In Time

Time is literally money for the characters in the science fiction film "In Time", where the people stop aging at 25 and are given a year on their clock to gain employment and work for their "living".

Conceptually this film has years of potential, but in execution held my attention for only minutes. It touched upon many interesting issues, a rather dark solution to the problems of overpopulation, segregation between classes, capitalism (and greed), the rising danger of gangs and lack of respect for authority and missionaries who will always risk a lot for the greater good. The problem here is that I used the words "touched upon". It's inability to delve deeper into any one of these issues made sure the film lacked any real depth and was therefore a rather light thriller about a futuristic Robin Hood. I found myself tentatively agreeing with the film's villain, questioning the choice of wardrobe (if Sylvia Weis had indeed spent all that time running in those heels, her toes would have undoubtedly fallen off) and feeling rather cheated when the film finished without offering me more of a conclusion, a character to identify with or even a visually satisfying experience.

A bit of a waste of time, which thankfully, isn’t necessarily a matter of life or death for me.

Movember

Sorry for the extended absence, I have been focussing on other things for the time being but I'm back now and committed to posting new things every week.

November is upon us and I find myself walking down the street spotting Clarke Gable and Tom Sellic. I love Movember, for the simple fact that a moustache transforms a man into a Gentleman. I understand the obvious exceptions to this rule, but I think the reason a lot of dictators have them is to seemingly exude confidence, and to be able to look in the mirror and see someone distinguished rather than what they are. That’s what a moustache does, so aside from feeling good about yourself for supporting and raising awareness for prostate and testicular cancer, you can feel confident that you are now a mo' (sorry) mature gentleman. Also with programs like Boardwalk Empire becoming so popular, the prohibition style is coming back into fashion. Men such as Clarke Gable and Cary Grant are style icons and Movember gives men the excuse they need to follow fashion.  Lets have some fun with Movember and accessorise our faces gentlemen!

Put some Spring in your step

I was avoiding writing about this because it’s just EVERYWHERE but spring is fast approaching and the fashions that are coming with it make my skin spark, so it could not be ignored! As much as I love furs, big knits and funky tights, nothing gets me more excited than spring summer clothes, and have you seen all the colours?? Now, I have never been one to embrace outrageous block colours, let’s face it, as beautiful as they are to look at in magazines or on a catwalk, will we feel the same confidence in it while drawing attention to ourselves in all our best intentions running for the bus in the morning or ordering our obligatory latte on the way in to the office? My answer this season is YES YES YES!  Seeing it on the catwalk is one thing, but walking into all the high street stores and seeing all the gorgeous colours, I have to say I got carried away.  I’ve lost count of my favourite designers combatting this look for the season but here are the ones that stuck in my mind:

Jil Sander with her iconic orange skirt image.

Gucci with their flawless execution of multi-blocking

Mark Jacobs with his 70s inspired summer print maxis.

And here are some of my favourites pieces from the high street.

Thin line between catalogue and couture

I did my first photoshoot this week in the world of styling and I love love LOVED it!

I was pretty nervous at first as you can imagine. What if the pictures looked catalogue? I didnt know the size of the model, I was putting most of the outfits together myself, what if they didnt work/fell apart/weren't "big" (by big I mean grand) enough? Our concept proved winning though and I was extremely happy with the outcome. It helps that we had a beautiful model and a great photographer, but some credit has to be given to my team and I. We based our concept on the royal wedding, mixing it (slighty tongue in cheek-ly) with street clothes; a more urban take on a glamourous wedding. Have a look at some of the best (please be open minded they have not been photoshopped).

Radio Days

One of my favourite places in London, tucked away on the character rich street of Lower Marsh amongst juxtapositions like Greensmiths "trendy" grocers, lovely 2nd hand jewellery shops and Greggs bakery, is Radio Days. A vintage shop with such personality, it almost feels like a friend. Walking in you can hear the dusty tones of old jive music being played through a scratchy, vintage record player and one of the owners, Lee, whistling along to tunes like Dean Martin's "How do you like your eggs in the morning".  I love browsing the amazing decoration for your home like these old rotary phones, all sorts of glasses to stock your old fashioned bar with (even if its just the one you aspire to have - lets face it, who doesn’t want a bar?) and black and white photographs of all the old greats like James Dean. 

The fashion can be questionable, but there is no doubt that you will find at least one thing that you like, and if you don’t, they have various patterns to make your own; flares and dresses and capes (oh my!). But my favourite part is the shelves upon shelves of accessories, broaches, hats, hand bags, old cameras, hair pins and gloves. You will even find old 20 year old copies of vogue and gorgeous greeting or post cards.

This shop is truly inspiring and if you don’t leave humming a happy tune I will eat my newly acquired vintage hat. [....lala..I like mine with a kiss....lalalalala]

Maxi-mise yourself

I know what you're thinking: Shes been sleeping for the past year.  I havent. I am aware that the maxi skirt and dress has been back in a big way since the beginning of the autumn winter season, and before that as a simple outfit choice for spring summer, and I am absolutely ecstatic to know that its populatriy has secured its place on the SS11 catwalks!  I am such a fan of the maxi and it's versatility that I was very suprised to hear two friends discussing the other day that they couldnt pull one off.  "Im too short" one said, "Im too fat" said the other. No, no, no no, girls, the maxi is a friend of everyones.  Why do you think pregnant women have been taking advantage of its flaw hiding benefits for years. Most maxi dresses for the larger woman are so flattering it can transform the confidence of even the most body conscious. Just look at this gorgeous image of Charlotte Church looking beautifully buxom in her floor length friend.

Although I'm not entirely convinced of Ferne Cotton's mid 90s take on this vertical striped maxi coupled with dark canvas All Stars and opaque tights, there is no doubting there are many variations of the maxi to experiment with to find the right one for you. 

Try stripes. It will look great on some and not so on others. Horizontal stripes are a popular style this SS, as well as block colours, so if you are too self conscious to make a statement in stripes, maybe you should have a look at the darker colours, like royal blue or purple and team it with a simple t-shirt, or singlet. If you are worried about being drowed by fabric because of your height, the excess material of a simple black maxi dress will actually make you look taller.  And if you're still not convinced, get one a few inches too long for you and pair it with the biggest pair of platforms you can find.  Thats what I'll be doing:

Tis the season......

With the gorgeous Lanvin for H & M collection and the Dior Illustrated exhibition I saw last week at Somerset house, I was feeling more inspired than usual for dresses for the party season.  Obviously, after having trawled the aisles of bold lines and stand out female silouettes by René Gruau, the stunning crystal bottle designs for Dior perfume and the couture gowns galore, I was itching to get my hands on a beautifully designed, full length "oscars" dress that turns heads when you walk ito the room. So I hit the internet looking for such a piece to deign to live in my wardrobe.  This botegga Veneta instantly caught my eye, and not only because I love the way silk drapes and catches just the right parts of your body, but because its simplicity was the epitome of elegance.





And this Lanvin gown, perfect for a New Year party on the rooftop of a fancy hotel



But then pinched myself and realised I wont be getting invited to any posh rooftop parties this year, but I will have new years cocktails after chistmas pary after what seems like an eternity of birthdays in one month, so I would need a dress suitable for all occasions, to be dressed down with a this seasons obligatory knee high boots in a soft grey leather and a pair of near opaque tights for a nice dinner at a trendy restaurant, or dressed up with those killer heels for a networking christmas party where you need to impress.  The dresses are designed to thrill this season, so it wasnt a chore picking some of may favourites.  Zara didnt dissappoint with its LBD with a twist.  These leather sequins are bang on trend and this dress could be teamed with your aviator jacket and sheerling boots or a long velvet jacket for a more evening look.

I only had to walk into one shop though for all my party season prayers answered. 

With dresses like these two from Reiss, which would look perfect with either heeled ankle boots and a biker jacket or long elegant eveing jacket and stilletos, you almost dont need to ask Santa for anything else. But who am I kidding. There can never be too many Marc Jacobs handbags.