A Sustainable Fashion Trip

I disappeared on holiday for a few days last week; as much as I love my job it was a it was a much needed escape from work. I couldn’t completely turn my phone off though - I was on a sustainable fashion mission!

I was away for four days and could only bring hand luggage so I decided to pack as sustainably as possible. With the exception of my trainers (a necessity for all of the walking we did - 32 miles and over 80,000 steps in four days) and a t-shirt for the plane every item of clothing I took was vintage, second-hand or sustainable in some way.

Dress: Monsoon via fellow Spitfire Sister Louisa Revolta (on long term loan)

Jeans: recycled denim from ASOS.

Shirt: Cheap Monday via eBay.

We had two days of ridiculously warm weather, a day of torrential rain and a day of cloudy skies, so I was pleased to have packed transitional pieces to wear.

Jeans: Recycled denim from ASOS

Sweater: L.L. Bean via ASOS Marketplace

Shoes: Nike via ASOS (not second hand)

Classic HC brings her own water even when it’s completely tipping it down. We got drenched! L.L. Bean is something I always search for on eBay or ASOS Marketplace, as they are quality pieces and really last a long time.

Dress: Made by my mum

Cardigan: Second hand Uniqlo

Cardigan: Second hand Uniqlo

Headscarf: Birthday present

Now that I’m home I have been inspired to do a huge wardrobe clear out. I have nothing against buying new from shops instead of vintage and second-hand but thinking about sustainable fashion has really made me think twice about the pieces I do buy that are brand new.

Sustainable Fashion: Part Four

Wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers from eBay, silk trousers from The Vintage Room, and a black t-shirt and sandals, both from ASOS.

These trousers were such a score. They are so comfortable, and the print is really eye-catching. They originally had bright blue buttons running up both sides but I took them off. 

While on the shoot with Anna, we popped into The Hambledon, one of my favourite shops in Winchester. It's really hard to resist purchasing anything! I came away with some blank notecards from Paper Poetry. 

Super casual posing here. 

All photographs: Anna Harding from Hello Ding 

Make Up: Mac and Glossier

Sustainable Fashion: Part Three

Hotter than the sun, and I'm still WEARING KNITWEAR. 

I got this LL Bean sweater from Beyond Retro in Brighton while I was studying at Sussex Uni. It's probably my favourite item of clothing I own. It is beginning to look very dishevelled (or loved, as I like to call it). I bought a pair of Lee jeans the same day, and I didn't take them off until the jeans literally began to wear away. I still have them, even though they are unwearable. 

The Kurt Geiger boots were a purchase from eBay. I really like to prepare for the autumn months in advance, so they are ready and waiting in my wardrobe the moment the first leaves begin to fall off the trees. 

All photographs - Anna Harding from Hello Ding. 

Make Up - Mac and Glossier. 

Earrings - ASOS. 

Sustainable Fashion: Part One

I'm really enjoying the sustainable fashion movement at the moment; I've been reading a lot about reusing and recycling, and I'm trying hard to buy clothes from charity shops, vintage stores and websites like eBay, One Scoop Store and ASOS Marketplace. 

I decided that I wanted to explore what I already had in my wardrobe that is secondhand or vintage; turns out, there are a few pieces that I own that have previous lives elsewhere.  I wanted to explore all the clothing options that I had that to prove to myself how easy secondhand and sustainable fashion is. 

Anna from Hello Ding (who is also a fellow Spitfire Sister of course!) agreed to be the photographer for the project (her instagram is amazing, you can check it out here). 

Checking out the second hand book store in Winchester Cathedral grounds.

This red knit dress was designed and made by Annie Durkan in the early 1980s. My mum modelled the dress for her and was allowed to keep it at the end of the shoot. I had it in my dressing up box from the age of 8, and I used to pretend it was an evening gown and I was off to some fancy party. This was the first time I've ever worn it outside! I'm so glad I kept it in my wardrobe all of these years. 

I bought this book.

The denim jacket also belonged to my mum many years ago. It's very old George by ASDA, darling. This is a wardrobe essential, I take it everywhere, all weathers, all temperatures. 

We stopped by The Square by Coffee Lab for sustenance, which I would thoroughly recommend. I understand the irony of drinking out of a takeaway cup when writing about sustainable fashion - normally I'm really good at remembering my tumbler, but I forgot it. Classic. My tumbler is from Corkcicle and they are amazing. You can check them out here. There are so many benefits to using your own mug - apart from the whole saving the planet thing, you also save money at loads of places. Good vibes all round.  

Jacket - George by ASDA, Dress - Annie Durkan, Shoes - ASOS, Makeup - Glossier & Bourjois

Here's my mum in the same dress 35 years ago...you can't get more 80s than that. 

April & May - Where Have They Gone?

April and May both disappeared into a haze of late nights, new songs and exciting creative projects, brought swiftly to an end with five gigs in four days, While I probably haven’t quite caught up on my sleep yet, I’m feeling slightly refreshed and ready for June. I think. Here’s a run down of the last couple of months. 

Gigs

Obviously April was the month that The Spitfire Sisters sang on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express…I wrote a whole other blog post about it but we haven’t stopped talking about it so it’s worth mentioning again! We also had a wonderful performance at Beaulieu Abbey and at The Pallant in Havant on the day of the Royal Wedding, where there were definitely wedding dresses involved.

Photo Credit: Will at The Pallant

Why did I already have a wedding dress in my closet? That's a story for another day.  

With Down For The Count I’ve been all over - Gloucestershire, Oxford, London, Sussex, Kent - and to a lovely gig by the sea in Bournemouth!

Shameless Selfie By The Sea

I’ve had some lovely gigs with Blue Lion Band as well; it’s such a privilege singing with different bands and performing so many genres of music. 

What a lovely group of gents I get to gig with for Blue Lion.

Photoshoots and Videos

April and May saw three photoshoots, a music video shoot a live video recording. Two photoshoots and the music video were with The Spitfire Sisters. You may have seen us chucking cake at each other and Anna’s amazing stop-motion in the video for Afternoon Tea; you can watch it here if not! Aside from the volume of laundry and intensive hair washing, this was one of my favourite projects I’ve worked on. 

We also frolicked in the Bluebells for a photoshoot at the beginning of May, with Steve Christie taking some beautiful photos for us. 

Back in April, Down For The Count recorded a performance at The Tabernacle live; here’s me singing the Ella Fitzgerald song Sugarfoot Rag. More scat singing as you will hear! 

I also had the privilege of working with the amazing Sara Lincoln; she photographed my cousin’s wedding last September and the photos were beautiful. Sara is wonderful to work with, full of creative and ingenious ideas and I’m so pleased with the photos she has sent me so far. 

New Songs

Several gigs in April & May required learning new songs. My learning process differs for each song. When it’s a Spitfire Song, like the arrangement of Royals by Lorde that Louisa wrote for us, Louisa will send over a written part as well as a midi file or vocal example to learn with. I never used to like learning with sheet music in front of me but now I almost always find it easier to read it, hammer it out on piano and then go from there. 

I also had to learn a few new Ella Fitzgerald songs for a Down For The Count performance at Hideaway. Perdido was my favourite song that I added to my repertoire in May; I use an app on my iPad to slow down the scat section of the song so I can transcribe it, then I gradually increase the speed while I practice. I normally start at about 50% of the speed - it’s an intense process, much to the delight of my neighbours I’m sure!

I like to record my singing when I’m practicing; it helps me work out which bits are going well and which parts of songs I need help with. I don’t often show anyone these videos but occasionally I share a Work In Progress video on my instagram which you can check out here.

One Completely Lost Voice

By the end of April I had completely lost my voice for the second time in about 6 months. This is obviously pretty devastating for a singer; without a voice you can’t work, and without work you can’t pay your bills There is no sick pay when you’re self-employed. This prompted me to go and see the brilliant Lucinda Allen who understood my situation completely. It's scary as I know I have a lifetime of bad habits to iron out but I trust Lucinda completely so I'm looking forward to working with her over the next few months. 

And The Other Stuff...

What I’ve Been Watching: Season Two of The Handmaid’s Tale on Channel 4. It’s horrific and painful to watch but an absolutely essential, brilliantly made programme. I could not recommend it enough, but I advise not watching it on your own. 

What Bands I’ve Been Listening To: I keep an updated Spotify playlist of my Music Monday blog posts here, but I’ve also been trying to see as much live music as possible. I’ve been to see some amazing gigs in the last few weeks, but the best was Band of Skulls at The Joiners. They were amazing and played all of their best tunes. I was even lucky enough to score a signed vinyl for my birthday from James. 

What I’ve Been Reading: I’m currently reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron which is hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. I haven't found anything I've loved reading since I finished The Power by Naomi Alderman back in February, so I'm looking for recommendations. 

What I’ve Been Eating: As much healthy stuff as possible! It’s hard to keep that up when you’re driving several hundred miles in a weekend; I eat sweets to keep me awake and I confess there’s an occasional drivethru…but mostly it’s been wholesome meals and no snacking. My brother Joe bought me back some Everything But The Bagel seasoning from New York and I’ve put that on everything, James made the best Paella I’ve ever had, smoothies and coffee keep me going when teaching, and Leon’s Vegan Menu keeps me alive when I’m in London for work. 

What I’ve Been Wearing: Ghost, Vivien of Holloway, Lady V Vintage, & charity shop sequins for gigs, and comfy spring dresses from ASOS, denim jackets and sliders for everything in between.