Pretty Bloom

"Fashion says 'me too', style says 'only me'."

- Anonymous

I remember back in the 1990s I use to hate anything floral print and for two very good reasons. Now for many 80s and 90s babies like me, you probably grew up surrounded by the print, it was the craze back then, our parents (in particular mothers) had an obsession with all things floral. From sofas  to wallpaper and if you were unfortunate enough, even the carpet. Yes, that's the prime reason I hated floral; it was like a flower monster had thrown up in our house. 

Secondly, my mum would always dress me up in floral or flower embellished outfits. Now although I for a while played with dolls and was very much a girlie-girl, floral was never my thing. I quite simply preferred any other print or pattern, but hey, my mum thought my sister and I looked great in the stuff, so that's what she put us in. If we were lucky, it would be frilly dresses instead of floral. 

So growing up, due to being subjected to floral all my childhood, I rebelled and stayed away from it as much as possible. However, over the years my stance on the print changed dramatically. You can now find quite a few items in my wardrobe that have floral embellishments or a floral print (yes, bought by me for me, nothing to do with my mum). Though I stay away from small floral prints, I'm a huge fan of big prints, especially if they have a tropical vibe. Like on this belted blouse I recently ordered from Pretty Little Thing. 

Cool but pretty, I decided to team up my blouse with boots in the same base hue; nude, or stone to some of you. Before the cooler days pass me by, I decided to finally wear these boots that had been all the rage last autumn, when I bought them. I kept the outfit casual teaming it with blue skinny jeans and a nude cross-body quilted handbag. I finished off the look with over-sized sunglasses and a splash of red lipstick. Spring ready, decked in flowers, my mum would be so proud, my father would have nightmares of our ugly 90s floral sofa.

Shop My Look

Top - Pretty Little Thing

Jeans - Topshop

Bag - MissPap

Boots - Hidden Fashion

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)

Cool Vibez

"Real style is never right or wrong. It's a matter of being yourself on purpose."

- G. Bruce Boyer 

Some days I love to dress up all fancy, put on killer high heels and strut my stuff... yes, for no reason at all, other than I just feel like it. Other days I prefer to dress casual, well with a little edge. Wear something trendy but cool, nothing to fussy, but still a little cute. This outfit was put together on one of those casual yet cool days.

I decided to take a break from my ordinarily dressy looks and went for something a little more laid back. I kept the colour scheme as simple as the outfit, wearing only black and white. However, I  knew I had to give my outfit a little but of an edge, jazz it up so to say, so I got out my favourite ankle boots (of the moment), courtesy of Hidden Fashion.

I teamed the boots up with a black faux leather biker jacket from Zara, a ripped denim mini skirt from Missguided, a studded bucket bag from Zara and a cool t-shirt from Misspap. I finished off the look with cool retro sunglasses from Pretty Little Thing and a dash of red lipstick from my usual place, Mac Cosmetics. The icing on the cake; a whole lot of attitude and a pinch of sass. 

Shop My Look

Jacket - Zara

Top - Misspap
Skirt - Missguided

Boots - Hidden Fashion

Bag - Zara 

Sunglasses - Pretty Little Thing

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)

Ravishing Red

"I know what women look good in. I don't think the rules ever change."

- Michael Kors

I love co-ords, in fact I love anything well matched. I've also got a huge crush on red right now, I think a lot of people have... as it is big on the catwalks and on the hughstreet, and has been for many months. I'd been longing for a well paired red outfit for a while, so when I spotted this belted blazer on Pretty Little Thing I knew I had to get it and find the perfect bottoms to match. 

 

Images: Rex and Getty Images

I wanted to keep the look clean and simple, casual but stylish. I love these looks from singer Fergie and supermodel Bella Hadid and wanted to achieve something similar. I decided to pair the blazer with red leggings, also from Pretty Little Thing and perspex heels from Ego Shoes. I finished off the look with cool red cat-eyed sunglasses from Forever 21 and this cute red and pink cross-body bag from Zara. 

Shop My Look

Blazer - Pretty Little Thing

Leggings - Pretty Little Thing

Shoes - Ego

Bag - Zara

Sunglasses - Forever 21 (sold out)

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)

Polka Dot

'I don't do fashion. I am fashion.'

- Coco Chanel

I'm not one for following trends, but I can understand why the Polka Dot trend is hot on the scene right now and why everyone wants in. The timeless classic is one of my favourites, always has been... especially in black and white. So I decided to finally get in on the action and feature a look of my own.

Inspiration - Carolina Herrera

I decided to go for triple polka dot, teaming a large print polka dot skirt from ASOS with a small polka blouse from Missguided and a matching bag from Zara. I finished off the look with cat-eyed sunglasses from Topshop and Gold platform heels from ASOS.

Shop My Look

Skirt - ASOS

Top - Missguided 

Heels - ASOS (old)

Bag - Zara

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)

Multi Stripes

"The joy of dressing is an art."

- John Galliano

John Galliano couldn't be more right. The joy of dressing is an art; I express my inner most feelings, my emotions and my desires in everything I wear. I take pride in my appearance, striving to look great at all times (well apart fro when I'm running late to work, anything clean and not creased will have to do). I'm always experimenting with colours and textures, I just love being that pop of colour amongst a sea of dull hues. Where others wear black, I'll wear yellow... I guess you know where I'm going with this; I don't want to fit in, I don't want to look like everyone else.

I've always loved wearing bold colours and unusual colour combinations, but I'm not really one for wearing prints... at least I wasn't before I spotted this skirt on the Zara website. I was growing tired of colour blocking and wanted to make a change to my style, you know spruce things up a little, give more of a wow factor... do something a little unexpected. Because really, what's the fun in being predictable? Yep, that's right... there isn't any. 

Although I'm quite petite, and the model on the website (wearing this skirt) is probably at least 4 inches taller than me, I didn't let that stop me from getting the skirt. When I say it was love at first sight.. I really do mean it. Finally, I managed to get a colourful print in my wardrobe, something different to my usual. 

A few weeks ago I bought some flirty faux fur peep toe mules from Forever 21 and a bodysuit in the same colour, I knew the skirt would work so well with the pair. The blush pink of the heels and the bodysuit, went perfectly with the pink on the skirt. My mustard faux-leather cross-body bag, from Mango, made the perfect finishing touch, in addition to my amazing gold chain belt from Pretty Little Thing. 

Shop My Look

Bodysuit - Forever 21

Skirt - Zara

Heels - Forever 21 

Bag - Mango
Belt - Pretty Little Thing
Earrings - Pretty Little Thing
Sunglasses - Topshop (old)

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)

Legend: Whitney

"From the beginning, the camera and I were great friends. It loves me and I love it."

- Whitney Houston

I've long been a fan of Whitney Houston, since my younger days when my mum would sing aloud to her body-moving hit 'Dance With Somebody'. I always wished I could sing just like her, but unfortunately I wasn't blessed with such a beautiful voice, though it sounds alright when I'm in the bathroom... but, I guess we all sound good in the shower, right? ha ha. Anyway, when I spotted this top on Missguided, I thought it would be nice to do a little tribute outfit post, to one of my favourite female vocalists of all time. What a legend she was... and forever will be, in the hearts of many. 

Image: David Corio/Getty Images

I remember admiring her in the amazing movie 'The Bodyguard', in which she starred alongside Kevin Costner. She was so beautiful and there was something truly majestic about her; not only could she sing, but she could act. I can't put my finger on it, I'm not quite sure why, but she always seemed like a people pleaser... I guess it was the pressures of the industry. Everyone loved her... but deep down, I question whether she really truly loved herself as much as we all loved her. Perhaps if she did, she'd still be here today... who knows. One thing for sure, is her passing definitely got me thinking that life is for living and being truly happy within myself.  It is not about pleasing others to the detriment of myself. It is about doing what I want, seizing opportunities and living my best life... because you never know when it will be snatched away. Funnily enough, that's the mindset I apply to my dress sense; for me by me.

When I get dressed the only person I'm trying to impress and please is myself. I don't get dressed up seeking validation or acceptance, nor am I out there hunting down compliments. I just put on whatever I think looks good, whether it is 5 inch killer heels and a mini skirt, or ripped jeans and some cool trainers. It's all about me, looking good and feeling even better. 

Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

That's what I done with this outfit. I wanted to keep things laid back and casual, so I teamed my oversized sweatshirt with jogging bottoms, from Forever 21. I decided to give the outfit a cool vibe, so added my trusted longline denim jacket from Misspap and a matching denim hurdle bag from Primark. I finished off the look with platform patent white trainers from Puma and some funky black sunglasses from Shein. Not something Whitney would have worn, I don't think, but definitely inspired by the icon. 

Shop My Look

Sweatshirt - Missguided 

Trousers - Forever 21 

Jacket - MissPap (sold out)

Bag - Primark (old)

Trainers - Puma

Sunglasses - Shein

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)

Earth and Fire

"Make it simple, but significant."

- Don Dapper 

Have you ever paired colours together in an outfit that you thought wouldn't go, but was shocked to find they work really well together? I have, plenty of times, and they have turned out to be some of my favourite outfits; just like this one - Earth and Fire. 

I featured this coat on the blog a couple of times this Winter and wanted to feature it again, but this time in a totally different way to previously. So I thought I put together an unusual colour combination, one that I hadn't done before, nor seen on anyone else. So I decided to pair it with olive green... or as I usually refer to it, khaki green. 

I'd long been wanting to feature this wrap mini dress from Pretty Little Thing, but wasn't sure what to pair it with. It's not the most vibrant and bold of colours, so I decided to pair it with a colour quite the opposite, red. Still pretty cold outside the warmth of the faux fur coat kept the cold out. I teamed the outfit with a red felt beret, that I found on eBay and oversized sunglasses, to shield me from the Winter sun.

I decided to keep to the two colours, donning olive heels, which I bought from Primark a few years ago (shoes I will never get rid of) and a matching cross-body bag from Misspap. I finished off the look with a bright smile; bold red lipstick. 

Shop My Look

Coat - LOTD

Dress - Pretty Little Thing

Bag - MissPap (sold out)

Shoes - Primark (old)

Hat - eBay

Photography - Aurelia V (@aureliav)