Outfit post: Calvin Klein x Cherry Soda
In my head, this dress kind of looked like the one that Princess Fiona from Shrek wears...but in real life, it is surprisingly chic. There is something about a thigh split and an off-the-shoulder sleeve that I can't resist. I don't tend to shop at Zara, as working there in my teens was awful - and of course, this fast-fashion chain has extremely questionable ethics and values on sustainability or fair trade, however, I needed a cocktail style dress at the very last minute for this big 'do, and living in London these past two months has tightened my fashion budget to pretty much zero. Plus, I am not ashamed to admit that it gave me a huge self-esteem and confidence boost to be able to squeeze into a smaller size than usual...go ahead and judge me, but I'll take what I can get!
Moving on, the main focus of this outfit is the earrings. I've always admired Calvin Klein's sharp, chic, no-frills design philosophy, especially since Raf Simons - one of my all-time favourite fashion designers - and their jewellery collection follows the same aesthetic but at a much more accessible price point. These silver drop earrings have an androgynous twist, and can so easily be dressed both up and down.
I'm not a big jewellery wearer at all and tend to totally avoid anything sparkly or crystalline, plus I like to pick one or two pieces to wear at a time. Boring, I know, and as you can see I have many ear piercing holes that are left totally empty 99% of the time. Brogan Craig, the Ayr-based entrepreneur behind Cherry Soda Jewellery, picked these earrings for me remotely based solely on a 5 minute phone conversation about my taste in accessories, and I have to say, she chose perfectly; I couldn't have picked better myself!
Another key note that made this outfit a good one is a brand new haircut by my ultimate fave salon, Austen Thomson, in Leith. I booked in super last minute in the hopes of fixing my overgrown roots after a bad experience in a London hairdressers, and landed a full day with the wonderful Christie, who perfectly lifted the blonde all over, added an icy grey tone, and gave me an all-over chunky bob cut with a shaved undercut at the back.
