AN OUTFIT FOR A DAY IN MY FAVOURITE CITY.

Manchester is perfect for a shopping day out. You've got the Arndale Centre, Selfridges, the Northern Quarter for food, amongst other shops, restaurants and bars. The aim of this trip wasn't anything too specific. Neither me, my mum or sister felt very inspired by what we saw in shops but we did very much enjoy our lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, Wahaca. The food is consistently amazing and it's usually our go-to when out in Manchester. 

Outfit wise I stuck to what I know. Like many people denim is my one true love but I'm not quite brave enough to tackle double denim (as of yet). So with the star the show being my vintage Levi denim jacket, I settled with black skinny jeans. Another basic love of mine is round neck t-shirts - original I know. So a striped tee was exactly what I needed to add a little bit of interest whilst still letting the jacket be the standout piece. I felt as though my pointed slingback flats completed this Parisian-esque ensemble. They add that effortless, relaxed touch. 

This outing meant I could finally use my relatively new bag - YAY. It's a much more affordable dupe for the Chanel Boy Bag. It fits all the essentials with room to spare which is great considering I have to lug my epi-pens everywhere.

Jacket - vintage

Top - Primark

Jeans - Topshop

Shoes - Topshop (old)

Bag - Aldo

We had a fab day despite the lack of purchases. It's lovely seeing that Manchester is back to its usual, beautiful self.

Mais Xx

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A STYLIST.

So, last Monday I headed off to London to assist a looovely freelance stylist that I luckily met by chance a few months ago. After missing the first train, me and my sis (who went down to London to spend the day with my cousin) finally made it to the capital. Although the main aim of the trip was to gain some industry experience, it was lovely seeing and staying with my cousins!

Early Tuesday morning saw me leave my cousin and my sister for a partially complex tube journey. After about an hour I made it to the BEAUTIFUL shoot location that looked as though it had come straight from a lavish film set.

 In a nutshell my day consisted of ironing, sorting through boxes, tidying and fetching. But, for me, the real value came from me being able to experience the creation of imagery. Seeing a sketch come to life via fancy furniture and nifty placement was insane. It was obvious that lots of timely planning had taken place in order for the imagery to be created, from colour themes that needed specific paints  to props and accessories that needed to be sourced and delivered. The styling of the images was stunning and seeing that translate through the camera was amazing as it meant that something that was once a figment of the imagination has now become a reality for others to enjoy in the not too distant future. Like most people who want to venture into a creative industry, imagery is a huge part regardless what specific area you're looking to focus on, so seeing for the first time what it takes for an image to come to life was special.

The whole team were super lovely and very easy to get along with. It was interesting seeing the dynamic behind freelance work. The stylist who I specifically assisted knew some of the people on the shoot but it was also clear that she had met some of them for the first time that day. The team consisted of the stylist, her assistant, the photographer, his assistant, a small team from the company who the imagery was for, the 'set guy' and then various removal people. This kind of unconventional setup is something that appeals to me - the possibility of meeting and working with a new team of professionals from day to day.

It was a pleasure being a part of this shoot. It opened my eyes to the world of styling and introduced me to the nature of freelance work.

The images included in this post are ones that I took when on shoot whilst making sure not to include any imagery spoilers as for now they're top secret!

A big thank you to Sally x