style Archives - fashion food

The stain magnet

August 4, 2015 by ellied

URBAN OUTFITTERS clogs (here)
TOPSHOP shirt dress (similar here and here)

Within 10 minutes of putting on this shirt dress, I seem to attract spillages. Every single time. Water is 95% more likely to spray on me than if I were to be wearing any other garment. I can assure you, this fabric has no water-wicking properties whatsoever. I’m not one to care for minor stains, as an art student I’m used to a little mess and this old Topshop number and rather resembles an old painter’s shirt. But, where do you overstep the ‘laidback’ line? I seem to be fitting the wire-haired artist look with the scraped back hair but embrace the stains, become a painter.

Fringing on Friday

July 31, 2015 by ellied

FF – Fringe Fridays – do you reckon it’ll become a thing? Nothing says “it’s Friday!!!” like a little bit of fringe. I mean c’mon, it invites you to swing in celebration as you embrace Saturday with open arms and the tassels brush against your leg in the breeze. Apart from getting caught on door handles, in zips and other such impracticalities, I can find no major fault in the magnificent trim that allows you to feel like you’re about to go to a party. Oh, by the way, don’t ask why my legs were crossed in every single shot…I didn’t need to go to the toilet, no.

ZARA dress (here)
TOPSHOP sunglasses (similar here)
Greek sandals (similar here and here)

Eighteenth Birthday

June 18, 2015 by ellied

Wearing: J Crew dress, Topshop sunglasses (similar), Dune shoes

The past couple of weeks have been very hectic; finishing my final A-Level exams, leaving school forever (!!!), passing my driving test, celebrating friends birthdays and now my own 18th. I’m finally a free woman which means plenty of time for regular blog updates and sharing lots of recipes and other style-related content.

I kicked my birthday off with a lovely brunch with my mum and sister in Shoreditch and a wander round in the sunshine. I’m keeping this post very short and sweet as I’ve got celebrating to do, but I look forward to whatever adult life brings and an exciting summer ahead.

Now, pass the gin *insert dancing lady emoji*.

Spring Clean

April 1, 2015 by ellied

Happy 1st April! A little eager for summer, I’m welcoming Spring with a crisp white attire – which, a green smoothie, some turmeric and a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter later, won’t be very white for long, I can assure you. Wearing white-on-white almost makes me feel as though I’m not wearing monochrome and feel a little less bad about avoiding colour…even though I very clearly am still wearing monochrome? I’m liking the contrast between the ragged, frayed jeans and the tailored look of the dress; definitely an easy way to dress down the open-back Zara number.

Maybe it’s vitamin D getting to my head from the brief appearance of the sun, but I’m feeling a little bit of spring ‘optimism and youth’ and re-living my childhood sartorial choices with the dress and jeans combo – a mix that has somewhat evolved from the days of floral Boden dress and pink corduroy trousers. Someone get the S Club 7 CD on quick.

ZARA dress
ASOS jacket + shoes
TOPSHOP jeans

#UOunearthed

March 31, 2015 by ellied

I was thrilled to be asked to ‘take over’ the Urban Outfitter’s instagram account a couple of Sundays ago, as part of their first ever installment of #UOunearthed. I had intended to write a little blog post nearer the time but the past few weeks have been so busy and I never got round to it (yay for A-Levels). So, below are the photos that I posted on their account on the day, featuring some lovely UO products. A big thank you for having me!

@ellievdunbar
@UOeurope

Bold Stripes

January 11, 2015 by ellied

I don’t know what it is about this dress that makes me feel like I belong in the Sound of Music, but I love the Sound of Music so I can roll with that. I think it has something to do with the bold inset stripes around the collar that mirror the iconic uniforms of the von Trapp children, whilst the flouncy, slightly dipped hem skirt makes me want to spin uncontrollable like Maria von Trapp in the hills. However, I’m not a optimistic as Maria and I’ll spare you my rendition of The Hills are Alive.

Hanging unaccompanied on a rack in H&M, I thought it was best I gave this gorgeous dress a loving home. I had spotted a similar dress earlier on in the year whilst browsing the J Crew website (link above) and so was thrilled when I found this almost identical tunic. The sleek fit of the dress makes the drape comfortable and gives a slightly over-sized look, whilst the cut also fits the figure well. I look forward to wearing this in the summer, when I can finally ditch the Primark tights for a couple of months and take complete advantage of this full and floaty skirt. I have paired it with my beloved leather jacket to toughen this look up a bit and had intended to capture more shots of the jacket but camera issues took over.

H&M dress (similar here)
ASOS jacket
TOPSHOP shoes

I just wanted to briefly mention that I’m going to try to update the blog as regularly as possible, but at the moment school/Saturday job/lack of sunlight life seem to be getting in the way. I have a lot of ideas for recipe posts and other blog content whirling around in my head that I just put my words into action and get into swing of things!

Rouge

January 2, 2015 by ellied

TOPSHOP ribbed crop top
ASOS skirt
NEW BALANCE 410 trainers
GAP coat
TOPSHOP earrings

A bit of quick and impromptu post abusing the back door step. Apologies for the bad quality photos, they were taken on my phone.

Day 2 of January 2015, and as you may have read in my previous post, my efforts to add a little brightness into my wardrobe seem to be going well. It may be a little eager to feature a red outfit immediately following my last red-inspired post, but I was feeling eager wear some rouge. I’m enjoying the red lip and red top combo a lot at the moment – which reinforces why red such a great colour; a matching green lip and jumper wouldn’t quite be the same now would it.

I like this ASOS skirt as the front split is an alternative to the usual side-split skirts, and since I don’t really like wearing tight body-con style skirts, this is a different, cool option for a midi. I wore my New Balance as it was an easy errand-running kind of day, also deciding to brave the weather and not wear tights – I was surprisingly not very cold.

The ribbed crop top is really soft and great for this time of year as it feels like a thin jumper, and easy for layering under coats or blazers. It was a Topshop sale find that I actually borrowed from my younger sister, although I saw it in the shop first *rolls eyes*. After a lot of experience, I think I have established that the best time to ask her to borrow clothes is in the mornings, when she’s half unconscious in bed and will mumble ‘yeah’ just get me out of the room. As we get older we’re both slowly started to accept the fact that it’s better to lend each other clothes. It’s a bit like having a double wardrobe, accept for the fact I have probably invested in double the amount of clothes as her, and so it isn’t much of a fair deal on my half. I have also found that sisters are also incredibly useful for purchasing things that you don’t want to spend the money on yourself. For example, the other day, I saw a black jumpsuit in H&M and as lovely as it was, I couldn’t quite justify getting it as I had bought another black jumpsuit about a week before. The simple solution? Make your sister try it on, persuade her it looks great (which it did) so that she buys it herself, and then just borrow hers when you fancy another black playsuit option. What are sister for ey?

New Year Inspiration

January 1, 2015 by ellied

c4672acb3fabf4294093ce7772025209 Caroline Issa

Since it’s the time for change, I’ve set myself a little resolution that I think I can manage this year. I’m going to take the very, very brave step in adding more colour into my wardrobe. Nothing too scary right? As much as the minimal approach to dressing is simple and classic, I’m having colour withdrawals and seeing as it’s the new year there’s no better time to re-evaluate my wardrobe choices. I don’t think I can quite justify putting on a red lip as the only means of brightening my monochrome outfits any more. I made a vow to myself at the start of December that I wasn’t allowed to purchase any item of clothing in the colour black, however, every piece I had bought since making the statement was in either black or white. So, instead I’m starting now.

I received the Refinery 29 ‘Style Stalking’ book for Christmas this year and on opening the first couple of pages, I was immediately met with a word that has subconsciously faded from my vocabulary – Brights. Don’t get me wrong, I love colour but there seems to be a compete lack of it on my rail. At first glance, I quickly flicked through the images of bold blue two pieces, vibrant winter coats and neon midi skirts spread across the opening pages. Hm, they look great, I thought, but just not very…me? Then I saw the Q&A section with Solange Knowles, the glowing goddess of colourful dressing, who said “sometimes looking like a Crayola box is more fun” and I think it’s time I took the advice of this fabulous lady. Speaking of the which, can I just mention the fact that I have still not quite fully recovered from the photographs from her wedding day. Ultimate goals.

Browsing through bright street style images on Pinterest, I noticed one colour that really stood out for me. I have always loved the colour red, and I don’t know if it’s because of the festive time of year but I think it’s one colour that just looks fantastic and gorgeous on anyone. Move over “All White Everything”, it’s all about those All Red outfits now.

I have featured below a few of red looks that are particularly inspiring. I love the red ensemble worn by Pandora Sykes, which looks great paired with a contrasting leopard print clutch. The eye catching two-piece suits also look great, a versatile addition to the wardrobe for an easy daytime look or a formal evening garment. As always, Leandra gets it right with the split mini, lace and monochrome brogues – which I would definitely work for a laid back, yet stunning, option for a prom or event. I ~~want~~ need those shoes in my life.

Happy 2015, I hope you all had wonderful NYE celebrations and have a healthy, happy (and bright) year ahead.

18a4de87127090a9d37731db9778a588 Leandra Medine – The Man Repeller

360cde95166f03b906d236451c60e38e Image via WhoWhatWear

37587df1d3e5a3678f30243884c028f5 Alexa Chung

Caroline Issa

Pandora Sykes

ba82d9c3ea0f678af58b84c93c80bcad Poppy Delevingne

Gary Pepper Girl

Leandra Medine – Man Repeller

via Vogue

Knee highs

December 28, 2014 by ellied

UNIQLO jumper
ALL SAINTS skirt
H&M socks and bracelet
TOPSHOP boots

Having been absent from my life since about Year Nine, over-the-knee socks have made a very warm welcome back into my life and my chest of draws. I feel like I’m channelling my inner Britney ~ Hit Me Baby One More Time ~ swapping the polyester grey school skirt, for a little chic-er leather All Saints mini. Someone pass the pink fluffy scrunchies.

Deck the halls

December 19, 2014 by ellied

I’ve finally finished sixth form for the Christmas after a very long term, so I thought a slightly festive post to due to mark the start of the holiday. Messing around with the camera, I’ve taken a few photos of some of the decorations up in my house over the Christmas period. Our tree is a mismatch of various decorations collected over the years and I especially love the delicate glass baubles, which seemed to have decreased in number over the year, due to my clumsy self. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a bunch of bright red ilex sitting on the mantle piece and they’re something my mum had bought year upon year for as long as I can remember. Whilst it’s not exactly a Christmas decoration, the gorgeous yellow drinks trolley, recently made by my Dad, is definitely a necessity over the holidays.