Tag: Velvet

Partywear Investments – 3 Festive Looks

This content has been produced for advertising purposes in collaboration with French Connection

When transitioning into the festive season, I often tend to find my overall style moving more towards a dressier vibe. I find myself re-kindling my love for black and whilst this may seem an obvious and somewhat safe choice of ‘colour’ for the winter season, I see it as the perfect way to play around with laying whilst styling together a mixture of different textures at the same time.

This is my favourite season to dress for, and I play dress up with my outfits on an almost daily basis. I’m quite often going from daytime meetings, straight to evening events and so I love putting together looks that can easily take me from day to night too.

French Connection has such a strong collection of beautifully designed partywear pieces and I feel they have really ticked all the boxes this season with a diverse and standout selection. I wanted to put together some partywear looks to share with you that really highlighted this, and showcased the rage of their new collection, whilst still being very much me. Like I said, I really do love playing dress up over the festive season. For me it’s all about having fun, experimenting and playing with textures, and oh my does French Connection have some gorgeous textures in this collection. From faux fur, to sequins, this really is a winter collection that has it all…

With that in mind, the Northern Quarter made the perfect backdrop to shoot the pieces from this collection, as French Connection as a brand has a strong creative background, with great craftsmanship and quality going into each of their designs. It ties in perfectly with the area of the Northern Quarter, as so many creative businesses have previously inhabited the space. It has also become a hub for the fashion conscious, who not only want to look good but invest in quality when it comes to their garments too.

Something A Little Different

When heading out for festivities during winter, there’s sometimes that fine line between wanting to get your glad rags on in order to be the belle of the ball, and wanting nothing more than to head out wearing the cosiest piece of knitwear that you can find in your wardrobe…apparently French Connection have decided you can do both this season, and I’ll tell you what, I’m all for it!

Now I’m no stranger to French Connection’s knitwear, I practically lived in one of their jumper’s last winter and let me tell you, they really do know how to make a cosy pullover. Something I’ve noticed that French Connection does very well time and time again, is a standout knitwear piece. I love the attention to detail that’s put into designing these types of items, from wonderfully embellished sleeves, to in this case, a decadent mesh skirt. The mesh panel is meant to be floor length, however as I’m 5’9, this comes up slightly shorter on me but I still love the way it looks, and it creates such a wonderful silhouette when given movement.

I decided to do a little bit of layering with this look, so I went for these velvet skinny jeans underneath. I feel the two pieces complement each other very well and I love the mixture of textures with the mesh panel and satin hemline of the jumper flowing over the velvet trousers. Not only do the two pieces combined look great, but of course it provides you with another layer of warmth too, which is always an added bonus at this time of year.

I felt a heeled boot finished off this look perfectly. I love this pair as they provide just enough height to elevate an outfit, yet they are still practical and comfortable enough to walk in. They are certainly the type of boots that you can wear from day to night with ease.
For the bag I thought a pop of metallic would work really well. This structured faux croc silver bag is one of those ultimate partywear bags that will go with a multitude of outfits. I prove this point as you’ll see it also works perfectly with the next two looks…

Velvet Jeans | Knit Dress | Silver Bag

Something Effortlessly Simple

This next outfit is one of those ones that I can easily see myself wearing from day to night when I have no time to go home and change in between, yet I still want to look effortlessly glam.

I was first drawn towards this wrap jacket, with it’s gorgeous jacquard print. Each festive season, I always find myself fitting some form of tailoring into my partywear collection. I feel a good blazer/jacket can instantly dress up any look and give it more of an evening vibe. I love the quality and fit of this French Connection piece, with its robust fabric and chic yet effortless wrap design, it’s one of those pieces that you could easily have in your wardrobe for years and pull out winter after winter.

For this outfit I made use of the velvet skinny jeans once again.They are such a comfortable pair of trousers and yet the fact that they are velvet instantly makes them look party worthy. Again, I teamed these with the boots as I feel the two work perfectly together and also do wonders at elongating the legs.

The buttoned-up shirt gives the look a slight masculine edge, whilst this gorgeous faux fur cuffed cardigan adds the finishing touch. I’m a little bit in love with this cardigan and whilst again it’s another cosy piece, it also looks effortlessly luxurious and unashamedly glamorous too!

Velvet Jeans | Shirt |
Wrap Jacket | Faux Fur Cuff Cardigan | Silver Bag

Something To Sparkle

No festive, partywear look book would be complete without at least one standout glitzy piece. French Connection actually have more than a few to catch your eye this season, but the one in particular that took my fancy was this beautifully embellished sequin number. This dress is the showstopper, the one to dance the night away in and likely still find yourself wearing it the morning after. It’s the ultimate party dress and one that will make you feel a million dollars (or pounds).

Again this is another beautifully designed piece with a modern take on the classic sequin party dress. It’s a dress that needs little to no accessorising, and so I’ve simply let the dress do all the talking with this look by pairing it with black heels and the (I told you so!) versatile silver party bag.

Sequin Dress | Silver Bag

So there we have it, a selection of looks for the party season, with something for every vibe and occasion. Now I just can’t wait to begin the festivities!

FC Link

December 3, 2018
Why You Should Do What Makes You Happy

I always say, as long as your intentions are good and you’re not hurting anybody, or yourself, then do what makes you happy. This of course can be easier said than done, as sometimes in order to create or find the happiness we desire, we may have to step out of our comfort zone or take risks. Sometimes we can even find ourselves being discouraged from doing certain things that deep down we know we truly desire. Sometimes the dissuasion can come from others, or other times it can come from oneself. It’s important to not let these ideas of doubt get in the way and you should allow yourself to pursue the things that make you happy.

Your life is yours and not anyone else’s

Relationships, be it family, friends or a partner can sometimes be a conflicting factor in focusing on ones own happiness. We can often convince ourselves that the happiness of our loved ones is the most important thing, and whilst I am in agreement with this to an extent, I also have the opinion that focusing on someone else’s happiness is lesser justified if means making yourself miserable in the process. There needs to be compromise and balance, and if someone else’s happiness compromises your own, then you have to consider if it’s really worth it. Of course there are times when it’s necessary to put the needs of others before our own but when it comes to your long term happiness, just make sure that when making decisions that affect you, remember that it’s your life and nobody else’s.

Boots – Asos (similar here) | Trousers – TK Maxx (similar here) | Top – Topshop (similar here) | Biker Jacket – Topshop | Bag – Pinko (similar here)

You never know what might happen

Circumstances and situations can change so rapidly that where you are today might be very different to where you are in a day, a month, or a year, and so on. As they say ‘life is short’. It’s an overused phrase and with good reason, because most of the people who say it have had some sort of life experience to help them put things into perspective.

Whatever stage or place you’re at in life, if you have the opportunity to make choices to do the things that make you happy, then go for it. Who knows what may happen tomorrow. With that in mind, it’s important to seize opportunities whilst you can. Take that road trip with a friend, apply for that new job, end the unhappy relationship, go on that dream adventure, take that dance class, learn that new skill and most importantly just remember to do you, for you!

It’s your responsibility and not anyone else’s

Lastly it’s important to note that choosing to do what makes you happy is inevitably down to you. We can’t rely on others for our happiness, nor can we expect other’s to take care of things for us. It’s solely down to you to go after what you want, don’t wait around for someone else to make things happen for you. Perusing the things you want in life isn’t always easy but if in the long run it’s what will make you happy, then what are you waiting for?

Samio x

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February 28, 2018
Inspired By Home

I hadn’t intended this to be a home/interior post but I’m going to start by talking about it anyway, because as I look through these images I realise that this is actually the first (although small) look into our house, here on my blog.

These images were actually shot a couple of weeks ago now, one miserable Saturday when Damien and I didn’t fancy venturing outside to get outfit shots and so, we decided to capture this outfit inside instead. And although impromptu, I’m pretty happy with how the shots turned out.

If you’ve read my blog for a while you’ll know that a couple of years ago Damien and I bought our first house together and since then it’s been a long process of major house renovations, most of which Damien and his dad have done themselves between working full time (hence the longevity of this project). So now that things are finally begining to take shape, our house is finally feeling like a home.

I really love the vibe of our home now and I’m feeling so happy with how it’s all coming together. The interiors and the decor really reflect a combination of both of our personalities and for me, in a totally different way to how my personal style does.

I feel relaxed in this space and most surprisingly I feel inspired. And I think this has reflected in how I’ve been feeling when putting outfits together recently.

Whilst I haven’t added many new items into my wardrobe recently, I’ve really been enjoying playing around with my different pieces and mix and matching garments that I wouldn’t have initially planned to go together. I guess it’s stepping out of my comfort zone slightly whilst still being very me.

If you watch my YouTube videos you’ll likely know that I’m obsessed with the velvet blazer I purchased a couple of months back now from Topshop’s London Fashion Week collection (I seem to manage to squeeze it into nearly every styling video). Little did I know at the time that it would be such a trend piece but I feel the style of a tuxedo blazer is one that will never truly go out of style altogether and regardless, I’m pretty sure I’ll keep wearing it anyway.

I’m usually drawn to opting for a quite put together look when grabbing for this blazer but on this occasion I was in the mood to mix all textures and styles. Like I mentioned in a recent post, I’ve fallen in love with my & Other Stories flared denim jeans all over again and so it only felt right to try the two pieces together…and voilà we had a look.

I liked this outfit combination, I felt cool in it. It has a real, I’m really not trying to go for any particular look but this is now a look, vibe (that’s the only way I can describe it). So there we have it, that’s a low down on this outfit and a sneak peek look into our house so far. If you’d like to see more you can check out my home renovations/tour video below and of course, more home/interior related content shall be coming to the blog soon! But for now, I’ll say ciao!

Samio x

Boots – Office (old, similar here) | Jeans – & Other Stories | Top – Topshop (in black, here) | Blazer – Topshop (sold out, similar here)

November 14, 2017
Why It’s Important To Switch Off

Time Away

At the start of last week Damien and I returned home from a long weekend away with two of our friends. It was pretty much a chilled affair. We drank, we ate, we lounged in the sun and aside from the 60 mile bike ride that the guys did on the Saturday (the purpose of the trip in the first place), we didn’t really do much of anything else…and you know what? I really enjoyed it.

Many of my friends would be surprised to know that I didn’t even take my camera on this particular trip and in total I took about ten, rather candid (and certainly not Instagram worthy) iPhone photos. I put my out of office on and actually managed to block out all work related stuff for an entire four days!

Being the weekend before last and so much having happened since then, our little trip away now actually feels like it was ages ago and it’s funny because if you were to look at my social media, it’s as if it never happened. This makes me realise that I (and many of us) really do document so much of our lives online and even when we aren’t documenting our own goings on, we’re likely catching up on someone else’s. When I think back to our little trip the other week, I have such fond memories of the weekend away and although for once I may not have the beautifully captured images to show for it, it still happened and we still had a great time non the less. Whilst I love being able to capture, create and share moments online, for me the trip has been a reminder that it’s so important to also switch off from it all occasionally and here are a few reasons why.

To Help De-Stress

Modern technology and the invention of mobile phones and internet on the go have been brilliant in helping many aspects of our lives become more efficient. However on the flip side it has meant that we have become ever more reliant on technology, especially those like myself who use it as a large tool for their job. So for most people (myself included) our mobiles have become an extension of our right (or left) hand. Basically meaning we rarely ever get to fully switch off.

As a result an increasing amount of us are suffering from anxiety and stress related conditions. It’s hard to say technology in some ways doesn’t play a part. Everything is faster and we’re supposed to keep up and aside from that there is an ever growing pressure to always present our best selves online whilst having to look at everyone else’s. I don’t know about you but sometimes this can all get the better of me and I need a big fat time out. Whilst we obviously have to keep up with our work commitments and the social side of the internet can be fun, we do have to allow ourselves the time to occasionally step back and relax away from it all. Annndd breathe.

To Spend Quality Time With Loved Ones

I’ll hold my hands up and say I’m one of those people who will quite often have my phone out on the table when out for lunch or a coffee. It’s not that I’ll be on it constantly, however it’s sort of a (quite weird) comfort knowing that it’s there. Again going back to the topic of always being switch on, I feel I always need to be alert to check work related emails or respond to a call from my agency. Sometimes I hate it and my habit to check my emails has become an unhealthy compulsion (I kid you not I just checked on my phone then). I think it’s so important to try and live in the moment however and aside from my weird email checking habit, when it comes to spending time with loved ones I’m pretty good at keeping off social media. Unless of course I’m with a friend like L’Oréal, as we’ll quite happily have fun messing around filming each other being silly on insta stories or taking shots for the gram (you know how it is). With other friends however, it’s not always like that and so I will happily step away from the social media when handing out.

Quite frequently these days though I’ll be out and spot a couple or friends out together where one will be on their phone whilst the other stares into space. I guess for many of us it can be the excuse that it’s ‘work related’ although mostly when I see it I suspect it’s just mindless scrolling. If we think about it, if we seriously can’t spare an hour or two phone free to hang out with a friend, or enjoy date night with our other half, then maybe our work (or even online social) life is spilling over into real life a bit too much.

Heels – Topshop | Jeans – Asos | Silk Shirt – Element (similar here) | Velvet Blazer – Topshop | Bag – Pinko (similar here)

The Online World Can Become An Ecco Chamber

One thing I’ve found after returning home from trips where I’ve allowed myself to switch off is that I often return feeling really inspired. Now of course being out of my usual habitat can have a part to play in this, not to mention having time to relax and clear my mind. However I do find that when I spend too much time looking online for inspiration that I can wind up feeling less inspired than I did to start with. Everything starts to become the same and in the process my thoughts start to align with those ideas too. Now I’m not saying I’m ever able to be completely original because lets face it, there’s too much out there these days and likely anything you do, someone else has already done. But I do notice that as all of our interests, searches and likes are (quite creepily) logged with our online activity, we are constantly targeted with adverts, videos and images of thing we already like, so that we aren’t really seeing anything new. The same goes for news and political opinions but that’s a whole other discussion for another day.

Basically we get trapped in an ecco chamber and the reality is that the only way to get out of it is to switch off from the online world and go somewhere outside of our usual zone…but even then, are we really able to step out of the ecco chamber completely (hmmm, let’s not get too deep here). In a nutshell, before I digress any further, sometimes we need to get away from our online world in order to fill our minds with something completely and organically new.

Occasionally switching off can do wonders for the mind, relationships and life in general. Life online can be fun, an escape from real life and for some even a job. However just remember that although it may seem like it, you don’t have to be switched on all of the time and if you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed or just like you need some quality time with the people in your real life, feel free to step back, switch off and take some time away from it all. 🙂

Samio x

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October 30, 2017