Beautiful Suiting

Having just been promoted at work, I've got quite into Power Dressing... Having never been a fan of black, I'm now in love with it for its air of professional cool and power.

This new M&S dress is my new favourite... Flattering, appropriate, and washable! The holy grail of work dresses!

Though I am now partial to a bit of black, you can't do without colour... And what is more Colourful than a berry red wool suit?!?!

The skirt especially is easy to wear, warm and incredibly nice on. The wool doesn't crease, and the lining doesn't get staticky with opaques!

And the footwear?

How about some gorgeous black suede heels, with cute triangular straps?

I'm such a twenty-something middle-ager, but I'm ADORING M&S this season! =D =D =D 

Xxxc

FIERCE!!! in Studs and House of Holland... (And more savings-fun)

Well, since I managed to have a panic attack at 3am last night, I decided there was nothing for it but to get through my pyramid studs! 

So here are the jeans... DIYed! 

There weren't Quite enough studs to finish a pocket, but almost... I think they're wearable without 'finishing ( - I was going to do a full half pocket - ) if not quite kwl as they are!

I took the whole pocket off, as I preferred the slightly neater look, and unlike in the Jak and Jil photo, black denim just doesn't have the same look, frayed and torn apart!

So... What do y'all think?

I was glad to have these this morning, as it was my first day out and about, working in the University Library - ok, only for a few hours, but still! - rather than in my own room... It felt good, not to float around, as is my usual want, but to stalk around town in black denim and an oversize crrraaaazeeeeeeee tee-shirt from House of Holland... (Claire - this is the one I got in my first foray into Cocosa!) Otherwise, I'm wearing Kate Kuba suede and faux snakeskin shoes and the ribbon of a net-a-porter box as a belt!!! Hehe. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and all that! ;-D

I'm already trying to think of what to do next! (After the AA tees and the Mick Jagger one which may take a while to get here anyway, and ribbons may be a long term plan too...)

I was on Koodos today - they're having an up-to-80%off-sale at the mo on brands like Sara Berman, 7 for all Mankind, T-Bags dresses, Miss Sixty, Betty Jackson, Maria Grachvogel - to name a few - too...

And I saw these:

They are Superfine jeans down from £250 to £60!!! Though my bank account's running fairly low at the moment, at least for purchases over the £10 mark... and I thought... what about trying to stud chevrons onto my black jeans...? Might try and find another pair and do it in gold, but it seems like a fun, if slightly more intermediate plan than the ones I've been making so far...

Any thoughts? Maybe I should hold off on studding everything is sight tho... Hehe.

In other recession-friendly-sales-and-discounts-news:

1) the Tate (museums) online shop is offering a 10% discount with the code 10%Twitter09 - so tempted by the Rodchenko and Popova hammer and sickle scarf still, but my purse will be remaining in pocket, as I know that I get the same discount - without postage - at home due to my discount, but it's a really good deal! I'd also recommend the brooch and tote bag from that range and I'm wierdly attracted to this children's bag:

I just want to cut off those backpack straps and add some felt handles to make it into a cute but eccentric bag to take somewhere like the next Planet Angel party I get to... (For those that don't know, Planet Angel is like a rave, but more hippy... and is a secret... so Shhhhhhh. But I gave you the link, so you can have a look... I haven't been for ages and am SO looking forward to going every month in the summer! Before you write me off as a hard-partying-druggie, I'll put my hands up and say I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do ANY drugs... I just get hyper on sugar and dance... Lots... and Lots... and then throw some glitter at people...)

- back to savings now -

2) Hervia.com - Vivienne Westwood's online shop - is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders OVER £68 until Midnight, Monday 13th April...

3) Don't forget Hervia's current Melissa for Vivienne Westwood shoes, for which the discount code MEL02 still applies, until MIDDAY TOMORROW (Thursday 9th April)!

4) UK Members-only sales

a) SecretSales - quite low end mostly, but they do currently have some Herve Leger dresses reduced massively (talking 2 grand to 350 quid) and good jeans sales...

b) BrandAlley - great sunglasses, had Melissa's for £20 the other day... lots of tat but also lots of gems!

c) Cocosa.com - the creme de la creme of online members-only hand-picked sample sales... From House of Holland to Allegra Hicks to Matthew Williamson (clothes), Bex Rox and Laura Lee jewellery, Hunter wellies, Loewe and Pauric Sweeney bags PLUS competitions for jewellery / bags / events etc. AMAZING doesn't begin to describe the discounts on here...

If you want membership, then follow and message me on twitter @cassiopeiadoes so we can private message emails, or comment (with ur email inc'd) on here specifying which one. I'll then send you the code for joining or send invite emails! I won't deny I get vouchers for recommending people and especially on Cocosa, that's an immense thing lol. (I'm on another new one, but it hasn't opened yet so will post that when I know more...)

5) Acne online shop has just opened an IMMENSE outlet store - we're talking 50-70% discount on really great stuff! Go here.

6) ASOS - code that I'm unsure about working... APRILDELIVER gets free delivery on orders over £50. Apparently. It didn't work when I tried, but that was the day that ASOS was malfunctioning a lot...

*Phew!*

Deep breath. That was a lot. Thanks for bearing with me... I should really go finish the case study I've been working on all day...

"ox bones... blah blah... ritual deposits... blah blah... monumentalising landscape... lalala... burnt bits of daub... ???... contiguously sequenced buildings... ooooh! bird flew past... ritual continuity... ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

It's not that bad, but I'll be so so so glad when this dissertation's over!

*** Sorry this post seems to be all about "promotions" - it's not supposed to be, but I got excited about them all, so thought you might like them too, especially given people's reaction to other 'deals' I've posted... Maybe I'll try to do a weekly save post? Do you want me to? Not sure how long it'd be most weeks, but I can do my best to unearth lots of discounts... If you want? ***

Let me know!

Xxxc

Weekend of Loveliness Series - #2

As I said a couple of days ago, I'm splitting the photos from Saturday into 3... This post is basically a bit of a love letter to London, so please stay with me on this one as I post some of my favourite places.

Every day in Cambridge, I miss London a little bit more. Don't get me wrong, this place is beautiful, but after three years of being surrounded by academia, and it permeating Everything you say and do, and being ground down by the constant deadlines and made ill by the lack of real routine but essays, I miss home like hell. I miss the variety; the constantly changing landscape; the feeling of being in a place where you can go anywhere and do anything at any time; the fact that it's so eclectic and eccentric and whatever you do, you're accepted for being the person you want to be, rarely judged, left to get on with your life; the joy of the fast pace and the discovery of something new... It's not the place for everyone, but it's the place for me.

I love things like this... This house is basically just one room thick. I think it's to accomodate the railway line, but it's slim sillhouette fascinates me. It's like one of those dollhouses that only had one room so you could display everything framed by pretty windows. I love it when old buildings are renovated and they leave up the facade but completely knock down the building behind... We get that a lot, especially in the City - like this building that is opposite my mother's office near the Royal Courts of Justice:

Don't let the grey put you off... This was taken ages ago, on my phone,  on a rather foggy day in central London - rather industrial, isn't it ;-D

This is one of the candy coloured houses from where we did Saturday's photoshoot... Walking down here always makes me feel like I've been transported to a little mediterranean fishing village, and each of the houses is a different vibrant pastel shade. It's pretty much directly of the King's Road, and if you get a chance to wander down here, it'll put a smile on your face! :-D 

This is the old Michelin (tyre company) building, that's now a Conran restaurant, Bibendum. I love this place as on the side it has tiles depicting classic cars from the early 20th century... An absolute gem of a building, made all the sweeter by the stained glass and the flower stall out front...

Just one street up from the photo two back... These painted shutters remind me of parts of Italy where the past seems omnipresent but corrupted. (In a good way - at least here - I think...) I can see colonialism + 90s Brighton + 80s Miami combining in one house's facade ;-D Got to love the attempts at Palm tree growing too. I think this road is opposite the KR starbucks (- the 2nd one you pass, if you're walking from Sloane Square tube).

I LOVE the windows of Joseph on Brompton Cross at the moment... This window display is on the opposite side of the road from Chanel, and I have to admit, it distracted me from my usual bag drooling ;-D How kwl is this!?!? Especially with the sky reflection too... The display is basically a cityscape on the heads of the mannequins. Freaky but uber-immense too! Especially considering the gorgeousness of the clothes too. I didn't get a chance to inspect the clothes as we had to move on to photoshoot-ness / getting the car, but I hope it's still there when I'm next around!

British town and street layouts are like none other I've encountered... Everything's just so squished. Siena is the only other place I've been where things are such a beautiful mishmash of old and new, but in London I guess it's all just a bit more grey. And I'm biased anyway ;-D

All the above photos are from the Chelsea area, but I promise that's not my only hangout... I'm also a big South Bank girl - find me in the summer, stretched out in the park by Gabriel's Wharf; eating the butternut squash and goats cheese salad in Riviera restaurant; hidden in the dark watching an old movie at the BFI or rummaging through the book market outside. And there are many more places besides, from the South Bank to Westminster, Euston-wards, Marylebone, Notting Hill, Carnaby Street and many more. We just didn't take photos of them this weekend!

Right. Back to dissertation gloom...

Xxxc

Back and Refreshed...

Hello! (Note the bright and breezy greeting...)

I'm back from an uber-refreshing few days away in Canterbury... It was great; filled with plenty of sightseeing, a few choral concerts, a day at the beach, fish and chips on the sea front, several films (I love Kung Fu Panda!), a bit of ferocious debate, much good food, and great company.

And so I'm now returned to Cambridge ready to tackle my dissertation. 

I am Shi-Fu, and Po is those 10,000 words of well-argued, to-the-point discussion of Anglo-Saxon conversion to Christianity... Ka-POW!!!

Honest!

T-B is off home tomorrow, but we managed a photo-shoot this afternoon, so he could procrastinate from packing and I could put off beginning my slog through the venerableBede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum. 

I've decided to have it finished by Tuesday... 

Never. Going. To. Happen.

So we wandered through town, venturing first to the 'tourist spot' of the Corpus Clock on King's Parade... It's new this year and apparently really kwl in the way it was made, but I just like the grasshopper "eating time" and the fact that the tick-tock is supposed to sound like a "chain dropping into a coffin". Hehe. 

Then we wandered through a few graveyards... I like the typography on old gravestones!

And finally, back to college where we admired the college chapel and Lady Margaret Beaufort got me in a whistful mood...

And I got a bit excited about marble...

And we stole Sunday's surplices to play with!

Surplice aside, I'm wearing a black Lux (from UrbanOutfitters) top, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel cardigan, purple leather vintage skirt from Rokit, black stockings - too old to be id'd though knowing my buying habits, and the fact that they're not seamed, I'd put money on them being Wolford Satin Touch, M&S black ballet pumps, Primark bag, an ironstone necklace - a present from a cousin in Australia, and my Toy Watch.

Oh what fun...

Got to love the holidays!

Xxxc

Stop Gap.

WOW! Thank you so so so much for all the lovely comments on my last two posts everyone... I'm so so flattered and excited. We had so much fun doing those shoots, and I PROMISE there will be some more soon... 

For the moment though, since today was horribly rainy, I only have one lonely picture from my black tie dinner last night. 

Head and shoulders committee shot: 

Tis moi on the left in an Anna Sui cocktail dress... It's just-above-the-knee length and the skirt's kinda puffy. Its aaaaages old as I had it to wear to a friend's 16th. Scary that that's more than five years ago. Ouch. It's a lovely dress... The white silk at the top goes sheer for the skirt with kinda devore black and purple flowers. The black's the proper silk and the purple's sort of dyed on... It's my psycho-goth-floral dress hehe. If any full length photos surface, I'll put those up, but I was wearing it with an Anya Hyndmarch white woven leather clutch, black ribbed tights and the black heeled oxfords (highly coveted by my fellow committee members who stole one each at the reception in our Director of Studies' rooms lol).

It was a great evening, and since I was sitting next to the after dinner speaker, had rather a lot of fun as he seemed quite happy to NOT talk about archaeology and comment on my friend and I's conversations about sample sales and fashion week! It was rather hilarious. He was one of those old duffer academics who's adorably blustery and "fell" into a lectureship in 1958 because he was the one UK archaeologist who'd been to Columbia twice. Hehe. Wish the world was like that now... Well, maybe I don't.

Anyway, it was brilliant, and I ended up rather tipsy, in the library, until 4am, writing rambling prose about druids. Excellent fun. Though our director of studies was visibly disappointed in all of us leaving at 1, NOT plastered, and apparently off to bed or the library. I did accept a couple of shots of Tsippouro with my red bull, but that's only as I hadn't had any wine earlier... Stoopid allergies! Thus the slightly tipsy hehe.

Speaking of libraries, I should be there now, writing about repatriation. Joys! 

Once again, sorry no outfit today... Rain + T-B had work crisis. So all I have in terms of T-B photography goodness is a funny shot I took of him yesterday... THIS is the boy behind the lens:

Mother offered to take a couple of pictures on my camera, but it was still pouring with rain.

However, we have one non-full length shot that I think was taken mid sniping at my poor long suffering father... Thus the not being silly!

I'm wearing a boring outfit of grey acne jeans, hobbs suede brown boots and green long sleeve gap tee that you can't see. 

+ 

What you CAN see is an old purple Jaeger men's jumper, partridge print men's opera scarf (oh, what are they called?!?!) and grandma's brooch... 

Comfy chic ;-D The other side to me, shall we say.

Oh, and this is my crazy mother. Now you see where I get it from. (The hat's all purple.)

All credit to her; she usually looks like this:
If I look this good at fift...**** then I'll be happy!

Night!

Xxxc

Praaaaaaaaaaaaaaaada!!!

Ok. So I have just found pics of Fall 09 on Hilary Alexander's blog for the Daily Telegraph... And let me tell you, I'm loving it! (Well, what I can see anyway - before Style.com comes up after the weekend.)

So, Muiccia Prada was apparently influenced by outdoor clothing (cue waders and tweed), but I certainly see quite a lot of imperial gladiators in here, and perhaps a bit of decadence via red crushed-y-fabrics-y-yumminess.

So loving the knit rompers (espec 2nd pic), and though not quite sure about the waders, I will wait and see for more pics to decide Quite, my take on this collection. But hey. Have a quick gander at these beauties, and knock on over to Jak and Jill blog for their gush about the show :-D

- Tho espec loving the second outfit - it looks so warm and comfy and snuggly! - the third just gives off such a gorgeous, forties-esque vibe... rationing chic meets voluminous handbag! Loving the cut of the bottom of the jacket and the brown belt on black blazer combo... Hmmmmm. The possibilities!
- Not so sure about these three, but enjoying what look like welly warmers on number 1, and thinking about a variation of numero 3 for the next archaeology pub crawl!

- Woop! Can I have ALL of 2 and 3 please? 2's shoes are especially immense, and the drama of those waders + the red is FITNESS! Shorts over rompers... will it catch on?

Overall, loving the palette, loving the drama, loving the outlook for Fall 09! :-D

Xxxc

Regressing

Ok, so I know most people (hello lovely ones!) reading this blog are here for the fashion, but as those of you who've been around a little longer (hello claire!) know, I used to blog a little more about my (ridiculous) life of love and, well, slightly less love.

So, to appease the general populous, can we have a big round of applause for...

Pucci. New designer - Peter Dundas. New aesthetic. It's yummy! Still bohemian, still prints (resurrected from a 1953 collection according to style.com) and swirls... But more modern. More in keeping with the kind of stuff being sent out by more relavent-for-this-fashion-moment designers like Gianini and Simons and Ghesquiere. Sigh.

Just look!

- The perfect fanned shoulder... hmmmmm. i never used to be a fan (no pun intended :-S) of assymetricity!
- divine... look at the gradiation of colour. can't you just SEE the floatiness!
- love the colours and the sharp shoulders...

- ok, beautiful, casual. the colour combination of navy, watermelon, lavender and burgundy is strangely SWEET! I also really dig the trouser front detail. who WOULDN'T want those pockets?
- words cannot describe my LOVE for this jumper...
- i think i'm drawn to this because my college symbol is the eagle. woo collegiate spirit!

- so sexy - smart casual at its fittest.

- perfect May Ball dress. sigh.

...

Now. Onto my trials and tribulations.

Anyone ever get the feeling that when you bugger something up ROYALLY and try to forget, no matter how much you run away it comes back to haunt you?

There's someone I came very close to, well, becoming very close to, before I messed it up by seeing an old flame and it being more than it should have been. I thought the new guy wasn't right for me as he's a) younger, b) a smoker, c) a lawyer lol - but in hindsight I was doing my running away from emotional risk thing. Sigh.

Now, he's popping up all the time, and occassionally we chat. Today was a particular kick in the gut, as I'm feeling awful about essay deadlines anyway. Gah. Why do I get myself into these messes?

Right. Love life thing over. Thanks for paying attention to the ranting... Back to essay. It's much less complicated ;-D

Much love Xxxc

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