The Blog Post equivalent of Snail Mail.

I haven't done an outfit post in a while. Mostly because I feel like a dork asking people to take my photo and also because I always forget until the light is crap.

As I'm at home this weekend and get to play with more of my wardrobe at large, I present a Hallowe'en inspired outfit of all black (with some navy), capes and dramatic silhouette. Lil' more drama than I normally go for but I was having a good day where being presented with a mirror made me say "Not so bad" instead of "Why can't I be Audrey Horne?" and that always leads to dressing up. Speaking of Ms. Horne, I also accentuated my freckle with an eyebrow pencil, kind of getting in the habit of it, and it's largely an homage to her.

The top is a black vintage suedette thing my Mam was throwing out a while back. I can't figure out if I love it or hate it...but it fascinates me. It's so unique and the silhouette is very vampish meets Mexican peasant from an old western. The skirt is my basic black tube skirt which I have been trying to find forever! (You'll probably see much more of it!) The shoes, navy suede flatforms from Topshop and the cape, another item stolen from my very stylish mother.

PS Using my brother's full-length mirrors again. Why are they the only ones in the house?! There he is dutifully studying away in the background. How adorable. Also, excuse the mess and smudges on the mirror. The wardrobe's been there a few months now so it's less super-sparkly. And as for the mess...well, he's a teenage boy...

Things I'm feeling Right Now.

1. The mix of casual and elegance and evening and daywear at Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013 - How does the man stay so fresh and so young?! His clothes always manage to be both cool and chic.

fashionologie.com

2. Alberto Rossini's youtube videos - Here are two of 'em. So stylish and awesome. The Chromatics video uses footage from Chanel S/S 2013.

3. Painterly prints and prints of paintings - As seen at Carven, Paul Smith and  Michael van der Ham.

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cargocollective.com

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4. Speaking of Michael van der Ham...

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COOLNESS

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CUT-OUTS

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PRINTS

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SEQUINS AND ASYMMETRY

Tall tales, short tales and fishtails.

The fishtail - done right it's chic, timeless, sexy and surprisingly versatile. Done wrong and it's tack-tastic. Eugh. 

No way could I ever walk in one without making a complete and utter fool of myself though...

Puppy Love for the Hairband.

We loved them as (little) girls (I'm hardly a woman yet, am I?) and now the likes of Dolce and Gabbana are making them crush-worthy again. I guess if you encrust anything in the right amount of sparkle-pretty-shiny, anyone will love it...But, yeah, I think it's the level of elegance brought to these particular headpieces - not quite hat, not quite hairband, not quite tiara. Enough like a crown to feel a little like you're playing dress-up, while still being dolce.

Oh, I'm so funny.

RCFA

Redken

Grazia Magazine

DIY Not?

Two hairbands I made at Trinity Fashion Soc's workshop last week. Such good fun and DIY is where so much of fashion is at right now. Think about it.

The Lost Article.

Here's a sample article I wrote a while back to send around to various magazines - it's a little out of date now but I really just wanted an excuse to post these pictures. I'm in love with the entire look. And I also feel kinda protective of Kristen Stewart, I feel like she got levels of abuse that she didn't deserve. Plus I'm pissed that once again the married, older man with children gets off pretty much scott-free while the woman was blamed for everything and is probably to be booted out of a franchise that her being in was kind of the selling point. Nice, world. Nice.

huffingtonpost.ca - Getty Images

entertainment.ie

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Breakup Sex(Appeal).

A quick internet search proves that I'm not the only one to think that maybe break ups might be

good for us after seeing Kristen Stewart's recent transformation as displayed at the On the Road

TIFF premiere. For someone that the critics, public and bloggers alike have attacked for red carpet

fashion errors since (what seems like) forever, the girl has blossomed.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's how you do a premiere. Even her detractors have to admit that she

looks amazing. The simplicity of the hair and makeup was totally on point and enhanced her natural

beauty (I'm on the “I think she's adorable” team) and the Zuhair Murad dress? Sigh. Yes, it's a dress

to make you sigh; both modern and timeless, intricate and simple.

Kristen's sudden catapult into fashion It-Girl territory and perfect look put her right up there with

regular fantastic dressers and peers such as Emma Stone. But this is nothing new. Women,

celebrities in particular, often bounce back from the end of relationships by changing their look;

being someone new and improved, showing the ex what they're missing and trying to promote

positivity. Changing one's hair is a rite of passage after a break-up and the so-called “divorce diet”

leads many people to lose weight after a relationship ends.

These are, however, merely physical improvements. People often rediscover their friends upon

breaking up. Having only been in one relationship and still being in said relationship, I think I can

safely say that you have less time for your friends when you are romantically involved with

someone. I have always tried not to ignore my friends completely but it's hard not to see them less.

So, that's one upside to a relationship ending - you remember how awesome your friends are and

how much fun you have with them – and it's only one positive outcome out of a bunch of them.

That urge to prove your ex wrong or to prove to yourself that you don't need them can be just the

push you need to concentrate on your career or follow up that interest; finish that novel or take

lessons to brush up on a language. Furthermore, when you're on your own again, you're, well, on

your own again. You have the time to concentrate entirely on yourself, what you want and who you

are.

So, while I'm not saying that break-ups are fun or easy or to be made light of, maybe they're not the

worst thing in the world either; especially for your wardrobe. If it has to happen, then react like

Kristen Stewart and stun everyone with a new look or do a Jennifer Aniston and take on lots of new

projects.

The Gloss is just Great.

I love a good fashion magazine. I love Irish fashion. I love magazines that come free with newspapers.

Therefore, I must love The Gloss.

http://thegloss.ie/

Look at the photos! So editorial and lovely. Love me some dappled lighting - I may have been Renoir in a past life, which would actually explain a lot...

Dissertation = lack of posting properly.

I know, I know. Excuses, excuses.

But on another note: Almost at 10, 000 pageviews which is kinda crazy and amazing - acrazing? - so, wow, thanks, you guys! I know it's not a lot for the big-time bloggers who get hundreds of thousands of pageviews each month but I'm pretty proud of where I've gotten to and it's largely thanks to you guys, so, y'know, much love for that.

In other fashion news, Vogue is half price again this month! Yay, for buying the bible while still being able to afford dinner. Don't have to pull any Carries this month.

And, I admit that this is a lazy post but if you have time, do look at the following. It's the hugely celebrated A/W 2010 Alexander McQueen collection which everyone is looking back to at the moment because of the baroque trend. This, my friends, is how you make the past relevant. Another example of an artist, pure and simple, who was lost to us before their time. The world is significantly less beautiful without him.

In Honour of Sybil...

...because I actually can't handle this. I realise how pathetic this makes me but, then, I know so many people who reacted the same way and it's kind of nice to know I'm not alone in my grief and over-reaction. I guess it's a testament to Julian Fellowes' skill as a writer that people were so invested in his character and have reacted this way (though he's getting a lot of undeserved abuse all over the net). So, this post is a tribute to Sybil and the style of Downton because I'm just that lame. But, hey, it ain't news that I'm a nerd.

Moving on from my grief (for now) let's talk about the style of the show. Obviously, the costume part of a costume drama is always important but here it's particularly interesting; we see three different classes and what they wear and how it differs. We see modernisation happen and the turn of a century. And as the show follows their lives in general and doesn't centre purely around romance, we are witness to various different occasions. All of these things are reflected in the clothes, makeup and hairstyles.

Poor, lovely Sybil:

Pin curls - one of the loveliest contributions of the twenties:

The boys with slick hair, rugged jawlines, suits all day every day and uniforms!

And some samples of real life:

Lady Sybil for LOVE Magazine. Their covers were AMAZING.

Edith being a super-babe in real life! Seriously, detractors feck off!