As far as I am concerned, summer is still in full swing and it might be a little to early for me to be writing this blog post. It's still August for goodness sake! But I can't help myself from planning ahead. I think it might be due to the fact that I have worked in fashion and retail for over twenty years. In this field of work, we are always thinking ten steps ahead of the average person. Because if we didn't, then you wouldn't be able to enjoy your life the way that you do!
On that note, I just wanted to share with you some of the colors we will be seeing a lot of this fall and winter of 2015 in the fashion world. I just had a feeling that you might be a bit curious about this. Am I right? These colors are so rich and beautiful. As much as I am thoroughly trying to enjoy August, I can't help but be excited for the season ahead. Feel free to pin these colors to yourPinterestboards to refer back to all fall and winter. Click HEREto view my Pinterest page.
You might be starting your back to school shopping already, but don't forget that summer is still here and there is still plenty of time to wear those tropical prints. Time to get in the mindset to celebrate August before it passes us by!
Hey Guys, I'm finally back to blogging! It's been way to long. Miami was amazing, I got back over a week ago but I will post more about it in the next post. I totally forgot to mention that I had to move houses after I got back which meant more time away from the blog whilst living from a suitcase. I'm all settled in now and back to my routine.
My cousin got married on Friday and I wore this gorgeous Virgos Lounge dress, I got so many compliments. I remember a cute little girl who looked about 4 or 5 years old coming up to me and asked me 'Are you a fashion girl' hahaha too cute, I joked with my friend and said, I think this little girl can sense I have a fashion blog!lol
Also at the wedding I got reminded that it was me next, like 20 times! But it is starting to feel too close now, my African Introduction/Engagement party is less than two months away eekkk!
Happy Saturday guys! I haven't posted a work outfit in a while since it took me ages to get through the holiday ones! I wore this to work yesterday, I absolutely love this skirt, it may be a bit bright for some people but I'm not shy when it comes to colour. I found the skirt quite easy to style as its so bright I thought black would be the perfect pairing, especially for an office environment, but I couldn't help matching it with the yellow heels.
I'm moving house this weekend, I hate the moving process its so boring. I'm hoping my internet connection will be up and running, fingers crossed.
Thrift shopping requires a certain mindset. It's not like walking into a Neimans or a Nordstrom and seeing that perfect look all put together for you. But that's the beauty of it. Of course thrift shopping is not for everyone. Not everyone wants to take the time to hunt for the perfect shirt, skirt, pants, dress or blazer. And thrift shopping does take time. I believe that thrift shopping is an art form. Because chances are you are going to be putting pieces together yourself, which to me, in itself, is art.
{Photo via POLISH, which is one of my favorite thrift shops in Bangor, Maine! Shop their two locations on 1205 Broadway and the other on 548 Hammond Street)
Today I thought I would just fill you in on a few of the things that I look for when thrift shopping. See my ten tips below:
First of all, be willing to get dirty. Thrift shopping is not a task for a germaphobe. Bring some Purell with you and just take a shower when you get home if you feel really gross. Believe me, it's not that bad. The person that previously wore the clothes that you are looking at is/was human, just like you. You are no better than that. Unless you truly are an extraterrestrial visiting us from another world. And even then, you are no better Ms. Alien.
Personally, I never spend more than $8.00 on a piece unless I feel that is in MINT condition or that it is a BIG TIME designer brand like Chanel, Gucci, Versace, etc. You get the idea. I do not consider names like Banana Republic, J. Crew and Ann Taylor designer brands, although they are really nice brands to scope out.
I usually wear a size small in a shirt or jacket, but I look through the medium and large sizes too. If an item has been worn and washed, it tends to shrink. And more than likely if you are shopping thrift, it has been worn and washed before so it might be a size smaller than what the tag says.
You have to be careful of defects when shopping thrift and pay attention to details. A garment might look fantastic at first glance, but have you done a 360 degree look at it? Hold it up and look at it from all angles. Look for any stains or holes. Look for missing buttons too, but keep in mind, those are easy enough to replace if you love the garment and are willing to put a little work into it.
Do the inside out test. I mean, literally turn the garment inside out. Inspect the lining of jackets and pants. I pay close attention to the arm pits making sure that there are no stains.
Check all zippers to make sure they have all their teeth and are working smoothly. Zippers can be replaced, but again, it requires some extra effort and zippers can be expensive. Possibly more than the thrifted garment itself.
I always look for tags that say that a garment was made in the USA when I am shopping for vintage pieces. I just feel that to own something that was actually crafted in this country before clothing became mass produced overseas is just really cool!
There is no harm in asking for a lower price on a garment if you feel that it has a defect. So, swallow your pride and just ask a sales person for a better deal. The worst they can say is no.
It is easy to buy random pieces when thrift shopping so make sure that you have an idea of what you would pair it with in your wardrobe. Just because it's a good deal doesn't mean that it will do you any good just hanging in your closet. You want a working closet. Meaning a closet full of things that you actually wear.
Bring a friend with you when thrift shopping. There could be a chance that you could miss something great that your friend would not! When thrift shopping, two is better than one. Trust me, thrift shopping can be fun!
If you have any more thrift shopping tips, please leave me a comment!
Sorry I've been quiet recently; last week was my final week at work so for the past seven days I've been working as a freelancer, woohoo, and also trying to sort my life out! I had a fabulous two years at Boden, but felt like it was time to try something new... I'll let you know how it goes!
Yesterday I popped out and about in central London for a few press appointments and wore my new dress by The Fifth Label*. Pioneered by Australian designer Amy Hicks, The Fifth introduces a new way to wear relaxed basics with clean lines, fun prints and a nod to streetwear. What's great for us, is that the brand have recently launched in the UK selling through Asos, so you can now own your own piece of Australian style! Shop the range on Asos here or check out their website!
Also new to my Autumn, (nearly), wardrobe are these fabulous Slip-on Trainers in Leopard Print. I fell in love with these whilst working on the Boden AW14 press day a while back, so I had to have them as soon as they hit the online store! Admittedly I'm not normally a leopard print fan, but I think these are super cool and I love the sporty edge they give an outfit! Shop Boden here!
This dress right here is what I call print heaven! I was quite surprised to find this dress in Boohoo, I would expect to find it in an African Boutique. I thought it would be perfect to wear it to a Ugandan wedding I attended on Saturday.
The earrings are from my new range soon to be up on Diamond Petal, expect to see loads of gorgeous pieces like this! (the site is offline right now for a mini revamp, will be back next week).
I had a dodgy hair dye job last week, I bought a chocolate brown hair dye and thought 'let me do it myself', my hair ended up more or less looking black! If you check my last post you can see the massive colour difference! I will be going two shades lighter soon. for now I'm just rocking this new dark hair.
