Outfit Post: Lace Up

I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m head over heels for London. London is the love of my life. It was just meant to be, even as a teenager growing up just a short train ride away I knew London is where I needed to be. In my late teens, I found the pace of learning in my school painfully slow so I was under-stimulated and demotivated. I would find myself on a train excitedly hurtling towards my city instead of whiling away my day staring out of a classroom window.

I spent my days exploring and taking everything in, walking miles around Oxford Street, Soho, Leicester Square, Covent Garden. They feel like my backyard now. Seventeen years into our love story and I’ve seen all sides of London. Nowhere else will be my home but the rose-tinted specs are off and I can see the downsides to living in London too. The rent and cost of living are astronomical, for this reason I’ve seen many people “do the London thing” then settle outside of the city, with space and fresh air and that quality of life thing that seems so elusive.

For me, it’s essential to live in London for my career not to mention the incredible food and arts scene. It also helps that London is incredibly well connected, it couldn’t be easier to hop on a plane from half a dozen airports. That doesn’t make it any easier on a bad day or week though. You learn very quickly in London to toughen up…but also to rely on your friends for support. Friends are the lifeboat on the often turbulent London seas.

I’m lucky to be surrounded by some really incredible people and I’m a strong believer in supporting your tribe. The way I see it, we have a responsibility to look out for each other and lift each other up. Words of encouragement and support are great; actions are even better. That’s why, when my dear friend Tinuke said she wanted to take on some photography projects on the side, I was first in line to book her.

Truth be told, I’ve been looking for a proper photographer to work with for ages. I know the direction I want to take my blog in, photography is such a key part of that and who better to collaborate on that with than someone I’ve known for a decade?! This is the first shoot of many with Tinuke and I couldn’t be more pleased with how the images turned out. I’m equally excited to share my outfits on my blog and support one of my best friends in her endeavours too!

In my previous post, I talked about how I’m being increasingly inspired by Instagram. I love discovering new brands and micro-trends as well as double tapping everything as I scroll down my feed. I spotted a few girls looking dope in lace-up jeans and gingerly ordered a pair from Lasula, with an equal chance of loving and hating how they looked on. The cut is SUPER skinny and after doing the wriggle and jump to get into them, I fell in love. They fit perfectly and have such an effortlessly rebellious edge. I threw on a studded tshirt by Finders Keepers and my favourite navy Jimmy Choos to complete the neutral palette. I added some sass and an injection of colour with my super fun faux fur clutch by Shrimps, which I don’t carry nearly as much as I should.

And there you have it, a very long and winding introduction to my new weekly Sunday style posts. Thanks so much for reading this far, you definitely need to put your feet up with a cuppa now!

To contact Tinuke about shooting, pop her an email.