Tuesday 31 July 2012

Ripping off Juergen Teller.

Ripping off the aesthetic of Juergen Teller today. I'm such a hack. I can take credit for the art direction here but the actual photos were taken by my bro. The clothes are a nod to unisex fashion and my upper half is clothed in items that are technically men's but don't look out of place on a woman. Another outfit that I would wear entirely were I a man - yes, peep-toes and all.


Jumper - No Fear - Tee - Penney's - Jeans - Pieces - Runners - Sergio Todzi

Sunday 29 July 2012

Short post today. I was rather busy coming up with article ideas for a possible job...fingers crossed! 

More black and white. You kinda lose out on the soft palate of colours in today's outfit - coral jumper, floaty white dress, nude shoes and pink bag - but I just really love the quality of b&w! I'll probably return to some colour soon but for now just bear with me and let me have my fun!




Some of my beautiful shoes...including the Stellas...sigh...so gorgeous.
James being a Soviet Hipster.
Daddy salvaging some broken Chanel sunglasses.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Taking photos...

I rediscovered my own camera yesterday. I've been stealing/borrowing my dad's since I've been home for the summer and because it's so much lighter, smaller and sharper than my own it got all the attention. However, I had forgotten that my camera has a really pretty black and white setting so I'm back to using that now. There's a lovely quality to the black and white shots, especially with flash. I had this idea of taking photos in the bath and then I kinda took over the entire bathroom for a bit. The idea of mirrors and mirroring images distracted me for ages - much to my dad's disgruntlement...It's a pity I'm such a control-freak and feel the need to be both in front of and behind the camera...makes things difficult...but I quite like the results of my struggles this time around. For me, it's really important for every aspect of an outfit post to be aesthetically pleasing - the photography, setting and concept as well as the outfit - but it's often difficult to manage to get things perfect on my own. I'm gradually getting better at being less of a controlling weirdo though, as I've allowed my sibs to take some photos. It's just awkward as I become insanely shy and uncomfortable if someone else is pointing the camera. Anyhoo, I think this post kind of outlines the closest thing to any one aesthetic that my style might adhere to; the love-child of Mario Testino's photos, Kurt Cobain and Carrie Bradshaw's wardrobes, shoujo manga and punk in it's original and derivative forms...

...when I'm not dressing according to other aesthetics I float towards like dude/goth/Stella McCartney/Alexander Wang/Kate Bosworth....








Friday 27 July 2012

Guess you can't avoid the Olympics...unintentionally ended up in a yellow and golden colour-scheme...

Tee - Cos - Pants - Penney's - Shoes - Clarks






Streetstyle III - Dublin

The last photo that I got of streetstyle in Dublin features two sisters - the coolest sisters in the world. I slightly chased them down the street but they were one pair I really couldn't let get away. It also was cool to find people together that were both dressed so well. I have yet to go, "Hi, can I take your photo for my blog?...Oh, no, not you, your friend..." I can imagine that's awkward so thanks to these guys for both being so awesome. The fact that there's a very soft, vintage outfit with a tougher military and bondage inspired outfit is really cool. These are two worlds that look surprisingly well together! I'm also loving the vintage makeup bag as a handbag - so inspired. And really - could they be cuter? Squee- fest over.



Thursday 26 July 2012

I awoke to another surprisingly beautiful day in Dublin and had not packed for such weather. I ditched my tights but this vintage black shift dress and my new silky bomber (à la "Drive") were unbearably warm as the boyf and I wandered around the city. Thankfully we headed back to his family home where good food and lovelier treatment awaited. I'm not really a guest anymore after five years but everyone's still uber-nice to me. And they feed me so well! Kind of a trend in my life - I befriend good cooks and people who like to make me tea. Pear and Apple Tart AND Plum and Apple Crumble in one day...Dear God, I just realised how much I talk about food in this blog nowadays...he's made me as obsessed with food as he is!

Anyhoo, spent a lovely day on their lovely patio (made beautiful by his mother but, as an organic farmer, it only makes sense that she has a green thumb) surrounded by family, friends, a slew of animals, flowers and fantastic food. Sometimes you just sit back and realise how lucky you are in life.









Streetstyle II - Dublin

The second girl I found for my new streetstyle section while in Dublin yesterday was sitting around and I'd just scored my first shot a few minutes beforehand. I wasn't sure if I was pushing my luck but she looked so perfect! I was also waiting for my boyfriend nearby and didn't want to get turned down and have to sit back down awkwardly when she was so close. She was, however, also very agreeable, which I appreciated and let me take my photo as she was. I really liked the mix of soft in the florals and the pastel palate of the outfit with the hard of the boots and studded cuff. I also liked the MCR bag, it's so nice when people don't forget where they came from and give a nod to their roots.



Wednesday 25 July 2012

My fair city.

I was up in Dublin today for a Bon Voyage thang for my friend. He's headed off to Japan for the next couple of years - utterly jealous and horrified that he's leaving us at the same time. The whole day was just so pleasant. There's no other word for it. I helped my little bro and a pal of his to buy suits - his first - and embarrassed him with my squeeing over how adorable he was! Then we went for burritos - the food of the moment in Dublin, it seems - and after I said goodbye to the lads and had a cinnamon bun in the Soundbites restaurant in Tower Records with my friend Inez. These are literally the best cinnamon buns in the world. I dare someone to find better. After that I wandered the city for a few hours on my own and the weather and light was just gorgeous. Ergo the photos. I always feel weird taking photos in Dublin because I live there most of the year and it feels bizarre to play the tourist but it was just too beautiful to ignore today! I've been trying to stick to purely fashion content in this blog but sometimes other things (such as good food) creep in. However, like music, film, literature and art, I feel that architecture and places really influence how you dress. So I guess these photos are, in some way, fashion related. 

In Temple Bar I got stopped for a streetstyle appearance at http://stylecheesecake.blogspot.ie/ so keep your eyes peeled for that! Check the blog out, in general, too! Love Irish fashion blogs. This inspired me to stop being such a coward and I got my own first streetstyle shots - three in a row, in fact. Gotta love Temple Bar; it's such a mish-mash of everything and it's so where Dublin streetstyle is at!

Below is the first girl who allowed me to take her photo even though she didn't feel she looked the best but I couldn't have disagreed more! If this is a bad day, then what are her good days like?! I'm loving the bright pop of orange, the super-sized collar and the quilted Miu Miu bag - who doesn't love a Miu Miu bag? I also owe her thanks for supplying me with the word for "hyphen". It's so embarrassing when I forget simple words...

I'm going to ration the rest of the streetstyle looks because I've been on the look-out on several occasions and found nothing at all so I don't want to blow all my amazing finds in one go. The others will be up over the next few days.

The party for Conor occurred once I met up with my boyfriend and we headed on to the pub. It was a really nice affair, casual and fun without any drama or tears (despite how much we'll all miss him) and I happened to bump into my friend, Noel, looking office-fabulous in a shirt so lovely I couldn't believe it was from Penney's. Apparently it's the place to go for young, affordable workwear!











Tuesday 24 July 2012

Back in braces...in rather bracing weather.

...the pants kind of braces...not the dental sort.

Jacket - Men's section of Penney's - Jeans - New Look - Tank - Dunnes - Runners - Office



Favourite Female Models.

So, I couldn't pick just five and didn't have ten picks either...ergo a Top Eight! You don't see that very often, do you?

1. Sasha Pivovarova.

Pivovarova has had an admirable career thus far. She has been working consistently for years and still remains one of the most popular faces in an industry where the danger of being a fad is lubriciously high. The Russian model has worked since her scouting in 2005 and debuted only two weeks later as the opener of a Prada show. This début set the standard of her career. She has featured in Vogue UK, Paris, America, Japan, Italia, Korea, Russia and Portugal as well as various versions of Marie Claire and Elle and other publications such as V Magazine, W Magazine and Interview. She has walked for the likes of Chanel and Galliano and has fronted campaigns for Prada, H&M and Longchamp. Now a mother as well as a wife, Pivovarova seems to finding a way to make the work/home-life balance work.




2. Xiao Wen Ju.

From the Shanxi Province in China, this young model became hugely popular in her native country before becoming a favourite of designers such as Marc Jacobs. She has worked for huge names in the business such as Kenzo, Chanel, Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Vanessa Bruno and Sonia Rykiel. While a highly successful runway model, she truly shines in print where the camera adores her highly unique and ridiculously cute face.




3. Charlotte Free.

...is all over the place at the moment through huge campaigns with high-street favourites such as Topshop and Forever 21. You can't of missed her. Known for her shock of pink hair (which she dyes herself) and part of the new wave of "alternative"-looking models, Miss Free has the personality required to become a household name rather than just another pretty face. 




4. Lara Stone.

The gap, the body, the sheer volume of work. It's all about Lara Stone at the moment. She's ranked number one and it's not hard to see why...A career largely made up of print work as disproportionately small feet make runway a stressful ordeal, Stone has worked for names like Calvin Klein, DKNY, Tom Ford and many others. Hey, Bardot, there's a new It-Girl doing you proud.




5. Dree Hemingway.

Another model who is all over the place at the moment, Hemingway is particularly cool because, yes, she is related to that Hemingway. She's his great granddaughter, in fact. She's a dreamy, watery-eyed kind of beauty but clearly has a dynamic personality as she gets booked to head some pretty impressive campaigns such as that of Ermanno Scervino for A/W 2012.



6. Cara Delevingne.

...is a current darling of the fashion world, not only as a model but as a style icon. She is photographed as regularly in her downtime as when modelling. She has appeared in magazines like Vogue Russia and American Vogue, has done campaign work for the likes of Burberry and has walked for brands such as Chanel.




7. Emily Baker.

She's from New Zealand, is ranked 37 in the world and has worked for Mochino, Dolce and Gabbana, Erdem and many more. She has appeared in industry-leading magazines such as Dazed and Confused and Harper's Bazaar. But she mostly appears on this list for this picture alone. So gorgeous.


8. Georgia May Jagger.

Famous parentage? Check. Career to die for? Check. Model height? Not so much. Or barely scraping by. But who cares when you've got roots like that...oh, and that face. Gaps are really in - dentists everywhere are probably weeping into cheap ready-meals.