I really wanted to do this post to tell you all about the things, colours, ideas, and trends I've been loving in the last little while! I wanted to kind of use this as a way to communicate to you what I'm gravitating toward, and what is inspiring me lately. This should also tell you about what I've been wearing lately until I can find a real-life camera that takes pictures that don't make it look like a sugar-high child with parkinson's disease (pardon my political incorrectness - don't be offended!) took the picture for me. Long story short, my current camera completely sucks, and I can't afford a new one.
Enough of the camera bashing! (I'll get something rigged up soon, I promise - then we'll have Outfit of the Day posts, too.) This post is supposed to be about things I'm loving, not things I'm griping about. I've found some examples of things to show you, so you can get an idea, visually, of what I'm talking about, rather than me just talking on and on for this whole time and you all sitting in at home (or work, or school!) willing me to shut up, haha.
The first thing I really wanted to talk about was Crochet!
I have been loving that the vintage and hand-made look at crochet has been making a comeback this summer. I think this is mostly thanks to the surging 70's trend - when flare-leg jeans, stick straight hair, and crocheted almost anything were a big deal. Well, it's a big deal again, and I am in LOVE with the crocheted sandal in the picture above. I also think that these '40's-inspired headbands with the wire in them are super cute. (a great place to find them is at Dolly Bow Bow - a website run by a UK Youtube Guru - Kate has a ton of different colours and patterns to choose from, ships worldwide, and is priced reasonably.) They add a great vintage touch to your look, as well as being a bit out-of-the-box from your normal headwraps and hairbands. This particular one happens to be crocheted, which makes it kind of "double-vintage." I think the top I picked out (despite being kind of an awkward burnt mustard shade) could be really cute over a bikini at the beach, or just over a tank top or bandeau for everyday, but really only if you keep the reast of your outfit fairly plain and neural.
Obviously when you're working with a trend like crochet, you should be careful to not wear top-to-toe crochet, otherwise you'll just wind up looking like a big pile of yarn. It's okay to keep the trend (as with all trends) to a single item in your outfit - it can work as either the focus (note the sweater), or as an accent piece (as in the case of the sandal, headband, or bag). As a focal point in your outfit, it's okay to go big and chunky with your crochet piece, because it's the part you want people to notice first. The accent crochet is meant only to add texture to an outfit. (I'm going to go over the "point" of accessorizing in a future post - kind of a how-to mix with a "why?") Accents like this should not over-power the rest of your look!
The second thing that I have seriously been loving lately are adorable little flats like the ones you see below.
Because of some problems I've had with my knees in the past, heels are a doctor-perscribed no-no for me. As sad as that may sometimes make me, I have come to really enjoy finding cute and different flats like some of the ones you see above. Thankfully, I'm already pretty tall, so I don't have to worry about people towering over me (yay!). Embracing flats has probably been one of the best things I have done for myself. Unlike a lot of other kinds of shoes, flats really do come in a variety of styles and colours, making it really easy to dress any outfit up, or make it more casual.
I have been really enjoying the fact that flats (like the ones seen above) are starting to imitate shoes that before only came with a heel on them. (Example - espadrille flats. They have the straw-looking stuff around the bottoms, but they aren't a wedge!) I am particularly fond of the black floral flats above - they are T-Strap flats. We've all seen T-strap heels, but these are flat (obviously!) - I love that the style remains the same - vintage inspired, and overall very cute. I feel like the fact that these are a flat makes them more versatile - you could literally wear them anywhere, and with almost anything, and you can get that same cute "throwback aesthetic" as with the heels, but they are obviously going to be guaranteed to be more comfortable, just based on the fact that they're flat.
Flats are also a great alternative to flip-flops for summertime. I know myself that on days when I'm feeling particularly lazy, I tend to go for my stack of flip-flops. They're just that easy. If I'm not three-quarters asleep while I'm putting shoes on, I normally am able to remind myself that I really just have to shove my feet into a pair of flats, too, and I usually convince myself to go with the flat instead of the flop (ha!).
I could probably spout off for days about how much I love flats. Suffice it to say I wear flats more than anything else. Most have holes in them, or are damaged from rain or other weather-related things, but I refuse to part with them.
The next thing I really wanted to turn your attention to are knee-length skirts. All of the ones in the picture I've posted are from a UK website called Dorothy Perkins. I'm obsessed.
The reason I love these particular skirts is because they are not only super cute, but also because they are so classy, and girly. They're covered enough to be appropriate for a workplace situation, but also cute to wear just out with friends, or on a date. They're modest, and don't demand a lot of "flash watching" (ie. careful how you stand so that you're back end doesn't find itself exposed to the universe), and, at least for me, they're a bit easier to create outfits around than a maxi skirt. Because I'm not insanely tall, and I have to wear flat shoes all the time, I find it's quite easy to walk on a maxi skirt, which makes it difficult getting around.
I am, in case you couldn't already tell by this blog, a very girly girl. At any moment, you will probably find me in something that is overtly feminine - like florals, girly prints (like the butterfly one, seen above), pink, or gigantic bows... except today, oddly enough. Due to this, I also love skirts and sundresses for summer. Again, easy pieces with enough structure to still look pretty and presentable, but not so much that I'm suffocating. I try to look presentable at any point, because I am a firm believer that first impressions do count, and that they count for a lot. Think about it - if you were dressed like a slob, would people be drawn to you? If you talk to them, would they focus on your words, or the fact that you look like garbage? It only makes sense to look relatively decent, because you never know who you're going to meet or even when. I don't want to miss any opportunity over a pair of sweatpants; but that's just the way I look at it. You don't have to agree with me!
The last thing I've been super into lately (don't ask me why) is the colour yellow!
Okay, now that we've established that I'm a wierdo (don't worry, I'm good with it), I've been loving all kinds of things in yellow - from tops to skirts, to dresses, to accessories. I am actually fawning over this yellow Dooney & Bourke clutch, as well as the two skirts, and the floppy hat... well, the whole picture, if I'm honest.
I'm not sure what my next "colour craving" is going to be, but I'm liking this one. Brights are huge for summer, and pairing yellow with things in other colours is pretty easy - it's one of those colours that only really clashes with a couple of things. My favourite kind of "unexpected" yellow combinations are yellow with purple, and also yellow with aqua/turquoise. I love it. :)
Well, that's what I'm loving for now. I'll probably do more of these posts, because they're fun for me to write (not that the others aren't!) and they give you a lot of insight into what's going on fashion-wise in my head right now. My head's a scary place sometimes, but the fashion part is always fun!
Talk to you very soon!
Love,
Ally.
xoxo
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