THE JOY OF SELF LOVE

One of the biggest obstacles growing up as a young woman in this day and age is the acceptance of our body and how not only do others view it but how we ourselves do also. Being relocated from a very young age into a new western world opened my eyes up really quick. I never did understood the concept of beauty, make up or even knew what a magazine was at age 7 - when I was moved over. Everything fascinated me and scared me at the same time.

One of the biggest obstacles growing up as a young woman in this day and age is the acceptance of our body and how not only do others view it but how we ourselves do also. Being relocated from a very young age into a new western world opened my eyes up really quick. I never did understood the concept of beauty, make up or even knew what a magazine was at age 7 - when I was moved over. Everything fascinated me and scared me at the same time. Growing up in a society where a magazine or a beauty product campaign was a standard structure of how we as woman are meant to look or be like really frustrated me. You shouldn't be told how to look, dress or think. One of the founding ethics of my blogging platform was to show everyone that you have the power to wear what you want. Show your creativity and express however you feel in any form of way. The name 'IDRESSMYSELFF' was a powerful step out of a shell I was in where I didn't accept myself - how I look and felt. Before my blogging start I was in such a dark state of mind where nothing could help how I felt about my appearance. No oversized sweater could cover the annoying voice inside my head telling me 'you need to go to the gym'. Of course I look back at the images of teenage self now and think 'I'm I mental?' I was perfectly fine and healthy. So why did I think of those things? How could I of changed that?

I learned the act of self love from Tumblr in my early days on the web. I was searching for a way of expressing my creativity and found the site that opened so many doors for me. I was so amazed at so many people from different backgrounds and ethnicity connecting and admiring each others uniqueness. It opened me to a world where everyone was accepted for experimenting with their appearance that I started experimenting with mine straight away! I started dying my hair, my clothes, reworking the items in my wardrobe and it made me so happy that I found a way of expressing myself. Through this process I found out who I was becoming and I fell in love with that girl. The girl who didn't give a shit about what people though. The girl who could hear others speaking negatively about her behind her back but was too busy getting lost of this new journey of becoming someone to look up to. I finally accepted myself and my own uniqueness that I documented everything and is now very grateful that I turned my self discovery into a full time job and to be able to inspire and help others along their own journey too.

I quickly learned that to be loved you have to love yourself too. I had finally fully understood that quote and at the age of 17, I had found someone who accepted me for and my flaws. But they were not flaws to him, they were the little things that made me 'me'. 

When I get messages from girls who are trying to figure out their style or asking me if they should get something that isn't 'in style' or 'on trend' anymore -  I simply reply 'fuck it! If you love it then get it!'. You should just follow your heart at the end of the day and really not give a shit about what others think. Self love also involves being a little selfish so don't feel guilty about saying 'no' to things to have some me time. You need time to relax, shut down, unwind and re-connect with your mind. Self love is all about accepting your physical and mental self and knowing what you are worth. Owning your confidence and and unique personality and stop comparing yourself to others. They are too celebrating their own uniqueness and we should all be accepting and applauding but competing for negative attention.

LOVE YOURSELF LIKE NO ONE ELSE

“ACCEPTANCE PLAYS A BIG PART IN SELF LOVE. ONCE YOU ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE UNIQUE, POWERFUL AND DESIRABLE - YOU ARE READY TO LOVE & BE LOVED”

— YANIN NAMASONTHI

I am not a writer (accepted this a long time ago! LOL) and trust me it took me about 2 hours for this post but I hope that it all makes sense and could help anyone struggling with their journey to self acceptance. Feel free to leave a comment below and exchange stories on your journey to self acceptance too! I would love to hear them!

IMAGES BY FONG MIN LIAO

Wearing a vintage green slip dress from Elia Vintage , personalised name plate necklace from M jewellers & Bagatiba necklace

HELLO 2018

SHOT BY CHLOE HELEN MILES & GALLUCKS

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year full of food, laughter and quality time with your loved ones. I actually shut off this holiday for once and enjoyed my down time without the constant need to reach for my phone to update everything. It's been such a long time since I had some down time but I knew I needed it. Ever since my holiday back in November I've been slowing down and made sure everything that needed to be done was crossed off the list so I could start on a clean slate in 2018. 

Since its the 1st January, I wanted to start off the new year with a post on motivation. You guys may have noticed that I have my periods of consistency and then I go on mini breaks. My creativity comes and goes and I try to make the most of it when it does spark in my head. I wanted to share some tips on how to stay motivated and how to accomplish your goals in 2018!

3 TIPS TO STAY MOTIVATED

1. Make lists. The more the better. This is my most efficient way of being motivated and staying organised. Write down what you need to do today, week or even the year. Bullet point some goals you want to achieve this year and remember nothing is out of reach if you work hard for it!

2.Create a vision board - cut out everything you wish to achieve and things that inspire you. Having it physically in front of you will motivate you even more. Fill it with public figures that inspire you, quotes or images! Or keep a pintrest board if you don't have the time to get crafty! Great for keeping it on you all the time to glance at if you're feeling a bit lost!              

3. Surround yourself with positive energy - cut out toxic relationships out of your life and focus on the positive. You need to be in the right head space to achieve your goals. I've even gone a step further into investing in sage and palo santos to clean any negative energy in my home and travel with crystals.

 

 

TOPSHOP TRENCH JACKET

 (SIMILAR) • ARKET TEE •

DANIEL PATRICK JOGGERS  • GUCCI SUNNIES •

ISABEL MARANT TRAINERS

I hope that this helps you a wee bit! I get so many messages asking about how I stay motivated so I thought that I would share my tips with you. But don't forget that its normal to have days when you aren't motivated and thats totally fine! Don't force anything as that will also reflect in your work and energy. Just keep peeking at your vision/pintrest board for that spark!

VINTAGE SILK

IMAGES BY FONG MIN LIAO • TAKEN AT THE LINE HOTEL

I'm a lover of all things vintage and have been since I can remember. 

Before I was able to buy new pieces for my wardrobe I lived off hand me downs, borrowing my friends clothes and doing a treasure hunt in every charity shop I came across. But in this modern age I don't do many trips to cancer research anymore but to one particular instragram account - @eliavintage 

VINTAGE SILK BLOUSE • RE/DONE VINTAGE LEVIS • PUBLIC DESIRE BOOTS • BAKER BOY HAT

LOUIS VUITTON MINI PALM SPRINGS BACKPACK

They find the most beautiful pieces and are specially curated which is why you have to put on post notifications otherwise you'll miss all the pieces! They sell like hotcakes and its first come first served. I've done pretty well in snatching up some goodies from this vintage silk blouse, matching silk trousers and a vintage green slip dress (which I'm posting about very soon!)

For this 'off duty' look I've just paired it my favourite vintage levi jeans from RE/DONE, beautiful pointed boots and my mini palm springs backpack.

To finish off this look I added a classic red lip and a baker boy hat. Channeling some inner Parisian vibes whilst in LA. This outfit is also featured in my upcoming look book btw so keep an eye out! 

PJ DRESSING

CAPULET BLAZER • CAPULET TROUSERS • YSL SUNSET BAG • ADIDAS SNEAKERS • SUNGLASSES

I'm a big fan of dressing for comfort so when I got sent this beautiful co-ord piece from Capulet I was so happy! I love the simplicity of the design and how its a tailored piece so it looks more elegant and expensive than what it is. I paired this outfit down with a white pair of trainers, chunky printed sunnies but kept it chic with my YSL sunset bag. Of course if I needed to go out in the evening for drinks and dinner I would just throw on a pair or sandal heels and slick my hair back into a neat minimal bun. Finish with a red lip and I'm good to go! 

IMAGES TAKEN BY FONG MIN LIAO

DARK PETAL

I have a confession to make - this is actually a kimono! But I was so in love with it I wore it as a dress. Be warned though, if theres a breeze you will catch it and be aware that your undies may flash some unsuspecting guests. This beautiful was a piece I picked up from Zara and I was so drawn to the colours as its perfect for my fall/winter wardrobe.

I've paired it here with a very simple gold choker so the focus is on the dress and its beautiful print. When you wear something that has a busy print - don't over accessorise. This one is from Brandy Melville.

I kept my make up rather smokey and romantic.

Playing around with pinks, taupes and purples. Creating a smokey eye with a lighter romantic palette is a great way to make the look more wearable for someone like me who is scared of darker colours. I think it compliments this outfit so well too and the hair. 

IMAGES TAKEN BY CHLOE HELEN MILES

IN THE PALM

With the weather being a bit poop I thought we could all use a bit of sunshine. I'm craving the vitamin D LA was giving me - hopefully I can't wait go back in a few weeks! I miss wearing linen dresses, not carrying or wearing a jacket out in the evening and just the feeling of being so free.

Growing up in the heat is one of the things I miss most. I miss dressing for the sun and I'm already curating what I'm going to be taking with me when I head back to Thailand next month for my birthday. Don' worry - I'll be filming a lookbook of my outfits when I'm there! 

SABO SKIRT DRESS • NIXON WATCH • LACK OF COLOUR FEDORA •ANARCHY STREET NECKLACE • PUBLIC DESIRE BOOTS

IMAGES BY FONG MIN LIAO

GIRL BOSS SUIT

Obsessed with this power suit from Zara - the colour, cut and the way it makes me feel when I wear it! I kept it super simple here with a pair of black boots, cat eye sunnies and a nude coloured tee from Arket (my new found love btw!) It' H&M new sister store and they are opened on Regent Street! 

Currently I'm moving towards more muted natural tones. I've even brought a trench coat in a similar print & it's something about this heritage style print that holds a spot close to my heart. I think growing up in a village in the middle of nowhere as a country girl has made me appreciate it a bit more.

We also shot this look whilst I was staying at the Rosewood hotel. I've been wanting to stay for years after my first blogger event was held there. So over LFW I finally made it happen and it was one of my favourite hotels so far. I was straight in the spa 30 minutes after I checked in and treated myself to their aromatherapy massages. BEST THING I'VE DONE OVER LFW.

Also how cute is my new Kooples bag? It's their collaboration with Emily Ratajkowski! They come in a smaller and bigger size too! I've been wearing it to death over LFW and it comes with such a handy strap.

WHAT I'M WEARING

ZARA BLAZER • ZARA TROUSERS • PUBLIC DESIRE BOOTS • GUCCI SUNGLASSES • KOOPLES BAG • TEE

IMAGES TAKEN BY LEANNE LIM-WALKER

A PLAY ON TEXTURES

This look is definately one of my favourites I wore over LFW. I thought it was a bit too much at first but I quickly fell in love with it. It's a mixture of heritage style and military vibes which I didn't think could work together but it definately did! 

I think pairing the studded metal belt with the checkered blazer jacket was such a great play on texture and dimension. I'm going to be doing this morning. I've been seeing fanny packs worn like this too with the Gucci belt bag & I think I may have to recreated it! 

These boots are life! I've been obsessed with these boots since last season after I borrowed them from Chloe. Straight after I had to get my own pair and they are my most comfiest black heeled boots. You can get your hands on them here

ZARA JACKET • ASOS LEATHER TROUSERS • WEEKDAY SUNGLASSES • TOPSHOP BELT • PUBLIC DESIRE BOOTS 

ARKET TOP • MISSGUIDED HAT

Of course I had to get my bae in these photos too. How bad ass do we look? We were matching with our leather/patent trousers and love how structured and bold we both look together. You can check out more of Chloe here

IMAGES TAKEN BY MICHAELA TORNARITIS

LFW SS18 DAY 3

IMAGES BY CHLOE HELEN MILES

Day 3 kicked off with a breakfast event in the morning, shoot time and I popped into a few events before the Versus Versace show. I did end up changing my outfit for the show but only captured this outfit in the morning! I opted for something super chic with this slip dress and paired it this coat I've been obsessed with. Also the leather baker boy hat has not left my head since it fell into my hands! To keep it balanced I decided to add a pop of white with the boots! 

H&M COAT • LEATHER BAKER BOY HAT • WHITE BOOTS • BAG • SLIP DRESS

LFW SS18 DAY 2

IMAGES TAKEN BY CHLOE HELEN MILES

H&M FLORAL SATIN JACKET | RE/DONE LEVIS | KOOPLES BAG | H&M STUDIO TOP | PUBLIC DESIRE BOOTS | LEATHER BAKER HAT

The second day at LFW I went for something a little bit more colourful and this satin floral trench from H&M was perfect! They did have matching trousers but I thought that might of been a bit too much. I've been wearing my leather baker boy hat every minute since I got it as it pretty much goes with everything! This season I've been limiting myself to just 1 show a day & we had Han Wen at Free mason's which ended up being one of my favourites.