auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!



HAPPY NEW YEAR!


I hope 2009 is the stuff of memories for you all; academic and career greatness, much success in the boy department, friendships that grow, evolve and change but will last forever, and most of all, hundreds of fabulous new shoes. 

It has been such a lovely pleasure to write this blog and meet you all this year, and can only wait for the year to come, and the posts. Onwards and upwards!


[foto_decadent]


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shopping lobotomy

Remember that scene in sex and the city, 'an american girl in paris part une' where carrie slips on the water and trips in dior? And she has to conduct a 'shopping equivalent of a lobotomy' by buying up big? Well, i think i had an incident like that yesterday. Although, not being carrie, despite my best attempts and delusions otherwise, i did not 'buy big' i just bought something which, as you will see, was a big deal in this particular shop and for me.

I-Spy, it's a Belinda store that has just opened in westfield bondi junction, although it's not technically running under the 'belinda' label, which of course had me fooled. It had a funky looking window display, beautiful sales assistants, and a big fat sign saying 'SALE' on the window... and right underneath it: vanessa bruno.  how could i resist? that four letter word gets me every time. SALE. 

anyway i wandered in, and it was filled with beautiful, beautiful, clothes. most of them i had seen before in belinda stores, but these were heavily marked down. still at too high prices, but nevertheless, just gorgeous too look at. there was an absolutely heavenly donna karan wrap in rich raspberry, a fabulous marc jacobs dress with huge buttons on the bodice and divine vanessa bruno separates, winter coats, and shirts that felt paper thin, as if they had been made of tissue paper. Glancing at the prices i had a sharp intake of breath, and moved along. I am supposed to be saving to go overseas after all. 

And then i saw the Marni rack. Oh God. Marni. The label that truly sums up the quirky chic girl, boxy cuts, stunning patterns, bright colours, off trend but in fashion always. I love marni, and have always ALWAYS wanted something from there, but combinations of not being able to afford, and not being able to fit into, their items found in australia have prevented me to do so. But here was a rack of marni, gorgeous dresses in bold colours slashed to about $400-500, gauzy shirts, and tons and tons of skirts at prices i could, with a stretch, afford. But i sighed. No. You. Are. Going. Away. You must not spend money... But then my hand brushed against a beautiful red skirt, thick knit, tulip cut, in a deep burgundy colour. I'm a sucker for a good red. Red Wine, Red Shoes, Red candy... 

And it was $200. 

What? 

and.... What? 

So, in a shocked daze i took it into the change rooms, and slipped it on. There's no way it would fit. it's a sample size. I would try it on, it wouldn't fit, and i would put it back onto the rack. no harm done. 

Oh but it did fit! and it looked good! really good. In that way that only well made, well designed, well fashioned clothes do. When they just sit right on your body, when they cling in the right places and skim over the others, when they are shapely but not skin-tight, when they are loose but not baggy, when they feel like a dream against your skin. That was this skirt! 

But i couldn't buy it... I physically had the money, but i shouldn't spend it. I wanted the skirt, but i have loads of skirts. and i mean LOADS. they're my staple wardrobe item, and i wear the same tops over and over again just rotating the skirts. So i suppose pro's, i would wear it lots. Con's... that's $200 i wouldn't have to spend in lovely london, or perfect paris. So i decided to put it back on the rack, like a good girl, and just use the money to buy something as equally as fabulous overseas, which is just as good, if not better.

But then my watch caught on the curtain of the change room as i was leaving. 

And then i was on the floor.

And then, to add insult to serious injury i bought the curtain down with me. 

Oh shame of shames. Oh horror of horrors. I was mortified. THere i was, spread out on the floor, rich, deep velvet curtain covering half my body, thankfully the shamefully embarassed red face, while people rushed to see the commotion. When i finally brought myself to show my face, 3 (count 'em!) sales assistants, were crowded around me, asking if i was alright, and then looking at the skirt, and asking if i wanted to take it. In a moment of sheer desperation to get them to stop looking at clumsy old me, i nodded mutely, handed the skirt over, and reached for my cash. 

Pictures of the skirt to come soon, suffice to say, i do love it, and it shall be getting a lot of wear, and because it is knit i suppose it is a good investment buy for overseas. But it was just a terrible thing, i hate hate hate being embarrassed, god who doesn't? and i felt terrible the whole day. And i really should not have spent that money. really. 

Needless to say. I will never be going to I-Spy again. 
Ever.

Well, maybe not until next sales. 

They'll have forgotten by then, right? 




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eighteen candles; part deux.

one: birthday girl 
two: friends from overseas
three: courses (soup, risotto, cake)
four: hours of dancing.
seven: chocolates. 
ten: bottles of champagne :)
fourteen: lovely presents.
eighteen: candles. 


thankyou for all your lovely comments and good wishes! it was such a delightful, fabulous evening. 









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you look lovely today... just today?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
i hope you all had a truly lovely day and are now enjoying boxing day, which for us in australia means the thrill of the boxing day sales... i will post tomorrow with pics of my birthday dinner and my loot. i was so spoiled, really, i haven't been able to stop smiling these past three days. can't wait to hear about all your fabulous christmas tales, presents, and stories! don't you just love it? 


of course, now onto the lovelies who nailed it fashion-wise despite it being christmas week where so much food is consumed you would be forgiven for thinking you were feeding a small country, rather than just a large family. 

Zooey Deschanel


[celebutopia]

This dress is gorgeous. Period. it's a cute little mini, but not slutty in any way, the feathers on the shoulder add depth of detail, the fitted bust is interesting. She looks fresh and, well, positively glowing really. The only thing i don't like is the tights. As the fug girls said when they covered this outfit, there is a fine line between being cute and adorable and being kitsch, and the tights seem to drag the outfit into the kitsch grey area. I think if she had opaques on, or maybe even no tights at all, althoguh i'm well aware how cold it was in LA when she premiered, it might have been acceptable. but the glittery confections adorning her legs i hate. But then i have a little look at the beautiful snow blue colour of her top and all is forgiven... almost. 


Clemence Poesy


[garance dore]

Clemence has a very interesting style, it seems to revolve around simple basics with quirky twists, something i wish i could embody in my own style, and something that i think i am unconsciously, or consciously moving towards in my everyday dress. This outfit is a perfect example of a good casual outfit, just like kirsten dunst last week clemence manages to be chic and simple without being boring, her coat is a classic cut but the furry shearling collar and piping adds depth. The mix of brown, navy and black together is odd but still nice. 


Lily Allen


[celebutopia]

Like last week lily turns up the glamour to an almost unbearable level. Out and about for a christmas party Lily eschews the usual cocktail mini dress in favour of a dramatic floor length dress worthy of old school hollywood actresses. In a beautiful shade of teal, and with absolutely stunning draping over the bodice the dress scores even more points with me when lily turns around, and it is revealed that it is  bacless, with a lattice weave of fringing over her back, as well as fringing over the hem of the dress. truly stunning. What a show stopper!

TGIF! but not really, because i still wish it was christmas.
X


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eighteen candles.

I write this very quickly, and quite tired, to inform you of my lovely birthday day and night: yes, christmas eve. I turned 18 today! and what a lovely day i had of it too.

23rd December

8.30

friends arrive, bringing good wishes, bottles of champagne and presents. cocktails are swilled and poured, and we all chat happily about inane things like the weather, and how good strawberries taste with champagne. someone materialises with a punnet of strawberries. 

9.00 

dinner begins. cream of celery soup to start, then a lobster and tarragon risotto where the rice was still a little chalky mmm, chocolate mousse and cloud cake with dollops of clotted cream to finish. Pink Champagne with desert, white wine with mains, little trays of truffles, cheese and crackers dot the table. Candles lighting our talk, which turns to embarassing stories about myself, and then onto what we all want for christmas. I unwrap my presents at the table, aside from bunches of beautiful flowers my friends have given me big rings, a new moleskine notebook, a beautiful edition of pride and prejudice, a charm for my bracelet, a slouchy black bag, lots of chanel make up (mascara, liquid eye liner, blush oh my!), big bangles, a guide to paris (yay!) and lots and lots of alcohol. 

12.00 

officially 18, and with the champagne haze to prove it, we head to fringe bar briefly for a drink, and then into kings cross to dance. The bouncer doesn't ID me. i feel old! Many mishaps and cocktails later dancing doesn't seem like the most fun idea anymore, no thanks to the blisters on my feet. Beauty is pain! Beauty. Is. Pain. Repeat after me. 


24 December

3.oo 

arriving home, tired, and feet sore from dancing, but very content, i let myself into the house, and see my parents and brothers have arranged my presents on the table at my seat like they always do. Unable to sneak a peak, i have a look. I know what some things are, there's the shoe box containing my new miu miu sandals, and the watch box containing the chanel watch we picked up at a junk sale, got authenticated, and resized, and is now mine. but some of the other things i'm not too sure about. There's a bulky box from my oldest brother, a dvd from my youngest brother, and of course my sister to come, who always gives the best gifts. But i'm too tired to play guessing games, and i retreat to my room, turning my ipod to shuffle and letting the soft sounds of the last shadow puppets and sebastien tellier lull me into sleep.

9:00 

still tired, but it is my birthday after all. my little brother wanders in with a cupcake with one candle, which of course wakes me up. And if you can't eat cupcakes on your birthday, when can you? i run into the kitchen where poached eggs await me, my favourite. My parents look on happily as i have a champagne breakfast, ripping open the presents to find my oldest brother had given me a beautiful limoges tea pot in duck egg blue, and my youngest brother the DVD of miss pettigrew lives for a day, one of my favourite movies of that year. My sister arrives bearing veuve and gifts. She has made me a notebook to write on, each page individually customised by her with stickers, paper, quotes, photos, and other such things. I feel like crying, but instead i just smile. Big, wide smiles.

11.00 

it seems like everyone i've ever met is squeezed into my tiny house, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, godparents, family friends, all of them feasting on the various treats mum has made (home made fudge and nougat), little pizza slices, prawn rolls, and with my invariably sipping from a glass of champagne, refilled too many times to remember and from many different bottles. As soon as people arrive another bottle is opened! And oh! the presents! My dressmaker friend has outdone herself and made me a copy of a scanlan and theodore skirt i loved but couldn't afford, a floor length wine grape purple silk skirt with an oversized hem. My little baby cousin has given me a silver credit card holder, which i cannot wait to fill. 

8.00 

Well ensconced at a table at the ivy, my uncle, my aunt, and my sister, are laughing as he tells terrible stories of me as a baby and toddler, how i used to steal his wallet and try and eat his money. I eat scallops with asparagus and a mushroom viniagrette, grilled duck breast with poached apricots on the side, and for desert a delectable mille feuille of champagne necatarines, cream and vanilla ice cream. I'm too absorbed in the beautiful food and wine to notice that megan gale is sitting at the table next to me. My sister points it out, and then i look eagerly, hoping that she is with her boyfriend, comedian Andy Lee, whom i find to be insanely attractive. However she's with a girl, so no dice. 

10.00 

i sit at a blackjack table, long skirt fanned around me, plunging top unsuccessfully pulled higher, faux diamonds in my ears, holding my cards in front of me. As the dealer deals me my second card i look at it. It is a queen of hearts. My other card is an ace of spades. Blackjack! Money at my first go! i gather up the chips and move to another table, my aunt and uncle leading the way. The rest of the night some money is won, some is lost, and i end up coming home with $200 in profit, not bad for the first night at the tables. my uncle drops me home in his sportscar, a bit too rich for his own good really, and a little bit of 'young at heart' 

12.00

i make a post about it for the blog. 



Merry Christmas everyone! 
I hope you all have the best of days, and the most delightful stack of presents, and way too much pudding, and just enough of everything else. 
I have had such fun this year writing this blog, and reading all of yours. You are all fabulous beyond words!
best wishes! 
X



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'tis the season

as holiday season swarms over us in all its panic-inducing crazed energy, and party invites stack up along window sills, or pile up hap-hazardly on desks, or are strewn onto a coffee table, i could not help but think of Fabulous Future Me. It is certainly fun now to go to friend's terribly cliched christmas parties, and some not-so-much-friend's christmas parties (one man i have the misfortune to socialise with had a christmas party where he insisted on going as santa with three girls to be ho, ho and ho... charming, right?) the frivolity of the party season got me to thinking about Fabulous Future Me and how she will spend the party season. Will she be a champagne bubble about town, flitting from one to the other in blissful ignorance, cigarette smoke and adoring glances trailing in her wake? Or will she be a homebody, content with indian take-away for one and a jane austen adaptation, mooning over her current crush and the fine figure he cuts in cravats and top hats.

I'm not sure which she would be yet, if she would even be wholly either one or the other. perhaps a healthy mix of both? While i do love myself a good party, and going out with friends is one of my favourite pleasures, there is a limit, i feel. Even Paris Hilton herself would have to agree, non? 

But in the spirit of things, i thought i would do a little post on party season dressing as dictated by Fabulous Future Me. This goes without saying, of course, but a little dress is a surefire hit, no matter the party, no matter the dress code. Glamorous can be played down by the right shoes and jewellery, and casual can always be dressed up when you have diamonds in your ears and on your fingers. it's all about the accesories, darling, as Alexandra Shulman tried to tell us all in November. They can make or break an outfit, they are the point of reference in a first impression. While we all think we gauge the clothes first, in all honesty our eyes are drawn to things that sparkle, click, and dangle. 

Aside from that, the other things that matter are heel height: high as a kite, unless of course you are going with boots, in which case flat. Secondly, if wearing a skirt make it a short one, and cinch it in at the waist with a killer belt. You don't want to be cold, but then opaque tights can be a dreadful bore when you want to look glamorous. Wear a great coat to keep you warm up top and try to minimise the time spent in open air (ie, cab it home, the extra expense is worth the saved chill). 

And of course, in the immortal words of the orphan girls in annie, who borrowed it off the andrews sisters in the first place, you're never fully dressed without a smile.


1. The Music Industry 

[aminaka wilmot leather jacket, doc martens, acne dress, indian necklace, alexander wang clutch)

Due to the fact that you routinely interview fashionable music stars for the mag, and that when you briefly dated a rock star, something that every young champagne bubble about town must do at least once and get it out of their system, you are always invited to parties thrown by the hip young things that inhabit the industry creating music. Always bang on trend, often alamringly so, the creatures that frequent these parties are uber cool bright young things who date, are, or are the daughters of, musical talents. You like seeing them every now and then, the christmas party is one of those times, just to look and see what life could have been, had you not actually gotten a real job and knuckled down to do some work. And it gives you a chance to show some leg in a bright red and, dare i say it, festive, mini dress. It's the nature of the beast.


2. Art 

[alexander mcqueen tuxedo jacket, christian louboutin shoes, yves saint laurent dress, earrings, bottega veneta clutch]

You love art. You really do. Just like any other of the creative industries it's all about expressing yourself, and that can't be wrong in any way shape or form in your books. And though you may not own a gallery or even paint pictures yourself, although by the looks of you paint-splattered YSL cocktail dress you might have, you are welcomed with open arms. Mainly because you buy a lot of paintings, but also because in you the artsy types recognise a kindred spirit, albeit one who writes about hussein chalayan instead of damien hirst. And although these parties may not be as young and pulsating with life, and it must be said, cocaine, as the music parties, they allow you a chance to have really intelligent conversation with the best and brightest of london's bourgeois. 


3. Film Industry


[alexander wang jacket, bottega veneta clutch, luella ribbon prom dress, various assorted rings, burberry heels]

invited because of The Boy, but fitting in because of her personality, and the fact that she interviewed and wrote about more than half of the 'future movie stars' that go to these parties, FFM prepares for a party with the cream of london's films industry. The Boy, loathsome as the preparatory rights of that species are, is ready to go in 5 minutes are a quick shower, a dab of aftershave. He looks deliciously unkempt in a tight-fitting suit and converse. You sit languishing in front of your wardrobe. You have to look fabulous, of course, and you need a knock out dress that no-one else will have. This is the kind of moment that calls for couture, but you're not on that close terms with karl... yet. Instead you reach for the closest thing to couture in your wardrobe, a luella ribbon prom dress that you tried on at her studio after an interview, and which she sent over to you with a note saying 'you belong in this dress'. once the dress is picked all else falls into place: the slouchy alexander wang blazer for warmth, the killer burberry heels for height, and the fang ring for cool. Onwards and upwards!


4. your fabulous friend's christmas bash


[roland mouret opera coat, marchesa dress, earrings, yves saint laurent shoes]

you have many fabulous friends, although this one in particular is renowned for her near insulting level of fabulous. A model, a photographer, a stylist, successful in all manners of the word, the long term girlfriend of the most desirable (and most straight) fashion designer to come out of Central St Martin's in the past decade, you met her in your professional capacity, befriended her in your non-work related life, and love her in both. She frequently photographs the images that accompany your stories, and you frequently write about her various projects. And afterwards you go for a drink. She loves a bit of theatrics and drama, so you can't resist wearing the roland mouret opera coat, which you shed at the top of the stairs, descending to greet her in a frothy marchesa cocktail dress and sky high YSL stilletos. 'Fabulous, darling' she says with a smile, handing you a champagne flute. 


5. the annual Vogue christmas party

[roksanda ilincic feathered jacket, chanel shoes, burberry dress, tiara, alexander mcqueen clutch]

the one with the most pressure, the last, but most certainly not the least; Vogue's annual christmas party for various employees, friends, and contributers. In one corner stands Tim Walker and Karen Elson, vibrant in red as always, in another Kate Moss chatting eagerly to Lucinda Chambers, in the centre of the room Plum Sykes and Alexander Mcqueen dance to the music, a little while off Roksanda Ilincic and Giles Deacon chat over a martini (her) and whisky and soda (him). You've written about them all before, and you are never intimidated, but there's something about having everyone who matters in the British, and indeed, the world's, fashion industry in the one room that just sets your nerves at end. The Editor asks you to bring the Boy, so you feel as if the only reason you fit in there at all is because you're dating someone famous. Then you smile. No matter, these people are your friends. Aiming to please as many as possible you wear the dress Christopher Bailey hand-delivered to your house, the bag Alexander McQueen gave you when you interviewed him after the A/W 08 shows, and the coat that roksanda entreated you wear to her show in london when you sat front row. When you arrive, stomach all a jitter, and feel the appraising, and then approving, eyes on you, you feel you can relax. You feel, and look fabulous. So i suppose you are! Cheers. 




much love to you all! hope your christmas party season is every bit as fabulous, though perhaps not quite so expensive, as FFM's. 
It's my birthday in 2 days! I can't believe it! 
i'm very excited.
And all i want is a life every inch as amazing as FFM's. is that too much to ask? 
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garden state

when i first saw pics of burberry prorsum's milan Spring Summer 09 show i was a little confused. I was not quire sure exactly what was going on with the clothes, there were all creased, some dyed really hap-hazardly, at at times it looked like colours had 'run' in the wash or wet. It was all very weird, and i thought maybe there had been some flaws in the fabric or something that had been overlooked by Christopher Bailey. Then I read the review of the show at style.com, and although those reviews tend to be terse and often incomplete compared to the ones at WWD, they are often illuminating as to the exact purpose and vision of the designers… Christopher Bailey had been influenced by the wet and wild summers at his home in Yorkshire, England, and thus had created a collection revolving around the aesthetic and fashions of merry old England.

He had me at hello. 

While I may wax lyrical quite often about the French, in particular parisians, I think it is abundantly clear that I am also an unabashed anglophile. Anglomaniac, probably, is the correct term, to borrow liberally from Vivienne herself. I love English boys, English accents, English countryside, English music, English fashion, English art, English films, English history and English atmosphere. I am fascinated by the country and its many eccentricities and every time i visit it feels like coming home... according to my globe trotting sister that is a sign of a country that you would hypothetically inhabit, even though its not your home land. I think i may live there in the future, my family lived there for 6 months when i was 14, and those days really were some of the best of my life haha. :D 

So this collection, swiftly became one of my favourites of all of milan, intrigued and interested as i was in the elements of yorkshire 'country' england i could see in the clothes, having spent a fair time there myself back when my grandparents used to live there. And there were all the familiar Burberry touches, the tan trench coats, this time crinkled slightly and looking rain-sodden at the hems as if the models had traipsed their way through a wet field, the pants were darker at the hems, as if they were covered in mud, the fabrics wrinkled to denote the horrible effect water and rain has on beautiful clothes. leather that looked wet and mistreated. little bucket hats wedged the whole way down the striking models' faces. And all in a palette of moss greens, dark muddy browns, flowering pastels and earthy ochres. 

I love in the devil wears prada film when miranda priestly sneers 'florals for spring... how groundbreaking'. But with this Burberry Spring/Summer collection it was not so much floral prints as the general sense that the models had just returned from a gardening session, dresses (and petticoats) 6 inches deep in mud, while the summer rain poured overhead. 

The aesthetic of this collection, all floral tea dresses in crepe de chine and silks paired with wellington boots, is typical burberry, and is typically stunning, as most things Bailey does these days are. It was the type of clothes that a mitford girl would wear, they were just a perfect embodiment of that vaguely aristocratic quirkiness of dress, the mis-dyed trench coats, the socks and sandals, the frilly embellishments, the beautiful refined pastels mismatched with harsh metallics... just like that slightly odd english rose meandering into tea and cakes and ices after a long walk or horse ride. how picturesque!













[style.com]

And there is something undeniably, well, english about this collection. Nothing glaring, Bailey doesn't have to emblazon his dresses with union jacks, or have lily donaldson stride out in a buckingham palace guard's helmet and red jacket (one recalls galliano) to make his point. Indeed, theatrics have never been something synonymous with Burberry. no this collection is the kind of english that exists in the eccentricities of a mitford novel, or Belmotte Tower in I capture the castle, or virginia woolf, the kind of english beauty that you see in the limby, haughty looks of stella tennant, or the angular face of keira knightley. It's odd, but fascinating nonetheless, and after a second and third viewing, entirely adorable.

A few things have made me think about this collection recently. Not the least that it is summer here, and although it is far too hot to wear much more than singlets and denim cut offs, let alone a trench coat and socks, i am wishing it might be so i could make an outfit inspired by these clothes. Another reason why i am revisiting this collection is that the advertisements have been released, and as usual, they are some of the best out there. Burberry unfailingly shoots stunning ads that feature some of the best and brightest of the british models as well as make the clothes look unbelievably stunning. This years the models are the gorgeous Lily Donaldson, the striking faces of new models Eden, Emily (model turned photographer) and Alexina. And into the mix a delightfully dishevelled Alex Pettyfer and you have one hell of a goodlookign campaign. 

And the setting is perfect, capturing the collection perfectly: a greenhouse. Among the potted flowers and vaulted glass ceilings stand the models, bedecked in the beautiful clothes, accessorized with the amazing burberry necklaces and bags of this season, and unbelievably, although i suppose that was bailey's purpose, they fit right in. Perhaps not looking as if they were about to plunge their hands into the dirt and sow some seeds, but their presence in the green house makes it look like some exalted location for afternoon tea, rather than just a place to grow plants. Which, any gardener will tell you, is not all a greenhouse is. And yes i know that the actual location was a restaurant, and not a real greenhouse at all. But for the sake of argument, bear with me here. 



[tfs]

The saturated colour, the intensity of the background and the crowded nature of the greenhouse, hell, even the dirt floors, are a stark contrast to the other campaigns that Burberry has run. Notable, infamous even, for their dogged patronage of the black and white campaign, Bailey shook things up with the now iconic s/s 08 campaign shot in bright colour against a white studio background, and featuring the striking and diverse faces of Bailey's 'muse' agyness deyn, lily, and various rock star offspring (coco sumner), gorgeous rosie huntington whitely, actor alex pettyfer, tom guinness (of the daphne variety) and many others. The clothes, bright, bold and beautiful, shone out like beacons of burberry's success to come, and the campaign, the first in a long line of black and white kate moss ads, was unforgettable.

This campaign shows that Bailey can move with his collections, and has a range in his vision that is enviable among designers today. Many fashion houses, when they stumble upon a winning formula, tend to stick to it like the proverbial glue. Bailey however, has made a bit of a return to burberry campaigns of old, as can be seen through the traditional, static poses of the models, in contrast to the SS 08 campaign where lily and aggy were jumping around, yelling, looking shocked and confused. This campaign seems more calm, and still, and it must be said, a great deal more civilised. But this campaign is not a complete regression either. No, the formula is shaken, not stirred, with the background, which is jarring none the least because a greenhouse is the last place one expects high fashion. The dirt floor, the unwashed windows, the rawness of the flowers dotted around the room, when combined with the lovely, really well styled outfits... the whole thing feels fresh. Which i suppose is rather fitting, in a way, isn't it? 






the making of the campaign
[tfs]

The other thing that reminded me of this campaign was this picture of Anne Hathaway out and about in LA. I saved it for use this coming friday in 'you look lovely today' post, but i kept looking at it, and then i realised why i was so entranced by it... the trench coat. i know the clothes are spring/summer, and so technically should not even be in stores yet, but this trench has GOT to be a Burberry 'garden girls' one, right? I mean, look at the bottom of it, either she has just walked through a muddy field in the rain, or this trench came with a little note from Bailey saying 'hope you like this jacket, love, CB'. God, it must be hard being famous and beautiful, right? 

[celebutopia]

I know i did a post mere days ago now about how bright, colourful summers like ice lollies can be just lovely, and indeed they can. but all this lovely english summer talk is making me wish for a summer where it rains still, and long walks through fields of daisies and lavender (see how idealise everything? haha) can be interrupted by a sudden downpour, and so by the time you return home you smell like fresh water and flowers. The kind of summer where it never gets hot enough that tea is off the menu, and where shortbread and little cubes of coconut ice rest on fine bone china in some kind of pastelly-goodness morning room. *sigh*

Now it's up to all you english people to correct my romanticised version with the reality. What is an english summer actually like? haha. 
hope your weekends are all fabulous, lovelies. 
X



ps. my apologies for the thousands of pics. i got a tad carried away by this lovely collection, the even more lovely ads, and then my own imagined vision of english summer haha. 
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You look lovely today... just today?

Another week, another round of well-dressed lovelies.  It's a vicious circle, isn't it? 


Rose Byrne

[celebutopia]

The colours of this dress are just gorgeous together, and i love the flouncy frills on the bottom of it. I think one of the things that makes this outfit, though, is that she looks healthier. Her hair is a bit shinier, her face looks a little fuller... Good on her. With all the colour in her dress still not equalling the colour of her cheeks, i think she looks just lovely. And, one can imagine, she's probably missing australian summer incredibly. Hence the colours. I mean, like my editorial post a few days ago, nothing shows summer quite like a colour. 


Kirsten Dunst


[tfs]

There is a fine art to nailing a casual outfit. Just like anything else, it looks simple, but has unexpected layers, often in more ways than one (as Mary-Kate Olsen can tell you.. :D). Kirsten Dunst, undeniable master of casual dressing, shows here why women around the world revere her quirky style; because it is so simple. There's a cute, but plain dress under that simply cut and classicly draped jacket. Sure her boots add a little toughness to the soft fabrics (there's a layer), and the contrast of colours between tan, navy and black is interesting (layer), the neckline of both the coat and the dress are different (layer), those cool hipster sunnies she has on (layer)... hmm, guess there's more to this than meets the eye, right? 


Rachel Bilson




[tfs]

Call me crazy, but i sometimes i secretly like the 80s. Sure it may be the decade that shame forgot, but it's also the decade that spawned madonna, back when she wasn't a robotic flesh machine, and michael jackson, back when he was... normal. And sequins. Glorious, fabulous, beautiful sequins. THey just jazz up any outfit. Case in point: the little cutie Summer, i mean Rachel Bilson. Sorry, i just can't think of her as anything other than Summer. Anyway, Rachel pairs a simple outfit, jeans, white top and black patent heels with a sequinned tuxedo jacket and BAM. instant glamour. 


Lily Allen


[tfs]

Extremely late entry, and i know the second pic is a horrible photo of her face, but you can see the whole outfit... i love the ladylike 40s aspect of it, lily always does that well, you know, befor she stumbles out of the club in disarray. But here she looks so classy! i love the black leather gloves, the cute boxy coat and the cinched in waist. So glamorous! And i love her little bob haircut and the hairclip. She always adds the cutest little extras to outfits. 



TGIF!
X



ps. my results exceeded all my expectations, and i am still on such an incredible high from them today... i freaked out, like i usually do, instead of doing what you all advised me to do: take a deep breath, and have faith in my own abilities. thankyou for all your kind comments and words of encouragement, they really did help, and i am so glad and ecstatic about my results. my whole year did so exceptionally well its crazy, our principal cried, and we jumped like 30 rankings on the state list. I was an all rounder, which is this award where if you get all your subjects in the top band (over 90%), you get this plaque from the premier... Two years ago they also gave the all rounders a cheque for $1000 but now there's not enough money in the budget and too many all rounders haha. But seriously, how much good would that cheque do! I could get 1 pair of chanel flats.... or 1 third of that roksanda ilincic coat. :D 

When the results came out i logged into the website to access them, and then freaked out, and minimised the internet page so i couldn't see them. And then sat in front of my computer for about an hour just tapping my desk and doing other things, like going on tfs and facebook haha. I just couldn't bring myself to do it, and i felt so sick. And then i just opened it up and saw my results, which were much much better than i had even hoped and dreamed, and screamed! It was just amazing, because it means i will be able to get into the course i really really want to do at uni, which was the whole reason behind my freak out in the first place. But it's all good now! I'm so excited for uni its unbelievable.  

It feels a bit weird though, like i shouldn't be finished with school forever quite yet. haha. 

much love to you all, and thankyou once again!


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judgement day!

sorry this has nothing to do with anything, but my results come out tomorrow and i am freaking out! i don't think i'll be able to sleep tonight, my head is racing and my stomach feels like its a bout to jump out through my throat... I don't think i'm going to do as well as i, and everyone around me, wants and hopes. I don't want to disappoint everyone and let them down, least of all myself. 

i hate school. 
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Summer loving

'Oh nothing’s gonna change my love for you
I wanna spend my life with you
So we make love on the grass under the moon
No one can tell, damned if I do
Forever journeys on golden avenues
I drift in your eyes since I love you
I got that beat in my veins for only rule
Love is to share, mine is for you'

Sebastien Tellier, La Ritournelle



A lazy summer day, the sun has returned to sydney and the heat means that i can't really do anything today except for lie around in my room, leisurely checking everyone's blogs and drinking fresh lemonade (thanks mum). So an editorial post, i think, is in order.















'Kiss Me Quick'
UK Vogue, May 2006
Photographer: Tim Walker


Bright and breezy, just like summer, and summer fashion should be. When the weather starts to get hot and clothes start sticking to your back you know it's time to throw the semblance of fashion out the window. It's hard to stay chic in summer, but a loose, flowing skirt and thin cotton tops with gladiator sandals and messy hair always does it for me. Easy, and more importantly, simple. You can layer to your hearts content when it's winter and you need to be warm but in summer there's nothing cooler, literally and figuratively, than dressing down, not up. 

And summer is all about colours, and sensory dressing. I love the colours in this shoot, like colours of sorbet and gelato, raspberry, mango, strawberry shortcake, passionfruit, limoncello... Summer is so evocative of fruits, isn't it? Although in winter i like to wear Opium by YSL or Prada eau de Parfum in Summer all i want to wear is something fruity, like Ralph Lauren perfumes, or Stella Mccartney. Light and palatable, just like sorbet, just like iced tea, just like all the other things that make summer bearable. 

I have waxed lyrical so many times about tim walker, i feel i have said as much as i want to say on that topic. While this shoot doesn't have the same 'fantasy' element as his more recent shoots, i think this one is just as lovely. The saturated colours, the high contrast, the bright balloons and colours of the clothing are as successful as his fantasy elements in evoking a mood. In this particular shoot its the fantastic and dream-like quality of the lazy hazy days of summer. The way some of the pics are a little unfocussed and blurry makes me feel just like how those really hot days of summer do... how the heat can play optical illusions on you, make flat surfaces seem in motion, the road look like its fluctuating and undulating like the sea. 

Almost all of this shoot can be found on the walls of my room, purely and simply because looking at it puts the biggest smile on my face. The combination of the colours, the setting, the model and the clothes makes me feel summery, even when it is cold and wet outside, even though i love winter, even though summer in australia is completely and wholly unbearable without air con and ice cubes. And i know there is no great concept behind it, nor some amazingly cool avant-garde styling, but it is lovely to look at, calming, and it's summer. Like i said, in summer you don't always want to look at studded, exaggerated shoulders, crazy crochet, shredded, foam inserts, conceptual pieces, for although they are interesting and fascinating, sometimes in summer all you want is the sartorial equivalent of a nice big glass of ice tea:
a floaty summer dress, wedges, and a big hat. 

Summer Loving!


Summer Playlist:
La Ritournelle - Sebastien Tellier 
Paper Aeroplane - Angus and Julia Stone
Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan
La Mer - Charles Trenet
Lovers in Japan - Coldplay
A&E - Goldfrapp
Smile - Lily Allen
Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
Electric Feel - MGMT
New Shoes - Paolo Nutini
Talkshow Host - Radiohead
Always on this line - Sarah Blasko
I make hamburgers - the Whitlams 
New Soul - Yael Naim



Edit: just a few things, firstly i have been given this lovely award by Notebook Doodles, onethat she has made herself, and that makes me blush all over with pride and joy. Thankyou very much my dear! 


I would like to pass it on to
Because she is without fail the sweetest of the sweets, and her posts are filled with cute thoughts and pictures. 

X
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