Rox & Roses

The Sh*t Shirt Comeback

August 21, 2018

For the first time in a long time, its seems I've actually gotten my shit together and written a blog post. Living the poor student lifestyle I lead, it sometimes becomes hard to keep up an interesting wardrobe, and this is for 2 reasons. 1) 99% of your money as a student is spent on nights out, food and alcohol (oh yeah and rent...). 2) 99% of your life is spent in trackies with minimal effort being made. The combination of this lifestyle and blogging don't tend to go very well together, it must be said.

The outfit you're seeing today is an attempt at looking 'put together' (but what people don't know is, these jeans are so comfy you feel like you've hardly made an effort). Ive been obsessed with isawitfirst.com which is where I picked up these incredible paper-bag waist mom jeans. Its such a good site, kind of like a cross between Missguided and PrettyLittleThing, but really affordable. I've already got friends hooked on the site already and placed a number of orders myself. I love pairing them with with what has now become known as my 'shit shirt' collection. Ive become obsessed with patterned shirts (some are questionable I must admit), because I feel like they make an outfit more striking, and there is something weirdly wonderful and tacky about a slightly naf shirt.

I've made a new years (or august - better late than never) resolution to myself to blog more, so feel free to hold me to it if I end up taking a rather long break again...

// Shirt - Topshop // Jeans - isawitfirst (link) // Shoes - New Look // Sunglasses - Primark // Coin Necklace - H&M //

I can't stop buying clothes

January 28, 2018

I think I have a problem, and it very much involves buying too many clothes that I really don't need. I like to play this game with myself at the moment which I'm going to name 'how much money do I have?'. It involves buying a lot of stuff and then not checking my bank account for weeks on end hoping my card doesn't get declined.

I went into Zara to have a quick look around and may have walked out having spent too much, but with a whole loot of amazing pieces. One of these was these red side stripe trousers. This style of trouser is everywhere at the moment, but I felt this pair had the perfect balance between a tailored and relaxed fit. Paired with a plain black tee and converse and you have yourself the perfect outfit for making it look like you made an effort, when you didn't really bother at all.

TROUSERS - ZARA // TOP - PRIMARK // BAG - H&M // SHOES - CONVERSE

NEW YEAR, (NOT SO) NEW ME

January 07, 2018

It's been a while since I've posted round here, and when's a better time to start than a new year? A new year normally calls for a fresh start, particularly in terms of a re-vamp in style. Slight problem is I'm a poor student who sadly needs to spend their money on food, alcohol (debatable as to whether this one is a necessity) and rent, instead of clothes. The current attitude towards my wardrobe is; if it worked in 2017, I'm taking it into the new year.

I spent a lot of Christmas in a combo of baggy sweatshirts and adidas leggings, so actually getting dressed properly has been something to enjoy recently. I've worn these polka dot trousers from Missguided to death in the last few months. They are such a versatile piece that instantly make you look like you've made en effort, even when in reality you've probably just thrown them on and rolled into a 9am lecture hungover. Being what I like to call a 'fashion student twat' means I never wear a coat and am constantly cold, but when a leather jacket is the perfect piece to go with everything, you learn to suffer for your art (dont' take my advice, its stupid).

Shirt - ZARA // Trousers - Missguided // Jacket - Missguided* // Shoes - Topshop

How to dress when you don't want to get dressed

September 04, 2017

We've all been there. You're hungover. You don't want to get out of bed; and the thought of wearing anything that isn't tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie quite frankly repulses you. But life goes on, and some days it's hard to avoid the need to leave the house - even when you're feeling shitty. On day's like this I like to fake feeling good. Doing my makeup and wearing a good outfit can weirdly make you feel better. For simple day dressing, a pair of black skinny jeans and a white tee are a classic combo that anyone can wear and won't let you down. I'm a massive fan of leopard print, so a printed bag and boots add the colour and interest a plain and minimal outfit craves. Throw on a leather jacket and you have your hungover day outfit sorted.

Jacket - Missguided* // Top - Missguided* // Jeans - Missguided* // Boots - Office // Bag - H&M

NINETEEN THINGS IVE LEARNT IN NINETEEN YEARS

August 28, 2017

23/06/17

I've been meaning to write this post ever since my birthday back in June. There I stood at the top of the Rockefella centre overlooking New York and reflecting on what nineteen years on this mad on earth had taught me.

Its a strange age. You're on the brink of your twenties, you're acting like an adult. You have a job and a house and you can finally do everything legally - yet for some reason you feel like you haven't quite figured out adulthood yet. It's safe to say the last year has been the biggest learning curve for me. Moving out and starting to forge my own life for myself away from the comforts of home has really been a life changing experience. And as cliche as it sounds, it really forces you to 'find yourself'. Life is never plain sailing and people are always carrying stories and problems you don't know about. I feel across the nineteen years I've been on this planet I've been dealt more than my fair share of problems, but it's honestly made me who I am now. So whist I believe I will never stop trying to figure out life, here are nineteen things I've learnt in nineteen years.

1. It will take you many years to figure out who you really are. You'll probably go through some weird phases, wear some strange things and do questionable things to your hair but it's okay - you're learning.

2. It's okay not to be good at everything. School tries to teach you that you should excel at 13 different subjects, but if the concept of algebra has you baffled and you just couldn't give a shit about Of Mice and Men then thats fine; you'll be amazing at other things.

3. Things always seem impossible until they're done. The thought of actually doing something that scares you is always worse than actually doing it, so even if you're worried, feel the fear and do it anyway because it will be worth it in the end.

4. Not everyone will like you. It's a fact. People have different personalities and some will clash with yours. As long as you try your best to be a kind human being to everyone, then it's okay if Becky from year 9 science class thinks you're a bitch because you know you're not. :)

5. Everyone is faking it. I challenge you to find one person who isn't. No one knows why they're here or what they're doing so just go with it and make the most of every situation.

6. Spontaneity is key. Doing things in the moment and not planning everything will make life a bit more interesting - so if you want that tattoo after 1 day of thinking about it or you want to book that holiday to Amsterdam using your student loan, do it, because life can be so boring.

7. Being clever is cool. People may make you think its nerdy to like politics and enjoy taking maths tests, but one day it will pay off when you're a high flyer and living the successful life. You can have brains and beauty.

8. Buy it. If you want the pair of shoes or the dress and you're not going to bankrupt yourself by doing so - then buy it, because in the end life is short and you might as well look good whilst doing it.

9. Good times always follow bad. No matter how shitty life might feel at one moment in time it will always and I mean always get better. It might take a day, it might take a week or it might take 7 years, but it will get better. It's fact.

10. Anxiety is futile. Worrying about something doesn't change it. You could sit and worry about an exam for 5 hours but it's not going to change the fact that you will still take that exam. So accept you can't control everything and give in to it.

11. Boys will break your heart, but that's okay. You will get hurt. Getting hurt is a fact of life. But it's good to go through and it will teach you so much.

(11. 5 - you may think that once you've broken up with someone that you're never going to get over them and that you're never going to fancy anyone ever again but I can assure you that's bullshit and you will wake up one day be over it - so be thankful to your year 11 love, they've taught you more than you know.)

12. Tell your family and friends how much you love them. Making time for those you love and showing them how much you care is always worth it. You never know when you may really need them so having a good relationship with them and showing your affection is a good thing.

13. Exercise can be shit, so it's okay not to look like Victoria's Secret model with a flat stomach and a six pack. It's also okay not to follow a vegan fad diet and live off avocado. Just eat a balanced diet and try and stay healthy where you can. (Also, dancing on a night out does count as exercise because slut dropping is essentially squatting :) :) :) )

14. Doing your own thing is highly rated. Spending years trying to fit in with everyone else and blend in is pointless. Discovering what you like and doing what you want is actually the best thing and people won't think you're weird they'll actually respect you for it (and if they don't they're not worth having in your life anyway.)

15. Social media is both the best and the worst thing. Filters are fake and no one looks as good in real life as they do on Instagram. Have fun with it but don't let it consume you or it will take you down a toxic path that just isn't good for you.

16. Liking fashion and make-up doesn't make you shallow. It's a form of expression and art and don't let anyone tell you it's not. You do you girl.

17. Listen to your body. It knows what to do. If you're ill you'll know. If something's wrong, you'll know. Your health is so important so don't take it for granted because when it's gone you'll resent the times you did.

18. Travelling is good for you. Taking yourself out of your normal environment and putting yourself outside your comfort zone will open your eyes to so much more of life. Experiencing other peoples cultures will teach you so much. You need to go away from home to know where you belong.

19. You're still so young. Not having it all figured out is completely okay. Having no idea what you're going to do after university or if you want kids or where you're going is fine. You're not meant to know. So live in the moment and enjoy every stage of your life in all its glory, because time moves far quicker than you think.

SEMINAR TO BAR

August 09, 2017

I was recently challenged by Missguided to create an outfit that would be perfect for going from the confides of a lecture hall, all the way through to a night out at the bar. Being a student this is something that I have tried to perfect, and something I've got used to doing. Convincing a student to go on a night out is far easier than you think, so being prepared for any spontaneous event that may occur is always important. When taking an outfit from day to night keeping it simple and adding to it is key. A statement pair of leather trousers paired with a simple white tee is always a winner. Throw over a baggy denim jacket for dragging yourself into that lecture you don't want to be at, and remove it and add heels & a bold lipstick for the bar you would rather be at. The perfect seminar to bar look sorted.
Clothes - ALL MISSGUIDED* // Shoes - Kurt Geiger

W H I T E

July 18, 2017

There is no doubting that white is a tricky colour to wear. Not only does it usually only look good with a tan, but wear it once and your new white dress is usually covered in make-up, coffee - basically anything you come into contact with! Besides all of this though, when done right, white can be your best friend - especially in the summer. I picked up this ruffle t-shirt dress in the Zara sale the other day and haven't really taken it off since. It's quickly become a new favourite in my wardrobe as it is such a versatile piece. Worn with a skirt underneath for more of a summer dress vibe, or paired with jeans for cooler days, this is the perfect way off adding some minimal white feels to your outfits.

DRESS - ZARA // BAG - ZARA // SHOES - CONVERSE // LIPS - NYX SMLC 'AMSTERDAM'

'YOU'RE TOO PRETTY TO UNDERSTAND POLITICS'

June 06, 2017

'You're too pretty to understand politics'. Yes, these are the actual words a young male student ignorantly said to me a few weeks ago on a night out after somebody clocked a 'Vote Labour' sticker on the back of my phone.

It angered me like no other. I could feel myself boiling up with rage at how impetuously and casually this sentence had been thrown out there.

Was I supposed to just take it? It really got me thinking.

What makes someone 'too pretty' to understand anything? Why, because I am a woman, should I be put in a category, expected to act in a certain way? It was as if I was being told that because I am a woman, who happens to be a fashion student and takes care of her appearance, I should be resigned to a life caring of only materialistic and superficial matters.

We claim that in 2017 men and women have reached their highest point of equality. I'd like to think is true, however there is a still a long way to go.

Women are still treated like objects of desire and judged on their appearance. You may not even notice yourself doing it, but socially we have been programmed to subconsciously judge someone simply by the way they look.

Now don't get me wrong, this goes for men too, but women often take the brunt of this judgement. Remember Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon when they met to discuss our Brexit policy? The next day the Daily Mail headlined, 'Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!' Nothing about the content of their meeting.

This type of backwards looking and ignorant attitude towards women in politics is what keeps female politicians down; fighting hard to be heard and taken seriously on the same platform as male politicians. It takes away from the female voice and in some cases, attempts to question and hinder the credibility of the words that they are saying.

How is it that we have raised a society in which a female’s appearance is still of upmost importance? And that if you are considered to be 'pretty' by society’s modern and quite frankly aspirational standards, then why can’t you also have a brain and be interested in the world?

I first encountered this kind of criticism when doing my A-levels. I decided to take a broad range of subjects; English, Textiles, Dance and Politics, much to the dismay of my college advisor. 'Are you sure you want to do dance and politics?' he asked me. 'Seems a bit broad?'

Now on what basis other than ignorant naivety does it say someone cannot be both creative and academic? You should not be confined by society’s grouping of people. In fact, the rare ability to be both academic and creative should be celebrated not dissipated and pushed out of you just because it’s not 'normal'.

My degree is in fashion but that doesn't mean that A) fashion isn't a hard subject filled with social and political issues and B) that because of a choice of subject one shouldn't be allowed to understand or have a keen interest in something else, in this case, politics. If I wasn't a fashion student without a doubt I would have studied politics. I looked at many politics courses before ending up with fashion, and I got an A at A-level in Government & Politics studies. Through stereotypes and assumptions though, it's just not considered normal to be this way. But it should be.

Politics is for anyone and everyone. If we spent more time educating ourselves in our day-to-day lives and less time judging other people for their choices, then we might actually end up having a more well-rounded and interested society. Political education is the key to making change within our world. Knowledge is power and without it, how is one meant to make any informed decisions about anything?

The close call for Brexit and the current dismay and yearning for a change in our political system can all be traced back to a lack of political education. Politics is everywhere. It's our daily lives; its our roads, its our hospitals, its who collects your bins on what day of the week. Its all around us. Everyone no matter what creed, colour, gender or sexuality should have equal opportunity to participate in politics.

So, if like me you ever find yourself in the firing line of derogatory and un-informed comments regarding your ability to understand issues that clearly, said offender has no idea about, politely tell them to piss off, and feel smug in the fact that you are not a naive and uneducated twat like them :)

LIVING FOR THE SUMMER DAZE

June 04, 2017

The first glimpses of summer have teased their way into life at the moment. Gone are the times of cold, wet rain; and now is the time for long days and blue skies. Like any typical Brit, the minute the sun shows itself I usually head straight down to the beach. I spent the day wondering along the sand where I spent a lot of my childhood and felt a pleasant sense of nostalgia about being there. The sun was out in full force and so was the summer wardrobe. Light wash blue denim is a massive thing for me at the moment, and a vintage-style denim skirt is a staple for the summer. Paired with a polka-dot tie blouse and a red lip, it gives a throwback vibe with a modern twist, perfect for these long summer days.