COS Grandad-Collar Shirt in White | Levi’s (vintage) 501 Jeans | PB 0110 AB 1 in Natural Leather* | Hanishken Raffia Slipper Shoes | Ace & Tate Heather Sunglasses in Latte* | Cate & Nelson No. 165 Watch* | Merci Maman Personalised Flat Bangle in Gold* | Matthew Calvin Thin Meteorite Ring in Gold* | 88&Cloudless Joy Mini-Star Necklace in Solid 9ct Gold*
There’s not much in my wardrobe that beats a really good white shirt for effortless style but I know from experience that finding a good one isn’t always that straightforward. COS has been my first port of call for a couple of years now. Each season you can rely on them to make a few classic styles, as well as offering something a bit more edgy. For the summer I think a classic white grandad-collar shirt is a good option. I’ve found the longer length of this one works well with my bump. I’ve also gone up a size from my usual, which means it also fits my ever expanding chest. As I quite like an oversized style anyway I’ll still be wearing it long after the bump, as long as I can get away with wearing white (something tells me I won’t). It’s made from a nice crisp cotton poplin which I’ve found looks best if I iron it whilst it’s still damp. The curved hem is a classic detail which makes it more versatile to wear, allowing you to wear it tucked in or tied, as well as untucked, like I have.
Before I went away to Kos I was in a bit of a pickle about what to pack. I keep all my summer holiday clothes in a trunk in the bedroom. After going through everything I realised that about 90% of the contents wasn’t going to work this time around. I have grown a little all over since being pregnant, not just on my tummy as I’d hoped and expected. As I’m sure you can understand this left me feeling a bit disappointed, nothing some well-considered retail-therapy couldn’t fix.
I usually spend my summer holidays in little cotton dresses, denim shorts or skirts, and bikinis. I decided to buy a pair of maternity denim shorts from Topshop (go for your pre-pregnancy size, if you do) but I ended up wearing them just once whilst I was away. I’ve become very self-conscious of my legs and I just didn’t feel that comfortable exposing that much of them. For a weekend away a month ago, I bought a Hunza G swimming costume from Net-a-Porter. It’s super stretchy and fits around my bump easily but after one swim I discovered it reveals my nipples after a few strokes. I don’t think anyone wants to be flashed by a pregnant woman so I went in search of some bikinis to take away instead. I found a great bikini from The White Company, the soft non-wired triangle style was the most comfortable to wear. I went up a size from my usual in the top and bottoms, and I found this worked well. I also wanted a couple of bikinis that were more supportive so I looked for brands that offered bikini tops in a cup size; Next offered the nicest designs.
I lived in the three bikinis whilst I was away, they were perfect for sunbathing by our pool but for breakfast, lunch and walks along the beach I preferred to cover-up a little. Oversized shirt dresses, kaftans, and wraps worn with shirts (try French Connection) were ideal. I felt covered up but still comfortable and cool.
In the evenings it felt good to dress up (in England I’d been living in trousers, shirts and jackets), I’d been dying to wear a dress for weeks. Wrap dresses and skirts from my usual brands, in a size up just about covered my bump. I know I’ll be able to make them work after I’ve had the baby so they don’t feel like a waste of money. A-line dresses in soft jersey worked really well too, I felt so comfortable in the Beaumont Organic dress I wore and again it’s a style that will work post-pregnancy. Natural fabrics always work best in the heat as they’re more breathable than synthetics, linen being one of my favourites. I wore a lovely linen dress from Great Plains one evening which was the shortest length I felt comfortable in.
This is the best time to invest in a good pair of espadrilles. Personally, I love Castañer and have a couple of their Carina wedge style. I bought a pair in Seville last year and another from Net-a-Porter this year. It’s not good for your back to wear heels when you’re pregnant but I’ve found these to be quite supportive. I wouldn’t suggest wearing them all day although I’ve survived a wedding in one pair. They’ll give you a some extra height in the evenings and help you feel a little more elegant.
Overall, I would suggest buying some good swimwear and loose fitting dresses in natural fabrics, that you feel good in (I found longer dresses more flattering). Don’t stress out and don’t spend too much money on things you might only wear a handful of times.
So I’m a bit of a t-shirt and jeans girl a lot of the time. I own way too many of each, all in the search for the perfect one/pair. Lately I’ve been living in my Weekday Voyage jeans and these Mango Committed ones (which I bought in the sale at the end of the summer). I’ve been much more choosy about the denim I buy since I learnt what a huge impact both denim manufacturing and cotton growing has on the environment. Both the Weekday Voyage and Mango Committed pairs were made with organic cotton which uses far less water and no harmful chemical fertilisers, pesticides or insecticides. These are harmful not only to the land but also to the people that farm it.
Everyone should own a good white tee. If you ask me, it’s THE wardrobe essential of all essentials. A classic crew in a non-fitted cut is my preferred style, the looser fit just feels more comfortable to me. I recently discovered quite a new brand that have chosen to do a few basics really well, including a classic crew. Organic Basics are from Denmark where they take sustainability a lot more seriously than most countries. As the name suggests they use organic cotton in all their products which currently range from super soft undies to t-shirts. They’re a sustainable brand challenging the industry to improve its processes. They grow their cotton in Turkey, just outside Izmir. The farmers they work with have a long history of producing high quality Turkish long fibre. The long fibre is important because it gives the smooth texture to the finished garment.
Davina Mulford Fedora in Wine with Burgundy Band (Closed now) | ME+EM Icon Cable Knit Sweater in Cream* | Weekday Voyage Jeans in Wow Blue | Adidas Court Vantage in White | Davina Mulford Fringed Cross Body Bag in Black* (Closed now) | Cate & Nelson No. 165 Watch* | CFconcept Tusk Necklace
Last month, just before I headed off to Seville, Davina Mulford asked me if I would style and model some looks for her AW17 campaign. I’m a genuine fan of her namesake brand; I practically lived in one of her Panama hats over the summer and her cross body bag has seen me through many sartorial situations. Davina is lovely, talented and passionate; she’s also been very supportive of Style&Minimalism, always encouraging and there for a chat.
Her new collection features four colour variations of her traditional fedora (eight if you include her new monogram service which allows you to have your initials embroidered on the ribbon). She’s chosen a classic palette of navy, burgundy, pale grey and camel – so there’s something to suit everyone. They’re well-structured fedoras (no flimsy, floppy brims) that sit comfortably on the head. They come with a few sticky felt strips that you can place under the inner rim if you need to adjust the fit slightly.
For the campaign I styled four looks, each to compliment one of the four colour variations. I chose to style my looks with pieces from brands I regularly wear; including ME+EM, Baukjen and AllSaints. If you’d like to see some of the other looks, please visit the Davina Mulford blog where Davina has kindly shared an interview she did with me at the time. In it I share some styling tips and advice. If you have a read please do come back and leave a comment below to let me know what you think.
On a side note, I just wanted to mention how amazing this jumper is from ME+EM. It’s a merino-cashmere-mix and comes with a detachable collar that converts it into a polo-neck, a clever design that will see me through the winter.
Sadly since this post went live Davina decided to close-up shop. The struggle for small businesses to survive in this industry in the early years is such a huge challenge, even when you have an incredible product.
As you may have noticed from my Instagram and some of my recent posts, I’m starting to travel much more regularly now. This summer I’ve been to Portugal, France, Croatia and Italy, and soon I’m off to Denmark and Spain. Travel is something I’ve always enjoyed and I made the decision earlier this year that I wanted to make it a priority in my life, as it has such a positive affect on me. I’m going to continue to share my trips here on my blog and my social media, and will do my best to inspire you with some beautiful places.
I don’t think it will be long before I’m travelling out of season and I know it’s going to be much harder to find suitable clothing. All is not lost, however, as in the last few years there have been some great resort wear brands popping up. Resort wear brands specialise in clothing, footwear and accessories for hot weather. In keeping their offering small they are able to focus on creating a well made, functional product. And another benefit is that they are available throughout the year, not just in spring and summer.
Caroline Constas is one of the new breed of resort wear brands I’m referring to. Caroline is a Canadian designer based in New York and surprise, surprise she loves to travel. Recently, I discovered their core offering which includes their Signature Cambridge Stripe collection – pretty tops and dresses in classic blue and white stripes, they specialise in off-the-shoulder tops and shirt dresses. They are incredibly well made, in a light twill cotton that holds its shape.
We photographed this look whilst away in Croatia in the little town we stayed in, Sveti Lovreč. There were lots of old buildings in pretty pastel colours, some with crumbling walls and a few derelict ones with hidden wild gardens that had sprouted up inside their walls.
The little village of Bale in Croatia was definitely one of my favourites out of all we visited in Istria. It’s not a hilltop town in the Tuscan sense but it was built on slightly higher ground than the land surrounding it. Small pretty cobbled streets seem to wind in all directions and the walls of the buildings have that beautiful disheveled look that you find in the Mediterranean. There are a few little cafés, restaurants and konoba (tavernas). The central part of the town is much older and centres around a big old church.
We visited for lunch one day when passing through and then returned for dinner a couple of days later. We had a lovely three course meal in the pretty little courtyard of the Hotel La Grisa. We didn’t stay but the hotel has some simple but nice rooms and apartments.
Libertine-Libertine Logic Shirt Dress in Blue & White | Louise Kragh Hangaround 0401 Ring in Gold | Louise Kragh Hangaround 0402 Ring in Gold | Matthew Calvin Meteorite Ring in Rose Gold | Good Life London Eros Pendant in Gold
This is the third and final look from my AIDA Shoreditch Style Edit. You can see the first look here and second here. Once again I’m in blue and white, maintaining the theme of the shoot. For this look I picked out a cotton shirt dress from Libertine-Libertine. They’re another Danish brand that I’ve known about for a little while but have yet to feature, until now. Their summer collection spans from bold prints in bright colours to plain fabrics in muted shades, with lots of classic cuts. The styling of the collection is stunning and an education in how you can wear bold prints whilst not feeling too obvious. It’s certainly tempting me to be a bit bolder with my choices, although I think I’ll always prefer a more minimal look. Most people assume that because my style is minimal I never wear bright colours or bold prints but I do. I think it’s really about how you style your clothes, I’d always tone down everything else I’m wearing, hence the need for such great basics in my wardrobe.
A huge thank you to Rowan for inviting me to collaborate with AIDA on this project. It’s always lovely to do something a bit different and I loved taking a step away from my usual photographic style to create something unique for their site with her. I would love to know what you think about my Style Edit and whether you think I should take part in more shoots like this.
This post was created in collaboration with AIDA Shoreditch.
Mads Nørgaard Boutique Sudina Stripe Shirt | Wåven Fenn Flare Jeans in White | Veja Nautico Pekin V-10 Leather Trainers | Finlay & Co. Arlington Sunglasses in Pink Marble | Louise Kragh Hangaround 0401 Ring in Gold | Louise Kragh Hangaround 0402 Ring in Gold | Matthew Calvin Meteorite Ring in Rose Gold
For the second look for my AIDA Shoreditch Style Edit I went for quite a classic look with a modern twist. White jeans are a summer perennial and if not worn with more white, look great with a stripe. This high-waisted, flared cut is a lot more flattering than the fit of most white jeans I’ve tried. They’re from Wåven, a British brand I’ve featured before but never their jeans. (I have a denim jacket from their menswear collection that gets a lot of use.) I have to wonder why when the fit is actually really good. I definitely need to try a few more styles.
Stripes always look great with white denim but instead of a classic Breton I went for a beautiful shirt from Mads Nørgaard, a Danish brand who know quite a lot about stripes. In Denmark everyone knows them and more than likely owns one of their long-sleeve stripe t-shirts (they’ve been making them for years). The shirt was my favourite piece from the shoot and actually came home with me. It’s a really soft cotton that feels floaty yet structured.
Veja are a French trainer brand that have been on my radar for sometime but through no fault of their own have never quite made it into my wardrobe. Something that I need to change. I love the retro style of this pair with the red and blue details, and off-white sole. They are pretty comfortable, too. Aside from the obvious they have some great green credentials. They believe in fairtrade, the use of organic materials, reducing CO2 emissions and work with many initiatives to do things in a more sustainable way. For more information take a look at their Project page.
Finlay & Co. are the British sunglasses brand that first came to everyone’s attention with their wooden sunglasses. They still work with natural hardwoods but also Mazzucchelli acetate now. I don’t often wear pale frames because they usually make my eyes look small but these frames are large enough not to.
Rakha Organic Double Layered Blouse in White | Levi’s Made & Crafted Slouchy Taper Jeans in Bay Blue | Sol Sana Parker Mules in Black | Good Life London London Eros Pendant in Gold | Louise Kragh Hangaround 0401 Ring in Gold | Louise Kragh Hangaround 0402 Ring in Gold | Matthew Calvin Meteorite Ring in Rose Gold
I’m super excited to share with you my first look from my AIDA Shoreditch Style Edit. I’ve known the lovely team at Aida for a little while now, we met over a delicious hot chocolate with rum a couple of years ago when they did an in-store event with my mate Lindsey from Ropes of Holland. If you live in East London you’ll have probably been in to their gorgeous shop or café. It’s full of Scandinavian and Scandi-inspired brands (the dream) that are beautifully displayed throughout the store, alongside lovely ceramics, inspiring books and magazines, and other homewares. There’s also a men’s section downstairs.
I stuck with my favourite palette of white and blue for the shoot, including some stripes of course. It was great to be introduced to some new brands like Rakha (I’m wearing their organic cotton blouse in this outfit); they’re a London based fashion brand whose clothes are made with ethically sourced, sustainable materials. Louise Kragh is a very affordable Danish jewellery brand, I’m wearing a couple of their rings alongside the Meteorite ring which I made with Matthew Calvin recently (more on that soon).
