Sunday Style Inspiration

London Fashion Week landed last week and with it came an array of flamboyant street style looks! Personally I prefer browsing the web searching the street looks for some originality and creativity. I feel like the style and the clothes these women wear are much more accessible and real that the looks on the catwalk, and I always love seeking some wardrobe inspiration and discovering the new trends of the season! So this blog post is going to be a very short read. But! I will be throwing quite a few photos into this post as I thought I would dedicate it to being a photo diary of the street style looks that took my interest at fashion week. So enjoy scrolling and maybe you will gain some inspiration for yourself! Oh! And my favourite gal group Haim make an appearance somewhere down there! Did anyone else get tickets to see them play in June?! I'm so excited to see them play live! Have a great week everybody!

Nothing to Wear

To be honest I was struggling this week to come up with a post that was going to be engaging to read and an issue that was something I felt strongly about. But Monday morning came and having wrecked my brain all weekend, when I opened my wardrobe doors the issue in question was basically staring me right in the face. Clothes.

So we all put some sort of garments on our bodies in the morning, women and men alike. We can't really go about our day without having something to wear, even if it is just a pair of Harry Potter pyjamas. The words 'I've got nothing to wear' escape my mouth on a weekly basis, as I'm sure you are all too familiar with. Even the men out there, I know that you know the struggles as well. Luckily I have a work uniform that I wear most days of the week or I would be always battling with my clothes to come up with new outfit ideas. Up until recently I was constantly fighting the urge to buy new clothes all of the time. Social media, in particular, adds massive pressure and a need to always have something new to wear. I will hold my hands up in saying that in the past I would have never wore the same outfit two days in a row. I mean what if someone passes remarks that the exact dress you wore yesterday, you are wearing today. But who actually cares?

As I was dressing myself on that Monday morning I tried on four, yes, FOUR different outfits as I knew I wanted to take a few photos for this blog post. After taking off the tenth piece of clothing and throwing it onto the floor, the red mist started to descend. Most women should be familiar with this red mist when trying to pick something to wear. Oh and a few choice words slipped out as well. But! After 5 minutes of some gentle breathing, I caught myself on. Is this really worth it? So I put on the same pair of boots and jeans I wore in my last blog post (shock horror) and threw on something I liked and not something that I think you might like. After all, the boots cost me £90 and I'm bloody well going to wear them to death. It's sad that, God forbid any bloggers out there wear the same outfit in a blog post!

OK, so I'm sure you are thinking, "Orlagh get off your high horse and stop the preaching." I just want to clarify that I love clothes. I always have. I love following trends. I love scrolling Instagram and seeing how other people put outfits together. I love seeking inspiration from Pinterest. And I love seeing the delivery man coming with my recent clothing purchases. Have we established that I love fashion? My degree was in fashion design for flip sake, so I'm not going to say that I suddenly don't enjoy fashion and not buying clothes. Because I do.

But after listening to a podcast recently called 'Girls with Goals' my perception of fashion and clothing consumption has changed slightly. The episode titled 'Change is coming' discusses ethical fashion and the Repeal the 8th movement, with Aisling Bea and Angela Scanlon; two women I urge you to follow on social media. I'll not ruin the specifics of what is debated in case you want to give it a listen yourself, but it basically outlines how we all need to be more conscientious about our fashion choices.

So some of you may disagree with me when I say that females are the drivers of fashion in this world. I think it's pretty much a given.  Our vast consumption of clothes is a female problem. The amount of female fashion bloggers out there is proof of that. And we don't realise the extent of how clothing is a huge polluter, almost equal to food wastage. In today's age we are so tuned into where our food comes from and how we can help the planet and ourselves by consuming the proper foods. But do we actually take into consideration where our clothes come from? It is predominately other women who make our clothes and we need to question why that Primark jumper costs £7. At university I have sat at a knitting machine hours on end in the comfort of a nice warm room listening to music, taking breaks whenever I like. Somehow I don't think those who are making some of our clothes have that luxury. 

There is almost a snobbery in this country when it comes to buying clothes. A great example is the dilemma faced when attending weddings. Don't look now but the fashion police are out making sure you aren't wearing the same dress you wore a few months ago at Claire's wedding. It's a bit ridiculous. However on the other side of that there is almost this code of honour that we don't spend much money on clothes.We have all uttered the words 'it's from Primark, only cost me a fiver'. We are almost proud of the fact that we purchased such a bargain!

I want to stress that I haven't wrote this blog post to make you feel guilty about how we think about clothing. I am very much guilty of a lot of things discussed here. I wanted to write about something that affects us all, but mainly women, and to try and change our attitudes slightly towards buying clothes. I'm not saying I'm the queen of reusing and recycling my outfits. I'm a massive hoarder. I have four bin bags of clothes in my attic I don't wear to prove that. I'm not saying that we should stop buying clothes, because that would be no fun. I love the buzz of buying something new.  I just wanted to try and bring more awareness to our buying habits. It's taking the time to love the clothes you have bought and wearing them 100 times until that blue sweater is turning a nice shade of grey. It's also about taking the time to be more aware of what other high street brands are trying to do help with this issue.

If there is one thing you take away from reading this, it is not to necessarily change your opinions but to be more aware of this worldwide issue. I hope that this blog post will make you more mindful of your buying habits, specifically when it comes to buying clothes. And maybe you will take some time to discover our countries independent designers.
                 
                                                                                            Orlagh x

I'm Back!

                                                                         Well, hello there. Long time no see.

It might be a little bit of an understatement to say it has been a long time since I typed a few words on this blog. Let's be real here, it's been a ridiculous amount of time since Life NI Style has been in my life! Two years to be exact.Yes, I know! I can't quite believe it myself.

So, OK. I've went over in my head a hundred times how I would begin this blog post or whether I should even get back into blogging. But I'm grabbing the bull by the horns and I'm just going to see where it takes me....again. But before I begin, please forgive me if I am a bit rusty on the writing front. I'm no professional writer.

So two years has passed and holy moly how life has changed in that small amount of time. I started this blog in 2015. I was 23, still living with my parents, working in New Look part-time and in a relationship with my boyfriend. Fast-forward to 2018 and I have now flew the nest! I am now 26, working full-time in an interior business and I'm married to my then boyfriend. I'm still finding it weird to say that I have a husband. I'm an actual wife for flip sake!

As I write on my sofa on this Tuesday evening, with 'Friends' on Netflix in the background (what a wonderful time to be alive), I think about how blogging has changed over the years. Even back in 2015, especially in Northern Ireland, the term 'blogging' was something that was not really regarded of as being a serious job and a source of income but instead, more of a hobby or past-time. Well, how times have changed. I'm not even going to get started on my own views of how blogging has changed right now. I'll leave that for another blog post down the line.

So this is me, Orlagh Laverty (a Murdoch no more) giving this "blogging" thing another go. Life NI Style, Take Two, you might say. I'm going to try and be as genuine as I possibly can. I'm going to write about the topics that interest me, and some of you might not like it but hopefully a lot of you will! This time I'm not going to apologise if I haven't wrote a blog post in a month because, let's be honest, there's more things to worry about. I'm not going to be annoyed if a photo doesn't look Instagram perfect because no matter how much you comb the shit out of your fringe, your bangs will not play ball. Shout out to the fringe people out there! I feel your pain.

I really hope you all enjoy reading what I have to say and maybe you will join in on the conversation. Just be nice because no-one likes a smart ass.

 Here's to a brand new start in the blogosphere....again.

Orlagh x

Sunny Delights

As I look out of my window at the rain pelting down, the wind howling and the clouds turning an even darker shade of grey, it's surprising to think that we are entering the season of summer sunglasses. But we may as well prepare ourselves for when the Irish summer decides to appear. Shouldn't we? And if all else fails, just go and book that sunny trip away so you can make the most of those shades! 

I'm definitely not one for buying super expensive designer sunglasses, because lets be honest, they would most likely break in my handbag, as many others have. (Rest in peace H&M sunnies, you were my fave)
But after dandering about a few of our High Street shops it's great to see that they are certainly awash with all the latest statement shades in preparation for that glimpse of sun. With an excellent range of summer frames to meet your fancy and ultra affordable too there's just the difficult decision of choosing the perfect pair for you. So which ones do you choose? And in my case, how many pairs do I choose?! 

Thankfully over the past five years sunglasses have become much cooler with a greater variety to choose from! Say hello to the chic cat-eye, the hippie oversized, the 60's round, the cool aviator, the classic wayfarer and the laid-back preppy. I have to say my favourite style is the cat-eye. And no, not just because I like cats. I really love the retro feel of the cat-eye and they also suit the shape of my face. 

As part of this blog post I thought I would try something a little different. Rather than just display photo after photo I thought I would put my Photoshop skills to use and rustle up some collages to hopefully give you some sunglasses inspiration! I have to say that I did have fun creating the mini collages! Now's the time to go out and hit the shops and find your perfect pair of sunny delights! And remember, your summer shades are probably the only accessory your doctor will recommend! Yes! You can be stylish AND look after your eyes!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!
x

That 70's Revival

Hello everyone! 

So it has been well over a week now since I last blogged and I thought it was about time I uploaded a new post! 

So, hands up who is 'diggin' the new and improved seventies style? I know I am! 

Often labelled as the 'decade that style forgot', the 1970's was the era of pluralistic, anything-goes fashion. And 'anything-goes' was certainly that! Romanticism, disco, glam, sportswear, punk and exoticism were the flamboyant styles of the decade and created a youthful and vibrant time in fashion history. This era was definitely one of my favourites to study in university with such a diverse range of characters, attitudes and appearances. Although if I'm completely honest, when I heard that the iconic retro flares, clashing paisley prints and thigh-skimming platform boots were making an almighty return, I was a little weary. But thanks to designers such as Louis Vuitton and (newly-named) Saint Laurent, the 1970's trend has been injected with 'wearability' and a Spring wardrobe we can envisage that won't have us looking like we are a member of ABBA. (Sorry ABBA fans!)

                                                        

Working in retail I have begun to see the trend take form and I have to admit that this sassy seventies look is now one my favourites to enter Spring/Summer 2015. Fancy channelling you inner Annie Hall? Choose from buttoned-up suede skirts, denim flared trousers and jackets, fringing, skinny scarf's, embroidered waistcoats, shearling lined biker jackets and of course the floppy or fedora hat to pull off that seventies look! Of course, if you want to add a small twist to your 1970's ensemble how about mixing it up with 90's staples such as the crop top, polo neck or choker! ASOS are doing a brilliant job at making this 70's vibe come alive so head on over for lots of lovely inspo! 

1. Biker jacket-New Look, 2. Sunglasses-Accessorize, 3. Black skinny jeans-New Look, 4. Nail varnish-Alexa Chung for Nails inc, 5. Tan belt-New Look, 6. Polo neck-New Look, 7. Fedora hat-H&M 

I really hoped you enjoyed reading this post! And if you are struggling to dress this nifty seventies look this style icon might just be the inspiration you need!