PAINTING THE TOWN PINK

I'm getting so bored of wearing black, grey and dull colours especially now the weather is sort of starting to warm up. This happens to me every year, about this time of year I put away all of my big wooly jumpers and long sleeved tops and what I'm left with is a few creased summer dresses and Birkenstock dupes that are falling apart. The need is then to online shop like mad and buy loads of new things, but this year I'm trying to take a more strategic approach and not just panic buy loads of trend pieces (probably because I don't have the money as I'm paying off my summer holiday)..

My aim is to introduce a lot more colour into my wardrobe. Especially during Spring and Summer wearing bright colours makes me feel happier and more positive in general. Additionally, buying basic pieces is also a must. That standard grey t-shirt, those blue 'mom' jeans will also help to build your wardrobe. Having only trend, colourful pieces will just be a struggle to create any sort of outfit. 

A couple of weeks ago when I was in Bath with my family, I picked up these gorgeous bright fuchsia wide legged trousers from Topshop. As soon as I saw them I was thinking about all the different ways I could style them. They look great with a smart 'going-out' top and heels but they also look amazing with a logo t-shirt and trainers. They're so eye catching, and every time I've worn them I have so many people come up to me and ask where I bought them. Which is a great feeling. 

Here I've styled them with a basic striped t-shirt from Zara (a wardrobe staple) and my black denim Levi's jacket (which my boyfriend found in a charity shop.. and also a wardrobe staple!).. and then of course my Old Skool Vans which I wear with EVERYTHING and should probably wear some of my other shoes now and again..

I really love this look and I'm definitely aiming to buy a few more statement pieces to build up a great summer wardrobe. I would love to add a few more patterned summer dresses, maybe a skirt or two and some of those black and white checkered slip on vans.

Let me know what you think?

(BIG thanks to Lewis (instragram: kaytralewlew) for taking these amazing pictures for me!

SOCIAL MEDIA ANXIETY & THE PRESSURE OF BLOGGING

Remember when having a blog used to make you stand out from the crowd? When people would be fascinated by the fact that you maintain a website about your personal style and thoughts.. but now every Tom Dick and Harry can put 'fashion blogger' on their Instagram profile, even if they have an actual blog or not. It doesn't make you 'different' anymore...

I do agree with that statement to an extent. However I still do believe that blogging is a great platform to express what you're thinking, opinions, style, recipes.. or whatever you want to talk about. There is a pressure to have your own blog now, especially if you're trying to break into a creative industry. I don't think it should be a necessary to have a blog anymore, unless you are truly passionate about something. I think it's pretty obvious if somebody has a blog for the sake of it. 

I also wanted to talk about social media anxiety, and by that I mean the pressure of posting and constantly appearing active on social media. It's actually hard and quite stressful (however pathetic that sounds). To be noticed on Instagram or whatever social network it is, the main thing is to be consistent and have quality content. I feel like I need to post a pretty picture every day to make a small dent in world of other gorgeous flat lays, breakfasts and outfit pictures. Is that a bit sad?! Some people would say yes, but I'm sure some are in the same boat as me. 

I really enjoy creating lovely content and taking pretty pictures, so it's not exactly a chore. When I go out for the day I love taking as many pictures as possible.. my outfit, the food i'm eating, my make-up, my location, and I love editing them after.. but should that really be the first thought in my head? Should I really be put in a bad mood because none of my ootds turned out as good as I thought!? 

It's all about balance. Social media and the 'falseness' of it will continue to grow everyday. I mean I'm guilty of posting my delicious breakfast from Saturday morning on Monday when I'm in the office trying my best to keep my eyes open, but that's ok isn't it?

Moving forward, I think it's important to stress less about the theme of your Instagram and focus more on enjoying the situation you're actually in. Saying that, I will obviously continue to attempt to get the perfect outfit shot..

CHILLED OUTFITS ARE THE BEST OUTFITS

Don't get me wrong, I love dressing up and wearing different outfits and experimenting with different clothes... but my favourite thing to wear is a baggy pair of jeans, an oversized sweatshirt and some trainers. I personally love the look of chilled outfits anyway - the kind of 'make an effort to look effortless' look. 

The jeans in the picture are my favourite jeans of all time. They're vintage Lee jeans and I have never found another pair of jeans  that fit as well or look as good. The other day I was putting them on and the zip completely burst and I literally had to hold in the tears. However, I am going to pay to get them fixed because I love them that much and Topshop jeans just do not compare. 

I do agree when people say the clothing they wear helps them express themselves. I never let myself feel pressure to wear certain trend pieces though, I always make sure I only wear things that I'm comfortable in. What's your favourite outfit?

THE TRENCH COAT: A Must Have

The Trench Coat is a classic Spring staple. I picked mine up in Rokit Vintage in Covent Garden for about £15.00 and I looooove the shape of it - it's oversized, boxy and pretty long. Every year when Spring comes around, different styles and variations of a Trench Coat come out and sometimes I can't help but endlessly scroll through Asos, Topshop, Zara and try to stop myself from ordering about 5 more.. 

You can style them in so many different ways and they can work for a lot of different occasions. I've styled it in a really casual way with a baggy Gingham shirt from Zara, some pleated black culottes from New Look and some white Stan Smiths - this is my favourite way to wear a trench because my style is always super chilled and casual. 

You could also wear it a lot smarter with black trousers or a dress with heels for a night out or for work. I really think they're investment pieces, although don't feel like you have to spend thousands on a Burberry one, there are so many on the high street that are just as good.. I'll link some below of some great styles that are on the high street right now:

Cheap Monday Soft Trench £160

http://bit.ly/2oPAIJo

Asos Zacro Belted Trench Coat With Asymmetric Hem £50

http://bit.ly/2oN7X0s

Topshop Gingham Trench Coat £79

http://bit.ly/2pd2Enb

Topshop Nylon Trench Coat £79 

http://bit.ly/2pcZq32

Mango Cotton Trench Coat £59.99

http://bit.ly/2npPfvF

Mango Short Trench £69.99

http://bit.ly/2oTeFib

Happy Shopping!

YELLOW AND FRILLS

So Spring has sort of arrived and I literally couldn't be happier. I'm sort of tired of wearing thick jumpers and dark colours now, I want to experiment with some colour and different styles in my spring wardrobe. Yellow, pink and red are such major colours right now and I couldn't resist this eye catching piece from Zara. Zara is always my go to, I will never leave empty handed.. it's dangerous. 

Frills are also a major trend this season and I love the cute frills on the sleeves of this jumper, it's a nod to the trend but not completely over the top. Although I would like to invest in some pieces with over the top frills..

Whenever I wear this jumper I feel so much brighter and happier and it's such a soft, comfy material. Also can we appreciate that it was only £15.99?! What a bargain. I picked up the jeans from Beyond Retro for about £20. I always buy vintage jeans because the fit me better, they're always amazing quality and they're about half the price of Topshop jeans.. it's a no brainer. My boots are an all time favourite Asos, sock boots are still so popular right now and they're so flattering on your legs. These ones are so comfy but they are starting to come apart slightly at the side which isn't so fab..

I can't wait to do another Spring haul and get loads of amazing Spring pieces to add to my wardrobe...