Autumnal Accessorising...

How do you go about elegantly accessorising when the weather turns as dismal as it has been lately? When all you really want to do is climb back into bed with a piping hot tea rather than think about colour coodination?

Well, there’s really an easy way of going about it and that is to keep things simple. The best thing about effortless style is just that-it’s effortless. Which means longer in bed, which is the main point right?

So here are my top 5 tips for Autumn Accessorising. Thank me when you’re enjoying that extra 5 minutes of snoozing.

1) Hats don’t mean a style sacrifice!

If anything, they’ll add a lot of edge to any outfit you wear. I love my collection of hats-they add that androgynous vibe that is so fun to rock later in the year and there’s so much more to choose from in the colder months! Try using dark or neutral tones to compliment whatever colours your outfit is made from.

2) Brown boots-a staple for any autumn wardrobe

As ever, tall, brown boots are all over Pinterest this season. Take it one step further and invest in something edgy-chucking on a pair of boots, particularly if they’re lined, is the comfiest way to keep yourself toasty and if they’re heeled they add that fierce edge to any outfit. (They also keep you elevated away from puddles!) 

3) Use Scarves to your advantage

This tip is possibly the most important of all. Get yourself one of the scarves on the market at the moment-I’m talking one of those big, fluffy, cosy ones that could easily double as a blanket and wrap up. Mine was super affordable and is from Primark. Shop right, and grab one of the classically patterned scarves, preferably monochrome (dogtooth is a personal favourite of mine-read about that here) as it will go with near enough everything in your wardrobe! Classic, an easy way to add an accent to your outfit, and no one will guess that you’re napping in your makeshift scarf-duvet. Promise. 

4) Keep jewellery light

I don’t know about you, but when I’m caught out in the rain and I’m wearing a heavy necklace or bracelet, my immediate instinct is to take it off the second I get in the house. There’s something about soggy jewellery that really dampens my mood (pardon the pun) but leaving it out of my outfit entirely is just plain boring, particularly for a jewellery addict like me! So keep it light-think dainty chains and emblems on necklaces, and loose fitting bracelets rather than heavy bangles. 

5) Coffee counts as an accessory, right?

It always looks great in an Instagram post, particularly when the patterns on the cups from some of the coffee shops lately are so cute…and if it perks you up on a chilly morning, well that’s just an added bonus. Snap away!

Well lovelies, I hope you enjoyed going through these tips! Make sure you check my social media for updates and share your Autumn Accessories with me! @LizzieArkell on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest :)

Lizzie xx

Can grown women wear band shirts?

As a music obsessive who’s also a lover of fashion, I love wearing band t-shirts. Whether I’ve bought them from shops, actual gigs, or festivals, I think there’s no better way to express something about you or create a specific look than to chuck one of them on. Yet so many women I know hate wearing them in public. “I love mine, but I just wear them as nightshirts” “What on earth would I pair it with?” “They’re so unflattering!” Sound familiar?

Wearing anything with a bands logo on it always seems to be linked to some kind of childlike fashion and is certainly a bold statement. So is it possible to style them in a feminine, confident way and still look great? I’ve enlisted some of the most fashion forward and confident music enthusiast ladies I know to figure out how to get away with it.

Jessie Bartholomew is a recent English Literature Graduate from the University of Lincoln and has an eclectic taste in music (I get excited for car journeys with her so I can have a cheeky nose through her playlist). She describes her body as pear shaped and is a feisty looking blonde with a serious obsession with lipstick and human rights.

Chloe Cattell is 18 and recently engaged (congrats Chloe and Craig!) and is seriously clued up on varying types of music (she puts me to shame).  She’s slightly more petite, and has what seems like the worlds coolest 60’s wardrobe. Call her for a crazy night out with the best northern soul background music (my kind of girl).

Here’s what the girls were each wearing when I interviewed them-Chloe’s band shirt is a madness top she won in a bet (!) and Jessie’s is a quote from the fabulous Joan Jett, “I don’t give a damn about my bad reputation” (cue Shrek flashbacks).

Chloe wears: Madness top (won in a bet), cigarette pants, topshop, white trainers, topshop, blue stud earrings, DKNY watch, The Gallerys wristband, vintage promise ring, engagement ring, hairbands

Jessie wears: Black sunglasses (free from a club-why do my friends get all their clothes in cool ways?) Slogan tee, H&M white shorts, new look, pumps, primark, watch, fossil, bracelet, thomas sabo, friendship bracelet, hairbands, floral ring, Dorothy Perkins

Thanks for meeting me girls! How many band shirts do you own?

Jessie: I’ve got 3 band shirts, 2 festival shirts, and 2 tops with music quotes on them.

Chloe: I’ve got 7.

What’s your favourite band shirt that you own?

C: Definitely Joy Division!

J: My Joan Jett quote shirt.

How often do you wear a band shirt out? Would you stick to wearing them in bed or do you wear them day to day?

J: I buy band shirts at every gig I go to, so some are quite old and I wear those as nightshirts. I wouldn’t think twice about wearing a band shirt out and about as long as it was an informal thing-but I also sometimes wear them on a night out with skinny jeans and heels.

C: My band shirts get worn out after not too long, so I’ll wear those in bed or just around the house. Because of what I do I can’t really wear them to work, but I also wouldn’t think twice about wearing them otherwise. It’s easy when you know how.

How do you style your band shirts?

J: I find band shirts really plain, unisex and shapeless, so I’ll wear stuff like cardigans and skinny jeans with them in the winter that have more shape, to cancel out the fact there’s no shape in the shirt. In the summer I wear them with as little as possible! Maybe just some jewellery or a skirt to add some shape and femininity. 

C: I think they’re quite versatile pieces, but I also like to keep whatever I’m wearing in tone with what the band are about. So today I’m wearing a madness top, who are a ska band, which is progressive from the mod era that I’m into. So on a day like today* I’ll pair it with cigarette trousers or maybe an A-line skirt. Band shirts are so versatile, chances are they’ll match with whatever you wear whether you dress them up or down, and you can always pull your waist in or tie them up to add shape.

*BLOOMING HOT

What kind of accessories do you like wearing with your band shirts?

J: I never usually wear accessories, I just wear the same sort of things everyday like my watch and bracelets, but today I’ve added a floral ring and some silver earrings to make it a bit more feminine. My top is quite grungy so I didn’t feel like I needed to wear too many feminine accessories. With tops with gig dates on the back I’d wear a chunky necklace or something.

C: I’m not an accessories kind of person either, I wear the same accessories day to day which are more about who I am as a person. But I have to think about whether things go with the whole look. If I was wearing a plain top like my AM top, I’d feel like I could wear more jewellery.

Are band shirts just a grungy look or can you change them about?

J: Ultimately I don’t have a bad reputation like my top would suggest, but if i wore a stretcher and a nose piercing people might easily think that I did, so it’s easy to play around with a grungy look in this shirt. I think it depends. I wouldn’t exactly wear it to a job interview or meet someone’s parents.

You guys are slightly different ages, do you worry about looking adult when you wear a band shirt?

C: When you wear a band t shirt you’re establishing who you are to the rest of the world, so I don’t worry about it too much. This is me, this is what I listen to. Some people might chuck it on with black jeans and be bish bash bosh out the door, and some people would dress them up, but as long as you’re smart about it you can premeditate how people will react.

J: I listen to the despicable me soundtrack on my iPod but I’d never wear that as a t-shirt! You can pick how you want to wear it. I don’t think it makes you seem younger because under 18s don’t necessarily get the same things out of gigs that others do, and with the joan jett shirt i’m wearing now, they might not know who she is. Obviously if I wore a busted top I would look younger, but I don’t think band shirts are a childish thing. You shouldn’t wear a band shirt unless you know 5 songs of the artist on the top! That’s annoying to me because it kills conversation if it’s just to create a look.

For women who worry about how boxy shirts can be-do you think it’s easy to make them feminine?

J: I’m proud of my body shape and boxy tops don’t let me show off my figure, so I get it. A boxy top is not the dream. It’s all about pairing them with stuff that accentuates your good bits-high waisted bottoms with a belt to accentuate your waist, maybe a cardi-or in the summer you can tie them up. It’s quite important, but if i’m just hanging out i’m happy to wear it just chilled-which is when it’s cool that they’re boxy!

C: Yeah like, the sort of artists I listen to aren’t really grunge, they’re more retro, a bit older. They’re more of a declaration of self expression than a look to me but it is easy to make them look feminine when you know how. When you see a band t-shirt, you wouldn’t necessarily immediately go “I could put a belt with that or tie it in” but it’s easy once you know how. I personally love making them look feminine, and they’re such a key wardrobe piece because there’s so much you can do with it. It’s sort of like a blank canvas.

J: I think you buy a band shirt for the band, not the top, and then you have to work with what you’ve got. You do have to work harder with band tops than any other top you might buy but I don’t think they’re harder to wear overall-don’t be put off because they’re boxy!

Some of my readers have said it takes a lot of confidence to wear a band shirt-would you agree?

C: It takes a lot of confidence to wear band shirts anyway, because you’re sort of putting yourself out there and people make a judgement on you because of wearing-but people are going to do that anyway! They really do. There’s no reason girls should shy away from boxy shirts because other people shouldn’t care if they can’t see or you don’t have a waist but if you’re feeling like you’re worried, there’s so many ways around it. There are so many ways to customise and personalise things, you just need a bit of confidence.

J: I’m a really confident person, so I could argue my taste in bands, but I’m less confident in my body. So when band shirts show my bum or tummy or arms, my problem areas-problem areas, such a stupid phrase!- I would then customise them. I’d tuck it up to make it look cropped, so it’s purposeful or tuck it in so it’s not a problem anymore. Just because something is unflattering on its own doesn’t mean you can’t make it flatter you! I can completely see where that has come from.

C: There’s always illusions- a boxy shirt could make it look like you’re just hiding a waist! I’ve definitely been there though.

So in conclusion, looks like a little tweak and a spoonful of confidence is all you need to wear a band shirt! Get those babies out of your pajama drawer and on your back where they should be…

Thanks to Chloe and Jessie for their input!

How do you feel about wearing band shirts out? Tag me in your pics!

Lizzie xx

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Being inspired... Initial thoughts on #girlboss

I was intending on writing a post about this book and my first impressions on the first chapter. However, given that I've now read about half of the book, I think first impressions on the first chapter (or even first 100 pages) would be a bit underwhelming compared to the good chunk I've read.

Let me start by saying that I bought this book on an absolute whim. it was cheap as chips on Amazon and a blogger I follow on Twitter recommended it-chuck me a feisty female's words of wisdom and I'm on board!

From the title, it's evident that Sophia Amoruso is a born marketing genius. Naming the book with a hashtag makes it an immediate talking point on all social media platforms. So naturally, I trust what this woman has to say about business. She evidently knows her stuff. As CEO and founder of Nasty Gal, one of the worlds top fashion retailers and now a New York Times bestselling author, Sophia has built one of the biggest movements the world over. Although business sense is, shockingly, not the first quality that shines through from Sophia.

It's pure humanity.

Maybe it's because she starts by talking about her initial business days sat on eBay in her pajamas, or her unfaltering faith in the idea that hard work will lead to prosperity. Either way, she just doesn't have that scary-holier than thou-Alan Sugar thing going on. She's just someone who worked hard and wants to show girls how to do the same (sorry, #girlbosses).

It becomes clear to me whilst reading this book that everyone who's ever built something-as hard as it may be to believe, has built it from somewhere, (No-duh lizzie) but isn't it hard to believe when we're sold these archetypes of men in suits who run the world and were born with silver spoons in their mouths? As if they've never eaten a cheeseburger and only know how to delegate the dirty work?

Sophia Amoruso is here to DESTROY these archetypes. She loves a good cheeseburger (in the early days, she paid her models with them) and unapologetically admits all her flaws and mistakes in order to teach readers like me (strangers essentially, which makes for a very courageous move) how to overcome them and make the right choices in the beginning. If any girls out there need motivation in order to harness their talent and ambition, please, BUY THIS BOOK. Her initial mistakes (petty theft, inability to focus) not only make her human but they map out where she's heading and how she deals with things in the future.

I really don't want to give too many spoilers here! Just take my advice when I say this book is a real eye opener for those who need a little direction. More to come when I've reached the end! If you've read #girlboss, comment below and let me know what you think...

Lizzie x

The Importance of Live Music

The weirdest thing I've ever been told is that Live Music is not important in the music industry.

??????????????

The strangest thing is that this came from someone who is a teacher at a really well known music college. How many aspiring musicians has she told that to? How many have believed her?
After running very fast from that college, I evaluated how wrong that advice is. There is not one musician who hasn't benefitted from live music in some way. It can teach you so much, and it's fun too!

Live Music-The Best Bits

1) Facing your fears is the healthiest thing for you

It's so easy to live in fear if you want to be part of the music industry. Fear that you're not good enough or ever will be, fear that people will laugh you off stage. But the biggest fear I've ever felt is that I'll miss the chance. I'm 20 now, which is actually kinda old in the music industry. So last night I bit the bullet and sang live, entirely on my own at an open mic night. I've played a load of gigs, I've been to a load of open mic nights, and I've done performances on my own before, and before last night I'd never played keyboard live in my whole life. Well, now I have and I feel great! I made some mistakes and I was paralysed with fear in parts but I played the whole of each song and the crowd were so lovely and supportive. Yay!

2) You'll meet some of the loveliest people

If you're a music nut, then the absolute best place to meet people you'll get on with is at gigs, open mic nights, showcases etc. Some of my best friends are people I've met in this way, and since becoming friends with these kind of people I've learnt a lot and figured out what I wanted for myself. It's also so inspiring to see your friends doing well, and for them to see your journey too-if they're fellow musicians they've been through it all before and want you to do well!

3) It exposes you to new genres of music

If you want to find out about more music, go to an open mic night. Google ones near you NOW and just go. You tend to get performers there who are edgier than you'll meet elsewhere, and they know about the cool local musicians and bands you can hear. At an open mic night you'll hear songs you know and songs you don't, which is fun! You can never stop learning when it comes to new music.

If I haven't convinced you so far, then there's no hope for you. I've learnt so much recently thanks to live music (both watching and performing) whether that's on my own or singing with other musicians and bands, and I want you to go out and find something similar! Just do it, you know you want to.

Much love as always,
Lizzie x

Overcoming Anxiety: Being Fearless in a modern world

Happy New Year! Let me start by saying that I know I am terrible at regular blog posts (New Years resolution, anyone?) and I'm a bit late to the game this year so far. Sorry about that. On the other hand, I've returned to my blog after a couple of months and it's gone up from about 200 views to almost 1000 without me posting anything-that's awesome! Thanks so much to everyone reading, I hope you're enjoying my content. Today, I'm talking about anxiety:-

I am a go-getter. I'm not scared to go for what I want, even if it's an unusual or unrealistic goal. I know exactly how I want to go about things and I do them.

But it takes a LOT of negotiating with myself first.

I've never been diagnosed with anxiety and I don't have regular panic attacks, but I know they affect a lot of young people today. So many of my friends have trouble with them. With the pressures of social media and celebrity culture on the rise, it becomes increasingly difficult to feel validated and like you're good enough to do the things you want to do, and believe that people will only think good things about you. The prospect of being judged harshly is intensely feared in our society, and without our Instagram filters hiding our flaws in our day to day life, things can get tough.

Personally, I worry about absolutely everything if it's new to me. I don't want to say I have anxiety as I've never been diagnosed, and I'm sure there are people that go through a lot worse than I do, but I do stress about unnecessary situations like getting on the underground or going anywhere on my own. I know it shouldn't take as much guts as it takes me to get the bus into town.

In the music industry, a tough skin is a necessity. There are certain parts of each avenue I pursue that I've learnt to deal with, and certain parts I've yet to crack. I've had a YouTube channel for years, and showcasing my singing on there whilst I was still learning my craft left me vulnerable to nasty comments. I've been fairly lucky-most people are nice, or offer genuine feedback, but the occasional troll pops up. The thing is, now I know that will happen no matter how well I'm doing. Even the best singers in the world get troll comments, whether it be because people want to have a joke at the expense of an artist (lowest of the low, but it happens all too often) or because it makes them feel better about themselves. This is why I was scared of YouTube initially-but now I can cope with it and it's worth the risk. As long as I'm happy with my videos, who cares? I sing first and foremost because I love it. I don't care if you don't. (Tip for newbie youtubers-if they've commented, you've made an impact. That's the most important thing)

I can sing around people, day to day, with ease. Ask me for a song and I'll grab the opportunity. I've learnt a lot, and singing is my thing, why wouldn't I showcase it? Yet when I first had a singing lesson, my teacher asked me to sing and nothing came out. Not a sound. I couldn't sing a scale alongside a piano even though I was paying for the privilege! She had to sing with me to get me started. Now, you can't shut me up.

One thing I don't understand is gigging. Booking a gig feels awesome. The applause and adrenaline rush that follows a performance is addictive and it's something I've been doing since I was tiny. I've been paid for gigs before, and plenty of practicing musicians do all the time-so what's stopping me from picking up the phone and ringing some venues?

Stupid, irrelevant, feelings. Situations I've made up in my own head. Or, truthfully, no specific situations, just a fear based on nothing. I don't believe that I would get tomatoes thrown at me if I was singing, or that I'd, you know, die on stage or something dire. I'm scared of what people (drunken people, usually) would say or think. I'm so scared of seeming underwhelming or not up to par I can't even get there. I know that somewhere along, these comments will arise (just like they did with YouTube) and they will still mean ZILCH. Just because someone doesn't like my performance, doesn't mean I'm not technically a good singer (I've got exam certificates to prove that) and it doesn't make much of a difference to my future, unless I choose it. If you let fear and other people get in the way of what you want, ultimately that's your choice. You can take irrelevant things to heart or you can laugh, shrug it off, and keep going. I know which of those I want to do. (Easier said than done though, I know.)

So my tip for anyone panicking (in the music industry or not) is to take baby steps. Something disgustingly scary can become just another part of your day. Just like you learnt to walk, and read, and be who you are-you can't get anywhere if you don't start. Let's do it together! I've just been invited to an open mic night next week on Facebook. It's not a 2 hour long paid gig, but hey. Baby steps.