Remotely Fashion

Crips, Bloods and Thomas Hardy

2015-09-04T08:06:00.002+01:00

Trying to smuggle TuPac onto a fashion blog is a real struggle. We can't really grant him style icon status when he was most often seen swanning around shirtless. However, the presence of bandannas in the shops means that his day, and ours, has come, as we are moved to consider a square of fabric.

How is it that a simple piece of patterned cloth can be re-imagined in so many different ways? From the farms of 19^th century Britain, to the ghettos of America, the bandanna has sprung up in the most unlikely of places during its often not-so-noble history.

First worn by cowboys to keep the dust from their faces, in the 60s and 70s the colour of bandanna worn came to signify allegiance to a particular gang and by the 00s it was mainly used to identify members of girl bands. Now, when worn around the neck, it pretty much says, "I fell for the 70s trend and now I'm in way too deep". Here are all of the times it was done right.

Brown bandana to match her brown lip - Aaliyah slays it in a way that was only possible in the 90s.

Bathsheba Everdene - headstrong, independent AND totally rocks the bandanna.

Absolutely synonymous with the bandana, we’re convinced TuPac is still wearing his.

Maybe he uses it to mop his brow as he swelters under the hot Cuban sun.

Fuck all that wedding dress nonsense, one of our favourite sartorial SATC moments was

Carrie Bradshaw’s scarf round her arm with giant gold jewellery.

What Would Birkin Do?

2015-08-17T02:42:00.000+01:00

With the 70s trend in full force for this summer and undoubtedly bleeding over into our fall wardrobes, I've decided to ground myself with the phrase "What would Birkin do?" No, I'm not twerking for that overpriced bag -- 60s and 70s fashion icon, Jane Birkin has been my style muse as of late. When I'm lacking in inspiration in the mornings, I do a quick search for Jane B. on Pinterest and all is well. A lover of mini-dresses and understated accessories, adopting the Fashion Tao of Birkin is perfect the hot-hot-heat that has engulfed the Bay Area.

When waking up to already blistering morning, the last thing on my mind is layering, so a comfortable cotton-based tee-dress is just the fashion fix. In this case, I was going for Birkin a la "La Piscine".

Flared Tee Dress - Urban Outfitters

Retro Round-Frame Sunglasses - Ray Ban

PS 1 Bag - Prozena Schouler

Leather Buckle Cross Sandals - &OtherStories

Silver Bangle - Vintage Ghanaian Jewelry (similar here)

Let them eat cake (and wear ice lollies)

2015-08-09T22:12:00.000+01:00

During the summer it's especially easy to tell who in England is actually English. Even the uninitiated, unaware that constant apologising for goodness knows what and binge drinking are the marks of a Brit, can pick us out of a crowd. The thing is that little Blighty is blighted by clouds and beset by rain for at least 7/8 of the year, so when the sun does make a guest appearance, we completely lose our cool. We've spoken before about how we feel about bare chested men roaming the streets - hint, it's not good - but the thing is, I am just as bad. As soon as it was socially acceptable I was swanning around East London dressed like I was off to the Riviera. And to be honest, the super swishy dress from The White Pepper coupled with the salted iced-coffee from Dalston's Violet Cakes kind of made me feel as though I wasn't in London anymore.

The One Piece Dime Piece

2015-08-03T07:38:00.002+01:00

It's summer! That may sound like a delayed reaction to most of you, but the characteristically-belated Bay Area summer has finally come. And while I am a lover of sun, sand and water, I must admit this impending summer left me feeling cold when thinking about going to the beach.

The reason? Right at the end of June this year, I had abdominal laparoscopic surgery and my belly has a handful scars and healing new navel. Accordingly, My surgeon told me that I am forbidden from exposing my tummy to the sun for a full year. A summer without a bikini?! I have to admit I felt depressed about the situation even though I am very grateful for a successful surgery.

Well, my surgeon condoned some retail therapy for some new swimsuits, so following doctor's orders, I browsed my through favorite online shops and begrudgingly filtered out all the two-pieces. I thought perhaps a high-waisted bikini would cover me up but I couldn't find one that was both high enough and not reminiscent of female Urkel. And of course, being a petite pear-shape, it has forever been pounded in my head that bikinis are the most flattering swimwear for my body type, so I kept on drooling over the cute pieces out of my grasp.

However, I was pleasantly surprised that the one-piece is having a fierce come back! No longer merely a version of Olympic swimwear, there were super cool cuts, patterns and textures. The above are my ultimate favorites from my several hours of online searching. We are also in a season of resurgence for the body suit, and many one-pieces look great with some high-waisted bottoms (culottes, skirts, denim shorts, etc.).

(Clockwise)

Beach Sexy Braided One-Piece - Victoria's Secret

Daisy One-Piece - Free People

Motel Sunny Day Swimsuit - ASOS

Bond by Chromat X UO Vesper One-Piece - Urban Outfitters

A couple of tips when searching for one-pieces as a petite lady (5'4'' and under):

It is very difficult to find fashion-forward one-pieces in store. You will probably be limited to online stores, as I was, so make sure you check out the return policy before buying anything. ASOS has one of the best return policies, so that's a good place to start.
If you're smaller on top, I've found that super deep V-cuts and super high neck necklines accentuate the girls in a flattering way. It also instantly de-frumps the one-piece shape.
If you have a shorter torso, you may find many one-pieces have extra material at the waist. Darker colored pieces will help camouflage any extra fabric.
If you want to elongate your legs, check out Baywatch Babe high-cut leg one-pieces! Also looks great if you have some booty!
Beware of bandeau necklines for smaller busts. Get a little belly bloat, and you will quickly find yourself looking like a sunbathing toddler, as the bandeau tends to flatten the bust.
Don't give a crap about tan lines. Strappy details and crochet fabrics are everywhere right now for swimwear and they look freaking cool, so don't let a whacky tan line assuage you. Let's call it a "sun tattoo" and wear it like a badge of honor.
If you have a larger bust, swimsuits with molded cups look exceptionally wonderful!

Hopefully this post gives a little help to ladies like me foraying into uncharted one-piece water. The timing may be a little late in the summer, but that means loads of swimwear is now on sale! Go forth and soak up the sun. Below are some more of my favorite picks!

A whiter shade of pale

2015-07-27T21:56:00.004+01:00

Siobhan and I are spillers. This is our confession. I know, it's a lot less juicy than Usher's.
The thing is, in spite of the fact that I am actually quite painfully self aware, especially when it comes to knowing that if it was socially acceptable, I really ought to wear a bib, for some reason, while Siobhan has been looking positively resplendent in stain proof shades of steel, I love being dressed in all white.

Luckily I have found a partner in dressing-in-all-white crime, unluckily (for me) she, like all Scandinavians we have encountered, is a superhuman. Isabella is as sweet as one of the pastries from her home country of Denmark. Her blog is a testimony to the beauty of simplicity and despite wearing all white on the regular, you will never see her with a spaghetti splattered shirt. Look at it at your peril, you are guaranteed to leave her site wishing you were a blonde Dane!

Top: Zara (sold out but they have a similar one)

Culottes: Topshop (similar here in the sale)

Sandals: ASOS (similar here)

Basket: H&M - so very old

Ring: Fraser Hamilton

BBHMM - Support Your Local Girl Gang

2015-07-21T12:37:00.001+01:00

There are few things that we RF girls value as highly as girl gangs, so Rihanna's Bitch Better Have My Money video is basically crack to us. With henchwomen as amazing as she, Rihanna has assembled what is undoubtedly the fiercest gang imaginable. All three girls are running around, giving zero fucks, without one outshining the other and we imagine it's fairly hard to keep any spotlight at all when Riri is in the room. We're both lucky enough to have prides of girls to roam SF and London with, as we seem to friend only the coolest, strongest women. They might have slightly less homicidal tendancies - for the most part - but they are savage non the less.

In terms of the styling in the video, we love how brash and raucous it is. Forget that Coco Chanel said, "Always remove on the thing before you leave the house. Less is more", these girls have scarf on top of scarf, chains, chokers, fur, sunglasses - everything is piled on top of each other and it's awesome.

Sita Abellan

Surely keeping your bob immaculate while doing unspeakable things is the mark of a superior human being - Sita Abellan's cool, industrial ensemble had us reaching for the recruitment form. Huge girl crush over here.

Hilla dress - Monki

Biker jacket - Rick Owens

Choker - Givenchy

Beret - Village Hats

Sunglasses - YSL (Similar here)

Boots - Saint Laurent (Similar here)

Sanam

Wham, Bam, thank you Sanam, for being unspeakably cool.

Eyeliner - Givenchy

Top - WYLDR

Embellished sunglasses - Miu Miu

Nose chain - Rock 'n' Rose

Boots - Dr Martens

Head chain - Dorothy Perkins

Gloves - Dents

Earrings - Dolce and Gabbana

Choker - Wendy Nichol

Rihanna

We adore Riri in this video - she's just so very brutal. It's a far cry from the sad bath video for Stay.

Satin corset - Ender Legard

Sunglasses - Selected

Leather gloves - D Squared

Gold chain - Kenneth Jay Lane

Silver chain - Rock 'n' Rose

Fur scarf - Tanya Taylor

Cord skirt - Topshop

Perspex sandals - Prada

The thing about girl gangs is that they're incredibly loyal, and occasionally pretty petrifying, so if you don't already, assemble yourself a group of henchwomen forthwith - trust us, your quality of life will improve exponentially. And if you do so while wearing as many accessories as you see fit, so much the better.

Beyoncé as a cure for Britishness

2015-06-29T22:57:00.002+01:00

Being British is great (geddit), there are a ton of countries we can visit without a visa and (at the time of writing) we have a world renowned NHS. We also get to drink countless cups of tea without anyone batting an eyelid. However, in some ways we are cursed. The stiff upper lip and the need to constantly apologise are exhausting, how much easier must it be to be able to scream and shout? How must energy must one save by not keeping a lid on it.
One of RF's favourite friends, Rachel - check out her insta, she's a bad bitch - recently said that it would be beneficial for me to scream and throw a chair at someone. Basically, my default setting is too polite. Well I think I might have found the remedy to the curse of Britishness - A mix of equal parts denim jumpsuit and Beyoncé music**. Not sure what it is about a denim jumpsuit, must be the Destiny's Child association, but it makes one feel fierce as f*ck! Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, aka, the greatest woman alive, recently wrote about the need women have to be likable and how detrimental this is, and you know who doesn't appear to feel that pressure? Beyoncé doesn't. She's strong and confident and you know for a fact she would never dream of apologising if you crashed into her.

So if you see a chair hurtling through the air at you, from the direction of a denim clad girl whose limbs are flailing to Flawless, know in advance that I am terribly sorry.

Jumpsuit: SuperTrash

Glitter socks: Topshop

Trainers: Vans (now on sale)

Eternity ring: Vintage

Severed head ring: Fraser Hamilton

** Warning: Excessive consumption of Flawless, whilst wearing head to toe denim and drinking gin, ~~may~~ probably will result in a lapse of manners, but then, who wants to be liked anyway?

Photography by Carolina Nikotian

Weeklygrams 5

2015-06-21T09:30:00.000+01:00

Bell of the Ball

2015-06-18T08:29:00.000+01:00

Have I been fully indoctrinated into the 70s trend for SS15? The answer appears to be heck yes! I should have known I would be susceptible to the allure of the 70s trend, considering Stevie Nicks is one of my favorite people. In fact, I know understand why she was so prone to twirling on stage -- it's practically irresistible with arms in a bell sleeve. But while I do have an admiration for certain aspects of flower-child wear, I do think every trendy piece must be balanced with some old favorites. In this case, I went with my favorite man-repelling pointy flats and ripped skinnies to modernize this blouse. While it may be tempting to put on your tawny, suede skirt with this kind of top, you will inevitably veer into Halloween costume territory. Time and a place for everything, ladies and gents.

Have you dared to take on the 70s trend this season? Is it in the form of tight-fitting ringer tees, rusty hues, or laced-up dresses? Let us know in the comments what you find the most alluring!

White Bell-Sleeved Blouse - Zara

Ripped Jeans - H&M

Pointy Mules - ASOS

Earrings - Madewell

Bag - PS 1
Sunglasses - Raybans

Female Matters: A Girl Gang

2015-06-16T07:37:00.000+01:00

A little over week ago, the London based half of RF attended the one-night-only exhibition! Female Matters was held in aid of The Dahlia Project, which works to help survivors of the, quite frankly, mind boggling practice of FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

Co-curated by Ione Gamble from Polyester Zine and designer Clio Peppiatt, the exhibition showcased the abundance of female talent from the art and fashion worlds, with the artwork on display exploring ideas of female sexuality and identity. Spread over three floors of an old town house, was a collection of just very cool girls and a smattering of equally great boys, celebrating being female while raising awareness of FGM. Gamble and Pepiatt managed to create an event, which every bit as fun as it was feminist. One of our favourite humans, the preposterously beautiful, Felicity Hayward, contributed both her paintings and her DJ skills - think M People meets Wiley - ensuring that the dance floor was constantly filled with flailing limbs and rotating hips.

Portraits of F.G.M survivors by Felicity Hayward

One pair in a series of pants, from a group installation of customised knickers.

One in a series of prints by Delilah Holiday

Part of a series "Body Is A Cake" by Melissa Eakin

Weeklygrams 4

2015-06-14T04:18:00.000+01:00

Nap Time, All The Time

2015-06-09T07:15:00.002+01:00

Here at RFHQ we've been reading a lot about sleep. Beginning with Ariana Huffington's TED talk, it has spiraled a bit out of control and we will devour any article that we can get our grubby little mitts on, so long as it supports the idea that we need eight hour of shut eye, at the very least. Well we would do, if we weren't too busy napping. Which brings us onto the dreaminess that is the shirt dress - light, loose and oh so comfortable.

Typically an oversized shirt, much like a cigarette in bed, is associated with a post-coital scene in a bad 80s film (this is an aside, but was anyone in the 80s concerned about house fires?) but you should know by now that we like to leave any vestige of sexiness at the door. You see to us, the pyjama shirt for us will forever be one and the same with the nightcap and gown donned by Ebanezer Scrooge, candlestick in hand. And if there's ever any confusion, as a general rule of thumb, we think a pair of Vans with ankle socks is usually enough to dampen down any remaining sexiness that an outfit could contain. Where as the clutch's purpose is to add intention to the outfit and so prevent the rolled-out-of-bed-to-get-a-pint- of-milk look, or at least that's what we hope.

Shirt Dress: Zara (similar here)

Faux Fur Clutch: Whistles (similar here)

Tupac Earrings: Leroy's Place

Trainers: Vans

Socks: Puma

Snaps snapped by the exceptional Carolina Nikotian

Woman of Steel

2015-06-05T21:32:00.000+01:00

Photography by Erika Pham

Can dressing in your favorite colors give you super powers? Well, I certainly think so. My fashion modus operandi is grey and whenever I don a steely-hued item I feel an instant confidence boost. I adore all shades from silver to charcoal (as seen here!) and it is a great relief to know that grey is my neutral. Some ladies are visions in black, white, camel, cream or navy but as Skepta/Jme would say: "That's not me."

I began to wonder what my preference for grey meant psychologically and rather predictably, it denotes a preference for caution and compromise with workaholic tendencies. At first, I thought, "No way!" but truthfully that is part of my personality. Then again, I do find myself inexplicably drawn toward holographic/iridescent shades of mermaid green, so I can only hope there is a diplomatic, raver mermaid madly swimming around in my psyche.

High Neck Top - Urban Outfitters (now on sale!)

High-Waisted Joni Jeans - Topshop

Leather Brogues - Urban Outfitters

Metal Geometric Earrings - COS (similar here and here)

Backpack - Fjallraven Kanken
Rings - H&M (similar here)

Wåven Pop-Up

2015-06-03T05:54:00.000+01:00

Until popping along to their pop-up, I was certain that London based Wåven (pronounced woh -vun) was a Scandi brand. This was partly based on the unfussy, sleek denim but largely the accent above the A. And I'm sure that this accented A is as considered as every other aspect of the design. Perhaps it's due to the two generations of denim masters, which creative director and founder, Anika Islam, comes from, but Wåven feels much more established than you would expect from a brand, just two seasons old. Clean, minimal and with an emphasis on good quality denim, surprisingly nothing in either the men's or women's collection is over £70.

Available at ASOS and Urban Outfitters, these denim delights are currently housed in 3 D'Arblay Street, Soho, where there is also to be found a customisation workshop, which will run until 10th June. With patches of denim, stripes and plaid between £4 -10 you can be as crazy or tame as taste will allow.

I got mildly over-excited (standard) and went a little patchwork crazy on a pair of Mom jeans.

Lake Tahoe & The Hat

2015-05-19T06:45:00.001+01:00

Miriam and I love a good head accessory. In the distant past, we endured the strain of studded headbands pressing against our temples. And of course when temperatures drop, you will be hard pressed to pull our slouchy beanies from our small but curiously strong hands. However, there was a wide-brimmed hole in my heart for quite some time, as I had been longing for the perfect warm-weather hat. But ta-da! Just in time for a recent mini-vacation at Lake Tahoe, I found this beauty! Yes, do expect this dome to be well-shaded this summer.

High Neck Crop Top - Urban Outfitters (similar here)

Tube Maxi Skirt - ASOS (similar here)

Backpack - Fjallraven Kanken

Sandals - & Other Stories

Denim Jacket - Urban Outfitters (similar here and here)

Camel Hat - Urban Outfitters (similar here)

Weeklygrams 3

2015-05-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

Samantha Cameron: The Clear Election Winner

2015-05-12T21:24:00.000+01:00

Now that the dust has settled on what was undoubtedly a surprise election result and we've all had the chance to either toast to victory, or drink ourselves into an oblivion, which will hopefully last for the next five years, we can now reflect. Labour will look to how they can reconnect with the electorate, while the Lib Dems are probably all struggling with severe cases of P.T.S.D. But here at R.F, the only thing that we care to reflect upon, is the election highlight that was Samantha Cameron's wardrobe.

It must be difficult to be the wife of a Party Leader, subjected to the same levels of scrutiny as your husband, but without any of the power. Trotted out during election campaigns and expected to wear the party colours, regardless of skin tone. While it's true that Sam Cam, with blue, has it a little bit easier than Miriam González Durántez and Justine Milliband - confined to yellow and red respectively - there is no denying that she absolutely pulled it out of the bag, her powder blue polling day dress in particular was a masterclass in subtle political dressing.

She cleverly avoided the bright Conservative blue, which will be forever associated with Milk Snatcher in her infamous skirt suit.

Now, if she would only stop accessorising with that potato faced man.

Double Denim and a Really Nice Wall

2015-05-07T23:11:00.000+01:00

Canadians, your time has come. For too long you have been the butt of Americans' jokes, the way you say "aboot", your position as America's hat and of course, your unyielding love for double denim. But this season the catwalks have been awash with denim and now it's a case of how much can one cram into a single outfit. Here at RF, due to haunting memories of the 2000s, we're still a little afraid of denim accessories, so have kept our magpie thing going, while embracing denim shirts as though we are ready to saddle on up, just like Calamity Jane on speed.

Ambling around Shoreditch with photographer extraordinaire, Carolina Nikotian, we stumbled upon this wall by the incredibly talented artist,Camille Walala!

Farrah skinny jeans: AG Jeans

Denim shirt: Primark (similar here)

Silver sandals: ASOS (similar here)

Mermaid bag: & Other Stories

Glitter socks: Topshop

Photography by Carolina Nikotian

Bathsheba Everdene: Steal Her Style

2015-05-04T17:00:00.000+01:00

Bathsheba Everdene, fiercely independent, hardworking and untamable, was there ever a more perfect heroine? In cinemas this weekend, Far from the Madding Crowd, is far and away one of the best films that will be released this year. Fact.
How is it that Thomas Hardy, in 1874, perfectly understood the conflicts that a woman faces when confronted with the very idea of marriage? Bathsheba's stand out quote being the brilliantly put, "I shouldn't mind being a bride at a wedding, if I could be one without having a husband. But since a woman can’t show off in that way by herself, I shan't marry - at least yet”.
Yet it's not just the story which feels strangely relevant, but the wardrobe too. No wait, let us explain, 19th Century feminist farmer, or Bathchicba, if clunky portmanteaus are your thing, seems to be having a bit of a style moment. The silhouettes, perhaps not, but look, bandanna print - check, heavy indigo cottons - surely just denim by another name, gingham - yup, all that plus dainty gold hoops. Truly she is a modern heroine with a wardrobe to match. Oh and put your hairbrush down, because while there are many lessons that we can learn from Bathsheba, the most important has to be that scruffy hair wins.

Clockwise from Top

Gingham blouse: Zara

Bandanna: ASOS

Hoop pack: Topshop

Linen shirt dress:Whistles

Gingham skirt: Richard Nicholl

Bandanna print jacket: Topshop

Gingham dress: No. 21

Indigo culottes: Topshop

Belt Up

2015-05-03T12:26:00.000+01:00

When playing a word association game, the image that would follow, "Belt", would be either Zelda (Siobhan) or The Rock (Miriam). Well, thanks to Elliot Rhodes, our associations can go back to chilling out in the '90s, preferably on some lime green inflatable furniture.

Based in Covent Garden, Elliot Rhodes is a belt emporium! Introduced to every possible combination of belt colour and width, plus a dizzying array of buckles, (literally dizzying, for a moment I hallucinated and thought I saw Kate Middleton's face on a buckle) we were set a challenge, create a belt each and then style it up. We both went for neutral shades, for maximum wearability, but with gold buckles, cos' we're magpies like that.

Waist measurements taken, the belts cut perfectly to size - we both got extra holes put in, because the thought of being fully committed to either waist or hip belts was petrifying - then wrapped up in smart cotton pouches, making the whole thing just that little bit lovelier. Yep, we're absolute suckers for packaging. Blame Japan, we've been spoiled by the way everything came wrapped in countless layers, without a second thought for the environment.

We both styled our belts around our favorite style of jeans (Mom), putting our new belts front and center!

Crop Top - ASOS White

Belt - c/o Elliot Rhodes

'I Hate Everything' Bracelet - Me & Zena

Mom Jeans - Topshop

Glitter Socks: Topshop (similar here)

Trainers - Custom New Balance 574s

Mock Neck Top - Topshop

Belt - c/o Elliot Rhodes

Mom Jeans - Topshop

Roscoe Boots - Jeffrey Campbell

Bucket Bag - H&M

Fjallraven Kanken Classic Bag Review

2015-05-01T05:00:00.000+01:00

Photography by Erika Pham

If you know anything about us RF girls, you know that we love a good backpack. Being the slightly clumsy ladies we are, we truly need to have both arms free for balance and a large compartment for storing a densely-packed makeup bag for when we realize that our eyeliner flicks were not as even as we thought.

However, I thought there had to be fashion sacrifices made in exchange for a backpack's functionality and comfort -- and then, the Fjallraven Kanken bag snuck into my tundra of conundrum, like the arctic fox it is named after.

Materials: Kanken is made of waterproof fabric which makes it a great city or outdoor bag. I use mine primarily as a work bag and it has protected my belongings against light rain. The outer shell feels very sturdy and resistant to holes or rips, but don't be surprised if your bag looks wrinkly when it first arrives. Once I filled it up, the creases came out but as you can see in the photos, the bag always has a crinkled texture.

I also found that the outer shell's fabric attracts surface stains frequently. Many times after my commute, I've looked down to see my bag has some mystery marks. (Don't ever change, public trans!) I was pretty disappointed by this, but fortunately the surface stains do not penetrate easily, and stains can be rubbed off with your hands or a dry towel. I've spotted some Kanken's in the wilds of San Francisco and seen that lighter shades show the most stains, so keep in that mind when selecting your color.

Comfort: For such a no-frills bag, is it amazing how comfortable it is! The Kanken is incredibly lightweight even with all it's sturdiness. I thought the simple non-padded straps would cause shoulder pain but I've found it more comfortable then some more cushier straps. What's also great is that you can carry the bag briefcase style with the two upper straps, if you need to give your back a break. There also a removable padded insert for added comfort, but I was surprised that it was just a slab of squishy plastic foam. I almost threw it away thinking it was included in my package to keep its shape! But hey, the thing works.

Design: Absolutely minimalist, I must admit it was the Kanken's looks that initially drew me in. There are 36 color variations and I went with 'Graphite' after at least 3 days of rumination. (I don't do well with too much choice.) The runners up were 'Frost Green,' 'Sky Blue,' and 'Fog.' The bold branding is absolutely adorable and the logo is reflective in the dark!

The sizing is perfect for the urban commute -- it fits my 13 inch Macbook Air (be sure to use a laptop sleeve for extra protection though), water bottle, mini-umbrella, makeup bag, wallet, and notebook with room to spare. The front pocket is great for stashing a metro pass for quick access. The not-too-big, not-too-small sizing of the Kanken Classic is lovely, because you can securely bring your essentials to work without being the dick on the train whose bag smacks fellow passengers at every stop.

Overall, I have to say I'm in love with my Kanken Classic Daypack and I will certainly be a customer for different sizes/colors in the future!

Grey Crop Tee - Madewell

Fjallraven - Kanken Classic Daypack

Cropped Dress Trousers - ASOS

Air Force Ones - Nike
Simple Silver Necklace - & Other Stories

Skate Shoes Without The Skating

2015-04-28T22:51:00.003+01:00

Now, as previously confessed, one half of RF - not saying which - has a slightly disturbing fascination with Bart Simpson, a fascination that has taken root in her wardrobe. However, it has been brought to our attention that for both of us, skate shoes have become a very important part of our wardrobes and therefore lives. Recently, there are few outfits on our insta feed, which do not have a pair of Vans at the end. Suffice to say, neither of us should be allowed anywhere near a skateboard, so this is all about the way they look, well and feel, because what's comfier?! Somehow, shoes that were once the preserve of teenage boys with an attitude problem, have replaced the once ubiquitous ballet pump as the lazy girls everyday shoe of choice and so it seemed only right that we pick the ones without laces.

Clockwise from top:

Shark shoes: Markus Lupfer

Snakeskin print: Vans

Camo: Vans

Leopard Print: ASOS

Pebble Print: Vans

Peach: & Other Stories

Siobhan wears Vans

Miriam's confectionery covered Diemmes

Vans covered in cats are the ultimate man repelling shoes. Fact.

The Smiths

2015-04-24T05:49:00.003+01:00

Photography by Erika Pham

Years ago now, while Miriam and I were living in Hiroshima, Japan, we had a morning of sartorial consternation when a friend suggested that we hike up to the highest point of the city. Little did he know that Miriam and I did not own a single pair of sneakers between us. We preferred to get our daily exercise in brogues or strappy sandals roaming the underground malls or strolling around the Peace Park with sakura-flavored Chu-hai's in hand.

Flash forward to now and Miriam and I are basically sneakerheads! Ah, yes, it is truly one of my favorite things about fashion: the unimaginably ugly becomes unimaginably necessary in the blink of a fashion week. My favorite pair as of late are the Adidas Stan Smiths. They give me such joy whenever I open my shoe closet and see them glowing in all their retro cuteness. They have not turned me into a tennis pro, but my morning commute feels a lot cushier than my ballet flat days.

And to complete, the story: Miriam and I (joined by our lovely friends, Jonathan and Lia) huffed and puffed our way to the top without a smidgen of insole. I had to look back on several Facebook albums to find proof of our impractical footwear decisions, but ironically enough, our friend Jonathan was wearing none other than a pair of Adidas trainers!

Button-up Collared Crop Top - American Apparel (similar here)

Faux Suede Skirt - H&M

Sneakers - Adidas Stan Smith

Bleecker Sport Mini Duffle Bag - Coach

Let's Fold Scarves

2015-04-19T13:16:00.000+01:00

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion represents a landmark moment in cinema, ostensibly a Rom Com it actually bears few hallmarks of the genre. Despite Michele having a love interest - coupled with one of the most epic dance scenes ever created - in good-geek-gone-rich Sandy, he pails into insignificance when compared to the friendship which she shares with Romy and the Happily Ever After moment, is not her wedding or going off into the sunset with the man of her dreams, it is her and her best friend folding scarves in the shop they dreamed of owning.

Now what on earth does this have to do with fashion? we hear you ask. Well have you seen Saint Laurent's AW15 collection?! With references cited from Siouxsie Sioux to a sunset-strip groupie, Hedi Slimane's collection has proved as divisive as ever but love it or loathe it, there's one thing that we are sure of and that is that Hedi Slimane enjoyed Romy and Michele's High School Reunion every bit as much as we did. From the fishnet tights, to the classic prom dress shapes, each piece in the collection would have been equally at home in the film.

Images courtesy of Style.com

Weeklygrams 2

2015-04-11T20:27:00.000+01:00