interview: cool and beauty

Alice of Cool and Beauty represents my very favourite sort of fashion blogger-the kind that is uniquely stylish without looking overtly glossy or try-hard, which is certainly an aesthetic after my own heart mostly born from a need to always feel comfortable in what I'm wearing and probably also because i'm too lazy to cross that line from scruffy to polished. That's not to say that taking a laid back approach to personal style means sacrificing a look that is well put together, because Alice (along with my other favourite bloggers, notably Miss Woo of Cheapskate Chic) always wears something that achieves the right balance between looking nonchalantly thrown together and having an interesting thought process behind it- think of Alice's Tommy Hilfiger tops that are reminiscent of old 90s editorials from The Face or items bought at Gap Kids.

I always appreciate people who take an interest in what's going on trends wise but who are always essentially themselves and pick and choose what they wear to suit a style that is very much their own. Frugality is also very attractive, particularly as I myself don't have the large disposable income I once had and take an interest in how people can dress well on the cheap without resorting to the kind of clothes that will fall apart after one wash. I think that when you have less (or choose to spend less) on clothes it requires a little extra imagination and I'm always interested to see the result of this.

But I digress, I nosily asked Alice the following questions and she very kindly obliged in sharing her go-to blogs (sometimes a hard secret to share, i know..) and how much she spends on clothes..

What’s on your bedside table?

A TV, a lamp, a scrunchie and a Gameboy. 

Some pieces of clothing you have on current rotation?

A beige polo neck with ELLE logo in white on the sleeves, a checked mohair cardigan, Poundland Hiking socks and Strawberry Vaseline. 

Which are your go-to blogs?

My sister's blog is on of my favourites mollymathilde.blogspot.com. I also visit lettyschmiterlow.blogspot.com, louisebenson.blogspot.com, theosion.blogspot.com, thebibelle.blogspot.com, visual-data.net, Haw-lin.com and thepop.com. 

If you could work for anyone in the fashion industry who would it be?

Hannah Macgibbon. I couldn't really find fault in anything she's produced at Chloe, usually when I look at a show there's at least three looks which make me think "Ew where did that come from" but not with Chloe.  

Tell us a joke.

Two cannibals were eating a clown when one turned to the other and said does he taste funny to you?

If you were creating a moodboard to sum up your own style and your favourite references, what would feature in it?

I guess at the moment I'm quite influenced by 70's clothing, long skirts with long coats and muted colours and lots of wool. I also like wearing really big clothes, like a loose long dress with a baggy jumper, kind of a tomboy influence but with quite girly items. One of my favourite looks in the AW 10 shows was the heavy jumpers over cocktail dresses in the Marc Jacobs show. I like that kind of contrast because it seems practical and funny. Probably one of my favourite images in terms of styling is a still I took from the Boyz II Men video for End Of The Road, where they're all wearing matching anoraks is different colours. 

What are your guilty pleasures?

Jason Derulo, Night Cops, Murder mystery programmes. 

You have a frugal approach after my own heart when it comes to buying clothes, how much would you say you spend on clothes each month?

I've had a few people comment my blog asking if I'm lying about how much my clothes cost. I used to buy about 4 or 5 items per week on Portobello, which would only come to about £10/15, but I had to stop because it got to a point where I had too many clothes. My Mum thinks I have a shopping addiction, I guess she's right, when it gets to the point that you can walk into Marks and Spencer and almost buy more than 10 things you've got to realise somethings up.

Do you wear perfume?

Some times I wear Daisy by Marc Jacobs but I'm quite weird about smell, I don't really want my smell to be something that's noticeable. 

A couple of songs you’re listening to at the moment?

Under the Boardwalk- Tom Tom Club

Baby Talk- Alisha

It's Your Conscience- Deniece Williams

Kickin' It with Your Girlfriend- R. Kelly

You produced a really awesome zine and an even more awesome plastic multipocket backpack for college, what do you see yourself doing in the future or are you a fingers in lots of pies kind of a girl?

I want to be the head stylist on the X Factor. I think I would be really good. I've planned outfits for all of them already; I think Cher would look cute in a Michael Van Der Ham dress, Rebecca would wear 501's, a grey T-shirt and Celine wedges. The boy band are beyond repair but I think Matt could look good in a polo neck.


Visit Cool and Beauty here.