trophy jacket...

meet natalie bloomfield, 23, nurse. owner of the most wonderful name and the most fabulous trophy jacket. i am jonesing for all things aztec and her mix of dip dyed locks and battered boots and denim cut offs make the jacket all the more desirable. i love!

a vintage treasure...

meet gemma, 20, a fashion student. i stumbled upon her whilst shopping and she caught my eye with her eclectic mix of high street and vintage. my, oh my, the hat! i just loved the whole lot...

blouse, cow london. cardigan, private vintage seller. boots, river island.

London town here I come...

macaroons at laduree

an image from christian louboutin shot by phillipe gracia

her majesty the queen, lucian freud

the dream by damien hirst

I am planning an imminent trip to London in the next couple of months...I do have a secret agenda though. As well as catching up with my nearest and dearest that all danced off to the capital in pursuit of fabulous careers and exciting opportunities, there is a long list of things I'd like to go and see.

First and foremost I will be off to attend a number of exhibitions. Top of my list are not one, but two retrospectives. Now dear readers this is quite unheard of for me, as I am usually drawn more towards photography or fashion exhibits (more of that later!)
First off I am really excited to see the Lucien Freud retrospective. It is being held at my favourite gallery... The National Portrait Gallery. I love the high lofty ceilings, spacious corridors and general airiness of the gallery. I love the dark, greeting tones of his portraits. The way that he captures their still pensive faces, and that he wasn't afraid to capture flaws and insecurities.

My next choice is Damien Hirst. Now I am admittedly don't have a very broad knowledge of artists and painters, but I do have a secret soft spot for the YBAs. Mainly because I grew up with their careers developing and their work, along with some choice designers and photographers helped develop my appreciation and passion for all things creative. So I am going to be brave, poorly off to the Tate Modern and broaden my modern art mind. Also I have alwaaaaays wanted a peek of that diamond skull.

Now the third stop on my gallery tour is (drum roll please) Christian Louboutin at the Design Museum. The exhibition is a celebration of his 20 year tenure at the top of the shoe game. The exhibition is accompanied by a sumptuous book of his work photographed by Phillipe Gracia and published by Rizzoli. Now you see I am a huge fan of the man with the red soles, therefore this is a very personal choice for me. I have dreamt of sliding my tootsies into a pair of his vertiginous works of art for many years, and this exhibition will be fuel for my fashion fire. Plus I am looking forward to my first peek around the Design Museum as I have never been before, so that in itself will be an experience.

Lastly I will be cruising round the capital with a wish list of things to do... i thought i would let you in on them...

1. Maccaroons at Laduree.
2. Cruise by Marc by Marc Jacobs on Mount Street (the Jacobs line of cheap treats is amazing...)
3. Liberty. Enough said!
4. Lucy in Disguise...I'm still yet to visit.
5. Covent Garden and Brick Lane for vintage fun.
6. Selfridges... just because.
7. Browns, Browns Focus and the shoe shop too!
8. Start boutique.
9. the hummingbird bakery and ella's bakehouse...for cake related fun.
10. Cruise tacky gift shops for silly trinkets... it's tradition!

can anything ever be perfect...

i am mixed race and for many years have battled with finding a foundation for my oily skin. now don't get me wrong i love that my natural oils mean i age slower and am lucky to look younger than i am. however finding make up that doesn't slide off or require powder and blotting paper is nigh on impossible. even the so called matt formulas can't control my half Jamaican heritage. last year I read about a new foundation Chanel had developed to replace mat and pro lumiére... so all excited I rushed off to get my little hands on it...only to be told "sorry it's not released until January." i was devastated. you see i can't use powder as it worsens my dry areas and blotting papers don't last forever, so I've always had to reapply once i start to look more oil slick, less dewy and youthful. so to my excitement Perfect Lumière recently hit the counters and i got myself a bottle. it works a treat! well for me anyway...there are no shiny moments and it gives me the right amount of coverage to hide eye bags and imperfections. Perfect ain't the word...

dear diary...

this week i have been mostly...

Eating healthily.
Drinking tea.
Perusing everything fashion. Magazines, blogs, shows, anything and everything...
Illustrating.
Lusting after Charlotte Olympia.
Wishing I was Iris Apfel.
Getting excited about fashion month.
Re-igniting my love for Eve Arnold.
Buying flowers

all about eve...

i am and always have been a terribly huge fan of the golden age of Hollywood...and a cliché as it may be, Marilyn Monroe has always been a little idol of mine. my mum picked up on this and one year bestowed upon me one of my most treasured posessions... Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold. quite simply one of the most alluring, stunning and marvellous photography books ever published. i love the way Arnold captured Marilyn in some of her most vulnerable and personal moments. this, along with her admirable photographic style made her one of the greatest documentary photographers of her time. It saddened me to learn that Eve passed away last week aged 99...even more so because I have never caught a retrospective of her work. i am crossing my little fingers and toes that a posthumous tribute will be held in her honour. for me she was fabulous, not only for her work with Marilyn but the way she captured and supported the civil rights movement. what a lady. RIP Eve. X

when i grow up...

Celine S/S 12

Since setting my new years resolutions, one of them has been in my thoughts more than others. The resolution in question is my quest to become a lady, thus leading to think about myself from a sartorial perspective. Now for many years I have been very eclectic and am always first in line for bright colours, clashing prints and lashings of vintage. However in the past year or so things have changed. I have found myself more driven towards a more minimal and chic aesthetic...I am still heavily draped in ghetto gold and rings galore but in terms of my outfits I feel more polished and less bag lady. I still feel eclectic and that I do occasionally look a bit cray cray...but that there is always an element of elegance to my outfit. Be it a blouse, accessory, cut of a trouser or the fit of a dress.

My main lady lady inspiration is Phoebe Philo for Céline. I love every aspect of her collections, and the SS12 one in particular has inspired my plans for my little new year me quest. I love the louche, relaxed tailoring. I love the simple, oversized silhouettes mixed with bright colour and sumptuous florals. Not only would I sell my little soul (and clothing collection) for a little piece of the darling Céline collections, but the accessories collections are very moi as well. Therefore I have decided when I grow up I will be the Céline girl. Even if I can't afford to be.

all images courtesy www.celine.com

A piece of my heart...

she stole my heart...

Now everyone that knows me knows that I am a bag lady. I struggle to carry anything smaller than a tote, unless I'm off out dancing and quaffing cocktails (this kind of occasion calls for something small.) Although in most respects of my life I am rather disorganised, when it comes to the contents of my handbag I am far from it. I hate the idea of forgetting something I need or being caught out, so I simply carry my life around with me. Rain infuriates me. Therefore I carry my umbrella. I am a rather unconfident, self conscious lady so I like to know I have my make up so touch ups can be carried out. Headaches are an unnecessary inconvenience, as is chipped nail polish...so a little cosmetic pouch filled with pain killers and polish is imperative! Daily essentials such as my diary and purse and whatever I'm reading are also stuffed in there like a comfort blanket. What I'm getting at is that I therefore spend lashings of time lusting after big, almost luggage sized handbags. Don't get me wrong I love a cute clutch like any girl, but my head will always be turned by a tote. This season I have been coveting one in particular...the Celine Bi-Cabas. She is an utter beaut! It's the short handles offset by the lovely expanse of tote. The contrast of matte and shiny. The minimalism of it all. The simple gold embossed logo. Perfection if ever it could be cut from lamb skin. And that dear readers is what I am currently coveting...

the lady or the iron lady?

jil sander
jil sander
prada
prada
chanel
louis vuitton
louis vuitton
3.1 philip lim

i am currently obsessed with all things lady related. my main aim of next week is to go and see Meryl Streep in the much anticipated Margaret Thatcher biopic. although at 25 i've been feeling like a lady of the old kind, i can safely say i don't remember the Iron Lady or her regime. However being little i felt the affects without realising. now i know opinion on Maggie is muchly divided, I do like her style and am looking forward to learning about her archaic reign in the biopic. you see i admire her greatly, she became top dog in a very male dominated world. and seeing as statistically i'll be retired before i earn equal to my male counterparts (and as the only female at my level at work i have found out i am one of the lowest paid!) i think she was pretty bloody cool. now i don't agree with some of her policies or her Tory leanings, i do agree with her unrelenting ambition and belief that she take on the men and take them down. and that she did! i love that she has been our only lady priminister and that she used this to make an impact. however i will not be taking my fashion influence from good old maggie. now don't get me wrong i love a blue suit and a pussybow but i will be modelling my new season look on a whole other lady...

now y'see i'm half jamaican, and therfore of ample bosom and even more ample bum. no matter how many squats, lunges and glute tightening exercises i do, my bum and shapely thghs just won't be slender and lithe. damn it they are toned but i'm no victoria's secret angel. even if i lived of air and cucumber i can't escape my Caribbean lineage. therfore i will be avoiding the twenties trend (sob! i love a drop waist) as well as the sports luxe Olympics imspired look (very sad i love this!)

alas i am in look, i can rock the fifties look that is huge and everywhere this season, even better due to my olive tones and brunette curls i can totally rock a pastel too. so for me i think i got the best deal. i can shimmy around in the lovely bitterly pale shades, lace and lashing of kooky leather. and this i will relish! for once i will be proud to flaunt my curves cos the fashion month has spoken...i'm in vogue baby!

therefore i will be mostly coveting... florals, high waists, midi skirts, peter pan collars, a-lines, shift dresses, 60s silhouettes, pastels, anything loose or floaty, boxy jackets, pearls, structured handbags, 50s prints and motifs, the general nana look. this is the first spring/summer i've actually been excited to shop, mainly because there are none of the usual s/s cliches...

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

As the festive period comes to an end the new year creeps up on me I have a little habit of reflecting on the year gone by and start reflecting and thinking about little tweaks and improvements I'd like to make on the way I live my life. I don't like making so called "resolutions." They get forgotten about or given up just like my vow to never eat another mince pie or half a tin of Quality Street. I prefer to set myself goals if I want to achieve anything big, and I therefore set time limits on these. Then I think of little things I need to improve about myself. Last year I vowed to be a better friend and wear more dresses. I feel that by the time ripped open my Christmas pressies I had worked on these traits hard. I set a lot more time aside for my BFFs and anyone I regard highly enough to call a friend. As for the dresses my wardrobe is bursting and day-to-day I wear little else.

Now for 2012...
This year I have a few things I am planning to work on.

1. Sort my life out!
This may sound quite dramatic but it is the most personal. I have spent the past 3 years since I graduated from university working (hard!) in luxury retail. However I do day dream about where I want to be in years to come...so that's where pins and needles came in. It's my first step on my little career step ladder. This year will be spent mostly carving out a place for myself in this world and the results will be documented here I can assure you. So watch this space... I'm gonna take over the world! Mwahahaha !

2. The weighty issue...
Last year I found myself (after many months of boy induced happiness) heavier than I had ever been. This topic has always been a sensitive one for me. I spent much of 2011 working hard and being chased around and shouted at by my lovely Slovakian trainer. I did well! The next year is about hopping on my Pashley and hitting the gym to get the body I deserve....

3. Lady this, Lady that
Inspired by the lovely pastel shaded, fifties inspired, fripperies of ladylike loveliness that is the Spring/Summer 2012 catwalk shows I have decided to make the biggest change of all. Now I'm no tomboy or anything but I'm no etiquette trained lady robot either. As I've gotten older I have become frightfully more aware of myself and have decided to spend much of this year improving my general decorum. So no more potty mouth, and speaking more eloquently.

I shall keep you posted...