5th June 2016

The Pursuit of Happiness

Fashion - By Alexandra Stedman
Chris: Shirt: H&M. Jeans: Uniqlo. Shoes: Office.
Alex: Shirt: Margaret Howell. Dress: H&M (old but buy similar in navy here). Shoes: H&M. Photographs: Eva K Salvi 
Happiness. We all look for it in our day to day lives. But sometimes with work, life, the daily routine we forget to seek it out. My big step towards happiness was going freelance, being in charge of my own schedule, help deal with my anxiety and spend more time with people I love.

 

Tote bag: £24, Kipling

So when Kipling asked me a while back if I were to do a post on what makes me happy, I knew what the content would be immediately: my wonderful ‘better’ half.

The man behind the lens, who you guys rarely see – Chris is a huge part of my site and takes most of the pictures you see and ‘like’ on instagram. I couldn’t have achieved my current work/life balance (which is still a work in progress!) or continued doing my dream job if it weren’t for his support and hard work.

They say behind every great man there is a woman, and I believe it runs true the other way – or that we both hold each other up. But not only all this, he is the kindest, nicest person I know – and those of you who have been to any of my events can probably testify: he’s much nicer than me.

 

And he makes me laugh every single day. And that’s what happiness is about, right?

 

We chose Brighton for our photos, as a special place where we spent a lot of our early days a couple (he used to live here), and anywhere we can eat fish and chips in the open air is a happy place for us.

 

 

 

Chris: Shirt: H&M. Jeans: Uniqlo. Shoes: Office (all old).
Alex: Shirt: Margaret Howell. Dress: H&M (old but buy similar in navy here). Shoes: H&M. Trench: £198, J Crew. Sunglasses: £118, J Crew. Backpack: £74, Kipling

 

 

Anyway, enough of the soppy stuff. I am excited to be working with the lovely people at Kipling on their We Make Happy campaign (because as well as great bags and luggage, their brand ethos is basically happiness – and I’m down with that). Throughout June, Kipling will be working on the ‘little things’ that make people happy (last year they made a rainbow walkway over London Bridge – no biggie) – and they are asking for people to submit a lovely  message for a friend or loved one via we-makehappy.com, they will be notified that they can find their (secret) message at an installation full of balloons at the Southbank Centre observation point on the 18th June (just think of the instagram opportunities!). I will be there on the 18th with Chris seeking out his message, making a day of it with our family – a walk along the Southbank is one of my favourite things to do in London anyway.

 

Because as much as we love clothes and travel and nice new things, real happiness doesn’t cost anything.

 

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Kipling, whose campaign for happiness I am excited to be a part of.

By Alexandra Stedman

Fashion Editor, Blogger, Realist

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Comments

  1. Alex – what a lovely post! I think its so important to focus on the things that bring true happiness from time to time. As you say, new clothes and "things" are the nice to haves and give pleasure in short bursts but the real of stuff of life that goes on behind the scenes is the glue that holds it all together. You guys are a gorgeous couple and I love these photos!
    Amanda xx

  3. Gorgeous post and gorgeous couple on the inside and out 🙂 So happy for you both and a lovely reminder of what's really important in life! I'm also very lucky to have a supportive partner who is a great champion of my career and living a healthier life / work balance. I will be sending my message to Kipling for him and thanks for sharing this wonderful idea! x

  14. Well, these are some most romantic and lovely pictures I have ever seen over web. These are full of love, innocence, compatibility and more.

  15. A beautiful post – and that's not just the clothes. I think we are all guilty of buying 'stuff' to make us happy, This is a good reminder that the fabric of happiness actually lies underneath, within us and each other.
    Two things that would make me ecstatic? One of your brilliant travel pieces on Brighton and a blog post by your super-stylish husband! What do cool boys wear, and crucially, where can we buy it for them?!!

  17. So true…and the good news is we are doing a Brighton City Guide next month so watch this space…! Oh and mens' clothes…so tricky! Chris just wears H&M, Uniqlo and sometimes primark for basics – he's a v simple man!