BEING MORE SUSTAINABLE WITH FASHION

The topic of sustainable fashion has been on everyone's lips over the past year and It's thanks to the gorgeous Ben Peachy and his slow fashion month, that really got me to thinking more about the way I shop. I'll be the first to admit that in the past I have paid no attention to the items of clothing that I have bought. I would buy an item of clothing or a pair of shoes based on simply if I like it or if it was on trend, which looking back was completely the wrong thing to do! Nine times out of ten I would only wear the item once or it would hand in my wardrobe for months without been worn and the label still inside.

So since January, I've been a lot more selective with what I buy, I now only buy what I need or what needs replacing. I always buy new white t-shirts every year as after over 100 washes they start to lose their whiteness and look a little dirty. This year I've gone for the basic t-shirts for M&S as at £4.50 they are great value for great comfort and quality. 

I have of course bought a few new dresses and two pairs of trousers especially for summer, but as I've worn them all at least three times since buying, they are defiantly pieces I will wear every year. I've only bought three pair of shoes so far this year, mainly because I wear my black Gucci loafers every day for work and I'm happy with the selection of shoes I have in my wardrobe at the moment. Yes, I need a new pair of tan sandals, but I will wait till next year to get them or at the end of summer in the sale as I just can't justify paying full price when I know they will eventually be reduced by 50%.

Over the past 6 months I've fallen more in love and feel very comfortable with my style. I have built a capsule wardrobe that consists of jeans, t-shits, shirts, blazers, skirts and dresses that I can wear day after day without getting board. I'm still on the look out for a few linen pieces to add to the wardrobe but I'm getting there.

Not following trends also helps me a lot, i don't feel pressured to constantly updated my wardrobe and if I'm reading through my weekly copy of Grazia  or monthly Vogue and Elle magazine I always think about how I can use items of clothing already in my wardrobe to get a certain look that I think would work for me. Lets face it you're never going to see me wear a mini skirt/dress or cycling shorts anytime soon. 

If I see an item of clothing, pair of shoes or accessories that I like and know I will get a lot of wear out of i think about my decisions and after a month or two if I'm still thinking about it or know it will go with more than 6 items in my wardrobe its OK to head to the check out and buy. I shop my wardrobe and not the Internet for inspiration. Take this outfit for example; all of these pieces were bought last year, and because I love polka dot and these pieces were probably the best purchases of last year and I will continue to wear until I'm 90, (hopefully). 

Photographed by Megan | Megan Scott 

Dress: ASOS | Trainers: Reebok | Blazer: ASOS | Bag: Simon Miller | Earrings: Missoma

A SPA DAY AT SEAHAM HALL

Hi everyone, I hope you're well! If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I'm a huge fan of Spa's, in particular, Seaham Hall. As it's only a 5-minute drive from home, its in the perfect location with award-winning facilities.

As I've gotten older it's become harder to spend a lot of time with Mum so as part of her Mother's Day present I booked us in for a Spa Day at Seaham Hall, to say thank you for being so amazing.
I chose to book the sleep for your soul package, which gave us access to the spa from 9am-5pm, a two-course meal in their Ozone restaurant which included a glass of pink fizz and a 60-minute treatment.

I used an Olympus Muji 1 and Fujicolour 200 to shoot on.

THE FACILITIES: We were very, very lucky with the weather, the sun was shining and the skies were blue for the entirety of our stay. Taking full advantage of the outdoor Zen Garden, we spent the morning dividing our time in the infinity pool and reading on the daybeds before we went in for our treatment. After treatment's and food, we decided to stay indoors, making the mist of the jacuzzi, steam rooms and swimming pool.

As a plus size woman, the extra large robes fitted like a glove. For me this a big relief as there is nothing more worrying that you're going to be spending the day walking around the spa wearing a robe that doesn't fit around you properly.

The Treatment: Before food, it was treatment time...which was split between a 30 minute massage and a 30 minute dry floatation. I always have a lot of tension in the centre of my back, so a massage was just what the doctor ordered.

It was the dry flotation that we were very excited for as it was a treatment that neither of us have had before. I was told that 30 minutes was the equivalent of having 8 hours sleep, i can confirm that this was the case. I felt so relax and weightless after the treatment it was like walking on air. I also felt a huge difference in my back, once the floatation ends it realigns your spine; as someone who has suffered from sciatica in the past i haven't had any problems since.

The Food: I love Asian food, but I never eat enough of it so a trip to the Ozone restaurant was a must! As part of our package, we each had a two-course meal and a complimentary glass of bubbles, pink of course. With the perfect window seat, the sun was shining through the glass keeping our faces nice and warm. I still find it strange being allowed into a restaurant wearing a dressing gown and slippers, but when everyone around you (apart from the staff) is wearing the same, you feel more at ease.

For starters, i went for the  thai style chicken satay. The flavours of the chicken and peanut sauce were to die for. Mum went for the vegetable spring rolls, which looked tasty. This was of course completed with the obligatory bowl of prawn crackers! We both went for the chicken and prawn pad thai and shared rice, It was delicious. As much as I would have loved to try a desert, there was just no space, I had most definitely eaten too much (but amazing) food.