Walking on Sunshine... Wooooaoh!

So today, once again with two essay deadlines looming, we skip out to take photos... 

It's really rather warm and sunny and so today was the first time I've been tights/trouserless in quite a while! Please excuse the winter legs ;-D

Lady in red... And yellow, and blue.

I don't often wear red, but it did make me quite hyper today! 

I'm wearing my Riva boots, a skirt bought in a Dublin boutique about 5 years ago, a vintage belt nicked from my mother equally long ago, my room mate's Primark tank top, a cashmere cardigan (with a button missing... must find it...) from Magaschoni and my vintage tooled leather bag.

Has anyone seen this month's Teen Vogue? I've just realised how much I love it hehe. It's just so bouncy and bubbly, as magazines go ;-D

I actually downloaded Taylor Swift's new album the day before I got this, and didn't even notice she was on the cover! I was more interested in the yummy colours (, seemingly reflected in today's outfit).
I so so so want those balloon brooches... I feel a DIY coming!

The brooch and  the colours of this make me happy...

PYJAMAS and a wild cat... Hehe.

I know I'm supposed to be blogging about sophisticated magazines like LOVE and Lula, but this was just too cute to not talk about :-D and I haven't managed to finish the other two yet... 

Another black tie dinner tonight, and this one has a "with a twist of pink" dress code, so I may wear the same dress again. I'll post a pic if there's a full length one.

Xxxc 

Gotta Love the Sart!!!

Here are a few of the Sartorialist's posts at Style.com that I'm LOVING... Got to love Fashion-Week styles. Such variety makes my head go whirly, and they really give food for thought!

- Simple. Scarf. Want.

- Pink. Pop. Blue. Pop. Yum.

- Forest green + Wine-dark-purple + Sunniest yellow! (Admittedly on someone else.) Great colour combination that will haunt me for WEEKS!!!

- Denim ahoy. Just so casual, yet sweet. I'm reeeeeeeeally getting the roll-ups and hat vibe...

- Again. Purple. Pop. Blue. Pop. Yellow. Pop. PLUS. Turban magic + Roll-Ups. Sigh. Heaven. Yum. Overload.

;-D

Xxxc

Home is where the Heart is...

After a rather icky term, I'm so glad to be back on home turf...

I postponed / shortened a bit of work experience down in Southampton so I could come home, rest, recuperate, relax and enjoy home for a little bit on my own before my friends get back from birmingham / nottingham / warwick / southampton and things get going again. When they get back, I'll, as ever, be in a constant whirlwind. Trying to work out how to fit in everything - time for them, time for family, time for uni friends, time for ex-work buddies, time for me!

So yesterday made a rather big splash in the time for me pool.

It all started out rather annoyingly, with oversleeping and walking in the rain to get to the tube... Never fun.

But all turned out ok, as even though I thought I was HORRENDOUSLY late, I was exactly on time to meet my godfather in Canary Wharf... We were having a very serious 'career chat' that I won't bother you with the yawnsome details of internship applications, and 'networking' (zzzzzzzzzzzz), but it was lovely to see him and bond over strong coffee and distaste at a shop window displaying a suit made out of snowman print fabric... ick! ;-D

So, when we were done, and he rushed back off to a very important meeting, I was at a bit of a loose end. I didn't want to go home, as I'd end up doing nothing, and I only have very little time this holiday to indulge in London.

A quick bit of shopping later - gold jeans for monday's led zep concert (friends and family ticket - oh yes! does mean my outfit has to be up to scratch... tho going with mother and other oldies so not as if I'll manage to impress anyone with that entourage hehe!)

Off I went to go through the first of my little homecoming rituals... My trip to the V&A. I was ever so proud of the fact that I managed to fit in both the special exhibitions - lee miller (amazing woman!) and the golden age of couture (some of those dresses!!! sigh...) - as well as my traditional peek into the raphael cartoon gallery and a quick wander round the fashion section.

Being in chelsea always makes me happy. Moving from there to the suburbs may have made my parents' choice of school easier, and given us more space for the endless clutter that stretches through every room of the house, but I can't help but wish we still had those rooms with their view over the King's Road, two minutes away from the cinema and my favourite theatre...

Anyway... I wandered off down the King's Road, stopping for some food shopping, before thinking it might be nice to pop to the Royal Court to see if they had any tickets left for 'Rhinocerous'...

They did - and OMG!!! Brilliant play - absolutely hilarious! I'm going to see 'the arsonists' - the other play in this company's repertoire - tonight 'cos I enjoyed last night's so much... This is, of course, nothing to do with the fact that the lead is shit hot and was giving me the eye in the bar afterwards... (surprised the hell out of me - things like that just don't happen!!!) before I had to run off like blimmin' cinderella because my parents deigned to decide to pick me up on their way home from dinner - feeling like a 12 year old... lol - Darn it!!!

If only I'd left a shoe ;-)

I do find it amusing that I always manage to develop things for stage actors, never film actors... hmmmmmmmmm... eeeen-ter-est-eeeeng!

Right, must dash and do something productive...

Xxxc

Bette, Boots and Bondage

As the below post intimates, I'm not a big fan of the modern 'celebity' culture... but I do like to look back, and appreciate the styles of stars gone by. They just have so much more class, talent and style...

A case in point, for me, at the moment is Bette Davis. These three pictures all exude a charisma and attitude which combined sum up, in part, this season's mindset. I'm going to be finding that long lost copy of 'Of Human Bondage' as soon as I've finished making a cup of tea!

Minus Jeans - Plus Harem...

I normally am quite apathetic about Lindsay Lohan, but browsing some old pics, it truck me that this studio photo, minus the jeans and plus the balenciaga harem pants I posted yesterday as an inspiration pic, would be so perfect... I love the details on the shirt and tbh even the jacket off the runway would look great... I really want to get hold of a pair of trousers like this - they're much more flattering than the jodphur look i think, though still taking leaves out of the same book.

Sacrelige

I own minimal Topshop... I am a fashion pariah...

A London girl who really doesn't like Topshop is a phenomenon one has to go far to find - but here I am. I rarely pop in to my local branch, never go in them while on holiday, and never stop by the HUGE store when I'm on Oxford Street.

Why?

Well...

i) I'm the wrong body type - i have boobs, and an arse, and a relatively skinny middle. They just aren't cut right for me.
ii) i can spot a Totally Topshop (TT) outfit from a mile-away, and steer clear.
iii) for the quality, it's WAY too expensive... the materials are cheap and the cuts and colours are too. sorry, but its usually true

Its not that I have anything against it, it just doesn't work for me. i own a couple of pieces - a puffy denim skirt that i've had for several years and is falling apart but is one of the 'cogs' of my style... (in the pic, paired with urban outfitters cardie, custo barcelona top, primark shoes and street seller footless tights)

then there are the tights... the one thing that I go in topshop for... their coloured tights are a work of genius... the colour is deep, the material comfy, light, breathable, and the price is right... shame they don't do more colours. I currently have purple and teal.
Working on getting the neon orange and green ones, and am constantly on the look out on ebay for the fuschia pink ones from a while back... anyone knows where i can find such items - let me know ;-D

otherwise, i have no topshop. sometimes i wonder if i'm too harsh on it. then i visit and my faith in my faith is restored. it's not for me... even when i find a piece i like (twice in the past year... one silver above the knee skirt, one blue and white patterned hippyish silk dress, one pair of ballooning out suit-fabric,oddly cut waistbanded trousers recently seen on MK Olsen below) - i cannot justify shelling out (£35, £40 and £45 respectively) when on further examination, as much as they strike me the first time, the quality just ruins the thing on closer examination...



if i was around for the kate moss at topshop launch, i might stop by. the dresses look cute, if expensive.




but i doubt i'd buy. the collaborations are just starting to annoy me know and rarely, it seems, live up to expectations... doh!

ah well. maybe one day.

Why a Monaco's Royals better dressed than anyone elses?!?!?!

Okay, so first they had Grace Kelly, now they have Charlotte Casiraghi...
I'm not a big celeb / royal watcher - but on style.com this week, they had a feature, and I just had to comment.
This girl has been born into vast amounts of money and privelige, and therefore has no excuse not to be stylish and beautiful... but I still can't help my jaw drop in awe at her presence and beautiful (-y put together) wardrobe.



She even carries off my favourite make-up 'thing' - red lips - and a skin-tight red dress with panache... Go her! These may not seem the kind of statement fit for a royal, but this girl is unafraid to take risks, and be imaginitive while still remaining proper and a bit of an ice queen ;-D





and to make it even better, she doesn't look as if she starves herself! and still can pull of chanel couture and body-con stuff (okay, so she's no way above a 10, and is probably an 8, but at least she doesn't look anorexic!!!)

I shall watch, and learn... She isn't too 'put-together' - and for that I salute her. I'll certainly be taking notice of any mention of her in future!