To ink or not to ink...

As I was sitting patiently getting my highlights done today I noticed something about most of the girls working in the salon which really got me thinking. Almost all of the girls had visible tattoos (neck, wrist, ankle, ear) and the majority had at least one design on their inner wrist or outer hand. I have to state before you think I frequent some sort of majorly alternative hair salon that this is Tony and Guy and only one of the girls looked like the rocker type who you may stereotypically associate with body ink. It appears, much to my delight and encouragement, that tattoos are finally starting to lose the tag of taboo and become more acceptable.
I currently have three tattoos one of which is a simple five point star on my inner right wrist (a la Gisele and countless others), and I have been thinking about getting something new to celebrate the end of my uni life. It may sound sad, and I really don't care, but I have long wanted some text written on either my wrist, ankle or neck, and two quotes from poems I have studied over the last four years have really stuck in my mind. The inner wrist is a perfect place for such a tattoo because it is highly visible, not just to everyone else but to you. I don't see what enjoyment can be gained from getting a tattoo on a region of your body such as your back or neck where you can't ever see it without looking in a mirror. If I get a nice tattoo I want to be able to look at it all the time, especially if the design or occasion is reminiscent of certain events or emotions which you want to celebrate.
On a small google search I brought up countless images of celebrities with wrist and hand tattoos. Firstly Rihanna and Cheryl Cole, each of whom have several other tattoos:

It seems the finger tattoo is strangely popular right now. My brother (no idea why) had a moustache tattooed on his index finger several years ago and a family friend has a smily face on her middle finger. It seems other celebrities have caught on to this 'trend' too as both Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen have sported some finger ink in recent months:

It is surprising that not only wild younger celebrities or music mavens are getting inked but older, more typically conservative and feminine celebrities have also been sporting some visible tattoos. Check out Victoria Beckham, Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria:

So, who knows, soon you may catch me sporting some newly acquired wrist adornments...

Dramas and Dilemmas

I'm having a bit of a hair dilemma. I have an appointment booked for 10:30am tomorrow at Tony and Guy and as per usual cannot decide what to get done. Much to the dismay of my hairdresser who continues to laugh at me for attempting to grow my shoulder length fine hair long, I shall only be getting the length trimmed but as for style and colour? Still undecided. I have possibly the shortest attention span ever when it comes to hairstyles. I have been short, long, mid-length, layers, all-one-length, fringe, no fringe, black, red, chestnut brown, peroxide blonde and subtly golden. I shall probably be avoiding a drastic colour change (the last time I did it I think I nearly induced my mum to have a heart attack) but that still leaves some room for change on shades of blonde.
I can't decide whether to go for various light golden highlights a la Hilary Duff:

Or whether to embrace the bleach and go all-out peroxide white like Taylor Momsen:

It basically comes down to whether I'm trying to have the natural look or in your face 'fashion style'. Unlike Hilary Duff and other golden maned goddesses like Blake Lively and Olivia Palermo (pre-brown dye) I am not gifted with a thick, long mane nor a naturally beautiful face- it requires a fair amount of make-up to get me looking half decent. So perhaps the 'edgy' look would be better?

Then there's the decision of whether to have my blunt fringe cut back in, like Momsen, (at the moment it's in the side swept stage) or to grow it out and go back to having an all one length, long bob a la Gwyneth Paltrow:

Aaahh decisions, decisions. At the end of the day I will probably decide what to do as I sit down into the chair, and I will most likely ask for something completely different next time I go in about two months time. Oh well, such is the joy of being a fickle girl.

Hidden delight

My trip to the bullring today cemented one thing quite clearly in my mind- I do not like, and do not suit, pastels. I am far too pale and too light blonde haired to be able to pull off such muted colours without looking ill. Unfortunately the majority of current Spring/Summer stock in the high street stores is pastel coloured so the only item of clothing I bought was a darker denim shirt from Topshop. But as that was on my 'To Buy' list, along with a thin leather belt which I also purchased, my trip was a moderate success.

The one intriguing thing which I discovered on my round of the stores today was that you can find some great shoes in unexpected places... I have not shopped in NEXT since I was about 14, and had no plans to revisit the store at any point, but I realised today that they actually have a good selection of fashionable and reasonably priced shoes. Stores such as Topshop, Office or Kurt Geiger offer a wide range of high fashion heels but rarely for a price point of less than £70 (and in KG most are well above £100). So imagine my surprise at finding some party heels in NEXT all for under £50!! Obviously there are several pairs of hideous 'workwear' court shoes with grotesque square ends (when does this ever look attractive?!) and the requisite pair of grossly unflattering low heeled leather boots, but I found a few gems lurking amidst the overly glitsy party shoes.

This pair of hidden platform black court shoes are very basic but great as a staple shoe for dressing up a smart work outfit or pairing with skinny jeans for a more than casual drinks outing.

These fringed peep-toe ankle boots are used in the NEXT adverts. They are shockingly high but so amazingly flattering with tights, and the fringe detailing is subtle enough to ensure you don't get mistaken for Pocahontas. I shall DEFINTELY be investing in these asap.

These are the pair of black party heels that I have been forever searching for!! Perfect glam-rock style with multiple leather and chain strap detailing but the slingback style and small front platform make them super comfortable. A party must have.These peep-toe lace detail court shoes are really flattering

These peep-toe lace court shoes are incredibly flattering and subtly sexy. Great for more formal occasions, my housemate Philbin (Clare) has just bought them to wear to our gradball.

If you are on the hunt for a summer clog at a reasonable heel height and price then these are the perfect pair! The tan leather means they will go with almost all summer clothes and the buckle detail adds a little more interest. I might, MIGHT, be tempted to buy them; even though I swore off clogs...

The glitz and glamour of life in Venice

Well, of course I can't help but also post my top four womenswear looks from the Chanel Resort 2010 collection....

I adore the metallic shorts and the enormous collar neckpiece is both divine and an elegant reference to the Venetian glass which the area is so famed for. I couldn't find any detailed photos of the make-up which is a shame because the girls all have deeply metallic smoky eyes which I would love to test out.

I love the inventiveness of transforming the traditional Chanel tweed suit into something subversively sexy. The high-waisted skirt which could otherwise look frumpy or dowdy is reinvigorated by being teamed with just a small black bra top, large necklace and the jacket casually resting over the shoulders (this is apparently a key new way to wear your jackets ladies so take note!)

Chanel does metallic mini-skirts. It sounds trashy but the sheer Victoriana style blouse keeps it demure yet interesting. I love the loose drape of the metallic cardigan and the traditional pearls are a classic. I also strangely love the fringed gladiator flats- it really shouldn't work with such a glamorous outfit but it kind of does.

I was head over heels in love with this sheer bed-jacket until I saw a photo of Christina Aguilera performing on Oprah wearing it with thigh high boots. Sadly my image of this wondrous creation is now tainted by slutty associations. If you just marvel at it in its intended catwalk incarnation then it is still a luxury piece.

Men are just so underrated...

As I was looking through the Chanel Resort 2010 collection on style.com, ready and prepared to do a post on the Venetian luxury of the pieces and the common threads of underwear as outerwear, sheer and lace, I was distracted by the handful of menswear looks. I think that male models and generally speaking menswear as a whole is an underrated area of the fashion industry that receives too little attention. I'm sure if you asked most fashion conscious individuals to name a few female models they could list them off without hesitation, but male models? I am ashamed to admit that I probably could only name one or two, and that's after giving it a lot of thought. I think that menswear requires a very different skill to the making of women's clothing due to the inevitable extent of sharp tailoring involved; but I think that the talent and impeccable craftsmanship required to make a good suit is a feat of fashion genius which needs to be better appreciated.

I love the cut of the long white shorts, its sharp, clean and could be made into a casual look as seen with the light patterned jersey in the first two images, or a more formal look with a tailored jacket, as seen in the third image. I think the nautical style is far easier for men to pull off without looking like they are playing dress up; whereas women are restricted to a breton striped top on its own, men can wear multiple striped items without looking like they are ready to board a cruise ship and work as a deck hand. I love the final men's look too: the slight sheen of the fabric, the gold fastenings and the high neck white collar. It is a very strong, stylish and formal look that only a certain type of man could pull off with aplomb.

I have to draw your attention to the male model who is in the two images on the left: I recognised him from the Lagerfeld documentary I watched yesterday (albeit in the DVD he was wearing very little clothing...). His name is Brad Koenig and he is signed to FORD models agency. I think he looks more striking with longer hair...

Lagerfeld love...

In my first day of post-exams freedom I watched two fashion related documentaries. The first, 'Annie Leibovitz: Life through a lens' is a compelling and inspiring account of Leibovtiz' career in photography from her earliest personal reportage pictures, to her documentary stills on tour with the Rolling Stones and her fashion editorial shoots for 'Marie Antoinette' in Versailles. I found the account of her relationship with John Lennon and Yoko Ono particularly moving. The second documentary 'Lagerfeld Confidential' is more of an odd mix between probing interview sessions in which Lagerfeld is questioned on his childhood, relationship with his mother and homosexuality, and paparazzi style following of Lagerfeld as he designs, organises runway shows and photographs his advertising campaigns. The one aspect of this documentary which I loved was seeing how Lagerfeld approached the 'ephemeral and dangerous' world of fashion, and subsequently how he adapts to the rapid turnover of fashion seasons, constantly changing his entire wardrobe so that he is never wearing anything more than a season old. I also loved being able to see the life behind the public persona, his extraordinary library of books and his ridiculously large collection of silver rings and bracelets! I felt inspired to put on all of the more gothic style silver rings I own...

The bracelet is from Balenciaga, it was a revision gift from my Mama; she has great taste, she spotted this in an old post on theblondesalad. The nailvarnish is Chanel 'Particuliere'

Style Icon of the week: Gwen Stefani

Gwen may not be an immediately obvious style icon to some, she isn't a socialite or renowned fashionista, but she has been on the music/fashion scene for a long time, is married to a rock-star and has two beautiful children, yet she has still managed to cultivate a distinctive edgy style. The aspect of Gwen's style which particularly grabs me is that her aesthetic is consistent but is modified accordingly for her three roles: rock icon on the stage fronting No Doubt, red carpet glamour and more casual street style.

Gwen's stage style is characterised by distressed denim, sports-chic tops (note the black Fred Perry polo shirt on far left and the white vest with sheer panel in the centre picture), hard-edged accessories like studded belts, chains/braces and fingerless gloves and stylish black ankle boots. Of course Gwen's platinum blonde locks, feline eyeliner and scarlet lips remain a constant aspect of her look.

Off-stage skinny jeans, heels, big shades and a lot of black characterises her look. This is topped off by a sleek ponytail with an edgy quiff.

On the red carpet Gwen's look is primarily still dark tones but the effect is softened by her loosely curled hair and chic choice of accessories. In contrast to her stage look which is often quite exaggerated with a multitude of accessories Gwen's red carpet looks are more demure with just a few select pieces of jewellery.

Talking about Gwen's style it would be impossible not to mention possibly one of her best looks, in my opinion. Only Gwen Stefani could get married in a dip dyed pink John Galliano gown: