Alice Catherine

I recently stumbled across this check bag in a vintage shop and it was love at first sight – I’m obsessed with checked print accessories at the moment, so finding this gem for under thirty pounds was a very welcome surprise. Vintage shopping is one of my most favourite past times – I just love treasure hunting, and then walking away with something that not everyone is likely to have. It really makes my outfits feel more personal to me, and I can spend hours looking if uninterrupted…

It’s the type of bag that will look perfect in summer with some sort of broderie anglaise blouse, some high waist jeans, and some little ankle strap shoes or plimsoles. The inside isn’t too battered either, and it just adds a little something extra to an otherwise minimal outfit…

I always feel a bit like Chandler Bing when I wear an oversized suit of some kind, but in the best way possible. There’s something so freeing about wearing clothes that could be considered too big – I don’t find myself wondering how I look to other people from different angles, and I don’t find myself sucking in my stomach when I’ve eaten a bit too much brunch food. It’s an outfit I opt for when I want to feel powerful – whether that’s dressed up with a pair of platform heels, or dressed down with some loafers for a day running around town.

It works really well for meetings or work wear too – of course, you could add a T-shirt underneath if you wanted to feel a little more covered up, but I’m enjoying how the blazer looks with a couple of buttons done up and nothing underneath. It’s a really soft/thin material, so it almost just feels like a top – I love playing around with outerwear pieces and making them work in a slightly less traditional way. It’s all part of the fun when it comes to outfit creating, and it can make old pieces feel brand new again…

As a society in general, I think we have this fixation on things being ‘figure flattering’ and we often back away from pieces that we feel don’t flatter our body type. To me, it makes fashion feel restrictive – as though it’s dictating us somehow, when in reality, we should be the ones in control…

It’s something I’ve tried to let go of as I’ve gotten older – so what if those vintage jeans make my bum look a little flatter than usual, I like how they fit. So what if that jumper makes me look a little puffier, it keeps me warm, and it’s different to anything else I own. So what if I’m a little bit self conscious of my new jacket, it’s good that I’m trying something new, and trying something new is the only way to discover more about ourselves… 

Alice x

Photographs by Adriana 

Blazer – Shop Suki (similar here)

Trousers – Topshop (old)

Loafers – And Other Stories

Bag – Cow Manchester

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