Turning red
We might be in the middle of a heatwave and suffering from some sun-kissed skin as a result, but I’m going red for another reason.
Outfit pictured above: STOW SMOCK by KESTIN, CLASSIC T-SHIRT by SUNSPEL, THE V-NECK by SHEEP INC., EDDIE JEANS 14144 by SAMSØE & SAMSØE and BOSTON SUEDE TAUPE by BIRKENSTOCK
Listen carefully enough and you’ll hear keen Brits prepping barbecues, the opening of cans and children reluctant to go back to their parents for a suncream top-up. Rebellious kids aside, it’s often the adults that often get caught out and have to embrace the hazy red complexion (don’t be a hero, wear spf).
Akin to the British ‘tan’, is this poppy red v-neck from Sheep Inc. Now I’ve never been much of a summer dresser and I don’t think that could be more apparent given my actions of sharing photos from late spring where the idea of mid 30s was a myth. But yes, these photos were taken a fair while ago in Leicester as you can tell from the multiple layers. The jumper is more than just a perfect colour match to a Brit abroad and my primary school jumper, it’s a great example of how a brand can be incredibly considerate and transparent of how it produces clothes. The circular tag you might be able to peep on the front allows you to see the whole process of how it goes from wool yarn in New Zealand to the finished jumper. Not only that but they use a seamless knitting technique to reduce waste, as well as being carbon negative with all their knits. I mean if there was a piece of knitwear to talk about in July it’s this one, right?
For those that follow me over on Instagram, you’ll know that wearing denim is quite the new experience for me having called it quits for four years. I have since picked up a pair that I’m loving, but this shoot was a good excuse to try out a light wash from Samsøe & Samsøe made from organic cotton. While I’ll still wear trousers on most occasions, the simple jeans and a jumper combination is one I’ve sorely missed. I’ve started putting some words together on my experience of wearing jeans again that I hope to share soon as they deserve a separate post.
Each season Kestin brings out some easy to wear outerwear pieces; they always source interesting materials. For spring summer, they’d used a lightweight water repellent Italian cloth for their smock that I felt would be great to highlight for the fact it packs away into its own internal bag. It also gets plus points for the enjoyable hand feel of the zip pulls and adjustable waist pull. For me I’m not in that hiking/gorpcore/wear your Arc’teryx in the shower world, so to find something that has nods to sportswear and the outdoors, while still being relatively aligned with what I wear, was a nice find.
Now we could spend more words on how frequently I wear my Sunspel t-shirt as a base, or the number of steps I’ve done in my Birkenstock, but perhaps I should get outside and enjoy this weather while it lasts as before you know it, we’ll be back to this kind of outfit again soon. But first, sunscreen.jbicon
Could 2023 be the ultimate year of sustainability for fashion? Probably not, but there are some positive things happening if you look for them.