T shirt weather

I just wanted to share some photos of me swanning around London as a reminder of life before (and after) lockdown. T shirt weather, here we come. Probably underneath a big coat.

Sending love xxx

Photos by the fab @jaieart

 

Finding Joy

 

I’m currently living the cliche Sunday morning dream; coffee in hand, mindless laptop scrolling with lofi music softly playing in the background. Noone else is up. Quiet, even if it is only for an hour or so. 

These small moments of joy are so fleeting, it’s such a rarity for me to actually stop and acknowledge the moment when I’m in the middle of it. When life is moving a much slower pace (thanks panoramic) one of the only silver linings is that growth of appreciation. I don’t know about you, but this period has really put my life into slow motion, and allowed me to see it for what it really is. Frame by frame. 

Of course, that change of pace also means a lot more time for thinking, thinking, and oh yeah, thinking some more. Whilst most of the memories my tired mind brings up are soft and comforting bursts of hazy nostalgia, there is a small portion which revisits forgotten friendships and poor decisions. Often followed by a knot in my stomach and a strange sense of remorse. 

Should I feel guilty for relationships I’ve lost and the choices I’ve made? 

What I’m starting to realise (it’s taken me long enough) is that life isn’t straightforward. Not every friendship is forever and no choice you make has to define who you are. Just because you are X one day doesn’t mean you can’t be Y the next. Things will move in and out of your life, but they don’t necessarily need to be good or bad.

I used to spend so much time worrying about things in my life that happened - literally - years ago, but why? Cliche (I mean c’mon do you expect anything less from me?) but I can’t change the past. As much as I’d like to hop in the DeLorean, there’s no way I can venture back to teenage me and try to rekindle something for the sake of rekindling it. Plus, that would mean putting concealer on my lips again, and I don’t think anything is worth reliving that phase *shivers*. 

So what’s the point of this post you may be wondering. Really, it’s a bit of a reminder, to you and honestly me too. A reminder that those moments of joy really are there, even in those times where the waves are crashing around your ankles and you feel like you’re treading water. It’s easy to forget what joy feels like, but you’ll feel it again soon, I promise.

I would love to know what joy feels like to you. Hope you’re keeping safe and well, and sending love, as always x

 

P.s. For me, joy also very much looks like this vintage Haunted Hollywood Planet Hollywood t shirt which I tracked down on Etsy after a relentless search. Gotta love the internet.

Five looks, one blazer

I absolutely love a good blazer. Since I was first introduced to them in high school where that excess of pockets was my best friend (yes mum that lipgloss is essential), to the one I bought on depop last year as a Christmas gift to myself, the humble blazer has been an absolute staple in my wardrobe, through and through.

So a post solely dedicated to this particular piece of outerwear has been a long time coming. Here I've compiled five of my fave ways to wear.

Are you an avid blazer wearer? Which look would you wear? 

Look One

Black blazer - Topshop ℅ Depop

Green blazer - H&M

Roll neck - vintage Vinyl trousers - Topshop ℅ Depop

Shoes - Asos

Look Two

Black blazer - Topshop ℅ Depop

Shirt and neck tie - vintage

Trousers - Old Primark Heels - Old Primark

Look Three

Black blazer - Topshop ℅ Depop

Sweatshirt - Ebay

Shorts - Asos ℅ Depop Boots - I Saw It First

Look Four

Black blazer - Topshop ℅ Depop

Shirt - vintage

Jeans - Old Primark Boots - Office

Look Five

Black blazer - Topshop ℅ Depop

Bag and belt - Ebay

Shoes - Asos

 

Back to the future

Hey, happy Saturday. How are you? 

It’s strange to think we’re halfway into the first month of 2021 and yet little feels different - almost like when you grow another year older and someone asks you how it feels to be X years old. “Pretty much the same” you say with a shrug, wondering when adulthood will kick in and you’ll finally have a clue what you’re doing with your life. Hopefully next year you think, fingers tightly crossed, prosecco in the other hand. 

The lingering feeling of the new year has seeped into these first couple of weeks, and I’ve been picking

at the remains of Christmas chocolate and going through the lockdown 3.0 initiation i.e. Bridgerton, Drag Race and avoiding the news at all costs.

Anyway, the above shots were taken what feels like a lifetime ago. Graphic t’s and black jeans are one of those outfits I feel most at home in, and this ensemble is no different. It makes me feel like I’m the slightly edgier sidekick in an indie movie and I am here for it. Do you have an outfit that you feel most at home in?

I hope your year is off to a flying start, and if you need some Jan inspo, feel free to have a read of this post from last year. 

Sending love, and stay safe xxx

photos by the fab Martin J Sylvester

 

Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

The best way to start 2021? An Arctic Monkeys inspired lookbook of course.

So even if this year started a little differently than 'New Year's of past, I hope it was a good one for you nonetheless. I spent it watching the Bachelor, drinking an obscene amount of prosecco and resisting DMing Harry Lawtey on Instagram.

Anyway, I spent the first half of the day doing my v. favourite thing: playing dress up. Music has always been very influential in my styling choices, so it was only a matter of time before the ultimate crossover episode of two things very close to my heart - clothes and Arctic Monkeys, namely Alex Turner. Having really gotten into making Reels lately, mainly as a way to channel some kind of creativity, I could not resist combining my love for one of my all time fave bands, and my wardrobe. It was the natural thing to do.

So here are five of my top AM inspired outfits, along with the songs that sparked the look.

Which is your favourite?

One - Four Out of Five

Two - 505

Three - Mardy Bum

Four - Cornerstone

Five - Stop the World I Wanna Get Off With You

So which one would you wear? Does music influence your outfit choices?

Sending love and wishing you a wonderful new year. xxx

Is it 2021 yet?

This post contains a kindly gifted item from Photowall

Blogging eh? Remember that? Once lockdown struck I had visions of elaborate seo posts with glossy pictures firmly and regularly uploaded throughout this bizarre year. Consistency to keep me sane if you will. However, as it has a habit of doing, life happened. And here we are five months later.

 I'm someone that's lucky enough to be able to work from home, and have spent the majority of my free time - one hundred percent seriously - watching Netflix and helping out with the cooking and trying to up my skincare game (tysm James Welsh.) I've also had some fun with re shopping my own wardrobe, making Reels and thrifting - honestly just browsing the Depop app is calming to me. And that calmness is so valuable when it feels like the world has been thrown into a spin cycle. 

Probably the thing I've poured most of my nervous energy into is creating and most specifically, self portraits. I've talked about it on the blog before, but creating things just for myself has been a real highlight of this whole bizarre year. My most recent "shoot" - in the loosest sense of the word - was inspired by a print I was kindly gifted by Photowall.

I know you've heard it from every lifestyle blogger under the sun, but being at home so much really does make you think about your habitat more, and how the things that surround you impact how you feel. I have so many amazing interiors saved on my IG - anything that's a little 70s, graphic, eclectic is right up my street, so this print fits oh so nicely into my life. It's also the perfect starting point for my future gallery wall of dreams. If it's something you're interested in, do have a browse through their treasure trove of a website, and if there's anything you fancy, this code will also get you 25% off: teandtwosugars25

I really hope to get back into the swing of things on here in the new year, and hopefully share some *new content*. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. Anyway, I hope you're staying safe, sane and thank you for sticking around. Here's to 2021. 

Sending love xxx

BREAKING NEWS: How do you keep up?

So to say there's a lot going on in the world right now would be an understatement.

Just when we thought times couldn't get any more turbulent, the universe seemed to stop, turn around and whisper,  'hold my beer'.  What was once harmless scrolling through Twitter, Instagram or even Facebook *shudder*,  has now become a never-ending news cycle rabbit hole, and any longer than five minutes will only cause your inner monologue to plead with you to 'make it stop!!'. Whether it's government updates, a breaking news story or Karen's questionable status, the overload of information can be more than overwhelming. And when so much of what's being reported is incredibly important, this can become a problem.

Why? Because there's no time to take it in, to process it, learn from it, and understand it. The vital movements which are happening across the world which are a crucial cornerstone of change are being diluted and taken advantage of (e.g. don't use a protest as a backdrop for your sponsored insta post please and thank you.) We skim headline after headline across social media, Whatsapp, MSN news, and words - often very important ones - become distorted, skewed, and of course, reshared.

Whilst real time access to news, thanks to the likes of Twitter etc has been revolutionary, it can also present real problems, namely in the form of over consumption, and fake news. With people being at home more often than they otherwise would be, screen time has increased dramatically, and the likelihood of your family member on Facebook sharing that viral Daily Mail article has similarly sky rocketed. Chances that they've checked it for validity? Slightly lower. 

OK ok, so I realise this may seem like a *bit* of a rant, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't, but in my humble opinion, I feel it's a pretty important one. The news is actually an incredible useful resource, and whilst it can often be hard to see past the hashtags, accurate reporting is the only real way we can find out about anything beyond our front doors. So how can we make the most of the information we're fed?

Check your sources. I think I need to get this tattooed. As you probably know, there was plenty of misinformation flying around the web about Covid, most of it courtesy of someone's Mum's-cousin's-brother-in-law's-sister-twice-removed who knows someone who knows someone else who seemed totally legit.

Take your time.  With news being thrown at us left, right and centre, keeping up to date with what's going on is pretty much equivalent to a full-time job. Keeping informed is important, but in most cases pointless if you've only read the headline and not the article. After all, learning and understanding from what you've just read takes longer than a five minute scroll when you're waiting for the kettle to boil.

You are allowed to take a day off or two. Really. Whilst it can feel weird disconnecting, especially  during times like these, taking a breather from your news feed might be just what you need. And not something to feel guilty about. It's your offline actions that are most important.

How do you keep up with what's going on in the world?

xxx

You can find resources and places to donate to the incredible Black Lives Matter movement here.

Photos on film c/o nick.anastasiou.photography