Standing tall (in my flats)

There is nothing more satisfying for the consumer (and more annoying for the shop assistant) than to spend hour upon hour in a store trying on shoes, clothes and jewellery galore, only to leave without buying a thing. In my current doom and gloom financial scenario of all work, low pay and no play I have resorted to trying on endless pairs of high heels in topshop- only to happily throw on my flat glads and saunter out the shop, safe in the knowledge that for once I have NOT burned a huge hole in my purse. At the weekend I popped into my local Topshop in Milton Keynes and proceeded to try on every pair of large wedges they had. I must admit that although part of this routine was to try on shoes I couldn't afford to buy, it was also to try on shoes I know I would never buy anyway because I lack the confidence and ability to wear such enormous platforms. I stand tall at the edge of 6ft on a normal day in flats and I've found that wearing really high heels just makes me feel like an alien and, going by my history, makes pathetic, weak willed shorter men feel emasculated. So, safe in my little world of the Topshop shoe counter I tried on all the shoes I've seen fellow bloggers parade the streets, sidewalks and the odd isolated forest in....

'And the fire and the rose are one'

If you have ever watched Miami Ink (or the spin offs LA ink or London ink) you will probably have noticed the abundance of emotional sob stories and mid life crises which have inspired the people involved to get inked. Many of my friends, tattooed or not, have mocked the program for just this reason; insisting that getting a tattoo is an aesthetic choice to decorate ones body with a permanent piece of art. I have been inked on 6 different occasions and can say with certainty that my reasons for getting it done each time were different and often not unanimous in themselves. I have had two shockingly bad unplanned tattoos, one pointless tattoo, one fixing up job, one which I loved at the time but seriously needs redoing now that it's 6 years old (if you do the maths I was 16 at the time, oops), and the last is my absolutely favorite because it is something I've wanted for a long time. I won't bother lecturing you about the dos and don'ts of tattoos other than to say- research you tattooist thoroughly and plan your design carefully. Each time I have been inked has been for a birthday celebration. When I was younger, more naive, and also far more stupid, I probably thought I was being a bit rebellious. Now, that I'm older I like to think that instead of just being generic tramp stamp, my newest tattoo is a personal expression of me, the real me- not some fake ideal projected image of me. I'm aware of how corny and possibly generic that may sound to some, but unless you have been inked yourself and had the experience of getting both a terrible and a beautiful piece of body art then you won't know what I mean.

My most recent, 2 week old tattoo, is a partial cover up job of an atrociously inked star I had done on my 17th birthday. Now it is gone and replaced by a rose and a quote from my favourite poem by my favourite poet: T.S.Eliot.

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one."

Pouty lips and big shades.

I have never been a particularly large fan of Victoria Beckham. She was never my favourite Spice Girl and even when her critically acclaimed fashion line was launched, she rose in my esteem as a designer but never as a style icon herself or as a person. I always thought that, a bit like Cheryl Cole, her look was too planned, too contrived and too obviously 'styled' to appear personable or inspire a legion of style fans. HOWEVER, as I was browsing my usual array of fashion sites and blogs this morning I came across her editorial spread in Vogue Turkey on redcarpetfashionawards. I LOVE it when iconic figures poke fun at themselves and the 'celebrity' lifestyle. There's nothing better than a bit of comedy and ironic self deprecation to make you ten times more appealing to the general public. Victoria is so often criticized for looking frozen, moody and pouty, yet here she is acting like an over confident, glamazon party girl.

Irrespective of who's decision it was to direct the shoot in this almost 'mockumentary' style I find it very amusing. The tone reminds me of Juergen Teller's shots of Victoria for Marc Jacobs:

What would Kelly do?

Now, this is far more than just a book recommendation. This is a full on, life changing, belief shaking, inspiring bit of advice. Go out and buy and read this book:

I bought this on a bit of a whim from Amazon as I had seen Kelly at work on the Hills and the City and thought that she was an icon for powerful, no nonsense business women. From the title of the book and the small blurb shown online I expected it to be just an amusing, tongue-in-cheek guide to life in the crazy world of fashion PR. Although parts of the book are like this it is also part autobiography (in shocking and brutally honest detail; dealing with abortion, addiction and divorce) and also a self-help guide. I hesitate to use the term 'self-help' guide because that conjures up associations with such pathetic titles as 'How to be truly happy' and other seemingly bullshit tomes of hippy happy advice whereas this actually offers practical, useful and inspired notes of guidance. I warn you in advance that there are aspects of spirituality and religion in Kelly's suggestions but they are far from being either intrusively didactic or holier than thou irritating. Kelly is not averse to using real examples from her own personal and professional life to illustrate how certain things have succeeded and equally how certain experiences were immense failures- this up front honesty is really compelling. It is refreshing to see her admit her faults, weaknesses and fears and inspiring to see her follow her own advice in difficult situations- as she states: 'It is not a breakdown, It's a breakthrough'. Kelly is intuitively aware of how past media coverage has painted her (in her own words) a bitch, witch or cunt, and how certain people may react to her writing this guide, which only serves to heighten her sense of self awareness and strength- something we could all learn from. 

I don't want to sound like an obsessive convert but I really feel like this book offered some life changing advice- from lists of what not to wear to work and career don'ts to sound advice on how to conduct yourself within the office and prove yourself as an intern. If you are in a similar position to me, that is at the bottom of the career ladder having recently graduated, then the advice within this book is priceless. Sure, it records the life experiences of an older woman like giving birth, being CEO of your own company and conducting business with clients (all of which we can't relate to yet) but it also gives invaluable advice on how to go about getting a job and more importantly how to prove yourself once you've started and get that promotion. Kelly may be the boss of a world renowned PR company and offer advice from the employers perspective but she also has experience being the employee, and a failed one too. 

In short, Kelly knows what she is saying. She has the credentials to prove her success and alongside her business know how she also has some interesting things to say about relationships, gender equality and social stereotyping. If you are sick of the Disney induced labelling of women as frail princesses in need of a rescue then you will find Kelly's ballsy and forthright commentary on 21st century society a breath of fresh air in a world of stifling conformity.

 I sat and read all 197 pages in one go it was that gripping. Admittedly I may have been slightly impressionable after receiving some less than great news about an upcoming job but I shall heed Kelly's advice about getting through the bad times:

"Things will change: you won't feel this way forever. And anyway, sometimes the hardest lessons to learn are the ones your soul needs most. I believe you can't feel real joy unless you've felt heartache. You can't have a sense of victory unless you know what it means to fail. You can't know what it's like to feel holy until you know what it's like to feel really fucking evil. And you can't be birthed again until you've died."

Thanks Kelly.

THE LIST.

In the midst of my mid-week work despair yesterday I had a small glimmer of excitement after a conversation with fellow blogger RedHead. In response to my complaints of boredom about the current content on my blog roll I was helpfully directed to a few new (to me) blogs which, as always happens with the internet, led me to stumble across several other good new sites. Here are the results of my stumblings...

• thehautepursuit- a wannabe Rumi with interesting glamrock personal style.
• bleedforfashion- awesome casual cool personal style photos interspersed with witty and comedic musings.
• wheredidugetthat- bohemian glam personal style of a Londoner in NYC plus some cool photos of life and living in the city.
• glamcanyon- scott schuman-esque street style photography.
• hautekhuuture- mostly photo blog documenting the artistic delights of food, architecture, fashion and anything else that is beautiful and creative.
• stylequotient- beautifully presented street style photography.
• stylelikeu- photographic and textual fashion journalism.
• elementsofstyle- absolutely stunning interiors

As I scrolled through the back catalog of Lily's posts for Bleed for Fashion I came across something simple yet inspiring which I had been meaning to do for a while. Lily had found on another blog the idea for writing a sort of goals list. Not so much a to do list but what she called a 'bucket list'- a number of things which you would want to have done or achieved before you die. It sounds morbid but if anything it is motivating and uplifting. I loved that the top thing on Lily's list was 'Have an epic love story'....sigh. Wouldn't that be something great to aim for?
As Lily did, I shall do too. A list of 22 (as I am soon to be turning that grand age) aims for my life:

1. Have an epic love story.
2. Learn to speak French.
3. Live in Paris for at least 6 months.
4. Go to a couture fashion show.
5. Run the London Marathon in fancy dress.
6. Climb a really big mountain.
7. Rock a pixie cut hairstyle.
8. Get backstage at a rock concert.
9. Have an article published in a major publication.
10. Go on a trek through the Amazon rainforest.
11. Dip my toes in the sea off the coast of Australia.
12. Hold a tarantula.
13. Be my own boss.
14. Be at my godson's graduation.
15. Have an apartment in NYC.
16. Ring in the New Year with my friends in Times Square.
17. Be Maid of Honor at my best friend's wedding.
18. Do a sky dive.
19. Walk the red carpet.
20. Have my photo taken infront of the Taj Mahal.
21. Own a first edition copy of Dickens' Great Expectations.
22. Be at my best friends' 80th birthdays.

Lingerie, pouting and a lot of eyeliner...

She may be wearing increasingly questionable clothing (underwear), be wearing more make-up than the joker and be more Courtney Love than Love herself but it is undeniable that Taylor Momsen's band is actually pretty damn good. If previous singles Make Me Wanna Die and Zombie didn't convince you then the latest offering Miss Nothing should:

The woman in BLACK.

I am and will always be a fan of couture creations and eccentric fashion pieces- albeit in a distanced manner. It is probably as a result of my art history training for my degree but regardless of whether an ensemble is practical, wearable or aesthetically pleasing in a traditional or commercially viable sense I will always have a deep level of respect for the creative mind who envisioned it and the skillful hands which created it. The weird and wonderful creations of the Haus of Gaga never cease to amaze me with their use of unusual materials like rubber and glass, and the surprising and entirely unconventional shapes and cut of the garments produced. I would never wear such items myself but can appreciate the time and effort that went into producing them. Usually, and most often with Gaga, the shock factor of such clothing is due to the vast amount of skin on show, the overt sexual nature of the clothing or just the plain weirdness of the items which not many would consider actual clothing. As I was reading a few articles from the Telegraph online I came across this image of Daphne Guiness at the opening of the new Acne studio in London which prompted me to think of the health and safety risks of clothing:

Now Daphne Guiness is renowned for wearing obscure couture creations- she was the first to wear those astonishingly high and seemingly pain inducing armadillo heels from McQueen (after Gaga in her video for Bad Romance)- so at first glance this Gareth Pugh designed look might not strike you as provocative or shocking being a fairly simple all black biker look. But then on closer inspection you notice that the fabric is leather which has been studded all over with nails....

How heavy must this be!! And how on earth do you get it on without pricking your fingers?! You must have to wear specially made gloves and have several assistants on hand for the fitting. I'm assuming that the jacket/top must have a zip fastening at the back because pulling it over your head would be near impossible! But after continued thought on the topic this is hardly a shocking piece considering the designer and his signature aesthetic of futuristic, dramatic, alien-like subversive, S&M creations. I'm aware that was a lengthy string of adjectives but Pugh's designs are so striking and unusual that it is incredibly difficult to categorize them within the confines of traditional journalistic vocabulary. Pugh's work is just best left expressed by the images of the looks themselves:

Carrie, the Russian and Oscar

SATC fashion (and I'm excluding the second film here), like many things in life, gets more refined and more beautiful with age. I know that I am most likely preaching to the converted here but after indulging in some SATC viewing over dinner last night I truly came to the conclusion that with a few notable exceptions the styling of the final series was, in my opinion, the best. Admittedly the earlier series feature many iconic outfits (the newspaper print dress etc) but they similarly feature a lot of outright eccentric and unflattering ensembles, mostly worn by Carrie. Pat Field is without a doubt one of the most powerful stylists of the current age having defined the zeitgeist of an entire generation and affected the way hundreds of thousands of women have viewed the way they dress. But no visionary has a seamless and unblemished history- the multiple atrocities of Miranda's wardrobe (raincoats, oversized dungarees and terrible haircuts in the first season), Samantha's jewellery (hello Pat Butcher) and Carrie's oddly layered and not age appropriate choices (crop tops, leggings and bunches for the over 30s??) are testament to this. Luckily by the sixth season each woman has their personal look refined and they look utterly fabulous. It will not be a shock to many that Carrie is my style favourite (personality/character wise she would be my least)- mostly due to the fact that Charlotte, whilst perennially feminine and elegant, is a little too conservative for my tastes; Samantha a little too extravagant and bling and Miranda...much as I admire her tenacity and acerbic wit she definitely lacks (in the series) the fashion flair to appeal to my style aesthetic. In the final series Carrie's style is both feminine and provocative, luxurious and edgy. Whilst she is dating the Russian, during the initial stage of wooing (and I call it wooing merely because in an old fashioned sense he courts her with dinners, poetry and music), Carrie wears a profusion of richly textured maxi dresses and silk slips with mohair and other fur coats/cardigans. Whilst in Paris she wears several skirts and dresses which cinch in at the waist and then flow out in an array of layered netting and tulle, along with some ornately embroidered flapper dresses and several pairs of leather/lace and wool gloves. I love it all. Especially when the outfits are topped off by the return of Carrie's voluminously curled and honey tinted hair.

And of course who can forget the gorgeously bright and girly fuschia pink dress which the Russian got from his friend Oscar (de la Renta)?!?! Despite his age and the cragginess of his face- if he were to read me poetry, take me for horse and carriage rides in the snow, whisk me off to Paris and buy me an Oscar de la Renta gown I would most definitely take him on.

30 seconds to major excitement...

I am BEYOND excited right now. As an early bought but late to be received birthday present I bought 2 tickets to see 30 seconds to mars at the O2 arena in November! I simply CANNOT wait. 30 seconds to mars is possibly the only band (of the moment) whose live shows (and music in general) can be described as EPIC. I will not even apologize for the profusion of capitals in this short introduction as I am just too excited about it. Frontman Jared Leto often directs their music videos himself under the pseudonym of Bartholomew Cubbins and the most recent creation is no exception to their video history of outstanding cinematography and overwhelming emotional tone. Get ready for Closer to the Edge...

Well I would embed the video in here but it has been disabled by request, so instead the link is here

The Zoeinator

I stumbled across this a few minutes ago and found it absolutely hysterical! If you aren't an avid fan of the Rachel Zoe project then it probably won't seem that amusing but I'm sure you will agree that it's good on Rachel to be able to take the piss out of herself- especially for her ridiculously Gok Wan like vocabulary! Oh.My.God.Like.I DIE.

A little bit of London...

Ok, so for my stepdad's birthday we had a family day out in London- drinks at the Absolut ice bar (with obligatory touristy family photos), lunch at Aubaine in Heddon Street (AMAZING dessert tray), shopping in Selfridges (Hello, T by Alexander Wang clothing- post to come), afternoon tea at the dining room of the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square, then tickets to see Penn and Teller at the Hammersmith Apollo.

A little bit of Brighton...