Just a note to say that I have (so far) made good on my promise of blogging on my travel site! It may not continue as I get more switched off/distant from WiFi, but for now… Black Sabbatical

Hey, who’s this?

Hiya!

I’m still struggling to combine the end of work with planning three months of travel, but I couldn’t let the launch of Goodhood’s life store go by without mention. Even if it has for the last three weeks since it launched…

It’s quite common knowledge round these parts that I would like to buy one of everything, designed for either male or female customers, from Goodhood. Combine that design ethic with my extreme longing for a house and habit/obsession for buying homeware and really, really, what did you expect?

What I like best about the clothes at Goodhood is that they’re a grown up version of what I’ve always liked to wear since I was a teenager; skatery t-shirts and beanies and ugly-awesome shoes and things with skulls on.

I don’t think I’d say quite the same about their home pieces, particularly in light of today’s activities. Today I’ve been continuing my impassioned pre-sabbatical Binning Everything I Own clearout at my mum’s house and it’s safe to say that my taste in décor has changed dramatically since I was a teenager. Things I have found; a fuzzy fur alarm clark with glittery silver bells, a cushion in the shape of a pirate ship, lots of pink plastic. I had totally abysmal taste in ‘design’ – hell, my room here at my mum’s house has pink and silver wallpaper (alternate walls, the pink is Barbie-branded) and cow-print fur curtains.

Goodhood’s homewear has no relation to this. At all. It does, however, represent everything I want my dream grown-up house to look like, when I can afford one. I.e. grey. Grey, black and white at a push.

These are just some of the things I’ve added to my mental house wish list – god it’s all so tasteful and cool I can’t bear it.

Shop here or at the actual Goodhood Life Store at 20 Coronet Street, London N1 6HD.

[Clockwise from top left: Goods by Goodhood Thorn Cushion, £45; Eno Candle Pin, £14; Klippan Tango Throw, £63; Arabia Moomin Pitcher, £32; Toast MU Porcelain Tea Cups, £20; Hay Kitchen Scissors, £5]  

Well, this isn’t going very well, is it?

Work and planning for our travels has kind of become all-encompassing lately –  I think I have two free evenings left until we leave now. This is largely to blame for the fact that absolutely nothing is going up here at the moment.

So, with that in mind… I figured now would be the time to point you in the direction of our travel blog. That’s right, I figured I didn’t have enough to do, so starting a new blog might be a laugh.

Fur Coat, No Knickers will probably on sabbatical with me until July, so for all things travel-related and to see what we’re getting up for the next few months, please now add the following to your feeders/reaaders/bookmarks;

blacksabbatical.wordpress.com

[Thank you, Emily, for the name idea.]

We don’t actually leave until the end of March – and, as I mentioned, I may well continue writing on here anyway – it’s just that now seems as good a time as any to mention the new site for you. Even though there’s nothing on it.

I also feel the need to mention that I really might not post very much on the travel site. I’m going to be lying on a beach. And up a volcano. And in Oaxaca. It’s just that everyone told me I had to a travel blog, so I did what I was told.

[Picture is of Mauna Kea, where I will be spending some time crying at the beauty of motherfucking nature.]

Woven handmade jewellery is probably the last thing I need to be looking at before I depart in to the sunset on my travels – as I understand it, stringy bracelets are as much a necessity for someone travelling around Mexico with a backpack as Havianas and an efnic blanket to pin on your wall when you get home.

Still, these are kind of a step up from that.

Venessa Arizaga’s friendship bracelets have just landed on Goodhood and, as with anything on Goodhood, I want. I am on a self-imposted spending ban, this much is true, but I don’t know if you’re allowed to go travelling without something like this attached to your wrist.

Prices start at £39, which might be more than you pay on a beach in Puerto Escondido but there is the added advantage that you’ll probably wear them for the rest of your life as opposed to a few weeks when you get back from your adventures.

Buy ‘em here!

It’s just less than a month until I embark on my sabbatical and head for the sunshine of Mexico, the dirty Deep South, Hawaii and all sorts of other ridiculously exciting places that I still can’t quite get my head round being real. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of planning to be done but while the rabies vaccinations and visas are kind of easy enough for me to deal with (mmm, life admin) the real challenge is proving to be what to pack.

Pretty much everywhere we’re going will be sunny, which kind of helps narrow things down, but there’s still the challenge of squeezing in outfits for every eventuality into one small backpack. There’s going to be hiking up volcanos, paying homage at Graceland, a 30th birthday, nice dinners, beaches, mountains… I mean… what do you pack to contend with all of those things but still be able to walk around without resembling a camel?

It goes without saying, then, that when the lovely people at Style Passport contacted me to see if they could be of any assistance, I jumped at the chance. A whole shopping site dedicated to clothes for holidays? And not just beach holidays but adventure holidays, skiing holidays, city breaks, camping trips… not to mention the travelling part itself? Perfect.  And they deliver in 90 minutes (if you’re London-based, at least) which makes them ideal for a last-minute packing nightmare.

This Pendleton bag will be accompanying on my travels (I’ve never been one for a backpack on the front, backpack on the back look) – and here are some other ideas for outfits that will hopefully make my backpacking experience less of a sartorial nightmare.

[Clockwise from top left]

1. Barbour Hayle Parka - can’t beat a Barbour for practicality and actually looking good at the same time. Pockets, hood, drawstring – it’s essentially the ideal travelling jacket, so don’t let anyone tell you that you need a fleece or cagoule. Full disclaimer: I have bought a cagoule

2. Mara Hoffman Intarsia Cardigan - we might be visiting a lot of hot places, but I guess Hawaii gets quite cold at night. Especially when you’re up a volcano stargazing. Love the pattern on this and as always, that it has a waist tie – I’m a firm believer in still trying to have something of a silhouette when covered in practical clothing.

3.  American Vintage Jersey Maxi Dress – could there be a more practical, stylish, travel-appropriate dress? And it’s grey marl! There’s a lot of great American Vintage on Style Passport and I firmly believe it’s a good choice for those of us who are kind of technically backpacking but also a bit older and still interested in looking nice. This dress looks like my dream aeroplane outfit but I can also see it working on the beach as a cover-up or for going out in the evening. Absolutely perfect.

4.  American Vintage Twist Neck Loose Fit Tee - can’t beat a good t-shirt, particularly one that comes in ‘piscine green’. This slouchy shape is perfect and as with the rest of American Vintage, can survive being thrown around and screwed up in a backpack and still emerge looking good.

5. Levi’s Made and Crafted Highball Shorts - this is going to be the holiday when I come to terms with shorts. And what better start than these bubblegum-pink ones? The Levi’s Made & Crafted  range is a nice new addition to the Levi’s family – lots of good colour and perfect slouchy shapes. I’d wear the entire range in a heartbeat – also feeling this pink dress with leather belt, mmhmm.

6. Pendleton Woven Bag - what better than a bit of all-American craftsmanship for an all-American roadtrip? Love the print, love the fabric, love the size – holiday BFF, who I’m already dreaming about sticking under my head as I snooze on a beach. Fun fact – did you know the Beach Boys were originally called the Pendletones because of their love of Pendleton? FACT.

7. Pichulik Pom Pom Necklace - jewellery is going to be a problem for me on this trip. I wear a lot. All the time. But the idea of carrying all my favourite jewels around with me worries me slightly – potential for loss when I’m scubaing around or trekking through jungles just seems too much to bear. I love the statement that this makes but it’s also big and sturdy enough to survive a bit of travel, I reckon.

8. Seafolly Aloha Bandeau and Mini Hipster - a bikini called Aloha has to be worn in Hawaii, I think it’s a rule. I love Seafolly full stop – you know that Aussies have to have a good understanding of swimwear and the cuts are just so flattering and grown-up. Also great accessories – this Tassle Kaftan is another one I could see myself wearing as I slope off up the beach to pick up another mai tai from the bar.

9. Swedish Hasbeens Heart Sandal - see, practical footwear doesn’t have to be ugly. I plan on wearing my Swedish Hasbeens daily throughout our three months so will report back on just how that turns out, but for colours and cute styles while still being solid enough for a lot of walking they already have my heart.

10. Gaucho Belts Capybara Leather Belt - I don’t travel anywhere without a belt – see point two and my theory of always having a waistline of some sort. Something sturdy and colourful like this would go with just about everything – honestly up there with a passport and first-aid kit as something I don’t think I could travel without.

11. Ray Ban New Wayfarer - did I mention that we’re going to be spending three months in really sunny places?

12. Cheap Monday Lori Straw Sunhat - see point eleven. It’s going to be challenging enough not getting my colour done for three months as it is, the last thing I want is dry knackered hair as well. I LOVE the size of this – floppy hats have always been a holiday staple for me and this one shoots straight to the top of the list for this year’s adventuring.

**This is a sponsored post, to keep me looking like a human while I backpack around the globe**

Free today? I would totally, totally, recommend that you spend at least a bit of your Saturday shopping the Goodhood clearance and deadstock sale outside their store in Old Street.

I don’t need to tell you how obsessed with this shop I am; I want everything they sell, regardless of whether it’s designed for a man or a woman.

I reckon you’ll find some really good bargains here and I only wish I could be there to spaff away all my savings with you.

I would suggest that after shopping, you walk around the corner and go to Shutterbug for a salted caramel pancake.

That’s like, my dream date.

The Goodhood clearance sale takes places at 41 Coronet Street, London N1 6HD

As usual, I want everything in the new Maria Francesca Pepe collection. It’s always a bit like an insight into my teenage brain (but like, how my teenage brain envisioned me dressing as an adult) and this season I think it just about excels itself.

Eyes and skulls and crosses and studs – particularly into those two-part rings, designed to be worn with one in the top section of the finger (intermediate phalange, I believe) and the other at the base. As usual there are some updates on her classic spiked rings, which I am building a nice collection off. This dual-horned one is probably uniform for a Taurus so I guess I’ll have to get it and the double finger ring is also pretty appealing.

As this collection is so clearly inspired by things I drew on the back of maths books in year seven, I figured I’d add my own additions to the lookbook – Maria, you’re welcome.

As is traditional at this time, let us all join together in wishing my adopted dad, Henry Rollins, a very happy birthday.

It warms my cockles to know that him and Nick are still bros. I wonder what kind of birthday card Nick sends Henry? Hmm. Anyway, as is also customary, here is Henry helping Nick Cave out with a tricky chorus – so tricky, in fact, they had to get Jello Biafra on board too.

I don’t know if working in the hair industry has given me a new appreciation for weird hair, or whether it’s the opposite – spending so much time at shows and shoots you quickly become aware of the repetitive nature of trends, so anything weird immediately attracts my attention. Whatever the reason, I have developed a total obsession with the micro-fringe – it’s a bit ugly, it’s quite unwearable and it’s something that always seems to divide opinion.

They first came to my attention a couple of seasons ago when Kenna used clip-in mini fringes at Jean-Pierre Braganza (and recreated the look on me) – then last season we saw them all over the place. I think my favourites for Spring/Summer were the  mega-geek styles at Miu Miu and teenage sulky girl ones at Simone Rocha that I obsessed about here.

This season, we’ve already got off to a good start with even more clip-in wonky fringes at Thakoon – I am totally, utterly in love with this look. Session stylist Odile Gilbert was the brains behind the look, which she explained to The Gloss was;

… a two-level haircut, very conceptual, [with] something cute about it. We wanted it to look like the model is playing with a bang that she wants to try—we didn’t want to hide [the wig] or anything. It’s like an accessory, almost. It’s a tiny bob but not on the other side… There’s something very interesting about it.

I love how obvious the tracks of the extensions are, how they’ve used a contrasting colour, how the fringe has steps out of it, how they look kinda bald from one side.

All praise the weird fashion week hair and long may it continue, please!

Top to bottom: Thakoon, Thakoon, Miu Miu, Simone Rocha – all via Style.com