Black Slip Dress

Vero Moda Black Slip Dress

Born at Dawn

When it comes to buying a dress, I like to know that I can style many different ways and wear it all year round. This is why I love a slip dress. It’s versatile, easy to style and it can be worn all year round. I fell in love with this Vero Moda Black Lace Recycled Dress from Born at Dawn. It ticked all the boxes for me. Black, pretty and recycled polyester.

Below I show you how to style it up 5 ways: casual, evening, with boots and a belt, styled over jeans and with a vintage tee and trousers. There are so many other ways of styling this dress, but I encourage you to style it up your own way and I want to see too!!!!

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Casual

styled with

COS Jumper, Zara Trainers, Weekday Socks, Rosita Bonita Earrings

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Evening

styled with

Allsaints Blazer, Pearl and Stud Heels, Fancy Earrings

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Belt and Boots

styled with

COS Roll Neck, Zara Belt, Vintage Boots, Rosita Bonita Earrings

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Jeans

styled with

Kelly Ekardt Selby Tee, Vintage Wrangler Jeans, Miista Sandals, Hoop Earrings

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Vintage Tee

styled with

Vintage Tee, By Malene Birger Trousers, Vans, Statement Socks

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Here are some other pieces you could pair with this dress! Have fun!

Back to Basics

I don’t know about you, but I tend to want to skip the whole spending money on basics for the wardrobe and would prefer to buy a pretty dress or another pair of jeans that I don’t need. But I’ve come to terms with the essentiality of basics. You need basics plain and simple. And you’ll find that you use them all the time. Funny that. Now that I am completely aware of the importance of basics I now spend more money on them. There is a big difference between a cheap basic and a more expensive one.

Let’s take a t-shirt for example. I’ve found that the seam on a cheap t-shirt tends to be sewn slightly forward or slightly backwards. Yeah, hmm, its not suppose to look like that, just so you know. Also some t-shirts aren’t coverstitched meaning that the t-shirts hem doesn’t have the right stitching for it to be stretched. A coverstitch is an essential hem for jersey materials.

So what basics would I recommend?

1. black, white, grey t-shirt

2. black, white, grey long sleeve t-shirt

3. Black roll neck

4. black leggings

5. black, white, nude camisole or vest

6. camisole slip

7. black or grey pullover

8. black tube skirt

These are the essentials. I find that I reach for them non-stop. And especially in winter then layering is a must.

I’ve compiled some of my favourite basics here for

you.

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Know the Origin Black Vest

Selected Femme Black Tee

Baserange Tee

Baserange Longsleeve Tee

Armedangels Malenaa Longsleeve Tee

Selected Femme Recycled Wool Shirt

Peopletree Amara Top

Popupshop Ribbed Longsleeve

Selected Femme High Neck Longsleeve

Popupshop Turtleneck

Peopletree Laila Rollneck

Know the Origin Lotus Modal Leggings

Topshop High-waisted Leggings

Peopletree Leggings

Cossac Dress

Cossac Knit Sweater

Cos Knitted Skirt

H&M Bell Skirt

Marg Chambray Skirt

When I started designing clothing my main goal was to design pieces that could be layered and worn time and time again, no matter what the temperature was outside. I was sick of buying garments just to buy garments. I was finding that not everything I owned could be worn all year long. I'm also a lover of layering so clothing pieces that can be worn with each other or over each other makes me very happy. So I went to work and designed a few pieces I thought ticked these boxes. 

I had a few friends ask me to make a few styling videos showing the different ways I would style the garments and thats just what I've done. Here in this video you will see three different outfits all using our Marg Chambray Skirt! 

One outfit for summer, one for autumn and one for winter. I hope this video gives you some great ideas on how to style yours. 

Thanks for watching. 

kelly x

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Maddy Midi Skirt

When I started designing clothing my main goal was to design pieces that could be layered and worn time and time again, no matter what the temperature was outside. I was sick of buying garments just to buy garments. I was finding that not everything I owned could be worn all year long. I'm also a lover of layering so clothing pieces that can be worn with each other or over each other makes me very happy. So I went to work and designed a few pieces I thought ticked these boxes. 

I had a few friends ask me to make a few styling videos showing the different ways I would style the garments and thats just what I've done. Here in this video you will see three different outfits all using our Maddy Midi Skirt! 

One outfit for summer, one for autumn and one for winter. I hope this video gives you some great ideas on how to style yours. 

Thanks for watching. 

kelly x

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Maison Archives

Today I am so excited to have Judith from Maison Archives with me for a styling session. Judith is probably one of the most stylish women I know. She truly has her own sense of style and stays true to her style too. 

I asked her to come along and talk about some of her favourite go to pieces and what she'll be wearing this Spring/Summer 2018 season. Judith gives some wonderful tips on how to dress for your body and what you should be looking out for when styling pieces together. 

Judith is a Doctor by day but a fashionista by night. With four kids in tow, she glides through life effortlessly all while looking super stylish. Judith also has a blog about her fashion finds and a mini shop with her secondhand and vintage finds. Check out her instagram page for some major outfit inspiration. 

Judith believes that when dressing yourself its all about choosing whats right for you. Don't worry about trends. If you have a brand that you know fits your perfectly, stick with it! Buy items for your wardrobe that you know you'll wear over and over again. It's not about quantity but about quality. Judith believes that its good to invest in a few key pieces that can carry you on from season to season. She also believes there's nothing wrong with buying high street just buy what suits you and wear it!

She also encourages to you have fun when piecing outfits together. Don't be afraid to add a bit of colour and mix things up a bit. Fashion is suppose to be fun, so have fun with it! Make it about you and what makes you feel good. 

A few key pieces to have in your wardrobe:

• A oversized white button up shirt.

• A wrap dress 

• A pair of good fitting straight legged jeans

• A nice dress that can take you from day to night

• White boots

• White trainers

• A pair of awesome slides

• Two piece suit, whether it be a shirt and watching trousers. This can take you a long way

• Biker boots or cowboy boots are also fun to have in your wardrobe

For some great styling tips from Judith. Please watch below. 

Thanks for watching!!!!! 

kelly xx

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Red

Can trends be sustainable? This is a question I have asked myself before and I thought others might be wondering the same too. I know you  wouldn’t usually use trendy and sustainable in the same sentence, but I wanted to challenge this and prove that you could be trendy and sustainable at the same time.

I also wanted to give youtube a try and thought putting together a styling video using only sustainable brands would be a good way to start. I asked my friend Karen from N4mummy, a sustainable fashion blogger to come and join me.

In our first styling video Karen and I talk about the trend Red. We combine several sustainable brands to bring you stylish outfits that can be worn all year long. We show you how you can take a current trend and style it with great brands that do care about sustainability and the environment. 

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WHERE WE FILMED

We filmed our lovely first video at Green Lens Studio in North London. Green Lens Studio focuses on sustainability and working with brands that also focus their endeavors on bettering the world. They now have two locations, one in North London and out East in Bethnal Greene.

 NORTH4

4A ATTERBURY ROAD
LONDON
E2 0PT

020 8350 5915

info@greenlenstudios.com

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OUR SPECIAL GUEST, BEAUTY BY TAHIRA

We were so lucky to have Tahira from Beauty by Tahira come and hang out with us for the day. Tahira specialises in organic and green beauty and she gave us some great advice and tips on how to slowly start incorporating green make-up into our make-up bags. She also talked us through how to apply the perfect red lip and how to choose the correct red for our skin tones. 

Tahira's journey to organic and natural products in her professional life began a few years ago, but she had been an environmentalist since the age of 12.

Tahira loves to champion small brands, new companies and people striving to create beautiful products in beautiful ways, maintaining a respect for plants, people, animals and the planet.

Please head over to Tahira's blog for some amazing advice and product reviews. http://www.beautybytahira.com

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BRANDS

We were so lucky to have so many amazing brands on board with us for this styling video. Karen and I both want to educate our audience about the importance of sustainability and really think about our purchasing habits. Each brand we asked to be involved cares deeply about their carbon footprint on the earth and is trying very hard to waste less, use recycled materials and packaging and use manufactures that care about their workers. 

Karen is wearing Maska Jumper and Skirt, Miista Shoes and Sarah Baily Bag.

· MASKA - MASKA meaning Knitted stitch in Swedish was founded in 2009 by Maria Svensson. The mission was clear: to design relevant, quality garments that transcend the seasons and to produce them in a sustainable way.

· KNIT PLANET – Founded by husband and wife team Nicky and Micky. They are passionate about exploring and embracing the nature of knit. Knit Planet has created a chic, comfy and colourful brand using finest natural and sustainable fabrics, such as organic cotton and merino wool.

· KELLY EKARDT – Kelly started off designing childrenswear, but it soon became apparent that the mamas were wanting the kidswear for themselves. Kelly took this into consideration and now focuses only on womenswear. Kelly only uses overstock fabrics or organic materials as much as possible when designing her collection. The brand is made right here in London.

· THE ACEY – Founded by Holly Allenby, The Acey is the online destination for style with purpose. They believe contemporary clothing should be made with a conscience. If we look after the people and planet they’ll look after us.

· GATHER AND SEE - Founded by Alicia Taylor and Stephanie Hogg, Gather & See was born out of a desire to find beautiful, stylish ethical fashion brands that protect people and planet and don’t compromise on style. Frustrated by what was currently available, the pair began to gather a selection of like minded, forward thinking designers all of which fit into at least 2 of Gather & See's 5 founding Philosophies:

Fair Trade

Organic

Eco-Friendly

Small Scale Production

Heritage

· OLIVE LOVES ALFIE - Award winning creative children's store Olive Loves Alfie was founded in London in 2006 by Ashlyn Gibson. An inspirational hand picked range of globally sourced children’s wear, toys, games, books and homewares was curated to challenge the traditional view of boy- and-girl style and play. Olive Loves Alfie works with small producers and independent designers who strive to achieve organic and sustainable production. They also have their own brand for kids and women.

· SEVEN BOOT LANE - Established in 2012, their family-run company creates women's footwear that stands the test of time, both in quality and design. Since then Seven Boot Lane has gathered a loyal following who value the style, versatility and craftsmanship of our boots and shoes.

· MIISTA – Founded by Laura Villasenin in 2010. Miista brings together opposites in deliberate juxtapose; embodying an elegant balance in the unusual through an informed marriage of design, material and craft.

· GOLLY GUMDROPS – Golly Gumdrops is a small business run from home. Lucy makes each item to order and turn over is currently up to two weeks. All her jewellery is made from recycled jersey yarn, so is eco friendly and machine washable. 

· SARAH BAILY - Sarah Baily is a London-based accessories and outerwear designer, offering the ultimate accessories for party girls and metallic magpies alike. Combining luxury with fun and using her signature bright metallic leathers, Baily’s design ethos is to create striking and versatile items to inject an element of fun and party spirit into every moment, and to make her clients feel like rock stars every day. All her products are made in London.

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Why sustainability? Once upon a time in the fashion industry there were only two seasons a year, Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. Now there are 52 micro-seasons, you can image what this is doing to our planet. The fashion industry is the second most toxic industry for our environment the first being oil.

Think about this, the t-shirt you bought for £4.99 costs way more than £4.99 to make. Think about everything that goes into that t-shirt: water, cotton, travel and the person that made that t-shirt. The thing is the person, most likely a woman, is not getting paid enough to make that t-shirt. The garment workers are than told they are to make even more t-shirts for no additional money and we think we’re getting a deal. Think about it!

Here are some facts about the garment industry you should know:

·      Global clothing production has more than doubled since 2000. Today we produce 100 billion garments

·      The average person buys 60% more items of clothing and keeps them for about as half as long than 15 years ago

·      By doubling the useful life of clothing from 1 years to 2 years reduces emissions by 24% over the year.

·      About 40% of clothing are rarely worn or never worn

·      Extending the life of clothing by a further nine months would reduce carbon waste and water footprints by around 20-30% each.

·      It takes 2720 liters of water to make one t-shirt. That’s how much we normally drink over a 3 year period.

·      It is estimated that we make 400 billion metres of textiles annually. 60 billion metres is cutting floor waste.

·      In Bangladesh garment workrs earn £44 a month that is a ¼ of the living wage.

·      80% of garment workers are woman, of which many of them have to live their families to go work in a factory. Some women only see their    kids 1 or 2 times a year.

·      In luxury fashion, many fashion houses slash or rip the clothing that are not bought or used. The products we value, they don’t value at all.

·      All the clothing that is not recycled or cannot be used gets sent to Africa. Africa is now closing their boarders to secondhand clothing as they can no longer handle the amount that they receive. The rest of the clothing that is not used goes to landfills. 

For more information about the fashion industry and how you can help advocate for a better fashion industry, head over to Fashion Revolution.

Please watch our first styling video Red below. Enjoy

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