YO, I'M A FREAK

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh man...

Also, do you guys (followers) mind me posting random stuff like this as well as my fashion musings? I mean I did originally start this out to be mainly about fashion and style, but I'm aware I've been posting more about books and music and random rubbish...

hmmm

I WISH I HAD A SYLVIA PLATH

Dear Santa,

If you could arrange for these super-rare uncollected first editions by Sylvia Plath, currently going on eBay for $5 each, to be delivered into my care promptly for December 25th I'll be sure to leave you out a HUGE tankard of whiskey and a Ginsters pie...

The two uncollected poems are "Dialogue between Ghost & Priest" (1956) and "Child's Park Stones" (1958).

The two poems are "Incommunicado" and "Firesong."

Million Dollar Month, written when Plath was a student at Smith College. A hard to find gem.

I'm giddy...

My plan would be to POSSIBLY recover these in some vintage fabric since they are so drab and boring looking. But I don't know if I could do that to Plath first editions...

SERIOUSLY, someone buy me em? I still don't have an eBay account :(

PS watch this looking out at the snow. Perfection.

AND ALSO anyone know where I can get the Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath NEW? Amazon only have used ones, and, like, I don't really like that.

WIZARD LIGHTNING BATTLE

Shorthand procrastination...




As a subtitler this is the kind of thing I am SO tempted to do ALL THE TIME.

But, obviously, I don't.

Seriously though, it's not till you start writing down word for inane word what people ACTUALLY say on shows like Cash in the Attic or Homes Under the Hammer that you realise what a pile of S people will talk to fill air time...

Anyway, I digress. How is it possible that I have STILL not seen Harry Potter???

KANE CAPSULE MEN SS11

Happy snowday Monday folks! I couldn't get to work yesterday as the roads round where I stay were pretty much cut off by snow, and it's much the same this morning. So... snowday!! (still have to venture out to work tonight though. Boo.)

Got my 50wpm shorthand test tomorrow and lots of hand ins this week and next HOWEVER I must blog about this before descend into shorthand hell!

I'm not sure if I've mentioned before but I am a HUGE Christopher Kane fan. I've defo featured him on the blog somewhere I'm sure... Anyway I absolutely ADORE space/galaxy prints (I know I've said that before y'all) and as such was just about overcome with excitement at Kane's SS 2011 womenswear collection. I had planned on doing a post about it but the lovely Claire from Bee waits for no one beat me to it!

BUUUUUUT, this morning I wake up to discover Kane is going all out on a capsule menswear collection for SS11... DROOLNOMDROOOOOOL!

Pics from ELIXE (click on it to enlarge - pics are so freakin small on here grrr!)

Kane on his new menswear collection:
"I decided to launch menswear so I could wear my own designs, my friends were
forever asking me to do t-shirts off the back of the womenswear show themes, so my first shot at it was with the monkey tees;they were so popular I decided to keep it going.

So each season we sell men's tees alongside the mainline collection.
I find it difficult to find staples that I love, so I guess I am launching this so I can have a decent wardrobe!
The inspirations differ every time, but usually taking the lead from the womenswear."

My favs are the cardigan, the bottom left tee and bottom right sleeveless hoodie. Oh, and the leather shorts, OBV! I don't know what it is, but there is just something so mystical and engaging about prints of space. Sometimes I actually go onto hubblesite.org and spend ages just trawling the gallery... I'm THAT cool.

Ahem! Anyhoo, I recently bought a galaxy-printed vest from Your Eyes Lie and while I like it, I think I'd really prefer a tshirt rather than a vest. Plus, if I'm honest, the fit is a little weird... (Too much side-boob action.)

I really like Your Eyes Lie's range of digital-print mens t-shirts which rip off... I mean PAY HOMAGE TO Kane:

Digital-print galaxy T. Has been sold out online for months. RE-ORDER ALREADY!


Cloud Print T. Sigh...

Eagle Print T. Reminds me of the screaming Gorilla dress from 2008 and the Croc-print tees he did for Toppers. This could actually be his.

I really need to start paying more attention to menswear.

Right, off to do shorthand. GREAT!!

OCH AYE THE NOO, VIV

So...for YEARS I've been planning a Big Bag Purchase.

First it was a quirky Vivienne Westwood tartan Derby, then it was a classic Mulberry Bayswater, then the stylish Alexa, then a fabulously tacky Westwood Ebury, Now FINALLY I have definitely settled on my first gut instinct - the tartan Derby by Viv.

I'm lucky enough to own a few Westwood accessories already (earrings, a couple of necklaces and a purse. SWOON!) and I'm always surprised they aren't more expensive. In terms of the Derby bag, at only £349 for the large size it isn't ridiculously expensive - there might actuall be a reaslisic chance I can save up for one this time! (RIP the Alexa fund, you didn't last long at all.)

SOOOO I've decided to combine the majority of my Christmas money with my first month's pay next year and in then in February I'll hopefully have enough to breeze into Vivienne Westwood in Princes Square and walk out again with one of these beauties on my arm...

BUT WHICH ONE?

The Caledonia. My favourite... I think!

The Exhibition. Might go with more stuff?

The Albion. Yellow... I both LOVE and HATE this. Torn!

The MacPherson. Joint favourite with Caledonian. I think.

The Multi. Pink = love.

What one is your favourite? Help me decide!

DRG

Disneyrollergirl is a blog I love and read almost every day, so imagine my surprise and delight when I see this wee post...

Very similar to this, doncha think?

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE, KEN?!

Definitely gonna get myself one of these wee dittys - very pleased with my typewriter brass letterpress pendant that arrived super promptly.

Happy friday folks!

PS where the eff was Gossip Girl this week? I planned my whole Wednesday night round it and it wasn't even on? Humph.

THREE IN ONE

Jeeze, I know this isn't how this blogging malarkey is meant to work, 3 in 1 day n awww HOWEVER today was Urban Outfitters' 20% off day - hip hip hooray! Purchased these badboys I've been lusting after for ages now. Insanely comfy for such a HIGH heel!





Also, the maw was very kind and bought me this lovely Topshop shearling coat last week for these icy mornings. Brrr! I've since seen about a bajillion trillion folk wearing it around uni though, but hey ho...

Here's a pic of me wearing it and looking like I want to kill myself...

..SIGH.

PS haiiii squint.

WEAK

In this tainted soul, in this weak young heart, am I too much for you?






(Yes, I am too much for you.)

BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT

There seems to have been so much Fitzgerald chat about recently, what with the revelation of The Great Gatsby casting being revealed. To mark the 70 years since his death, Penguin Classics are reissuing six of Fitzgerald's titles - including Gatsby! - in special-edition hardback with covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith:









Penguin Classics - the F Scott Fitzgerald Collection


Um HELLO Christmas present?

.............................................................

"And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further... And one fine morning -

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past..."

.............................................................

Oh, wait, didn't you get the memo? I'm a HUGE GEEK and this is the kinda shiz that makes me MAD excited!

I was recently at a lecture by Jon Snow at Edinburgh University (nerd alert) entitled A Changing Media in a Changing World, where he made lots of interesting points about all the exciting advances in the media BUT shockingly (or perhaps not so much) he gave print newspapers a shelf-life of 25 more years MAX. I get that, I guess. That kind of news is so fleeting and insubstantial, it's out of date as soon as it's printed. People don't care about the physicality of news any more.

That said, he did say that no matter how plugged into the matrix we all become, books will never die out because people will always want to own something permanent, something that's fixed and never changes. You want to own the words themselves, they become your possessions, your thoughts. Yours. You own them metaphorically AND physically.

You can dress Gatsby up however you like, but I will ALWAYS choose reading the book - holding it in my hands, folding down the corners, tucking it into my bag just to keep me company - over downloading it online. Just doesn't feel the same, yi' know?

RED RIDING HOOD

Red Riding Hood directed by Catherine Hardwicke (director of Twilight and Thirteen) -due out next year. Hmm...





Gotta be honest and say I am super apprehsive about this. I'd have loved to see someone like Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro direct this... There's something ethereal and dangerous about fairytales that lend themselves perfectly to the dark and gothic.

But going by the trailer I'm not sure this will deliver everything it potentially could. I love Amanda Seyfried but hate, Hate, HATE the grating American accents in this. Don't really know why, it just grinds my gears...

However, to paraphrase a comment on IMDb - "Gary Oldman eh? Meh, I'll see it..."

Thoughts?

BE STILL, MY BEATING HEART

Currently lusting after...




Wildfox princess bride unisex T. Sugary-sweet perfection.





Make Love not Horcruxes glass pendant from Trophies on Etsy. Harry Potter-themed jewellery = winner!

Angel Jackson fringed tote at Urban Outfitters. FRINGE! Still as obsessed as ever...

ACNE Truth Rib ankle-length dress and leather hat. Weird to be thinking about SS11 already, but this doesn't really feel summery. Love.

Whistles Rosalie dress. This has been everywhere recently, with good reason. J'adore.

Topshop ATTITUDE Block Wood Heel Boots. Just... OH EM GEE.

SE7EN

Last week I was tagged by Robyn from The Robyn Diaries to do a 7 things about me feature. Here goes! (please note, this is pretty word-heavy but normal service with pictures etc. will resume shortly!)



Number 1

I live at home in Glasgow with my dad, his girlfriend and our cat Oscar. My parents have been divorced since I was 7 and circumstances mean I don't get to spend as much time with my mum as I'd like. I've made my peace with the situation though, and it means that when we do see each other, the time is special and I cherish it all the more :)

It bugs me that I still stay at home as I have all sorts of mad plans and ideas for a pretty wee flat somewhere outside Glasgow, but I simply can't afford it at the moment. I'm also an only child and while I'm certainly no loner (honest!) I do enjoy my own company and space, so living alone is also a kind of weird dream for me.


Number 2

I'm a complete geek. Please note this is not the same thing as being super smart - if ONLY I were some kind of genius! Alas, this is not the case. That said, I love learning, reading, researching and writing. I adored secondary school and my Undergraduate in English Literature and Philosophy at Glasgow University. I wasn't exactly the model student...missed tonnes of lectures over the years, never joined a single club - pretty much kept the same friends I had from school... You get the picture! BUT I loved reading and writing so much that after a year working full time in a good job, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go back to Uni to do a Masters in multimedia journalism. A scary decision that took me ages to work up to, but I'm so glad I did :)


Number 3

My favourite authors are Margaret Atwood and Sylvia Plath. I encountered them both for the first time in 6th year at school doing Advanced Higher English. I had to go to a different school to do it since my school didn't offer it as an option, and while there I was in a really small class of around 15 or so and our teacher was this mad, funny, inspiring woman who really got my writing style and encouraged me to write fiction for the first time.

It's not something I do regularly now (mainly as I simply don't have the time) but I always remember she told me in a letter to "never give up, you have a memorable voice." How lovely! Anyway, I DIGRESS! As part of the course we had to read Plath and I fell in love. The Bell Jar, The Colossus and Ariel are 21st century classics - you either get that or you don't, I think. Atwood is another absolute genius. Everything I've read of hers has stayed with me for a long time afterwards. Most recently was Year of the Flood, but my favourite is probably Lady Oracle or Alias Grace.


Number 4

I am a bit of a feminist. I almost don't even want to write that because of the negative, hairy-pitted, bra-burning, man-hating connotations, BUT nonetheless it's how I would describe my views. There are still so many inequalities between men and women, some explicit and others, crucially, implicit. You just need to google gender pay inequality to read hundreds of interesting scholarly articles about the fact that men and women WHO DO THE SAME JOB in certain industries are still paid differently - and an overwhelming majority of the time it's the man earning more. Why isn't this blatant sexism front page news?

There is a definite difference between how we treat men and women in the media as well, which really irks me. The media are so quick to crucify female "celebrities" about things like weight-gain and drunken behaviour, but derogatory articles like this about men are extremely rare. And depressingly it seems that more often than not it's other women who are so keen to cast the first stone. Men and women are different, clearly, with different strengths, abilities and traits. But equality is the issue, and I'm still not sure we are there yet.

It's not something that I'd say directly affects my daily life, but I do find myself thinking about these kind of things quite often. If you want to read some interesting books on feminism and the persistant inequality between the sexes I'd recommend Living Dolls by Natasha Walter and The Equality Illusion by Kat Banyard. I don't agree with everything they have to say, especially Walter (some of her arguments appear to be backed up by issues of class and wealth - smacks of snobbery!) but both make really interesting points and are easily accessible.


Number 5

I have no formal training in fashion, so anything I say about it is purely a layman's opinion. I am passionate about it though, maybe more so than I often feel comfortable to admit since I tend to think, who the hell cares what I have to say! But FORTY FOUR SUNSETS is my blog and I'll damn well write what I like! My favourite high-street store is Topshop BY A COUNTRY MILE since I really don't think anyone else is up there in terms of fashion-forward designs, value for money and collaborations. I reckon Topshop deserves more respect from fashion insiders.

My favourite magazine is UK Elle and some designers I like are Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, Gareth Pugh, Christopher Kane, Ashish, Burberry, Erdem and Chloe but there are literally hundreds more...


Number 6

I'm a Cancerian, and one of those schmucks that buys into horoscopes in general. I don't live my life by them, but I do think there is definitely something in astrology. It probably comes from my mum - she's into a lot of that stuff... She's not religious as such but I consider her a very spiritual person.

Fellow Cancerians, today's horoscope from elleuk.com goes like this:
"Now that the Moon is back in her home turf of Cancer, you'll sense that all is right with the world again (at least in your world). All attention naturally gravitates towards you. Single ladies need to see and be seen, while committed Cancers need to be appreciated, worshipped and properly adored." Awesome!


Number 7

I've had the same core group of friends for ten years. I still remember meeting Kirsten and Nadine on the first day of secondary school and asking if I could hang about with them - what a sado! So glad you said yes, ladies! Three holidays, several major lineup changes and twelve (???) boyfriends between us, we've had some hilarious ups and some pretty intense downs over the years but we are all at a stage in our lives now where we know we will be friends forever. Sad? Maybe! True? Definitely!

I feel so proud and thankful to have people like them in my life. Ladies, I love you!

(Natalie - I hate how you're not in this one!! But trust me when I say every other one of us all is hideous of me, or is totally inappropriate! x)

So, the people I'm tagging for this are ALL my followers. Yes, all 20 of you! Especially if you've ever commented on a post before, then I'd love to read your seven things. If you've recently done one then fair enough, but everyone else get on it!

HOWL

While perusing my friend Carlin's blog, I discovered this trailer:



EEEEK! Now, if I'm honest, I don't much care for the Beats... On The Road is frankly, for me, too long and rambling and over-hyped. CONTROVERSIAL I know but there it is.

Howl by Allen Ginsberg however is an altogether different story...

Affecting, beautiful, crude, violent, tender - a work of pure literary genius that gives something different and special each time it's read. *SIGH*

However, what with another of my American favourites - The Great Gatsby - being made into a film too (Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay and Carey Mulligan as Daisy - SWOON!) I can't help but feel nervous these might not translate to the big screen. Especially Gatsby. It's so atmospheric, touching and haunting, I fail to see how a film can live up to its awesomeness.

Anyway, Howl should hopefully be a safe bet I reckon, since it's not an adaptation of the poem (thank God - the mind literally boggles!) but rather an exploration of the obscenity trial Ginsberg faced after its publication. Plus, James Franco. Nuff said.

What do we all think?

Also, if you haven't read Howl or Gatsby, you absolutely MUST. Your life depends on it.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HUMAN HEART?

It looks like a fist wrapped in blood.

via

Props for who can tell me where this quote is from...

YOU ARE GOLD!

Sorry, I know this post is stupidly like the last, but I am really obsessed with all things golden for party season... This is my Christmas outfit choice numero deux...

Topshop slinky playsuit (they describe it as Peach but it's clearly gold, y'all)

House of Harlow necklace - Got this for my birthday and not had a chance to wear it - Xmas is the perfect time!

OPI nailpolish in Rising Star. Got this on just now - adore! It's £9.95 online and in salons and stuff. Expensive but worth it, no chips or anything and had it on since Monday. (also, these are NOT my nails...)

Topshop gold spiky earrings. Bringing some edge...


Topshop platfroms.

Is this outfit idea better than the £120 dress? I'm truly conflicted!

PARTY DRESS?

Topshop knitted rose sequin tunic - £120

Oooh, this is somewhat of a curve ball! Not particularly like me to go for something so flash, and it's a lot of money I know, but LOOK at it! I'd probably wear it with my Carin Wester wedges, opaques and my fur coat... Oh dear, I've practically talked myself into getting it :s

For our Christmas night out my friends and I are going to wander around George Square and see the ice-rink and Christmas market that's on. Probably indulge in a few mulled wines as well I should think...

THEN we are treating ourselves to a slap up three course meal at the beautiful and swanky Blythswood Hotel - complete with complimentary champers! Ho ho and indeed HO.

Absolutely cannot wait - Christmas is my favourite time of year and eating drinking and being merry is what it's all about, right?

Roll on the 18th of December!

WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN HOW BITTERSWEET THIS WOULD TASTE?

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead...



I still listen to 19 all the time. 21 can't come soon enough...


"My heart's happy and sad all at the the same time when she sings."



PS!!!
I got an amazing piece of news yesterday - I am now officially a fashion PR intern!
Just call me LC y'all!

So if anyone wants to contact me with any PR queries just fire me an email. Hopefully have more to say on this after Xmas and all my mental hand-ins are out the way. As we speak I'm currently trying to arrange an interview with a truly inspirational woman so fingers crossed I'll have more on that in the next few weeks too.

Things are good :)

LOCAL NATIVES - KING TUTS 13/11/10

I moustache you a question...

I love it all
So much, I call
I want you back
Back
Back
You back...

Pretty much turned up at Tuts night with zero expectations of what a Local Natives gig would encompass. Except from that annoying niggling feeling I was probably dressed a little too... um... hoochy (?) for such a folky band - vintage leather short-shorts, House of Holland super suspenders, Topshop boots, cropped white T and vintage fur coat. Can you spell taylormomsenmoment?

HOWEVER despite pondering beforehand that perhaps I should have worn my dungarees and farmer Joe hat, it turned out to be a great wee gig.

My friend Carlin and I arrived a little late to catch the full set from the support band, but we did hear the last few songs and evidently we didn't miss much. Snore.

Next came Local Natives, the moustachioed* five-piece from Los Angeles. Harmonising like a chorus of angels (your words I believe, Carlin? Ha!) and playing their wee hearts out. In fact I think that's what struck me most about them - their sheer undiluted enthusiasm for the performance! Every one of them had an expression of intense concentration and emotion almost the entire way through. None of this playing it cool and nonchalant malarkey, oh no, though the same couldn't be said for some of the audience. WAKE UP FOLKS! Maybe it's an American thing, but man, they put 110% into it and it paid off. And the singing! Oh jings, it's so rare to see a fairly small band sing that well (especially in Glasgow). Honest to God, I had chills quite a few times.

I did have a few niggling issues though. They played a fair few slower numbers, which in themselves were awesome. Haunting, lingering music with some stunning key vocals. But they did tend to lull the audience into a bit of a stupor, so that when they came to play more upbeat/uptempo tracks it took a while for the crowd to really get going. It felt a little jarring to be almost serenaded to sleep (in a good way!) one minute, then expected to jump and jive around the next. The jumpy/jivey songs were not QUITE jumpy or jivey enough for me. But good GOD did they try.

If I hadn't seem them live and just listened to the album I'd maybe say they were more of an album band as opposed to a gig band, but then I'd never have gotten to marvel at THAT moustache in the flesh, would I? And that, my friends, would have been a tragedy.

All in all I'd give them a 3.5/5.

And a special GOLD STAR for effort.

*they don't all have moustaches, just one really. But still, it's so epic it counts for at least all five of them.

INKD

Going back to get my tat touched up next week. The temptation to get another is unbearable!

Favs...

Plath

Leighton...

Via tumblr and google.

if any are yours and you want credit just email, ken?