Something for The Weekend: Brisfest

Bristol’s finest music festival returns this weekend to it’s spiritual homeland; Ashton Court. Brisfest promises a weekend of music, art, comedy and theatre, all against a backdrop of rolling hills and fields of deer at Ashton Court Estate.

I’m gutted I won’t be around on Saturday as I’m going to the Oxfam Fashion Blogger Meet, but I highly recommend you get your tickets now if you haven’t already done so. Tickets are selling fast and the line-up includes De La Soul, The Other Tribe and Babyhead. As well as music you’ll be able to find live graffiti, circus and cabaret acts and stand-up comedy.

If you’ve already bought your ticket then you’re sorted, but for those of you who still haven’t parted with your cash, remember this: tickets can ONLY be purchased in advance – there won’t be any tickets available on the gates! Buy online here or call for tickets on 0844 870 0000.

Rock The Week

Fashion related (and totally non-fashion related) things that have made my world go round over the last seven days…

• The Olympics. I’m not a huge fan of watch sport on TV, but I’ve surprised myself at how frequently I’ve been screaming encouragement at the screen over the last week. Yesterday Team GB won more gold medals in a single day since 1908, and three of those were in one hour. I wish I could have been there to watch Jess Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah in action!
• Kendall Calling. On Monday I got back from Cumbrian music festival Kendal Calling. Mr Ship-Shape and I saw Feeder, Shed Seven, James, Whiskycats and The Correspondents, to name a few bands, and although it did rain and I ended up with a nasty cold, we both had a cracking time.

• At the festival I found a chunky knit jumper which became the inspiration for my second post for Oxfam Fashion. The post is a ‘how to’ guide to de-bobbling knitwear, a pet peeve that I have when it comes to buying second hand jumpers. Fortunately this trick is so simple to do – I hope you find it useful too.
• Rock N Roll Bride. Although I got hitched over a year ago, Kat’s Rock n Roll Bride blog is still on my Bloglovin’ feed. Wy? Because as well as awesome real life weddings (that do sometimes make me wonder ‘should I have done that?’) the blog is also packed with awesome blogging info, like how to speed up your site and the occasional motivational post, too.

What’s been rocking your world this week? Let me know by commenting below…

Oxfam Fashion: Banish those bobbles!

This week I mentioned that it was so chilly up in Penrith, home of Kendal Calling, that I had to buy an extra jumper to keep me warm. What I didn’t mention was that this jumper was blighted by bobbling.

I don’t know about you, but I find bobbling on clothes so annoying and it’s one of the things that often prevents me spending my cash on secondhand knitwear. That’s why I found myself blogging about how to de-bobble a jumper for Oxfam.

My second post for Oxfam’s fashion blog went live yesterday, and I hope you find it useful! The technique is easy peasy and can be done while you’re sat watching the Olympics on the telly.* Take a look and let me know what you think – and if you’ve ever tried using this technique.

*unless it’s a really short event, like the 100m sprint, in which case you should probably keep your eyes on the TV!

Kendal Calling

I got back from Kendal Calling on Monday afternoon and the next morning I woke up with a stinking cold! My body obviously couldn’t hack the biting Northern air, despite wearing numerous layers and treating myself to this maroon jumper, above, from the Oxfam Festival Shop.

For most of the weekend I wore my standard festival get-up – shorts, a pair of black Office wellies (though it’s hard to tell what colour they are under all that mud) and black tights. The jumper was a bargain at just £4 and while it did keep me toasty, by the time I bought it on Sunday, my imune system had decided it would check out for a few days. A cold in August!? Not fair!

It’s not all bad though, as I’ve spent this evening cooking dinner for Annie by Amy and Beautiful Plumage and now we’re trying to get a bit of writting done, but gossiping and the Olympics coverage keeps getting in the way!

Rock The Week – Festival Special

Fashion related (and totally non-fashion related) things that have made my world go round over the last seven days…

• Mud, mud, glorious mud! This weekend I was at 2000 Trees festival in Gloucestershire. It’s a small music festival that’s focuses on new and underground British music. I’m used to the likes of Glastonbury, with 120,000 odd revellers, so a festival with less than 5000 people was a bit of a change. The weather made the festival a bit of a washout, but my friends and managed to have an awesome time anyway, though I was grateful for a shower when I got back this afternoon.
• Festival fashion. While my weekend consisted of wellies, waterproofs and mud, see photo above, I do have some advice on how to do festival fashion – weather permitting!
• New music. I went to 2000 Trees having heard of only a handful of bands, and I came back with a whole new playlist! Favourites included Fixers, Dog is Dead, Spirit of John and the stylish locals, The Cadbury Sisters.

What’s been rocking your world this week? Let me know by commenting below…

Rewind: Festival Fashion

This weekend I’m off to deepest, darkest Gloucestershire for a festival, and having just checked the weather forecast, I think I’m in for a muddy, wet weekend! So I’m currently packing my rucksack with every waterproof thing I can find.

Last year I was putting a post together ahead of my pilgrimage to Glastonbury Festival, and I thought I’d repost it here as festival season is here since, like it or not, festival season is upon us! What festival essentials do you take with you?

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Naturally festival fashion has been on my mind for some time so after checking the weather forecast religiously and still being none the wiser, I put together a few of my thoughts on what to take this year…

Something Waterproof

A waterproof cover-up is essential at any festival but that doesn’t mean you can get away with relying on a roll of heavy duty bin liners – not even Kate Moss could make a refuse bag look good. Barbour jackets, parkas and leather biker jackets are all in style this season but if you buy nothing else this year make it mac in a pac. Lightweight and shower proof, these are easy to carry around the festival and come in a vast range of colours and patterns.

Head’s Up

If we are blessed with another scorcher this summer then a sun hat will be your new best friend. Boater hats join the humble trilby as a festival essential this year, but if you want to add a touch of glamour look for wide brimmed floppy hats with a 70s vibe. One of these will protect you from the sun, allow you to people watch in piece and, if you add a pair of oversized sunglasses, is a great way of disguising a hangover while you’re queuing for the long drops. Headscarves are another great way of covering up while staying chic, not to mention hiding unwashed locks and giving your look a retro feel. If you want to unleash your inner hippy then make like Florence Welch and try sporting a (fake) flower garland – if you can’t find one on the high street fear not – there are plenty of stalls selling them at the festival.

Festival Feet

Leave the heels at home! If your feet aren’t dry and comfortable you’ll have a crap time at Glastonbury. The site is huge and if you’re trekking between The Park and the Pyramid stage every day you need a pair of shoes that will go the distance. Wellington boots are a must – Hunter are the best of the bunch – but consider taking a pair of comfortable trainers, plimsoles or espadrilles too. Gladiator sandals are still big news this season so look for feather, beads and fringing details and pray for good weather so you can wear them.

Festival Decade: 70s

Glastonbury Festival was born in the 70s so it only seems right to follow the S/S11 trend this year. Fringing, crochet and lace are popular on waistcoats, dresses and even shorts this year. If you want to go glam try jumpsuits, palazzo pants and maxi dresses but be warned, these won’t fair so well in muddy conditions! If you can’t find what you’re looking for before you arrive, fear not – there are a plenty of vintage stalls on site, not to mention the excellent Oxfam stalls dotted across the festival – you may even find some of your donations for sale.

Have Fun

Finally, have fun! Fancy dress is encouraged and fully appreciated at Glastonbury so just embrace it. Get a temporary tattoo from WaterAid, have your face painted by pixies in the Green Fields or bring your own feathered headdress. Go with the festival flow and whatever you do don’t forget the sunscreen – lobster red will never be the festival shade du jour!

Festival Fashion: Bristol Harbour Festival

It’s that time of year again! Bristol Harbour Festival, one of the largets free events in the country, has descended on our fair city. I’ll keep this brief as I’m sure you’re already out enjoying the festivities but don’t forget to check out this amazing, totally free event over the weekend. Events, performances, street food and heaps of festival fashion can be found in the Arnolfini, Queens Square, Lloyds Amphitheatre, Castle Park, the newly opened M Shed and of course the harbour itself. This is one of the highlights of a Bristolian summer so don’t miss out! See you by the cider tent! x

Festival Fashion: St Paul’s Carnival

London may have it’s Pride Festival parade today, but in Bristol it’s all about St Paul’s Carnival. I wish I were writing this post tomorrow afternoon, after a night of hell-raising but alas I’m sat at home on a Saturday night nursing a nasty bout of festival flu. Those of you who have experienced the physical come down of a festival will know what I’m talking about – headaches, aching muscles and a cold that makes me sbound libe dis – my body is literally punishing me for having such a good time : )

Glastonbury was a riot – if you haven’t already seen my festival fashion guide check it out – as was my time spent blogging and tweeting for Worthy FM. A snoop backstage revealed that Barbour jackets were just as essential as a decent pair of sunnies, and my wellies certainly earned their stripes over the weekend. Since my return I’ve been feeling under the weather but that didn’t stop me from checking out St Paul’s Carnival today – a must on my to do list every July.

For me the carnival signifies the start of the summer and this afternoon did not disappoint. Aside from carnival costumes half of Bristol took to the streets in maxi dresses, double denim, floral hair garlands and body con mini dresses. The festival spirit was in the air, floating past giant sound systems along with the smell of jerk chicken and fried plantain – nom!

Before retiring to my sickbed I took a few snaps of the carnival in all it’s glory which you can see below. If you took to the streets let me know what you wore and what you got up to : )

Festival Fashion: Glastonbury

Festival fashion is a hot topic in women's magazines this month

Today is a very exciting day as it is the start of my festival oddessy for 2011. First stop: Glastonbury. I’m leaving today as I’m part of the amazing Worthy FM crew, the team responsible for Glastonbury’s onsite festival radio station. We only broadcast for one week of the year but lots of work has gone on over the last few months to ensure this year our shows are better than ever.

Naturally festival fashion has been on my mind for some time so after checking the weather forecast religiously and still being none the wiser, I put together a few of my thoughts on what to take this year…

Something Waterproof

A waterproof cover-up is essential at any festival but that doesn’t mean you can get away with relying on a roll of heavy duty bin liners – not even Kate Moss could make a refuse bag look good. Barbour jackets, parkas and leather biker jackets are all in style this season but if you buy nothing else this year make it mac in a pac. Lightweight and shower proof, these are easy to carry around the festival and come in a vast range of colours and patterns.

Head’s Up

If we are blessed with another scorcher this summer then a sun hat will be your new best friend. Boater hats join the humble trilby as a festival essential this year, but if you want to add a touch of glamour look for wide brimmed floppy hats with a 70s vibe. One of these will protect you from the sun, allow you to people watch in piece and, if you add a pair of oversized sunglasses, is a great way of disguising a hangover while you’re queuing for the long drops. Headscarves are another great way of covering up while staying chic, not to mention hiding unwashed locks and giving your look a retro feel. If you want to unleash your inner hippy then make like Florence Welch and try sporting a (fake) flower garland – if you can’t find one on the high street fear not – there are plenty of stalls selling them at the festival.

Festival Feet

Leave the heels at home! If your feet aren’t dry and comfortable you’ll have a crap time at Glastonbury. The site is huge and if you’re trekking between The Park and the Pyramid stage every day you need a pair of shoes that will go the distance. Wellington boots are a must – Hunter are the best of the bunch – but consider taking a pair of comfortable trainers, plimsoles or espadrilles too. Gladiator sandals are still big news this season so look for feather, beads and fringing details and pray for good weather so you can wear them.

Festival Decade: 70s

Glastonbury Festival was born in the 70s so it only seems right to follow the S/S11 trend this year. Fringing, crochet and lace are popular on waistcoats, dresses and even shorts this year. If you want to go glam try jumpsuits, palazzo pants and maxi dresses but be warned, these won’t fair so well in muddy conditions! If you can’t find what you’re looking for before you arrive, fear not – there are a plenty of vintage stalls on site, not to mention the excellent Oxfam stalls dotted across the festival – you may even find some of your donations for sale.

Have Fun

Finally, have fun! Fancy dress is encouraged and fully appreciated at Glastonbury so just embrace it. Get a temporary tattoo from WaterAid, have your face painted by pixies in the Green Fields or bring your own feathered headdress. Go with the festival flow and whatever you do don’t forget the sunscreen – lobster red will never be the festival shade du jour!

An accidental Sunday shopping spree

Today has been a typical Sunday – chilled out and relaxed, with a trip to Fabric Land for bridesmaid dress fabric, a visit to the Bristol Museum for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition (amazing!) and an accidental trip to Primark.

All I wanted was a pair of socks – that’s all – and then I remembered I needed a new black vest top for yoga, then I was drawn to the lightweight layered jersey tops, and by the time I made my way to the till via the accessories department, I knew my resolve not to spend more than a fiver had all but disappeared. And did I get the pair of socks I actually needed? Nope.

But in my defence what I did get were some practical, versatile pieces that could be paired with skinny jeans, tailored jodhpurs or even a nice pair of denim cut-off shorts once the weather bucks its ideas up. The salmon pink colour, above, compliments my hair and skin tone and the cropped navy top, below, is baggy enough to give me cover while still looking great with a fitted pair of trousers or leggings. The red and tan faux leather satchel is small enough for popping out and about and may even be my festival bag for 2011. The rope necklace, above, was a bit frivolous but I love the nautical theme and it is a fail-safe option, along with florals, for this time of year.

At least that’s my rationale and I’m sticking to it : )

Navy Primark jersey top layered over a pale pink vest

Red Primark satchel with tan faux leather buckles