Friday 20 May 2011

TOPSHOP SECRETS

Whenever we are presented with a secret (okay maybe I should de-generalise that statement) whenever I am presented with a secret my Colombo trench comes on and its all systems go for mission decode the secret.

Thankfully the advent of hyperlinks means the Topshop secret that was revealed this morning was only one click away.

And call a penny a pound this is one fine secret.

Now we all know that Pamela Love has collaborated with Topshop to create a capsule jewellery collection which depending on which source you followed is/was due to hit us yesterday, today or next week.

Follow this link to find out which side the coin fell on this wager.

Talking of bets fancy taking one on which year this iD cover is from?


Now the idea here of course is that the word secret compels us to do exactly the opposite of what is intended of a secret and not keep it. Ingeniousness PR and retail ideas are usually at their best when a small speck of fashion snowflake snowballs out of control creating a buzz that can only be filled by being at the right place at the right time.

Step forward in this case a Meadham Kirchhoff curated 'Wild at Heart' flower show and you have there the very makings of a retail concept avalanche. And the addition of Michael Van Der Ham makes the print in me scream 'praise be to God'.



It's almost enough to make you pass out.


Checking into BOOOOOOOM! this morning the print on display made me wonder surely this must be some sort of affirmation from the man upstairs that this Topshop secret is just the thing I had to come across. This first example by Erling Sjovold definitely brings me back to Kirchhoffs smock dresses for Topshop which are still available to grab right about here.





Sources: Vintage iD Cover, Michael Van Der Ham SS11 from his interwebs, Robert Tepiak, Erling Sjovold, David Ligare, Bill avec Ted and Caribou.

It's all looking really fit this Friday morning yar?

Pulls face like Bill!

kiss.

Tuesday 17 May 2011

L'ATELIER DE JOEL

Me and the wife went out for dinner yet again this Friday - seriously I am so over going out and getting plastered on a run of the mill night out.

What is it again same places, same faces. Don't get me wrong I love a dingy, sweaty dancefloor as much as the next lunatic but as I age I'm finding that one night of this a month is thoroughly enough to tide me over. Perhaps, I'm getting too old or more likely there are more productive things I can do than be in the pub every weekend without a change of scenery.


Fine food, fine friends and fine wine is the new order of the day and at Michelin starred L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon this is exactly what I got. Plus you can actually sit down and have a conversation and chill and relax, somewhat harder when fighting your way to the bar down the pub or in the club. Oh dear I'm turning into my parents.

Highly recommended and thoroughly dribble inducing don't you know dining out is the new passing out.

Three food posts in two weeks? Looks like Mr. Fried Eggs is living up to its' name.

kiss.

TEENBOOK LAUNCH

We are live.

The first issue of Teenbook is out today and my ugly mug is plastered for all you lovely readers to take a look at.

But on a serious note seeing the behind the scenes efforts of the team culminate in the first edition is var exciting indeed. Besides my ugly mug is remedied by the precision styling, shooting and writing within its' pages.




Working on an ezine is a digital project that often means the final product can be circulated to a wide and immediate audience with relative speed and ease. In fact many of the more traditional print fashion publications now offer e-versions in order to suppress our e-appetite as it were or at the very least offer blogs and online content. Just to look at a few of the players in the game (i-D, Dazed, Vogue, Nylon, LOVE, Purple) and it's clear the interwebs has revolutionised the way fashion, arts and culture writing is presented to us. Something design houses have cottoned onto, as well explored by Susie Bubble.

The idea of Teenbook is the brainchild of Editor-in-Chief Sara Qaddoura and aims to bring fashion and culture to a younger generation who in the magazine world are often left without any specific publication geared towards them.

So step forward Teenbook.

Subscribe and read our first issue here and follow the Teenbook blog here.

Dead chuffed mate!

kiss.

Thursday 12 May 2011

SO ...

Friends are for life ...

Not just for.

1. Picking up questionable men/women
2. Christmas
3. Nights out
4. Getting over questionable men/women

This year show a friend you care by making a donation to the FFLS (friends for life society).

To make a donation send a text, email or phonecall to a true friend quoting the words "you've got me for life".

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEESEFESTbut we love it, just call me "Sophie McCheese"

kiss.

DAY 4

... of the week is so close to Friday that in itself it holds a need for celebration. It has always been referred by me as "daybeforefridayday" and with the spring like weather I'm having nostalgic moments dreaming of English summer grass. Mowed and dry and having grass fights and building birds nest at a tender age on the school field.



This theme is apparent in the plimsolls that adorn my feet on my walk to work - £2 bargains from school uniform shops have been my bread and butter of comfortable walking shoes for years.

And though my childhood happiness was more dig up the garden and rummage through boot sales with ma, a Barbie is still a Barbie unless it's a Cindy or Eliza Cummings in sky blue satin and a Geri Halliwell red styled wig like featured above from Vogue Italia.

Inspired.

Primary school P.E. (hopping over benches and horses) was a real joy and those JW Anderson shoes found on the SHOWstudio blog remind me of primary days spent frolicking around doing a rolly polly with bright coloured headbands dotted around the playground.

Fashion wise sat at my desk donning chinos, a tweed blazer and primary yellow vest I'm almost certain that this representation of English childhood and schooling is something I will be investigating more regularly.

It is indeed seen in almost every styled look in circulation. Case in point the socks and shoes combo every schoolgirl in England will have definitely taken part in as part of the rigour and joy (depending which side your one) of school uniform. Never mind the Alexa bombardment over the last few years as a sign of the English school tradition invasion. So although fashion has gone grown up with sleek sophistication and fetish elements seen all over AW11 (think Mr. Jacobs) for those yearning an anecdote maybe childhood nostalgia is just the ticket.

And so these dreaming moments of mine are just fine.

Happy Thursday daydreaming.

kiss.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

SO ...

Little toilet break observation ...

Has anyone else noticed that in vertigo inducing heels the toilet seat is a looooooong way down?

That bum to seat connection takes a while in any heel over 5".

kiss.

INSPIRATION II


sources and details: Elizabeth Johnson, chunk of copper, Fashiongonerouge, Balenciaga boots on Rumi Neely, Jason Fulford, Kirill Kuletski, Vivienne Westwood ad campaign and Tobias Kruse

kiss.

INSPIRATION

Forming a mental lookbook for me are all of these stunners. Get in my son. Just like that 'sentence' the theme of inappropriate awkwardness is something I am referring to more and more in terms of personal styling and fashion inspiration.

Something that doesn't belong together but yet has been paired to create an interesting and odd juxtaposition has seeped into my conciousness with unashamed abandonment.


Those of you that read some earlier posts from last year will know how much I love BOOOOOOOM for photographic inspiration and for the rest ... hit and miss Google searching.

Dribbling over the styling of Giselle for the Balenciaga SS11 campaign. That sense of awkardness also comes through in the Vogue Paris cover from 1968 and vintage Biba advertising.

All in all things don't seem quite right with the subjects in these images which perfectly sums up me and my aesthetic for AW11 and thereon.

kiss.

Tuesday 10 May 2011

WAH!

Haven't done one of these in a while have we?

But man alive what a way to welcome WAH! of the day back.


Hawt!

kiss.

PAMELA LOVE TALON

Err YES please ...


Pamela Love golden talon claw cuff. Until her Topshop collaboration hits stores and reverts my gaze from this beauty I shall remain fixed in trance like state.

Got the pennies and live stateside? Click here

kiss.

POACH A POUCH

During the A/W11 fashion weeks that took place earlier this year the pouch was paraded in between many a hand and being more relaxed, comfortable and looser than the traditional clutch the pouch is the perfect new accessory.

Costing far less than it's counterpart the handbag it also makes perfect economical sense in my eyes, but then I'm able to find sense inanything leather and slouchy.

Remarkably the contents of my handbag translates (fits) into a pouch perfectly, as was proven by myself last winter when I proudly paraded this Primark studded clutch (note this is not me but some girlybob I found on Google when I searched for 'Primark studded pouch'). Usually I can never find, be bothered or appreciate the various tid bits in Primark but on this one occasion I struck it lucky.

However, it's definitely time for an upgrade.

So I'm going to nab myself a Commes slouch soon from Dover Street Market but until I do in the meantime here are some images from Tommy Ton and Fashion Squad to tide you over. I might even do an outfit of a day accessories post with the new camera and slouch. But one step at a time ay.





Wanna get your slouch on too ...

1. It's all going down Commes des style at Dover Street Market
2. Or save the pennies at AA
3. And if you fancy causing oodles of slouch envy here's Celine ...

Sweet Celine.

kiss.

CELINE DREAMING

Anyone got a spare couple thousand to swing my way?







Might just stand outside Tesco with a bucket and see how far I can get in the mission Celine bag.

Any other suggestions are most welcomes.

A classic bag is a staple that can hold together any outfit and clean up even the most slapdash early morning running late for work choices. As me and the bestest were discussing over dinner on Friday there are certain things a woman must pride herself in ... nails, hair and handbag/shoes were our top choices and by jove this would do it for me. Am I turning into a bag whore? I think maybe so.

Now where's that bucket?

images by the legendary Tommy Ton at Jak & Jil.

kiss.

Monday 9 May 2011

HANDBAGS AHOY

I never win anythings (apart from an iTune festival ticket one time and err pass the parcel when I was six but even that win involved a little cheating in the form of eye peeping).

With the odds stacked against me an Alexander McQueen knuckle duster clutch would be just the anti-loosing remedy I'd need to balance out years of loosing ... please God, maybe.

Anyhow ... Vogue to the rescue with their week long competition to win a designer bag every day starting today.

Eek! Here goes nothing.

kiss.

MANDEVILLE

This Friday night after collecting my last birthday present, me the best friend and Godson went to the Mandeville for dinner and it was so good I have been moved to blog about it so that those who enjoy culinary delights like this can revel in its delightfulness too.



So together with Bistrotheque that's two amazing meals with my favourite people in one week. Easily makes up for the jacket potatoes I'll be drowning in this week ; )

kiss.

FLOURO CAMBRIDGE

How kick ass.

In the heat of Monday morning madness I have purchased the flourescent yellow Cambridge Satchel bag and therefore depleted my funds for the week.

But looking at these images from Fashion Squad makes it all better as will the arrival of the UPS delivery man.





However, these 13" of leather brightness will surely make up for a week of jacket potato and beans for lunch from the canteen at work - at only £0.69 a pop it's frankly all I can afford.

Dare I say, it is bad money well spent as it strikes off another item from my SS/11 hitlist.

Only about another bazillion items to go but one at a time and after all "he who gathers money little by little makes it grow" - Proverbs 13:11.

Despite the insisent need to embrace the flouro trend that burst onto the catwalk last September right away, I have allowed the urge to build up and currently my flouro count is a cool three. That's one AA highlighter pink tee, one Christopher Kane lace biker jacket on order and one CS bag as above. And that will be my flouro collection done, seeing as I've worn outlandish colours for years before this trend swept across the fashion seas I know I'll be able to fashcyle these looks easily.

Admittedly flouro is a loud statement and must be worn with the confidence to match. Equally too much of each and things won't add up too well so if in doubt team with base colours like black, white and cream. And my personal favourite good old school uniform grey.

If you're looking for ways to incorporate the flash but wanna' watch the cash here are some easy ways to flouro it up.

1. Add some lip colour with YSL from £22 at Selfridges
2. Take advantage of free delivery, student discounts and sale slashes at ASOS, in this genius Louise Gray creation.
3. Get some hand action with this Topshop bracelet.

Sweet.

kiss.