Work Wear

Like every woman, I love a good bargain buy and this whole outfit is just that.

I bought this whole look from Primark for only £30! I remember when I first wore the heritage culottes to a friend’s birthday dinner a few months ago and got so many compliments. I let a few of the ladies in on the secret, whispering “they were only £14 from Primark.”

You can imagine their reactions; they were probably just as shocked as you now reading this. It wasn’t even on sale, £14 were the original retailing price.

I’m not one to try things on in a store but I thought I would try them on because long culottes are not something I usually go for but they really caught my eye. I also tried on a black turtle neck batwing jersey jumper that I saw and they looked great together. It was only £6 so I bought that as well; now just imagine the outfit with a pair of black courts and a clutch or handbag.

What I love about these culottes is that they can go from day to evening wear. I think they are a perfect pair for the office, a business or casual lunch meeting and a dinner date.

The shirt I am sporting here is actually a men’s shirt. I bought a white men’s shirt from Primark before for only £5 but that somehow went missing (I think one of my siblings took it because I don’t lose my clothes). So I went back during the Christmas season on a hunt for another and the white shirts were out of stock but then I saw one that came with a skinny black tie for only £7 and bought it.

I also saw these black suede courts I am wearing here, in Primark’s shoe section, for only £9. I saw a pair on ASOS that practically look the same but these were selling for a quarter of the price so opted for these instead and there you have it. Three staple wardrobe pieces for a total of £30.

Photographer: Ayokunu Oduniyi

Below are a selection of my favourite photos from our shoot and outfit details, enjoy!

Please feel free to follow Ayo on Instagram @ao_media to see some of his amazing work and check out his photo blog http://www.blog.a-o-media.com

Please feel free to follow me on social media: –

Instagram @esther_tope

Twitter @EstTops

Tumblr esthertope.tumblr.com

My other blog ‘West African Londoner’ on esthertope.wordpress.com

Outfit details and links below

ASOS ring watch (old)

River Island handbag (old)

White shirt

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-3/4-Sleeve-Shirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2170863&WT.ac=rec_viewed&CTAref=Recently+Viewed

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Slim-Line-Boyfriend-Shirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4489969&WT.ac=rec_viewed&CTAref=Recently+Viewed

Culottes

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Culottes-with-Tuxedo-Detail/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4663667&WT.ac=rec_viewed&CTAref=Recently+Viewed

Shoes

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-POTENTIAL-Suede-Pointed-Heels/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3805612&WT.ac=rec_viewed&CTAref=Recently+Viewed

Bloom where you are planted

For some months now Photographer Ayokunu Oduniyi and I have been talking about arranging a day for a photo shoot and we finally got round to it last week and what a shoot it was.

His creativity, skills and excellence mixed with my vision made magic!

I was nervous at first with this being my first outdoor shoot and first set of images for my new fashion blog. On top of that I can be very critical of any picture taken of me so the pressure was definitely on, though there is no need to be when dealing with a professional.

Ayo made it a comfortable setting for me, told me to relax and just enjoy myself and after a few…okay several test shots I did just that.  I started to get into it and even ask if we could shoot, here and there and he replied “Whatever you want, it’s your shoot.”

With that said I started to get my “model on” and work that outfit. It was absolutely freezing but the sun was out and we spent a lot of time laughing and admiring the backstreets of Oxford Street.

I told Ayo the kind of background I wanted for my shoot just a day in advance and he found the perfect set up with just the right amount of space.

I have been to Oxford Street countless times and had never encountered this little area, it’s so clean and beautiful.

Below are a selection of my favorite photographs from our shoot, enjoy!

Please feel free to follow Ayo on Instagram @ao_media to see some of his amazing work and check out his blog http://www.blog.a-o-media.com .

Please feel free to follow me on social media: –

Instagram @esther_tope

Twitter @EstTops

Outfit details and links below

Black fedora hat – Primark – No website link available

Clutch bag – ASOS (old)

Similar clutch

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Slanted-Bar-Clutch-Bag/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4292479&cid=11305&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=-1&sort=-1&clr=Black&totalstyles=129&gridsize=3

Turtle neck jumper – Mango

http://www.asos.com/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4230870&CTAref=Saved+Items+Page

Skirt – ASOS (old)

Similar skirt

http://www.asos.com/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4113659&CTAref=Saved+Items+Page

Shoes – Zara (I didn’t see it on their website but it is still available in stores. I bought these early January during the sales and they are authentic leather with leopard faux fur)