#I just wanted to try wearing my new black poloneck

[crowley1990]

Accidentally went to my job at Apple today cosplaying Steve Jobs. Terrible.

[acambridgegraduate]

mostly bland, but add a bit of colour

That’s how I’d describe my sense of style.

Like everyone on this earth, I’ve been through lots of style phases in life, including being a ditsy print fanatic and a preppy uni student (...satchel in tow).

I’ve now refined what has become my staple ‘style’, as it were. Mostly, my wardrobe is made up of neutral (usually black) clothes, with rare features of animal print or understated patterns like stripes, spots or checks. 

However, I do have a peacock-like side of me that is attracted to those bright, flashing items of clothing that stand out beyond all else, whether its block colours of red, blue or yellow, or SPARKLE. I do also have a secret love of neon, but I’m trying to work out how to wear this comfortably...perhaps on future nights out I’ll be able to work it in.

I’m not really a frivolous buyer like I used to be as a student. Now, I would never shell out over £150 on a bright red satchel I would go on to hardly use because I ‘just loveeee’ it. Now I know what I like and what works, I know pretty much straight away how to distinguish a piece of clothing I get distracted by like a magpie but would never truly wear, and items I know I will wear constantly. Who knew that earning your own money and paying rent will make you more frugal…

Here’s a summary of my key items.

Black t-shirts 

A true staple & one I’m never going to stop wearing. Black t-shirt & black jeans combination is basically my life. 

Black dresses

Black dresses are the superheroes of my life. I have 3 that I seem to wear at least once a week each.

I don’t have a full-length picture of the black dress I wear most. It’s a midi black dress from Zara with short sleeves to just above the elbow, with a tie-front waist and 2 x splits up each side. It’s comfortable and versatile, and also looks professional without feeling constraining, so is great for a last min client meeting.

Next is a recent purchase of an ASOS strappy wrap dress I most recently wore to work, and then on a date. For work I layered a black polo neck underneath, but for the date layered a black mesh top and felt sexy AF. Wasn’t too revealing but I was still freezing in the January evening breeze, so I knew I probably looked good haha…

FINALLY, it is my TRUE love. Who cares about men, this black 90s slip dress from Urban Outfitters exists. In summer I wore it alone and felt great. I had hesistated buying this dress because I thought the cut wouldn’t suit someone who has curves, but as soon as I tried it on fell in love. This winter I’ve also been discovering new ways to wear it, with either that same black mesh top as I layered underneath the last dress, or a cream polo neck top and tights/trainers for a bit of a preppy vibe.

Jeans

Basically my advice is to have black jeans, blue jeans, and then jeans in a different colour. I have some ecru jeans that I was scared to wear at first because of the thighs/booty, but I’ve learned not to give a fuck.

Denim Jumpsuit

So I love dungarees, but they always seem to sit too low for me; I carry more weight around my hips and am personally more comfortable with a high waist fit rather than a mid fit. BUT THEN THE URBAN OUTFITTER GODS created this dreamy denim jumpsuit, and I knew I had to try it. I spent pretty much all summer in it as just a stand-alone piece, but in colder months layered it with t-shirts, cropped jumpers & polo necks. There’s something about the jumpsuit vibe I really love, it’s a lazy girl’s dream – I’m on the lookout for a boilersuit next…

Coats

I’m quite bad with coats as I always buy them and then get bored. I’m still on the look out for THE perfect coat and think I’m going to save up to get one like this from &OtherStories, but for now I usually stick with either my plain black coat (Zara), my trench coat (Weekday), or my faux fur coat (Topshop).

Leopard print

THE print of 2018…but I’ve been wearing it into 2019, too. I found this absolute steal of a £20 leopard print wrap dress from Zara over the summer, which was sultry as hell with a low cut (DATE ALERT), but which feels even classier & more wearable on the reg with a black polo neck layered underneath (in all honesty, with nothing layered underneath you do need to keep checking for nip slips).

Also a staple is a basic ‘basic bitch’ leopard print skirt. There’s so many out there (this one was from Zara), and they’ll probably go out of fashion very soon, if not already, but I do keep on discovering new ways to wear it & I’m not gonna stop.

AF1s

I wanted Air Force 1s for about 3 years before actually shelling out to buy my white ones last August – believe me it took a lot of strength to part ways with that amount of money, but I’d also had a really shit day emotionally and was in a TREAT YO’ SELF mood (I remember the purchase very well). But after wearing my white AF1s solely, day in, day out, I realised I needed more pairs. So, now I have 3 pairs (white, black/gum sole, sand/gum sole), and my life is probably (probably) now complete. I basically don’t wear anything else on my feet. I walk to work & they’re comfy, I also like the height, they feel stylish & look classic. They tick all boxes.

(But I do have my eye on some Adidas trainers that are white with flashes of colour too, just again having to justify them to myself…).

Doc Martens

I recently purchased Doc Martens after deliberating for a year and a half whether to get the patent pair or the classic pair…I got the classic pair. After the initial blinding pain of breaking them in, I’m slowly starting to realise all the possibilities they bring, and they felt really robust for walking around Paris a couple of weeks ago. Practical, classic & versatile. Oh and they look on point.

Red

I have a confession to make. Amongst the sea of black and beige, my forbidden lust has to be items of clothing in the colour red. I have red dresses, red jackets, and my go-to for feeling extra is my red lipstick. I’m not sure what it is about the colour, but I do just love the way it pops, and I love the way it makes me feel. It’s the complete opposite to anything I usually wear, so I think it just makes me feel special.

My red dresses are from Urban Outfitters (the same 90s slip as my black version) and Zara (the silky cami dress); the red denim jacket is from Topshop. I would really love to purchase red dungarees next, but as I’ve said above, not sure about the fit…

Sparkle

I’ve actually dulled down my level of sparkle of late, but I do have quite a few sequinned dresses, tops and skirts hanging up on my rack that have only ever seen the light of day at festivals. However, I’ve found a balance between full-on SPARKLE and my usual drab wear in the SAME Urban Outfitters slip dress I have in both black and red, in a black and gold sparkle. Perfect for nights out.

I think that pretty much sums up what my wardrobe is made up of. The curating of my style will probably never end, and I think as I get older I’ll maybe get braver. I’d love to be an older woman who wears bright, daring block primary colours, with funky glasses and even funkier hair. And I think that where I buy my stuff from will probably change over time, too, when I am able to spend more money on high quality items.

In the past I’ve felt the need to dress a certain way to fit in with certain crowds, but now I genuinely do feel like I dress for myself only. And I’m kind of a lazy girl who is hardly out of trainers, who usually wears a black t-shirt or poloneck top and mom jeans, and every now and then has a peacock moment where she parades about in red and sequins. And I’m comfortable with that. Finally.

Sarah