Styling The Iconic Rainbow Jumper

Hello, Hello.

So over the past couple of years, this one most significantly for me - the rainbow trend has met an all time high. I remember a few years back when Lazy Oaf released the ICONIC Crayola knit but it was, and still is way out of my price range. Hopefully one day I will be able to treat myself to a Lazy Oaf piece, but until then I just gaze at their Instagram longingly and pray that my time will come. It is probably my favourite current brand, If I could afford it I would own there entire shop. Anyway, the rainbow trend has really saturated the market this year and I finally managed to get myself an iconic rainbow jumper. Honestly, I don't know how I have gone so long without one.

This little number is from Monki, and if your a fan of Lazy Oaf chances are you shop on here as they have a similar vibe but at a fraction of the price. This crew neck knit is the mere price of £25! You can find it at this link here, but I would be quick it tends to sell out super fast. I got mine in a size XL because I love a big boxy oversized fit, and it fits exactly how I wanted it too. I usually don't like a long fitted cuff on a jumper, but I actually love it on this as it gives it some shape and makes it look more tailored. It is a nice knit, not too think or thin just right for layering, and the colours are incredible and just as vibrant as in the pictures. It is a guaranteed head turner, and I promise you will make a fair few people smile in this one! I think that's what I like so much about rainbows, you can't help but smile when you see one.

With the change in the seasons, comes a change in my style. As soon as Autumn / Winter comes around my style leans a lot more towards alternative and grunge, the styling here is somewhat showing the start of my style transition. The weather is finally cold enough for me to show off these incredible dickies dungarees which I bought from a vintage kilo sale a few months back, I have wanted to wear them for so long but they were just too heavy for the summer months. Dungarees are one of my favourite things to wear in the colder seasons, but I feel like because of the lighter wash I feel like I need to make the most of these sooner rather than later. I do think this wash of denim really compliments the colours in the jumper though, it keeps it light and fresh. I also love the baggy look of these, I have always wanted the perfect oversized pair but never seemed to find any, until these of course! I know it's a lot of loose fitting items and the look doesn't have much shape, but I think that adds such a retro vintage feel and more so, I love the vibe it gives off. Oversized clothes have always been a massive hit for me because I like to play with gender roles and what's deemed masculine / feminine. I also just love the effortlessness of it, I almost feel like my early 2000s self when I used to shop at tammy girl, but hopefully a bit more chic. The overall vibe of this look too me is so 90s grunge with a tad more colour, the bagginess of the look, the denim and the stripes, the chunky platforms are all key elements of the era it's just got my added colourful rainbow touches, like I say my style is literally transitioning like the seasons. 

Now lets talk about the details, is there anything more perfect than this sunshine yellow beret? No, I didn't think so. A few years back you wouldn't see my dead in a hat, but since I discovered a love for berets and baker boy caps last winter I can't get enough! I have wanted a yellow one for the longest time, and they finally got them in H&M (where I work) so I snatched one up straight away. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available online anymore, although there are a few in stores. I love how it ties in perfectly with the yellow in the jumper, and also how the colour looks against my grey / silver hair. Another defining details are these iconic chunky platform shoes, straight from the 90s / early 2000s. I found these at a local carboot and they cost me 3 QUID. £3 for a pair of shoes this insane is literally a gift from the gods.  They give me a bit of height, which I needed or else these dungarees would be trailing in the dirt - and they also add that grunge touch which I was on about earlier. 

I really love the way this has all come together, I love how it is showing how my style slowly transforms through the seasons, especially in this in between grey area where you have no clue what to wear. However it is safe to say that the cold weather is settling in here in the U.K. so more layers and outerwear are going to become a much heavier feature, but I think this post was a nice way to move away from my last post (which was all sun, bikinis and holiays) too more seasonally appropriate content. 

All images are shot on a Canon 4000D & edited on VSCO. The images of me are all taken by my incredible mum, and the other images are all taken by me. Hope you enjoyed this one, cya next time. 

XOXO, EMMA.

Unnecessary Pressures, "Me" Time & Being True to Yourself.

Hello, Hello.

So lately I have been thinking about this ideal and pressure that we (bloggers) put onto ourselves to document everything that happens in our lives. Even if blogging is your full time job, you still need time (and moments) which you shouldn't feel the need to capture. It may seem slightly selfish, especially with the fact that being a blogger you are choosing to put your personal life out into the world - however there are some memories which are ones that are just meant for you. No one should ever feel bad or disappointed if you don't manage to shoot or get usable content, there is always another day - it is not the end of the world. What would be worse would be compromising your day and stressing to try and fit everything in. I think it's super important to find the right balance, if I was so caught up on shooting and making sure I had proof of what a fabulous day I had, it might've actually compromised how MUCH of a great day I had. For example, these amazing images where shot by my best friend Sophie @ Steep Drop Media in Newcastle. ( The link to her website is here, and the Instagram account is here too see more of her bad ass work). However,  a few weeks prior we had planned to also shoot in York, but the day got away with us and we didn't get enough time - and that's what actually started this thought process and blog post. That was such a lovely day that we had for ourselves, but at the time I couldn't help but feel a little bit bad, guilty even - about not getting any usable content. It is such a destructive path to go down because you are literally burning yourself into the ground, trying to make everything perfect when the best in life comes naturally.

Now don't get my wrong some of my favourite days are spent shooting, and I love and enjoy them. Like I said, this day shooting in Newcastle was so much fun, and was one of the best days I had had in a long while. However not everyday has to be a shoot day, and not everything needs to be documented. Knowing and accepting that is such a powerful thing, because it allows you to take a breathe and enjoy your time. I was honestly putting myself under all this unnecessary pressure, which in the end can draw the fun out of life, and then what would be the point? I had an equally good day in York having a well deserved catch up, and as much as a lovely lil shoot to accompany it would've been, I'm almost glad we didn't have time. I love blogging, it is a huge part of my life, and a passion. But it doesn't meant that I should feel this weight and pressure on me to make sure that every single thing that I do is content-worthy. I have decided that I need to change my thought process, I am going to tell myself that some days are meant for "Me" Time, and others are for blogging. I think this will really help my work ethic and my mental health, and it doesn't mean that if I feel like I want to take a few shots during "Me" time I can't, it just means that I shouldn't feel the pressure to make it happen. I have found myself getting so caught up on making everything I do "bloggable", which in the end is taking away from the natural beauty of blogging. I honestly really think this will make my content so much more enjoyable, and it will relieve me of all this unnecessary stress I am putting myself under at the same time.

This doesn't just apply to blogging either, we live in a world dominated by social media, with Instagram being the top dog, and the exact same process applies here. We all feel this mad pressure to get some lush shots of our food and coffee, instead of enjoying the moment first and connecting with the people we are sharing it with. It is such a hard and complicated point to get across, because I love social media - but I don't love the pressure and rigidness of it. My favourite things to post are images that project who I am as a person, bright bold and colourful abstract edits and candid / laughing images. My content is about what makes me happy not what I think is acceptable, or - "bloggable".  I have noticed a lot more engagement on my Instagram account now that i am more myself and I think that speaks volumes, and backs up what I am saying that being true to yourself and not trying to fit the mould is what matters.

It all comes down to the undoubted pressure that we all place upon ourselves, the pressure to always be creating good quality content, and keeping it fresh and interesting. But in this process we are loosing the organic way of blogging, which creates the most natural (and therefor best) content of all. Ultimately, if the shooting doesn't come naturally on the day don't force it. I  have found that my favourite shots are the ones where I am laughing or messing around, the ones where I am not thinking too much about "blogging". Or like this shoot in Newcastle, we went on a mini adventure, a lot of it turned out unplanned and spur of the moment, and that is what I loved most. Having fun and experimenting, and showcasing your personality and who you are is what is most important. Some things are meant for you, and that is 100% okay. But more so, don't make everything you do revolve around if it is good content or not - yes that's cool and undoubtedly will encourage you to do fun new things, but it is also putting a lot of unnecessary strain on yourself. What is important about blogging is how you choose to let your personality shine - no matter what you are doing, what people will come back for is YOU. So, instead of thinking everything you do needs to be bloggable, have more faith in the fact that there is really no such thing as "bloggable" - you create that on your own through being yourself.

I know I have definitely gone of on a tangent on this one, but I think I've put my point across. More than anything it has reminded me of the truth to blogging, and how we all really need to go easier on ourselves. I know for those who are reading this who aren't bloggers this may seem a bit odd, but hopefully it will give you an insight as to what goes on behind closed doors, but more so is just a reminder to be yourself! No one should ever feel the need to fit into a mould of what society has deemed acceptable. What will be will be, and what comes naturally is always the most beautiful thing. So until next time,

XOXO, EMMA  

Ice Cream Girls

Hello, hello!

For today's look I thought I'd try something a bit different. As you can probably already tell, I am all about bold and primary colours - not so much the pastel hues. However with us coming into Spring, you cannot deny that pastel tones are always one of the biggest trends. According to Vogue this is one of the biggest trends for Spring / Summer coining them Ice cream Girls on the runway to read the article click here. So  I thought I would have a play with the trend, and put my own spin on it.

I thought while playing with Spring / Summer trends I would incorporate another one, mesh / sheer clothing. I decided to team this really pretty and delicate ruffled (oh, actually this is also another trend!) sheer floral top from the New Look sale (not available online, unfortunately!) over my oversized pastel pink t shirt (similar here). I really enjoy the play on textures, I think it adds some dimension to the look with the colours being so muted, I needed to add some interest and playfulness.

With the basis of the look being very feminine I really wanted to juxtapose that with more masculine and/or grungy details. So I decided to wear these metallic pleated culotte trousers (they're out of stock on the asos website, but the link is here). I think that these add a really cool effortlessness to the look, and make the look much more me. It adds a touch of masculinity, which I think this look needs. But also creates me interesting tones and textures with the metallic hue. I think combined with with the oversized biker leather jacket it makes the look more edgy and almost glam rock! I thought I'd show two options with the footwear, to dress it up and down. The chunky caged heels compliment the more rocker / grunge side to the look and compliment the biker jacket really well, and the trainers add an effortless urban street style vibe that is more everyday.

For the last few finishing touches, I decided on my pastel pink beret / baker boy hat hybrid, to play in with the pastel feminine tones, and my hot pink fishnet socks which add to the more grungey / rocker feel. All in all I think what I like the most about this look is the way everything contrasts each other yet still works as a combined look. I will say I'm not still 100% on the pastel trend, however I am willing to give it another shot.

XOXO, EMMA 

The Baker Boy Hat

Something that you can't miss is this key trend for Autumn Winter,  the baker boy hat. Luckily for me, it is probably one of the only style of hat that suits me, so I am fully obsessing over this trend. They can add a really cool touch too an outfit, be it a rock 'n' roll vibe or a nostalgic retro one. It all depends on the colour, material and details to the hat and the way you style It. For example I went for a retro vibe, with this cap being a deep rich purple colour and cord - which nods to the 60s and 70s (due to note the resurgence of these periods being heavily featured influences for this season).

By choosing to give the outfit a retro vibe I decided to wear this amazing vintage orange structured coat. It is more so reminiscent of the 80s with the strong shoulders and boxy shape, however I think it plays really well with the overall look. It seems nostalgic and playful, as well as bold and appropriate for the season with the use of colour. Warm tones are always essential in the Autumn / Winter. I like the way the jacket stands out against the monochromatic look underneath, with the houndstooth print trousers adding another retro touch.

Sticking to the monochromatic look I decided to wear my Dr Marten Monet , these are so so comfy, more like trainers than boots and look perfect with this outfit. However if you wanted to stick completely to the retro look, a pair of round toe chunky heeled boots in either black, white or orange would look incredible - especially if you was going out for food / drinks. However with this look being a wearable everyday look for me, I had to wear the most comfortable option on my feet.

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Psychedelic Prints & Contrasting Tones

Today's look is one that is heavily inspired by the warm tones and psychedelic prints of the 70s. The iconic style of this period has made a massive comeback over the past few seasons from flared trousers and bell bottomed sleeves to corduroy and sherling jackets. But today I wanted to focus on something that hasn't been seen as much - the use of print. This is a handmade vintage skirt (probably made from fabric from that exact period) and features a bold optical illusion type print. It features the colourway of black, white and brown and is a stand out piece in my wardrobe. As much as I love all of the 70s trends I though this is a really fun way of styling a 70s piece that we don't see too much of.

To work in with the tones in the skirt I decided to add a rich warm toned knit in an olive / mustard colour. It ties in well with the colourway of the skirt and keeps up the 70s look. However I thought to keep the look current and fresh I would juxtapose the warm tones with my cool toned grey coat and metallic silver/green bag. This adds a cool twist to the look and makes it more modern and much less a simple recreation of a look from that time. To finish the look of (and to make it more casual) I threw on my trusty old skool vans, However if you was heading out for food or drinks a pair of metallic heeled boots would look incredible.Photos by the incredible Sophie Donoghue / Steep Drop media. (@steepdrop on instagram) Toview her previous work just click here for come colourful lushness.

OUTFIT DETAILS: 

Jumper & Skirt are both thrifted / secondhand.
Coat H&M, no longer available but this is similar: http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0511190001.html
Bag & Tights are from Primark, unfortunately they don't have an online store :(
Shoes: Vans (similar) : http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0511190001.html

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and I hope too see more of you soon!

XOXO, Emma.