Archive | April, 2010

New Look Press Day II

30 Apr

Just a couple of extra bits… The clothes at New Look were as good as the shoes, with loads of great chunky knits and dead nice coats. I only snapped a few bits because a) it’s hard to take pictures of clothes b) I had a cup of tea that I was struggling to balance and c) time was ticking by and it was time to get back to the office. Anyway, here are three of my favourite bits. There was also a brilliant candy pink 60s-ish swing coat with black velvet collar and buttons which I will be investing in… there’s a picture of it in the lookbook but I guess I left that at work because there’s no sign of it at home.

I wasn’t 100% sold on Mr Wang’s velvet reinvention, but when I saw this red velvet maxi skirt… I dunno, it did something for me. I can’t imagine wearing this as velvet isn’t the most forgiving of fabrics and with a maxi skirt one has to be careful but I wanted to take a picture of it anyway because it’s the first time I’ve been sold on velvet this season. Stage left we see Isabelle in her blouse that matched my dress so nicely. Thanks Iso, good clothes hanger holding skills.

Ooh hello, this is a bit Christopher Kane a few years ago isn’t it? I love this and it’s a lot more realistically doable than the maxi. Nice little party dress with corset top and flippy skirt in the perfect Christmas shade of red. Mmmhmm. I don’t like dressing thematically but at Christmas I always like to wear something FESTIVE. Such a nice 90s babydoll shape, I can already envision this with the belt that I wear every day of my life;

*Full disclaimer; that’s not me.

And now for something completely different… Cliché but true, there’s nothing better than a nice frock worn with a big khaki parka in winter. This will be this winter’s overcoat of choice for me. It’s the perfect shade of army green and has all the requisite bells and whistles but with the bonus addition of a huge furry hood. It’s faux of course, but so soft and silky and all furry all the way through, not just as a trim. Love the tie waist too; these coats tend to look best belted but I hate wearing a normal belt over a jacket. Much as fashion magazines like to do it, it’s a right pain in the arse to have a belt to keep hold of on a night out or when you go to some press do and have to take your jacket off and hand the bemused assistant your separate belt. This will be mine and the only question is whether to put the stoner smiley face badge that I mentioned in my last New Look post on here or on the velvet backpack…

Friday Afternoon Disco

30 Apr

Sorry it’s late, I had the day off work…

Click!

Writing’s on the wall

29 Apr

I’ve been lucky enough to get my mitts on most of Tweezerman’s limited edition ranges over the past couple of years… perks of the job combined with an utter, utter obsession with eyebrows = tweezers a-go-go. This summer they’ve come up top trumps again with a stylish graffiti print, priced at £22. This being Tweezerman you know the quality is going to be the best in the business too, plus there’s the always handy sharpening for life.

Love a bit of bubble writing; after 3D capitals it was my favourite doodle font as a child. Visit Tweezerman or call 0845 22 1731 for stockist info but be cool, they’re not on sale until July. Also available in purple and blue, but obvi pink is the best.

Hard to say, sad but true

29 Apr

I have to hang around in the office for 1 1/2 hours because my FRIEND can’t meet me until 7pm. I’m trying to avoid doing work for that extra 90 minutes so here’s a picture of my new gems instead. I was on birthday present duty yesterday and instead of buying presents… I bought myself things. Fly earrings from Topshop, big black ring from Primark (£1!!) and spiky gold bracelet that looks a lot more expensive than it was, also from Topshop by the mysteriously named Gogo Philip.

New Look AW10 press day

29 Apr

Along with the rest of the Internet, I went to the New Look press day this morning. Luckily for me, your friend and mine Isabelle was on hand to shepherd me around the swanky studios and she even took the time to dress in a matching outfit. I think evidence in the form of a gross photo will emerge soon but seriously, more shops should take the time to get their representatives to dress as their favourite bloggers, it’s a nice touch.

Obviously New Look’s shoe game is the best on the high street so that’s where I kicked off my browsing. Seriously good for winter… want it all now…

These look like the perfect office shoe for autumn — lovely heel height and my absolute favourite colour for wintery shoes. It goes so well with everything and now I’m in possession of a suede brush (thanks mum, how did I make it to 25 without one?) they can stay looking perfect all season. There’s no price for these in the lookbook but this being New Look I’d hazard no more than £40.

Obviously shearling is big news for this winter and New Look have a huge array of woolly shoes that make me want it to be winter already. If we’re not going to have a proper summer with a minimum base temperature of 25c every day then I’m not interested. These are brilliant apart from the heel which is a little on the spindly side for grandma arthritis over here.

A shearling clog, of course! There’s no escaping clogs and I don’t really get the hate for them. How can you not want to slip this on and feel the toasty warmth enclosing your toes? Mmmhmm lovely. Nice heel on these too, much more appropriate for those of us with geriatric joints.

More toastiness in the form of a snug little ankle boot. Pretty sure NL did something similar last year without the shearling? These remind me of shoes I had as a kid and, again, are making me wish for winter before summer’s even started.

This is kind of a wintery version of the crepe sole NL wedges that I have worn every day for the past three months. Iso was also wearing hers this morning, as was another NL bod. Best shoes of the season, hands down. Anyway here’s the winter offering and it looks as comfy as the summer option. Nice hiking boot laces.

A truly wondrous little shearling bag that I can tell you will cost an extremely reasonable £18. This is so squidgy and lovely; we’re talking pug levels of smoosh. Nice and big too and there’s a toggle on the front. Say no more.

Alright that’ll do for now. These velvety pom pom shoes are ludicrous but love them, of course. The bottom shoes are insane, like something you dream of finding in a vintage shop. Kind of tapestry/courd floral paisley wedges..?? These remind me of something I’d kill for when I was 11 and lived in my velvet bucket hat and tie-dye maxi skirt. I’ve ditched the hat, but otherwise… wow, what went wrong? I’ll leave you with possibly the best thing about the event:

Yeah crushed velvet backpack. Oooooheeee that’s why I call a goodie bag. Iso suggested I tippex band names on it but I think I might try and dig out the stoner smiley face patch I’ve been holding onto since I was about 12 and add that.

All in all, awesome work New Look and I cannot wait for this line to hit in autumn. Much as I claim to be a sun worshipper, the truth is that shoes are just better in winter. Sigh.

That man is out to get me

29 Apr


We were a bit harsh about Kate Hudson’s 80s supermodel look on the work website yesterday, but the truth is I’m a big fan of the Robert Palmer look on a young lady. I don’t have much call for business dressing but if I did, this vintage Valentino suit from Rokit would take pride of place in my wardrobe. Just fucking look at that! I’d be striding around the office busting balls like nobody’s business in that beaut. Paired with a Kate Hudson powder dry and stripy cheeks, obvi. I actually don’t know if there’s much I like more than red and black 80s tailoring, it’s a winner every time and makes you look like a beefeater.

Safe and clean and green and modern

27 Apr

Three people have emailed me about Maguba clogs in as many days, which is a little confusing. I thought everyone on the planet was familiar with them? They’ve been everywhere online over the past couple of weeks, but then maybe not everyone spends quite as much time online as me. Still, if people aren’t aware of the wonder of Maguba then I am happy to be the one to do the introductions. Maguba make stylish clogs, as well as offering you the choice to customise your own. I know that not everyone wants to get on board the clog train but don’t worry, Maguba offer sandals too. The best part of it all is that these bad boys are crafted right here in sunny London town so you can support a fantastic local label and stomp around in style. I suggest you just spend some time pootling around the website and investigating their wares for yourself, but for now, here’s my clogs. I’ve not bought them yet, but who could say no to a golden and baby pink shoe?

Every night I get older

27 Apr

Last night’s Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan event at the Barbican left me suitably full of the joys of Mexico. The women themselves were absolutely phenomenal and Mariachi El Bronx were pretty decent too, if only for the look of sheer joy/confusion on lead singer Matt Caughthran’s face throughout. Emmy the Great was there for some reason too and although I don’t hold anything against her, she was completely surplus to requirements. In the wise words of Iso, her whimsical little girl act might work at her own shows, but up against the power house of woman that was Mariachi Femenil, she just looked out of her depth. Anyway, let’s not dwell on that because I don’t want to make the poor girl feel worse than she probably already does.

I’m sure you’ve all seen Susie’s pics on Style Bubble of Pamela Love‘s studio space. Predictably, the thing that caught my eye first was the papel picado necklaces. Mr Fur Coat and I picked up some magical papel picado cut-outs at the British Museum’s Day of the Dead festival last year but they’re tricksy little things and I live in fear of them tearing. Need to get some of the plastic ones as seen at the top in real life Mexico. These sheet metal pendants that Pamela’s concocted also look pretty practical. Susie’s caption says they’re from Pamela’s AW 10/11 collection so hopefully I won’t have to wait too long to purchase one… Pic c/o Ms Bubble, of course.

Here’s the one picture I managed at last night’s show. Shit, I’ll grant you, but at least you can see the MARIACHI MAXI SKIRT. Listen, I don’t know if any of you guys still need convincing but if a bad-ass big mama mariachi is behind it, I’m behind it. One of the highlights of my evening was catching up with Iso afterwards and discovering we’d both been obsessing over a) Mariachi Maxi and b) Mariachi El Bronx’s ill-fitting trousers. Dedicated followers of fashion, that’s us, right?

Like ghosts across the Earth

26 Apr

[Lovely picture c/o .PaMdora on Flickr]

Tonight me and Iso and associated menfolk are going to Viva El Mariachi! at the Barbican and I am above and beyond excited. When Mr Fur Coat purchased the tickets I wasn’t altogether aware that Mariachi  El Bronx were the head honchos, as it were. I’m pretty keen on them but what was the real selling point for me was the promise of Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan, the AWESOME female Mariachi band. I don’t know how well my obsession with all things Mexican is documented on here, but it’s getting to the point now where our house is starting to resemble a Mexican restaurant. In Disneyland. Thematic is not the word.

Mariachi is definitely a male dominated genre which is partially down to the fact that the majority of traditional songs are about wooing a lady or at least ‘touching the heart of a woman’ [ -- thanks Wikipedia for that eloquent soundbite]. Still, times are a-changin’ and why should the boys have all the trumpeting fun? Here’s a clip of the ladies in action, hopefully I will be able to provide more information on them after tonight. There seems to a be a lack of anything about them online at present…

While we’re on a musical note, I have a small gift for you dear readers in the form of FREE MUSIC. The lovely and indeed generous folks at nokiamusic have sent me a stash of codes, each worth ten free downloads. Ooh, aah! All you need to do is email me and I’ll whack one across to you, first come first served. Then all you need to do is tippity tap it into the Nokia Music Store and Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your aunt; ten free tunes of your choice to listen to and treasure for ever and ever.

This generous offer comes from the very kind Kim at Nokia, who was also good enough to send me one of the snazzy new Nokia Comes With Music X6 phones. Takes me back; the first phone I had was this chunky bad boy which I painted with glitter nail varnish — phone covers weren’t what they are now in those days… It’s safe to say this one’s a darn site smaller and thinner and, alas, doesn’t come with an aerial. On the plus side it does have a touch screen which my fat fingers are more than adept at and all the technological wizardry you could ever desire. Trust me, there’s a lot of wizardry I desire. Anyway, the best thing about the new Comes With Music model is the music. I guess that’s an obvious statement to make but seriously! A phone with free music? It’s like it was designed for a ride on the 8:36 Southern service from New Cross Gate to London Bridge.

If you’re interested in something for nothing drop me an email and the gift of music will be bestowed upon you. The snag: you have to be on a PC using Windows. Hey, use it at work, I’m not going to stop you and that’s a pretty small snag if you ask me. Thanks lovely Kim and thanks Nokia, you have taken me back to a golden time in my youth when my only concern was downloading pictures to replace the O2 logo on my 6110…

Friday Afternoon Disco

23 Apr

I had some good news this week, and today’s playlist reflects that. Kind of obviously. Play in order, please!

BABOOM

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