TRAVEL // HOLIDAYING

Is it weird that I enjoy planning holidays almost as much as I like going on them? I get excited months in advance, purchase every travel guide going, sift through thousands of blog posts, start stalking people on Instagram, and accost every person I know who has previously been to my upcoming destination.

These analogue shots are all from last year's European jaunt with a group of friends. We traveled by train from London - Paris - Aix en Provence - Barcelona, living off a diet of avocados and cava. We lazed in parks, drove up terrifying roads to witness terrific views, swam in icy lakes, partied all night, and attempted to sleep on trains. I'm off to Berlin with the gang one month today, and there will almost certainly be more photos to share upon my return.

STYLE // CONTEMPLATING STYLE

It's a funny thing, being able to wear whatever the hell I want to work each day. In most ways, it's completely liberating and amazing - yet staring at my overwhelmingly eclectic wardrobe each morning can be quite daunting.

I had a very definite 'work wardrobe' at my old job. Lots of black, white, navy and grey mixed in with as much colour and print as I could get away with, usually in the form of a stripe. There were elements of this work wardrobe that had crept over from my regular clothes - pinafore dresses, striped T-shirts, shirt dresses - but I certainly felt restrained, and found that there was a vast amount of my wardrobe that was not at all appropriate.

My new office is awesome. It's bright and light, with huge windows and wooden floors. We have a hot pink raffia parasol by the 'meeting table', there's plants all over the place, and if you feel a sneeze coming, you head straight to tissue cottage. I don't want to induce jealousy - but I'm also surrounded by beautiful vintage-inspired printed dresses, day-in day-out. 

As you may have gathered, there are no restrictions when it comes to what we can and can't wear. I could probably wear my pajamas to work and get away with it. This means that I can wear that sunshine yellow ditsy floral vintage dress that has only been worn on holidays for the past five years. Or my most vibrantly patterned skirts. Or, if I'm feeling lazy, my favourite jeans and old stripy tops. Anything goes.

It makes dressing in the morning both more exciting and more challenging. So,I'm looking to the ladies of my favourite social channel for inspiration. These are the gals I turn to when I'm wondering how to dress down whilst maintaining a stylish demeanor. Or when I want to try out a refreshing new colour palette. When I'm wondering what I can layer under my numerous pinafores for a bit of a change. If I'm unsure how to give that cutesy vintage dress a bit of an edge. I'm a completely eclectic dresser - one day I'm head-to-toe vintage, the next I'm channeling Nordic vibes; sometimes I love crazy prints and bold colours, other times I just want to strip everything back to natural fabrics and gingham or stripes are the only prints I can think about. This mix of well-rounded girls really reflect all of the different aesthetics that inspire me.

Who do you look to for inspiration?

PHOTOGRAPHY // COLOUR PALETTE

I'm a sucker for colour. Vibrant pops of tangerine, candy pink and sky blue are guaranteed to make me stop in my tracks when scrolling through my Instagram feed. I also love nothing better than discovering a carefully curated feed with an exquisite balance of colour and composition, with a distinctive theme.

PHOTOGRAPHY // CASEY LIU

I can't get enough of the work of Hawaiian photographer, Casey Liu. I want to visit every single location that she shoots.

STYLE // SAMANTHA PLEET

Gosh, I was away for a long time! I think that's the longest I have neglected my blog since I first started out blogging. My only excuse is that things have been a bit crazy recently - I left my job that I had been in for four-and-a-half years, started a new job that's going really well, and I've had a few weekends away - a countryside retreat with a group of friends and a trip to Brighton to visit my best friend.

I'm going to continue the look-book love I started with my last post, and show you the latest collection from one of my favourite independent designers, Samantha Pleet. Scalloped hems, pretty pastel hues, clean lines, and lots of gorgeous prints. Samantha's collections always catch my eye: if I lived in the States, I'd snap one of her printed dresses up in a heartbeat.