This week we’re catching up with poet and expert lifestyle journalist, Charlotte Moore - otherwise known as @girlonfilm. Charlotte is a pioneer for female journalism, having written so many powerful pieces including the recent and all too real ‘we could all be Sarah Everard’ and ‘losing and finding yourself during lockdown’.

Empathetic, encouraging, uplifting and radically real - Charlotte is an inspiration, to say the least. This week Charlotte gave us a little glimpse into what exactly is hiding in her home that inspires wisdom and generosity to beam from her being and out of its wide windows to the wider world. We also took a sneak peek at what you can find spouting from her wardrobe. Want a clue? You’re sure to find something old, and something new always borrowed and maybe even blue.

I felt an urge to contact Charlotte as soon as she offered her followers a sneaky snap of her spare room - a “sacred place’ for Charlotte who uses it as her office whilst also loaning it out as a guitar studio for partner James and as a bedroom for their cat. 

Now you may be thinking, “Yeah, it’s a spare room, so what?” But Charlotte’s spare room is filled with consciously sourced items from The British Heart Foundation or Facebook Market Place - that’s not only what, but it’s also something we can all learn from.

In speaking to Charlotte about her choice of interior sourcing, she noted in total honesty that buying second hand was a choice she made in reflecting upon her job as a freelance journalist - a career that despite being incredibly rewarding emotionally, she wouldn’t recommend going in to for the money.

Charlotte has not only always bought second-hand, having grown up around the style, but her father is a carpenter, so DIY runs thick in her bones. “My mum used to run charity shops across Manchester and my dad’s a builder and carpenter,” Charlotte said before adding, “I was always taught that if in doubt, I can make it.”

This is not only a deeply-sewn sentiment in Charlotte’s life but an intricate passion. When asked whether she would spread sustainable love across the rest of her home, Charlotte said, “Oh for sure.” Having grown up in what she deemed clutter, Charlotte emphasizes that she honestly doesn’t feel *at home* in minimalist spaces. “I’m always spray painting lamps or changing handles on drawers with bits that I find along the way,” she relayed.

Now we all know, whether you have a home of your own, rent or live with your parents - there’s always that room that calls your name to offer you solace and silence from the madness of day-to-day life. For Charlotte, this was the bedroom she instantly fell in love with. “The day we viewed it I saw the amount of light that flooded the room and it just felt like home,” she said before adding, “It’s the place where I can really think and I don’t think there’s anywhere else I feel more *me*”

Isn’t that what home is all about? Feeling a little more you? We think so. But it’s the items within a home, squabbling before bursting with memories and moments, that make a house and home. In November, Charlotte released a collection of her intimate, inquisitive poetry, meaning that so many more people can have a piece of Charlotte and her creative mind in their space.  “The idea of seeing my work in someone else’s home always makes me feel emotional,” Charlotte enthused before adding that having a home filled with prints meant that she’d always wanted to make one of her own. The collection was also the perfect opportunity to work with close, talented friend Rissa “She’s just so bloody talented,” she urged. 

When it comes to her favourite stores to source interiors, Still Life Story - a tiny little interiors shop in Stockport - is much loved by Charlotte. “Ruby handpicks each item and it really shows,” Charlotte said before adding, “I’m also really into candles and Feu is one of my current favourites.” Everything else that takes pride in place in Charlotte’s home has been saved from charity shops, Facebook Marketplace or eBay.

But what if you were to sway on up the stairs and prance across the landing - pulled by some imaginary, inquisitive chord towards Charlotte's wardrobe? You’d be met with a bursting array of lovely garments with a caring and conscious aura. 

Is Charlotte a trend-abiding dresser-upper? “Total honesty? No. They change too fast!” Charlotte said before adding that she has a seasonal wardrobe that features a few must-have items.  Charlotte is a firm believer that trends are created to keep consumers feeling as though they are left behind. And what do we do when we feel left out of the style cycle? We shop. “It’s tiring and a lot of trends look awful. But, it’s horses for courses, isn’t it,” Charlotte questioned.

“The only trend I have ever been into is cowboy boots and checkerboard prints,” Charlotte said. And what would find paired with these cowboy booties? It changes all the time. And not because Charlotte goes through clothes like anyone does pasta and bread, but because she’s a huge advocate for rental fashion and foresees it being BIG this summer. “I think that most see rental fashion as something to use for an occasion,” Charlotte began, “But, I think we’re starting to see a shift, especially with platforms like OnLoan who offer a lot of benefits to monthly members,” Charlotte added. 

When she’s not indulging in the art of rental fashion, Charlotte is buying into some of her favourite sustainable businesses. “Lauren Chivers - who is just an incredible creative,” Charlotte said. “Bloma, who since the day they started have just been driven by this incredibly creative eye,” she added, “and, I’m really into Chalsie Joan,” she finished. 

When it comes time to part ways with her unworn, unwanted clothing, Charlotte swears by a one in, one put policy. “Basically, I have to part ways with something if I want to add something new,” she affirmed. “If there’s nothing I want to swap it for, then the new item isn’t worth it,” she added. 

As some of us already know and others will come to learn, being sustainable is just about a mentality than it is money and passion. When hoping to be kinder to the world we live in, a strong sense of who you want to become as well as a kind heart and mind is essential. For Charlotte like many others, she chooses to either donate, sell or swap her clothing. “I can’t remember the last time I threw anything away,” she joked.

And what about when it comes down to upcycled basics? 

“Bras? For sure. Knickers? Not for me,” she signed off.