Break Over.

Wow. It's been far too long since that last post...

And such a lot's happened!

I've had balls, garden parties, birthday celebrations, homecomings, reunions, and I've started work! The 3 week (ish) break was unintended, but probably needed. Last term was a bit of a rollercoaster, and I needed to take a bit of a breather, get time to myself, and readjust to being a) a Londoner again and b) free of exam fear!

I suppose I should also tell those of you who've been so supportive these past couple of months, I got through it... And I got a high 2.1 including the highest mark in the year on one of my papers. (Same one I came top in last year... Woop! CV heaven! ;-D) My dissertation, as I knew it would be, was my lowest mark, but it was still respectable. Thank gawd. Panic over!

I still don't know for sure if I'm going to be in Cambridge or London next year as the business school are extreeeeeeemely disorganised, and I'm amidst plans to turn my house into a building site for 5 months, so our home is being cleared of 20 years of hoarding. Clothes are amongst the victims of the mass-clearout, as are board games, books, and bin bag after bin bag of paper... (All sent to charity or recycled of course! ;-D)

So all in all, it's a little stressy around here, but the clear-out's actually really cathartic, and it's all nothing compared to Cam in exam term haha.

The job, as a press assistant with an extremely lovely bunch of people is going really well 1.5 weeks into a long haul. I'm slowly but surely learning the ropes (I think) and am loving every minute of it. I've fallen in love with quite a lot of our pre-Fall stock (including a darling little mint Acne jumper), and am absolutely knackered at the end of every very full day. I'll try to talk a bit about it in future posts, but I'm not sure at the mo how much I want to keep the blog and the job separate, so will be treading quite lightly for a while.

Woah, that's a hell of a lot of writing, so I'll sign off now... I'm also going to zero my Google Reader so I can just start again commenting on people's blogs as at the mo, the thousands of unread posts are just a tad daunting!

Photos to come tomorrow.

Love Xxxc

It's been aaaaaaaaaaaaaages!!!

Hello all :-D

I'm finally free, and rested, and I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things blogging-wise... Woop!

For starters, we have the extreeeeeeeeeemely unflattering photos of me sans-makeup, sans-sleep, sans-sanity post-last exam... (See my pink keyboard that I typed all my exams on! ;-D)

I was actually the last person to finish, which kinda sucked, but now I'm done, and am leaving, and it's slightly scary but reeeeeeeeally exciting! :-D I've got a summer intern-ing to look forward to, and going home to one of the most exciting, confusing, large cities in the world, and I'm so so so happy about it. No idea what results, or the end of the summer has in store, but for the first time ever, life's plan is uncertain, and that's kinda insanely amazing.

Do I sound mad? Probably... ;-)

So anyway, since the champagne (which I'm actually allergic to, but I took piriton allergy tablets so I could celebrate traditional-style ;-D), I've basically just been sleeping... A few bits of admin here and there, but mostly snoring away!

However, last night was technically the beginning of May Week, and the fun of balls and garden parties, so I started it off with a bang at Robinson May Ball... It's one of the less formal ones, but was great fun as I went with some of my closest friends and we ate SO MUCH FOOD! Hehe.

*There had to be a twirling picture... ;-D*

Great start to the week ahead... I was wearing Jigsaw dress (shock), Wolford stockings, Kate Kuba heels, Zara clutch bag, borrowed scarf.

SO much fun. Right. I need to get changed and run to a garden party. Yay!!!

Xxxc

Sunny wanderings...

Well, I'm three down, one to go on the exams front... Next one's on Tuesday, and I have to find some motivation deep within to get back into revising after crashing for a couple of days since my 3 exams in 27 hours typed with crippling pain from the RSI.

My viva 'exam' is basically going to be me bitching about the exam timetable lol. I don't think they've gone too badly overall so far, but considering in my third paper I was so knackered I could barely type, let alone form cogent arguments to the best of my ability on my best paper, so will probably get a low 2.1, when I should have got a first, is annoying to say the least.

Ah well. I've given up on the idea of a fourth year and just want to get this done so I can go home and think about jobs etc lol. Plus, most of my friends are already finished or finish in the next couple of days, so I'm really champing at the bit to be done. Then again I know nothing for Tuesday's exam, so should probably do something about that quite soon haha.

Anyhoo... Moaning aside, T-B and I did take some time out the other day to do a photoshoot, while it was still sunny ;-D

Purple days and Purple ways...

Truly low maintenance summer-ness... I'm in my trusty, slightly worse for constant wear two-tone Converse (- can't see my colour combo, but kinda jonesing for a brown and orange-tongued pair. hmmmmm -), TopShop tee and dress, Toywatch, vintage purple sunnies and my MapTote.

Funsies. It was pretty much straight from this shoot back to work... Euurggh. I really should be getting back to work tonight. Blah. I know nothing about the Anglo Saxons. Sigh. Long long long 5 days ahead. But once it's over, I have a BBQ at our dissertation coordinator / college fellow's house (he has the cutest kids) - not sure he knows quite what he's doing having 20 just-finished-finals undergrad archaeologists turning up at his house, but he's a good laugh as are all the other dept fellows who'll be there, most of whom just get drunk with us, so... Yay! First archaeology lash in a looooooooooooong time!

Then I have the WONDERS of May Week and May Balls to look forward to... (Ignoring my viva exam on the last day of May Week lol.) It's going to be weird, as pretty much everyone is going their separate ways. Slightly scary prospect really. Sigh. But that light at the end of the tunnel - Finishing - is what's keeping me going at the mo.

Sorry I'm still not around much... I'll try to amp up the posting, and get around to returning to Google Reader and returning comments sooooooooooon! I miss you guys!

Xxxc

Sleepy... But PHOTOSHOOT!!!

Hey all,

Exams creep ever closer - they start with one on Monday, then two on Tuesday, then I have a week before my final final on Tuesday 9th - and I'm so unprepared. But never mind... Sleepiness pervades, but I'm just popping in to post up a photoshoot we did a few days ago. 

This is one of my favourite outfits - because it is made up of my favourite charity shop find ever, some of my longest serving shoes, and the cutest cardie in my wardrobe! Sorry for the generic-streets venue. Exam term doesn't leave much time for photoshoots in the nice places - only in the bits in between! ;-)

So...

I love yellow... Really??? Never... (Captioned)

- "Alex, there are *People* around!"

- "Alex, stop taking photos like a paparazzi!"

- "Alex, I'm ignoring you!"

- "Alex, you still there?"

- "Alex, seriously, what are you doing?"

- "Alex, can I twirl with shopping bags? No? Why not?"

- "Alex, you're a meanie..."

- "Alex, whassat???"

- "Alex, there's a cute boy over there... Stop taking photos so he doesn't think I'm a tourist!"

*Please excuse the shopping bags.* We didn't quite think the order of the afternoon's activities through. I lugged these (and dragged TB) to a book launch and then for photos, for no real reason, since the supermarket is actually, technically, on the way back to college from all these places. Hmmmm.

Anyway, I'm wearing: vintage, handmade floral dress bought at Sally Ann's Salvation Army store in Cam; Pringle cardigan (the seams are stitched in pink and green, which you can't see here, but is just the cutest detail ever!); Kate Kuba suede heels; vintage, purple sunglasses; vintage, tooled leather belt; Maptote Cambridge (Mass.) bag and Lady Luck Rules OK brooch. 

On that note, I really must get back to the library. Life's very dull at the moment. But got to keep going... for another two weeks. Sigh.

Then, I'll be back properly, with a vengeance ;-D

Hugs to all,

Xxxc

Images, as ever, taken by Alex Tatton-Brown. Thanks to Pamela Jane Smith.

Polka-dotted exam-crazed girl...

Since it's been pretty much a week since my last post, and it's pretty self-evident that I'm being a crappy blogger whose spent the last week in the library, I'll just put up a few photos and not make any excuses. Promise!

So... Today's photoshoot:

Pleated Prettiness! Run, Run, Run!

Anyhoo. This outfit is a work-in-progress, of the Susie Bubble school of not-quite-happy-with but posting-experimentation (though her "not-quite-happy" would make me happy enough to cry ;-D).

And this work-in-process outfit is made up of: "Surprise Inn, SW3" teeshirt from the mothership's wardrobe, navy polka dot pleated skirt from Love Miss Daisy Vintage, peach tights from Topshop, Kate Kuba navy suede heels, Toywatch and my Maptote Cambridge (the Massachusets one ;-D) bag.

My life now revolves around archaeology, not clothes (sob!) so my sartorial instincts are a little off... But I'm IN LOVE with this beautiful "new" (well, vintage) pink, pleated, navy polka-dotted skirt that plopped into my pigeon hole from Love Miss Daisy Vintage last week, along with the aforementioned cocktail dress and a beeeeeeyoooooooteeeeeeeful scarf that the lovely Laura included in my parcel. Oh I Adore that site. Sigh. Not sure about having teamed the mildly unflattering teeshirt with the skirt, but never mind... It was comfy ;-D

On that note, I really need to get back to the library. I've had an hour's more break than I should have and am sleepy, so needs must, or I'll not get anything more done before bed. I will try to post more frequently, as I have another photoshoot, some Amnesty Fashion Show stuff and other bits and pieces to show you as well, but the blog's had to go on the back burner until after finals... Do keep checking in though. I may even post on the weekend... You never know!!! ;-D

Xxxc

Grey Day So We Invade Trinity

Ok guys, it's a photoshoot day!!! I was going to save this 'til tomorrow, but I think the next couple of days are going to be spent in la library removing myself from the internet... No shopping. No procrastinating. Just attempting not to fail exams... At least 'til Tuesday! ;-D

But, since you're all so lovely, I thought I'd leave you with this *attempt to make the world at least pretend to be sunny and warm...*

I'm Blue! Dabadee Dabadi Dabadee Dabadi...

I just love twirling TOO much... But the skirt does FUN THINGS!!!

Gratuitous accessories love...

Pose... And TWIRL!!!

Stumbles...

Fights with tree... And giggles.

Oops! Sorry Tree!

Lost.

Hop, skip and a jump... But not quite home!

As you can see, the sun has decided to desert Cambridge for the time being... I'm trying to keep in the sunny feeling, by wearing bright colour, but I have a feeling all this spring chicken energy may sap away the longer this grey dreary spell continues. Let's keep our fingers crossed tomorrow brightens up!!! 

The location for this shoot was Trinity, which is the college next door to mine... We're supposed to be mortal enemies. 

Trinity has canons pointed at John's!!! 

No Kidding!

In this shoot, I'm wearing a GAP tee and GAP men's cardigan, vintage skirt, Accessorize and confirmation present bracelets, vintage tooled leather belt, Melissa for Vivienne Westwood T-Bar Mary Janes, ToyWatch and Anya Hindmarch woven clutch. 

                                           

So, that's today... I'm well behind on an essay, and rather sleepy, but never mind! 

I've mostly spent the day admin-ing and searching for the perfect Stepford Wife half-apron with Angie (@Norwegian_Wood) via Twitter and Etsy. I got a new haul from Love Miss Daisy Vintage today, including a raspberry pink  cocktail dress that just *screams* silly themed dinner party... WOOP! for post-exam planning! My current favourites for the job of *my apron* are these:

from Serendipity Treasures and phase three

from Boojiboo

from Spice Rak Designs

Also from Spice Rak Designs, and currently very much the favourite... Hmmmmm.

I was thinking I could attempt to make my own, but THE LEMONS ONE IS SO DAMN BLAST PRETTY!!!

Thoughts, comments and suggestions are welcome. I'm also looking for a hair tutorial (youtube?) for 50s Stepford Wife hair:

Definitely thinking about this waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much... Hehe.

Oh, and one final thing:

Can we all express the LOVE for T-B's teeshirt...??? (From teetonic.com - they have a girl's version in lilac too!)

Hehe. The boy done good.

Night all!

Xxxc

more musings on lookbook inspiration... because i should be doing other things

Though I had a lovely evening out in Will's company, eating sushi, planning summer jaunts to Venice, and generally putting the world to rights, I'm just a bit out of sorts. In honesty, I'm bone-deep-tired, seriously emotionally raked-over-the-coals, slightly (ok, horrendously) scared about impending exam doom, and seemingly incapable of getting up at a reasonable time in the morning at the moment... So not really happy skippy and photoshoot-y. Maybe this weekend!

So instead, I'm going to share with you a few Lookbook.nu inspirations again. I know... Unoriginal ;-D

- Just so simple... I love the shoes and that jumper is just too cute!

- Can I please BE this girl? That backdrop is to die for and the dress KILLS!

- So cute. I love the skirt and the sweet head tilt... 

- Fierce. I keep wondering about red converse. They can be hard to pull off, but done SO well here!

- I always love this girl's stuff... She has such adorable outfits, and the illustrations really float my whimsical boat. Gorgeous.

So, there you have it: the things inspiring me this evening. 

Oh, and These Mark Leibowitz photos from backstage at Galliano are Just Breathtaking!!!

I should be revising statues in 5th century Constantinople... Sigh. 

Toodles!!!

Xxxc