ON THE BERET

If you know me in real life/follow me on Instagram, it may be fair to assume you’ve noticed my affinity for little felt hats. I love berets. I love them. I love them with jeans, with little strappy dresses, with off the shoulder jumpers, with my hair up, with my hair down – I just bloody love them. I’ve been wearing berets for years now and I’d like to think I’ve got quite a bit of experience under my belt....or, eh, beret. Here are a few little pearls of beret-wearing wisdom that I’d like to share with you.  

1. When you wear a beret, every day feels like a Wes Anderson film. How can that possibly be a bad thing? I’d choose to live in that sweet, dreamy, perfectly-paletted world over real life any day of the week. Some of Wes’ most iconic characters have sported a beret, mostly famously Max Fischer in Rushmore and Suzy Bishop (A.K.A the most stylish twelve-year-old of all time) in Moonrise Kingdom.

2. A beret completes any outfit. If, like me, you’re a fan of accessories, sometimes you look at what you’re wearing and think ‘what’s missing?’. Nine times out of ten, I’m pretty sure it’s a beret. Except in summer. Berets and summer do not go together. (Despite what the aforementioned Suzy B’s wardrobe would lead you to believe.) See point 8 for more information on this.

3. Say what you want about the beret, I realise it’s not for everyone, but it IS a conversation starter. From the, admittedly not always welcome, “nice hat love” on the last train home to free coffees at Pret and upgrades to First Class on Virgin East Coast trains to Edinburgh – never under estimate the power of the beret. Don’t ask me to explain it, I can’t, it's magic. But I can confidently say that strangers are much nicer and kinder to beret-wearing me than non beret-wearing me.

4. I can’t really explain the feeling when Raspberry Beret comes on the radio and you are in fact wearing a raspberry(ish) coloured beret. It’s really something I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives.

5. When you come across a fellow 'beret person', they nod at you as if you’re part of the same club. NB. They don’t smile, most of them are far too cool to smile – not me, obviously, I grin like a five-year-old when I see someone else in a beret. Am I saying berets bring people together? Well, no. But it’s a welcome change from passively aggressively elbowing each other on the central line.  

6. People may make French jokes, they will no doubt ask you where your baguettes are, or if you’d like some garlic with that but, if you ask me, there’s really nothing more chic than a black beret and a Breton striped tee.

7. Someone once told me boys find berets weird and that I shouldn’t wear them if I want to people to fancy me. I remember, at the time, just sort of nodding timidly, worried that maybe this person had a point. She didn’t, I’ve come to realise. Firstly, how boring for you if you dress for other people, ESPECIALLY boys - that must be exhausting. I definitely dress for myself; I dress depending on how I’m feeling/how I want to feel/what I want to put out in the world that day. I'm obsessed with Leandra Medine and love that she's built an empire around celebrating trends that women love and men hate. Who cares, let's wear what we want and either say something nice or don't say anything at all. Secondly, I’ve discovered recently that there are some boys in the world who don’t just like girls in berets, they actually prefer girls in berets. Those, I’ve decided, are the kind of boys I’d like to meet. So, yes, thanks again for your dating advice and your interesting thoughts on the correlation between berets and sexiness but I wholeheartedly disagree with you.

8. There are some occasions/situations in life when a beret is not appropriate. These include but are not limited to: a club, summer, pubs in Glasgow, when you’re participating in any kind of sport, when you’re watching any kind of sport and, sadly, in Paris - if you want to be taking seriously. (But Pandora Sykes wrote about this exact dilemma recently and to be honest whatever she says is gold so I’d probably do it anyway).

9. If you’re dipping your toe in the beret pool for the first time and you’re after a slightly subtle look, a black version is a great place to start. Also, pairing a beret with a super simple outfit like mom jeans a white t-shirt will help you feel less like it’s the 31^st of October and more like you’re just shaking up your sartorial uniform a little bit.

10. Take some time to play with the angle of your beret (yes, I can hear myself, I know I sound like a pretentious beret wearing chump…but bear with me!). If you try one on and think straight away “this isn’t for me”, be patient. Try tucking your hair behind your ears and tilting your beret to the side (my angle of choice) or bring all your hair forward and wear your beret to the back. There’s always the Samuel L Jackson look (wearing your beret very far forward on your head) because, you know, I’m an advocate of the expression ‘you do you’.  It can take a bit of shuffling around but you’ll know when you’ve sussed it out.

If you’re looking for more beret inspiration, follow these gals on Instagram – @sophiarosemary, @bubblyaquarius, @pandorasykes, @taylorlashae, @natalieoffduty and @dogladyhan.

Also I dedicated a pinterest board to my beret icons with a terrible pun in the title. Apologies.

Sarah x

THE CLOUD 9 DRESS

Disclaimer: I tried really hard to write this blog without using the phrase 'the dress of dreams'  or the word 'dreamy'. I hope you can appreciate how difficult that was.

There are a few brands you come across in life which you feel like could have been started with you in mind. For me, Sister Jane is one of them. They sell beautiful, whimsical clothes for people who love to dress up and sartorially don't take themselves too seriously. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm 100% the kind of girl they are making their clothes for.

Meet the Cloud 9 Dress.

Photos by Love Cloth Blog

Not for the faint-hearted; it's pink AND it has bows on it. My five year old self feels like an absolute princess in it. But it's not too girly: the shirt dress silhouette and long sleeves keep it easy to wear and not too try hard. It's a head turner -  the kind of dress that would be ideal for a wedding or even as a 'oh hey look at me' birthday dress. With my trusty silver boots or even white converse I reckon I can definitely make it work for everyday. I don't really believe in keeping things "good". One day I'll turn up in dungarees and a striped top and the next in a polka dot midi skirt and cami. Sarah Jessica Parker/Carrie Bradshaw (the lines are blurred) and SATC (season 5 and onwards) are solely responsible for this.

(Dress - Sister Jane, Bag - The Cambridge Satchel Company, Boots - Office Shoes)

In a world where we're bombarded with beautiful images every day on Instagram, I'm always surprised when a traditional marketing campaign blows me away. The #AUnicornRide project by Sister Jane features this dress and was shot at Dreamland Margate (which just so happens to be one of my favourite ever places). I very much fell head over heels with the campaign first and the dress afterwards. It's probably because it's what I do for a living but I'm always so impressed when a brand can effortlessly capture the spirit of their clothes through photography. And then when that makes me want to buy their clothes/live in their world, well that's even more impressive.

This is the first piece of clothing I've bought from Sister Jane but it's definitely not going to be the last. I feel like I've found my 27 year old dressing up box and it's bloody dreamy.

Next purchase is this amazing creation (Pandora Sykes rocked it so I'm going to try to rock it too because I love her.)

Sarah x

I HAVE THIS THING WITH...ASOS ESPADRILLES

Today’s post is an ode to the shoes that have graced my feet every second day for the past month or so (check my instagram feed if you don't believe me). I first became obsessed with lace up shoes after watching Miu Miu’s SS16 presentation. I loved the way the detail around the ankles seemed to finish every outfit off perfectly and I also loved how the models looked a little bit like off-duty ballerinas (but not too literally, in a cool way – not a wrap cardigan or too-tight bun in sight). I spied the shoes in question on ASOS when I was shopping for my holiday to Italy last month and a. couldn’t believe the price (£12) and b. had to buy them in both colours. On a mission to pack light this year (for once), I only took four pairs of shoes on holiday: these two, a pair of sliders and a pair of nude block heels. The espadrilles were great for both day trips to the market and evening walks along the beach – they look polished but are much more comfortable than any of my heeled shoes and when it’s 35 degrees, comfort is definitely key.

(ESPADRILLES, ASOS - PINK & CHECKED) 

Thank you shoes, for getting me through the summer in style. I feel like they really deserved some airtime, hence why I decided to write this post.

PS. While we’re on the subject, how cute are these? Oh and I could probably be tempted to buy these too.

Sarah x

IN YOUR DREAMS

Photos by Love Cloth Blog

As someone who has always been completely immersed in the world of fashion and lifestyle blogging (sometimes for work but mostly for fun), I find myself spending lots of time daydreaming about what I would do if I had my own blog. I thought about what I would wear and where I’d like to shoot. I knew I’d always want it to be colourful, I’d want all the images to look a bit cinematic and dreamy – a bit like how I see things in my head.

There are a handful of blogs that I’m completely obsessed with.

Side note: I have a bit of an obsessive personality and I don’t just like things – I LOVE them. If I like a song I’ll play it on repeat for 3 weeks; if I like a scene from a film, I’ll watch it every night before I go to sleep until I can re-enact it word for word (e.g. the crying scene in When Harry Met Sally, the aeroplane scene in Bridesmaids, every single Margot scene from The Royal Tenenbaums), if I like a hairstyle I’ll run with it for months on end until I get bored. You get the picture.

The blogs I love are written by proper content creators: people who, through what they wear, where they go, the words they use and the photos they take, have managed to create a beautiful little world for us to escape to.

I decided to stop daydreaming about my fantasy blog and start trying things out.

I hope you enjoy my little experiment.

(Sunglasses - ASOS, Top - ASOS, Skirt - Zara (similar here), Trainers - Keds, Bag - The Cambridge Satchel Company)

THE STORY

The place: We knew we wanted to shoot in Notting Hill and we actually went in search of THAT baby blue VW camper van that is always parked on the same street behind the station (optimistic, I know). On my way, I saw this building and fell in love. It doesn’t really look like a real place, I thought it looked like something I’d dream up. It was all locked up and on a really quiet little side street – you wouldn’t know it was there unless someone told you. I’ve created a little story in my head about what I think happens inside The Dreamtime Gallery. I don’t want to google it and ruin it for myself, so we’ll just leave it at that.

The day: A Sunday spent with my ex work wife and top chum Kim. She runs her own little corner of the internet (Love Cloth Blog) and she’s very brilliant at what she does. I’m an amateur photographer but a few hours with Kim always leaves me feeling really inspired and I suddenly understand a lot more about taking photographs.  

The look: I feel most like myself in outfits like this. A-line skirts make up the majority of my ‘bottom half’ wardrobe, I’d say it’s 45% A-line skirts + 45% high-waisted jeans + 10% things I’ve tried out but always end up going back to A-line skirts and high-waisted jeans.

The top: I panic bought this along with lots of other summer clothes from Asos about 36 hours before I went on holiday. Thank goodness for Asos Premier. I love this top, I love that it looks like a rainbow and I love that I feel like I’m in That 70s Show when I wear it. It also looks great with super high waisted jeans and my silver boots when I’m going out.

The skirt: I bought this on holiday in the Zara sale. I already have it in pink and when I saw the blue one reduced, it was kind of a no-brainer. It’s a little longer than most of my skirts but it’s very work-appropriate and even when you pair it with cropped tees, it never feels too skimpy.

The necktie: This is 100% a phase I’m going through. I try a necktie on with pretty much every outfit before I leave the house at the moment. Sometimes it works, sometimes it looks ridiculous but I will always try, just in case.

The bag: I work for The Cambridge Satchel Company and this is their brand new style: The Mini Poppy. We were shown a sample of this bag in a meeting about 8 months ago and I’ve been waiting for it to launch ever since. I love the vintage, Doctor’s Bag shape but also that it comes in really modern, fresh pastel colours.

The sunglasses: I think everyone needs a pair of serious sunglasses and a pair of fun sunglasses. These are my fun ones. I potentially look a bit like Elton John/Dame Edna but I think I’m okay with that.

The shoes: I went to Dirty Dancing Secret Cinema last weekend and completely missed the memo about wearing flat shoes. I wore these Kurt Geiger nude pink block heeled shoes with an ankle strap because they looked cute with my dress. As we walked into the venue, I saw a stall selling Keds trainers. I rolled my eyes and said “who’s going to buy trainers at Secret Cinema?” Two hours later after A LOT of dirty dancing in the staff quarters, I was queuing up at the Keds stall, praying they had a size 6 left in the white pumps. I’ve worn them loads since then. Mostly to prove to myself that I can still make good choices after six Pina Coladas and with really sore feet.

Sarah x

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