In
fashion
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fblogger
As I write this post I’m sat in my brothers flat (waiting for the plumber, how exciting!) and sort of wishing I had my own space like this. Well, not exactly like this because everything here is so dark and messy and basically the opposite of what I’d want, but you get the idea, yeah? I’m 24 now (well, will be once this post goes live as my birthday is on the 21st) and with that comes the now regular ‘what the hell am I doing with my life’ crisis. In short: I have no idea. I have a job and a car, savings in the bank and many ~adult things but I still don’t feel like an adult.
If you didn’t know, I still live at home with my parents. I’m a real home comforts kind of girl and I struggle going away for more than a week because I like my own space, my bed and just *home*. So there’ll be no big exciting travel posts from me, I’m afraid! I’ve thought about getting my own place, but there’s so many factors that make it hard (location being number one!) and I think more than anything, I’d prefer to stay at home for now and just save as much as I can. Which isn’t as much as it could be because I can’t stop bloody spending!
I don’t have a dream job - I never have had! So while I was a top of the class nerd at school, my drive kind of ended there? I went to University because I was always told how much potential I had, and what a waste it would be not to go, and basically, I was pressured into picking a course that suited my strengths. I don’t ~regret it so much, I had some great (and not so great) times, but now I have a shit load of debt and a job that I could have walked into without the degree. And it’s the whole job situation that gets to me most. I want to grow and progress in my career (there isn’t really anywhere else to go in the company I’m with now) but what do you do when you don’t have a clue what to look for, what you want to spend the next 50 years doing? On top of that, my anxiety, mainly my social anxiety, makes it SO hard for me to even think about applying for new jobs, never mind the thought of the whole interview process and having to meet new people, and it sucks. It really sucks.
So I feel like I’m stuck in a bit of a rut and I don’t know how to get out of it? But then I have days where I just think about things and, y’know what, it could be a whole lot worse couldn’t it? I could be without a job, or in a job which I hate; I could be in a horrible flat/house or without the support of my parents, and really I just wanted to get this little brain fart out and say: it’s okay. I’m almost halfway to 50 (which is bloody scary) and I still don’t know what I’m doing, where I want to be in 5 or 10 years time. But it’s ok.
Wearing: Blazer, Ralph Lauren (no longer available) - Tee, Primark (customised) - Jeans, Topshop - Belt, Boohoo (no longer available) - Boots, New Look (not online) - Bag, Valentino
If you stop comparing yourself to everyone around you, you’ll be much happier in yourself and what you’re doing. So what if your best friend from school has bought her own house and is planning a wedding; so what if the guy you liked at uni is travelling the world and seeing more than you’ll ever see. It’s ok. You never know what’s actually going on in other peoples lives when you only get to see their best bits. I know the bits that I share on social media are FAR from an accurate representation of my life right now. As, I’m sure, yours most likely are too. So if you're feeling anything like I do: just relax. Everyone has a different life manual and things really will be ok.
It's only in the past year or so that, through blogging, I've gained the confidence to really embrace myself in what I wear. I was always a t-shirt and jeans kinda girl who used to hate getting dressed up, but ain't that a different tale now! I'm the girl unashamedly strutting round Tesco in platforms because they're new and I've got nowhere else to wear them yet; yesterday I put a maxi dress on for a make-up free day of running errands because there was a hint of sunshine. I've really started to care less and less what people think of my outfits because I like them and that's all that matters, right? My best way of doing this though is through my footwear. It's like a running joke at work now, people coming to check what shoes I'm wearing each day (fyi the Gucci-dupe faux fur loafers are a strong favourite) and it's just become my ~thing. I LOVE a bold shoe. I can be feeling completely rubbish about myself, but once I've got a killer pair of boots everything changes. I also like how a bright pair like the pink loafers catches peoples attention because then they're not looking at my face, y'know?
How typical that I choose three of my favourite, bold pairs - all contrasting styles - none of which I can actually link for you? Hmph. But you get the idea. I love how much your footwear can transform an outfit! For April I challenged myself to wear a different pair of shoes every single day (so that I actually get my wear out of more pairs!) and someone said 'omg that must be so hard, having to choose your clothes around your shoes' and I was like, what? I choose my outfits everyday based around the shoes anyway! Whether it's that I know I want to wear my trainers for comfort, or I've got new boots I want to show off, I always base an outfit around my footwear. I think they're the make or break piece of an outfit and always the first thing I look at on others. So I've really not found it a hard challenge - but instead a fun one!
Which pair are your favourite?
Loves. Emma.
I shot these photos a couple of weeks back when I had some time off from work, but they've been sat on my computer because I had no words to accompany them. When I have specific pieces of clothing I want to show off, I can just ramble a basic OOTD style post focusing on that piece, but I don't like that to be the focus of all or even a majority of my posts. I like to think a lot of my posts have more substance than that. Obviously not all of them; I love a wishlist and a simple OOTD as much as the next gal! But sometimes I just like having somewhere to get things off my chest. Hence the idea for this post!
As I've explained previously (I think it was in my one year of blogging post) I started this blog post-University when I was feeling a bit lost. It's given me somewhere to express myself and talk about the things that I want to talk about, without having to actually talk to someone irl. I'm not good at that kinda thing. It started out as a bit of a mess at first, I didn't know what my ~niche was (I still don't tbh) but I've found my comfort zone, focusing on fashion, mainly my personal style, with my "Let's Talk" series when bigger topics are on my mind. I've been doing this for coming up 2 years now and the reason behind my posts hasn't changed. If I ever feel pressured to shoot photos when I'm short on time, I just take a step back and stop. I do this for myself, for my own enjoyment, and I don't ever want it to feel like a chore.
I've also mentioned previously how I'm not good at the social side of blogging. I think I've only ever got involved in one twitter chat, but I'm very bad at twitter on the whole. There's a few girls (fellow bloggers) who I can call friends, who I've got to know through instagram, but I just struggle being social; even though online has always been the easiest platform for me. Because of this, my growth is very slow. I don't mind, I'm not blogging because I want thousands of followers and validation (although a little validation now and again is always good!) and I'm certainly not blogging for freebies or event invites that come with the growth. That should never be a reason for blogging.
So when I was getting frustrated at having the photos and no words for this post, I had to remind myself why I do this, which then led to this post which is all a great big circle of irony, isn't it?
Loves. Emma.
I'm a big fan of turning "fashion don'ts" into "fashion dos" because, ain't nobody gonna tell me what I should and shouldn't be wearing! Socks and sandals was always the Brit dad on holiday faux pas that everyone would make fun of, but we're all on board with that now aren't we? The fishnet sock trend is massive and I'm sure you've noticed the sudden influx of glitter socks everywhere too. Double denim is another fashion faux pas often widely criticised for classic 90's boyband style, NSYNC vibes anyone? But I'm a big fan! (of double denim and boybands, fyi).
I did a double denim outfit post way back when I started this blog, but let's noooottttttt dig that out. While my photos now might not be the greatest, they have still come a long way I shall have you know. So let's just concentrate on this post shall we?
Considering I bought this jacket last year on ASOS Marketplace, and the skirt only recently from H&M, the colour match is pretty damn near perfect isn't it? Just your classic mid-wash blue denim really - by far my favourite shade. They're also the perfect balance of being the same but contrasting styles at the same time. The skirt fitted and the jacket oversized but both with frayed detailing.
I can't decide whether I prefer double denim when the shades match, like this, or when they contrast?
I'd love to say that I matched the t-shirt colour to the detailing on the back of the jacket (and additional badges) but to be honest, it was purely coincidental. I did, however, match the sporty tee and trainers to keep things casual with such a fitted mini skirt. These Reebok classics have been a wardrobe staple of mine for a few years now - I think I barely took them off my feet for like, the whole of 2014? Very surprised they're not more battered tbh.
Fan of turning around a fashion faux pas?
Loves. Emma.
