Blurred lines: how to wear white platform shoes appropriately

The recent scandal of Miley Cyrus' VMA performance with Robin Thicke caused much speculation, which has quite clearly not faded yet, considering that the amount of feminist and parental monologues posted on Youtube is increasing day by day

Although personally I do believe that her performance was inappropriate for a live-televised family show, I simply cannot deny that I am in love with her outfit and those of the three semi-naked models in the original Blurred Lines video, in particular, the white platform Y.R.U. Qozmo shoes.

I was undecided as to whether to buy the shoes for myself, as they can be worn during the day (surely, they're practically flat?!); however, they are not available to purchase in the UK, shipping and taxes are currently at an extortionate price tag, they are not real leather so their lifespan is questionable, and I remembered that I could work with a pair of shoes I already have....

 

The Jeffrey Campbell Lita Fur (in white!)

White shoes don't seem to be the easiest to style at a first hearing, so I thought I would make myself a challenge and try and find 4 distinctively different, wearable- although that is subjective- outfits!

 Outfit #1: Modern floral queen

Customized denim shorts have yet to disappear of the fashion blogging scene! Here is a pair that I made myself from a pair of my mom's old jeans from the early nineties; I used pyramid studs on the inside of one front pocket and made a triangle design near the hem of the other. A Celine A/W catwalk from a couple of years ago inspired the tucking and pulling of the shirt low down. To complete the floral, indie character of the outfit, I added this floral crown, which I had used for World Book day fancy dress about 8 years ago, in which I dressed up as Shakespeare's Juliet.

 

 Shirt- H&M (Charity shop)

Shorts -Vintage & DIY

Crown-Car boot sale

Shoes  - Jeffrey Campbell

Outfit #2: Miss American Pie

Does anyone remember the Topshop denim American-flag print shorts that circulated 2 years ago, spotted on the likes of Rihanna and Marina Diamandis? Well, this is my slightly more obvious take on that patriarchal trend. I have yet to have the courage to wear these outside the four walls of my bedroom yet (except for this picture), but decided that they would look good with such 70s style shoes. I kept the rest of the outfit fairly low-key, with a plain white t-shirt to not distract from the shorts. I added a black-toned chain necklace and black leather clutch to keep the outfit slightly tough and street-wear-appropriate, and added some grey leopard print sheer socks for the hell of it.

T-Shirt- Primark

Shorts -Avion en Papier (Topshop Oxford Circus concession)

Necklace- Miss Selfridge

Clutch- Michael Kors

Socks- Auchun (French Supermarket)

Shoes  - Jeffrey Campbell

Outfit #3: I just can't get enough (of sequins!)

"Less is more"... really, does that quote still apply in the twenty-first century? Anna Dello Russo would certainly not agree! This is an outfit for a night out on the town. Now, you'd think that with such an array of colours in the dress, that it would be wise to home this focus by toning the rest of the outfit down. Think not! The metallic blue leather jacket is a lot more fun and occasion-appropriate than the typical black. The sequin clutch bag just adds another dimension, as the sequins area lot smaller and from a different colour-way. Yes, frilly socks are present, just to ensure that the outfit is not taken too seriously and mature (and also to prolong possible dance time, as none is lost to blister-examination).

 

Sequin dress- Louise Gray for Topshop

Blue leather jacket -Bershka

Clutch- H&M

Frilly socks-Topshop

Shoes  - Jeffrey Campbell

Outfit #4: Calafornia King Bed

This is my favourite outfit by a clear mile! Channeling Californian Skater Dudette vs LA chillaxed musician, this outfit contains only white and black, which makes it a lot more forgiving and instantly more sophisticated. The John Lennon-esque glasses and vinyl record bag just complete the indie vibe, making this outfit very versatile, for both daytime leisurewear and midnight clubbing. A chain bracelet and necklace keeps the outfit looking fresh and up-to-date (a bit of a nod towards the Rihanna for River Island SS13 Collection).

 

 

T-Shirt- All Saints

Shorts -True Decadence (House of Fraser)

Necklace- Miss Selfridge

Bracelet- Topshop

Bag- Handmade fair

Sunglasses- Huzzar Vintage (London Fashion Weekend)

Beanie- Zara

Shoes  - Jeffrey Campbell

 I hope I've given you some starting points for how to get good use out of white, platform shoes. Which is your favourite oufit? Would you get the Y.R.U flatforms?

talia xoxo

My Personal Style Rules

Everyone, mostly subconsciously, has a set of rules in which they live their lives: go to church every sunday, refrain from meat, work hard, be happy, do what your mother says; this differs due to our genes, upbringing, age, situation, how we're feeling and the people around us. It is the same with fashion. Whether you decide not to wear body con dresses as they do not flatter your figure (as I do), incorporate a maximum of 3 colours in an outfit or never wear flats on a night out on the town, we can each accumulate a list if we think about it in more detail. Here is my (non-exhaustive!) list below:

1. Buy one show-stopping item each season
If you buy more than one, then it's not a statement piece. Wear it to death, people will recognise it as your trademark, 'the girl with the pink shoes' or 'the girl in the tulip dress'. It's a good feeling. When you start to get bored of it, try to style it with different things, things that you wouldn't think would quite work. Trust me, you'll find a way. If it's beauty is questionable, then it's a winner. You want people to stir, to question, rather than to just accept something at a first glance. My first pair of expensive shoes were the Topshop Hi Vamp hot pink suede wedges, which my mum called 'Stunningly ugly'... I haven't looked back since.

2. Invest in shoes
They have to work with most outfits. Black is key, but have a couple of bold coloured, beautiful, admirable heels to. Even though they're more difficult to work with, you'll end up thinking about them more, and thus the outfit combinations will be so much more satisfying when you do manage a winner. Often, you'll find the best shoes when you're not looking for them. Don't hesitate to spend when you do find a pair which grabs your attention and won't leave your mind, this is a rare occurrence. 

3. Avoid figure-hugging pieces on your bottom half
 Personally, I know that they simply do not like my pear-shape. So why waste money, when I can find something which is just as nice and makes me look ten times better? Even if a bodycon dress had a fabulous, unique print, I just wouldn't be able to part with my money, as I know I'd feel self-conscious whenever I wore it, and confidence is priceless.

4. Wear heels at every opportunity
Yes, they may damage your spine and what not, but you only live once. I don't see myself wearing heels at the age of 60, so I've got to make up for it now. Not to mention, the added benefits of leaner looking legs, greater versatility, and simply being taller.

5. Learn how much jewellery is too much
Stacking threaded bracelets from your travels may be sentimental and 'indie', appropriate it may be not. When you're wearing something chic, clean and the focus of an outfit, adding some jewellery just takes away the magic. Less is, indeed, more (in most cases). Let earrings become your best friend: they are never too much. If your outfit is powerful enough, wear subtle studs. If your outfit is boring or lacking a focal point, wear large, statement, sparkly, dangly earrings.

6. Never let your underwear show
VPL is simply unnecessary. It is neither sexy nor cool. Invest in pretty, yet not-too-fancy separates, which make you coo at the sight of them. Ensure you have both a tan thong and tan strapless bra; with these modern inventions being widely available, there is no need for a white or hot pink bra strap to be in sight. You are not thirteen. Even if you are, do not be like the other thirteen year olds. 

7. If you don't have a jacket to match your outfit, go cold
 So this may not be the safest bit of advice, feel free to ignore me if you suffer from hypothermia or some other such health condition. For me, I don't mind braving the chill for fashion. There's nothing worse than ruining a perfectly thought-out outfit. Cavemen didn't use to wear coats, yet they survived. After all; no pain, no gain.

8. If you have clashed two different prints, make sure it is obvious
Don't make it look like you have nothing else to wear. Or you are from 1973. Prints can be very effective, and look extremely high-fashion if they are distinctive enough. But step into the grey area and be warned, you may look more like 45 year-old inexperienced charity-shop visitor rather than the next Susie Bubble.

9. Don't wear too many pieces of the same colour. Cross-coordination is so 2006
Salmon, rose, fuschia, magenta, raspberry... too many shades of pink and you'll just look a little bit obsessed. The same goes with every other shade. It is no longer fashion law for every item to 'compliment' one another. Clashing fashion (kind of rhymes) as come quite far in recent years. Blue and orange, for example, rather than blue and blue, adds an unexpected yet welcome accent.

10. If the nail polish doesn't compliment your outfit, you have two options: REMOVE POLISH or REMOVE CLOTHES
Neither party would feel particularly comfortable if you walked in public without any clothes  on, so take of your nail polish, 1) It is unlikely that anyone would notice anyway and 2) you don't want to find yourself picking your varnish off when you catch a glimpse in the underground station mirrored wall. Nude nails always come back in season, so don't risk it.

talia xoxo

Cinema Outfit and Scenic lake snaps!

 

Here's a quick outfit post of what I wore to the cinema for "Now You See Me", which I thought was a very engaging film. It happened to be a thriller, my favourite genre, but reminded me somewhat of Scooby Doo- possibly the mixture of character personnages and vaguely 'goodies vs. baddies' storyline.

 

I hadn't worn this top I had bought at probably my favourite vintage shop in August yet, and due to its possible 'grandmother' connotations, I tried to keep it young with denim shorts and black leather accessories. Pink is supposed to be a very prominent colour this coming fall, but to balance out the child-like linen and white floral embroidery, studs and a ferret tail ensured the outfit still felt my own.

 

 

 

Top- COW Vintage in Sheffield

Shorts- Zara trf

Bag- Marco Valentino (vintage)

Sandals- Clarks

Sunglasses- Mango

 

 

Coconut Milk Bubble tea with Mango popping boba and Rainbow Jelly- my ongoing addiction!

 

Traditional Polish Nalesniki with vanilla-flavoured soft cheese filling

 

Soft cheese with maple syrup for breakfast: calcium overload!

 

 

 

I've just returned from the Polish Lake District- Jezioro Sniardwy; here are some photos...

 

 

 

talia xoxo

 

Multi-cultural & natural food market (+outfit)

Considering all my recent posts have been quite high on the word-count front, I thought I'd make this one slightly more...vision-friendly! I visited a regular antiques market this morning, followed by a one-off food festival for lunch. The antiques market was a bit of a let-down; the prices were extortionate and the variety was limited. On the other hand, the food market exceeded all of my expectations. There was such a large choice of fresh food, definitely something for everything. Portions were quite small, so it was nice to be able to try a bit of everything, from Mexican, to polish, vegan to ice creams.

 

 

Top- DKNY (vintage)

Skirt- LAUNDRY by Shelly Segal (vintage)

Bag- Marco Valentino (vintage)

Ferret Tail- Market in Warsaw

Sandals- Clarks

Sunglasses- Mango

 

 

Chinese shrimp & boiled egg hard shell cups

 

 

Macaroons

 

Vegetarian Bistro menu

 

Salad jars + fruit water

 

Various fresh breads, wraps, olives, houmous 

 

Freshly made lemonade

 

A pasta version of subway?!

 

Paella

 

'Courgette flower', black bean and cheese tostados

 

Citrus+mustard seed carrot

 

Black sesame and prawn giant rice crackers

 

 

Black olive tapenade & walnut tart

 

Tomato, courgette, pepper and green olive Greek tart with olives and tzatziki

 

Home-made Lemon iced tea

 

Packed stalls from 12-5

 

Modern art & prints for sale

 

 

 

talia xoxo

Outfit: City roaming & Food: Green Peas Eco Cafe

Although they are most commonly associated with seaside activities, I think denim shorts are perfect for hot days wandering city streets. If worn correctly, (i.e. not a bikini/crop top and flip flops), they can look rather chic, far from the 'California girls' ditsy daisy-dukes stereotype. 

 

Making sure the rest of the outfit is quite simple, I've gone for a black and tan theme. I read once that you should have a maximum of 3 colours/tones in an outfit (black and white excluded), and I think it's a pretty good rule to follow. 

 

To make the outfit still look quite young, I've worn a blue lace bralette from Gilly Hicks, and jewellery such as these feather earrings from Topshop and an assortment of thread bracelets.

 

 

Top- Zara

Shorts- Ralph Lauren

Sandals- Aldo

Bag- Marco Valentino (vintage)

Sunglasses- Mango

 

 

One o'clock pre-lunch snack: Snickers and Hazelnut Chocolate ice creams. If I'm honest, the Snickers was lacking flavour slightly. Next time, I think I'd rather get 'Hello Kitty' (Cream flavoured with pink bubble-gum sauce). The Hazelnut Chocolate tasted like a more expensive version of Nutella, with small nutty pieces. I'm not usually a fan of chocolate- to be frank, it's quite predictable and heavy. This, on the other hand, I will happily eat again!

 

For lunch, we went to 'GreenPeas', an eco-café and bistro type of place. For starters, we shared a Courgette Soup. Sounded not too tasty (half price soup with a main before 4 o'clock so we thought we may as well give it a try), but we couldn't have been more judgemental. It was creamy, and had sunflower seeds also. Absolute heaven, very filling, and the portion was generous.

 

For mains, I had the 'Green Sabbath' Tortilla, or in other words, a Spinach and Feta wrap. It was tasty (if a bit too salty- slightly too much feta- for my liking), and the garlic sauce ensured the spinach wasn't too dry. Served with coleslaw and lettuce, this dish was filling, but not bloating.

 

 

My mum had the green broad bean and pumpkin burgers, served with boiled mixed vegetables. It was okay- slightly plain (e.g. they could have served it with a wholemeal bun or pitta bread and some tomato salsa), but the service was very good, as the waitress came and said that the burgers may be dry, and so did offer a complimentary selection of 4 sauces. Overall, a fairly inexpensive and pleasant place to eat lunch, and I would go back to try some of the other daily dishes on offer,

 

 

 

Desert! Tradition Polish 'babka'. This one happens to be with orange peel and mixed nuts.

 

 

Yes, I've eaten too much today. Ah well... that's why they call it a holiday!!

 

talia xoxo

 

Who said only Olivia Palermo could wear cat-eye sunglasses?

A holiday without shopping?!? No, I've never heard of such a thing either.

 

While in Warsaw, I took a trip to the recently renovated Fashion House Outlet. Not expecting too much (as it's not in the centre, I've heard it's a bit of a waste of time), I was pleasantly surprised to find many higher-end brands, such as Stefanel, Missoni, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, MaxMara and Hugo Boss. I did have a look, and many items were hardly discounted; however, I did manage to find a jewel amongst the rubble in the Spanish chain, Mango.

 

 

Say hello to my new sunglasses.

 

Although called the 'cat-eye', (buy similar here), I'd say the shape is a cross between that and a typical wayfarer, since they are less oblong than the latter. I recently broke my supposedly 'hard-wearing' round Topshop sunglasses while on a weekend break to Brighton, so these are the sought-after replacement.

 

I was not expecting a case with them, which was a nice touch. Cream mock-grain leather with a magnetic fastening, and even a care manual made these sunglasses feel a lot more expensive than their RRP of £17.99.

 

According to Oprah's 'Find the best sunglasses for your face shape', this style would work best for those with a Heart-shaped or Square face. I have more of a round face (due to the half-Eastern-Europeanness), but as they are quite oversized, I thought there was no harm in trying.

 

 

The frames from the front are plain black, but from the side are a clear/grey/black tortoiseshell, meaning they would work with most outfits. There is a small 'MNG' engraving on a silver-coloured metal on the side, which I was extremely drawn to as it was subtle and classy. I'm not a huge fan of excessive labels and branding, so these seemed perfect since they are two things that are difficult to avoid nowadays.

 

 

Bit of a selfie to show how they look; now I'm beginning to think that my face is indeed more heart-shaped than rounded. 

 

Just thought I'd share this star find: yes, they are slightly tacky, but doesn't that add to the fun?! These sheer leopard-print ankle socks were about 40p each from Auchan (a French supermarket), and I thought they'd look great with low-top Converse or black suede Creepers. With grey, purple and the traditional brown, I'm hoping I'm sure I can switch them up to suit my mood and match my outfit (if even possible!)

 

 

Now to the most important part of blogging- Food! Here are a couple of pictures of my dinner/evening snack...

 

 

Smoked tofu fried in egg and breadcrumbs= absolutely delicious. I know it would be a bit lacking in flavour for some, but next time I may try it with a tomato puree sauce, sweet chilli or pesto side. Alternatively, I may add paprika or Italian seasoning to the breadcrumbs.

 

 

 

Cucumber, pepper, tomato and lettuce salad with a herb/garlic oil-based dressing; this was very tasty, but I only realised afterwards how many calories the dressing had- 140 per serving! I also had boiled yellow string beans, which are great served cold as a snack or warm as an accompaniment to a piece of meat.

 

talia xoxo