Cheers to the New Year.

Dress - vintage Laura Ashley, via a charity shop

Blouse - charity shop

Bag - charity shop

Earrings - vintage fair

Necklaces - both charity shop finds

Brooch - vintage via a charity shop

Shoes - charity shop

♡

I would love to have a poignant and heart-warming tale of new lessons learned and triumph over adversity that would make this past year redeemable in some way (and perhaps to a certain extent I do), however there is no denying 2020 did not fulfil the happy intentions we'd originally assigned to it.  As social media sites are so enthusiastic to remind us with on-this-day throwbacks, this time last year was utterly different; dipping chocolate hobnobs in my 4am peppermint tea post-night out is, by this point, a distant memory. These snapshots now take on a nostalgia that previously was surely reserved for those albums of prints capturing your adorable/embarrassing [delete as appropriate] childhood exploits. A renewed appreciation for friends, family, and social contact, born from this reminiscing.

There is definitely truth in that absence makes the heart grow fonder – it is so difficult to be so far apart from the people who give your life sparkle, when times are decidedly lacklustre. Suddenly walks and video calls are the societal du jour, and a trip to the supermarket, the unmissable event you excitedly put real clothes on for. Recollections of empty shelves and genuinely considering whether pasta and loo roll would make acceptable Christmas gifts this year (personally, I have never been so grateful for hand cream). The past twelve months have been strange and emotional, and no one is alone on the days when everything feels overwhelmingly meh.

So for my solidly "at home" New Year's Eve outfit, charity shop ICONIC was the [usual] intended goal. My muses: Lady Diana, Posh Spice and Audrey Hepburn's signature look in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I wanted to party in head-to-toe second hand and hell yeah, it felt good. Dressing up for karaoke in the living room bringing strong competition for the charms of going out on the town - mainly the thrill of not needing money for the cloakroom or remembering where you put the ticket when the music stops.

The dress, vintage Laura Ashley, was a £3.50 charity shop find: immaculate velvet; killer silhouette; and beading and embroidery at the neckline. Pointed black satin shoes (leg lengthening baby!) and a cream silk oversized blouse (ft. shoulder pads and executed in stunning 100% polyester but of course), the only sensible option. These vintage clip-on earrings were a statement waiting to happen, and can I make the case for wearing necklaces back to front? The V-shaped back of this dress; a perfect frame for pearls. To adorn further, a bar brooch of more pearls and glittering diamantes, pinned to my 80s-art-teacher-esque cover up. I truly adore this box bag. and for photography purposes it made a stunning, though fleeting, appearance. Rest assured. I did not pretentiously house my phone, and other general handbag clutter, in its tiny form for an evening locked in.

At the risk of projecting more naively idealistic expectations onto another mournful year, I hope 2021 is much kinder, and nevertheless an opportunity for self-improvement, for whatever goals you are working towards. I would like to wish everyone lots of love and positive vibes; we can get through it all together by just taking one day at a time.

Love Emily

xxx

♫ Now Playing ♫

[Things Can Only Get Better]

D:Ream, 1993

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