I spent my Saturday rushing around Leeds with Mum getting all the last minute bits before flying to LA. We shot some film throughout the day as we went; between getting some dollars, picking up clothes for projects, sorting out my slowly dying phone and getting distracted by some pink Gucci loafers (!!!! I NEED THEM !!!!). I was wearing an outfit I loved, in a city I love while prepping to go on another trip. All in all, life felt very good indeed. Also with freshly died and cut hair - huge thank you to Josh Wood for sorting my mop out for me, I love it more than I ever have before and it was hands down the fanciest salon experience I have ever, ever had. 

I can already tell this post is just going to be a good old stream of consciousness, so lets kick that off with the outfit. This look features lots of pieces that I am loving a lot. These jeans from & Other Stories which fit incredibleeee and I bloody love the wash. I got them in a waist 26 and they fit like a dream, another pair of high street denim that I cannot recommend enough. The t-shirt is part of the next Testing Basics so I am going to keep my mouth shut on this until the video is ready. The shoes were a Net-A-Porter sale purchase last week. They're Charlotte Olmypia and I promise to share some close up photos soon - they are the coolest and most holiday appropriate slides ever. Perfect to team with simple outfits to add a bit of excitement to things. The sunnies are also new - from Celine and I bought them in London last week, after being persuaded by Lindsey that I needed them. I have been after some new statement sunnies for a while and have been feeling really uninspired by the selection. These are perfection though - slightly off white, and I love the rectangular shape. They will be firmly attached to my face throughout all of next week when I am in LA. 

Having a day in Leeds with Mum really took me back to my teenage years, where most weekends Mum and I would pop into town to do some shopping and get some lunch. I spent so many weekends there with friends, going to the cinema and sitting in Starbucks for hours people watching, and I used to dedicate so much time to what outfit I would wear for those special outings. I can still remember the first time I was allowed to go into town with a friend on my own too. And then all the many times I did the long walk down to the train station, followed by the long train journey when we lived in the middle of nowhere. All my first ever nights out on Call Lane with someone else's ID because we weren't 18 yet (some of those nights I don't want to spend too long remembering again/can't remember that much at all), then all of my Uni years wandering to and from Headingley and generally living in the library for the best part of two years. All the locations I exhausted for shooting over the first two years of my blog, and the number of times I accidentally found myself in Zara buying far too many things. I love being back there so much, and even though it's changed loads in the past year alone, it always holds so many memories. 

P.S. Sorry for so many photos, I just loved this entire roll of film so much! 

JEANS: c/o & OTHER STORIES | SHOES: CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA | T-SHIRT: URBAN OUTFITTERS | SUNGLASSES: CELINE | BAG: LOEWE 

A big part of the ethos of my blog is sharing the pieces I love multiple times. Things like the Gucci Loafers, my Loewe Bags,  Jigsaw Longline blazers.. . these are pieces you know I love because they have been on my blog so many times over the past couple of years. I have really tried and tested them, and recommend them to everyone and anyone who will listen to me. Furthermore, the fact these manage to cut through the sheer quantity of things I own really demonstrates how much they stand out against all the competition. And this excess of clothing in my life, and how fundamental it is to blogging, is something I want to talk about. 

I have recently been having a major clear out after getting to the point of being unbearably overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of clothes I had. A major first world problem, I know. I was completely overwhelmed by just how much I had. And while this is completely the opposite of the message I want my blog to have, it’s a fundamental part of blogging. I have never counted how many pieces of clothing I acquire each month, and nor do I actually want too as I think it would make me feel a little sick. But those pieces are vital parts of my work; a brand doesn’t want me to showcase the pieces I already have from them, but what’s new in. I get questions and comments relatively often about my stance on the ethics of fast fashion and the sustainability behind it. For the most part I don’t reply, because I am at a loss as to what to say. I have spent a lot of time reading up on the topic, researching the brands that are the most ethical, trying to track back the supply chain of the ones I love. It’s near impossible in some cases, and until I feel confident in my knowledge on the topic I am reticent to speak out on it. Liv Purvis once wrote an amazing post about this, coming from a place where it is hard to avoid involvement in it too which sums up my thoughts perfectly. 

I do always hope that the message of quality over quantity comes through on my blog. Things for my Testing Basics series make up a huge part of what I buy. You can’t get any more excessive than buying five of one type of item, but the hope is that in me doing so and providing those reviews, it means other people will only buy one. The aim of those videos is to further promote the idea of strong pieces in your wardrobe that you wear season after season, but the irony of it is that I have to buy so much to be able to know what to recommend to you all! It’s crazy! And not just Testing Basics or working with specific brands, part of my job is to curate what is available into my own wardrobe. To share pieces and outfits that will hopefully inspire you guys too, and those pieces need to be new in online current season if you want to get the look yourself. It’s a simple part of being good at my job, checking that what I am writing about is still available online. It’s also a vital part of my income through the affiliate links. 

In light of this, I wanted to share an outfit full of pieces you can’t buy anymore. A jacket from Toteme I have had and loved for over a year. It’s my favourite Summer jacket, and I have never found one I love so much. The shape of it is so awkward, and therefore amazing. Some Massimo Dutti trousers that I got at the beginning of this year. They are one of my favourite non-denim pairs of trousers I own. My Aquazzura pumps that I am constantly wishing they would bring out again. These are some of the best shoes I ever bought; so comfy, timeless, look amazing with everything. I love them to bits, and will wear them for a long time in the future as well. The Sunglasses are Gucci, I bought them last Summer in Italy and then lost them a little after. Mum found them last week… they were never really lost, I am just dreadful at properly looking for things. Some of these things are best left to the proper grown ups. The bag is my Loewe Barcelona, I have had this for over a year now and love it as much as I did the day I got it. One of the best bags I have ever bought, god knows how many times you have seen this in an outfit. The t-shirt is new, I bought it last week in Topshop as part of my next Testing Basics. The only piece you can actually go and buy yourself in this outfit. Maybe this makes me a bad blogger doing this from time to time, and it’s something I am conscious of when pulling looks together too, but I think the truth is no matter how many clothes you have there are always ones you cling onto for years and wear season after season. To create content around those pieces is just as valid, and is a step in the direction of countering the excess in blogger’s lives!