Happy Valentines and a Mention in Metro

Posted on February 15, 2013 by admin

Dress – Oxfam Fashion
Shoes – Dream in Green
Scarf – Charity Shop

I hope you had a lovely Valentines Day. Here is new (old) red dress that arrived just in time from Oxfam online. Although I didn’t go out for Valentines Day as we didn’t have a baby sitter, I think it is important to make an effort after nearly 14 years or marriage, hence the red dress, a rare night off work, a bottle of fizz and the meal for two from Waitrose for me and Mr Style Eyes.

For anyone that lives in London that reads the Metro, you may have seen an article with some sustainable style tips in Tuesday’s edition. That is me at the bottom of the page next to Livia Firth! I was really excited to get a mention for my sustainable fashion website style-is.co.uk and really honored to be featured amongst some of sustainable fashions most inspirational people. You can check out the whole e-edition of Metro here, it also features an interesting interview with Bruno Pieters of Honest By on page 32.

Today is the start of London Fashion Week, whilst I can’t actually be there, I am really looking forward to hearing about everything that is going on. It looks like this is going to be a great season for ethical and sustainable fashion. You can read a post that I wrote about Liora Lassalle winning the Estethica Veolia Re-Source Competition.

If you are going to LFW, have fantastic time, if not have an amazing weekend.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Johari Style Challenge

Posted on January 27, 2013 by admin

I was recently contacted by Johari to see if I wanted to take part in a style challenge. Of course I agreed as not only do I love a challenge but I also love the bright and bold designs at Johari and love that each Johari piece is handmade in Kenya by the social enterprise Johari designs. By wearing Johari you are empowering vulnerable young adults to build a living for themselves and their families.

They sent me out my choice of dress to style in as many different ways as I could. I chose this bright pink Tafriji dress with a leopard design and chiffon overlay. In fact I loved the dress so much that I didn’t want to send it back so ending up buying it and keeping it!

I managed to style it a few different ways but I think there are pretty much endless possibilities for this dress and it also looks great just worn simply with black tights and heels.

Outfit 1

Vintage bag – from a local charity shop
shoes – Irregular Choice

Outfit 2

Scarf- a pressy from my sister
leggings – People Tree
Shoes – Melissa

Outfit 3

Necklace – a pressy from mum
shoes – really old/ high street

I wore this dress as in outfit 2 when I went for a Chinese meal with my inlaws. The great thing about the loose fit was that it was super comfortable despite eating my own body weight in food!

Would you be interested in joining the Johari Style Challenge? if so please leave a comment and I will pass on your details.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

African Prints Mix Up!

Posted on January 21, 2013 by admin

Jacket – Second hand (from mum)
Top – by YouMeWe at Sapellé
Trousers – ASOS Africa
Shoes – Dream in Green
Vintage Bag – Local Charity Shop
Necklace – a Christmas pressy from my mum
Ring – Made UK

Admittedly, it is not really the weather for this outfit a great big woolley jumper would probably be much more practical but I have never been much of a fan of winter clothes and I was desperate to try out the top that I got for just £16.50 in the Sapellé sale. I thought if I added a jacket, then I could perhaps get away with it when the weather warms up a little.

This outfit is my entry for this months Freestyle challenge over at Ethical Fashion Bloggers. I also thought that I would enter it in the Observer Ethical Awards. Much to my excitement, they have introduced a ‘Well Dressed’ award sponsored by Eco Age and Fru-Gal Challenge, if you have some sustainably stylish pieces in your wardrobe, why not enter? you can find out more here.

For those that want to share their sustainable style or ethical fashion brands that want to share their story or latest collection, plus anyone else with an interest in sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry, I will be arranging a Twitter party on the last Friday of each month (starting this Friday). Please join me for #FGFF (Feel Good Fashion Friday)

I hope that you have had a good start to the week despite the snow and cold weather.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Signing Up For The Climate Revolution

Posted on January 20, 2013 by admin

It has taken me a little time to post this post from last weekend due to boiler breaking down, children off school with snow and generally loads of other stuff going on last week. As Mr S was away with work last Saturday, I decided to take the girls into Bath for lunch and then to pop into Lush to sign up for the Vivienne Westwood Climate Revolution.

The clothes I wore are not particularly sustainable brands except the shoes (Dream in Green) and the bag (Accessorize). However, they have been in my wardrobe for many years and I think that wearing what you have already got instead of buying new this is just about as sustainable as it gets. In fact a key part of Vivienne Westwood’s message for her Climate Revolution is ‘buy less, choose well’ and I am definitely buying less in recent years and the fact that I am still wearing something 5+ years after I originally bought it, I hope means that I have chosen well. It is difficult though to get out that mindset of buying because it is a new season, you are going out somewhere special, you have seen something you just can’t resist or just because you feel like cheering yourself up. I have to constantly challenge myself on this and balance my desire to try out and support ethical brands with reducing my consumption.

How long do you tend to keep a piece of clothing for? and when you buy something new, how much consideration do you put into how long it will last and how much wear you will get from it?

If you would like to find out more and sign up to the Climate Revolution, you can do so at www.climaterevolution.org.uk (I think the campaign at Lush is now over).

Anyway we had a lovely day, with a little wandering around the shops in Bath (something I rarely do anymore). We didn’t buy much in the shops but we did decide to a chocolate facepack from Lush. My five year old could hardly believe her ears when she heard we were going to put chocolate all over our faces, it was like Christmas had come all over again!

I hope you are having a lovely weekend, keeping warm and not being too disrupted by snow.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Fireworks Weekend

Posted on November 3, 2012 by admin

Scarf – Vintage/Second hand
Tops – high street
Trousers – ASOS Africa
Boots – Clarks

This week seems to have passed by in a blur, I have been super busy although I am not really sure what I have been doing. The children have been home from school for half term and we have been to stay with my sister for a Halloween sleepover, out for lunch in town and doing non stop making stuff.

Whilst it has been lovely to have some time with them, I am definitely looking forward to a return to routine on Monday. This weekend, we are having one last half term treat with a visit to the circus, honestly I think I am more excited than the children. I don’t think I have ever been to the circus. Also of course there will be fireworks followed by chips from the chippy.

Oh and the outfit? so fed up with the dark and dismal weather I decided to wear something bright to cheer myself up. I don’t think I will ever get bored of these trousers. By wearing them I am probably breaking multiple style rules by wearing patterns on my pear shaped lower half. But oh well, stuff the rules.

What are you up to this weekend? will you be going to the fireworks?

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

EFB Outfit Challenge – Go Team GB

Posted on August 5, 2012 by admin

Since getting back from holiday, I have managed to catch up with a bit of the Olympics on the TV and have been delighted to see so many medals for team GB this weekend. With the news that Ben Ainslie has got gold in the sailing (and the sun is shining there), I kind of wish I was back in Weymouth.

Rather fittingly, this months outfit challenge for Ethical Fashion Bloggers has an Olympic theme. From now on the Ethical Fashion Bloggers outfit challenges are open to all fashion bloggers. All you have to do is post your a picture of you wearing your outfit for the given theme to your blog with a link to www.ethicalfashionbloggers.com. You outfit should contain at least one piece of ethical, eco, vintage, second hand or upcycled clothing. Even better if you include more! You can find out more and submit your posts here.

Here is my Olympic themed outfit featuring Red, white and blue in support of Team GB and sailing/ deck style shoes inspired of course by the olympic sailing.

Dress – People Tree
Top – Antiform
Shoes – Pikolinos
Necklace – a present
Ring – Made UK
Team GB nails – inspired by Lakota at Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping’s Olympic Manicure here (which is far more creative than what I have done) and created using a selection of old nail varnishes from the bottom of my drawer.

Enjoy what is left of the weekend!

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Diamond Jubilee Day

Posted on June 5, 2012 by admin

Vintage dress – Clothes swap at Good Fashion Show
shoes – Dream in Green
Handbag – Charity Shop

Actually this is not the outfit that I am wearing today but I thought it made a good outfit for the Queens Diamond Jubilee with its red, white and blue (and yellow). I hope you are having a fantastic day and bank holiday.

With warmest wishes

Ceri x

Crazy Yellow Print Dress

Posted on March 3, 2012 by admin

Dress – Oxfam Online
Necklace – People Tree
Jacket – Swapped on Posh-swaps.com
Belt – Swapped at Swap in the City
Boots – Dream in Green

The slightest whiff of spring weather and get the urge to wear the brightest and craziest prints I can find!

Today I decided to venture outside to take my photos and try some different settings on my camera. I got varying results but overall you can clearly see that the outside photos with natural light have turned out better. I was trying to achieve the kind of unfocused background but it didn’t quite work as well as I hoped perhaps partly because I was limited in how far I could get from the camera because I don’t have a tripod so was limited to where I could rest the camera and didn’t want to get my feet muddy by going on the grass. Will have to try again on a drier day!

In case you are interested, I recently wrote a post on Oxfam Fashion, My Top Ten Charity Shopping Tips, probably pretty obvious stuff for any seasoned charity shoppers, but maybe useful for those who don’t buy from charity shops and would like to give it a go. I promise you, it is great fun and you can find some amazing stuff!

I have also launched a new ethical fashion blog shop featuring some of my favourite brands. I would love to know what you think.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend and enjoying the sunshine.

With warmest wishes

Ceri X