We'll Go To Very Distant Lands / The Human Story

Crop top is handmade | Skirt is handmade | socks are from Japan | bag is thrifted | shoes are c/o Yeswalker Hooray, golden hour photos are always the best! Although, being at a beautiful beach never hurts for photo-taking, either. I've escaped to the beach for a few days to finally relax after my crazy semester of work in the laboratory. And as there is a sewing machine at the place I'm staying, I brought a whole bunch of fabric with me to make a new summer wardrobe - however my own clothes-making kept being delayed by a very assertive two-and-a-half year old who insisted I make her a dress first (I couldn't say no, she's way too cute). However, I did learn from that experience that my smock-dress pattern definitely works for different sizes, which is good to know! Tomorrow, I will be posting the DIY tutorial for this crop-top (it's all written up and ready to go, I promise!) So come back tomorrow if you want to learn how to make a crop-top of your own. Follow me on facebook or twitter if you want to know as soon as it's posted. P.s. did anyone catch where the title of this blog post is from? ;) I love a good science video - especially one which is short enough for my youtube-attention span (seriously, if a video is longer than about 4 minutes I don't even bother). Starting from the big bang to the formation of stars and planets, the development of single-celled organisms to the age of the dinosaurs, the domination of furry mammals to human beings with satellites and buildings - in one minute and 37 seconds, using the best of our evidence and scientific consensus, this is how you got where you are right now, sitting in front of a computer reading a fashion blog and contemplating your own existence. p.p.s. my new Birdee article is up! I'd love it if you had a read! Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Little Bo Peep DIY Dress

So it has come to that time of the year where I really need to start studying my butt off. Naturally, that means I start becoming extremely creative and productive in anything other than university work. Freckles and Ginger was last night's bad influence (whose instagram feed you need to follow if you're not already), who made me remember just how easy making dresses is. I free-handed this dress (meaning no pattern, I just made it up as I went along, woo hoo!) last night, and I'm so extremely happy with it! I think it's the best dress I've made, which is pretty good seeing as I haven't made one for over a year! Also, I know this outfit totally goes against what I said in my last post about dressing more maturely, but I reserve the right the contradict myself. Anyway, I've changed my mind about that. I'm going to dress like a little kid if I want to - I'm never going to stop loving cutesy collars and prints, so why banish them from my everyday attire for fear of people judging me on them? That's just silly. dress is handmade by me, socks are c/o Sock Dreams, blouse is thrifted, shoes are from Rubi Shoes and I forget where I got my necklace from. I hope that you're all having a wonderful day, Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Ethical Clothing Directory

[November 2015 UPDATE: I'm removing inactive stores and adding some new ones! Check back soon for a fully-updated list!] When I made this post about a month ago about switching to ethical fashion, I soon realised that there wasn't really anywhere left for me to shop. It seemed like hardly any retailers I knew and loved had taken the steps to ensure that their workers were being paid fairly and had good working conditions. And a quick google search for "ethical clothing" only yielded either super-extra-organic-made-in-the-depths-of-the-himalyas-enchanted-by-the-breath-of-a-fairy sack-style clothing (always in "earthy tones" too for some reason), or beautiful indie dresses selling for $500 a pop. I was starting to think that the only way for me to get "new" clothes would be visiting second-hand stores and making my own stuff (which is still never a bad idea, don't get me wrong). But never fear - there are stores out there! They're just pretty hard to find! For the past month or so, I've been putting together a little ethical clothing directory of established stores (inspired by Ron's own curation) with clothes which actually suit my style and my budget. I've basically sorted out a place to shop for everything that I might need in my wardrobe - and all are around the same prices of clothing that I used to buy from retail stores, anyway. I hope that those of you who are wanting to buy more ethically, but also don't have unlimited money, will find this very useful. Note: if you are having trouble viewing this post or are on a phone/tablet, click here.  Clothing   Undergarments & Swimwear Jewellery and Accessories Sunglasses Bags Fair trade bags (as in satchel and messenger bags, not just handmade tote bags of which there are a plethora on etsy), were a difficult item to find. Hearts seems to be the best option for bags: And while not particularly cheap, Cambridge Co. and Zatchels are ethically produced and made to last: Boojiboo Boutique and JH Fabric Creations from Etsy do cute handmade messenger bags that aren't particularly pricy: And this store makes bags out of recycled fire hoses: Tights and Socks Birkshire and We Love Colours are both made in the USA as well. Footwear I hope that someone out there has found this list useful! The hardest thing about letting go of those retail stores, especially if you're a poor student or young worker, is that the pricing is sometimes too attractive to walk by. Well, now there's no excuses. If you think of any stores I should add to this list, let me know below! Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr