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ASOS Holiday shop: More looks, less luggage

[Pics: 1 - Models.com, 2 - Fashion Gone Rogue, 3 - Because I'm Addicted, 4 - Electric Style, 5 - FashionOdor, 6 - Derek Wood] 

ASOS are attempting to eliminate the usual sitting-on-suitcase scenario this summer with their More Looks, Less Luggage campaign. Timed to coincide with the launch of the ASOS Holiday Shop, it’s all about getting maximum outfits out of minimum packing – after all, with airline baggage charges on the rise, why would you want to waste any precious holiday spends on your suitcase?

I’ve joined the challenge to create my dream holiday capsule wardrobe – and as we’re talking dreams, I’m dreaming big. This is a wardrobe for a ridiculous Californian road trip, taking in a bit of Joshua Tree, Palm Springs and – of course – Las Vegas. It might not be the most logical road trip in terms of route, but this is supposed to be a dream holiday and they’re the places haunting my waking thoughts at the moment.

I don’t go into any challenge lightly, so my first step was to scour some of my favourite fashion editorials for inspiration. I think desert, I think… Wildfox campaigns, denim, slouchy t-shirts, ridiculous jewels (well, Vegas is at the end), cat-eyes, white heels, ugly prints… and lots of bleached-out colour.

Here’s what I got – keep clicking through to the ASOS Holiday Shop to show me you love me – most clicks wins and I promise I’ll share the winnings.

1) ASOS Pencil Skirt and Crop Top in Check Taffeta, £32 and £25 - Palm Springs pool + large cocktail = this outfit

2) ASOS Oversized Tex Mex Skull Backpack, £40 - neon skulls and an Aztec print… I’m pretty sure you could fit your entire wardrobe in here if you packed well.

3) Converse All Star Ox Trainers, £40 - because when your Cadillac breaks down in the desert, you need sensible shoes

4) ASOS Hepburn Leather Platform High Sandals, were £95 now £76 - because when your Cadillac starts working again, you want to be in good shoes

5) ASOS Hawaiian-Print Cap, £18 - really feeling like I need to buy a baseball cap this summer and  it might as well feature a lovely trashy print

6) ASOS Air Con Fan, £5 – it gets pretty hot out there in summer, and this is a far more stylish option than fanning yourself with an old copy of National Enquirer.

7) ASOS Cat Eye Sunglasses with Mix Frame, £12 - I love ASOS sunglasses, they’re really sturdy but surprisingly cheap. I dig the white and leopard-print combo on these.

8) ASOS Pack of 50 Gummies, £8 - feels like the right time to reinvest in gummy bands, especially when they incorporate this dreamy pastel palette.

9) and 10) ASOS Flower & Jewel Drop Earrings, £15 and ASOS Gem Drop Earrings, £8 - these earrings are already the best thing I’ve bought this summer and I’m tempted to get the Barbie-heavy pink ones too. Fabulous is the only word.

11) ASOS SALON Kaftan Dress with Bright Embroidery, £120 - it’s a white kaftan with neon floral embroidery – I’m not entirely sure that any item of clothing says ‘desert drive to Las Vegas’ more.

12) ASOS Dip Dye Jumper, £42 – it gets cold in the desert at night, but not so cold that you have to sacrifice looking nice.

13) ASOS Distressed Boyfriend Denim Shorts, £30 - the perfect pair of shorts for those of us who don’t do hotpants. Perfect length, perfect amount of ripping, perfect wash.

14) ASOS Plate and Spike Detail Belt, £15 – white leather, gold studs.

15) ASOS Petite Sleeveless Tie Front Denim Shirt, £25 - my favourite kind of top at the moment, and a brushed-denim, pale pink option fits my desert-dream colour scheme perfectly.

16) ASOS T-Shirt With Bright Paisley Print, £22 – a lovely slouchy t-shirt with a print that we know is pretty on-trend, but also feels totally relevant for a round of mini golf at a Palm Springs resort.

Gatsby on Film: 1926 to now


Finishing off a Gatsby-packed birthday week, here’s the trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby – which I’m sure you’ve all enjoyed already.

I’m still not convinced that we need to see it in 3D – and I’m still not convinced that Carey Mulligan is right as Daisy – but otherwise it gets a double thumbs up from me. For what it’s worth, I think Leo is perfect for Gatsby.

The 1974 adaptation (which I blogged about here) is pretty poor overall, but I do think that Mia Farrow fits unhinged Daisy pretty well – at least in terms of how I imagined her. Her acting, we can ignore. Something about that 1970s washed-out, sun-drenched camera work just adds to the feeling of restless rich people.

The two earlier adaptations are a lot harder to find in full, alas. The 1949 version seems to start with a mega spoiler, although I suppose it serves the morality lesson. I do like Alan Ladd at Gatsby – he actually has a look of Leo at times. I (sort of) like the story that Gene Tierney was thrown off the production because her beauty was TOO MUCH! No such thing as too much beauty where Daisy is concerned, in my opinion.

The 1926 (silent) version is considered a lost film as no full copies are known to survive. The above snippet of a trailer is a tantalisingly tease though – it looks completely fantastic, doesn’t it? The fact it was made just one year after the book’s release no doubt helps with the authenticity – the costumes are the best I’ve seen, even in that tiny clip. I particularly enjoy the tagline of ‘The Great Gatsby is Great’. Lois Wilson is a beautiful Daisy too – I just wish there was more footage of her in action in the role.

There was also a made-for-TV movie in 2000, featuring none other than Paul Rudd as Nick Carraway. What casting! I don’t quite understand Mira Sorvino with her ridiculous hair as Daisy – I’m not saying she needs a shingle to make a point but really, really? Toby Stephens? Really? And Nick’s house is way too nice. Still, it’s a diverting enough way to spend an hour or so.

Furcoat Favourites: Pink stinks

Nah it doesn’t!

In the wise words of Emma Bunton, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of wearing pink.” What can I say, it’s the most flattering colour on me and there’s nothing I like more than redheads in pink – see; Emma Stone, Christina Hendricks, Karen Elson, Twin.

1) I’ve been looking for a pink cropped jacket for a long old time and this River Island Pearl Collar Jacket, £50 might be my lucky chosen one. So glam-nana, it looks almost perfect.

2) This Acne Angora Crew Knit, £170 might be a particularly Barbie shade, but the slouchy grungy shape somehow makes it less Pony Club.

3) Really into the sugary pastel shade of these Stella McCartney Sunglasses, £151 - also in black, grey and brown.

4) Jaeger’s Diamond Jubilee collection features some fantastic mega-zoomed diamond graphics, but I like the cluster of stones on this Small Diamond Print Scarf, £40 - hands down the most tasteful interpretation of the jubilee that I’ve seen yet.

5) Scale this Moschino Cheap & Chic Lady Love Bag, £330 down a few notches and can’t you see Barbie herself strutting around with it? Probs full of phone numbers, boxes of Vogue fags and old train tickets.

6) Still not through with COOL ROCKS and this Vamoose Leather and Amethyst Bracelet, £26 is particularly appealing.

7) The delightful Topshop Jancey Mid Heel Ballerinas, £42 could be my new favourite work shoes – if only for the fact that they have gold hardware rather than silver.

Lucy Danziger-inspired lingerie from Fox & Rose

I started to watch 1920s epic Boardwalk Empire on a plane a couple of years ago – I watched three episodes and although it was obviously right up my street, the combination of a few gins and a holiday meant that by the time I got back to England, I somehow lost interest and never got round to watching any more.

Pleased to report that I got the box set for my birthday and am now getting up to speed – five episodes in two nights, almost as good as my Wire series one consumption rate. I can’t tell you how much better it is watching the series on a laptop in bed – sitting on a plane you’re very conscious that Paz de la Huerta’s magnificent chest is kind of in everyone’s face and all that foot-stamping-face-action is hard to hide from.

When I got an email from Fox & Rose this morning about the new 1920s-inspired lingerie from Shell Belle Couture, it was Paz – or rather her character, Lucy Danziger –  that I thought of. She spends most of the show lounging around in silky step-ins, robes and gowns – often purchased from little old nervous Margaret Schroeder. Imagine being Kelly Macdonald and spending hours with your face in Paz’s crotch helping her get into her knickers?

The range comprises some beautiful short suits, cut-out gowns with deco-inspired panels and lots and lots of beautiful lace. Just add a heaving bosom and feathered headband and you’re all set to sit on Nucky’s lap and drink some moonshine.

[Boardwalk Empire pictures from TVGuide, FanPop and Vermilion Style]

Pineapple print: the menswear way

I’ve seen a lot of pineapple items in the shops this spring, and what with the whole tropical print trend still looming over us, I’m sure we’ll be faced with plenty more throughout the summer.

Unfortunately, my ridiculously anal fussiness for prints means that while I’m appreciating a lot of pineapples, I’ve not actually bought anything. Prints are so killer to me – a slightly too-thick outline and I won’t buy it. A slightly too-large scale and I hate it. See also; a slighty t00-small scale. Anything that looks like something we did in Photoshop class during the first year of our degree. Bad cut-outs. And so it goes on.

Today, however, I have found two fantastic pineapple designs – and both from menswear labels.

The wonderful Charlie Porter mentioned the magic ‘P’ word on Twitter, sharing his latest purchase from Head Porter. This lovely hoodie might appear to be quite a plain, tasteful sweater but the lining is a pure tropical treat. You can buy the Head Porter Aloha Sweat Parka from The Hideout in London, or at the Head Porter online store. I won’t tell you how much it is, because it will only depress us.

At some point while I was trying to find another UK stockists for that treat, I came across this Our Legacy Reversible Pineapple Sweater. Ooh, I’m into that. This one is slightly less embarrassingly expensive, at about £80. I did say slightly.

Instagramming



I don’t know if I realised that my Instagram was private. Well, anyway, it isn’t anymore.

Mainly pictures of pints and burgers, but don’t let that put you off – and you’re a lot more likely to see my face there then you will here any time soon.

It’s @furcoat, unsurprisingly.

Jon Savage’s Top Teenage Tunes – a playlist

My love of Jon Savage is pretty well-documented, and I definitely believe his book about teenagers should be required reading. Teenage: The Creation of Youth is probably number one in my all-time book-charts (non fiction, OBVS) and I recommend it to anyone who will listen to me. I can’t quite recall, but I have a feeling that this is the book that launched my obsession with all things 1920s – so you maybe have him to blame for all those millions of blog posts.

There’s a film based on the book on the way and there’s also an amazing blog, which is one of the best things on my reader – every post a little nugget of joy.

Anyway, at some point I came across our man Jon Savage’s 53 Top Teenage Tunes but was disheartened to find that no-one had made a playlist of it yet. So, in the spirit of appreciation for all the things his book has done for me, I made one.

Charting teenagers in songs from 1939 to the present day, there’s a bit of everything on there. I propose it as pretty good cleaning up/pottering around the house on a Saturday morning music. A couple of tracks were missing – looking at you, Beatles and Beatlettes, and I added Atari Teenage Riot just cos.

ENJOY.

[Picture: Teenagefilm.com]

Thank Furcoat it’s Friday

1) Photographer Sam Ashley has launched The Skatorialist. Not a street style blog dedicated to zoot suits and pork pie hats, as the name may have you believe, but rather a street style blog dedicated to skateboarders. I mean, they may as well rename it Match.com for Rachael. Hope there’s much more to come! [Picture via Sam Ashley/The Skatorialist]

2) One of my favourite people on the internet, Amber, is hosting a talk at Beyond Retro tonight on the subject of the Hollywood influence in London in the 1930s. It starts at 6pm at Beyond Retro Soho and is FREE with the added bonus of FREE ‘refreshments’ – I assume booze, but don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. Find out more here! [Phyllis Gordon picture via ArtDecoBlog]

3) The Guardian actually has a thing called ‘Test Your Sausage Knowledge’ online at the moment. I got a pitiful three out of ten and I bloody love sausages, so, good luck. Quiz yourself silly – here’s the link.

4) Really into this Hollie Cook song, and even more so the video.

5) And finally, one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Daphne Guinness doing Because the Night at Arlene’s Grocery. Three of my favourite things, in one place. She’s pretty good, right?

Book club: Arabella Boxer’s Book of English Food

This week I received an unexpected treat in the post, in the form of a book from my dear friend Harriet. Love books, love cookery books and especially love cookery books that are related to the 1920s so thumbs up, Reuter Hapgood, for ticking all of the boxes.

Let’s take a minute to breathe in the press release:

If you were Wallis Simpson and had a king coming round for supper, what would you have cooked? Or if you had a stunning estate in the country and were throwing a party for all your friends, what might you have served as canapés? Which cocktails would you have sipped?

That’s EXACTLY the kind of thing I spend my time thinking about!

Arabella Boxer’s Book of English Food: A Rediscovery of British Food from Before the War was first published in 1993 and is a celebration of English food in the 1920s and 30s – a pretty interesting time for food, actually. At one end of the spectrum you had Edwardian-style dinner parties and stately home nursery teas still very much in abundance, but there was also the added excitement of the American influence (from people like WALLIS!), French influence (from smart society deciding that’s where the best chefs were from) and more exotic influences from the Bloomsbury set who liked to travel, a lot, and bring their new-found tastes back with them.

I haven’t had the chance to make anything from the book yet, but here’s the jist. There’s a really interesting opening section which I have read, which covers a bit of history of the era and how food fits into that. It’s then broken down into sections by courses, with the all-important ‘Picnics and Shooting Lunches’ as well as, obviously, ‘Drinks’. Each of these sections opens with a bit of context about that specific course and how it fitted into life and social occasions, what was popular and why, and who was responsible for its popularity. The answer should always be: Wallis Simpson.

You’ve then got a bunch of recipes, which have been compiled from all sorts of sources ranging from country house cooks’ records, family memories, old issues of things like Vogue and lots and lots of historical recipe books.

As I said, I’ve not had the chance to cook anything just yet, but here’s a delicious-sounding cocktail instead;

Wine Cup

This recipe came from Justerini & Brooks, one of the leading wine merchants in the inter-war years, by appointment to King George VI. Justerini & Brooks were established in the 1750s, and are still going strong. This is a most delicious cup, pale pink in colour. It is slightly too sweet for drinking at a meal, but perfect for a pre-lunch drink, or at a party, on a summer day.The original recipe called for maraschino as well as brandy, but this is very hard to find nowadays, so I leave it out.

1 bottle of good vin rosé

75ml brandy

450ml fizzy lemonade

450ml soda water or sparkling mineral water

a few slices (unpeeled) of green apple, oranges and lemons

a few strips of cucumber peel

Serve very cold.

This isn’t the only book I own that covers historical cooking, and cooking for high-society. Clearly it’s something I do regularly, so I like to stock up. Arabella Boxer’s Book of English Food has an utterly fantastic bibliography too, so I’m sure there’ll be plenty more to add to the list. However;

The Duchess of Devonshire’s Chatsworth Cookery Book is the most famous of this genre, I guess. Famously she opens it with the words, “I haven’t cooked since the war,” but should you fancy salmon gravlax and cheddar terrine with beurre blanc sauce for 48 people, this one’s your best bet. Sticking with Chatsworth, I also love Rachel Green’s Chatsworth Cookery Book which isn’t quite so ridiculous and mostly covers cooking quick and easy meals with seasonal ingredients – but it mentions Chatsworth so it must be a bit fancy, and plenty of the recipes are historical. Finally, another new(ish) addition to my collection: Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll. A Persephone publication, it rounds up Agnes’s recipes and food writing from the 20s with such categories as ‘entertaining bachelors’ and ‘dinner before the theatre’ – a delicious slice of inter-war life, for a certain sector of society anyway.

Arabella Boxer’s Book of English Food goes on sale 26 July and will be priced at a very reasonable £20. The above is clearly a review copy, hence the spiral-bind. For your twenty quid you’ll get a lovely hardback.

FUN FACT! Arabella Boxer’s grandson runs Frank’s Campari Bar in Peckham.

Furcoat Favourites: Ridiculous birthday wishlist

It’s my birthday tomorrow, so here are the things I’m hoping to unwrap when I wake up. Well, maybe if I wake up in a parallel universe.

1) I think I’m long overdue a Judith Leiber handbag, and while a poodle, polar bear or slice of cake might be appealing, this Studded Sphere, $3,195 is perhaps a more classic look.

2) Maria Francesca Pepe is my favourite, and this gunmetal Safety Pin Earring, £65 would be a welcome addition to my collection.

3) Christopher Kane’s Resort collection is the stuff of dreams, and this Neon Wool-Blend Crepe Biker Jacket, £1,100 is one of my favourite pieces. Mmm, pink crepe.

4) Ostentatious jewellery is a fine gift for any gal – especially when it’s also a bit creepy. These Bibi van der Velden Quartz Earrings, £2,790 are like the fanciest door-knockers you ever did see.

5) The Jil Sander Veiled Beanie, £290, might be last season’s most statement accessory, but I reckon I could force myself to wear it year-round, every year.

6) I saw a picture of Alexa Chung in the Yves Saint Laurent Ingénue Suede and Metal Slingbacks, £735 this week and it was love at first sight. Black and gold is always going to be a winning combo and providing you didn’t fall over drunk and scuff the shiny bits, these would be a proper timeless purchase.

7) Designer trainers are a favourite fantasy-land daydream for me, so no surprise that the Mulberry Tiger Sneakers, £450 have won my heart. Tiger is fast becoming the new leopard for me, it appears.