What is happening to the Instagram algorithm?

How are you doing?

Feeling those lockdown-winter-January blues? It's not great is it? 

Since getting my blogging mojo back, I have started making lists about different topics I'd like to discuss in future posts. The mind-blowing conundrum of a topic that is sitting at the top of my list is...

What the hell is happening to the Instagram algorithm? 

Has anyone else noticed a big change recently? Have you experienced a drop in likes, reach or followers?

If you are a person who uses instagram as a platform to share your skills, your business and as a promotional tool, you will know that trying to keep up with instagram's ever-changing algorithm is like a full time job in itself.

The Instagram algorithm is constantly turning on you with unpredictable mood swings, it loves you one minute and showers you with gifts (followers) and then dumps you for your more expensive mate (fast fashion influencers and corporate companies) my gosh, I think the instagram algorithm is like the worst boyfriend ever! 

One minute your posts are pure gold, the next there's a drought of interactions from likes, reach and potential new followers!? Basically, you've been dumped! 

Let's set the scene.... After instagram shamelessly decided to randomly freeze my No Debutante account (and a whole load of other indie businesses, for no apparent reason) for a few weeks in September and then (equally as random) decided to reinstate my account - my instagram posts started getting a lot more likes and I was gaining followers without barely having to lift a finger, posting just once a week, if that. 

Maybe instagram had felt bad about this shameless exclusion and upped my reach...(you think insta really gives a shit about all the users its pissed off?? Hmm, wishful thinking perhaps) whatever it was those likes just kept coming.

The irony is, having that (forced) break up from instagram made me realise how much I really didn't miss posting and made me question why I was posting quite so often?  Of course, at first during my insta lockdown, I was fuming but then it was just...Meh...

To clarify, as a small business owner, I am super happy this did not happen to my Fruit Salad business account as this is currently my only outlet to my followers and potential customers. Basically, I'm in way too deep with this account! More on that in a minute...

Lately, I've been speaking to other indie makers and businesses (the insta small biz community is so supportive) and it would seem that many of us did see a drop in - mostly - insta likes over the Christmas period. 

The worst thing is that this drop happened a week or so before Christmas, just as we were all trying to make Christmas sales in, quite frankly, the best selling time of the year. Everyone was encouraging each other to shop small and locally and support indie business, it was a super positive and exciting time! Small business was thriving!

So why??? Like Boris Johnson (and the Grinch), why did the bloody algorithm have to go and trample all over our joyous Christmas (sales)???? 

I have a theory....and it is a theory...but stay with me....

Instagram changed the algorithm to support big businesses. Why? well, they already have lots of followers and can afford to buy advertising on instagram. 

Despite us indies working our asses off with our super organised Christmas posting schedules and amazing Christmas gifts and offers, we were side-lined. Instagram replaced us with a corporate team! Waaaa! 

Worst of all, this also means instagram was supporting mass consumerism and fast fashion! Aargh! Don't get me started! 

The thing is, Instagram is a big ol' corporate business, so it's no surprise that it wants to make more money. 

Let's look at what instagram has given us, for free, it's pretty great to be honest.....A platform where we can share our creations/ photos/lifestyle/ opinions/ events, meet new friends from all around the globe, create communities, sell our products, share, promote and support each other....

Why would they do all that and not want something in return?  You think Instagram is just a super kind business that just wants to spread love and joy to all for free? It sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Well, it probably is.

Once insta started supporting small business and big business alike and giving them the opportunity to use their platform with its business accounts and product links (for free), they are surely gonna want to reap some of these rewards for themselves...

How will they do it? Well, the plan is already well on its way...Firstly they have encouraged us to upload our whole lives and businesses and got us addicted to using their platform with gifts of followers and likes. 

We then started loving and depending on it so much that when they do drop the ultimatum timebomb - that we have to start paying for this service or lose all of our followers -  all of us (unless another lovely, thoughtful platform comes along) will just bend the knee and pay up. 

I know, I know, my blog posts are usually all sunshine and light, full of possibility and inspiration, but the instagram algorithm is seriously one of the most annoying and frustrating entities ever! 

In my next blog post, I am going to share tips and ideas on creating content and getting around the instagram algorithms but until then I'd love to hear your experiences and views on this and similar subjects. 

Remember this is MY THEORY, MY OPINION, it is not all fact! Although I have read many an article that says otherwise about instagram's plans. What do you think? Does it make sense? 

If you are an indie business and did notice an extensive drop in likes/engagement on instagram from the week before Christmas and are perhaps still experiencing this now, do get in touch or comment below. Maybe your engagement went up? What the hell happened? I'd like to hear from you. 

One last, POSITIVE thing I'd like to add is to help and support indie businesses (and your fave insta accounts). 

Please continue to support indie businesses every single day, by liking, commenting, saving, sharing their posts and buying their amazing creations and products! This helps boost their reach AND improves their place within the algorithm. 

The same goes for all of your fave accounts, support them and encourage them to post more content that you love! 

Whatever you do keep it indie! 

Watch my IGTV Vlog on this topic

Independent and sustainable creativity is thriving despite the pandemic

Hello! It's been a while since I graced the pages of the No Debutante blog, following a year that has seen everyone grow and adapt to this new world, where things have certainly changed in many ways.

As a journalist who had regularly supported and written about indie business and slow fashion, I found myself wanting to say so much that it became overwhelming. As more writers and (instagram pages!) stepped forward to share the indie biz love, unconsciously, my focus began to shift.

My side hustle turned small business Fruit Salad

My side hustle and fashion brand Fruit Salad had started to grow and take on its own identity, which was amazing (especially in a pandemic) and all my spare time....

- Not that there's much of it - imagine a fast, intense photo montage here, with a superfast techno soundtrack, I hate techno but it captures the mood/chaos perfectly, of me looking after a family and working a day job and all those other side hustles in fashion, bands and radio shows

....was taken up by just wanting to create and make! So, swamped in piles of pre-loved fabrics, I found myself asking... 'Am I not a writer anymore?' 

Seriously, with a lack of writing flow and consistency and mind-blowing covid confusion,  I had started to doubt my ability and (like in everything I ever do) imposter syndrome snuck in and made me think I was no longer a writer - maybe I never had been really...despite being a Fashion editor, copywriter and JOURNALIST! (my eyes are now rolling at my own stupidity).

Yep, It's been a mad ol' time for self-doubt but I've also learnt that if I enjoy a thing and I'm kinda good at it, I can drop in and out of it as and when I like. It doesn't have to be completed NOW, NOW, NOW! It can be considered, I can slow down and actually enjoy it, without adding unnecessary anxiety and stress.

My favourite writing space at the kitchen table!

The term 'writing a blog' has also changed, with many people now pretty much writing articles on a single social media post or creating regular video content and podcasts, blogs and the written word, as it currently exists, look to become redundant!

As a journalist and blogger,  I had felt a tug of resentment against this new style of journalism but only as much as the journalists who actually studied journalism feel about an untrained indie journalist like myself, who started off with a self promoting fashion blog and a random, yet regular, fashion spread in a weddings (yes weddings!) magazine, as I stumbled blindly into journalism. 

Y'know what? It's all good. We all have something to say and we can share it however and whenever we want to. It's so exciting that we now have so many platforms and formats that we can share our ideas, thoughts and stories. It really is a time to communicate, learn and collaborate! 

There has certainly been an explosion of support for both small business and slow fashion during 2020 and into 2021, as more and more writers, instagrammers, online markets and indie businesses themselves have come together, to share the love, (well, the government doesn't give a damn does it?) which is truly amazing! 

I have, of course, felt guilty about not promoting all the other amazing indie brands out there as much as I used to, but as a multi-passionate creative, who thrives on being busy,  I have learnt to slow down in life - as many of us have had to lately -  I have got over myself and realised I can't do everything at once and that's just fine. 

Honestly, if I read myself saying this a few years back, when I started the 'you only live once do everything now' quest (for no real reason), I'd think I'd been hit by a hippy stick (quite possible in Bristol tbh!). 

I still agree that you only live once and if you like a thing, you should do a thing but perhaps try everything in moderation and take a moment to smell the flowers! (Yep, definitely hit with the hippy stick). 

Hello Dodo from the Indies in lockdown series

Looking back at my writing during the pandemic I am really proud to have shared new indie makers and brands whilst spreading the word about slow and sustainable fashion. I really love my Indies in Lockdown series where I got to speak to so many indie businesses about their experiences and learnt so much.

If anything, supporting all these amazing small businesses and interviewing so many inspiring indie makers and creatives over the years has encouraged me to bring forward a passion that has been on the back burner for a long while, giving Fruit Salad the push it deserves!!!.....Of course, I feel like an imposter fashion designer now, despite previously working as a fashion designer in industry for years!

After I had readjusted my mindset,  I got my writing mojo back and popped myself back into the journalist room on a mission to share my knowledge on sustainable and slow fashion.

In lockdown two, I was super excited to be asked to contribute to the first ever edition of The Indie Guide, an independently published magazine created by a collective of indie bloggers, sustainable fashion designers and photographers. The aim of the magazine is to support sustainability, independent creatives and small business. 

Proudly holding my copy of The Indie Guide

My excitement to be writing again went into overdrive which meant I ended up contributing two articles (once I start I cant stop) including 'My Slow Fashion Journey' and 'How to become a slow fashion supporter'. 

These are sustainable subjects that I could continuously write about, probably forever, or until I've managed to convert the whole fashion industry and all its consumers (that's the whole population no biggy) to slow down and bring an end to fast fashion. 

It was so awesome to collaborate with The Indie Guide founders and so many other indie writers and independent makers and fashion businesses to showcase how great the indie fashion/creative industry really is. 

Despite a pandemic, independent creativity is totally thriving!  

Like myself, during lockdown many creatives were given the opportunity to spend more time on their hobbies and side hustles to grow and evolve them into functioning small businesses!

We really don't need the fast fashion corporate chains and trend obsessive fashion houses anymore! How empowering and inspiring is that?

All the prints with independent accessory designer I am R

Remember, we can all support indie businesses every single day, not just by buying from them and writing articles about them but by following, liking, commenting, sharing and getting to know a whole new community of makers (instagram's a good place to start). Do your research and find your new favourite brand/artist/maker! 

I shall sign off  'the first No Debutante blog post of the year' here, full of excitement of what's to come. In an ever-changing world anything can happen and why the hell can't it be positive eh? 

So start writing, start creating, try something new or just do your thing, take your time, there really is room for everyone to get involved, you are not an imposter, you are fabulous, you CAN do this! 

Spread the joy and Big love in 2021 x

Buy a printed copy of The Indie Guide 

The YouTube interviews - Rare Beauty

There's a new vlog up on my Youtube channel which started out as an interview for Bristol 24/7 with natural beauty platform Rare Beauty and turned into a full on beauty vlog about natural beauty products, female empowerment and starting up your own business!

Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel

Don't forget to like, comment and share too. 

Thank-you xx

To find out more please read the Bristol 24/7 fashion article A rare beauty and check out the Rare Beauty platform

If you are having a fashion event or a have a new collection you would like No Debutante to promote on the blog, social media platforms or on the YouTube Channel please get in touch!

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine under my name 
Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr,  Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name.

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas.   
ND xx

hello DODO crop top challenge

I was super stoked to have been chosen by the cute as kittens, hello DODO designers to rep their fun label. The challenge was to style up one of their cute printed crop tops No Debutante stylee in three different ways.

The hello DODO team of playful printmakers and designers are Jam and Ali from Worthing near Brighton. This creative duo are also married (how cute is this?) and with a mutual love of fun (and self-proclaimed silly) bold graphics, create bright and fun artwork to make people smile. Their products range from cards, pins, patches and of course t-shirts and come in a mix of bright colours and super cute prints (mainly cute animals) with a cheeky little message on each design.

I had no idea which print or colour I was going to get so it was a fun surprise when I landed their Keep on Raven design on a crisp white crop top.

The crop top is a perfect boxy fit and the length is just right too, showing off just enough flesh and is very flattering. It's also a great cut, which is a real important factor for me.  I wear my waists high so this tee pairs nicely with the shorts and trousers, that seem to be my current fashion faves at the mo. 

hello DODO are all about colour and fun so they were already right up my fashion street, so challenge accepted and here is what happened.....

Outfit 1 - Casual Cute

hello DODO crop top worn with abstract shapes print culottes from The White Pepper, white Adidas sports socks, Reebok Classics and earrings by Tezla Designs.

Outfit 2 - Culture Vulture

 hello DODO crop tee worn with Adidas joggers, double scarf head wrap-vintage, perspex & pom-pom earrings by Mango Tango Jewellery, socks as before and Adidas sliders. 

Outfit 3 - Street stylin'

hello DODO crop tee worn with shorts by Tail End X OTR, earrings, socks and sliders as before.

Outfit 4 - Polka-dots & Pink Jellies

hello DODO crop tee worn with polka-dot trousers by Monki, socks as before worn rolled down, pink jelly shoes by Sun Jellies, female symbol earrings by Zedhead Headwear.

Outfit 5 - Sheer Sports

hello DODO crop tee worn with sheer slip dress from Urban Outfitters, joggers,socks, sliders and earrings as before.

Outfit 6 - Summertime vibes

hello DODO crop tee worn with vintage Levis cut offs and sunnies from The White Pepper.




Well, that was fun! Let me know your favourite look!

Thanks so much to hello DODO for choosing me for their styling challenge! There will deffo be more where this comes from featuring the hello DODO t-shirt so watch this space! 

If you want to get your hands on some hello DODO cuteness get yourselves over to the hello DODO Etsy shop
Follow hello DODO on Instagram and Facebook 

All photography by No Debutante 

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx

Upcycling old t shirts fashion vlog (no sewing needed)

Hey Fashionistas!

Sorry for the lack of posts of late, I have been spending much deserved time with my lil' family on a camping trip and attending my fave Bristol festival Love Saves The Day (watch this space for more on all that very soon). 

I filmed this vlog the same day as I wrote my last blog post Stripe it up and have seriously only just found the time to edit the vid. 

Did you know No Debutante aka Emma Gorton-Ellicott has a YouTube channel? 

It's been a VERY slow burner but what's the rush? I'm just sharing content when I can and I hope you enjoy my  lil' vids. 

This fashion tutorial takes a quick look at how to style up and upcycle old t-shirts No Debutante style,  I was inspired to do this vid after seeing those upcycled t-shirts at Urban Outfitters (featured in the last blog post) and just wanted to let you lot know that you can recreate those t-shirts for free! 

To link up with the last blog post, I have focused on retro striped t-shirts this time but it's all about the creativity and sustainability at the end of the day. Watch the vid and give it a go!

Subscribe to the No Debutante YouTube channel and please leave comments so we can focus on what you want to see more of. 

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx

A week in the life of a fashionista

No Debutante has had many fashion moments in the past week from a hair restyle with Bloggs Salon in Bristol, to selling pre-loved garms at the Bzzaar Jumble  & ending the week at the Style in the City fashion show, that I attended with my plus one, six year old daughter Sylvie, for her first ever fashion show, sat on the FROW no less! 

My fashion week started with clashed up outfit & a hairstyle very much in need of doing, I've said it once & I'll say it again, you can never wear enough prints at the same time! 

Clashing up the prints in a Kuccia bomber jacket & BTR fashion salvaged trousers worn with a white Lazy Oaf long sleeve tee & super cute pink Puma trainers.

I popped into Bloggs Salon on Tuesday to meet the team for an article I am writing for Bristol 24/7. I am so pleased with my restyle by the owner and director, Joe Hemmings, who hand cut my hair down to almost a buzz cut, without the sign of any clippers, proper old school stylee & a great technique; my fringe is now super short with some longer layers on the crown for texture. I have been considering the big shave off for a while so this is pretty much bang on for me! Let's not forget the colours, named Twinkle Fuchsia and Pink Sorbet by L'Oreal, the cutest names ever! I just love it! Thanks so much to Joe, who I have to say is the happiest, most positive hairstylist I have ever met. He seemed genuinely excited whilst creating my new do, which makes this fashionista a very happy customer! If you live in Bristol, get yourselves over to Bloggs Salon! 

By Wednesday, I was back at work with my new hairstyle and a sharp monochrome outfit, contrasting with the pink crop. I even got a free massage at work on this day, this is definitely a week for perks! Plus the sun came out! Winning! 

I wore an oversized Lazy Oaf shirt over leggings, with some frilly Meadham Kirchhoff X Topshop socks & Dr Martens shoes. This is as close as you'll get me to office wear! 

Thursday was oversized layering day, it was warm enough to have bare legs which was amaze! Sadly, we are back to warmer clothes here in Bristol as the temperatures drop again! Let's all keep those positve thoughts going that the sun will return! I paired my oversized Monki dress with a white Dutty tee, Adidas sports socks (my staple) & Reeboks & felt super comfy!

By the weekend it was still sunny but I had managed to sign myself up for another day indoors at the Bzzaar Jumble. A fun event where Bristolian fashionistas & jumblers come together to sell their pre-loved garms (plus any other random stuff they have laying about). I have noticed a trend at each event, everyone seems to buy each others pre-worn garms, I am not sure much money is made but its all good fun & the garms get passed around in an ethical way rather than sending it all to the charity shops & the inevitability of a landfill ending! 

I wore a vintage jumpsuit that I found at a fashion salvage event & was actually going to sell at the jumble. I'm glad I tried it on again & changed my mind to keep it! I wrapped a printed H&M scarf (from the last Bzzaar Jumble) to show I actually do have a waist & popped on some Tezla earrings & a simple pair of Adidas Gazelles, a contrast to the print-fest that was the rest of this outfit! Boom!

The No Debutante stall of pre-loved garms at the Bzzaar Jumble

Loving these Bzzaar Jumblers dressed up in the Barbie style vintage ski-suit worn by
  fashion designer & blogger Dulcie Horn who literally had a different outfit on
every time I saw her & this bizarre but amazing SLUT knitted vest that seemed to really suit
comedian Roisin Crowley Linton! 

The fashion week ended at the Style in the Cityfashion show, an event by a lovely trio of Bristol stylists who styled up pre-loved garms from St Peters Hospice to raise money for the charity. This cause is very close to my heart as my Dad, after a long battle with cancer, was lovingly cared for by this wonderful charity in his last few days. Big love to St Peters Hospice xx

Check out me & lil' Sylvie on the Frow & a photo of Sylvie & a giant pineapple sculpture completely unrelated to the show! Sylvie insisted on the photo being taken. 

On the Frow at Style in the City & the unrelated pineapple sculpture

Find out more about what went on at the Style in the City fashion show in my article for Bristol 24/7 which will be live very soon in my Lifestyle/Fashion section. 

The Style in the City girls 

Polka dots & Retro florals - No Debutante's fave outfits from the Style in the City show using garms from St Peters Hospice

Lil Fashionista pre show selfies

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx 

Sista Fashionistas

I have many fabulous & creative friends, each have their own style & dress well, but there is one friend who is positively on the same fashion wave length as me. We barely see each other anymore & live in different cities but we always seem to rock up with similar looks. My fashion twin is Selena,we are sista fashionista's, who are inspired by street style, bright colours, clashing prints & have been working the Harajuku girl look since the early noughties. 

Streetstyle devotees No Debutante & Dilly Foxtrot on our recent meet up

I met Selena when I lived in Leicester (where I also went to uni), at the time we both liked skate style & punk so were already on a similar fashion vibe, we then discovered Fruits, a Japanese street style book & magazine that featured quirky, Japanese kids from Tokyo, wearing the most amazing outfits. I was hooked from the moment I bought that book & went on a hunt to buy as many stripey long socks & brightly coloured tights as I could to perfect my Harajuku (the area in Tokyo where many of the Fruits photographs were taken) look. Independently to me, Selena was doing the same thing.

Winter layering featuring my new favourite polka dot trousers, a polo neck & a Fix Up Look Sharp sweatshirt.

I am not as influenced by Tokyo fashion as I used to be, the original Harajuku scene ended years ago & Fruits Magazine,sadly, no longer exists. It was also kinda ruined a bit for both Selena & I by Gwen Stefani (who was one of Selena's style icons up until this point) Gwen in 2005, announced she had discovered a new look & started the Harajuku Lovers perfumes, had the 'Harajuku Girls' dancers in her shows & just completely took it for herself, Harajuku had gone mainstream, everyone was into it. 

The Fruits style had been sold out to the corporate giants & whenever something starts 'trending' like that I immediately jump off the bandwagon. Selena and I were late-comers to the scene ourselves back in 2001, as the Harajuku style was first documented by Fruits creator & photographer Shoichi Aoki back in 1997. I, like a lot of people, wanted to remain unique in my style, so the popularisation of kawaii fashion was a fashion nightmare for me, the high street went Harajuku! Nooooo! 

Selena rocking her layers in a mustard jumper & tights, with a cute monochrome shirt & camouflage shorts.
"I got the shorts in the mens department in Primark" 

There is another side to the Fruits style that I am not too comfortable with; these Japanese kids were mass buying clothes, they were from comfortable backgrounds, had disposable incomes & nearly everything they wore was branded with labels from Vivienne Westwood to Super Lovers. It was more bling than the DIY kawaii-punk style that it first appeared to be; although the styling was amazing, there was a price to pay for kawaii fashion & that's not just lining the pockets of big brands, it was also wasteful, unsustainable & ethically bad. Disposable fashion is not something I want to be associated with. 

I took my inspiration from the styling alone, there was no way I could afford Comme des Garcons & Jean Paul Gaultier, so I became inspired to make my own clothes & recreate the look mixing my existing wardrobe with clothes I had created & contemporary items from the high street. The Fruits styling was always about the accessories too, so that was another easier way to covet the style, I am highly inspired by streetstyle these days but the roots to my look stem from Fruits magazine & a need to wear playful, comfortable, non-conformist fashion. 

Don't forget the twinning short crop pink hairdos - another fashion coincidence! 

Selena is also a fashion blogger & is known as Dilly Foxtrot Investigates in the blogging community, the blog is based around childrenswear, as Selena (like me) also used to be a childrenwear designer & (like me) had to put a hold on her fashion career to look after her (yes, like me again) three children (I told you we were fashion twins) & (there is a pattern emerging here.....like me) started a fashion blog to keep spreading the fashion love whilst looking after small children; blogging was a away in, to remain in the fashion industry & by any means necessary! 

The Dilly Foxtrot Investigates blog covers topics from raising children to her latest fashion obsessions. I personally get just as much fashion inspo from childrenswear as I do from adult fashion, the colours, prints & shapes are always so playful, I'm gonna dress like a kid for the rest of my life! Being a blogger, Selena also gets it that I love to document what people wear, many friends like fashion but aren't too keen to have me sharing their looks on my instagram & blog, which I totally respect, Selena let's me photograph her which is inspiring & much more fun! 

Modern vintage twinning back in 2003

Despite our love of playful styling Selena & I are still inspired by underground fashion trends & streetstyle, which is why, even after not seeing each other for a year, except on Instagram (which we both love), we still manage to have followed similar fashion routes & end up looking like we planned to dress the same way. It's laughable really, as we both get comments from people about the way we dress, we know we don't dress the same as the people around us but somehow we seem to follow the same fashion paths without being influenced by each other. As Selena put it at our most recent meet up "People think I am unique, that nobody else dresses like me but I tell them, there are thousands of people who dress like me, all over the world, I follow them on Instagram!". 

We both agree that we love Instagram, it is so friendly, people actually talk & compliment you, there are so many different people to follow & it's great to connect with fashionistas all over the world who have the same fashion vision as you, which was a connection we didn't have before social media. This platform really works, if you don't get hung up on how many followers you have, blissfully ignore the false/ like for like followers & just follow people that generally inspire you, it will make you feel happy, supported & inspired in a positive safe place. Spread the fashion love we say & find your fashion twins they are in this big world somewhere, in their thousands! 

All photography by No Debutante

If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!

No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com

Keep up with No Debutantes OOTD posts, collabs and current fashion obsessions posted daily on all of the following. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest all under the #nodebutante name. 

Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx 

My IWD18 Diary

Phew! What an amazing week! 

Having just attended no less than three events for International Women's Day over three days, followed by Mothers Day (National Women's Day) I am feeling both exhausted & empowered! 

DeskLodge Team IWD18

The first event saw a strong group of women celebrating IWD at DeskLodge, a very successful event, that featured women who either use the DeskLodge coworking spaces and offices as a base to run their amazing companies from female law firms & tech companies to influential women, who were invited to join us, share their skills & experiences as sustainable eco-warriors, female events collectives & of course, the female empowerment group, SisterWorks! 

DeskLodge IWD18 Talks including SisterWorks, Kecks Clothing, Concrete Jungyals & Womens Tech Hub 

This was no corporate event, all the women told inspiring stories on how they got to where they are now, baring all the struggles they faced and the determination to carry on to get where they are today. It was so heart-felt and inspirational, I am really proud of them all and let's add a little self-love here, I am proud of what I achieved too, bringing all of these wonderful women together! Needless to say I had a large glass of wine or two that evening to celebrate! 

Print clashes for the SisterWorks club night

The second event was the SisterWorks Club Night on the Friday, where we promote the talents & skills of local female DJs & women in music. We are so proud to have so many fabulous female DJs on our books at SisterWorks, that we have been able to have lots of different female DJs play at each event. The IWD club night featured a dub set, followed by grime set into a DJ & singer/ rapper female double act, then into house & techno beats. We had a blast! In true Kathleen Hanna style I found myself encouraging girls to the front to dance, enjoy the DJs & feel part of the SisterWorks vibe, in a safe space run by girls. Of course, we love men too so they were most welcome & really supportive. What a fantastic night! 

Female DJs at the SisterWorks Club Night 

By the third event, on the Saturday evening, I was a little washed out but it was all about feeling empowered & representing females in music & the SisterWorks DJs! Myself & Lua Jones (SisterWorks founder & Dutty Girl DJ, Diss Miss), played a mixed set of riot grrrl, punk, alternative 80s & electro (obviously my set) & super-cool soul, funk & hip hop from Diss Miss. We were celebrating the launch of the Bristol brewery Wiper & True's XX beer, which was created & brewed by women. This beer had a strong kick, there was nothing feminine about it, which was great! There were so many people supporting the XX Beer, it was a great event! I banged into mum's from my kid's school & my old partner in crime from Venue Magazine, Ruth joined me for some late night drinks & chats about how great women are!

SisterWorks Djs at the Wiper & True XX beer launch

I think that I actually celebrated 4 days of IWD this year, as there was no better way to celebrate how amazing women are then with Mothers Day! My kids showered me with gifts including amazing pom-pom & perspex earrings from Mango Tango Jewellery (another amazing Bristol based designer), The Breeders latest album on vinyl (of course) & a lovely big bottle of Sailor Jerry's rum! I was truly spoilt again! Feeling rather sorry for myself & my rather hungover visit to the hair salon to get my hair did by girl boss Vikki Mac, it was then off to meet my wonderful Mother & celebrate Mothers Day with the Fam! IWD18 ended with pizza, wine & a family film night watching La La Land (which I actually loved!). 

Mothers Day pampering and new hair! 

Mothers Day gifts!

Thank you to all the amazing women who made IWD18 so great for me, from everyone who shared the love at the DeskLodge talks, DJ'd & helped out at the SisterWorks Club night, to old & new friends, the inspiring women who created the XX Beer at Wiper & True & finally to my family for making the perfect ending! 

Women are still fighting for their rights to be heard 100 years after the suffragettes won the right to vote! Equality is what we want, not world domination! They say 2018 is the year of the woman, let's hope so.

#wherearethewomen

Three generations of strong females and below the equally strong men in my life! 

All photography by No Debutante

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No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion. 

Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name 

Emma Gorton-Ellicott

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Thanks for checking in Fashionistas

ND xx