HERE WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING BIG

I don't know about you lot but I can't wait for summer. I can't wait to lie on a beach, to drink cocktails whilst wearing a bikini and big round Lennon sunglasses, to stay out til' late and for it to still be light outside and to not have to put on at least 3 layers of clothing on before I leave the door. Don't get me wrong, there are things I really love about the Winter. Cosy nights in with hot chocolate, warm coffees and cigarettes on early mornings where you can feel the snow in the air, fur coats, and of course, Christmas, New Year, my birthday etc. But, there comes a time when you have enough, particularly living in the UK, and by the time it becomes January you just can't hack the cold anymore. This outfit is the epitome of a Winter outfit, on a day where all I could think about was hot summer nights - Grease style. The scarf is a really delicate pashmina, paisley print, which was a gift to me from my uncle & auntie for Christmas which I really treasure and wish I could wear all year round, which I might just do.

 

Velvet shoes - Topshop // Bag - New Look // Coat - Vintage // Beret - Accessorize // Scarf - a gift.

HEY MICKEY

As some of you may already know, I am one of the biggest Disney fans you'll ever meet. I collect all the original Disney DVD's, I want to get married in Disneyland and I can probably recite almost every song from every Disney movie word for word. For fall 2011, when Topshop Unique unveiled their Dalmatian collection, inspired by 101 Dalmatians of course, I was absolutely in awe. And now, again, the cartoon trend is back in for this summer, with Mickey mouse's happy little face cropping up everywhere from Marc Jacobs to Primark (would you believe it?!). I didn't want to go too over the top with the trend as I was worried I would look like I did in Florida circa 1997 with a yellow crop top and Minnie Mouse leggins, so I bought these Mickey tights, which are actually from Primark for a mere £3. I thought I would combine them with the monochrome trend, but then last minute thought I would add a beret, which seems to have instantly made me look French - the power of accessories, eh?! Luckily I am a huge fan of the 'Parisian' look and don it often (I think), so it all sort of fit quite well in the end really.

 

Velvet flats - Topshop // Mickey Mouse tights - Primark // Blazer - River Island // Beret - Accessorize // Bag - Vintage

ROBERTO CAVALLI FALL 2013

It looks like Autumn / Winter 2013 is going to be the return of the bohemian warrior. Making an extremely well dressed appearance after being in hiding for hundreds of years in deepest darkest Bavaria, now taking over the runways in Milan and set for a comeback. With deep, rich looking prints and fabrics, combined with fierce statement dark eyes and a rather intimidating gaze coming from the parade of models, Cavalli's collection almost has a hint of Viking warrior; just without the hats with horns and weapons. Having said that, if judging by the models faces, it does look as if they mean business.

Masculine tailoring also made an appearance here as it did in other Milan shows such as Alberta Ferretti and Francesco Scognamiglio, but the difference that made this tailoring stand out was the opulentic print featured around the hemlines of the blazers and the side panels of the trousers.

It was extremely difficult to pick out only a handful of my favourite looks, but I eventually chose these few. All images from http://style.com.

PUT ME ON TO YOUR BLACK MOTORCYCLE

 

I know I have been away for almost a month but trust me, this time I have a reasonable explanation. My laptop screen broke so I had to get it sent off for repair. I know, I know. Life without it was hard, but I got used to it; which made the idea of living in a hippy commune in the future even more appealing once I realised I could live without my beloved laptop. The one thing I really did hate about not having it at home though, was the fact it was of course, New York fashion week followed by London fashion week, so I wasn't able to check out the latest collections on Style.com which I usually do religiously, and worst of all I was unable to watch the Topshop Unique show last Sunday live from home. As some of you may or may not know, I am an avid Topshop follower so yes, this was a painful experience for me, as I wait in anticipation every year to see what the Unique team have come up with. I was lucky enough to venture in to Topshop Oxford Circus yesterday during London Fashion Week, which is always a rather eventful experience. Pandemonium is the word. But every time it gets my pulse going and my heart beating, and I want to bury myself in a heap of clothes in a corner so I can run around the store when it's empty overnight. 

 

Maxi dress - Topshop // Hat - Topshop // Scarf - Primark // Boots - Office // Bag - Vintage // Jacket - Topshop // Jumper - Topshop.

L A N A

The first time I heard Lana Del Rey's music, despite hearing the name swung around on the radio or by people on Tumblr, was watching Made in Chelsea, believe it or not, the channel 4 television show. It was 'Blue Jeans', and it was a scene between Caggie and Spencer, somewhat fitting because of the lyrics. But it wasn't the lyrics I was interested in, not really being one for love / romance / depression due to bad love / similar things Lana writes her music about. I was interested in the sulky, blues-ey, 60's voice she had, and a melody that sounded like it suited some sort of coming-of-age film set in America in the 50's, maybe Sofia Coppola's 'Virgin Suicides'? After discovering more of her music on youtube, I noticed her videos were actually exactly as I had imagined; collections of home videos made by people in the 50's & 60's, with backdrops of vast scenery and the occasional clip of Lana doing her typical moody facial expression. It fit in perfectly to what I had imagined, which is exactly what captures me when it comes to music; automatically drawing me in to find out more about her, her music and why she always sounds so haunting.

 

Suprisingly, I found out she tried to make it at fame once before, under her original name Lizzy Grant, and failed due to poor image / poor stage name. She changed her name to Lana Del Rey, which made her immediately sound like a Bond Girl, and changed her image completely. I was also surprised, when I found out she receives heaps of criticism. More than the average amount a twenty - something American female singer receives. People say she's ugly, that she has had too much plastic surgery, that all her songs sound the same, that she can't sing. I think all of these things are actually positives and add to her unique image and sound. She isn't trying to prove or say anything, unlike other modern day female singers (dare I say - Lady Gaga?!) Lana is simply singing about herself, her experiences in life, love and romance. Therefore, should not be receiving criticism as she isn't causing a stir, or rebelling. Why do people hate her so much?!

 

For those of you who aren't familiar with Lana or her music, she has recently, (well, in the past 6 months) re - released her album to a double album, named 'Born to Die: the Paradise Edition'. Featuring new songs, and a couple of songs she released under her Lizzy Grant name, which didn't make it big at the time. Favourites are 'Yayo', a cover of 'Blue Velvet' by Bernie Wayne & Lee Morris, 'Cola' and 'Ride'. Lana likes to describe herself as a 'Ganster Nancy Sinatra', but I think she sounds more like a girl with a lot of stories to tell, an ability to sound like an echoey 50's record playing on speakers at a drive-in before the movie starts, and an American patriarch, (nothing wrong with that.) 'Ride' in particular, is a favourite, featuring a ten minute long video, with a very inspring beginning and end speech about her life; so I thought I would attach some stills from the video (above and below) so you can see how amazing it really is.