Friday Lookbook: Time Warp
If you read my post 'Throwback Wednesday' you will know that I have been feeling more nostalgic than usual this week and have been sifting through albums, photos and diaries that reveal a different me from the past and that relates to fashion too. So much has changed since I have been blogging and the evolution of my personal style has been a strange one to proccess. We all have our moments when we wonder what on earth possessed us to wear such hideous outfits but then I think to myself style is a learning curve and what we call mistakes is in fact just an evolution. Things come and go out of fashion all the time and looking back at photos from when I was younger is like looking at a different person. It wasn't until I was 15 that I had a concept of what fashion was as before all my clothes were brought for me until I got a job working as a waitress and I had more disposable income to spare. Suddenly all the money I earnt went on clothes and it felt liberating carving out a new identity for myself. I was not blessed with looks but what I lacked in aesthetic appearance I made up for in my interpretation of fashion. It was like a lightbulb moment; for the first time I controlled what I wore and it felt like a gulp of well earnt freedom.
Of course not every outfit or fashion choice I have made has been a good one but I wouldn't change a thing because it is a memory worth keeping. It reminds us that we change, we grow and we develop and spending too much time worrying about what we are wearing will make us stressed and it is better to live by our own rules than other peoples.
Monday
One of my proudest moments was graduating from university with a first in English Literature, English Language and Education and Social Sciences and this was the dress from Chi-Chi London that I wore for my graduation ceremony. But my day was bitter sweet, there are photos that I brought from the ceremony that I can no longer look at because there are certain people who are no longer my friends and it ended very badly. They took over my family photos and family members were gushing over how lovely they were. If only they knew but whats past is past and there is no point on dwelling on it. Looking at this picture is like viewing snapshots of my day and the reason why this picture is important to me is not because of who is in it but what it represents and that is the closing of a chapter in my life. From student to where I am now I have overcome and faced more obstacles than I thought was possible but I survived and proved that everyone was wrong ;I was not a nobody but a somebody and that is an ethos I strongly believe in. I may not be the most successful person or have the strongest self-conviction and esteem but I am truly proud of how far I have come and what I have achieved in the last three years.
Outfit: Dress- Chi Chi London, Heels- Ebay
Location: ST Mary's University Grounds
Date: July 2015
Tuesday
They say that your first year of university is often the best and honestly I think they are right, we went clubbing two or three times a week, went out for meals, had takeaways and met some fabulous people on the way. This memory is from May 2014 where we all went to Thorpe Park which FYI I love theme parks and would quite happily go every day if I could! It was one of my best memories from university because it was before the honeymoon period was over and everyone began breaking off into cliques or breaking off contact altogether. I also really loved the floral trend in my first, second and third year of university and would buy as many floral dresses as I could possibly afford to keep my wardrobe bulging to the seams. At this point most of us lived in dorms and ate on campus so there was a wonderful sense of community which was lacking in second and third year. About twenty of us went to Thorpe Park and it was a gorgeous spring day so we took advantage of the parks scenery by staging amateur photoshoots and it was a lot of fun. Below is me, Erz and my two best friends Nadia and Justin and it is the last good photo that we have with Erz before he moved back to Manchester.
Outfit: Jacket- Berksha, Dress- Vintage, Shoes-Primark
Location: Thorpe Park
Date: May 2014
Wednesday
Don't I look sombre in this photo! This was from my last summer with my university friends and we were really cherishing the little time that we had together in the house ( There was five of us in the house Nadia, Justin, *S, *D). The irony is that in the last few months that we had left in the house *S and *D turned out to be not who I thought they were and was often malicious, belittling or two faced and trust me once we had left that house those friendships were over. With *D he was at the time going out with one of my best friends *A who to be completely blunt was a f***king b***h and would make me feel like crap all the time, manipulating me into being her puppet and I was the only person who stood by her and gave her a second chance. But I have no regrets and there were happy times in the house too, movie nights, watching Family Guy & American Dad and teaching my friends how to cook Indian food.
Outfit: Dress-Nazz Collection, Shoes- Lily Lulu
Location: Strawberry Hill
Date August 2015
Thursday
It was my third year of university and I was celebrating my 21st birthday with some of my friends and we split the celebrations into three different days. This was from the second day where the previous night it was a school disco themed party and we were all feeling a little tender. To be honest that night I drank to take away the pain and anxiety I was feeling about personal issues that were going on at the time and I spent the whole night crying and feeling sorry for myself which to be honest I had right to be as there was some heavy s**t going on. I have never liked birthdays and they always seem to not live up to expectations and except from my 22nd I always felt a little down. The second event was a lot more fun, we went out for a meal and then clubbing after with some of my closest friends and it was a night I will never forget.
Outfit: Jumpsuit- Bank, Necklace- Next
Location: Twickenham
Date:September 2014
Friday
It might not be the best picture but it holds special significance to me today as this was a photo from my very first collaborations with brands 'Mink & Stone' and Stylestorm who gifted me this gorgeous jumpsuit and rose applique pearl bracelet and I am forever grateful to them for believing in me from the very start. It showed me that I could prove everyone wrong and make something of my life and be the woman I had always dreamed of being. And look at me now, I might not have the biggest following but what I do have is a loyal fanbase that has supported me through uphill struggles and showed me that our negative life experiences is what makes us stronger not weaker. Don't be ashamed to ask for help because it is not a weakness but a strength.
Outfit: Jumpsuit- Stylestorm, Boots- H&M, Sunglasses- Sheinside, Bag- Primark, Bracelet-Mink&Stone
Location: House Garden
Date: July 2015
What is your favourite throwback memory?