sex and the city

I know, i know i know... it's turned into this mass-audience, commercialised, squeeze-every-dollar-out-of-the-bad-boy drivel. But i remember when it was great. When the show was real. Hadley Freeman wrote that one of her favourite things about the show was how there was some poignancy, some heart-breaking truth to the storylines. She used the example - my favourite, favourite storyline - of how Carrie can't force herself to marry Aidan, a guy who is perfect in every damn way, no matter how hard she tries. She hopes and dreams and wishes, but she just can't. And there is something so real about that, sometimes people who are perfect for each other just can't make it work, and it's sad, and awful and heart-breaking. But it's life. The tv show was life - bittersweet, belly-laughing life. And i love it. 

I didn't love the first movie, but i liked it, and let's be honest, I'm probably not going to love the second movie either, but my heart still sings for those four girls. Because they've made me laugh at things I never thought I'd find funny, they made me cry at things I never thought I'd find sad, and they taught me that you could see a movie by yourself, you could have lunch with your three best friends, you could go out to dinner on valentines day with your mate and not feel sorry for anything. Yes, the clothes were incredible - the good, the bad, and the downright ugly - and yes, there were moments of complete over the top hilarity, and even a couple that made me wince with awkwardness. 

No matter how many bad reviews the film gets, I'm going to see it. Because I remember the tv show. And it was great.

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hidden

I never got all the fuss about Kristen Stewart until now. Elle Uk has the horrible habit of styling every cover star in the exact same way - rock chick with an edge. I'm glad that with their recent cover stars (chloe sevigny, kylie, and now kristen) they have adopted a more natural and heterogenous approach. they have realised, i think, that they don't have to style everyone in the same way in order to cultivate an 'image'. their inventive covers and intelligent discussion of contemporary issues will forever mark them out as one of the best magazines out there. I like the Chloe Sevigny was allowed to show her playful side in miu miu and lace, and Kylie was given the chance to play dress up with the new season fashion. And here Kristen isn't a goth-chic or a 'who-gives-a-fuck' starlet, she's just a 20 year old caught up in something bigger than herself - and which 20 year old isn't, whether it be a multi-million dollar movie franchise or the stress of university studies? I love the picture in the triptych of kristen hiding her face. It reveals a lot about its subject, i think.  The title of the editorial is 'Just a Girl', how apt, really. It is sometimes very easy to forget how young some of these stars are. Not easy to forget in the way that thousands of teenage girls fawn over their every movement, but easy to forget in the way that they deal with all of this on a daily basis in, often, a more mature way than stars double their age.

Unlike the prematurely sexed-up and quite frankly distasteful Emma Watson spread of last year, kristen stewart just looks radiantly beautiful... the kind of beauty that you have to avert your eyes from. and I never thought i would be saying those words about kristen. I am interested to read the accompanying article, if it is anything as fascinating as this editorial it will be one of the better magazine profiles i have ever read. Elle UK tends to swing either way - they open up the interview to fan questions posted on their twitter and website and the thing descends into silliness and the cliche. Or they have interviews like the one with Lindsay Lohan last september, in which the author turns 3 text messages and 20 minutes of face to face time with her into a 4 page article that intelligently explored the social phenomenon of 'lilo'. I have a feeling that this article is going to be of the latter variety. Say what you will about Kristen Stewart, but boring she is not. She is the girl, after all, who declined to comment about her relationship with Rpattz to Vogue US (and was, it is rumoured, cut from the cover for Blake Lively because of it). Anyone who has the balls to stick up to Anna Wintour is worth a read, i think.


'Just A Girl'
Ph: Matthias Vriens-McGrath
St: Anne-Marie Curtis
Mod: Kristen Stewart
Elle Uk July 2010

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just to prove a point

Alexa has worn long skirts before, and looked fabulous as she did it. That's the way to wear a long skirt- with a bit of humour. A sheer skirt, a rock tee and lashings of chanel. And just to prove a point:

Here's something I prepared earlier...

Long Skirt Mania

Seven For All Mankind jacket, topshop shirt, matthew williamson gilet, diane von furstenburg clogs, lanvin skirt, aurelie bidermann star bracelet, lanvin necklace, asos sunglasses, proenza schouler ps1. 

J Crew Parka, Richard Nicoll top, Richard Nicoll earrings, Jil Sander Skirt, Lanvin Necklace, Toywatch, Anne Demeulemeester shoes, Celine bag. 

Modekungen Parka, Christopher Kane singlet, Topshop sunglasses, YSL ring, Dannijo cuff, Celine shoes, Proenza Schouler satchel. 

Burberry Trench, Josh Goot top, Cutler and Gross sunglasses, Nogoy belt, Proenza Schouler cuff, Chanel ballet flats, Dries Van Noten skirt, Jerome Dreyfuss bag. 

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long takeover

I only wear long skirts. I own short skirts, in fact I own quite a few very nice ones, but I only wear long ones. They don't have to be maxi, but they do have to be below the knee - my favourite length is a calf-skimming one. 'Ballerina skirts', circle skirts, structured or flowy, as long as they hit mid-shin I'll pull them on and pull them off. Which is why many people seem a little aghast that I like Alexa Chung so much. She of the 'anything shorter than mid-thigh is a skirt wasted' ethos. I have to say, her skirts were always much too short for me, and I came to the realisation that she was more of a girl-crush than a style icon. The truth of the matter is, there aren't many who will take on the Ballerina length in skirts. It's actually trickier than a maxi skirt, which you can easily beach-ify up or glamourise down. The Calf-length skirt is an ageing length and you have to ensure that you pair it with interesting separates and eye-catching jewelry to ensure that you stay forever young. 

Poor Alexa has been getting a lot of flack on tFS about this outfit. Age-innapropriate, grandma, boring, trying to hard... I think the general consensus is that she should have worn a shorter skirt. But I'm ecstatic! How many times have we seen her wear a short skirt? How many times have we seen her bare her legs - all year round, in rain hail or shine? If you wear something over and over again it becomes uniform and, I can testify, a little boring. Even though I loooove my long skirts, everyday that I pull one on I dream of slipping into something with a foot less of fabric, or even, dare I say, pants. The more you wear something the more you want to wear something else, and I reckon Alexa's feeling pretty similar. 

The best thing about fashion is that you can try different things. You don't HAVE To wear anything, you can test the waters and get comfortable. I don't HAVE to wear long skirts, but I like wearing them. Alexa might not wear a long skirt again (and I hope she doesn't read tFS in which case she just might not) but I hope she does, because it is an effortless and graceful style that, paired with her london cool and wicked sense of humour, becomes more than just the grandma's perennial favourite. As with any piece of clothing it is all about who wears it and how. Nothing is ever definitive until it is put on. And that's why a Ballerina length skirt can be as stately on Elle Macpherson as it can be Painfully Chic on Alexa Chung. And, hopefully, just a little bit Cool on Me. 

and pixie joins in the fun too, lovely! the more the merrier.

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love loss and what i wore (ate) - pumpkin soup

"It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin."

Alexander McCall-Smith, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

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Pumpkin is one of those foods you can't help but love. It's squishy and glorious and bright and whenever even a slight chill moves through the air I feel like finding myself a pumpkin and cooking the lot. Pumpkin is for me always about winter. Pumpkin soups, pumpkin pies, pumpkin curries, pumpkin - burnt and braised and smoky fresh from a fire. It's comforting in a way that mashed potatoes is comforting, more-ish, but satisfying all the same. 

I remember when I broke up with my first boyfriend I went and stayed with my grandmother who is little and spry like miss marple. She is the funniest little thing, when she speaks she always has to place her hand on yours, or your shoulder, or your head. She likes to feel who she is talking to. She placed her hand on mine and said, "Hannah-Rose, life is like this." She spread her hands wide. "But you must know that there will always be something on the table at the end of it." And then she taught me how to make pumpkin soup. I will never forget how my aching heart was warmed by the routine of chopping the pumpkin, boiling it in the pot with the onions and the stock and the like, adding the herbs freshly cut from the garden, stirring it gently, thoroughly, repetitively. People say that you should always take you mind off things by doing something active. I say that you should take your mind off things by making soup or risotto, where you just have to stand in front of a hot stove and stir, and stir, and stir. 

Still, still, after horrible days when I sit in my room and cry because of uni or work or something like that my mum will knock on the door softly and silently carry in a cup of something hot and steamy. She is a firm believer in remedy by food. There is nothing you can't fix with warmth and comfort and buttery bread, she thinks. I don't know, but there is something wonderful about sitting curled up with a cup of soup in front of you.I love the colour orange, it's one of my absolute favourites. It reminds me of sunburnt summers and Australia, but it also reminds me of cold winters with fires and beaten up tractors and pots of pumpkin soup. It is a comforting thought to know that no matter what happens you can always come home to these things.

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one, two, three

the sartorialist

The problem with sydney weather is that it can never make up its mind. often it will be cool, but not that cold in the day time, and then drop to sub zero temperatures in the night time. This poses a problem for night time dressing when the chill hits your skin and you need to wrap up, but unfortunately you ventured out to sunny uni in a skirt and flimsy little jacket. I don't feel the cold particularly, but I do like being warm. Odd, isn't it? Everyone is astounded that I love to travel to Europe or America in January and February. I live for the cold, biting air against your cheeks and the wind whipping up your hair. I am a firm believer that as long as you are adequately prepared, cold is no real enemy. 

For Sydney weather this means carrying an extra jacket in your bag. I discovered the secret to Sydney's trans-seasonal weather last year: the sleeveless coat. I've also fallen in love with the short sleeve coat, warm enough to cover the body but keeping arms free for work. The one I wear is by Opening Ceremony, nabbed for a steal at Lands End, and in glorious shades of burnt orange that mellow into blue and purple. It's glorious! I've taken to carrying an extra jacket in my bag, usually denim, to pop on under my coat when the sun falls and the night air starts to creep up. Paired with my usual checked skirt - structured and lined and oh so warm, and a bonds sweatshirt, my most-worn buy of recent times and some blingin' jewelry, I am now never, ever cold. In fact, I am quite warm. And wherever we are - 'casual' 21sts, parks, movie theatres, restaurants who think they are being alternative by having white-washed walls and no heating - I am rugged up and warm. Just add a scarf and red cheeks and I am the picture of happy winter-time dressing. 

garance dore in a short-sleeved coat, the sartorialist. 

This kind of layering has always been interesting to me. It's easy enough to layer tops and flimsy little cardigans. But to pull off 2, or even 3 jackets in the one outfit takes real skill. As I thought then, it's a tough line to tread, a line that brings layered chic so perilously close to scruffy bag lady. Too many jackets and you look silly, too few and you might look fine but you'll be cold. Girls who can layer correctly are often the ones who understand silhouette, texture, shape and cut the best. You can't but something big and bulky underneath something that is a little bit thin. You've got to counteract the bulk with more bulk, or indeed the opposite. That's why denim jackets work so well undercoats. Your old denim jacket is worn and comfortable like a second skin, and it will fit to your body underneath a coat which, by its very nature, is structured and hard and doesn't follow your shape as much as provide enough bulk to warm it. 

As I write this the rain is clouding up my window pane and everything is looking grey and grizzly. Such a sight would normally make me sad and want to curl up under covers with a cup of tea and a good book. But I am seized with the desire to wander about, all rugged up, and get things done - buy some fresh bread for my lunch, a bunch of flowers for my mum, a block of mazet chocolate for later. Let's see how I go!

Short sleeved coat and denim jacket

opening ceremony coat, uniqlo sweat shirt, seven for all mankind denim jacket, lance belt, christopher kane skirt, richard nicoll earrings, cutler and gross sunglasses, wendy mink ring, celine bag, acne wedges. 

Long Sleeved Coat under Vest

DKNY coat, jewels of the Kalahari necklace, richard nicoll dress, virginia johnson scarf, alexander wang vest, stella mccartney skirt, topshop sunglasses, proenza schouler ps1, ASOS boots, YSL ring. 

Sleeveless Coat over Leather Jacket

all saints beanie, yves saint laurent sleeveless coat, bassike tee shirt, rick owens leather jacket, ann demeulemeester boots, acne skirt, fossil watch, kenneth jay lane necklace, ASOS glasses, chloe paraty bag.

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Er-dem's de ones.

Erdem for Liberty - Liberty.co.uk

Something I have always loved about Erdem is his quintessential british-ness. Even though he might not actually be British (read: Turkish), and even though from the outset his clothes might not have that London-Cool stamp to them, once you look a little closer it's alarmingly clear that he has that London Look downpat. Because for me, British style will forever be tied up to those ideas of aristocracy, country shooting parties and dressing for dinner that pervaded the movies I saw, the novels I read and the dreams I dreamt as a child and younger teen. Erdem's clothes have that floral touch that sing of quintessential, and stereotypical,  tea parties with cucumber sandwiches and jugs of ice tea. But then their teeny tiny hemlines, their bracelet sleeves, their high necklines, their nipped in waists and hints of shoulder definition bring an element of cool to the party that you wouldn't usually find in Barbour and Pearls. Erdem designs for that British girl that you always see stamped over the Best Dressed Lists, she mixes high and low with reckless abandon, nicking her 'grandmother's tea dress' and pairing it with 'a tuxedo jacket from the 1930s' and 'Vivienne Westwood Boots'. She's got a mother who was a Bright Young Thing, a sister who was a Tatler Babe of the Month and a father who foots the bill.

Sure, you've got Christopher Kane for the fashion-types and Marios Schwab for the cool kids, you've got Richard Nicoll for the directionals and Mark Fast for the parties. But you've got Erdem for England, I think. Because really, if fashion boils down to it, the quintessential, heart-of-england piece isn't a Union Jack Dress, isn't a band tee shirt, isn't even a Barbour... it's a floral dress that's bright and crisp and fresh, just like the slip of a thing who's wearing it. She's got funny little boots on and a leather jacket as well, to toughen it up. But really when you need to toughen something up, that means that deep down inside it's as soft and delicate as an English Rose. Just with redder lips. 

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the heart wants

style.com

I want to throw out everything in my wardrobe. Everything. And i want to replace it all with this. All of this. Every pair of pants, every micro mini, every strappy little sandal, every sharp-suited blazer with perfect, contrast lapels... Celine is just me, but a little reigned in. I like to think that it's how I'm going to dress when I'm older and have dispensed with the bells and whistles. I like long, clean lines - don't all women? But Phoebe Philo knows that you can't wear minimalistic all the time - it would be boring. Sometimes you want a bit of sparkle, sometimes you want a slick leather skirt, sometimes you want a pair of bright aqua trousers. The splashes of perfect colour - those sky blues, those khaki greens, those beautiful burnt oranges - are just that, perfect. Set against that toffee-sweet palette of neutrals the whole collection meanders along peacefully, punctuated by a shot of creamy silk or buttery leather. Everything just moves seamlessly onto the next idea, a natural progression from utilitarian to classic tweed and back again to slick as anything evening wear. 

I think this might very well be the perfect collection. It's a simple enough idea; make the clothes that women really, really want to wear. All the time. Make them a wardrobe of the pin-sharp work suits, the jazzy evening number and everything in between for things like (including, but of course not limited to) picnics in the park (i'd wear the tweeds for that one) with your dimple-faced children, movies on a sunday night with your best friends, cocktails after work with a new colleague, saturday lunches that linger until dusk-time. It's funny when you think about it, but designers don't always make clothes to be worn. The ones who do tend to be pragmatic to the point of shrewdness about it (philip lim, i'm looking at you). There is nothing marketed about this collection. It was the same when Philo was at Chloe, she just seems to have a unique way of creating clothes that fill a void in dressing. Now, of course, it means that hundreds of designers are jumping on her oil-slick utilitarian vision, but Philo's used to that. This was her Resort collection way back in June of last year, the first collection she put together for Celine as she staged her comeback, so of course she's moved beyond this idea. But I can't help but look back and smile at the collection that warmed thousands of women's hearts the world over and converted me to an idea of easy luxury that, back then, was trailblazing to say the least. Who can say why, exactly, in June of 2009 we welcomed Philo back with open arms with a collection so distinctly different than what she had given us before? Who can say why these simple, simply beautiful clothes touched such a nerve? 

The heart wants what the heart wants. 

phoebe philo in the gentlewoman

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sloppy joe

I'm going to a 'casual' themed 21st party this weekend. The last 21st I was at had an Abfab theme (and it was, thank you very much), but this one is themed 'casual'. As in, don't dress up. Don't wear heels. Boys - don't suit up, etc, etc. I'm generally not a 'dress up' kind of girl. What I mean by that is that I tend to wear whatever I want whenever I want in. Sequins in the day time? Fine. Thongs to a night club? Also fine, provided the bouncer doesn't take offence. Similarly - lary 80s floral blazer to a morning tea? Fine. Simple, dowdy even structured calf-length skirt to a formal dinner? Yes, please. I don't let rules about when and where you can wear certain items dictate when and where I do wear them. In the way of perennial bad boys the world round - I do what I want.

But faced by the request to 'dress casual' i am stumped. What is casual? What i would wear to uni? Well, on that count I know I can't use that marker - many times my friends have told me off for being 'too dressed up' for uni. Because I tend to wear whatever, wherever, there is no casual marker, and as such I can go from night to day (and vice versa) with little difficulty, but no real borderline. Casual for me has no real meaning anymore.

That's fine. Because I already have the perfect outfit that will surely satisfy all parties involved. I'm going to listen to Dries, and mix my textures and sillhouettes. The sporty utilitarian jersey with a swishy, fish-tailed evening skirt - their love child could only be that kind of smart casual outfit that is so tantalisingly elusive. This is why I love Dries. He takes ideas and turns them into wonderful, well-cut and winning reality. I don't have to even buy anything - I have all the elements in my wardrobe already. I said way back when I first saw the F.W 10.11 show that the Dries girl would dominate my thinking come winter. How she was everything I wanted to be, only better, taller, sleeker and oh so chic with her jumbo bag stuffed under her arm and her hand shoved in her pockets. It's the little things - the curved flick of perspex sunglasses, the scruffy updo, cuffed sloppy joe over a flash of peacock-y brilliance - that make the most impact.

Thankyou Dries, for pointing the way.

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sweet escape

horrible days always make your dreams a little sweeter. sweet like chais that don't skimp on the cinnamon and macaroons that don't skimp on the calorific goodness. sweet like hopping, skipping and jumping onto a plane and just getting the hell out of here - away from work, and uni and everything else - and ending up somewhere lovely where the fields are wide, the buildings tall and the laundry drying in a golden, golden sun. Sadness is just that. But this too shall pass. And afterwards, the escape. 

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tone it down

garance dore

jade sarita arnott in the canadian tuxedo - double denim. 

Jade Sarita Arnott makes those kinds of clothes that warm your heart. Her label, Arnsdorf, is made up of good, old fashioned stuff like sturdy, body-moulding jeans, floaty silk blend tops that drift off your skin and outfits all in one colour. Yes, that's right, all in one colour. Or rather, tone. She's that girl who strides down the street in all pale, blushing pink with a topknot and k.jacques sandals. I see those girls, all the time, and wish wish wish I could be like them. How do they do it? an outfit all in the same colour? and that colour not being black, but sweet, minty green or the most dramatic and opulent of purples? 

But, actually, to wear an outfit all in one colour is an act of simplicity, not complication. Some people are deterred because of the difficulty of getting matching shades right, but this is actually not a problem. Shades that are close enough in colour will look fine next to each other as long as there is a smile on your face. The biggest problem is getting up that confidence to stride out of your house in an outfit that is disturbingly, confrontationally even, simple. Everything is laid bare. There is no double meaning. There is no pattern. There is just colour, and you. 

Monday

A.P.C coat, topshop sunglasses, richard nicoll dress, richard nicoll earrings, b.low the belt belt, opening ceremony heels, o.p.i nail polish in 'over the taupe', balenciaga bag, diane von furstenburg skirt.



Ah Mondays. You always seem to be in a monday, or dreading its arrival. You wake up and can't feel anything much at all. Work, eh, breakfast? double eh. Clothes? urghh. You pull an array of camel-hued clothes from your wardrobe with reckless abandon. If people dress for their mood, you are determined to get it right. This one is going to be all beige, or else. The funny thing is, tan is a bit of a mood elevator, after a while. The initial shock of finding yourself in an all-tonal outfit has worn off, and you rather like it. It's simple, but still complicated, you know? Clear but still mysterious, chic but still downtown... Yeah, you don't understand it either. But you look good!


Tuesday

richard nicoll jacket, opening ceremony top, lanvin necklace, a.p.c shoes, acne jeans, ysl bag. 


How could anyone be blue on a day like this? Skies like a sapphire, a trip to the sea side and a lanvin box sitting at the end of the bed. Yep, it's your birthday, and the sky is smiling down as you pack your bag for a quick day trip to your favourite place in the world. The sea reminds you of home, and fish and chips, and swimming all year round and golden hair. It's almost as beautiful as the lanvin box that Mr Perfect got you, the most enticing cornflower blue that unlaces to reveal THE necklace. You feel clean and clear and oh so bright, and you plait your hair down one side and wear your glasses instead of contact lenses. It would all be perfect if you had blue eyes, of course, but you'll settle for some blue boots instead.



Wednesday

chloe jacket, opening ceremony top, topshop knickers and bra, jvin bag, acne pants, topshop nail polish, pamela love bracelet, prism glasses, opening ceremony sandals. 

You are much too old to blush, you tell yourself. Maybe it's all this pink you're wearing (or the cute little silk bra and knickers you've got on under this frilly necked shirt), or maybe it's just that people are being insanely nice today (birthday aftermath at work means you're getting showered in daisies, macaroons and bollinger, the best kind of shower, no?). But you can't stop blushing all day. A stranger stood up for you on the bus and you blushed. A man held the door open for you at the coffee shop and you blushed. You bought your regular stack of magazines and newspapers at the newsagents and were short of change and you blushed... and were allowed to get away a quid short. You are truly tickled pink!



Thursday

maje jacket, helmut lang top, cutler and gross sunglasss, chanel particuliere, vanessa bruno shorts, alexander wang bag, grace sandals. 

the weather might be getting warmer (in fabulous future me's world, not my real world, where i wore 2 jackets yesterday...), but you're still cracking out the brown. all at the same time. who cares if some are more burgundy than maroon? some are more tan than caramel? some are decidedly oak and not chocolate? together it just looks like a buttery, chocolate-y feast that is rich and sumptuous and ready to enjoy. All that suede-y goodness on your sleeveless jacket and shoes coupled with cotton twill shorts and a drapey shirt make you wild for texture. Who cares if everything's the same colour if you can mix the textures?




Friday

marc jacobs jacket, splendid tee, ray ban aviators, pamela love ring, kenneth jay lane necklace, daisy knights necklace, jordy askill ring, arianne jeanot necklace, alex monroe ring, alexander mcqueen shoes, bassike maxi dress (as skirt), proenza schouler ps1. 

Thank God it's Friday, right? You celebrate by busting out every military inspired piece you have - a gorgeous parka with a little twill frill on the bottom, a swishy maxi dress under and even swishier cotton silk blend tee shirt, some insane high heels (natch), a gorgeous satchel bag and plenty of gold jewelry for glamour. Some people say the military thing is just a trend that's going to die - but they haven't seen your closet. You maintain that khaki is the most flattering shade of all time, for all skin tones and all shapes and sizes. Who doesn't look good in a parka? All those soldiers can't be wrong.



I'm not sure what's going on? There were an awful lot of pants in these sets... maybe there is a wind change after all? Love!

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josh josh josh!

my favourite josh goot collection - Autumn.Winter 2008. The tye dye dress in the middle row is the same as my skirt!

One of my best friends has started working at josh goot today, which can only mean good things for my wardrobe (and bad things for my bank account, natch). I have one josh goot piece - my glorious tye dyed skirt in charcoals and greys and murky whites that I always forget that I love until I wear it, and then I never take it off for a month or so. That's the thing about Josh Goot, you never really think too much about his stuff until you put it on, and suddenly all you can think about is colour blocking, galaxy prints and twisty draping. I think that's the best kind of designer - not the ones who dominate the media with their 5 page ad spreads featuring blue chip models, but the ones who quietly work under the surface, producing beautiful, breath-taking clothes that don't hog the stage as much as steal the spotlight. Note to designers: you don't need elaborate theatrics to make people love your clothes, just make them beautiful.

Just make them beautiful. 

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crazy eyes

I might be sick. I just might be. That's the only explanation I can think of for my sudden, inextricable obsession over Ashley Olsen outfits. Don't get me wrong, I do love me a bit of Olsen, but not this new-fangled, minimalist Olsen. I admire her 'The Row' clothes from afar, but I don't actually idolise her style. She's a bit too 90s, a bit too clean cut, a bit too... well... mum jeans... for me. But Ashley Olsen has been stepping out in some killed outfits recently, if only because they represent a distinct contrast to anyone else on the red carpet now. Those long, messy lines, that perfect mussed up hair, that scrubbed free face, those little shrunken leather jackets... I'll tell you what, it's got me singing a different tune. 

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a tale of two cities

Garance Dore. 

Look at that light! It is truly, truly glorious. 

Two cities very close to my heart have been getting a bit of attention on the streetstyle blogs lately - Sydney, first of all, because of the recent RAFW fashion weeks, and Shanghai, second of all, because it is where Galliano is staging his resort collection for Dior. Two cities that are polar opposites. Sydney is breezy and carefree, Shanghai is very, very Chinese. I'm not sure how to explain that outside of that kind of paradigm, my experience of it has always been shackled to the side of a my aunts and grandparents, without their knowledge and experience I would have been lost. That's the thing about these great Chinese cities - they are flooded with people, and so busy. Teeming with life, is how I always describe Hong Kong. It is easy to get lost in a crowd, which sometimes, I suppose, is what you want. Sydney, on the other hand, is just too damn relaxed. I like to think of it as a purposeful relaxation though - we go about our business, but we do it with a head filled of the weekend, of picnics, of the beach, of brunches and bike riding and long, long, dinners and everything else. I always have a head full of my next girly outing or my next day off that I'll occupy with things like chai lattes and lying on couches. Maybe that's just me, though. 

Garance Dore has been travelling to both these cities and having a very different experience of both, I imagine. She said at the Winter with Westfield launch that she could really picture herself living in Australia, that the way we live - healthy, happy and wise - is something that she herself has at heart. You can tell that in her pictures of Sydney. When someone really loves a place their pictures take on a new level. Everything glows with the light of a lover's lense. The light will absolutely shine. 

With Shanghai it seems a little different. You can't travel to China and not be over-awed, and Garance is clearly over-awed. She has taken so many photos of tall skyscrapers, which is always the first thing you notice, the next thing is the hoards and hoards of people. I bet you anything her next picture is of them. The difference between the Australian girl and the Chinese girl, however, is their dedication to fashion. I find that while we Aussies love our fashion, we can't take it too seriously, as with anything. We're always thinking of something else - how that skirt will look when riding a bike, whether that white dress will get grass stains when you sit down at the picnic, how fast you can run in those heels. This is my experience of Sydney - and this is my experience of Shanghai (and Hong Kong); those who love fashion not only love it, they LIVE for it. They are the type of girl who frequents Lane Crawford and has immaculately kept hair (often in a sheeny bob) and an unmarked car to drive them around. You see them sipping on the green tea cocktails at the rooftop Westin Bar and having perfect chocolate afternoon teas at the Peninsula. 

I love both girls, and can't wait to see more from Garance!

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press your advantage

more info on the banner! click to enlarge

Ehhh my pun-tacular title isn't really that good today. I'm writing to tell you about an exciting sale happening this saturday - and who doesn't love to 'press their advantage at a sale'? The extra level of pun-ness is that the label having the garage sale is Mrs Press. Remember when I was invited to the Mrs Press showcase back in March and it was filled with lovely little vintage-inspired dresses that sung of macaroon summers and candy-floss dreams? I certainly do, I haven't been able to get that light as air organza top out of my head.

The label is designed by Clare Press, former features editor at Vogue, and it is having a garage sale this Saturday the 22nd May from 10-3 pm at 436 Oxford St Paddington. It is cash only, but with prices like $40 for little silk dresses, who would need to pay on card anyway? If you can get there I'd urge you to run along, I'll be there in the morning, I can't resist a good sale, and try to snap up some of that lovely Mrs Press magic. Oxford St on Saturday is a really great place, so vibrant and colourful. And there's a Max Brenner for all your chocolate needs. I'm going to make a day of it. 

Hope to see you there!

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