Quarter-life-covid-crisis, wedding update and Vintage clothes

Oh yes, I have returned. Alive and well. I haven’t blogged in months. And boy, do I miss it. I don’t really know where this slump came from, as writing is one of my absolute favourite things to do. Ever. I have also not really been reading or doing much else to be honest. It has been working and scrolling through social media on the couch these past few months. That slump had absolutely nothing to do with laziness of any sort. I mostly just felt tired… and overwhelmed with everything and nothing in particular. 

I felt like doing a post-COVID diary because no one ever does those. A billion people did the COVID diaries, but nobody is talking about this stage. Things are going back to normal (though I am aware that we are definitely not there yet!) and I know I am supposed to be so so happy. And I was, or am, I think. But I’m really really struggling with getting life completely back on the rails. And I’m sure I can’t be the only one! After-Covid-stress must be a thing, right? Or am I officially in a quarter-life-crisis now? Whichever one it is, I'll keep you updated on how post-Covid-life is going. 

Okay, that's enough whining for the day. If you read up to here. Thank you for bearing with me! Now, it has not been all bad. Some pretty exciting things have been happening as well. Wedding planning is in full swing. With less than a year to go until the big day, I have been Pinteresting as if my life depends on it. One of the things we did is take some engagement pictures. The shoot was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law. Honestly, if I ever do a Christmas gift guide, a family photo shoot will be very high up on that list. We've postponed the shoot about 3 times due to our fabulous Belgian climate, but it was totally worth it. We might be using some of the photos for our wedding invites, so I won't share the very best ones, but here's a little sneak peek!

Also, autumn has started, which means that my favourite time of year is finally here! October to January is when I am totally in my element. I love the colour of the leaves and the sky and walking around on a crisp autumn day when it's cold yet sunny... Totally my thing. Also... Autumn fashion. 

This is my favourite season to dress for. Jumpers, boots, scarves! It just feels like there are so many options in autumn. In summer, I usually just throw on any dress that will allow me to maintain my non-liquid state on those hot days. In autumn, however... I can go to town with hats, blazers, coats, blouses, trousers, tights and all sorts of gorgeous footwear. And I do. 

One thing that I have been into this year, is vintage fashion. I have always been interested in vintage, but what has always kept me from filling my wardrobe with it, is the fact that I hadn't got a clue about how to wash and care for vintage. Most modern clothes can just be chucked into the washing machine and they'll usually come out fine. Some vintage fabrics, however, are way too delicate for that. Plus, the washing machine doesn't always get out that 'vintage' smell. No matter how much I love that vintage look, I don't want to walk around smelling like mothballs and moldy basement. That's when I found a girl on TikTok (@costumiereextraordinaire), who made a video about how she hand washed a vintage dress that was clearly from a time when smoking was all the rage. I tried it, and it changed my vintage shopping life! 

I found this book by Dawn O' Porter (one of my absolute favourite writers and bloggers), and it has been a great read while I was revamping my 'vintage brain'. 

Obviously, my newfound cleaning knowledge led to a pretty extensive Vintage shopping spree. How about a little old-fashion(ed) shopping haul for my next post?