Look-see-smile...

As some of you may have noted, I do love a sample sale, and browsing Fashion Confidential for them has always been a favourite part of my London-based weeks. Remember the Eley Kishimoto shoes???

When I’m in Cambridge, I tend to avoid it and all mentions of shiny shiny designer clothes I can't afford, for fear my heart may be broken by the news of a Kane or Kirkwood extravaganza happening just near enough to be possible yet just far away to be prohibited by the next impending deadline.

So of course I was delighted when they got in touch with me to see if I liked their new magazine-like format and revamped other-than-sample-sales content, which I'd never really paid much attention to before... So after I had finished my last supervision essay yesterday afternoon, and after today’s actual supervision (during which I had a very satisfactory argument about Foucault – woo panopticon!!! ;-D) I have spent a good hour or so compiling a couple of fantasy wish-lists and reading their articles (like this quick interview with a very chic Parisienne). Oh gawd, something else to keep an eye on. Not sure how I’m going to cope!

Also, normally, I also ignore any shopping emails that arrive in my inbox. Net-a-porter, Browns, Cocosa... GO AWAY I HAVE NO MONEY!!! (Possibly my own fault due to impending theatrical extravaganza and a trip to Stockholm in January...) Yet I have to admit to having loved the cute, purple-themed "stocking fillers" feature that popped up this afternoon. It's not really the products themselves - though I quite fancy a copy of the Camilla Morton book and that Aubin and Wills purple top... It's the adorable way it's all been put together. I'm really one for a slick piece of graphic design, and FC have, of late, been producing some rather good layout-porn!

Fashion Confidential has always, for me, been part of the pleasure of physical shopping, as it has pointed me towards some of my best sample-sale scrummages. Yet now it tempts me with yet another avenue of internet shopping: the best of the sales online. Arrrrrrrrrgh! Who could resist a page filled with those crossed through ridiculous prices, followed by red massively reduced ones...

Shame I'm "economising"... But doesn't mean I can't look!!!

Aren't these pretty... (Can you tell I'm procrastinating from academic work again? ;-D)

(Philip Lim and Roland Mouret from TheOutnet)

(Marc by Marc Jacobs from Matches)
(Aubin and Wills and Elle McPherson Intimates at Net-A-Porter)

If only I had money... Sigh. Silly recession.

Xxxc

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 

Not Quite So Bright...

After several days of producing substandard, short essays, (and continuing to do so,) I took a break, between a meeting about stage managing a Ball and a repatriation debate, to walk with T-B to his lecture, through King's College, via the University Library to drop off my uber-late book!

The light was quite stark and wintry again, but we did get a few nice shots... My outfit's a bit less RARRRRGH-COLOUR! And a bit more academic-eccentric, than the last two, but I like it :-D especially since the skirt arrived from ebay, via home, yesterday, so I was itching to give it a test-drive!

Laugh a little... Live a lot!

In these pictures, I'm wearing a nice mix of my basics and special items... Gap forest green tee, Gap shell pink cardie, Jaeger brown leather court shoes, Give Aids the Sack tote, cream lace tights I remember buying in John Lewis but not sure who they're by (and love love love the seam up the back), new ebay green, white and red skirt, (which is hemmed with red crocheted thick lace trim and what shows up as red stripes in the photo is actually a sort of sprig print,) and my GORGEOUS massive silver and POPPY SEED CAPSULE pendant on cord... The capsules rattle and clang so I sound like a Swiss-Alpine-Cow walking along! I bought it in Nomads in Cam and it is a piece of "artisan jewellery" made by a Turkish woman. I love it so much but it's hard to wear on a library day, (and every day's a library day,) as it makes so much noise!

So after that, and the trauma of paying a £1.25 fine, I went to my last heritage lecture... In a toga! All of the 3rd years had decided to do so. It was EXCELLENT! No pictures of me I'm afraid, as I was photographer, but there are some funny photos :-D

It was strange thinking that this is my last week of proper lectures in archaeology... And if I don't get on the MST next year, they'll be the last ever! EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! :-S

Alas, alack, I must carry on with essay. I've been given a deadline extension of a couple of hours, so I must NOT waste it!!!

Xxxc

In the depths...

Well, since Daisy Chain Dreams did an open tag on a 'what's in your bag' post, I couldn't resist... (Also, essay procrastination. Yay! ;-D)

I was going to do close ups, but my camera's crappy...

So, what IS in that pile of stuff?

Clockwise: 

We have my 4 rotated bags - leather paillette bag (arkclothing),  Red is the new black tote for days in the department library (nicked from a friend lol), tooled brown leather bag - vintage, Antiquity journal bag (nicked from the Arch and Anth museum staff stash of the things) - whenever I'm not in the dept... Oops! I do seem to appropriate totes... 

Ok, then there's glasses (for powerpoints in lectures), apple juice (I'm fasting. Blah), Gant leather purse (quite small but does the job on a day to day basis), monkey purse - present from mother, hair clip (my hair's far too long at the mo...), dinner menu from hall with my best friend and her parents and godparents on Friday, notebook (essential and irreplaceable... I live in fear of losing this one, especially as it's still filled with conference notes from December. Ah! Paranoia!), black leather gloves - present years ago, diary plus car and room key, Smythson address book (pleasingly un-beat-up), green LX tape (the most useful stuff EVER!), book about memory and dark heritage in africa, lined paper, last months dog-eared Super Super magazine, A4 paper supervision work file, Whistles gloves (I love love love these... the leopard's eyes are crystals... yummy!).

Plus make up and pens in the middle.

Quite a mess really, but it works for me! Oh, and my phone (in pocket) and camera (in use) are missing.  

Funsies! Now I have to run to Peterhouse (15 minutes away) and back in time to get to the car park (5 minutes if I run, in opposit direction) for 4.50... Hmmmmm. Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!! ;-D

Xxxc

P.s. I tag Claire, Grace and Gennie for this btw ;-D

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

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

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