Summer ready in sustainable Belize gingham...
With a basket whose only current role in life is to carry my M&S Fruit Sherbets from one room to the next...
ALSO… Wihelmina Garcia’s Gold Daisy necklace is giving me aaaall the instant pick-me-up joy feels
It was only a matter of time before the quarantine dungas came out... Consider my lock down complete!
I’ve recently upped my collar game with Troy London, who during these challenging times are donating 15% of all their sales to Age UK, the country's leading charity dedicated to helping the elderly, providing a support network for many of the UK’s vulnerable 2 million older people living alone in isolation during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Verified Pajama Party; Silk Pyjamas are the real ‘Going Out-Out’ of Lockdown Looks...!
Ridley London are donating 100% of the profits from their gorgeous new loungewear collection to Re-Engage UK, helping provide a support network for many of the UK’s vulnerable elderly living alone in isolation during the Coronavirus crisis.
Self Distancing/Timering... 💙
My pals at Chinti and Parker are donating 100% of the profits from their Anni Heart Collection to Meals for the NHS, a not for profit initiative who partner with local restaurants to ensure our frontline heroes get the delicious and nourishing food they need to tackle their arduous 18-hour, life-saving shifts... #HelpOurHeroes
I love to highlight small, sustainable British brands that I truly love - and wear; After living in my throw-on linen With Nothing Underneath boyfriend-style shirt allllll last summer (which so many of you consistently enquired about), I’m finding their recently launched brushed-cotton design just as useful, and sooo cosy... Basically, they are my everyday wardrobe staples, whether I’m spending the day in town, on the beach, or in bed (don’t judge, it’s cold out there...)
Not only does this brand source all its organic material from the Better Cotton Initiative and use plastic-free packaging, but despite being a small company, after seeing a surge in orders after the Duchess of Sussex wore one of their cotton designs to visit the Luminary Bakery, my friend Pip Durell (WNU’s founder), made a generous donation to this London-based social enterprise that supports disadvantaged women, as a way to pay it forward.... Jolly good shirts by a jolly good egg
Photographer: Rosalind Alcazar
I’ve been asked about my thoughts on Black Friday so much today and honestly, I feel it would be remiss of me, despite the threat of increased carbon emissions this weekend, to tell people to boycott it, considering I am in the lucky position to enjoy various discounts/loans throughout the year from my relationships within the fashion industry. I’m also aware that Christmas time can be expensive, not everyone can afford the wardrobes/beauty products/home wear they wish for at full price, and generous sales at this time can be insanely helpful. What I would encourage, however, is a level of Conscious Consumerism, where we all make really considered purchases, in spite of the excessive amount of enticing deals, to avoid buying unnecessary items destined for landfill. SO... My advice?
Make a list of what you actually need. For Christmas in particular, I find jewellery discounts to be the most helpful (Monica Vinader and Missoma are two old, firm faves of mine) but try and not deviate off track and make impulse purchases. In the moment, it's so easy to feel seduced by all the deals, so ask yourself two questions;
Will I use this item more than 30 times?
Would I be buying this if it weren't on sale?
And, if your answer is no, pop it back.
2. If there is an expensive, investment (*the key word here) item you have been waiting to buy (a television, a new duvet, or in my case, a new camera) then this is of course, a great opportunity to enjoy a discount.
3. This could also be a great to time of year to try sustainable brands, which can be, for many, not as affordable as high-street options at other times of the year - I love Veja and Chinti and Parker.
4. Ask yourself, do I actually need anything?! Mending and not spending is the most sustainable thing you can do when it comes to refreshing your wardrobe, and many second hand/vintage/pre-loved shops/websites also have deals going on, ones which cause no further impact to the environment.
5. Lastly, consider renting rather than buying (check out My Wardrobe HQ and Hurr) if looking for a new festive one/off look with no eco/buyer’s remorse the next day!
Go forth, and be mindful out there in the crazy, y’all…
Given our acute awareness of how the linear fashion model of buying, wearing and quickly discarding clothes so negatively impacts both people and planet, there is an increased demand from customers for greater transparency in the fashion supply chain. I for one, am really making a more conscious effort to buy from, and champion ethical and sustainable British designers, and one such brand that has recently come on to my radar, happily just in time for the summer, is Farleigh io, and their stunning ready-to-wear collection of hand-drawn printed mini’s and maxi dresses.
Created for free-spirited women of all ages and sizes, each of Farleigh io’s ethically made, romantic designs look just as great with heels or wedges at a wedding, as they do with a pair of Veja trainers at a festival.
Brilliantly, Farleigh io doesn’t believe in large seasonal drops, instead choosing to slowly add one new design to her beautiful collection each month, with the aim of you treasuring that considered purchase for a long time. The dresses are not only brought to life by local London seamstresses and pattern printers, but also, for every design sold, a tree is planted in Zambia to help offset any carbon emissions made during its creation… Aaaaall the wonderful sunshine feels!
Wearing: Farleigh io’s Hazel Dress
Featuring: Puffin the Pup
I was recently made aware that cervical screenings in the UK are at their lowest levels in two decades, especially across London, with one in three British women not attending their screening tests because they find them embarrassing. I was therefore, in total awe of my friend, and Lady Garden Foundation co-founder, Chloe Delevingne, for having her own cervical smear test on live television earlier this year, in a bid to combat the stigma around getting checked.
As cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women under thirty-five, its worth remembering that although smear tests are always pretty damn uncomfortable, they also last less than five minutes, are required only once every three years, and also save around 4,500 lives each year through early detection... Now that’s worth talking openly about! If you’ve been putting yours off, practice some ultimate self-care and book one in tomorrow morning… 💗 #SilentNoMore
I’m wearing my Tabitha Webb x Lady Garden Foundation silk blouse which helped raise vital funds towards the Royal Marsden’s ground-breaking research into gynaecological cancers... Available upon request.
We had such high hopes after that scorcher of a Bank Holiday last month, but annoyingly, ever since, my newly packed away winter clothes are one by one returning at pace, and I’ve intermittently had the heating back on! HOWEVER, these gloomy mornings and random downpours shall not rain on my parade or ruin my lewwwk – mainly thanks to this ALEXACHUNG vinyl hooded trench coat.
Waterproofing and insulation aside, I love the pale blue colour of this trench, which can be worn over separates or even styled as a dress (like it was on the runway), and it has a real retro feel to it, which I love.
I paired the trench with a Maje snake print mini skirt (I know, I’m usually a leopard lass through and through, but this chic skirt unsurprisingly slithered its way happily into my wardrobe), a sky-blue Jacquemus ribbed-knit top and some white ankle boots, the perfect transitional accompaniment for any season. This particular pair of much loved and worn boots are pretty old, but there are still some great options available, and I will pop some of my favourite alternatives below. I also recently discovered Sarah and Sebastian, ethical jewellers from Sydney, and I love their gorgeously delicate gold vermeil, petal-shaped Rosa pendants.
And now, EVERYBODY…
With summer on its merry way (we hope), we are now slowly beginning to see more sunny digital and printed campaigns released, all enticing us to make our new season purchases, so we too can be as happy and tanned as the models and celebrities featured. The majority of these alluring Spring/Summer campaigns are obviously shot long ahead of time, during the British Winter, and shot at great expense in faraway, infinitely more exotic locations.
Founded in 2002, Weekday, a Swedish denim and fashion brand influenced by youth culture and street style, have decided to be humorously transparent when it comes to communicating their own sunglasses campaign this year. Instead of flying to the other side of the world to capture the essence of summer, the Weekday marketing team decided to shoot their models under some bright lights, in front of some beachy backdrops. Just as the viewer is lured into the inauthentic summer vibe, the camera is pulled back to reveal the ‘truth in advertising;’ our Expectation vs. Reality.
Aside from Brexit, another hot topic which has caused in-depth discussion over the last year, is centred around the authenticity of the advertising we consume on a daily basis, especially via social media. The actuality, and the ‘behind the scenes,’ of pretty much every heavily filtered, perfectly poised picture we absorb on Instagram in particular, are far removed from what we are presented with, and as such, I found creating my own Expectation vs. Reality imagery in support of this Weekday campaign, really refreshing and relevant.
Amidst great friends in Los Angeles, surrounded by palm trees and booming music, I enjoying cocktails in the hottest sunshine, wearing slim lilac Weekday Cateye Sunglasses and some complimentary lilac Weekday cords and blouse – Such a smiley, memorable day…
Whereas, actually, I was standing outside a London pub, on a typically chilly day, alone. At least I had my mixture of two fruit juices (Pina NOlada?!) and cheese and onion crisps… All the glamour, clearly, and not quite the summer-vibes I had led initially encouraged you to believe.
Similarly, here I am in Cuba, enjoying some much-needed shade at an exotic fruit-stall, wearing my favourite Weekday Sail Cateye Sunglasses and Weekday swimsuit…
Which of course, then reveals me actually standing by a Ladbroke Grove London market stall, feeling wildly underdressed, and beyond nippy on yet another grey day… Well, you gotta’fake it, till you make it!
