I have always loved being photographed by Joe. We share a vision and a love for the process of taking pictures. As teenagers, our friendship grew as we participated in each other’s art projects, obsessing over fashion and make up and vogue. We even tried to start our own fashion brand and I have the evidence in my parent’s attic – a box of horrible stiff camo-coloured scarves with gold trim. I have no idea what we were thinking! The last time Joe and I took pictures together was at his flat in Southampton. I’m so excited that he’s moved back to the Midlands because I can see him whenever I’m home to visit my parents. Joe’s specialty is abstract, detailed photography and I adore the close-up detail shots he’s done here.
This Christmas we adventured to Newstead Abbey for the first time. It’s a beautiful old house just north of Nottingham, surrounded by expansive grounds. The ancestral home of Lord Byron, it has a large lake, walled gardens, Japanese gardens, rose gardens, American gardens, Spanish gardens… you get the idea. If you ever ask me what I want to do with a spare afternoon I will probably ask to visit a garden. James jokes that my love for gardens has gone “too far” but seriously guys, I am never happier than when outside and surrounded by plants. When we visited Newstead Abbey on a misty Tuesday we were almost the only people there – the dream! It was even warm enough to have tea and cakes outside when we arrived.
Outfit Details: Blouse, Vintage (Beyond Retro, London) / Housecoat, Vintage (Beyond Retro, London) / Skirt, Vintage (Dollymix, London) / Underskirt, Vintage (Dollymix, London) / Bra, American Apparel / Boots, Dr Martens (hand-me-down from a friend) / Choker, Freckled Ace
I watched Marie Antoinette whilst I was home for Christmas and it *ahem* might have inspired my outfit choice. I know she gets her head chopped off and all but her life prior to that seems a lot of fun, and the aesthetics in that film are so on point. I would like my own little pretend village and an endless supply of cake and new outfits. I can’t get enough of this pink / milky blue colour combination right now so expect to see much more of that on the blog. I love vintage housecoats and silky slips but it’s permanently too cold for that in Scotland, so I’m making use of my trusty friend layering to be able to wear all the floaty fabrics I want.
Killing it with the ruffles! I love how you channeled the Marie Antoinette ~vibes~ perfectly, especially with that touch of pink. I’d probably be more conservative with my outfit, sticking with safe silhouettes. Looking at your pictures always make me want to experiment more with my clothes
Thank you! Pink has really took a hold of me recently, it didn’t used to be a colour that I wore a lot but look at me now
Oh I totally have my comfort zone with clothes too and I think it’s okay to know what you’re comfortable in – you won’t catch me in anything low rise haha x
Loving the photos and definitely made me think of a different era immediately.
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Thank you Jeanne, I even felt like I was from a different era in that setting!
These photos are beautiful! I love gardens too! My grandma had her back patio designed to look like an English garden!
I love Marie Antoinette! The movie was so good! This does look inspired by the film!
Your Grandma sounds like a woman of good taste! The film is just so beautifully shot, I could re-watch it all the time x
Joe does great photos of you! I like the close-up shots of the fabrics, too, and the different moods he captures.
They’re cool aren’t they! I like that these kind of photos are a slightly different take on outfit photography x
I love these! Gardens are so lovely and I don’t blame you a single bit! Hehe That movie is so fun, I should give it a re-watch, it’s been too long!
My high school grad party was “let us eat cake” themed. LOL XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
If only I had an actual garden attached to my flat to hang out in! You should definitely watch the film, I got different things from it this time compared to when I last saw it years ago. Your high school grad party sounds awesome
x
You look absolutely beautiful Jess! I love the layering and I was thinking this looked rather Marie Antoinette whilst scanning the photos, so glad to the read that was a reference. I love gardens too but I am a massive wimp with the cold – all my photos of me in gardens from winter holiday are just me in the same coat. Very uninspiring! xx
Oh, I’m glad my inspiration came through! I used to be so sensitive with the cold but since living in Scotland, I’ve really toughened up haha. my first winter here was really difficult but now I’m used to it, when I go back down south the weather always feels fairly mild. It was actually not a cold day when we shot these photos! xx