Stylistique

Swarovski presents 'Anna vs Anna' film

2012-01-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

This video is pretty spesh and we have the same name so win win. The gorgeous clothes are from the Rodarte archives customised with crystals from Swarovki Elements.

'Anna vs. Anna' is the latest avant garde film from acclaimed director and photographer Barnaby Roper, created exclusively for Swarovski.

Staring model Anna Jagodzinska, the film showcases a selection of exquisite pieces, selected by stylist Keegan Singh.

Inspired by the supernatural, the film demonstrates two sides of Anna's character, trasporting the viewer magically from shadow to brilliant light.

The film offers a unique experience, allowing the viewer to manipulate and interact with the imagery in 360 degrees.'

To use the 360 experience click on the lick below and chose which direction to go in by hovering the mouse over the screen.

Watch 360 degree interactive film on Swarovski TV

Barcelona Fashion Week coming up...

2012-01-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

So Im hitting Barcelona Fashion Week at the end of this month. Unfortunately I'm missing the first few days due to prior arrangements but here's my pick of the designers I'll be missing that caught my eye with their previous collections.

ALEXIS REYNA

(SS11)

JOSEP ABRIL

(SS12)

JUAN PEDRO LOPEZ

(SS12)

DER METROPOL

(AW12)

Eternal Style

2012-01-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

“New year, new me” is probably the phrase you hear the most in January. So in theory our style evolves every year but what will we look like 20, 30, 40 years down the line?

I’ve always been fascinated by elderly people who don’t take the safe route when it comes to growing old. Who are just as adventurous with their style in their 60's/70's/80's+ as they were in their early 20's ad 30's. People like...

CATHERINE BABA (no-one is really sure of her age but her myspace says she's 75):

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD (age 69):

ANNA PIAGGI (age 79):

IRIS APFEL (aged 90):

Im so glad that there's now a blog documenting such awesome style. Check out Advanced Style. When I get older I want to be just like these ladies.

And I'll leave you with some of my favourite shoots with slightly more mature models from Schon and Dazed and Confused magazines.

Friday Night Fashion Fun

2011-11-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

Can you guess who these Fashimals are?

Answers here.

Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada....

2011-11-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

...If you didn't manage to get any Versace for H&M it doesn't even matter.

Pretty sure you can get it for waay cheaper off Ebay now with no crazy o'clock queuing either. But if you're still craving a bit of Versace loving, heres some vintage campaign ads for you.

Paperself: Look Into My Eyes...

2011-11-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

Im loving these Paperself lashes right now (they also do lovely paper interior and furniture - check out their site). They'll be perfect for any upcoming Christmas parties and there's so many designs to chose from. The full lashes come in at £12 for a pair and the smaller ones are £10. And if you have any left over from trimming them to fit your eye shape, why not use them as nail art? Two in one - cheeky bonus!

Shopping: Coggles

2011-10-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've been stuck in a bit of a shopping rut since my trip to America last month. The great British highstreet is great and all but it just doesn't compare to cheaper designer brands and amazing vintage selections. "Gok's Roadshow for Less" where he tries and finds outfits for under £50 in Asda and Primark is really not helping matters either (and I LOVE a bit of Primarni). It kinda makes me want to commit fashion suicide...

So when I come across sites like Coggles, they put a smile back on my face =)

I actually knew about Coggles before but attending their press preview this week reminded me why I love it so much. This site has pretty much EVERYTHING you could ever want. Cool designer brands such as McQ, Sam Elderman and Comme Des Garcons as well as vintage and even books. There's also a bike section coming soon, but my favourite part has to be the interior design section. Im in love with their snazzy pillows and wallpaper.

The fact that they also have a sweet style section is a cheeky bonus. Its not just a site, its a brand, it's a life style. "It's about the clothes you choose to wear, the bike you ride to work, the book you read in bed, you favourite chair at home, the world you design to live in."

It puts the fun back into shopping knowing that you're buying an investment and not a piece that every other Tom, Dick and Harry will own. Something that you will keep in your wardrobe for years to come and not a catwalk rip off made by some poor 10 year old child in India, that you're going to throw away in a months time. I know the economy sucks right now but Gok Wan take note.

Turning heads: Tomihiro Kono

2011-10-12T01:53:00.000-07:00

I didn't really have time to attend shows this season for LFW but I did come across Tomihiro Kono during a showroom based on Japanese designers. Tomihiro actually started out as a hair dresser in Japan and the moved onto session hair styling when he moved to London. His wig and head prop creations soon caught the eye of creatives in the fashion, performance, art and music industries.

On his website it says that he's style is based on Dadaism and Surrealism. He's also heavily influenced by a movement called 'assemblage expressionism' started after WWII, where 3-D compositions where created using found objects. I've always been a fan of vintage so the fact that he uses vintage materials is a plus in my books, as it makes his creations unique and eco-friendly at the same time.

Some of his pieces are available on trusty Not Just A Label.

UPDATE: Rachel Boston.

2011-09-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to say that you can now buy Rachel's pieces (from my previous post) on Not Just A Label. Prices range from £250-£1,850. She's also added a new piece that wasn't ready yet when I did the original post and overall NJAL is a great site for new designers. Check it out.

Talented Friends: Rachel Boston

2011-06-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

Im a sucker for accessories especially when it comes to jewellery so when I saw photos of my friends new collection, I knew I had to blog about it.

The whole collection is based on the Victorian dandy and their interest in insect collecting as this was a popular hobby with the Victorians due to the publication of 'Origin of the Species' by Charles Darwin and a fascination with natural history.

Rachel describes her jewellery pieces as "collectable hunting trophies" and has incorporated "real beetle wing cases into the jewellery to produce a medley of man-made and natural pieces where they blend seamlessly into one".

The collection is unisex as it contains aspects of masculine and feminine aesthetics. Due to the pieces not conforming to traditionally upheld standards, the jewellery is able to explore elements of the unexpected. When the pieces are worn on either sex the effect is dissimilar – a woman wearing the black pearl stag beetle necklace for instance, could surprise an observer with the ferocity of the piece. However, when the necklace is worn by a man, it appears to be much softer.

You can check out Rachel Boston's collection along with other Central Saint Martins BA Jewellery graduates from this Saturday until Thursday.

BA Jewellery 2011 degree show

Central St Martins

University of the Arts London

Southampton Row WC1B 4AP

Room 109, 1st floor

Saturday 18 June 12.00 – 18.00

Sunday 19 June - closed

Monday 20 – Wednesday 22 June 12.00 – 20.00

Thursday 23 June 12.00 – 18.00

Prices range from £200 to £800 for the biggest pieces. For more info and to contact Rachel visit her site.

New Designer Crush: Gabriella Marina Gonzalez

2011-06-02T02:33:00.000-07:00

I knew I'd be a fan of GMG's work as soon as I laid eyes on these beauties during London Fashion Week a few years back.

Four seasons later and I've developed a bit of major fashion crush. Gozalez's A/W 11 ‘Sinister Sights in Synthetic Moonlight‘ collection has stayed true to her signature style of beautifully crafted leather accessories and delicate crochet dresses and tops. What really caught my eye was her ability to do mens and womenswear as well as accessories and still keep it coherent right from the start.

Gabriella's inspiration:

“Pressure on the brain. Distant vibrations evoke visions filled with shapeless

shame. Hallucinations take a toll when we believe all that we imagine.

In delirium we sink, into a pool of fevered drips, accumulating were it counts,

in the oceans of our desires to be sound of mind but the only sound we can

hear is of our reality getting future away from us until we are merely

caricature’s of our former selves, washed up on a distant shore,

mourning the loss of how promising everything was in our former

dimension. Dreams don’t exist they are merely reality skewed in our

subconscious. We shouldn’t have to escape our lives just to enjoy them.

What would the world think if we were ourselves and set an example if

nothing else, that freedom is not on a shelf in as store. Glow bright and

be pure, this is what your souls for.”

New Photographer Crush: Ellen Rogers

2011-03-23T13:47:00.001-07:00

Can't get enough of Ellen Rogers beautifully eerie photographs right now.

Ellen is a London based, analog photographer. What's so beautiful about her work is that she used old school darkroom techniques and doesn't use digital manipulation. On her site it says she “creates timeless dream worlds where temptresses seduce and lure you into unknown, dark lands”.

She’s already done shoots for magazines such as i-D, Glass, Tank, Dazed and Confused and Vice and also worked with Piers Atchinson and Maria Francesca Pepe (two of my fav accessory designers).

My friend Rory Manning who got singed as a model not too long ago, also got work with Rogers recently. Stunning.

Check out more of Ellen Rogers works and everything else you'll need to know about the girl on her site.

Jeremy Scott for Swatch

2011-03-22T02:31:00.000-07:00

Im a fan of Jeremy Scott's Pop-Art esthetic and the colabs he's done so far have been pretty awesome. So obviously I'm feeling his new collaboration with Swatch. I'm not a fan of watches overall and haven't worn one for years but when I saw the frame design, I soon found myself coveting it.

The best part about the designs is that the frame and wings are removable, so the watch will stand the test of time (and they're only £42.50).

Have a look at the official site here.

Vivienne Westwood/Comic Relief Colab

2011-02-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

Westwood has never shied away from political statements or charitable causes, so it was only appropriate that she designed this years Comic Relief t-shirts.

The grand Dame of British fashion has designed a series of limited-edition tees - all depicting iconic historical images but with a Red Nose Day twist and got some of her famous celebs to model them.

The t-shirts are available to buy from TK Maxx stores or online, with prices starting at £5.99 for kids and £14.99 for adults.

Finally a Westood t-shirt I can afford!

Sample Sale Alert

2010-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Party Outfit for under £100

2010-12-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

It's hard to find versatile outfits, especially in the winter months but this little number should get you from work to play, chilling with the girls to a hot date. This playsuit (£50) is the definition of classic chic, I could see Coco Chanel wearing something like this. The tailoring makes it very sophisticated yet the little bows give it that little girly touch. This garment can be dressed down with flats or worn with heels for the full glam effect. The trick is too pick the right accessories. A pair of Art Deco earrings (£14), a beautiful delicate clutch (£28) and a slick of red lipstick (£4.25) is all this outfit needs to transform it into an on-trend party look.

*Students get 10% off all year round at ASOS with an NUS card but check here regularly for other discounts*

More Sample Sale Alerts

2010-12-08T23:32:00.001-08:00

Good thing I've finished buying all my Xmas pressies coz with all the samples sales Im going to be S.K.I.N.T by the end of this year!

Not that far off...

2010-11-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

New Illustrator Crush: James Jean

2010-11-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Came across this dude whilst doing research for Uni (oh and if I haven't mentioned already, I've gone back to Uni. Starting allll over again at Istituto Marangoni London - 3 year BA Fashion Styling degree).

James Jean is a Taiwanese born, LA based artist and illustrator. His works are macabre and surreal yet beautiful at the same time. He takes inspiration from Asian art, mythology, and anatomy. Childhood, sexuality and transformation are common themes in his pieces. His use of soft colours make the depicted grisly scenes somewhat inviting and strangely friendly.

Although he's knew to me, his resume is pretty impressive. He's been exhibiting his works since 2001 and even worked with Prada on an animated film for the S/S 08 collection.

Fashion for Dummies: Pronunciation

2010-11-22T13:39:00.000-08:00

If you want to stand out in the fashion industry, you got you have a catchy or unusual name (unfortunately the latter are usually impossible to pronounce). We’ve all been there; faced with a name of a designer you have no clue how to pronounce. You have two options – admit you haven’t got a Scooby or say it really fast /mutter it under your breath and hope no-one notices. Major fashion faux pas (pronounced ‘foe paw’)!

But so you never end up in such a situation, here’s a list of fashion peeps you should know how to pronounce like a pro.

Let’s start with the big guns:

-Aquascutum: Ah-kwa-SKEW-tum

-Azzedine Alaia: Aza-deen A-LYE-a

-Bvlgari: BOOL-ga-ree

-Lacroix: la-KWA

-Christian Louboutin: Kree-styan Loo-boo-tahn

-Comme des Garçons: Comb day Gar-SON

-Dries Van Noten: DREEZE van KNOW-ten

-Hermès: AIR-mehz

-Hervé Léger: Air-vay Lay-jay

-Hussein Chalayan: Who-sane Sha-lion

-Junya Watanabe: JOON-ya Wah-TAH-nah-bay

-Lanvin: Lon-VAN

-Loewe: LOO-eh-VAY

-Moschino: Mo-SKI-no

-Proenza Schouler: Pro-EHN-za SKOO-ler

-Rodarte: Ro-dar-tay

-Thierry Mugler: TEh-ree MOOH-gleh

-Versace: Ver-sah-chee OR Ver-saw-chay

-Yves Saint Laurent: Eve Sane LAUR-ahn

Sample Sale Alert

2010-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well thats my Christmas presents sorted then. For myself.

Designer Colab: Lanvin for H&M

2010-11-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Oh! What's this? A Designer colab with H&M that doesn't totally suck? Thats right boys and girls (mostly girls) H&M have teamed up with Lanvin for their next collaboration and I don't hate it! Sure it's all about how you wear it of course. Some of the dresses could look like Lipsy on a "The Only Way Is Essex" night out on the wrong person but overall - not bad, not bad.

The collection hits stores on 23rd November. Expect sleeping bags set up the night before, huge lines and maybe even a fashion cat fight or two.

Lina Osterman & Pudel Sample Sale

2010-11-05T07:56:00.001-07:00

J'adore Paris

2010-09-29T03:08:00.000-07:00

I fall in love with Paris a little more each time I go there and as well as being into fashion I'm also a total movie buff. Here are my Top 5 films set in Paris:

AMELIE

Amélie is a shy waitress in a Montmartre café. After returning a long-lost childhood treasure to a former occupant of her apartment, and seeing the effect it has on him, she decides to set out on a mission to make others happy and in the meantime pursues a quirky guy who collects discarded photo booth pictures.

THE DREAMERS

Paris, spring 1968. While most students take the lead in the May 'revolution', a French poet's twin son Theo and daughter Isabelle enjoy the good life in his grand Paris home. As film buffs they meet and 'adopt' modest, conservatively educated Californian student Matthew. With their parents away for a month, they drag him into an orgy of indulgence of all senses, losing all of his and the last of their innocence. A sexual threesome shakes their rapport, yet only the outside reality will break it up.

ANGEL-A

André, a small-time ex-convict, seems to owe money to everyone in Paris, including a crime boss who promises to kill him if he doesn't repay him by midnight. After failing to find protection from the American embassy and the French police, a despairing André scrambles onto a bridge over the Seine, intending to leap to his death. He is surprised to see a tall, beautiful girl clinging to a rail on the same bridge, apparently preparing to end her life as well. She jumps, and he jumps too, suddenly resolving to save her life. After scrambling ashore, she tells him her name is Angel-A. Together, they take a cruise on the Seine, repay André's creditors, visit a Parisian nightspot, and more, as Angel-A helps André. He learns that for this purpose she has fallen out of the sky and into his life. André finds himself falling in love with this mysterious beauty.

FUNNY FACE

Fashion photographer Dick Avery, in search for an intellectual backdrop for an air-headed model, expropriates a Greenwich Village bookstore. When the photo session is over the store is left in a shambles, much to salesgirl Jo Stockton's dismay. Avery stays behind to help her clean up. Later, he examines the photos taken there and sees Jo in the background of one shot. He is intrigued by her unique appearance, as is Maggie Prescott, the editor of a leading fashion magazine. They offer Jo a modeling contract, which she reluctantly accepts only because it includes a trip to Paris. Eventually, her snobbish attitude toward the job softens, and Jo begins to enjoy the work and the company of her handsome photographer.

THE TENANT

A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where the previous tenant committed suicide, and begins to suspect his landlord and neighbors are trying to subtly change him into the last tenant so that he too will kill himself.

Very.co.uk - very on trend

2010-09-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I've been a very.co.uk virgin until now. I decided to get this faux fur gilet as its very on trend for this season and will be great for layering up in these next few chilly autumn months. I took my gilet to Paris this weekend as a test drive and it was the perfect versatile jacket. You can wear it with dresses, long sleeve top and jeans, boots, heels - the list goes on.

Fur was also all over the catwalk for AW10 and will never really go out of fashion, so if you buy one thing to last you through the winter I would suggest this.

Click here for the women's best sellers of Very and also check out the exclusive collections from PPQ and Preen.

LFW 2010: If I was a boy...

2010-09-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

I've never been that interested in Menswear but this season might have turned me. I mean Ozwald Boateng was just immense. He went all out - short film about his career, acoustic performance and a hundred, yes a HUNDRED male models wearing his latest collections (SS11 & AW11) at Odeon Leicester Square. The show started off with monochrome and ended with his trademark bright suits. After the show the models walked up to Saville Row - Boateng's home. Unfortunately they legged it too fast so I didn't have a chance to follow. Here's a selection of my favs though:

Also I didn't get a chance to attend these shows but I have had nothing but love for these designers from day one.

James Long:

J W Anderson:

LFW 2010: Masha Ma

2010-09-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

As far as debut collections go, it doesn’t get better than Masha Ma’s show on Sunday 19^th September. Every piece was cut, tailored and styled to perfection. New designers like her are the reason I go to London Fashion Week every season.

Although the collection is called Icebreaker and inspired by “rugged buildings in the meatpacking district in New York City”, there was a somewhat futuristic air to it. The electro industrial soundtrack went perfectly with the space-age foil on canvas skirts, airy capes and the odd almost alien-like flower pockets on some of the garments. Ma mixed strong elements such as silver and steel with the elegance of fine draped cotton, adding a touch of ice blue and blush pink to the otherwise grey, silver and white palette. I also fell in love with the silver knuckle-duster type rings all the models had on. I’m sure Lady Gaga amongst other celebs will be spotted wearing Masha Ma’s designs soon. This designer will be on everyone’s lips this season (and the next one too I have no doubt).

Offset Festival 2010

2010-09-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Offset festival is great if you want to check out up and coming bands but don't feel like/can afford to leave London. You also get the choice of camping on site if you want get the whole festival experience.

This year I was there helping out the peeps who ran the Not So Popular blog, interviewing bands and taking pics backstage. Kap Bambibo, Bo Ningen, These New Puritans and Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster were personal highlights.

I also couldn't resist doing a bit of style spotting. Enjoy!

Peter Pilotto for Kipling

2010-08-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with Peter Pilotto as soon as I laid eyes on their first collection....can't say the same about Kipling (I just don't get what's up with the monkey?!). So naturally I was a bit skeptical about the two collaborating to create a new bag range. However I was pleasantly surprised when I attended their presentation on Tuesday evening. The bags were fun, practical and on-trend - I would happily carry around my stylist kit or laptop in one of them. Kipling's new leather range wasn't too bad either!

The collection will consist of 11 bags and 5 accessories in Pilotto's strong trade mark galaxy and machine prints. The inspiration and idea behind the prints was "an intergalactic traveller, a sort of otherworldly nomad who is exploring and discovering". The collection will be exclusively available to buy at Selfridges beginning of September and then from the 3rd week of the month at Kipling stores and online. Kipling and Peter Pilotto are already working together on their SS11 collaboration. I won't lie, Im looking forward to it - furry monkeys and all!

Sample Sale Alert!

2010-08-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Jacques Townhouse Soiree

2010-08-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

When I caught wind of that my style icon Sophie Ellis Bextor and the equally stylish interior designer (and creator of 40Winks Hotel) David Carter have curated a girly pop-up boutique hotel for Jacques cider, obviously my curiosity got the best of me.

I went on Tuesday evening and in the space of an hour and half I was treated to free cupcakes, two drink tokens to try out the two different flavours of Jacques, (a bit of a lame) tarot card reading and my favourite bit - the dress up room and photoshoot! The "stylist" was a bit awful (I ended up styling myself) and the photographer was a bit weird but hey all good fun! You could also get a make-over, false lashes and all at the Benefit counter (and get 10% off if you brought any products on the night).

What really impressed me though was the ridiculously cute and girly little knick knacks and decorations. I'll admit I was tempted to take a few "souvenirs"....decided on getting my friend to take a few pictures instead. So the last few photos were taken by Leonie and hey what do you know? She also has a blog! Besides I got a goodie bag with a few mags and a bottle of Jacques cider at the end of the night.

Mine Interview

2010-06-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I started a new job as 2nd stylist assistant to Sarah Cobb a few weeks ago and its been mad busy since day one! Hence the lack of posting BUT the interview I did for the FAULT Magazine blog a while ago is finally up. So have a looky at that for now...

http://faultmagazine.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/anna-volosenko/

Inspiration

2010-06-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Some images from my 'Inspiration" folder. No clue where they're all from/who they're by though sozzles.

Sneak Peek

2010-05-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

...at a test shoot I styled last night.

Professional photos coming soon.

Talented Friends: Mindy Nettles

2010-05-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about taking the blog further. Interviewing people seemed like the next step. Since I've got ridiculous amounts of creative friends, I've decided to introduce a regular feature called "Talented Friends" to the blog where I'll be doing mini interviews with illustrators/photographers/designers who are the future of the fashion world.

First up is Mindy Nettles. I met Mindy during my year at Middlesex Uni doing Fashion Design, Styling & Promotion. She instantly stood out as her personality was as big as her talent. What I love about Miss Nettle's work is that she uses mixed media - check out the divine embroidered pieces. She's just been commissioned to do an illustration for Lovebox Festival magazine so expect to see more of this lady very soon.

*Have you always been creative? What made you decide to pursue a path in fashion/illustration?

Always. I doodle constantly, draw religiously, it's been constant and obsessive. Whilst doing my foundation at CSM I did a rotation in fashion promotion, and I found what I had been looking for - a marrying of artistic ideals to the glamour of fashion. I think for anybody with an artistic persuasion and subscription to Vogue it couldn't really get any better.

*Who or what inspires you?

I'm always looking for new techniques to inspire me. I have no patience for the proper way of doing things. I refuse to read instruction manuals on principle; your own way is always the best way. When I was a first year student I spent an evening trying to put together an Ikea wardrobe, I had no tools. Who has tools? I put the thing together with a Nutella jar (hammer) and a knife (screwdriver). It sat in the corner of my ram-shackle Stepney student house with a persistent lean to the left (just like me) and I liked it all the more for it. I think too much time spent on technical perfection is time wasted, creation should be enjoyed and the vibrancy of it's conception will shine through. Inspiration for me comes from life, I love magazines and fashion websites but ultimately, I think that looking at what others have done clouds what it is you truly want to do. Those ideas have already been realised but your own thoughts and interpretations of what others might see as menial. Trivial events are what births originality.

*Who’s work do you admire?

I have true admiration for writers and a blanket envy for people who can succinctly relay an idea through language, especially poets, whose job I see as being quiet similar to my own. Taking an idea or a story and trying to re-tell it in a burst, a paragraph or through an image. E.E.Cummings, James Joyce, Philip Larkin, if I'm looking for something to make me think and re-engage me with a project I'll turn to them. I have constant admiration for their clarity and conviction Larkin wrote;

"The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief."

One day I hope to create something that conveys effortless beauty like that quote.

*What’s your favourite piece you’ve done?

It's always the piece I've just finished. If it wasn't in some way better than the last it would be in the bin.

*What’s the worst stylistic faux pas you’ve ever made?

I think when you grow up with an interest in style it's inevitable you will get it wrong countless times in that eternal search for a statement look. I regretted dying my hair green when I was 14 but it would seem that this look is back in favour, so the circle of fashion continues...

*Who would you love to collaborate/work with?

I love to put images to words, so perhaps spoken word artists like Scroobius Pip, Kate Tempest or poet Don Paterson. However all collaboration can bare unexpected fruit and I'm always open to offers and ideas.

*What are your plans after graduation?

My dream is to be able to fund myself doing what I love, creating imagery, collaborating, illustrating. So I'll be chasing the dream, trying to get galleries to hang me, unsuspecting by-standers to buy me and magazines to publish me. I may spend the rest of my life being unspeakably poor, but so very happy.

Check out her blog mindynettles.blogspot.com for more info and recent work

Fashion in Motion: Osman

2010-05-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

After years of missing out on Fashion in Motion tickets, I finally managed to get my mitts on some for the Osman show. Pretty handy since I managed to miss Osman's show during London Fashion Week too.

Set in the Raphael gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the guests were treated to a beautiful display of dance and movement to traditional ethnic sounds by a male & female dancer as an introduction.

Dressed in navy with stunning drapery and subtle gold embellishment, it sent the tone for the rest of the collection.

Osman's signature look "juxtaposes tradition with modernity, precision tailoring with sensuous draping, and draws upon ethnicity and costume of ancient and global cultures."

All outfits were in block colours with details such as gold collars, corsets and bright accessories to make the garments come alive.

As I'm absolutely obsessed with jewellery, shoes and accessories in general, my favourite was of course the to die for shoes!

The Fashion in Motion show was a mish-mash of all of Osman's past and present collections. The pictures I took are atrocious so check out his website for better quality photos of all his designs.

Enchanted Palace

2010-05-17T13:35:00.001-07:00

As I walked through the gates of the park on my way to Kensington Palace, I was taken back to my childhood. The familiar swings in the playground, my favourite hide & seek spot and the beautiful pond in the background where I used to feed the ducks.

The feeling of being a little kid again didn’t leave me as I took my first few steps into the Enchanted Palace exhibition to be greeted my childish writing on the walls telling me which way to go. On my arrival I was given a little booklet of clues. I had to find names of seven Princesses hidden away in certain rooms, which made it feel like a treasure hunt.

I’ve been to Kensington Palace before and was amazed at how a few props and the right lighting could completely transform a place. Most rooms had an eerie blue/purple hue that worked well with works by William Tempest, Stephen Jones and Aminaka Wilmont. The grand gold room in the centre took my breath away. Works by Boudicca hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers fitted in well with the rest of the interior. The room with a giant lantern in the shape of a dress by Echo Morgan was one of my favourites as there was a massive wardrobe full of different sized drawers. These drawers were filled with beautiful drawings, etchings and jewellery from around the world. Of course seeing a Victorian style dress by Vivienne Westwood close up was a highlight in itself.

I'd recommend this exhibition to anyone who had an imaginary friend as a child, believed in fairytales and wants some of that magic back in their life.

Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX - until 2nd January 2011

Give a little, Live a lot.

2010-05-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Remember Mary's Charity pop-up Shop at Westfield last year? Well she's doing it all again this year in Westbourne Grove - but on a permanent basis.

The shop will be the first of a series of "Mary's Living and Giving shops for Save the Children" which will officially open its doors to the public in London on Saturday 22nd May at 11am. The first permanent shop for Save the Children opened in Stockbridge, Scotland in December 2009.

The Westbourne Grove shop won't just be focusing on fashion and accessories. It'll be a mix of designer & highstreet fashion and lifestyle with local talent, such as homemade jams and works of art. Yellowdoor PR has also designed a pretty snazzy interior to give the shop a boutique feel.

The shop has already received some amazing donations including a Mulberry 'Alexa' bag, Aquascutum trench, Charlotte Olympia shoes, Agent Provocateur underwear set and a Marc Jacobs dress.

Marc Jacobs dress

AP underwear set

Mulberry 'Alexa' bag

Charlotte Olympia shoes

Donations are of course crucial for this to work, so have a rummage through your wardrobes, bake some cupcakes or paint a pretty picture and bring it with you next time you pop in. You can also volunteer at the shop. You never know you might even get to meet Mary herself!

‘Mary’s Living and Giving Shop for Save the Children’ 177 Westbourne Grove, W11 2SB

The Live Issue Launch

2010-05-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I dragged myself and my friend Kristen to the Live Issue Launch and boy am I glad I did! This wasn't one of those boring fashion parties where there's nothing to do but get pissed on the free booze and see if you can spot any celebs/anyone you know. At this party you could actually interact - like getting your mug drawn by an illustrator and then get interviewed for Sketchbook Magazine or photocopy your face/boobs/feet to go up on the wall. They also had some snazzy displays of Pam Hogg's and Rachel Freire's works.

Some guy at the bar asked me what I thought about the party and I honestly think it's brilliant idea (think the guy was a bit weirded out by the whole event though). I always feel like I should "behave" myself when I go to a fashion party and that just sucks all the fun out of it. Isn't fashion supposed to be fun though? Also unless you're a well known Editor of a magazine, getting to sit front row at a fashion show is highly unlikely. You're usually a few rows back/standing and can't see the details of the garments. The Live Issue let people have a proper look at the clothes and feel the texture.

The goodie bags weren't bad either!

Self Styled London

2010-04-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

Im a huge fan (verging on obsession) when it comes to other people's personal style. I check out Streetstyle blogs such as Garance Dore, Jak & Jil and Facehunter on a daily basis, not to mention all the other bloggers that show what they're wearing that day such as Style Bubble, Cherry Blossom Girl and Style Rookie.

So I got just a little bit excited when I came across Self Styled London on Facebook. A site where photographer Anthony Lycett documents some of London's most stylish and daring people. All outfits are of course styled by the person that's being photographed.

I've seen a few familiar faces already, I hear there's more on the way...

Update: LRS=Little Red Shoes

2010-04-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I went along to the MLPR Press Day and came across these beauts. They're by a shoe and accessories label called Emmy.

Emmy Scarterfield worked for big names such as Bottega Veneta and Giorgio Armani in Italy before coming back to the UK to launch accessory lines for French Connection.

If you read my previous post, then you'll know that I'm determined to find the perfect pair of red Dorothy shoes. These are pretty much perfection but a little bit pricy - they will set you back £2000. This pair was custom made (like all of Emmy's shoes) with over 3000 Swarovski crystals. Just the detachable red bows themselves took 2 days to make. So once you take all that into consideration, the price doesn't seem that unreasonable. However I have been told by the lovely PR lady that a more wearable and affordable pair will be available soon.

New Designer Crush: Kalda

2010-04-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Kalda was set up by two sisters Katrin Alda and Rebekka in 2008. Based in Reykjavik, the twosome also own Einvera, "a cencept clothing store that represents individualism, self-expression and originality". The sisters decided to take things further with Kalda after a few designed pieces for their store got a lot of praise. The concept behind the label is "to create unique items without substitudes that are ideal for individuals who find satisfaction in swimming against the mainstream".

All of the pieces are made in their studio in Iceland. Here's a few of my fav:

Im afraid the label is only stocked in Iceland right now but you can buy the collection here.

Grunge It Up

2010-04-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

Dazed & Confused is my favourite magazines of all time. I'm always blown away by the amazing photoshoots featured in every issue. Im also a massive fan of the goth/grunge look and have wanted to do a shoot inspired by it for an absolute age. Finally managed to do that a few weeks ago. Really pleased with the results. I'll be organising another shoot soon though (most probably on location this time).

I was really inspired by these images from old issues of Dazed. True to the goth/grunge theme but with a pop of pastels:

And here's what I came up with:

All styling & photography by me.

Computer Wars

2010-04-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

Last month my laptop died on me and it took 3 weeks for it to be resurrected. So I haven't been able to post properly and have been way behind with editing photos from my previous shoots. All done now though so enjoy!

For my final project during my evening Fashion Photography course at LCF I decided to go for the Tribal theme.

Here are the images I was inspired by:

And here's the real deal.

All styling and photography by moi!

Temporary Fun

2010-02-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

I've always been a fan of tattoos but get bored easily and change my mind too often to get any real ones, so got a bit overly excited about these beauties - the Chanel transfer tattoos! £49 for 55 little body stickers might sound like a lot of money but if you think about it thats less than £1 for each one and that means a bit of Chanel for less than £50.

If this sounds like your kinda thang then they're available to buy at Selfridges, if not then there's always the Anya Ink Temporary Tattoo Parlour at Anya Hindmatch.

Since the big V day is coming up , the people at Hindmarch have gone love crazy and set up an Ink Parlour at their Ledbury Road store. Head down there between 11-13th Feb to get matching his & hers love hearts done with you and your boo or just some cute girly body art if you're single and ready to mingle. Can always come in handy if you want to strike up a convo with someone you like the look of!

If you're still not convinced there's another less "in your face" alternative - nail art! I've been doing my own designs since I was about 12 since I was never very impressed by the options at my local nail salons. And then like someone read my mind along came Wah Nails salon in Dalston! Not only can they do any design your heart desires but the salon also regularly puts on private views for new artists. There's also a clothing and magazine section!

I decided to treat myself on my favourite time of the year Halloween last year and designed these bad boys. They lasted a good week - well worth the money!

If you're not sure what you want, just pop in and have a look at some of the designs on offer. A lot of people get really excited & overwhelmed like children in a pick 'n' mix shop and decide to have a different design on each nail.

And of course they've got some alternative heart designs for Valentines Day coming up!

LRS = Little Red Shoes

2010-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Every girl dreams of finding her perfect LBD or even a LRD (Little Red Dress) but I've been dreaming of some LRS ever since I was a little girl.

I've been after the perfect pair of red shoes (preferably glitter) ever since I saw these beauties in The Wizard of Oz.

My urge/need/obsession was fueled even more after watching "The Red Shoes" last night. Watching his cult classic is probably the only time I've payed attention to ballet for longer than 2 minutes mostly thanks to the emotion fueled music and dazzling costumes and make-up.

This also reminded me of Goldfrapp's second album "Black Cherry" where she wore some amazing red glitter shoes for her album photos. The fact that the pair she had on where vegan made me want them even more. Then I remembered that they were up for grabs in a competition (in Grazia I believe) a few years back but they were the wrong size so the search continues...

There are some options out there but they're either too expensive or I wouldn't be able to bloody walk in them for longer than 5 minutes. Take these ones by Natacha Marro. They've now sold out but they were £485 - ouch! There are some equally lovely pairs on her site though (and a little bit less expensive. Only a little bit mind).

I guess I could always get these from Beyond Skin (the vegan shoe brand that Alison Goldfrapp is so keen on) for £98 and spray the glitter on myself. Right now that seems like the only affordable option but if you happen to come across the Perfect Pair of Red Glitter Shoes in Size 6, please do let me know!

Sneaky Holiday - Dubrovnik, Croatia

2009-07-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

I kept this one quiet but I went on holiday to Dubrovnik, Croatia last week and it so happened that the first ever Dubrovnik Fashion Week was happening at the same time.

Dubrovnik stole my heart and I can't wait to come back there in a few years time. The Old Town is surrounded by the beautiful sea and has a harbor, quirky little side streets that lead off the main road where you find cute little cafes and small hand made jewellery boutiques (I got a beautiful vintage style silver ring as a souvenir with a large turquoise stone in the middle, surrounded by tiny coral stones all around for about £48). The food is fresh, especially the sea food and cooked to perfection. Not everyone can afford to eat at Gil's, it's pretty pricey a Mojito set me back about £10 but I recommend at least popping in for a drink for the amazing view and service.

I also came across FAAR Magazine whilst picking up my passes at the DFW Press Office. Had a quick flick through and liked what I saw - check out the site.

And whilst I'm on the subject of magazines, also check out PUSH IT Magazine. The magazine is Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina's 1st International style magazine mixing the best of the Balkan's with the rest of the world. I've been following their progress for a while and like the look of their photoshoots. Check it.

The Michael Jackson Memorial Post

2009-07-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

I've always thought it a bit bizarre how people overreact over a famous person's death and take it so personally, especially when they have never even met the person but I have been deeply saddened by MJ's death as I grew up on his music and still can't believe that we won't be seeing him moonwalk for the last time. Not only was he a musical genius, a revolutionary dancer but a style icon in his own right (I didn't even realize how much people jacked his style until I saw the video for "Bad" on TV again. Two words - Russell Brand). As my own tribute, I was going to create MJ inspired looks on Polyvore but it doesn't seem to be working today (I might try again tomorrow). So I leave you with a photo of his changing style and recomend you watch the live coverage of the Memorial Service right now.

RIP

Christopher Kane Unisex Tshirts

2009-06-28T10:37:00.001-07:00

I've been coveting this dress ever since I laid eyes on it as soon as Christoper Kane's SS 09 collection came out but alas:

1) I knew I couldn't afford it
2) It wasn't a dress that I could exactly wear on a regular basis

So I was super excited to find out he had designed a unisex (more affordable) tshirst collection inspired by the hairy apes.

If I had a spare £180 (one tshirt will set you back 224 euros) or so, I'd get the one on the right (the Gorilla I believe) and wear it to death. However if you're in the money (feel free to buy me one as an early birthday pressie), these Christopher Kane tshirts are available at luisaviaroma.com in all sizes - the Mandrill, Baboon, Chimp and the Gorilla.

Actually cannot wait!!!

2009-06-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Petra Scissor Hands

2009-06-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

Whilst digging some more dirt on Paloma Faith for my previous post, I came across this video of her in a little paper world.

This little gem was directed by Petra Storrs who describes herself as "a London based Art Director whose work encompasses, set and prop design and construction, stage design, stage costume design, design and fashion design, for various stills, events and music promo clients". Oo er is there anything this lady can't do?

Her and Paloma seem to have a very close working relationship as this video isn't the first time they have collaborated. Storres also did the set design for "Stone Cold Sober" as well as creating the beautiful tin dress and other various stage outfits for Paloma (also spotted Patrick Wolf wearing one of her creations in her portfolio). Going through her portfolio, the images that stood out the most to me where these from the "Optical Opulence" paper editorial (photographed by Rai Royal and styled by Justine Josephs) she did for Sublime Magazine. Click on the image to see a larger version in another window!

Paloma Faith: New Artist Crush

2009-06-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Well when I say "new" I actually came across Paloma about 4 years ago in the dark and dingy basement of 333 when she was still more of a performance artist than a singer. She emerged out of a bath full of feathers and then gave birth to something full of fake blood on stage before unleashing her beautiful voice to sing a song. I instantly fell in love with her then and have been following her career ever since. So of course I got overly excited when I saw her new music video full of familiar East London faces (Russela, Ryan Styles, Amechi & Josh Weller amongst others) for "Stone Cold Sober" being played on TV. She has also made an appearance as an actress in the new "St Trinians" film and was filming a movie with the late Heath Ledger before he sadly passed away. But of course since I'm a fashion hag, what really drew to me to her straight away were her amazing outfits. Miss Faith has already gathered quite an impressive portfolio on her Myspace appearing and modeling for various magazines. Here I've picked out some of my favs. Watch this space!

Green Fashion

2009-05-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

What better way to get myself out of my non-posting rut then a post about a good cause! If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of swishing/swapping and it has come to my attention that quite a few swapping parties and events are going down in the next couple of weeks.

1) First up is the Accessories Swishing Party on 22nd May (tomorrow):

Futerra Sustainability communications and the Shoreditch Women’s Institute will be hosting the first accessories swishing party on Friday, 22 May. Swishing started with clothes and for the first time will be expanding to include accessories!

Guests will experience a plethora of fun swishtastic activities from a fashion sins confessional booth, jewellery classes and workshops, entertainment by a cool indie band and of course, swishing! Guests are encouraged to bring at least 3 accesories to swish (belts, jewellry, sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, scarves, hats, shoes, handbags, etc.) Guests who don’t have accessories to swish can bring at least one item of clothing. Unswished clothing at the end of the event will be donated to Cancer Research.

WHO: Futerra and the Shoreditch Women’s Institute

WHAT: First accessories swishing party

WHEN: Friday, 22 May at 7:00 PM - late

WHERE: The George Pub, 373 Commercial Rd, E1 0LA

2) Next up is Grazia's and Mary Portas's "Mary's Charity Shop" held at The Village (the posh designer bit - ironic right?) in Westfield shopping centre on 4th June - 27th June. The concept is simple - give your unwanted, unworn, unused stuff in like you would to a normal charity shop (items do have to have a minimum resale value of £5 though - so try to lay off the Primark) and from 4th June you can then buy all the items that have been donated. All money made goes to Save the Children - more info on this event here.

3) And finally it's Feather Duster by Hybird on Sunday 7th June. The clothes swap will run 4-6pm "followed by live, acoustic music from the new and awesome band, Human+ special guests. To participate in the swap please bring at least 1 high quality item of clothing or accessories. There is no upper limit to how many items you can bring, but we aim to keep the quality high, so please, no used sportswear".

The event will take place at: Adriadny's Nectar, 274 Latimer Road, London, W10 6QW.

I also found this article I kept from the February 26th 2009 edition of the London Paper about "Throw Away Fashion". I was shocked to find out that a cute pair of glitter Primark pumps could take up to 1,000 years to degrade and the article gives you tips on how you could help - like taking your unwanted bras to Oxfam, which will then make their way to Africa where there are very few facilities for producing them.

Swish/Swap

2009-03-05T03:55:00.000-08:00

I got an email a few days ago about a free swishing/swapping event in East London this Saturday asking if I could do a post on it and since I'm a bit of a fan, I was more than glad to help.

Here's the deal (more info on swishing events outside London on the website):

Swishing Event at Old Spitalfield's Market , London

Get a new outfit for free at this fun Swishing event as part of East Festival in London. Fashionistas are hunting down the best pieces at Swishing events all over the country. Who knows what treasures you may find...

12noon - 2pm Clothes drop off:
Bring your clothes, shoes or accessories to the swishing area and drop them off, you will recieve a stamp for each item (minimum 1, maximum 5)
2.30pm Browsing time:

Take time to browse the goodies on display - look, but no touching until the Swish begins

3.00pm Swishing officially opens:

There will be a brief introduction to the Swish and it will then be declared open for you to start swishing.

The Rules

Bring at least 1 good quality item of clothing, shoes or accessories that you no longer wear but would be proud to pass onto a fellow Swisher - no rags please!
You can bring up to 5 items, you will recieve a stamp for each, so feel free to take as many items as you brought along.
You will have time to browse the rails and look at the fantastic free goodies on display - but remember, you cannot claim these items until the swish is officially open!
Once declared open, swish to your hearts content! Remember, be kind to your fellow Swishers...no scratching, spitting or biting!
Have fun!

See you there!

Word Up

2009-03-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, this is officially my 50th post and it saddens me to waste it on something so tedious but it has to be done. You might have noticed that I haven't posted for a while, well thats coz my blog (or blogger in general - is anyone else having problems?) has been buggering up recently - especially the uploading of pics. So soz and bare with me!

P.S I have created a Menswear Fashion Blog section in my listings coz I had a few people ask for some good ones but alas I only know 3. So if your blog or any that you know of fit the criteria (doesn't have to be ALL about menswear, the majority will do) - send them my way!

LFW Feb 09: Day 1

2009-02-23T09:37:00.001-08:00

Due to feeling a bit poorly I only managed to get my arse down to Alexandra Groover and Kling by Kling on the first day of London Fashion Week. I've been following Groover's work for a while now and was really pleased for her when I found out that she'll be showing this month. However I was left a little disappointed in the end - after a 40min wait for the show to start, I was expecting something more. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad, I just left like something was missing and it wasn't the colour, I liked that she kept it simple focusing on the texture of fabrics and the structure of clothes instead. I could also she the sea reference in her garments (Groover grew up on the shores of California), such as the "jellyfish" strip dress and the hooded "seashell" coat. The pics I took on my shitty digital camera defo won't help matters (in my sickly state I forgot to take my proper Digital SLR), so I will use the pics from her lookbook instead to give you an idea of what she's all about (you can also have a look the show pics here).

Kling by Kling opted for a presentation instead of a catwalk show, which I think was a wise move as there;s more of an interaction with the audience that way. Plus it wasn't just clothes that they where showing but wallpaper, dishes and sunglasses too. Kling started out only using monochrome graphics so it was a brave development to add hues of blue's and greens this time round. The new collection was based around clowns and describes itself as "a magical circus of dreams fresh from Kling by Kling's fantasies". Really liked the idea of the models walking around giving out black balloons as well. My camera died on me right at the end but they all came together on the stage, looking like cute little clown statues.

Topshop Spring Summer 09 Shoes Update

2009-02-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ok the TS shosies I wrote about in my previous post have landed....like yesterday (typical the one day this week that I didn't pop in). And now all the size 6 Emma Cook boots are gone. They will be getting some more in this week but I won't hold my breath as there's a waiting list for them. Yes thats right a Topshop waiting list - oh how times have changed! I was about number 20 down the list. And the structured sky blue ankle boots are absolutely gorgeous but impossible to walk in. Gutted.

Topshop Spring Summer 09

2009-02-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

I remember the days when Topshop was a bit like River Island/Miss Selfridge clothes and quality wise but with better quality clothes comes a bigger price tag. Saying that I'm sooo in love with the new collection and don't mind paying that little bit extra (plus I get a 10% student discount so its not all bad).

The Union Jack blazer will be mine and even though I have had enough of the floral trend, the grey flower one might be making its way into my wardrobe as well. Also I can't seen to get enough of baby blue/light denim at the mo, probably coz it reminds me of spring and I'm so sick of this crappy weather already, so Topshop ticks that box too by the looks of things. And I'm always partial to a bit of grunge - oversized ripped tshirt/jumper? Yes please!

The shoes are looking pretty yummy also - especially the unusual sky blue structured ankle boots. Can see the white gladiator type ones working with a few of my outfits too.

The ones that have been blogged about the most must be the Emma Cook for Topshop ones though. I did not manage to get my hands on the black pair last time so these white ones are on my "must get" list this time - they just look so comfy.

P.S - I asked when they will be coming out, I couldn't get a specific date but was told the whole idea is to release them before Fashion Week, so keep your eyes peeled - thats less than 2 weeks away!

I Have Never Regretted...

2009-02-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

...not learning to ride a bike (I always thought I'd skate/blade/board my way through life instead) until now.

Bat for Lashes - Whats a Girl To Do

I really want...

2009-02-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

...one of these bad boys! I mean, we've got the same name and hair - its like meant to be right? Also think I just found my Halloween costume right there (one of my friends dressed up as Mary Kate Olsen last year - fake blood is so 2 years ago).

Micro Trend: Stripes Below the Waistline

2009-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

Kingdom of Style

The Satorialist

The Cherry Blossom Girl

Is Mental

I think I need some stripy tights/socks in my life. Also saw a girl wearing some wonderuss stripy tights during the sale at Liberty's - she tried some red shoes on with them and its looked freaking awesome!

Overtired

2009-01-31T14:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting recently but I've started a work placement at a magazine (more on that later) and have been ill every other week for 2 months now, so I have hardly had time to READ other blog posts let alone write me own. I did manage to sqeeze in styling a Pierrot/circus inspired photoshoot during that time though.

Photography by Emma Gibney
Make up by Anne Flink

Im feeling...

2009-01-23T04:50:00.000-08:00

...pastel candy colours, especially in music videos at the mo.

LIGHTSPEED CAMPION - "Galaxy of the Lost"

LILY ALLEN - "The Fear"

JAMES BLUNT - "Love, Love, Love"

Alice Outfits

2009-01-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

Inspired by my two previous posts and this awesome shoot from the September 2007 issue of SO-EN magazine I found on Flickr, I decided to come up with some alternative Alice outfits (also I wanted an excuse to spend hours on Polyvore).

*DAYTIME ALICE*

Daytime Alice by Stylistique

Bow headband - Forever21

Cardi & skirt - Marc Jacobs

Paris umbrella - ebags.com

Shoes - endless.com

Bag - Chanel

Tights - Plasticland

*MEET THE PARENTS ALICE*

Meet the Parents Alice by Stylistique

Dress - Lover

Black bow - Topshop

Clutch - Phillip Lim

Tights - Gaspard Yurkievich

Earrings - Kath Mandu

Shoes - Loeffler Randall

*PUNK ALICE*

Punk Alice by Stylistique

Dress - Vintage

Belt- Dorothy Perkins

Lipstick - Lulu Beauty

Gloves - labefana.com.au

Tights - costumehub.com

Hat - villagehatshop.com

Shoes - Alexander McQueen

Tim Burton's Alice Update

2009-01-16T01:40:00.000-08:00

The fact that Tim Burton was going to direct a film version of Alice in Wonderland has been on my radar for quit sometime now and I've managed to find some sneaky peek pics on the internet.

I must say, I'm a little disappointed with Alice's outfit - I was expecting/hoping for something more Gwen Stefani like. Also the dress underneath reminds me of the cut out jeans from House of Holland's latest collection - thats never a good thing right?

But apparently, this is an early make-up/costume test for Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, which is more like it but don't quote me on that!

Winter Wonderland

2009-01-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I decided to brave the cold and went to check out what all the fuss was about at Winter Wonderland. I turned into a human icicle after 40 mins and spent the next 2 hours defrosting in an indoors cafe with mulled wine. Me and my friend then decided to have a go on the House of Horrors ride. My previous experiences of this ride have not been good (a shitty one in Croydon & one at a dodgy carnival in Spain where pervy men dressed as werewolves touched you up in the dark). This one was actually pretty terrifying, if I was like 8 years old I would have pissed my pants. My friend was yelping all over the place, may I add that he is a grown man at 27 years of age. I managed to take a few photos and capture this magical day before my camera dyed on me.

Links à la Mode: The Independent Fashion Blogger Roundup

2009-01-04T05:26:00.001-08:00

(My First) Links à la Mode : January 1st (Yay!)

Capitola Girl Jewelry Blog - A little New Year’s bling…
Consume or Consumed - Gabriel Brothers Shopping: A Retrospective with Tips!
Couture Allure Vintage Fashion - Couture Allure looks at an evening gown produced from a 1954 sketch by Valentino.
Dogmom’s Dish - Review of the Thakoon for Target collection
dramatis personae - Lime Crime Review & Tutorial!
fashion in my eyes - To Russia with Love from Natalia Vodianova
Fashion Ivy - The Best & Worst Dressed For 2008
Fashion Pulse Daily - We gave the latest Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart collection a test run - read on to find out what we thought about it!
Fasshonaburu - Some tips on how to avoid going nuts on all the post-holiday “OMG we didn’t sell enough stock” sales
Hello, Lover… Shoe Daydreams - A thwarted obsession leads to a shoe customization project.
Independent Fashion Bloggers - The 2009 Calendar of Fashion Events
Mademoiselle Robot - Shoes vs trainers
only style remains the same - only style remains the same gets dressed for five different kinds of dates.
SMG - Keep your eyes on a new fresh faced model from Helsinki, Finland
Solo Lisa y Nada Mas - Lisa receives a delightful parcel in the mail a week before Christmas.
Style Discovery - Have you been to Shanghai Tang?
Style Symmetry - Eyeliah wants you to check out Fluffy’s Blog.
Stylistique - JOLIBE: New American Based Designer Crush
Summershoes - Preparations for the last night of the year, grooming yourself to be extra fabulous!
Technology Starlet - When Robot USB Memory Storage Behaves Badly
THE COVETED - They might be resolutions…
the musings of ondo lady - Ever wondered why Kate Moss is such a genius when it comes to fashion?

JOLIBE: New Designer Crush

2008-12-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

I came across Jolibe whilst watching an episode of Stylista and you could say it was love at first sight (and I don't even believe in love at first sight).

JOLIBE designer Joel Diaz is Dominican Republic born where he spent most of his adolescent years in art school. At 14 however, he began learning dressmaking techniques from his mother. This is obviously when he discovered his love for fashion as he then went on to study fashion design at the Altos de Chavon School of Design in the DR. After receiving a scholarship to study at Parsons School of Design he moved to New York. He then pursued a career in fashion, and worked with several designers before landing at Helmut Lang and you can see the strong Lang influence in his work. In 2007 he opened JOLIBE with his partner, Christina LaPens, a photographer and art director. The Fall 2007 Collection marked the debut of JOLIBE during Paris Fashion week and has since been shown in New York.

Jolibe is everything I could ever ask for in a designer - strong structured looks that can take you from day to night, gorgeous shades of fabric that will never go out of style and although the overall silhouettes are quit classic, he adds little quirky details that make the outfit stand out and really do make you feel like you've spent your money on something you will love every time you wear it. Also its hard to find new designers that have a strong sense of their own style and a vision of what they want their collections to look like for the next couple of years but I think Jolibe has delivered from the very start.

AW07

SS08

AW08

SS09

Mutate Britain

2008-12-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

After my rather unsuccessful sale rummage at Start Boutique in Old Street today (ok I found an amazing Stella McCartney coat but even with the 40% discount it was still 900 smackers and waaay out of my budget) and I headed to Cordy House to check out the "Mutate Britain" exhibit which I've been meaning to see for about a month now. I wasn't disappointed, actually it might be the best exhibition that I've ever seen in London. I don't mean to sound cliche but it was so different and unexpected. I only had my shitty-good-for-nothing digital camera with me, so excuse the poor quality photos.

When you first walk in, you enter a dimly lit graffitied room full of alien robot like sculptures made out of car/bike spare parts and anything that on its own would usually be described as "junk". It also smelt a bit like horse stables. And had a weird stray dog walking around.

This then leads you to the second less dingy room full of smaller sculptures, some graffiti art and a weird but awesome plane propeller (or at lest thats what I think it was).

You then move onto the second floor where theres some dope art and more of the same etc etc.

This is also where you find my favourite piece - a skull portrait made out of coloured badges.

And then you get you the best bit - the "interactive room" on the third floor. You're greeted with what first looks like a neon sign but is actually some creepy dolls tangled in fairylights.

And then out of the darkness you see a giant head. It changes faces at a blink of an eye and there were some sort of controls in front of it, so I'm guessing you can play around with the facial features also. Loved the virtual graffiti wall as well, a little boy was hogging it so didn't get to try it out but looks like you can have hours of fun with it.

The pole dancing robots and DJ were the best. I want one in my house.

This floor also had a little cafe if you were feeling peckish and a shop with a dark and dingy "maze" which I didn't dare go into by myself.

And this thing. I think the idea was to climb into it as there was a supervisor type person standing next to it (prob to help you in the likely chance of you getting stuck).

Anyways go check it out, its FREE and open 12-10pm on Sat & 12-7pm on Sun. So no excuses, you can pop in after doing your Chrimbo shopping. Exhibition finishes on Sun 21st Dec.

www.mutatebritain.com

Like it or not...

2008-12-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

...these three madames WILL be your fashion/music crushes of 2009!

LADY GAGA:

LA ROUX:

JANELLE MONAE:

I heart Bruno

2008-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

Forget "what if God was one of us?" - its all about "what if Jesus was a male model?"

HAWTSTUFF

The Return of the Legends (and Moi)

2008-12-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

I feel terrible about neglecting* my blog (and it's readers) for almost 2 months but there have been a lot of things that needed to be sorted out but I am back! I'm more excited about the return of two of my fav ladies in showbiz though - Grace Jones & Cyndi Lauper. Both are looking super hot for their age (Grace is 60 and Cyndi is 55) and I'm glad to see they haven't lost their quirky sense of style (their songs are still pretty banging too).

GRACE:

Dream outfit I'd like to see Grace in: one of these from new designer Andrea Cammarosano. Grace likes her outfits to be structured and eye-catching so this should be right up her street. She's also a fan of black so would be nice to see some splashes of colour on her.

CYNDI:

Dream outfit I'd like to see Cyndi in: this dress from Basso & Brooke's Spring 06 collection. Cyndi is the complete opposite of Grace - a huge fan of colour. Also this dress has the fun elements of her past 80's outfits, so I can really see her bringing this dress to life.

*I haven't been totally neglecting le blog - I've added more links on the right hand side and all the posts are now conveniently labeled. Also I will be going to PARIS for a day trip as a Birthday treat on 16th so any recommendations would be mucho appreciated as the last time I went with my mother. When I was 12. She made me stay in the Louvre for over 3 hours. I hated it.

Wode by Boudicca

2008-10-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Wode is the first "art" fragrance by Boudicca which launched during Frieze Art Fair last week and can now be all yours for £85 from www.boudiccawode.com. The idea came from the Ancient Britons who used a blue plant extract "woad" as tribal markings (apparently in its raw state it is a muddy hue and only when exposed to oxygen did it turn blue) and it has taken almost a decade to develop. I think this is pure genius - even after the blue has disappeared the Boudicca mark is still on you just in a completely different sensual form. The packaging is in the shape of a spray paint can to symbolize that graffiti is the modern day war paint. Boudicca is also in the process of creating a collection of garments with 'hidden meanings' which are revealed by spraying them with Wode.

Zowie Broach from JC Report on Vimeo.

Jeremy Scott for Adidas Originals

2008-10-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ok I realise that I go on about Jeremy Scott quit a bit, I really don't think he's THAT great but I do love love love his new line for Adidas which hits selected fashion boutiques come 1st February. I've never really been into sportswear that much apart from the occasional hoodie so I was really impressed when I saw these pics. I've been looking for the perfect flapper dress and tails coat but they've been going for ridiculous prices on Ebay. Maybe its fashion fate - maybe I'm supposed to get these instead? Although I'm not sure of the prices yet, it could be what my wardrobe is missing.

And yes I'm even in love with the trainers (the angel wings ones will also be available in white but personally I think the gold looks more impressive). I usually only admire trainers from afar as they make my legs look not so attractive. Last time I fell in love with a pair of trainers was when Nike released their limited edition Liberty print Dunks back in May - they looked sweeeet but unfortunately I didn't manage to get my hands on a pair (I'm still hoping a pair in size 6 will pop up on Ebay).