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...?

OH NO, ANDY!

Andy Murray lost in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday...

Gutting, right? Well, yes, but...



Lunging goon = CRYING with laughter. Forgotten all about poor Andy :)

GUESS WHO?

.....

Give up? It's only Ashlee Simpson-Wentz looking smoking hot with a new bleached-blonde pixie crop. Wowaweewa!

Seriously, how amazing does she look here?! Love a short do, feel like I've been hearing more and more about them recently...

If I looked like Ashlee this is the look I'd be rocking.

GEE WA WA

I think I've found my new favourite shoe porn site...

Solestruck is an American website which stocks, amongst others, Jeffrey Campbell (of Lita fame), Dolce Vita, Carin Wester, Sam Edelman (of Zoe fame) and brand in question Gee Wa Wa.

Check out their Fantasia boot. I'm in lust:

I know, RIGHT?!

A classic chunky black boot will NEVER age, and these are on the right side of quirky/weird with that unusual shaped sole to add enough interest but remain totally wearable. Dressed up or down, this boot's a killer.

I'm actually quite skint at the moment, or else these would have been in my basket like yesterday! Oh, did I mention they ship worldwide FOR FREE?????

YOU'RE GOOD AND I'M BAD, WE'RE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER

OH MY I do love a bit of Sam Riley from Control fame. Swoon!

Here he is, riding a scooter like a pro, in the new adaptation of Graham Greene classic, Brighton Rock - a book I always feel like I've read somehow but actually haven't. It's definitely on my TO BE READ list now.

Anyway, after the amazing Ian Curtis/Joy Division biopic Control, Sam Riley can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes. I'll be happy to go an see any film he stars in, but chuck in some gangsters, mods, a 60s soundtrack, Brighton Pier and saucy dame, Helen Mirren and, HELL, hold me back.




Whaddya reckon? Awesome, right?

Also, check out my pal's film blog if yer into films and that, ken?

Sunday love x

YOHJI YAMAMOTO - MENSWEAR FALL2011

Yet another collection review - I hope you guys aren't totally bored or put off by these? I know there are hunners of high street/what I wore today blogs, loads of which I like and read regularly, but high fashion and runway shows just do something weird to me man... It's literally a physical thing.

Like, for example,  when I saw Yohji Yamamoto's latest menswear collection for AW11, I actually felt my heart skip a wee beat - NO FREAKIN' JOKE.

I'm not hugely up on my menswear to be perfectly honest - but this guy I dig. Style.com (photos from here too) reliably informs me that Yamamoto is well known for astonishing tailoring skillz and use of bizarre Edwardian imagery, but even if I didn't know that those were his THINGS I would surely have guessed at it from this collection... Take a look at my favourites:

Rev Run much?

 Fav 1

Fav 2 



Ohh how I enjoy a sartorial oxymoron... the suit, formal, smart and usually tailored to a close fit, here is transformed to be comfortable, luxurious, baggy and casual. "The suit as security blanket" say style.com, and they're right. Never before (though I am no authority) have I seen suits/tailoring done in such a way that conjures up an idea of snuggling up inside one to get comfy. Relaxed tailoring was a trend I highlighted in my ELLE intern application, and I see it's also represented in menswear too.

And how about the "alternative" models! Love it. Can't help but find it ironic that this goes completely unnoticed in menswear shows, but in womenswear it would be front-page fashion news. Shame.