FAIIINT

Swimwear Shopping

Covet

FAIIINT Bikini shopping round up, Seafolly Goddess draped grecian black bikini, with London Rebel Sandals, ASOS cat eye sunglasses & travelcard holders, Gorjana leather wrap bracelet. All black swimwear styling.

Seafolly ‘Goddess’ Bikini / London Rebel Sandals / ASOS Cateye Sunglasses / ASOS Passport & Travelcard Covers / Gorjana Leather Wrap Bracelet

FAIIINT swimwear shopping round up, Thapelo draped rouched Marie asymmetric black bandeau swimsuit, with chiffon sarong, GAP Sandals, ASOS kitten eye sunglasses. All black swimwear styling.

Thapelo ‘Marie’ Swimsuit / eBay Chiffon Headscarf / ASOS Kitten Eye Sunglasses / GAP Sandals

FAIIINT Bikini shopping round up, L Space Flutter Bye frill drape cut out laser cut black bikini, with ASOS Sandals, ASOS Cateye sunglasses, Daniel Wellington watch, Whistles & Links of London Bracelets. All black swimwear styling.

L★Space ‘Flutter Bye’ Bikini / ASOS Sandals / ASOS Cateye Sunglasses / Daniel Wellington Watch / Whistles & Links of London Bracelets

I’m sure I’m not the only girl to find bikini shopping the biggest nightmare, like finding the perfect pair of jeans, it can take weeks of searching & endless disappointments all to find the one. Beach Cafe kindly sent me a little package of black swimwear last week to try out & hopefully finally find that elusive perfect one.

I’m usually a bikini kinda girl, but the Thapelo one piece caught my eye as soon as I saw it. The sash across the top can be worn tied around the bust as a bandeau or across the shoulder as an asymmetric strap (like here). It’s a nice twist on a classic shape & I felt I’d have to style it a little bit 50s to play up it’s modern/retro look – with kitten eye sunglasses & a black chiffon headscarf. This would have been my pick if it wasn’t for my annoyingly long torso making it just a bit too short in the body for me. I loved that such a simple detail, tying the sash differently, can give it completely different look.

L★Space’s frilly, laser cut bikini was another one I really loved, it’s just so fun & the triangle ruffle gives it an optical slimming effect to the waist too. This one proves that black swimwear doesn’t have to mean plain & boring, and it’s the type of bikini I’d pack for a girls holiday to Ibiza or somewhere similar, paired with huge cat eyes & an armful of bracelets.

Those who follow me on Instagram will know already that fell in love with & ended up choosing the Seafolly Grecian style bikini, calling it my ‘bikini soul mate’. The twisted, wrapped strips of fabric are such a beautiful detail & it’s the only bikini that has ever made me look like I actually have boobs, thanks to it’s ingenious structure, padding & boning. Despite all of this going on underneath, it is super comfortable & the boning helps it to stay up & avoid embarrassing slips too. Always a good thing if you ask me, I’ve had enough unfortunate incidents with bikinis to last a lifetime! It’s simple, but with a twist & is a far cry from my usual plain, boring black triangle bikinis.

East

Style

Fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing French Connection Manhattan black wrap over dress, Bracher Emden classic tote bag, Rick Owens cut out wedges. Minimal, oriental, eastern, sci fi.Fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing French Connection Manhattan black wrap over dress. Minimal, oriental, eastern, sci fi.

French Connection ‘Manhattan’ Dress * / Bracher Emden Classic Bag / Rick Owens Cut Out Wedges

You might remember a little while ago my wishlist of minimal oriental inspired pieces, I’m not usually one to follow trends, but I still can’t get enough of this one. I ended up buying the Topshop dress from the wishlist, but unfortunately it wasn’t a great fit, so I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement. As soon as I saw this ‘Manhattan’ dress on the French Connection website I knew my choice was made. The wrap over, triangular capped sleeves & the slight draping at the shoulders subtly hint at the oriental inspiration without it being over the top.

Also, can I just make a point of how awesome the fit is? For someone who has a rather boyish silhouette a dress that gives you an actual waist & the illusion of curves is kind of magic. This is going to be my go to dress when I need to feel a little extra confident, it’s impossible to slouch in & gives you a little wiggle to your walk.

The weather wasn’t playing along though, hence the tights & I think this was the only photo we got where my hair wasn’t completely covering my face thanks to the gale force winds! Seems that’s the end of our summer then!

Sharp

Life

FAIIINT new in, current favourite things ASOS cateye sunglasses, Belle's Bejewelled perspex geometric diamond necklace, Evolution in action by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu & Patrick Gries, The better angles of our nature by Steven PinkerFAIIINT new in, current favourite things Belle's Bejewelled perspex geometric diamond necklace, Evolution in action by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu & Patrick Gries, The better angles of our nature by Steven PinkerFAIIINT new in, current favourite things Evolution in action by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu & Patrick Gries

ASOS Cateye Sunglasses / Belle’s Bejewelled Diamond Necklace *
Steven Pinker ‘The Better Angels of Our Nature‘ / Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu ‘Evolution in Action‘

Ollie has had a lot going on recently & we are unable to shoot any outfits until next week, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with my attempts at photographing a few of my current favourite things instead. To be honest, I’m actually quite pleased with how these turned out, maybe I’m not as terrible at it as I thought…

These sunglasses from ASOS have been firmly at the top of my wishlist since I saw them a few months ago, I fell in love with the super sharp cateye shape & the thick, glossy frames. Unsurprisingly, they sold out pretty quickly & I have been stalking ASOS since, hoping for a pair to come back in stock. A lone pair appeared on Monday, so of course I snapped them up immediately. I’m so glad I did, the plastic is thick & weighty and they look much more expensive than the £12 they cost. Definitely my new favourites. I’ve also fallen in love with this geometric diamond necklace from Belle’s Bejewelled. Ollie thinks it looks like an artifact from Tomb Raider, and I kinda have to agree. Are you noticing a theme around here? I’m a little obsessed with wearable objects that remind me of my favourite movies, video games & books.

I know books aren’t really fashion but I enjoyed these two so much I just had to feature them. ‘Evolution in Action‘ is one of the most beautiful looking books I’ve come across in a long time. Patrick Gries‘ black & white photos of the bones & skeletons of all manner of species are breathtaking & beautifully illustrate the key themes in the text, which is completely engrossing & full of interesting facts. I could not put this down once I started. Evolution, and anatomy especially, have always been subjects that have fascinated & inspired me, and I know this is a book I’ll be picking up again & again.

‘The Better Angels of Our Nature‘ by Steven Pinker is another book I’ve been finding really hard to put down. Do you ever find yourself enjoying a book so much, that as you get closer & closer to the end you start reading just a few pages at a time, because you really don’t want to finish it? Well, that’s what I’ve been doing with this one. If you’re the type of person that thinks the world is going to shit, and that humankind is racing towards exterminating itself with it’s seemingly endless inhumanity, I highly suggest giving this a read. It charts the dramatic decline in violence over the course of history & proves without a doubt that we are currently living in the most peaceful time in human history. Shocking right? Especially when all the awful news stories would have you believe we are at our worst. It’s totally changed the way I see the world, for the better, and is a truly fascinating, mind altering read.

PS: Would you guys like to see more non-fashion things around here? Like books, movies, beauty or more general lifestyle posts? Or do you prefer just fashion & outfits? I’ve been curious about this for a while…