panic on the streets of london panic on the streets of birmingham

clockwise from left: tee by Rodebjer, $100; ring by kimberley mcdonald, £3,530; clutch by yves saint laurent, £820; frilly vest by topshop, £16; pleat trousers by lanvin, £560; marc jacobs heels, £425

two of a kind

proof that two girls with concentrated style is always more rewarding:

foto decadent, vogue, tfs, google, stylesightings, noirblancetrougepartout, wildfox, saganendalausa

it shouldn't work but it does

fantastic coat.

fantastic bag.

that it all.

stylesightings

sharon tate in valley of the dolls

If you haven't already , you really must watch Valley of the Dolls, it's unintentionally hilarious and great for a dressed up night in with a group of mates. You should equip yourself with a bottle and a homemade bingo board so that you can cross off a box everytime you hear "Sparkle Neely, Sparkle!"

I read the Jacqueline Susann novel a couple of summers back during a lazy week in Devon with my best friend and recommend it; nothing life changing, but perfectly trashy all the same.

Watch the trailer below and you should get an idea of how fantastically camp the film is. Dionne Warwick's theme tune is perfectly self pitying and the interiors and costumes don't hurt, either.

sharon-tate.org

the rule of three

if ever there was a television programme both sartorially inspiring and completely absorbing in equal measures, it's mad men.

in a world where the box is filled with "the hills" and sugary but not completely satisfying fares, mad men is in a league of it's own.

it is the perfect antidotal detox; it's the television equivalent of that leafy green salad eaten to combat a weekend of bingeing on haribo and cake. with the female leads, betty draper, peggy olson, joan holloway drifting, marching and swanning (respectively) around in the candy coloured waist cinched shapes of the early 1960s, you certainly get your five a day in the style department.

grab a marker

this weekend, lets all customise a white tee shirt?

downtime look

For those who have ever spent a bowling session thinking less about strikes and more about that dreadful moment when you must swap your bowling shoes back for your own, comparitably measly footwear, a solution is in sight!

from left to right. top; petite bateau, brogues; rupert sanderson, rings; asos.com
jeans; topshop, leather bags; topshop, perfume; flowerbomb by viktor and rolf

Though, of course, when I say solution I mean, for those of you willing to throw £265 at the problem over the less moral option of simply sneakily running off in a pair from your local alley.

Rupert Sanderson have designed bowling style brogues which I'm rather smitten with.

Perfect for a stroll around a sunday flower market with slightly rolled up jeans, possible bed hair and french-style quirks.

acne fall oh nine

tomorrow sees the start of new york fashion week and therefore the "official" start of fall 09! if that sends shivers down your spine and messes up your biological clock, you're not the only one.. to get into the swing of things, feast your eyes on the acne fall 09 collection.

the search for a wedged boot rages on.* my mum has a fantastic pair but loves them too much to share.. boo!

meanwhile the sellophane trousers are looking awfully appealing and further applause for the long and simplistic silhouette continues in the form, this time, of loose tux trousers instead of a maxi dress.

*and a nod of the head..
to the magnificent minimarket wedges, for if I had the cash (alas, any cash) this is where it would go.

pics style.com, minimarket boot pics from fashionsquad.com

who's that girl?

bloody fantastic outfit. i could be standing in snow, completely naked and i'm almost confident that i'd still feel cosy just looking at that coat.

.. i did say almost.

she's aurel schmidt, so her name is pretty cool too and a quick google search told me that she is an nyc based artist and a pretty damn good one at that. gorgeous and vaguely sinister hand drawn abstracts.

to aurel, a nod of admiration

craft time

go on then, what did everybody get for christmas?
be as self absorbed as you like in the comment box!

advent season; day ten, christmas party inspiration

lily and chanel and jen.

advent season: day nine, fairytale of new york

this weekend my door had a makeover with a lick or two of blackboard paint, and if anyone finds themselves pottering past a hardware store, i urge you to dash inside and get a tin yourself as it's the most had I've had since.. well, since I was last messing about with a chalk and blackboard aged 5.

the nyc skyline started off as a little "fantasy" view and an incentive to keep chucking fivers into my new york savings pot, but i thought a seasonal reference was a must and so it's a little tribute to one of the best of the christmas songs, "fairytale of new york" by the pogues and kirsty mccall.



and for added new york spirit, take a peek at this old paris vogue editorial.
from way back in 2001, the year that carine roitfeld started as editor-in-chief.
when i look at these images, i feel like i can feel the buzz of the streets and to me the images remind me of that "first time in the big city" excitement.
let's close our eyes and imagine standing on a street corner downtown with a bunch of friends, balloons and bubbly cheering in the new year. because wouldn't that be the perfect way to welcome 2009?

advent season: day eight, christmas dressing for aetheists

so you're an atheist, and while you don't want to give up your stockings and roast turkey with all the trimmings, perhaps you're feeling a little immoral celebrating a holiday you don't technically believe in?

(yeah, me neither.. i'm of no religious persuasion and i'm not too fussed but for arguments sake) because bubbling under the surface is a bit of an underground "space" moment and now is the perfect time to celebrate (if you so desire) the creation of the earth itself; the big bang!


the guys behind up and coming label Peter Pilotto sent intergalactic creations whizzing down the AW08 runway and i'm desperate to get my hands on one of the spacey designs faster than you can say asteroid.

and while I don't see my savings stretching this far anytime soon, by some incredible stroke of luck I came across the coolest little galaxy printed purse; it's rather unusual and just about bordering on tacky. it'll do for now, because unless my christmas bonus covers the small fortune of one of the dresses, i'll be waiting.. uh, lightyears..

clearly if you manage to land yourself an outer worldly get-up, you'll need music to match and cut copy's "far away" seems the perfect accompaniment for moonwalking and silly "aetheist" dancing!

advent season; day seven, angelica huston or margot's ma

o




Chloe Sevigny; "I’m hoping one day I’ll be [laughs], this sounds silly, but you know how Wes Anderson hires Anjelica Huston in all of his movies? Maybe when I’m an older woman there’ll be some hot young director that’ll go, ‘Remember that girl who was big in the 90’s?’ And hire me."

Why did it never occur to me that it makes perfect sense to look to the Mother of a style icon.
Or the Dad, Grandma.
Where did they get their style from?
Margot Tenenbaum got her Hermes Birkin from Etheline, fo sho.

advent season: day three, alternative present guide

Oh look, I did it again. Another year where I promised myself I'd be super creative and have all of my incredibly groundbreaking homemade goodies ready and wrapped by December 1st. Wildly overambitous, but with four weeks and three weekends left I like to think it's still possible to pull together some thoughtful presents, a mix of interesting delights found from the shelves of oxfam or worked on at home.

I always find those smug Martha Stewart-esque articles (especially the column written by danielle proud in the sunday times) relentlessly irritating. You know the type; they instruct you very vaguely how to whip up impossibly cool and naturally impossible presents in 10 minutes flat.


Giving is better than receiving (maybe..) when you can come up with some presents with a bit of personality, here are some of the ideas I've had this year.


1. Screenprinted mugs

Never be a mug snob; there is plenty of dross out there, but your friends need a cool mug to drink their supersize doses of lemsip out of. Look through old photos and find a suitablly faded picture of you and your best friend aged 5 in crazy leggings and big grins for a bit of nostalgia. Or get their favourite film character printed on.


2. Make a Fanzine

This is really if you have a lot of time on your hands. I always wanted to do this, and cater each page to a subject I knew a relative loved. Whether they have a thing for Bob Dylan or Krispy Kremes, write silly poems and make collages dedicated to their favourite things.


3. Design their dream house


Whip out a ruler and a pencil, compass, graph paper, pop on a pair of glasses and pretend to be an architect! Sketch a floor plan for your relative's dream house. Be outlandish. If they're a pro in the kitchen, add a dumb waiter, if they like animals, add a dolphin waterpark. Find some sparkly stickers and cut out items out of interior magazines to it ends up looking like a mishmash of coolness. Now frame it.

4. Fashion a mini hamper

Grab an old shoe box, and smother the outside of it with magazine cuttings. Pop a mix cd, a jar of pick and mix and whatever other little trinkets you can find along the way. If you're borderline obsessive compulsive and therefore everything must stick to a theme, then great...make sure everything in the box begins with the same letter as their name!

5. Second hand books.

If everyone buys their clothes vintage, then why not buy your presents second hand? Some people think it is stingy, but if you spend the afternoon looking around the charity shops, you can pick out some books with especially cool covers. Buy 3 or 4 (they're dirt cheap..) and tie then together with a piece of string or a belt ala 1920s schoolkids.

and last but not least. the faithful mix cd. stick on little joy, cut copy, psychdelic furs and go..