Hello lovely people, This blog has been dormant during the COVID lockdown due to lack of childcare. However, it will start up again in September 2020. I hope to see you back again soon <3 (And until then, please feel free to follow my Instagram) Tess xx The post The blog will be back soon appeared first on Tess Montgomery ..read more

We live in London, I’m 37, my son is 2.5, and my husband is 35. We are very healthy and not in a high-risk group in regards to the Coronavirus. For us, most likely, if we got sick it would be like having the regular flu. But that doesn’t mean that we should just relax and not care about what happens. We have a responsibility to not only take this illness seriously and take precautions to not get sick and spread the virus. We should also actively help our community and those who might not be as lucky as we are. Here are 3 decent things you can do to help during Covid-19; 1. Help the elderly. Th ..read more

Once we have a bit more eco-awareness and are properly integrated into the sustainable community, we tend to wrinkle our noses at any sustainability initiatives from high-street brands.  Mainly because of possible greenwashing and general greed of mass production. We know that even though a brand has a sustainable line, it doesn’t always make them a sustainable choice since the rest of the clothes they make are the opposite. However, there are some great reasons why we as sustainable influencers and ethical supporters should tone down our eco snobbery and actually look at the benefits these l ..read more

No fashion purchase can be more sustainable than Stella McCartney, right? Wrong. The one thing more sustainable than Stella McCartney is pre-loved Stella McCartney. I have to say that I’m pretty chuffed with my  #OneItemAMonth for February – A pre-loved blazer by one of my absolute favorite designers. And it’s pink! I found this beauty at a second-hand shop in Wandsworth called Shonamac. I was there to drop off a ring and some glasses I don’t wear anymore to be sold, and there it was. Apparently, it had just come in, and I was the first person to pick it up. Let’s just say I didn’t hesitate fo ..read more

If you have followed me here on the blog or on my Instagram for a while, you probably know by now that I have struggled with anxiety the bigger part of my life. Actually, I would like to say all my life, because I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t anxious as a kid. But I highly doubt I came wired that way and for me personally, I think the trigger was my parent’s very messy divorce when I was 4. It was so bad that the next time the two of them were in the same room again was at my wedding almost 30 years later. So you can imagine… But enough about me and my reasons for needing coping mechan ..read more

Does the word upcycling give you mental images of vintage floral dresses becoming whimsical pillows and old bicycle parts made into slightly questionable jewellery? It did to me. I always felt that upcycling was a bit too DIY and crafty for me personally, and not in the best sense of the words. To be honest I hadn’t come across many re-worked pieces of clothes or jewellery that I actually wanted to wear. I never truly got along with the old sewing machine anyway. I would have loved to be one of those people who just magically transformed old clothes into new beautiful styles, I’m just not. So ..read more

Social media can be like a big flood, carrying you away into the distance in the search of all kinds of weird and wonderful things. It can be an amazing adventure that opens up doors to people, places, and cultures from all over the world. But the same flood can also be exhausting, overpowering, get you lost and eventually pull you under from all the pressure. We need to start being more clever with social media. Only dead fish swim with the stream… There are 5 really simple things you can do to maximize the positive aspects of a community online; 1. Only follow accounts that make you feel goo ..read more

In my journey going from a crazy clothes-hoarding shopaholic to now being the proud owner of a highly curated timeless sustainable wardrobe. I have learned that the best-balanced wardrobe is based on these 4 pillars; 1. Essentials The stuff we all need like underwear, socks, t-shirts, jeans, softies… etc. Basically, the items that might not be all that exciting to buy, but necessary to have*. These are the clothes we will use, abuse and likely have to discard (preferably donate to fabric recycling if possible) at some point. They will get worn and washed a lot, and because of this, they won’t ..read more

Failure is a part of life, right? Everyone fails and that’s how we learn…bla bla bla. Great stuff in theory, but not much comfort when we feel like our ego has been run over by a garbage truck.  Truth is, failure is hard. And the more passionate you are about something and harder you have worked for it, the harder you fall. So at that moment, when all you want to do is to melt into a little puddle on the street, you need a coping mechanism. There are 5 things to do after you failed; 1. React – Get upset, it’s allowed! But don’t lash out, try to keep it contained to yourself for now. Don’t take ..read more

…Bad Tess!! I’m terribly behind showing you what I got for my #OneItemAMonth lately. Its blooming February and I have yet to show you what I got in December. Shame on me! So, to get me caught up a bit, I will show you a two-in-one today. My December item AND my January item. They actually go really nicely together, so why not. Just so you know, I was planning on going out with a big bang in December and really celebrate a whole year of #OneItemAMonth with a large purchase. I decided almost at the start of the challenge that my December purchase was going to be a Max Mara coat. An investment to ..read more