29 4 08

I have recently noticed that whereas I pay a lot of attention to my daily outfits, I rarely bother to do anything special with my hair. I am in the process of growing it and (once our boiler is fixed and we have hot water!) I’m going to dye it black.
I really love 50’s movie star hairstyles like - of course - Marilyn Monroe and I especially love the hairstyle worn here by Jane Russell. But, the only problem is I have a fringe, so I can’t get that whole wave effect around the face. I think I’m going to do some experimenting with a barrel roll on my fringe and on the tips of my hair, just like in this picture I had on my computer, although I can’t remember where it’s from.

Jane Russell photo: Movie Maidens

28 4 08

I can’t wait for it to be hot enough to have a picnic! A lovely outfit for it would be from Carolina Herrera’s spring/summer 08 runway:


Plus, I would really love a proper picnic basket like this one:


Picnic basket £65 from Cath Kidston

And a cute little flask to go with it!


Flask £15 from eBay

27 4 08

At the moment I am torn between two styles: graceful and pretty vs. tailored and fierce.

From left to right: Rodarte, Prada, Blumarine
From left to right: Balenciaga, Lanvin, YSL

Maybe I could possibly have pretty for daytime and fierce for evening; but then again it would be more striking to have the tailored look out in daytime, as it is par for the course that risqué looks are reserved for nightfall. Hopefully I can find an in-between balance (without looking like a dire 80’s throwback).
Also, I have just read about the Skin + Bones exhibition, in the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House, which I am very excited to go and see.



“The fashion on show is a mix of high concept and high drama: Chalayan, McQueen, Miyake, Comme, Viktor + Rolf and Westwood together with architects of a similar calibre: Gehry, Hadid, OMA and Herzog & de Meuron to name just a few.”

25 4 08

I recently noticed that I seem to wear a dress more or less every day! I don’t really have a lot of anything else really because whenever I go shopping I’m inevitably drawn towards the dresses. I would like to branch out a bit more with my wardrobe, and thought a really nice addition would be a 30’s style 3 piece suit like in these photos below:


The first one is from Jean Paul Gaultier’s spring/summer 2008 couture runway, and the second one is from a website called Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection that is filled with lots of wonderful old photographs.
I think maybe I would replace the trousers with a nice kick-flare skirt like this one from River Island, because I don’t really wear trousers that much.


Skirt £29.99

Then to top it all off I would have to use some dark red lipstick like this shade used on Chloe’s autumn/winter 08-09 runway.

23 4 08

I did some work experience today with Adrenalin Management, which was really fun because I had to flick through fashion magazines and tear out fashion shoots by any of their photographers; so it wasn’t much different to what I do in my spare time anyway - looking through fashion magazines!

Also, although it rained in the morning, today was bright and sunny. I can’t wait for the summer to come! Here’s a photograph I took last summer on Woolacombe Beach in Devon:

21 4 08

I think I may have found the perfect swimsuit on eBay!!! I was talking before about finding one for the summer and this has everything I was looking for and more – the length, the colour, the gathers up the front! They even had the original advert for it:


Sadly, I can’t imagine it being very hygienic to wear second hand swimwear.

:(

20 4 08

I really like this top from Peacocks (!!!) because although it’s really simple I can imagine channeling Bernie Dexter with some high waist cropped jeans, a pompadour roll fringe and bandana headscarf.

19 4 08

My friend Chloe lent me these gorgeous white gloves on a night out not long ago and I do think it’s about time that I got my own pair. I would like to get some cotton ones, because (knowing me) I would catch the lace/net ones on something and rip them! They would be the perfect accessory to complete a summer outfit.



I like this pair with the bow, as it makes it more feminine and less Mickey Mouse! But I think you would have to be quite careful with bows as it could lean more towards bad 80s than ladylike 50s.

Illustrations from: fiftiesweb.com

18 4 08

This dress had been sitting in my ‘to do’ bag for a while, until recently when I finally got around to doing it – it had been in there for so long I forgot I even had it! I have so many lists of projects I would like to do but I never get round to doing them, and some things (like hemming a dress) gets put off for ages because I find it so tedious! One day I will get around to doing them ...but not today.

17 4 08

For all of those who didn’t read this months Vogue magazine, there was a fantastic article listing the best US websites for designer clothing:

Le Train Bleu

“Shop here if: you like to stay ahead of the style curve. Le Train Bleu showcases designers who aren’t household names yet.”

La Garconne

“Shop here if: you eschew trends for your own fine-spun personal style.”

Bergdorf Goodman

“Shop here if: you like having a plethora of choices but the thought of getting on a plane or entering a department store makes you shudder.”

Revolve Clothing

“Shop here if: you prefer to make a statement with your accessories rather than your frocks.”

Shop Jake

“Shop here if: you would rather chance a return than enter a fitting room, and buying denim is your worst nightmare; the Denim Fit Guide gives a rundown on styles that work for your shape.”

Blaec

“Shop here if: you want the in-store experience without leaving the comfort of your cushy chesterfield. Laid out to look like a bricks-and-mortar store, this site boasts storefront windows on its opening page.”

15 4 08

What i wore today:

14 4 08

Red tights were a common occurrence on the Autumn/Winter 08-09 runways. Red has always been one of my favourite colours so I am loving this trend, and have already bought a pair to brighten up my outfits.


From left to right: Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Betsey Johnson, Jasmine Di Milo, Y3

(Runway photos from Vogue.com)

13 4 08

Style inspiration: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Skirt suit

Jacket LK Bennett £149

Pink skirt suit The Frockery £24

Skirt suit eBay £44.99

Pearls

Pearls preshhus.com £20

Dress

Dress Diane Von Furstenberg £270

Dress Lanvin £610

Dress Ballyhoo Vintage £30

Hat

Hat eBay £8.50

Shoes

Shoes Ballyhoo Vintage £15

Shoes Salvatore Ferragamo £175


(Runway photos from Vogue.com)

12 4 08

As the hot weather approaches, it’s inevitable that nautical style comes with it.


I do feel that it is quite over-done, especially anchor prints, but I do still have a bit of a soft spot for it.



Belt Urban Outfitters £16, Wedge Shoe Asos.com £40, Blazer TopShop £60, Earrings eBay £2.99, Skirt Marc by Marc Jacobs £180.

10 4 08

I have seriously been spending a lot lately, but luckily I’ve been getting quite a lot for my money’s worth.




Susie Bubble wrote about The East End Thrift Store on her blog so I decided to go and check it out today, and it really was a goldmine! I was looking for a shirt dress, but all the ones there were from the 80’s and had big bat-wing sleeves, which was totally not what I was looking for, but I found some other treasures:



Green silk dress £10.
I know this dress is most likely from the 80’s, but the detail on the sleeves give it a bit of a 40’s feel to it, plus the material is really elegant. Also, I love the pearl buttons!


Purple gingham dress £10.
This really reminds me of the summer dresses I had to wear in primary school, except mine were blue, and nowhere near as cute as this one.


White and pink stripe skirt £10.
I really love this summer skirt, especially because there’s enough material to wear a full petticoat underneath it to give it a bit more of a 50’s feel.


Red belt £5.
I’ve been meaning to get a red belt for ages, but I could never find one that I liked enough, but this one is just perfect – and for only £5!

I also got some other bits when I was around brick lane:


Wayfarer sunglasses £10 Lady Luck Rules Ok


Floral dress £16 Beyond Retro


Elvis album £7 Beats Workin’ Records


Elvis gospel album £5 Beats Workin’ Records


Red purse £11.50 eBay

Plus, today my MAC eyeliner was delivered; in a bit of an unnecessary package I might add:
Nevertheless, it has stayed on all day without flaking, so well done MAC!

7 4 08

As summer (slowly) approaches, it’s time to think of some specifics, and at the moment I have shoes on my mind. I nice alternative to ballet pumps would be a pair of moccasins.
Navy moccasin from Office £45



Blue and brown moccasin from Hobson Shoes £90

I would really like the Office pair in all three colours (red, white or navy) but after spending a stupid amount of money on make-up today, I think I should give the spending a bit of a rest!