Summer really feels like it’s hit England this week with a weekend full of sunshine, so much so that I’m having to write this covered in after-sun to try and fight the sunburn! I spent nearly twelve hours out in the sunshine on Sunday having a picnic in the park on a very romantic date, and it was the most perfect way to spend a day.
WHAT’S INSPIRED ME THIS WEEK
As a fashion designer, and general creative type, I am constantly seeking inspiration wherever I am, and these posts are a way to document what has ignited something within me this past week. Whether its artwork I’ve seen online, photography that moved me, or a collection of colour in nature that kick-started a creative idea in my head, I’ll be sharing four ideas that have brought me joy in the past seven days.
R. READING
Last week I spoke about Broadcast by Liam Brown, a Black Mirror-esque novel about the possibility of influencers being fitted with micro-chips in their brain that broadcast their every thought across the world.
I finished it at the end of last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m a big fan of Black Mirror, so a book that followed the same sort of trajectory was bound to be a hit.
No spoilers – but the book had a similar open-ended closure at the end of the story to lots of Black Mirror episodes, which leaves you reeling and over-thinking into every possibility. Overall, my main take-away was how terrified I am of the possibility of mind-chips! In a world where privacy has been slowly stripped away our thoughts are the one defense we have against being fully bare to the world, and the thought of that being stripped away is unnerving at best and utterly horrifying at worst.
E. EDUCATING
The new monthly issue of People over Product, the sustainable fashion magazine I write for, is out, and I’ve written two more articles on ethical fashion.
The first is an ethical beach bag edit, similar to sustainable edits I’ve done here on my blog before, covering ethical alternatives to beach bag essentials.
The second, a more technical piece, dives into the world of hemp swimwear. This natural fibre can be grown and farmed in a more sustainable way than cotton, and minimises the amount of virgin polyester being used in the ever-growing swimwear industry.
You can read the June issue here!
P. PLAYING
After watching The Beach Boys documentary on Disney+ a couple of weeks ago I’ve had their upbeat, summery tunes on repeat. Classic favourites such as Good Vibrations, Surfin’ USA, Don’t Worry Baby, God Only Knows, and Forever have been on loop, and probably will be for the duration of summer.
O. OBSESSING OVER
I had a lovely date over the weekend where we went for a picnic in Sutton Park, overlooking Longmoor Pool. It’s been such a long time since I’ve gone for a picnic in the park, and I’d forgotten how much of a simple joy it can be; especially if you’re sat there chatting to someone special.
We were blessed with the weather, maybe a little too much as the both of us got sunburnt, but it made for a lovely sun-kissed picnic, with a European inspired spread of bread, meats and chocolate-covered strawberries.
R. RECOMMENDING
The temperature shot up in England this week and I may have got a little bit (correction – catastrophically!) sunburnt.
The tan enhancing after-sun from Piz Buin has been my go-to for a few years now and it has been working wonders in cooling my skin and helping it turn to tan in a matter of days – thank goodness for that!
T. TREATING MYSELF TO
Ahead of a very busy month I have given myself a little bit of time to just rest and recuperate, before the madness of June hits. With a much-anticipated visit from my long-distance bestie Taylor, two trips to the Eras Tour, and plenty of other exciting things planned June is set to be an incredibly, but exhausting, month, so giving myself grace now to simply sit down and rest definitely feels like a little treat.
Love Chloe x
