En Brogue is a blog that focuses on slow comfortable style, written by: writer and former fashion journalist Hannah Rochell. What started as a blog dedicated to flat shoes has now branched out into sustainable fashion, always with comfort and practicality it its heart.
My favourite places to shop upcycled and deadstock fashion
I’ve always used clothes to tell a story about myself – I love the way that you can express something about your personality or beliefs simply through what you wear. From being 17 and realising I was able to communicate my taste in music to those in the know simply with my adidas Gazelles and vintage sportswear, to my decision to stop wearing heels twelve years ago in what I like to think of as a sartorial liberation to rebel against trends (and discomfort!). My wardrobe is so much more than a means of keeping warm and modest.
Now that I spend my time championing sustainable fashion, it’s perhaps no surprise that I’m drawn to items that actually look like they have the responsible credentials I so carefully hunt out. For example, I remember speaking to a shoe brand about using recycled soles and them saying it was difficult to find any that didn’t look recycled, with specks of colour spattered through the white rubber, but I told them how much I loved not only the way it looked, but the story that it told. I wear my creased linen and cashmere coat with visible mending (repaired for me by the lovely people at Nearly New Cashmere) like badges of honour. And, once I have mastered using a sewing machine, I really want to start making my own clothes from deadstock fabric or sourced second hand items like bedsheets and curtains, patched together like a wearable work of art.
Cottagecore: The Well Worn
If you, like me, have an insatiable appetite for a buffet dress and gingham, you’ll love The Well Worn (also pictured, top). Using nothing but deadstock and vintage fabrics, designer Emma creates small batches of dresses, tops, jackets and denim – you’ll even see in the label how small the run was (the dress I am wearing is number two of four), which really makes you appreciate not only the workwomanship, but makes you feel like you’re wearing a piece of art. thewellworn.co.uk