Pushing through my Fashion Comfort Zone

Admittedly, I am someone who is guilty of sticking within their fashion comfort zone.
Whenever I see new trends emerging online I'm incredibly eager to try them all out, however I sadly find this confidence diminished when I get inside the store changing rooms. Because of this, I usually return back to my same old 'safe outfits' (see previous post)
However, this Summer I'm desperate to change my mind-set regarding my appearance, and to help me do so, I have set myself a list of trends to focus on trying out. Hopefully I will discover that even if you differ from these online models (height, clothing size, hair length, bust size...) there will still be a way to make these trends work for everyone.

So with that, here is my list!


1) White with Cut-outs

Lace play-suit, £55 from Forever 21 (Click for link)

My boyfriend mentioned a few weeks ago that he likes me in white.
Once I started thinking about it, I realized that the only white piece of clothing I own is a tatty, off the shoulder blouse from over two years ago!  I feel that because we are constantly told about black's slimming power, people have become a lot more hesitant with trying out white. I adore the elegant detailed sleeves on this all-over-lace play-suit, and if it was in black I would undoubtedly try it on in store, so why not try it in white? I'm a little nervous about the cut-outs on the midsection as that is a part of my body which I always hide away, but if this is a success then it covers two styles I'd usually stay clear of!  

2) Sheer Fabric

Shirt £15 Forever 21 (Click for Link)

Although I aim to live a minimalist lifestyle (Maybe I should do a post on this too!) I am definitely not minimal when it comes to fashion. I love pilling on accessories, clashing different prints with other colours and textures! By now I am sure you will have noticed my obsession with lace and floral, which might be the reason why i was drawn to this sheer shirt from Forever 21. I have always stayed clear of sheer fabric because I find it difficult to layer with and feel a little exposed. I think i will try this out with a cami underneath for day-time wear and possibly a dainty Bralett for nights out.


3)Lace up Shoes

Search 'laced pumps' into Forever 21 and loads will come up!

I really hate any flat shoes that aren't Doc Martens. I find that heels make my legs look slimmer and my posture straighter. However i am aware that heels aren't acceptable for every occasion so I've now accepted that there are times where i will have to face wearing flats. Although I'm still not fond of them, these ones are the nicest I've found (apart from Gucci loafers that i cannot afford nor justify).


4) Sleeveless Bodysuits

Body suit £13 from Forever 21 (Link here)

This is the trend which i am the most anxious to try. The tops of my arms and my back are my most insecure areas and i feel like i won't be ready to attempt this out for a few months yet however i still thought it was important to include it in here. I love the lace up detail on the front and was surprised that I prefer it in red, i need to include more red in my wardrobe too. Maybe in a few months I'll feel more ready to attempt this. :)

5) Denim Culottes

Denim Wide Leg Overalls £20 Forever 21 (Link here)

This is a trend which i constantly see around my university campus. I find skinny jeans to be very monotonous and boring so love eccentric denim choices. I know that this cut won't be very flattering on a larger figure, but it looks like a lot of fun so i'm tempted to give it a go regardless. I'm a bit nervous that there is a very fine line between making these look high fashion or 'scarecrow' but we'll see if i am brave enough to give them a go soon!

I'm going to order a few of these pieces and see how i get along with them! Hopefully I'll be back with a positive update soon! 

Thank you for reading,
Eva Rose 
xxxx

'Safe' outfits and the struggles of being inbetween sizes

Safe outfit #1
Jacket- Primark £22
Dress- Topshop £40
Boots- New Look £8 (SALE)

Although I am a proud advocate for body positivity, I have never been body confident.

Being a UK size 14, I find that I am still too large to fit into leading high street stores such as River Island or Zara (they do claim to carry my size but I can rarely find anything that isn't baggy or bland!) yet told I'm not big enough for exclusive plus size stores such as Torrid or Yours. I often find myself feeling excluded from the online plus size community and at the same time unable to relate to the typical slender fashion blogger. 

The word 'flattering' is also coupled with a love-hate relationship for me. My weight fluctuates quite a lot and whenever I am a little bit heavier than usual I always restrict myself to the same outfits. I forbid myself to wear anything that displays the tops of my arms or legs, anything that is tight on my stomach and anything that isn't in a stretchy fabric. Annoyingly, these mental rules leave me with two options: either a skater skirt tucked into an oversized t-shirt or a long-sleeved A-line dress. I find that limiting myself to these 'flattering' silhouettes prevents me from exploring trends and styles that I love. As a result, I feel weak, guilty and unworthy of fashionable clothing. So should I wear these 'safe' outfits that society have taught me suit my body shape or do I break free and explore the trends and styles that I love?  

Safe Outfit #2
Lace Playsuit- Quiz £15 (SALE)
Boots- New Look £8 (SALE)

Everybody experiences days when they feel more self conscious than usual. Last year was my worst for this. I refused to be in group photos with my friends because I was scared of being the largest one and I even cancelled on birthday parties and nights out because I felt too self-conscious to be seen in public. I am currently twenty pounds down from my staring weight, however I still get scared and breathless when deciding what to wear to social situations. I constantly compare myself to everyone around me and embarrassingly, I even call my sisters for a prep talk before going into a night club! Sadly, no matter how heavy I am, I doubt these feelings will ever pass entirely so it is important for me to find an effective way to cope with these emotions.

Safe Outfit #3
Turtle neck- Select around £8
Pinafore- Primark £5 (SALE)

When I have one of these bad days I find that having a ready made 'safe' outfit is incredibly helpful. I make sure this outfit not only follows my rules but also makes me feel stylish, comfortable, safe and happy in what I am wearing. I always have these clean and ready in my wardrobe so that when I feel myself getting worked up about my weight or appearance, I can instantly shut down the negative thoughts and get on with my day.

Safe Outfit #4
Top- Charity shop £1.99
Skirt- Primark £5

As I continue with my weight loss journey, I hope I won't have to depend on these outfits as much, however I have found them really useful and thought I would share! Does anyone else do this as well? If so please let me know!

Eva Rose
xxx

University OOTD!

Today I thought I'd attempt my first ootd! I can only take pictures on my IPod in my dimly-lit student accommodation, but we've all got to start somewhere!

The Dress

I have had this dress for a few years now but I have only just lost enough weight to fit back into it (hurray!). It is in a very flattering skater-style with a dainty reoccurring pattern. Despite it being a few years old, the flared sleeves and keyhole detailing on the back makes it look quite trendy. I paired it with some black tights and a simple brown Primark belt to make it a bit more casual.

Outerwear  

When I last visited my parents, my mum was going through her old clothes and donating some things to charity. Luckily, I grabbed this denim Levi jacket before she had the chance to throw it away! It is a little oversized, however this means there is plenty of room for a cardigan or a hoodie underneath if it gets really chilly. I also find that this black bowler hat from H&M goes with everything!Accessories

Today I had a day of lectures so I kept my jewellery quite minimalistic. I wore my favourite cross earrings with this dainty silver dragon-fly pendant that my Great Aunt gave me a few years ago.

I am going to attempt to be brave and shoot some outfit pictures outside next time!
Eva Rose
xxxx

Inspiration Board- March 2017

My first blog post, agh!!

To start things off, I thought I would attempt to display a little bit of my personal style through an inspiration board. Since moving to Birmingham six months ago, I have fully embraced the freedom of city fashion and have found myself wearing a lot more 'obscure' outfits. I have always been self conscious, and I believe self-confidence is something that will take years of steady improvement, however I have found that pushing the boundaries with my style is something that helps me a lot. If I feel good in what I'm wearing, I feel so much more motivated to study and socialise, and that is one of the many reasons why fashion is so important to me.

Here are a few items which have caught my eye recently.

1) Zara cross body bag
http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/bags/view-all/crossbody-bag-with-embossed-chain-c819022p4283057.html
(Typical fashion-blogger bag, I know.)
This bag brings back lots of fond memories! When I was in sixth-form I used to work part time at Waitrose and each year we would get a bonus. I remember having this bag saved on my desktop screen for weeks before hand, just waiting for when I could buy it, and then the sheer excitement of having a massive Zara package come through the post. I wore it pretty much every day for over a year until it slowly deteriorated and sadly gave up two weeks into university. It is pretty expensive, so I can't imagine getting a new one, but if I ever win the lottery, I'm heading straight to Zara.

2) Warehouse gingham midi-dress
http://www.warehouse.co.uk/gb/just-arrived/clothing/gingham-button-front-dress/028286.html?cgid=new-in-clothing&dwvar_028286_color=76&position=33#&start=33&categoryID=new-in-clothing
This year, I really want to try some midi-length clothing. I love how the monochromatic colour scheme works with the casual, yet tailored style of this dress. I would pair this with my bright yellow doc martens for university or with a simple black pair of heels for an evening dinner.

3) Amy DvD
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amy-DVD-Asif-Kapadia/dp/B010NGEWEA
Although this isn't fashion favourite, this is a film that I keep meaning to watch, but always forget. I have been listening a lot of Amy's music recently, and I'd love to know more about her life.

4) Mark Jacobs- Daisy perfume
http://www.theperfumeshop.com/Marc-Jacobs/Daisy/Eau-de-Toilette-for-her/p/26310EDTJU
I have never owned expensive perfume before (except from Lady Gaga's 'Black Fluid' if you can count that!), but every time I go into boots, I always check if this is on sale. My mother's middle name is Daisy, and I really wish I could buy her a bottle for mother's day, yet sadly I don't think I'll be able to unless they bring out miniatures. :(

5) The Great Frog Medium Kudu Skull Ring
https://www.thegreatfroglondon.com/product/medium-kudu-skull-ring/
Again, this is an item I doubt I will ever own, but hopefully I can find something similar on Ebay. I know in current trends minimalistic accessories and dainty chockers seem to be everywhere, but I don't think I will ever give up my statement jewellery. Despite having quite a girly style, I still love odd gothic touches, I don't have any problems with mixing gold and silver either!

6) Misguided two piece set
https://www.missguided.co.uk/black-floral-embroidered-plunge-top
This two piece set is an accurate representation of my style: floral, embroidered, plunged neckline, long sleeved... everything I love in an outfit.

7) Select culotte jumpsuit
http://www.selectfashion.co.uk/clothing/s045-1104-009_khaki.html
Select has been my favourite clothing store for years because of their reliability and low prices, I don't think I have ever been into one of their stores and not found something that I have fallen in love with. Sadly, I don't think I am brave enough to attempt the culotte trend yet, so I have opted for a plain black, flattering piece to ease myself into it, and at £13.99 it's a good price too!

8) Daith piercing
It sounds strange, but my ears are probably the part of my body which I love the most. I currently have 12 piercings, 10 on one ear, and I'd love to add the Death to my little collection.

9) Kat von D foundation
http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_123016007799_-1
I was so excited to find that Kat von D's makeup line has been brought to the UK, although at nearly £30 a bottle I'll have to pass.

10) River island mini satchel
http://www.riverisland.com/women/bags--purses/satchels/blue-scarf-print-mini-satchel-bag-698469
I saw this incredible little bag in person when I went shopping with one of my friends back at home and I was instantly drawn to the baroque-styled print and gold hardware. For river Island, I was pleasantly surprised at the price too! I see so many people stuck in their comfort zone of an everyday black bag. Why can't an everyday bag be a little mad like this one? Why should you care if it doesn't go with the rest of your outfit? I'd happily wear this everyday, everywhere!

11) Asos embroidered Mom Jeans
http://www.asos.com/glamorous-petite/glamorous-petite-embroidered-mom-jean/prd/7638794?iid=7638794&clr=Blue&SearchQuery=embroidered jeans&pgesize=26&pge=0&totalstyles=26&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=2
Embroidery has been everywhere this year and I adore it! However, I appreciate how Asos have changed It up a little by only embroidering one leg and adding in cute little birds. I've been looking for a pair of perfect embroidered jeans everywhere and these would have been ideal if they were half the price. 

12) Pandora turtle charm
http://estore-uk.pandora.net/charms/charms/sea-turtle-charm/791538CZ.html?productsearch=internalproductsearch
I know it's cliché, but my Pandora bracelets (alongside a necklace my grandma bought me for my 18th) are my most prized possessions. I haven't had a new charm for ages so I'd love an opportunity to get a new one and add another memory onto my bracelet. This sea turtle is so cute and could go so well next to a plain silver charm.
(I'm planning to do a post soon on my Pandora and the significance of each charm!)

13) Evil Eye beanie- Cyberdog
http://www.cyberdog.net/collections/accessories-hats-hair/products/evil-eye-beanie?tag=
Yellow has always been my favourite colour, and mixed with my love of mad, statement accessories, this couldn't be more perfect for me!

I feel like I have written a lot, but I was just very excited to have finally set up my own blog again! Hopefully see you soon!

Eva-Rose