she scanned in a top because her parents were out using the camera* *Mentally uses the hashtag: #LifeOfAFashionBlogger*

So, I hope you liked this post! I will try and link it somewhere on my blog so the series is easily accessible, but for now, good bye! Enjoy the rest of LFW!

(Images from Pinterest & Vogue)

 

I live in France most of the time, which means I know a bit about how the French lifestyle works, from the fact that they take their lunch breaks seriously – I’m talking, lock up the shop and have a 2 hour nap – to the annoying point that they still don’t understand the ‘sandwich’. So, being a ‘fashionista’, means I am also interested in the fashion side of things, which means it basically means it is obligatory for me to do this post on the reality of French fashion…

When you think of France, you think Fashion – mode -, Wine – vin -, and Food – nourriture -, non? That’s exactly what I expected when we settled into our new surroundings. I was excited to do street style (which is still yet to be done), and to infuse the French style into my own. If you haven’t been to France yet, or you have only been to Paris, you may not realise but when people say ‘French Fashion’ to be honest, they just mean, ‘Paris Fashion’ or ‘Canne Fashion’, or basically ‘The Richer Cities in France Fashion’… pretty much. Let me explain what I mean…

(Both images via Pinterest (Left – by H&M))

When I leave the house and ‘go to town’, most of the people I see are wearing, either jeans and a jumper, or a black dress and boots. Now don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with any of that, but when you think ‘French Fashion’, you think the whole of France is ‘trendy’ or ‘fashionable’. I usually stick out like a sore thumb when I’m wearing the clothes I wear, and I was really surprised! It’s not like the towns around me are poor, or really unknown, we live near a city which has a pretty big airport, and big chain stores like Lafayette (similar to John Lewis in the UK), and yes I do see a few more expensive handbags, but it’s still not what you might expect of France. I’ve also been to a few cities along the coast, and they are still not the stylish places that have been hyped up for being like. Then there is the food… the menus are all the same, with burger, pizza and sausage and chips, not once have I seen the gourmet, ‘photoshopped’ looking meals. I think the only thing which is correct about the French expectations, is the wine!

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been to Paris myself personally, but from what people I know have said, it’s a capital of style, fashion, wealth and food. That’s the exact opposite of what it’s like round here, totally! So, when they say ‘French Fashion’, I really don’t think they mean it literally. Don’t get me wrong though, France is a beautiful place, and I love the experience of being here, but I would just say one thing. Don’t expect what the magazines say, well, unless you are in Paris.

If you liked this post make sure you leave a comment with your opinions on French fashion, and also, don’t forget to follow my blog on BlogLovin‘ to keep up to date with my new posts!

Hi hi. How are you? Seeing as you loved my Tulle Dresses & Neon Trainers post so much, I thought I’d make another similar one, but this one is all about my love for Holographic Fashion (plus a bit of sparkle)! (Images via Pinterest)

Everything. Is. So. Perfect. I’m obsessed with the Holographic trend. At first I wasn’t sure, but now I just love it. It’s so three dimensional, and looks different in every light. I mean, how cool is that ruck sack? I love different colours of holographic things too, like the pink mini dress and biker jacket, AND THOSE SHOES. OH MY. Please can I have them? PLEASE! I believe this trend was more ‘in’ this summer, but I think it is still perfect for winter because it reminds me of snowflakes and just crisp, coolness. Plus, imagine wearing a holographic dress to a Christmas party? 100% awesome-ness. I also love how it can be layered with different textures, especially faux fur, which looks literally amazing with it. If you want to just add a touch of holographic, do it with shoes… a bag… or an awesome head-shield-mask-y thing. But seriously, I think we need to take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness of that pink holographic two piece. *moment of silence* Ahhh, so beautiful.

Tulle Skirt//Sparkly Brogues//Gem Tights

I am sorry for the Barbie in the background. I do not play with Barbie anymore, I am a 13 years old guys. The only reason for including the picture was because it was Pinterest’s only answer to ‘Holographic & Tulle’ (y’all know my addiction to Tulle), so it was sort of obligatory to include it. But yeah, this is sort of the ‘Sparkly’ part of this post. My answer to anything nice and glittery, now lies in the hands of The White Pepper. Their new collection for winter features some gorgeous glittery pieces, I love them! I am absolutely furious – GRRR – that the Tulle skirt on ASOS is only in size large in the sale. I almost cried when I saw it at only £15.00. Why must you be so beautiful?! 🙁 I am definitely warning you that you will probably have made your Christmas wishlist by the time you have finished browsing The White Pepper. *sighs*

I hope you liked this little post 🙂 If you did, please leave a comment below with your thoughts, because I quite enjoy doing these ones! Pip Pip!