Finally sat down to properly blog this outfit that y'all seem to love, featuring this floral embroidered sweater from New Look and my birthday gift to myself – a lavender Grafea backpack. I got it right smack in London Fashion Week, so I felt pretty smug wearing it around, knowing that I was at least 'in the stylish crowd', ha.
Anyway, if you know me, you'll know I'm not one for an all-black outfit. I prefer bright and bold colours, and my favourite colours include mustard yellow and a deep sangria.
I didn't want to go all out, so I matched my pastel backpack against the dark-coloured top which I thought gave off a casual but ~cool badass~ vibe. I've been eyeing the Grafea backpacks for years now (I first saw Popcorn on Zoe Suen) and had never felt like I could justify such a big purchase... then your girl got excited pre-birthday and come payday this was firmly in the checkout and to say that I'm completely smitten by the colour is a total understatement.
Grafea is a Manchester-based business which started out with their iconic Hari backpacks, and have since taken over Instagram pages by storm due to the fashionable and hardy design of its bags. It's a well-loved brand which evokes a classical style, and after reading up on many reviews as I could find, I thought it'd be a good investment.
While some people have had issues with the metal clips clanging against each other (=noise) and that the surface of the leather may get scratched/worn/dirtied which is probably true for the lighter colours (white, beige, grey and probably mine too) but I thought it could give off a nice, aged look after using it for a while...
These days, I opt for a backpack over a big handbag (that said, I still love all my bags I own) because it's easier on my shoulders and it's so useful for carrying so much. I can fit my camera, water bottle, mini jumper and a scarf, even a laptop if I wanted to. I used to carry the Longchamp Pliage bag to uni and it hurt my shoulder like a biatch and I made the switch to carrying a backpack to work.
So far, I've been really enjoying using the backpack and I always get compliments whereever I go. Once, I was in Yumchaa and these two girls next to me started Googling furiously about the range and it secretly made me happy 'cause that made me seem like such a fashonista (lol, not really).
Unfortunately (for some) this is leather - but for those who don't mind and are looking for a sturdy backpack, they come in a delightful assortment of colours. I had difficulty choosing between Lavender and Sky (which is currently reduced further if you're interested!) but settled with the former because I liked it more. Grafea also carries other styles of bags, but their most popular is still (I think) the Hari backpack. Feel free to ask in the comments if you have any other questions :-)
Anyway, sad to say that the New Look jumper is now sold out but there's been so many floral-inspired trends out on the marketplace and if you're looking to cop some for yourself, here are some brilliant alternatives: another from New Look, ASOS, a Zara favourite.
(Outfit: New Look floral embroidered sweater / Grafea Lavender Backpack / Subdued jeans / Clarks loafers similar here)
And of course, topping the entire look with the comfiest boyfriend jeans from Subdued and shoes from my favourite footware brand (honestly!) ever.
I've spent this weekend relaxing and tidying up and feeling optimistic (!) about Spring being right round the corner, with rare sunshine days coming out to play in London a couple of times this week! How crazy... How have you guys been?
