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.

Getting Gig Ready

I’m fortunate to gig with a few different bands, which means lots of different outfits. Wherever possible i try to get my gig outfits from eBay, charity shops, and second hand stores online.

All photos were taken by the amazing Anna Harding from Hello Ding.

I scored this dress from One Scoop Store, my absolute favourite online shop - ‘a beautifully curated range of pre loved pieces’. This dress is a double whammy of fire truck red and velvet, and the straps alone are such an intense detail that I saw it and fell in love. Pure coincidence that it matches my Bridget Christie portrait taken by Idil Sukan. It was a present from an ex-boyfriend - it balances on top of a speaker in my office.

Those straps!

Trying to decide what to wear next for the shoot, which Anna caught on camera. I’m surrounded by charity shop sequins and velvet, One Scoop Store lace, hand me downs from my mum, plus a dress my mum made me for my cousin’s wedding. The pink dress I’m wearing was an absolute bargain from Stardust Years in Winchester.

The gold sequin dress was purchased off eBay; it was brand new with tags, originally from French Connection, and I literally snagged it for a 10th of the price. The pink dress is a ‘50s number from Cheap Jacks in New York. I bought it several years ago for my 21st birthday. When I went back to New York this January with my brother I was crushed to find the shop no longer exists. The black velvet dress is from Laura Ashley from a Wessex Cancer Trust charity shop.

It's A Hell Of A Town

After a manic December of gigs, I needed a break - I started my year off with a weekend away in New York. My brother surprised me with the trip for my birthday last May, which was amazing for so many reasons, but mostly because it meant i got to hang out with him for four days straight. We did nothing but eat, walk and talk. Here are some highlights of our adventures across the pond.

Food

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Momofuku served us one of the best meal’s I have ever had, full stop. This was a dish of roasted carrots with scallions and pumpkin seeds; the flavours were unbelievable. I wish we had time to go back and order everything else we didn’t get a chance to try.

Arturo’s Pizza & Jazz

We wanted to listen to some live jazz while we were in New York, which is why Joe suggested heading to Arturo’s. There was a pianist playing some classic tunes, but the music wasn’t as much as a feature as we thought it would be. However, the pizza was magnificent. This pizza of dreams was half cheese with olives & garlic (Joe’s), and half no cheese with anchovies, peppers & onions (mine). We were going to order one each but the waiter kindly stepped in and told us that would be ridiculous. He was right; this was the biggest pizza I’ve ever seen.

My food highlight of the trip was Johny’s Luncheonette, a classic diner with counter service. Joe went for pancakes, and I ordered eggs with turkey bacon and home fries. We sat at the counter and drank a lot of coffee. The food was amazing, but it was the all round experience that made this my highlight.

Bagels, bagels, bagels.

We stopped by Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Co and Joe’s favourite Ess-a-bagel. I ate four wholewheat everything bagels in three days, which may seem excessive, but I could have eaten more.

One of the highlights of the trip was Milk Bar - I’ve wanted to visit for ages. I have bored everyone I know with telling them about the diet I’m on to help heal my chronic immune problems; the diet is strictly no sugar but you better believe I broke it to eat a lot of the Birthday Cake. (We also sampled the Crack Pie, Cereal Latte, Confetti Cookie and the B’Day Truffles - don’t judge us.)

Sights

Staten Island Ferry

On Joe’s to do list was the Staten Island Ferry - it’s free and a great way of getting a bit closer to the Statue of Liberty.

The Subway

I took the subway for the first time…baby steps.

We went to The Whitney Museum of American Art to see the Andy Warhol exhibition. It was absolutely amazing, I can’t recommend it enough.

The High Line

It was -6 degrees, so prettttty cold, but what a way to see the city.

Shopping

I did a small bit of shopping in New York; I’m trying not to buy new clothes as I’m committed to the sustainable & recycled fashion route that I started last year. However, I do believe in buying good quality basics that will last, so a trip to Uniqlo was a must. A trip to New York is also not complete without stopping by The Strand Book Store - I spent about an hour looking at books and managed to restrain myself and only get one. Apart from that, plus a quick stint in Sephora & Uniqlo, Joe and I focused on walking and food, which was exactly what New York is about for us.

My outfit from Uniqlo, plus boots from Jones that I snagged off eBay a few months ago. This wall was in the Chelsea Cambria Hotel where we were staying.

Glossier

I wax lyrical about Glossier on a daily basis, and their flagship store was well worth the 50 minute walk from the hotel.

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.