There’s something about black and white dressing that exudes cool, chic and confident, and if there’s any way of channeling those moods more often then you best believe we’re all over it. Wardrobe staples like the ‘little black dress’ or classic white shirt are always high on a stylist’s list of essentials, and for those that might feel intimidated by colour or are yet to nail their personal style, you can’t go far wrong with these neutral shades.

And who says black = boring?! The likes of Cara Delevingne, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Lana Del Rey are some of the sleekest, sexiest ladies around, are if we’re taking style notes from anyone it will absolutely be them.

Monochrome dressing is also great for switching your lookup with accessories too, giving you the freedom to go wild with trend-led bags, shoes and jewellery safe in the knowledge that the basics of your outfit are built on solid foundations. Add a spritz of your fave scent and bon voyage friends, you’re well on your way to snatching the award for most stylishly dressed at the Voddy Revs on 21st June.

Zoe

I love a good monochrome outfit so this was very up my street! I love this roll neck white dress and I feel like this is perfect for this time of year as the sun starts poking his head out but it’s not quite spring linen weather yet. I’d pair it with a leather jacket, some chunky black boots and my &otherstories bag that I basically wear with every outfit!

Misguided, White Knitted Roll Neck Midaxi Dress

Zara, Flat Ankle Boots

All Saints, Black Leather Jacket

& Other Stories, Black Cross Body Bag

Lareese

I’m manifesting a date night that doesn’t involve slippers and beige lap dinners at this point. I can’t wait to attempt to stagger home with a belly full of espresso martinis and bar nibbles again, and I think this monochrome outfit will ease me back into the swing of things nicely. I love the Cinta The Label Rosie cardi! I’d team it with wide jeans, a pair of mules and an oversized black trench. If I can remember how to get dressed that is…

Cinta, The Rosie Cardigan

H&M, Wide Leg Jeans

H&M, Black Mules

COS, Oversized Trench Coat

Danielle

Monochrome is very much in my wheelhouse ESPECIALLY black and white as that’s pretty much all I wear and it took me a good 25 years to realise I’m absolutely fine with that. This is a classic jeans and a nice top outfit I’ll be wearing in April when the sun is shining and meeting friends outside. I based it around the earrings as they’re beautiful, and topped it off with this gorj Chloe bag that I have no hope of buying but hey, that’s why we call it weekly wants not weekly gets.

H&M, Drop Earrings

H&M, Ultra Loose-Fit Mom Jeans

H&M, Flounce Detail Blouse

Chloe, Small Woody Tote Bag

Charlotte

I’m not going to lie I’m normally more of a colourful kinda gal, but there is something about a monochrome outfit which feels very Cool Girl which is always nice to fake haha. I’ve wanted some knee-high boots foreverrrr (mainly inspired by Ariana Grande) and these white ones are so fun and 70s. I’ve seen these fluffy collared cardigans everywhereeee on TikTok and this black one is super cute and can literally be chucked on with any bottoms.

Topshop, Cardigan with Fur Collar

NA-KD, Faux Leather Mini Skirt

Public Desire, White Knee-High Boots

ASOS, Super Rouched Handbag

 

Holly

I love monochrome dressing. This is definitely a trend I’m already on board with. Takes literally no effort and you can still look super smart. I tend to go for monochrome if I’m heading out straight after work, in normal life. I’ll opt for some high waisted black jeans, a white t-shirt and then just accessorise the shit out of it. I can see myself now, standing at a bar, ordering a Long Island Iced Tea.

ASOS, White Racer Body Vest

ASOS Curve, Slouchy Mom Jeans

M&S, Black Block Heel Ankle Boots

Accessorize, Gold Chain

H&M, Oversized Leather Jacket

H&M, Gold Rings

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Nothing radiates pure zen and provides the perfect slice of exquisite escapist viewing quite like a nostalgic period drama or film. The costumes, the regal residences, the elocution darling and the swoon-worthy ballroom dances do something to our skinny-jean wearing, cry face emoji souls and now a certain duke’s on the scene, well we’re all gladly deceased.

Enter us. These are the period dramas we would snog, marry and respectfully decline an invite to ever watch again.

Danielle says…

Snog – Little Women (2019)
I absolutely loved the latest Little Women with all of my heart. I adore the story anyway but the way Greta Gerwig told the story through flashbacks whilst honouring the true life of Louisa May Alcott is something I would snog ALL night long baby. The casting, the costumes, the sets, it’s all just a wonderful portrayal of life in the late 1800s and it even weaves in modern feminism. The reason this is a snog for me is that I can only watch and enjoy it once every few months so I don’t get sick of it.

Marry – The Crown
I’m such a big advocate for The Crown, I love how every episode is its own story with a beginning middle and an end which makes it so satisfying to watch, especially compared to most series where you’re constantly left with a cliff hanger. On the first watch, I always end up googling the ‘incident’ the episode cover and I’ve learnt a lot of British history through the show.

Avoid – Victoria
I found an avoid for this really hard because most things I’ve settled down to watch I’ve loved, even those super long draw out old series you got free with the paper (possibly showing my age here). One I’ve never really been bothered to give a proper go is Victoria, I seem to remember popping it on whenever it as on TV and everyone seemed a bit too demure without much action. I think I prefer big-budget period pieces to a Sunday night BBC/ITV series, but I’m sure if I gave Victoria a go now in my current state of lockdown boredom I’d probably love it!

Lareese says…

Snog – Downton Abbey
Downton is the on-screen comfort food I can’t and won’t stop scoffing. If I can’t find anything new to watch, you bet my thumb is there hovering over The Crawleys before you can say back off O’Brien. From the Dowager’s sharp-tongued one-liners and the stately interiors to the awkward glances amongst exquisite tablescapes, great dogs and well, the one and only Matthew Crawley, it was the golden era of tv and one I like to relive on a bi-weekly basis.

Marry – Duh, it’s gotta be the one where I ran away with the spoon, aka BRIDGER-FUCKING-TON.
I’ve been waxing lyrical about this Regency horn since Christmas Day 2020 to anyone who will listen and even those who won’t. People can cross the street to avoid me all they like, I’ll still be there stroking my own satin glove and muttering something about a ladder.

Avoid – The English Game
As a period drama hussy, I too am shocked that I could come up with one to swerve. From the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, The English Game had all the ingredients of a great period drama but a group of 19th-century footballers were no match for a Duke you could eat with a spoon. I begrudgingly stuck with it for 10 minutes before turning it off and watching The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society instead (mostly a mix of the sparkling Lily James tapping away at a typewriter in the aftermath of WWII, a literary club, scenic views and a dishy pig farmer. Thoroughly recommend).

Charlotte says…

Now I’m practically exiling myself from Team Zoella in saying this but I just don’t think I’m a period drama kinda girl. I love books set during the war but when it comes to my viewing I can’t say I’m drawn in by the royals and riches. My snog, marry, avoid is therefore written from the perspective of a period drama newbie, sharing the little scraps of tales I’ve briefly come across and my perspective as a bit of an outsider to this world. I think I need a week of intensive Netflix watching!

Snog – Atonement
Now I’m cheating slightly here as I’ve only read the book and not seen the film adaptation but Atonement is one of my all-time favourite reads and I can’t bring myself to ruin it if the film doesn’t live up to the book. I love Ian McEwan’s writing style and the emotional investment of this tale had me gripped throughout. It is devastatingly sad but I think because I invest so much emotionally into characters and storylines that feeling sad is part of its appeal- I’m not sure this is normal haha, but I’m a sucker for a sad love story and this totally encapsulates that feeling.

Marry – Titanic
This is possibly the only film I’ve seen that could somewhat fit into the period-drama genre, and that is the one and only, Titanic. When I love something I love it a LOT and when I tell you I could practically recite the script of this movie that is no exaggeration.

Avoid – Pride and Prejudice
I think at one stage or another I could have really loved Pride and Prejudice but I do sometimes feel like any book related to school is forever tainted, which is exactly how I feel about P&P. I can’t help but envision my countless revision notes, flashcards, frantic highlighting and scribbled notes in the corners of this book, which has since spoilt the storyline a little. I also think I’m drawn to more recent period dramas (if that’s possible) and the 1812 setting feels a little (dare I say it) irrelevant. I am painfully aware that Jane Austen did not write this iconic novel to appeal to the relatability of 2021 readers, but I just personally don’t feel much emotion or connection when reading this book.

What are your best and worst period tv shows & movies?

With International Women’s Day just around the corner, it seems fitting that our latest book club title comes from a female force to be reckoned with.

Glennon Doyle is an author, activist, speaker, mother and most recently, a woman who reclaimed her wild. In her third self-help memoir, Untamed, Glennon explores the power and peace we discover when we follow our instincts and start living a free, authentic life.

It’s already been endorsed by Oprah, Reese Witherspoon’s a fan and Adele said it was the book that changed her life, so something tells us we’re going to be roaring all over the place when we’re done here.

Keep scrolling to read the team’s reviews! But first, a reminder of the blurb:

Who were you before the world told you who to be?

Part inspiration, part memoir, Untamed explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world, and instead dare to listen to and trust in the voice deep inside us. From the beloved New York Times bestselling author, speaker and activist Glennon Doyle.

For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There. She. Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high but soon she realised they had come to her from within. This was the voice she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions and social conditioning. Glennon decided to let go of the world’s expectations of her and reclaim her true untamed self.

Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanising wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is also the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honour our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts.

Lareese

Admittedly, non-fiction is not in my wheelhouse but Glennon Doyle’s memoir ‘Untamed is definitely the kind of no-nonsense guide to self-discovery everyone should read once. It unpicks everything we’re taught to believe is the right way to live as women and as mothers, and it shows us another – wilder – way to live. In 2021, abandoning other people’s expectations in favour of our truest, most authentic self should be a given but Doyle’s memoir is our literary kick up the butt to stop pleasing and start living. I wasn’t a huge fan of the short entries and vignettes as it felt a little like mammoth subjects didn’t always get the page-time they needed nor deserved but I can see why the structure needed to be as untamed as the very story it held. It’s a beautifully human, intimate and empowering read that’ll feed the fire in your belly from the very first metaphor.

Rating: 3/5
Would you recommend it? It’s worth a read!

Holly

I know they say don’t judge a book by it’s cover but this just isn’t one I’d ever reach for. I’m not a huge fan of non-fiction and find them quite hard to read. The main theme of the book is motherhood, and how motherhood saved Glennon Doyle. But I am not a mother, nor do I plan on being any time soon. So a lot of it felt a bit irrelevant to me. It did have some more relevant sub-themes, like learning not to care what other people think of you. But I’m not someone that particularly cares about that anyway. Any book that includes the representation of different families and the LGBTQIA+ community is always a winner for me.
I’d like to read this again when I have a daughter, who’s maybe around 5 years old and be interesting to see if it makes more of a profound effect on me then.

Rating: 3/5
Would you recommend it? To certain people

Charlotte

I’m not normally a non-fiction lover so I wasn’t sure what to expect when reading Untamed but I was so pleasantly surprised! I’d heard from friends and on a couple of podcasts, I listen to that this was a must-read and I totally get the hype. I’m going through a bit of a self-love/discovery journey and this book gave me so much food for thought in this sense. The permission to feel all the feels was so needed right now in a world in which we’re encouraged to carry on through unsettling times and Untamed acted as a real tonic in moments of self-doubt or worry. I must admit I had a couple of eye-roll moments at some of the anecdotes shared but overall I think I gained a lot from reading this book!

Rating: 4/5
Would recommend it? To the right person, yes!

Danielle

I’ll preface my review by saying I don’t read a lot of non-fiction books, I just love stories being told and that’s exactly what Glennon Doyle does. We get to learn about her experience whilst applying it to our personal lives. I think it’s incredibly eye-opening however it didn’t always feel that cohesive and the end got quite repetitive towards the end. I always find it hard to write a review for a memoir because that is someone’s personal story, it’s not like they could have written it differently it’s their life! If you’ve never read much feminist literature you’d could definitely learn a lot from Untamed, I’d be selective about who I recommended this to but overall it was poignant and smart.

Rating: 3/5
Would recommend it? Yes!

Stories have always mattered but never more so than now. When our worlds got smaller and darker way back when in 2020, many of us turned to fiction to fix it.

We craved stories a whole world away from our complex reality – tales of book binding magic and make-believe realms where characters were still allowed to hug. The art of doing nothing was no longer just a nice phrase to caption our Sunday photo dump with but a legal requirement.

Staying at home gave us a unique opportunity to indulge in the simple pleasures we were always too preoccupied and too booked to appreciate. Without the usual noise of The Daily Grind, we noticed sunrises narrated by birdsong and small talk over the garden fence, even the bubbling of the kettle five times a day seemed to do extraordinary things for our wellbeing – the soundtrack of small victories and bright sides.

Plans gave way to dogeared paperbacks and introspection, and we quickly rediscovered the estranged joy of reading for pleasure, from our sofas, our doorsteps and every available patch of hope-giving sun.

Scanning inky ideas from left to right was all we had, so we sat still in the safety of our four walls, took a deep unknowing breath and watched the murmurations of a writer’s mind scatter and dovetail before us.

Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.

Plato

On rainy days, we let go of the pressure to seize fresh air and took provisions from our bookshelves instead. Like hygge hunters, our instinct told us to forage for our softest corners and fold ourselves away, as if we were sweet piles of weekend laundry or daily newspapers for pressing.

We sought comfort in all its motherly shapes; in midday baths and too many cups of coffee. The vanilla essence of our ordinary lives turned out to be the big beautiful breadcrumbs upon which we’d rely on to find our way home.

Books became the one government-approved friend we were allowed to invite into our homes and like babushka dolls in paper or e-reader form, they had more people and places hidden inside of them, waiting for us to read into being.

We yearned for words that would rest on our chest for months and rob us of sleep; the kind we’d frantically tap into the notes section of our phones at midnight alongside the shopping lists, passwords and baby names.

As each of those stories unfurled in our hands, blossoming like pavement flowers between bad news and political f*ck ups, we told ourselves that we’d read a few more chapters before making the bed or sorting the drawer of miscellaneous cables but we couldn’t seem to tear ourselves away from this other life we were clinging to. Somehow living vicariously through fictitious people and their often crumbling lives, makes returning to ours that little bit sweeter.

In fairer seasons, fresh cut grass and cordial daisies beckon us to kick off our sandals and sit under a tree, a face full of new freckles and a handful of fiction – a breeze just confident enough to fuss with the page numbers below it. In that moment, we’re all barefoot bookworms with nowhere else nor better to be, plucked from reality and sown amongst plot twists, leaning against grand oaks and chomping on the best apple you’ve ever had.

That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

As lockdown’s final denouement plays out, albeit tentatively, we must try to remember the soul tonic our fictional and non-fictional friends afforded us, and despite the return of full diaries and weekends bookended with pub gardens and dancing in the moonlight, we will always need stories to bring us back to life.

How necessary it is to lose ourselves in the make-believe to face the real world once again.

First off, how are you and how is your 2021 going?

Hello and thank you so much for having me! I am well – ish! The well is qualified with an ‘ish’ because on top of all the pandemic related stuff of 2021, I am also having one of the craziest, busiest times in work and personal life. This week alone I have three massive work-related things going on. It’s World Book Day and I’m one of the authors who wrote a £1 book for the event, called Kill Joy.

This week we’re celebrating World Book Day, how are you getting involved this year?

Yes – very exciting! I love that there is a day dedicated to the love of books and reading. To be honest, almost every day of my life is a World Book Day, as books and stories occupy about 300% of my time. This year I will be getting involved by shouting about my WBD title, Kill Joy, which is a small prequel story set just before my first book, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I think the £1 book scheme is such an incredible idea, and I remember when I was a kid at school being SO EXCITED when the book tokens were handed around. I remember dragging my poor mother to Waterstones IMMEDIATELY after school ended. I am incredibly honoured – and honestly still quite surprised – that I am playing a part in that this year: little Holly would never have believed she’d grow up to be one of those World Book Day authors! I am also incredibly impressed that WBD is managing to power on through a pandemic and school closures. If ever we all needed a time to celebrate and be distracted by books, now is the time!

A lot of our audience will know you from your series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and your prequel Kill Joy is part of the World Book Day £1 book list, what can we expect from it?

Kill Joy can be very neatly summed up by its tagline: Six suspects. Three house. One murder . . .  I had a lot of fun writing Kill Joy over a few weeks last summer. And honestly, it was quite tricky for me to write such a small book. My full-size books run from around 93,000 words – 130,000 words, so fitting an entire mystery plot into just 25,000 words was a really fun challenge.

Why is World Book Day so important and what do they do?

World Book Day changes lives by encouraging a love of books and shared reading. Their mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. They say that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, parents’ educational background or their income. WBD want to see more children develop a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them. And I am thrilled to be a part of that this year!

How can our audience get involved with World Book Day and help raise awareness for their cause?

This year, World Book Day are looking into teen and young adult reading habits by running a nationwide research project. Anyone wanting to help raise awareness can go to www.worldbookdaysocial.com and look at their mission statement. Also, just talking about reading and the power it can hold is so important! Books are as magical as films, podcasts, YouTube, video games, and there are corners of the internet dedicated to a love of reading – find yourself at home with other book lovers on #Bookstagram.

Why do you think reading at a young age is so important?

I think that encouraging a love of reading is so important because books are, quite honestly, powerful and magical items. They can transport you to other times and places, both real and not, allowing you to explore history or hypothetical futures. They can teach you an incredible array of skills; there are so many random facts I know now that I learned from a book.

What are some of the other £1 books you think our audience would love?

Alongside my £1 book, Kill Joy, the brilliant Derek Landy has written a teen title for World Book Day this year, Skulduggery Pleasant: Apocalypse Kings. Older readers might also enjoy Skysteppers by Katherine Rundell and The River Whale by Sita Brahmachari.

We know you started writing from a young age, what would your advice be to anyone who would like to start writing?

My biggest piece of writing advice might sound a little contradictory. Of course books and reading are a major part of writing, but those aren’t the only places where you can learn to hone your writing and storytelling skills. I think that watching films and TV shows and playing narrative games can be incredible resources in learning how to craft a plot, or perfect your characterisation. Screenwriting can be especially handy for anyone looking to write something pacey and fast-moving. Storytelling doesn’t only happen in books, and I think that there are incredibly valuable lessons to be learned in exploring other story formats, and then cherry-picking the best parts of them all! Beyond that, I would say not to be alarmed by other writing advice that tells you: You must write everyday to be an author. It just isn’t true. I do not write every day. I think, actually, in a single year, there are more days when I am not writing than when I am. That’s not to say I’m not working – there are a lot of jobs involved in being an author, but part of my process is taking a lot of time to research, and plot and plan the story, before I ever put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard as it were).

What are your top tips for getting into reading?

Find a genre that excites you! There are so many books out there, your perfect read is just waiting for you to find it. If this is your first foray into reading, try finding something that is similar to a TV show or film series you enjoy. Buzzfeed often make fun listicles in the form of ‘If you enjoyed – insert show – then you’ll love – insert book.’ A huge number of shows and movies are actually adaptations from books, and if you want to get ahead of what is looking like the next big Netflix hit, then I recommend reading the fantasy series Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, which I loved.YA is a great place to start for reluctant readers, because even if the books are long, they tend to be very pacey and page-turning to keep your interest.

What does your perfect weekend look like?

Great question! I’m actually about to pick up a puppy in a few weeks – so excited!!!! – so I’m going to cheat slightly and design my perfect weekend for a few months in the future.

What do you always carry with you?

Lip balm! I literally cannot be without it. My body has developed some kind of dependence to it now so if I go for more than say 5 hours without applying it, my lips shrivel up like a skeleton. This is not helped by the fact that I am consistently losing my current lip balm. When I moved house, we found a Lip-balm Graveyard under my old bedside table!

12.What would your last ever meal be?

This is a tough choice between either Nutella pancakes (English kind) or a cheese board spread with camembert and port salut and great chutney and crackers. Great . . . now I want cheese. BRB.

13.What is one positive piece of advice you could give to our audience?

This is a slightly strange one, but – get enough sleep! I only worked out recently that when I am in the actual writing stage of writing a book, I need around 9 and a half hours of sleep for my brain to be functioning properly and cope with the output and the constant working out of tricky plot problems. I feel like I have uncovered a true life hack here, and I am unashamed of my 9 ½ hours – although recently with my house move it has been more like 5 or 6 hours sleep a night, so I need to heed my own advice.

Klaxon: the tentative we’ll-believe-it-when-we-see-it roadmap to jeans and a nice top recovery is actually happening and sitting on a bench is nearly legal again.

Soon enough, we’ll be roaming around in an arid pub garden somewhere with a gaggle of pals, ordering a lukewarm white wine without the substantial bowl of soup to go with it and trying to relearn how to be sociable creatures again. And we can’t ruddy wait!

As we begin to emerge from our year-long loungewear cocoon (albeit still reluctant to give up our comfortable braless existence) and ride out what is hopefully absolutely definitely the very last leg of lockdown, here’s a few ideas for how you can pass the time between now and freedom. What do you say, one more banana bread for old time’s sake?

1 Delight in the hell of the school run small talk again. What a novelty.

2 Realise that out of the 1,037 things you bought in a previous lockdown life, you can wear approximately none of them

3 Book the 22nd June off work for personal development

4 Despair at the thought of actually having to reconnect with your estranged bras, wherever they may be

5 Get to work on your ‘songs I’m going to cry at this summer’ playlist

6 Start planning your comeback body by doing absolutely nothing because your body is a wonderland 24/7/365 and there’s a special place in hell for anyone who suggests you need to change for summer ‘21

7 Circulate Phil Mitchell memes to all squad WhatsApp groups like it’s your job

8 Delight in pissing off the neighbours with your noise because you have a life again and nothing else matters. Until you have to knock on their door at 1.15am to reclaim the hammock that just landed in their pond…

9 Wish nightclubs would have a soft relaunch strictly for those of us who would be in the overs category on X Factor. Special queue jump offer for those with a bad back.

10 Realise you have no authority over your hair anymore. No authority at all.

11 Exercise your right to feel genuinely excited about sitting in someone else’s garden, knowing full well you still have no intention of going. It’s just nice to be included.

12 Stress yourself out at planning another virtual Mother’s Day / Zoom tutorial addressing her forehead. Love you mum.

13 Admit you’d happily go to Frankie and Benny’s out of choice at this point. Regrettably.

14 Raise a glass for International Women’s Day and all the legends in your life

15 Get weirdly emotional at the prospect of cooling things off with the delivery guy. You’ve got places to be and parcels to miss as of 29th March. We pray he takes the breakup well.

16 Ponder how you’ll ever be able to enjoy casual sex again if you’ve got to stop to get your covid passports out

17 See if your feet can remember how to behave in heels…

18 And immediately require ibuprofen. Can’t believe we used to call this niche pain living.

19 Hope to dear god that in this new post-social-distancing world, the clammy awkward handshake shall remain outlawed

20 Wonder how socially spent you’re going to feel once you’ve used up all your energy on 21st June. Bring it on.

Ahh the home office. The tiny stretch of kitchen table. The uncomfortable chair that does nada for your posture. The sofa post 3pm when the afternoon is dragging. If you were anything like us then you may have optimistically assumed the whole WFH malarkey was going to be a quick stint of luxurious lie ins and access all areas to the snack cupboard. But alas here we are, almost 12 months later admitting defeat and the necessity of a routine, proper desk situ and with the knowledge of what we need to get sh*t done on the daily.

Zoe

This might seem quite random, but I love fresh flowers around my workspace, just a small vase! So a subscription to a flower delivery is always a nice way of having a fresh new bunch to brighten your space, especially as spring approaches. I’ve also included a nice lamp, I love a bit of mood lighting! Notebook is obviously an essential, and this one from A Good Company [ad – ambassador] is made from stone so completely waterproof and so lovely to write on. Lastly, I will always light a candle and my ultimate fave for this time of year is Baies from Dyptique!

*Arena Flowers Subscription

A Good Company, A5 Notebook

*Oliver Bonas, Recycled Glass Desk Lamp

*Diptyque Baies Scented Candle

Charlotte

Good vibes is what I’m seeking and good vibes is what I’m getting from this delicious combo of items that make the 9-5 feel like a breeze. First things first (I’m the realest), water! Ahh the age old essential. I’ve become somewhat lazy in walking the whole 10 steps to the kitchen of late so having a jug of water to keep me hydrated without needing to move a muscle is what I call a good use of my time. This Surviving and Thriving desk pad from Sighh is the mantra I need in the times when I am not thriving (often), and is the perfect size for mid-meeting notes and reminders. Some other posi accessorises include my healing stones which keep the good vibes flowing, and this adorable mini H Style print which honestly makes my desk space 10/10 more desirable.

Sighh, Surviving and Thriving Desk Pad

*Anthropologie, Good Vibes Healing Stones

*Urban Outfitters, Floral Glass Carafe

A Rose Garden, Harry Styles Line Artwork

Danielle

I like my working area as clear as possible (though it rarely is!) So my desk choices are minimal and serve a purpose. Love a good sanitiser spray as it sinks in quickly and this one smells incredible. Obviously, a candle and it should obviously be pink but any will do great for giving you that warm, cosy glow. Hydration is vital and a water bottle serves as a reminder, especially if it’s also pink. Trinket tray for any snacks or if you want to take off your earings at 3pm like I often do. A bit of greenery to help you feel more at one with nature.

Neom, Hand Sanitiser Spray

*Overose, Nudesse Candle

A Good Company, Pink Water Bottle

*Trouva, Flower Trinket Dish

*Trouva, Assorted Succulents

Darcey

I feel like I have now perfected my WFH set up after a whole year of doing it! Which to me seems absolutely wild, the longest but shortest year ever?! I am houseplant obsessed, so of course, I have a big old plant plonked on the corner of my desk. Oliver Bonas sell lovely pots as well! I think a nice coaster for your desk is a must too for that morning coffee, I have one with my initials on it which I love. Having a tray to pop all your bits and bobs on too is always handy, like pens, lip balms, etc. Papier sell the most beautiful diary’s, which are of course great for staying organised and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Lastly, everyone needs a boujie pen for writing notes with, papersmiths are the best and you can buy refills!

Patch Plants, Anna 

*Oliver Bonas, Yucca Plant Pot

*Oliver Bonas, Initial Coaster

*H&M, Silver Tray

*Papier, Soleia Daily Planner

*Papersmiths, Ballpoint pen

Holly

I was finding working from hove very uninspiring, so did a little makeover on my workspace. It does make working from home marginally less dull, although I would still like to be back in the Office. Plants bring me peace, as do sloths, so they are a must. The pin-board helps me stay organised and is not as ugly as traditional pinboards. Then the rest are accessories which look nice and help me keep the mess at bay.

*John Lewis, Notice Board 

Ryman, Acrylic Drawers

Patch Plants, Ray

Not on the Highstreet, Pen Pot

*Oliver Bonas, Gold and Glass Photo Frame

 

 

Lareese

We’ve been working from home for an entire year now – how WILD is that? I like to think we’ve all become experts at finding tiny wins and small victories by now and making sure my desk offers 10/10 sweeping views and manicured vistas of pretty stationery, candles, aesthetic AF coffee cups and fresh flowers makes ALL the difference to my writing mood. Even if they’re nearby or just in my peripheral vision, it’s enough to make me feel quietly content as I hunch over my laptop. I’m obsessed with all the Papier journals but the Liv & Dom collaboration is my all-time fave and I’m not afraid to admit, I buy a journal a month knowing full well my handwriting will never be worthy enough to fill them. They’re works of art.

Papier, Meadows Daily Planner

*Anthropologie, Hotel Magique Boxed Cards

Maison Flaneur, Coffee Cup and Saucer

Bloom and Wild, Flowers

*Anthropologie, Hotel Magique Trinket Dish

Neom, Happiness Scented Candle

Maddie

This week is my last week before I head off on my maternity leave so it feels appropriate to talk about how I made my WFH desk work for me as well as it has up until now. I always try and have a nice water bottle with me to encourage me to stay hydrated, the bigger the better. My Momager notebook, a gift from Zoe, which I love, stays firmly by my side for all my calls and meetings. I would be totally lost without my MiGoals “get shit done” to-do lists. I write a new one at the start of each week which really helps keeps me on track and focused. Finally, I like a tidy desk space so anything to keep me organised and clutter-free is a must-have.

Hydranista

Central 23, Notebook

MiGoals, Get Shit Done Manifesto

Cox & Cox, Black Splatter Concrete Pot

*MADE, Podium Marble Desk Organiser

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*This post contains ad-affiliate links

From a young age, all our parents want to do is protect us. They make it their mission to shield us from painful experiences, rejection, hurt and disappointment. They might even offer us soft lies and euphemisms when we turn to them for the answers to difficult questions such as, “Why doesn’t Santa just use the front door?” or, “Mummy, will you live forever?” because how is a parent meant to shatter the very heart they care about the most into tiny, irreparable pieces because the truth expects them to?

Like cutting our grapes into careful halves to prevent us from choking, they only tell us half the story at a time because they’re not sure how much we should be exposed to.

Then we grow up and realise that being human is not all sh*ts, giggles and cucumber sandwiches cut into neat little squares after all. We got punked.

We also realise that Ronan Keating was the ultimate truth-teller: life IS a cranky ol’ rollercoaster, with grief ranking as the roughest white-knuckle whirligig in the world – and one we must all grudgingly have a go on sooner or later.

In this blog post, we dive into the grief weeds – and the flowers – and discuss how grief really is the greatest expression of love we have.

What is grief?

“With all the love I have for her. I don’t know where to put it now.” – Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge)

In just a few words, the one and only Fleabag managed to articulate exactly why grief aches the way it does.

It’s just another name for love with no place to go. You are its only home.

Grief is a messy, unpredictable, impossible and untameable beast that’s hard to befriend and always in a state of flux. Which brings us onto the ball in the box – an analogy Twitter user Lauren Herschel learned from her therapist and kindly shared to help others better understand their grief.

Imagine your life is a box with a big ball inside it and a pain button. In the beginning, when grief is at its rawest, the big ball rattles around inside, hitting the pain button regularly. Over time, the ball shrinks in size and hits the pain button less often, rolling over it at random and unexpected intervals. You can be washing your armpits in the bath or sat at a red light and the pain will make itself known in the corners of your eyes and in the goose-bumps on your skin as a memory resurfaces without due warning. The ball may be smaller, but every time it connects with the pain button, it still packs the same heavyweight punch as the very first time we felt it. The frequency of those punches lessens over time as the ball shrinks but the intensity remains the same.

Bottom line: every grieving person has their own box of balls to juggle, so don’t compare your balls to the size of someone else’s. Childish humour is the ultimate coping mechanism, guys.

Life through the lens of grief

As unreachable as the thought can be during the early stages of grief, you will reclaim your joy at some point.

Following the unexpected death of her brother Jordan Feldstein, actress Beanie Feldstein penned a first-person essay for InStyle called ‘Grief Glasses’ (definitely worth bookmarking btw). In it, she describes the way she sees the world now she’s got the grief glasses on.

She writes, “And while I wish I could rip my grief glasses off my face and have it all be a dream, I try to recognize what the glasses have given me: that unique blend of humanity that is simultaneously the darkest dark and the brightest bright.”

Once you know grief, you’ll never be able to go back and unfeel it and you’ll never be able to unsee it either – it colours every experience we have but not all of that experience is tainted with melancholy.

Sadness is acutely sharpened by loss, indefinitely so, but so too is life and all at once, you find yourself with a new aching awareness for the brevity of existence and an enriched sense of gratitude for short-lived, ephemeral joy – be it a balmy August sunset enough to reduce you to happy tears, the final chapter of a book or the smell of your new born baby; all the little things are much, much bigger now. You’re here – present, seeing, loving, living and feeling every damn part of it.

“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” – Rumi.

Good Grief

Although the 5 stages of grief offer a framework for the grieving process – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – your pain is not a hurdle to get over within a certain time period, nor is it something that needs to be fixed and forgotten. It’s like scar tissue, sometimes it’s prickly and raised, other days it sits a little lighter on the skin; faded but ever present – a sign of who you are and the stories you tell.

The idea of bright sides and silver linings within the landscape of loss might seem inconceivable to most, but when you’re still enough to look at a grief-stricken you through the eyes of another, you’ll recognise that, miraculously, you’re here – not only surviving but growing through the most impossible pain you’ll ever know.

And in that moment, you’ll call a truce and let love and loss mix together like two watercolours, until you can no longer tell them apart.

Love blooms on – wild, visceral and immortal.

With many of us having lived a whole year at home staring at the same four walls on repeat with no commute, coffee house sittings or early morning spin classes for pleasurable life punctuation, it’s likely you’re now grappling with a little interiors itch that needs a-scratchin’. We never thought cushion fatigue was a real emotion, alas, 2020 was an eye-opener in so many ways and here we are craving pillow pastures new.

If you’re attacking the walls with every Pantone swatch you can get your hands on, hooked on DIY panelling tutorials and wondering if wallpaper is really making a comeback, this post is for you.

Keep reading for a rundown of 2021’s biggest interior trends from colours to cottagecore and beyond.

Comfort & introspection

This one’s less of a trend, more of a lifestyle overhaul that has rubbed off on our homes and we ain’t mad. If we can’t hug each other, then by Jove our homes are going to have to step up and embrace us.

Now that we’re spending more time inside and transitioning between working hours and weekends all whilst rooted in the same spot, we need a living space that allows us to do just that: live and live comfortably. We need it to serve us through all kinds of liveability – through periods of procrastination and productivity.

Wall panelling detail

Hands up who’s looked around a room like an owl on a midnight mission for a vole and thought, ‘huh, I wonder if I can panel it to within an inch of its perpendicular life?’.

Painted panels can add period drama to an otherwise soulless room and there are plenty of people taking up the task themselves to save on the ol’ carpentry costs. Have a look at Chelsea’s home for all the inspo and intel on how to make your walls a talking point. Get the spirit level out girls, it’s about to get wild.

Nature’s palette

A bit of sage advice for 2021: green is IN. From kitchen cabinetry to walls, tiles and fabrics, mood-boosting greenery is the hue to do this year. In terms of colour psychology, green is one grounding goddess.

The thrifted home

While sustainability and saving furniture destined for landfill is not a new idea, lockdown has certainly made us take stock of our surroundings and our consumption. Shopping around for second-hand furniture – albeit virtually at the moment – makes styling your nest an altogether slower, more conscious process, not to mention the perks of discovering something you love for an absolute steal. There’s something to be said for the art of homeware hunting and filling your space with foraged stories and thrifted treasure; to rehome a piece of furniture and love it back to life is surely the most fulfilling way to dress a house.

Boucle all the way

Most often seen in white or cream, the nubby cloud-like textile first took off in 2020 but your butts will be pleased to hear, it’s going nowhere. Perfect for softening a minimalist interior with subtle texture and warmth from accent chairs to sofas (yes please), blankets and cushion covers, it’s the textile to be sat on right now. Style the retro fuzz with angular marbles, smooth curves and fluted shapes, leather and wood finishes for visual balance. Marshmallow vibes for 2021, ground-breaking.

Cottagecore

Also known as countrycore, cottagecore is a whimsical pastoral aesthetic inspired by folklore, nature and slow living. Think bucolic thatched-roof fantasy, complete with gingham picnic baskets in the meadow amongst wildflowers, poetry, dappled sunbeams and babbling brooks. If it were a song, it would be Cardigan by Taylor Swift. You get the gist.

The good news is, you don’t have to be the next Anne of Green Gables to encompass the cottagecore trend in your home, introducing vintage touches, carefully curated clutter, quaint wallpaper, wood finishes and cosy reading nooks will inject a bit of rustic reverie into your humble abode quicker than you can say Little House On The Prairie. Your sanctuary awaits…

Objects of joy

A healthy line up of statement ceramics can breathe new life into an otherwise tired living space, injecting colour, craftsmanship, pattern and fun into the mix. Instagram is high key obsessed with sexy shapes – boobs, booties, faces and torsos, so if you’re looking for a room with a cheeky view while you’re working from home, a nude vessel will certainly spice up your spells of procrastination.

We need objects of joy and interest to offer us visual escapism right now and to transport us into a world away from emails, home-schooling and back-to-back Zoom doom. So, snap up a pretty vase and treat yourself to some Spring flowers whilst you’re at it. You deserve it.

What homeware trends are you looking forward to tapping into this year?

The pandemic has seriously changed the way we date. If it was tough to meet people before, it’s a particularly haunting experience now. The once additional online portal to potential lovers has since become the – only – way to connect with fellow singles, which significantly shrinks the pool of hair wash-worthy soul mates and presents a new wave of dating hang-ups.

It’s not all bad news, though. In the absence of IRL dates, bare-skinned shoulder brushes in bars and smouldering looks across a candlelit table set for two, we’ve got the luxury of a slower, more sensual pace. We are woke for the real deal and less willing to compromise where compatibility and emotional chemistry is concerned and that can only be a good thing.

If you’re all swiped out and feeling deprived of physical intimacy and affection, or if your once vivacious, memoir-worthy dating life is dying a slow death on Zoom, we know just the woman who can help.

In this blog post, we caught up with relationship expert and Vice President of Dating.com, Maria Sullivan, to talk pursuing romance in the middle of a pandemic, spicing up your Zoom chat and how to get the most out of virtual dating.

How do you actually go about asking someone out?

Ask in a way that doesn’t require an immediate response – for example, ‘I’ve been thinking about it and I’d love if we could hangout. We should do something soon.’ Leaving things opened ended to start is very effective, as it gives that person a moment to consider what things could be like, without catching them off guard. It’s also best to ask in person. Feel free to drop hints through text or on social but making that move in person establishes that you really have thought about this, which demands a certain level of respect.

Dating during lockdown is HARD work, how can you know if a virtual connection has the potential to turn into something good IRL?

A virtual connection has the potential to turn into something good IRL if you are noticing signs such as:

Butterflies: You get excited every time you get a notification from your virtual date or you get nervous to have a video chat with them

Commonalities: If you share similar interests and have a lot of things in common

You start to miss them even when you haven’t met in person. Missing someone you have never met isn’t common, but if you start to get those feelings for your virtual date, that could be a sign that the relationship will work out IRL.

How to shake up a virtual date so conversation flows? 

Always have a set of questions prepared for your virtual date. This way, if you are starting to run out of things to talk about or just need an ice breaker to get the conversation started, you will have plenty of options in your back pocket!

Some examples of good questions for a date include:

Question: What do you do for a living?

Why: This question is a good ice breaker. People spend most of their time at work, so it good to get an idea of how they spend their days.

Question: What has been your favorite vacation?

Why: Everyone loves going on vacation and talking about what they did that made it so great. Asking this question on a first date will open up a conversation about where your date has traveled and if you are both into the same types of vacation destinations. 

Question: Would you rather…?

Why: Playing would you rather is a great way to fill any awkward silence and it will also tell you more about your date than you were probably planning on finding out. It is important to keep the questions silly and fun. Don’t ask anything too crazy. 

Question: What’s the most interesting fact you know?

Why: People are full of interesting facts. This is a fun question to ask to find out what your date knows, and you might even learn something new.

How do you conquer first date nerves?

Hit the gym before your date – Instead of letting all of your nervous energy bottle up, hit the gym and let it all out. This tactic helps to get rid of those first date jitters not only because it will help you relax, but it will also get your endorphins flowing creating a sense of confidence and happiness. 

Have a glass of wine – Having one glass of wine will help your body relax a little before your date and put your mind at ease. However, it is not a good idea to show up to a date drunk, so just try to stick to one glass for now.

Listen to your favorite upbeat music – Keeping yourself distracted before a date is a good way to help first date jitters because you won’t be over thinking everything that can go wrong. The best way to keep yourself distracted is to blast your favorite music. You will be too busy singing and dancing to overthink the night.

Just Breathe – When in doubt, breathe it out. If you can’t seem to get rid of your jitters, find a comfortable place to sit and breathe. Taking multiple deep breaths will help to relax your body and ease your mind. Breathe in calm, happy thoughts, and breathe out any tension and worry. 

How to move on and get back into dating after a tough breakup?

Make sure you are feeling your best. Being absent from the dating scene for an extended period of time might have you feeling out of touch. Nothing is sexier than confidence, so make sure you take the time to refresh your wardrobe, practice yoga or workout, take new pictures for your online dating profiles and do whatever it takes to boost your self-esteem.

Get online. See what the internet has to offer. There are lots of different platforms that cater to different preferences, find what interests you and create a profile.

Maria Sullivan

Take things slow. Jumping straight back into dating after being in a relationship for a long time may be weird at first. Test the waters by starting conversations with multiple people. Once you feel you have gotten back into the swing of things, you can take the next step and meet for coffee or dinner.

How to keep the spark when you’re in a long term relationship / new parents and spending so much time at home during lockdown?

Plan a date night once a week! Whether it be in person or over video chat, date nights are important because it is good to spend quality time with just your partner, giving them your full attention. Daily schedules can get hectic and it might be difficult to have in-depth conversations with your S.O. regularly. By taking time once a week to devote a night just to spending time together and catching up, will help to keep and even strengthen your relationship.

What’s your number one tip for dating confidence?

As the famous saying goes, confidence is key. Participating in a virtual date can be a little scary because you might not know the other person that well, or it might be awkward talking through an electronic device. Being confident in yourself and believing the date will go well, will lead to a better outcome. Be yourself on the date, tell jokes, funny stories, etc. and show your date your true confident personality. Confidence is an attractive quality, especially during a potentially awkward setting such as a virtual date.

My top tip for dating confidence is to just be yourself. When getting to know someone on a date, don’t be afraid to let your true personality shine because you could be sitting in front of someone that you will spend the rest of your life with. If a person doesn’t like / connect with your personality, then they aren’t your match.

Meeting parents for the first time is always a big deal, any tips to calm the nerves and give the best of yourself?

Meeting parents for the first time is very nerve-wrecking, but just breathe and be yourself. Parents love when you ask questions and give them a sense of who you are. Even though it might be difficult, try to be as outgoing and as personable as you can. Really show them who you are. 

What do you think dating will look like in the future? Will more people decide to stick to virtual dates before IRL dates do you think?

What are the absolute dos and don’ts of dating, particularly virtual dates?

Do look presentable – Even though you are probably sitting in your home for the date, still get dressed up and look your best. You want to show the person you are interested in that you care about the date and that you took time to get ready to talk to them 

Don’t be in a loud crowded room – Find an empty quiet space where you can hear each other and won’t have outside distractions. You want to make sure your date has your full attention, just like if you were out at a restaurant.