The White Shirt Edit | Zafira

Hey!

So it’s been a little bit of a while since I’ve posted anything but I really wanted to take this whole isolation situation as an opportunity to sort out my site and so I did and here I am on this lovely new layout!

It’s also been a chance for me to figure out what sort of things I want to actually post on here and one of my favourite things to do is talk about clothes. I think the best place to start with all of that is with the basics and nothing is more basic and simple than a white shirt. A staple in not only a man’s life but a woman’s too.

I think a white shirt will always come across with some level of formality. It’s something you’d consider wearing to interviews or to work but for me, it’s become a such a necessity in my everyday wardrobe.

Here are 3 of my absolute favourite white shirts that I’ve been wearing religiously or were before we were all put in isolation (sometimes i still wear them around the house sometimes to make myself feel alive):

1. a good old tailored, well fitted white shirt

We have to start with one of the most versatile items in not only my wardrobe but everybody else’s too. A simple, well fitted, tailored, body hugging crisp white shirt. My shirts never look crisp mainly because I like the whole slouchy look or at least that’s what I tell people when in actual fact I just hate ironing shirts.

This is just a plain white Vivienne Westwood shirt that I was incredibly lucky to find sitting in TK Maxx one day and was one of the best purchases I could have made and was honestly quite the steal.

When it comes to styling this shirt, your options are truly endless. Here I’m wearing them with my flared jeans from the Gap for a more casual look but you could wear this shirt with any bottom combination. Whether that’s a pair of flowy culottes, a midi skirt or even a mini skirt. But my favourite thing to do with this shirt has to be pairing it with dresses or jumpsuits as an undershirt. Anything with a spaghetti strap is your best friend because you can easily throw on a shirt under it for a more put together look.

One thing I’ve figured out whilst owning this beauty is that the key with making a shirt look more casual or formal has to do with how many buttons you do up. The more buttons you do up, the more formal you’ll look and vice versa. So for a smarter look I’ll usually stick with one button undone like I’ve done in the photographs, but for a more casual look I’ll undo a few more and throw on a black vest underneath.

You buy this here but I definitely recommend having a wander around TK Maxx when the world’s back to normal to save yourself like a £150.

2. a white organza puffy shirt

When I bought this I had no intention of wearing as much as I do. This shirt is more of on over-shirt/jacket sort of situation which I feel like is such an important addition to one’s wardrobe.

A shirt like this is the perfect way to dress up literally anything. In these photographs I have it over a basic velvet green jumpsuit and it’s instantly turned something plain and casual into an outfit that looks like I’ve put a lot of effort into. I love doing a little tie knot with this shirt because I got in a size bigger than my usual so I could get extra puffiness in my sleeves and have a looser fit too.

I love wearing this dress over plain white cotton dresses in the spring/summer and then over a turtleneck or sleeveless sweater in the winter. It’s definitely something in my wardrobe I can make work all year around.

You can buy this here.

3. a shirt with bigger sleeves than the last and just generally oversized

I don’t know how anyone can claim they have a semi decent wardrobe without at least one or two oversized white shirts you’ve most likely stolen from your dad’s wardrobe. This shirt kind of has that vibe which is what drew me to it but with a touch of femininity making it probably one of the best things you could ever buy.

I think this just might be the most worn thing in my entire wardrobe. The versatility of this shirt is insane. Insanely good.

It’s got that whole big sleeve situation going on which I am smitten with and on top of all that, it’s cropped which I’ve slowly become to love in not only shirts but in tops in general. One thing I hate when it comes to loose or oversized shirts is when you tuck them into your pants and they bunch up weirdly. It frustrates me in ways in cannot put into words but a with a cropped shirt like this, I will never have to suffer with that ever again.

I wear this in so many different ways. I wear it a lot with jeans because it’s just so so so easy to style. It’s become my go to ‘I’m late because I spent too long thinking about what I wanna wear’ outfit because of this.

I’m also a big fan of wearing it as overshirt/jacket like my organza shirt over dresses and jumpsuits and it always looks so effortlessly chic.

This sadly is pretty old and not available anymore but here’s a similar alternative.

Thanks for reading,

September on Film | Zafira

Hey!

After an abundance of requests asking for my monthly film blog posts, I’ve decided to bring back what seems like everybody’s favourite series over on here. The roll I shot on this month has actually been in my camera since the end of July/beginning of August and it might just be the longest I’ve ever had a film roll in my camera.

This summer was a little chaotic to say the least and shooting on film felt like a massive inconvenience. I was shooting frequently on digital so to carry around my DSLR, the lenses for that and then my film camera with all it’s accessories would have been quite the struggle. It’s a shame because there were so many moments this summer that could have been beautifully captured on film. I’m hoping to get a little film camera soon, something like Contax T3 (maybe something a little cheaper jesus i had no idea that these were that expensive) so I can take it everywhere hassle free.

I don’t know how this month is already over, I don’t remember feeling like it ever began. It’s been just as busy as this summer with me starting my second year of uni. I actually love September, it’s so lovely seeing everything transition into autumn and there’s just something about Manchester during this time of year that I completely adore.

Here a few snaps from late July, August and of course, September.

I think I took this in August when I was walking through Piccadilly Gardens to probably go shop or something but I ended up bumping into this huge marching band. It was pretty cool and very random but I love their hats.

This roll has more photographs of me than I’m used to but here’s a shot of me in the COW changing rooms because they’re so cute. I can’t remember if I bought anything from there but this is a very rare shot of me in a printed white t-shirt.

My mum hates all animals, especially this little daredevil of a cat. This is our neighbour’s cat that might as well belong to us. If you’ve followed these monthly film posts for a while, she’s made quite a few appearances and loves her time in-front the camera. What a pretty girl.

Moose Coffee looking pretty in the sunlight.

I picked up this amazing jumper this month at Thrift Shop Manchester for £7 and I can’t stop wearing it. It’s super 80/90s style and it’s one of my favourite things in my wardrobe at the minute. I also got these lovely Chanel button looking earrings from my friend Vicky as a late birthday present which was very sweet of her and my clip is from Primark!

Also how insane is it that this time last year, I had a bob and now my hair is sooo long? I think this the longest I’ve had it in a while, I usually get it cut into a bob every summer but this year I thought I’d let it grow out and go wild.

I finally updated my photo walls in my room with some newer shots. I also upgraded to 5x7 prints too and I loove how they look. I love being surrounded with photographs of my family and friends and most importantly, shots of me.

When I say I’ve lived in my boiler suit this summer, I’m not even exaggerating. It was my go to outfit and was so easy to wear and style. Anytime I’d leave the house to run some errands or even to come into the city, I’d throw this on with a pair of boots or my Vans. This is the best £35 I’ve ever spent. Here I am in TK Maxx in my 5 hour quest to find some jeans that actually fit me (no luck unfortunately but I got a cute pair from Topshop).

I remember when I first started shooting on film, I’d always take these mirror pictures cos I thought they were so cool. I still love them so they’re slowly making a comeback.

I had lunch at Mackie Mayor a week or so ago and it’s one of the coolest places to eat in Manchester. Maybe one day I’ll have to do a post about my favourite places to eat in Manchester because there’s sooo many. Mackie Mayor is filled with different food stalls so there’s so much to pick from. From pizza to tacos to all sorts. It’s the perfect place to eat if you’re with a lot of people because they have such a good range of food to pick from so there’s something for everyone.

Here are a few of my favourite things this month:

• Pearl Clips - Primark

• Burt’s Bees Lip Balm in Pomegranate (hands down best lip balm ever made by anyone)

• Hugo Boss Watch

• The Ordinary - Alpha Arbutin Serum (so so so good for dark spots)

• All necklaces are from Lovisa

• Bangle - from some little cheap stall on Green Street in London

• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Rome (i’ve been wearing this everyday since i was 16 it’s my favourite lipstick of all time)

• Gold Hoops - & Other Stories (i also wear these almost everyday)

Her'e’s me and my friend Divine in our matching outfits for our first day back at uni! (you don’t even need to ask both of these shirts are obviously from Zara)

When I was around 8/9 years old, I had a dress so similar to this. Me and my cousin Zahrah would wear matching outfits and we both had this dress so when I saw this in Oliver Bonas the other day it immediately took me back to our childhood. Over this dress, I’m wearing a puffy sleeved shirt from Zara that I’ve tied at the front and my new Converse.

Can you believe this dress was on sale for £20 down from £68? I love a good bargain.

That’s all I have for this month! I’ll try and make this into a regular thing since it’s in high demand. To see more of my film pics and photographs in general, follow me over on my Instagram and other social medias (everything is linked at the bottom of each post!)

Thanks for reading!

Lots of love,