A Socially Distanced Summer Lookbook | Zafira
Hey!
Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to share a list of links of petitions and charities you can sign and donate to. It feels very selfish of me to write and post normally without addressing what’s going on in the world so at the end of this post you’ll find some links and ways to help what’s currently going on :)
And just like that, it’s summer once again. I had no idea it was even June until we were like a whole week in that’s how out of sorts I am. One thing I completely adore not only about everyday but especially summer is getting dressed. I love being able to wear dresses without having to layer seven different things to keep warm, I love being able to wear my Mary Janes without socks and I also love but will probably eventually start to miss not having to wear a coat on top on every single outfit. It’s the prettiest time of year.
So, I love doing lookbooks and my friends and family are amazing at helping me get the pictures I need but with social distancing and the whole '“we’re in the middle of mass pandemic and you can’t go near anyone” thing going on, doing this lookbook tested all levels of patience and creativity. I decided the only reasonable and exciting way I could do this lookbook and make it somewhat cool was by photoshopping myself into everywhere I would want to be this summer and that’s exactly what I did.
I’ve been working on this for a few weeks now and I hope you enjoy it because it was actually a lot of fun to do.
Here’s a few summer looks I will most likely be wearing around the house I don’t have a social life anymore:
a cute co-ord
I think co-ords have taken over this summer and I will gladly let them.
There is no easier outfit to put together than a co-ord. They’re so easy to style and come in such an arraignment of patterns, materials and prints. I’ve been seeing so many floating around on Instagram and the high street but this particular set from Zara caught my eye and of course, my debit card’s.
It honestly looked a little too pyjama-esque on the model but the Zara sale hit the internet and I gave in and bought the shirt and trousers and hoped for the best and I’m so glad I did because I love how this looks. It feels very classy almost, very chic and looks like something you’d wear to a picnic in the middle of the countryside in France which is certainly the vibes I’m going for this summer.
The set has this almost quilted feel to it and I think it’s probably one of the most well made things I’ve ever bought from Zara. The trousers especially, I love the tab detail on the back. I think these pieces will also look great on their own too, I can imagine wearing the shirt with plain blue jeans and the trousers with a white shirt.
In this look I’ve styled the set with my favourite Mary Janes from Asos.
Buy the shirt.
Buy the trousers.
Buy the shoes.
something causal to make it seem like i can dress casual
I think by now, everyone around me thinks I’m incapable of dressing casual. You will never see me in sweats, I never do a pair of jeans and t-shirt but this look has been a staple in my wardrobe since I was probably around 15/16 and will always be an exception.
I have so many of these short sleeved sweater/knitted tops. I think they’re perfect for summer days where it’s a bit chillier because they’ll still keep you warm but not too warm. This retro looking one is from Pop Boutique and I think I probably own every short sleeved sweater top they sell now because they’re so good and versatile. I wear them with jeans, with cullotes and I love using them for layering when it gets colder with sleeveless dresses and pinafores.
I’ve styled this top with my lovely jeans from the Gap which I am aware isn’t called the Gap but I’ve become too comfortable calling it the Gap. These are my perfect summer jeans. I hate skinny jeans now with a passion, they look good but the effort and stress of putting them on is not an enjoyable experience, especially in summer. These slightly cropped flared jeans however are the comfiest pair of jeans I’ve ever owned. I had no idea jeans from the Gap were so pricey either but I got these for 70% off from a Gap store that was closing down so I’m quite happy with them.
I’m also wearing my classic black Converse that I wear all year round.
The top sadly isn’t available, but here’s a cute alternative.
Buy the jeans.
the black dress
So I know a black dress isn’t very summer appropriate but I think this is such a pretty summer evening/date dress.
I think originally something that threw me off this dress was the material because it looked like it would crease a lot and very easily which it does but because the overall style of the dress consists of pleats and creases such as in the sleeves and in the top and mid area it isn’t as big of an issue as I thought it would be. I think this sort of material is so ideal for the summer because it’s so thin and lightweight and overall a very cooling material.
This dress originally had a very high rounded neck but I decided to do a little DIY job and change it to a square one since I think it looks a lot more flattering on me and it gives me a chance to wear some cute necklaces like the pearl one I’m wearing in the photographs.
I’ve styled this look with a beaded bag that are very trendy these days, this one is actually handmade from Bangladesh.
Here’s a similar alternative to the dress.
the ‘i wish i was florence welch’ look?
I feel maxi skirts aren’t as cool as they used to be when I was like 12 but I’m still a big fan of them.
This skirt is from Zara but I got it at brand new at Oxfam for £4.99 and it’s probably the best £4.99 I’ve ever spent. It’s made from such a light weight material and is extra flowy when you get hit with a gust of wind which is what I personally look for when buying long skirts.
I’ve paired this skirt with a simple black top and a cropped cardigan from Urban Outfitters. I love cropped cardigans. I think that if I didn’t have any self restraint I would buy them in every colour possible.
I’m also wearing my pink Mary Jane style shoes which I adore wearing all the time.
Buy the cardigan.
the red jumpsuit i dream about every night
I’m a massive jumpsuit/boilersuit girl. I think they’re easily one of the best inventions of all time and I would wear one everyday for the rest of life if I didn’t have a vast wardrobe of other clothes.
Every time I would go onto Instagram these past three months, I would see an ad for this jumpsuit and obviously, I fell in love with it straight away. It’s such a beautiful piece of clothing which is why for my birthday present to myself this year, I decided I would splurge and treat myself.
When I say I’m in love with this jumpsuit, I genuinely mean I’m in love.
I think it’s such an incredibly flattering item. Boilersuit/jumpsuits tend to stereotypically have quite a loose and masculine fit to them but this is definitely a more body hugging piece that hugs you in all the right places. The bottoms are flared too which is so great and this colour is so different than anything I’d usually wear and super bold. I love love love it.
Buy the jumpsuit.
the checkered dress from my childhood
This dress is what inspired me to do this lookbook because I’ve been spending my days at home in this thing. It’s the most idyllic summer dress to me.
It reminds me a lot of so many tops and dresses I used to wear growing up in a similar print and colour scheme to this. It always felt very classic and retro and most importantly, very country chic which till this day is what I aspire to exude.
I’m always looking for pieces that I can wear all year round and surprisingly, this is one of them. I bought this from an Oliver Bonas sale at the end of last summer and honestly wore this dress through the autumn and winter and even on Christmas day. Sleeveless dress are a gem when it comes to layering because you can layer anything under them. A shirt, a jumper, a turtleneck, your options are endless. I would love wearing this with a white jumper or turtleneck underneath in the winter but now that it’s warmer, I can just throw on a cardigan and run out the door in this.
Even though I wore this dress during the colder months, I definitely think it’s made for the summer. Just look how perfect it fits into my fake picnic. Once again, I’ve paired this look with my cropped cardigan from Urban Outfitters and my pink Mary Janes as well as another beaded bag handmade from Bangladesh.
Buy the cardigan.
Please try to donate to some of these charities or sign the links on my Linktree!: https://linktr.ee/zafiraahmed
Thanks for reading!
The Ultimate Guide to Clearing Out Your Wardrobe | Zafira
I will admit, I have a lot of clothes and finding the perfect system to organise them has taken me a while but I think I’ve finally got the hang of it. I get a looooooot of questions anytime I post that I’m organising my wardrobe over on my Instagram stories so I thought I’d answer them all on here and add a few tips on how I keep my wardrobe organised and tidy.
1. HOW TO WORK WITH YOUR WARDROBE SPACE
waiting for everyone to get triggered by my mismatching hangers hehe
I have a wardrobe that’s definitely on the smaller side and I always get questions on how I fit everything in it since I have a pretty hefty amount of clothes. A few years ago, I found that the best method to fitting everything into my wardrobe was by organising my wardrobe seasonally. Now, yes, I am very aware of the extremely bipolar weather in the UK so a good 70% of the time, the weather isn’t what it should be during a certain time of year but I like to keep a basic gist of what I would wear during the current season. For example:
Autumn: Light knit jumpers, shirts, thinner coats & jackets, midi skirts, turtle necks etc.
Winter: Heavy knit jumpers, bigger coats, thicker pants etc.
Summer: Cardigans, light weight jackets, culottes, jumpsuits, thinner material dresses etc.
Spring: Lighter coats & jackets, usually more thicker material dresses & light knit etc.
So you’re probably like, “where do you put your out of season clothes?” and the answer is pretty simple. In storage.
Your two new best friends after this post will be these big plastic storage bins and vacuum storage bags. You can get them in so many different sizes so they’re perfect for sliding under your bed, or or in drawers or if it’s something you’re not going to wear for a while then even the attic. It’s the best way for me to still have a range of clothes but not clutter and overfill my wardrobe. I get mine either from Ikea or Amazon, check some out here:
2. EMPTY YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE
The first thing to do when organising your wardrobe is to begin by emptying everything in it. I think it really helps when you can visually see how much you own and makes it easier to decide what you want to keep or get rid of. A key tip to remember when doing this is to clear your wardrobe on a day when half your wardrobe isn’t in the wash. There’s nothing more devastating than thinking you’ve cleared your wardrobe and it looking all pretty and tidy just to realise you have a billion more pieces to fit in somehow.
3. create piles to organise what you want to keep or sell
When all my clothes are out of my wardrobe, I like to sort them into 3 piles different piles: keep, sell/donate & throw away. I have a rule where if I haven’t worn something in over 2 months, I have to get rid of it. This helps with filtering out clothes I don’t want and also makes more space for new purchases. If you’re someone like me and like to shop frequently, this is such a good rule to have because it allows you to add new pieces to your wardrobe without completely over filling it.
A few months ago, my cousin told me that she was keeping track of what she was wearing by keeping note of her outfits on her calendar app. Ever since she told me this it’s honestly changed by life. I can easily see what I have been wearing and it 100% has helped with clearing out my wardrobe too because I can see what isn’t being worn.
When it comes getting rid of clothes I no longer want, I will either donate them to closest charity shop or sell over on Depop.(follow me!) I’ve been using Depop for yeeaaaars now and I adore it. I sell everything on there and it’s played a massive role in helping keeping my wardrobe clear.
4. ASK FOR HELP/OPINIONS FROM OTHERS
I think a lot of people forget about asking others for help but there’s nothing more fun clearing out your wardrobe with your friends. It’s very very useful to get a second or third opinion especially if you’re on the border about keeping something or not.
5. ORGANISE PRACTICALLY NOT FOR AESTHETIC PURPOSES
When you organise your wardrobe, of course you want it to look pretty in the end and want it to look like all those Pinterest pictures when the clothes are in rainbow order and all your clothes fade into the next piece and look very cute. However, when it comes to practicality, this method kinda sucks. Unless you’re a super duper organised person and always put everything back in it’s place straight after you’ve used it then I can promise you that this isn’t the method for you.
I’ve tried so many different methods over the years but the best one that’s worked for me is organising my clothes into what article of clothing they are. So I usually go from jackets/coats to Asian dresses to cardigans to jumpers to dresses to shirts and then to tops. Kind of a random order but this is what works for me at the minute. I also keep items I wear frequently towards the front of my wardrobe so they’re easier to get such as the jacket I’m wearing currently. Play around with different methods until you find one that fits in perfectly with you and your lifestyle.
6. STOP SHOPPING SO MUCH IN GENERAL
Ultimately, the ideal way to keep your wardrobe clear is by shopping less which is much easier said than done. However with everything that’s going on now with fast fashion, I think it’s really important to try and make somewhat of an effort to stop impulsively shopping and buying things we don’t need just to then throw away when we no longer want it.
I try to remind myself that empty hangers don’t equal more reasons to shop and that I already have plenty of clothes to fit my everyday needs. I’m also trying to up-cycle a bunch of older pieces into things I would wear today. (blog post coming soon!)
Thanks for reading and good luck with clearing out your wardrobe!
Lots of love,
