Welcome to rachelsays... The blog of Rachel Lewis, containing my thoughts and musings on illustration, design, fashion, music, cakey-bakey goodness, culture and things that I generally find cool. There's also a good chance my own illustration work will pop up on here.
All work on this blog is copyright to me unless I state that it isn't. Obviously. Don't do stealing, kids.
So come on in, have a look around, and leave a comment if you like what you see.
Not quite sandals, not quite canvas pumps... these seem to be the strange twisted love child of both of them. Maybe they had an illicit affair and these were the result.
I love them. And at £20, I'm pretty sure my budget can stretch to that. Check them out on Topshop online here - they also do black but I much prefer white. I'd quite like to get the ol' markers out as well and do a bit of colouring in on them as well actually.
I imagine they're great as transitional shoes (which I'm needing today - massive rain storms then bright sunshine? An outfit's worst nightmare!) because I live in flip flops most of the summer but sometimes need something a bit more sturdy. Like yesterday, I slipped down a couple of stairs in my shiny flipflops. Never good.
I'm going into the West End on thursday after work I think, so I'll hunt them down then. I hope they don't sell out (they are rather cheap...) and size 5 is pretty much the most common size! Damn me for having mainstream feet. I'm sure they have lots though.
Sorry for the lack of insightful, thought-provoking and riveting posts recently; I've discovered continuous blogging and a full time job don't mix. Not like Sandals and converse, oh no.
This is a fairly simple thing to covet - it's not out of my meager price range so will probably be in my happy hands in no time. I thought of waiting until then but I want to share it now - it looks so tasty. Computer Arts' Book of Inspiration:
Looks pretty sexual doesn't it. "The Book of Inspiration is a new luxury volume from the makers of Computer Arts magazine, featuring 192 pages of the world’s very best digital art, design and illustration."
It's £14.99, and has interviews and work from some really inspirational people - James Jean, Non-Format, Neville Brody, Airside, Hort, Vault49... It's also got a foil blocked and die cut cover, which is always a winner with design fetishists. Like moi.
I wouldn't say that it's particularly groundbreaking - I can't see any emerging artists there, just established ones with amazing work. Which is nice, but these people already have their work everywhere. Inspiration comes in many forms, and it is nice to have books like this to flick through.
I've stumbled on a bit of a gem here. Can't believe I'd never heard of Missguided before but they're clothes are my new favourite love. Think a mix of Motel and New Look, with a very tasty pricetag. The current collection is growing all the time, and they've got some great dresses and some really fashion-forward stuff. Par example:
Black lace, ruffles and added beaded detailing; you can't really go wrong. It comes in cream and pink as well I think, but the black kind of gives it that gothic twist that I love. Could be a winner.
I've got a similar top to this, but without the lace. Panelling and cutaways are big news but I think you need and amazing stomach for this one. Perhaps not. I love the monochrome slashes though, it's a good little find.
Lace and floral are really great friends. They love each other. My current wardrobe is pretty much lace and floral-based. And so this dress kinda ticks both boxes. And it's that lovely cream colour. I don't even have a floral bodycon dress so it's fiiiiine, I definitely need this. Yup.
Now this is amazing. I'm definitely buying this. The colour is great, perfect for the nude/pastel trend around right now, and the structured hem line is so Lady Gaga. But less mental. I've got an inkling it's going to be quite flattering on my generous thighs, with all the detailing taking away from any unsightly bumps etc. We will have to see! It's sold out in a size 12... size 10 might be too small. Eek.
This is a little bit different, and not for everyone, but I love the print. Never been massively keen on velvet but this could be quite good. The bubble hem has me a bit worried though, they never look that good on me. I'd have to try it first. It's a great print though, they've only got a 14 in stock right now.
Can you actually believe it?! My search is over. Ages ago, I posted that I was coveting lace cycling shorts. This was before the high street had jumped on the trend yet so as usual, I was hanging around waiting for them to produce something affordable. And here we are! Tres happy. And can you believe, only £6. I am so there.
I really want this, it's the cutest ever. Crop jumpers are great, and this would look really cool with high waisted denim shorts I think. I just love the print! Aw. It's sold out though :(
The nautical stuff they've got is great too. I really like this dress.
With all this, I'm trying to find the perfect going out dress; it's a friends birthday this friday and I haven't had a proper night out in so long, my stock of dresses now all look very last year. Which is because they are. Haven't bought a new dress since December! I just need to figure out which sizes I should buy (I hate shopping online, I range from an 8 to a 14 on the high street, does my head in!) and then inevitably there will be some returns. I've gone for the structured peach dress and the Deepa Dress as well, in case the peach one is too small at a 10. I hope it's not :(
So go and check out Missguided anyway, and I'll post pics if the dresses look good.
First off, love that type treatment. Love love love.
It's spring everyone! The cold and rain could've fooled us, but the clocks went forward, and the high street has gone into floral overdrive. It's inevitable; out comes the sun (sometimes...) and in comes all the 'florals with a twist of... grunge/irony/retro/futuristic...etc' (*delete as appropriate). This collection however, is unashamedly florals with a hippie twist, with an even better twist of sustainability! Hurrah. Rachel is suddenly much more interested. Boasting recycled polyester and organic cotton, it's not ground-breaking, but it's certainly a breathe of fresh air, especially when we all know (and, admit it, try to ignore) the facts about how much virgin fabric is used by the fashion industry every year, and so forth. It's shocking, but we still don't stop the fast fashion train. I'm guilty of it, for sure. I feel guilty every time I shop at Primark, or every time I think about how many tonnes of textiles go to Landfill every year. (you can put clothes in your recycling bin you know peeps, I just recycled loads of old bras, things that really can't go to oxfam!) Even that though, is getting ridiculous, read this article about the steady increase in our clothes usage that means recycling plants are full to the brim with cheap, barely worn, unwanted clothes.
So at least H&M are making some headway, and bringing recycled polyester into the mainstream. Here's an avant-garde thought, high street, how about all of your clothes using recycled materials? I know, crazy. But H&M prove that it an be done, and it hasn't even changed the price points in any way that I can notice. Let's take a look at the collection, it fuses a bit of romance and exotic garden, and has some really great pieces. I popped in to H&M yesterday after seeing the collection online, and these are my favourites:
Love this floral body; the right mix of the underwear/outerwear trend and inky florals. Would look great under a loose cardigan. £12.99.
I love love love this vest top. Nudes are of course massively on trend right now, and I love it, it's such a pretty, girlie look. And the swirly rose relief pattern gives it a bit of interest without taking away from the fragility of it. £12.99.
These shorts are so cute. Not sure how they'd look on my terrible legs, I didn't get the chance to try them on (either couldn't see them, or they weren't there), but I like them all the same. £14.99. And they'd go great with the vest top.
Oh em gee, I love this dress so much! It's so pretty. I didn't get the chance to try it on though because again, I couldn't see it in my local branch! Damn you, Milton Keynes. Either it had all gone or they're not carrying the whole collection. I think I'm going to have to hit Oxford St after work this week and see what they've got. You'd have to wear nude underwear under it obviously, and it wouldn't go with everyone's skin tone, but it's great. So feminine. £19.99. Bargain!
This however, is my favourite of the whole collection. I think it epitomises it, with the clashing florals, girly empire line, hippie flowy dress and BIIIIG pockets. I am only little and I love big pockets! ^.^ Especially in dresses like this, you can just shove your hands in and stand around in faux-nervousness, looking cute. ALAS, they'd run out of my size!! They had 8's and 14's. No 10's or 12's. Unless they were lurking in the changing rooms. I'm usually a 10 in dresses but H&M has been coming up really small recently on me so I'm pretty sure I'd be a 12, but I'd want to try it I think. Anyone else finding that? I bought jeggings in a size 14 and they're basically too small. WTF. I'm not a size 16. No way. Anyway, this is the way to wear it:
Except I'd wear it with a really light denim cropped jacket, and some pastel-y tights until it warms up a bit. £24.99. With this scarf:
Which is cute and is only £7.99. A great way to wear the nude trend if you're worried about getting washed out. And I'd also wear it with...
These shoes! I haven't got any new pumps for this season and this might be a good way to start. It's almost pump-wearing weather! £9.99, cheap as chips.
I think this collection has got some really good mix and match pieces, but too many tunics (not a fan of the tunic...) and not enough skirts I think. I would've liked some more high-waisted, billowy skirt I think. And maybe the odd denim jacket. But I think it's great that they are using these sustainable materials, and hope they continue to do so. Click here to view the collection! You'll have to buy it on shops though, H&M still don't have online shopping.
Another great thing that H&M are doing online though, is the Style Guide - I really like the part where you can drag your favourite items from the guide across (it tells you the total cost) and then you can 'blog' the image - although what it really does is send you a jpg of your selection, you have to actually blog it. It's a nice touch though. Here's my quick selection:
See, the awesome floral dress with a denim jacket. Looks nice :)
I popped into Debenhams yesterday in a frenzied search for an interview outfit. I'm not going to say what or when the interview is as I have a strong superstition that any mention of such details will jinx precedings. It's the only superstition I have so forgive me. (Except for walking over 3 drains. I won't do that.) Shops were closing and I was all 'omgwhatamigoingtowearithastobeamazing' - I'd already gone into H&M and was sort of trying to build an immense outfit in my head of things I already have plus things I'd just bought out of desperation. So I was wondering round the womenswear floor of Debenhams in a slightly more relaxed panic as the opening hours are later there (thank you department stores, thank you) and I had about an hour. It was then that I stumbled across H! by Henry Holland and nearly yelled 'Oh Em Gee!' out loud. Which would have been silly. Because I hadn't even heard about this collection and it's uh-mazing. It's just me, entirely and thoroughly, every single piece in that collection is Rachel Lewis all over. Henry Holland is of course a brilliant designer, my favourite things he's done so far are his stripey block colour outfits for A/W 09: So insane. You can get the tights fairly easily, he also did amazing alphabetty tights for the typophile in me: Mmmm. Hosiery and lettering.
So the H! collection carries on in his normal crazy colours/patterns theme, in a very wearable and mix and match way. Seriously, I've never seen a collection where you can build so many different outfits - everything seems to match and wonderfully clash with each other, it's amazing. So my interview outfit quandry was solved - with a few pieces from the collection and other bits I've got, I've got about 3 different options now, of which I'll decide later.
I want nearly everything in the collection, which is bad as I have very little money; but it's all so affordable, it's hard to justify why not to have it all. It's never going to be one of those things where it's like, oh what do I wear this with. Here are a few of my favourites from the collection: There are quite a few pieces with this crazy floral pattern in different colour ways. I just love the acid yellow of this one. Nothing says 'come on spring, damn you!!' quite like this dress. £30. These shoes would go well with it too. Very 80's inspired, they also look quite comfy for a heel-connoisseur such as myself. Purple and yellow used to be my favourite colour combo when I was 7. Then I discovered the colour wheel. Clash-tastic :D £35. There are a couple envelope style clutches, this one coming in bright pink too. I couldn't choose between them; I'd have to buy both. Perfect for zinging up a boring dress. £20. I love this bag, mainly because it's called The Hobo Bag, and I love the word hobo. I want to be a dandy hobo. (I invented that term, if I ever become a fashion designer (lols) then my first collection is being called 'dandy hobo'. Ha.) £30. This body is one of the things I bought; finding a body that fits you like a glove is actually quite hard. I don't have a weird torso or anything, but you want one that doesn't turn into a thong (ew) when you sit down but at the same time isn't baggy around the boobs. This one is perfect for me. And a size 10, I was quite excited that I could wear a size 10 body. I just love the colour more than anything, it's a gorgeous shade of purple and it's going to be the foundation of my immense interview outfit. I might do an outfit post later actually. £12. (bargainous, I thought) Oh em gee! Cycling shorts! Told you they'd be back. They're not exactly lace cycling shorts like the ones I'm still unable to find but in this shade of pink, who cares. I nearly bought them but as they're not for interview purposes, I had to think of my bank account (which is on it's death bed and pay day is still a month away, slightly scared) so it's on the wish list. £8 though, sweet.
This blazer, is actual love for me. It was one of the first things I saw in the collection and I could not believe the perfection. It's just 'soooo cute', which is what I'd say if I was ditzy and american. But seriously, it's got that preppy/boarding school thing going on, made out of hoodie kind of material and purple check lining which, what's that? Matches the purple body exactly? Really? You don't say. I love blazers. I love school-themed fashion. It also reminded me of that outfit Anne Hathaway wears in Devil Wears Prada which is all preppy too. You know what I mean. Where she delivers the book. Yeah. So! This is the backbone which holds my outfit together. Its smart but not in a suit-way. Because I need to be way more creative than a suit dress, I feel. £35. Done. Hanging up right now. I feel smug. The jewellry is great too. In a totally silly OTT way, I love it. Like this ring. Same purple. Didn't buy it though. But you see what I mean when I say everything can go with everything? £8. Comes in turquoise too. Oh, this. This is beautiful. It doesn't look like much, but it's genius in disguise. It's called Holey Boyfriend Cardi and it's exactly what I need. Days are still cold and I love wrapping up in big cardi's but I hate all the thick knitted ones that are out with the belts (you know what I mean) and the oversize jumpers are cool but it's supposed to be spring soon and it's hard to rock a jumper when it's hot cold all the time. You need a cardi, layering style. I love slouchy clothes when I'm cold and one of the hottest trends this year is holey stuff. I know right, let's all rips holes in things, but it's going to be massive and this cardi is bucking the trend. It's the perfect spring piece - keeps you damn warm when it's chilly under a coat, but layer it over an interesting print dress/tshirt and you can see the pattern through the holes when it's a bit warmer. I tried it on and stared at myself for about 5 minutes (which is a long time in a changing room) trying to talk myself out of buying it. It's £40 so one of the more expensive items, and it's not interview material so I cannot justify it. Taking it off was painful. I need this cardi. But there's no way I can buy it until the end of the month. And if it's sold out by then, then I will cry. So please, appreciate it, but just don't buy it nation, ok? Nobody buy this. I want one. Just one, in a size 10, keep it safe for me and leave it on the hanger :) Fanks.
Anyway, after pulling myself together, this is the last item on my list. I usually hate parkas. I generally think that just because it's cold, doesn't mean your coat has to be shapeless and slightly farmer-ish. A good tailored coat will save this country from itself. However. I saw this and had a slight epiphany. It might just be because of the purple check and purple buttons (there's that purple again, good times...) or it might be because I saw a tres pretty girl wearing a parka with an amazing ensemble and forgave her instantly. Don't know. But it's cool. And I allow everyone to wear this. £45.
So that's my top pick of the lot. It's all great though, it really is. I was talking to the girl at the checkout and she was saying it's been slow to pick up but now it's gathering sales; I don't see why not, it's my favourite collection anywhere right now. Yes, anywhere. Debenhams seem to be on fire recently though, first the Ben De Lisi collection for Principles which is back (after folding) and also the size 16 mannequins, Debs is going to have a good year I think.
I'll sort out my interview outfit and probably do an outfit post actually; haven't done one in ages. It's not a regular thing I assure you.
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