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

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.

My Amsterdam Look

I'm doing a module in Northern Painting this year and I also had a reader suggest I enter an awesome easyJet competition asking bloggers to come up with looks inspired by Amsterdam so I thought "Why not?". I said I'd give it a stab and label it "study".

When I think of Amsterdam (despite never having been there), I am dually inspired by both the old and new.

The old (the buildings, the Vermeers and Rembrandts which immediately come to mind) is opulent but restrained, pious but sensuous and with an eye for detail and so it was a great opportunity to use the abundance of Baroque-inspired clothes in stores at the moment to put an outfit together. The result is a decadent outfit composed of a gold and red palette, velvet, jewels and pearls - perfect for randomly looking way over-dressed! (PS As an art historian I know how problematic the term "baroque" actually is and that the works below don't even really fall under this title at all so I'm using it in a very vague, fashion-trend specific sense here!)

1. Dolce and Gabbana 2.Alexander McQueen 3. Topshop 4. Dolce and Gabbana

The new inspired the day looks. The street style of Amsterdam is majorly inspiring - so urban, so contemporary, so easy, so cool. It's an aesthetic I love; simple, rad clothes that are easy to wear and have clean lines. And it inspired the below; two chic outfits for ambling round the city like an It Girl.

1. Zara 2. Jil Sander 3. Zara 4. Topshop 5. JW Anderson 6. Jil Sander 7. Isabel Marant

But, yeah, it was mostly just fun to put outfits I can't afford together. Oh, and to creep on street style...I mean "study". It was fun to "study".

Video: Perry Ellis, Sui, De La Renta S/S 1993.

It's funny how dated that famous Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis collection looks on the runway versus in stills...This video shows that collection in all it's glory (and misses) as well as Anna Sui and Oscar de la Renta for S/S 1993. There's a lot of unflattering tailoring, hooker-makeup and florals my granny would label old-fashioned going on but then there are moments of clarity. It seems that it is those moments being focused on in the current nineties nostalgia, and while many will bemoan this on the grounds of pastiche etc, I think this video really highlights the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of that era in order to create awesome looks now. Besides, bemoaners, that's what we do for every other era - including pre-modern eras as can be seen in the baroque trend hitting up designers and highstreet alike this coming season. I can see why people are so attracted to the period, especially grunge aesthetics, as it was kind of the last musical genre that defined a generation and, therefore, their wardrobes. Nowadays, we're so awash with influences that it can be dizzying.

I know I've crapped on at length about this topic before but I think this video makes for a good visual aid. And, if nothing else, it's cool to see the Supermodel pack strutting their stuff in their heyday.

Baroque.

I'm obsessed with the baroque trend for A/W 2012 so here's some inspiration, enjoy!

Baroquing super-brights.

For a day of starting a new writing project that I'm uber-excited about, I'm wearing my new Topshop shorts and a Critical Mass jacket that my godmother bought me upon getting my Leaving Cert results. I have no idea why I don't wear it more often, it's one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe. From the Baroque-style print with putti and floral flourishes on the back, to the pure, sky-blue colour, to the beautiful buttons, to the wonderful tailoring; it's a little slice of perfection. Today was another venture in playing with super-bright colour - pairing the lime shorts with sky-blue jacket and using the navy of these Urban Outfitters top and Topshop suede and wood platforms to tone down the look. Gotta avoid clownishly bright! The final touch was one of my favourite bags - a wonderfully big leopard print affair from Marc by Marc Jacobs - Marc knows how to do tasteful animal prints!