My Week On The Road Part 1 #Style #Architecture #Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So you may be wondering where I have been, or why I'm wearing a bonnet, more on that later. I decided to hire a camper van and sneak away for a much needed escape and to celebrate my birthday, which I proudly share with Vivienne Westwood. Not being much of a camper I confess I was slightly unsure about certain aspects of camper van life such as the loo and wardrobe space, A then told me there was no wardrobe and no ironing facilities, my stuff could be lovingly dumped on the back seat, thankfully I discovered the toilet/box could accommodate my generous derriere, so armed with a surplus of wool sweater dressers, which resist creasing and the cold, a pile of face and toilet wipes we headed for Cornwall.

Man Repellers Part In The Shoe Revolution

There is a rumour going round that a shoe revolution is under way, fashionistas, fashion bloggers and style icons are starting to diss the view that you must suffer to look stylish, in favour of comfort. My view is popular site The Man Repeller has played a part in shifting our thinking away from caring as much about what the opposite sex might like us to wear, to what is actually comfy for us to wear as well as stylish. Karl Lagerfeld's recent pretty pastel offering at Chanel, teamed with a chunky gold shoe that slimmed the calves as much as the toning effects of a pair of high heels sealed the deal for flat phobics everywhere .

Is Comfort A Dirty Word ?

The funny thing is though that although women of all ages like the freedom of dressing comfortably, (I read  enough complaints on fashion forums to know!) we don't like to acknowledge it, somehow the thought of saying that comfort and style are equally important to us, leaves us wide open to speculation by others that we must only ever wear elasticised waistbands, big knickers and sports bras, thus aging us by another 30 years! Remember the savage attack of Uggs and legging wearers, which left women across the UK not daring to leave the house in comfort for fear of being branded a sloth. Witnessing women up north hobble in six inch heels to a night club as they simultaneously shiver I'm not so sure those criticisms were justified, looking relaxed in what we wear rather than strained is actually very attractive and feels good.

 What's the point of looking fashionable at a night club if you then have to sit on the sidelines and watch wistfully as others dance themselves dizzy.

It's Not Cool To Encourage Models To Suffer!

 In need of more convincing just watch Britain and Irelands Next Top Model  and you can bet that there will be a shoe fail, that will sabotage one of the models during her shoot, instead of projecting her thing, her face will have frozen with the pain leaving the judges tut- tutting over her shot and questioning  how professional this makes her.

Whilst I am passionate about couture and style, I'm usually at this point yelling at the tv "she is human have a heart!"

Let us remember that the 60's one of the most popular sources of inspiration for fashion designers gave birth to the mini skirt because a woman had the genius idea of lopping inches of their skirts to allow for freedom of movement, which just happened to be pretty darn sexy too!   

My Doggy Substitute | This Could Catch On!

  

I'm a dog lover I don't own one, really because If I can't commit to walking a dog as frequently as they need I don't think it's fair. One of the fun things about dog walking is all sorts of people approach you and feel free to make conversation with you, people love guessing the type of character you are based on the type of dog you own, even though they might not admit to it! At the risk of sounding extremely frivolous the good news is us women can enjoy pretty much the same social benefits if we enjoy putting our favourite bag through its paces.
 

Bags Of Character!

  We love checking out and another women's handbag and far from the belief that it's because we are competitive about dressing, I believe it is more about the fact we are curious to learn more from our first impressions of another woman. There are exceptions 'IT' handbag owners are a little like proud show dogs owners, 'look at me, admire me', the sleek minimalist lines of their handbag declare, but the nature of the IT bag is to exude status, status does not in my opinion often equal character,which means apart from the obvious this woman is rich clue you might walk away none the wiser as to what she is like. I'm fascinated by the way we have lost interest in the IT bag at a time when you would think our social status was more important to us than ever. While men put in more hours at the gym and upgrade their cars and personal image to help create the right image I think it says a lot about us women that we are tired of the IT bag. We enjoy bags that possess a distinct character that reflects where we are in our life and how we feel on any given day.

 

Which Way Do You Carry Yours?

 The way we carry our handbag says a lot too. How do you choose to carry your bag? Personally I rarely carry my bag on the shoulder or in the crook of my arm, my favoured methods are cross body, messenger or in my hand, I think it looks cleaner and for me it feels more relaxed and natural. I like handbags that speak of adventure, travel and freedom and that have a sense of utility but are at the same time our perhaps slightly quirky, but most importantly don't detract from what I wear and melt into my sense of style . I love the way the old style camera case has now been reproduced as a classic hard cased small bag.

 

Woof Woof!

 Ok so there are limitations your handbag maybe happy to be accompany you on walks, be stroked and be tethered to your chair (rather than a lamp post) while you sip coffee with friends, but you can't throw it a stick or watch it wag its tail, on the other hand you don't have to worry about washing the mud out of its fibres after it has rolled around in the grass or collect the steaming parcels it has deposited on the pavement or at park!    

Bloggers Paradise

When Shopping In Manchester The Words Less Is More Apply

So where should every self respecting fashion blogger head if they have a couple of hours in Manchester to kill? Well, if like me you’re always conscious of time and love gadgets that help you blog but look like they are an integral  part of your latest look, then a fashionable time piece and camera is a must. Glossy colourful accessories and up-cycled fashions are also de-rigueur. With this in mind I highly recommend a visit to the swatch shop in the Arndale Centre on Market Street, where I found the staff are warm and very knowledgeable. The knowledge that the Swiss designers of swatch are so highly secretive about each new design, makes a trip to the shop the equivalent of visiting the vault at Gringotts - well for me anyway! The breadth of the range is vast, shoe designers don't come close.                                                                      



Swatch - Double Vision watch 

 



 Fantastic Plastic

 If you're a fashion blogger up north that enjoys being playful with your style, swatch’s recent collab with American fashion designer Jeremy Scott might be for you - choose from the Double Vision swatch watch that looks like a pair of cartoon spectacles and can quickly move from one zany time piece to two swatch’s with the addition of an extra strap, I like the idea of having one coloured strap on one side and a black strap and face on the other (rather than opting for a black watch) great for Kooples wanting to share their time together!





Swatch - Portrait Watch

Scotts other watch, the swatch portrait watch in black, features a removable ornate picture frame. The swatch’s I'm lusting after are both by Japanese designers, the first is a doll faced lady (Blue Wrath) by Hideaki Kawashima and the second is Uma Wang’s Pretty Bohemian, which has a real Mexican flavour.



 Swatch Blue Wrath watch



 Swatch - Pretty Bohemian  watch



 

 Next destination for those not familiar is the wonderful world of Lomography, which has much in common with swatch’s culture and ethos, great prices, light weight plastic design and the option to change your camera to suit every occasion; from what I lovingly dubbed the Elvis camera (whilst chatting to store manager David Tester) in white and  gold, to a stunning faded looking canvas Egyptian camera that left me swooning with the romance of it all, to enough bond type camera gadgetry for those with a tendency to spy on their neighbours and last but not least Lomo’s newly launched deck chair clad cameras which are just so chic its untrue.







Lomography - Gold Edition

 








 Lomography - Diana F + Sahara










Lomography - Sardinia Capri 





I Feel Witty And Pretty And Gay, repeat after me!

 Dizzy with print I next plunged headlong into a riot of colour and fancy at Parisian label Pylones. Here you will find everything from a witty kitty umbrella, to scissors that look like ballerinas with attitude - I love that they have taken the mundane and made it beautiful and funny, to me that's art in action.

Pylones nail scissors

 



pretty lace vest made from upcycling net curtains - Junk Manchester







Last but not least anyone that can take a pair of net curtains and transform them into a garment that looks like it were stitched from genuine lace has to a be an up-cyclist extraordinaire. Charlotte, owner of Junk my final Manchester shopping destination, is a down to earth friendly fashion designer who wants purchasing up-cycled items to become as common place as a visit to your local Topshop. As someone who has featured many independent designers and ethical labels on my fashion blog, I was very impressed by the quality of her tailoring and the creative use of fabrics, there were some really standout pieces, I will definitely be back!    

 

 



peach deco inspired vest - Junk Manchester



 

Finale Thought?

 I would give my best china and a big slab of mocha brownie to design either a Swatch watch or Lomography camera and have the honour of naming it, just putting it out there....

My Passport To Style| Lomography City Guide London Review

Review Of Lomography City Guide London 

I feel like I have just been initiated into a secret society, well in truth I kind of have. I was offered an opportunity to review the Lomography City Guide To London and you have to admit given that the world is currently consumed with all things London post Olympics, the timing was pretty good.

 For those of you not familiar with Lomography and the society, it is simply a movement to enjoy using film rather than digital to capture images, the society urges carefree  abandon, when snapping, control and perfectly honed images are not at all where it's at, the colourful plastic cameras that Lomography shops sell reflect their fun carefree approach to photography, I love this approach, I'm a great believer that too much perfection can be boring, it's the imperfections that make life interesting, if we get too hung up about producing something the end result can be producing nothing.

Shoe Indecision

Monochrome pointy shoes - Louis Vuitton 

Cutaway biker boots -River Island 

Apparently women don't dress for men they dress for other women. I thought I dressed for me and my love of fashion and not my man, until I got thinking about the major shoe indecision's I have struggled with since I was able to start choosing my own shoes.

 Although finding shoes that fit well, are comfortable and stay on my feet is an issue - I have fairly wide feet and a full half size difference between my feet which makes shoe shopping a bit of a nightmare, I seem to inhabit this parallel shoe universe where none of these feet issues exist and knowing that A likes pointy high shoes. I opt to  buy extremely pointy high and expensive pairs of shoes when we are together thinking love and the price tag will enable me to wear A's favourite style of shoes, rather than what generally happens when I  buy shoes in this category I  stumble, trip and grimace in pain after ten minutes.

My January Shoe Love In

A new year new start, a time of spring cleaning,  detox , zen like calm, wrong! Typically we, read I, wrestle with overspending, overeating, catching up with numerous blogging tasks and the pressure to find items of clothing that flatter but are amazing value in the January sales. However I have decided that's so yesterday.

The Pursuit Of Cute

 I am feeling a little pleased with myself that I have come up with a simple solution that a) reduces the pressure of sales shopping on myself and b) removes the anxiety of buying clothes that, come March, will hopefully be too big for me as I will have shed the 6lb I gained around Christmas. Here it is, we shed weight in the places we carry the least amount first, typically feet, hands , face, upper body then sadly lower body last. So to compensate for this I have come up with the perfect shopping strategy/ calendar for 2013. January is the perfect month for buying  shoes and nothing else, well maybe some socks.

Street Fashion

 What have I got scheduled for February the month of luurve? Showering myself with some of the same, instead enduring shopping for clothes that will still be a little tight, I will be dodging sweaty changing rooms and trying on pinky rings and earrings like these beauties from BaubleBar.

BaubleBar

 March is the optimum time for hunting out some new season Ts and shirts and, you guessed it, by the time April 13  hits I will be ready to effortlessly pull my whole new wardrobe together and start focusing on clothing my bottom half too, not nearly as rude as it sounds! 

 My lazy guide to getting your fashion mojo back in just four months is stress free, but to make it work effectively it does require you have a bit of vision about what styles and colours of clothing you want to bring together right the way through the process. Begin with the end in mind, something like that anyway. Have you braved the January sales yet, bagged yourself a bargain or are you still binding your time? What's your strategy for clothes shopping in the New Year?  

#Chloe Sevigny For #Miu Miu A/W 2012-13

 

 

 

 

When Miu Miu cast Chloe Sevigny in the role of teddy boy temptress for their Autumn Winter 2012-13 campaign I think they got it VERY right, I know I'm a very biased Sevigny fan, but she brings impish charm and style to the brands Autumn/Winter 2012-13 campaign.Never has such a mash up of yellow, texture and print looked this slick, the layered shirts in shiny sweeter wrapper colours and prints are so moreish and effortless and lets face it what gal doesn't want stategically placed mirrors on her favourite tie, with which to view her makeup. If you missed the behind the scenes video, it's a lot of fun check it out here.

*images courtesty of Miu Miu

#Uniqlo A/W12 Campaign

illustrated by -Michel Simeon

illustrated by Michel Simeon

I have a soft spot for children's films and animations, my favourites have to be the Roald Dahl books, full of magic, fun, food humour and larger than life characters. It is interesting to see how major fashion brands such as Mulberry are increasingly using children's fiction as a point of reference in their fashion campaigns, so I was really excited when I came across this fashion campaign by Uniqlo I could be wrong, but I think James And The Giant peach may have inspired this shoot, I particularly love the clever use of colour, the gothic undertones and the nonchalant pose of dad holding the giant moths hand whilst looking at his son.

Pants Of Power

Queen Of Spain high waisted pants by Lucile Lingerie

Queen Of Spain Gown by Lucile Lingerie

Pants Of Power 

I have been having difficulty writing this post today as it is slightly out of my comfort zone and not something I normally share on here, ok I'm waffling, its about my knicker drawer.I was talking to a friend the other day when I suddenly realised that their are three types of women, type a) Spend money on shoes and bags, type b) on clothes and types c)spend money on beautiful underwear. I'm somewhere between type a and b, so I got to analysing my knicker drawer, yes I KNOW!Looking at my limp bleached out faux satin knickers, frayed faux lace and bras that had lost their snap, I realised that my days of beautiful French knickers where long gone.

 So when and how did It happen that I traded beautiful underwear for a new dress? Well as much of a cliché as it sounds I guess its about the obvious things like being in a long term relationship where I feel comfortable, perhaps too comfortable if that's possible, but mainly its about being so busy and giving all day to everyone around me that only what is an immediate priority or need gets addressed,that includes this seasons pencil skirt and the instant gratification that comes from wearing it.

Which Type Are You?

Hearing my girl friend talk about how she feels about wearing beautiful underwear it stuck me that although she may have traded buying some killer heels for a new bra that few people will see lets face it (unless she decided to do a Madonna of course!) she was confident from the inside out, she felt good about going to the gym, because she had the right bra for the job, she felt confident at her last meeting not because she was wearing the most expensive shoes in the room, but because she had prioritised herself and here is the important part it was for nobody's benefit but herself, it was her way of purely indulging herself and as cheesy as it sounds cherishing her body.What was plain to see was this type C had a poise and inner confidence that I admired and whether she was going food shopping or cleaning her flat it was always done in scarlet silk or French lace.Each piece of her underwear was stored in it own special drawer and layered between pretty tissue paper, that she kept after it was wrapped in store for her.

Self Sabotage 

I have had opportunities to be bought pretty underwear which I nearly always sabotage as I become super fussy which is a turn off when your trying to be romantic and buy someone a gift, lets face it. So does this mean I'm going to ban slobbing out knickers from my knicker drawer? Your darn right it does!

A Sign From The Lingerie Fairy

 I think this must be a sign, the other day I discovered the most beautiful lingerie I think I have ever seen via a pr at Lucile it took my breath away, established in 1890 each piece is lovingly made to order here in the UK, can you imagine having lingerie made for you! When I saw these high waisted scarlet beauties, I thought with these pants on I could take on the world! At the moment I have been consumed with what dress to wear for the Cosmopolitan blog awards 2012, when I saw Luciles scarlet halter neck Queen of Spain gown, I thought why wear a dress this is perfect on its own! I could feel myself morphing into Dita Von Teese just thinking about wearing it.Which type are you? Do you think lingerie helps you to feel confident from the inside out?