Things I Wear #4

"Just Another Stuck-Up School-Ma'am"

About this post, I am sorry. I had virtually no sleep last night, and this was the only type of post I felt awake enough to do (I wrote a post about the school system, and it came across as so whiny and moany and ungrateful - mostly because it was, so I'm letting it slide until I'm awake again. I might be able to make it coherant and upload it anyway, but for now there is this, far shallower post). I know that this is a pretty boring outfit, but let's deal, okay? Together, we slide!

White bow t-shirt, Johnnie B - It's really loose fitting, with an open neckline, it kind of sits on my shoulders. It's pretty. Um...I used it as a kind of feminine equivalent to a shirt - this loosely fitted tshirt, as I didn't want to go overboard on the whole "school" front, because nobody enjoys wearing school uniform, do they!

Navy Pinafore, Oxfam - I mean, technically it's not a pinafore. It's more like a dungaree dress, but nowadays we call them pinafores. That's a thing, right? I'm not just making this up? Pinafores were worn as decorative pieces of clothing, but also as protective aprons. Pinafores were traditionally "pinned" onto the front of a dress, hence the name. A key feature of a pinafore, is that it is open at the back (like this one, maybe it is a pinafore...) I associate pinafores with my primary school uniform, so it was right for this look that draws on old fashion students from black and white films.

Brown Corsage, Charity Shop - I've always been a bit of a fan of pinning things like badges and corsages where they have no business in being (NB the safety pins I couldn't resist pinning to my pocket). Traditionally they're work to more formal occasions, which made the whole "ye olde school" vibe more potent.

White over-the-knee Socks - These thick white woolly socks go to over the knee, keeping the quite short skirt of the pinafore still reasonably demure. I have no sock knowledge to bequeath to you, but I do have a semi-interesting tit-bit of information which you can ponder, because it makes NO SENSE! At my school, knee socks are allowed. And tights are allowed. Any socks that go over your knees are banned because they're indecent. Explain that one to me? Socks in general, but especially thick woollen ones are associated with schools, which made them right to wear with these things which gives it a general studently or teachery feel.

Ribbons, Carluccios - If you are interested, Carluccios does an Easter cake, and it was wrapped with these beautiful ribbons in a peach colour, a yellow and a little blue ribbon. Not to let them go to waste, they are tied up in my hair today, behind my fringe and above my bunches, but I do intend to incorportate them into the clothes I am designing at the moment for six to nine year olds. More on that some other time.

Denim Hairband, Claire's - I used to pin back my fringe all of the time, now I tend to carry one just in case my hair gets all up in my business - I mean my eyes.

Burgundy t-bar shoes, Topshop - See my post from two days ago for information about these.

Well, I tried. I tried after getting no sleep. I promise to be back with quality content tomorrow. Many thanks, Bella Fern xx

Things I Wear #3

"I Don't Think We're In Kansas The 1950s Anymore" 

This look was inspired by Dorothy, hence the name - "I Don't Think We're in Kansas the 1950s Anymore", due to the fifties twist in the polka dots. The dress is a purply blue with white spots, I bought it and had to dig out my red shoes to give this a go. I love emulating film characters - not quite cosplay, but a little more than just stealing their style.

Polka dot blue cotton dress, Primark - I tend to not own things from Primark, but I saw this yesterday and I thought it was lovely. The cut is like my favourite denim smock, but it is blue with white polka dots, and I thought it was cute modern take on retro. I might have to invest in a detachable peter pan collar...Polka dots hearken to the 1950s, summing up the best of Mad Men-era America: optimistic, prosperous, ostensibly prim, but also dizzyingly energetic, the atomic age dissolving into particles before our eyes. Most clearly, polka dots suggest simplicity, fun, childhood (with a bent towards girlishness), which is adorable and makes an otherwise plain dress pretty cute. I rolled up the sleeves because they were quite long on my short arms, as it's a size too big, which gave them a little poof! Dorothy wore a blue dress over a white blouse in the film, The Wizard of Oz.

Blue bow hairband, Claire's - The bow has thin blue stripes on white, and also has the occasional pink flower pattern. Hair bows have been prominent since the Victorian era, and were dubbed Alice bands after Alice was seen wearing them in Through the Looking Glass. They have long been a symbol of femininity. Dorothy herself wore her hair plaited and tied with two bows similar to this - my hair is too layered to plait in this way, so I had to approximate.

White Socks with Red Bows, Partica - These socks came as part of a costume from Partica, assuming from where I found them in my room (in the dressing up box in a Partica bag?) These silk white ankle socks give the whole outfit a very childlike appearance, whilst tights would give the opposite effect. The large frill and the red ribbon give them a goofy, geeky effect which matches the shoes.

Red Martie T-bar Mary Janes, Topshop - The red shoes are the statement of this look. They, in truth are relatively dark, almost a burgundy outside of sunlight, but outside they sparkle almost like Dorothy's. Although less popular than in the past, T-bars remain a timeless classic of children's fashion and, for many people, a symbol of childhood. I used to wear shoes like this to school (in black) and used to hate how hopelessly babyish they were, but now they come across to me as quirky and sweet.

 

Things I Wear #2

"Why the fuck do my tights look blue they're GREEN!"

Considering it is the Easter holidays, and I get to wear my own clothes everyday (I live in the UK and go to a school with a hideous school uniform) I thought I might make the most of that fact so I figured, especially because the last one yesterday quickly became my second most popular post, that it might be nice to do another post like it.

This one is entitled "Why the fuck do my tights look blue they're GREEN" because in all of these pictures, no matter what angle I had the camera, whatever lighting I was in, flash, no flash, I couldn't make them look the tealy green that they are. Ahh, well.

Blue Babydoll Smock Dress, Charity Shop - Today I am wearing a grey-ish blue denim dress which I bought from a charity shop in my local village, sort of a smock cut so it doesn't go right in at the waist. The sleeves are quite baggy and are turned over at the ends which makes the whole thing quite neat. The stitching is done in a far darker colour, which is quite nice, and it has a long silver zip that runs right the way from the back of my neck to my waist. The exposed zip is typical of punk fashion, but the grey-blue denim equates more to grunge. The loose cut of the dress would associate it naturally with grebos and moshers in the 1990s, which was a grunge-skater subgenre, which included those who did not skate.

Green Tights, Ebay - I am all about brightly coloured tights, especially with plainer dresses. They add a pop of colour and are fabulous for the spring and autumn times, when you feel in a summery mood still/ already, but it is just too cold to go barelegged. Or you cannot be arsed to shave your legs. These are a tealy colour, edging more to the green - but none of these photos really showed that, which is a shame.

Dr Martens - these are the same as yesterday's post, look there for more information.

Pink Rose Hairband, Claire's - This dusty hairband sits perfectly behind my awkwardly emo friend, giving the entire outfit a slightly more feminine, softer vibe. It actually matches my lipgloss, which was, incidentally, Soap and Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss Stick in the shade Bashful. The flower crown fashion is currently quite big in Tumblr-esque fashion (argued as the current definitive trend here), but this is a less obvious alternative.

Ear Cuff, Claire's - I really want to get my lip pierced, and whilst my family are fine with it, my school would not be. So this is an ear cuff from Claire's accessories, worn on my lower lip. Because necessity is the mother of customisation! Facial piercings were a large part of punk fashion and remain to be one to this day.

Fall/ Winter - 2014/15 Trends

Fall/ Winter - 2014/15 Trends

Pretty sure I was way too late to catch up with the summery trends bandwagon, but that's okay because the fall, winter and pre-fall (I know what it is, but why do you exist, pre-fall?) runway shows have just packed up so I thought I might give a short commentary on a few of the trends.

One of the more exciting trends, in my humble opinion, were the fantasy inspired clothes we saw from brands and designers such as Dolce and Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Mary Katrantzou and Jun Takahashi. Think Kalel Cullen's "Wonderland Wardrobe". I personally can't wait to sew myself a Little Red Riding Hood cape, which I've wanted to do ever since my sister bought herself a Survey Corps costume, but for many of us this Game of Thrones-esque trend might just involve wearing chunky riding boots or going more formal with a lace and mesh, almost ballroom inspired dress. It's very pretty but also reasonably strong and almost masculine. The colours seem to less typical of the red fall colours often exhibited, instead tending to lean more towards fir greens and dark purples - a far more regal looking palette.

The items below from the fantasy ideas show a few of the more popular facets shown within this trend - large, oversized shawl-cape things beridden with images of animals; dresses with heavy boots, made in plush materials such as velvet with mesh overlays, with intricate stitching; longer, more formal dresses that could easily be worn by a harsh queen in a fantasy program or film.

Mui Mui, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, St Laurent and Valentino seemed to be bringing back the trends of the 1960s - with mini skirts, trapeze dresses, Mary Janes and pastel colours on the catwalk. I am less excited about this trend (I'm way too short to pull off the long, elegant lines exhibited, which would look more in place on, say, Twiggy) but the colours are incredibly nice - they give the whole look a "babydoll" feel according to Vogue, and I have to agree.

Alexander McQueen, Fendi, Roberto Cavalli, Versace and Pucci but to name a few exhibited fur coats on the runways, which I found a little upsetting. I mean, I do understand that we eat meat, and we do use leather but the skinning of animals for fur is particularly harsh as the fur tends to come from animals we do not eat, causing massive waste. The coats were striking, but also gave across slightly odd Cruella deVil vibes, which I am pretty sure they were not going for.

SO, I've discussed a few things that might be coming into shops this winter and fall, but what do you think? What would you have liked to have come back in (I personally was crossing my fingers for lolita to make it big in Western fashion, but hey!)?

Bella xx

Things I Wear #1: "I Wish I Was In Freaks and Geeks"

Things I Wear #1: "I Wish I Was In Freaks and Geeks"

I do find fashion interesting, less so trends, but definitely clothing. I see what we wear as an expression of who we are - a less permanent tattoo. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, people judge you and decide things about you immediately. And that's why it took me so long to upload anything clothing related.

So I thought I would do a "What I Wear" thing, known to pretty much everyone as an "Outfit of the Day", except I only wear one outfit each day so how can you have an "Outfit of the Day", occasionally, maybe once a week, once a fortnight. This one is "I Wish I Was in Freaks and Geeks" which was a fabulous show that ran for only one series (wipes a solitary tear away.) I also thought that, because I'm doing GCSE textiles and it does interest me, I might do a little more commentary of things.

I wore these things today just being out and about in my local village, but to be honest I would wear the same thing at something more formal. It consists of;

My darling Dr. Martens - these were limited addition about two years ago and are now beginning to scuff. They were really muddy today, but that was okay because I like to draw ideas for clothing from grunge and punk fashions. They're quite feminine though, because of the pink flower design. Doctor Martens were created by a German soldier in World War II, Klaus Märtens, who injured his ankle whilst skiing. They became popular amongst punks in the late 1980s, and became more mainstream with the rise of grunge fashion in the 1990s.

Capezio seamless ballet tights - because I have an inability to wear normal tights (I feel weird in see through tights and black tights aren't my thing), and I couldn't find any of my brightly coloured tights to match or clash appealingly with the skirt, I resort to wearing my ballet tights all the time. I have to wear seamless for exams so they're the only ones I own, but to be honest I think seamed ones are nicer looking. There's not really a fashion story for this one...

Topshop Red Tartan Skater Skirt - I have no idea what it was originally called, but I really liked it and I got it just after Christmas when people were returning things - it was previously out of stock. It's got this amazing pure black and red tartan pattern, but also right the way down the back it has an exposed metal zip which goes right the way down. Technically you're meant to wear it the other way around with the zip all the way down the front, but it felt a bit weird to me. Although with it at the back I am constantly afraid that it will come undone and my skirt will fall off... Because tartan was originally associated with British and aristocracy, when worn in the late 1970s by punk men and women in unconventional ways it was used as an anti-establishment symbol. 

Grey Beatles Abbey Road Tshirt - This I don't know where it was from, a friend of mine brought it once to a rehearsal of a play, saying she didn't want it anymore. It's grey with the famous Beatles Abbey Road photograph in a darker grey, and that's really all there is to it.

Cheap Monday Denim Jacket - The denim jacket goes up to my ribs, the sleeves are wayyy too long so I rolled them up. The metal buttons have this really nice, Alexander McQueen-esque depiction of a smiling skull which is really cool, and the stitching is in a brown-ish yellow, so it matches the yellow stitching which is trademark of Dr Martens. It's a heavy denim and quite a light one too. Whilst denim jackets were originally created for the work place to protect the body, due to companies such as Levi Strauss they have been popular since the early 1900s.

Fall Out Boy Necklace - This totally simple necklace I made over the Christmas holidays. I took a cardboard present label, wrote the insignia "Do not open before Christmas", threaded it through a chain and voila! A subtle tribute to the song "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued", that doesn't lead to constant questions.                                                                                                                 Bracelets - Bought from a seaside stall, one is leather and blue with a heart catch, and one is some gemstone cut on elastic.

Bella Fern x