Driving Me Paisley

If anyone has seen the series Girlboss you know Sophia is the ultimate babe and motive behind Nastygal. Sophia Amoruso was the business woman behind the fashion empire that derived from simply hunting down vintage pieces and selling them online.

The thing that Nastygal gets so right for me is the mix of vintage, throwback trends from all era’s whilst keeping it current. Expect retro tee’s, pinafores, turtle necks, maxi dresses, cord, snakeskin, leopard print, baker -boy hats and mini skirts. As you could imagine my wish list went on forever when I was browsing on Nastygal, however this paisley dress really stood out to me, it was one of them you keep gravitating towards when scrolling through.The wrap over design is so flattering and means you can either tie the belt at the front or back, whatever you desire. The paisley is a nod to the late ’60s early ’70s which I draw huge inspirations from in my clothes and style so I was all over that in a heartbeat. Also if you are like me and do not like low cut tops, you can adjust to how much you want to wrap over for coverage.I just love how the dark plum and rouge colours really match the Autumn season we’ve come into. Basically it is a winning dress in all sorts of ways and very reasonable for the price. The colours paired with the long sweeping skirt gave off serious Stevie Nicks vibes and I’m all for that. I paired with my trusty leather jacket, anyone who knows me will know I pretty much have a (faux) leather jacket for all weathers and occasions, the one I’m wearing here is from Bershka, it’s the perfect cropped length and I thought it tied in well with the boots.

I also recently bought my first pair of Dr Martens which I love so much! I once got some second hand off Depop a couple of years ago and it was a disaster. Let’s just say it’s not cool when they look like clown shoes and were moulded to someone else’s feet, so I sold them on again. When I got my new ones my dad said to me “oh if you wore them when I was younger you’d be a real hard punk” I just laughed but I understood the roots of where these derived from and it’s one of the reasons I love Docs.

Having said that it’s not because I want to look punk, it’s because of the musical influences and the history behind them, Docs can rough up a whole look so effortlessly. I chose the monkey boots in the oxblood colour, the stitching on the boots are really unique and the fact they are ankle length makes them feel lighter on the feet. At first I was sceptical in styling the docs because I’d never had any, having said that they actually style themselves, just wack them on, that’s what I say.

I’m off to go sweep around in my paisley dress of dreams and polish my Dr Martens whilst listening to ‘Rhiannon’. See you soon!

Dress – Nastygal (here) // Jacket – Bershka (here) // Boots – Dr Martens (here)

Steph x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Seventies Style

Heya!

I’m actually so so happy to announce that I have officially come out of hibernation of being snowed under with university work, I have one last deadline in May in which the magazine I am creating will be due. I decided to create a 1960’s magazine including original interviews, writing and design, I’ve had a fair few groovy souls that got in touch with me to be involved,  I’ve really enjoyed designing the mag and hearing peoples opinions on a time period that marked change and pushed boundaries. So that is me and my three years at University FINITO! Actually can’t believe that I’ll be graduating in July,  i’m both nervous and excited to see what happens next.

It’s not just the sixties  that really inspires me however it’s also the seventies, especially coming into Summer that means more free flowing, tassel ridden, flared garments will be coming into the mix, particularly with festival season. For this shoot it was rather impromptu and a little seventies outfit was formed, having said that this outfit is pretty much what I’ve been wearing recently, PRAISE BE GOD FOR JAMIE FLARE JEANS FROM TOPSHOP!

I actually love these jeans so so much, they are high waisted and have a gorgeous flare all in proportion, however the best is yet to come. As I’m quite small in height, Topshop do them in trouser length 30, which means no trailing flares on the floor, what a dream! I have them in a classic blue denim colour perfect with every outfit! although I do want to invest in the black pair too! I really enjoy dressing down flares and wearing them with my plain black converse for a real Woodstock casual vibe or with Adidas Gazelle’s to bring a bit of a retro chill to the outfit.

In this particular outfit I decided to match red accessories with red suede booties and a red baker boy hat, not forgetting the bug-eye sunnies to fit with the seventies theme I was going for. Normally I’d feel more comfortable in my black baker boy hat however after seeing it paired with the red boots it really brought a pop of colour to quite a neutral outfit.

I think the main focal point on this outfit was of course my favourite tassle black suede jacket, I bought this a while back when I worked at Forever 21, I used to go into work and just eye it up until one day I made it mine. That jacket has done me very very well, a staple in my eyes, one to just wack on whenever you want to jazz up an outfit, it is probably my go to party jacket, I love wearing it with quite feminine dresses to bring a bit of a rougher rock chick look with black pointed ankle boots.

Bodysuit/ T -Shirt – Zara (similar here) // Jeans – Topshop (here) // Jacket – Forever 21 (similar here) // Boots – Just Fab (here) // Baker Boy Hat – Primark (similar here) //  Sunglasses – Joanie (here) 

Anyway the point is that I added it into this outfit as the bodysuit I wore underneath was  just plain black with a simple “1987” slogan on the front (wrong year for the look but sometimes things don’t always go hand in hand do they?). I also really like the weight to the tassles on this jacket. The movement of them all when you walk, particularly on the day we decided to shoot, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and if that isn’t a perfect combination for tassels then I don’t know what is.

Hoping to jump back into blogging again now that I have less work, so if you want to work seventies style, I say go for it! get your tassle on!

Steph x

Winter Military Reporting for Duty!

Hey there,

I felt it had been a while since doing my last fashion blog post, therefore this one is way overdue! One day I decided to have a root in Oxfam in which I stumbled across a Zara military style jacket, I decided to try it on and I was actually amazed how much tailoring can change your silhouette and for £7.99 how could I let it go!

The military trend is huge right now, when wearing military style tailoring it gives of some sort of female authority throughout an original masculine trend. The blazer style jacket i’m wearing has two stitches either side of the waist area making it a perfect way to give the illusion of a smaller waist! It is reasonably long line and has a pleat at the back to allow movement with an extra royal-esque type of feel. The detailing of the trimming is the statement of this jacket, the gold buttons and cuff trims make this piece the classic it is.

When thinking of how to style the jacket I was ready to go full on nautical/ army service style haha! Therefore I wore with a red and white striped long sleeved tee, I feel the red lifted the dark colour of the jacket, wearing with a leather skirt gave another texture to the look and also removed it from being too uniformed.

Star prints are my favourite, they are just so sparkly and celestial, so once again I “stumbled” into H&M and saw a leather skirt with star embroidery and zip detailing,  it was magical and meant to be. To tie in the red I wore my red suede ‘Noel booties’ that ‘Just Fab’ kindly sent to me! Personally I am a huge loafer fan and when I saw these boots that were half boot half loafer I was made up! The boots take huge influences on Gucci through the gold buckle detailing however for a lot less pennies:)

I am a huge fan of my bakerboy/ Lennon  hat, it just induces a bit of 60’s style and is great when your hair needs to be tamed! While in H&M I picked up a Brixton inspired baker boy, with a leather peak and rope detailing across the front. I almost fainted when I got to the till and found out it had gone down to one English pound, I’m alright at this bargain hunting malarkey!

Fashion aside, Uni deadlines are coming thick and fast, the dissertation planning is underway. My dissertation is going be on the ‘thin ideals’ that are portrayed in male fashion magazines, I will be focussing on whether male fashion magazines do attempt to portray an ideal image of a male body. I decided this as there is so much coverage in the media of how body image is affected by female models in the fashion industry, leading to body image and self esteem issues, however what about the guys? It can affect them also!

Jacket – Charity Shop (similar here) // Top – H&M (click here) // Skirt – H&M (click here) // Boots – Just fab (click here) // Bakerboy Hat – H&M (sold out)  (similar here) 

I’m still doing some music reviewing on the side, which is something that I find quite relaxing to write about. If it is a certain band, single, album… I make myself a coffee, sit down and play it through my speakers so I can really figure it out and begin to get inspiration to write about it. It’s starting to feel all festive and cute recently however I’m still not saying the ‘C’ word, let’s get to December first!

See you soon!

Steph x

Tempesst – Adult Wonderland EP

Mix together an ever-changing sound of airy psychedelia with hints of pop and folk, and you have London’s Tempesst  – a quartet made up of Eric Weber (guitars), Kane Reynolds (keys) and brothers Toma Benjamin (vocals) and Andy Benjanin (drums). In the past year, the four have relentlessly bashed the the live circuit, hitting the likes of The Great Escape and Live At Leeds alongside supporting Mystery Jets and Albert Hammond Jr – but the release of woozy debut EP ‘Adult Wonderland’ ensures that it’s Tempesst who are the stars of the show.

Opener ‘Waiheke’ awakens those rock ‘n’ roll roots, channeling influences from The Beatles’ psych phase to Tame Impala throughout. Tempesst successfully concoct an uplifitng mood, with the track radiating happiness with statement guitar reverbs and Toma’s lazily angelic vocals that are undeniably comforting. Second up is 2015’s ‘Tidal Wave’ – a track that snowballs from its subtle intro into a roaring chorus dominated by Toma’s melancholy vocals. Lines like “Riding on tidal wave, floating in from out of space” are lovingly chill, supporting the laid back persona that the band do so well.

Three may be the magic number, and even more so on Adult Wonderland, as the brilliant ‘Feel Better’ is a sublime ode to working all week and partying all weekend – something that resonates with many. It’s a distorted and hazy tune that features a good slice of rock ‘n’ roll thanks to its groovy guitar riffs. ‘God Knows I Needed a Muse’ is the EP’s closer – and it’s the most beautiful out of the bunch. Hollowed vocals sound angelic contrasted to brilliant guitar strikes and promiscuous drums. There’s something alluring and exposed about it – and its the perfect dreamy end to the four tracks.

Tempesst recreate psych through multiple ways in each of their songs to fit all moods. With underlying sounds of different genres, the quartet easily switch their styles from floaty folk-pop and back to those 60’s vibes all over again. Adult Wonderland is exciting and mysterious – and will keep you on your toes. Tempesst are a band to keep a watch out for, let loose and jump on that psychedelic dream boat.

ADULT WONDERLAND IS OUT NOW

How I style in Vinyl

Hello everyone!

What a busy busy week it has been, it has been my first week back starting my last year in University and on top of that I’ve also been working! I’ve finally started to sit down and have a good old think about what I should post about next. I’ve been trying not to spend too much money and buy clothes, which I tell you is one of the most difficult things that I try to do ever! I always have to force myself on shopping bans however I always come up with a reason that somehow bails me out of the ban. It is a never ending vicious circle, however excuses for my shopping habits aside, I have started as a Sales Associate at Victoria Secret, in which case our uniform is all black.

Black is classic, the foundation of key wardrobe pieces, and what female doesn’t have a LBD? Since starting work I keep finding myself looking at all the different black tops and pants that can be found on the highstreet at the moment. I’ve been looking for a pair of black vinyl trousers which are affordable and on trend, I figured it could be possible to work while looking the epitome of sass in this glossy style staple! I picked them up on my way home from Uni one day pondering whether i’d actually brave wearing them, as soon as I threw over the comfort of my big leopard print fur coat I felt a million times more comfortable in them.

They aren’t that scary really, I was trying to nail the ‘rock chic’ feel while not feeling like a big stick of liquorice, I don’t know whether I gained that but I’ve managed to branch out a little while still being in my style. Mixing up my style is something I’m not too good at, I have a style and I stick to it,  the vinyl trend is luckily for me right up my street, I’m pretty much always wearing my PVC skirt with a pair of fishnets and my boots. I’m excited that it’s hit more high-street stores recently this season  which means more variety and less expensive pieces I can spend my student pennies on:)

Theres something quite rebellious about wearing them, yet in all honesty I don’t feel that rebellious when they are on haha! especially not when I called my mum and told her I bought these her initial reaction was just a burst of laughter down the phone…Cheers Mum! however having said that they do make me feel a little more tougher on the inside than say if I was wearing a standard style pair of jeans. Feeling tough is important I reckon, especially as I’m probably classified as a worrier in life, at least I can worry but look tough. On another note I have seen Alexa Chung style these wearing a mohair jumper which really works at bringing something so simple to life.

Sounds weird but when wearing these I do just want everyone to come on down and feel my legs in a none creepy way! , the feel of them is actually so satisfying. Coming into Autumn now these are a really good alternative to jeans and tights, the vinyl is eye catching and reflects light, therefore it will rebound the light in any setting. Vinyl has become a fashion trend rapidly and it is because it is unique, eye-catching and a lazy way to bring texture to an outfit. If you pair these with any everyday piece you can’t really go wrong!

I’ve paired the vinyl trousers with my leopard print faux fur coat and a ribbed black turtle neck. Leopard and black is always a great idea, it somehow just works. I wore with my black ankle boots which I know is mentioned so many times on my blog, they are just my go to and it also creates an illusion of longer legs (which by the way I will never have sadly) as the shoes and trousers are all one colour, luckily for me it is now Autumn which means boots boots boots!

Coat – New Look (sold out) similar here  // Top – H&M (sold out) similar here  //        Trousers – New Look (click here) // Boots – Topshop (sold out) similar here 

Lets talk about the elephant in the room, the process of removing these. I am pleased you don’t have to talc powder  your legs to remove them or have to awkwardly ask anyone to assist! They peel of like a dream with skin still in tact. I think for the price these ones from New Look are really impressive quality and as long as comfort goes, how comfortable can you be in a pair of PVC pants, i’ll let you decide.

See you soon!

Steph x