Sea What I Did There?

For as long as I can remember, I've loved the ocean. I'll always swim if I get the chance - no matter how cold the water. I'm the first one in, last one out. I never hesitate to dunk my head under. Just seeing the ocean, being near it makes me happier, adds a spring to my step. I don't know why this is exactly. Certainly, childhood nostalgia and fondness play their part. But there's something else there. The active feeling of being surrounded by something so much bigger and more powerful than yourself, that could easily crush you but instead lets you float, splash, have fun, is comforting and terrifying and humbling all at the same time. And, of course, it's beautiful. Throat-catching, eye-watering, life-affirmingly beautiful. I could stare at it for hours and photographing it is always a delight. 

So, as I spent an evening by the sea with my parents - two of the best people I will surely ever know - and thought about how pointless most of my worries were in the grand, beautiful, pointless scheme of things I realised that nothing needs meaning. It just is. And we can spend our lives being grateful for every gorgeous thing around us rather than searching for something more. I'd rather enjoy it while I'm here than look past it.

Wow, this ootd got way out of hand. 

My point is, here's an ootd. It's uber-pointless. But with the surroundings and the light, it looks nice and it makes me happy and my eyes crinkle with fondness for my parents and that day. And, surely, that's more than enough.

Photos of me by Daddy - all else by me.

Jumper - Vila - Parka - Pimkie - Trousers - DECK- Shoes - Next - Sunglasses - Topshop 

Outfit post - That rare and wily beast.

An outfit from the other day - quite cutesy but made up of classic, timeless pieces. It's a good example of the days I wear something very put together when all I'm doing is emailing and stuff at home. The boots and bag are some of my all-time favourites and are pretty stand-out pieces on their own. To avoid the look becoming overly busy, I maintained a largely neutral palette of browns, greys and cream. The blue of the dress is the only real colour. A Ralph Lauren piece that is a show-stopper on its own, it equally styles well when layered with other pieces. The material is shirt-like and so crisp and lovely. 

On a side-note, sorry I've been so crap about posting. I've been both busy and mopey - a deadly combination! Expect more in the coming days.

Dress - Ralph Lauren - Jumper - Vila - Belt - Zara - Beret - Penney's - Boots - New Look - Satchel - I can't find a label. 

Long skirts and jumpers.

And donuts because they were damn tasty AND looked pretty.

I apologise for nothing.

Grown-up goth.

Like most sub-cultures, goth makes me think of youth. I was never super into the music but I've always adored the beauty of the fashion. Few genres of music inspire the same level of dedication and creativity through clothes. A lot of my teens were spent flirting with goth and punk fashion. However, though I don't feel (at twenty) that I'm old, I do feel I'm too old for some of the things I used to wear. Very few people don't look ridiculous in these clothes beyond their teens. It's just a little too literal, a little juvenile. Not true for everyone, of course, as there are those people who dedicate themselves and their lives so completely to genres, make them a way of life, that you cannot help but nod appreciatively. For those of us who aren't quite so epic, we have to learn how to, not lose who we were, but integrate that into becoming an adult. That means being a little less obvious, a little less costumey. Looking like an Anne Rice character is cute when you're fifteen but not when you're going for job interviews. But you don't want to lose yourself to being age appropriate. How to balance it? Do a Booth and only let your personality shine through socks and ties? Or maybe we can just learn to think about things in more abstract ways. Fashion houses are great educators of this idea. Retain that punk or goth aesthetic through a colour palate, materials or hints of sub-culture that are included in unexpected ways. What I'm wearing today isn't even a particularly subtle example of this; We have a largely black palate with some red thrown in for colour, use of lace and sheers, a crucifix and cameo. Worn differently, all these elements would be too much, too literal but here they are tamed by the simple wardrobe staple, the classic black skinny (which transcends every age group), by inversion of typical goth silhouette and layering. The goth silhouette is usually baggy on bottom and tight on top; as when poofy little skirts or longer flowy ones are paired with corsets. Here, I'm wearing tight pants with loose, baggy layers on top. I have layered a kimono-like jacket over a Peter Pan collared shirt over a corset-inspired tank. This adds depth to the outfit, layers of interest and layers of influence; Japanese fashion, sweeter, preppy trends and more stereotypical gothic clothing. The hair and makeup (or lack thereof) is pretty casual and neutral, again, not giving in to the obvious or costume by slicking on some black lipstick. 

See, the thing is, as adults we're so much more than one genre. We've experienced so much more and moved on from the hurt and pain and general shittyness of being stuck in the ether (and secondary school) and we no longer need to hide behind our music. When we're adults that music, life-shattering, altering and bettering as it may have been, is just one part of the many things that make us unique. It's no longer everything about us. So, when I make my goth a little more grown-up and try to age gracefully, I'm not forgetting my past but I'm letting it fit in better with my present and my future x

Corset-inspired tank - Vila - Shirt - Two Tone - Kimono-like jacket - Vintage (says its from Paris but nothing else) - Skinny jeans - Pieces - Crucifix - Topshop - Cameo brooch - Gift from Italian friends - Runners - Office