URBAN OUTFITTERS - SPRING PREVIEW

Firstly...

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Who's all coming then?? I definitely will be - can't resist a cheeky discount! Last time I just popped in to Urban Outfitters I dropped a cool £95 in less than an hour... OOPSIE! So, yes, anything to lessen similar financial follies gets the thumbs up from me.

PLUS the folks at the Glasgow Film Festival are putting on a short film and photography exhibition in store until the 25th Feb, so get yerselves down, ken? Banging.

In other UO-related news, today I was very kindly sent some preview pics of Urban Outfitters' new Spring Summer stock - 20 hot new looks in all. As expected Urban have hit the nail on the head for SS11 - did we really expect less from them? Especially loving the Coop Designs' graphic zebra prints, Carin Wester's Acne-inspired maxi dresses and WHYRED's Wang-inspired white suit. The menswear looks are also really sharp. Here's my favourites for your enjoyment:

Available instore and online soon - keep your eyes peeled!

Thoughts?

 

COSMIC LOVE

Remember the Givenchy couture collection that absolutely floored me, and just about every other blogger in town? You know the one - Japanese inspired bejewelled silk gowns with origami shapes and mad headdresses?

THAT'S the one!

Well, I'll be honest and say the Grammys kind of passed me by this year (Gaga, I love you, but that whole egg thing was a little lame pet) EXCEPT, of course, when I spotted the beautiful Florence Welch owning this exquisite gown from Riccardo Tisci himself:

Just STUNNING! I also much prefer her hair this colour as opposed to the brighter red she had for a while. Not sure anyone else would have been able to make such a gorgeous gown work except the ethereal, goddess-like Flo.

Second album soon please!

NO TIME

..to post a proper review of BAFTA fashion (Alba, Swinton, Stone, HBC and that wee girl from True Grit all getting thumbs up tho, non?), OR to savor any of NYFW's pickings... YET...

But just enough time to post some fierce pics of my new shoe porn du jour.

What the hell's happened to me??? These are as Rainbow Brite, candy-cute, pre-pubescent and girly as they come but I WANT, I WANT, I WANT!!

These beauts come courtest of Etsy's Jamesrowlandshop whom I've posted about before in an Etsy Spotlight.

Honest to God, I'm a little disturbed myself at the wacky direction this recent penchant for colour is heading..............

You like??


PS thanks for all your comments on previous posts, guys! I ususally try to comment back on the original post (if I have time) but I hate the way Blogger doesn't alert you to follow-up comments, so if you ask a question or whatever and are expecting an answer I'll normally try and give on on the original post innit... Otherwise if you just email me at my hotmail (link at top) I'll defo respond. Dunno if that whole schpiel was a bit dorky or whatevs...

BRIGHTON ROCK REVIEW

Aye, SO... Last week for uni I had to write a review of a recently-released film or do a short round-up of the week's TV. Rather than try and tackle My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding or The Joy of Teen Sex in fifty words - an IMPOSSIBLE task, they are both so deliciously heinous to condense - my pal Carlin and I decided since we both wanted to see the new Brighton Rock film so badly, we may as well kill two birds with one stone.

Because I'm feeling lazy today, and fairly uninspired sartorially, here's what I wrote (more or less) for y'all to chew over:

Visual, visceral and violent, Rowan Joffe’s reimagining of Graham Greene’s classic 1938 novel Brighton Rock packs an unforgettable punch.

Despite having neither seen the original 1947 film starring Richard Attenborough as baby-faced killer Pinkie, nor read the book (shame on me, I hear my fellow English Literature alumni cry en masse) nonetheless I’m suitably convinced it stands alone as a gritty and poignant film in its own right.

The excellent Sam Riley of Ian Curtis biopic Control (2007) is outstanding in the lead role of Pinkie Brown – a young, ambitious gangster in a world of old dogs, who brutally murders a veteran of the rival gang as an act of revenge. When innocent waitress Rose (Andrea Riseborough) becomes linked to the crime, the suave but ruthless Pinkie must woo and ultimately marry her to save his own skin. The odd couple (Rose conjures up an image of Eastenders’ Little Mo, only more pathetic, and Pinkie resembles a positively Satanic Trevor) are pursued by pier-front cafe owner Ida (Helen Mirren) along with fancy man Phil (John Hurt) - the only two good eggs in Brighton it seems.

From Pinkie and Rose’s initial meeting to the climactic ending, the audience is kept on the edge of their seat, willing Pinkie to see the light and reform; to fall in love with the smitten and somewhat sandwich-short Rose, and escape a Brighton caught in the grip of the 1960s youth riots and clashes between mods and rockers. The tragic beauty of the film is that he never appears to, not outwardly anyway.

In one telling scene, Rose asks Pinkie to make her a record from a stall on the pier, and Sam Riley’s sneering face as he spits “I hate ya, I hate everything about ya,” onto the vinyl, sums up the true darkness in his heart. Rose can almost be forgiven for wanting to inspire Pinkie to change his hellish ways, but in another of many disturbing scenes, while Pinkie pinches the skin on the back of her hand for a few agonizing minutes, Rose replies that he can keep doing it if he likes it. Make no mistake there’s no tenderness here. It’s hard to sympathize with or root for a character as pathetic as Rose, and the intention is that we clearly should. But perversely I found myself on Pinkie’s side.

From the same producers as Atonement, Brighton Rock is cinematically and visually brilliant. The dull, shadowy pier, dreary surrounding seascape and sweeping panoramic shots all enhance the sinister mood which builds gradually to epic proportions. The 1960s setting and implicit background violence created by the mods and rockers beach-front battles add an extra layer of believability to the gangsters throwaway “carvings” and casual brutality.

With lashings of Catholic guilt, emphasized beautifully by an original, almost operatic score by Martin Phipps (think toned-down Godfather), plenty atmospheric cutaways to crucifixes and talk of Hell, Pinkie’s eventual damnation is expected but nonetheless shocking to witness.

And it’s Sam Riley’s Pinkie that makes this film what it is: a tragic and haunting portrayal of selfish lovelessness and ruthless violence amidst a changing world where the young are to be feared.

Brighton Rock is released in cinemas nationwide from the 4th of February.


BOOM!

GAGA

I've seen this a few places on the web already, but ACHT HELL, can't resist reblogging it.

Gaga's Vogue US March cover by Mario Testino. Perfection, non?

For all everyone's harping on about bold colours and clashing patterns, Vogue shows us that powder blues, peaches and candy-floss pinks are going nowhere this Spring.

Just sweet enough without becoming sickly, this is my favourite Vogue US cover in a while...



Makes me miss my TEETH IN ROWS background print. I might reinstate it, what do you think?

PS the bit about "A mother's and daughter's battle with food demons" - does that read really weird to you, or is it just me being a grammar freak again? Wouldn't "mother and daughter's" read just as well since the mother and daughter themselves form one compound item with whom food demons apparently do battle?

#Grammar freak, grammar freak, she's grammar freekay... #

CHLOE FOR OPENING CEREMONY

I've heard of Opening Ceremony before, but I assumed it was just a US online shop, selling, amongst other things, banging shoes... Apparently it is much more than that:

Opening Ceremony is a multifaceted retail environment comprised of shops, showroom, and private label collection that establishes a new, international creative forum in downtown Manhattan. Opening Ceremony brings together emerging American talent with both young and established designers and artists from abroad. Each year, the unique commercial and cultural character of a visiting country is represented at Opening Ceremony by capturing the essence of the country’s consumer experience. Opening Ceremony has also become known for its myriad collaborations with the likes of Chloë Sevigny, Spike Jonze, Pendleton, Levi's, Timberland, Keds, Robert Clergerie, and more.

...HOLD THE PHONE, Queen Chloe's done a OC collaboration? I need to see this.

(Incase you didn't know, I'm in love with Chloe. No... SERIOUSLY.)

Here's my favourite pieces from her collection:

Took me a while to work out what  I thought about this. Initially, especially with the dresses, I was underwhelmed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I think I was surprised at the simplicity of the line. But the more I looked at the collection as a whole the more I saw how intrinsically CHLOE it actually is...

Understated, Lolita-esq, with notes of 90s grunge-chic (chunky platform shoes, leather trousers and dark lippy - YES!) I can picture Miss Sevigny herself in every single piece.

This makes me want to dye my hair beach-blond and chop it off to a blunt mid-part bob. I'd have every single piece if I could, but alas none of it is particularly cheap and shudder to imagine the shipping costs...

But a girl can dream, right?

Peruse (and lust after) it at your leisure here.

PUSH YOURSELF



Should maybe have got rid of the bra...



SO I've been trying to get on board with new things, sartorially speaking, and figured I've put it off long enough... Yes, that's right. It's my first ever outfit post.

You have NO idea how uncomfortable I am taking pictures of myself - but I guess that's exactly the point, right? I feel like I've been stuck in a style rut of black, grey and leather for so long now that it's become my uniform. This spring I'm going to embrace new things like colour, prints....and outfit posts.

So here we go.

baggy floral babydoll dress - vintage Etsy.

Seriously, so baggy.

(looking down. Cool move.)

A little less baggy with an Urban Outfitters belt and Mulberry Alexa.

(still looking down....?)

Oversized denim shirt - Topshop Unique 09

(Ahh...looking up now, good, except also looking like I'm about to burst into tears...)

Pink cable-knit cardigan - Neal Spearling @ Urban Outfiters

(Hmm...sticking to what I know.)

Antique typewriter letterpress K - vintage Etsy

(Avoiding the issue altogether.)

Same.

(Hit em with the eyeballs. Good job...!)


PS do yerself a favour and wrap yer lugs round this....

The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness (Clip) by TheMusic.FM

FAKE MODERN

I first heard of the brand Fake London through my ex boyfriend. An insatiable brit-pop fan and lover of all things CP Company, Acquascutum and now Pretty Green, I wasn't surprised when I discovered he also hoarded a small collection of vintage Fake London gear. Can't say it was a look that I instantly loved as at the time it tended to be a brand coveted by the Liam Gallagher's of the world...

Liam in Fake London parka



Charming.




Oh pipe down, ya glorified bampot.


BUT Fake London are back with a bang. I have to admit I'm a little in love with their comeback AW10 line, Fake Modern - both the menswear and the womenswear.

Urban casual is really not my thing but I'm trying to break out my mould a little and embrace new styles and this definitely caught my eye.

Classic British motifs like the bulldog and Union Jack are still present but have been toned down, and materials like faux fur, tweed, denim and cashmere add a sophisticated textured edge to the flashes of neon and silver.

I also really love the capsule bag collection - the faux fur ones have FAKE emblazoned on the front, while the softest leather is used to create ones that look like plastic bags.

All in all a triumphant return for an iconic British label.

Their SS11 line carries on in much the same vein, but AW is by far my fav. Check it out here. As ever, thoughts?

:)

QUICK QUESTION...

...should I spend £230 of the £1000 or so I have remaining from my Net-a-Porter prize on this Anna Sui cream lace, vintage-inspired dress?

I'm torn because this kind of thing is really not my usual style, but with Spring around the corner and Summer sneaking up on us all, it'll soon be time to start thinking about holiday wear.

I think I mentioned before that my Mum and I are planning a wee week/ten days away in Europe later in the year - initially she suggested Budapest but I think we've settled on a few days in Venice and a few days in Verona, then I'm going to spend a couple of days in Paris by myself before I head back. That's the plan anyway, and when I saw this dress earlier (weirdly in the bridal section of the NAP website?) it instantly grabbed me as the kind of thing perfect for swanning around a sweltering Italian/French city in.

What do you think, should I go for it and embrace my inner romantic, or hang back and wait for more black leather...?