Fashion
lazy oaf
Topshop
The Sheer Celestial Iridescent Dress and Hello 2015!
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Happy new year folks!
I always find it odd how we celebrate the clock striking the twelfth hour of the 365th (or 366th) day of every year, when Time is an invention all of our own. An interesting thing about time the OH told me, less than seven days a year last exactly 24 hours. The rest of the year it takes earth between 30 seconds less and 30 seconds longer to rotate on its own axis. Well now the boring stuff is over with, I must confess to getting swept up in the whirlwind of OMG NEW YEAR! Bloody Happy New Year!
I guess it gives us a way of breaking our lives down into smaller segments and lets us look back and reflect on these individual segments of time. I've been doing that since December, constantly thinking: what the fuck have I done this year?!
In all honesty though, I can be quite hard on myself when reflecting - I am my own harshest critic - but even this year I'm like: WOW, go me! Here are just a few of my own highlights from 2014, the year that's just been:
1) I went to London Fashion Week and IMATS!
If someone had teleported back in time and told my younger self that I will be going backstage at London Fashion in a couple of years time, I'd have laughed in their face! It might not be such a big deal for those who frequent LFW on a biannual basis, however I really did appreciate the opportunity to go along, watch the models gracing the catwalks with their crazy outfits (which obvs I would totally wear) and witness the madness backstage! In fact, it was so good I went twice.
2) I self taught myself to sew and illustrate.
It all started on a whim really. I'd wanted to learn how to sew for ages as I always found it frustrating that a lot of the stuff on the high street is less than perfect. I wanted to make my own clothes and amend things I'd bought off the shelves. I lucked out a bit when I saw a Gumtree ad for a £20 sewing machine just around the corner and since then I haven't looked back, I've sewn items from dresses to kimonos!
3) I quit my day-job!
My Dad is now a retired entrepreneur and always wanted his kids to follow in his footsteps. I was working in a dull office-type job and on one particular day someone was given an award for 35 years of service. 35 fucking years in one job. Fuck me. It stirred in me a deep emotional hatred of the thought of working in the same boring, unstimulating, passionless job for the rest of my life. Oh, and working with a bunch of dickheads didn't help either. So I rekindled an idea I'd had back in the Summer of 2013 and went with it, quit the day-job and threw myself into my passion. I hate to be all cryptic (that's a lie - I love it!) but in 2015, you'll see what it's all about...
4) I moved house!
It really had to be done. Starting up a new business meant that space was at a premium in the old place. I found myself working hunched over a flat square of wood in the living room. Now we're in a bigger, warmer house with my own workspace. :)
With all that in mind, I won't shy away from saying that 2014 was tough, maybe even a rollercoaster of highs and lows, but it's those highs that drive me and keep me going. Even typing them up in this post is reinvigorating and motivates me to push harder and do more!
I do have some goals, though not exactly New Years resolutions, one being to actually launch the business. I have all sorts of dreams and plans of carving out a little niche for myself before going on to branch out into other fields but I need to keep focusing on the basics for now!
On a more personal note, I plan on putting myself first much more often than I do at present. I'm all too quick to put my needs secondary to the needs of others, and that is a good character trait, but I feel that I need to balance out being nice with being me as it does get a bit draining at times. I am a positive person, but sometimes I feel that the negativity of others can drag me down pretty quickly.
And finally, on to the outfit! This is what you might call an OOTD from the archives, that is, the photos were shot in warmer times but I never got around to posting it up to the blog at the time. Personally I think it's worthy of the blog as it's in one of my favourite colours:
IRIDESCENT
The dress is quite oversized and incredibly floaty, so floaty in fact, a strong gust of wind can make its way up through the skirt to the top. Fortunately it has a zip at the back to fasten it onto the body, ha!
It's also quite sheer and I didn't fancy going commando so I wore a longline black bodycon vest underneath. I then added a black sheer shirt on top and tied a knot at the front to cinch in the dress to counteract a bit of the floatiness of the dress!
Cosmo Dress from the Space Oditty Collection by LAZY OAF
Gold Button Black Sheer Shirt - TOPSHOP (OLD)
Blue Liquid Filled Ring - Pylones
Silver Disc Head Piece - Gift
There is just one qualm I have with this Lazy Oaf dress, and that's the fabric. It's so stiff that I find the seams can begin to come apart. It did come with a label advising to handle it carefully as it's delicate, but even a light touch can cause problems, as I found when I first tried it on. I was mortified when the seams at the sleeves came apart, and those sewing skills have came in handy a lot with this dress!
At the time my hair was fading fast from the cotton candy blue, pink and lavender I'd used previously. I decided to let it fade out as I was really liking the white-blonde, faded platinum look and I was getting a little fed up of the high maintenance required of bright coloured hair! So now I've evolved into a lilac, which fades down to a silvery-white that looks pretty epic. Not much maintenance required either so I'll be certain to blog about it later on in the year, some of yous may find it helpful!
And that's it from me!
What were your highlights from 2014?
Love,
Lima
XO
16 comments
Well done and also LOVE the outfit. I use to go to The Clothes Show in Birmingham and would love to go to London Fashion Week with my camera in tow.
ReplyDeleteI was going to go to that clothes show last year. Gutted I didn't end up going. But yes, a camera is a must for LFW, it's the perfect time to get all snap happy!
Deletexo
Well I've certainly seen your grow in the last couple years *tears up* and I feel honoured to do so. We've all gotta protect ourselves but be there for others but we can only know what's 100% good for us in the long run. Who knows you best, but you!
ReplyDeleteMy highlights, road trip to Manchester!!!!! Going IMATS with you erm, getting my piece of paper. 12 months don't seem like much of an accomplishment but everyday is something new hey.
As always the dress is oh so you, I'm going to find you a subway grate and give you a iridescent Marilyn Monroe moment :) xo
it's crazy how fast 2014 went and it looks like you had an amazing year. I love the dress. i'm sure i was a magpie in a former life anything shiny really appeals to me x
ReplyDeleteCan't believe how quickly 2014 went, looks like you had a great year and wow you went to IMATS, it was fantastic wasn't it :)
ReplyDeleteLove the outfit everything goes so well together!
Good luck with 2015
Happy New Year :)
Wow, sounds like you've got some really interesting plans for this year.
ReplyDeleteLearning to sew is on my list for this year. I've not done it since school, so hopefully I won't break my mum's machine while learning!
You look stunning, the dress is sooo cool! Super mermaid-esque! lol
ReplyDeleteYou've accomplished so much in 2014, so good for you!
Have a great 2015!
Jenan
http://lavieenmauve-jj.blogspot.ca/
It looks like you had a pretty awesome year! And that dress is gorgeous! (:
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to yoouuu!
ReplyDeleteSorry, haven't dropped in in a while.
You look stunning with this make-up, I love that you try out different unusual looks! And this dress is magical! So 80s with the rainbow metallic fabric :)
Looks like you had a great 2014, I'd love to go to LFW someday. I really didn't accomplish anything big last year, but hey maybe 2015 is my year? The dress is beautiful, I like the way you layered it with a sheer shirt too x
ReplyDeleteHOW I WEAR | A Manchester Style & Beauty Blog
WOW - AMAZING! This is a great bit of advice plus an amazing dress. It's actually a useful read for those just getting interested in fashion too.
ReplyDeletegreat plans for the new year! Also, I love your eye make-up. Very funky!
ReplyDeleteYou look amazing! I also went to IMATS this past year. I wish you the best for 2015! Happy New Year xx
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on an awesome year :) Also, love the dress!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about all your new ventures hun. GO YOU for quitting the day job and doing what you really want to do. Too many of us are too chicken to do it! One day... lol! I'm about to start a new job though that I hope will be amazing!
ReplyDeleteKatie <3
absolutely loving this outfit!!:)very excited to hear about what you will be doing this year after leaving your job:)i am in a similar situation and really would like to have my own business...my dad is nearing retirement and i think a new family business would be great for us...as the one we have at the moment is a legal office and honestly i don't know how my dad has worked there for over 40 years as a solicitor!lovely post:)xxx
ReplyDelete