Bloggers Style Inspiration: What Olivia Did

Starting this feature with 'Meet Olivia Purvis' would be a little pointless, because thanks to her inspirational fashion and style blog 'What Olivia Did', she's a household name in the blog community. Oh, and did I mention she's collaborated with Miss Selfridge in the past? Impressive? Most definitely! 

Statement jackets

A jacket can instantly update and transform an outfit. A leather jacket especially is an investment piece that will never go out of style. Olivia wears her Whistles jacket with a feminine dusty pink dress (right), giving it a rock'n'roll edge. And while the style of a jacket is key, colours can create a different vibe to an ensemble. This orange/burnt amber jacket (centre) ties in the colour scheme, bringing out the rich tones of her hair.

You can never have too many dresses

A theory I stand by. Olivia pulls off any dress with ease, from laid-back chic at Underage festival (left) to classic cream in black (centre) and royal blue in a Monki dress (right). 

Plenty of prints

Lipstick matching in this printed Motel top (left), accessorized with cat eye sunglasses and a sleek beehive. A polkadot skirt and a fabulous collar top (centre) aptly named 'Liv' creates a vintage vibe, whilst classic pieces such as a striped top, skinny jeans and tan accessories (right) look effortlessly chic. It's her Pippa Topshop skinny jeans, a "good striped t-shirt and a good pair of ballet flats" that Olivia admits she couldn't live without. 

Ladylike lovely

Another day, another look, proving how versatile Olivia's style is. When describing her style she pinpoints it as being: "Girlie yet tomboyish, colourful, nostalgic with a hint of sixties fun thrown in for good measure." These velvet scalloped shorts (left) teamed with a tied blouse make a luxurious office ensemble. While at London Fashion Week, Olivia pulls out all the stops in this Topshop polkadot pencil skirt, kept formal with this tailored H&M jacket and Mulberry bag. A hint of quirky can be found in these adorable Ebay cat shoes. And rewinding back in time is this icy blue vintage number (right) by Roamkix. 

Her high-street fashion love is boosted by working in Whistles, which although she admits she may be biased, she feels "they have the best quality clothing and build an amazing bridge between high street and high end fashion." Other stores she favourites include Topshop "as you can always find something you love in there" and ASOS for "some absolute 'bargainous' treats."

It's obvious from her delectable style and eye for prints, colour and fit that fashion means more to her than some hobby. "Without sounding too 'deep' or 'arty farty', I like to think of fashion as a way of expressing yourself, your interests and your passions. It's a creative outlet, and something to definitely have fun with" she describes. 

But like any passion, inspiration usually stems from somewhere and Olivia lists her mum, her best friend and boyfriend to name a few. "It can come from my favourite bands, magazines or even other blogs" she continues. And as far as celebrity style icons are concerned she draws inspiration from Alexa Chung, Drew Barrymore, Audrey Hepburn, Fearne Cotton and Tennessee Thomas. 

With regards her fashion words of wisdom she admits: "If you feel happy and comfortable in what you're wearing - then wear it!" I couldn't agree more! 

Thank-you to Olivia for the interview and for letting me use images, all of which you can find on her blog.

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