Free the Nipple?

For starters I would like to apologise for not writing since November... November. I've basically been so so busy with A Levels since this was my last year. But, I'm not completely finished with all my exams and all my studies which is so nice! It means I have a lot more time to focus on the little things that I enjoy, i.e., writing my blog. 

Anyway, just to start off with the many things I have to post in the upcoming weeks / months here is an assignment I did for my Journalism course. The assignment what to write an opinion column piece inspired but the various examples we had looked at. Here is the one I did, which is on Free the Nipple.

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The phrase ‘free the nipple’ is something that has being going around for a while now, however there is a severe lack of knowledge on the subject. Starting in America, Free the Nipple is a movement and campaign which supports equal gender rights regarding the laws and restrictions associated with female nipples.

Free the Nipple is regularly seen as petty issue, generally it is seen as a campaign so women can ‘get their tits out’ or to walk around in public without a shirt. This is most definitely not the case, and, with many movements and campaigns, the people who are the quickest to judge are generally the ones who have the least knowledge on the subject - which I personally find excruciating tedious and frustrating. 

Where I See Fashion || Interview

Within the creative world we can find inspiration from all areas of the planet, be that people, nature, art, music or fashion. All these things work together to inspire each other in every aspect and combine their own elements to continuously enforce creativity within our lives.

Bianca Luini is a fashion design graduate living Milan, and is the creator and owner of Where I See Fashion, a blog with well over 355,000 views that has taken the Tumblr-Sphere by storm and shown the world that inspiration is everywhere. 

Bianca matches fashion images with a variety of art and nature photographs in a side-by-side comparison drawing the parallels between the two. The compilation of two images is often so compelling and mesmerising that its hard to believe that the right side image was not the original inspiration to the fashion designer - or was it...?

I was lucky enough to speak to Bianca and ask her some questions about her blog and the movement she has created within the world of Tumblr: 

Match #195

Picture by Feng Wang published on Vogue Italia’s website | Google Maps view of the “Underwater Waterfall” in Le Morne, Mauritius

What and why made you start your blog Where I See Fashion?

I’m constantly inspired by the beautiful pictures that I see all over the web, and I've always wanted to find a personal way to collect them. I started noticing similarities between pictures while doing image reserch for uni projects (I've studied Fashion Design in Milan), I kept saving and saving pictures on my laptop until one day I tried to put them properly together, as pairs. I really liked how they looked so I decided to start a blog, and that when WISF was born!

Match #159

Benjamin Jarvis by Thomas Cooksey for HERO Magazine | Building in Eindhoven, Netherlands photographed by GIJS LEUSSINK

When did you originally start seeing the connections, primarily visual, between fashion and art/nature etc?

I've always knew since I got interested in fashion that designers are often inspired by art or nature when creating their collections, and as a fashion design student I've learned how important it is to look for inspiration before starting a project. Now whenever I see new collections I can't help but wonder where the designer took the inspiration from, and that's what I love to show on my blog!

Match #181

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2014 | Interiors of the Duomo di Monreale in Sicily, Italy

I’ve personally always believed that fashion is an art, how do you feel about this? What makes fashion an art for you?

I strongly believe fashion is a form of art! The definition of the word 'art' in the dictionary is the following: “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. I just think fashion fits right in this definition, we may call it decorative or applied art, but to me there's no doubth that it is an art form.

Match #153

Elena Sudakova in “Invitation à la Danse” by Sølve Sundsbø for Numéro Magazine #91 March 2008 | Prometheus Bound by Nicolas-Sébastien Adam, white marble, 1762

How do you make your matches? Is it something that comes naturally and spontaneously to you, or is it more of a process that takes a lot of time?

I have built a sort of image archive where I keep all the pictures I find beautiful and interesting, I save many photos every week and I use this archive to create my matches. It's a process that can take a second or weeks, sometimes I’m lucky enough to find two photos at the same time that perfectly go together but usually I find the perfect pair after a few days. Or maybe I don’t find anything for a week and then I create 15 matches in a day! It’s not a regular process, it kind of just happens when it’s time!

Match #176

Details at Céline Fall 2013 | Forest with green moss and white trees

Where do your source the majority of your images from?

Almost every picture I use is from Tumblr, which I love very much as image source and as community! Sometimes I also use Pinterest or Google, but it's rare.

FWSA Article || Revolutionising Women's Fashion - Coco Chanel

I was recently asked to write an article for the Feminist and Women's Studies Association Blog. I wrote an article on the revolutionising of women's fashion and the effect that Coco Chanel had on women's fashion. It was such an honour to be asked to write for this organisation and something I feel personally very proud of. 

The FWSA is a UK based association that focuses on promoting the feminist teaching and research and studies, nationally and internationally. They run a blog which invites people from everywhere to write article on a number of subjects from book reviews, to the media and the arts to events and projects - all with a feminist concern/idea at the heart of it.

You can read my article here - I've also included it below. Please have a read and let me know your thoughts.

I see fashion as an art form. An art form that we not only wear, but that changes continuously with our society: reflecting the influences within the media along with the economic situation. Women’s fashion has been, and still is, directly linked with our fight for freedom. It reflects our ever-changing position within society: the power, the repression, the sexism and the ‘stereotypes.’ Throughout history women’s fashion has been used as a tool for women and as our rights changed, so did our clothing. The revolution and liberation of women’s fashion bottles down to just a few individuals, one notably being Coco Chanel as she reformed the perceptions of women’s fashion and evolved the way feminism is explored through our clothing.

Towards the beginning of the 20th Century women’s fashion began to change dramatically, the turn of the century opened up to simplicity and with women’s fight for independence clothing moved to be more practical, free and above all feminine, a huge contrast from the confined and restricted frills and corsets of the 19thCentury. 1906 saw the decline of the train on women’s dresses, and soon enough hems began to rise (above the ankle.) Four years later in 1910 fashion began to focus on emphasising the female structure more, think hips and waist, and just one year later in 1911 the world began to see the attractiveness of slender bodies. However it should be noted that women were still being forced into specific and idealistic body types as a response to societies ever changing demand for the “ideal woman.”

Is Effortless Fashion Really a Thing?

I recently read an article in The Debrief about effortless fashion and the focus of the article was that we shouldn't be using the term effortless fashion or effortless dressing because in reality, achieving this effortless look is a lot harder than magazines (and society) give off. 

After reading Pandora Sykes' article it really got me thinking: we are living in a world where the epitome of fashion is an effortless look which in reality is not so effortless to achieve. Telling someone if they look effortless or not is a bit of a double edged sword: you either insult them because effortless could mean that they have put no thought into their outfit whatsoever and couldn't care less, or you face the trouble of making your friend/mum/sister feel that they have severely overdressed for your coffee break and that they need to be more effortless...

Back in May The Debrief did an interview with Shopbop's NYC based fashion director, Eleanor Strauss, in which she voiced her opinion on this effortless trend by saying: 'I like to think what I wear looks effortless - but in all honesty I probably tried on around fifty outfits and was then late for work.' 

There is a stigma that arises if a woman spends hours planning her outfit; to some it suggests a level of vanity and excessive self-pride, however in reality most women (obviously not all) DO plan their outfits or DO spend time thinking about what to wear. The ability to just 'throw on' an outfit is much more difficult than we realise, and I know that if I was to just 'throw' something on it would not result positively and I would most likely end up wearing a horribly coordinated outfit or joggers and a hoodie.. 

William Rast || Distressed Jeans

I spoke to Eden Gasson, who I recently did a style profile on, about her thoughts on effortless style in which she replied saying "I could never say my style is effortless. I love fashion and love planning my outfits [and] getting inspiration. Fashion can be effortless but I think it's hard, and for most people it's not. "

"In regards to being able to throw anything on and look stylish, I guess people who can do that are just lucky, or have a good quick eye for a good outfit and I'm jealous if people like that exist!"

I really struggle to come to terms with the idea that a look can appear effortless. There's just something that I don't quite get. I mean if you really have put no effort into your outfit that fine, and you have successfully achieved the goal. However what I just don't understand is the concept behind buying and outfit purely just look like you couldn't care less? Think distressed jeans, over sized shirts and that 'boyfriend' look that keeps coming back. I can't tell you the amount of people I know that have bought a perfectly nice pair of jeans only to rip them up so they look distressed and create an effortless look.

One of the things I really do struggle with in regards to effortless fashion is what it really means. Whilst writing this article I did some research and Googled it. At first I went onto reddit.com and read a discussion about effortless style and how to define it. Whilst reading it I realised that effortless style means different things to different people. it should be noted that to one person, effortless style could be literally just grabbing whatever is lying on your floor at that exact point, or maybe even just wearing a really simple and boring outfit (but still nice?) However to some people the concept of effortless fashion is something completely different. Some of the women on the discussion page made it clear that their idea of effortless fashion is a combination of the comfortable and the stylish. It seems that keeping it simple and stylish is the main idea behind this effortless fashion movement.

Alexa Chung || Huge style icon for effortless fashion

However after reading some of the discussion on Reddit I simply just Googled "effortless fashion" and lo behold up appeared hundred and thousands of Pinterest pages and blog posts on How to Achieve Effortless Fashion and articles about Alexa Chung Looking Effortlessly Chic. Now don't get me wrong, sometimes I do like looking at these articles and Pinterest pages, but surely if you're basing your look after Alexa Chung and learning How to Achieve the Perfect Effortless Style in 5 Ways from a magazine it defeats the point of having an effortless look in the first place? 

Personally I'm not a fan of the term effortless fashion, I think it comes with too many contradictory connotations and in the long run, achieving a complete effortless look without putting effort in isn't going to happen. It will require putting in effort somewhere along the way. And whats so wrong with having put effort into you outfit anyway? There should be no shame in admitting to your friend (and yourself) that yes to did put effort into your outfit, and yes it might show, but don't you look great.

I would love to hear what your opinions on effortless fashion on - leave them in the comments below.

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Style Profile || Eden Gasson

Meet Eden Gasson (aka choccyprincess), a sixteen year old retro-fashion loving feminist from Northampton, England and with over 4000 followers on social media. I've been following her on twitter and instagram for  a long time now and, without this sounding horribly over-enthusiastic, she is probably one of the coolest sixteen year olds I've ever seen and spoken to. She is open-minded and isn't afraid to express her opinions and beliefs, and is a strong advocator of positive body image and feminism. For a sixteen year old she seems way beyond her years and exerts a very mature view on the world. 

What strikes me about Eden is her unique and eclectic style, she has the most amazing wardrobe I have ever seen, and with most of it being vintage. Her style illuminates a sort of joy and confidence that so many girls lack nowadays, and that so much fashion does not have. Her bold colours, one-off finds and hidden gems all, I feel, represent what Eden is like as a person and her style emanates her and truly is unique.

After laughing at her tweets and stalking her instagram I found her tumblr and was introduced to much more of her wardrobe than I had already seen and I was, I have to to say, exceedingly jealous. She seems to have this whole fashion thing figured out and she told me that she has no main fashion inspiration, and all at the age of sixteen. It's enough to make you look at your own wardrobe and wonder what you are doing wrong…

"I love fashion and love planning my outfits, getting inspiration off of tumblr and from magazines etc, and colour-coordinating my outfit with accessories. I feel like my fashion sense does reflect me as a person in some aspects and it is a way of expressing myself and my artistic side, but I honestly do just wear whatever I like to wear just because I can."

Anyway, I've haven't done one of these before, but I have been very eager to try it, so I thought I would do little style profile/interview with Eden and see what she feels about her own style, fashion and fashion within feminism.

Tumblr || Twitter || Instagram

Have you always been interested in fashion, and if so can you remember when you first became really interested? 

I think I have always been interested in fashion, but didn't really get fully into it until I was around 15.

What would you consider your style to be?

My style can go from 50s movie star to 90s goth to 5 year old in the length of a week . My style is a mix of anything and everything I think is cool. My classmates used to say I came into school dressed as different person every day!

I've noticed your massively into vintage - can you remember what the first vintage thing you bought was? 

I wish I had both a cool answer to this and a good memory, but no I do not. I can remember the first time I went into my local vintage shop though. It's this ginormous warehouse hidden just out of my town and I had never seen so many different colours and styles in one place. It's called 'A Most Marvellous Place To Shop' and it really is.

Favourite era of fashion? 

I want to say 60s but this is honestly like a mother having to chose a favourite child.

Have your parents (or any other family member) influenced your style in any way? 

Yes, both my parents! I was around 14 and I remember my parents bringing a load of clothes down from the attic and it included my Dad's original 90s Nirvana oversize tie-dye jumpers and my Mum's clothes from her goth and punk days as a teen. My Mum influenced my style mainly though, her teenage days she was a punk with bright red hair and fishnet tights and in her later teens she was a goth with corsets, choker necklaces and these long black pvc coats which were so kickass. In the 90s she also used to go clubbing with my Dad, her in fur coats and him in his pin stripe suits, they'd call themselves the "King and Queen" of the local live music venue. My mum also used to wear a suit jacket whilst topless underneath or with a bra which I always though was super cool (which I'm yet to experience).  

How do you think feminism has influenced women's fashion, specifically today's fashion? I've not had a big think about this. I know it's now acceptable and pretty badass for women to wear suits, I've seen a lot of women wearing them lately too in the fashion world which I think is awesome and is influenced by feminism. 

Would you say your own style is influenced by feminist movements etc?

I wouldn't say my own style is, I do own a few T-shirts with Feminist phrases on if that counts, although since becoming a feminist I don't care if people don't like what I wear, or if it's too "sexy", "shows too much skin" or "isn't 'right' for my body". So my confidence in outfit choice has been effected by my journey as a feminist. 

All images are taken from Eden Gasson's Tumblr with permission.

Ireland Road Trip 2014

Hello hello! It has been far too long… Well like I said in my previous post (if you can even call it that) I have had an amazingly amazing, but also very busy summer. I was fortunate to go to lots of festivals this year which were all incredible, I would highly recommend Somersault to everyone next year; it was absolutely beautiful and I saw the one and only Jack Johnson…

Amongst all these festivals I stayed down in Cornwall with my friend Ellie where we took little road trips to beautiful hidden tidal pools, surfed all morning, took sunset surfs, watched surfing competitions in the day whilst lying on the beach (I got horribly tanned - lesson to me to always wear suncream) and then went to Boardmasters Festival in the night.

After all this I went with my family to Ireland. Now my dad's family are from Ireland, a town called Wexford in the South East and we go pretty much every year to visit everyone but we decided this year to venture out of Wexford and go see what else Ireland has to offer.

So we got the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare and I have to say I despise the ferry but for once the journey wasn't agonising so I survived that one. We arrived in Wexford at my Grandparents house where we stayed for two nights, this included celebrating my Nanny's birthday with our family and her friends and having a good Irish sing song around the dinner table.

Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone

On the Sunday morning we woke up early and started on our roadtrip of the South. Our first stop was Blarney Castle which holds the famous Blarney Stone and legend has it that if you kiss the stone you get the gift of the gab ("great eloquence or the skill of flattery") The castle and its grounds were absolutely beautiful and the gardens were equally as beautiful, even the Poisonous Garden which Im still unsure as to why is was poisonous, presumably poison ivy or something. Anyway, we walked around  and started to make our way up to the castle and see the stone. The queue just in to the castle was absolutely massive, it stretched all the way through the castle and down the path which meant walking around the castle and up the stairs to the stone was a long and slow effort. I would say we stood in line for about 45 minutes before we decided to give up and leave because God knows how long it would've taken us to get up the hundreds of steps. We kissed off the stone which I wasn't too disappointed about because the whole thing has become very touristy over the years, for example you can get your picture taken while you kiss the stone but it is like the cameras you get on roller coasters and then you had to pay 10 euro for this picture… you see where I'm coming from?

Kinsale

Kinsale

After Blarney Castle we made our way to Kinsale while stopping off in some towns along the way. Kinsale is a lovely little sea-side thats famous for its fish restaurants and sailing. The town was very small and had some lovely little restaurants and shops and there was a fair in the town centre the night we were there. My dad was hugely keen on visiting this restaurant called Fishy Fishy which is apparently very famous as far as fish restaurants go, and I'll admit that I did sulk a little bit at the thought of going to a fish restaurant where there was probably nothing I could eat and if there was it probably would be horrifically boring. My mind was changed when we got there as I ordered spinach risotto (the only vegetarian dish on the menu…) and as I like spinach and risotto it was a winner.

Drombeg Stone Circle

Drombeg Stone Circle (please ignore how hideous I look…)

 Who doesn't love a Solstice stone circle? I certainly do and probably got way too over excited when we went to this one. It was lovely and as you can see from the top picture the view was beautiful and we could just see the sea over the hills, the only downside to Drombeg was the size; our Stonehenge back in England is much bigger…

Coming Soon...

Everyone, I am so sorry for the obvious lack of posting. I was really busy before the summer with my  AS Exams and then obviously summer hit. I've had the most wonderful summer, but as a result of it being wonderful it has been very very busy. I do however have lots of posts lined up and am very excited to start working on them and one I am particularly excited about. For all those that read British  Theory; thank you and I promise there will be more soon xx

Vintage Playsuit || Outfit Post

I love clothes (obviously) and I love styling my own outfits. There's just something so refreshing about creating/styling an outfit, particularly one that you feel to be unique and expressive of your personality and who you are as a person. However, doing this can be pretty time consuming and can be a lot of effort. I've found the bets things to wear when in a rush, or if you simply can't be bothered etc are either dresses or playsuits. They are one item and only require you to pick shoes (and accessories if you so desire.) There is no need to stress over whether 'that top' will go with 'those jeans/skirt/shorts' etc etc and generally they are effortlessly stylish.

I went through a stage of never wearing dresses accept on formal occasions. They made me feel to girly and for some reason made me feel as though I was immensely over-dressed for whatever I was doing. So for about a year (I think) I didn't wear dresses casually, bus over the past couple of years I've started to refund my love for them, they are so so easy to wear and incredibly comfy. However I was then introduced to playsuits. 

Playsuits came in to fashion a couple of years ago as what I remember to be a "summer essential"… To be honest, at first I didn't really get it. Why would I want to wear a dress with shorts that meant having to completely strip when wanting to the bathroom? Surely they're not very comfortable I thought. Well I was proven wrong when I bought my first playsuit a couple of years back form Accessorize: it was navy blue with this pretty white detail on the chest. I still have it but I've worn in so much that there are hundreds of holes everywhere and it's most definitely on its way out ): 

Anyway, since then I've absolutely adored playsuits, they are possibly one of the comfiest things ever and they have the simplicity and style of a dress, but with the liberty of movement. You don't have to worry about it flying up in a gust of wind, or worrying that you're possibly showing a bit too much when sat down or sprawled across the sofa. 

Do you remember that post I did about the vintage stall in my local market ran by the wonderful Isabel? (If you didn't see it, you can read it here.) Well I regularly make visits to the stall and I had my eye on this playsuit for about a month, but every time I went to the stall I never seemed to have any money on me. However, on Friday I finished my last AS Level Exam and was in town with my friends and made a trip to see Isabel. Oddly enough the playsuit was still there and I actually had money on me so I decided to treat myself for finishing my exams. I tell myself that it because of Fate that the playsuit was still there and therefore I had to buy it.

So here is the playsuit which I bought for £20. The material (I think) is silk, or at least a very similar material such as satin. Admittedly when I bought it, it was huge. But to be honest I like buying things big because I either keep them and wear them baggy and oversized, or I alter them to fit me - I like the challenge… There were pockets on the sides which I heartbreakingly had to get rid of in order to take in the sides, but annoyingly there wasn't really another way around it so I had to say bye bye to the pockets. I think I will be living in this and my two piece all summer.

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Chelsea Flower Show || Colin Dale Interview

Roger Compton Notcutt

Both of my parents are very into gardening and as a result I feel as though this has influenced me massively. I love flowers and making trips to garden centres (I'm not a total loser I swear) and I also love the idea of growing your own vegetables and fruit; growing your own food and taking pride in what you have grown / are eating.

My parents are currently doing up our garden and as the Chelsea Flower Show has been on at the same time, they have been avidly watching the BBC's screening of it to get inspiration for their own garden. As I too have been watching some of the BBC's Chelsea Flower Show with them, I was very excited to receive the opportunity to interview Colin Dale, head gardener at Notcutts. 

Notcutts, for those of you who are unknown to them, are a large garden centre company founded way back in 1897 when Roger Crompton Notcutt bought a nursery in Woodridge. Roger later went on to win a gold medal at Chelsea for his Azalea Garden - one of Chelsea's first gold winners. The company has continued to flourish and have excelled in winning various awards at Chelsea, and becoming one of the biggest garden centres, supplying plants for gardens all across the country for over a century.

Below is my interview with Colin Dale:

Colin Dale

How would you describe your role as Head Gardener of Notcutts?

As the Plant Buyer for the group I ensure we purchase the vast majority of plants from UK growers, (over 90%). I choose to buy from UK growers, simply because I believe that they produce a better grown plant, with longer lasting feed in the compost, and tend to be more winter hardy. I would say that my main responsibilities are to provide a good range of garden plants, ensure inspirational displays are created and well maintained and make sure that all the plants we bring into our garden centres should perform well in our customer’s gardens.

Have there been any significant changes to the Notcutts business over the years?

The main changes have to be the development and expansion of the company. We have grown our brand not only by our online presence but have recently opened a new garden centre in Tunbridge Wells, which looks incredible. If you are in the area, I would certainly recommend visiting this garden centre.  It is a garden centre that places gardening and plants at the heart of the shopping experience, reflecting our rich horticultural heritage and expertise.

In regards to changes involving Chelsea; since 2008 Notcutts stopped exhibiting at The Chelsea Flower Show after gaining an impressive 50 gold medals, and I have to confess I’m missing being involved in the planning; build and manning of the exhibitions. You never know what the future holds, but I do continue to visit the Chelsea Flower Show to pick up on trends that our customers might be influenced by.

What got you into horticulture – does is remain to be your favourite part of your job?

I used to work for an independent family owned garden centre in Hertfordshire, which enticed me to attended Pershore Horticultural College for three years. Since then I have worked for Notcutts and within the 30 years I have been there, I’ve had the chance to work on seven different sites. I have worked many different roles, learning many different aspects of horticulture; I’ve managed planterias, managed a garden centre manager and now I’m a plant buyer. I’m very lucky to have worked and continue to work in an industry that I love.

How does your personal garden reflect your work within the business?

It doesn’t. My opinions and tastes can be extremely out of touch with some trends that come through, which is perfectly fine for my personal garden, but not so much when it comes to buying plants to sell in the garden centres. I very much try to keep personal and professional separate, but when you are that passionate about horticulture sometimes, every now and again my personal opinion seeps through. I take note of trends that I personally like and will try to incorporate it into the garden and take note of the trends coming through that I believe would influence the Notcutts customer – to me they are two different things.

The 100th anniversary of Victory Gardens is coming up; do you think this will ignite even more interest in growing your own?

Most certainly, it is a part of our history. It is something our families have done to help make sure rationings could go further and I think a lot of people want to reconnect with that. There is a great pleasure to have when you see your family eating and enjoying the food you have grown with your bear hands; it’s quite romantic if you think about it.

What vegetables could we all be growing now if we were to create some raised beds?

The world is your oyster when it comes to growing vegetables in raised beds and containers. You can grow anything from beetroot, carrot, cauliflower, dwarf french beans and garlic to lettuce, onions, parsnip, radish, spring onion and swede.

Are there any other gardening trends we should know about?

There are three off the top of my head that I think are really important. The first one is high impact planting. It seems as though a lot of people are looking for plants that are visually stunning, yet are easy to care for and are of good value.

Edible flowers such as thyme and pineapple mint are continuing to grow in popularity. People want to create meals in their garden, and seasoning them with herbs is an aspect that has gained a lot of attention. They can also be aesthetically pleasing and give off a wonderful perfume.

The biggest one though, that has made quite an impact is planting with wildlife in mind. Growing meadows and wild flowers, and then taking enjoyment from seeing nature interact with your garden. Ponds and water features are also a great way to entice nature into your garden.

What plants have you seen to be popular this season, particularly in relation to Chelsea Flower Show? 

One plant that I’m very pleased to see has experienced a great revival is the Japanese Maple. They are small trees that offer beautiful autumn foliage; they are known as graceful plants and I couldn’t agree more.

In your opinion what would be in the easiest way to incorporate this into our gardens?

Many varieties are dwarf so these can be grown in a container, decorating a patio with its beauty. When they are young, ensure they enjoy afternoon shade, are protected from strong winds, are kept in consistently moist soil and are also protected from late spring frosts.

Visit their website here.

Laura Ralph Designs - Two-Piece || Outfit Post

I don't really know where to start. I'll start with saying how sorry I am for not writing since February… I've just been so so busy with exams at the moment and as much as I have wanted to blog, and believe me I have, I've been trying to make myself focus on revision. And that hasn't gone as well as I hoped. Anyway, I have lots lined up and I'm excited to get back into blogging, so don't worry there is lots to come!

Over the past couple of months I've noticed a large interest in hand-made two pieces throughout the country and I personally fell in love with them from the beginning. I was introduced to Laura Ralph through a friend and in my opinion she is definitely one of the best. Her prints and fabrics are all unique and each one of them is so beautiful interesting, and she recently ordered some fabrics from Uganda which are stunning. There's something so fascinating and unique about Laura's fabrics and prints which makes her clothing and company really stand out, and she also creates trouser-sets as well as the short-sets. Also the fact that they are handmade just makes my heart melt, there's nothing better that wearing something and knowing that hard-work has gone into it, and for about £25 I think you would be mad to not want one! 

You can visit Laura on her Facebook page and she also has her clothing at The Little Deer. I would thoroughly recommend checking out Laura's two-pieces. 

I've also realised that this is my first outfit post so that's pretty exciting. I might start doing more of them (thoughts?!) Also I apologise for my awkwardness in front of the camera - I'm new!