Pink Lady

So, I've finally finished my degree! WHAT. I'm still in total disbelief, to the point where if I ever find myself doing nothing recently I feel guilty, even though I promised myself some 'do nothing' days. Having said that, since I've finished I've been weirdly rushed off my feet -I guess I'm not that good at doing nothing, then...

So one awesome event I found myself at since I graduated was the Blogger's Love Anniversary party at Embargo 59, which included some beaut cocktails and a showcase of the brands to watch this year, including brands such as Candy Clothing, Creations by Maggie, Tongues Will Wag, Wild Leggings London, Bikini Fling, Dark Waters Boutique, Nina Naustdal, Philly's Boutique, Rhome's Boutique and Unique Avenue. It was my first ever fashion show and it was awesome, plus, I can now confirm that these definitely are a sick selection of brands to watch out for in 2014. I've already nabbed myself a pair of Wild Leggings!

I also got the chance to go to the private viewing of Darren Johnson's photography exhibition. He's not only a photographer extraordinaire, but also an awesome friend of mine, so it was even cooler that it was his stuff all on the walls of Conway Hall. It was here that Darren premiered his most recent shoot with my friend Ali, in which Ali was in full ballerina gear dancing around Central London. Not did Ali look flawless, but Darren shot it all perfectly. If you ever find yourself near Conway Hall or have a penchant for urban photography, definitely check it out - it's free!

 (Belle, Ali, Darren and I, why must I always look so grumpy?)

Me and the man himself!

For these events I whipped out something I bought on a total whim via Facebook (thanks Wavey Garms Ladies!); this old vintage playsuit. Dat colour tho.

What I'm Wearing:
Jumpsuit - Vintage
Boots - New Look
Plug - Crazy Factory

Necklace - H&M

I'm a Boss Ass Bitch.

Guys, I'm nearly there. I've almost finished my degree (eek!) which means I am finally able to emerge from yet another blog-hiatus. In hindsight, starting this blog up in my third year of uni was probably not the best idea!

Having said that, I have weirdly enjoyed the past couple of months - as stressful as they were, at the end of it I produced 10,000 words of my own research in a topic area I'm incredibly interested in. And it only made me cry once! 

(Isn't she a beaut?)

I also got the opportunity to present my dissertation at my university's Dissertation Conference. Although I thought I was going to pass out from nerves beforehand, it actually went really well; people were even genuinely interested in what I had been researching. Always reassuring, especially seeing as my dissertation is worth most of my degree...

So as well as finishing my dissertation and presenting it, something else pretty sweet happened. I got signed! I can officially announce that I am now signed by Capreae Models. You can even book me now! BOOK ME. How freaking sweet? If you do want to do that, just go to my contact page to find the appropriate links.

So to summarise: in the words of Nicki Minaj, I'm feeling like a Boss Ass Bitch right now. And I'm so looking forward to doing more shoots now that I'm finally free from dissertation nonsense.

To celebrate all this? Of course, I went for dinner, because food is one of the greatest things in the world (overstatement? Nahhhh...). I also wore this - I love the colour.

What I Wore:

Dress - ASOS
Boots - New Look

Necklace - H&M

Les100Ciels Launch

So recently I emerged from my dissertation-hermit-cave to go to the launch of the Les100Ciels store in St. Christopher's Place. It was my first ever launch event as a style blogger so I literally had no idea what to expect! My fears all subsided however when I was greeted with cupcakes, knitwear and delicious fruity cocktails.

Les100Ciels is a French knitwear brand which has finally made its way over to the UK, whose pieces range from basic cardigans to quirky show off pieces (open back cashmere crewneck, anyone?) made from ethically made cashmere. Plus, a lot of their pieces are made from something called cashair - the way it's made means you get the softness of cashmere but it's a lot lighter, meaning that you don't get nearly as warm as you would if you were wearing regular cashmere, so you can easily wear these pieces in the Spring and Summer without melting. Which is always a plus! 

If you're a knitwear fiend I would 10,000% recommend popping in to their store for your cashmere fix, or check out their store online at here. My personal favourite was the Slinky dress; it's basic yet classy, you can dress it up or dress it down, plus it was so freaking soft! Here I am wearing it (and resisting the urge to run off with it):

I met some absolute babes at the launch and had a great evening - I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. Thanks to the absolutely lovely Tamar from Platform Creative for inviting me!

What I Wore:
Jumper - Missguided
Leather Panel Leggings - ASOS
Shoes - Nike
Necklace - H&M
Belt - ASOS

(Also thank you to my fabulous housemate Daisy for taking these pictures and putting up with my nonsense whilst taking said pictures!)

India Part Two - I'm on a Boat.

I've got to admit, looking back on photos and notes from my India trip is making writing my dissertation a lot more depressing.

The day I wore this outfit was my first full day in India. Still completely jetlagged and out of sorts, I managed to function somewhat like a human being and went on a house boat ride down the local waters. The houseboat however wasn't one with a motor or engine - it had to pushed along by the owner of the house boat with a huge oar. The owner greeted us onto his houseboat with a lovely smile and we soon after left the dock and ventured down the waters. It was probably the most serene thing I had ever experienced. The water was so still, the horizon was stunning. I actually got the opportunity to try and push the boat along - the owner made it look so easy, plus he was half my size, so I thought 'hey, why the hulk not'. I managed to get the swing of it, however after 15 minutes or so my arms gave in. I soon realised that he made it look so easy because he was pretty much all muscle, which I am not!

Whenever I was asked in meditation sessions before I went to India to think of a calm place, I usually made one up - it was usually one based on a stereotypical travel brochure with the standard 'sandy beach' picture on the front. If I'm ever asked again, I now know what the perfect location for it. Considering my impending doom dissertation deadline is looming, I should really start meditating more and get myself back to that place, at least mentally. I definitely want to go back soon.

Until next time, y'all.

xo

What I'm Wearing:
Bikini Top - Ann Summers (as an honourable member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee, Ann Summers is my go to place for swimwear. 10/10 would recommend)
Dress - Asos
Sandals - Havaianas

(and here's the lovely aforementioned Houseboater! I wish you could see his face better in this photo, damn snazzy cameras and their lame manual light settings)

India, Part One (for want of a more exciting title).

I had been looking forward to this trip for so long; it now feels so weird that I'm talking about it in the past tense. But two weeks ago, I came back from the trip of my life: India. This entire experience was completely new to me - having only been to western countries in the past, I found India to be a beautiful culture shock.

I had always been interested in and admired the Indian culture as I have roots in India. My Grandmother is Anglo-Indian, this meaning that whilst she was born and raised in India, she was brought up Roman Catholic as opposed to Hindu or Muslim. Even though her upbringing wasn't traditionally Indian, I felt little influences of Indian culture as I was growing up - for example, when I started eating solid food as a young'un, my mum would give me curried rice. To this day, it's probably one of my favourite foods. Still can't make it like my mumma can, though.

I don't think I'll ever be able to describe how it felt being there. I was practicing yoga and meditation daily, exploring when I could. I even managed to go to a Temple Festival and an elephant casually just walked across my path. It sounds so cliche, but I found myself at total peace, at one with myself. My stresses all seemed to be put into perspective; I've come to realise that things will, as much as I stress about them, be okay. If I work towards something, I can achieve it. But for right now, it's okay to not be completely secure and have a lot of questions in your life. It's okay to not have all your shit together in your early twenties.

I won't bore you all with what happened on the day I wore this outfit, as all I did was travel for 10 hours. But I will say that I am so miffed that my waistband was slightly wonky in these photos! I absolutely love these trackies, I never want to travel in anything else.

Next week will be part two of my India series, stay tuned!

xo

What I'm Wearing:
Vest Top - New Look
Kimono - Topshop
Trakkies - Abandon Ship Apparel
Shoes - Nike
Sunglasses - Next (would you believe it!)

(I was given the lei upon my arrival at the hotel, and they blessed us upon arrival too. How amazing is that?)

Oh, and here's a picture of said elephant who walked right past me: