After a good few months of technical struggles here on chloececiliagoescouture I am (hopefully!) back. Each time I return to my blog between sporadic posts I seem to have a major update, and this time is no different; with the arrival of the new year came a completely fresh start for me as I began my journey as a freelance intimate apparel and swimwear designer. I’m currently working with my first client, creating sustainable, luxury swimwear, and it truly feels like I’m living the dream! Working for myself has a lot of benefits, but one of the major ones is that I have more time to pour into my passions, which means I have a lot of creativity to put into my blog, and more time to share the beautiful world of sustainable fashion with you all.
For the first post of 2023 I thought I’d share a collection of things that have inspired me over the last few weeks or months; I’ve been sharing these posts for a couple of years now, and I often reflect on them when I need a little pick-me-up. At this point of the year I am desperately longing for springtime, so some light and beautiful imagery should do just the trick.
I’ve had pretty pottery on the brain recently, and when I stumbled across La Fee des Oignons’ collection I instantly fell in love. The combination of blue and white, the sketchy art style, the hand-made feel to the mugs: they have everything I love! It is on my bucket list for 2023 to go to a pottery painting cafe with my friends, as it’s something I haven’t done since I was a child, and these gorgeous mugs will be providing lots of inspiration.
Over The Moon never fail to provide inspiring imagery from an array of stunning weddings, and this picture is no different. Bow motifs are one of my most favourite darling details, and they look so delicate and pretty running up the back of this dramatic gown. The cut and shape evokes ideas of Audrey Hepburn as the muse for Givenchy, it’s just so elegant.
Loose floral sketches are some of my favourite types of art, and I love Claudia Lowry’s style. The first snowdrops are just starting to show, and I can’t wait for spring when the fields and meadows will be alive with flowers and the world will be awash with colour; at this point in winter everything really starts to feel very dull and grey, and I’m longing for the colours of spring. For now, I’ll settle for pretty sketches of blooms.
Nothing feels quite as comforting as a sketch of forest creatures’ lives; bonus points if they include a bunny playing the piano! These sketches from Claire Fletcher remind me of childhood storybooks read before bedtime, and the exciting secret world of animals that lay just below the surface out in the woods. It’s lovely to sit and daydream about the animals of the forest living a ‘Sylvanian Families-esque’ life of maypole dancing, bathtubs and dress-making, and it’s just ever so cute.
The movement of fabric in this dress is stunning, and set against the backdrop of a stately home gives it such a Regency era feel. Maybe I’m just longing for a new series of Bridgerton, but Regency era styles just keep calling my name. After using it as inspiration for a university project in the second year of my degree I feel a certain affinity to the empire waist and delicate puff sleeves; I wish we could still dress like this everyday!
WHAT I’M READING…
I’ve just finished The Trio by Johanna Hedman and, although I initially found it quite hard to get into, I enjoyed it. It felt poignant to be reading it in my early twenties, as it is the same age as the main three characters for the majority of the book; I particularly related to one of the character’s thoughts on feeling like she’s ‘play-acting adulthood’, which I think is a feeling that will resonate with a lot of people in their twenties. The dynamic of the relationship between the characters reminded me of Normal People by Sally Rooney, with their deep inability to communicate, and I’d recommend it to people who loved that book and TV adaptation.
WHAT I’M WATCHING…
Recently I’ve been loving cooking shows, and have been re-watching A Taste of the Country, a cookery show set on a small-holding in Dorset with young chef Julius Roberts. I first discovered him on TikTok over a year ago, and found myself longing for that quieter, slower-paced life that he has established on a farm in Devon. I felt the need for a refreshing, calming show and this did just the trick!
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO…
Midnights by Taylor Swift and Being Funny in a Foreign Language by The 1975 are two albums that have been on repeat since they came out, and even more so after seeing The 1975 in January! Other than that I’ve also been listening to a whole mixture of songs, with my top five currently being ‘Maroon’ by Taylor Swift, ‘When We Are Together’ by The 1975, ‘Last Call’ by Will Linley (for a feel-good boost!), ‘Maniac’ by Conan Gray and ‘Since I Don’t Have You’ by The Skyliners.
Love Chloe x
