corinne day and jackie dixon

Jackie Dixon has written a lovely little post in homage to Corinne Day over at her blog Show Me Your Wardrobe along with photographs from a week they spent together with friends in Capri seven years ago.

inspiration on a wednesday

90s Obsession Calvin Klein adverts, Steve Jobs (Guffaw, who'd have thought..), Maxxe Sternbaum from the Opening Ceremony blog, Kate Moss in a furry jumper, Isabelli Fontana in trackie leggings styled by Jane How, Lesportsac bags, Anastasia Barbieri, Chloe Sevigny's Kickers.

mundane is lovely

Today has been an immensely lazy day. It started on the sofa underneath my duvet catching up on recorded episodes of The Culture Show. Then, hoorah, my green cord Jamie trousers from Topshop.com arrived. After writing the previous post, I thought about trainers and how they'd look quite cool with the new jamies and then had a brainwave remembering my old loved reeboks in the back of my wardrobe. (unworn since my first year of sixth form). I drank quite a few cups of coffee from this mug which my Mum gave me for my birthday; it's an illustration of the view from the park beside our house so that I can drink from it and think of home when I'm at University (in only a couple of weeks!). I rediscovered how perfect biscuits from Aldi (or Lidl) are when dipped in coffee. I washed my bedding and then hung it outside on the line. I noticed the autumn nip in the air. I meant to list some old clothes on eBay but ended up buying a secondhand canon camera instead. I reheated last night's prawn, mint and broad bean risotto for lunch. and then again for tea. Ah, the most delicious of mundane days spent at home.

style notes for the guys

beck, mick jagger, new balance running team, timex heritage camper watch, take ivy by teruyoshi hayashida, dad, young paul mccartney, new balance 420 trainers.

On the topic of New Balance trainers.. Josh and I spotted a very cool girl cycling past us last night. She had a nice shiny bob (think Eleonore from Ytligheter) and was wearing blue chinos with her own battered pair of New Balance and looked fantastically cool and casual as the late afternoon sun was shining down on the hill. This combined with Lisa Corneliusson's trainer collection, that Tux-n-adidas Kate Moss outfit and the running shoes from The Big Chill I well and truly have trainers on the brain.

along with this brilliant musical mash-up from DJ O-Face..

caping

One thing has become pretty clear this week and that's the onset of Autumn. Three days of solid, sheet rain and some brooding black clouds have brought a chill to the air and earlier in the week I made a trip to 'The Cupboard Upstairs' which now houses rather a nice collection of coats. This is thanks to buying them out of season and then over the course of Summer forgetting that I even owned them. 

I was struck with a sense of cosy smugness when I was reunited with this camel raincape I bought from eBay and had subsequently forgotten. So much for all of that cooing over the Asos cape when this was hanging upstairs in all it's £9 glory. Did I mention it's reversible with a waterproof layer inside and camel fleece on the outside? And it has a hood? This might explain why I felt like a child who had been dressed for practical purpose by their parents when I wore it for drinks and bowling with friends. But I secretly quite liked that. 

One of the downsides that comes with wearing a cape however is the handbag question. I tried carrying a tote swag bag style (just to really go the whole hog with feeling like a child dressed as a Superhero). I also managed to wear my usual handbag on my shoulder without the strap getting in the way but this just felt silly. There are always clutch bags but they don't seem daytime appropriate and I'm now thinking that going without a bag is a sensible option and actually quite liberating. I remember reading an article by Jess Carter-Morely in Vogue a year or so back in which she challenged herself to do Fashion Week bagless. Naturally, I don't have a personal assistant to carry my necessities like she did but I remember her emphasising the importance of pockets and how it feels rather nice to have a few of the essentials nestled deep down inside them with your arms free. And you know what you do with free arms? That's right, you swing them as you marvel at just how superb you feel without a bag and why didn't ou try this bafore and then- 'o-oh shit, I left my make up bag at home..'

Percival

I've just come across Menswear line Percival and if like me, you're impartial to a nice boyish rainmac then this should be right up your street. The collection is pleasingly small and their website overall very polished and '2010 hipster design' but also easy to navigate. Though the video that accompanies the collection is all a bit too Topman for my liking (lads -note not 'men'- with carefully coiffed bouncing hair running through a forest and giving each other nosebleeds and all rather Private School) I can't fault that Yellow Wax Mac. Infact I'll go one better, I want that Yellow Wax Mac with it's thin grey pinstriped lining and it's 'scottish beeswax cotton'. If dazzling descriptions like 'scottish beeswax cotton' whets your appetite then you haven't seen anything yet. May I interest you in some fine Portuguese cotton melange? How about a little 'heavyweight melton from Yorkshire'?

The online store apparently launches in August though at the moment there doesn't seem to be any sign of one so keep your eyes peeled in the meantime.

alexa chung for madewell

The Alexa Chung for Madewell adverts have been released and with the collection launching in under two weeks and Madewell refusing to ship internationally (bar the lucky few that live in Canada and Japan..) I'm wondering if we should hatch some sort of plan. Anybody Stateside willing to become the middle man, take orders and ship? And of course take a cut that doesn't absolutely take the piss? It would be good if we could settle this sensibly, instead I envisage hoards of it ending up on eBay with superduper price tags attached.

I'd love to act all blase and 'oh, what a fuss for items you could find second hand, it's only because they have Chung's name stitched inside' but as somebody who regularly hunts for flattering shorts in cord or velvet I'm bored of the trial and error of finding the right size and willing to hand over money. And besides who could resist Peter Pan collars and fuss-free dresses? The collection is abundant with pretty go-to pieces to bad out any in-transistion Autumn wardrobe.

Alexa Chung for Madewell will be available online from September 9th and in stores on September 11th.

badass girls

Over the past couple of months I've got so much enjoyment from devouring posts by both Lulu Kennedy and Maria of Fedtysent. Both pretty badass, both fantastically committed bloggers and all round the kind of women I'd like to be I'm a big, bad, scary adult. With maybe a little Carrie Bradshaw thrown in (except when she shrieks at 1000 decibels, which really grates.) As Maria is a Dane, much of what she writes is lost on me (Google Translater isn't the most reliable) and so I can't be sure what exactly she does. Somewhere along the line I remember she and her boyfriend were in America testing out hotels and restaurants but that may well have been temporary. Lulu is of course the director of Fashion East (which is about to celebrate it's 10th Birthday) and all round london fashion scene queen. And they also happen to bare a bit of a resemblance to each other, well what do you know...

On the subject of badass, I'm listening to this track by Howling Bells a lot at the moment:

a little bird told me

Alexa Chung's Fashion Week checklist:
1. "A camera. I know everyone is digital but I still love film and disposable cameras."
2. "A good umbrella because it always pisses it down during Fashion Week in New York."
3. "No stupid shoes! I'll definitely be wearing lots of flats."

"I’m trying to find a new pair of jeans, which I know is the ultimate quest for every woman. My ideal jean would be the Levi’s that Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis wore in Thelma and Louise. (Those) Levi’s makes every ass look really great. I want the Thelma & Louise ass." Chloe Sevigny.

'I'm in Maison, ah, Martin Margiela.' Jay Z, Run This Town.

'My style rules are: drag for the over-40s is never particularly becoming; pure white is too harsh and best avoided; and save black for special occasions- I used to wear it a lot, but I save it now as it's such an extraordinary and persuasive colour.' Stephen Jones.

"I kept thrashing her at drafts, but boy she was hellbent on winning. When she eventually managed to beat me she savoured the moment by gleefully presenting me with this badge." Lulu Kennedy on her 'Loser' badge from Juergen Teller's daughter, Lola.

new wear

This week I bought my final piece of Topshop uniform, these leather shorts. This was after a little second guessing in the fitting room and asking Eve (while she handed customers tags and manned fitting room) if 'Please be honest, are they a little bit obscene?' Thankfully I can count on Eve to be honest (its this honesty that when we first met prevented me from seeing just how brilliant and witty and amazingly deadpan she is). She kind of twisted her mouth and said 'they are a little bit. but only a tiny bit and that's probably because I'd feel uncomfortable if they were tight.' I thanked her, pondered and then realised that as I seem to be making a habit out of wearing vaguely inappropriate bottoms at the moment I may as well throw down the gauntlet and get these too. I concluded that come Autumn with a nice modest jumper and some thick tights they'd look somewhat less obscene and though I kind of got over my leather short moment a while ago there was something about these calling me back. I wore changed into them tonight after another successful run (50 minutes in the pouring rain which felt amazing) and tried them out whilst making a wholemeal pesto and feta pizza. For those of you curious they're one of those awkward Topshop sizes that sits in-between dress sizes and leaves you wondering which way to swing. I opted for the smaller, asking myself if leather has the ability to stretch. I shall report back when I know the answer.

On the subject of honest opinions in the fitting room, I know sometimes it can be scary admitting to someone if what they're trying on doesn't work but do. Otherwise you'll be inflicting onto them that awful moment when they return home with their goods and realise as they look into their own mirror that you told a porkie. And then you'll be in trouble. Besides, you'd always want to know the truth, wouldn't you?