november scrapbook

from Russia with love. One November, I did a project on St. Petersburg for school. I aways think of visiting St Petersburg now in November . November can be a strange month, and the weather, on certain days, oddly evocative with the ethereal, somewhat paradoxical combination of violent cold and diaphanous sunlight. It is that weather that makes me think of a city I have never visited.

only because I never tire of pictures of a young Debbie Harry. My friend gave me a Blondie best of around this time of year...see, there is a reason for it! It's never so much about her clothes, but the attitude.. and yeah, that face.

I'm consuming copious cups of hot chocolate at the moment. November days are made for creamy - choco decadence though, no? Marshmallows are a must.

Mid length skirts, pearls, furs, cardigans, cloche hats, lipstick, daytime flapper fashion is constantly on my mind.

'An Education' is definitely worth a look even if only for the understated 60s clothes, French references and suburban decor.

I fully own up to having neglected commenting recently, will catch up this week. ps. new header..familiar faces!

in wind and rain

I like things that look old. It's even better if they are in fact old. Anything fussy, twee, old fashioned and fusty, grandmother - ish. Perhaps, even more pleasing, anything that possesses that musty, aged, old man vibe. Jackets with elbow patches, polished leather lace - up shoes, a velvet lapel, a starched shirt, checkers pattern..this sounds all very romanticized Dickens, but there's nothing really wrong with that, is there? Tweed jackets neatly fall into the category too. When I say jacket I essentially mean a long blazer, certainly not the prim Chanel piece, yet blazer somehow denotes a more modern trendy notion of the jacket, not that there's anything wrong with that, tweed blazers have afterall become very popular in recent months in a certain hip, homeless, rustic sort of way, but I'm thinking more the elderly man aesthetic. Where the above description of old mannish attire draws to mind urban, hop - skippity - skip elder the tweed blazer conjures up an image of those, quintessentially Irish 'farmer' caps and Connemara and wool jumpers and the aul men labouring in the fields beneath murky purple - grey cloud..that could just be me though..

my sometimes unorthodox fonts of inspiration!

lady day

hair accessories - turbans, feather fascinators and white flowers, bows, understated glamour

put a large flower in your hair, don glamorous earrings and a pearl necklace, and listen to some jazz.

pink or blue?

On Saturday I engaged in a session of therapy...no, not the kind with a couch and a stranger with a notebook but more rather my kind of therapy ie. cutting up magazines and creating new collages and adding to existing ones. This for me always puts the mind at rest, indeed, it's an oddly rewarding, even 'soul cleansing' ritual that provides me with a nice happy, content feeling..similar perhaps, to buying nice things...

Masculine or lady - lady like, that is the question. I love both - soft rosy pinks vs. sober palettes of navy blue and slate grey, flamboyant fifties skirts vs. sophisticated tailored trousers, grandma elegance vs. grandpa chic .. Whilst 'cutting and pasting', I noticed how many of my cuttings were either one or the other, embodying femininity or masculinity - fashion's two eternal trends. Inspired by my magazine snippets, I have embraced both in this outfit post.

Nothing remotely ground - breaking here, rather just me reconsidering some pieces in my wardrobe.

super speedy handmade collage; check blazers and plenty of grey

i adore that Louis Vuitton look (centre) - a soft, scrumptious lady - like confection - yum! the pinnacle of inspiration for this.

"if you want to sing out sing out"

"Stand out!..It's heroic to stand out. My clothes have always been heroic, whether it's a latex negligee or a corsetted ballgown. So much of modern fashion is ordinary but I notice young women in the street and I think they look very good - because they know it's not about fashion, it's how you put it together...First you have to know who you are - or want to be. Then you have to use your clothes to tell your personal story. And be confident. I've never worried about what other people think of me. I'm only interested in how I want to feel and look. You have to cut a figure. Step off the threadmill of fashion."

-Vivienne Westwood, Elle UK Oct 2009

..and that's that. Those words make a lot of sense to me.

sept/oct scrapbook..extended

Warning: lazy, self - indulgent post ahead. A plethora of inspiring images specifically posted to inspire yours truly..cue evil laugh.. For the first time in my life (other than weekends, summer, Christmas holidays, bankholidays etc etc), having just embarked on my college education, I can get up and choose to wear what ever I want. Yes, for the previous 14 or so years, I was trapped in the shackles of a school uniform doing everything in my power (most of which I'd rather forget) to try and inject some personality into my dull, tedious attire. Now, when I rise in the morning there's a whole spectrum of oppurtunity..well..within the confines of my closet, which like most people, I imagine, I wish was stocked to a greater degree. Anyway, these are some images that are inspiring me at the moment. And wahey they are suitably seasonal too!

Note: Valentine's cutesy print and lemon and lime retro handbags.(Left) Chain belt, grandpa check and slouchy trousers (Right)

Note: Ladylike chic is not always old fashioned and austere, but rather elegant and mildly mysterious. A beautiful coat and handbag go along way too.

Note: Florence is a goddess albeit a quirky, somewhat offbeat, crazy one. If you die your hair any colour this season go for burning russet like Ms. Welch. Note too her preferred shade of plummy wine lipstick and use of lace and pattern.

Note: A long skirt can be fabulous. Charles Anastase's s/s 2010 is further proof of how wondrous a longer length can look. Certainly the first stop in intelligent dressing.

Note: Why are some people so classically stylish? Tailoring and simple detail like a corsage or a leather belt answer the latter proving that glamour can be fuss free.

Note: Amazing feminine tailoring (left) : lightly pleated skirt with gorgeous draping top. Shiny marbled clutch, red lipstick, hairband and oceanic coloured bow top: vintage inspired loveliness(right).

Note: When no more inspiration can be found, Susie will have the answer.(left) Boots, check, cardigan and angular sunglasses equals an effortlessly cool look. (right)


Note: Old knits and smoking, casual overcoat and gentle breeze.




Note: Alexa may have a sometimes irritating demeanour, but when it comes to possessing a wearable and quirky wardrobe there's no better woman for it. Trench, loafers and denim are proven perfect items for autumn.

Note: Unusual rings, hippy fringe and barefaced a la Joni Mitchell and Brigitte Bardot's loose wooly sweater, riding boots and Chanel chain bag.

credits: the sartorialist, facehunter, stylebubble, garance dore, the selby

london

I know Milan fashion week is well and truly underway now, but have been meaning to blog about London all week - later is better than not at all! I don't usually do these type of posts but there is nothing like some fresh fashion to rejuvinate the fashion brain cells.


So in love with this collection. Intelligent, gorgeous clothes that gloriously combine the cutting edge with something of a vintage/antique touch. The notion of the Victorian crinoline seems to run through out - hoola - hooped hemmed skirts and multi - layered dresses that hark back to said era. There's random dashes of bright colour mixed with delicate tulle and girly frills, a dress made of cellophane, an enormous dress of hessian like material, dungarees..Anastase knows how to get one thinking about clothes..



This collection is something of a sweet 60s' caricature - nauseating pastels and Peter Pan collars, patent bows and boxy handbags. It's surprisingly fuss free for Luella, but I can't help but adore the clean lines, that sweet shop palette and the cartoon perfection of the garments.

Everyone's talking about this one. Not usually overly enthused by Burberry but this collection is quite lovely. Romantic Grecian draping, angelic mini dresses, ruching, tulle and soft pretty colours - peppermint, candy pink, lavender, sky blue, creamy golds - all provide for a decidedly youthful and somewhat dreamy collection.

There's a whole lot of check going on in Kane's latest collection, but check not in the grungy sense of the word rather more picnic cloth prairie innocence rather than street or college student. This is, indeed, an exercise in the use of a continuous print with checks appearing throughout and floaty summer dresses of clever construction as the central focus of the collection. Masculine tailoring and buttoned up shirts provide some interesting variety.

Who can resist the jovial brilliance of Louise Gray's collection? Playful, vibrant, bold, good humoured - something like a child's birthday party..but maybe a bit too zany and trippy to be exactly that. Completely unpretentious, these are cheerful clothes that must be worn with a spring in your step and that pre - requisite: a smile.

Truth be told, I wasn't too impressed with the fluro plastic tube tops and grubby army denims, but the funky prints overrule here especially the faint and dainty Japanese prints. Kinda in love with some of the shoes too and I can't resist a parka..

I will never cease to fawn over the combination of a blazer and a buttoned up shirt. Paul Smith's version is particularly quirky complete with ties and scarfs and pocket squares. There's plenty prints here also.. ditsy florals and checkered cardigans, multicoloured bands of colour, indeed, it's unexpectedly cool in places.