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

Love affair with simplicity...

Charles Anastase... Will you make my whole wardrobe?

The collar detail is just immense!

Loving those boots with the blowsy shorts... And the chain belt. It's like something one could buy in a hardware store! :-D

not usually an animal print fan, but...

the palette's jut so fresh and clean...

love the velvet. and the floppy hat. and the big coat.

sigh... wish i could stare at these all weekend instead of having to go back to my essay...

ick.

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

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