TWO WAYS TO STYLE A SUMMER TOP (CASUAL VS DRESSED UP)

 Hello, there! In this post, I'll show you two ways to style a bow tie top. Moreover, I'll ponder a bit on the subject of eco-friendly fashion. I'm going write about sustainable fashion in a bit more depth, explaining why is it is somewhat of an important topic to me. Writing about fashion is always interesting and I've certainly done it many times on this digital place to call my own. I've had this fashion and art blog for a while now (i.e. more than a decade), so it's nice to reflect on fashion and blogging. 

Just like everything, blogs have their advantages and disadvantages. I prefer them to social media because they often don't even feel like social media. Often blogs are separated from social media, but at the end of the day, blog can be classified as a form of social media as well. When it comes to blogs, there are similar dangers one faces on social media, such as increased time consumption, screen time, privacy issues and oversharing. I'm certainly quality of spending a lot of time on my blog. I don't bother with editing photographs much (occasionally I make collages and gifs in effort to make the posts more reader friendly and less time consuming to scroll) , but writing and editing my writing does take a lot of time. Sometimes I'll skip editing my writing because I just can't spare the time, but I'm always aware that it will bug me and that I'll have to return to it some day.

Nevertheless, one thing I can say with certainty is that my blog hasn't made me shop or spend more. In fact, having a fashion blog has taught me to shop less, not more. I was never a shopping addict, rather I was drawn to unique and vintage clothing items. Blogs made me develop my style without increasing my carbon footprint. It made me even more keenly aware of importance of good purchases. Ever since I've had my blog, I've became even better at utilizing my wardrobe and shopping my closet. Personally, I've never felt the pressure to follow trends, even if I genuinely like reading about them and even illustrating runaway looks. Trends usually just inspire me to dig deeper in my closet or DIY stuff. They don't really influence me to shop more or overspend. 

FASHION BLOGS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO FAST FASHION AND A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF SUSTAINBILITY TRENDS

If anything, having a fashion blog has made me appreciate clothes more. When people say they love fashion, what do they really mean? Love is such a complex word. There are many ways one can love fashion and clothes. Some of these ways are better than others, not just for our wallets but for environment as well. 

Today fashion industry likes to call itself sustainable, but in reality it's still far from it. This is not me hating on the fashion industry as such. It's just a fact and something you can verify yourself with your research. Brands like to call themselves sustainable but being less harmful or more sustainable is not the same as being sustainable. What is really sustainable? Making clothes is never without its cost. The important thing is to be aware of clothes true coast. Hopefully, it can make us appreciate our clothes more and show more appreciation for the planet we live on by not living wastefully. There are many ways to reduce waste, so this topic of sustainability importance is obviously not  restricted only to fashion and blogging. 

Having a fashion blog for such a long time, I've seen many fashion and blogging trends come and go. Fashion blogs exploded around the time I opened mine. However, with time fashion blogging has moved more to social media. There's a difference in fashion blogging too, as some people are hobby fashion bloggers while others are professionals. Still, both fashion blogging as a hobby and as a job is happening more on social media than on your typical blogging platforms and websites. Not that blogs and websites are going anywhere, but they are not the springing like mushrooms after the rain anymore. I cannot help and not wonder, are fashion blogs different then they used to be? Where does fashion sustainability plays in all this? 

With blogging fighting with social media over its users, what trends can be expect? If you think about it, is an average fashion blog something that really promotes fast fashion these days? With the changing blogging trends, one can possibly expect less fast fashion promotion on blogs, both those hobby and professional ones. Does it mean that blogs will turn more to sustainable fashion trend? It's possible that some of them will indeed, especially those that are not focused on the fast changing trends of social media.

Reflecting on my own blogging journey, I can say that it has taught me a thing or two not just about sustainable fashion but about many things. If there's something I perhaps regret, it's not getting a proper site, but I admit I was too lazy to do it and as time passed by, the thought of moving my blog started sounding more work intensive and daunting. It's something I might do some day, but I also might not. On overall, I'd say that blogging perks still outweigh the blogging problems, so I guess I'll keep blogging for now. I mean when you're blogging is basically a hobby, it really isn't that serious, is it? Still, it makes sense to analyze something that takes so much of someone's time, doesn't it? 

CAN YOU BE MORE SUSTAINABLE JUST BY DRESSING BETTER?

Absolutely, you can! Sustainable fashion can be about making the most out of your wardrobe. If you look at it, sustainable fashion is a movement that encourages us to be more conscious about the harmful effects that fast fashion has on the environment. 

That means there's more than one way to do it. Some people will focus on shopping certain materials that they perceive as environmentally friendly, others will focus on supporting  what they perceive as ethically make clothes. People won't always agree on what is sustainable and ethically made, but the fact that we care about this topic is certainly saying something. 

Those really awesome ones will make clothes themselves from recycled materials or find ways to minimalize waste altogether. I mean, some people are just amazing in the fashion choices they can make.

BOTH A MINIMALIST AND A MAXIMIST CAN BE SUSTAINABLE

Sustainable fashion doesn't have to mean you have to become minimalist. It also doesn't mean you have to become a maximalist either. Being sustainable with fashion is basically having a sustainable frame of mind, understanding the value of things, being appreciative of what we have and how we use our planet's resources. 

Both a minimalist and a maximalist can have a healthy relationship with things. I don't know how people don't get that. It's about relationship you have with things, not about how many things you have. It's about knowing to appreciate what you have, knowing how to wear your clothes, so they work for you and you don't work for your clothes. There's nothing wrong in having many or few clothing items. What is wrong is toxic behaviour towards things (and not just clothes). Shopping addictions are often glamourized but they are additions like any other and as such potentially extremely dangerous. 

DON'T BE FULLED BY THE FASHION INDUSTRY BUT DEMONIZE IT EITHER 

Sure, fashion brands are trying to take advantage of this sustainability talk by false labelling everything as sustainable, ethically made  and eco-friendly, but hopefully people are not that stupid to fall for it. At least not in the long run, I should hope.

Surely, people will eventually realize the dangerous of consumerism. Some learn the lesson the hard way. Some end up bankrupting themselves buying things to impress others.  It's not a reason to demonize the fashion industry, or any other industry for that matter. Personality starts from ourselves. 

What is a fashion industry? It's not the easiest thing to define. Often we criticize the fashion industry for the impact it has on the environment, and rightfully so, but at the end of the day, it's an industry like any other. It's not evil per se. It doesn't force you to buy anything. 

 If you think about it, artisans and designers are also a part of a fashion industry. Instead of making fashion a bad word, we should focus on our relationship with fashion. We need to build healthy relationships with things, that's all there is to it.

Like any other relationship, our relationship with fashion can be more or less positive or toxic. Fashion in that sense is quite neutral, I find. I think fashion can be compared with food. Clothes are a necessity, rather than luxury. 

You can say that gambling industry does more bad than good for sure. But fashion industry? It does both good and bad. At the end of the day, we need clothes for practical reasons. They are there to protect us against the elements. They also have the power to make us feel better. So, why shouldn't we learn how to make clothes work for us instead of having it the other way around?

OUTFIT NUMBER ONE- A SUMMER TOP STYLED WITH JEANS, INDIE BAG AND SANDALS

A SUMMER TOP- I remembered I already shared a look with it last Summer when I reviewed The Witcher series. Here it is worn with a pleated cobalt skirt and white heeled sandals!

A PAIR OF PLATFORM BROWN LEATHER SANDALS 

BACK IN 2021, I SHOWED YOU 53 WAYS TO STYLE THIS PAIR OF SANDALS.  MY ACTUAL NUMBER OF THE TIMES I HAVE WORN THIS PAIR IS PROBABLY OVER 100, MAYBE MORE!

IF YOU REMEMBER I WORE THIS BROWN PAIR MORE RECENTLY HERE  #54 AND HERE # 55 AND HERE #56 and HERE #57 AND HERE #58 AND HERE #59/60 and 5 more HERE, so bringing it to #65 ways to style this pair AND CLICK HERE FOR STYLING #66 .

I honestly don't remember how much I paid for this pair, but I remember they weren't expensive (bought in some local shop in Mostar). I'm pretty sure that the price is down to pennies per wear.

Thinking about it some more, it is hardly surprising I've worn this pair so much. The straps are made from leather and hence quite comfortable in the summer. The heel is high but the sandals come with a platform, meaning that the heels is actually shorter than it looks. 

In other words, these sandals not make me taller (I know I'm tall, but I like to be taller),  they are wonderfully comfortable to walk in.  A win win! Small wonder I have worn them so much. I don't remember when exactly I bought this pair, I'm thinking maybe 7 summers ago. 

A BLUE PAIR OF STRAIGHT CUT JEANS- PLUS 30 WAYS TO WEAR HERE

Four years ago,  I put a post together, one that was showing you more than thirty ways to wear this pair of jeans. I have worn this pair a lot more than documented. It's basically my 'go to' pair of jeans. I wore these jeans twice this Spring in Split city and in Mostar University campus here.

THE BROWN LEATHER 'INDIE' BAG WITH FRINGES- WORN RECENTLY HERE

SUSTAINABLE FASHION- MAXIMIZING OUR CLOTHES 

KEEPING A SCORE OF HOW MANY TIMES WE WEAR AN ITEM CAN BE HELPFUL!

I love to put together these posts where I show you X ways to wear a item. Sometimes the number is 30, sometimes it is higher or lower. Anyhow regardless of how high or low the number of wears is, I find these posts worth sharing. 

Why I'm mentioning number 30? I do it because it is a sort of reference point for 'green fashion'. The basic idea is that you need to wear an item at least 30 times to make it sustainable.

30 wears challenge is this great movement that tries to promote fashion sustainability and reducing our carbon imprint by challenging us to wear an item 30 times. I think this idea is great because it promotes shopping our closet and making the most out of what we have.

 I think it is important (not just in fashion, but also in life) to be grateful and appreciate what we have instead of always wanting something else.

OUTFIT NUMBER 2- A FORMAL WAY TO STYLE A SUMMER BOW TIE TOP

MORE WAYS TO STYLE AKA HOW I WORE IT BEFORE

THE BOW TIED FLORAL PATTERN DARK BLUE TOP- styled  causally in outfit above

THE OLIVE PENCIL SKIRT  (PART OF A SET)

I bought this olive pencil skirt years ago in a set with a blazer for about ten euros. I have worn both the blazer and the skirt often, but I'd say I've gotten a lot more wear from  the blazer. I do love the skirt, though. 

How I styled it before? 

1) You can see how I wore it with a white blouse, grey statement earrings and beige driving loafers in 2020. This is still one of my favourite outfits. 

2) You can see how I wore it it as a set, with a matching blazer, a pair of heels, a tote bag and a red Amadeus shirt. 

3) You can see how I styled it with a yellow cropped top and Boromira black platform sandals.

THE METALLIC HEELS 

Another pair I've had for years. To be honest, it's not a comfortable pair. So, I mostly wear it for short amounts of time.

1) I styled it with a floral dress and ruffled shirt HERE.

2) I styled it with a black dress and ruffled shirt HERE.

3) I styled it with a midi grey dress HERE.

4) I styled it with a black and white lace dress HERE.

5) with a black dress and white blazer & 6) with a parsley skirt and olive blazer

.....

IS THE BOOK AN IDEAL PRESENT FOR ME? WELL, YES!

You guys know how much I love books. So, getting a book for a present always makes me happy. I won't reveal which book it is yet because I haven't read it yet. I'll review it when I read it. Isn't the wrapping so pretty, though? It's the pretties wrapping I've seen in a while. I also loved the combination of colours. The orange rose was so vibrant and it made for a wonderful contrast with the purple flowers. The purple and orange ribbons were adorable as well. 

I got this bouquet and a book from a mother of one of my students. Their words really moved me as well, especially as we were parting, him finishing his final year with us and all. 

Here it's pretty customary to wrap your presents at the florist. I don't know if it is the case everywhere. Do florist offer wrapping gift services everywhere or is it just in my neck of the woods? I

I even know what florist shop it was that wrapped my present because the mother asked me to pick up another present for another teacher in the afternoon. I use that florist shop myself sometimes, they're really good. I also like to wrap presents and stuff, but sometimes it is best to leave it to the professionals.

    5 REACENTLY PUBLISHED READING RECOMMENDATIONS AND REVIEWS

I write a lot of book reviews and recommendations. In this year, I've already shared so many but I'll pick the last five to highlight.

1) MEMOIRS OF HADRIAN BY M. YOURCENER (PART TWO)

MEMOIRS OF HADRIAN BY MARGUIRETE YOURCENAR (PART ONE)

2) UNICORN VARIATION BY ROGER ZELAZNY

3) TYPHOON BY JOSEPH CONRAD

4) THE SECRET AGENT BY JOSEPH CONRAD

5) THE TIME OF INDIFFERENCE, A NOVEL BY ALBERTO MORAVIA

This post was originally written and published in English. If you're reading it in any other language, it has been translated. I cannot be held responsible for any translation mistakes that might occur when the original English test is translated. I'll try to translate more of my posts in the future, but for now I cannot afford time. 

Thank you for reading and stopping by!