Playing the leopard

Ok, so I have a confession to make... I know I said there were no more photoshoots for a while, as T-B has gone home, but we maaaaay have done one the day before he went home that I haven't put up yet... What can I say? I'm sneaky like that ;-D

It was a  lovely warm day last weekend, and I had just got a leopard print top from ebay that I wanted to play with ASAP... I love the playfulness of it! The fact it has leopard faces hidden in the print and the material is so heavy and nubby, it seems lightyears away from anything remotely tacky or difficult to wear. Leopard and other animal prints have really got a resurgence going on at the moment, and while I'm quite far away from the femme fatale / rock chick that usually rocks it, I don't think I did tooooooooo badly ;-D

Prowling leopard, leaping cat

skipping along the riverside into the more 'townie' part of Cam.

See the print?

I am most likely Actually falling over in these pics... No balance.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Spin spin spin spin spin...

How cute is that cat!?!? He looked a bit like our college cat, but when he didn't decide to hang off my arm in a fit of schizophrenic action, we were disabused of any notion of similarity between this lovely and Captain Haddock!

Only in Cambridge... It's a please don't chain bikes to railings sign... Except not in English, but in Latin and Greek. This is the street where several of the college houses for fourth years are (we live in college for 3 years and if we stay for a 4th or more, then we get put in accomodation like these cute little houses... Or in the divinity schools across the (cobbled) street from college, which they're currently renovating for Grad accomodation. It's so pretty, but tumbledown inside...

So... What was I wearing? Vintage leopard print top off ebay, vintage skirt, Jocasi leather belt, vintage tooled leather bag, Jaeger brown court shoes, Vintage porcelain pendant, Toy Watch, very very old tiger eye bracelet...

I should really be in the library now... But I'm rather happy, sitting in my "work room" (i.e. my room mate's bedroom that I've converted into a study pour moi over the holidays while she's away... My own desk is too untidy ;-D) and still in my nightie and big comfy cardie, not quite bothered to do anything. Possibly something to do with having just finished watching the last episode of Swingtown (so so so sad it was cancelled) and now my brain is too lethargic to be productive ;-D Ooops! Holidays are baaaaaaaaaaaad for work ethics!

Right. Off to find food.

Xxxc

Bad Habits Die Hard...

Ok, so I'm awful. I use shopping to procrastinate, and today I let myself loose on M&S and Topshop... I was planning a film inspired blog-post, not another testament to my non-stop(ped by recession) consumption, but it wasn't to be...

I have to admit, although I love shopping for scarves and skirts - the easy things - there are some things that scare me shi*less, and I do far less often. Those things would be trousers, all-in-ones and underwear... 

My body just doesn't DO normal sizing. 

I think this may be something to do with the fact that though I LOOK top heavy, it is in fact my thighs that make everything difficult. That and the strange fact I am not an apple or a pear or an hourglass, but a butternut squash... You know... Out (boobs) In (waist) Out (spare tire) In (between hips and thighs) Out (arse and thighs) Down. Oh, and my body is far too long: my waist is far higher than looks natural. Arrrghhhh!!! It may seem silly, but it is rather annoying... 

I suppose we all have hang-ups.

So M&S - necessary and annoyingly unproductive. I needed new all-purpose bras and ended up with none but did get a push-up bra (trust me - don't need one, didn't want one, but it was on sale and I don't actually have one, so maybe it'll be useful?), a nightie that I wish was wearable as a dress as it's such a pretty colour, and a nightie that Is wearable as a dress and will be appearing on here very soon.

So underwear nightmares aside, I did have a mission in Topshop. I've been wanting a playsuit/jumpsuit/romper for AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGES, and I decided today would be the day to try a few on... 

I first fell in love with one with straps (currently on the Topshop website here) which unfortunately had annoying moulded cups that on neither the 10 nor the 12 fitted my curves, despite the rest of the suit fitting fine. The 14 was taking the mick a bit, so I decided it wasn't to be.

Then I found one (currently up on the Topshop website here) that I never would normally look twice at... But it's just too cute! Ok, so the lack of straps = no bra, and the shorts are a bit shorter than I usually like, but I just couldn't leave it! Extravagant, perhaps, but - weather permitting - I foresee days out on the backs reading in this cute little thing. Or nights in hot sweaty clubs hehe. (Please excuse the shameless changing room posing... And the scaaaaary winter legs!)

I reckon one could wear it over a tee and cyan or burgundy tights anyway (with different shoes lol), so I'm very much looking forward to road-testing it over the next few weeks. A welcome distraction from dissertation stress... As much as I love the Venerable Bede and visible traces of Christianisation in the landscape, outfit creation is a much more satisfying way to pass time ;-D 

I also got some darling tights - a pair of floral ones and some in ballerina pink... Both fill holes in my tights collection, so I don't feel too bad about that one ;-) 

Slightly less self-and-shopping-centred tomorrow... Honest!

Xxxc

P.s. I've added myself on bloglover... I use googlereader, but I know some people use this...

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Home Sweet Home: gorging on exhibitions.

Well, I've been crap this weekend... I think going backwards and forwards between Cam and London means I've got a bit caught up in stuff other than blogging. So I'll try to be more regular - even though I won't have pretty photographs most of the time.

Anyway, yesterday I managed a day of exhibition binging: the Royal Academy in the morning for the last day of the Byzantium exhibition and the Palladio one, then to the Tate Britain to the Van Dyck in Britain exhibition...

I barely rolled out of bed in time for my slot at the RA, but just in time I ran through the doors to a really rather wonderful collection. In honesty, it took me almost 2 hours to go through, which may well be a new record for me. And considering how little info there was on the labels, it was one hell of a stuffed-to-the-gunnels exhibition! 

I am a BIG church-history buff, and being able to get up close and personal with some of this stuff was amazing... I LOVED the display of icons - especially the huge, 14th century silver gilted ones, and the last room which was filled with icons from the monastery of St Catherine, Sinai. The colours were so inspiring and I just wanted to stay there forever... 

The lighting is really low and mysterious, and right at the beginning the curators have explained that there is so little that we know about Byzantine culture, thus, I suppose, the lack of info on the labels - which was frustrating at times...

My favourite pieces was an icon of St Michael that was enamelled and covered in precious gems. The central figure was almost like a doll, in that it came forth from the icon; in my mind, ready to do battle. Amazing workmanship. It makes me wanna play "dress-the-archangel" with some action men and my sewing machine... (Damn this dissertation!) But HOW KWL is his tunic?!?!

Oh, and the last piece in this huge exhibition was rather special too - it was an illuminated manuscript of the heavenly ladder (The Ladder of Divine Ascent). The picture's a little crappy, but I loved this... The colours were so vibrant and I'm feeling dressing like one of those little black devils for the next fancy dress party I go to. Hehe.

And there was also some pretty darn cute jewellery!

When I was done in there, despite my buggered ankle complaining about the high heels I was tramping around in, I wandered straight on to the Palladio exhibition. Now this one was much lighter and airier, and mostly drawings and models of these wonderful buildings... Now my main interest is religious buildings, so there was plenty for me to get excited about, though I have to admit, I could have done with less information overload! (Exactly the opposite of the Byzantium exhibition lol.)

The photos and drawings were beautiful though, and after the dark mysteriousness of the Byzantium exhibition it was nice to look at airy spaces and little models of churches and monasteries! Love architecture, though there were perhaps too many drawings, as I was quite tired and by this point had been in the RA for about 3.5 hours... Boy was I glad to get out and to the Tate...

Going to the Tate was a massive mission as the train line which takes you there was out... But I did have a great time getting there. I wandered past the Houses of Parliament, wandered around "Jewel Tower" which was part of the medieval palace complex, and skipped through a park which had a wierd and colourful pagoda in. Lots of fun.

The Van Dyk exhibition was EXCELLENT... Just enough info and gorgeous paintings. And I could spend hours in the members room, sipping tea hehe.

The colours in the paintings were so wondrous, I spent HOURS in there, staring at the painting of the fabrics and the wistful looks in peoples' eyes. Yum.

They also had a few paintings 'inspired' by Van Dyck's work, and I particularly loved this portrait of Mrs Sandys by de Lazlo. How graceful is she!?!?

So all in all, a great, but knackering day. And it was mothers' day, and I didn't see my mum at all until the evening when I was passed out on the sofa with a migraine. Ooooops! Sorry mum...

I tried to take a few photos using my crappy little point and click on timer, but I looked a bit of an idiot... If you can see the pics, I was wearing my London-tough-garb - black cheap monday jeans, old massive I Love Firenze cat teeshirt, 101 dalmations silk scarf, porcelain pendant and Harley Mechanics jacket... The pics are of the two most inspiring bits of my-home-patch I passed. Noone ever notices the little pagoda by Lambeth Palace (Westminster) but it's so pretty, and got to love that architecture :-D

Right. I should have been in bed HOURS ago...

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

Apologies and a bit of Miu Miu

Having been ill for a few days, I've not been blogging... Sorry! Especially as everyone's been leaving such lovely comments about the photoshoots!

Afraid I'm going to have to leave you all in suspense a little longer as I'm off on a trip to Canterbury, and I am pretty sure that the internet access leaves A LOT to be desired. So I shall hopefully be back on Friday.

I've lost my photographer for a few weeks but will endeavour to provide some pleasant diversions until T-B and his camera are back ;-D

Before I go, however I've got a couple of catwalk insights... I've been a bit behind since LFW, but thought I'd have a peek at Miu Miu today, and have to admit, the clothes brought revulsion and magpie tendencies out by turns...

The first few outfits are... being polite here... odd. Some are completely unflattering even to a model's body (goodness knows what they'd be like on, say, a size 8 or 10 or, god help us, 12 ;-D)

Then we have - lets just stick a piece of fur across the body... Now I'm coming around to fur in some contexts - visually at least, though I don't know if I could wear it myself, but this makes my stomach turn... And this pic wasn't the worst.

I came around to it slightly when 1) Raquel Zimmerman walked (I think she's my favourite model...) and 2) the colours were slightly less dead-and-buried...

Then came some outfits I did rather like... The long but sheer skirts are divine. The layers looks stiff and oh so inviting in a "please scrumple me" way. (Oh I do so love the word "scrumple" :-D)

Aren't these colours yummy? Burgundy and sky blue... SWEET!!!

LOVE the shoes... These may be first on my Fall09 wishlist... YUM!

Loving that rise of colour in the top... I can't really wear sheer myself, but the way the colours are mixed along with textures in this outfit is rather kwl.

Again, yum yum on the colour front. Not quite sure I'm kwl enough to do the burgundy+black+sparkles thing, but you never know! ;-)

Right, I'm being told off for not being in bed recouperating...

Night all!

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