Ootd Throw Back Thursday

3 weeks into the new year and two of those weeks have been spent wrapped up in bed fighting off the plague. I had such better plans for 2015. The first day I recovered enough to don heels you know what I did ? Hobbled my ass down to Zara to see the last of those sales. I picked myself up this jacket for £49.99 and the necklace for £7.99. Here is a tip for sales - to avoid going nuts buying things you don't really want or need - always remember you will never regret a coat- it can be accessorised several different ways and can easily dress up a plain outfit. 

Today I headed to shoreditch to prove just that dressed, as my friend on Instagram Pointed out,  like a pilgrim - perhaps it's because I felt like a survivor :)  

Galliano Debut for Margiela : My Verdict

Back in 2011 nothing got the fashion birds in a tweeting frenzy more than John Galliano's dismissal from Dior and subsequent excommunication from the fashion world following his bizarre anti Semitic comments. Yet here we are in 2015 and it seems the fickle world of fashion has forgiven Galliano, or at least, anger has made way for curiosity. 4.30 yesterday, fashion designers, journalists and elites hot footed it after the Burberry show (Christopher Bailey included) and gathered anxiously to catch a glimpse of Galliano's anticipated debut collection for Maison Martin Margiela.

Whilst many have been reticent to forgive, my self included, no one can deny that fashion has sourly missed this scorned genius. One question was on everyones minds, "Is this collection enough to see him rise back to the top Phoenix style?"  My answer, in a word is yes.

The collection was rich in drama, as you would expect from Galliano, bold silhouettes were complimented with a generous use of chiffon- granting the theatrics of movement. The strict black and red palette, embellished breast plates, masks and makeup gave collection a look of ferocious beauty, perhaps hinting to a designer on the defence yet confident in his craft.

It is evident that he came ready, he came fighting, and he came to stay.

Life Hack : Overcoming Fear

If you're naturally an anxious person, there is no doubt that you have been told by well meaning peppy friends that the best way to overcome fear is to just "feel the fear and go for it" you know, do it anyway. This sounds great in principle, like an inspirational quote that should be written on a poster with panther, however in practice it's not so easy to silence your fears and positively push on.

My anxious friends, I feel you- there is certainly a scale of anxiety, and for those of you who are most severe, I strongly suggest seeking medical help, as severe anxiety is no joke, but for those moderates, I have come across a tactic that just might help you muster the courage and go for it.

The premise of this trick is inspired by Eckhart Tolle's, The Power of Now (a great book, must read). The central premise is, you are not your mind. Meaning there is a you that is infinitely powerful, and there is your mind. Your mind is full of worry, pain of past hurt and fear, it is the voice by which you evaluate situations. Eckhart encourages you to silence your mind and learn that sometimes it can be your biggest enemy.

Now it is difficult to silence your mind, some say its impossible, however after some consideration I decided that there is indeed some merit to separating your self (you at your best, who you were meant to be) from your weak, fretting mind. I decided to try something. To separate the thinking negative into one person in my mind (weakness) and develop another voice of strength. The voice of strength is focussed on what I want in life, and fed by my visualisations of a better life. The voice of weakness is that inevitable fearful voice, that gets in the way and usually psyches me out of doing what I need to do. Now that I had separated the two, negative thoughts could not run riot without being consciously checked. This is so important, as anyone with anxiety will know that left unchecked, one fearful thought will grow to a deafening riot. See your negative thoughts as bullies, bullies that given half the chance will have you living in fear, and never realising the life you were meant for. See your positive thoughts as your best friend, sticking up for you against the bullies and reminding you of why you're here, and that you can do it, pit the two against each other, and mindful of what you want out of life, ensure your best you wins!

I find this really helps me in situations where I feel fear getting the best of me and I hope it helps you too. I guess sometimes spilt personalities can be a good thing ;)