Monotonía is the Spanish translation for 'Monotony' - the mundane day to day, black and white, the daily grind. At the end of 2015, with all the bleak skies and concrete surroundings - its a way I have come to feel. Tedious repetition and routine were getting on my nerves.
Just before we departed London for Christmas, Sara and I were both feeling a bit 'Bar Humbug' and were looking for some new year inspiration. Sometimes we just can't handle the fact we aren't living in the Nevada desert, but instead of sulking about it, it's always better to dream on instead. After endless chats on retro icons, designers and creative folk that we love its only too obvious that our styles intertwine, reflecting our passion for folk, western and bohemian fashion. We needed to channel our musings into a creative outlet and thought it would be a lovely idea to style a series of two paired looks - reflecting our moods and fitting into certain colours palettes. We often spend time, enjoying our similarities in our tastes so why not put it to a productive cause? We figured working on a collaborative blog series, would be awesome and just what we needed, to wake up a bit. After agreeing a monochrome colour palette would be an excellent place to start, what with the end of the year fastly approaching, with starting afresh and on a neutral footing - here we are! Redefining our usual western appreciations with a simple black and white. 2015 - Over and out.
We both are wearing a mix of independent brands, vintage and high street.
Eliza - White 70s Prom Style Shirt - Topshop (similar). Premuim Leather Biker Gilet - Topshop (similar) . Black Bell Flares - ASOS. Suede Bolo Neck Tie - Depop Seller.
Sara - White Cheesecloth Dress - Valley of the Dolls. Suede Gilet - Vintage. Black Wide Brimmed Fedora - Brixton (similar). Fringed Navajo Bag - Boho Bags (similar). Concho Necklace - Nostalgic Feather Jewellery.
Had a little time to stomp around shooting a new blog post, before the Christmas Holiday period truly takes over. I just wanted to talk about this look, as probably my last post of the year, and as it has to be one of my typical outfits, no matter the dress code. Tights are a big NO NO for me, so pretty much regardless of the cold air I bare my bare legs all year round and love a thigh high boot for this reason. I love to dress with a little naughty seventies, rock 'n' flair and always with that laid back approach. Layering on the vintage paisley maxi dress, worn undone over a loose t-shirt, with my brand spanking new fiddler cap is the perfect way to incorporate my inspirations from the past. Patterns, loose fits and mixing with textures! Groupie, hippy, bohemian babe, rocker vibes all the way. I picked up this maxi dress from 5678 Vintage, when having a mooch at the my local - East London Vintage Fair. I always spy really unique and beautiful treasures there so ddefinitely worth a trip, if your around Hackney way - it happens every second Sunday of the month. I am in love with my new cap, a gorgeous gift from my lovely pal Sara. I assure you, it wont leave my head for at least two weeks straight now - (it occurred to me, that I've worn a hat pretty much everyday since September) What can I say? Some girls like bags, lip fillers, real fur... I like hats.
Photography - Sara Waiste!
Vintage Maxi Dress, worn as a kimono - 5678 Vintage. Vintage Motorcyle T-shirt - Beyond Retro. Thigh High Boots - Topshop. Newsboy Hat - Brixton. Cuffs - Borrowed from a friend, Portobello Market.
I am not afraid of sequins, I could roll about in a huge heap of them for days. Which is just as well, because when Beyond Retro asked me if I wanted to collaborate for a Christmas special, I knew sequins would pretty much be the focus. No one really does Christmas decadence with sequins, like a trusty old vintage dress. I love how heavy feeling they are, and usually made from silk - very beautiful, and ideally one of a kind. I was excited to raid BR's party collection and pick my piece. I was hoping to come across something that would fit into my style easily, a Christmas dress that I could adopt and make my own. A full length gown with a side split was in my mind but I didn't want to get too excited, in case there wasn't one. As another alternative, I thought as embellished bolero or a no collar jacket would of been great. Either one, I could wear super easy and give it my usual bohemian, western, rocky style. Low and behold, after not too much digging around at all, the perfect dress was found. It hung on a high rail, so that you could see it in it's full glory and it pretty much dazzled and charmed me from the get go. Loved the deep forest green, and much more importantly - the side split! Bingo! Again, just like my last sequin post 'Party On!' this dress features that gorgeous jagged, feathered edge but this time in a short sleeve. It fitted well, coming up a little big on me, just how I like it. I really like a heavy sequin dress to fit very loose so that it can hang off you, just a bit more of a grungy style. To make this dress my own, I added my favourite black accessories. Vintage leather buckle belt, my leather cowboy hat and of course my well worn thigh high boots, just to toughen it all up a bit.
So Beyond Retro and running a really rad competition right now called Glitter Wars where you can win a £250 gift card to spend in store and believe me, you will be able to get heaps for that amount. You just have to instagram your favourite shimmery pieces and dazzling party finds from their stores or beyondretro.com, and tag @beyondretro and #GlitterWars to have a chance to win. So amazing!
For inspiration, below I've picked my own favourite party pieces from the BR's website. I want them all! Click on each for a direct link. It's vintage of course, so when it's gone - it's GONE!
