WIMBLEDON WITH NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER

I am so happy to share this project with you, it’s not often I get to shoot with Paris. As much as he lapped it up (I’m sure you can imagine) it’s definitely a one off. This shoot was also super casual for us as the photographer I shoot with is a friend of ours; we started off professional but once in a while you come across people in your industry that you click with. I loved everything about this shoot; my outfit, Paris’ outfit, the location, messing around in-between takes with Moeez (photographer) and the fact we were ready for Wimbledon.

I really didn’t want this blog post to be just about my outfit, we will of course talk about that but I wanted to touch on how much I appreciate my career and savour every moment. I am not grateful in the sense this was handed to me, but sometimes fate does play a part, I am sure Karma plays a role and I do work with people along the way that help me create my ideas.

I am grateful for all the PRs I get to work with that see my vision and we work on content together. This article is not about naming anyone or the brands because these people know who they are. It’s more about focusing on appreciating the people around you that make you feel good in your work life, have your best interest and you have theirs. Once you find this it feels amazing and you can enjoy each others success.

I am learning month by month the rules of businesses, sometimes I take a massive knock but we need these knocks in order to grow and succeed. Take the knocks as lessons and allow them to approve yourself for next time. Don’t be bitter or angry because focusing on negative people or situations will not help you, it will bring you down.

Do you really think hoping someone else fails is going to make them fail? I am telling you it won’t, so channel that energy into yourself.

For me taking a moment to realise I am working with my dreams brands like Net-A-Poter, being dressed in outfits I used to dream about and attending events like Wimbledon with Paris; these moments allow me to be proud of myself and appreciate everyone that’s been apart of my journey.

The point I am trying to make is this….

I have a very long way to go, I haven’t even hit half of my goals but I am succeeding and where I want to be. I have learnt that with success comes a feeling of great self achievement and all the obvious bonuses for me like nice bags, traveling, working with great brands and attending fabulous events but there is also another side too. It does not matter which industry you choose, there will also be competition and people that do not have your best interest in mind. It will happen so be prepared for that and let is pass you by. Stay focused on where you are heading, don’t forget the people that may have helped you like your partner or parents or maybe your old boss; stay true to yourself and be kind. I can honestly say that I feel no one or nothing can or will bring me down and if they try to, that’s okay and their negative problem. It’s taken me a few knocks to realise and accept this but I am finally okay with accepting their will be b*****s along the way, so the quicker you realise this too, the sooner you will start succeeding.

I hope this helps anyone who is struggling with something/someone at work and brings you back to focus on what you set out for in the first place. There will be bumps in the road but don’t focus on the bad energy, dust off those knees and get back to it. It will be worth it at the end and try to remember what is important. It’s easier to forget the good times, forget what we have achieved and how many nice people we meet.

MY OUTFIT

Now we can discuss my Wimbledon outfit!

I was super excited to choose a dress for this event, I had never attended Wimbledon before and it was the perfect excuse to wear a summer outfit that was fancy but casual. Not quite wedding attire but nicer than your everyday outfit.

I didn’t have to search the NET-A-PORTER website for long, mainly because I am on that “NEW IN THIS WEEK” page everyday but also because as soon as I saw this dress I knew it was the one. If you watch my video you will see I wore this dress with Gucci loafers, it really looks great with flats and I can imagine wearing it with a denim jacket. It was a dream to wear and one to keep in the wardrobe. It also comes in green and pale pink here.

My dress is by Draper James, if you don’t know already this brand is Reece Witherspoon’s brand! You can see more about it here. I think this entire collection expresses Reece, you can see she really did design the collection. It’s a great summer find for me so make sure you check out the other pieces in the collection.

My bag, OH MY GOSH THE BAG. Honestly, this bag is the ONE. I loved this bag so much, I included it in my first ever “Trends” article here. When it came back in stock I couldn’t believe my luck, as NET-A-PORTER asked me to pick a look for Wimbledon the night the new drop was made. It was meant to be. I initially wanted the smaller size and still love the smaller size but I loved having a bag that fit’s everything I need. Because the bag is canvas and wicker, it is super light weight. It’s very practical and goes with everything in my wardrobe. I would recommend buying two white small twilly’s for the handles, doesn’t have to be Prada; just any white handkerchief will do to protect the handles from getting marked.

My shoes are by Laurence Dacade, a brand I have been wearing for years now. This brand is super comfortable and I love how unfeminine a majority of the styes are; so me.

Finally my earring is by Chloe. A random find that resulted in me wearing it everyday. One night I was late night browsing (as you do) and saw this earrings, it retails at £110 which I think is a great price for a Chloe earring. I adore it, such a fab little treat for myself.

A little secret I want to let you in on before you see the rest of the photos. If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stores or even my blogs, you will know that Paris and I are always messing around. When we were taking these photos, we wanted them to be natural as we are not a posey couple (no offence to anyone that is) we cannot pull that off; we wanted to it to reflect us. We wanted to be natural and “candid” and that’s definitely how it ended up. Paris was smiling but saying really offensive things to me, I won’t write them him here but it was so funny, I couldn’t stop laughing. He was literally calling me the worst names and I thought it was the funniest thing.

So there is the secret to a natural, candid photo shoot 🙂

Now on to Paris

We had just sat down for dinner in Greece when I received the invite to attend Wimbledon. I was SO happy when I saw Paris could come, you’ve no doubt noticed we do everything together. When I told him he was allowed to pick an outfit his face made me so happy. For someone that isn’t interested in fashion, he spent two wholes days searching for the perfect Mr Porter outfit. He took it very seriously and I did let him believe he chose this look. You all know I chose it, right?

I love dressing Paris. I actually started off styling men first when I was 18 years old, my first stylist work was with men and I loved it. I dressed men at Harrods, mainly women but I really enjoyed working with men, they are so easy to work with. Now, Paris is my only project. When I take on styling jobs now it is always women. I will be making a video on “How to dress your man” next week, so more of this later.

I chose a pretty simple look for Paris because that is what he suits and what he likes. I kept it simple, chose light weight fabrics (because it’s hot) and a pair of sassy shoes; why not it was a special day! The confidence he had this day was unreal! I thought he looked super cute all day because I could see how much he loved wearing this.

Stay tuned for more “how to dress your man” content. For now I would like to thank NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER for an amazing day.