NYFW Day 1

It's that time of year when my Instagram feed gets clogged up with photos taken at Fashion Week, I get insanely jealous and consider throwing my phone across the room so I don't have to look at all the FROW/street style/catwalk snaps.

I tend to lean towards the presentations by lesser known designers, rather than the big names catwalk shows. I like spotting a hidden gem. This season, Lyn Devon's collection caught my eye; minimal structures, boxy silhouettes, a refreshing colour palette, a splash of a vivid batik print. Devon cited the Sahara desert as her inspiration for the collection, with sandy tones and flowing silhouettes reminding her of a recent trip.

Whit has been a favourite of mine for a few seasons now. You can count on designer Whitney Pozgay to showcase a selection of fun and vibrant prints. For SS14, inspiration comes from a holiday to Bali and the resulting photographs by Greg Vore. Easy shirt dresses, tailored shorts and loosely-structured trousers prove the perfect canvas for colourful batik and tropical prints.

Don't forget your statement straw hat.

A Design for Life

So there are quite a few changes to my blog.

I finally took the leap and purchased a theme from a site that I had heard many good things about, Blog Milk Shop. Run by the very lovely and helpful Ana Degenaar, the site sells both pre-made and custom blog themes, with the philosophy to make stylish designs available to even those on a low budget (FYI, my theme set me back just £50/$79).

Even with my basic html skills under my belt, I was slightly apprehensive at the thought of fiddling around with installing a new theme. Don't be! It is insanely easy to install and customise.the themes. 

So what theme did I go for? Plethora was my chosen design - I had envisioned a sleek, minimal look for my blog with a simple text header and clean lines. Ana only sells 15 of each theme to ensure that the blogosphere doesn't become saturated with the same design so if you would like to purchase the same theme, think fast! This exclusivity only adds to the amazement of the affordable price tag.

Let me know your thoughts on my new design!

Things I am going to do this Autumn

Inspired by Hannah, here is a little list of what I will be getting up to over the next few months:

1. Take more photographs. You may have noticed my blog's revamp, well part of the new Kisses and Cross Stitches is going to be a bigger focus on my own photography. I want to get into a routine where my camera is almost always by my side so I can build up a catalogue of images to share with you. I also really want to force some friends to model for me and whip up a few amateur shoots.

2. Spend nights in rather than nights out. Simply because what could be cosier than cooking, eating, drinking and playing board games with friends as the nights grow closer?

3. Grow my hair. A vain one - I've been attempting to grow my hair for some time now, with visions of long wavy copper-coloured locks in mind.

4. Wrap up warm in cosy knitwear. I am actually looking forward to pulling on a chunky Arran knit with a pair of skinny jeans, tucking in my hair and pulling the sleeves down over my hands.

5. Spend as much time as possible in the countryside. Autumn is my favourite time of year to go for long walks in the countryside. Not too warm, not yet too cold and breath-taking scenery everywhere you look with the red and golden leaves falling from trees.

Images: Tuula, Bleubird Vintage, Bluebirds & Barn Swallows, Badlands, Holly Fernando.

Bloomin' Lovely

Photography & Editing: me

Cara Peeney

I have recently neglected my love of analogue photography but here to resurrect my film fancies is recently graduated photographer Cara Peeney. 

Reminiscent of my all-time favourites, Lina Scheynius and Lukasz Wierzbowski, Cara shoots in film, paying as much intricate attention to her backgrounds as her subjects. Capturing the light beautifully, her work casts a hauntingly elegant aesthetic. 

See Cara's blog for more of her photography.