Classic NYFW tweets

I managed to avoid getting sucked into the mesmerizing, voyeuristic, black hole that is Twitter until about 6 months ago. Since then, I have enjoyed many a half-hour here and there wasting time spying on the lives of the fash-pack and other celebs as they indulge in their mundane daily activities. However, things have been looking up during NY Fashion week, with some entertaining tweets coming from all sectors of the fashion community. Just in case any of you are not on Twitter (and not at all because I have no interesting image-based entries to post on the blog ;-) ), here are a few of my favorite tweets from the past week;

"1st show of fashion week! Took a tumble! Got up! Fell again. Should have stayed down the first time. Twice! Ouch my knees!" - Agyness Deyn 

"Call the Fashion Police. There's someone wearing Uggs at Rodarte" - Elle UK

"Pillboxes, fur muffs and raccoon stoker. Well we are on Park Avenue, albeit at a men's show..." - ShowStudio

"Dear God-ess, please let me go to sleep and not have to run all over NYC tonight." - Kelly Cutrone

"Perilous lit wax sculpture next to Andre Leon Talley's Fur!" - ShowStudio 

"Y-3 feels like "why 300 looks?" think I'm getting deep-vein thrombosis" - ShowStudio

Just wish I could be there to experience it in person. All I can saw however is thank F. for live streaming!

Love is in the air......

Sorry for the stream of seemingly random, valentine-tastic images. I was feeling somewhat glum trawling through the McQueen collections of past on Style, so felt like putting some love out there. 

Hope you all have fun plans this V-Day weekend, be it with lovers, friends or yourselves. I'm off to a Burlesque showcase this evening and am frantically trying to find something sultry to wear, whilst simultaneously trying not to look to whore-y. Now, where did I put those seamed stockings?

Images (top to bottom); shot from Prada Men's show, Alexander Mc Queen heart peep-toe shoes,

 Lulu Guinness clutch, Verner Panton heart chair (ooh! Don't get me started on my love of chairs again!), Marc Jacobs compact (impulse purchase on a night out in Vegas in order to do emergency make-up check), cheesy heart sunglasses.

waiting, waiting, waiting. Oh, and something slightly nautical.

 This morning involved a very early start and a trip to the US immigration office to sort my visa out, followed by a long wait, which gave me chance to catch up on a big batch of British Vogue magazines that my mum dispatched to me from back home. All I can say is thank f. that I had such interesting reading material else the wait would have been pretty unbearable. 

Long wait over, I was ushered over to a counter where I had to stand and chat to an immigration officer. Now, when i booked the appointment online, I was given a ton of information on what to bring/not bring etc, but I wish they had also included notes on suitable footwear, as my mega heel platform wedges did some serious damage to my ankles as i stood for 40 minutes at the counter waiting for the lady to file my documents. Never before have I longed more for a pair of ballet flats.

Anyway, to my point, and more so to my outfit. My waiting room reading, amongst which featured several breton-esque ensembles, caused me to dig out this somewhat nautical outfit when I got home and had finished massaging my long suffering feet. The Breton top I have had forever, well about 15 years actually (good job it was really loose when I got it), and the jacket was a French Connection find from the Summer. 

Wow, Summer - that seems like ages ago. Come back Sun, where are you??!

Apologies for the technical issues

Sorry for my lack of posts lately, I've been having issues with my computer, and only have my I-pod touch to satisfy my internet browsing needs. The blogger application on it is OK, but I can't upload my own photos via the I-pod, so I'm back to square one. Arrgh! The curses of technology.
If my laptop was behaving better, perhaps I might treat it to one of these stunning Gareth Pugh laptop bags, (which he created in collaboration with Paris boutique Collette last year), but for now I am reduced to giving it evil stares as a try and type with my big sausage fingers on my I-pod's tiny keyboard.

Fingers crossed, I'll be back to regular posting soon when my computer decides to sort its 'issues' out. Talk to you soon xoxo

Remnants of Christmas

I love Christmas (as if i haven't already said that before) and I always get a bit sulky post New-Year's when the tree has to come down and all the decorations get put away. All the stores lovely Christmas windows also seem to disappear straight after Christmas, and are replaced by ugly, boring red 'SALES- 50% OFF!!!!!' signs filling up the store fronts.

With this in mind, I was delighted when shopping in Denver on the first few days of January to see the beautiful Christmas windows of jeweler Tiffany & Co. still there, and still clinging on for dear life to the last few days of the festive season. The windows were a multi-layered paper-crafted delight, and you had to get up close to see all the detail. All the diamonds and other expensive finery were draped over the paper models and scenery, although a special mention has to go out to the sleigh-driving elf, who is really working the whole ring-as-a hat look.

There's a Big Blue Bear in Denver

As I'm still in the USA (and won't be returning to my beloved London until the Summer), I decided to spend New Year's eve in Denver. It was pretty low key on the night itself due to the dreaded post-Christmas cold I was suffering with, but I got to spend the first two days of the year having a good look around the city, and found several great places which I hope to go back and see.

My best find however, which, incidentally was totally by chance, was Lawrence Argent's "I See What You Mean" public art installation. As you can see by the photos, its a giant blue bear, peering into the glass front of the Colorado Convention Center. What the photos don't show (very well) however, is the fact that the bear is made up of hundreds, well probably more like thousands, of triangles. It looks even more beautiful and unexpected in person, and a must see if you are in the area, especially if you like giant blue things.

A very delayed Happy New Year to you all

So. 2010. Here it is, another decade, another fresh start and most importantly lots of new looks to look forward to.

Apologies for the long break in my blog entries, but like a lot of people I was struck down by the post-Christmas colds that were going around, and was not organized enough to sort out any pre-planned scheduled posts. I'm feeling a bit better now, so will be back on regular blogging form (fingers crossed).

I hope that everyone out there had a good Christmas, and had a fun time ringing in the New Year. Let's hope that its a good one for all of us.

P.S Photo is a close up of a See by Chloe T Shirt I own from the early noughties, which is now officially a very long time ago. I was wearing it in a sort of celebrating-New-Year's-with-cocktails style whilst convalescing.

I wish you.........

....A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

To my 'followers', and anyone who should stumble upon my blog by chance, I hope you have a very enjoyable festive season, with much fun and fashion adventures in the year ahead xoxo

Beautiful chairs that look like beautiful dresses

I've always had a thing for statement chairs that are beautifully crafted and designed, and the limited edition Alexander Mc Queen egg chair above is no exception. It also struck me however, that a lot of the pieces that i am drawn to in the furniture world, also remind me of runway looks from over the years.

Take the chair above for example, and the look from Gareth Pugh below, and they kinda sorta resemble each other.

(Photo from Style.com)

Here's a few more fashion and furniture pairings that sprang to my mind;

This 'Eames Chaise' by designers Ray/Charles Eames in 1948.......

.........and the gorgeous white jersey cut out dress from a Gucci, mid 90s Tom Ford season.

The 'womb chair' designed by Eero Saarinen in 1948.........

......... and of course Jil Sander dress from the Fall 2009 collection.

(photo from Style.com)

Of course I could go on, and, on, but i will spare any readers the pain of listening to the thoughts from my fashion obsessed brain. I'm not sure if its just me, but fashion inspiration seems to be coming at me from all angles at the moment. Let's hope it continues into the new year at least.

Great Karl Lagerfeld quote #1

"There's no Chanel collection without black. It will never exist. Who can live without some black clothes?"

Enough said!

(Quote taken from Twitter)

Scissor Scarf, Winona Dress, and Alien Monkeys with lobster hands

With the Chilly Winter weather in full effect, I find myself building upon my (ever-expanding)collection of scarves. Looking at the Snoozer Loser website I was instantly drawn to the Scissor print scarf. The scarf comes in a variety of colours, but I found myself drawn to the grey/black and grey/yellow versions.

Other lovely pieces on the site included the 'Winona dress' - a linen dress with brass pyramid studs, and the Veruca Pepper twill hooded coat. (see photos below). I loved the styling on the website, and the prices are pretty wallet-friendly. All items are made in the USA, and the label also has some great arts projects.

Best bit of their website has to be, without fail, their 'Saudade Saudade' promotional video for their 2009 fall/winter line. Directed by Johnny Woods, the captivating short film is described as ; " The tale of a girl who escapes the urban jungle only to find herself amongst magical friends in an alternative universe", and is every bit as weird, wonderful, and magical as it sounds.

The abridged version (for those of you that can't spare a whole 12 minutes to watch the full version) consists of a girl and two alien monkey creatures with lobster claw hands. Throughout the film, they engage in various activities, including; playing in the park, attempting to BBQ a rubber baby alligator, playing basketball, having a tea party with a strange looking man with a ponytail beard, and paper crafting. They then conclude the film by walking off hand in hand, into the sunset. Its certainly worth a look, and i've pasted the video clip below. In the event that i've had a technological malfunction, you can also see the video on their website. Hope you enjoy!

Snoozer Loser Fall/Winter 09 (excerpt) from Mathematical Park on Vimeo.

Here's one I made earlier (very badly)

Another favourite shop which I discovered during my recent time spent in New York is M&J Trimmings which has every kind of ribbon, tassle, bead, applique, stud, buckle, lace, sequin....(the list goes on), that you can imagine. Sadly, whilst I was there I was so overwhelmed with the sheer vastness of the collections there (and I had to hurry back to the hotel to go and get ready for a swanky dinner) that I only made a couple of purchases, one of which was the black applique above. I shall be attaching it to the neckline of a boring plain tunic dress that I own, but for the interim, I found a gold chain lying around, sewed it on, and bingo! I now have a big, bold necklace.

Comme des Garcons Barbie, and Barbie as Rachel Zoe

Barbie has just had another makeover. This time, courtesy of Comme des Garcon's Rei Kawakubo. The limited edition doll was launched in Tokyo last week, and is wearing a photo-floral print dress, which is part of the Comme Des Garcons 'Jingle Flowers' range. Priced at 225 GBP (available from Comme des Garcons shops, and in London at Dover St Market) its not really something for children, but more for festive floral decoration/admiration.

Earlier this month barbie also took the form of super-celebrity LA stylist Rachel Zoe (complete with mini-birkin), for a one-off production to raise funds for Project Angel food. For those interested in bidding, and taking home the even tinier RZ check out charity buzz for further details.

Picture as tweeted by Rachel Zoe

John Galliano for Claridges, and other designer christmas trees

Being a huge fan of Christmas, nothing gets me going more than the sight of the good ol' Christmas tree. Shame then, that I'm not in London today for the big unveiling of the John Galliano christmas tree at Claridges. Naturally, the tree is not your run-of-the-mill tinsel and shiny bauble extravaganza, but more of an icy blue and white frozen tropical tree (see above photos and initial design sketch below). Erected overnight, the 20ft tree is constructed out of papier mache, polystyrene and paper, and featured amongst the branches are a handmade leopard, some parrots and a dragonfly.
Like my own (not nearly as impressive ) christmas tree, it will be on display until the twelfth night (January 6th).

Other designer christmas trees will be on display in Paris from December 8th-14th at

'cite de l'architechture' as part of the city's annual 'Les Sapins de Noel des Createur' event. Designers ranging from Paul Smith, Hermes, Gaultier, and Louis Vuitton (to name but a few) will be designing one-off trees which will be auctioned off to raise money for the charity 'Sol en Si' (Solidarite en SIDA) which helps young people affected by AIDS. Last year, 44 stunning creations raised a total of 101,000 Euros for the charity, so hopefully this year will also bring much festive cheer and charitable proceeds. Just because its December 1st, here's a few shots from last year's trees to kick start the Christmas Spirit.

Gaultier

Louis Vuitton

Gucci

Norman Foster

Chanel

Christian LaCroix

Valentino

Discarded Vintage Library Books

Whilst attending night school at a junior high school in the US one evening for a Japanese Class, I saw a cart buried in books with a sign on it that read " Old library books, FREE, help yourself! ". So, I had a rummage around during a break from my class and found these two gems.


The first, entitled "The Concise History of Fashion and Costume", was published in 1969 and has some amazing sketches, illustrations and photos.There are loads that i love, but here are my favorites;

(i'd love to own this coat)

Lanvin sketches from 1931

Photograph from 'The Evening Standard' 1968

Yves Saint Laurent sketch .

Interestingly, after this sketch, there was an article about the 'new' see through clothes, and how these would 'for obvious reasons' not become popular. 

If only the author could fast forward to today.

The book is a small-ish hardback book, and has this very sixties print on the front and back. Best of all though, it has its library index tags on the spine, and still has its 'due date' stamps inside the cover. 

My second free find of the evening, was entitled "Heavens to Betsy!" and has nothing to do with fashion at all. It basically contains everyday expressions and phrases, and attempts to explain their origins.The author is a bit wishy-washy when trying to pin down the origins of some of the phrases, however I love the randomness of it , as well as the illustrations (by Tom Funk - what a great name) on page 144 of a 'Bear with a sore head', and on page 89 of 'Putting on the dog'.