The Other Lolita

Lolita the novel and movie based upon it may make many people pretty uncomfortable but it is undeniably iconic. Particularly the heart-shaped sunglasses. The following is an outfit inspired by Americana fashion of the first half of the 20th century as well as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the costume design of the movie-adaptation.

Sunglasses - Topshop - Jeans - H&M - Top - Topshop - Shoes - Nine West

Instagram for December.

Instagram and I have become good friends this Christmas. Here's just a taste of what I've been 'gramming this month and the kind of things you can expect from me in the future. Mostly it shows my awful consumerism and random artsy shots...heh... x

Find me here : http://instagram.com/wideeyedandblind

H&M pour Isabel Marant pour moi!

Ahhh! So, here are the two pieces I bought plus the lovely bag they came in. If you haven't guessed, I was  utterly excited! Upon approaching the shop, I began to skip and smile delightedly. I grabbed my pieces - this tank and these joggers. The pants, embarrassingly, are for an eleven to twelve year old...but they were half the price of the adult ones so I guess being short has its upsides! When I went to the counter, the woman next to me had bought over a grand worth of Marant garments. I was pretty jealous but I was way more excited about my purchases worth one twentieth of hers - I think I'll keep my enthusiasm over her wealth! The rest of my day ran so smoothly and, it sounds stupid but I attribute it to starting the day off so well...

ARGHHHH. EXCITEMENT.

Isabel Marant - We know what you can do...is there anything you can't?

On my birthday, the images of the H&M collaboration with Isabel Marant that I'd been waiting so long for were released. Two days later the S/S show walked the runway. Hot damn! I want it all. Seriously. The collab gets you much of the staples of Isabel Marant brand whereas the show presents the next step.

Isabel Marant for H&M - My picks by fitzpac on Polyvore

The beautiful blazer in the show, however, is very similar to one in the collab, making current pieces more accessible to your average Jane.

The show is what you would expect: easy, boho, cool-girl chic. A mix of fabrics and girly frills with more tailored, perfectly on-point jackets. And though it's nothing unexpected, it's so what everyone wants that we're okay with that. Some designers shock and awe. Others consistently impress.

Can I order a slice of Parisian rock and roll cool?

Want, want, want.

(Images via vogue.co.uk)

All of the celebrations!

So, this week I turned 22 and my birthday marked mine and my boyfriend's six-year anniversary. I also never got around to celebrating a year of the blog back in May but now seems the time to tip my hat to that and the almost 50,000 page views I have accumulated so far. It may still be the minor leagues but I appreciate every view from every one of you. Major mwah. (Salute à la How I Met Your Mother)

Celebrations a-plenty as a result!

I also have two exciting interviews coming up in the future so watch this space for more!

Plus, the Isabel Marant/H&M collection being unveiled on my birthday? Cannot merely be coincidence! Excitement! I will post some squeeing on that tomorrow. For now, please accept some photos of my birthday week.

Skyping the boyf in London on the anniversary.

Birthday Cake #1 (2 and 3 weren't photographed)

Birthday swag.

Birthday dinner and drinks.

Shoes on the dancefloor

Bathroom selfie of outfit on the occasion.

Preparations.

Weekend packing

So, last weekend I was away in the West of Ireland with friends. High maintenance is neither my style nor an option when sharing a house with 12 other people so it was necessary to pack easy, wearable, interchangeable options. As per, I packed wayyy too much yet managed to fit it all easily in a backpack. I largely stuck to a tank, boyfriend jean and light knitwear formula but also had dresses on hand in case dining got fancy (it didn't).

Maison Martin Margiela's H&M Collaboration

For the fashion world I'm more than a little behind the times in posting about this but, unless someone starts paying me, blogging must come second to college work and, therefore, I'm not always gonna be on top of things. Anyway, while I like the clothes and the collaboration seems one of the strongest in years I can't help but feel a little...meh. I mean, these collaborations are happening so often now. I kind of miss it being an annual affair with lots of suspense and speculation, it was almost like a mini-Christmas. Besides, I don't have the money to keep up with this! 

Still, gorgeous collection. Hope it's as wonderful in person because it looks decidedly expensive and chic, you wouldn't peg it for the high street right away from the photos. And preferably it isn't gonna be too expensive...seriously, it's largely the students and bloggers who are going to wear boundary-pushing clothes as purchased from a high street store, not the mothers and professionals of the world. 

Also, love the photography. Oh, hai, Sam Taylor-Wood.

WANT THE GIANT OVERSIZE COAT. I LOVE GIANT OVERSIZED COATS. MMMM.

Lady looks like a dude (and some musings on the limitations of gender stereotypes on fashion)

I'm kind of obsessed with menswear and sometimes wish I were a man (just for a little while) so I could play around with the boundaries of male fashion and style. There are so few left for women - we have such scope, such freedom. Although, as I say when men lament not having this same freedom - the trade-off with centuries of subjugation isn't quite even. 

All the same, freedom is sometimes strangely limiting. I mean, if we can wear almost anything then how is anything at all new or interesting? It's like how a poem is so much more interesting if the poet has been limited in some way; you're so much more impressed by what they've done given the limitations. There's so much a woman can wear without too many sideways glances that it can sometimes be boring. Don't get me wrong, fashion itself will never bore me, but sometimes I wish for ways to push the envelope (tastefully) a little more. If I hadn't been lazy as a kid, I could have taken up sewing and maybe then I'd be able to satisfy my desire to try things that the world isn't already giving me.

Anyhoo, that was a slight tangent. The point being - sometimes I wish I was my own Ken to dress up. My brother lets me help him shop sometimes but he doesn't really need me (So stylish! Makes me proud) and my boyfriend also heeds my advice at times but both are far too conservative by my standards. I mean, don't they realise they're missing out?! Getting dressed is so much fun! I can't imagine following an endless formula of tee + jeans + hoodie/jacket. If I were a man I would take that envelope and drag it down the street after me! 

Take, for example, what I was wearing today. I was laughed at when I said I'd wear the exact same thing if I were a man. Which is crazy because this would only be the tip of my iceberg. I would rock suits and hats (Why is it so difficult to find men who can rock hats without looking like wankers these days?) on a normal day, for no reason other than looking awesome while slogging in the library is fun. I would play with gender stereotypes all over the place and court women's clothing stores. I would totally have a skort. And lace? Why don't men use lace? I'm sure there's a way to make that work, especially when decency allows for much more of the male form to be flashed.

I think one thing that really limits menswear is men themselves...and women. There's such an established idea of what is masculine that breaking out of that mould is nigh impossible, especially if the man in question is straight. Which is where women come in. It seems gay men have more freedom in dress because the LGBT culture is so much more understanding and embracing in general. You can dress how you wish without large amounts of ridicule and/or repulsion. If you are a straight man, however, and interested in fashion you might be limited by women and their opinion of you...and possible rejection for being too outlandish. I, personally, would have no issue being with, or seen with, a man who dresses more provocatively or out-of-the-ordinary. But I know most of my straight female friends would not agree with this sentiment. More frightening than the rejection by women, however, (seeing as how potential rejection by potential lovers is something everyone must face) is that of one's peers. As sexuality becomes more and more of a non-issue (and we all move on like reasonable human beings) it seems that gender roles or ideas, however, change and move on at a much slower pace. I come from a small town and I imagine that a guy dressing as I would have him would lead to much more drama than him being interested in other dudes (even if that still might raise a few brows). So what's the connection between sexuality and dress? There's none at all really (other than larger freedom and appreciation to fashion-forward gay men) but here's my point; if we can get past the idea that a "real man" has sex with lots of women (or one), then why is it so difficult for us to change our view on all the other things that we see as "masculine". 

I just really appreciate that no matter how different men and women are, they are also so similar. We all have very similar needs, wants and desires. We're all people at the end of the day. And gender? It's becoming, more and more, simply a difference in reproductive organs. 

Why can't we all just get along...and into each other's wardrobes?

PS. I know I always play with gendered modes of dress so the above might seem a tad hypocritical but I will point out that I always call them "traditionally" gendered modes in need of rethinking.

Sea Tam (geddit?)

Spent the day with anime and hanging with Belle in the garden. It was a largely quiet and lazy day. The outfit du jour is part River Tam, part beach bum. I love this dress. It's entirely sheer but putting a slip under it ruins the aesthetic so I threw it on over tiny shorts (which are so close to knickers, I'd be ashamed to wear them without something on top), a crop top and tights. The loose H&M jumper added another layer of modesty on top of the dress and, with the vintage biker boots, gave it that romantic twist on grunge that I love and a certain beloved Joss Whedon character was wont to don. The beach bum aspect of the outfit comes from the sea salt spray I doused my hair in to give it that sun-dried look and the tanning moisturiser I blended in with my sun tan lotion this morning to get a kind of glowing, healthy look as seen at Rodarte A/W 2012 - sun safe and sun kissed! I'm really longing some sun and sea right now, so this probably a reflection of that. It's nice to be home but being in Italy last summer sure was a treat in comparison to the rain-soaked misery that is Ireland right now. The mammy is on the case, searching for holidays, so maybe there'll be some of that sea I'm missing and a change of scenery in my life sometime soon.  

Beachy, Summery hair!

Hangin' with Belle.

Proud Belle.

Fat Mess Belle.