Friday, 30 October 2015

#CHARLIXCX4BOOHOO: 90s CLUELESS INSPIRED LOOK










Riley Raw Edge Denim Mini Skirt* [15.00]
Alicia Contrast Neck and Cuff T Shirt* [8.00]
Melika Plain Velvet Choker* [No longer available, similar here]
Alexus Lace Frill Ankle Socks* [3.00 2.00]
Stan Smith Shoes - ADIDAS [62.00]

 In celebration of the recent launch of CharliXCX's new collection, Boohoo.com kindly invited me to create an outfit inspired by the decade of double denim, chokers and that all important accessory: the stick on earring. I am a massive fan of Charli (see my somewhat ancient post on her here) and so I jumped at the chance to get involved!

They sent me a super-cute 90s package including some sweets and accessories that were a serious throwback. Does anyone else remember Rainbow Drops and Walker's Crisps Tazos?! Take me back to primary school now please.

I decided to go for a monochrome look inspired by that gym scene in Clueless. Although totally impractical for sports, I love this raw edge white denim skirt. Paired with my Stan Smiths, a ringer tee and some cute lil socks it makes for a perfect casual, sporty inspired look. I decided to accessorise with a choker, too, just to pay homage to Queen Charli herself.

You can shop the #charlixcx4boohoo collection now here. It's super sassy and I love it.
Elly xxx
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Wednesday, 28 October 2015

MENSTRUATION: AN AGE-OLD SCIENCE FICTION

It's been a while since I've done a post that concerns something other than photos of myself, and if I'm honest I've been lacking in inspiration for a while. However, the rejection of the proposed scrapping of 'tampon tax' in a recent Commons vote has got me inspired to start a series of posts concerning cultural issues that I've been meaning to address for a while.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/5/5/1430832920343/tampons-009.jpg

 Currently, and as I'm sure you will have heard, sanitary products are subject to 5% VAT and are classed as 'luxury items'. I'm not going to dwell on this: we all know that sanitary products are essentials and that they are hundreds of comparisons we could draw to other, perhaps not-so-essential products that are currently untaxed and/or free. We all know that absolute carnage would ensue without them. Here I would like to propose some reasons as to why.

 How many of you who menstruate have felt embarrassed to leave a room of people, hiding a sanitary towel in your pocket in case someone sees, effectively hiding your period from the world? I will admit that I am guilty of this. Occasionally I find myself unable to use the word 'period', hiding it under the guise of a whispered 'women's issues'. Through this, I not only disguise my period, I also exclude half the population from an understanding of it. Clearly there is a sense of a shame here, a fear of the exposure of reality and a creation of effectively a 'cloak of invisibility' around menses. 
https://img0.etsystatic.com/048/1/6191330/il_570xN.685739910_m0ou.jpg
During the recent Commons debate, an MP (despite his being in favour of the amendment) found it difficult to say the word 'tampon'. We've probably all been there. Language associated with and conversation about menstruation has been considered taboo throughout history. It has added to the propagation of the myth of woman as 'dirty' and 'sinful', and has caused women to be excluded and even feared. Although this view is largely now outdated in the West, it is not surprising that menstruation is misunderstood and still treated in such a delicate way when it has been hidden and shamed for so long.

 Even the companies who produce sanitary products make a desperate attempt to hide the truth. Instead they propagate a new, reactionary myth: according to their own TV advertisements periods are clean, stress-free and seemingly unreal. Menstrual blood is blue, women in short white dresses stay out dancing until 5 am and teams of scientists work on a new, out-of-this-world technology. Any advertisement that attempts to challenge this myth is banned. If this is all we see of menstruation in the media, it is no wonder we feel shame when the process is messy and uncomfortable. We don't see adverts of people changing their beds in the middle of the night, suffering from crippling mood swings or throwing up. We don't even see an accurate representation of the 'fluid' these products are supposed to be collecting. The products are completely taken out of their real setting and pasted into fantasy worlds. This complete and utter distortion of reality by the media, this reduction of the process to science fiction (Always Infinity, I'm looking at you) is yet another reason why menstruation fails to be understood, even by the people who go through it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf6vum12eKU
And this only covers us as comparably lucky citizens of the 'Western world'. For girls growing up in other parts of the world the situation is not only psychologically shameful but at times life threatening. Menstruation becomes a process which impedes their opportunities to learn and thrive as individuals. 

 This is clearly something that goes deeper than just economics. As I have said time and time again the issues society face regarding gender and sexuality always come down to a lack of education. Unless menstruation becomes a subject that is talked about and normalised for all genders in schools (none of this segregated sex ed, thank you!), at home and in the public sphere, we will forever be trapped in this distorted and misunderstood view of a natural process which seems to be shrouded in layers of myth. Unless we rewrite our behaviour, force ourselves to be open and to reject these unrealistic portrayals in the media, the deep rooted fear and shame surrounding it will always prevail and will always be propagated.

 Although we may not have directly succeeded in our primary aim this time, at least it has opened up channels for discussion, and this can only be seen as a step forward.

 Elly xxx
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Wednesday, 21 October 2015

JOULES DESIGN A WELLY COMPETITION

Although we may have come to the end of festival season, those of us from the UK can't deny that a good pair of wellies are still a must in the winter months (let's face it, no one wants damp, cold and smelly feet!)

 British lifestyle brand Joules are currently running a Design a Welly competition to bring some colour and life into our bleak midwinter months.

The winner will get their design put into production (how cool?)  and will win a luxury forest holiday worth £5000. There's also a 3 night stay in a treehouse cabin up for grabs and 10 runners up will receive a £250 Joules gift card. What's more, all proceeds of the sale of the winning pair will go to Joules' charitable partners.

As you may or may not know, I do a lot of illustration and design in my spare time so I jumped at the chance to enter. I went for a David Hockney inspired tree design on a contrasting pink and lime green background to add a tropical feel to our cold British winter.
So if you're a budding designer, love doodling or want an excuse to kill some time - give it a go! It only takes 5 minutes and is a great chance to get creative.

You can enter the compeition by clicking here. Closing date is 4th December and you can enter up to 5 designs per email.

Good luck!
Elly xxx
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Tuesday, 13 October 2015

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: RINGER TEE AND STAN SMITHS




WHITE STRIPE CONTRAST TRIM T SHIRT - NEW LOOK [9.99]
FLARED SKIRT WITH FRONT BUTTONS - ZARA [NO LONGER AVAILABLE]
STAN SMITH SHOES - ADIDAS [62.00]

Seeing as the weather can't seem to make up its mind, I thought I'd share a bit of a more summery outfit with you in today's post. I bought this t shirt in New Look a couple of weeks ago and I'm in love with it. Retro stripes and ringer tees are everywhere at the moment and I really like the injection of colour they give to my wardrobe. Paired with my green Stan Smiths and a little skirt it makes for a kind of retro all-american vibe which I love. It's a bit of departure from the tailoring and more formal look I've been going for recently but it's nice to mix it up and go for something more fun and casual from time to time!

P.S: Thanks to James from Everything Audio for the photos!

Elly xxx
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Saturday, 10 October 2015

SPOTLIGHT ON: ZARA

When I walked into my local Zara the other day, I actually nearly cried. Their collection at the moment is insane. It's a mix of gothic victoriana (see below), 70s throwback prints, pussybow blouses, cute pinafores paired with roll necks and just a dash of McQueen-esque tailoring. In short, it's basically everything I've ever loved, and I haven't even started on their shoes yet...
PLUMETIS TOP [25.99]
TIE UP LACE TOP [25.99]
LONG BLOUSE [25.99]

I would have included more images but I had so many tabs open that my laptop couldn't handle it! Head over to their website if you want to wave goodbye to all of your savings.
Elly xxx

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Wednesday, 7 October 2015

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: ROLL NECKS, NEW WINTER COAT AND BAGGY TROUSERS


NAVY COAT - MICHAEL KORS @ TKMAXX (alright designer calm down)
BLACK RIBBED ROLL NECK TOP - NEW LOOK (similar here) (8.99)
LOOSE FIT TROUSERS - ZARA (similar here) (25.99)
WARWICK LACE UP BLOCK HEEELS - OFFICE (65.00)
GLASSES - OLIVER PEOPLES

Autumn/Winter has finally come around (I'm actually quite excited - dressing gowns and hot drinks all round, am I right?), so I thought I'd share with you what's probably going to be one of my go-to winter looks.

I am obsessed with roll necks this season and have already invested in two of these New Look ones - they're great value for money and such a staple. I'm loving wearing them with pretty much everything  (jeans, trousers, skirts...) and I'm sure you'll see more of them in outfit posts soon.

 I was actually on the hunt for roll necks when I came across these trousers in Zara (that place is so dangerous, RIP student loan.) I don't own many pairs of trousers and it's been a failed mission of mine to try to incorporate them more into my wardrobe for years. Although these make me look slightly like Frodo Baggins/a 1940s italian man (they're kind of a wool mix/felt look), I've totally fallen in love with them. I especially like how baggy trousers look with my new oversized coat from Tk Maxx (thanks, mom!)

This coat is literally everything. It makes any outfit look finished and kind of chic (even if it is in a slightly "watch out I could be a flasher" kind of way...) I'm obsessed with it and have been wearing it even on warmer days!

P.S How amazing is my new back yard for blog photos? If you're a fellow blogger then you'll know the excitement of finding a cool wall to shoot in front of, I'm just lucky that this is in my back garden. I'm also sorry that my posts have been somewhat sporadic recently - I've been moving house and there's been a lot of upheaval! I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine and blogging more regularly now I've settled in.

Elly xxx

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