Fashion Done Your Own Way

August is in its final weeks, and I cannot believe how quickly the long-awaited summer season has come and gone. As many of you will know, autumn is my absolute favourite season, mostly due to its deep tones and cosy fashion items which will be in full force in the upcoming fashion landscape. Whilst I could delve into the dos and don’ts of cardigans and winter boots, I have decided to explore a topic that might be more suited to my new life in the city; club outfits and how to stay sensible and protected whilst dressing exactly how you want to. Now I know clubs aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but the advice that I’m going to give can be applied to any outing, whether it be a trip to the pub or a girls’ night out at the local bar. As lockdown has eased, public places have become extremely busy which requires all of us to think more carefully about our outfits and how they can be suited to our new and much busier lives. Whereas previously we were able to carry our phones and cash freely (since there was no one within a two-meter distance), the times have changed, and we have to re-learn the social and personal fashion rules that can keep us safe. As I only just turned eighteen last year, I haven’t had much experience in the clubs, but I would love to offer some support to any younger or older readers that might venture into those exciting settings!

Colour is everything in a dark space like a club, particularly if you know that your social group are prone to getting split up once you’ve all started dancing and enjoying yourselves. It had never previously crossed my mind that wearing light, neon or recognizable items could help your friends locate you in a busy room. From my recent nights out, I have discovered that white is the most sensible option as it almost glows underneath the bright lighting, making it easy to spot you in a crowd. Another fashion phenomenon that was brought to my attention last week by a lovely girl in a bar was LED clothing; clothes that light up and become almost fluorescent underneath the lights in bars and clubs. I can see why this might be slightly off putting to many readers (no one wants to look like a walking glow stick), but you can include maybe one or two items of this style in your outfit choices which would subtly make you identifiable in the crowds of dark clothing. In some of my previous articles I have discussed the brand ‘Prettylittlething.com’ in regard to fast fashion, however despite this, the brand itself produces an array of patterned, colourful clothing that is absolutely perfect for nights out in crowded places; all of which are affordable and can be worn multiple times, eliminating the impact of trend renewal as the items can be kept for a long time. I recently bought a couple of items from their ‘going out range’ consisting of orange, pink and yellow tones organized in tropical patterns that stand out much more than a little black dress.

The infamous bum bag may be something you associate with sixteen-year-old boys in black puffer

by Molly Dutton

jackets, but they are the accessory of the season in my personal opinion. In my younger years, the thought of wearing a bum bag was completely repulsive and did not appeal to me in any way but, as my tastes have matured (in some cases), I have grown quite fond of this fashion item, especially since it can really improve your personal safety in a lot of different situations. My lovely mum gifted me her Calvin Klein bum bag when I started needing it for nights out and busy day trips, but there are many cheaper options available everywhere as festival season has begun. The beauty of the bum bag is that you can keep it close to you at all times without having to frantically grab onto it every second (you can picture me attempting to do the macarena whilst trying to ensure my bag doesn’t fling itself across the room). Another benefit is that it leaves your hands completely free to dance and manoeuvre through the busy crowds to find the best dancing spot! If the standard black bum bag doesn’t appeal to you, there are colourful and clear options that can be matched to your chosen outfits. The clear options are also very useful in overcoming that horrible ritual of rummaging through your handbag to check you’ve safely secured your phone, keys, and purse; as you can see everything quite clearly in the bag, there’s no need for stress.

Over the past couple of years, I have accumulated a rather large selection of heels to be paired with my outfits for clubbing, bar drinks and the occasional dinner outings; there are blue heels, red ones and of course the classic nude heels for those hard-to-match dresses. Despite this, in the past two weeks I have learnt the hard way that this was a very impractical decision as clubs and heels are potentially the most dangerous combination. This makes perfect sense when you think of the amount of people in these popular places combined with the spilled drinks, dark floor, and exposed toes (not forgetting the immense talent that it takes to walk in heels, let alone dance). Instead of putting ourselves through that pain, there is an obvious and very simple solution, trainers. But not just any trainers, ideally, they need to be leather or faux leather (so that they can be wiped easily), and cheap so that there will be no tears if they happen to get ruined. I would suggest popping down to your local Primark and picking up a pair of £7 trainers to throw in your bag for your next evening out, I promise you’ll thank me later!

£12 £12 £12