werthers original

Ah, exams are all over and life may resume as normal. The library is back to it's usual empty self and everybody can finally crawl out their rooms to socialise, guilt free. I found out today that I've got a place to study at Amherst Massachusetts for a semester next year which I am very, very excited about. Just as long as I don't cock up my grades hopefully this time next year I'll be stateside with election fever in the air and lots of roadtrip opportunities with various friends also on exchange in Missouri, California and Tennessee.

To celebrate the good news I headed to Topshop and picked up some pretty underwear as well as this top. Because of course my wardrobe is lacking where brown is concerned.. (sort of embarrassing queueing up to buy this when I already resembled a human Werthers Original in brown suede trousers and a beige jumper.)

click to see more personal wears.

things

things on my mind:

top row: bare legs, black dress, minimal make up via tourist magazine, kate elson's (with karen elson) outfit, tulips, lauren hutton.

middle row: cooking topless a la kate moss, seventies hair (and checked blouse) at rodarte SS11, scout niblett's hair and pinafore, perfect outfit (long coat, cosy hat) via annebernecker.com.

bottom row: macs and midriff at michael kors SS11, sexy tomboy at columbia road via annebernecker.com, flower markets.

cher

Here's a little Cher flavoured summat summat on this Saturday afternoon. The song is naturally a classic gem but also take note of her matching striped jumper-trouser combo. One of the looks from the Marc by Marc Jacobs Winter 2010 collection comes to mind. When there are skirt suits and short suits and suit suits, what's not to love about the concept of a jumper suit?Also her hair is bloody grand. I wish I had the ability to wear a fringe like that, I always feel like fringes take too much maintance than I can be bothered with but if there is any hair to advocate the brilliance of fringes, I'd say it's Cher circa 1965.

Shady Pines

 

Found this brilliant editorial with Stella Tennant from US Harpers Bazaar, April 1999.

I love Tennant's simple hair (while I'm painstakingly growing my fringe out again and returning to my centre parting this makes me think it's worth the effort) the mid-length day coats, hum-drum window leaning boredom and her bucket hat. Still not able to let go of the 'gone fishing' headgear look..
Note also the copy underneath the images ('every woman should experience the mysterious allure of a mac') and the 'the quickest route to looking chic is to keep it really simple' if ever there is a style philosophy to follow, I'd say that's it right there.

Images from The Fashion Spot.

colouring, watching, gushing

Went and checked my postbox earlier to find three packages were waiting for me, all things I'd completely forgotten I'd ordered over the holidays. This semester I'm going to make a bit of an effort to curb my spending on silly little things that add up. Mainly bus fare and the take away coffees I usually buy to perk me up just before a lecture. So, ta-da, a insulated travel mug! Along with a tin of Caran D'ache pens I ordered from Amazon the other day when suddenly overcome by the urge to...colour in? My Granny used to buy me sets of Caran D'ache when I was little-I remember spending so long labouring over a picture of an underwater scene of spotted octopus and stripey fish and bright coral each day after school for a Blue Peter competition and then missing the deadline when I liked it too much to want to send it in. Maybe it's just fond memories like this but in a sad way I'm kind of feeling just 'drawing' at the moment.  Maybe something to do with catching up with the genius Isabel's Animal Talk and missing having a pen between my fingers to draw rather than write with. On the subject of Isabel, she never fails to amaze me, she creates such cool little sculptures. Supersized Geodes or tongue-in-cheek 'cake landscapes' that are painted in colours so knee-weakeningly pretty that you're torn between wanting to pop them in your mouth and chew them like bubblegum or crawl into them and never come out.

And something I was very excited about is this copy of US Vogue from 1961. With mini reviews for Breakfast at Tiffanys and West Side Story and an awful lot of adverts for mink coats and stockings and lipstick and ford cars having a leaf through it felt very Betty Draper. It was sent to me by Leanne who is working for Sky Atlantic, which I've been really excited about launching after reading about it in various 'What to look out for in 2011' magazine features over Christmas. There is always something about January and fantastic television schedules that makes me feel all excited and compelled to confine myself indoors every night with a hot water bottle and strict viewing plans. As an American Studies student and general US cultcha nerd I'm especially excited for the launch of a channel with so many stateside exports. Treme (I couchsurfed with a guy whose Dad was working on it when I was in Venice Beach), Boardwalk Empire, new Mad Men (don't get me started..) yadda yadda.

All in all a bit of a gushy post. And here is a nice chilled song to remedy the overexcited tone..

you see, I see, go see

Gorgeous go-see photograph of model shot by Juergen Teller. Just goes to prove that having crackalackin chin definition always takes a poloneck that extra mile. Sigh.. (image via Letty Schmiterlow)

back in the manchester groove

Ah, back in the Manchester groove. Arrived back 'home' (is it home? I never quite know what to call it..) yesterday and it feels so good to be reunited with everybody, despite the impending exams hanging over our heads and the fact we're all unable to avoid 'oh, I haven't done any revision' type conversations which only serve to distress and egg each other on in a bad way. Today I'm wearing my new Benetton jumper which I bought from eBay the other week for a steal of 99p. Now less chat and more work. Off to the library I go..

style notes for the guys

Calypso jumper (via through a glass darkly) / Damon Albarn in a Nike hoodie/ George Clooney's shirt in 'One Fine Day'/ Charles Bukowski/ Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water/ Burberry shirt/ swimming man/ Woody Harrelson/ Clementines (I've lost count of how many I've eaten over the past two months..)

And this camp spectacle of a performance by The Rubettes. I love how much energy they have and how mismatched it is against the crowd's obligatory steady clapping. If I ever end up getting married, or just throwing a huge birthday party I may find a tribute act to recreate this just for the hilarity. But first need to sort out George Michael singing Careless Whisper to me on a table for my 21st. I like the idea of an awkward intimate performance for each milestone birthday..

wrapping up

Duffle Coat, Uniqlo/ Perfume, Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier/ Tote by Margaret Howell/ 

Tartan Scarf, Lands End/ Dress, Topshop Boutique / Plain Moleskine/ Navy and White 420, New Balance/

Ah, January. That grey month when bitter fingers and continuous rainfall are still the norm, and because it feels like Spring may never come warm cosy clothes to get you through the grey days are paramount. It's raining cats and dogs outside and impending exams are looming over my head-this is my perfect 'sling on some layers and run to the library' outfit. See pockets on Uniqlo duffle which are perfect for burying fingers and biros and a bag of nuts for snack time.

what I wore

What I wore today: new asos top (which, factlovers, on the website was neither as obscenely short nor see-through as in real life. hey ho, I quite like a little sheerness every now and then) and my faithful topshop cords (let's face it, I never take them off.)