clowns

blue dress; topshop, transparent dress (colour showing); topshop sample sale, rings urban outfitters and topshop, shoes; new look

two outfit posts in two days, you say? yes, clearly somebody is feeling smug about with their recent wears..

i got asked out tonight at the last minute by college friends, it may be raining outside, but it's coming up to mid week, so we're slipping into dresses and heels and hanging out sans boys. so i rushed back home with wet wet hair and my lovely headscarf from yesterday's post equally wetwet and pondered through my wardrobe.

when i was doing my work experience in topshop, they had the most incredible sample sale ever in their canteen on my last day. the fashionistas sharpened their elbows and applied extra deodrant and descended onto rail upon rail of in-the-making samples. i came away all smug with big bag of goodies. the collar is actually attached to a transparent dress that i am wearing under the blue one, and it's circus loveliness is what caught my eye. i like to think this outfit has a bit of the nathalie press (see below) about it?

and the heels were from when i worked at new look; they're so fantastically tacky and a little carrie and i think were made to go with this collar.

donnie darko has taken me back to the 80s

tee; fox and fawn, shorts; kirsty lee's ebay, denim vest; homemade, shoes; vintage russell&bromley, scarf; my mum's, ring; topshop, necklace; a present from abby

for the past week, I seem to have been sub consciously channeling the 1980s. I think this is most probably as a result of watching a particular clip from donnie darko (set in 1988) about 40 odd times for film studies, and having tears for fears and echo and the bunnymen on shameless replay in my head and on my ipod.

the 80s influence finally struck me this evening when i was having a wardrobe experimenation session and without a second thought, whipped this scarf from my mum and knocked it around my hair. and i then realised this was of course an undoubted homage to the topshop unique show and it's bananarama references.

the denim vest is homemade; i hacked into the sleeves of an old denim jacket the other week and am most pleased with the results. considering sewing studs along the front of it..
and the new ring is from topshop, i bought it on my break the other day as i have a thing for shiny animal rings!

the stool is for purely for practicality; i'm sure those of you who take your outfit snaps yourself are aware of the trials of camera balancing, self-timer-ing and such, but then again, I guess I could pass the standing on the stool off as a cecil beaton reference?

the donnie darko clip. i'm in love; it's all i've been thinking about..

ohmygoodness! is katie grand leaving POP magazine?..

what an interesting week this is turning out to be; the conde nast rumour mill is buzzing!

i'm excited to see what katie grand could do for conde nast; i think lots will agree that with the hardly-directional Vogue we could do with some meaty fashion to get our teeth into.

but POP magazine is one of my favourite favourites. will it survive??

we better stand back and watch if anything comes of this..

when fashionista hits the streets

fashionista.com is one of my essential resources. but as well as it's extra fashionably nutricious news pages, the cool new yorkers snap equally cool street stylers. i just wish they hit the streets with their cameras more often, because the results are always really inspiring, and the commentaries make one laugh.

a little selection of my past favourites..

fashionista.com/streetwalker

rebekah raa.

there is something very cool about a cool girl in a band. or a cool girl in music.

see alison mosshart. see alison goldfrapp. see roisin murphy. see lykke li.

i think it's because it's refreshing when you find out a cool girl is actually doing something rather than sitting around a looking pretty.

this girl is called rebekah raa. which is a pretty rad name.
she looks really good in peachy pink.
she is in a band (striken city). check. she is a budding fashion designer. check.
and rebekah, lykee, roisin and the two alisons. well, they all just sound so right together.

creepy cool

today was fun. the city has been buzzing as a new shopping development has opened and it is all pretty and shiny and new and finally i no longer have to trek to london to visit american apparel and urban outfitters! hoorah to that!

and i was working today (part timer at the local topshop, boomting) which was incredibly busy but we got a cupcake at the end of the day, so everyones a winner.

and now it is late at night; i was going to watch 2 days in paris again, but now am thinking of writing to abby as she sent me the coolest care package today and i have lots of ideasss.

and just to let you know, i'm fully aware that i have been slacking in the comments and linking department.

source

fashion press onto something with rumours of an anna wintour replacement?

because you all know how I feel about the dire condition of the US Vogue edition..

if you feel the same, this article from fashionologie.com should be of interest..

Does Anna Wintour Need to Worry About Aliona Doletskaya?

Thu, 09/25/08 — 01:50:15 PM

Founded or unfounded, the buzz about Russian Vogue editor Aliona Doletskaya as Anna Wintour's successor continues to grow, especially since The New York Times brought the possibility up earlier this month while Aliona was in town attending New York Fashion Week.

Page Six is reporting today that Elle has finally surpassed Vogue by 66 ad pages in the October issues — not good for Anna, especially when earlier this week in Moscow, Aliona was introduced as "The next editor of American Vogue." It all seems a little suspect to me — Freudian slip, maybe? —but here's a May profile video of Aliona in case you want to get to know her and her smoker's voice a little better. She and Anna have at least one thing in common — they both love their fur.

Anna, meanwhile, is carrying on with her duties in Milan, where last night, she (randomly) dined alongside Matthew McConaughey and his girlfriend.

source, fashionologie. picture getty images

falls on the run way at prada, a wee case of schadenfreude make

another fashion week, another fall (or few..) on the runway.
this time it was the models at Prada who made us sigh "eesh kabeesh" as they teetered and stumbled down the runway in skyhigh snakeskin heels.

I should imagine that Stam is regularly haunted by flashbacks of that astoundinly awful (yet none the less schadenfredue enducing..) fall at Chloe back in 2006. I know I have reoccuring nightmares that involve that headsmacking on the floor. So look at the sheer determination on her face below at Prada's show. "Not again, not bloody well again.." are the thoughts racing around her head, me thinks.

I do geniunely feel sorry for these girls, talk about embarrasment.. but there is no doubt that it adds a little fun to the shows; the shoes are so ridiculous at times that it is indeed laughable..


pics fashionologie

chloe sevigny, vintage harpers bazaar

just because i love her.
and when you love someone like chloe, it's just lovely to see her talk and move.

in hindsight...that sounds like the excuse a slightly mentally ill and obsessive stalker fan might use? moving on.

slightly naffly edited video, but remember that genius rehab themed editorial that harpers bazaar did a while ago? this video spends a couple of minutes showing us what went downnn.

misery at alexander wang

just a quick point.

i was looking back through the spring 2009 collections so far, and um, don't the models that walked in the alexander wang should look terribly sweaty and miserable?

we all know all the hardships models endure, but really, i swear they never usually let it show.

it occured to me that it may have been on purpose, but there is a sure difference between a look of misery and a powerful lara stone glare.

stam looks like she is about to cry! i don't think she likes her skullcap.

leopard print

i'm reallyreally feeling leopard print at the moment.

a sexy bodycon dress like this one.

a little leopard trench.

or bit fluffy baggy jumper.

i'm not fussed.

pic the bloody godawful cobrasnake.

jen brill

Jen Brill is up there on my list of girl crushes and has been for a while now. I guess I haven't posted about her until now, because I was feeling my way with the hipster debate, and wondered which category she fell into.. I've never come across an interview with her, so was interested to see how she would come across in the september issue of jalouse. not the best interview, but that's no reflection on jen, who i think comes across well. if you have procrastinating to be done (!) this interview should be sufficiently long.

Reulctant Muse by Lyna Ahanda, Jalouse September 2008

WHO IS JEN BRILL, TERRY RICHARDSON'S PARTNER, WITH A GREAT PERSONALITY AND A SENSE OF FASHION? HERE IS WHAT THIS NEW YORKER IS ABOUT, AND WHY SHE IS SO UNAVOIDABLY TRENDY. AND THEREFORE, SO UNAVOIDABLY JALOUSE.

Who would have thought that meeting Jen Brill would be so easy? No pressure. It was obvious that she would be beautiful. But I had no idea it would be as simple and easy going as chatting about gossip or reality TV, as opposed to taking haute couture. For many, Jen Brill is the "ultimate hipster", fiancée of an artist, and compulsive fashion-addict, always at the front row of fashion shows. A real "indie girl"; this is, a girl who is always ahead of her own time, who listens to musicians we have never even heard of yet, and who has been wearing latex leggings for summer way before Kate Moss even had the idea of doing so. If you tell her that she is the cool chick every girl next door dreams of becoming, she just looks at you with a funny expression meaning "What the fuck?". Jen is just not the type of girl who puts on a show to be photographed for in trashy magazines.

"BEHIND EVERY GREAT MAN, THERE HIDES A WOMAN"
Behind Terry (Richardson) ,there is Jen Brill, a beautiful mixture of Asia and Australia: the best of both worlds as the Americans would say. Indeed, when one mentions Terry Richardson, it is quite frequent that the name of Jen Brill comes up in conversation. It is quite difficult to imagine that Terry Richardson’s trashy attitude and lifestyle could be combined with a stable relationship. However, the couple have been together and in love for nearly three years. But hang on just a minute, Jen is far from being a "trophy girlfriend". Jen tells us she has not got one minute to herself; she is a true businesswoman. "Everything goes so fast here if you want to be part of it, you have to be one hundred times better than anybody else, otherwise just forget New York, go live in New Jersey, get married there and have kids," I met her in New York, in July last year, and it was just "mid-year calendar" for her. Like many New Yorkers, she works at the speed of light. After having organised trendy events for the Maritime Hotel, she now works for Fred and Associates, still in marketing, still top of the range. She is awaited for where any "it girl" has already dared to venture, following the example of Chloe Sevigny: a brand of clothing. "Very few people know this, but not so long ago, I tried to set up a lingerie brand that I called Tinsley. One of my friends has a brand I love, Sophomore, and she knows her shit. From afar, it seems easy, but in reality it is a lot of hard work, so I dropped it. Anyway, I am rubbish at drawing." When you hear her speak, it is quite difficult to imagine Jen used to be trouble. She attended schools in the Upper East Side and was even part of the "Prep School Gangsters", which was literally a public school gang. They were rich kids who got thrown out of all the good schools in the city and were the desperation of their parents because all they ever did was spend money, take drugs and never do anything productive. "I went to Dwight for High school. They used to say we were white kids getting high together. When I look back, it is not something I am proud of. I don't drink and I don't do any drugs at all, so you can imagine that I don't really want to be associated with that anymore." Jen managed ok though. After high school, she attended Parsons, a very sought-after Design school, where she studied art history, then went to the School of visual arts then to Marymount College. The cream of the crop in the field of art studies. It is not surprising our star is surrounded by so many artists: photographers, writers, designers...

SKINNY JEANS AND YVES SAINT LAURENT HEELS.
"At some stage, you figure it is important to have creative people around yourself. I have a strong personality, I cannot just stay in one place. I need to have energy flowing around me." Besides Jen's well filled up head, one has to admit that Jen is the type of girl who attracts looks and creates lust. There is an exotic and mysterious side to her, which is fascinating for both men and women, making it difficult not to turn around when she walks by. When you watch her come in, perched on her Yves Saint Laurent heels which she discreetly matched with a pair of skinny jeans, her casual manner, as well as her elegance and confidence are remarkable. She however does not notice anything. "I feel at home around Chinatown. I can walk around in tracksuit bottoms and a lousy sweatshirt, I don’t pay attention to anybody.” But Jen is a charmer, and you can tel. She is not one who follows trends, but she is one who sets them. “People talk to me bout fashion as if it were something of a vital importance. I just like wearing quality goods with a real history behind them.” But does she not feel constantly observed, being such a style icon? “New York is very different to Paris. Over there, there is a real fashion capital city feel to it, with big couture houses etc. Here, everything is much more public. You can end up in a magazine one day just for having been well dressed to a party. The next day, somebody else is criticising that same outfit really badly. If you waste time listening to all of this, you will just end up walking round naked to not be criticised.” For her, fashion is far from being an addiction: “The only things I am addicted to are coffee and cigarettes,” Besides all of this, what about Terry? Does he take pictures of her? Does she like that? “Our intimate moments together are spent far from his camera. I think it is important not to get art and privacy muddled up. There are boundaries not to cross. I can act like a model just for fun, but then again, it is not really my type of thing.” Jen has a husky, supersexy voice; with a tone that is so charming it just seems to be the continuation of her beauty. No wonder she is so inspiring.

jen brill at the fashion spot..

clare tough

it's all in the details..

note to self

well, the previous three days have been of the most busy variety. in fact, scrap that, the last week has been. i've been doing something every night, and yes, that may make me sound incredibly social and cool, but when it involves a further lack of history essays, it is neither big nor clever.

oh, and one thing i had to say.. letter writing is the most rewarding thing ever. more rewarding than volunteering in third world countries. i have been putting care packages together for my best friend in america, best new friend in scotland, and my blogging friends.

in addition to the most perfect letter i recieved this morning (my friend joanna made an origami crane out of a clipping of model polaroid shots!) snail mail treated me to a lovely tee shirt and london college of fashion prospectus. i shall post about each.

and please expect posts of a more sufficiently nutricious nature next week. and more of the nitty grit of fashion.

pink mohair backless jumper dress

must must watch paris, texas

andre leon talley isn't feeling inspired

oh the irony.

“Where are the Anna Piaggis and the Isabella Blows of this world? Where is the creativity? They’re all so, so predictable. All I see right now is Front-of-Book looks.”

i just had to post this. because as loveable as Andre Leon Talley, I think someone may have to sit him down and explain the lack of creativity that he is feeling is to do with the fact that he works at 4 Times Square.

It's Anna's fault, my dear.

quote from chicinspector

the fashion quiz winners

busybusybusy.

i'm having one of those weeks where i'm teetering on and over the "out of control" boundary. in terms of not meeting my history essay deadline and having a mile-long to do list. as opposed to embroiling myself in a life of hard drugs and cory kennedy lookalikes.

so what i wanted to say was, i have not forgotten about the fasion quiz from the start of the month. thanks to everyone who entered (fun, non?); here are the answers and the three winners (it was a tie and i'm feeling generous) who will be receiving a care package each, yayyy!

sunniva, deex and sick's jessica give yourselves a pat on the back!

one. the missing model was the aussie cutie abbey lee.

two. the hipsters were 1. harley newton viera. 2. coco sumner. 3. alice dellal.

three. jonathan saunders is the latest designer to launch a target collection (you lucky yankees!)

four. the glorious collection could have only come from the even more glorious richard tisci for givenchy.

five. the runway looks were from the louis vuitton collection.

six. and as for the editors and their publications..

carine ♥ vogue paris

leith ♥ lula

lorraine ♥ elle uk

anna ♥ vogue us

terry and obama

i kind of gritted my teeth and wondered if this was very very good or very very bad.

and then one thought swung the vote...

DOUBLE DATES WITH MICHELLE AND JEN!!

pics from just jr's facebook

vanessa traina in purple magazine and more topshop

i thought "what's your favourite thing about being a woman?" was an interesting question. what would your answer be? and if you're a guy; what are your thoughts on a woman's best qualities?

from thefunkloft.blogspot.com

ps, the topshop unique ss09 pictures are up; I've heard lots of praise as this collection being the best yet, and I agree; it's gone back to more youthful roots, but still has that directional inspiring edge.

no joke, i'm actually starting to think about my spring wardrobe, or at least how I can incorporate these elements into my winter look. the collection will hit the store in february, so it's a toss up between DIY or saving up..


i'm hoping to get updating and replying to comments asap.

post topshop unique dissection

oh my, i had such a fantastic day.

very bizarre to be seeing all these familiar faces from the fashion world, and now I'm back home with things back to normal. history essay to worry about not having done, and making a sandwich for tomorrow's lunch.

i'll have to do an even better update as I can't sit here for hours uploading pictures (my bed awaits..) but I have some cool ones.

so, quickly.. the collection was lovely; very 80s, in a soft fresh way; colours verging on pastels rather than offensive neons. surprise surprise, lots of denim; but it was light, and rather rosie the riveter when teamed with headscarves. tuxes, incredibly sexy feminine dresses and overall a bit of a british seaside feel. maybe with a little bit of colonel sanders thrown in.. i want every single piece. christ, i shall start saving for just the one!

amazing spots; i don't quite know how to tell you who I saw and how excited I was that the women around me are the ones that I am constantly checking up on at thefashionspot!

roisin murphy, alexa chung, natalie press, kate lanphear, valentine fillol cordier, leith clark.
and clearly I was enjoying myself, as I managed to just about surpress my frustration that cory kennedy and peaches geldof were poncing around together (clearly nylon BFFs now, chh..) like they were hot shit. but at the same time, very odd indeed to see cory kennedy in the flesh. I was very surprised to see her there.

of course, i got to meet some of our very own lovely bloggers too. michelle from kingdom of style (down from glasgow with her lovely partner barry who was very good about being dragged around LFW) and susie bubble turned up (in the most wonderful acne sandals..) as well as disney roller girl. we all agreed it felt very easy talking to each other, even if it did feel a wee bit inappropriate starting conversation with personal details we'd read on each others blogs!

alas, i didn't get a moment to take a picture of my outfit; that's what happens when you don't have a boyfriend to be on call to take snaps! I shall have to recreate the outfit in a couple of days.

blimey, blimey. all very exciting; and bloody weird and surreal in equal amounts.
pictures soon!

pics; it's fine to use them, but please give me credit.

london fashion week; topshop unique

agagagaga..
so i found out last night through a last minute email that I have a ticket with my name on it for the Topshop Unique show tomorrow (the start of London Fashion Week.)!

so very very excited, and while at first, I was quite laid back about outfits, I'm now bewildered.

there is the weather to think about; maybe the shredded wool zip jumper won't be such a great option now that the blazing hot sun has finally come out.

my trusty office heels are fantastically comfortable heels, so of course I'll be wearing those.

please please, give me some ideas, i'm in need of a second opinion!

at the moment, I'm thinking of going down the ripped tights, black mini (with zipped pockets) for a bit of a grunge luxe look.

i'm so bloody excited; and i'll be taking along my camera to share the sights with you!

ps, exchanged a few texts with dear abby yesterday; she was strolling through bryant park and had some exciting model spots! ask her more when she is back..

pic fashiontoast

in my room (she'll get to you..)

a.'s post has been holding down the fort over the past couple of days whilst i've been being very good at getting on with work and getting relatively early nights. but chh, all that good behaviour had to end sometime soon!

there is no denying that the selby has catered for the guilty pleasure of curtain twitching that we all thought we were hiding. it's pretty incredible that his site has become so well known in such a short space of time.

rather than ranting on about the wonders of the site (we all know, yadda, yadda..), I thought I'd take the plunge and capture my new room with some snaps.

pretty scary to have these out there for all to see.
and just as a little piss take (of myself, not mr selby!..) the compulsory paper questionnaire at the end..