Pre Spring Clean

© Creative_Type Photography

Sooooo, falling in love with someone when the feeling wasn’t anywhere close to be being mutual, probably wasn’t one of my smartest moves (d’oh!). I don’t regret the feeling as being in love is amazing and I've been lucky enough to experience it three times over (the other two times were thankfully mutual); and with spring on the horizon, I couldn't think of a better time to take steps to move on. A situation which causes more sadness and tears than happiness and laughter isn't how one should spend a life. I'm really not sure what life has on store for me, but I'm looking forward to this new adventure.

Something else I've found freeing is being cut off. When you're someone like me who apologises far more than you should, having someone remove you from all existence is indeed incredibly hurtful, but also freeing in a weird way. You can sometimes find yourself shackled by the way other people view you and perceive your behaviour; more often than not, their minds are already made up in regards to your guilt and although you may know in your heart said perception is not at all accurate, you can't change peoples' minds and you'll exhaust yourself trying to do so.

I'm just too old for all that and I can't carry on apologising for things that never happened. I just have to trust whatever the outcome, is for the best; continue to be the person I know I am and love and embrace the people around me who know the real me.

A great post by blogger Nadia Aboulhosn, on Instagram sums up my view:

All day long, this!

I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist and I think I’ll always be more inclined to be more cautious with things, but what I’ve recently found myself doing is looking on the bright side, turning the other cheek and carrying on with my life, staying positive. So now that I’ve finished with my pre spring clean, I’m going to have a lie down and eat some cake (mmmm, cake).

I hope you guys also have a pre spring clean. Trust me, it does the world of good!

‘til next time.

Love and hugs,

Isha

xxx

Mermaid Living on Land

Hello lovelies!

A few weeks ago I needed to escape so my lovely friend and I headed to Brighton to visit my friends sister, but also to hang out and leave all our troubles behind (ironically, I came back to more drama than when I left. How did that happen?!).

Brighton is one of my favourite places in the world and has been my place of solace for over 15 years. Whenever I feel like I need to clear my mind, Brighton is the place I go. Being by the coast always consoles me, it’s my tried and trusted friend, and as I liken myself to a mermaid living on land, the fact that the sea and sea air is only an hours train ride away makes it even better. As soon as we got there I almost ran to the pier just so I could shut my eyes and shut out the world and all its nastiness. The wind got stronger the nearer we got but we persisted and this was what welcomed us:

Instant calm

I don’t know what possessed me, but I thought I’d try and take some outfit pictures. The wind was literally blowing a gale and there were people on street level holding onto each-other, just to make sure they didn’t fall; but I thought it would be beautiful to have the sea “breeze” take over my body and my dress for some earthy pictures….I was wrong!

SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY! 

The only half decent one taken :/

Now, you’ll never find these kinds of pictures in vogue, but I don’t want my blog to be a magazine spread with perfectly manipulated pictures. I want it to be personal, I want it to be real and you don’t get that with gloss – it’s just not my style at all and if it were, I would be unable to embarrass myself by showing you these hilarious pictures!

The weekend was exactly what I needed and I’m thankful to have the kind of friends I do, who will drop everything in order to help me in my hour of need. We had a ball despite the wind and did so much walking to areas I hadn’t been to before, and exploring the nooks of Brighton brought us to this amazing artwork....

I think the E and D are missing here :/ 

....and the incredible 'Taj Mahal' of Brighton, The Pavilion:

Stunning!

Just before dinner in the evening, I wanted to take less manic outfit pictures so we headed back to the flat. The lighting isn’t great, but here’s the non wind assisted dress in all its glory:

Dress: Lady Vintage London

Cardigan & Leggings: South (via Very)

Boots: Boohoo

A close-up of the incredible necklace by Jodie Loves (I now have an army of jewellery from this lovely lady <3)

I also have an outfit from our second day, but I don’t think inside pictures do the dress justice so may retake pictures outside.

Either way, ‘til next time.

Love and hugs,

Isha

xxx

Edge/ Grunge/ Rock ‘n Roll - 113 bringing the attitude

One One Three are an independent brand, run by Najma and Keenan, and based in good old London. Their designs caught the plus size communities attention sometime ago and the edgy, fashion forward and well-made clothes, became an instant favourite. When they announced a fashion show during London Fashion Week, I jumped at the chance to go and see the new collection first hand.

Held in a warehouse in Angel, the venue set the mood for what was to come  - dark and urban cool. The space was covered in graffiti and in usual circumstances I would have had a walk around to admire it, but we all wanted to see the clothes! I sat with the gorgeous Lauren and the whole room was buzzing with excitement.

The show began and we were treated with a mix of real street style and classic pieces which were cut to perfection. The models with a ‘YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US’ attitude came stomping down the catwalk like rock stars, knowing they looked killer in the mainly grunge inspired clothes. They worked the crowd into a frenzy, demanding a response, and we responded in kind. We were treated to tartan skirts, trousers and dresses, and they were worked wonderfully into the PU and leather looks incorporated into the collection. There were also stretch material mini and maxi dresses with graffiti logos, and an unbelievable leather jacket that was studded from front to back.

Edge/ Grunge/ Rock ‘n Roll sums up the show and collection quite nicely; the only disappointment was that the show didn’t go on all night! I took pictures of my favourite outfits and although there was a strong spotlight, I think you can get an idea of just how awesome the clothes were – get your orders in quick!

This gorgeous skater style tartan dress was my favourite piece! <3

I love that there are independent designers out there making their mark on the plus size stage, we need more of this because when it’s done right, it's nothing short of spectacular!

‘til next time. 

Love and hugs

Isha

xxx