Feeling Black

I always used to be a NO BLACK CLOTHING zone...

But lately, black has been jumping out at me all over the place... (sorry about the tiny-ness - click on it to see a bigger version.)

In recent weeks I've also acquired a few more black things to try out anyway...

First up, black Topshop hareem trousers. Just so f-ing comfy!

- with h&m top and tibetan stole plus footless tights from a play and m&s flats

- with black tights probably from sainsbury's lol, primark tee, charity shop necklace and urban outfitters horsey scarf. Worn with black m&s flats again. 

I also found THE heeled oxfords today... Ok, so a few months ago I would have said No Way to black, but now it feels good. And they were only £25 in a sale here in Cam. (I also got a longer pair of brown boots which are yummy and I will post soon!) I am SO SO SO loving the sheer ribbon laces! 

And, here's a pair of silk 3/4 lengths from 3.1 Philip Lim, in the Luisa Via Roma sale that Bryanboy alerted me to! You can't really see the silky shininess, but trust, they work for the pjs trend lol. I'm using them as surrogates for a pair of ice blue long silk pants I almost got from h&m a while back. Still regret leaving them. But these will do... Even if my room mate thinks they're ridiculous!!! ;-D
- just with h&m top...
- with h&m top, the oxfords, vintage belt from the mother and vintage porcelain pendant.

- I've had this black (Jack Wills - eeeuuuurrrch!) cashmere (so so so so so soft) jumper a while... worn with Kat Kuba shoes, Acne jeans, h&m tee underneath, vintage silk scarf and Paul Smith mustard blazer. I wore this to my Classics class on Wednesday and TOWERED above everyone. Hehehe.

What do you lot think of black at the mo?

Xxxc

CSM produces Grace-Jones inspired oddness and weirdly captivates me...

Now on first glance at the Central Saint Martins stuff from this year, I wasn't massively blown away. But I mustn't have looked very hard (or I was being a bit of a ditz, which is equally probable considering my constantly sleep-starved state these days).

I happened upon the CSM article on Dazed Digital this morning. (Yes, it's 5.54am... So what?!) It had three little interviews with students who've just shown their collections: Oden Wilson, Laura Mackness, Chary Westberg and Matteo Bigliardi, and along with these, they showed some sketches and 'inspirations'. I instantly fell in love with Mackness' felt tip drawings and her inspiration photo:

So I went to Vogue.com and found (from 148 onwards) her designs which I hadn't looked at first time around...

Most of them really interested me. Now I'm not sure how the colour combinations would look in real life, but I'm rather intrigued by the texture and what I perceive to be the heaviness of the fabric. And just look at those details! I want to draw trouser zips onto yellow trousers RIGHT NOW, with a sharpie. Please. Thank you.

Not so sure about the cone hats, but you never know!!! ;-D 

The sixth photo made me think of maybe making a scarf / collar-esque construction in the shape of that lapel with the hand off the bottom... Black starched / cardboard reinforced fake collar... Intriguing!

I think this might be very love-hate, but I do think it's interesting... I especially love the interview and insights Mackness gives in the article too. Grace Jones and basic shapes... Born in the 80s. Oh yes! 

Xxxc

Morbid much!

Look away now if you're slightly squeamish...

But after seeing a post on because I'm addicted, I went to Melanie Pullen's photography site to have a look at her High Fashion Crimes photos, based on real crime scenes...

They're AMAZING! Check it out - here are a few of my favourites...

(loving the lace)
(want those shoes...)

this one reminds me of Millais' Ophelia...
talk about wanting a yellow dress...

Apparently the project was sparked off when she read Evidence by Luc Sante, a book of NY crime scene photos... And she did loads of research in the LAPD files of pre-50s photos. These photos sometimes involved 60 + people to set them up, and I think it's really worth it. They certainly do present us with a few things to think about re. the glamourisation of violence and our own taboos and views of what is shocking...

What do you think?

Trashy TV Talk

Now I do like a bit of TV related procrastination... 

I have just finished watching my Party Animals Season 1 box set (2007, BBC production). It stars the *new Dr Who* who is a sweet and floppy bunny-ish MP's researcher, alongside an excellent cast, a great script, and some clothes I wouldn't mind having myself! Only problem is that Matt Smith buggering off to play a time lord means no more... SOB! 

It really truly is an excellent series and anyone who gets a chance to watch it should... They're re-running it on BBC4 at the mo and one can find it on BBCIplayer and surfthechannel (for those of you outside the UK). 

My favourite bit is the cuteness of Andrew Buchan who plays the older brother... Fit As! And he was in Bones at the beginning of this latest season, so that just adds to his kudos points ;-D - I don't normally like the party boy type, but the character is just so well portrayed and scripted that you can't help yourself - especially as the series draws to a close. Oh and Andrew Buchan is from Stockport where my family is from, so that makes me happy too lol.

And the outfits of Kirsty (chintzy but smart, and she has a killer green top in the second to last episode... couldn't find any good photos tho. :-0) and Ashika (sex in a suit) are MINT!

Also, is anyone else looking forward to new Gossip Girl? I just found out (probably hugely belatedly) that they're doing a spin off series about Lily and Rufus in the '80s... How much fun isthat going to be?!?! Hehe. Saying that, I found out via a slightly catty article from NY magazine, so not sure about the girl who's going to play Lily... But we shall see!!!

I don't know why, but I just have images of her a la Pretty in Pink hehe.

Oh, and with the gossip about Blair / Nate coming thick and fast... I'm undecided... Which is the more sartorially satisfying pairing?

Xxxc (having a non-highbrow day...)

Back to Yellow

There've been a couple of images that have popped up on my radar lately that I love simply for their little POPs of yellow.

So liking the yellow tie / yellow gloves within a more sober outfit thing at the mo... Yum.

Images from Style slicker and style.com

Xxxc

Love for Louise Gray

Oh I'm happy. I just took a sneaky peak at Louise Gray's new collection, now up on her website... She didn't do catwalk this year, but according to Susie, the presentation was still maxi-excellent!

I thought I liked her last season's stuff, with it's chainmail and beautiful colours...

And then I saw her stuff for A/W09... Oh Gosh. I want everything!

Trying to work out which jumpers I can risk cutting holes out of the back of...

Must. Find. Furry. Belt.

Cute top over the white. Love the shoes. Love the whole look. 

Can I can I can I?!?! 

Note to self. When back in London, visit Liberty...

Xxxc

Beautiful beautiful...

Lovely camera work from Nirrimi on Flickr... Everyone should check out her photostream! Thanks to because I'm addicted. 

I have a yen for pink sunglasses and for drawing hearts in red pen all over myself... Oh wait. I may have just done that. Oops! :-D Maybe I'll cover it up for Ash Wednesday Evensong!

Xxxc

Why oh why do there have to be so many amazing onine shops out there?

Latest craze...

Luisa Via Roma. Bryan Boy kindly pointed out that the last chance sale was on. Joyous.

Cue a little while agonising. A 'one item only' buying at 70% markdown. And a lot of wishlist-ing.

Here's my two favourites that didn't make the cut... D&G scarf and beautiful LVR shoesies! Sob.


Xxxc

Sequins and motorbikes...

Vogue March 09... Just loving this image. Sequins and an old motorbike. Though I haven't been sure about the Meadham Kirchoff jeans, they work here...

I really like the bleached quality of this photo. I having quite a rich, black day, but my heart yearns for the lighter sun-washed colours of summer... Sigh.

Xxxc

Going round on the windmills in my mind...

Mishmash of street syle (The Sart, Style Slicker and Copenhagen Street Style), the makeup and colourway from the Kinder Aggugini show and the Richard Nicoll for Topshop stuff from Dazed Digital...

Feast:

I regularly think I prefer street style photos to runway... There's just so much more personality.

Though I did have several mini heart attacks at the TopShop unique show... Lots of my favourite 'colour' - grey grey grey - yum yum yum - aren't I wierd? Cyberspace meets 80s meets circus. Yum. I'm feeling more black and shiny these days. plus I've always loved metallic. ;-D

sequin wings? off the shoulder? me likey!

FIT purple sequinned pants... Probably akin to my ASHISH rarely worn sequinned rugby top, but so so so perfect for Planet Angel...

OMG!!! HAVE TO HAVE THAT TUNIC!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

Jewellery-crush...

I so have this as a DIY project... Neon fabric paint, black body con dress... Numnumnum.

Grey layers... All slouchy... Yay.

Xxxc

If I had a lot of money I would buy...

Surfing Net-a-Porter is a bad bad plan...

As is Browns... Slightly more on the expensive side too... While the Net-a-Porter items are all those which I could JUST justify the expense of, if and when I have the free cash. With Browns, however, only the first and last are REMOTE options... But don't you just LOVE the gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous MJ heart cutout bag? I'd sell my soul...

Xxxc

Apparently, I'm a canary...

Well, so the BBC says of my chosen (well, if one counts a degree as choosing) profession...

"Professor Mark Horton of Bristol University has predicted about a quarter (of archaeologists) will find themselves unemployed before the recession is over. It has been dubbed a "canary" trade, one which - like the canaries warning of dangerous gas in mining history - die at the first sign of trouble in the air.

"It's catastrophic," said the professor. "Most of those people will have to find jobs somewhere else. There will be a real skills shortage, and a real problem when excavations begin again."

Bugger.

Oh well. A job in Fashion is my only hope. 

Wait a second...

;-D

Although, all depression aside, I do actually rather like canaries and canary yellow... Hmmmmmmm.

Recession-Love-Xxxc

Hedi Slimane's Photo-Frenzy... Me-likey!

So, elsewhere on Dazed Digital, I find something much nicer... Hedi Slimane's photos of London Teens. Amazing images.

I want to BE one of these girls... Please. Pretty Please. Pretty Please with Cherries on top!

I also made a collage of the best... JUST LOOK at that smouldering boy in the bottom left.YUM! (Is it just me or does he look a bit like Robert Pattinson from Twilight / HP?)

You MUST check it out... I wish I could take photos like this. They are going to haunt my dreams for WEEKS! And not just because I a) want those lace dresses, b) want a fringe like the girl third along, top row and c) want a boy like the one bottom left! ;-D

Note to self: try and find a January issue of Dazed and Confused... Damn me for being on an economy drive and not buying it!!! :-(

Xxxc

Barbour... Mixed Thoughts

In another fit of procrastination, I headed to Dazed Digital and chanced upon a story about SS09 Barbour... And ICK! 

The only thing I remotely like is the women's polo shirt, as it reminds me of my school netball shirts - in a nostalgico-kick kinda way - but even that is actually not particularly wearable, in my humble opinion... 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm actually one of those wierd people who thinks Barbour jackets are cool (though I don't own one) and love the smell of them (waxy and yummy)... But WTF?!?! They just look cheap and far too try hard.

AND to make matters worse, they then go and describe the collection as this:

Use of the crest as part of the latest Barbour range is a definitive nod by the clothing house at the Brit prep culture, a quintessentially English lifestyle revolving around historical universities like Oxford and Cambridge, sports like polo and croquet and heavily influenced by affluent British families holidaying in the costal areas such as Cornwall and Northumberland.

Oxbridge? My arse. Anything like that round here is consigned to stash and thus is only worn on the sports field or when nursing a hangover... Noone wears it outside Cam unless they're proud of their sporting achievements more than they give a monkey's about their appearance!

Sorry, but it's hideous.

Ok. Rant over. Look at these lovely pictures of old style Barbour, before it's "makeover" (bleeeeeuuughhhh!)

Ok. I feel a bit better now... Especially after the chictopia outfit from jaja's chic blog made me happy :-D

Xxxc