OXBLOOD

It is my pleasure to introduce my 'Oxblood' ensemble - which, fortunately, looks a lot less gruesome than it sounds, and yet, manages to look just as bad-ass as the name suggests. In the unlikely case you were wondering why I chose such a name, it's because the main theme of this outfit is that distinct oxblood colour - a colour that does most of the work: it makes a fashion statement that is both bold and glamorous. Here is the story of my journey into blood red heaven.

Back when my blog content was only featured in my imagination, I would wonder at the kind of style I wanted to portray when my ideas and I were finally brave enough to manifest into the real world. With the help of the Asos 'save' section, I had a very appealing wish-list brimming full of every fashion fantasy that I hoped to see on myself and on my future blog. We all dream of possessing items that will ensure the world see us as the fashionistas we strive to be - queue montage: ripping the price tag off that designer bag with a Cheshire Cat-like grin, proving to the world (and to yourself) that it is all yours, all yours! Doing a cannonball dive into a heaping pile of clothes with foreign brand names, nearly drowning in the sea of style consisting of all the latest trends. Okay, one more - walking down the street in heart-racing, show stopping heels and being fully aware that all eyes are on you, yet pretending to be completely oblivious to it... Okay, let's focus. Because at some point, we have to get back down to reality. For example, I am a student living away from home. Therefore, I must (try to) shop with practicality and pragmatism in mind.

It was winter, which many of us think means purchasing a new coat - and in my case, it means a whole new winter haul. With this in mind, I looked on the Asos website, carefully sticking to the 'Coats & Jackets' section for my own good. I can't remember how long it took me to find the eye-catching faux fur coat by Oasis, all I know is that the things I saw beforehand faded into the background; the coat came into focus and violins began to play as if to validate our impending union. The item was moved into my online bag and was soon checked out (along with my other winter essentials). The coat arrived the next day. It was even more beautiful in person. During the whole process of trying it on, I was in front of the mirror feeling like a B O S S. There is just something about wearing a fur coat. It has the ability to turn women into divas; it gives women the ability to sense that those around her admire her in it - and gives her the confidence to be satisfied by it. But this time, it wasn't just the fur itself that made me feel good. The colour was everything. It emphasises the boss-like confidence the coat exudes on behalf of the wearer. I knew this was the kind of item I needed on my blog. I wanted more.

I had the perfect coat, now I just had to think of what else was worthy enough to complete the outfit and appear on my blog. It wasn't easy. For a while, I thought I should be more subtle with the rest of the outfit. Should I go all black underneath? My brain hurt from all the possibilities and deciding on what I would go for. Looking online for some inspiration, I was intrigued by some red boots. It made me realise that I should pair that bold colour with another of its kind. It turned out that I limited the endless possibilities of online shopping, believing that there wouldn't be boots that matched my coat perfectly. It was an unproductive session at the university library with my friends that I owe my break through to. A friend of mine complimented the coat, and somehow we began to discuss the perfect shoes to match it - which I stated probably didn't exist outside of my ideas. My friends looked at me, a little puzzled at my sense of defeat.

My friend asked, "erm... why don't you just search for oxblood shoes on Google?" It was ridiculously simple. They couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it sooner, and neither could I. There and then I perused through my search results and was momentarily disheartened. Soon after, the violins suddenly started to play, and I realised that I saw the exact product of my fantasies staring back at me. I am not kidding. I only ever imagined patent ankle boots in the oxblood colour. And there it was. The unproductive library session suddenly became semi-productive thanks to my find - which, did I mention, was on sale? God is real.

By the time my blog shoot was scheduled, winter was retreating and I was already in possession of a skirt from River Island with the same patent look as the shoes that contributed to the colour theme. The rest was easy: I added a hugging black crop top (River Island) and accessorised with a choker from Pretty Little Thing that pairs well with a Pandora turtle-charmed silver chain. I hope I encouraged you to keep dreaming, but remember to get your head out of the clouds and make life cater to your fantasies.

That's all folks!

RJ xoxo

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