Sprung on Spring

Now the clocks have gone forward it is officially Spring!

Here is a little lovin' for ya, my new favourite summery song from Emiliana Torrini

Plastic envy

I am lying in the wake of a slow-release hangover at the moment. Recently it seems that sleep > motivation which is not good since I'm not even getting adequate snoozing. I am back at home and my room is CLUTTERED, but lazy days are fantastic for wishing and experimenting with style as I can relax, and great style ought to be relaxed. Daily obsession today seems to be over my beloved Plasticines, not sure why, I've liked them for a while but today I am obsessing. Silly addictive personality. Why can't I be that cool? They are why I want to be French... well them and the fact there are hundreds of different cheeses on your doorstep just waiting to be gobbled yum yum yum.

I think its maybe because I am OBSESSED with Marine's hair below. I once had lead-singer Katty's maine too really, back when I was 16, but it was me thus it was damaged and dry and not as sleeeek. French girls are so damn chic.

(left to right: Anais, Louise, Marine, Katty)

I have a growing Plastiscine collection on my iPod but if you are unfamiliar with them I would suggest listening to Mister Driver (my personal favourite), Loser, Another Kiss, or the quite well known Barcelona below, (you can watch it in full size here), which has the exact type of video I would want if I was in a kick-ass, unforgivably good-looking girl band.

Henna today... still there tomorrow

TREND ALERT

Hello my little lovelies, firstly I must apologise for my absence, I had a ha-ugee project due for uni but now it is all done and dusted and I am on easter holidays; resume blogging and/or destroying my liver.

Anyway my new found freedom and weeks of free time have meant my creativity has been wondering around with a mind of its own. As you can probably guess, I am in LOVE with the Chanel temporary tattoos. I would fully intend of paying 50 quid for a pack but my student loan (or lack there of it) is disallowing me too. HOWEVER, a lot of my friends on gap years have gone off travelling and India and Morocco seem to be popular and it gave me inspiration, and have recently been thinking about henna tattoos. Henna is very cheap and extremely beautiful, and lasts a while. I have been seeing some gorgeous patterns around town lately and actually on a number of celebrities (see Jessica Simpson below for example), perhaps it is a new trend?

I found these cute but slightly scary picture of henna being used on pregnant tums, an idea that is apparently growing in popularity. I think it is quite a cool idea; if you can't hide it, flaunt it!

Pregnant stomachs do still freak me out a little though, can't say I know why, but lets hope this trend is not adopting by the beer bellies out there too, NOT a pretty sight.

I have been obsessing over my want for my own tattoos lately, I know exactly what I want (with an Alice in Wonderland theme... ofcourse) but Im still deliberating. I think i might try out the henna this summer if I cant get my hands on the Chanel temps to see how I go! Im thinking on my legs or my hands, I adore this design:

Hit it with some Chanel particuliere 505 and they are some seriously brown hands, (perhaps my alternative to the tan i can never get haha!)

Fly me to the moon... and the cemetery.

I am not generally fan of taxidermy, (unless it is this,) but when on a rare break from my revision I was having a ponder and remembered my want for wings I found some beautiful - albeit dead- things. I say wings I mean winged accessories, recall my love affair with a certain pair on trainers in last months post?

Taxidermy usually brings to mind images like:

... and generally makes me heave. I mean, why would you want a dead animal in your head? atleast with fur coats the limbs are removed, and I'm generally quite liberal when it comes to fashion.

But anyway, back to my want for wings... which seems an ironic and hypocritical statement to write after the last but you understand my context. I stumbled once again across these beautiful Reid Peppard pieces:

It has given me lots of inspiration

IT'S HERE

I am sorry for not posting in a few days but it is deadline week so that means I have no life until Monday. BUT, I have time to quickly slip you the latest offering from LE GAGA, this time featuring Beyonce.

10 minutes long. There are few words. Sunglasses made out of cigarettes? And hats made out of phones? YESSS.

However I don't think it is as good as the Bad Romance or Paparazzi videos just because it is a bit scattered/irrelevant? And TOO MUCH ADVERTISING. Come on Gaga, now now, but we'll forgive you because the song is so damn catchy. I would like her body though!

p.s. 'station' and 'dancing' do not rhyme. in any way.

Alice In Blunderland

So, It is here. Alice In Wonderland by the kooky Tim Burton came out this week and I along with many went to see it. I was very excited to watch the film but to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I make of it. Johnny Depp and Stephen Fry in the same film I heard?! Surely it can't get any better?... and I was right. The story line is not Alice In Wonderland, thus I felt it inappropriate to lead the viewer into thinking so with such a name. However, I did admire Burton trying to do a new take on the classic novel, seeing Alice thirteen years after her adventure in Wonderland, but the resulting actions seemed to anger me. I think Burton got Lewis Carol mixed up with C. S. Lewis as the movie seemed to turn into an adventure in Narnia. Wonderland was never about Good vs. Evil, it was about being ridiculous, and most probably high. The costumes were fantastic though, Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, has an assortment of amazingly tailored dresses of blue and red; a look of customise-chic, whilst still maintaining the Victorian theme to the film. The Red Queen (NOT the Queen of Hearts - another unnecessary alteration) played by the beautiful and quirky Helena Bonham-Carter looked humourous but well drawn with her bulbous head and hair of hearts. She did play the character well, with convincing malice and indulgent ridicule. Johnny Depp aka The Ideal Man, played the Mad Hatter in an enviable costume but seemed to spoil it all with a really cringeworthy dance near the end. I was in shock seriously, I've never seen that man being anything but suave and it tore my heart a little, though I still spent most of the film eye fixed on his God-like bone structure. Arghh, his presence makes any adaptation bearable. I did not hate the film, but as a loyal and obsessive fan of Alice (as you well know), I felt a little hard done by that something as imaginatively idyllic as Wonderland had to be thwarted by a burst of battle reality. You could say it lost its muchness, thankyou Hatter. The visual effects were impressive, the intention admirable, but next time leave Disney well out of this Tim and keep it Burton old-school, consider Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice if you want to play it darkly. Definately, if nothing else you can do, just definately, absolutely, quintessentially, don't conclude with a song written by Avril Lavigne. Fail. Why did he do it? Well we're all mad here.

Matt Lucas played Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

IN THE PRESS

Here I am captured (looking very haggard - I know) on the Emerging Fervour website.


They spotted the hareem pants trend.



The image is a bit small but click on the link and I'm third down far right.

Emerging Fervour is a great blog, follow it now or joing the fan page on facebook!

ERR. Sack the Stylist moment

Its Goth Barbie with messy skater pumps and a serious need of new extensions. Not to mention the half sporadic gymnast/half moulin-rouge wannabe hairdo that is completely irrelevant and doesn't even try to be credible. I am getting angry. Those dresses belong on the halloween special of Snog Marry Avoid.

There is nothing about this video that flatters her in any way. Oh dear.

Bailey vs. Baileys

VS.

Hmmm.... though either will do for my Friday night!

The Baileys selection was complimentary of London Fashion Weekend to ETQTE BBY. A heavy bag to heave home, but glad to see they're ever so slightly pushing the free alcohol. Thank you LFWE.

Watch the Burberry Live show if you don't know why Christopher Bailey is a genius.

Feet get naked

I really need these.

Leather and oak sandals, £250, by Heather Blake

I saw these at LFW and fell in love. I've always loved wedges and peach shades are friends to my skin tone. Nude is very in this season so its time for your toes to strip.

I did a little research too and it seems Blake is a fellow LCFer, and now making her way big in shoe design. In fact I found a short interview she did for the university, so I thought would be nice to share a segment with you all.

Why did you originally want to study at LCF and which course did you study?

I was working in Hong Kong teaching art and design and wanted a career change. I found out about the Cordwainers Footwear Diploma and it was exactly what I was looking for.

What did you do when you first left LCF?

I spent a year in bespoke footwear at Foster and Son, Jermyn Street, and went on to study at the Royal College.

How would you define your aesthetic?

Theatrical and streamlined.

And how would you describe your customer?

Someone who is very into fashion and design and not afraid to stand out. A confident, flamboyant woman, someone like Alison Goldfrapp or Dita Von Teese.

What inspires you most?

New technology. My recent designs have been inspired by industrial design, and vehicles.

Any industry 'tips' for our current and future students?

Be really brave, contact people directly and pester! Don't give up!

Her wedges are featured in the March edition of Elle magazine. Also mentioned is another piece footwear that you can feel free to buy for me, if you want, you know, as a little present, is this exclusive wedge from Camilla Skovgaard:

Image taken from Elle magazine, March 2010

So exclusive it seems that I cannot find a picture on the web, but you can reach her website here.

Batman is coming

Hello Alice Palmer

It seems studs are remaining a trend for AW10, and Miss Palmer demonstrates this best.

Originally a knitwear graduate from Royal College of Art, she was named Best Womenswear Designer for her SS09 collections, and this collection doesn't argue.

Reminds me a bit of the amazing outfits from Rihanna's video for Hard.

LFWE Roundup: Catwalk and SS trends

London Fashion Weekend finally concluded yesterday which means I can actually have a night's sleep and a day's lazing, I am surprised I have lasted this long to be honest. Anyway, here is a post of the catwalk that was on throughout the event, aiming to showcase the hottest trends for this Spring/Summer. Please excuse the majority of crappy photography, some of the models have amusingly awkward poses but it is the clothes I want to show off not the uneven angles. In my defence though, the pictures were pretty clear so any blurring is a result of uploading but I think they do the job. Warning: there are quite a large number of photos. The main themes for the coming season:

Candy Rock

an infusion of feminine, pastel colours and cuts, floaty and lacy materials with a sophisticated finish.

Swallows and Amazons

a darker side to Candy Rock, womanly but edgy, with enough double-denim to make Zach from Saved By The Bell jump for joy, and playful yet androgynous city shorts. The trend gave light to brand Current/Elliot who are from the USA and don’t sell here in the UK but were showcasing at LFWend and were a denim look to watch out for.

Vintage Glamour

(there is one we haven't seen before)

a selection of the prettiest retro evening dresses, each with a one-of-a-kind 50's handbag in original condition. For 1950's style swimwear and lingerie, Pistol Panties was suggested, and for hats it had to be Philip Treacy who was the official milliner for none other than the great late Alexander McQueen.

Betty Jackson's entire SS range was also displayed and there was an obvious love for the sorbet socks that most of the other trends also embody. (Expect more on this soon.)

The make-up look of the moment is all about light coral on the lips, and dusky blue eyeshadow on flawless pale skin (yay). Elizabeth Arden are one of the sponsors of LFWend and they had a new Melon colour lipstick that is set to be very popular. I've always like orange lipstick, I think it looks funky and flattering, and at the rate most of the UK female population are going with their obsession orange skin, they might actually blend in for once...

The catwalk kicked off with E! entertainment presenter Louise Roe, wearing an amazing orange playsuit from high-street Jaegar. I want this (as usual). However my sources have told me that she apparently wore the same outfit for all the shows this weekend which makes me question the state of hygiene of the ensemble.

Half-way through the catwalk, Louise came out with the stylist of the show for a little Q&A. The stylist is working on her first feature film we are told. What was more interesting was that Louise let slip that her shoes were £6 from Primark! Expect them to no doubt be sold out tomorrow. Maybe it is true money can't buy style? Either that or LFWend are on serious budget cuts.

Candy Rock:

This outfit is fabulous; it reminds me of Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. The almost mint shade of green is perfect for pale skin (hooray again!), and still works with my love for headdress.

I loveee this outfit, very demure and sophisticated, channeling another era.

Swallows and Amazons:

The catwalk also featured possibly some the skinniest legs I've ever seen here.

Amazing construction, awkward pose.

my favourite outfit of the day, embodying the lingerie-to-outwear look, and I've always adored city shorts.

Vintage Glamour:

The ruffles on this dress is AMAZING.

Betty Jackson:

Round-up:

My favourite picture I think, love the main shoes!.. and the pink shorts are still on my mind.

You can match some of the catwalk photos to the models/outfits in the backstage pics in the previous post!