Life Lately: Turning 25, Turning 2017 and Turning a New Leaf.










Quarter of a Century


Well, somehow I've made it 25 years without ending things a bit prematurely despite a couple of tequila-related close calls, so I guess some congratulations are in order. Late last year I hit the big two-five. No massive fireworks, no attention seeking spectacle (I hope), but a nice embarrassing round of happy birthdays from the guys at work, a card and present and a few cards in the post.

Our pal earth also had a birthday - tenuous link alert - and we hit 2017. Other than starting it with a stinking cold, the new year's got off to a pretty productive start and it looks like things are gonna be on the up with a couple of trips planned in and some preeeetty big life moments about to happen. 17's always been a favourite of mine, so I've got a good feeling about this one.

And while this has all been happening, I've neglected this little blog. Since starting it way back when in 2010, this online journal of sorts has covered my knobby phase, my I-listen-to-the-Smiths phase, my fuck-it-let's-move-abroad phase and my everything's-just-getting-too-much phase (or phases, let's be honest). But it looks like in my things-are-going-to-be-just-fine phase this blog didn't really have a place.

See, I guess I've never really done blogging the "right" way. I started it pre-surge, never really wanted it to be a career path, didn't network intensively and didn't hire a photographer to shoot multiple outfits in one go. As I got older, although this blog obviously does still centre around me, I've found it more and more of an uncomfortable subject, and don't get me started on the being in photos part. I've doing a lot of thinking, which I know can be a dangerous pastime, and I'm starting to reconsider what I think are the important parts of blogging part time. Instead of making sure there's fresh new content weekly, it's about time I let myself slip a little and think it's ok to let things lie low once in a while. Additionally, until I feel ok with having photos of myself on here again, it's time to dust off the camera and start being behind the lens properly.

If 2017's set to be a good one, then I full on plan to take it by the balls and prioritise the important stuff, meaning that there might not be hundreds of new posts but there will be little updates popping up here and there. Soz if you were after a post about how to wear blogger trends or fashion blogger hacks, but I guess that's just another example of crap blogging and feel free to keep reading for some more. Who knows, you might not get learn the angles to take a fire selfie, but you might have a laugh and we both know which is more fun.

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Blogging full circle.

Pink customised jumper | www.itscohen.co.uk
PDBae jumper | www.itscohen.co.uk
clothes2order | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester fashion bloggers | www.itscohen.co.uk
clothes2order sweatshirt | www.itscohen.co.uk


Throwback.

It's been a while.

When I first started blogging my outfits "properly", i.e. not on my laptop camera, all I required was a flat surface/low wall and my point and shoot camera's self-timer function. Since then, I've been pretty good at coercing or full on bribing people into taking the occasional photo, meaning those ten repositioning yourself seconds haven't happened for a while. Safe to say, I'm rusty at this malarky so there were plenty of outtakes. It's also a hell of a lot harder when there's a 50mm lens involved and your tripod is a precarious stack of boxes on a dining room chair, but that's the glamorous life of the fusshun blogger.

I know the obvious solution to dropping one of the most expensive items you own on the floor from the height of about 20 shoeboxes would be to arrange to meet up with a photographer. I know a lot of bloggers do this; it's good for both parties, and means you have fire content for your blog, other than the slightly out of focus photos you see above. But does that prospect make anyone other than me want to sort of shrivel up and die inside a little? I'm no model (cringe), look like a turd most days and there's no way I'd be able to pay, so realistically it's a waste of time, surely?

It's weird how so much has changed since I last used self-timer. Of course this goes without saying; from final year uni student to mid-level full-time employment, the only things that've stayed with me are my terrible repertoire of jokes, quite a few split ends, and me occasionally uploading something to this blog. There was that bit a couple of years ago where I uploaded so frequently because I thought that would be a Magic Formula for Something (who knows what?). But it's quite nice for things to come full circle: taking things back home, making things a little bit more personal, less polished, and just a bit simpler.

Also, it's really, really hard to take a decent photo of your back.

What I wore.


What's on Insta.

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Brit project.

Manchester fashion blogger | www.itscohen.co.uk
Nike Thea Trainers | www.itscohen.co.uk
Brit Project Manchester | www.itscohen.co.uk
Nike Thea JD Sports | www.itscohen.co.uk
Warehouse silk blouse | www.itscohen.co.uk
Olivia Burton personalised watch | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester fashion bloggers | www.itscohen.co.uk

Sundays in Manchester.

Aaaaaaaand breathe. If you're anything like any of the people I've spoken to in the past couple of days, your week's been a shocker. Inevitably it's the oh-crap-it's-October-how-did-that-happen panic setting in, along with a whole load of other Q4 feels, but there's definitely something other than pumpkin spice particles in the air.

Despite this (by which I mean, if we casually brush stress under a carpet), it's been a good start of month for me. I managed to catch up with old colleagues, school friends and new Manchester pals all in one weekend. Pity my bank balance, but we'll ignore that for a little longer. After the hazy beginning of a weekend in London, I was back in Manchester for a chilled Sunday. And, if I do say so myself, it passed pretty perfectly.

If there's one thing I've learnt since moving here, Manchester does Sunday very, very well. Or rather, it does recovery better than any city I've lived in; everything closed on a Sunday Munich was not best when I had a habit of going to the atomic cafe and not having the foresight to get food in... nightmare. Pretty much every place in the Northern Quarter and Deansgate does a killer brunch, and if your stomach's up for it you've got plenty of Sunday roast options too. 

With a lingering hangover tiredness from Friday, Laura, Clare and I headed to Hawksmoor for one of the best roasts I've had since moving here. Can I get those potatoes on tap, pls? Yes, it's not the cheapest, but for a score you get a Yorkshire the size of your face and refills on gravy. Photo below!

We headed back home via Spinningfields, where we managed to get some outfit snaps without any awkward reflections in the glass buildings - hurrah! Note my lack of expandable waistline, and see my main error. A couple of weeks back the babes at JD Sports got in touch and asked if I wanted to go to Brit Project, and they set me up with these beaut Nike Theas to wear on the night. I'm generally an Adidas girl through and through (other than my gym shoes), but my Superstars are getting a well deserved rest for a bit as I wear the new loves of my life in. Brit Project was a beaut way to spend the evening. I haven't been to a gig for a while, and it's always good to dust your dancing shoes off every once in a while - particularly when you can get there direct from yours on the tram, hollaaa.

If you've made it through this disjointed blog post thus far, congratulate yourself with a metaphorical gold star and a roast potato or five. This girl's done too much exercise today in preparation for another roast, and is falling asleep at her lapto.........

What I Wore.


Where We Went.



What's on Insta.


A photo posted by Rebecca ๐Ÿ˜ˆ (@rebeccacohen_) on



9 Comments

MAN > SHF

The Kooples womens leather jacket | www.itscohen.co.uk
Warehouse culottes jumpsuit | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester town hall | www.itscohen.co.uk
Zara silver metallic chelsea boots | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester fashion blogger | www.itscohen.co.uk
Olivia Burton blogger event | www.itscohen.co.uk
Warehouse jumpsuit culottes | www.itscohen.co.uk

A Culottes Jumpsuit and Embossed Watch


Let me just hold backspace for a bit.

I have a habit of leaving my emails for about three weeks, then replying en masse. It's not a technique I'd recommend. In fact, I'd actively dissuade you from adopting this method, as it's only going to make you stress and piss people off. Either way, when I got an email from the babes at Olivia Burton asking if I wanted to head to an event in Sheffield I was mid-way through typing a "cheers, but I live in Manchester" reply before deleting it all and saying "oh, go on then". 

Sheffield is one of those cities I've always loved. No beating around the bush, it's a solid 95% because of Arctic Monkeys, but it holds its own right too. I applied to university there way back when, and even though I didn't attend full time I did go a fair amount to visit my friend Selena. Last time I went was back in 2011 for an Arctic Monkeys gig (surprise surprise), and I've just never had a reason to go back.

Now I live up North, it's not hard to be a daytripper. Yes, trains are few and far between, but they're cheap as chips. That day I met up with Kavita to discuss what she'd been up to since we'd last seen each other. Sheffield weather was behaving, so we ate outside before heading into town for a quick walk around. I then headed to Meadowhall to visit boutique Goldsmiths. I was very lucky to be treated to my very own Olivia Burton watch, which has been personalised with my name: it doesn't just tell you the time, it also helps you out of tricky situations. You can get this done online, but it was super quick in-store.

Fast forward to the next weekend, and Laura and I were picking our brunch spot for the weekend. Not feeling a 45 minute (!!) wait for Alabamas, we just went round the corner to Allotment. One of those "should I eat where I drink?" establishments, but I am so glad we went in. Honestly, the eggs benedict comes highly recommended from me, and I've tried a fair few platefuls of it in my time.

Laura was kind enough to snap a few photos of my outfit before it proper peed it down. New fave combo of a culottes jumpsuit and anything chelsea boots that I picked up for a mere £7 in Zara. Of course, paired with my faithful leather jacket and a fedora hat.

What I Wore



Where We Went





What's on Insta


A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on

A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on
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Cities of hope.

Manchester fashion blogs | www.itscohen.co.uk
Urban Outfitters black suede half moon bag | www.itscohen.co.uk
H+M button down denim skirt | www.itscohen.co.uk
Public Desire silver shoes | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester Cities of Hope love graffiti | www.itscohen.co.uk
And Other Stories black mesh t-shirt | www.itscohen.co.uk


Spend your days in the sunshine.

You could wait a lifetime for the weather to behave in Manchester (what is it about this bloody city?), but I've worked out it takes an average of once every six weeks for it to be No Coat Weather in the North West. Thankfully, when Winnie came to visit, the morning's grey skies gave way to something hella hotter so we could give the umbrellas a rest at the bottom of our bag.

We started our day in Foundation Coffee, feat. its shoefie-ready floor quote "coffee is everything" 'cause these guys know. I'm successfully weaning myself onto coffee over tea but still opted for a latte with an orange and honeycomb brownie, which comes very highly recommended by yours truly. I may be losing my sweet tooth (who even am I?), but there's always time for brownies. Always. We popped next door to Fred Aldous because I've got a weird obsession with greetings cards so Winnie could indulge in a Yayoi Kusama notebook. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Northern Quarter before weaving our way towards Manchester Art Gallery to check out the Vogue 100 exhibition (again, not complaining). Obviously starving, our last stop was Yard and Coop for as much chicken as possible. As sharing is caring, I'll pass on this little nugget for you (you'll see where the pun's coming in one min): the not chicken nuggets (there you go) are amazing, and are simply deep fried halloumi bites of goodness.

I know it's odd how the internet has worked its way into my daily life, but after having a chat about it yesterday with Jade it's easy to see how the world wide web has permeated most aspects of our/millenials' social activity: tinder, anyone? I'm still waiting to be catfished one day, but until then I'm totally cool with meeting up with strangers from the internet.

PS post title refers to all the #citiesofhope graffiti popping up round town, as photographed above. Still trying to find all the Cities of Hope range, but have seen a fair few around!

What I Wore.


Where We Went.





What's On Insta.


A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on

11 Comments

White lace and disco shoes.

Manchester fashion blogger | www.itscohen.co.uk
Gullivers Pub, Manchester Northern Quarter | www.itscohen.co.uk
Portico Library Manchester | www.itscohen.co.uk
Urban Outfitter cateye sunglasses blogger | www.itscohen.co.uk
ABode hotel Manchester rooms | www.itscohen.co.uk
Amy Childs Collection lace dress | www.itscohen.co.uk
Amy Childs lace dress | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester fashion blogs | www.itscohen.co.uk
ABode hotel Manchester | www.itscohen.co.uk
Manchester fashion bloggers | www.itscohen.co.uk
Public Desire silver shoes | www.itscohen.co.uk
Amy Childs white lace dress | www.itscohen.co.uk


A long weekend in town, the Manchester fashion blogger way.

There's nothing like having someone come to visit, in order for you to realise all you do with your weekends is spend a weird amount of time eating and drinking. "You'd like to do something else, you say?", leading to a quick flick through your mental vaults of What To Do and thinking all your trying to be a Manchester fashion blogger location recces were a bit useless, and maybe Dusk 'Til Pawn at 2am probably isn't a good shout when your guest is your mum. I suggested she stay in ABode, as it's a good distance from Piccadilly and where I live, whilst also being juuust far enough away from bars. And the walls have books all over them. From there, we headed to old favourite Ezra and Gil for lunch, and then wandered round town. Because, of course, it was raining, so there wasn't all that much you could do.

The next day, we headed to Media City, and spent the morning checking out the Lowry gallery. My mum's a big fan of Lowry's work, and it was only ignorance that meant I wasn't too. There was a talk given by a guy who was weirdly like my dissertation tutor (horrific flashbacks to the week before hand-in), which gave a little insight into the artist's life. I'd definitely recommend if you're a fan, or, if you're entertaining, it's freeee. As we were that side of town, it was only polite to head to the Trafford Centre AKA the Vegas of shopping centres. That evening we enjoyed some prosecco in the hotel. Because if you've got the chance to drink some fizz, who would turn it down?

On the last day of my mum's visit, we went for breakfast at Koffee Pot (always. Hands down best breakfast in Manchester). The sun was starting to show itself finally so we snapped the above photos before heading to the Portico library and Manchester Art Gallery for the Vogue 100 exhibition. Definitely saw a few Manchester fashion bloggers shiftily making their way along the photos. I see ya.

So, while I add a few more places onto my Manchester roster, are there any places you'd recommend? Always happy to test in advance, particularly if there's a cafe.

What I Wore.


Where We Went.




What's On Insta.



A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on
7 Comments

This French life.

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Stylist Magazine pastel picnic | www.itscohen.co.uk
Asos midi dress denim stripes | www.itscohen.co.uk
French picnic food | www.itscohen.co.uk
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Asos midi dress stripe bardot | www.itscohen.co.uk

Picnic perfection in an asos midi dress.

If the French are known for anything, it's their food. Of course, diets were abandoned on first mention of the word baguette, so a picnic in the grounds was one of the most anticipated parts of the entire trip. As it was bloody boiling a bit hot, I'd decided to go for an asos midi dress (meant to have a bardot neckline, but anyone else find them constantly slipping off their shoulders?) and some courts. I think I've reached that point in my sartorial life where shapeless dresses are King, and can 100% see me buying this in every colour, 'cause easy. But, as always, I'm getting a little carried away...

Our day started with a trip to the rooftop for a series of talks named "Life Lessons" with Stylist France Editor Audrey Diwan and blogger Freddie Harel. I, of course, knew Audrey's book "How to Be Parisian" from seeing it on every coffee table across the country, and I'd previously worked with Freddie on a work project, but it was amazing to see these two women so at ease at commanding a room.

We then sat in on the Stylist editorial meeting, where we had a group chat about what sort of things we'd like to see in the issue (that came out last week). As someone who's only really written for online titles before, it was interesting the see the differences between the two, and see the issue come to life via the flat layout on the easel in the corner. 

We then headed into the grounds to sample some more of that French life: cheese. Rather than the ol' buy something from M&S and then sit on the plastic bag trick I've perfected over the years, this picnic was definitely more refined. Tables guys, tables. We sat among the citronella candles accepting I was to be bitten within an inch of my life, but dampening the pain with the taste of brie. So much brie, so little time.

The afternoon was dedicated to exploring the castle and its grounds, where we headed off (covered in insect repellent) to find an old folly full of bats, before heading back to sit poolside and make the most of the sunshine. That evening we were welcomed into the chapel to watch a film, however Laura and I decided to chill on the roof terrace instead.

The next day we headed back to Nantes to catch our flight to London. Thankfully, the sun had travelled across the Channel with us, making the bump back to reality that little bit easier (to be honest, the gin and tonics probably helped with that too). Monday's inbox could wait until then, because I was too busy dreaming about the last week.

What I Wore.


Where We Went.



What's On Insta.




A photo posted by Rebecca (@rebeccacohen_) on

9 Comments

Hello, I'm Rebecca: social media exec, new-ish coffee drinker and loafer-wearer.
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