the Jade Lady

[phrynefisher.com]

'Cor, you 'aint like any lady i've seen before!' said Cedric in disbelief.

'I should think not.' Phryne replied.'

Kerry Greenwood, Murder on a Midsummer night 

Without a doubt if you asked me to pick a historical era in which to travel to in a time machine i would hands down choose the 1920s. There's something so incredibly enticing about it, the first steps towards the liberation of women, hemlines hitting higher than ever before (mid shin to knee, how shocking!), the excitement of a generation that had just escaped a horrific world war, increased travel, increased opportunities for women... I can just see me perched on a bar stool in some jazz club, tapping my heeled foot to a tune, waving a cigarette in the air to make ashy curls around my cropped hair, a dropwaist dress or elegant flapper outfit, long gloves, a fan, a seashell compact, big jewels... mmm how marvellous!

Perhaps that's why one of my favourite literary characters is Kerry Greenwood's enterprising and inimitable the Hon. Phryne Fisher. She is simply incredible. Educated, liberated, clever, confident, radiant, oh so chic and so sharp. What a character! A character to be envied indeed.

Phryne Fisher is the daughter of an English Lord, emigrated to Australia and begun a detective agency. She solves all manner of mysteries, although murder is her specialty, and often she juggles cases which, in true crime fiction fashion, end up being inter-related anyway. All in time for a scrumptious dinner, a delicious cocktail, a quick gasper and then out into the evening for dancing and debauchery.

The books stress that she is a lady of taste, and so it is always enjoyable for me to read about what she wears. She is a svelte and stunning woman with her dutch doll cap of black hair, green eyes and ruby red lips. Her lover Lin Chung calls her the 'Jade Lady'. In each novel her clothes are described in loving detail by Greenwood, and are always historically accurate and achingly chic. To dinner parties she wears satin sheaths that cling to her body like rippling water, she has smart two piece suits, drop waist dresses, flapper shifts, loose trousers and blazers, flippy skirts and romantic frills... all topped off with the most exquisite collection of hats (cloches, straw hats, flowers, corsages, fascinators, headbands), jewellery (rubies, emeralds, sapphires, garnets, amethysts and don't even get me started on the diamonds), shoes (boots, courts, sandals, ballet flats, stilettos) and other accessories like gloves and fans known to mankind. 

I think a girl like me reads it as much for the murder mystery as i do for the fashion. Well, the fashion and the atmosphere. greenwood does a lot of research to create an authentic environment of the 20s, from the slang and vernacular of the characters to the brands, inventions, clothing houses, meals, household routines and nomenclature. Fascinated as i am by english aristocracy and history it is a real joy for me to get a look inside what is, to all intents and purposes, a 1920s lady's household with her maid Dot, her two daughters Ruth and Jane, her Butler Mr B, her cook Mrs B, and her string of lovers and attachments on the side. 

They are not great literature, but they are great fun, and one shouldn't read only great things all the time, it would be incredibly boring. Everyone has a guilty pleasure, and when it comes to reading i have a few, one of which is the Phryne Fisher novels. They are simply delightful, and i have spent many an entertaining afternoon in their company. 

Prepare to be ensnared. Onwards and upwards!

Monday, or indeed late sunday, love to you all!

X

[amazon.com]

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the triumphant return.

i'm back! tired, broke, and wanting to curl up in my very own bed for a long, long time. 

we stayed in the house of a vegan, and thus i have been starved of meat, cheese, eggs and dairy for a very long time. my mother, what a wonderful woman, had a steak waiting for me when i staggered off the plane today.

and i did not realise how expensive schoolies would be! i have completely run out of money, not a good thing indeed, considering i wanted to run up to the bank tomorrow and fill my newly opened bank account with money. i guess that shall have to wait. And i didn't even buy that much, it was mostly spent on food, transport and alcohol. how very boring! I bought 3 wristbands, a ring, and a skirt. that's it on the fashion front haha. 

i have no photos yet, my camera broke, and i'm trying to fix it, but it only has 2 days of photos on it. when i get the rest of the photos from my friends i promise to scroll through them, searching for the least embarassing ones (read, those that do not make us all look like crazed teenage drunkards) and i will definitely post. it was a great time, and i had an incredible amount of fun. 

but boy am i glad to be back. 

thankyou all for the lovely comments on my scheduled posts, i thought you would like some of them. i promise to try and get round to replying to comments as soon as i can, i've done some already, but there is so much to do, and you have all posted an awful lot while i've been away. i am doing my very best!

much love, you are all my favourites.

X

Hmmm, while i'm at it, i may as well catch up with a tag. I was tagged by sarah from this organised chaos to do this really intriguing tag where you have to answer with only one word. here goes!

Where is your mobile phone? charger.

Where is your significant other? no.

Your hair colour? brown.

Your mother? darling.

Your father? chauffeur.

Your favourite thing? dreams.

Your dream last night? fabulous.

Your dream goal? writer!

The room you're in? boudoir.

Your hobby? scribbles.

Your fear? failure.

Where do you want to be in 6 years? london!!!

Where were you last night? schoolies haha. 

What you're not? sporty.

One of your wish-list items? Roksanda *sobs*

Where you grew up? paddo.

The last thing you did? unpack.

What are you wearing? pyjamas.

Your TV? broken.

Your pets? none.

Your computer? mac.

Your mood? content.

Missing someone? no.

Your car? no.

Something you're not wearing? bra. *hahahahah*

Favourite shop? belinda.

Your summer? NO! 

Love someone? many.

Your favourite colour? crimson.

When is the last time you laughed? always.

When is the last time you cried? today.

Fun, no? i want to tag 

the yellow elephant 

and

rosie posie rosie.

[flickr]

mmm a lovely pic, no? this is what it was like on schoolies haha. 

You have read this article me / travel with the title November 2008. You can bookmark this page URL http://startthefire-cafagesta.blogspot.com/2008/11/the-triumphant-return.html. Thanks!

the more loving one

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well

That, for all they care, I can go to hell,

But on earth indifference is the least

We have to dread from man or beast.

How should we like it were stars to burn

With a passion for us we could not return?

If equal affection cannot be,

Let the more loving one be me.

Admirer as I 'think I am

Of stars that do not give a damn,

I cannot, now I see them, say

I missed one terribly all day.

Were all stars to disappear or die,

I should learn to look at an empty sky

And feel its total dark sublime,

Though this might take me a little time.

w.h auden, the more loving one.

I just love auden. This poem is very simple, and expressing so much. This poem is a recognition of unrequited love, and an acceptance of being the person who is 'more loving'. The imagery of the stars serves the purpose of highlighting the sheer unattainability of unrequited love, like the stars there is an unscalable separation and distance between the person who is in love, and the person who does not love back. 

The pain that the speaker feels in unrequited love is something that he would not wish on anyone else, be it star or person. 'How should we like it,' he asks, 'were stars to burn with a passion for us we could not return?'. I hurts to be the more loving one, but then, it is not something that the speaker would wish onto anyone else. 

I just love the last stanza though. It is a recognition that life does go on, even if we are the more loving one. It is a small comfort post-broken heart that it is not the end of the world. Should love dry up, we can learn to look on the 'empty sky' and see its 'dark sublime'. 

But, as the speaker interjects with a sense of sad finality, 'this might take a little more time'.

[flickr]

  

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Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes...

'Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross

To see a fine lady upon a white horse

With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes

She shall have music wherever she goes'

Catherine McNeil has got to be one of the most striking models in the business.

[tfs]

What a beautiful ad, and i'm not even really talking about the rings here, although they are just stunning. I have a thing for cheekbones, and hers look like they could cut glass here. I love the way she has posed her hands too. In jewellery ads you have to put the jewellery on display, but without seeming contrived and without pretense. She looks so natural here! She actually looks like a fabulous young thing contemplating her absolutely gorgeous rings before a night on the town... that kind of character would hardly require much acting on mcneil's part, now would it?

I just love rings though. They are infinitely more glamorous than bracelets and necklaces, and i can't even say why. They're almost like the kind of jewellery that you shouldn't wear when you're young... it's too glamorous in a sense. Like it's off limit to those who are unmarried and unattached. Rings, and i mean cocktail rings, flashy rings like that, are such an unabashed symbol of wealth and status. The kind of gaudy and elaborate displays of jewels, such as the flowers in the dior rings, would not be tolerated on bracelets or necklaces, at least, not by people of 'taste'. Maybe it's because rings are a lot smaller, or maybe it's just because rings can pull anything off... they're the french people of jewellery.

Rings tell tales of glamorous parties in which rake thin girls with cropped hair swanned around in backless silk dresses, smoking from long ivory holders, waving their be-ringed fingers in the air. Rings are evocative of the 1920s and 1930s like no other piece of jewellery, even brooches and hair clips... A huge cocktail ring never fails to create a clear image of the type of girl who would have worn such a ring in that time. Like these Dior confections. the girl would be decked out in cream jersey, drop waist, a little cloche, a fur coat... and a huge bright colourful ring. Instant glamour. 

Like in the nursery rhyme, 'rings on her fingers' is instantly linked to wealth and prosperity. Rings are the ultimate in luxury jewellery, for in history only those who did not work could wear rings. They were, after all, the only people who did not constantly use their hands. All others were toiling in fields, factories, and the workhouse, and a ring on their finger would be a serious impediment to speedy and prosperous work. No... rings were the territory of the rich.

Things are different today, obviously. Like many once glamorous and off-limits things, the ring had become mainstream. This is not a bad thing at all, rather it is good that the ring is no longer available only to the wealthy, although it is often perceived that way fashion is not elitist. A trend can only be a trend when it can be followed. But then, like perfume and pearls a good ring can transcend it's modern connotations to take on a whole new level of glamour. A good ring can take a tee shirt and jeans into new territories. A good ring is a statement piece unlike many other pieces of jewellery. 

So i'm not really sure why i like them so much, but i've rambled on for quite long enough without really reaching a point. They are glamorous, and they are often glamorous in an over-the-top obnoxious way. And yet i love them even the more. The bigger the better. Less is never more, at least, not in the case of rings. What shouldn't work for rings, huge oversized styles, expensive and decadent materials, elaborate and sometimes tacky settings... it always manages to look classy despite the fact that the same thing on anything else would look like a 1980s disaster. Perhaps that's why i like rings so much, they're often an excellent visual contrast. The glamour of the idea of the ring juxtaposed  against the complete gaudiness of its reality... Or maybe i just think they make my fingers look pretty. 

This post started as an ode to catherine mcneil and has ended as an ode to rings. It figures, right? 

X

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Curiouser and curiouser...

“'But I don’t want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.

'Oh, you can’t help that,' said the Cat. 'We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.'

'How do you know I’m mad?' said Alice.

'You must be,” said the Cat. 'or you wouldn’t have come here.'”

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Just as Tim Walker's photographs always look like a fairytale, and Terry Richardson's like some kind of sick (but oh so sexy) porn film, and Ellen von Unworth's a lesbian homage... Annie Leibowitz's photographs always look calm. 

Perhaps calm is not quite the right word, but there is a certain stillness to her photographs that is incredible, and intriguing. I think it can really be observed in this Vogue US shoot, now notorious and much loved by all, the Natalia Vodianova Alice in Wonderland themed shoot from December 2003.

[foto_decadent] 

Do you see what i mean? Ah, sometimes it's hard to express exactly what you can see. But even in that first picture, where natalia is falling down the 'rabbit hole' you get that feeling of stillness. Nothing is moving. Leibowitz has this ability to really capture a moment like no other photographer that i have ever seen. Sometimes with photographers you get a real sense of movement, i mean, you can see that in the tim walker photo of the 'oompa loompa' and jamie bell jumping in vogue uk dec 08. It's the kind of stillness that the vogue us caro trentini jumping in a studio photos have. And i'm not quite sure whether i like it or not. On the one hand it is very clear. Sharp, even. But then again, sometimes i like my photographs to be more, well, alive.

Regardless, however, this shoot is just lovely to look at. in some pictures natalia vodianova has a really annoying and confusing expression on her face, kind of like a sulk, especially in the one with donatella versace. But if you can get past that, there are the clothes. And believe me, it's worth it! Leibowitz's stillness of style is particularly illuminating in regards to the clothes. How many times have you gazed at an image, peering at the outfit, straining your eyes to see every detail. Leibowitz captures every tier, every frill, every flounce, every stitch in such fascinating clearness that one must wonder whether or not she is a clothing enthusiast herself. These kind of shots are perfect for vogue. Whose audience is, ultimately, interested in the clothes. You average Vogue US reader may not know natalia v, nor posen, victor and rolf, galliano, theyskesns (!), they may not even have read alice in wonderland... but beautifully crafted and amazingly creative clothes are something that everyone can understand and appreciate.

How beautiful, and fashion forward, is the Victor & Rolf ribbon dress with the exaggerated shoulders? Very margiela. How classic Karl is the pale blue dress with bow and thigh high boots? The Christian Lacroix dress is such a perfect example of his flair and drama in clothes. And Galliano as the Queen of Hearts? The only time i've seen better casting was in Lord of the Rings. 

You've probably read this far, especially you Brigadeiro, and are now thinking... but she hasn't even mentioned Oliver Theyskens!? He was in this shoot!? Looking FABULOUS, totally do-able (even if he is gay, i will turn a blind eye to anyone who says he is), and created the most beautiful dress of the whole thing! And Natalia had those squinty eyes that tyra calls 'fierce'. She looks good! Why hasn't she mentioned that picture yet? 

The Oliver Theyskens picture is my favourite of the whole shoot, and not just because he's in it, although that does contribute a little. Rather i think that it is the one image that really excites me. None of the other images captivated me as wholly as this one. Perhaps because it was in black and white, visually arresting among so much un-saturated colour, and Leibowitz does like her colour. And there is just something about a black and white picture... i've blogged about it before, there's just something so beautiful in the simplicity of black and white. No colour to distract you. Just the subject. And what beautiful subjects they are!

All this ranting should not take away from the fact that i do like this shoot. How could i not? Alice in Wonderland is, after all, one of my most favourite books of all time. If the shoot had been at least half decent i would love it. And this is more than half decent. This would, probably, be one of my favourite shoots of all time had it been shot by anyone else. But there's just that incredible lack of motion that makes me feel very odd about this. I know they're photographs, but you want to feel the image, the passion behind it, the beauty and artistry of the clothes. I just don't feel it with this particular shoot.

Even hundred thousand dollar chanel couture can't make me. And that's saying something. 

Curiouser and curiouser indeed. 

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The coat of dreams.

Mmmm on Wednesday i went window shopping in the city whilst waiting for my mum to finish her doctor's appointment. Seeing as how the surgery was in the midst of martin place, where else would i be shopping other than chanel, prada, belinda and evelyn miles? 

It was a weird day because, to begin with, no-one questioned my place in the store. Usually when i go into stores like that i get looks because i'm either a) young, b) not rich enough, c) not looking to buy (which is not always strictly true) or d) all of the above. But on Wednesday i wasn't even given a single look, the whole time i was treated like royalty. The lady in Chanel even let me stroke the lambskin of the 2.55 and let me try it on, placing my huge oversize wallet inside to see if it fit (it did!). Unfortunately the trip to chanel had the by-product of me finding out that due to the economic crisis chanel has had to up their prices. the Jumbo 2.55 is no longer 3 and a half grand, but 4 and a half grand... guess the recession has his the luxury market hard. Guess that particular dream won't be happening for very long.

The real joy was in Belinda though. To my excitement and eager fashion crazed girl amusement they are now stocking Givenchy, Lanvin and Balenciaga. I went around the store with these huge saucer eyes, touching up the Dries Van Noten stuff for you, Brigadeiro, fondly looking at those strappy sandals that you have. (they are lovely!) then onto stella mccartney, where they had lily allen's poncho, and i had a little chuckle to myself. It was beautiful, and so soft! I tried it on and it felt like heaven against the skin.

The funniest thing of all though, was seeing items i had used in polyvore sets in real life. ALl of the lanvin shirts and jackets that i constantly use, as well as marni dresses and necklaces were there, and it was bewildering and very odd to see them IRL, mostly because they looked so very different. This happened with a particular philip lim skirt that i was obsessed with for ages. I saw it in the corner shop in real life and it was nothing like what i thought it was on the internet, and though still beautiful, not me at all. It was actually quite a release to realise that too. I felt released from the shackles of the skirt, although in the corner shop i found a jumper and a jacket by philip lim that i loved to replace it instead. 

Anyway, back on task. After feeling up Givenchy, Marc and Balenciaga i came to the corner of the MLC centre store, where tucked up in the very back of the rack next to a boring taffeta stella mccartney skirt there was a coat. THE coat. the coat of my dreams.

Roksanda Ilincic, who, although needs to work on finish, is so creative. Navy blue Wool, Grey Llama and teal satin. A size 8, which was oddly reaffirming in a way, i was so surprised i could fit into it. A boxy style, very 1950s, with deep pockets and 3 quarter length sleeves. Felt like i was wearing something so light, even though it was 100% wool. 

I can't even express to you the joy and absolute wonder of wearing this coat. I had used it in polyvore countless times, and so knew i had to try it on. And when i did i felt transformed!  My outfit suddenly became infinitely more chic, i stood up a little straighter, my hair became a little more glossy. The shop assistants were all cooing about how artsy and creative it was, and although i know it's their job, it certainly made me feel very elegant. I felt like some fabulous londoner swanning off to an art gallery opening before a night of elegant debauchery at a cool club. In reality i was off to the bank to set up an account and then onto chambers to visit my godmother. Boring stuff indeed. 

At exactly $2995 the coat was a no deal. In fact, it hurt even trying it on, knowing that it looked so perfect, and so amazing, and i would never own it. Even 50% off it would be way too expensive. There was nothing to be done, after getting the obliging sales assistant to write down the code and price on a card, and after her soft urging to buy because it was the only one in any belinda store, and quite possibly the whole country, i left temptation behind. Just being in the shop was too much, especially knowing that it would never be mine.

So, all sydney-siders with a spare 3 grand lying around and a passion for fashion and all things beautifully crafted, chic and just all around wonderful, get ye to Belinda in the MLC centre, and purchase this amazing item of clothing. It will change your life, just trying it on brightened my day. I want it to go to a good home. 

If only it could be me!

X

[net-a-porter, style.com]

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Doh!

Is this really what i think it is? (click on images to enlarge)

[contact music galleries]

I am so slow on the uptake, apparently she has had this tattoo for ages... but seriously? is that homer simpson? Sandwiched in between the cross and the star of david? Is that supposed to be some kind of statement about the world? the religion of consumerism and how materialism is becoming the new spiritual experience?

Or does she just really like the simpsons?

[bauer-griffin]

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An evil spirit, your beauty, haunts me still

An evil spirit, your beauty, haunts me still,

Wherewith, alas, I have been long possess'd,

Which ceaseth not to tempt me to each ill,

Nor gives me once but one poor minute's rest.

In me it speaks, whether I sleep or wake;

And when by means to drive it out I try,

With greater torments then it me doth take,

And tortures me in most extremity.

Before my face it lays down my despairs,

And hastes me on unto a sudden death;

Now tempting me to drown myself in tears,

And then in sighing to give up my breath.

Thus am I still provok'd to every evil

By this good-wicked spirit, sweet angel-devil.

Michael Drayton, An evil spirit, your beauty, haunts me still

I think it is a pity that more people do not read Michael Drayton. His style is very heavy, it must be said, but at the same time the sentiment and thought in some of his poems is just wonderful. Take this poem, for example. It is an excellent example of the power of contrast in conjuring up imagery. Who has known someone who was a 'good-wicked spirit', a 'sweet angel-devil'. Is that not the power and curse of beauty? Sometimes the most beautiful can be those who are the most cruel.

 But i think this poem is not about that, although there are some elements that speak of a harsh beauty. Rather this poem is about the power of beauty. How it 'haunts' the speaker, how it drives him to despair, it temps him to drown himself in his own tears, how he cannot sleep because of it, how it 'hastes' him to a 'sudden death... How odd that beauty can be so powerful! How odd that something so ephemeral can hold so much sway over people. I mean, beauty fades. That has always been the main complaint. But it is undenied in its utter and awe-inspiring power of people. Ever been 'under the spell' of someone beautiful? It is the ultimate door opener. And it keeps someone in raptures even after the thrill of the chase, or the sexual encounter has long gone. It is beauty that keeps the mind racing, keeps someone turning in their bed. I almost feel for the poor speaker, and how he feels he cannot live because her beauty is haunting him. 

And also i think it is interesting to see that although this poem was written almost 5 centuries ago there are some common throughout history. And the power of beauty is one of them.  

[tfs]

hmmm. i think it can be said relatively unarguably that lily donaldson is possessing of the kind of beauty that 'haunts'.

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Covetous Cover

There has been so much kate moss love in this blog it's not funny. Indeed, you're all going to think that kate moss is my ultimate idol, which isn't really true. I do think she is a great model though, when she doesn't look tired and washed-out. As evidenced by the Vogue China Dec 08 cover...

I mean, Kate has completely nailed it on not one, but 2 December covers. She was fabulous on the cover of Vogue UK, and there were those that muttered about the boringness and predictability of shulman picking her for a cover. Yes, she is always on the cover of Vogue UK. 4 times is an incredible lot, especially when some of them were not good covers at all. However if she was not given the cover of Vogue UK because she had had one too many we would never have seen her reclining in tulley swathes and sending a sultry look down the barrel of nick knight's talented camera. Wouldn't that have been a terrible start to December? I know that i'm a sucker for a beautiful cover, and i always judge books by theirs, even though you're not supposed to. Judging by Vogue UK's cover it was a 200/10. 

And judging Vogue China purely by this cover, and that is because i have never bought an issue before, i think it is fabulous. A black and white cover? How stunning. Kate staring down the camera wearing what could, quite possibly, be the most fierce outfit i have ever seen in my life? How stop-me-in-my-tracks. How inspire-me-to-search-out-vogue-china-at-all-costs. And her mouth is closed. That has got to be a big plus for any picture of kate moss. The lighting is just captivating too. I love the way half her face is in shade. She looks amazing. 

And it makes me want to buy this magazine. A cover is nothing if it cannot inspire the viewer... and tug at their wallets at the same time. This cover is making me wish i could speak chinese, making me wish i knew where i could buy vogue china in australia.

And furthermore it is a double cover, with Maggie Cheung on the back cover. I really like how Vogue China manages to tread the fine line between fiscal shrewdness and patriotism/supporting their nation's fashion and artistic industry. The issue features many asian models, in particular the up and comers like Emma Pei and Liu Wen. Maggie Cheung is one of China's most reknowned and talented actresses, as well as being a bonafide certified fashion plate well deserving of a vogue cover if ever a girl was. I'm glad that they made a double cover, and did it with a well-known and respected chinese actress on one side and a well-known and respected (by most) model on the other. the fact that it is kate moss is representative of the fashion tastes of chinese women... They like established international faces, like kate, daria, gemma and natalia. Perhaps not 'supers' (with the exception of kate) but rather faces they have seen hundreds of times in advertisements. The provocative and relatively modern beauty of someone like lakshmi or the stunning features of karen elson would have no resonance with a culture that is so adoring of 'icons', as they themselves have dubbed Miss Moss.

But not even counting political agendas, or patriotism, or even clever marketing, it is a beautiful cover. Visually arresting. Black and White, plus Mario Sorrenti, plus Kate and Maggie was a recipe for quiet, understated glory. 

X

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Deja-Shoe

I was reading about this phenomenon the other day in a book, i think it was called 'like i give a frock', a kind of cutesy fashion illustration book with pearls of wisdom on each page according to the seasons. One of the author's stories was about 'Deja-Shoe', whereby shoppers in op shops/thrift stores see something they like, only to realise that it was something they themselves had given away to that very store.

I can't even say how many times this has happened to me, especially in vinnies, a charity op-shop in australia for those in greener pastures. I give a lot away, i'm not naturally a hoarder, and i always regret it. I had the loveliest leather full skirt in year 10 that i gave away at the end of the year and now wish i had kept. There are so many stories of things i have given away only to regret it bitterly when those items came back in fashion mere seasons later.

I also give a lot of book to vinnies, and  find that i am always getting 'deja-shoe' with my books. I'll pick up a copy, go, wow, i wish  owned this book, i've read it and it wasn't bad, only to realise that i did own it, and it wasn't great either, and that i really have no room to keep books that aren't amazing and marvellous.

My friend had the worst case of Deja-shoe, she picked up a hideous crochet top from a rack, laughing at it to my other friend, only to find out that it belonged to the friend she had been paying it out to. And that friend had worn the top in question to a party hosted by her. Can anyone say AWKWARD?!

So, have you had any deja-shoe moments? I'd love to hear them...

X

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To a child dancing in the wind

[this photo is so gorgeous, i had to use it. it is from flickr.]

Dance there upon the shore;

What need have you to care

For wind or water's roar?

And tumble out your hair

That the salt drops have wet;

Being young you have not known

The fool's triumph, nor yet

Love lost as soon as won,

Nor the best labourer dead

And all the sheaves to bind.

What need have you to dread

The monstrous crying of wind?

W.B Yeats, to a child dancing in the wind.

This poem is sad, rather like the 'crying of wind' itself. The speaker is lamenting his lost youth, his lost innocence, the fact that he can no longer dance on the beach in the carefree manner of children. The danger of life has entered his conscience, the water and wind pose no threat. I wonder if i am reaching the age where i can no longer dance in the wind? I should like to hope not, but then, perhaps...

X

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you look lovely today... just today?

Nothing from thursday could be counted in this post, because i scheduled it (i'm getting rather good at this whole technology thing, aren't i?) so that i can still post despite being at schoolies this week. I'm sure i'm having the best of times, when this is posted i'll probably just be getting out of bed and searching for a cigarette and a drink... But anyway, i thought i would share this week's array of fashionable lovelies. 

Rose Byrne

[celebutopia]

If you can get past the fact that she looks terrible, almost sickeningly, thin at the moment, i am completely in love with this dress. Rose Byrne seems like such a nice girl, and i always root for the aussies at the end of the day, and she (or her stylist) made an excellent choice with this outfit. THe structure and sillhouette of this dress is just lovely, fashion forward  because of the one-shoulder and the odd panels, but then also very chic because of the material, the colour and the darting. The dress is just extremely well made, and it takes your sight away from her protruding collar bones and her gaunt looking face. the poor girl, i doubt a hamburger would go with the absolutely gorgeous dress, but i'd like to give her one anyway. Don't you think the dress would look just that little bit better if she was a bit more healthy-looking? Do it for the dress, Rose. It deserves nothing less.

Gwyneth Paltrow

[tfs]

Wow. Just.... Wow. Whatever she's eating (isn't she on macrobiotic or whatever?) i want some of it. Whatever she's doing (oxygen facials and yoga) i'm going to start. Whoever she's doing (mmm chris martin), well that one could be a little harder. Gwyneth Paltrow looks fan-fucking-tastic! I mean... Wow! Her skin is flawless, her hair is perfect and such a great length for her face, she picked a gorgeous dress, and didn't go for the LBD or anything obvious but chic, rather she picked a sexy cocktail dress in white, with interesting detail around the waist, a pair of killer heels (she has come to embody the term 'killer heels', has she not?) and a flawless face. 

Now if only she had bought Chris Martin along with her... that would take this outfit from drop dead gorgeous to perfection. 

Marion Cotillard

[tfs]

Pink is her colour. I never want to see her wearing any other colour than this beautiful vibrant shade of pink. Doesn't she look radiant? Confident? Born to take a chance? (that's a lyric from the cartoon anastasia for those in the kid movie know)... the dress is perfectly feminine and ladylike without being dowdy, her shoes are so cute, her hair is messily coiffed and her make up is just stunning, love the smoke eye on her. What a lovely outfit. How does she do it?

I believe the answer to that is; She's french. 

Alexa Chung

[tfs]

Maybe i'm putting this in just so i can put a picture of alex turner in this post. Or maybe it's because i think alexa looks really cool here. She just got off an aeroplane, and the outfit looks just at that level of comfortable that is chic as well. The contrast of two very different patterns, leopard print and stripes, is really cool to see. The chanel shoes and 2.55 are probably what sealed the deal for me though, actually. You know how much i love me a little chanel. 

And the girl really looks like she just stepped off a plane. Unlike victoria beckham who changes into her sky high heels before the papparazzi can get a pic of her close than 10 inches to the ground, chung actually looks like she was on a flight. That should be rewarded, should it not? 

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sweet dreams are made of these.

'the truly fashionable are beyond fashion'

Cecil Beaton

Lots of people have asked about my header, and where i found the picture from. None other than the master Tim Walker, from a shoot for Vogue UK in 2004 (i am unsure of the exact issue, perchance one of you knowledgeable readers can oblige!?). 

[foto_decadent]

I have long maintained that fashion is fantasy, and when at its best (because sometimes fashion can be horrible, even an enthusiast like me can know that) it can be such a lovely piece of imaginative frivolity. And it is never more at its best than when photographed by tim walker. I could look at his images, any of them, for hours on end and never get tired. Like a good book something new is revealed every single time you look at the photographs, and they are pure escapism. The hundreds of white rabbits, the stage, the horse, the parasol and fields of flowers...

I love how Tim walker maintains that he is not fashion at all, and hardly knows one designer from the next. Rather, he is into the beauty of the clothes, the artistry in some of them... that's why the clothes in his shoots are often fabulously decadent, look at the pink dress on jacquetta wheeler! or they are masterpieces of structure and pieces of art unto themselves, such as erin o'connor's pale blue dress that adorns my header. He brings out the playfulness and child-like innocence in the models, you can see a sort of quirky infantile eccentricity to his photos. I mean, there was a girl with her boobs out for all and sundry in the latest vogue uk tim walker shoot, and all you thought was, wow, her skirt was so damn cool. 

I love myself a thought-provoking shoot filled with avant-garde clothes and a crazily wild concept, be it futuristic space-age, technological, digital, relating to today's world... But then at the same time there is something so comforting in seeing that glorious magic, the one that seeped through the pages of fairytales, that wafted through fields of wildflowers and courses through the air around castles, grand bridges and fun fair fairy floss stalls... it is comforting to see that magic existing even today in the most unlikely of places, the pages of Vogue.

but then, perhaps the magazine devoted to an industry founded on dreams and aspirations is one of the best places for magic to be found in our modern times, after all. 

X

Right now i should be on the plane... enjoy the scheduled posts!!! 

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Bon Voyage!

I'm off to schoolies tomorrow, so i'm franticly re-packing seeing as it is pissing down rain in Byron. who would have thought, in the middle of summer? i might even have to take tights and boots... shock horror. This is incredible. 

I'm going for 10 days, but ever since i worked out the scheduled post i've been going crazy, and i've almost done enough to last the whole 10 days, it'll be as if i never even left. I don't quite know yet whether or not that is a good thing or a bad thing, on the plus side it means i can catch up on posts of things i've been wanting to blog about but haven't got the chance, but on the negative side it means it's all kind of set up. I hope you like the posts though, i had a lot of fun making some of them.

The point is though, that i won't be able to access internet, at least, i don't think i will, which means i won't be able to casually surf through all of your lovely blogs like i normally do all day. I won't be able to comment on your fabulous posts and see what you have to say. It's all very depressing. Still, i hope that when i get back you will all have posted tons and tons for me to read and re-read while i recover from what is sure to be a very dramatic and insane 10 days. 

So, to fit in with the weather, i am taking:

Skirts

black stella mccartney pencil skirt

long tree of life white skirt

red vintage high-waisted skirt

green silk a-line skirt

checked vintage high-waisted skirt

Tops

black jersey vanessa bruno top

striped A.P.C top/jersey

2x white lightweight tee-shirts from cotton on (haha)

tartan shirt

Purple bias-cut shirt. 

flower patterned overshirt

blue brooks brothers overshirt

Jackets/Knits/Coats

Military style double breasted sass and bide coat

vintage cacharel blazer

black cardigan with gold beads 

Shoes

gladiator sandals

black beaded ballet flats

Hunter gumboots (mmm so much fun!)

perhaps my dad's loafers... unsure as to whether they will be needed

Other

black tights

cream scarf from topshop

knitted beanie, so cozy.

fingerless gloves.

Wow. just typing that took a long time. that's actually probably too much, isn't it? God i always overpack. I think i'll not take as many shoes, just the sandals and the beaded flats. I don't really need gumboots do i? The odd thing is that all of this stuff actually fits into my overnight bag, which is just weird. Maybe it's like that carpet bag of mary poppins' which is deceptively large. Maybe my overnight bag is like a magic bag! How lovely!

I really must go, i have so much to do, i have to go to the bank and get some money out otherwise i will be absolutely destitute at Byron, i need money to buy food, and drink, and other necessities like magazines to read, anklets and silly byron souvenirs haha. 

Au Revoir! Love to you all, see you on the 30th!

X

I'm growing out my fringe... thoughts? 

Edit: Schoolies is like spring break... for school leavers. it's kind of hard to describe. there's not much point to it really, other than drinking and making a fool of yourself in public places. But, well, rite of passage and all that. See you on the 30th, if i make it that far.! 

X

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How to lose friends but gain a really cool wardrobe...

'America is my country and Paris is my hometown.'

Gertrude Stein

When firmly pressed for an answer to what country they would most like to be from i wholeheartedly believe that women answer, 'i'd like to be french.' Just like how there is a 75% chance that when people are asked to give a number they reply 7, it must be a scientific fact that women want to be french. It's the insouciance, the je ne sais quoi, the chic, the svelte figures and high heels, the sexy lovers, the art, the culture, the food. It's France, for goodness sake. 

I was reminded about this today because i saw the movie how to lose friends and alienate people today with my friends. This post is not about the movie, which was kind of fun, and interesting to watch considering my career aspirations. No, while watching the movie i was suddenly reminded of France. Not because it was set in france, or there was a french character... or even because they ate at a french restaurant or something. No, i was reminded of France because of Kirsten Dunst's character (Alison Olsen)'s wardrobe. 

Kirsten Dunst is actually one such woman who i'm sure would answer 'French' if she had to change her nationality. She is always running about in A.P.C, little wedge heels, classic separates in subdued chic tones and quirky accessories. She is one of the LA crowd who hasn't succumbed to the devilry of the tanning salon, and her ethereal pale skin and skinny phsyique can be seen poking out of denim cut offs and smock dresses a la Lou Doillon but with blonde hair. 

Her costumes in How To Lose Friends and Alienate People were almost like an extension of her off-duty wardrobe, and thus were endlessly intriguing and captivating on the big screen. She wore cute little shirts, pencil skirts, vests and dresses in black, white, pale blue and floral patterns. I particularly liked her first outfit at work, a black skirt suit with a white striped tee-shirt and plaited milkmaid hair. 

Recently i've been getting the feeling that my wardrobe has been maturing. Not in any obvious ways, but i've been drawn to a softer palette and in classic designs, the blazer, the full skirt, the bias-cut top, the long a-line silk skirt, the oversized shirts in block colours. Like Kirsten, both on and off the screen i feel myself sub-consciously, and, it must be said, consciously, emulating the effortlessly chic dressing style of that stereotypical Parisienne, the woman with perfect hair, striding down a street purposefully in a fitted skirt, crisp shirt and interesting jacket with super high heels. She may be dressed in something ostensibly uninteresting, but she wears it with such flair. Suddenly the pencil skirt takes on a whole new level of style.

I am guilty of unashamedly worshipping everything french in both my life, and this blog. One of my favourite designers is Vanessa Bruno, whom i love not for an ingenuity of design or innovativeness and creativity but rather because she manages to make the female form look so damn good. Ghesquiere is all well and good for your fashion needs, but i don't think i would look fabulous in one of his Balenciaga dresses with foam accentuated hips. But i do look great in a draped VB top in silk jersey that just hits my curves and makes them look like gifts from god, rather than gifts from too much chocolate and turkish delight. 

 A.P.C is another of those brands that is successful and much-loved not because it is fashion forward, but because it has distilled so perfectly the allure of the french ingenue and channelled the energy into its clothes. I do not own anything by A.P.C, but i have tried on several items and instantly felt transformed. They are well made, classically constructed and quirkily embellished clothes that made me feel, just for a second, that i was in paris, and gloriously fabulous. 

So what is the point of this post? It's just a mishmash bit of fluff about my favourite city in the world, and as i traverse the road to chic, compiling lists of things i need to reach a level of Parisienne perfection, how little things can make me feel like i'm making inroads at last. One of these things is buying beautiful french clothes. And another is seeing such classic costumes in the cinema. Kirsten Dunst and her fabulous outfits in the film were a little moment of joy for me. It was inspiring to see her looking so chic, in such simple clothes. Perhaps i will get there too, one day. 

Hope springs eternal, right?

[apc.fr]

How to lose friends and Alienate People:

[kirsten-dunst.org]

I love her plaited hair in the first photo.. such an inspiration. i may even try it tomorrow!

much love.

X

You have read this article celebrity / fashion / films / inspiration / movies / paris / style with the title November 2008. You can bookmark this page URL http://startthefire-cafagesta.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-lose-friends-but-gain-really.html. Thanks!

The bold and the beautiful.

Just a little fun post, blogged by Bambola from Girl with the big brown eyes . The point is to bold the ones that you have done yourself to discover how 'bold' you actually are. the beautiful part, of course, does not really enter into this. I just thought it might be a good post title, a little puntastic haha. 

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid - I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS!

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said "I love you" and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise - did that on sunday!

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby's diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne - this also happened on sunday haha!

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking - did that on sunday too! :D

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states (for Australia)

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe 

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving 

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theatre

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites - oooh i really really want to!

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest - as queen cleopatra for a friend's 18th!

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice - but it is one of my dreams!

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"

83. Gotten flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

98. Passed out cold

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication - this one is my ultimate dream!

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone's heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a TV game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on a photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears - nose, thankfully it has closed over now.

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey

135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone's life

So, what do you think? Bold? Beautiful? Both? Neither? 

I would love to hear some of the crazy things that you have all done!

much love.

X

[cobrasnake]

these girls are bold and beautiful, wouldn't you say? 

You have read this article me / photos with the title November 2008. You can bookmark this page URL http://startthefire-cafagesta.blogspot.com/2008/11/the-bold-and-beautiful.html. Thanks!