UK Fashion & Lifestyle Blog || London Fashion Blog || I Want You To Know

End Of An Era

2013-06-19T16:40:00.000+01:00

Bit of a melodramatic public service announcement today, but the moment we've all been dreading is almost here. Google Reader will cease to exist on the 1st of July and although I've not been running around like a headless chicken, I'm somewhat bewildered that one of my favourite ways of reading blogs will be coming to an end. I think I now understand how Take That fans felt when they split up (I was never that bothered at the time and preferred Eternal) as this handy way of keeping RSS feeds has pretty much changed my life. To add a bit of context, I've apparently read 267,871 items since September 14th 2008 and seem to power through over 2000 articles every month. Please tell me I'm not alone with my crazy stats? When I first discovered this corner of the internet, I had a few RSS feeds in my bookmarks and somehow stumbled across Reader when looking for easier ways to keep up to date with things. Since then I check it several times a day and get a smug sense of satisfaction on the rare occasions I can get everything down to zero. I thought I'd share a few alternatives so that you can still get your fix here and I'm also open to any other suggestions if there's something I've missed.

How To Follow IWYTK

Bloglovin

Previously I've used Bloglovin as more of a bookmarking service for places I want to remember but recently I've started to import most of the blogs I read and sort them into handy categories such as 'Pretty Pictures' and 'Whimsical Vintage.' This means if I'm having a busy week, I can quickly skim through the 'Friends' category and feel that I know what's going on with my nearest and dearest. They've upped their game with a new iPad app and the profile feature, so you can now have a nosey to see who people are following and find any similar blogs you might like. I think this feature has a lot of potential if they can hone it down bit better, though I'm not going to dispute that it says I'm 'similar' to Natalie Off Duty. I'll take that, thank you very much.

Follow IWYTK on Bloglovin - Import Your Subscriptions

Feedly

Although I signed up to Feedly early on, I've been in denial and not using it too much, so I'm still getting used to the interface. Fortunately I've downloaded the apps to every possible device and categorised things so that all is ready for the big day. Once you have it installed, it's easy to add any new blogs via the icon that appears on screen and you can read articles in more of a magazine layout, as well as the traditional way you might be used to. The best thing is that it remembers any starred items from Google Reader, meaning that I don't have to painstakingly go through and bookmark all of the random posts I want to keep. I will probably use this for the more wordy blogs I read, such as The Cut and Thought Catalog as they update so frequently.

Facebook

I like a few blogs on Facebook and it can be nice to see them pop up in my feed every so often, amongst all of the engagements *shudders* and statuses about the weather. As well as including new posts, I try to post any interesting snippets of information I've found as a result of said blog reading plus anything I'm coveting at the moment. This Topshop skirt has gone down well, so I'm going to try and hunt it down tomorrow!

E-mail

In the sidebar you will see a little box indicating that you can follow by e-mail, if that floats your boat. It might be preferable to separate anything blog related into a certain folder so that they don't get mixed up with spam and 70% off sale blasts. I've noticed a few blogs have newsletters and although I wouldn't rule it out in the future, I want to actually make sure I have enough to write about first and that all of my organisational issues are sorted.

How are you going to cope with the demise of Google Reader? I guess it's just a natural result of things updating and moving on (anyone remember Geocities) though it does seem a bit premature. I can always start a support group if needed, so stay strong!

P.S I'll still be keeping GFC up for the time being but I'm preparing myself for the worst, or at least a Google+ amalgamation.

Rainy Day Dressing

2013-06-16T19:16:00.002+01:00

You'd be forgiven for thinking that jeans are not my kind of thing. Nine times out of ten, my outfits will consist of some sort of dress or skirt combo and when I do wear something of the trouser variety, there tends to be a print involved. Well it's time to confess that I'm a major denim lover. Sure my collection may be relegated to times when lounging is the main order of the day, but I'm starting to wear them out and about more whilst finding ways to add a little bit more interest. It's almost been a year since I posted about my desire to find the perfect relaxed pair of jeans and even though I managed to find a nice faded Acne pair in the Copenhagen outlet, I'm now ready for a bit of variety. Thanks to Jeanography that prayer was answered, it has a handy service that allows you to try on up to three pairs of jeans in the comfort of your own home for no charge. Changing rooms are the very reason why I haven't managed to jump on the Joni or Easy Jean bandwagon and it's very scary putting a few different sizes on your card when you know that you only need one. I selected this pair in a couple of sizes, scored a positive result by fitting in the smallest pair (I do love a bit of 2% elastane) and got excited for the practical outfit possibilities ahead.

Trench - COS

T-shirt - Mary Katrantzou

Jeans - Hudson c/o Jeanography

Satchel - Cambridge Satchel Company

Swedish Hasbeens - c/o Zalando

Jewellery - Tatty Devine, Monki

These pictures were taken in Neal's Yard, the kind of place I seem to stumble across and never find again. It's a colourful courtyard in Covent Garden, full of healthy shops and cafés and thus perfect for this sort of blogger malarkey. Luckily a break in the rain allowed me to do my best Blue Steel before donning my coat as a makeshift umbrella for my torrential trek back to the station. It's almost impossible for me not to show any ankle when I'm wearing jeans or trousers, which isn't the best idea when it's chucking it down but a look I'm willing to sacrifice comfort for. My t-shirts tend to make an appearance when it's warmer, so I dug out this Mary Katrantzou charity top from last year with a print that I still get excited about.

Thanks to Lucy for taking these photos! I can't get across the amount of strange expressions and dodgy poses that it takes to get a few pictures that I'm happy with, so I'm glad to have found an ally that can help me put my best foot forward. There's been a little bit of debate about the longevity of these sorts of posts and although some of the arguments are interesting, I think that there's still a place for them if done well. Who doesn't like having a nosey at what people are wearing? This outfit is an amalgamation of all of the blogs I read mixed with whatever my mood was that day and although I'm not quite sure where all of this documentation will lead, I'm certainly having fun whilst doing so. Let's just wait and see what happens!

Tools to recreate:

The New Class

2013-06-13T12:27:00.000+01:00

There's nothing like a new class of fashion graduates to get you quaking in your boots. Now would be a good time to insert an appropriate comment about two years passing since my collection was shown; promise to stop this once I reach five! It's a stressful and exciting time, you've put everything you physically can into making multiple outfits before unleashing it on the world, without knowing what's coming next. My decision to attend the Nottingham Trent show at Graduate Fashion Week was a bit of a last minute one, I started off with a bit of doubt and disbelief that it was that time of year yet again, before realising that I didn't just want to look at the pictures online. I can't vouch enough for the Total Fashion Show Experience and it's well worth trying to get tickets for these shows if you've got a design obsessed bone in your body. Seeing all of the fresh ideas in combination with the carefully chosen music, formation of the models, and even the little styling details is a really exciting moment. I'm glad I didn't go straight home that day.

Hover over the pictures to see the names of the students!

When at a particularly knitty fashion show, not only am I trying to figure out how to make the inner workings of my camera cooperate, but also racking my brains as to what techniques have been used. Most of the time, I end up completely bewildered. As expected, my eyes were drawn to the bright, eclectic and patterned, so collections by Naomi Lewis and Thea Sanders were right up my street with the plush and playful sleeves of Lewis making me want to jump right up and have a feel there and then (spy on her Pinterest board here). Thea Sanders' award winning collection inspired by floor tiles wouldn't have seemed out of place at London Fashion Week, with an array of eclectic textures and jacquards created by any means possible on a domestic machine. I was also mesmerised by Samantha Pearce's spliced jacquard maxi dresses and jumpsuits, combining careful pops of orange with gentler tones to give a new lease of live to the East meets West trend that is forever present. Styling definitely didn't seem like a last minute decision with Vanina Yankova's tactile collection. The seemingly avian inspired dresses were only enhanced further by the choice of jewellery and winged sunglasses that I'd love to nab for myself. I've been having a nosey at her Pinterest to try and see where her inspiration might have sprung from, though sometimes it's good to have a few unanswered questions.

Did you see any Graduate shows this year? It's definitely important to see what the creatives of the future are up to, even if you've been slacking yourself. It's typical that I've picked a field to work in where you can't really switch off from it and need to constantly be updating, looking and drawing but I know it'll be rewarding in the end. You can see the rest of the Nottingham collections here and let me know your favourites!

Not Quite Honolulu

2013-06-09T18:59:00.000+01:00

Long before I started blogging and loving geeky shoes, satchels and midi lengths, I was always partial to a retro dress. After developing curves in some of the right places, I realised that the 50s silhouette was the way to go and became obsessed with finding these creations whether vintage or on the high street. For a while I've been distracted by the sea of smock dresses that have been appearing everywhere, but every so often I'll stumble across something in my beloved style and wonder what I was thinking. When I eventually found this Hawaiian print dress in Topshop (I'd seen it in a magazine before but it was sadly uncredited), I was undeterred by the cut-out mid-section instead likening it to a matching set without the separation anxiety. I'm forever guilty of buying things and stockpiling them, thinking 'I'll wear this on a day when it's 30 degrees and I'll be by the beach with a Pina Colada.' Typically that perfect moment never arises. After seeing this blogger channelling a similar vibe in another Toppers ensemble, I decided to bite the bullet, suck in the tummy and wear it, taking these pictures in a usually un-leafy Canary Wharf.

Leather Jacket, Dress - Topshop

Swedish Hasbeens- c/o Spartoo Shoes

Bag - Cambridge Satchel Company
Bracelet - Primark
Ring - Me & Zena
Custom iPhone case - c/o Caseable

This dress is definitely made for travelling so I'll be taking it with me (along with an extremely edited wardrobe). I'm seriously looking forward to wearing things I wouldn't get to normally due to the lack of tropical climate and exciting scenery; I haven't been on a (non-English) beach for three years! My beloved clogs will definitely be missed, as I'm not sure how appreciative I'll be when they're weighing down a backpack. Remember to keep any Thailand/Vietnam/Cambodia recommendations coming in, as I'd particularly like to know the best beauty bits to pack and whether three pairs of shorts is a tad unnecessary when it's going to be rainy season. In keeping with the all-over printed theme, I've switched my initial phone case for a custom made Caseable one with my background design. Although it's come out a bit bluer than the original file, it looks professional and I can show off a little when people ask where it's from. It's mine, all mine!

Have you found the perfect Summer dress yet?

A Little Adventure

2013-06-07T21:03:00.001+01:00

A bit of exciting (and scary) news to share today, I'm going travelling! It may be a result of the quarter-life crisis that started rearing its confusing head last year; I've been procrastinating over a few things (thanks Pinterest) and guilty of a few bouts of insecurity. Finally I've been pushed to make a few life decisions and booked a return flight to Bangkok for later this month after months of deliberation. Yes, I'm switching my satchel for a backpack! It's probably about five years after everyone else, but I've now got the travelling bug and being such a latecomer to this gap yah party, I've decided to go it alone. I'm determined to see this corner of the world before I have to do all of the proper-grown-up-things and hopefully it will force me out of several comfort zones by experiencing a different culture. Since it was such a spontaneous decision, I don't have a lot of plans at the moment so would be grateful for any tips whatsoever, where to stay, what to eat or any interesting places off the beaten track. Any tips for making friends on my lonesome and playing down my social media addiction would also be helpful. Due to my high-maintenance ways, I'll be travelling for roughly six weeks, missing Wimbledon and the Royal Baby hysteria but back for another twenty-something birthday in August. Share some of your travelling stories and I will hopefully reward you with lots of pictures and words of wisdom when I return.

I'm starting to get excited after reading this!

New Market In Town!

2013-06-05T12:18:00.000+01:00

Fashion and food are probably the two things I get most excited about in life, despite the fact that one hinders the other slightly. I may not have the bikini body that dreams are made of, but I do have excellent memories of juicy burgers, fragrant curries and the kind of breakfasts that you never want to finish. It's always interesting to watch the evolution of certain areas of London and I love nothing more than stumbling across stalls by accident and finding random savoury treats to nibble on. Only a little while ago, the area around St.Paul's wasn't exactly a shopping destination, with the odd stores that catered to City folk but nothing really to tempt you of a weekend. The One New Change development (located ironically by Cheapside) taps into the heritage of commercial activity by the docks and is a non-stressful environment to indulge in all your High Street shopping. Last weekend I popped to the launch of the new Saturday Food Market and although small at the moment, there's a lot of potential due to having stalls you won't find anywhere else and locally made produce (we're talking Dalston in some cases). I'm not the kind of person that is able to do a weekly shop at one of these markets, but I do love purchasing the odd treat that will take up a small corner of the fridge and provide a bit of edible escapism.

After indulging in some of the best Cheese & Onion bread known to man (thanks to The Thornbury Deli, people of Bristol run there now) it was time to hear a few of Gizzi Erskine's favourite foodie discoveries. One of the rare celebs I like, she seemingly appeared out of nowhere a few years ago with a beehive, killer wardrobe of retro dresses and plenty of recipes you could actually get excited about eating (behold her latest book here). It was interesting to learn that a lot of my favourite places to eat actually started as mere stalls that became popular by word of mouth, proving that the best way to discover the next big thing is by roaming the streets and seeing what stands out. This makes perfect sense as I like my restaurants to be unfussy, with no airs and graces and focused on making the food live up to expectations.

One New Change food market takes place every Saturday 10am-4pm and there's plenty more around London, why not make your way through them?

I picked up one of these recipe cards in the hope that I can finally learn how to make my much loved Korean Chicken Wings and cut down on trips to Wishbone (who's kidding). If you're curious about some of the delights the market has to offer, I have a hamper containing the likes of gourmet cheese, preserves, coffee, biscuits and even muesli to send to a UK-based reader. I can't believe it's taken me so long to have a giveaway containing food! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your favourite market discovery, whether it's in London or otherwise, by Friday 14th June.

The winner of my previous giveaway is Megan Johnston, who I'll be getting in touch with soon!

My May

2013-06-02T20:22:00.000+01:00

It's time for a monthly round-up! There's slightly less pictures to choose from this time around and I'm not sure whether that's because May was less jam-packed or due to a few periods of quiet reflection. June promises to be a busy month as I have an exciting announcement (which you may already have an idea about if you follow me on twitter) and lots to prepare. Even though we're already six months in, this year will definitely be different to the last and hopefully all the more positive for it.

Wish I could swap my house for one of these Kensington delights - I always see films at least 8 months after everyone else - Gutted these sold out in my size

I guess the premise of the Hermès exhibition worked, I'd love to own a scarf one day after observing the printing process - Perfect colour matches at the Cosmetics à la Carte exhibition

Satchel envy at the J.Crew pop up - I can't get a Coke bottle with my name on so this Tatty Devine necklace will have to do - Watermelon shorts from the Lazy Oaf x Nasty Gal collaboration, my most popular pic ever!

Undocumented picnic at London Fields - Finally spent some time at TAP coffee - Was Bubbledogs worth the wait? Probably not, but the bubbly felt a bit decadent

Spontaneous dim sum - Working my way through the Honest Burgers menu

My favourite bit of the British Museum - Scarf-spiration at Portobello market

Peering into vintage suitcases at the Design and Movement Fair - Seeing style-crush Solange for the first time at Field Day - Barbies in the Selfridges window

Eating lunch on the rooftop - Sewing bits and bobs - My first feature in print thanks to the Evening Standard. Funnily enough, I'm next to an article about chips!

Legs made an appearance at the start of the month - I had hoped to wear this dress - Unfortunately the tights had to make a necessary return

Wearing my Minkpink dress at Field Day - Nails inspired by this snap

Six recommendations for your following fun

franburns - onahazymorning - mandy_faith

lippedlove - takecourageblog - thiswildheart

Hope you're excited for June, I've already posted a few pics!

Things I Use My IPad For

2013-05-31T12:00:00.000+01:00

I probably didn't need another Apple gadget this year. I was already pretty content with my Macbook and iPhone combination, meaning that I'm always contactable and able to document things wherever I go. Still, there was something tempting about that slightly larger screen and the ability to show things to friends easily. Recently I had the opportunity for a friend to bring me back an iPad mini from another country for a slightly cheaper price, which was my main justification. If you're a multitasker like me, you may be browsing the Internet with a few tabs, editing photos and attempting to have multiple Facebook conversations all on one 13-inch screen. The main solution would have been to just make do but after deliberating, I decided to go for this size after asking Twitter and getting a few replies stating that smaller was the way to go.

One of my favourite things to use on my iPad is the screenshot feature. Sure this is available on an iPhone too but it really comes into its own when browsing through magazines and various websites and I always feel dead chuffed snapping away on the bus. Usually I never rip things out of my favourite magazines, so this is a handy way of capturing interesting articles (the most recent being about the influence of J.Crew) before I delete the issues to free up space. I primarily use my iPad for reading and luckily I've managed to pinch my Mum's Times app as well as her Zinio password with titles such as Vogue, Glamour and US Elle to choose from. I also won a Jalouse subscription through Harriet's blog a little while ago, which makes me want to resurrect my GSCE French and understand the words next to the pretty pictures. I've created a little collage full of the images I've picked out from various titles and current themes include denim, pastels and rooms with pink furniture.

There's nothing like the iFontMaker app to make you realise how messed up your handwriting is. I've been wanting to create my own font ever since I saw this post on A Beautiful Mess but it took me a little while to download it and finally take the plunge. Everything is a bit all over the place and doesn't quite conform to the rules of typical typefaces, but luckily you can fiddle around with the dimensions to create something that works for you. I'm still trying to perfect all the nuances of my writing as everything still looks a bit childlike and wavy, but I guess I should accept that's just how my writing is!

And finally the case that makes it all possible! There's not too many cases available for the iPad mini at the moment and at first I bought a cheapy one from Amazon to tide me over for a bit (with a rather floppy stand). Fortunately Knomo got in touch with a better offer, this Teaberry leather number with a much sturdier cover. After accidentally smashing my iPhone screen, attempting to use it with a hole in the screen and having to pay to get it replaced (ouch), I've realised just how important it is to protect your gadgets. Hopefully the same fate won't happen to this!

So now my Apple family is complete, I have a Macbook for blogging and designing, an iPhone for keeping in touch on the move and an iPad for reading! Major disclaimer that it isn't the be all and end all to have all of these gadgets plus everything has been saved up for and bought over the last few years. Let me know if you have any app recommendations and whether you use your gadgets in a similar way.

I was also rather shocked to be featured in the Evening Standard alongside the lovely Marian Kihogo, have a read here!

Musings From A Field

2013-05-27T18:10:00.000+01:00

Finally more sunshine! You don't realise how fantastic May is until you start working and two bank holidays within a few weeks of each other seems like a major pat on the back. Everyone is in a fantastic mood, there's lots going on and sitting in the park with a bottle of cider seems like a productive way to spend a day. This time around I made it to my first Field Day, a one-day festival situated in the capital with a decidedly trendy East London crowd. All of the typical friend, food and toilet dramas were condensed into about eight hours and I felt like I'd seen much of my Topshop wishlist on various festival goers within the first twenty minutes. Despite this, I was excited to see Animal Collective as I've been obsessed with Brother Sport for the past 3 years (which they unfortunately didn't play *sad face*), catch up on some Django Django and marvel at the force that is Solange. Does that sentence make me sound knowledgeable about the current state of the music industry in 2013? Believe me I'm not, my audio collection is in constant need of an overhaul and I find it too easy to stick to what I know and keep listening to the same playlist repeatedly. Biggest regret of the day is chickening out and not getting up on the stage with my friend during the Palma Violets set, now that would have been a story to tell!

Leather Jacket - Topshop

Dress - c/o Minkpink

Necklace - Tatty Devine

Dr Martens - c/o Spartoo

Ring - COS

Bracelet - Primark

This is probably a bit of a default festival outfit, simple smocky dress paired with leather jacket and Dr Martens, but hear me out. I've been waiting to wear this Minkpink dress sans tights ever since it arrived (even though it also looks fine with them) plus my trusty DMs have been rather neglected of late. Although there were a few other festival clichés in attendance, I saw lots of people wearing their everyday garb including oversized coats, Mom jeans and dungarees (I may have sneakily snapped a few interesting vintage shirts for inspiration). Although I may look British-weather inappropriate, all of the practical elements of my outfit were contained in my trusty Tardis bag. I'd managed to fit in tights, beanie hat, scarf and an umbrella just in case but fortunately I didn't need to trouble them.

How's your weekend been? I'm finally getting re-acquainted with Spotify and trying to make my first non-embarassing playlist with some of the new stuff I discovered. Just a reminder that you have less than a week left to enter my giveaway; I'm very excited to give these treats a new home!

Colour Chameleon

2013-05-24T16:09:00.000+01:00

I may be admitting to the biggest blogger crime of them all, but it's very rare that I write about something so soon after experiencing it. Sometimes life gets in the way, my words don't cooperate and the wheel of death appears whenever I frantically try to edit my photos. Since the Cosmetics à La Carte exhibition ends this Sunday, I thought it would be nice to give a little flavour of it just in case you want to pop in over the weekend. As I'm starting to become a bit more beauty obsessed (I'm not quite Emily Weiss yet, but I did recently invest in some MAC brush cleaner), I'm now very interested in the transformative powers of make-up and finding the best colours to do so. I thought I was pretty whizzy on my long running beauty brands, so I'm shocked to find out that Cosmetics à La Carte has been going strong for 40 years out of a Battersea laboratory and Knightsbridge boutique, without my knowledge.

The brand was founded in 1973 by Lynne Sanders (who'd previous developed the Mary Quant range) and Christina Stewart out of a frustration by the range of colours available at the time, limiting creativity during a period of such change. Now we take having a choice of 10, 20 or even 50 shades for granted and being able to find something that suits but what I like about my new discovery is that you can even create something bespoke and bring a discontinued shade back to life. The exhibition is a mix of memorabilia, illustration and products you can try out and try and match to your skin tone. Curated by Ryan Lanji to bring a sense of East London to the well-heeled brand, it was refreshing to see the old press cuttings and scrapbook like walls reminiscent of a teenage bedroom to display some of the milestones. I'm still in the early stages if make-up exploration so it's great to know there are brands out there that can create any colour and satisfy every whim. It makes sense to be able to tailor your cosmetics when you can get customised accessories, jewellery and even shoes. There's also definite bonus points for being a British company with great ethical policies and inclusivity.

Cosmetics à La Carte Colour and Culture is at The Gallery at 50 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch until Sunday, so run along quickly!

A 'Summer' Wishlist

2013-05-22T12:03:00.000+01:00

Can you believe that over three months have gone by without a wishlist? Even though I never end up buying everything (fortunately I only bought one jumper from this post), it's nice to have a visual representation of the things you'd like for a particular season. You don't always get the aftermath stories on here, the ones where I try the dress on and get stuck or look ridiculous in the chambray suit. At this point everything is based on pure speculation and is subject to change if I see something better. The bits I've chosen this time around can be adapted for the challenging weather, worn later in the year and hopefully until they fall apart.

1. American Apparel Sunflower Shorts
I'd like these purely for the fun factor. The navy pair is a practical alternative for when I want to be a little more inconspicuous.

2 & 3. COS Chambray Jacket and Shorts
This is the perfect option for my matching set fantasy.

4. Free People Georgia Dress
You can never have too many pretty dresses to throw on.

5. & Other Stories Conical Ring
Ideal for self defence.

6. Office Picnic Hamper Flats
Got to keep my nostalgic shoe quota up.

7. & Other Stories Toothed Ring
Can you tell I'm obsessed with the jewellery from this store?

8. T-Rex Pendant
I've got a balloon dog and a seahorse, now all I need is something prehistoric.

9. Minkpink Maya Dress
I've finally decided to indulge my bohemian side this year!

10. Cheap Monday Peplum Tee
I've ordered this already and it's the perfect jeans solution.

11. Motel Penny Denim Dress
I probably don't need another denim dress, but this one is in my favourite shape.

12. Swear Heeled Gladiator Sandals
Part geeky, part gladiator, this could be the perfect addition to my comfy chunky heel collection.

13. Fjallraven Kanken Backpack
I may be jumping on the backpack bandwagon here, but who can't resist a flash of yellow?

Other things I'd quite like to investigate and try on:

Mom Jeans
The name doesn't bode well but I'm curious to see whether the Topshop style will work for me. Every since I wrote this post, I've settled on a low-rise, straight leg style I bought in the Acne outlet.

Crop Tops
See if you can spot a post where I'm wearing one here, now all I need is to find one for my 2013 midriff. I still like the way they look with a full skirt and bonus points if it's part of a matching set.
Dungarees
Surely I can find a longer style that doesn't make me look like I should be on a building site? Hopefully it's not me that's the problem, but just the styles that are available.
A Coat
I know it seems crazy to be wanting a coat at this time of year but I set eyes on this Monki number at the Carnaby Street store and slowly came around to the idea of something more transitional. It's somewhat soul-destroying to keep wearing your Winter coat in the depths of May, with this denim-y number hopefully I can kid myself that it's a 'Summer Coat' and really only needed for chilly evenings.

Remember to enter my giveaway here!

Returning Visits

2013-05-19T21:53:00.001+01:00

So the outfits may be few and far between this month, but what I have been up to is plenty of milling about in random areas of London. Not in a creepy way mind, I've been taking the advice of Paul Smith and have slowly made an effort to see more and stop moping around. After looking through my archives, I realised that my 'mixed bag' type posts have become few and far between. They might be confusing to follow, but somehow get across the random cluster of events that was going on at the time and are interesting for me to look back on. Somehow I've linked everything by the fact that I've made a few returning visits to places I've not seen in a while and the below mixture contains swimming pools (11 years), old relics (8 years) and a random dress purchase from a sample sale (1 year).

I've always been a South London cheerleader of sorts but now everyone else is starting to cotton on (I'm not bitter), there's even more interesting things to do without crossing the river. Brockwell Lido is a ten minute train ride away and although slightly dishevelled, its 1930s attributes make me feel as if I'm somewhere else entirely and it was the perfect setting for a vintage design fair. As per usual I didn't buy anything (if only I had a house of my own), but duly kept snapping away at all of the treats from past decades and feeling a bit of secondary nostalgia. Although this fair is only on once a year, it's worth coming back and having a dip within the Grade II listed lido, if the scorching weather ever presents itself. There's also a few nice pubs and a Lowie shop nearby, a brand I remember from their Covent Garden pop-up a few years ago, which now has a permanent home and some rather tempting dresses in the window.

My first trip to the British Museum was a confusing one. It was the first day of my Art foundation course and we were asked to draw movement in an abstract way and I was immediately at a loss trying to create something I wasn't used to. I'm not sure if the eight year hiatus had something to do with this event but thanks to some friendly encouragement, I decided to brave the crowds and return on a busy Saturday. It's quite easy to completely forget that places like this exist in London, with immense sculptures from Greek temples and more delicate artefacts like watches and ornate porcelain tiles. This visit was more of a flying one, mainly to make a mental note of what was inside for any future, more focused trips. It would be great to get to know a few more places as well as I know the V&A (which incidentally, I can still get lost in).

Another place on the list to re-visit, was Portobello Market; I've never been on a Friday before and decided to pop by to see what all the fuss was about. Two o'clock in the afternoon probably wasn't the best time, but luckily there were still a fair few sellers about and lots of interesting pieces to peruse (I'm still dreaming about a Louis Vuitton-esque crop top and high-waisted skirt combo). I finally had a look in Merchant Archive, somewhere I was very intrigued by after reading this post and wasn't disappointed by the perfectly curated store.

Bring out the champagne, I finally have made my first Orla Kiely purchase! Every so often I stalk the sample sales they have but have never managed to find anything that I felt the need to buy and wished that the current collection was (miraculously) there instead. This time their sale at The Music Rooms had a decent amount of their SS12 collection and although I didn't find some of the pieces I'd initially set eyes on a year ago, I did manage to find the silk dress above. My decision to try it on is probably down to the influence of Carrie and Olivia, with the best elements of the 60s and 70s combined with one of the brand's trademark prints. Although it was an unexpected purchase, I managed to get an extra £20 off thanks to a slight fault in the stitching (nothing my needle can't handle) and an easy, chuck-on dress to wear all year around.

What have you been up to recently? This week I intend to continue the productive streak and visit the J Crew pop-up, Hermes and Cosmetics à La Carte exhibitions (blink and you'll miss them all). If you're looking for another productive thing to do, then enter my giveaway here for the chance to win a Frankie magazine amongst some other lovely bits!

Win A Few Of My Favourite Things!

2013-05-16T12:02:00.000+01:00

I think it's about time there was another competition! This time it's to mark the redesign of IWYTK, hopefully you should be used to the new layout by now and everything should be going relatively swimmingly. I explained before that I wanted to streamline my blog and make everything easier to find, especially some of my older posts. Remember that time I met Dita Von Teese? You'll find it here. In the four and a half years I've been blogging, I've lived in New York, produced a graduate knitwear collection and discovered the delights of playsuits, but you wouldn't know that unless you went on a lengthy trawl. I've created so five categories in the navigation bar, Outfits, Events, Exhibitions, Exploring and Etc, where all of the relevant posts have been organised with handy thumbnail images. If you want to search by category or month, then try the archive page or search bar on the right for something a little more specific. In the sidebar, I've also created The London List, a page which I will update with any cool capital happenings (the main use is so I don't completely forget exhibitions) plus a handy wishlist page with whatever I'm coveting at the moment. All of the fashion shows I've attended are also on a handy page too, it's slightly surreal to look back on!

Enough about the housekeeping and onto the prizes! To thank you all for reading and continued support, I've decided to give away some pieces I love at the moment. You'll maybe recognise the spike bracelet I always wear, the Rimmel Scandaleyes I mentioned here and some lovely lilac Essie polish. Everything is of course brand spanking new and all but the Rimmel/Fashion week items was purchased with my own dosh whenever I saw something that might be suitable.

The goodies:

The March/April issue (52) of Frankie Magazine (if you have it already, perhaps introduce it to a friend)?

AW13 Mulberry London Fashion Week Tote

Orla Kiely face cloth

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer

Essie 'Love and Acceptance' nail polish

Rimmel Glam Eyes Quad in Smokey Brun

Rimmel Scandalyes Mascara in Black

Asos Diamond Pattern socks

Asos stud earrings

J.W Anderson badge

Asos spike bracelet

H&M ponytail ring

To enter:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the intructions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The deets:

This giveaway is open worldwide and will end on 31st May, best of luck!

The Forever Pieces

2013-05-13T20:32:00.001+01:00

Although it's a scary thing to do, I like to look through my old posts every so often and reflect on the things I've worn. When I started this blog I was a leggings obsessed student, always searching for the perfect 50s style dress and very much anti socks with sandals. How things have changed (well, I'm still a sucker for a fit and flare dress at least). One of the things going through my archives got me thinking about, was the amount of things I've bought which have come and gone. When I look back at some of my old outfits, I remember the instances in which I bought the items and occasionally when I flogged it on eBay or consigned it to the loft. I've realised that there are only really two pieces I frequently wear from the days before I started blogging. There's the perfectly aged Topshop leather jacket and the pictorial vintage skirt I bought at the Angels sale (which incidentally featured in my first ever post). Acquiring both of these pieces required a major shift in my thinking and perhaps started off a greater love of prints and mixing various textures. Now I often select these all year round without a second thought and can't imagine getting rid of them any time soon.

My first leather jacket was bought with much hesitation after seeing that someone at work had bought it and subsequently realising that a biker over a dress was in fact a good look. It was just my luck that it then managed to sell out and I finally tracked one down when I started University in Nottingham, discovering the perils of an overdraft within the first few days. Since then it's become my go-to jacket whenever the temperatures are in the teens and torrential rain isn't likely. If I'm not too sure about something I'm wearing or want to dress something down, I usually stick this on top and it balances everything out. Even though I'd quite like to find a colourful sister for my beloved biker, I know I'll be sticking with this until the cows come home.

I'm not quite sure why I grabbed this skirt at the Angels sale, perhaps I was intrigued by the print or just desperate to make sure both of my £25 bags were full. This skirt started off as more of a midi length and I regret hacking it off so soon, but realise it may not have been worn quite so much otherwise. I've been wearing it long before all of the statement print trends and every so often marvel at all the random stuff going on within it. Where else would you find people riding camels in the desert and ladies being escorted by horse and cart? Since then I've bought a few more things with kitschy prints; I can't wait to bring out this sundress again and start wearing this one with a cheeky cut-out.

Posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Do you still wear items from the days before you started blogging? We're talking almost 5-6 years ago in non social-media terms, a time when I was in the early days of figuring out my style and experimenting a little. The aim now is to have a healthy balance between collecting bits with longevity and the odd frivolous purchase. It's both amazing and bizarre that I have this little corner of the internet that allows me to look back and make these observations. One good thing about being an ex-leggings addict? I now have lots of options to wear for exercise!

Pin It Forward!

2013-05-09T17:50:00.000+01:00

Now I'd imagine that picking your favourite Pinterest board is a bit like picking your favourite child, say if you had 34 of them. Each one is special in it's own right and came about for a particular reason (for example my Spaces board keeps me dreaming of a place I might one day own). I now use the site as a quick virtual scrapbook, to organise my favourites out of the hundreds of images I come across every day. It's a handy place I can come back to if I'm searching for a particular editorial or useful snippet of information first seen a few weeks ago. The site has previously been rather US-centric but that's all set to change with dedicated worldwide expansion and a UK specific platform. They even held an event a few weeks ago with rather pin-able cake pops (I may have stashed a few) and the chance to mingle with those only previously seen on screen. To kick off the Pin It Forward campaign, I've attempted to narrow down my boards and share some of my recent finds. Sign up here if you're late to the pinning party!

Sources clockwise from left 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

My outfit inspiration board is perfect for when I'm at a loss for what to wear. I may not own most of the items featured but it does give me ideas for colours, proportion and those little styling details. At the moment I'm trying to get into a SS13 state of mind, but still thinking of ways to add coats, layers and not freeze myself to death in the evenings.

Sources clockwise from left 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

I can't be the only one obsessed with all things nosey parker and 'What's In Your Bag' features. There's something about seeing everything laid out systematically on a clean background, a modern type of collage that is all over the Internet. Perhaps like a real-life sort of Pinterest? My board featuring collections is perfect for looking at various bits and bobs arranged nicely and wondering if my equivalent would look quite as interesting.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

I'm a sucker for a creative space and everything that is the opposite of minimal, we're talking scrapbook-like walls, busy bookcases and the perfect mixture of random antiques and enviable technology. Sites like Desire To Inspire and The Selby have brought these non traditional rooms to the forefront and I'm pretty sure it's starting to influence magazines and shops such as & Other Stories. At the moment this board doesn't really influence my own life and is mainly used for daydreaming, but hopefully one day I'll have a space of my own that will truly reflect my personality.

Ever since I started using the site properly about a year and a half ago, I've discovered that I like a completely different blogging genre and probably countless new brands and articles. Next on the Pin It Forward trail is Sophie with plenty of hair and beauty inspiration!

Very Vogue

2013-05-05T20:08:00.002+01:00

On paper, the Vogue Festival is my kind of festival. There's plenty of inspiring designers within the vicinity, Chanel accessories from the SS13 collection to dress up in and not a portaloo in sight. Ever since the inaugural event last year, I'd observed the happenings on my twitter feed and wondered whether the high ticket prices were worth it. Thanks to Stylight and Vouchercodes, I'd managed to get myself tickets to two of the talks, so I could test the waters out for myself. At £40 a pop most people would have to seriously consider splashing out, perhaps taking the plunge if a favourite designer or long-time idol was on the schedule. The crowd was a mixture of The Clothes Show meets Fashion Week, with plenty of students in tow making me feel like a bit of a fogey but still excited nonetheless to have access to some well respected industry folk.

'Design is About Knowing'

The Sir Paul Smith & Alexa Chung talk was titled 'Fashion and Personality' and started with a lecture and lively Powerpoint presentation from the man himself. The slides showed the many ways he can turn inspiration into a beautifully made garment (beach huts can easily be turned into stripe layouts) plus the importance of having your own point of view. It definitely made me wish that he'd hijacked a few of my University sessions with his years of knowledge and realistic perspective, peppered with occasional jumps onto the sofa. He acknowledges how internet obsessed this world has become and rarely takes part in it himself (he doesn't have a computer or e-mail address, but four assistants instead). Somehow he still contributes to the blog and Instagram feed, curating content the old-fashioned way before it is uploaded and sent out into the world. I suppose I'm guilty of relying on the computer too much and being glued to a screen most of the day, his talk reinforced that it's important to get out and about, see things for yourself and get back to basics. When asked how he deals with the constant pressure of fashion shows and collection reviews, he replied that he simply doesn't read them and has already moved onto the next thing. Perhaps there's something in being slightly removed from technology and able to concentrate on more important things.

Leather Jacket - Topshop

Dress - Maxmara S'Max

Miista Flats - c/o Spartoo shoes

Necklace - Tatty Devine

Bag - Cambridge Satchel Company

Lips - Apocalips in Big Bang

For this occasion I decided to smarten up in my new Maxmara S'Max dress. It's one of those rare investment pieces bought partly with a handy Matches voucher and the exquisite cut means that even though it's not my usual skater-y shape, it still works on me. No sooner had these Miista shoes arrived, they were swiftly on my feet and worn for three days in a row. Fortunately they didn't need breaking in, didn't rub and astonished friends and train passengers alike with their holographic nature.

I knew that my Mum really wanted to attend this year, so when Coast got in touch with a spare ticket for the Donatella Versace talk, I gladly passed it on to her. Even though she was only there for a couple of hours, she managed to star in a Vogue cover shoot (wearing her own AW12 Burberry coat, no less), have her make-up done and get her t-shirt signed by Donatella herself. Far more productive than my twenty minutes deciding whether to buy myself a Vogue branded t-shirt to channel the current 90s vibe (I didn't).

Did you attend the Vogue Festival? I can't say I've got very far trying to act on the advice that was dished out (I'm sat in my pyjamas writing this part), but I definitely felt inspired to start something exciting.

Summer Prep

2013-05-03T19:29:00.000+01:00

Is it just me who wants to shop when the weather's brightened up? I was quite pleased with myself when I started posting my SS13 press day pictures strategically earlier this year, before the extended Winter ruined any chance of putting things I'd seen into practice. Now I've been busying myself with a few AW13 events (see my instagram for a sneak preview) and although I'm insanely excited about it all, I don't want to forget about all the brights and printed denim just yet. It's really interesting that past collections from designers are being reissued to those who missed out (or couldn't afford them) the first time around. In this day and age we are so obsessed with newness and whatever the next trend is, it's important to not forget what has gone before and keep finding ways to continuously rework what we already own. My aim is to continue to collect pieces I know I will love for a long time and build a wardrobe that is a bit of a scrapbook that I can wear, filled with pieces that excited me at first and continue to be worn. I've selected a few of my favourite snaps that were sitting in various iPhoto folders and have narrowed down a few elements I'm hoping to interpret sometime soon.

Although the Matches press day was on a dreary November evening, I soon was transported into the excitement of SS13 with a whole house dolled up and dedicated to the season. It's one of the websites I like to admire from afar and sale stalk every so often, but occasionally there are pieces that are within reach (like the charity collaboration from last year). Some favourites included the fluffy YMC sweaters, printed Mary Katrantzou X Current Elliot denim and anything Kenzo. I'm extremely gutted that I missed out on acquiring anything tiger-tastic this season but at least it gives me some time to save a little for the perfect forever piece.

I may not immediately seem like a ballet flats kind of person but that didn't stop me admiring these delights from French Sole nonetheless. Anything that comes in an array of colours and is displayed nicely on a table gets my vote and I was pleased to see some slightly higher heels dotted around, something I'm drawn to being 6ft in my head and 5'6 in reality. I'm very tempted to try on a pair and hopefully dispel the myth that my feet will look even bigger. Maybe the leopard and loveheart combination is an option? I could definitely see Lucy in some of the neons!

I'm delighted that the Eley Kishimoto aesthetic is now easily available (there's some hosiery on ASOS and a Clarks collaboration) and snapping these pictures in some way made up for missing their Living With Patterns exhibition last year. A display featuring moving gnomes adorned in their siganture Flash print captivated me for a little while, until I managed to snap out of it and have a proper look around. It's typical that I now want to buy another pair of socks when I have a few pairs already that aren't getting enough attention. Perhaps it's time for a dedicated sock challenge, incorporating a new pair into my outfit every day?

I'll be posting an epic wishlist next week of some more pieces I have my eye on for this season, it's a good 'un!

Everything April

2013-05-01T19:08:00.000+01:00

Nothing like obsessively taking square pictures to make a year fly past. Somehow Instagram has managed to keep my attention for twelve whole months and may not be so great for my storage situation, but ideal for keeping track of what I've been up to. Whatever your feelings on the social media sharing trends, you can't knock it for making you take pictures of the everyday moments and sticking a filter on (or using 3 different apps in my case). I guess this is what all of the documentation is about, having something clear to look back on a few years later and hopefully seeing how far you've come. Here's to another year of snaps!

Butterflies in the Harrods childrenswear department - A 90s bedroom setup at the Motel press day - I want to paint again!

Amazing lampshades in the Cath Kidston canteen - A white van man gave me a strange look for snapping this blossom - Patternity comes to life

Crafted exhibition in Somerset House - My new blog layout! - Perfectly made Dior toiles

Dreaming of houses in Knightsbridge - Marin's awesome curls at the Cloud Nine event

Will never get bored of snapping Tower Bridge - Shad Thames is still somewhere I'd quite like to live - Lone bicycle in Shoreditch

Hands down this Vivetta collar beats them all - These Prada shoes have really grown on me

I need to get hunting for Celine on eBay, a la Charlie - Retro bikini heaven at Next - Maison Scotch just gets better every season

Collars are quite the theme here! - Practical displays at Liberty AW13 - Debutants at the Swedish Hasbeens pop-up store

These Elizabeth and James bags are within reach! - Need this Cath Kidston floral jumper - Hopefully next season will involve some Kenzo in my life!

A rare Acne sighting - This dress is made for bare legs - Nike town

Wearing my new Anthropologie trousers - Paisley nails are go

Pinafore and granny squares - My new Tatty Devine buddy - Getting my feet sorted at The Chelsea Day Spa

Mondrian nails - Bought these Whistles trousers in the January sales and it's finally warm enough to wear them!- Trying to out-Bolt the man himself at Madame Tussauds

Wing heaven at Wishbone - Leftover pick n' mix from the Next event - Pinterest cake pops

Late lunch at Lucky Chip - Vita Coco deliveries are the best - Dante Fried Chicken needs to come back to London asap (the book will have to do for now)!

Trying new dim sum, now I know all about Turnip cake - Slowly working through the menu at Workshop Coffee

Six pretty new feeds to follow

violettetannenbaum - annaberr - bonnietsang

elisabethdunker - milkthistles - siouxieandthelaces

Have you had a good April? My productive side managed to fit in three exhibitions (more on this later) and gather plenty of inspiration for future projects (fingers crossed I follow through and stop procrastinating). Remember to follow my pictures as they happen @fashionknitsta!

Framed

2013-04-28T21:45:00.002+01:00

Now where to start with my spectacle story? When you've been a member of Club Four Eyes for almost twenty years, you are immune to their transformative powers. Every so often 'geek chic' is deemed a trend and celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel or Alexa Chung wear them and still manage to look radiant. For me, they're a part of my face I'm very much used to and it's hard for me to see them as special and exciting. My transformation had to be in reverse and I remember counting down the days until I could get contact lenses at the age of sixteen, before taking three weeks to learn how to touch my eyes and put them in. Similarly to an article penned by a spec-y author in April's issue of Company, I've never really felt particularly attractive wearing them and I see them more as a necessity when I'm pottering around the house and less of a fashion statement. Still, I'm always trying to push the boundaries with the styles I choose (see Jen for further inspiration in her snazzy blue frames) and was happy to update my current pair with a Specsavers voucher. I almost went for my typical minute-frames before coming around to this tartan-armed Tommy Hilfiger style, which are probably the 'geekiest' I own.

Jumper - A.P.C

Skirt - Topshop (ancient)

Tights - Jonathan Aston

Shoes - Office

Bag - Cambridge Satchel Company

Ring - Me & Zena

Usually when I wear my glasses, it tends to be on my hibernation days and I don't make a particular effort, but this time I decided to spruce myself up for a day out and see if I could change my mind about them. I think your prescription has a lot to do with your approach to glasses, as I struggle to take in my whole face when putting eye-make up on and contacts are more of a practical solution in this case. If you think you're short sighted, say hello to -7.5 and -8, a value similar to only a few people I know (Sarah and Susie Bubble). For this look I popped on my usual winged eyeliner and foundation combo, before adding a pop of colour with yet another Apocalips shade (Stellar). I dragged this old Topshop gingham skirt out of hibernation and paired it with my favourite A.P.C sweater that took me ages to hunt down with my birth year all over. Inadvertently I've ended up looking like a bit of a 'geek' all over, what with the buckled shoes (note the glittery sole), pleated skirt and satchel.

Are you a secret specs wearer? I think there is a massive difference in your outlook depending on whether you've been liberated from them and or have the option of wearing them on a whim. Perhaps I should view them in the same way I choose my playful pieces of Tatty Devine jewellery, spotty tights and Wah inspired nail art, by just making the most of the various designs out there and using them to express myself. I'm always in awe of those who can pull off strong styles (see also Gem and Lucy) and just make them work. Maybe in a few years I'll find that this part of my style evolves along with the rest of my look, without the pangs of uneasiness, but until then I think I'll stick to keeping them behind the scenes.

Coming Up Roses

2013-04-25T11:45:00.000+01:00

What were you doing twenty years ago? I'm at that point in my life now where I wasn't a twinkle in anyone's eye then but a live and kicking child with an appetite to match and a brother on the way. For the Cath Kidston brand however, 1993 was the start of something unknown and exciting for the former interior designer. To celebrate this milestone anniversary and introduce the book 'Coming Up Roses', a fun and extremely blogger-friendly evening was planned including cocktails, cake-decorating and candle making. No longer passive and just chatting aimlessly, we were encouraged to decorate cakes Lily Vanilli style with a piping bag (I may have eaten a few along the way) and interact with the various homeware and crockery in a meaningful way. These products aren't just pretty to look at, but designed to be used, bashed and loved when indulging in your favourite crafty pastimes.

The Cath Kidston story isn't one I was too familiar with until fairly recently. Her products have always been present throughout my childhood (I remember being envious of various friends' stationery at school) but it took me a while to realise that there was a real person behind the brand and a story to tell. With just one Kensington shop at first, Kidston tapped into the need for quirky home accessories in a world full of 90s minimalism. The company has now grown to over 100 stores worldwide and boasts a cosy West-London headquarters filled with plenty of memorabilia and 'Cath's Cafe' instead of your typical boring canteen.

I've had a quick read through the book (as I'm saving it until the May Bank Holiday), which outlines the journey from solo businesswoman to brand, with a few mishaps and surprises along the way. It's laid out in the whimsical way you might expect, with the odd drawing, diagram and archive photography to give a slight scrapbook feel. Perfect for any die-hard CK fans or those who just want to find out about the logistics of starting a business in a lively and honest way. It may seem like everything has the potential to be Kidston-ified but fortunately there is an ethos put in place to make sure that the brand didn't become diluted and only adorned practical products.

The Coming Up Roses book and collection is out now and has a lovely little video to accompany it that will literally make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's somewhat comforting to have a brand around that has grown up within my lifetime and continues to innovate (behold a sneak peek of AW13). I challenge you to watch it and not feel a little bit inspired!

Wardrobe Preparations

2013-04-21T19:36:00.000+01:00

Each time I try and write without making any reference whatsoever to the weather, I'm faced with a flashing cursor and empty page. Being such a practical dresser, the extended Winter was throwing up a lot of conundrums and made me challenge what seasonal dressing really means. It's always been brights for Summer and muted colours for later on, but the pastel tones of Carven AW13 and versatile monochrome of this season's Prada soon put paid to that. When I bought this dress during the dregs of the Summer sales last year, I thought that it would be fine all year round and was looking forward to attempting a bit of French style, via South London. After being stumped when trying to work out which tights and chunky cardigan it went with, I gave up and decided to save it for Spring instead.

Leather jacket - Topshop

Dress - Vanessa Bruno Athé via ASOS

Swedish Hasbeens - c/o Spartoo shoes

Necklace - Me & Zena

Socks - Urban Outfitters
Sunglasses - ASOS

Bracelet - Primark
Bag - A.P.C

Bizarrely this dress is still on the Asos website, a seasonal smorgasbord if there ever was one with reduced Winter coats and plenty of Spring bargains to be had. I'm not usually the sort of person who strips off just because the sun has got his hat on but decided to brave bare legs during the Hottest Day Of The Year So Far and felt the wrath of the windy gales almost exposing my underwear choices that day. Somehow I managed to run for a train in these clogs, before missing it in a spectacular fashion and making a few passengers going past chuckle at my angry expression. Don't be fooled by any 'super-cool blogger' illusions you may have of me as I'm prone to bouts of goofy activity every so often. Fortunately the weather managed to make a 30 minute wait a lot more bearable (damn living in the suburbs) and I was soon reunited with my friend and enjoying the rest of the day.

So finally the transformation is complete and I've made my room a little more seasonal with this new bedding set kindly sent by Joules. I've started to invest in prettier duvet covers recently (this butterfly set from Marks & Sparks was on before) to counteract the messy state and make everything look a lot more inviting. It's strange to think that a year ago I was just starting to get my head around printed trousers and now I have a whole army of them. Recent additions include some leggings from Celia Birtwell x Uniqlo (more of a lightweight jegging than a lycra-fest) and a pair of Nadinoo for Anthropologie trousers that were on sale. I've also retired my Mulberry for a while, since she's survived a festival in Wales, a Holi party and needs a bit of a break and a polish. Enter the Cambridge Satchel I bought in the sales, helping me to streamline my possessions again and find everything easily. All too often I was thinking 'Dude where's my phone' as it blended into the interior of my bag, so hopefully this change will eradicate the problem. Fingers crossed it stays white!

How have you been adjusting to Spring?

How to Give Your Blog a Makeover

2013-04-19T17:53:00.000+01:00

You might have noticed that things look a little different around here, the header is shiny and new, the background has completely changed and yes, there are finally social media buttons. Amazing! You see when I started blogging, all of this branding and photography malarky wasn't really on my mind. I had no idea what would happen a few years down the line and was quite happy venting about University related events and putting wishlists together. I cobbled together a header using Photoshop and 'boom', off I went. Since then blogging has changed immensely, a search on Google yields over 1,360,000,000 results and most of us are juggling post schedules with at least three different forms of social media, whilst wondering what we are going to have for dinner. Many people now start blogs with a wealth of information but there was far less of that when I started and I had to learn it gradually along the way, experiencing the mishaps of tiny pictures and Photobucket's lovely 'Bandwidth Exceeded' messages. I typically redesign my blog every year, but for its 5th official incarnation, I wanted something a little slicker and realised that I didn't want to do it alone.

Gather Inspiration

I constantly have a Pinterest board on the go with this sort of thing, so this was a good place to start when I wanted to work out how my new layout might look. Graphic Design is not my usual forte and although I like to think that I can present things well, sometimes it's good to get a second opinion from someone who understands it better. Fortunately a friend from secondary school, Fiona, who now works in this industry managed to turn my screenshots and scribbled notes into some semblance of a layout and gave me some advice on how best to fit the illustrations in. I know that most guides will put you off from using a non-white background but the illustrations are something that I really wanted to keep them as a way of stamping some personality into the design. Hopefully they help people to remember the site and by simplifying the colours, they don't detract too much from everything else. I updated them with all of the things I currently love (hello polka dot midi dress) and drew the social media buttons to keep everything consistent.

Work Out What You Need

Being a frequent internet user and avid subscriber, I can quickly work out whether a blog or site is straightforward to use and subconsciously make a beeline to those instead of their more confusing counterparts. I remember the times of having a sidebar which would take a good 30 seconds to scroll to the end and wanting to put so much information in, but not knowing the best way to display it. I bought the Blog Design Love course as a way of really thinking through and considering everything that I could do to make things easier to navigate. A few months ago I had a massive brainstorm, figured out a bit of a manifesto and worked out what needed it's own page and what could be summarised elsewhere. The course did include some information on coding but as I was still stumped as to how to implement certain things, I decided to look further afield.

Enlist Help

A few years ago I considered paying for a layout but chickened out due to my student budget and managed to customise an existing template. This meant that I had to compromise on some elements that I wanted and was limited to what free layouts were available at the time. For this version of IWYTK, I wanted everything to be exactly as my vision, worked out what I could afford and decided to get it professionally coded through Blog Milk. Although it was challenging managing this little project in the evenings and at weekends, with the time difference and having to change things like fonts and discovering layout limitations along the way, I've definitely learnt a lot from the experience. It's important to factor in time if you want your design done by a certain date and to be flexible about what you want to achieve.

Snazzy new business cards from Moo, check out this offer here!

Are you planning a blog redesign in the near future? Let me know in the comments, as I'm finally able to add replies! I'll also have an exciting giveaway when I finish the final tweaks and explain some of the new features in more depth.

Have a lovely weekend!

Hello Hasbeens!

2013-04-17T12:30:00.000+01:00

Finally Spring has arrived! I've been celebrating by wearing printed trousers every day (more on this later) and dusting off my sunglasses collection. Another thing I associate with the Spring/Summer season is the fact that sandals become commonplace, I do sometimes brave them with tights during the colder months but they really come into their own when the sun is shining. Enter the Hasbeens, I've been a major devotee of this brand ever since I ordered one of the pairs from the H&M collaboration and I now (almost) have a pair for every day of the week, much to my Mum's dismay. Even though the soles can be tricky to master at first, I love how they are carved out of a single piece of wood and add a playful touch with the youthful strap detailing and cut-outs. The brand is now much easier to get hold of with a handy pop-up in The Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane (next to YMC) and last week I was invited to a breakfast to celebrate the launch on an uncooperatively rainy morning.

After a healthy breakfast (one I need to try and recreate), founder of the brand Emy Blixt spoke about the events that led her to start the label and how she helped to bring nostalgic footwear back into fashion. I remember having some similar styles as a child which seemed bizarre at the time, but now I realise it was a sign of things to come. Whilst working as a primary school teacher, Blixt came across 300 pairs of genuine 70s clog-tastic footwear (which reminded her of a foxy neighbour who used to wear them) and through word of mouth managed to sell them to friends within a month. By adding higher heels and developing the style into a more romantic direction with cut-outs and handicraft, sales have doubled each year and have now reached 50,000 pairs being sold all over the world. Each collection brings about a few unexpected twists and new innovations, for example the slightly cheaper Debutants range with all of the core details for a purse-friendly price (I have my eye on a silver pair). The store is the perfect mix of vintage furniture and brand spanking new shoes to admire in an area that always has interesting things going on. I loved Zoe's nail art choice from a completely different pop-up, Wah Nails in nearby Boxpark (which is incidentally a longer term pop-up mall).

The store is at 21 Hanbury Street (about a 5 minute walk from Liverpool Street, don't make the mistake I did and go around the whole Truman Brewery before eventually arriving) and is open for the next six months, hurrah! Which pair is your favourite?

All Weathers

2013-04-14T20:19:00.001+01:00

So it seems I'm wearing a coat from the Winter sales, tights from Spring last year and sunglasses that say Summer all the way. It's the only way to survive the current UK climate at the moment, by mixing items from different seasons and hoping that you won't freeze/boil to death when going from office to elsewhere. This outfit is a mix of everything I wanted to wear that day, my much loved A.P.C coat, hardly worn tie-dye tights and handy heeled Dr Martens, plus the shades I chucked in my bag when I realised that sunshine was on the horizon. Typically I'm guilty of saving items for best and need to find a way to wear more of what I own, instead of putting it off and waiting for a day that's more suitable (and by that time, there's usually something else I want to wear instead). I think I may try and buy something like this and pick out a few pieces each week to get myself inspired again. A vintage pinafore and tunic by The Row that I bought in the sales last year both spring to mind as items that need to be worn pronto and not put off any longer.

Coat - A.P.C

Playsuit - c/o Urban Outfitters

T-shirt, sunglasses - Asos

Tights - Topshop

Shoes - Dr Martens

Bracelet- Primark

Necklace - Tatty Devine

(Save 20% with the code IWANTYOU20 throughout April)

Now I've had a bit of a dungaree fail so far this season (if you can call trying on one pair and looking like a ten-year-old-boy a fail). Everyone and their mother seems to be attempting the full-length overalls trend at the moment, but what do you do when you find they just don't suit? You go for the shorter version of course! I'm not giving up altogether as I'm convinced there is a style that is perfect for me that has just got delayed in transit, however this Urban Outfitters pinafore/playsuit is one of the few versions that suits my bodily proportions (insert short-torso-syndrome story here) and can be worn in a similar way. I picked it out at the recent Beat magazine party held in their snazzy new Marble Arch store, an ideal space for parties and events. Not only does the the latest issue have a lengthy article with Solange Knowles (now there's a wardrobe I'd like to steal) but plenty of new music to discover, which will hopefully get me out of my single-playlist rut on iTunes.

After the obligatory snaps, Carrie, Lucy and I decamped to Foxcroft & Ginger for some hours catching up and chatting blogging. I always write in the chaos that is also known as my bedroom, so it was nice to have a change of location and work on a few things with some listening ears. It made me realise how much I miss hanging out at places out for an unspecified amount of time. Next on the list for this sort of thing is TAP Coffee, somewhere I stumbled across by accident and instagram-ed out of curiosity, plus a lot of the places in this article. Perfect if you've been eating too many burgers and need to give yourself a bit of a break!

A Colourful Explosion

2013-04-07T18:30:00.000+01:00

Eclectic may be my unofficial middle name and what my outfits may lack in pattern mixing a la Susie Bubble or Lucy, are made up for by my appreciation of cluttered spaces, patchwork quilts and crazy jumpers. Now the Kaffe Fassett exhibition isn't so packed that you can't walk around easily, even though that could have been the case (apparently the textile designer boasts a room in his house filled only with cushions). Everything has been carefully edited by colour so you go from china blues, to deep reds to lush greenery upstairs. Somehow I only discovered Fassett's patterns a couple of years ago, I must have been living under a bit of a rock as he's been writing pattern books, designing, and creating in his unique style for over 50 years. Perhaps I can forgive myself as his last exhibition at the V&A took place in 1988 when I was but a mere toddler, so it's ideal that The Fashion & Textile Museum has decided to bring his work to a new and more computer-savvy audience.

The layout and colourful setting of the museum dictated the pieces that went inside and lends itself well to the 9-foot wide patchwork quilts and selection of intricate intarsia jumpers. Fassett's beginnings in Big Sur California and relocation to the UK some 30 years later saw him channel his love of colour and texture into a new discovery of wool and everything it could create. After learning to knit on a train (a place where a few of my techniques were honed), he has since worked with Missoni, created patterns for Vogue Knitting and Peruvian Connection. Nowadays he works mainly on his books and private commissions for the likes of Sonia Rykiel (who owns a chair similar to the one below) and shows no signs of slowing down with the amount of ideas still in his head. Naturally I was most excited by the knitwear (this Instagram pic captures my overwhelmed reaction) but also by the theatrical nature and intensity of the displays. I'm always fascinated by different elements being pulled together to make something new (remember this) and this exhibition provides a bit of a feast for the eyes with the array of patterns available.

Kaffe Fassett, Fashion & Textile Museum, 22nd March - 29th June

Are you aware of Kaffe Fassett's work? I'm pretty sure some of his Fairisle knits and print mixing will appeal to a lot of you and inspire all sorts of creations. I definitely need to investigate some of his books and knitting patterns and hope to return soon as I think I've got my little sister interested in something other than her PlayStation Vita. Let me know if you visit and whether you came away wanting to make a quilt too!