Do you like my new boots?

... they are from H&M. I'd quite like it to be colder now especially for the old wet look leggings/chunky socks/booties ensemble - is that too much to ask?

TFNC cardigan, Topshop dress and leggings, H&M socks

But instead, the sun is streaming through my window and I got incredibly hot doing these outfits! I had to sit on the balcony with a bottle of water and a book to recover.

Anyway, you'll be glad to hear I'm ok now. This necklace is from my new Etsy shop - bambiandsnowflake.etsy.com, ch-ch-ch-check it out!

The booties would also do for work, if it weren't for the hike between the train station and the office that negates anything but the most magical of heels:

Miss Selfridge dress, Primark cardigan, Topshop tights, H&M socks

Unfortunately, the new booties are not magical, they are 100% man-made fibres.

Review: Coco Avant Chanel

Hmm. Strictly one for the fans methinks. I'd sum up Coco Avant Chanel as beautiful but dull - like Marie Antoinette - breathtaking to look at, but the story is less compelling than the costumes.

The story moves rather slowly, with the scenes where Coco is inspired being clunky at best. The director stops short of having a lightbulb appear above Audrey Tautou's head when she sees fishermen in Breton shirts, but only just.

Having said that the love story is touching (but I'm a big softy), and Tautou is convincing as the melancholy but headstrong seamstress-turned-couturier. But I'd go for the clothes alone.

Glastonbury Fashion Round-up

I went to Glastonbury - it was lots of fun. There were the inevitable fairy wings and tutus for the 'zanier' attendees, and a few interesting sartorial choices.
Overall, it struck me as infinitely less fashiony than say, Reading festival. Perhaps with the run of rainy Junes everyone was feeling a little bit practical.

These were the ubiquitous looks of the festival, courtesy of Style.com:

The credit (or blame?) for high-waisted shorts and belly buttons' popularity rests, in my opinion, solely on the shoulders of Rumi of http://www.fashiontoast.com/ - her sexy 90's aesthetic has influenced designers and street style alike - if you didn't bring a crop-top to Glasto, you sure as hell had your t-shirt knotted by Saturday afternoon.

Playsuits at festivals perplex me. I did it once - on a day ticket to Reading, which had not been thought through at all. We started drinking at 9am on the train, I didn't think to pack loo roll and I wore a playsuit. It wasn't until I reached the front of the queue to the long-drops that I realised all three were mistakes...

They do look ultra cute though, perhaps this girl knows the secret to a positive porta-playsuit experience...

The Celebs, images courtesy of Vogue.com:

Trust Natasha Khan to put on a show, she's ever so magical. I picked Ladyhawke out of a difficult timetable clash, but caught a bit of the Bat en route to the tent afterwards. The knickers and tights silhouette is terribly Gaga, but I think 'Tash pulls it off, don't you?

Florence was so good I cried when she did Candi Stanton's You've Got the Love. Perhaps it was too much cider and missing the boyfriend? Either way, she was amazing. She was scaling the scaffolding in her 5 inch heels, wailing like a banshee. I can't believe her album isn't even out yet - everyone was signing along and every song was followed by the standing-room-only equivalent of a standing ovation.

Her outfit was designed exclusively for her by Topshop, and didn't they do well? I spy Gaga knickers again - perhaps they are the secret to these girls' success...

And so to the lady herself. I must admit I gave Gaga a miss. I'm not really a fan, and she seems like the most cynical marketing invention since VV Brown ... but she is one of the most interesting dressers around at the moment. It must be exhausting for her.

I don't normally do this kind of thing...

I went to a fancy dress party - I don't know what came over me. But don't worry, it was quite a good one. The theme was New York movies, so I went as Edie Sedgwick.

Here I am looking suitably unhappy with my lot in life with (l-r) Big, Carrie, Madison and Michael Corleone:

Here I am with Madison (Daryl Hannah) from Splash:

Vintage coat, Warehouse earrings, Zara dress

Sorry to disappoint any eyebrow fans out there, but they aren't my own.

I picked Edie before I'd actually seen the film, because she was a badass:

I didn't know she'd had such a thoroughly shit time - poor Edie.

Go with the Flo

Last night I went to see Florence and the Machine with Claire of Shoegazer fame (http://www.shyshoegazer.blogspot.com/).
This is what I wore:

Muu Baa jacket, Paul's Boutique bag, Topshop vest and belt, Miss Selfridge skirt, Primark sandals

This is what Florence wore:

You can't see the dress very well, so I will elaborate. It was navy blue, and could have been a Debenhams prom dress if it weren't for the saving grace of two chunky chain things going under her breasticles and around like a waistcoat. They made the dress interesting and stylish - I'm sure it would be a very easy customising project too...

The girl herself is a nutter - she reminds me of Boudicca and Lady MacBeth, she signs so loud and so passionately. It really is a wonder people like Lily Allen are mentioned in the same breath as her. See Claire's blog for a proper music-centric review - me, I'm all about the surface!

http://shyshoegazer.blogspot.com/2009/06/florence-and-machine-brighton.html

The support band were really good too - the Golden Silvers, check them out!

I'm so excited

Only 23 more sleeps until Glastonbury - it's time to plan outfits.

American Apparel shorts, ancient Clash T-shirt, vintage key + chain, ebay glasses.

Gap T-shirt, H&M leggings.

American Apparel vest, H&M vest (worn as skirt), vintage scarf + bag.

Miss Sixty cut-offs, H&M top.

I am most looking forward to wearing these outfits while watching the Specials, Steel Pulse, Passion Pit, Animal Collective, the Virgins and Dizzee Rascal ... anyone else going to festivals this summer? What are you most looking forward to wearing?

Leggings - pick a side!

Behold, leggings:

£28, American Apparel

They've caused a little rift between myself and my good friend Lulu, the noted Fashion Hound. The scene of our original rift was obviously one of carnage and unspeakable violence, as with any fashion-based disagreement.
So we decided to meet on neutral ground, shoegazerfashion.blogspot.com, and present our arguments in a measured, articulate way. Ecoute:


Leggings – the case against.

By Lulu the Fashion Hound.

Treggings, meggings or jeggings – whatever you call them, leggings in some form or other have been plaguing the high street for a couple of years now. I appreciate that leggings do have their uses, especially on days when it’s too hot for tights but too cold for bare legs, or when it’s too cold for tights so a nice pair of leggings can do the job of tights but with an extra warmth to them as they protrude from your tea-dress and nestle into a nice pair of winter boots (note: not Uggs. NEVER Uggs.) I’ll admit, leggings can even look fine teamed with a long line tunic – providing you have the figure for it. And there is the statement that, in my opinion, is key to the wearability of leggings: “if you have the figure for it”.

I’m not about to go all fashion dictator on you (well, I might), but too many times I’ve got stuck walking behind an over-weight, under-washed Closer magazine reader wearing hot pink, lacy leggings with nothing more than a Ribena-stained t-shirt covering their camel toe. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SKIRT? My eyes want to vomit! Did the fashion houses not consider that this is what their hard work might boil down to once their oh-so-hot trend had trickled from Topshop to New Look to Primark and countless dodgy market stalls nationwide? (I think Stacey Slater now does a nice line of acid-wash jeggings in size 24, if you’re interested ladies.)

To summarise, I suppose my point is - Leggings? Fine, as long as you wear them well (and here ‘well’ means you looked in the mirror before leaving the house and were truly honest with yourself.) And if you’ve got meat on your bones maybe don’t skip the skirt/dress. No matter how good it looks on those lucky few who can pull it off, it won’t look the same on women Gok Wan would probably like to befriend/strip/force to self-love.

Lulu x

The case for:

By Poppy Shoegazer

Legs are great, don't you think? Trousers attempt to emulate their shape and trick the eye into seeing a more attractive posterior (I know your game, bootcut jeans!), but they always fall short.

The shape of a leg is a beautiful thing - whether you're proud of the whole of your drumstick, or just a well-turned ankle - leggings allow one to show it off, whatever the weather, where trousers only seek to cover and disguise.

Leggings are as comfy as jogging trousers, without the self-loathing that jogging trousers bring out in a girl. They are as stylish as harem trousers, without looking like you have filled your nappy (quite the opposite - everyone can see quite clearly that you're not wearing a nappy - filled or otherwise). They go with almost anything that ends below the hip bone but above the knee and have formed the basis of the greatest and most democratic look of our time. The big vest and leggings.

The big vest and leggings look is the greatest and most democratic of our time because it can be worn to cover and celebrate whichever body parts you like. Perfect waist? add a belt. Great tits? position them at the top of the vest. Hot legs? wear a shorter vest. Perfect arse? wear a tighter vest. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Long Live Leggings!

Stila Makeup at TJ Hughes

The sadly departed makeup brand Stila has sold most of its stock to skanky discount shop TJ Hughes - with prices from £3.00, it's worth venturing in...
http://www.tjhughes.co.uk/

Nudie Pics

I must draw your attention to the cover of June's Vogue...

... gosh!

epiphany

Today I had what can only be described as a heel epiphany. There I was, clumping down the road, feeling a bit self-conscious. I got on the train a heel novice, but when I got off at Lewes, something had changed.
Here is a reconstruction of the lightbulb moment:
They suddenly felt natural - comfortable, even. I didn't even change into my emergency flats for the walk home.
Perhaps it's because I spent most of Tuesday in heels only the bravest drag queen would attempt walking unaided in, that these little 3-inchers are a piece of cake for my high arches.

Perhaps today, I became a woman. Next stop - the dreaded and vertiginous ASOS heeled gladiators I've yet to wear.

Has anyone else had a moment of enlightenment like this?

Celebrities

I did something quite exciting yesterday ... pics to follow! In the mean time, let me tell you who I like, famous-people-wise:

1) Clemence Poesy
have you seen In Bruges? It's ever so good. I like this girl - perhaps she is the next Chloe Sevigny, non?

2) Nicole Richie

Sometimes, she wears bootcut jeans - so subversive. And for upstaging Paris Hilton every day in every way, back when they were on speaking terms. Shame about the babyfather. Have you read her book? It's wall to wall hilarity.

3) Carrie Bradshaw

Not SJP. SJP is all shoes and no personality. I should like to be Carrie Bradshaw when I grow up.

3) MK + A Olsen

In that order. There are too many badly dressed billionaires. I have the book - it's incredibly pretentious.

Who are your favourites?

Bleached Denim and Gold

On Friday night my little town was graced with the presence of the Friendly Fires, the Maccabees and Zane Lowe. This is what I wore...
Friendly Fires dancey-dancey fantastic, the Maccabees were very earnest and brilliant. Zane Lowe, not so much. But my favourite appearance of the night came from vintage gold on bleached denim....

Vintage Chatelaine, key and chain from Portobello market, Eiffel Tower keyring from Paris, Miss Selfridge dress, YSL ring on Topshop chain, Aldo boots, La Senza teal bra.

Yes we Khan!

I went to see Bat for Lashes (AKA Natasha Khan - apologies for the painful pun) play in Brighton last week, isn't she lovely?

Anyway, she was wearing the most perfect jumpsuit. It was navy blue cotton jersey with buttons up the front and she wore it with a beaten up brown belt which was, crucially, folded under (always a lovely touch and not at all I'm-so-skinny in my opinion). It stirred in me a clothing lust so furious, so all consuming, that I ventured outside of my usual e-tail routine.
ASOS had nothing, ditto Topshop. New Look - nadda. Urban Outfitters? not a sausage. Ebay's interpretation of 'jersey jumpsuit' was a little fruitier than I had in mind.
So my search eventually took me to the wide open plains of google, and then to the online retail oasis of boohoo.com
Did anyone know about this? It's like the online Primark - imagine it! The fruits of my labours can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/c7wfna
Do have a look at the rest of the site, browsing is a bit of an effort, but totally worth it for the prices.
The fabled jumpsuit is waiting at the sorting office as we speak - I have many, many outfit ideas - stay tuned!

EDIT: Boo and indeed, hoo.com - the jumpsuit arrived and it was too big! The quest continues!

Something to cling to

The world's a bit scary at the moment. I won't say the 'R' word, but maybe that's why I'm feeling the need for something to hold on to.
According to May's Vogue handles are over, and bags are to be cuddled like a comfort blanket and fiddled with like a piece of jewellery, rather than just a dead weight on your shoulder that holds your stuff.
When I was a little girl I had a bit of fleece that made me feel secure - now I'm thinking these beauties could do the same job...

£22.00, Warehouse



£69.00, Reiss

£185.00, Orla Kiely

£40.00, Comptoir des Cotonniers

£255.00, Alexander McQueen

AW09 catwalk looks that made me squeal like a schoolgirl

1) Missoni - how cosy does Hanne Gaby Odiele look in this? I believe it is the ruching and the gold that make this look so pant-wettingly amazing, and the subtly different shades of mushroom - perfection!

2) DVF - Oh Diane, who'd have thunk it? You've never really made me drool before, but the socks alone were enough to send me into a frenzy - the super-embellished dress and the do-try-this-at-home head bobbles finished me off. I was in an outfit-induced coma for days.

3) Matthew Williamson - this boy is going from strength to strength in my book. His SS09 collection was gorgeous, but AW09 made me rub my thighs in the manner of Vic Reeves at the amazing prints and perfect slouching action of the fabrics.

4) Balmain - yes, yes, I know they're totally over thanks to widespread 'Balmania' and some not so welcome celebrity fans - but just look at the shoulders.

all images (C) Christopher Moore

My Favourite Things

Mango sunglasses Hey there foxy lady. These give a gallic, too-cool-for-school edge to whatever I wear them with - magic!

Aldo ankle boots At Last, my love has come along. These were the fruits of my labours in a long quest for fierce ankle boots without an unreasonable heel. Scuffed from too much love, they are the proverbial thrill that I can speak to, a thrill that I-I-I have never known. Life is truly like a song.

Photo wall next to my bed, with pictures of family members, ex-dogs (RIP Reginald Sage O'Neill) and assorted pictures. It's a work in progress and I'm always looking out for frames to add to my collection.

YSL ring a present from my lovely boyfriend, I've put the ring on a chain with a little acrylic pearl not in a sick-making Carrie Bradshaw 'it's closer to my heart that way' way, but because it is such a wide little monster that it rubs my finger if I try to type in it. Best to wear it round my neck most days, and on my finger when the occasion calls for nothing more dexterous than holding a champagne glass.

Silver bangles a little tarnished from over-wear, but I think that adds to their charm, non?

Casio watch another present from my darling boyfriend, I wear this bad boy every day. It's just the right amount of masculine for me, and the colour level of the gold is gorgeous and so old fashioned - it makes me feel like the third Olsen.

Show and Tell - Recent Purchases

Flat sandals - £6.00 Primark.
Horse print bikini top - £6.99 H&M
Pearl plaited belt - £15.00 Beyond Retro