Fashion – Kim Eva May

❋✿❁ What the Folk!? ❁✿❋

Kimevamay / August 16, 2016 / 4,280 Comments

Hey summer, it was nice knowing you while you lasted a whole five days of sun. It’s always that weird time in August (in England) where it’s too cold for full on park life nudity and too warm for marshmallows on the fire (I REALLY LIKE MARSHMALLOWS ON THE FIRE) and although i love my black garments a little too much, I’ve been making a real effort to try and inject colour into my wardrobe. My Way. Exactly how Frank Sinatra sings it.

I feel my most “me” when i’m in some kind of ethereal Bohemian garment full of lace textures and floaty numbers. I also love my grunge and i love mixing fairy with dark tones of rock n roll and leather jackets i can’t afford, crying over my fake one in the back of a dingy club with a beer. Lad.

One of my favourite trends this summer is Folk. Folk mixes the 70’s with embroidery, floral and suede designs. Anything pretty much goes, for example, mixing up your fringe waistcoat with your chunky thigh-high boots would be considered Folk, but getting the right mix is important.

For this Folk look, i decided to team an “awkward” embroidered length dress with chunky brown patchwork boots and a bronze gem choker. The dress is a mustard colour, yeah, mustard and if i’m honest, it’s really not the most wearable shade but i actually really love it. Although i styled my hair in a half-up, half-down plaited do with smokey red and warm orange eyes, this colour dress would also look really good with a deep red lip if you decided to go into nighttime with it. The fabric is sheer along the top and sleeves, which means its “airy” enough for that summer breeze and the chunky heels keep it alittle less “girly” than if i were to pair it with heeled sandals.

Dress: Zara, Shoes: ASOS, Necklace: Topshop

Eyeshadow: Modern Romance Palette by Anatasia Beverly Hills, Lipstick: Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick in Lady-Be-Good by MAC. Foundation: Skin Base by Illamasqua.

When i’m getting ready, I like to dress with a theme in mind which usually comes to me on the day and i like the rest of the styling of hair and makeup to fit the finished look. So tomorrow i think i’ll channel the 60’s…unless i go back to my wardrobe of black. Morticia Addams eat ya ‘art out.

Bored waiting to Board; A guide to Hawt Holiday Packin’.

Kimevamay / July 1, 2016 / 3,297 Comments

I’m staring at my ASOS Basket which is a saved virtual “wannabe wardrobe” of everything I want to buy, but can’t. It’s depressing as hell at the realisation that my whole-i want/ i need pile is probably worth, well, a hell of a lot and i’m going to L.A soon and need new stuff. Pronto.

Yep. I am going to L TO THE A. Los to the Angeles. Alright, alright, i’ll stop shoving it in your faces, but my fourteen year old past self is jumping up and down about it.

The whole holiday has been pretty last minute and suffice to say, we don’t have anywhere to stay….yet. But for some reason, all I can think about is, what the hell am I gonna wear?

Summer fashion is probably the hardest for me. I like to layer, accessorise and play with different textures and with the heat, it’s pretty near impossible to do those things without either being restricted or boiling your oven body off. I’m also not one to have everything on display, ‘everything’ being my tits and arse basically. I totally give it to the people that can rock their arse and tits like it’s a Ricki Martin Livin’ La Vida Loca old school party with pride but I would be so out of my comfort zone it would look less vida loca more this is a joka.

So what do I do?

When it comes to holidays my packing ethos is pretty simple-shove it in and worry about it later. I’m pretty much a lad about it but with me, shoes take presidence. At 5 ft 7/8 i’m not exactly the shortest bean, but i’ll pretty much never wear flats or the ones I do wear are my Supercolour trainers that give the fake impression i’m sporty. I have a bit of a love affair with heeled boots and heeled sandals and trying to whittle down which pair to pack and which pairs to buy is near impossible for me without weighing down my suitcase. Working in Make-up you’d be right in guessing my makeup bag is pretty HHHHUUGGGEEEE and having to decide what to take and what to leave behind is near impossible. And slightly upsetting.

So for you ladies that need a little help with your holiday worries, i’m on hand to help. Except I won’t be on hand to close your suitcase. Tip: SIT ON IT. JUMP ON IT. Make. It. Close. With. Bladdy. Force. I promise you won’t be paying that extra luggage fare okay…?

One: Kimonos, Kimonos, Kimonos. And need i say, Kimonos? They are the best thing to take with you if you need a beach cover up, something to pop on during the cool evening or if you just fancy adding alittle quirkiness to your everyday outfit. There are so many options from print to length and I would highly suggest packing a couple of these gems to get you through. There’s been many times I’ve been away and hated what clothes i had on me, so i threw on my kimono and wore it as a dress with a belt. Power to the Kimono i say.

Two: Block Heeled Sandals. Note, the word ‘block’ because this is gonna be your key word for these types of shoes. Especially when you’re walking a few blocks. (Sorry for that pun but it was too hard to resist). A block heel is generally the most comfortable shoe because the width of the heel is wide and will support the foot a lot better than your narrow, near impossible not to wobble stiletto heel. It’s also very on trend for S/S 16′, so whether you fancy rocking a Mule heel, chunky platform, 70’s boot or gladiator block sandal, with these guys you’re onto a winner. For colour palettes, i would also opt for one neutral, one print/colour to mix it up depending on what outfit you’re wearing with it. Playing it safe is fine but not playing it safe is funner. So give yourself options!

Three: Denim. Denim has been with us since pretty much day one of existence-ish and is a firm favourite for most of the population. Denim fashion is forever changing in ways to style it and you’ll notice there’s a million ways to infuse it into your holiday wardrobe even in the heat. Denim short dungarees or pinafore dresses are great ways of layering, taking you from a casual day look with a tee to smart/cas, paired with a blouse or lace flared sleeve and those chunky platform boots. Denim Jackets or sleeveless waistcoats are also great ways of dressing your outfit down or for keeping warm when there’s a little breeze.

Four: Slits. Yes, Slits. As weird as it may sound, during the summer period i make it my mission to hunt for clothes that have slits in- such as, maxi dresses, harems or long tops because it’s a subtle way of showing skin while injecting a little “air” in your clothes when it gets super hot.

Five: Makeup wise I look for waterproof based liners and mascaras and usually choose matte textured lipsticks/liquid lipsticks in tones such as oranges, watermelons and chocolate beige’s, so it’s long wearing and i can focus on playing up my lips rather than doing a full smokey eye in the heat. In terms of foundation I will either take a build-able sheer/medium tinted moisturiser and a full coverage foundation. This enables me to have a day to night swap around, as well as mixing them both together for a lighter, not so full all over coverage. A lot of people worry about foundation when their skin changes colour during the heat and i would advise to mix a darker toned face instant tan into your current foundation or simply warm up your completion with an all over face powder in a tone deeper to your skin.

Six: Hair Accessories aren’t raved about enough because when it’s hot, do we really want our long locks, curly hair or thick fringe getting all up in our grill? A simple Bandanna can be worn around the head or can be worn as an improv neck choker. Wack out those 80’s scrunchies and pop your hair up in a high ponytail or why not inject a couple pom poms in there? Braids are pretty big as well as Miley Cyrus buns either side of the head-so play around with accessories and hair gems to add a little hair interest, especially if you’re not keen in wearing lots of metal jewellery.

Seven: BackPacks. I don’t care what anyone says, back packs are in and definitely don’t make you look five. These are absolutely golden for long walks, beach stops and general everyday carrying your shit. They’re big enough to pop in a dress change (should you choose) and you can wack in any necessities for the day. There are SO many different styles from Boho fringing, mini backpacks, embroidered numbers, snakeskin or crocodile print for a sophisticated edge or you’re standard clean line backpack. My black fluffy backpack got me through two months of New York Living and i am so grateful i stumbled across it in Topshop for £15. I call that a deal.

In fact, after writing all this, i’m kind of less stressed out about the whole, what will i wear situation. Though i will note one thing- Wear something that you’re comfortable with and feel emulates you, not just for a holiday. In the past i’d bought things for one purpose and ended up regretting it because it wasn’t really “me”, probably because it was abit titty and arsey and Livin La Vida Loca.

Source: YouTube

Tis the Season for…Festival.

Kimevamay / May 17, 2016 / 10,697 Comments

Summer is here! Well kinda. This is England after all…

But regardless of its philandering sunshine, summer can only mean one thing…FESTIVAL SEASON and I. Am. BUZZING about it.

When it comes to my personal style, a lot of people have described my dress sense as “Festival” (although I went on Urban Dictionary and it described it as an “unwashed Hippy”…so I think I’ll ignore that one).

Since the summer is my favourite season, minus the fact I become a year older, i figured it would be abit rude to not include some of my favourite looks and ideas to help get you through the tent, beer filled, music blazing treats heading your way with a tinker of a click.

So let us begin.

CATSUITS.

(Image source: Vatra Magazine)

No, I’m not telling you guys to dress up like Cats (although it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it?). Catsuits are the easiest way to install a little bit of festival into your wardrobes with little to no effort. If you’re gonna rock the Catsuit, be daring with it and don’t be shy to experiment with print.

My GO-TO for this kinda trend, is a brand called Jaded London that have a selection of weird and wonderful mix mashes of pattern to choose from. Team it with a Bum-Bag and some Doc Martins and you’re on your way…

KIMONO MEETS BOLERO

^^^My little number is from a Brand called Reclaimed Vintage!^^^

Kimonos/ Boleros are a great way of subtly mixing up textures and installing some of the key trends without going the full hog if you’re not confident with rocking it head to toe.

The only real difference between the two, is that a Kimono is usually longer in length, perfect for teaming with swimwear and can even double-up as a dress if you wrap it around and synch it in with a chunky belt. Boleros are good little adds ons if you want to put some sparkle onto a simple dress or style with some straight legged cigarette trousers and a simple tee for a tom-boy vibe.

A list of my favourites at the moment:

–ASOS Striped Embellished Kimono

–ASOS Festival Kimono with star embellishment

–ASOS Pretty iridescent embellished Cape

–Boohoo Mia Flute Sleeve wrap over Maxi Kimono

SUNNIES

Dip-Dye Glasses modelled by my moody face (because I was waiting for Breakfast) from Last Years Topshop.

Sunglasses are the easiest way of jazzing up that face in minutes, especially if you’re hanging out your arse after a few “too many” the night before or shall I say, morning.

A lot of the time people become too stressed out with the shape and whether the frame will suit your face. I get it if you’re not into the John Lennon small circular retro shades or embellished gemstone rims and you’re more keen on the purpose of the sunglasses to fulfil there function….but its summer, so who cares? Be abit more daring and pick something you usually wouldn’t. I promise you’ll be surprised what you find…

Some brands that have got the shade game right this season is….

SWATCH

QUAY AUSTRALIA

AND If you’re interested in one-off’s, then head to the markets for bargains you can grab for cheap and play around with, without caring if you sit on them in your drunken state that we know you’ll be in.

HEADWEAR

Head Scarf compliments of the Nana circa the 1950s.

Boy am I glad to write about this. Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m super into and pretty over-passionate about my headpieces. It’s a bad obsession that’s slowly got out of hand and I could probably start selling them in a little pop up shop somewhere…but more on that later…

There’s so many different styles of Headwear to choose from, so I thought I’d whittle down the different choices:

-Flower Crowns

-Feather Crowns

-Embellished head pieces

-Pom Pom headbands

-Hats: Trilby’s, baker-boy hats, Caps, Fedoras, Bowler hats.

-Clip in jewels/coloured hair/tinsel

-90’s Scrunches

– Gem stick-ons.

-Turbans

-Bandanas/Silk Scarves

Yeah, I know that was probably a bit over-whelming but my favourite go-to is ASOS MARKETPLACE where you’ll find loads of unique pieces made by the seller themselves. You can also find lots of cool pieces in Vintage shops such as; Beyond Retro and Rokit.

DANCING FEET TRAINERS

Image Source: AliExpress

Maybe it was Lily Allen who started it all those years ago, but Trainers have made it’s way back into our “Shoedrobe” (real proud of my pun) and they’re being worn as style pieces to go with dresses, boyfriend jeans and some include the Platform which is my personal preference of shoe. The cool thing about this trend, is that there is sooooo much more choice and expression with the design.

Some of my favourites are;

Keds Tina Trainers, where Topshop teamed up with Fashion Stylist and Writer Tina Leung to create these pastel, scallop sequin tie dye Champion style sneaks.

Admittedly I own three pairs of the Adidas Supercolour collection in Khaki, blue and yellow, but the new Pastel shades are just launching and I’m pretty happy about it. My favourite colours are the Bliss Coral, Blush Green and Solid Red.

My final current Trainer lust (if you can call them Trainers, because they’re more like platforms….) is Stella McCartney’s Lace up platform shoes that are To. Die. For. They’re also insanely priced and will be remaining on my “cry and buy” birthday list.

Although I’ve picked the Bronze version for myself, they do come in silver and gold or if you want to stay away from the sheen, check out the matte sand and black pair.

So that’s it Folks. I’ve shared some of my Festival Faves, so feel free to share some of yours.

K x

Think like a girl, dress like a boy.

Kimevamay / March 6, 2016 / 4,866 Comments

I mean, looking at me, I’m not exactly your poster girl for Androgyny. For the most part I love all things that might define one as being “Girly”……… though in a more “Festival way”-you know, the glitter, creative mish mash of outfits BUT with the avoidance of wearing pink, body-con dresses or any kind of exposing fabric that shows my boobs and butt to the public. I think I secretly always wanted to be that kind of “girly girl” and strut around with total confidence wearing that, but its just not me.

So what is “me”?

I weirdly feel more comfortable wearing Menswear. It started when I was young and my Dad was throwing out some of his old clothes. Now, my Dad, is pretty chic. He has collections of these amazing jackets and coats, hats, shoes with coloured laces, cuffs and scarves. Some are vintage, designer and random finds he has picked up throughout the years. He threw out his old blue velvet jacket a couple years back and if that was still around and I witnessed it, I would be wearing that thing like it was 1972 again.

But why Menswear?

For me, the tailoring is something I appreciate the most. I like its relaxed fit and because I’m a fan of the 80’s, anything shoulder pad related or loose hemmed has my heart. Now, if you have a figure like me- which is, someone who is born with boobs and a butt and you don’t want to accentuate what God or Genetics have given you, then Menswear for me creates a subtle silhouette without bulking those boobs up, with a double breasted jacket. (Room for such a great pun there). It’s also a massive reason why Vintage clothes are my go too. You’ll notice the designs are actually catered around the female form so each item moulds around your figure.

One of my favourite items is a blazer that was tailor made for my Pap’s in Paris during the early 70s. It’s a muted coffee colour blazer with a tweed design continuous throughout. It’s lined in soft beige and because it’s men’s, it does fall longer in length on my body (which I really like). It’s one of my go-to items when I want to throw something on and will still feel really put together with its clean lines. I also like to roll the sleeves and pull the collar up if I’m wearing it with a hat or want to look a little less neat.

A more recent favourite of mine is my Dad’s coat that I by chance stumbled across when I visited home. It’s a long lined Donna Karen tailored jacket in a soft beige with a slight mustard tinge to the fabric. At 5 ft 7 I’m not a midget, nor am I a giant but you can tell it’s designed for a tall chap as it was almost like a jacket-dress on me! That said, I actually quite like the fact I can just throw it on, do it up and feel like I’m all wrapped up and ready to wander the streets with my favourite accessory-COFFEE (but more on the C word later). I took it out for a spin and even though it is pretty big, I lave it.

As I also touched up on the subject of Vintage, one of my favourite places to find some cool items is Peakaboo Vintage. I have quite a number of their stuff and again, one of my great loves is my 1980’s royal blue and emerald green checkered oversized wool coat. It also has a built in scarf if you want to go the full hog and get super snuggly for the winter, as well as giving you the option of wearing it undone which it how I’m wearing it below.

Sometimes it’s good to experiment with what works for you and to allow yourself to break the rules a little to figure out what it is you like and don’t like. Because remember, what suits someone won’t work on the other and that’s okay. So find out what does.

But seriously though, men have the best selection of Fedoras: Check it.

SEE!!

Slogan Tees with ease.

Kimevamay / March 5, 2016 / 2,400 Comments

I LOVE SATURDAY.

( And I’m not just saying that because it’s Saturday, I promise).

So you’re all probably wondering why the hell I’ve included a terrible freehand child drawing of a t-shirt with I Love Saturday on and I can’t really give you any other excuse but that the top I once cherished, that looked, well, better than that drawing is now long gone.

You see, Slogan Tees are a maaaaahuuuusiveeeee fashion trend this season and I thought I’d start by sharing my first ever one with you. It was baby pink with silver sequins attached to the front and I wore that crop top with so much pride every Saturday until I realised it was time to give it a rest. I wore this at a time when Jelly shoes made you cool and hair scrunchies gave you more street cred than a Pokemon card.

Fast forward ten years and they’re back and bigger than ever, not to mention illustrated, sequinned or customised badges to add to the slogan fuel. But just because it’s a slogan tee, should we get it because we wanna feel like we’re current? No. And i’m definitely not into spotting a t-shirt with “Mac and Cheese” when I’m allergic to dairy. That would make me a t-shirt hypocrite and I can’t be having that.

So I’ve sourced some websites where you can get your hands on some cool slogan tee’s and, I’ll share a couple of my own in the process.

We start with my favourite brand:

Fan Club Clothing

Fan Club has a current 70’s feel to their tees and their slogan choices are a bit more playful than some on the market. They’re probably one of the most popular brands at the moment and are so in demand that other stores are stocking their clothes, so if you cant get yours from the site, wander on off to ASOS MARKETPLACE with a simple click and buy buy buy.

Image Source: ASOS MARKETPLACE.

Olive and Frank

Olive and Frank represent a 90’s grunge feel and remain true to their market based roots. Their tees are super current with the dialect of today, with captions like ” Pizza is my Bae”, “Good Vibes only” and a favourite song lyric quote from the bae, Lana Del Ray. (and yeah, i totally rhymed that sheet). You can go one step further with them and bag yourself a jacket if you want to go full on slogan and rep that trend.

Image source: Olive&Frank

SRSLYsocial

If you’re into this trend but you want to keep it a bit more minimal in font and style, then this is the right brand for you. SRSLYsocial keeps it current and to the point, with their white tee and easy to wear slogans. They’re also a little cheaper than the above options and have options for men as well as women.

Image source: Asos for SRSLYsocial

Soooooo what about my collections?

Today I wore my Stay Weird top that I purchased from Daisy Street and teamed it with a black dungaree dress, french plaits and my moon/star choker.

Another tee of mine, is my “I love Bacon” red crop top from O-Mighty which has a secret message inside…..

Oh alright, alright, i’ll share it.

Obviously, the message is enough to make me want to put it on.

But hey, Slogans are everywhere right now and on the highstreet you can find them currently stocked in Urban Outfitters, Topshop, so get get searching for yours.

P.s You kinda don’t have a choice because I’ve included all the links for you, so you don’t have to do anything but click.

Nachos and TV,

❋✿❁ What the Folk!? ❁✿❋

Bored waiting to Board; A guide to Hawt Holiday Packin’.

Tis the Season for…Festival.

Think like a girl, dress like a boy.

Slogan Tees with ease.

☀ ● Nice to Meet Y.…

◎ ◍ ◉ A Little Piece of …

○ ● ● Music On, World Off ● ● ○

Rose Bud Moment.