Just before Christmas my fiancé's dad gave me a Sigma 50-200mm lens to try out. These photos were taken on the lens' second outing whilst being in my posession, with my good friend Lexie behind the camera. I'm very excited about the possibility of being able to use the lens for blog photos on a more regular basis but as I'm sure you can spot from these photos I am having a few teething problems as the photos aren't coming out quite as well in focus as I'd like. Although they're not perfectly sharp I wanted to share them anyway, firstly because I do still like them, and secondly because I wanted to use it as an opportunity to ask for advice from any of you with more photography experience (and skill!) than myself.

I did discover that the optical stabilizer on the lens was turned off on these photos (and on another set which you'll be able to see at a later date), and I'm hoping that turning this back on will improve things. I am also planning on trying out the lens on a tripod to see if it makes a difference. If anyone out there has any other advice or tips I'd be really grateful as I'd really like to be able to use the lens to its full potential.





Anyway, the subject of today's blog post is not my photography-related woes, but instead is this outfit which features several items which have not been included in blog photos before. Starting from the top, the first new item is my lovely floral headband which I picked up for a song about a week ago in my favourite local vintage shop (more on that in an upcoming post). The flowers themselves look quite old to me, and are typical of those that turn up on mid-century hats and bridal headwear. However, the construction of the headband makes me think that the flowers were either purchased separately (maybe from a millinery or craft store) and attached to the band, or have been repurposed from another item. Nevertheless it's a very beautiful (and delicate - some of the flowers are made of paper) item which I will really enjoy wearing.

Next up is my sweet little cardigan, which spent most of the day hidden beneath my favourite jacked (complete with my little crown brooch from Tegen Accessories).  It's a bit difficult to tell from the photos but the flowers on the front are 3D. This actually came from my fiancé's mum as she said she doesn't wear it any more, but it goes just perfectly with this skirt, which is the Banned Maddy Tartan Skirt in blue (more about that in a minute). Alongside the cardigan I also have this cream kelly bag, which my friend Jo gave me and which I featured in my thrifted and gifted haul and try-on video. It's actually not vintage but is the perfect style to fake it (and actually isn't at all dissimilar to a genuine vintage cream kelly bag I have that used to belong to my granddad's late first wife). It looks small but I actually managed to cram loads of stuff in, which is very important for me as I seem to always carry plenty of stuff around.

Lastly I have some very warm and stylish pixie boots which were passed along to me by Lexie (my friends and family are all very generous!). Unfortunately that lovely faux-sheepskin around the top doesn't extend inside the boot (I bet that would be extra cosy) but you can flip the top up and wear them in more of an ankle boot style which I have also done. I do love versatility in my wardrobe, it's like having two pairs of boots in one!



The skirt was sent to me to review for you guys by Blue Banana, who have a lovely selection of retro and vintage reproduction clothing, mostly in a 50s style but with a couple of other decades thrown in here and there. Some of the clothing is much more rockabilly or even psychobilly/more punk inspired, but there are also plenty of items that suit a more authentic vintage wardrobe as well.

For me, the skirt is the perfect style. I wear a lot of tartan and check prints so it just called out to me, and you see those pockets? Yep, they are absolutely real, and they are huuuuuge. I love them for popping my phone into when I'm just pottering about the house and I know how much of a selling point functional pockets on womens clothing are to a lot of you. They also feel fairly sturdy, so even carrying a heavier item like my phone doesn't drag the skirt out of shape. The inside edges of the pockets have been left raw though, which makes me wonder if over time using the pockets will cause those seams to fray more. (Just to clarify, all the other seams are finished).

I'm wearing a size XS, which fits me absolutely perfectly. According to the size chart on the Blue Banana website, this is a 26" waist. It's available in sizes XS through to XL from Blue Banana, and at the time of writing it is in stock in every size.



The fabric of the skirt has a very nice feel to it, and a decent enough weight to give the skirt a nice shape and some movement as you walk. The only problem I did find was that it creases like nobody's business, and by the time I had finished ironing it it was all creased again. To be honest it isn't a huge problem (it irons quite easily at any rate, so at least it's not a pain to do) although if you're going to be spending a lot of time sitting down it might look quite crumpled after a while. At some point I might try steaming it; I wonder if this would at least help to prevent it getting creased as it's being ironed.

Although Banned refer to the colour of the skirt as "blue" (and as such it's listed this way everywhere I've seen it online), the product description on the Blue Banana website calls it turquoise and I personally might even go so far as to call it green. It's looks quite blue in these photos but I'm not sure if I'd wear it with a blue cardigan, for example. Maybe I will try it and see. On the other hand I have some shoes and a bag in a turquoisey kind of colour which might suit it much better. Anyway, all I'm trying to say is - I know different people perceive colour differently but to me this is much more green than I was expecting based on what Banned have decided to call it.



I think that's pretty much it from me for today, but I will leave you with a faintly ridiculous photo of me taken just after the wind finished lifting my skirt up. See you all soon and please do let me know if you have any advice or tips for the lens!