You go girl!

It's a new year fashionisas, there is always room for learning a new skill, meeting new people & getting creative, so let's get inspired and learn something new for 2018! It's never too late to start a new project or learn new skills so if there is something you have always wanted to try then just go for it.

Here at the No Debutante blog, I am always pushing myself to write more, add more content & share as much information & advice that my brain can throw at you. I also have many mini projects on the go, a family & two day jobs, which seem impossible to fit in but I now feel happy with what I manage to achieve each week. It took a long time to get to this point & try to plan what I can or can't achieve each week. I have found the more I do, the more productive I become and the more people I meet, the more inspired I am.

I have never shared a blog post on everything that I do before. Yes, I am proud of all of these things but I am now wanting to share it with you & show you how adding just one more skill, club, meet up into your life can open your eyes to so much more!

Let's start here at the 

No Debutante Blog.

The blog started life as a pregnancy fashion & lifestyle blog, I would share my pregnancy fashion dilemmas & write sweet little posts about the latest fashion trends & people who inspired me. The blog slowly changed from a lifestyle fashion blog to just fashion, I started attending a few blogger based fashion events, which I found were not really for me. As the new blogger on the block, other bloggers I met, at the time, seemed unencouraging,uninspiring & sadly a bit fake. I decided to go it alone, no brands, no bloggers. 

I began to focus on Bristol, I realised there was so much creativity & inspirational fashion right here on my doorstep, I wrote about the Bristol fashion independents & sustainable fashion designers, it was more rewarding meeting these creatives & to help promote them rather than writing about a brand that everyone else is blogging about, as H&M launched their next designer collection, yawn!! 

I love independent fashion designers like Typical Freaks, Lazy Oaf & Kuccia & Bristol based designers including Tezla, That Thing & Laa Woof. They all have unique elements as designers & brands & that's what I am interested in.

The No Debutante blog started as a diary, anyone can do this. Write about what you love, what you know, don't try to be anyone else & don't obsess over likes and followers, it will cloud your creativity, make you sad & uninspired! Get creative and start a blog today, it's fun, it's a new skill & it may pay off in the end.......

Fashion Editor at Bristol 24/7

I got the job as fashion editor for the brilliant Bristol 24/7 magazine from writing my blog. I was so excited when I was asked to be fashion editor (a dream job for a fashion blogger) that I beamed all day! As the name suggests, the magazine is all about Bristol and what's happening in our amazing city. As fashion editor I get to meet so many brilliant designers, creatives & start up fashion labels, with sustainable, festival and streetwear fashion being the most popular. I love researching brands, interviewing interesting people & creating articles about them, imagery is very important in fashion too, so I love sourcing the best images to go with my articles to make the whole piece standout, not just the writing. It's the whole package with me. It makes me real happy to see my work in print & to promote these local independents, who work so hard & get hardly any recognition outside of Bristol, I am hoping to help change that.
bristol247.com/lifestyle/fashion/

Youtube Channel

I am obsessed with social media as well as writing, I love Instagram, as I am a big lover of imagery.I pretty much use Pinterest as my life coach, arranging images on my boards of how I want my home to look, what to cook, graphic design, fashion, creative skills, what to wear, hairstyles, camping lists, blog ideas, tattoo inspiration, cleaning rotas, social media planners, health, my gosh, you name it, it's on there! Facebook is a great tool for your business pages (especially if you have a few things on the go like me) but my latest social media tool is youtube. I am quite a late comer to the youtube party, my kids have been youtubers for years! I really wasn't confident enough to talk on a video until about a year ago, my kids chat away whilst gaming or whatever it is they are filming, my mind would just go blank. My first videos came from interviews I had done for Bristol 24/7 magazine, I found it easier to film the interview to keep the mood of the interview, which I would later write into an article. Some of these interviews were really interesting & fun, so I started turning the interviews into edited vlogs. I have since attended festivals, asking people about their outfits in mini interview vlogs & have just finished a youtube tutorial on Basic pattern cutting. I had made the mistake of filming portrait instead of landscape, yeah, I'm still learning but overall I'm really happy with the finished result. My confidence improves as it goes on too, which makes me happy to see. Hopefully the tutorial will inspire someone to give it a go and try an new skill.
Youtube

SisterWorks

I am part of a female empowerment organisation named SisterWorks that started up in August 2017. Our aim is to help encourage more women into the (currently male dominated) music & creative industries by sharing skills with them, in a safe environment with lots of other women! 

I personally joined SisterWorks to meet other creatives, DJs & inspiring females in Bristol, I have always wanted be in a girl collective so I jumped at joining the group. We have gone from strength to strength in past few months, from weekly meet ups, launching a crowdfunder, a launch party event, where many of the Sisters got the opportunity to DJ'd together, show off their skills & inspire others. We are about to host our first set of workshops run by women for women. I am hosting my own little workshop on Fashion blogging & Journalism, I am so excited as the event has sold out! Watch this space to find out what happened on the day! 

SisterWorks have encouraged me to be proud of what I do, which is one of the reasons for this post, I want you all to know that talking about your achievements is a positive thing, be proud, be confident & use this to encourage others to try something new, share your skills & most importantly love yourself! 
www.facebook.com/sisterworks.co/

Bang DJ

I started my club night Bang in 2003 & it's a lofi, underground club in Bristol, where we play vinyl not CDJs, we don't really mix but we do play Bangin'records! Bristol is known for it's drum and bass, it's a very multi cultural city and anything goes. Bang has a cult following of lovely people named Bangers who appreciate good music; we play new wave, punk, sixties garage, alternative 80s, 50's, underground indie, electro, northern soul and ska to name a few genres, people come to Bang to dance hard! 

I started DJing vinyl with my husband Phil after we bought some cheap decks, we DJ'd in a local pub for a while then decided to start Bang, alongside my brother Mike who had a car boot sale vinyl obsession at the time that we thought we'd make good use of. Phil had already been a DJ for a while & encouraged me to have a go. Things were very different 15 years ago there were barely any girl DJs & men honestly just used to stare at me or try and tell me what to do! Luckily I am a strong woman & told them where to go, which I like to think is part of my success! It's always funny (& quite sweet) when people (especially other parents) find out I'm a DJ, they often think I'm a big club DJ playing dance or techno in sold out clubs. I don't mind, it's easier than having to explain, I am just proud to be a female DJ.
www.facebook.com/bangbristol/

Mono Dots

I had always wanted to be in a band since I was a teenager, although I can't play an instrument, I can dabble on the drums but that's about it, I certainly cannot read music. The chance never came along when I was younger, until we formed a band to play Bang's fave tracks at some events including Le Tigre  - Decepticon. I loved screaming that riot grrrl/ electro track so much that it gave me confidence to think I could start a band. Move forward a few years, on a chance meet up, outside my house, a new mum friend said she liked my Gang of Four (British post punk band)t-shirt, this was unheard of in the parenting community, I never mentioned the music I liked usually, most mums I knew didn't like it! This mum turned out to be Anne, the girl I would form a band with, Anne played the guitar & with Anne's husband David on drums, we became the Mono Dots. I am the singer, I am still learning but I can wail & get my point across, I can perform. We write our own songs, most of the lyrics are written by me, I had no interest in poetry before but seem to be flowing with lyrics, mostly life experiences, first world problems & female empowerment! I am really proud of myself as I now understand music production & how to create music, whilst being encouraged & inspired by my bandmates, who have never judged me as the fraud I thought I was! 

There is something unique about Mono Dots, we have overcome a huge problem for parents who are in bands/want to start a band...Who will babysit for the kids when we rehearse? David had the ingenious idea to set us all up with headphones & plug us in together, like a silent disco, we are a silent band! David uses an electric drum kit & their kids are asleep upstairs! All they can hear is the light twanging of Anne's guitar & a low thud on David's drum-pads, they can here me singing but to them its all acoustic and not the electronic loudness that we hear on the headphones. Where are my kids when this is happening? Well, Phil is in two bands himself & likes to go skating so we tag team babysit alot to keep up our hobbies. We make sure we have certain times just for us too, it's the perfect relationship!
www.facebook.com/monodotsbristol/

Family

This leads nicely into an introduction to my kids,I am very proud of this particular project! First up is Lucian who is currently 13. This kid is the brains of the outfit, he wants to be a scientist, he swims for the county, plays the trumpet & skates (like his Dad) & is very helpful with his youngest sibling. 

Two years younger is Mika he is feisty, fast & very loving. Mika is now 11, he writes the most amazing stories, loves gaming, makes fanzines, plays football & trains with the local basketball squad. 

Sylvie came a long 5 years aftern Mika,she is now a strong 6 year old girl who knows what she wants & is very determined. Sylvie is a fantastic illustrator & artist who loves cuddly toys & watching Tim Burton films.

I continued to DJ throughout all of my pregnancies & as they have grown up, to keep a balance in my personal & social life. I would recommend trying to keep on doing as many things as you did before you had kids, especially with your partner; still have date nights, weekends away but also let each other have personal projects, socialising with friends & learning new skills separately. It will keep your relationship fresh & you will all benefit from it, as you will feel happier that you are achieving something instead of being stuck in a rut, making up excuses & not living your life! Get out there! 

Desklodge Bristol

To keep many of my hobbies going & provide for my family I need to have money! Most creatives have day jobs,for many, it's the only way to keep the creativity flowing & the food on the table. I chose to work in a place that was unusual, full of interesting people that was a home from home. My day job is at DeskLodge in Bristol, a non corporate coworking space in the centre of the city. I write their blog posts, newsletters, run events & social media, I am also a host, everyone who works there is, we all muck in, tour new joiners, fill up the coffee machines & get to network with some amazing people. Our offices are themed, quirky & fun, we even have a Tardis & an indoor garden. We work hard but play hard too, our monthly socials are legendary! I know it's easier said then done but if you hate your job, find a new one, change your lifestyle, be confident & add some self love.

desklodge.com

Fruit Salad

Fashion blogging was a way to keep me involved with the fashion industry whilst my children were young. I have degree in Fashion Design, worked in the fashion industry as a designer & then started my own fashion label. Sadly the label had to come to an end due to a lack of childcare & funds, there was less help & coworking spaces for start ups & independents in the mid noughties, so I think it is amazing that there is now more a sense of communty than going it alone. I really enjoyed designing & missed it terribly when I stopped, but to be honest, I was tired, uninspired & needed a break.

When I started blogging about local designers, I became inspired to start making again. I came to the conclusion that a designer is not a failure if they aren't getting mentioned in Vogue or aren't selling thousands of garments. I realised my previous fashion label had been pretty successful,that I could do it again. I started creating a brand style & designing again, I felt really inspired, I would design when I could, there was no pressure, this is just a project that may or may not take off. The label is Fruit Salad, name after the colour Phil told me my hair went when the pink was washing out.(It's a retro sweet thats yellow & pink for those who have no idea what I am referring too!). I loved the name & I wanted some fun graphics & after playing with outdoor chalks with Sylvie, I randomly created the Fruit Salad Monsters, a mix of kawaii cute & Matisse style sea-creatures. I have a colourful & fun kawaii-punk design style, much like my own style, I guess, colourful, big prints & shapes, mixing streetwear with punk. The shapes for the garments came naturally, I look at fashion imagery every day so there is always inspiration. I have basic stencil printing skills from my last fashion design venture & just got creative. 

My youtube pattern cutting tutorial was based on one of my Fruit Salad garments (a cropped batwing hoodie), which I plan to recreate in many different prints, fabrics & styles. Watch this space for the official Fruit Salad launch in 2018.
www.facebook.com/fruitsaladbristol/

That's me, all out there! I am not saying you need to do as much as me, I'm clearly an 'I can do this' addict, just do what makes you happy! I hope this post will inspire you or just encourage you to love yourself & live your life. It's not a cliche. I am not a life coach. This is real. Don't waste any time. Go! 

ND xx