Diary of a divergent student

Links of the week!

2011-07-17T19:59:00.001+01:00

So, I thought I'd just let you all know what I've been enjoying this week in terms of blogs etc. So, here goes:

I found a blog called Bikinis and Passports very recently, and I've been loving going through all the past posts she has, hearing about her travels, her studying, her life and I really like her style, she manages to make all her high street clothes look really individual.
Also I read recently divergent musing's post about the cost of blogging...I think these reasons were definitely behind some of why I stopped blogging a while ago. I also think that it's worth remembering that everything is fine in moderation and that time management is key. At the moment I have quite a lot of free time, but come the autumn I will be much busier again, however I hope to keep blogging, even if it's not as regular. The community and friends you meet are worth it!
I stumbled across this post about French women's attitudes to beauty and definitely thought it was an interesting read. As someone who loves France and French culture (I think, anyway) it makes an interesting perspective on this topic.
Finally, Liberty London Girl's blog is one of my favourites. She kind of leads the life I wish I could, being a PR consultant for loads of brands that take her all over the world. Obviously travelling so much has its downsides, but she's become amazing at packing and this week she blogged about how to pack for a 3 day city break in just a carry-on case. Genius, eh? I wish I knew this when I went to italy, would've been very useful.

Sorry it's quite short, I have not yet re-gotten into the habit to bookmark my links of the week, and so it's pretty much what's been open on my browser for a while that's been show. Next week will be better, promise ;-)

Anyway, hope you've all had a lovely weekend, and speak to you all soon!

Currently listening to: Get a move on - Mr Scruff (well worth the listen for the memories this one, it's an instantly recognisable tune, but it took me ages to place where I'd heard it! Do you remember?)

Finally, a video!

2011-07-15T23:17:00.000+01:00

So, it has taken me forever and a day to put up this video...I've recorded 4 different videos (over 3 days, I don't always want to put on and take off my makeup 5 times in a day!), and this is the only one that has worked! BUT, now I know how to do this, hopefully it'll be a much quicker process! So, because I've become very interested in make up tutorials while I wasn't blogging, so I thought that as part of my 'return' I'd give it a go! If you like it, please let me know, if not, then I'll just carry on looking at the videos, without telling you guys about them, that's ok by me! If I seem a bit weird, I think I seem really unanimated, but it's difficult to be all animated when there's nothing to react to, if that makes sense?? Anyway... sorry it's taken so long, and I hope you've all had a good week! Behold my un-madeup face!

Updates! (picture heavy)

2011-07-10T20:57:00.000+01:00

So, after being absent for so long, I'm going to give everyone a little update on what's been going on in my life! Obviously, this is just the happy, breezy stuff, there's been a lot of hard work too! As you can tell, I haven't really gone out very much since November! Here we go:

Dress: Next outlet; Shoes: Primark; Belt: don't remember; all jewellery & my bag (not pictured): Accessorize

This night in March was our annual music ball. Last year was one of the best nights of the year, and this year's was also magnificent! My best friend and I started getting ready in the afternoon, a friend came over and we did her hair, we drank champagne, it was amazing! Already looking forward to next year!

Dress: TK Maxx; Belt: Sainsbury's; Necklace: Accessorize; Random black cardi

This was the night when I dressed up as the green fairy. I didn't manage to get a closeup of the make up that I did, but it was big on the green eyeshadow!

Dresses in both pictures: Primark (they're actually the same dress in 2 different colours!)

I also did a tango show with my dancing friends in various places along the south coast (Portsmouth, Bracknell, Guildford & Winchester) through April and May, and had a ball! The first picture above was our poster and we did a little posing session after! The second picture is me with my godfather Dino (who introduced me to tango 7 years ago) and one of my closest friends Shen. We all still had some of our stage makeup on, so we look a bit scary!

Dress: Primark (honestly, I don't own as much Primark as it seems!); Jacket: H&M; Shoes: M&S; Bag: New Look

This was the day the my best friend and I did a tourists' guide to London...she'd never been before so I showed her the sights: Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the various museums, Oxford St, Notting Hill etc etc!

Dress: Patricia Field for M&S; Belt: Came with a dress from H&M; Shoes: Primark

Again, my best friend and I went out for a little Thursday night r&r...turns out Thursdays are rubbish in Guildford...anyway, I find that most of the time the dressing up for a night out is half the fun!

For the music geeks amongst us...this is me with pianist Nikolai Demidenko (a hero of mine) and the first violinist of the Borodin Quartet, when they came to perform at Surrey recently. I was managing the concert, so got to have a few chats with them all about their musicianship etc. It was amazing!

This weekend has also been pretty busy! But I've finished uni now for the summer, so it's ok to not do too much work... yesterday my friends abseiled down the Spinnaker tower in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, so we went to support them. It was a lovely sunny day after the horrid rainy week we've been having, so it was a welcome change. In the first picture you can just see the little 'diving board' they had to start at...350 feet! I think they were very brave, and they did it for charity - the Stroke Association. Lovely they did such things in a good cause! And finally, I went to London today, but didn't want to not take any photos, so here's a pretty one from Covent Garden...I just liked the way the fire escape looked on the side of the building...random, sorry!

Hope you're all ok, and I'm really looking forward to catching up with all your blogs properly soon :)

Currently: watching the Popstar to Operastar final...I know. Guilty pleasure, but anything that gets opera to the masses gets my approval!

I'm back!

2011-07-08T20:04:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,

So, that was a huge hiatus from blogging, eh? I never quite intended for it to be that long a break, and there have been a few times when I thought that I would have time to continue up again, but then a few weeks later, life got hectic again, so I thought it was better to take a longer break than to come back half-heartedly. Now, I'm back, ready to post, and excited and inspired once again!

Uni work, concerts, unsociable hours and whatnot definitely got in the way, but I'm much better at managing my time now, so it's a good time to start again.

So, summer has begun (although not that you'd know it with the weather we're having) and inspiration has hit! And because I didn't want this post to be without a picture, here's a picture that sums up British summer to me:

Tell me, what's new in your lives?

Absense

2010-11-28T21:51:00.000Z

Hi everyone,

Really sorry for such a hiatus in posting. Basically, the long and short of it is that life has well and truly got in the way. I even set aside a whole afternoon this week to do a new post in order to explain myself properly, but even that afternoon became horrendously busy. So, basically I think I don't really have the time at the moment to write anything of any substance, and I'd always rather write something substantial and worthwhile for you all to read than write something all rubbishy and not even worth you reading. I'm saddened that I don't have the time to write something nice for you guys, because I have more followers now than I ever did when I wrote regularly!! But that's just the way that things go I guess. Anyway, this explains my hiatus slightly. I don't really know when I'm ever going to have time to post again, so I'm not really sure if I should even keep this blog, but I will, because you never know when I might actually have more time again!

Thank you all for being patient with me, and I hope you understand x

Finally, an outfit post!

2010-10-03T21:05:00.000+01:00

Hello blog world!

As I mentioned in the previous post, sorry I haven't been posting as much, life has gotten in the way, because this is only a hobby for me, it has tended to take a bit of a backseat while I'm busy. Lectures start again tomorrow, so Lord knows how sporadic this will become once they start again!! I will endeavor to make time though, there's no excuse! Those of you who follow me on Twitter (@Notoshtosh) will know that I recently started my job at Monsoon, and this means discount on their clothes! I also have to wear the clothes that are on the shop floor, so this will mean a regular rotation of clothes, because once it's off the shop floor, I can no longer wear it to work. So, as long as I pick things that I like, then I'm set because once I can no longer wear it to work, I can still wear it normally. Yay!!
So, here's one of the pieces of uniform. It's soon to be removed from the shop floor, but I liked it too much to not buy it, isn't it lovely?! The photos don't really do it justice (still figuring out the best place to put my camera at home here!), but it's lovely and warm and very flattering!

Please excuse my crazy hair and tired looking-ness. I'd just gotten back from work, and it was raining outside (as seems to be the norm at the moment). So, here we are:

Those of you who follow me on twitter (I'm not plugging, just saying!) will know that the other night I went on a pub crawl. I know, I know. I'm not normally one for pub crawls, but I generally make an exception for the ones organised for the music dept. at uni, because it's a great way to meet people and have a fab time with the ones you already know. And generally speaking, musos are all lovely friendly people, so you never know who you might bump into! Below is a picture of myself and my lovely housemate Chloe, just before we went out:

In other news, I'm absolutely adoring my tango dancing at the moment. I'm not really sure why, I guess like many things that you do over a long period of time, you plateau, you get a little bit uninspired, you love it, whatever, it's quite cyclical. Currently, I'm loving it! Last night I went to a milonga (an evening dedicated to dancing tango socially) and saw all of my friends from my class at home in Portsmouth and had some fabulous dances. I also bought some new tango shoes! Red suede and sexy as hell, just what the tango doctor ordered ;) One day I'll post a video or pictures or something from my tango life, I haven't gotten round to 'coming out' with my blog to anyone, really, so I'll try and do it on the sly!

Currently listening to: La Yumba by Otros Aires. If you have spotify, look it up. Otros Aires are probably my favourite tango band. They take traditional songs and jazz 'em up with fancy computer productions and remixes. It combines 2 of my favourite kinds of tango - brilliant!!

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Friend Friday: Showcasing Negativity

2010-10-01T22:02:00.000+01:00

So, first of all a big apology! My life is so busy right now, uni has started again in full swing (even though it's only been Fresher's Week this week, lectures don't start until Monday!) and my days have been full of meeting new freshers, catching up with friends, getting fresher's flu and singing through my flu to promote the Gospel Choir that I'm on the committee for, among other things. So, I really appreciate you guys sticking through this with me, I will try and find a routine for things soon!

So, this week, Katy from Modly Chic set up a google group and the topic for this week's questions came from a discussion started on there! I love that now there's even more interaction between bloggers, and we can spark discussions which pique all of our interests! Visit Katy's blog for more info and Friend Friday and the google group if you want to join!

1) Do you post pictures on your blog, or would you, if the opportunity came along, of people with poor fashion/beauty sense?
Absolutely not! For the most part for me, blogging is like a jolly little escape from day to day life, and I like to just view and talk about positive things or non-heavy things. So, following on from that, I would never use my blog as a tool for any negativity, that's not why I blog. Sure, on the street I might look again at someone wearing something I find particularly odd, but for the most part, I don't really mind what people look like. And I would never take a photo of them to then slate them online. It's rude.

2) Do you read any blogs that highlight the bad? Why?
I do dip into CocoPerez every so often, but celebrity culture and celebrity bashing is a completely different topic, which I could talk about at length, but it's not relevant at the moment. So I guess that's the only 'negative' blog I read on any semi-regular basis. I have looked at Fashion Bloggers, Why? once because it's been mentioned so many times on different blogs, I decided to have a look. I found it, for the most part, distasteful, disrespectful, badly written, badly thought-out and immature.

3) Should these bloggers get permission to post the pictures from the subject in the same way the street-style blogs do?
I'm undecided on this one. On one hand, I say yes, because I wouldn't want my pictures plastered all over someone's blog without my permission or at least crediting me, whether they're being negative or not. However, if we're talking street style, then I don't think there's any point. If you see someone in the street and decide you want to take their photo for you blog to showcase how not to dress and you go and ask that person their permission to use the photo for the above, it's obvious (to me, anyway) that they're going to be offended and say no. So what do you do, then? Post it anyway, or not, in which case the whole thing was a waste of time.

4) As human beings we are fascinated with disasters of all sorts, why do you think that is? How do the blogs/websites that highlight the negative thrive?
Taking the example of FBW, a lot of it seems to stem from some form of jealousy. Some of the comments written by the author and by the readers just seem like the words of a slightly more grown up (as in older, not mature) but still petulant child. You know, "she has so much stuff and clothes, but don't you think she looks like she has downs syndrome in that picture"? (the reference to downs syndrome was actually there when I read it. I was shocked, first at the lack of respect towards the condition and use of the term and also how horrible a thing to say about someone!) I think these blogs are just a hive for negative, bitter, jealous people to come together and moan about how someone else has more shoes than them. In terms of the human fascination with disasters, I think we're just a generally nosy species. We sneak peeks at weddings when they leave the church with the confetti flying, we also rubberneck on motorways when someone gets pulled over. It's just part of the human condition I think - nosiness!

5) For many, fashion is subjective. Do you think there can be anything that is objectively bad in the fashion world?
In a word: no. Everyone has different tastes, and as much as many people might agree on something, just as many people will disagree. In the same way most things are down to personal opinions or beliefs, fashion is too.

Hope you enjoyed this week's Friend Friday, as always, any suggestions or comments, please leave them below, I will be back soon (I promise) with an outfit post and a general update!

Friend Friday: Fashion Dos & Don'ts

2010-09-24T13:30:00.000+01:00

Every week, Katy from Modly Chic writes a bunch of bloggers a bunch of questions, and we answer them. Please head on over to her blog to see what she and everyone else who participated wrote!

This week's topic: Fashion Dos and Don'ts.

1) What do think are some of the top fashion don'ts? (Things you would never be caught dead in and cringe when other people wear them.)

For me, UGG boots are a huge fashion don't. I know they're supposed to be comfy and warm and whatnot, but for me, they're just...yuck. Also, super baggy clothes that look more like a beanbag cover than clothes because it's so shapeless. Aaaand leggings with a short top that shows your bum. It leaves no mystery regarding that area of your body - some things are meant to be covered! It's ok if you're going to the gym or something, but to walk around during the day as though it's normal is not ok! I could go on, but there are more questions to be answered!

2) What previous fashion don'ts do you now where with pride?

When I was younger, I hated when girls wore short skirts, I swore I'd never do it. Now, I do wear shortER skirts and show off my legs a bit more, but only ever with tights on, so it's never too revealing. But as my Dad pointed out a little while ago, 10 years ago I wouldn't be caught dead in what I wear today. Thanks Dad!

3) Do you think there is a universal fashion do?

I think making an effort with you clothes is a fashion do. So many people I know just roll out of bed and put on whatever's closest at hand, so they end up looking like a mess, or wearing something I mentioned in Q1! Also, I think another big do is to wear things that flatter you and make you feel good about yourself. Whatever that might be, as long as you feel great in what your'e wearing, you'll look great.

4) What items lately, either recently in style or coming in now, do you think should never make it off the retail shelves?

I think Chanel's head-to-toe fur from A/W'10. Normally, I'm the biggest Chanel lover on the planet, but something about that collection and the yeti suits was just plain bad. Sorry Karl.

5) In your opinion, is there any blogger, fashion icon, celebrity who somehow manages to pull off some fashion don'ts and still look good?

I can't think of any off the top of my head, because there aren't many bloggers I know/follow who do any of those things I consider a huge don't. And because I'm not really up on the celebrity scene (I'm about 5/6 years behind!) I can't name anyone as such. I do think, though, that generally speaking, models off duty look the worst to me. They go around between shows or castings wearing baggy, oversized and unflattering clothes that don't make them look good and don't show off their (tiny) figures. Which is a shame, because they're hired because they look beautiful, but their clothes (to me) give off the vibe of being anything but.

Hope you enjoyed this week's questions, any comments please leave them below!

Links of the week

2010-09-21T16:22:00.000+01:00

Ahhh, it's been ages since I did a links of the week, and I have loads to show you all! I think I missed one a couple of weeks ago and it's all gone downhill since then! I'm really sorry! Anyway, here goes:

I ordered one of Kiss me deadly's Vargas dresses (this is lingerie I'm talking about here, if you're unsure, I'd wait until you get home!!). It's divine! I've been eyeing them up for ages, but always felt that £49 was a bit steep for a bit of underwear, no matter how suck-you-in-while-looking-sexy it is! Then, I stumbled across Hepburn & Leigh, who had one in my size for £18. That's right! I nearly fainted. So it's bought, arrived and had its test-drive at the weekend. It was lovely. Cinched in all the places I needed it to, without being uncomfortable or anything of the sort. 5/5!
Last week I stumbled across Tom Service's blog on The Guardian website. He writes about classical music, and there were a few articles that I found particularly interesting in his archives: What makes a minor key sound sad?, BBC's Opera Season Vs Popstar to Operastar on ITV, Why aren't there more women conductors?. I'd really recommend reading his blog if you're into classical music in any way, it's really interesting!
Some people in the USA did a fascinating social experiment, that I'd really recommend you watch. They put 100 $1 notes on a tree and left them there to see how the public reacted. Guess what you think would happen first, then watch it!
Candice DeVille of Super Kawaii Mama did a post of Cover Girl Inspirations. Lovely images, and lovely inspiration too!
Since I'm beginning to adventure into the world of cycling, this article was an eye opener. It's a witty analysis of British cycling culture, and the writer explains why he thinks we should ban cycle helmets in order to save the planet.

Sorry I've been a bit neglectful recently, I'm having a rather disorientated few days! (read: week or so!)

Currently listening to Richard Hawley's album: Cole's Corner. What a voice, eh?

Friend Friday: Work vs. Blog Wear

2010-09-17T17:48:00.000+01:00

Every week, Katy from Modly Chic sends a bunch of bloggers a bunch of questions pertinent to us all in some way or another. Read hers and everyone else's responses on her blog! Hope you enjoy!

So, this week, we're talking about blog/work wear. In her email, Katy asked 'How many times have you looked at a post and thought the blogger was adorable but probably wore the outfit only to take pictures and post to the blog?'

1) When it comes to outfit posts on your own blog, be honest, are they actually what you wore that day?

Yes, absolutely! Sometimes it's a few days behind, so it's not what I'm wearing that actual day, but I wore whatever I posted all day. I don't ever really show my shoes because I haven't mastered fitting the whole of myself top to toe in a frame yet (I know, shameful blogging! I am working on it, promise!) but I wear the same shoes all day too!

2) For a fashion blogger, working in a corporate environment can be tricky. How do you mesh your day job with your fashion choices?

I'm quite lucky, because this question doesn't apply to me really, because I'm a student! I do have certain times when a dress code is necessary, for example when I perform in concerts I must wear smart clothes, with my various choirs it's usually an all-black dress code, but in my day to day life I can wear whatever the hell I want! Of course, I never go around in jogging bottoms or anything of the sort, so I think most of the things I wear are office appropriate anyway, with some minor variations!

3) When you get dressed in the morning, do you think what should I wear to work, or what should I wear for the blog?

I always dress for myself. I've never been one to wear things because of, or for, other people. This is easier because I don't have a job so I am never 'restricted' by a dress code.

4) Do professionals you interact with ever make comments about your clothing choices?

Yes, they do. I guess for a young person I can sometimes look a bit older as a result of my clothes, or just a bit over-dressed (I always prefer to overdress than be under-dressed - my worst nightmare!). I'm pleased to say that most of the time people are very complimentary about my clothes :)

5) Some bloggers openly admit to wearing outfits only for the blog post. What's your opinion on that?

Personally, I don't find it that much of a crime, however it depends on the blog itself, and what I read it for. Some blogs I just read for 'artistic' inspiration and others I read for actual 'real life' inspiration, eg. remixing items, DIYs etc. I do think though, that there should be a distinction between the 2. So, if you show something on your blog that you would never wear outside (like a costume-type outfit) then you should say so, in my opinion. It's like the difference between couture shows and ready-to-wear shows, if that analogy makes sense?

What are your thoughts on my answers to these questions? And if you're interested head over to Katy's blog to see what others have said too!

Currently listening to: Phillip Glass: Glassworks.

A couple of outfit posts

2010-09-16T16:45:00.000+01:00

It seems like ages since I last did an outfit post, so here's 2 in a row! First of all, it's that blue dress again! I wore this to go shopping with my housemate last week, with my new (ish) trench coat. I'll post the details of it sometime, because for me it's those subtle details that make it special in comparison to other trenches! My mum bought me these shoes from M&S, and despite their style (they look like they could be very toe crunchingly uncomfortable) they're very comfortable! I'm not yet sure how they'd stand up for a whole day of walking, but they're fine for a couple of hours of walking!

Then, here's what I wore today for my induction at work. I wanted to look appropriately smart but also show my personality, so I thought this outfit would work well! I love this pencil skirt, my only wish is that it was a little longer, because it hits just above the knee, which isn't quite long enough for my taste in pencil skirts, but it's never indecent! The cardigan is from my recent trip to the newly-opened Primark in Guildford. I said to myself that I wouldn't go, but my housemate took me (on the above mentioned shopping trip) and I couldn't resist this cardigan! It's just lovely!

I start my job on Sunday, I'm really looking forward to it especially after my induction today. Everyone seems really nice, and the floor manager I met today seemed to indicate that they understand that everyone makes mistakes when they first start working there, which is good, because some workplaces are very unaccepting of mistakes from their new employees! I also get an allowance - 75% off clothes & accessories for my uniform for a certain amount of money, then the rest is 25% off (for an unlimited amount), which is definitely yummy. I am going to enjoy working there I think if nothing else but for accumulating all these lovely cheap clothes! :)

Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Currently listening to: Crazy little thing called love by Queen

Style Icon Series: Charlotte York

2010-09-15T19:36:00.000+01:00

Charlotte York, Carrie Bradshaw's classy co-star in Sex and the City. I love her classic stylings, out of all the girls, she is always the one whose outfit I like the most, and find the most wearable. Some think her style can be a bit 'cute' or preppy, but I disagree mostly with those labels. I think classic and feminine would be better labels. I find Carrie's wardrobe wonderful inspiration, but I could never take something off the hanger and copy what she wore - I'd look like a clown. Whereas with Charlotte I feel that I could just take something out of her wardrobe (even though we're different sizes, I'm playing imaginary dress up here, give me some artistic license!) and I think 90% of the time it would look ok and wearable. We don't all live on a catwalk! So, here's to Charlotte York; classy, feminine and wearable inspiration!

Hope you're all having lovely weeks, sorry I've not been posting as much, life has been very hectic and it's all catching up with me rather quickly - I have a sore throat today, so I'm getting an early night tonight!

Currently listening to: Walk on by, by Dionne Warwick

Friend Friday: New York Fashion Week

2010-09-10T14:00:00.000+01:00

Every week, Katy from Modly Chic asks a bunch of bloggers a bunch of questions. Previous topics have included things like size, copycat fashion and privacy. Go to her site to see all the previous topics and what everyone else has said about this week's topic!

Katy has set this week's topic as New York Fashion Week. Not living in New York, or even the US, I thought this might be a tricky one to answer, but in fact her questions are universal for everyone, no matter where they live :)

Fashion week began yesterday in NYC at its new venue of the Lincoln Centre, and it's only a week until the excitement comes to London. So, let's get started:

1) Do you pay attention to the show during Fashion Week? Which designer's collections are you looking forward to seeing?
I do pay attention to fashion week, only in as much as I like to see pretty clothes. It's unlikely you'll ever catch me going into a shop and saying 'oh that looks so much like a miumiu s/s 08 rip off', cause I just don't follow the runway shows that much. However, I'll always be interested in a bit of YSL, Chanel, Burberry and Prada. I'm actually quite interested to see where they're going to go after such beautiful A/W '10 collections.

2) Where are you getting your Fashion Week news from?
Like most people's answers I've read so far, I'll be getting my news from Twitter and other people's blogs. So many blogs I follow are going to LFW this year, so I'm really excited to see everyone's news! I would like to go in person at some point, but that might have to wait for another couple of years...

3) Over the years, the runway has become more than just models displaying the creations of a designer. They are now spectacles. Do you think this adds or detracts from the fashion?
I've always thought of fashion as a kind of 'art with cloth' kind of thing. Therefore, I'm really in favour of having all this other stuff going on while the clothes are going down the runway. It means that the show is just that, a show. It also gives the designers a chance to put their clothes into a context, be that a context of their inspiration or a context of what/where they'd like to clothes to be. It also means that there's less of a focus on the models, which I'm not sure what I think of, but I think I like it. It means they're part of the show, rather than being the focus of the show.

4) Twice a year, as models begin to strut the catwalk we see articles about model size and body image. Do you think the super thin models are offering an attainable goal to the public or are we immune to their looks?
Often a controversial topic, this one. I think people are starting to lose interest in this debate. Every season, a few designers have a few 'normal' women walk down their runway, as an exception, and usually just as a publicity stunt. Additionally, I don't think the models have that big an impact on everyday women. Unless you spend your days looking and pouring over runway pics, then you're not going to be exposed to these tiny models in everyday life on a daily basis. More concerning is the size of the models used in catalogues, online shopping, etc. because that's what most women see more regularly.

5) If you could sit front row at any show, what would you want to see? And which celebrity would you like to sit next to?
For LFW, it would be Burberry. Across all Fashion Weeks, I'd choose Chanel, though. I always like 90% of what goes down those runways (I draw the line at yeti boots from the A/W '10, for example) and I love the spectacle that goes with it: Icebergs etc. Fabulous! As far as a celebrity to sit next to, I'd probably pick Emma Watson, because she just seems like a nice girl, nice a relaxed about the entire thing.

Hope you enjoyed this week's Friend Friday, as always, any ideas/replies on what I've written, leave a comment :) Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Sparkles and curls and tights, oh my!

2010-09-09T14:36:00.000+01:00

Last night, I curled my hair in pincurls using the tutorial at the bottom of the page as a guide (although I already have my own little setting pattern in my head). I slept in it with a silk scarf over my head, which is never particularly pleasant, although much better than rollers it must be said, I've done that once. Never again, people. Anywhoo, this is pretty much what I looked like when I woke up this morning:

I mean, it's not terrible, but not the look I was going for. Really, my hair's still too short for it to turn out the way I want. So I ended up just sticking it up. Also, I'm trying to grow out my fringe (or bangs, whichever word you prefer) so curlyness is pretty good for masking the growout. So I ended up doing a sort of updo pinned look, which I'll show you all another time. I've actually got quite a lot of eyeliner on today, but you can't really tell, and the lipstick isn't anywhere near that red, silly photo, eh? (Also, my face isn't really a different colour from my neck. more silly photo business, that.)

I don't know if you remember, but a couple of years ago M&S were celebrating 125 years of being a shop and they released a load of vintage-style dresses to commemorate each decade in the C20 that they'd been open? Well, that's where I got this little beauty. It's the most expensive dress I've ever bought in a shop, no lie (but it was less than £100, so don't panic!). It's more flattering than the picture lets on, actually. The only thing that lets it down is that it's dry clean only. I handwash it carefully, but it takes FOREVER to dry because it's quite a thick fabric. But hey ho, that's what you get for having a very pretty dress :)

Pincurl tutorial from Hollywoodnoirmakeup:

Style Icon Series: Marilyn Monroe

2010-09-08T18:32:00.000+01:00

A lady featured on probably everyone's 'style icon' list. Nevertheless she's a huge inspiration to me. I often come across films that she's in on a random afternoon on itv4 or similar channels, but I never quite manage to watch them all the way through! I love her clothes in all the films she's been in that I've seen (I don't profess to be a huge fan, I've seen bits of about a handful of films), and I love the clothes I see her wearing in pretty much every photo I see of her. Her life was marred by personal problems, and by the end of her working life, she had a reputation for being enormously difficult to work with. However, her films are very enjoyable, and I could just look at her all day....

Hope you're all having a lovely week so far! I handwashed my underwear and tights etc today! TMI? Well, it's all part of my mission to not go through stuff (tights & stockings in particular) as quickly as I do, so I thought handwashing might help them not get ruined in the machine! Fingers crossed, I'll let you know how it goes.

Currently listening to: Them Heavy People by Kate Bush.

Paris days 2 & 3

2010-09-06T14:59:00.001+01:00

So, here is the 2nd installment of my photos of Paris. Just to reiterate so that you don't expect miracles: I am not a photographer in any way, and I cannot afford a super posh camera (SLRs are totally out of my price range) so we're left with whatever my little camera can do.
Anywhoo, so, here we go!

On the morning of day 2, we walked from our hotel in the direction of the musee d'orsay (more on that later...) and went past a few rather nice sights.
This is the church of St. Madeleine, really pretty. But we couldn't go inside for some unexplained reason, it said it should be open, but it wasn't. Ah well.

Meanwhile, we poodled on down a rue and went past the mothership: (can you tell what it is yet?)

We went via Le Place de la Concorde, but for some really odd reason, I didn't take any photos. Anyway, from there we then went to the musee d'orsay. This is me, outside, just hanging out with my mate Vincent:

It's a really beautiful building, I was surprised. I think I would've enjoyed it more had I been allowed to take photos inside. I kid you not, it was the only place in Paris that forbade photo taking. You couldn't even feign ignorance there were signs everywhere, on penalty of death! (I might've made that last bit up, but there really were signs everywhere, and security guards patrolling to make sure no sneaky photos were taken.) I felt like it was such a shame, because there were some beautiful pieces of art inside and I couldn't take any photos and now I don't remember what they looked like :( Anyway, enough moaning, from outside the musee we caught one of those batobus things. Probably the best thing since sliced bread, because they let you sit down for an hour (depending on where you're going, of course), while taking you to places of touristy interest, with a lovely view. We went under le pont des artes, where if you put a padlock on it and throw the key into the Seine then you're supposed to find love or something. There must be lots of rusting metal in that little bit of the Seine. But it's a cute concept, right?

We also went past Notre Dame (I watched film yesterday. It's pretty good, although I still intend to read the book, I just love Disney. In my little blinkered world, they can do very little wrong!)

Paris has a reputation for being full of beautiful people. I wouldn't have said that every person I walked past was a stunner, but I didn't see one Parisian wearing tracksuit bottoms or anything. Lovely. These 2 were on boat and particularly well dressed. I would've married either of them (not true, but how many men do you see these days wearing 2 toned brogues?!) :

Pont Alexandre III:

And finally, le tour Eiffel:

I've walked up it before, so decided to skip that bit and get the lift. Also, my knee was giving me a bit of pain, I think from all the walking, so I don't think it would've taken kindly to 1000000000 stairs (again, slight exaggeration, but I've done it once, so I'm proud, the end). Some views from the top, le Trocadero:

Then, we decided to walk home, via Notre Dame. For me, it's one of the most beautiful sights in Paris.

I particularly love all the statues. During the French Revolution, they de-faced all the statues on Notre Dame, because they seemed to regal and kingly. They stayed all de-faced until the early C19 when most of them were restored. They left a few without faces, probably to remind everyone of how they used to be?? Maybe.

Then, it had been a long day with a lot of walking, we went to bed. The next day, we went for another long walk, to l'arc de triomphe, which I'd never been 'inside' of before. We didn't go to the top, didn't see the point and it was expensive. But we stood in the middle, and it was really cool. At one end, the view stretched all the way to la Defense, where you could see le grande arche (misnomer in my opinion, it's a bloody square!), and in the other direction, all the way down the Champs-Elysee. There was also a memorial to an un-named soldier of WWI, in whose memory the arch was built, I think. (Please correst me if I'm wrong on any of my historical facts!)

Then we walked all the way down the Champs-Elysee, which is deceptively long. Especially on a Sunday morning when none of the shops are open to browse in on the way down :( (Turns out no shops are open on a Sunday, except on the Champs-Elysee, so that was a bit of a bummer, and half of restaurants aren't open either. Which coming from Britain where everything's open 7 days a week was quite a shock to the system!) Anywhoo, we walked all the way down there, through le Jardin Tuileries to le Louvre.

However the queue to get in was about 100 miles long, and because all of us had been in before, and James doesn't much like art anyway (he hated the orsay!) we decided to give it a miss.

For the rest of the day, we poodled around a bit, and then we had to walk back home via the Champs-Elysee again because some idiot *cough* didn't bring enough clothes to wear and had no top to wear on the way home. That was the biggest detour ever, and we were all very pleased to sit down and rest!

Hope you're enjoying having my holiday snaps inflicted upon you all (this isn't even half of them, I got a bit trigger happy!) and this is inspiring you all to go to Paris!! (I want to go again already!)

Currently listening to: You're so Vain by Carly Simon (did you know Mick Jagger is a backing singer for this song? Listen, he has a really distinctive voice, you'll hear him a mile off! Sort of)

Friend Friday: Copycat Fashion

2010-09-03T13:43:00.002+01:00

Every week, Katy of Modly Chic comes up with a topic that a group of bloggers discuss. I missed last week's due to being away, but if you want to catch up, head on over to her page. Also, be sure to head on over anyway, to look at what everyone else has said about this week's topic!

1) Which side do you take...Copycat designs are a way for the average consumer to stay current and wear runway styles without breaking the bank OR copycat designs take business from the designer and cheapen the value of their work. Explain.

I think that the copycat designs that appear in 'legitimate' shops like H&M, ASOS, Topshop, etc are totally harmless. They make these unwearable and totally unaffordable trends and pieces more attainable. In most cases, those who can afford to shop designer (and who have the inclination) do so, and those who can't, don't. I don't think they take business away from top designers because they both have different target markets.

2) Sometimes we do things, even if they are unethical or illegal (downloading music for free, watching full movies on YouTube). Do you think it is unethical for a designer to copy a vintage piece, make it current and sell it?

I don't think it's wrong for a designer to take inspiration from a design from however many years ago and recycle, rework or reuse it as their own. Fashion is so cyclical, especially these days, so I don't see the harm. As long as there is no plagiarism going on, I see no reason to mind it at all. It's like sharing. Kind of.

3) Would you buy an item that is a very well done copy of a runway garment if it fell within your budget?

Almost certainly yes. It doesn't bother me.

4) According to the fashion laws, at least in the US, apparel design is seen as too utilitarian to qualify for copyright protection. Would you think this is detrimental to the industry of beneficial?

In the first instance, and as a gut reaction, I would say it was detrimental. Everything else has copyright, why shouldn't clothes? However, by there not being copyright protection, then designers have to be sure that there clothes aren't easily copyable by super cheap high street shops, but also, I like the fact that cheaper labels can pretty much mimic anything (ASOS was founded with the intention of just recreating as closely as possible what celebrities wore - therefore usually copying a high end designer piece).

5) Own up...share the things in your closet that is a knock off. You know those things you got in China Town, on the streets of NYC or wherever.

In truth, I don't own any knock offs. Certainly nothing with a designer label that shouldn't actually be there. I own stuff that is supposed copies of runway stuff, but nothing that is a total knock off from a street vendor. Does this make me pure? (ha!)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this week's topic, and you enjoyed my answers! Any comments, please leave them! If you think I'm wrong or whatever, feel free to say!

Have a good weekend!

Currently listening to: Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrman.

Links of the week

2010-09-03T13:32:00.002+01:00

So, here's this week's installment of links I've found in the interweb this week. Because I was away for last week's, I decided to just amalgamate the 2 week's worth of things, because I was away for 4 days anyway, and I still have so much catching up to do! So, here we go:

Harriet has posted a load of pictures of OTK socks, citing them as the perfect autumn transition piece. I quite agree, but always struggle to wear them, so this gives me plenty of inspiration!
This blog Inside Out Style has body shapes explained (go down the Nav bar on the right and figure out which one you are). I'm an X shape, and the description fitted me perfectly! What are you? Did you learn anything useful from this to help you dress to flatter your body shape? (Of course, I'm a strong advocate of wearing what you want, regardless of what all these self help stylist people say, but y'know it can never hurt to wear things that look good on you!)
Une femme d'un certain age wrote about minimalist dressing. I'm definitely quite a fan of minimalist dressing, I've never been one to overload on clothes/accessories!
This journo writes about the things he's learnt from traveling around the world for three years.
Luinae (who's been featured on this list more than anyone else, I'd bet!) lists the things she likes and dislikes about being in generation X - growing up in the 21st Century. Very interesting read! What would be on your list?
A brief history of the corset. With some NSFW pics too (but nothing terrible, just warning you!) I've always found corsets sexy as hell, and this post makes me wish I owned more than one, or that I wore my one more often!

There have been loads more, but I just haven't had time to read everything properly yet, please forgive me blog-land! Hope you're all well, I'm packing to move back to uni tomorrow. It's amazing how much stuff one person has! Even down to the little things like tea lights and holders. It's not like packing for a holiday, that takes about an hour. This takes a day. I've done my clothes and most of my toiletries so far. I'd guesstimate that I'm about halfway through...:( Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Currently listening to: Talk Show Host by Radiohead

Paris Day 1

2010-08-31T18:04:00.007+01:00

Hello everyone, I'm back!

Did you miss me? Haha, anyway, I thought I'd start with day 1 of my adventures in Paris. This is quite a picture heavy post, so I'm sorry about that, I broke it down into days so it wouldn't be so painful for you! And also, I'm sorry for the rubbish photos, as I've said before on this blog, I'm not a photographer with a really expensive camera, and my photos definitely reflect that!

Anywhoo, here we go:

We had a 9.30 Eurostar from St. Pancras, and arrived at Gare du Nord at something like 12.45 French time:

Then poodled along to our hotel, at Place de Clichy in Montmartre.

This was the view outside our hotel room, a typically Parisian street, beautiful.

After a nap and sorting ourselves out, we went for a wander around our hotel and went past the Montmartre Cemetery (which has famous people like Hector Berlioz, Offenbach and Adolf Sax buried in it)

And of course, staying in Montmartre, we couldn't not go past Le Moulin Rouge. We didn't go in, mind, at €80 to literally just be allowed in to see a show (not even necessarily the Feerie one) each, there was no way I was paying that!!

We then strolled past the moulin and walked through the Pigalle (red light district, I think my younger brother might be scarred for life...!!). I saw this fantastic sculpture thing outside le musee d'eroticisme. There was a woman as well, but I preferred him.

We also went past Le Chat Noir, one of the famous bistros, that was commonly frequented by artists at the turn of the C20. So commercialised now, and really expensive, and not really authentic either, so we gave it a miss.

We then took a walk up to the Montmartre Square, where we came across an English woman, playing the hang (which is a bit like an upside down steel drum, with a much mellower sound, if you didn't know, it's nice to listen to actually)

And after walking up all those stairs, we had to see the Sacre Coeur Basillica. Beautiful, right?

Have you seen Amelie? If so, this is the carousel in it. I had my photo taken by it when I last came to Paris a few years ago, so I didn't do it again this time.

Because we had to get up quite early (we caught the 6.30am train to get to London) we had dinner and went to bed after our mini-adventure. I will get the next couple of day's photos up soon, but in the meantime, my reader is bursting full of blogs to read and emails and comments to reply to, so I have a lot of catching up to do! Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Adieu mes amis!

2010-08-26T19:54:00.006+01:00

So, I'm off to Paris for the Bank Holiday weekend. So, I'll be taking a break from posting for a short while. I'll hopefully catch up and show you some of my holiday snaps when I'm back next week.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I'll be back soon.

Tasha x

PS Blogger was being rubbish and just plain refusing to upload any of my photos. I've decided that when I get back I'm just going to use a web based picture host, thing. Any recommendations??

Rainy day in Portsmouth

2010-08-25T21:12:00.002+01:00

Today has been such shocking weather, hasn't it?? Urgh, I went shopping today, and thankfully missed the worst of the rain, got back just in time, it's been pouring it down ever since I got home! Anywhoo, here's what I wore:

I bought some stuff that I've been lusting after for quite a while: the pearl necklace I'm wearing, for example. I've been looking for a nice (but not too expensive, therefore actual pearls were definitely out of the question!) simple pearl necklace. I've hated all these ones with either massive pearls or with all this other crap attached to it, and I'll be damned if I'm paying £15 for a necklace that I then have to alter. Sod that haha! So, finally Accessorize came to my rescue. (for less than £15, too!)

I also bought some new gloves. All of mine have holes in them. A good reason to buy some, right? They're nice, wool, and hopefully will last me at least through this winter!

That's pretty much all I did today. Yesterday and the day before, I made some phone socks, but I'll show you those another time, my pattern, technique and equipment still needs improving, and I don't want to show you all a rubbish one!

Hope you all managed to not get too wet today, I hope Paris doesn't rain too much when I go this weekend! Notice how I just slipped that little one in there...yeah, I know! I'm really excited!

Currently listening to: Nothing by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Style Icon Series: Grace Kelly

2010-08-25T20:10:00.002+01:00

Well, where to start with Grace Kelly!! Actually, I read a book on her in Waterstone's today (I know, I didn't buy it, it's cheaper on Amazon...I know, also terrible, but I was passing the time. Just making it worse, I'm stopping now), and I loved it. It really inspired me to think a bit more about her, rather than just her clothes. In truth, when I initially chose her, I didn't really know that much about her. I knew she was an actress who got famous, then married the Prince of Monaco, then died sometime later. But having read that book, I felt as though I knew her a bit more.

Grace Kelly was born in November 1929, to a fairly 'normal' family. Her father won Olympic golds as a sculler, and then became well off with his building business. Grace attended a theatre school, and became a model to help pay her way through education. After she graduated, she then starred in her first MGM film, Mogambo. This then led her to be in films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, with Dial M for Murder being her first working with this prolific director. After much success as an actress, she went to the Cannes film festival as part of the US delegation, where she met Prince Rainier of Monaco. It is said that within the first 24 hours of meeting each other, they knew that they would get married.

She got married in April 1956, and the ceremony was broadcast on television all over Europe, and together they had 3 children. On 13th September 1982, she died following a car accident. After her death, all the charitable work she did continued, under the names of different foundations: assisting emerging theatre companies, dancers and film artists, helping citizens of Monaco for whom there was no social services provision (eg. those with special needs), in her lifetime she even encouraged new mothers to breast feed.

It is clear after very little research that Grace Kelly was more than just her clothes, although she was known as a style icon in her time as well as today.

I hope you all enjoyed today's style icon post!

Currently listening to: Country House by Blur

Links of the week

2010-08-21T12:12:00.002+01:00

Sorry this is a day late, I'm a bit higgledy-piggledy with everything this week! Anyway, enough excuses, let's just get started!

I've mentioned Megan's blog before in this feature. This week she's written a post about the art of making big decisions, something all of us have to contend with at different times in our lives.
A new blog I discovered this week via A (AKA The Glamorous Grad Student) on Twitter, Angel Cutsforth's blog is called Modern Vintage Girl. It's amazing, she writes about her love of vintage in a way I find really refreshing! She also has an etsy shop which I intend to have a look at soon too!
Sal of Already Pretty (a regular featuree on here!) writes a 'letter to my body'. A thought provoking post on body image, as well as dealing with how we treat our bodies generally, both in our minds and physically.
In very random news: 20 things you didn't know about Sesame Street. I used to watch this on TV every morning at 6am as a nipper, and really miss it being on now :( Also, I didn't know half of these facts!

Sorry it's a bit shorter than normal this week, it's been quite busy relative to my usual weeks!

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! It's my Mum and my Nan's birthdays today (I know, and I'm a week before!), so we're going out for a meal later :)

Currently listening to: Symphony Number 3 Largo e tranquilissimo by Gorecki

Friend Friday: Conspicuous Consumption

2010-08-20T11:36:00.002+01:00

Every week, Katy of Modly Chic asks a set of questions which are pertinent to bloggers in any capacity. In the past she's asked questions about size, privacy, etc. This week we're all discussing conspicuous consumption.

NB. Conspicuous consumption: the acquisition and display of expensive items to attract attention to one's wealth or to suggest that one is wealthy.

Q. Do you think fashion blogs are often just conspicuous consumption? Are some?

In general, I would say no. There are, have been and (probably) always will be some blogs like that, but most bloggers are just normal people talking about their clothes. For me, I much prefer blogs and bloggers to whom I can relate. However, I do sometimes think (or imagine?? Who knows) that there is some kind of 'pressure' for bloggers to have some kind of unlimited wardrobe, so as not to repeat outfits. But of course, real life (for me, anyway) isn't like that!

Q. As bloggers, do we have the obligation to explain our personal financial status, how we pay for the things we showcase, if we have debt, etc...

I partly agree, but mostly disagree. I don't think we are obliged to reveal our finances. Like others have said answering this question, I've been brought up not to talk about finances, or to ask about other people's. If someone asks or there is a reason to tell a story about your finances, then I think it is one's responsibility to speakr as truthfully as possible, but some things are just private I think, sorry. However, I don't think we should pretend that we just have a bottomless pit of money to spend on clothes or whatever, otherwise we can ourselves become very materialistic and consume far too much. More on this in a later question...

Q. Critics often say that fashion bloggers should use their money to support more worthwhile causes than clothing themselves in a different outfit daily. What's your reaction to this?

I would say to those people that they shouldn't judge everyone with their negative viewpoint, and that it's none of their business what I do with my money! I use this blog as a kind of 'escape' from everyday life. I don't talk about every aspect of my life on here, and I know many bloggers who are the same, so how does anyone know about any charity work that we may do? I shouldn't have to justify myself or how I spend my hard earned money to anyone, sorry.

Q. Since you started blogging, do you spend more money on fashion and beauty products?

In truth, now, I don't no. However, I did begin going down a slippery slope about a year ago. I was only reading fashion blogs, not even owning my own blog yet, but I spent a lot of money on clothes. Clothes I saw on blogs, clothes I saw in shops, on the internet, anything that took my fancy, I bought it. Half of the stuff I bought this year I've recently donated to charity in my twice-yearly wardrobe clearout. I am now in a slightly precarious financial situation, with no debt as such, but some potential problems in regards to not being able to afford food or rent at university next year. I only realised earlier this week how bad my financial situation is. Relative to others, it's not terrible, I only had a year of irresponsibility, but my actions can never be taken back, I can never get my money back, and I've been wasteful and materialistic. I've had quite a difficult year in other senses, and really was just buying things to make myself feel better. And some of the worst part of it is that I was in denial about the whole thing!

In the last few months I've been much stricter with my purchases, restricting myself greatly, relative to what I used to, and saving as much money as possible in order to not let this situation get worse. Really, I'm back to where I was before I started reading blogs. I'm really disappointed with myself and angry at how stupid I've been, and I hope none of you have to go through the stresses of not having enough money to cover your rent. Trust me when I say that no item of clothing is worth not having anywhere to live.

Q. Life is about more than what money can buy. What are the things that top your list of what life is all about?

I like this question, it's lovely, I love hearing about the important things in people's lives, and explaining my own, too. The things on the top of my list of what life is about are my family, friends, as well as music and dance.

Hope you all enjoyed Friend Friday this week! Any comments, please write to me!

Currently listening to: Violin Sonata in A major by Cesar Franck

Questions and Answers:

2010-08-19T17:21:00.009+01:00

I wrote a post a couple of months ago about where I wanted this blog to go, and how I'd love for it to help me connect with people with similar interests to myself. I have started to put in much more effort with connecting with other bloggers, as well as paying more attention to my blog. It first started out as a silly, angsty teenage journal (I was having quite a hard time 10 months ago), but I feel now that my blog is slowly blossoming! Each and every one of my followers is special to me, and I love getting comments from anyone who feels they have something to say about my blog! Thank you each and every one of you for contributing to my blog and helping me make it better and (hopefully) more interesting to each of you!

Beautifully Invisible is a blog that I only recently started reading, however it's already become a regular in my blogroll. It's a fashion blog with a twist - she doesn't post pictures of herself or her outfits, but uses words and other pictures to express herself and her views on fashion and life in general. And she seems downright lovely, too! She's tagged me in answering some questions which originated from V of Grit & Glamour (another fabulous blog I recommend you all take a look at!), for which I'm so chuffed about! Thank you! I hope you all enjoy my answers!

Q: Practically everyone is six degrees from a celebrity, political figure or famous person. Will you explain your six degrees of separation from a famous person?

This one has really taken some thought! That's kinda sad, huh?

The first one I came up with was a fairly new British musician called Ellie Goulding. Her album was written and produced with someone who just graduated from my University, who did the same course as the one I'm doing now. Small world, I guess! If you've not listened to her music, it's actually pretty good! Here she is on Jools Holland:

Another one that came to my head around the same time as the Ellie Goulding one is Marina and the Diamonds. Another British group, whose lead singer is the daughter of my younger brother's art teacher. Again, small world!! Here is a video of the band:

To be honest, it's not entirely to my taste, but I can see why people like it!

Q: What have you always wanted to do, but haven't yet?

Jeez, where to begin! I will take Beautifully Invisible's lead, and begin with travel plans. I would love to go to Buenos Aires, the home of Argentine tango, my favourite hobby, and dance, ever. I would love to dance until the small hours of the morning outside, with it still being warm, and watch the sun rise through the street with the best dance partner.

Other than that, some more cities I'd like to visit: Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Venice, Krakow, Barcelona, Madrid, Bruges, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Edinburg, and so many others I can't think of right now!

And in personal terms: Get over my fear of playing the piano in front of people and knock their socks off with my favourite pieces of Chopin and Rachmaninov.

Q: Your favourite meal is:

Easy to answer this: practically anything made by my Italian Aunt. Her food is the best, always.

Q: If you could only save one pair of shoes from your closet, which pair would it be, and why?:

Well my dear readers, it would be my dance shoes. Because I can't dance without them! And the fact that they're the most expensive shoes I've ever bought! They're a bit like these ones below, but in patent black leather.

Q: Which handbag would you buy if money were no object?

Without question a Chanel 2.55 quilted bag. In as many colours as possible! But if I could only have one, I'd get it in black. Obviously!!

Q: Who is your girl crush?
Ooh, I would say Christina Hendricks. She's curvy, beautiful, talented and confident in herself, what more could you ask for?

Q: What is your vice?

Haha! I have so many! A choice selection: Spending money I seriously shouldn't, not really knowing as much about music as I ought, The Jeremy Kyle Show, and eating too much food, all the time, every meal time when I'm at home with my family!

Q: Last song you listened to:

Valentina Igoshina playing Chopin Nocturne in C minor. I'm learning it at the moment, and hers is probably my favourite interpretation, even better than The God That Is Vladmir Ashkenazy. And the way she's so totally immersed in her playing and the music. That is what I aspire to every time I play!

Now, it's my turn to tag some of you! I'm sorry if you've answered questions recently, but here we go:

Krystal of Village
Daisy Dukes of Outfits Anon
Danni AND Maria of Frills'n'spills
Sherin of HiFashion
Luinae of More Magic Always
Christine of TTDWAICL (it's a really long title, she'll understand!)

These are special mentions, I'd love to hear everyone's answers to these questions!

Currently listening to: Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

Style Icon Series: Princess Diana

2010-08-18T20:05:00.004+01:00

Really, I'm a tad too young to remember Princess Diana properly, but I will always think of her as Our Princess. A beautiful woman, who had a very kind heart.

Born in 1961, she'd be 49 now if she'd have lived to today. However, she died an early death in 1997. (I remember that, because she died on the day of my 7th birthday party.)

I didn't want to google her, I just wanted to use my memories of her, so this bio/info will be a bit shorter than some of the others I've written. As I've said, I don't remember an awful lot about her, but I remember her as a woman who wanted to help others, particularly those in Africa suffering as a result of AIDS. Her death was overshadowed by her affair with Dodi al Fayed (sp?), but it's not uncommon for marriages to split, just because people are royal does not mean their marriages can result in unhappiness. Really, I feel sorry for William and Harry.

Anyway, let's not get too political, let's just remember the woman for her kind, big heart and her beauty.

(That's John Travolta. Little fact for you there!)

Currently listening to: Sexy Boy by Air.

Hope you're all having a fab day!

If I were...

2010-08-17T12:51:00.002+01:00

Source

If I were a month, I'd be September

If I were a day of the week, I'd be Friday

If I were a time of day, I'd be 7pm

If I were a planet, I'd be Venus

If I were a sea animal, I'd be a porpoise

If I were a direction, I'd be South

If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a big, fluffy, comfy chair with lots of cushions and blankets

If I were a liquid, I'd be water

If I were a gemstone, I'd be a sapphire

If I were a tree, I'd be a willow tree

If I were a flower, I'd be a tulip

If I were a kind of weather, I'd be warmth

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a piano

If I were a colour, I'd be black

If I were an emotion, I'd be calmness

If I were a fruit, I'd be an apple

If I was a sound, I'd be the sound of a symphony orchestra tuning up

If I were a car, I'd be a Ford Fiesta

If I were a food, I'd be spaghetti

If I were a place, I'd be my bedroom

If I were a material, I'd be silk

If I were a taste, I'd be sweet & sour together

If I were a scent, I'd be vanilla musk

If I were an object, I'd be a piano

If I were a body part, I'd be hands

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a smile

If I were a song, I'd be La Ritournelle

If I were a pair of shoes, I would be Comme Il Fauts

Sourced via More Magic Always

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-08-17T11:27:00.005+01:00

Sorry I've taken a few days off from posting, it was my birthday on Saturday, and I've had a really busy few days, and this is the first chance that I've had where I'm not either too tired or haven't got enough time to write a half decent post! I'll do things backwards, cause it just makes sense in my head that way. In the evening, my grandparents, parents, my brother and I went to a lovely Italian restaurant near my house. I've been there a few times before, and it's kind of more expensive than we usually pay, but the food is delicious! (We first went there with my Italian godparents. If they like the food, I'm sure it's good enough for my English pallet!)

Earlier in the day, we went on a boat ride around Portsmouth Harbour, looking at all the boats that are stationed there. I never realised how many warships are stationed in my home city, it's really cool! At the moment there are about 20 different boats, including the Ark Royal, which was kind of cool! The boats were just too big for me to manage to get a whole one in a photo, so I didn't bother, it was astounding how big they were though!

This is Portsmouth's Millenium tower. Finished in 2003/2004. Yeah, we're a bit rubbish! I haven't been up it yet, but my parents say that you get really lovely views of the Isle of Wight and the Solent. Sounds really nice!

This is the HMS Victory. Yup. :)

If you had super good vision (and a better photo), you'd be able to see my house :)

That's the HMS Warrior. I think. Portsmouth's got some cool stuff!

This is called Spice Island. No guesses for what used to happen here! The white building in the middle (ish) of the picture is one of my favourite pubs ever. It's called the Still & West. If you ever go to Portsmouth, go there. (but only on a non-rainy day, otherwise you won't really like it very much!)

Portsmouth City Council have recently commissioned an artist to make a 100000ft (possible exaggeration) dinosaur on Southsea Common. Cost a few million pounds. And it's right next to a war memorial. Generally an atrocious idea, but cool to take a photo of. Once.

I had a lovely birthday! :)

I'll be back tomorrow with the Style Icon of the week, and hopefully some outfits too over the course of the week!

Also, I've recently dyed my hair black. So black it sometimes looks blue. I'm not entirely sold, but it was my choice! And it'll grow/wash out soon enough!

Currently listening to: The Ballad of Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim.

Links of the week

2010-08-13T18:29:00.002+01:00

So, here are my links of the week this week. I think it's pretty lengthy, but I like to bring you all as much as possible, in the hope that I introduce everyone who reads this to something new at least! Here we go:

Firstly, 3 posts from a blog that I've just discovered: Beautifully Invisible: The first post lists 10 women who make being curvy sexy. It lists women of all shapes and eras who are and were beautiful and who have such self confidence. A nice little inspiration! The second post is about being a US size 14 (UK 18) and shopping. How most 'pretty' and covetable clothes only go up to a US 10 (UK 14). Do you think this is unfair? The write of this blog certainly thinks so! The final post talks about Vogue Italia's controversial Water/Oil shoot. Personally, I agree that as much as it's great and has raised awareness, not giving readers prompt or aid to help as well as purposefully ruining thousands of pounds worth of clothes as well as the usual product placement you get in such magazines, I think this is a terrible way of making a statement. Vogue should seriously consider the repercussions of its actions. As well as the obvious that the money spent on ruining those clothes could've gone straight to the Gulf instead.
Ballerina Project: Such amazing photos, made me wish I'd kept up the ballet more!
Shopgirl/Emily asks whether Christina Hendricks is the attainable curvy role model she's billed to be.
Sal from Already Pretty talks about what truly makes a person who they are. An interesting and inspiring read.
My Milktoof is a blog that isn't updated half as much as I wish it were. It features 2 cute little plasticine teeth. Sounds weird, I know, but just do with me on this. The latest installment: The Art of Lardee
Luinae from More Magic Always writes 'If I were...' and comes up with all sorts of lovely ideas and imagery. I'm going to have a go of my own soon. Read it, then tell her what you'd be :)

Hope you're all having a lovely week! It's my birthday tomorrow, so sorry if posting takes a bit of a hiatus over the weekend, I'll be too busy having a good time, promise ;)

Currently listening to: Phat Planet by Leftfield (the song from the Guinness Ad from all those years ago, if any of you know what I'm talking about)

Shabby day

2010-08-12T16:26:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was a bit of a shabby day for me, I spent the day practicing the piano and my local 6th form college (they're lovely and let me use the Yamaha Grand there to practice over the summer when I'm home), so I just wore a random top and a skirt. This skirt is shorter than I usually wear without tights in the summer (no one wants to see The Wobble do they!) but to transition it a bit more (it was still a bit too warm for tights...at least that's what I tell myself) I decided to try out these OTK socks that I bought in Topshop while in London last week. I was especially inspired to wear them after Leia, Maria and I talked about them on twitter the other day. We mentioned the dangers of looking too much like a schoolgirl or a wreck (a la Lindsay Lohan), so I hope I don't look too much like a wreck. I felt a bit silly wearing them, but hopefully with time I'll just get used to them and stop feeling like such a wally.

Tshirt: Random place

Skirt: Primark

Cardigan: M&S

Socks: Topshop

Nail varnish: 'Heather Grey' (I think) from Topshop Makeup

Sorry the pictures aren't very good to see these socks, I don't have a tripod or a person to take these photos, so I'm reliant on various surfaces in my room, none of which are at quite the right height!

Today I went to Gunwharf Quays (it's less rubbishy than the website makes it out to be. Honestly it's probably one of the nicest places to eat, shop or go out in Portsmouth!) and bought a reallllly nice coral coloured 100% silk blouse for £13 (bargain, I know). So I'll probably wear that tomorrow and show you all that :)

Currently listening to: La Ritournelle by Sebastien Tellier

Style Icon Series: Penelope Cruz

2010-08-12T09:39:00.002+01:00

Ok, so possibly not known for her edgy fashion-forward choices, but I've always thought Penelope Cruz is stunning. I like the fact that she's not usually into making huge statements with her clothes, she just sticks to classy, classic clothes and makeup. She really reminds me of a modern day Sophia Loren, and just as beautiful.

This grey number is something I'd wear! I don't know what designer it is, but I can guess from the photo that she wore it while promoting Volver (which I still haven't seen, but mean to).

This is one of her more daring outfits (for the red carpet, it's pretty tame, but I really dislike it when women wear these really stupid dresses) but it's still quite classic and it doesn't date.

Being a spokesperson/model for L'oreal means she has a barnet to envy, and boy does she! Her hair is probably my favourite thing about her. Who wouldn't want locks like that! I'm sure that for a normal person like you or I, it'd be a nightmare to style but with the team of people she has pretty-ing her everyday, I'm sure it's easy for her!

Sorry this is a day late, I spent the day practicing the piano yesterday, and totally forgot it was Wednesday and I had to post something! There will be yesterday's outfit post too coming later today.

Currently listening to: Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper.

Hope you're all having a lovely day!

Valentino, my love.

2010-08-09T16:32:00.005+01:00

Today, I really felt the need to get out of the house alone. As much as I love my family, I'm itching to get back to uni life and spend some time alone, with total freedom. Sigh. Anyway, so I went out for a few hours into town, sat in the park with a Starbucks while being rained on by a fountain and some stray gusts of wind (Nemesis No.2, don't you know), caught up with a friend whose been away for what feels like ages, and did some browsing of some shops.

Here's what I wore, firstly (get the boring stuff out of the way first!):

Brown blouse from H&M & a basic black pencil skirt, I also wore some brown heeled sandal things (first outing with heels since the Op, people!)

Here's a close up detail of the blouse. Pretty in't it. Its colour also makes me looked really tanned, which is weird, cause I'm pretty pale in comparison to my usual Summer-glow. (I'm trying to go for the pale and interesting, instead I end up looking like a normal English person who doesn't tan, yuck).

Anywhoo, I needed some moisturiser, so I popped into Boots and spent more than I intended, as is normal for me & that shop:

(My paws were shaking at the excitement of telling you about the next 2 things, hence the fuzzy photo)

I then popped into TK Maxx to look at their homeware stuff (I know, I'm middle-aged already) and went via their scarves. I found these beauties:

A Moschino 100% silk scarf for £15!!!!! It's not even Cheap & Chic, it's actual Moschino. Wowza. I continued looking, in the hope of finding another nice silk scarf (I spend so much money on them, but they remind me of The Best First Lady Ever: Jackie Kennedy).

I stumbled across this:

Okay, so it's not as impressive looking as the Moschino one, but it's Valentino. The label said current season, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere on the internet, so I don't know whether that means it's A/W10 or S/S10. But, who cares, it's Valentino!!!

Usually, I'm not one for labels at all, if I can find the same thing cheaper sans label, then I will just buy that, my pride doesn't care about such things, as long as it's pretty. However, something went off in my head at the discovery of these 2 scarves. I don't think I'll ever become a label addict, but a few nice pieces are always worth it, and let's face it, silk scarves never go out of fashion. My life is complete, and my scarf collection is growing and my bank balance is getting closer to the red every time I leave the house!! :/

Anyway, I hope you're all having a good day!

Currently listening to: Waltzinblack by The Stranglers.

PS. It's my birthday soon, and I'm stuck with ideas as to what to do to celebrate, any suggestions??

A few days in London Town

2010-08-08T14:32:00.006+01:00

So, I got back from London Thursday evening (having had spectacular delays on the train. It takes 1 1/2 hrs usually, and we caught the 1.30 train and got back at 6. Yeah, I know. sigh) Anyway, since then I've been catching up on other things, so haven't had a chance to do much blogging, so for that I apologise. Also, blogger has the tendency to unorder my photos whenever I upload them, so they're all out of order! I'll put captions underneath each one, so that you can follow what's going on. Also, just so you all know in advance, I'm the most terrible photographer, so don't expect art, sorry!

This is the street where we stayed, you could see the Covent Garden Plaza out of the front windows of the flat. However, I wouldn't recommend you actually use these flats (there were 3, all the same that they owned), because we had so many problems with them! They've ended up giving us a large (ish) amount in compensation, just so you know how bad it was! Anyway, onto the photos in no order at all:

This is my brother, dad and myself on the first night (we all photograph terribly together don't we) before we went to see Avenue Q. More on that later :)

This is James and I on our first afternoon in the Covent Garden Plaza. I could just sit there all day, it's really lovely, just have a cup of coffee and people watch all day!

We went for a bit of a wander around the shops etc nearby, and here's a mugshot my mum took of me...I look so grumpy in all these photos, I promise I'm not!!

James & I outside the new Apple store, he was so excited by it, he's a total Apple fanatic!

This is night 2. My Dad and I went to the Proms (yay!) I was thrilled by this. We saw the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra play Mahler's 3rd Symphony, probably one of myfavourites of his! I'd never been inside the RAH either, so this was a double honour for me, as it's a dream to play there one day!

This is day 2 in the V&A, this is one of the chandeliers inside the restaurant. The V&A (Victoria and Albert) is my favourite museum in London, for definite. I can spend all day just wandering around all the exhibitions, I have spent weeks in there probably with all the time I spend there. And I always donate on my way in. It's free, but I always feel as though you should pay some money whenever you go in, because the stuff in there, albeit priceless, deserves to be looked after as well as possible and that costs money, unfortunately.

A cool sculpture of an elephant outside, made entirely of wood. This is the back, I didn't get the front, because as you can see it's full of people and wouldn't have looked very nice haha.

I love these flowers, they were everywhere outside in the V&A garden/courtyard bit, I've forgotten what they're called but I love the colours and how big their flowers are

Possibly one of my favourite sculptures at the V&A. We didn't manage to stay for long because we had to get back to eat dinner in time for our Prom (squee!) but this one really caught my eye. I can't say I know anything about art/sculpture, I just know what catches my interest, I think this is beautiful.

The courtyard outside the V&A, you can see the wooden elephant in the far left corner. I think the building is beautiful, you don't think that when you see it from the outside on Exhibition Rd!

Mug shot while sitting down with a coffee.

The amazing glass chandelier in the entrance hall. The last time I went with the whole of my family was the year this was installed, there was such a fuss about it, now it's just treated as part of the furniture. However, I am always in awe everytime I walk underneath it.

Another chandelier, this time from the Wyndham Theatre on our first night for Avenue Q.

You weren't supposed to take photos of the stage or even in the theatre, but I did it sneakily, I didn't feel as though it was going to do anyone any harm!

If you haven't seen Avenue Q, and you get the chance, take it! It's the 2nd time I've seen it (I last saw it when it first came out about 4 years ago), and it was even funnier this time round. Our tickets weren't that expensive either, even though we were very high up, we still had a good view. The muppets are so cute, and the actors are very talented in the way they act through the muppets, but also act themselves. And it's very un-PC, which makes it even funnier!

We also walked past quite a few of Boris' Bike stands. Quite a good idea I think, hopefully it will be a success like the Velib in Paris, and actually stay this time!

In other news, this happened to my chair as soon as I got back!! :

So I had to buy a new one. Instead, my parents let me use one of their old Windsor chairs from the loft. It's really pretty, and I'm sure it'll creep into a few pictures soon :)

Hope you're all having a good weekend, sorry for the picture heavy post, but I hope you all enjoyed a little glimpse into my mini break!

Currently listening to: 99 Luftballons by Nena.

Style Icon Series: Esmeralda

2010-08-07T12:33:00.003+01:00

Ok, so maybe you'll all think I'm crazy having chosen a Disney character as a style icon, but who didn't love Esmeralda when this film first came out?? I was 6 when this film came out, and remember being so excited by it. I even wore the video tape of it out because I watched it so much! Being a little bit older now, I can see the flaws in the story that Disney produced; don't you kind of feel sorry for Quasimodo at the end, being 'dumped' by Esmeralda for the rather 2D but typically-handsome Pheobus? I haven't read the book, but intend to get round to it at some point (as with many things). Anyway, there isn't really much to talk about regarding her clothes, makeup, accessories or anything much, because she really on has 2 outfits throughout the whole film! This red number and the purple & white one below.

The red number's probably my favourite, partly because I'm a red person, but also for all the stuff that comes with it - who wouldn't want a pretty gold crown and a magic scarf thing that allows you to disappear with a poof of smoke?!

I also love her hair! But most Disney leading ladies have some fabulous hair which us non-animated people could never hope to achieve! Oh to be animated, eh?

I also love her goat (whose name has totally escaped me, but I had a fluffy toy of him, adorable!!) I would love to have a goat like that as a pet, that followed me around everywhere, a bit like a dog but with less walking?

Anyway, if you haven't seen the film (shame on you!!) then I really recommend that you watch it, it's probably quite cheap on Amazon, being relatively old if you want to buy it. And it's also on TV around Christmas most years too. To be honest, I don't watch it for the clothes, I watch it for the reminiscence and generally just being lazy and not having to think. Feel good film :)

Currently listening to: Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe/Newswipe Playlist on Spotify. SO good. It's got everything from Roots Manuva to Donna Summer to John Williams' Imperial March from Star Wars on it!!

Hope you're all having a good weekend, I'll hopefully do the London post this evening or tomorrow :)

Friend Friday: Blogger Privacy

2010-08-06T12:33:00.002+01:00

Katy from Modly Chic has a weekly feature where she asks questions which are pertinent to bloggers. This week she talks about Privacy. Here are the questions she asked and the answers I've given:

1. Do you think privacy is something we should think about as bloggers?

Privacy is definitely something that we should be aware of on the internet in general. It can be easy to just bury your head and not realise that there could be all sorts of trolls hanging around the internet!!

2. Do you use a pen name or your real name? What was behind that decision?

I use my real name, but only my first name. It's a fairly common name, so it's not going to be particularly easy to track me down with just that on its own. If I get to know a blog friend a bit better I would add them on facebook, but I'd rather not that everyone knew my whole name, it opens all sorts of worries and questions!!

3. How much personal information do you reveal about your life outside the blog?

I reveal some stuff, but not too much. I hope enough to keep things fresh, but I'm still quite new to this blogging business! I generally keep to the rule that I don't blog or talk about anything that I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to a total stranger that I met 5 minutes ago. (Of course I think it's a partly generational thing, because my grandparents think I reveal far too much about my life on the internet!)

4. What will you never reveal?

I will never reveal things about my private life or, as I said above, something I wouldn't be prepared to reveal to a total stranger. Particularly in the internet culture of constantly being connected to other people via our phones or similar, makes it very easy to slip into revealing all sorts of things about ourselves, sometimes mundane, and sometimes just a bit too much...

5. As bloggers we have, to an extent, made ourselves 'public figures'. But there are still things that are intimate to each of us that does not need to be known by anyone that stumbles across your blog. How do you determine what is appropriate for public consumption and what is private to you?

I guess I've kind of already answered this question, but I only ever write about things that I would tell a total stranger. That way I know I'm 'safe' in my own little way.

I hope this all made sense. What do you think about blogger privacy issues??

Currently listening to: Sweeny Todd Original Broadway Cast Recordings.

Links of the week

2010-08-06T11:23:00.002+01:00

Sorry I haven't been posting as much this week, as the post below says, I've been in London for a few days and haven't had the time or opportunity to blog! Those of you who follow me on twitter will have seen a few tweets here and there, but I've just been too busy to sit down and tweet! I will post a few pictures of my break and do this week's style icon over the weekend when I have more time, but for now here is this week's links roundup (a bit shorter than normal, sorry!)

Mademoiselle robot tells us what she thinks about the new film 'Coco & Igor'. I'm actually quite excited about this film because it encompasses 2 of my favourite things: Chanel and Stravinsky! It comes out on 6th August over here, (ooh, that's today!!) so I will endeavour to see it soon, because I don't think it will be a big box office smash so it might not be around for long!
How to tie a scarf from Wikifashion. Useful little thing, especially because I never know really what to do with my ever-expanding collection of silk square scarves! I really want to try out the 'Grace', but it could be tricky to do without looking like a granny...!
'On Glamourising Vintage life': We're asked whether we consider the context of our sartorial choices. Personally, I think as much as fashion is influenced by its society one can look at them both separately. The same with art and music too. I think you can choose whether you want to contextualise it. However, I do disagree with glamourising the hardships of people in any way.
I rather love Gala Darling and her intrepid playgirls idea. This particular beauty from her site: A Gossip Girl on acid style guide
College Fashion tell us what their modern classics are. Do you agree?
Why won't Chanel or the rest of the fashion industry talk about their new plus sized ranges?
Elle UK asks what our obsession with nail varnish says about our society.

Any comments on these? Please let me know! Hope you enjoy them!

Brief Break

2010-08-02T21:14:00.003+01:00

I'm off to London 'til Thursday, so regular posting will be put on a brief hiatus until I'm back. I'm hoping to take loads of pictures so hopefully there'll be plenty of content for when I'm back, as well as the usual: Style Icon and Links of the week! Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Sh-Sh-Sh-Shopping.

2010-07-31T15:46:00.004+01:00

So, today my brother (James, who you've all already met) and my Dad (who you haven't) are off to see Spamalot at the Mayflower. I am jealous. We booked it a long time before my operation and decided that I might not be able to sit through a 2 hour production without being in pain in a cramped theatre and decided against booking me a ticket. I would've been well enough to sit through it, but that's life, as they say.

So, to make myself feel better, I went shopping. Firstly, here's what I wore:

Nothing special, just a dress from Primark that I've had over a year and has lasted surprisingly well! I like the flowers, and all the colours. Made me feel 11/10 as I was walking along. Here's what I bought, not very much, and all necessary, but pretty, too:

Some Miffy tissues for my bag, cause I've run out and only have a box. You can't keep a box of tissues in your bag!! Or can you...to be investigated later. A new makeup bag from Soap and Glory, as mine hasn't done up for a long time. And some nail varnish:

17 are currently doing a 2 for £5, so I bought a strengthening base coat and a nice blue. I wanted a pink as well, but that would've cost more, so I restrained and just bought the 2.

It rained on us once while we were shopping. Not fun. But trusty black umbrella came to the rescue. This is what I wish my umbrella looked like:

Anyway, despite the rain and the fact that my umbrella looks nothing like that, it was nice to get out. Hope you're all having a nice weekend!!

Currently listening to: The Dr Who prom. Find it on iPlayer and listen to it, would've been better if we could've seen it on tv, but the sounds will do!

Links of the week

2010-07-30T17:55:00.002+01:00

Here's this week's installment of 'stuff I found interesting on the web this week'

The Glamourous Grad Student tells us what's in her bag. Like her, I LOVE these posts, I love having a nosy peek into other people's lives. I intend to do one for myself, once I actually start leaving the house with some regularity. (I sound like a recovering agrophobe, or similar)
Amy from Confessions of a Fashion Editor gives Nati Hell from Fashion Bloggers, Why an interview to enlighten us on the choice of content on her blog. An interesting read to say the least...
Emily AKA Shopgirl from Sugar and Spice is going to Paris in October. I'm going over the August Bank Holiday and am just as excited as her!
Leia from Leia's Delights has shown us the recipe for the most delicious looking chocolate cake ever. My weight nemesis Number 2: Chocolate stuffs.
Fierce Frostings gives us some swish ideas for getting a perfect morning routine. Something I intend to implement when I'm back at uni!
Candice from Super Kawaii Mama gives us advice on getting your groove back after a hard time. Personally, I've been struggling with being stuck at home a lot, both on a personal and health level, I'm really missing exercise, (and I NEVER thought I'd have said that 5 years ago!) as well as just pottering out and about.
This is Megan from Charade Style's Paris on a Budget Part 2. Because I'm going soon, I read this article with great interest and excitement! It covers places to eat, stuff to do and what to take. She also did a Part 1, which is about finding a place to stay, but because I've already found a place to stay, I'm concentrating on this one

We currently have workmen in installing our Virgin fibre optic broadband. This means blogging will be easier and faster for me now, yay!

But it is rather noisy, so I'm currently listening to: The Stranglers - Peaches

Walkies around my house

2010-07-28T20:19:00.005+01:00

The physiotherapist told me that I have to be off crutches and will be running around when I see her next (this coming Friday). So after dinner today I decided to go for a walk with my younger brother around where I live.

We live near a Naval Estate, and there are a load of garages near our house that belong to the Naval houses:

This is James, my brother. He's nearly my height is is going to be 15 in October...scary.

This is a campervan. I found it quite comforting to see a third of the way through our walk. Its colour & style make me feel 11/10.

And those sunflowers, also comforting in their yellow tallness. I give them 10/10, they could be taller, definitely.

This is pretty much the view that my parents have from their bedroom, wow, eh?

This is what I wore haha. Not so interesting, but I like my skirt :)

Top: Sainsburys

Skirt: M&S sale

Shoes: Clarks

Belt: M&S sale

(This sounds rather similar to an outfit my mother might wear...but it's kinda cool :D)

After much persuasion, I got James to take a photo with me, all smiley. It took about 5 attempts for him not to have his eyes closed or his face screwed up. The result isn't perfect for either of us, but it'll do.

Hope you're all having a nice evening, I'm currently watching Eight Legged Freaks and being freaked out. I've asked them to change the channel, but they won't. :(

Style Icon Series: Carrie Bradshaw

2010-07-28T13:00:00.003+01:00

A woman on many people's 'Icons' list, and for very good reason. Her style is quirky and sometimes a bit outrageous for my taste, but when I'm in any need for any style inspiration, I can always look to Sex and The City, and in particular Ms Bradshaw.

I've chosen 3 of my favourite outfits from the series (there have been MANY, it was a struggle choosing only 3!):

Thigh-high socks can sometimes be an issue - you can end up looking either like a schoolgirl (an old one, in my case!) or a slut, frankly. It can be really hard to wear thigh high socks and not look stupid. This outfit it styled wonderfully. No slut or schoolgirl at all. Lucky Girl.

Also, I find them really difficult to source cause I'm a bit taller than average. It means that all one size ones only go up to my knees, not over them :( If anyone has any tips or ideas on where to find them, (for a reasonable price) then that'd be lovely.

This look for me is all updated Hepburn. Ok, so she could've done with less pearly necklaces, but...well I just love it.

I love this outfit the most. It's when she's in paris, and everything about it is fabulous. The length of her coat matches her dress - something I think look amazing, but something I never manage to do. And I've always had something of a love affair with polka dots, but never really worn them an awful lot...
And finally her ubiquitous, albeit fictional closet. I dream of a closet like this, but then again, don't we all!! She did keep clothes in her oven, and always ate out...how she managed to afford it will always be beyond me.

Listening to: The news. Trying not to get aggravated.

Who is your style icon?

Dreaming of Autumn...

2010-07-26T11:05:00.002+01:00

Usually, I am a huge fan of Summer. And in the UK for the last few years we've had nothing but Shoddy Summers for the last few years - rain and cold, with 2 or 3 weeks anywhere between May and September of Warmth and Sun. I am a fan of Warmth. I am a fan of Sun. But I am also a fan of Cold. This summer has actually been ok, fairly Warm and Sunny for the most part. But I am already wishing for Autumn to come. I bought this dress in the Sale from H&M yesterday. It's the same (I think) as the Purple one that's in my July challenge, just in a different fabric. Actually, I prefer it like this. The fabric is heavier and the lining is different so it hangs better when I wear it. But it's very Autumn-y. See below:

Of course I Autumn-ed it up with dark ish lipstick, but it's a good length & will look fab in the colder weather with all sorts of Autumn-y coloured accessories & tights. Mmmm.

Lots of good things on tele recently - BBC's Sherlock Holmes is a fine example. Personally, though, my world will be complete when Strictly Come Dancing is back on: Nice to see you, to see you....?

Currently listening to: the Piano Tuner who's turned up a week early to tune our piano, and given me some advice as to what to buy...as always, I'm looking for a new piano :)

Cheerio.

Links of the Week

2010-07-23T13:52:00.003+01:00

A roundup of my favourite reads from this week:

Fashion blogger bashing: Grechen blogs asks why are fashion bloggers such easy targets?
Who I write like? This has been doing the rounds on a lot of blogs. I write like Cory Doctorow apprently...I have no idea who that is, but I intend to google it!
Leia from Leia's Delights wears a Salwar Kameez and explains a bit about its use and different ways to wear it. Really interesting and a fascinating glimpse into a different culture!
Megan from Charade Style gives us tips on how to do Amsterdam on a budget, as well as sometips on different places to go. Part 1 & Part 2 here.
Sal from Already Pretty talks about uniforms and how they restrict or give freedom to our choice of clothes each day.
Luinae from More Magic Always explains why she's saying No to Kindle. Do you agree with her?
Part 1000000000 in my French Obsession: Beauty secrets from swish Parisiennes.
Which Mad Man are you? I got Jane Siegel, but really wanted Joan. Jane will do for the meantime though ;)
10 style tips from Clueless (released 15 years ago this week) that will never go out of fashion...sort of.

Let me know what you think about any of these links!

Currently: Listening to the LOTR: Fellowship Of The Ring Soundtrack. Ordered all 3 in a box set from Amazon for £17! Bargain! Possibly going through an obsession at the moment. But who cares, fabulous books, amazing world, etc.

PS. Got my stitches out today, and now my cuts are much less sore, so hopefully sleeping will become more comfortable now. It feels like I'm on the home stretch now, but really I'm halfway through my rehab time, but hopefully I'll be off my crutches by mid-week next week :)

Style Icon Series: Maria Callas

2010-07-21T11:36:00.006+01:00

So for the first Icon in my series, I decided to choose a woman who maybe some of you mightn't have heard of: La Divina, Maria Callas.

A bit of a bio: She was born in New York in 1923, and received her musical education in Athens, before singing in Opera houses all over the world. Her voice was and still is, however, controversial, it inspires as many as it bothers. Technically, there are, were and will be many better singers, but for me, Callas' acting will never be beaten, she lived her characters, I only wish I could've had the opportunity to see her sing live on stage. She died in Paris in 1977, aged 53.
As well as being a huge musical inspiration to me, her style was something to be envied too! Typically of ladies of the 50s and 60s, she always looked immaculate and beautiful. Her clothes were classic, and her makeup was always fabulous. I also like her because she was quite tall for her day, 5'8 and a half - my height exactly! (Sounds silly, but I've always had a bit of a complex about being taller than average!) As a musician, singer and woman, she is a huge inspiration for me, and maybe with a bit of research, she could be one of yours too.

Here's one of my favourite arias, sung by my favourite opera diva, in 1964 at the Royal Opera House, London. If you can, watch. Do you get goosebumps like I do when you watch this? Her acting is so...pure, I guess is the word I would use.

Do you like this feature? Let me know, I've got quite a few inspiring ladies to feature, is it something you'd like me to continue with? (I kinda plan on doing it anyway, but any tips to make it better or anything, let me know!)

Currently: watching PMQs (Prime Minister's Questions, to non UK-ers!)

Tentative Ventures Outside

2010-07-20T11:05:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was my second venture outside since The Op. I went for a mini-Walk on Saturday and was Punished for it in the evening and the following day, so I took it easy for a while. Then yesterday I went into town to go Shopping. I bought a new pair of (flat) shoes which I'll show you when I'm back at uni, so next month sometime.

Anyway, here is this dress again. Baring in mind I haven't Dressed for a week, my uniform has been leggings & a long top, I felt that this Familiar and Comforting dress would be nice.

I also did my hair and makeup all nice...kinda. You can't tell in photos very well what my makeup looks like, does anyone else have that problem? Maybe it's my dark hair or something...Anyway, I quite like my hair in this, although as soon as there's a bit of Wind (Number 2 Nemesis beaten only by Rain/Precipitation in any form) I look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards!

And here is my poorly knee. It doesn't really look that special, and frankly it's well on its way to being better now. I can potter around my bedroom without my crutch (only ever a few steps here or there, so no marathons yet!). Once I've had my stitches out it'll only be these 2 tiny bits of scar tissue, very clever this keyhole surgery!!

I'm having my second set of physio today. I'm not entirely sure what I think about it because my legs are quite strong because of the dancing I do, so the exercises I've been given don't actually do anything, I did them while watching TV yesterday all the way through a half an hour programme, then I got bored of doing them, not even tired. I'm supposed to do 10 reps. Sometimes I doubt that physios know quite how strong dancer's legs can be? I was talking to a few of my dancing friends and they said they've had similar problems when they've seen a physiotherapist.

Does this sound arrogant? I don't mean it to, I've rarely had reason to be proud of the strength of my body (I've never been a sporty person) and now that I've found something that has made my body stronger and fitter I'm proud of it. And I will still do my exercises, because even though I have strong legs, I don't have the same medical knowledge as a physiotherapist! :)

Currently listening to: Hungry like the Wolf: Duran Duran (80's Revival in my House today!)

Links of the week

2010-07-16T12:38:00.002+01:00

As part of my plans for my blog to grow, I've decided to include some links of blog posts that I've enjoyed over the past week.

Une Femme d'un certain age talks about the rising interest in mid-century fashions that are taking us by storm.
Shopgirl tells us about the essentials in her wardrobe, and I've found many similarities between us, in fact. What would be in your essential wardrobe?
The Glamourous Grad Student explains what a fashion inspiration Daphne from Scooby Doo was for her, do you have any interesting style icons to share?
Gem Fatale shows a cute DIY to make an old watch a bit more stylish. Something I might try over the summer!
As a fellow dancer (albeit of a different kind) I found Luinae's Dance Survival Kit post quite interesting!
Bored with what you have in your wardrobe? Pink Nyaa gives us some tips on how to organise a great clothes swap.
Sal from Already Pretty gives tips on how to make thrifted clothes look spendy. Do you like her tips?

Hope you all are having a good friday, enjoy your weekends!

Currently watching: Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (Extended DVD Edition), LOTR-Day 2 :)

In personal news: I had my first physiotherapy appointment today - I wasn't in pain when I came out, which is a good thing, as physios sometimes have a bad rep! Mine was lovely, in fact. Anyway, she said that I didn't need to use 2 crutches around the house anymore, just if I decide to go out for a shopping spree I should use both, and that I should try and walk around as normally as possible. Also, that hopefully I should be off my crutches within the next week or so! So a quick recovery, yay!

So, what happens now?

2010-07-15T11:59:00.004+01:00

What I would like to achieve from/with my blog...

So far, it feels as though I've not entirely been expressing myself properly in my blog, which I guess is why I'm not writing very much or with an awful lot of regularity. I mean, my life isn't very interesting anyway, and we all have days where we don't do much or feel as though we have much to say, so how does one overcome this?

Currently, my posts focus mostly on outfits from the day and then the odd little thing about my life and fashion inspiration. Now, I don't know much about runway fashion, I like reading about the odd bit of high fashion here or there, but I don't really like blogs that are purely editorials or about runway fashion, they just don't suit my personal interests.

So, having written this post, I've decided that I would like to live up to the name of my blog a bit more and include more about lifestyle, my fashion inspirations, things that I've learnt etc. not just in fashion, but in music and life in general.

I don't know if any of you would find this interesting, but I initially started this blog after being inspired by Belle de Jour. I read a few of her books and looked her blog up and over the course of a few weeks read the ENTIRE thing, all the way through the archives. I adore the way she writes and wanted to emanate her style: mysterious woman, enigmatic, intelligent. However, if you look back to my first couple of posts, it reads more like a teenager's angst-ridden diary!! Totally not where I wanted it to go. So I stopped for a while, but continued reading blogs that I admired and slowly began to understand what I liked to read, and tried to create something individual of my own. But perhaps I haven't really done that until I really thought about it now...so, hopefully now the content of my blog will become more interesting for you all, and myself. I guess having a few weeks to think about things will be beneficial!

I'll try and get together some ideas and some regular post ideas together while I can't walk, in order to come back with outfit posts as an addition to my blog, not just the substance, cause I don't really think it's that interesting!!

I suppose I haven't really said what I'd like to achieve, but I know more where I'm going now, which is definitely a start. Really, I'd like to be an inspiration to my readers the way so many are to me.

If any of my readers have any advice or ideas, then I'd love to hear from you all, with any of your own experiences, etc. I don't know why I'm finding it hard, but perhaps among such a sea of bloggers it can be hard to find your own identity?

Tasha xx

Currently: Watching Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring (Extended DVD Edition...geek!) It's a good way to pass the time when you can't walk :)

Days 1,2 & 3!

2010-07-08T19:18:00.003+01:00

So, I've been really lazy...kind of. I have stuck to my dressing challenge, but I forgot to take any photos yesterday or the day before - by the time I got in from work I was SO knackered that I just couldn't face it. Those of you who have me on facebook or on twitter will know that I've been invigilating exams at my local 6th form college for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and boring as it is, it's been SUCH a long time since I actually did a 9-5 (or 8-8 in the cases of these days...) that I really struggled, I'm so old!! Anyway, so I took a photo of what I wore today while I was actually wearing it, then a la Daisy Dukes of Outfits Anonymous I put Tuesday & Wednesday's outfits on the bed, just so you can see what I wore. I haven't done them as well as she does, I'm farrr too tired (I walked from my friend's house back home today...about 5 miles. It took me an hour and a half to get home...SO tired!) to do a proper job, so sorry!

Can you kind of tell that I'm tired by the fact that this post has become a little rambling?? Also, I've just discovered (was shown by my techno-genius little brother) how to use iPhoto on my mac...I've only had it a year...!

So, firstly, here's what I wore today:

I know it seems like SO recently that I wore this dress on the blog, but I have no intentions of dressing up purely for this blog (sorry, but that's just me), and in all fairness the last time I wore this dress was the last time it was on the blog, so y'know it's not like I wear it all the time!

Dress: Esme & the Laneway's Blog Shop

Belt: Came with a dress, from H&M

Slip (not seen, but that's kind of the point!): M&S(!)

A gratuitous swirly photo, while dancing to a remix of La Roux's 'going in for the kill' (hate the song, rather like the remix, it's a good invigoration song...)

Here is what I wore yesterday, sorry the detail's not very good, I could blame Blogger for that?? Just some red crops & a white shirt. I needed to look authoritative, yet approachable for these exams - I needed to be treated like an equal by the other invigilators (they all knew that I was there cause I'm good friends with the head of performing arts...) but also look friendly to the kids doing exams.

Red crops: M&S

Blouse: Charity shop

Finally, on Tuesday I wore this skirt (which seriously needs an iron!!) and a random black tshirt that is in my 20/20 challenge list. The skirt is by Tommy Hilfiger, but I got it from TK Maxx a few months ago for £14. I forget how much it should've been, but I quite like it. It does have some shirring and a bow, but because they're in the same fabric as the skirt (duh) it doesn't show up very well in the photo...

I'm having my operation tomorrow, so there will in all likelihood be a BIG gap in posting for a while...possibly a week? Sorry. I'll still be reading, but I won't be able to take any photos, due to not being able to walk haha!

Currently listening to: Lived in Bars by Cat Power.

Sorry if this post is all rambly, I am hitting the hyper/tired wall right about now...

Dressing challenge

2010-07-05T09:58:00.003+01:00

Another one. I'm kind of taking inspiration from Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 and The Glamourous Grad Student's post on capsule wardrobes. I'm going to take 20 items and remix them everyday until the end of July. So far I have 17 items & I'm going to add shoes later. SO here are my remix items so far:

4 dresses, all of which I wear really frequently, hopefully good choices...

2 skirts, both of which are pretty much the only skirts that fit me properly! (I have a relatively small waist in proportion to my hips...fail)

aaaand 1 pair of red crops, 6 tops and 3 cardigans: 2 black, 1 brown.

And finally my trench (there's another jacket on the hanger, out of pure lazyness I didn't remove it for the picture).

So, my mission is to only wear these things for almost a month. Of course this will be a problem for about a week, because I'm having a knee operation on Friday, which will mean that for about a week I'll be unable to move my left leg, so the outfits might go out of the window...but I will always try my hardest.

Wish me luck!!

Pimms and Lemonade

2010-07-01T14:47:00.003+01:00

Well, the weather here has taken a turn for the worse....it's been blue skies and 25C for the past few weeks, and now today it's currently cloudy, with the odd spot of sun and about 19C. Boo! No longer Pimms and Lemonade weather :(

This evening is my younger brother's end of year school concert, and after slobbing around the house the yesterday (in a nice dress, but no makeup, not done hair, etc), it's nice to have something to do in the evening today. Here's what I'm wearing:

Recently went to Specsavers to get my eyes tested, and found out that I'd gotten doubly blind over the last 18 months!!! It was so embarrassing sitting in the opticians and him saying "So, can you read this?" and me going "no, I can't even see that there are letters there...". So, a good chance to get some new accessories! £137 later, I got an eye test, and 2 pairs of glasses: one normal and one prescription sunnies, which are SO cool. These are my new glasses, and I get my sunnies tomorrow, and I intend on showing you those too! What a gripping life, eh?

I'm currently trying to do a lot of practice on the piano (I'm not really doing a lot, but for being at home I'm doing ok - averaging about 2/3 hrs a day) I'm currently learning:

Chopin Ballade No.1 in Gminor. Listen to it, it's much easier to listen to than my other recommendation ;) Probably one of my favourite pieces of music ever.

Currently watching/listening to: Wimbledon Women's Semi-Finals: Serena Williams Vs Petra Kvitova (prior to this year's Wimbledon, Kvitova has never won a grass match in her LIFE. Wow, this looks like it's going to be a good match...)

Shameless self-promotion

2010-07-01T13:14:00.002+01:00

I've just joined Twitter. Possibly I"m a bit slow and should've done it wayyy sooner, but I thought there's no point in being proud about it, so a bit of bandwagon jumping is going on.

Follow me @Notoshtosh.

Once I figure out how to use this infernal blogger, I'll have a little sidebar twitter feed...thing. yeah.

Outfit post coming later today/tomorrow, I LOVE the dress I'm wearing today!

Currently listening to: Slow by Kylie Minogue. What. a. woman.

Ant Music

2010-06-29T11:13:00.002+01:00

This weekend we (the family and I) went to Emsworth Mill Pond, which is about half an hour's drive away from my house and went for a wander around. I didn't take that many pictures, but I found my dream house:

And the weather was GORGEOUS! The clouds were so 'perfect' looking, they kind of reminded me of cartoons. Like at the beginning of the Simpsons...does anyone else see that or is it just me?
Anywhoo, here's what I wore:

Look at how pasty I am! I'm trying not to tan this year - I have plenty of moles, and quite naturally olive-y skin anyway, but I don't want to a) die of skin cancer at a young, or any, age, (the majority of malignant melanoma cases in the UK are for 15-35 year olds...scary) and b) get really wrinkly (over 80% of wrinkles are caused by sun damage, also scary, but in a much less serious way)

In much less serious news: I went to the hairdresser recently. She cut my fringe too short which I HATE when I have a too short fringe, because my hair gets pretty unruly when it's cut too short, meaning a nice fringe is out of the question. Also, I asked for a nice wavy beach-y blow dry and I cam out looking like a poodle. NOT impressed. If I wanted really curly hair I'd have asked for it?? Hairdressers clearly don't know moderation.

Today, I'm off to sing in a concert with my college. We're singing Poulenc's Gloria, which if you haven't listened to, I would give it a go. It took me a few listens to really appreciate it, but now I love it!

Currently listening to: Stars and Moon by Jason Robert Brown.

Volvic

2010-06-24T10:05:00.004+01:00

I was just checking up on my dashboard this morning, and checking all the blogs that have had new posts while I sleep (because I follow a lot of US/Australian blogs, there are often quite a few!) and came across a new post on Outfits Anonymous. I read through it and it kind of touched me. Under the pseudonym of Daisy Dukes, she posts outfit ideas with new and classic ways of styling all sorts of clothes. She has such imagination! Also, as an American ex-pat now living in Cyprus, she's always on the lookout for american stores that ship worldwide. Another great resource! (I hope these facts are all correct, please let me know if there is anything wrong and I'll correct it straightaway).

In her kindness she's given me this:

My first blogging award! Yay! I'm so pleased that my little blog is helping me connect with new people :) And every comment is always appreciated, and always makes my day, so thankyou to everyone.

5 things about myself: ( this is going to be hard...but a good challenge that everyone should embrace!)

1) Hard working

2) Conscientious

3) Honest

4) Caring

5) Perfectionist (sometimes a curse, but I like to think of it as a blessing!)

I'm going to email my people...and because I need to find them first! I'm doing this quickly before I go out. Keep posted for an update hopefully later today!

Currently listening to: Jeremy Kyle and drinking Volvic, hence the really boring title...

Just a little something

2010-06-19T21:48:00.002+01:00

So, I know it's not an outfit post, but I just came across something on the internet which kinda of made me think twice about things. I'm sure many of you are aware of the Suffragette movement in the early 20C in England. Votes for women and all that, I'm sure most of you (from the UK, anyway) will have learnt about it in school. Us women have these incredibly brave women to thank for our votes today, and they all deserve our respect. I'm sure many of you also have heard of Emily Davison dying at the Epsom Derby. She ran onto the racecourse in front of the king's hourse, was knocked to the ground and died soon after. She was holding one of the famous 'Votes For Women' banners and it is thought that her intention was to put it round the horse's neck. Amazingly, this piece of footage still exists:

Emily Davison

(Sorry, I can't figure out how to embed a youtube video on here, so that is the link)

I know it's a very random thing, but this footage really does make you pause for a moment, it's shocking. Definite food for thought.

Daily Outfit 18th June

2010-06-17T15:32:00.002+01:00

So, here's my first blackout outfit post. Nothing special really, and this is me in the morning, before I've finished my makeup! The dress is Vintage, courtesy of Esme and the laneway. Lovely dress, and a perfect excuse to buy another slip! I've started trying out the brown smokey-ish eye, I think it works pretty well, but you can't really see it in these photos, and all the other photos I took came out really badly :( Taking photos is hard when you don't have a photographer or a tripod!! The weather has been so nice the past few days, but now it's all grey and overcast. Typical England eh, never more than a few days at a time!

Currently: About to watch Jeremy Kyle. Amazing.

the non-blackout

2010-06-11T15:51:00.002+01:00

Hello!

So, this isn't a blackout post, like Sal would like, but today was an important day. Today I got my phone sorted by Orange. For a good couple of weeks now I've been having problems with it, its internet connection, everything. I was even completely disconnected from the network at one point. And when you're paying £25 a month, you expect your phone to work, no excuses. I've spent many many hours (I think about 4) on the phone to customer services, to no avail. Being transferred to many departments, none of whom understood my problem so promptly transferred me to another department. None of whom would even give me their employee numbers to help me keep a note of what was going on...how many Sue's do you think work for Orange??...Anyway, so today I went back to the shop that originally sold me the contract. Insisted (nicely) on speaking to the manager, and he got it sorted. To be honest, I don't think he did anything differently to what I or anyone else would've done, they have to phone customer services too, but at least it's fixed. But after going into 5 different Orange stores on 5 different occasions and spending hours on the phone to them, I was not impressed. So, today I decided to put on an authoritative looking outfit. Black pencil skirt, white cropped see-through blouse, my chanel rip-off jacket (will be shown another time) and (one of my) my black heels (also to be shown another time). Paired with red lipstick and my hair up, I felt as though I looked serious. Sorry blackout, but I did it yesterday, today was one of those days where black was needed, and I guess it worked!

White blouse: Charity shop.

White tank (underneath blouse, for modesty!): Sainsbury's(!)

Pencil skirt: Primark (although I need a new one, this is falling apart.

Red lippy: Maybelline, red glamour.

Tonight I'm going dancing, and more black will be featured. Dancing outfits will not be featured in the blackout, because they count as exercise clothes (albeit very nice ones).

Summer black out

2010-06-09T22:43:00.002+01:00

Ok, so a week turned into a biiiit longer...

Anyway, one of my favourite bloggers, Sal from Already Pretty, is running a week long black out. Basically, this means that we're not allowed to wear any black for a week (7th-14th June is the official one, but I'm starting mine tomorrow because I always run late!). Check out her blog for the rules, but feel free to adapt them as and how you feel the need.

Personally, I think it's a great idea, I'm really reliant on black, especially in regards to dresses - whenever I don't know what to wear I just stick on a black dress and I'm ready to go. So this will be a good challenge for me!

I know I don't have many followers, but I encourage you all to do your best to tone down the black, especially in the summer!

Now that I'm home I'm going to try and get more outfit posts done, I've got the time!

Currently listening to: Family Guy...the one where Stewie and Peter are made to bond with each other... haha :)

Neglect

2010-05-21T11:59:00.004+01:00

I've been a very neglectful blog-mum recently, and for that I'm sorry. In the middle of an exam period at the moment, so a little bit busy with revision, practice, and concerts. By this time next week, I'll be done, so hopefully, I'll be back in business. Also, I left my camera lead at home, so next weekend I'll pop back and pick it up, so I can put up all the pictures that I've taken but can't put on my computer! In the meantime, here's what I'm kind of wearing today, on my head at least:

I look a bit like a washerwoman, but I don't really care. I kind of like it, and cause I'm kind of a sweaty betty and we've been having glorious warm (ish) weather recently, I thought it would be a kind of glamourous alternative to having sweaty looking hair :)

currently listening to: Nocturna by Tosca Tango Orchestra (I'm in the mood for dancing didn't you know, instead of revising, boo!)

2010-03-31T13:30:00.003+01:00

Just reading up on Mahler for an essay I need to do, and have found some of the lyrics from his Kindertotenlieder. It's heart-wrenchingly beautiful. As is his tenth symphony; always left incomplete...(my favourite reworking is by Cooke).

The lyrics are by Ruckert:

Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgehn,

Als sei kein Ungluck die Nacht geschehn!

Das Ungluck geschah nur mir allein!

Die Sonne, sie scheinet allgemein!

Du musst nicht die Nacht in dir verschraenken,

Musst sie ins ew'ge Licht versenken!

Ein Laemplein verlosch in meinem Zelt!

Heil sei dem Freudenlicht der Welt!

From the first Kindertotenlieder. Beautiful...my rough translation (you can probably find a better one on the internet somewhere, but here's mine):

Now the sun will rise as brightly,

As if no misfortune had happened in the night!

That misfortune has fallen on me alone.

The sun, it shines for everyone.

You mustn't keep the night inside you,

You must immerse it in light eternally!

A small lamp has been extinguished in my household;

Light of joy in the world, be welcome.

Oh, Mahler!

Randoms

2010-03-28T19:50:00.005+01:00

So, the other week, my friend and I were at the train station, and we saw this:

now, the reason this is worth mentioning is cause at the time on the poster that poor little dog was so airbrushed that you couldn't even see Richard Gere's hand. This got me thinking, how are humans supposed to cope when even cute little fluffy dogs are airbrushed within an inch of their lives? Now, this isn't a dig at anyone/anything in particular, it just make me chuckle. Also, apparently, posing with giraffes in Harper's Bazaar is really 'in' right now:

Chloe Sevigny for Russian Harper's and Demi Moore for US Harper's. Maybe it's a trend? To be honest, I preferred Demi's set of pictures, mostly cause of those UH-MA-ZING Alexander McQueen shoes she gets to wear in the shoot, but also cause she just looks so damn GOOD. Although that's not to put down Chloe's shoot at all, but she's always gorge.

Both photos from Cocoperez.

Anyway, am currently listening to: Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos. Will go to watch district 9 with the family in a bit. Bye!

Wishlist

2010-03-11T15:28:00.012Z

So, starting out with Marc Jacobs A/W 10. This bow on the dress is amazing. And the bag, although it's at a pretty bad angle in this photo I love too.

Also love this dress, although not sold on the rest of the outfit with it, truth be told. As separate entities they all work, just maybe not together...
And mostly, as those who know me will know, my new obsession is all things furry and fluffy. This shrug is the best of all things furry and fluffy.
Next up, Chanel. I don't really like the way any of the sites have covered the Chanel show, it's all about the detail, y'know, and there are too few close ups for my taste. Anyway, I really like the look of this tux-esque ensemble. Classic and chic, just like Chanel should be.
I love this dress, tweed featured heavily in the collection, as well as fur (yay!), although I don't like these boots. Sorry, but they reminded me too much of a yeti.
Finally, for Chanel. This entire ensemble is beautiful with a capital B. The fur 'stole' round the edge of the coat, the dress with a bit of lace (once again, set to be big this winter), the white tights and white fluffy bag. Monochrome is totally my favourite thing. It kinda makes me wish it were really winter-y again...
And last, but certainly not least, Alexander McQueen's final show. Stunning and bittersweet. Influenced by Byzantine art and old Master paintings...people are saying this is his best collection ever. Death does tend to do that to people, however, even if he hadn't passed, this'd still be one of my favourites of his ever.

Here are my three favourite outfits from the collection:

All pictures courtesy of Dazed and digital.

Fluffy and dangerous

2010-03-08T13:29:00.004Z

So, today I decided to wear my new fur coat (faux, I confess, don't start paint-throwing yet). But, cause it's so big and bulky I haven't a clue what to wear it with :( So, I got my friend Chloe to help me figure out what to wear it with. I'm sitting here as I type wearing it, cause my room is SO cold today for some reason I haven't fathomed yet... but I feel like a cross of Pat Butcher and a hooker, pretty-woman stylee. So not a good look. People stare at me when I wear it too, and my arm has been frequently assaulted with touches from my classmates (which, truthfully, I don't mind, I like the attention haha).

I'm going to ask my friend Chloe (who also has a blog here) to take photos of me for this blog, so I can start showing you (my 0 readers) my outfits when I feel there's a particularly interesting one in the pipeline.

Now, I'm going to go the library to return the books which are due today, and then maybe go for coffee with a friend, I should give him a ring. Then, gospel choir later, yay! (I know, I'm a geek, but I am a music student after all)

Currently listening to: Milonga de los Perros - La Chicana. Such a tune. I just wish I understood more of the lyrics, what with it being in Spanish and such!

PS. I don't know why the fonts have changed size. I am a blog pleb, clearly.

Musak

2010-03-06T17:31:00.005Z

So, I went to my friend's DJ set in the end...and danced to dubstep all night. I wasn't sure about it at the time, but having had a couple of weeks to think about it, dubstep has grown on me majorly. I would recommend listening to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ3UJKxeFco

Ellie Goulding is hotly tipped for this year anyway, and this remix is (maybe, possibly) better than her original.

In other news, this photo:

is truly amazing. I can't wait to find out how much it costs, and potentially buy it.*

Off to gay night in my union tonight, which promises to be fun, it's always a bit of a giggle this night, the atmosphere is always better than at other nights, and it's less predatory too.

Currently listening to: The Slits - Ping Pong Affair.

*I would never actually buy it, cause it will be pricey, and I don't have the finances available to buy a Giles Deacon bag and not actually use it. In fact, I don't have the finances to buy a Giles Deacon bag in any case.

2010-02-20T10:04:00.005Z

Updates:

So, I haven't written for a while properly, and have just gotten out of the shower to the revelation of: friends.

Weird, right?

Well, no. Leading up to today, I've had a decision to make. Do I perform as one of a gazillion in a concert that I shan't enjoy for numerous reasons, but that is kinda part of my degree. OR do I spend the evening/day and tomorrow with my wonderful friends in London. It's a dilemma, cause I've know about this concert since October time, and this only came up a few weeks ago. (Well, that's no strictly true, but you understand my meaning.)

My decision was made thus: I have done SO MANY concerts of this nature, I have these experiences coming out of my ears, and yes being part of a chorus for Beethoven 9 would be another great experience, but once I'm a proper musician (ha!), my friends will become my networks, and will potentially get me jobs. And no just that, they're friends, the most important people in your life apart from your family, they are your support network if nothing else, so I can't just abandon them at the first (albeit musical) opportunity.

So, my decision is made. I'm just going to pop into town first and do some charity shopping, to see if I can find anything to wear, cause at the moment I'm really stuck for inspiration!

Currently listening to: Mahler's 10th Symphony, conducted by Simon Rattle. mmmm.

2010-02-11T15:49:00.002Z

RIP Lee McQueen (of Alexander McQueen fame, for the 2 people in the world who didn't know)

He will be missed xx

2010-01-29T13:38:00.003Z

I saw a dog with stripes like a tiger on the way to the train station today. The men at the station were particularly helpful today, sometimes they're a bit grumpy. There were japanese people next to me taking photos of each other. At a train station. Odd. A homeless/drunk man came up to me and asked me if he was on the right platform to go to Woking. The conversation went something like this.

Him: "'Scuse me"

Me: "Yeah?"

Him: "I wanna go to Woking"

Me: "Ok...?"

Him: *stares at me*

A few seconds pass...

Me: "Well, I think you're on the right platform"

Him: "Are you sure?"

Me: "Well, no I don't work here, if you want someone who's sure you should ask a guard. "

Him: "D'you think you're being funny?"

Me: "No, I'm just being honest"

Then he sat down next to me on the seats and waited for a train to Woking. Thank god it was the next one that turned up...

Had another quite surreal moment today. You know when you see two clocks and they both tell different times? Well the two digital clocks on the platforms I was sitting between were about 40 seconds apart. You can't help but wonder what the philosophers of this world would write about that...Alas, I'm not one of their party, but it's worth a thought isn't it...

2010-01-25T11:11:00.004Z

2010-01-18T11:19:00.002Z

I just read this on a website, while procrastinating from doing my revision:

"I can't listen to that much Wagner, ya know? I start to get the urge to conquer Poland" - Woody Allen.

Oh Woody, only you would say such a thing. Certainly made my day that bit brighter

Currently listening to: Simon Schama's BBC programmes on Barack Obama's first year as US president.

2010-01-17T17:13:00.002Z

So, I'm back at uni, after being snowed in for the better part of almost 2 weeks. Am back, with exams and assessments and all sorts going on. Am also back to face the music (or lackthereof) with QB. It would be nice to just rub along ok, without any stupidity (which is mostly on her part, to be completely honest, even if I say so myself) and childishness (which is all her, but hey ho). Have begun making an effort with more of my coursemates - we're having a movie night tonight, which will be nice, as long as we watch a good film, not some crap. Have missed S a little bit, she's due back from work in about half an hour, so it'll be nice to catch up with her a little bit before movie night.

Have an exam on tuesday, a piece of just-now-completed coursework due in tomorrow, and another piece not due til feb, which I have done on paper, but can't complete until I get Sibelius on my computer, which will hopefully be happening tomorrow. Have also printed out a few spare coursework submission forms, cause I'm cool like that (I want to do well! I WILL do well...hopefully). So yeah. Am also hunting down houses for next year. I have 2 people to share with so far, so that'll be good. Will get cracking with that on tuesday afternoon, in between practicing alone, practicing for someone else's assessment, dancing and generally being relaxed now that my first semester and uni is well and truly over and done with :) I can't believe that I'm halfway through my first year already, how time has flown. It's weird, cause I don't feel as though I've been here long enough to have learnt half a year's worth of stuff....but apparently I have. Well, the proof will be in the exams and coursework feedback. I hope to get my first ever UG essay back tomorrow, it's in the filing cabinet apparently, I just have to get it back...eek!

Anyway, am currently listening to Radiohead: Exit music (for a film). Although that's literaly just finished, and am now listening to Grace by Jeff Buckley.

Quote of the week: "Only monarchs, presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial 'we'". - Mark Twain. Genius :)

2010-01-08T17:01:00.002Z

Am currently watching 'Ready Steady Cook', while reading yesterday's Guardian. I know, how middle class. To be honest, I don't really have much to say today, I'm mostly writing out of boredom - not being able to leave the house due to snow is pretty cabin-fever-inducing. Am even debating going downstairs and cooking. I KNOW! If I don't have to, I won't cook, and therefore won't eat. Although the advantage of staying at home is that you have someone to do that for you - Mum. :)

Anywhoo, back to uni next weekend for les examens. But, I have 1 exam on the tuesday, the rest of the week off and then the next 2 weeks off cause the 2nd semester doesn't begin until 8th Feb. I'm paying money to have more time off? disgraceful! Anyway, it shouldn't be too bad, means I can come back home to normal life, as opposed to student life, which I really don't think I'm well made for. I don't do dirty (and by dirty, I mean mouldy, full of washing up, people not wiping the surface after they've chopped meat on it...the list goes on) kitchens and bathrooms, I don't really do frequent binge drinking (the occasional bit's alright, every few weeks I'm happy to go out) and I'd much rather go to a nice quiet pub/bar and have 2 glasses of wine, or go to see a band/live music than go clubbing. That doesn't sound like your typical 19 year old student, eh? I'm just old before my years. I just don't belong in student - ick - land.

Anyway, aside from ready steady cook (it's nearly finished) I'm just about to listen to In Rainbows. I don't often enough sit down and just listen to albums in their listening order, which means I never get to know an album well enough. Damn you itunes! So yeah, that's my mission for today!

Sale purchases

2010-01-03T19:41:00.004Z

Went on an actual spree today, it was immense. Bought 3 skirts, a dress, a bag, a hat, 3 tops and a jumper. All for something like £80?? bargain! Will (try to) post new pics soon. Also, am really looking forward to warmer weather so I can wear my new trench coat - it's way too cold at the moment.

Tomorrow am going to practice the piano allll day, so that I don't feel completely behind, as I have my first piano lesson of the year on tuesday. Will try and practice as much as I can mentally handle on tuesday too. I've let my music slip recently, and I have gotten that guilty "you're letting yourself down" feeling. Woops. But nevermind, I'm going to be attempting to make up for it now.

I've been reading loads of people's blogs, and I don't really feel as though I am a 'divergent student' as much as a boring student procrastinating my work, writing a diary of my daily emotional/material/musings on t'internet. Ah well, can't win 'em all.

Am just about to go and watch 'No country for old men' with my dad now, so there's no currently listening. fab stuff.

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-01T15:01:00.002Z

Cause it wouldn't be new year without them. These aren't really interesting at all, but it feels better to write them down.

Practice the piano more. (I don't do enough at the moment)

Smile and laugh more (read: find funnier friends/spend more time with funny friends)

Dance more freely

Eat less (alas, this one again)

Enjoy studying more, and study what I enjoy more

Spend more time with people that I love who won't be around forever

Find nice young man to have fun with

Wear nicer clothes, buy from charity shops more.

This is all I have so far, it might be subject to additions, I don't know.

Am currently listening to: Fleetwood Mac 'Rumours'. Definitely one of my top 20 albums :)

Happy New Year!

Tidings of comfort and joy

2009-12-24T14:09:00.003Z

So, it's Christmas eve, and I'm home, finally. I actually arrived home a week ago, but haven't had chance to sit and collect my thoughts. I'm seriously debating looking at going to a different uni next year, transferring and finishing somewhere that the course actually fits what I want out of a degree. I do, to an extent, feel as though the course has been mis-sold to me, and that what's expected of me in a performance context should not be expected of someone who's (in theory) straight out of college - I feel that a conservatoire would've been easier and less pressured in fact (from what I understand, anyway, obviously I've not been there and only have my friend's accounts to go on). So that's going to be looked into in the new year, with the help of my tutor at uni, and maybe some help from others as well (maybe Rhodes still yet has a part to play in my education, who knows). In any case, I have plenty of work to be getting on with over xmas; even though I'm not planning on staying at uni, if I enter another uni at the 2nd year (which is what I plan on doing) then I'll still definitely need good grades (a 2:1 would be good!) to give me a good average into my 2nd year elsewhere. So I'll be practicing and working hard after xmas.

Today, I'm going for a meal with some friends from home (college, more specifically). For a cheap xmas meal at the beefeater. They're coming round to pick me up at 10 to 3, so I still have a little while to kill, I may well do some practice!! (or not, depending on how I feel haha).

Anyway, I don't have any readers to wish a Happy Christmas, but I'll wish everyone out there a happy time anyway. Hope your Christmases are as jolly and whatnot as I hope mine will be.

I forgot to add, I'm currently listening to: Peter, Paul and Mary - Early Morning Rain

2009-12-11T22:33:00.002Z

So, what a fucking disaster the last few days have been. I can't be arsed to go into details, cause I've relived the moments over and over again in my head, but suffice it to say that I am no longer on speaking terms with QB. Not that I really give a flying fuck, mind, but I had hoped that we'd stay on friendly terms until the summer when I never have to see her big-nosed face again...

alas, that was not to be.

So, worse things have happened at sea, but it's knocked my confidence rather a lot, it must be said. I am taking consolation in the fact that I have a number of wonderful friends who accept me for who I am (opinions and all) and enjoy my geeky stories, and who like my sarcasm. I don't really see it as being such a problem, and y'know what?? Someone who doesn't accept me for me is not worth my time anyway. I've only known the girl for 9 weeks, and she's already judging my family and myself. Now, I'm not usually a big family-orientated person, but I won't stand for someone else badmouthing my little brother; he's an absolute darling. This is just an example of why she's angry with me. Well, QB, I've got something to tell you: fuck right off, I dont' want your little princess life interfering with mine anyway. cunt.

So, am looking into solo living next year, as a-student-living-in-a-house-with-a-family type thing. Seems a pretty good deal, and I won't have to put up with any shit from some jumped up 18 year old, either. And it's mega cheaper - score!!

In other news, my family came up to visit me this eve, which was a nice break, although I much prefer going to see them, cause it means getting away from the hell hole that is currently my house. (I like being able to eat scrambled eggs with peanut butter on toast whenever I choose, thankyouverymuch). After the concert on saturday, am going straight away on sunday morn. Just to get away. I NEED to get away. Even though QB's not here this weekend, I don't give a damn, it's just a nice excuse to go somewhere else, somewhere a bit different. :)

Am currently listening to: Vladimir Ashkenazy playing Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude. Gorgeous sleepy-time music. As is most Chopin played by either Ashkenazy or Barenboim. Both are ah-may-zing.

So, I haven't slept in a few days, maybe I'll get straight to sleep tonight. Wish me luck!

2009-12-04T00:42:00.004Z

Went to my dance class as usual on tuesday (told the housemates I was having a date, to get them off my back...it kind of was one anyway) and I flirted my little socks off with a boy who's caught my eye for a while. Unfortunately, there's a newbie to the class who's also taken a shine to him (and every other man in the room, but nevertheless, she's still shown an interest in the one I'm interested in). Well, what was a girl to do? I wanted to put her down and make fun of her all night, and when a man brought up how 'intense' or 'bubbly' she was, I agreed, but was always ladylike in my manner (when really I just would like to think that she's a bit of a slag, but she's foreign, so maybe they do things differently from where she's from, who knows?). Instead, I danced the night away with lots of nice men, and P (the boy), and we danced vertical-sex-esque for all of the dances we danced. He took my number. Great, however....what happens now? He hasn't called/texted. So I emailed him asking if he'd like to go for coffee next week. Presumptous? Maybe, but friends go for coffee too. But I do think he's interested, there are quite obvious signs there, even for a shy boy. Now, if only I could improve my ballroom skills, without paying £35 p/h for the privilege!!

A, currently listening to: the club that's a 5 minute walk from my house but whose noise still manages to permeate my walls of an evening. AND the chinese people upstairs fighting/talking loudly/shouting/doing weird things I have no desire to think about at nearly 1am when I have a 9am lecture. Needless to say I can't sleep.

2009-11-29T20:11:00.002Z

Ok, so you know, the last post was a bit...well, harsh. However, that is kinda how I felt at the time. But, I've spoken to the girls about it, and I think things will improve now. Let's hope so, anyway.

In other news, I (well, I say 'I', it's actually my immune system) decided to go into meltdown this week. I spent 3 days throwing up into a bucket in bed. B-E-A-UUUUTIFUL! yeah, it was pretty gross to be honest. But the three days I spent not doing anything made me realise how little I actually DO on a daily basis. So I've turned over a new (academic, this is) leaf, and am gonna work super hard from now on. Today for example, I've caught up on the lectures that I missed (bar, one, but I need to get on the girl who said she'd give me her notes, I plan on doing that after this (see, super organised)) and have written a 2,000 word essay today. and I only started working at 12pm, and have cocked about with loooads of 'study breaks' (hey, a girl can't work all the time, right??) Just think what those few hours have done for my studies-ego :)

Of course, I do have lots to do still, having slacked about for a little bit too long, but I'm ready for the hard work to recommence! Let's go!

Am currently listening to 'Shine' by Take That while celebrating the fact that I've done an essay, despite the fact that my printer hates me. Perfect celebration choonz.

2009-11-24T17:50:00.003Z

Calvin Harris seems to like all sorts of girls....personally, I struggle with girls as friends sometimes, particularly the ones I live with. I love them all, don't get me wrong, but they can be very unforgiving, and I've found they don't very often make an effort. There's always a Queen Bee, and if QB doesn't want to do something, then she'll be damned if anyone else is gonna do it. If I wanna go into this shop and she wants to go home, I'll end up going to that shop on my own and walking home on my own. In the rain.

Now, I'm not usually one to moan about these things, friendship is about give and take, right? but it happens pretty regularly, and I begin to question whether they actually give a shit...even though I know they do. I think.

And maybe it's just a blip, it's QB's birthday tomorrow, so we're going out tonight (and tomorrow) to celebrate...so she's probably just feeling a bit self-centred. Although the others could at least pretend to have a mind of their own once in a while...

Anyway, I bought a fabulous dress, so I don't really care.

Am currently listening to Jose Gonzalez while drinking vodka and eating cannelloni. While not even pretending to myself to be doing any work.

2009-11-22T13:49:00.002Z

Saw L last night, was lovely to be around a friend who you don't always feel that you HAVE to make an effort with all the time. Not that I don't love my new friends, but you know what I mean. It's nice to just be around someone who knows you inside out, and who you know inside out. Had to sit through some tragic music, but it was worth it just to see her.

Just gotten back from visiting the parents, which is always nice. Being spoilt is the way forward. Fortunately, none of the housemates are in (not ones that I really speak to anyway), so I have some time to myself to get on with a few things. Like this, for example. Also a chance to write a cantus firmus (yeah, I know) and start typing up this report I need to do. Eurgh. It's not too bad, but y'know, a weekend off here and there wouldn't go amiss - cause I haven't done any work (to speak of) at home, I now have loads to catch up on now that I'm home. (having 2 homes is confusing, and expensive, I need 2 of everything. Almost feels as though I'm leading 2 lives, which I guess to a degree I am. Anyway, I don't really have anything to say, I just fancied writing to no one in particular, cause it's not like anyone reads this shite anyway, it's just the stream of consciousness of some student.

Am currently listening to Pink Floyd while writing a cantus firmus in the renaissance style. Lovely.

The beginnings of a diary

2009-11-21T21:15:00.000Z

Like most women, I've kept a diary of varying sorts since I was about 8 (what the hell did I write about when I was 8 anyway?) The internet seems as good a way as any to keep one - at least I'll never lose it this way.

The stuff I write about won't always be on the day it happened - I carry round a notebook to note down interesting things that happened to me during the day. Or notes about my studies, for example: "Hit TSH over the head with a book saying 'Pedagogical' on the front, in the hope he never says it again" (I'm all for scholars and teachings, but seriously? You've made your point now, sweetheart.) I won't explicitly name my friends/collegues/professors in my blog, that would seem to me to be unfair, especially seeing as they don't know I'm writing this.

Anyway, I'm currently listening to Chopin Nocturnes played by Daniel Barenboim, while I should be writing an essay on Mozart piano sonatas....go figure.

2009-11-21T13:45:00.001Z

Quote of the day:

"You were just talking about reacharounds and then introduced yourself to that lady. That's fucked up"