conversations with the 'ultimate style jury'...

a week at home for the christmas festivities meant a week of backhanded compliments, misguided advice, plain old misunderstanding and mostly me feeling foolish. cue lots of sighing and patient smiles from all parties; a week with the 'ultimate style jury', the parents...

christmas eve, mums house, in response to denim jacket layered under my leather biker jacket combo:

mother: where's your winter coat?

daughter: i didn't bring it

mother: why not?

daughter: it's too heavy to carry

mother: why didn't you wear the coat?
daughter: i didn't want to be all hot and bothered on the train down

mother: well there's no chance of that now, silly girl.

christmas day, dads house, in response to my (gorgeous) tan leather huge wedge loafers:

dad: you look like a giant

daughter: hardly, i'm just normal height

dad: well, your making me nervous, take them off

daughter: but they make my legs look nice and this outfit looks rubbish with out them

dad: your clomping about like a retard, take them off

boxing day, seafront walk, in response to my chunky knit over sized cardigan and my fave charity shop find. 

dad: what's that horse blanket?

daughter: what horse blanket?!

dad: that, (points at cardigan) that horse blanket you're wearing

boxing day evening, at mums, filling me with confidence as always, whilst getting ready to go for drinks in town:
daughter: do you think 23 is too old for knee high socks?

mother: not really, anyway you hardly look 23 do you

daughter: well what do you think about these tights with holes and ladders in
mother: that's NEVER EVER okay darling

daughter: well what do you think of the jumper? (camel chunky knit slightly cropped jumper)

mother: its a bit 80's isn't it

30th december, mums house, packing case and getting things together for the return to London home:

daughter: i hate traveling back to london after christmas, i always look like such a bag lady

mother: you've always been a bit of a bag lady though haven't you darling

daughter: no, i like hand bags mum, that's different

mostly fun.

2010 was a lot of things.  new manor.  new job.  pals all new.  old love and new loves.   old heartbreak and new heartbreak.  and it was the start of the club night i always wanted to try.  it was partying pretty much every night in May with Elouise.  lots of drinking cherry cider in London Fields.  planning our party and starting a riot with Alice.  it was the start of things.  it seemed mostly fine. 
and it was mostly fun.

it was also double mega lols. actual.

guilty. guilty.

its terrible but i find myself randomly singing this on a daily basis. i have no idea why. there's absolutely no logical reasoning for it.

I will add that it was once a staple 'anthem' on a mix tape my mother bear recorded for me when i was a small person compiled of terrible songs probably recorded straight off the radio and entitled something naff like 'rachel's party mega mix'.

anyway it is pretty bad and pretty good at all once. i am aware that doesn't make it okay.

if you didn't come. you should have.

last night was this. and it was pretty rad. thanks to everyone who came down. especially to the bands. who actually all turned up this time.  there were also lots of cute boys there. some in bands. some not. either way i am not complaining.
the absoloute babes, scrap that, the ridiculously pretty Novella kicked off the show.  followed by my absolute favorites Chapter Sweetheart (who were quote "the stand out band of the evening" un quote thank you Hal).  with Rayographs playing there dreamy girl agg next. (which i sadly missed because i was covering the door but could hear the faint din of Yellow Hair my favourite track from them through the wall so seems fine).  And then Applicants, best listened to with a pinch of salt headlined the show.  their charisma and pretty funny but pretty loaded skits of songs (TESCO. METRO. DISCO definitely a personal high light) was perfect Sunday fun.  then Alice and I played some party tunes at the end of the night to keep everyone dancing for a bit. we didn't crack out this bad boy tune this time either. shame. but there's always our next party.

big wedge. big love.

uh i got inboxed about these bad boys last week. by a pal i don't see as often as i'd like but still knows me better than people who i do see more often.  a shame but just how its always been with us i guess.  anyway she messaged me a link to the Topshop website saying that she saw them and she thought i would probably want, no need, them in my life.  she was of course right.  so with the weekend just gone bringing my b of the day and very luckily vouchers for said high street store.  it was in my view fate to have them.  because i do so have a penchant for a black leather(and in this case suede) wedge affair.

seems more than fine.

now please fuck off snow so I can debut them properly.

of all the things that i do best. disaster makes me happiest.

sundays at. home.

Ray Dix present Charles Sheldon exhibiting at Home. 

showing

'Radiator'

Sunday 21st November.  6-9pm.

the Ray Dix, Home, project space; 

also known as the hallway in mine and Hal's basement flat.

seems fine.

all the stun photos are taken by and property of Charles Sheldon. 
he is very good.  the photos don't even do it justice you had to see it to believe it.  our radiotor scaled up by 7.5 and drawn over the entire length and ceiling of the hallway in black electrical tape.
pretty rad.

does our 'project gallery space' make us proper 'East London wankers' yet?

inappropriate romance. probably.

so this weekend was controversial. maybe.

i went out with two boys.  both wore a camel coat.  one is quite a lot older than me.  one is quite a lot younger than me.

both were sporting, unintentionally, the um 'coat of the season'. but. in very different ways.

on one it is the epitome of style. dapper. sophistication and a statement of status. he's made it, everything's okay and that's all that matters.  he is in fashion and also resents this burgeoning camel 'trend' having worn said coat for years.

on the other, it is still a statement yet laced with irony.  it's an aspiration. and it's vintage. it doesn't quite work and it really does all at once.  he's in music and hadn't realised it was a 'trend', it just belonged to his dead dad.

i'm not obsessed with camel coats. or boys that wear them.

seems fine and shopping for jokes.

typical girls

typical girl gets the typical boy

seems fine.

meeting boys in bars.

last night i met a boy. he was wearing a camel coat. it looked rad. i told him so. that is all.

we're facebook friends now. i hate that.

r i o t. r i o t.

Riot Party Launch Night.

glad it's over.  sad it's over.  and can't wait for the next one.

thank you to everyone who came.  sorry to everyone who didn't. 

(you know who you are)

even bigger thank you to the bands that played.  and sorry to the ones who didn't. (unfortunate band cancellation agg)

Bitches and Death Of The Elephant might just be my new favourite bands.

they both played an amazing set and put on the show I knew they would.

and they don't just make flipping actually awesome music, they actually turn up for shows and are really very, very nice people. 

time for tea #3

so I know I am running the risk of this becoming too much of a tea related blog. 

but i couldn't not share these with you.

it would be such a shame for them to stay hidden in the depths of the charity shops in Waltham Cross.  (which are by far the best, bargain filled charity shops I have ever had the pleasure of visiting)

wish i could have bought them all and thrown a very mad tea party.  but having already snipped a Daks coat for a fiver and various other gems I couldn't really justify the penny a spending. 

it all adds up don't it.

so the tea pot treasure hunt continues.  i just don't think i've found my perfect tea holding vessel yet.  have found myself being very particular with the criteria for: must be handsome but not too pretty.  smart but not fancy.  statement making but not try hard.  reliable but not boring.

i know its out there somewhere.  and yes i am still talking about tea pots. 

i just take my teapots seriously.   promise.

seems fine.

planning our party. creating a riot.

so Alice and I spent the whole of Saturday planning our party and creating a riot: we've blagged ourselves a band / club night type affair.  should be lot's of fun.

we have named our night Riot Party.

we decided we should try and put on the kind of night we would quite like to go to and that our pals might want to come to. and lots of other girls like us might want to come too.  

music wise we are going to play riot grrrl, punk, garage rock, indie, shouty chick based music and other trash you dance and shout along to in front of your bedroom mirror:  all with less of the usual weekend pressure 'cos its a Sunday or something.

our number one task for the day was to design our flyer. 

so off we went to Staples to do some photocopying and buy pens and art supplies. 

(not very punk)

then we went to buy fizzy pop and crisps to get us through our crafternoon. 

(also not very punk)

and then we started cutting and pasting and generally making a massive mess.

(a little bit more punk but not that much, because you can see we we're drinking out of tea cups)

 

so mess made and inspired by the epic play list we have compiled for the night.  we created the below flyer for our party.

 face by me.  riot party logo by Alice.  and the back was joint effort. 

we are getting them printed ASAP and then will be frequenting night spots and making a nuisance of ourselves and trying to give them to you very soon.

In the meantime check out the amazing bands we have booked to entertain you, you can check them out on their myspaces if you don't believe me.
(*weep weep* the only thing myspace is good for these days - music, r.i.p the myspace glory days)

BITCHES 

La La Vasquez

The Ethical Debating Society

Death of the Elephant

sunday november 7th.  come.  seems fine.

bag lady.

a little bit embarrassed that this is my current handbag.

don't get me wrong. i love a tote.  and i love band merch.  so this has been my favourite accessory of late.  always on me or a floor somewhere.  lugging my life around.  unfortunately due to this it is now in a ridiculously sorry state.  tried washing it but the grub just won't shift.  also it has a few holes.
R I P Veronica Falls tote.

so the quest is on for a new bag.
feel like i'm on quite a few 'quests' at the moment;
the hunt is still on for the perfect teapot, a post to follow with the china delights i have recently come across.
i am also on the scout for new bands.
Alice and I are putting on a band/ club night and we need bands to play it.  

but not any old bands.  lovely good ones.  like the band on the front of my precious but dilapidated tote above.  Veronica Falls, they are pretty good.  would love them to play the band/ club night , but that would be a bit of a massive blag and not sure if they would, although there's no harm asking i guess.
also quite like them because they have sung a little song about Beachy Head, a well known suicide spot next, to mine and Alice's hometown, the sunshine coast that is Eastbourne. 

 

Veronica Falls - Beachy Head

the video makes the beachy head cliffs look so eerie and beautiful in a way i have never really noticed, i guess i have always just taken it for granted,  so used to it being just a place that was the butt of most jokes and any references to do with Eastbourne.

seems fine.

Performance

so i finally got round to watching the 1970 film, Performance, on the recommendation that firstly i would like it, something to do with my love of violence and music related things?! and secondly because well its one of those films that isn't quite a classic and not quite cult as such but well just good and that I probably should see.  so i did.

 

"comical little geezer you'll look funny when your fifty."

brilliant line about Mick Jagger. 

I kept doing a little swoon whenever he was on screen. 

Also at this girl,  Anita Pallenberg,  what an absolute seventies boho babe.

Get me some fur, a bottle of peroxide and a silk sheet to swathe my naked self in on a four poster and i'm there...

 uh yeah, I wish.

want you and all things pretty. just for me.

collecting images.  some more cutting and pasting.

just being a typical girl really.

ride that camel. or something.

well this 'camel' trend is really burgeoning. non?

Bring Me The Head Of Paul McCartney

so been listening to quite a bit of The Brian Jonestown Massacre of late.

I think that will be mostly down to my pal Sammy's influence, bringing them to my attention again; he made me the most perfect playlist a few months back and haven't been able to stop listening to it since.  he is my music man literally.
it actually shocks me how well he knows my musical penchant.

anyway.
my particular fave BJM song is the one below and I must say so pleasantly titled:

Bring Me The Head Of Paul McCartney On Heather Mill's Wooden Peg.

don't love the video but the song is good.  so deal with it.

of course listening to all this Brian Jonestown has made me want to re-visit Ondi Timoner's, 2004, mental docu-mess of a film about them and the Dandy Warhols, DIG!

Apparently Empire magazine described it as, wanky but not far wrong, "the perfect parable of the 1990's music industry."  the film is compiled from some seven years of footage, or something and it charts the rise and falls of the two aforementioned bands and their very different careers.

trailer for DIG!

and with this whole 90's revial thing being pretty big right now or something thought I'd give it a little watch.  I have it on DVD so if anyone wants to join me I'd be most obliged...
but bring cheese cake.  please.

controversial saturday night times.

favourite past time #1
being thrown out of clubs by girls that can't dj and are throwing their weight around, literally.
must suck being fat and bad at mixing. 

apparently it was her club night as well.  i'm a little embarrassed for her.  as well as being thoroughly offended by the mixing, sorry i mean, gappy fade up fade down from one record to another, it was the song choices which really iced the cake.  it was like being at a boring club night in 2007, i mean the whole 'indie/ nu-rave scene' was over as soon as it started anyway, let alone it still being thrust upon you 3 years later.  How can one play The Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control and Hot Chip - Over And Over, with a straight face on a Saturday night.  jeez both these bands have had, below average, new albums since.  and no she wasn't being 'ironic'.  move along.

anyway she didn't take kindly to me telling her she should 'learn how to mix'.

surprisingly there were actually two redeeming things about the night.
one was me dancing and shouting along so mentally to Le Tigre - Deceptacon that an odd looking boy tentatively approached me to ask if i liked 'riot girl' 'girl core' bands (i must have really been going for it.  cringe.)  and with my over zealous nod *yes* thrust me a cd, all sweaty in its limp card board jacket.  none the less on a little listen the next day turns out to be a pretty rad.  win. 

shopping for jokes. girls night style.  oh dear.  Alices birthday times.  sorry that girl couldn't mix and i had to leave.xx

seems un fine.

effortless and lovely. Manuela Dack. LFW.

This girl has created, as far as i am concerned my perfect jacket, taken from her AW10 collection and re-presented for LFW SS11.  

hard and soft.  leather and chiffon.  could be awful.  it's not.

Manuela Dack has a genuine eye for all things lovely, a talent for creating beautiful but wearable garments and an asethic and mood that can only inspire.  Finding beauty in strange things and strangeness in beauty.

I've been following her blog the Silver Cleaver for some time now, a personal yet not alienating platform of ideas, a living breathing scrap book, a beautifully considered compilation of inspirations, aspirations, style and, lest i say it again, loveliness.  

Elena Tells and I popped down to her low key but none the less considered, LFW SS11 presentation last week and were not disappointed; felt like I was standing in one of her blog posts can only commend how her genuine aesthetic has transcended into every aspect of her brand and collection.

 you can't really tell from this picture but all the jackets were suspended from the ceiling and encased in perspex.  a play on the hard on soft qualities.  the sheer and the opaque.  

Also the nude beige one in the front had gorgeous crystal detailing on the shoulders encased under a layer of chiffon. 

*sigh* just something else for the want need list.

that girl from the party.

i've recently been made aware in certain circles i'm known only as 'that girl from the party'.  i'll make no further comment as to why.   seems fine.

('that girl from the party' - mixed media illustration - steal it and i will cut you)

go go go

GOGO PHILIP VINTAGE BIJOUX

love the naughty chic look book pictures. ALOT. pretty girls. attitude. gold.
a little bit trashy.  but heck that's why it is a little bit good.
(we all know i cant be trusted with anything precious)

previously only available to buy in toppers.
this guy has just launched his very own online shop via his website.

apparently each month a different fashion insider shaped person will be taking over the selection and picking their favourite bits from the range which is a nice little interactive personal touch.

so i thought i would pick my faves too.  on the want need list.

quite want to layer up these two bad boys over a super slouchy sweater teamed with super skinnys (black of course) wedge shoe boots, a messy top knot and massive eye flicks.  autumn winter work look.  done.

seems fine.

woodland walk times.

Epping forest.  Leyton flats.

So a nice but somewhat disappointing breakfast out in E5 was the foundation for a day of woodland walking times.  I was as usual over-dressed for the occasion in ridiculous shoes, but at least they were wooden wedges - fitting almost - if it were not for the walking, in a woods, bit.

 The reason for this jaunt to the country was a location reckie for a pal's forthcoming shoot.  

It was a rather civilised way to spend an afternoon. We went on a thorough explore, off the track, all through the trees and over ditches.

Although I couldn't help but notice whilst 'off the track' as it were, that the area is seemingly a hot 'dogging' spot.  No pun intended, of course.  

Lone, seedy looking men of all shapes and sizes walking in and out of the undergrowth looking rather conspicuous, yet I'm sure in their minds, the epitome of nonchalant.  To the piles of discarded wrappers littered around - well you gotta give them a little credit, at least they're being safe.  

Quite a creepy experience, innocently being caught in the midst of it all; the stunning woodland marred somewhat on the realisation its a venue to this casual weekend boys club.

That aside, and avoiding the undergrowth, I got the impression its perfect for the shoot.  

so.  seems fine.

You can watch a video of the escapades on my pal's blog.  It's quite funny.  And I hasten to add the mac coordination was complete coincidence by the way. 

Mode en Module. SS11.

popped down to On|Off this LFW SS11 out of curiosity but mostly to go and have a look at, MEM, Mode en Module.  having been closely following the duos accessory and jewellery based creations for a while now so I was tres excited to see the new pieces.  they definitely did not disappoint.  you can't really tell from my poor snaps so please do, look at the collections on their beautiful website and see for your self. 

MEM SS11 look book - lo-fi but too cute.
loose pictures in a brown envelope.  simple loveliness.

www.modeenmodule.com

sunday casual times #2

after a seriously miserable attempt at cake making, so miserable i have no pictures or for that matter words on the affair, the pals and i resigned ourselves to a game of scrabble and lot's of cups of tea.  it was all going quite well until the, i need to get rid of all my letters now, panic of the last round set in.  as you can see it got a little silly.

personal favourite words were atone and trash. 

time for tea #2

the quest for the perfect tea pot continues.

saw all these today on a stall whilst out and about in Camden.  

thought they were a cheery bunch indeed.  seems fine.

out and about. e5.

this intrigues me.
firstly the prospect of this art space.
secondly the choice graffiti.  

your eyes lie.

seems fine.

'your eyes lie' - ink on paper - steal it and i will cut you

primary times.

turned up to see the pals at number 6 and for some reason they were all wearing red and blue.  but I was too.  so we took some dumb pictures on Becky's camera.

coincidental.  accidental. colour coordination.

.

 

sunday casual times

last Sunday and a week today ago my pal and I went to the Natural History Museum to look at the Dinosaurs.  we were having a little walk through Hyde Park making the most of the early September warmth, when we spotted an absolutely huge burl gracing the arm of one of the trees.  not being able to resist a photo opportunity the lovely Becky snapped me looking like a goof under it.  seems fine.  I also really liked my spotty tights that day.

photographed by Becky
shopping for jokes under the burl.

because being a dickhead is cool. or something. pt.2

after watching yesterday's explosion of, being a dickhead's cool, i literally went on an absolute youtube click-athon linking from video to video.  i had no idea this kind of social and sartorial commentary even existed, let alone such a comprehensive collection of reactions to alternative subcultures, in all its glory, or not should i say.  the content is all there from hipsters, scenesters, emos to the indie kids, unfortunately mostly trans Atlantic commentary but it'll do:  from the very well observed footage and the absolute joke shoppers to the quite worryingly serious video attempts.  it was completely absorbing and weirdly surreal. basically now i know exactly what music to listen to, how to dance, what to wear and how style my hair, all courtesy of some little nibbler 'upstate'. yeah cheers love. 

found this subtly jokes treat called Obscure and Pretentious.  

i like it because i know so many real life music boys like this.  

strangely attractive idiots.

 

being a dickhead's cool. or something.

'basically i'm a part time blogger.'

'taking pictures on London Fields

up on the blog so everyone knows

were having new age fun, with a vintage feel'

 

yeah. 

its too funny. its too true. and it's a little too close to home.

think the best thing about the video is the comments.
cringing-ly interesting. 

i worry though i am only at liberty to tentatively enjoy this funny backlash.  either way it reminded me of a song that came out a few years ago, not too dis-similar but only mocking the music scene instead.  a retaliation to the nu-rave jokes times of 2007. 

LDN Is A Victim.  and so were we.

'stop being a dickhead, what you being a dickhead for'

'stupid people think its cool. smart people think its a joke; also cool.'

satire. seems fine.

time for tea...

or gin punch in tea cups.

there was way too many gorgeous people wearing good clothes surrounded by even more gorgeous clothes in the Moschino boutique to even think about commenting on this night sartorially.

Such fun though, with a pretty looking boy mixing tunes on the decks, to the gorgeous shop girls decked out in trademark red lippy and what not, whilst of course not forgetting the main event: lots of posing in the interactive shop window whilst dressed up in key props from the AW collection. loved the black cowboy hats and gold clip on earrings.

but mostly, I did just quite like the nonchalance of the en masse tea cup carnage, the aftermath of the most stylish mad hatters tea party in town.

how many camel for your daughter?

So apparently camel is pretty big for fall. 
Tan.  Camel.  Beige.  Minimal. The trends and colours we should be wearing in this years coming cold times.

I wasn't sure how I thought about all this, I won't lie, well it's all a little 'beige' isn't it.

But then I realised after taking the above accidental floor shot with le camera that the pals and I are all actually sporting quite a bit of afformentioned already. Seems fine. 

On this note I thought I'd share my favourite tan things in my possession at the moment.  And aside from the fact they are tan and so OTM they are pretty good transeasonal winners:

My new Primark brogues, I've had a ridiculous number of compliments on how nice they are - considering I usually resent buying non leather shoes mainly due to comfort but mostly because I can't stand how cheap they look - I am pleasantly surprised by the response.

My now somewhat aged, not quite vintage but I want to say it anyway, Topshop leather bomber jacket, its so grubby and soft now but that's all in its charm.

 With all this tan love taken into account, the camel trend is taking me a little longer to warm too,'camel', well I don't know why really.  It's not even the naff 70's associations, if anything that's a redeeming quality.  It just really conjures up funny images for me, mostly of actual camels, I must admit. But hey.

That was until I saw this, camel boyfriend coat from Topshop, I fell in love.  Camel where have you been winters past.  Although I'm fearing a sold out type scenario by next pay day. uh oh's. So probably no camel boyfriend coat for me. no boyfriend either.  It's all going so well.  Absolutely brilliant.

Boyfriend Camel Coat Topshop £95

loveliness.