LOOKBOOK METALLIC LOVER

Every year, I write in here that I want to switch things up a bit and be more present on YouTube. I guess that's it. It's my first ever lookbook and it's the first blog post of the year. I've been working hard on it and it would mean the world to me if you could just click on it even if you don't like it and close it after a few seconds. I just need your feedback and your support.

Here's the sum up of 2018:
January: My grandfather unexpectedly passed away in early December. January was pretty tough because I was all by myself in London dealing with this. And by "all by myself" I really mean it. My family was in Paris, staying strong together; my friends went completely silent radio on me, no message of support, no calls, no nothing; I was having a tough time at work with my agressive boss and my housemate was still being extremely rude to me. I couldn't see the end of January...

February: I was laid off my job - they decided not to renew my contract, probably because me and my boss were all at war (and also because I sucked at this job to be honest). But thank goodness during that period, my dear friend Justine came to visit me and we went to Brighton. It felt good. It was the last time we saw each other before...

March: ... Miami ! See, when we say "God has a plan" He really has. If we didn't plan this trip months ago, I would've stayed in London, crying over losing my job and worrying about what next. Instead, we flew to Florida, went to the Bahamas, road tripped across the Sunshine state and completely deconnected (I might have posted a pic or two on Instagram haha). It was exactly what I needed, when I needed it.

April: I started training for this new job, but wasn't sure where that was going so I moved back to Paris mid-April. We buried my grand-father on my birthday.

May: And the following weekend, my most supportive friends (minus one but she was busy) drove to my country side house to celebrate my birthday. I was still a bit shaky following the burial but it was very nice to have them around and soak up the sun in laughter. I will never forget that they came, even if it was a long way, even if it did not sound like the best weekend ever.
Who knew that age 26 I will still learn a lesson on friendship and betrayal? Well, I still learned the hard way after my grand-father's passing that sometimes you can give EVERYTHING to you friends, be there for them during tough times, they will not necessarily be there for you when something terrible happens. So yes, my friends were still completely silent, except one. But I also learned a big lesson on loyalty on the first week of May and I have to admit that I am still really struggling with what happened. But hey yay I got the job and moved back to London !

June: I moved to a new house, not in my favorite neighborhood but hey, London's housing market is cray. The housemates were terrible - again - and it was freaking hot and loud in there ! I tried not to be disappointed and tried to see my friends as much as possible. I also started listening to all the ChristChurch London's podcasts on my iPhone. The rest was work work work work work work work...

July: World Cup ! All I can remember is night shifts, weekend shifts and world cup games ! Also, I remember the heat in London and how I did not shave because all I did was work sleep eat repeat, so it was a nightmare being in jeans in 35 degrees. Dammit patriarchy !

August: More World Cup and the big victory ! Woohoo ! I also got Kanye West'd by someone who thought it was clever to tell me that my anxiety and clinically diagnosed depression was a "choice" but hey France won the World Cup so suck it !

September: I moved back to East London, with grown ass men who did not know anything about cleaning and energy saving. Needless to say after a week I knew I'd need to move out - again. But I was closer to church and Syana and all the cool spots.  I started a new job as well ! #GodProvides

October: My sister moved to the US and left me on the other side of the pond ! My new job turned out to be trickier for my mental wellbeing than I thought but as Avril Lavigne says "God keep my head above water !".

November: Moved into a new house share with cool housemates - not in my favorite part of London but that will do. Started watching Buffy again. Otherwise it was just me being busy with work.

December: I went back to Paris to see Michelle Obama but she cancelled on us because Bush senior died. So I got to spend some quality time with my family. And then it was Christmas, and then I flew to New York to be with my sis ! I also finished listening to all the podcasts available from my church on the podcast thing of the iPhone.

So yeah, the beginning of the year was pretty intense and tough but in the end, I tried to let go and just keep moving forward. I do not want to set goals. I just think I need to work on myself to let go of grudges I keep that keep pulling me back. I also need to let go of people, even if we had amazing years together, I don't need to have these years holding me back from cutting them off. And that will be the most difficult part, but I think it's time for me to look for a new church. The sense of belonging I had when I joined back in 2014 is fading, I now struggle each time a bit more with social anxiety when I go because I feel rejected. Let's see how this goes...

Armelle De Oliveira

OUTFIT | KHAKI AND GOLD

Here's an outfit my sister actually photographed under the rain. It was one of those days when I had a spark of energy to use for my blog. It was at least one month ago, so yeah, the spark did not last long. It's just that with the giveaway and all the changes happening in my life at the moment, blogging (and everything that goes along which means Snapchat, Instagram, Instastory...) did not seem like a priority. For some of us bloggers it is really a job, a main occupation, for me it's just a hobby, a safety net just in case. But I did miss it, so here's what I got in store for you guys and hopefully more will come soon !

Aujourd'hui je vous présente une petite tenue des familles photographiée par la petite soeur (des familles donc) sous la pluie. C'était un des jours comme ça où mon cerveau me dit "il faut absolument que tu shootes une tenue pour la publier sur ton blog". Ma soeur a pris ses photos il y a plus d'un mois, vous comprendrez donc que parfois je refuse de faire ce que me dit mon cerveau. En même temps, avec le concours et tout ce qui se passe dans ma vie ("tu connais pas ma vie hein"), mon blog et tout ce qui va avec (Snapchat, Instagram, Instastory) a été clairement relégué au second plan. Si pour certaines blogueuses, bloguer est un boulot, une occupation principale, pour moi c'est juste un hobby, une roue de secours au cas où. Mais bon, ça m'a manqué alors voilà pour l'instant tout ce que j'ai en stock. On croise les doigts pour que mon cerveau me pousse à publier davantage rapidement.

Jacket Vintage / Top Bershka / Trousers Zara / Boots New Look

Armelle De Oliveira

OUTFIT | JC/DC x MARVEL PANTS

Je vide mes placards ! Du moins mes dossiers sur mon Macbook. Ce look avec Syana on l'a shooté... il y a longtemps. Mais vu que je procrastine à fond pour trier les photos après les shoots, bah il ne sort que maintenant. Alors j'espère que ce look aux bras dénudés vous rappellera l'été qui ne reviendra pas avant... longtemps.
Comme à mon habitude, j'ai encore acheté des fringues rayon homme. C'est le cas de ce top shoppé chez Zara pour littéralement 3 fois rien. Ce pantalon, je l'ai acheté il y a une plombe aussi aux ventes privées Jean Charles de Castelbajac (le monsieur était même présent et j'ai complètement paniqué hahaha). C'est une pièce de la collection JC/DC x Marvel. C'était le dernier et il était taille 36 donc c'est un peu comme s'il m'appelait. Bon j'avoue il est un peu serré et la braguette a la fâcheuse tendance de m'abandonner mais je le kiffe de fou.
Je ne suis pas une experte de l'univers Marvel, je dois avouer. Comme beaucoup, je surkiffe Iron Man. Je préfère les Spiderman avec Tobey Maguire que ceux avec Andrew Garfield (bien qu'il soit BEAUCOUP BEAUCOUP plus mignon).  J'ai ri deux fois pendant Captain America, j'ai trouvé le reste assez ennuyeux... Thor est beaucoup mieux (et Chris Hemsworth n'y est absolument pour rien). La BO de Hulk est vraiment pas mal, et il est pas trop cucu pour une fois. J'ai vu Deadpool aussi dans l'avion en revenant de LA. Mon Dieu, c'était nul ! Tout se tapage pour ça. C'est tellement vulgaire que s'en n'est pas drôle du tout. Si je dis que les personnages sont clichés tout le monde va me dire "c'est fait exprès" alors bon, nique. J'aime bien le trash et la violence mais là, pas ma tasse de thé, c'est mal fait. J'ai juste regardé pour Morena Baccarin que je connais de "Gotham" et qui était tellement belle bonne dans le film !
Non, je n'aipas vu Avengers.
Non, je n'ai pas vu les Gardiens de la Galaxie.
Non, je n'ai pas vu Antman.
Matez-moi ce pantalon bordel !

I'm cleanin' out my closet ! Well, sort of. I'm just emptying for Macbook files. We shot that outfit with Syana ages ago. Because I am a professional procrastinator, I waited forever before taking a look at the pictures and sorting them out. So I hope this sleeveless outfit will remind you of our dear friend the sun that we may not see before a looooong time !
As usual, I bought clothes from the men section. This top is from Zara men. The pants I bought during private sales at Jean Charles de Castelbajac studio in Paris. He was there and I completely freaked out. They're from the JC/DC x Marvel collection and it was the last size 8 so they were basically calling me. Well, ok, I'll have to admit they are a bit tight and the zipper always lets me down but I love them so much !
Well, I am not a Marvel expert. I love Iron Man (like pretty much everybody). I like more the Tobey Maguire Spiderman than the Andrew Garfield one (even though Garfield is waaaay cuter). I laughed like twice maybe watching Captain America, the rest of the film was boring as fuck. Thor is pretty awesome (and it has nothing to do with Chris Hemsworth good looks). The Hulk was fine, especially the soundtrack. And I saw Deadpool in the flight back from Los Angeles to Paris. Boy, it sucked ! I can't believe everyone went nuts about this movie. It is not even funny just crude. The characters were oh so cliché but everyone is going to tell me it was on purpose. I like myself violent movies but that one was just not a good one. I only kept one watching because Morena Bacarin - whom I know from "Gotham" - was looking goooood !
Nope, did not see Antman.
Nope, did not see Avengers.
Nope, did not see Guardians of the Galaxy.
Just look at my pants bloody hell !

Lipstick NYX via Asos / Sunglasse Brick Lane Market / Chocker Ebay / Top Zara Men / Bra Etam / Pants JC/DC / Shoes New Look 

Et vous, vous aimez l'univers Marvel ?

Armelle De Oliveira

OUTFIT | MAMA AFRICA

J'ai acheté cette robe en solde à l'époque où je travaillais encore chez Topshop. Elle était vraiment bradée et la taille m'allait (bien que je la juge beaucoup trop courte désormais). J'aimais beaucoup sa coupe et son imprimé type boubou (ou communément renommé en pot-pourri "wax") donc je l'ai prise. Je ne sais pas si aujourd'hui, je serais encore capable d'acheter dans des chaînes de magasins type Topshop des vêtements avec cet imprimé. Vous le savez désormais, je suis partagée entre l'idée que ce concept vole ma culture ou la promeut. N'étant pas encore décidée et toujours en pleine phase de réflexion et d'introspection à ce sujet, surtout à tout ce qui touche à la pop culture. Je suis heureuse que mon article sur l'appropriation culturelle ait généré autant de réactions, surtout dans ma sphère amicale élargie. Notamment sur Facebook, des gens à qui je n'avais pas parlé depuis le lycée - à l'époque où j'étais complètement perdue dans ma tête - n'ont pas hésité à me demander de creuser plus et à donner leur avis. Je bloque pas mal sur le concept de la pop culture en ce moment, à savoir si dans l'art, on tombe dans la pop culture ou dans l'appropriation culturelle. Je développerai sûrement davantage ma réflexion dans un post quand j'aurais mis en ordre mes idées.
Quoi qu'il en soit, aujourd'hui je voulais m'attarder sur une expression que j'entends sur toutes les bouches et qui m'horripile un peu (beaucoup). Je parlais dans mon ancien billet sur l'appropriation culturelle de ces termes que je souhaitais voir bannis de mon vocabulaire et de ceux des autres, notamment "black" et sa variante "cke-bla" (n'est-ce pas complètement ridicule?), "blédard-e-", "fatou" etc. ... Il y a cette expression dont cet article porte le nom de "mama africa" qui me donne sérieusement envie d'hurler. Dans le vocabulaire commun, dans le jargon des mes amis et connaissances "mama africa" désigne une femme, noire, d'un certain âge, plutôt ronde, plutôt franche (entendre grande gueule voire qui a de l'attitude, insolente), probablement avec un accent plus ou moins marqué et des habitudes culturelles comme le "tchip", accessoirement qui porte des vêtements du "bled". Le problème c'est que pour les Afro-Caribéens, "mama africa" ce n'est PAS ça. Mama Africa désigne la terre d'Afrique, celle qui nous a donné la vie, le berceau de l'Humanité, celle qui nous unit. Cette expression désigne aussi toutes ces femmes, ces mères, ces tantines, qui ont éduqué à bout de bras tant d'hommes et de femmes. Détourner l'expression "mama africa" dans vos bouches revient à manquer de respect à la Terre mère et à la femme noire pour moi et mes pairs. Sachez-le.

I bought this dress on sale back when I was still a sales assistant for Topshop. The price was really reduced and it fit (well now I find it too short). I really liked its shape and its print (now commonly named "wax") so I bought it. I don't know if I'll be able today to buy from brands like Topshop clothes with this print. You know it now, I am torn between the idea that my culture is either stolen from or promoted. I am still not decided and still reflecting on it, especially on the concept of pop culture. I am truly happy that my post on cultural appropriation led to so many reactions, especially in my wide social circle. On Facebook, people I did not talk to since highschool - when I was completely lost in my head - did not hesitate to ask me to go in depth and to share their opinion. I am still blocking on the concept of pop culture for now, trying to figure out if art is pop culture or cultural appropriation. I will for sure develop my reflection in a post once my ideas will be clearer.

Chocker Ebay / Dress Topshop / Coat Boohoo / Shoes New Look / Clutch Good People / Armcuff H&MxCoachella

Cette pochette Good People, je l'ai eu dans mon goodie bag lors de l'inauguration du concept store Stylist x The Stackers. Elle est en raphia, faite main à Madagascar (comme ma bague en corne de zébu achetée à la Foire de Paris). Good People est vraiment une marque de personnes qui ont bon coeur. Une partie des bénéfices de chacun de vos achats de la marque est reversée à un orphelinat. Allé jeter un oeil sur leur shop, ils ont plein de modèles super tendance: vous ferez une bonne action en pimentant votre dressing. Et non, je n'ai pas été payée ou sponsorisée pour dire ça. Je suis juste une bonne personne (je pense).

I got this Good People clutch in my goodie bag on the launch of the Stylist x The Stackers concept store. It is made of raffia, handmade in Madagascar (like my ring made of zebu horn bought at the Foire de Paris). Good People is a brand for good people. Part of the benefits of each sale is donated to an orphanage. Take a look at their e-shop, they have lots of trendy items. You'll do a good deed while spicing up your dressing. And no, I was not paid or sponsored to write this. I am just a good people I guess.

Armelle De Oliveira