26

My goodness. A whole month has passed since I published one of my many musings here. Currently I'm sat in my living enjoying a rose spritzer in the heat, listening to R jam on his guitar. So, summer finally came. There we were thinking the season had been cancelled when last Saturday the warm, glowing orb appeared once more in the sky.

Lucky me, because on Sunday I turned 26. And a fabulous birthday it was. Friday night I dragged all who were willing to the newly refurbished Princess of Wales in Clapton. My nearest and I remember this pub as a more traditional East-End boozer, but new owners have spruced up the interiors and the menu. The food was average to good, but I wasn't bowled over by my burger and chips. However, the many glasses of wine went down a little too easily. 

Saturday I hung out with one of my fave people, the lovely Mari. Who made the trip especially to celebrate my birthday AND bought me a onesie, culotte jumpsuit. Thanks lovely! He unfortunately was tied up at work Saturday afternoon, so to coax the hangover out of me, I slow cooked a pork collar joint in an oriental sauce, the recipes here and highly recommended. Tasty and easy, if you don't mind the slow part.

For my birthday, Richard set the day in motion with breakfast. Buttermilk pancakes, strawberries and bacon, drizzled with maple syrup, my favourite. He then treated me to a selection of presents, a 60s vintage shift dress which I love, cute porcelain mouse salt and pepper shakers that I spotted last December, and 'Crystallizing Public Opinion' by Edward Bernays (I'm a public affairs/PR nerd by day). His folks got me these Lotta clogs which I love. And they're surprisingly comfortable, wore them all day Monday stomping around London-town with no bother.

My parents drove up to spend the day with us and after spoiling me with gifts including Burberry Weekend (my favourite perfume!) we headed for a Sunday roast at The Castle. The food was reliably delicious, The Castle has become a firm favourite local for quality food and ales. In my usual fashion I brushed off the questionable distance for a walk around the top of Epping Forest. 4 miles in, with 2 and a half miles to go, I admitted that in the 28 degree heat, it was all quite far. Distance is just something that my brain doesn't seem to accept when I'm walking. I could walk forever. However, my feet were incredibly grateful for the cold water bath I gave them on returning home. To finish R dished up the Peach Melba Trifle he had made (I vetoed cake, would much rather have something chilled containing custard). And we were pooped. Not without one last visit from our neighbour down the road with her two kids who gifted me some home-made Elderflower champagne. We haven't tried it yet, but am sure it will be delicious. 

Thank you to all who make this year so special. 

How are all you enjoying the summer? 

Budget style survival - how not to spend money on clothes

So, I'm broke. El skinto. Brassic.

And it's tough. As much as I obsess over ethical foods and fashion I am a terror of consumption and, as him can testify, I buy too many clothes. As part of my 9-5, I attended a workshop about defining sustainable fashion consumption and we spend a lot of time discussing what drives women, in particular, to shop. Because let's face it, my closet takes up twice as much space as my man's and it goes the same for almost all my girlfriends too.

Within the discussion it was uncovered that research is suggesting women don't shop to buy into the trend-led nature of fast fashion. But the key reason women buy more than they need is because of how their clothes make them feel.

It made my heart sink a little bit to hear that. That women might feel they need to buy material happiness and also, that I'm more than likely to be one of those women. I'm not gonna lie. Buying fashion makes me feel good.

While ideas were played out for how we deal with modern fashion gluttony, such as training women to shop like men or teaching mending skills at schools. It led me to thinking that perhaps for women, including myself, to be more sustainable fashion consumers, actually, we just need to make ourselves feel great in whatever we wear.

A tough feat I know, but to start us/me off, I put together 10 tips for how to feel great in your fashion:

1. That dress you've had for 4 years, that has seen better days. Don't get rid of it. You've had it that long because it never fails to make you feel good. Because when you feel good, others will think you look great - holes and all.

2. Never lose sight of your personal style. I let this happen because I thought my style was no longer in vogue. And actually, my style not being in vogue made it cooler. Individuality wins.

3. Always shop in thrift stores/charity shops. This will be where you'll find that one-of-a-kind dress which never fails to secure compliments. The reason people like it is because it's unique and they want one. Don't let yours get away.

4. Do-it-yourself. Sewing is surprisingly easy and will open up your wardrobe to endless opportunities. Vintage tea dress in organic cotton for £10 anyone?

5. Make a plan. At the beginning of the week I try to plan all my outfits for my working week and use this as an op. to try new things/experiment with accessories/etc. Not only does this save me lots of time, but for some reason planning outfits on Sunday night creates way better results than 5 mins on Monday morning at 7am.

6. Buy lipstick. Compared to a new outfit, a new lipstick starts at around £4 and it will completely revolutionise how you feel about your look. I have about 20 shades on rotation at the moment, my current fave is Barry M Lip Paint in Baby Pink. Think Thakoon's pink hair sort of pink - delish.

7. Buy nail varnish. Step 6, repeat with nails, join pinterest, search nail art. Nuff. Said.

8. Always have a plan B. Some days an outfit planned out earlier just won't feel good/right. Maybe it's the weather or just a mood - but when I'm in a nasty fashion funk, I pull out my fail-safe, feel-good outfit. This is usually step 1.

9. Host a clothes swap. Easiest way to detox a wardrobe guaranteed.

10. Ignore the media. The majority of the images you see are not real. As someone who has worked in fashion, I know the process photographs go through to make models look perfect and no-one has legs that perfect!

Megan xo