Coven

Outfit details: 

Top: Primark

Skirt: vintage

Kimono and blue stone necklace: Forever 21

Boots: New Look

Layered necklace and black stone ring: Accessorize

Claw ring: Ad Hoc

Another day, another kimono! Effortless but beautiful, they make an everyday outfit special. This one in particular made me feel like a bad ass, gypsy-witch-queen (like the characters of one of my favourite shows, AHS: Coven, who inspired this look). In order to give the gorgeous detailing on this Forever 21 kimono the attention it deserves, I paired it with an all-black outfit, using it also to showcase some new jewelry. This layered necklace called to me in the Accessorize at Liverpool Street station on the way home from work and, instantly, I pictured this outfit in my mind. 

As I mentioned before, I often receive comments on my outfits, usually because I'm not dressing for the occasion at hand. For instance, my month's work experience at the British Museum sees my carefully thought-out outfits shut up in dusty, gloomy store rooms and archives; clambering up ladders, taking inventory of finds, transcribing records and marking objects. As such, my boss and colleagues are often in jeans and t-shirts, more familiar with site work than fashion trends. This awards me a few comments every morning but I wouldn't have it any way - wearing what I want makes me confident and happy, and planning outfits is often my favourite part of the day. It might be weird to believe, but wearing a new piece of clothing or new accessory (like this necklace) almost makes me excited for my 6 am wake up (I did say almost!) 

If you remember, last week I wrote about my love for colour, especially on grey days. Today however, one look at the leaden skies and I found myself reaching for a palette of black and white. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll be wearing all the colours of the rainbow? Or exclusively in leopard print? That's the beauty of fashion! No day is the same. 

Clashing

Outfit details:
Dress and boots: Forever 21
Kimono: TK Maxx
Bag: charity shop
Belt: H&M
Earrings and black stone ring: Accessorize
Claw ring: Ad Hoc

Autumn has only just started to take a hold but, in eager anticipation of bright, crisp days, I found myself pulling out this kimono today. When I first saw it last year the rich colours and beautiful pattern instantly recalled the vibrant golds, reds and oranges of autumnal leaves. Pairing it with this turquoise lace dress seemed natural to me but I was told numerous times, from my boss to a shop assistant, that I was 'incredibly brave' for doing so. I didn't feel brave at all; in fact this outfit not only brightened the otherwise grey and gloomy day, but sticking out in the crowd of grey and black suits made me 100% more confident.

It makes me sad that so many women feel like they can't wear this or that because of so-and-so outdated rule, passed down through the generations. If you want to wear turquoise and orange? Go for it. Brown and navy? Why not? Gold and silver jewelry? Go crazy! Fashion is supposed to be fun, not regulated and kept in check. In my opinion it is one of our most important ways of expressing our own individuality - a way to mark ourselves as separate and unique. That's another of the reasons why I love fashion blogging. Seeing people across the world express themselves and stand out definitely brightens up the mundane cycle of work, eat, sleep. This is why I instantly skip any 'What Not to Wear' articles. Why would I want to dress like someone else? Or let some anonymous 'style expert' tell me that an outfit that makes me confident and happy is 'wrong'? So, moral of this rant/essay is: wear what you want, despite how 'brave' people think you are.

Lazy-day Lace

Just a quick outfit post for you today. After another busy day in London yesterday (more details and photos about that coming in another post), my main concerns for today were comfort and warmth. I still wanted to dress up a little though and this lace blouse proved perfect - a simple piece that instantly ups an outfit. Today was lovely; there's nothing like a lazy day reading and sipping countless mugs of tea after a crazy-busy week. I defiantly needed a day off before the London madness begins again tomorrow! Commuting to the city everyday is more draining than I anticipated, and I defiantly don't look forward to my 6 am alarm - it's not something I could do if I didn't love my job!

I hope you've all had lovely and chilled Sundays too. - Esther

Outfit details:
Lace top: charity shop
Cardigan: New Look
Jeans, boots and hat: H&M
Bag: River Island
Stone necklace: Urban Outfitters
Ring (on necklace): H&M

Zigzag

I have a confession to make: I don't think I am fashionable or unique enough for anyone to care much for my style and blogging. I know that this is probably shared by a lot of people secretly, and it's wrong to think it - we need everyone's voice and opinion, or else we would all look the same. If a friend said this to me I'd tell her she was crazy but, I think, it's hard (nowadays especially) to feel 100% confident in who you are. With the multitude of social media platforms today, updating on other people's lives is far easier and instant. This is a good thing - the benefits social media have had on communication and in enacting change is major. Also, I can't help feel it's also hindered a lot of things. It's hard, seeing the perfectly curated snapshots on Instagram or the seemingly perfect lives of fashion bloggers and not feel insecure about my own blog or IG feed - I can't afford much else than the high street, I don't have time to spend my days online, and I'm using my mum's camera since I could never afford the fancy, shmancy cameras I covet.

There's a quote I love that sums this feeling up perfectly: "Stop comparing your behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel". It's important to remind ourselves that what people present online is often a carefully edited view of themselves. I myself are guilty of this too: I edit photos, add filters and take 100 shots of the same thing to get the best outcome. In all honesty, while the outfits I share with you on here are all my own (brought by myself, not sponsored by anyone), styled by myself, and worn in my everyday life, they are chosen to show a specific side of myself. Usually, as much as I love dressing up and choosing outfits meticulously, I also love lounging in leggings and an old, ratty jumper. As a literature student, with very few contact hours, thousands of books to read, and reams of essays to write, the comfiest, easiest thing to wear is often my OOTD on days I don't have lectures. Reminding myself of this (and of that quote) makes it easier when I see my favourite bloggers wearing thousands of pounds worth of designer clothing, or jetting off to New York for a fashion shoot - they too have lazy days we don't see. They have blogged a lot longer, built up their online presence and following, and now blog full time, with much of what they wear being given to them by sponsors.

So, maybe one day I could be as successful as them (not that I think it's likely, or that it's what I'm aiming for - this blog is for myself, not for success!), but for right now I'm making do with the limited time, money, and clothing I have. That's why I'm repeating with this orange skirt which I wore last week. While, in an ideal world, I would never have to outfit-repeat (Lizzie McGuire reference woop woop! ;P), in reality I will have to and that's ok. I want to keep this blog as honest and realistic as I can, despite my style-insecurities - hopefully it'll help someone else who also feels insecure realize that they too can blog!

- Esther.

Outfit details:
Top and skirt: H&M
Boots: New Look
Bag: Topshop
Green stone ring: my mum's
Claw ring: Ad Hoc (www.adhoclondon.com)
Thumb ring: H&M
Layering rings: my sister's

Lady in Red

Today I had a day off work and, making the most of my month's travel card, spent the day exploring London a little more. I started off at the V&A with their Shoes: Pleasure and Pain exhibition (which, as a British Museum volunteer, I got into for free! #score), and finished in King's Road where I drooled over everything in Anthropology and the Free People pop-up shop. It was amazing to finally visit Free People. I've been in love with their style and ethos for a long time now, and I am so obsessed with their blog (blog.freepeople.com) - it's the perfect place for quirky DIYs, gorgeous boho-inspired styling, beautiful photography and art, new music to love, delicious recipes and so much more! A dream job would be working for Free People's social media; spending your days surrounded by such beautiful clothing, working with creative, like-minded people, and living in an amazing city... I don't think I'll ever be able to move to Philadelphia, but a girl can dream can't she?! As a student I can't afford Free People either so, for the meanwhile, their gorgeous lookbooks, videos and blog posts serve as inspiration for cheaper alternatives.

There's nothing I love more than wondering around a museum by yourself, captivated by an amazing exhibition or beautiful piece. Today, I got to spend the day working to my own pace, not worrying about dragging anyone behind (yes, I like to read everything and examine every piece, sorry not sorry). I highly recommend a visit to the Pain and Pleasure exhibition if you have few hours to kill in London. It's an amazing insight into the history of shoe design and use, and the world of cobbling today. As someone who is both very familiar to the museum world (my dad is an archaeologist, my mum a conservator) and is considering a career in fashion curation, I always pay special attention to the way exhibitions are structured and presented. It's something I've learnt from my mum, whose job it is to clean, help preserve and present archaeological finds, antiques and fine art pieces. It's a running joke that. every time we visit a museum, she will spend yonks examining everything around the artifact or piece: how it has been cleaned, mounted, protected, climate regulation etc.

 I loved the presentation and structure of this exhibition especially - instead of grouping the shoes in time periods, countries of origin, materials, or any other superficial category, Curator Helen Persson instead opened the exhibition by introducing visitors to why shoes are so important. Namely, examining the importance of shoes in fairy tales; here a glass slipper from the recent adaptation of Cinderella was displayed alongside the red ballet slippers from The Red Shoes and footage of Dorothy clicking together her ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz. As this section explained, shoes are a powerful symbol of hope; they can change one's social status (as in Cinderella), give one hope of a different, better life (Wizard of Oz), or symbolize an important decision (The Red Shoes). The exhibition then went on to examine our obsession with shoes and their role as indicators of everything from gender and status, to identity and sexuality. With a section on the design and manufacturing process (with a video including Q&A with Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik), the exhibition then finished with an insight into the collections of avid shoe collectors. Not only was this an organic and intriguing way to structure the exhibition, but I also loved the fact that visitors could compare shoes from across the world, from different eras, and for designed both women and men.

Finally, a quick note on my outfit today - I am in love with this dark, burnt red crochet jumper from H&M. The sleeves are beautiful and they looked particularly amazing bunched around my wrist under my jacket sleeve. The pattern of this bodycon dress is also a dream, and its perfect for both dressing down during the day or up for the night.

I hope you've all had lovely Thursdays as well! After a long day (and not much sleep - damn flies buzzing everywhere) I'm looking forward to a good sleep and a nice long lay in.

- Esther

Outfit details:
Crochet jumper: H&M
Dress and bag: New Look
Moon necklace and boots: Forever 21