DIY & Lifestyle

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past few months, it’s the fact that life can throw things at you that are totally out of your control, and that with that, there’s a big difference between knowing/believing in something and actually experiencing it. Just like there’s a big difference between believing in something and actually fighting for it.

I haven’t really had the chance to update anyone other than on Twitter and Facebook and all the other social media platforms that only allow a few words or paragraphs, but unfortunately, the account of my earthquake experience I wrote in August, wasn’t my last experience of one. At the end of October, Italy was hit with another three earthquakes within the space of 5 days. It was exactly three months and two days after the first one that I was hiding under a desk again, and another few days after that, I was sleeping in a tent and seeing our Italian home once again turn to ruin.

I know this isn’t something for a fashion blog, and has probably bored you to death if you have seen my updates elsewhere, but it genuinely has been a huge and traumatic part of my life recently. Falling into a routine of having to deal with aftershocks and your belongings breaking around you is not something normal to deal with.

But I’m a part believer in taking something out of everything, which means I’ve decided to take a lesson from all of this. If there are tragic things in life we can’t control, then the things we can control should be the things we fight and push on for.

It seems like a bizarre thing to compare it to, and I, of course, know I came out of the situation in a far safer and luckier place, but I now have empathy for those who have been through similar situations, specifically relating to issues which I believe in, like those affected by the Rana Plaza disaster for example. Although I can’t really compare the two, there are many accounts which state it felt like an earthquake coming on – all the machines rattling and the building starting to cave in on itself.

But the harsh reality and the unfortunate truth of that disaster was that it was avoidable. It was somebody’s fault that thousands died and were injured. It’s nobody’s fault that an earthquake happens; it’s just the earth being the earth.

We have the power to make change and to use our voice so that avoidable tragedies are just that – avoidable. Factories shouldn’t collapse because the managers are being forced to risk it. Factories shouldn’t catch on fire because of poor working conditions. Workers shouldn’t die because there are no fire exits. Workers shouldn’t die because their only source of income is working in a factory that is ready to collapse.

I have the ability to inspire others to try and fight for change, and that’s exactly what it should be – a fight. The end goal of every fight is to win, and now I want to fight harder because I know what it’s like to feel helpless.

There’s nothing you can do when an earthquake strikes other than to drop, cover and hold. But there is so much to be done when it comes to human rights, the environment and equality, especially across an industry which exploits all three (and more). When a factory catches fire, there should be fire exits and extinguishers and there should be people fighting to put out the flames and never let them light up again.

The photos in this blog post were taken in Italy. The confetti photos were taken during the carnival in Ascoli Piceno – one of the local towns which I came to know and love, and which I know is still dealing with the after-effects of the 2016 earthquakes. 

There are ways to stop and change the outcome of certain scenarios, even if it takes time and effort. It’s worth it. That’s one similarity between a natural disaster and something man-made. We can put precautions in place. We can make buildings stronger and we can stop people from going inside of them if the risk is too high, because we know profit isn’t worth people’s lives.

‘We’  is anyone who contributes to the way things are already – the consumers who buy from these exploitive brands and send out the signal that they’re doing a good job; the buyers in charge of sourcing factories; the designers and teams that decide on the high numbers of collections per year; the managers of the factories being exploited by the teams providing those high numbers.

But mainly, it’s us, the consumers and believers which need to start building the momentum.

We need to start moving and show those in charge that we will cause a huge wave of power if they don’t start getting prepared. We can start building up the pressure (just like in an earthquake) so that they have no choice but to let things release and start making the change to deal with all the changes. There is so much they (the brands, the manufacturers, the governments in charge of laws and legislations) could be doing, so we need to show them that there is actually a rhyme and a reason to making it happen.

This is also a good time for me to touch on politics and the current situation with the President-Elect in the US. It might not have been the decision that a lot of us/you, in America, wanted, but it’s what we have. That doesn’t mean to say it has to stay that way, though, or that we have to settle for it. We should take the same attitude for issues we believe in, across the board. Stand up, voice your opinions and your concerns – fight… (without violence and causing damage that is.)

I can’t say exactly how I’m going to up the ante in my personal fighting because as I have mentioned several times throughout this post, the past few months have been quite stressful and I haven’t quite got my blogging/activist/ethical advocate head straight, but I know that for sure I won’t let something natural and uncontrollable get in my way. It’s a bit like what I said about influencers using their voices – if you have the ability to make a change, try your very best to actually make it happen.

Don’t just sit and stay still unless you physically can’t. Don’t leave it to ‘everyone else’ because there are helpless people out there who need you to be their help.

For those of you somewhat interested, I can update you all by saying that I am now on my way to (or by the time you read this, already am in) Sardinia. It’s a less earthquake-prone Italian island, where I’ll be spending a few months to get back on my feet and experience yet another culture. The past few weeks have been ones of uncertainty, but hopefully, this time will resolve that. 2016 hasn’t been perfect for the most of us, but we still have a bit of time to try again. Who’s with me?

Over the past few months I’ve been using Tumblr a lot. I use it for two types of Tumblr browsing; fandom (because yes, I have succumbed to the teenage stereotype of obsessing over fictional characters and the actors and actresses that bring them to life) and fashion. I’ve made friends (you know who you are!), I’ve gained inspiration and I’ve had a lot of fun whilst doing it… but I’ve also seen a considerable amount of self-deprecating content and it’s actually made me rather quite sad.

There’s a danger that comes with social media, and we’re all aware of it, but the question is; do we actually take it seriously? For the most part when it comes to the internet, we (as in – the majority of us who use it (I’m talking about you, me, everyone who’s reading this now)) make sure that important topics are learnt about and crucial changes are made, especially when it comes to such things as cyberbullying, online grooming and all those sorts of things which I don’t really want to go into at much detail.

In terms of subtle messages and half-hearted posts made by anybody and anyone however, we don’t really seem to care that much, because that’s exactly what they come across as – half-hearted, meaningless throw-away comments.

What happens to all of those throw-away comments though? Where do they go? Well… they collect, and they get distributed, and because they’re so common but dispersed at a less powerful rate than those dangerous cyberbully comments and those weirdos you find on those random webcam generating sites, they get dismissed. When in actual fact, because they’re so prevalent, and because we see them so frequently, they can actually become more powerful than all of that over time.

It sounds all a bit dramatic and some of you might not agree, but after realising how many of these self-deprecating posts there are on Tumblr and sites alike, it got me thinking as to why we need to a put a stop to them. Seeing endless posts of ‘omg i’m so ugly haha hashtag relatable’ and actually starting to go “Ohh yeah, that is relatable” is pretty damn worrying – because we’ve all done it right? We’ve all seen a post which has made us believe we are just that – ugly… too thin; too fat; too curvy; too spotty; too hairy etc etc; the list goes on.

Some of the time we agree with the apathetic-ness of it all – we reblog or retweet something along the lines of ‘imagine a world where i’m pretty’ (no capitalised letters because Tumblr™) and don’t think much of it because it made us laugh. We move on and we share another similar post the following day or week, or whenever something else along the same vein grasps our attention.

Let’s focus on one word there though – share.
That’s the dangerous part. It’s not like in a book where you can read a line and laugh, or read a line and express your relatable feelings to yourself, because there’s also a button which gives you the instant ability to pass the message on; to pass the message on to somebody else to find and start believing in too.

These messages and comments and beliefs start filling our minds and it becomes second nature to click the button and agree with whatever’s written – probably by somebody in a genuine moment of insecurity, but has then snowballed to become a post with over 42,790 notes (reblogs/likes) and counting because it’s been marked and labelled as something ordinary. It’s a dangerous pattern all because we don’t even realise it is one.

It’s okay to sometimes share these posts in my opinion, because we all have down days of insecurity – even the most confident seeming people do, and occasionally we need something relatable and something that doesn’t make us feel so alone… but we also, more importantly, need to realise that there is a danger to it and that damage can be made when we’re constantly feeding our minds with these ideas which all ridiculously incorrect.

I agree with the statement of beauty is in the eye of the beholder, because it genuinely is. There is no such thing as ugly. We only know of the word ugly because society has made us feel like we have to fit into a certain box – or should I say in this case, a text box.

So the next time you see a post like this, or you see somebody you know reblogging one – do take it seriously. Tell them that you disagree with the statement – send a message and tell them that they’re not ugly; tell them that they don’t have too-far-apart thighs or knobbly knees or whatever else might be listed, because promise me, they won’t expect it, but my goodness gracious they’ll appreciate it… because even if they did share it just as a joke, deep down, they probably believe it whole-heartedly.

Towards the end of last week, I was off on another trip in Italy, this time to Bologna (as well as San Marino) to visit the David Bowie Is exhibition. As soon as the tickets went on sale, we purchased them knowing that it was the last time the show was being held in Europe. I came out feeling so inspired and even more in admiration for Bowie and his work, and seeing as I can still intertwine the whole experience with fashion, I decided to write down some of my thoughts after visiting…

  LOCATION: MAMbo Bologna, IT  🇮🇹

Okay let’s first of all start with the above pictures – I’ve already posted them on Twitter and Instagram and basically everywhere (including Tumblr) because they are just so magical. Shoutout to my brother for capturing such an epically timed set of photos of myself crossing the road to the MAMbo, just as a guy on his motorbike passed wearing a black star helmet. He wasn’t visiting the exhibition either just FYI – he drove past and proved that Bowie is still using his magic even now. It’s actually pretty crazy – I mean, what are the chances that someone would be passing at that exact moment with the exact same star?

Speaking of the MAMbo; that’s of course where the exhibition was held. It was a fairly big exhibition, but just the right size that if you aren’t a super fan of Bowie, you won’t get bored or uninterested. I’m not going to say I know everything and anything about the man himself, but I’ve definitely learnt a lot over the past few years with the help of my aforementioned brother, and was of course hugely hit by Bowie’s passing in January.

The cool thing about the exhibition is that you’re given a headphone and audio set that automatically plays when you walk around. It plays a mix of music, interviews and recordings, and as soon as I heard a faint whisper of a song in the first room, I could feel my emotions coming to the surface. I never really knew how much somebody I didn’t know could effect me, but I’m still not fully recovered from the news, and I’m not sure any of us will be for a while. So really, you can probably guess what it felt like to see some of his work (whether that be costumes, lyric sheets or paintings) up close and personal, just an arms stretch away.

WHAT I WORE: DIY ★ Jacket // Blouse (Charity Shop) // Super Crop Top (ASOS) // Printed Trousers (ASOS Africa) // Sunglasses (Topshop – Old) // White Vagabond Dioons (Mastershoe)*

A lot of people only know certain parts of Bowie’s story, whether that be his life as Ziggy Stardust (only a very small part of his career), his acting career in films like Labyrinth, or even for younger generations, his latest albums like The Next Day and ★, but there’s so much more to him than all of that, and that’s what the exhibiton really brings to life. There’s a dedicated section to his time in Berlin in the 70s, which includes some of the artwork he produced as someone who has always had an interest in art; there’s a film room dedicated to more than just his role in Labryinth and The Man Who Fell To Earth and there’s the very first original letter which shows the change of his name from Davie to David Bowie…

…and then of course, there’s the costumes. As an aspiring designer, you definitely won’t be surprised to hear how much time I took to look at each piece in detail. There’s an incredibly well preserved collection from most of his tours, including of course the more well known outfits and designs by Kansai Yamamoto (seen above – a scan from the David Bowie Is book). Seeing the textures and three dimensionality of everything really brings to life Bowie in front of your eyes, and is worth all the odd looks of being down on my knees in front of fifty odd people to inspect that knitted jumpsuit in dim lighting through a mesh panel…

…the mesh panel being in one of the most incredible rooms. A 360 degree square of lights and projections showing various concerts including the last ever for Ziggy and a performance of Heroes. I may have been in that room for longer than most, but it was genuinely breathtaking and made my heart warm when a few people started dancing – although the legend might not be with us now, it’s a time to celebrate his influence and how he’s changed the lives of many; past, present and future.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve now said this, but it truly was an incredible experience. I came away feeling truly grateful of the fact I was able to see Bowie create new music and leave behind such a powerful message. There are many reasons why he has such an inspiring story, but if you really want to learn why, you’ll have to visit the exhibition yourself. It’s worth all the travelling, all the money and all the emotions you may (and probably will) experience. Even just seeing the imagery outside the museum overwhelmed me…

Have you been to the David Bowie Is exhibition? How did Bowie inspire you? Let me know in the comments!

I’m back with another travel/lifestyle type post today! A few days ago we (aka myself and my family) headed off to Florence (Firenze) for two days so I thought I’d share a little snippet of what I got up to. It might not seem very fitting for my blog, but I should have two more posts coming from this trip, one of which is going to be all about Gucci, and the other, which should be an insight into my current Renaissance project about all of the artists from the city, including the greats like Botticelli. Oh, and yes, this blog post does include a repeat of this outfit! I guess I just love it that much!

WHAT I WORE: Faux Leather Jacket (Peacocks – old)* // Floral Blouse (Jumble Sale) // Bohemian Maxi Dress (Pull & Bear) // Hamble Myth Lace-up Flats (Clark’s)* // Sunglasses (SCOUT) // Suede Tassel Bag (Jumble Sale)

One of the main places we visited was the “Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore” (Florence Cathedral), which was completed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1436. If you’ve seen pictures and you think it’s impressive, then you’ll be blown away if you ever get to face it in real life. It’s huge and towers over the whole city even from afar. Even though the design is gothic and has very intricate elements to it, it has a huge presence and makes you feel very intimated in comparison. For me, buildings like this are pretty damn spectacular, when you think about how long they’ve been standing and how lucky we are to still be able to experience them.

Florence in general is a really cool city. Hardly any of it is made up of modern buildings which I think is really special about Italy. It still holds so much heritage even though there’s still the hustle and bustle of ordinary life going on around it. There are some real gems, including MOVE ON which is a record store and restaurant combined, right in the square next to the cathedral. It’s one of those shops that I’m sure would be (or is) a big hit with bloggers… it’s rather photogenic.

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LOCATION: Via Tornabuoni, Florence, IT  🇮🇹

As I mentioned in the intro to this post, I’ll soon have a blog post up about Gucci, as I had a tour around the museum and was able to document some of the most interesting pieces for you. It was actually super interesting and I was so in awe. I came out thoroughly inspired; it really does just take one idea to spark a whole new world. I’ll have a write up finished as soon as possible! I can’t wait to share more.

Of course, last but most definitely not least, we have the Uffizi Gallery. Home to some of the most famous paintings in the world, it really is breathtaking. Whilst researching and learning more about renaissance art, I’ve definitely decided that my favourite artist is 100%, Sandro Botticelli. “Primavera” and “The Birth of Venus” are quite possibly two of the most beautiful paintings you will ever witness. They are genuinely incredible. I couldn’t resist coming home with a print of “Primavera” (it’s huge and was only €10… yet another reason to visit) – the fact that Vivienne Westwood used to have one in her apartment when she was younger, isn’t too bad either.

If you’re interested in learning more about the art and history of Florence, I can recommend a book called… “Florence” by Ross King. It’s not only packed full of accurate information and reading material, it’s also packaged beautifully and has some really great quality pictures of the art work, whether the paintings are from the Uffizi or elsewhere.

I hope you enjoyed this little whistle stop tour of Florence and what I got up to! As I said, I’ll be back soon with a look at the Gucci museum… also, to be topical – make use of being able to travel easily over the next two years, we don’t know what’s going to happen.

Have you ever been to Florence? Who is your favourite renaissance painter? Let me know in the comments!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about ‘making your mark’ or leaving your personal imprint in the world, in terms of how we look back on ourselves from a certain point in our lives. That sounds a bit odd, but the idea came to me when my dad stated something a while back over dinner…

WHAT I WORE: Faux Leather Jacket (Peacocks – old)* // Floral Blouse (Jumble Sale) // Bohemian Maxi Dress (Pull & Bear) // 1B99 Dr Martens (Mastershoe My-Shu)* // Rings (Various Stores)

“It’s funny really, when you’re older and we look back, we won’t have many pictures of you in summer dresses, will we Tolly?” is what he said.

What he said really stuck with me, but not for the wrong reasons (just in case you’re worried Papa Posh!). It got me thinking about the idea of our future and past selves and how in the digital age of instantly uploadable photographs and Facebook ‘Memories’, we’re always looking at what we were like then and now, and how it will be so much easier to compare our past selves and cringe over decisions we made ‘back in the day’ when we have this back log of data and endless streams of photos and saved moments in the future.

What my dad was saying was true – when people look back on my younger self, there won’t be any floral dresses or what some might label as ‘girly’ photos of me, because I’m just not that kind of person. I’m not a tomboy or anything like that (I mean, I’m wearing a dress in these photos and my blog is covered in pink and purple – ugh, *eye roll* 🙄 to stereotypes) but I’ve never been the average kind of gal to prance around in little ankle socks and daisy chain printed skirts.

Having the means to digitalise memories and have them saved onto your laptops and phones (or ‘in the cloud’) means we can see all of the changes and transitions happening, and I think what we need to do is accept that. Things do change. We all change.

For people my age, this is probably one of the hardest things to accept. The idea that we don’t stay as this set person and we don’t always end up being the person we thought we’d be. We can try our best to mould ourselves into what we want to be, but there’s always going to be things that we can’t help doing differently. The reason I’m connecting the dot between this and what my dad said, is because I evolve constantly. I don’t wear summery items of clothing because I’m wearing faux-leather jackets and utility dresses one minute and then blouses and bohemian dresses the next. That’s part of becoming who I am – and part of that is realising, I won’t be able to look back on myself and see this one type of person. No matter how hard I try to create this one aesthetic, there will always be multiple, because I’m still changing.

As a blogger and someone who uses social media rather often, I know what it means to be putting out this specific persona and display of yourself. You probably do too, whether it’s because of what you’re posting or what others are posting. How many Instagram accounts do you go on which are neatly laid out and in a specific colour scheme? Dozens, maybe hundreds, probably… and that’s great; it’s creative and uniform and part of art, but do you know what the biggest struggle is when you start to do that? Adapting to change.

Accepting that change and realising that looking back on what you were then compared to now, is so important. I was listening to a podcast recently (Ladies Who Lunch, if you’re curious) and one of the ladies (who lunches, heh – Cat, I believe) said that she – as a YouTuber and online influencer – is glad that she has the ability to look back and see where she came from, because it’s an archive of her life and her journey.

We have this incredible ability to store the outfits and the hairstyles and the make-up looks and the places we went and the inspiration we found in our own personal archives. We are the curators of our own archives. It’s scary, sure… the idea that we’ll look back and regret decisions or cringe over them, but that’s the great thing about storing it all and utilising these tools – we can gradually accept change and we can look back after a few weeks and start going ‘Oh, well I wouldn’t do that now’. We have time to process change, and we really need to take advantage of that.

In response to my dad’s statement – you’re right. You won’t see many pictures of me in fluttery dresses and cardigans, but what you will see, is a timeline of the person I’ll become and a record of what not wearing those summery prints, means to me.

Do you find it hard to accept the fact you aren’t the same person you were last year? Are you happy with your personal archive so far? Let me know in the comments!

I’ve spoken about this topic before in this blog post about ‘sticking out like a sore thumb’, but I’m always happy to revisit the topic, especially if you guys are asking specifically, which you did… back in this blog post! If you’re interested in knowing how I’ve personally combated feeling judged and self-conscious and how you can too, then carry on reading…

I’m going to start out by saying that I’m definitely not in the worst position for being judged or for being self-conscious. There are so many variables that go into making you feel more insecure, some of which include your family and support group, your friends, your school or your work place.

I’m very lucky; I have a family that is truly supportive of me and I have parents that have never pressured me into being a specific type of person. I’m not trying to be judgey, but I know that so many people out there that do feel pressured or haven’t had the same sense of support, so I really do try not to take it for granted.

I’m also currently home schooled which means I don’t have the usual pressures that come with having peers around, although that doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced that sort of thing (I have, and I’ve written about that before too).

But, (like pressure at school), that doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced feeling judged or pressured or most importantly, self-conscicous. We all have, at some point in our lives so far, because every human judges, no matter how hard we try not to. Our brain scans things over when we meet new people, and when we see new faces in the street. It may be subconscious, but we all do it, so it’s rather hard to avoid, and that’s a crucial fact to remember.

For me personally, I’m most self-conscious about my exterior personality, although I’m at a place now that I’m, for the most part, whole heartedly happy with things. I’m happy in myself and how I come across as a person, but when it comes to how I appear, I think that’s where I hit a stumbling block. I met someone new a while back, and whilst I was getting ready on the day, the first thought that came into my head was – “Perhaps I should wear something a little more ordinary”. So, as you can see, I still expect and worry about being judged, no matter how confident I actually feel as a whole.

So, the question is – how do we get past things like that? How do we skip out those thoughts that make us pressured? How do we stop ourselves from shrinking back down into that mold of ‘being normal’ or ‘being perfect?’. Well, I’ve thought about it, and I know you’re no doubt going to think I sound crazy but… I like to think about the size of the world and the universe. Yup, you read me right… I’m getting deep.

Seriously though, sometimes it’s just great to put things into perspective. I know this won’t work for everyone, and it could quite possibly be just my teenage brain making me think about these sorts of things (my sister said she used to the same when she was my age), but honestly, when you realise how small and pointless these insecurities and fears are… you start to feel a whole lot better about yourself, and you start to look at other people around you in a whole new light.

~ YOUR PERSPECTIVE TO DO LIST ~

So, to do this, I’m going to throw in some facts about the universe. It would take 100,000 years to travel across the Milky Way. In the observable universe, there is estimated to be one hundred billion galaxies… so (according to physics.org) if you hold a grain of sand up to the sky, the tiny patch of sky that it covers, contains ten thousand of those galaxies. There’s a lot more to it than that as we all know, but those facts alone are enough to make you feel dizzy.

Nevertheless, I hope you can understand what I mean. Looking at everything in this perspective just makes me think – why should I care about that person across the road looking at me oddly for wearing something a little ‘different’ (what even is different, after all?) when there are so many bigger things to be worried about?

I also mentioned that this makes you look at other people in a whole new light, and it really does. I’ve started to just appreciate a smile, no matter who the person is wearing it. I don’t judge them or comment on the rest of them, I just appreciate what’s there and the beauty of it. Because honestly, once we’re happy in ourselves, we can start to appreciate everyone and everything else around us and we can start to make those people who felt the same way as us, get that little bit closer to being happy too.

  LOCATION: Sirolo, IT  🇮🇹

What you have to realise though, is that every single one of us goes through judgement and feelings of self-consciousness, so there’s no real way to ever combat it (like I mentioned in my sore thumb post). You just have to suck it up and start blurring things out because honestly, it’s always going to be there, no matter who you are… and in a way, that’s kind of the fun of it all.

When you do have those moments of confidence and when you finally do feel happy with how everything is… you’ll be able to look back and compare things with that perspective lens and realise there really was no point in worrying.

Did this blog post help you? Do you have any further questions about confidence? Leave a comment or fill out the form above!

Also… if you’d like to see a full outfit post for what I’m wearing here, do let me know! I’ve also just added a sneaky little feature to my blog in the form of Konami code. Have fun with that! Oh and just FYI, my next blog post is a good one! Watch out!

Unfortunately LFW fell at a bit of an odd time for me to do London Fashion Blog Week this season, which is why this post has absolutely no reason to the great fashion month that has already kicked off. This post is a little lifestyle-y but with a small outfit thrown in too. My family and I traveled to Rome for a nights stay in an AirBnB (our first ever experience), so that my brother could go off and see Ronaldo do his thing against A.S Roma ⚽ and so I could go and take a look at some of those great Michelangelo paintings. So here are some pictures from the two days we were there…

WHAT I WORE: Black Faux Fur Coat (Jumble Sale) // ASOS Dip Dye Jeans (DIY) // Blue Mono Pascal Boots (Dr Martens) // Floppy Hat (ASOS)

I’ve actually been to Rome a few times before but I couldn’t really remember that much of it, so it was nice to really soak it all up. I especially loved the architecture, and how colourful it all was. Italians seem to love their painted houses and Rome was full of colourful buildings, especially in gorgeous muted pink tones… perfect for outfit snaps as you can see from above!

We were actually lucky enough to take a trip to the Vatican museum which takes you through the Vatican all the way into the Sistine Chapel. It was a really cool experience but definitely don’t go unprepared without a good pair of shoes… it’s a long walk! Some of the art work really is quite incredible and you’re lucky enough to be able to take photos which is quite rare (although not in the Chapel… they made that very clear).

WHAT I WORE: Black Faux Leather Biker Jacket (ARK)* // Geometric Maxi Dress (ASOS) // Floppy Hat (ASOS)

The paintings really are quite incredible, mainly because they’re all in such good condition. The Last Judgement really is quite spectacular… it’s huge and you don’t really get enough time to take it all in due to the fact that you’re crammed into the chapel with hundreds of other people (they really need to only let in a certain amount of people at one time). I’d recommend it though! The whole tour was definitely worth it, even if you’re not necessarily that interested in ART… to be able to say you’ve been around the Vatican is quite a statement.

There was also a Matisse exhibition showing which was exciting for me as I’m a big fan of his work…. a picture in front was of course obligatory. Excuse the messy hair… long days with long hair = frizz and mess… a hat is an essential item! There was also a collection of lots of different artists including Salvador Dalí, but sadly most people were just walking on past. Stop and appreciate it, people!

DR MARTENS: Blue Mono Pascal Boots (Dr Martens) // Black Virginia Leather 1B99 Boots (Mastershoe-MyShu)*

LOCATION: Via dei Coronari, Rome, IT 🇮🇹

So I’ll talk a little about my outfit… I accidentally wore a combination that gives the illusion of blue knee high boots. Oops. It didn’t look so bad in real life, but in photos you could most definitely mistake my trousers for boots!

Talking of boots… I officially have four pairs of Dr Martens thanks to winning the Facebook page give-away they run every week. Definitely worth the two minutes of filling it out because now I have another pair in my collection!

Have you been to Rome? Where did you visit? Let’s chat in the comments!

Other than fashion, another thing that I am wholly passionate about is… self-expression and just being yourself. I don’t really know where it came from, but it’s just always been there within me. The idea of everyone being themselves and embracing the fact that no one person is the same has just always been such an interesting and exciting concept to me…

~ (A LITTLE SNIPPET OF ME) ~

…and I want to share that. I know I’ve spoken a couple of times about the topic on here before (like with my “How To Soothe A Sore Thumb” or “Fat vs Thin” posts) but I really want to try and infuse it into Tolly Dolly Posh Fashion this year. It’s great too because being yourself ties into fashion really well. I mean, what’s the main way we all express ourselves? Through our clothes.

It’s one thing you can’t skip out one each day, so what you put on always channels some form of message. Seriously, you’re feeling a bit fed up and lazy? Putting on comfy clothes literally expresses that (we all do it – even though being yourself certainly isn’t all about fashion).

But the question is… how? I’m all about writing lengthy posts about my own experiences but I think this is one of those topics where we have to talk to each other about it. Does anyone remember when I did “The Ultimate Guide To Being A Teenager“? Well, that was a great example of me taking your questions and queries and creating content from them and I’m hoping it helped.

~ BEING YOURSELF ISN’T ALL ABOUT FASHION ~

Although I loved that yearly series and I’d be happy to bring it back, I’d also love to move forward and do something more regularly, whether that’s in the form of videos (yes I know, I’ve kind of gone off YouTube again haven’t I?) or Q&As, I don’t know, so that’s why I’m writing this post.

Let’s have a bit of a chat! I’m leaving a little submission form below for those of you don’t necessarily want to leave a full comment. Just let me know what sorts of topics you’d be interested in me talking about to do with self-expression and being comfortable in your own skin. Leave a single question if you like! Here are some ideas (they don’t even have to be obviously questions about being you… simple lifestyle type ones can be a good start)…

So I decided for today I wanted to move away from my normal style of content and try something new. After watching Arcade Fire’s “Reflektor Tapes” film by Kahlil Joseph at the cinema, I came away quite inspired by the art that they produce. I’m no major fan, but after being introduced to the band by my brother, they have always intrigued me and the film definitely got me interested even more… (Images via Tumblr – Scroll for sources)

For me the part that inspires me the most is the whole aesthetic (of Reflektor). In an exclusive ‘after-credits interview’, Win Butler even stated that it was the first time that they really focused on the whole spectrum of a tour in terms of how it looked and in my opinion it looked pretty darn awesome. There’s something so inspiring to me when art is so in sync and so purposefully put together, but it still somehow shows a story with it’s different elements.

As I said in this post’s intro, this is a different sort of topic for me but it can definitely merge into fashion in terms of costume and set design, and actually, even the music itself. It’s probably quite a personal thing as I am a bit reluctant to shiny things (I wore holographic shoes to the cinema), but I just have to express my thoughts down in… typing?

One of my favourite elements of Reflektor is Arcade Fire’s “Mirror Man”, who actually was created by Gustav Troger who works with glass and mirror as his main material and I definitely want to look more into his work. I genuinely want to cover my Dr Martens in broken shards of mirror and become my own version of the ‘living sculpture’. And if you go into detail of the actual Reflektor album, you’ll soon understand it’s importance.

Have you seen the “Reflektor Tapes”? Are you a fan of Arcade Fire? Did you like this style of post? Let me know!

(Tumblr sources: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6)

I don’t think my life has ever been so manic… okay, maybe it has been but seriously, I’m launching a collection of socks with Mooi en Lief next week (EEEP!) and now, I’m off on a road trip to Italy! Yup! More deets here if ya’ wanna’ know…

~ ANDIAMO! ~

As you may know, I’m currently home schooled which allows me more time to do things like blogging and focus on things that I’m truly passionate about. It also means that I have time to travel, seeing as my “school” could move into a jungle if it really wanted (okay, maybe not), so as you can probably tell, I’m going off to Italy on a road trip!

You may have seen that I say I am in “UK & France”, because it’s kinda’ true. I’m back and forth quite a bit, and I think for now, it will more be “UK & Italy”. I think it’s going to be really exciting… I suppose I haven’t really been excited for the journey yet, but now I write this, I kinda’ am!

WHAT I WORE: Stripey Top (Johnnie B @ Boden)* // Leather Backpack (Dr Martens)*

I have been to Italy before (specifically Rome, Venice and Genoa) but that’s just a small percentage. It will be really interesting to see the difference between France and Italy, and even England! I think I’m most excited to try real pizza, I mean who wouldn’t be?!

It will also be my first experience of a campervan which I’m also ridiculously excited about! Even our furry little black cat friend, Paloma, will be joining us on our adventure. If you have any tips on travelling on long journeys with cats, do let us know! She’s been from the UK to France and didn’t make a single noise, so fingers crossed she’ll be fine!

This does also mean that all of my blog posts coming up are going to firstly be scheduled, but they’re also all going to be Mooi en Lief by Tolly Dolly Posh related. There will be give-away’s so you won’t be missing out on too much! I’ll also give you a break half way through with an ordinary post from yours truly!

Also, I’m really sorry for not doing the second instalment of Changing With The Seasons – Summer, but as you can tell, I just haven’t had the time! I’ll be back in October though…

Are you excited for the next few weeks to come? Leave a comment and we can chat when I get a spare moment. For now… andiamo!