Perfect day.


"In any situation in life you will find delights and relaxations and pleasures if you are prepared to make light of your troubles and not let them distress you." -Seneca.


Open air is the most salutary of all things for both mind and body. -Robert Louis Stevenson.

Fashion isn't a game.

source: oh fashion model.

Wow! These looks are amazing, I'm not even a huge fan of animal print.

I really like this song at the moment: Jagga - Keep On The Light.

Q. What to do with that dress?


A. Don't save it, wear it to Tesco if you must.

Mood.


I like the small details on clothes, I think the detail is the best way to establish how expensive something is. I love the blazers worn by the men pictured above, and the coat with leather sleeves. Ok so they're not small details but they are details nonetheless, and designers add detail to their garments to justify their expensive price tags (solely my view); simply using the brand name is just seen as tacky now.

The next best thing after detail is the quality and fit, but ultimately the defining point is the way in which the item is worn. A well dressed man or woman can perfectly deceive the naked eye into believing that they are dressed in the finest attire. The woman in the top right image is a model modeling a look by an up-and-coming designer called Laend Phunkit.

-


The past few months I've not cared about my general 'style', when I think about it I stopped caring when the weather turned miserable. You only have to see the images of the Obama's visit to the UK to see how bad the weather was and still is. The above looks from Betty Jackson's spring/summer collection have changed my mood, it's not too Miami sun looks but more European sun looks, as does the above street style look (she has sunglasses on and a jumper).

By the way, it might not be very noticeable but the models have yellow nail varnish on which I think is quite cool.

Image is everything.


Dress/smooth legs/metrosexual men.

Autumn and winter are the seasons when those in the know about fashion hit the gym solidly because they know spring and summer trends are all about showing off the body -I really like the above two Vogue covers.

Definition of metrosexual: An urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle.

There is only one type of man that intrigues and mystifies me, and that is the metrosexual man. Unlike other men in the summer, they do a lot more with their style than just wearing a variant array of t-shirts with shorts. Though I have to admit, my intrigue with metrosexual men is only at a fashion level and no more.

The mini revival.


Has anyone else ever noticed that Kristen Stewart wears really short skirts? Though I have to say in most cases it works for her due to her body shape, age and attitude (confidence). I like how she doesn't stick to conventional colours and patterns with her skirts, but I guess she can afford to buy not-so-tacky yet unique looking skirts.


I saw this skirt in Warehouse ages ago and I liked it but I wasn't sure whether or not to buy it, anyway, I saw it on Ebay recently and I won/bought it (though I was the only bidder). I really do like it, and I can't wait to wear it out somewhere nice. It's not ridiculously short but it's short enough to make me wonder If I'll be wearing it in a years' time! :) When I tried on the skirt it looked great with a v neck white tee tucked in and black heels, but I think it would look just as great with a nice blouse or a shirt similar to Kristens but not buttoned up to the top.

I found this gem on Ebay and I really wanted to buy it: Topshop Vintage 1930’s silk bias cut evening dress.

Summer dress...

source: Monsoon and Reiss.

I really like the print/embroidery design on these two dresses.

I really want the dress from Reiss which is also available in white.

Blazer/polka dots

source: vanessa jackman and stockholm street style.

The above man must be in his 40s but I think he looks really good, he has a casual James Bond vibe to his look and it doesn't even look like he put a lot of thought into it.

I love street style looks that can be reinterpreted for the masses who can't afford the LV or Gucci price tag, anyway the woman with the amazing soft grey heels which are from Topshop (ages ago) has a simple and smart summer look that I'm sure would turn heads for all the right reasons.

I'm a huge fan of polka dots (and stripes) and I think they work well when they are not the focal part of a look. I consider polka dots to be a busy pattern so they go well against block colours, such as the above bottom look on the left in which the girl has worn an amazing green playsuit on top of her polka dot top, or the look adjacent to it with the polka dot scarf on top of her black blazer.

It's all about the trousers...


Some people work looks flawlessly. I personally wouldn't go as far as making the look into almost a suit ie. matching trousers and blazer but I would keep it simple like the look on the right.

I mentioned coloured trousers being a s/s trend in this February post.

I watched a random episode of 'Later with Jools Holland' having not seen it in years and fI picked an episode which happened to have R. Kelly. I remembering really liking him as a child and in this particular show I was reminded how amazing his voice is, you have to listen to this song he sang on the show: R. Kelly - When A Woman Loves.

This is the modern way.


I think this collection was made for Karolina Kurkova, whose style seems to be sophisticated and simple. I have to say the above looks remind me of COS and The Row by the Olsen twins. To be honest that style feels old to me now but I just can't help but think "wow, it's simple yet stunning."


I love the colour combination in the first look, I particularly like the red sandals they bring the whole look to life. I like everything about the second look. It could even go in my previous post because the model has a jumper in case it gets cold, and trainers rather than sandals for those with less optimistic weather.

Three need-to-know facts about J.Crew for people not in the know: 1. Apparently it's a combination of Marks & Spencer and Burberry. 2. Michelle Obama loves the label. 3. It's heading to the UK.

What to wear on a day like this?


What do you wear when it's cold, windy and sunny?

In England, we get a lot of those days when the weather won't make up its mind whether it wants to ruin or make your day, but I still haven't got used to it's temperament. Only yesterday, I was trying to hold my skirt down as the wind blew, whilst also trying to tug my jacket across my body to stop what body heat I had from escaping.

The above looks have fashion tips for temperament weather conditions. 1) keep your looks simple by not wearing too many loose and thin items that can get easily caught up by a gust of wind, like scarfs. 2) coats and jackets can still be worn in s/s provided they are not too thick and look trendy because people will notice your coat/jumper in the s/s than in a/w. 3) prepare for all eventualities, such as the sun coming out midday. 4) dress comfortably, try-hard-looks always tend to be the looks we regret attempting.

By the way, I really like Olivia Palmero's skirt and coat; and I really like the coral clutch bag (it shouldn't work with her look, but it does!) and the woman's coat in the bottom right look.

British politics: I'm also gutted we (the Yes to AV voters) didn't win, and by a large majority! I think the majority of yes voters were either students or progressive voters because the places that had a majority yes vote in the UK (which were only 10!) were Edinburgh central, Cambridge, Oxford, Islington, Camden, Hackney (mainly London boroughs) amongst others.

Where is my mind?


Fight Club is one of those great cult films that will withstand time.


I'm in love with the first two looks! I think it's the fit of the clothes and the proportions, you can tell they know what they are doing.

I'm back to taking my grad ball seriously, and I'm on the lookout for dresses and ideas. I'm currently attracted to the colour red which is something completely new to me, but I'm up for wearing a bold, daring colour. I know I don't want a show-stopping dress but definitely nothing bland.

----


When I wear shoes I either make them blend in with my look like the streetstyle image on the left or make the shoes stand out like the Oak image on the right, subtlety is my look. I don't like the idea of wearing clothes or accessories that seem to all be competing for attention.

If I worked in the fashion industry and I was loaded, I would purchase the above Reed Krakoff shoes and wear them whenever I felt like rocking the rock 'n' roll look...

Edit: I really like the shoes the woman in the streetstyle image is wearing.

Edit II: I did a post about a French Connection long evening dress I wanted for my grad ball, well either lots of people happened to have the same taste as me or I'm just unlucky, the dress has sold out!! :|

Summer shoes!



I need LOTS of new shoes now! Yes I'm the stereotypical shoe loving woman. I actually do the whole buying shoes and rarely wearing them or wearing them a few months after purchasing them...

...the yellow heels can also be purchased in green! I think denim jeans would go well with them for an L.A or European style alfresco lunch.


I'm a fan of suede shoes, I have suede flats and heels, anyway I like these perfect casual pumps from M&S, and I like the soft grey colour of these brogues also from M&S.

Passing stranger II


I briefly saw the woman I would like to be...

...everything she did was inspiring, and everything she said was too articulately disturbing...

...after many swift encounters, I had to ask her how she had acquired such taste in fashion, books, art and music; and her answer was not traveling, nor was it being a social butterfly around other lost souls.

She simply remarked: years of solitude and the longing to find one's mind.

Note: the above fictional text was written whilst listening to: Scott Matthews - Passing Stranger.

Where do I go from here?

photography by Scott Schuman.

I was going to do a long and tedious rant about how important it is to steal and reinterpret styles from other people rather than just copy, but I've lost that passion so I'll do a small, tedious rant.

It took me years of going through excruciating bad fashion styles and some good, just to get to this almost perfect phase in my life where I feel like I'm not dressing to please the guy with the cute smile, the coolest girls in school, or to be in with the blogsphere, but I'm dressing to please myself. It's only once you have that 'I don't care if _____ thinks I'm not cool!' attitude (but you have to believe it too), you'll feel liberated from all inhibitions, and realise that the style you thought was you, was actually you trying to be someone else.

The key: experiment! Everyone goes through those awkward style phases but experimenting is the best way to quickly find out what feels effortlessly chic to you.

The jumper.


I know these are a/w looks, but oh well! :)

I purchased the above jumper from Gap in their a/w sale early in January and I like how it can be worn with different types of jackets/coats, so I can just put on a skirt or jeans and rush out the door.

I love the warm material of the jumper and how it's not too thick or chunky to layer with, plus the white drawstrings are tied in a ribbon shape at the collars. The black jersey type blazer and the grey blazer have 3/4 length arms, hence the oddly excess arm part of the jumper.