How to be your Super-self.....

The annual Armageddon Expo rolled into town recently, giving fanboys, geek-girls, (and my nephew), agreat day out*.  The timing was somewhat ironic too, as I have recently rediscovered something of a passion for 'Wonder Woman'!

Yes, Wonder Woman....you remember her, don't you?  The femme fatale of superheroes, that goddess in red white and blue, the 'X' chromosome to Superman's 'Y'.  With her boomerang headwear and bullet foiling bracelets, she gave young girls like myself something to live up to, (and young boys something to live for)!

But she shared more than her super powers with stars such as Superman - they also shared an incredible  knowledge of what a change of clothes can achieve!  Indeed, if you were looking for evidence of the transformative power of clothing you need look no further than Wonder Woman......   Depending on her clothing choices she was either a meek and mild "everywoman" or a Superhero with crime-stopping powers!  Not only that, but she could render herself virtually unrecognizable with each whirlwind wardrobe visit!!

So there you have it - dress this way and you are just an average soul,  but dress this way** and there will be little that can stand in your way!

*  (Not such a great day out for the wallet!)

**NB:  You should probably be aware, this will likely entail wearing something super-short and super-tight!  Oh, and you better hope that you suit the colours red, white, and blue!

Round the outside....

It's not just the outside of our selves we like to "dress up" - we also like to have some say in the decorating of our homes.  And if we happen to live and work at the same place, well.....all the better!
Wellington Tattoo studio Underground Arts has found a new home, right on the corner of Vivian and Victoria Streets, and owner Steve Maddock has set about ensuring that his building is "dressed" to his taste.  The results are going to be spectacular when finished, but already this is one place that is hard to miss!

I must add too, that I am insanely jealous of anyone who can say "I'd like a dragon on the outside of my place", and then has the ability to realize that dream!  I myself, was someone who:

a)    dreamed of being a famous guitarist………………..but never quite got   round to learning how to play guitar…..something my dream required, and
b)  yearned to be a prima ballerina....................but had terminally flat feet, and

c)   always wanted to express my deepest thoughts, to lay all my feelings out in paint on canvas………………but didn’t have the ability to draw a convincing stickman, let alone a vase of sunflowers!

Thus thwarted in my own ambitions, I have to settle with appreciating....and sharing....the work of other, more talented, people.  Hello Steve..................

xxo

(PS. How strange it was to finish this post, only to find a "Learn to Play Guitar Now" advertisement flashing up on my Google Dashboard  ;-)  ........)

More scarf envy....

I love the way some people can pick up a scarf - merely a scrap of cloth - and make it look effortlessly chic.  I love the way this person has picked up a scarf and made effortlessly chic look Big Day Out cool!
Ahhh.  If only there were somewhere you could go - some sort of accessory class - where they could teach you all those little things......like how to tie a belt in the latest style, or how to assemble your scarf into something that even slightly resembles stylish.......

xxo

Wax works....

If there is one fabric that has made a spectacular comeback over the last two years, it is leather.   It was not too long ago that leather was a symbol of many things......none of them beginning with "fashion" or "style"!

Then in the past couple of years leather went global - nay...universal!  Suddenly it was everywhere!  And those who thought it was a passing fad have really been truly silenced this year!  Leather was as prevalent as ever, 
if not more so!

There is one problem with this of course, and that is that leather is generally as costly as it has been popular, thus making it out of 
reach to many.

So luckily, there are other options.....just one of these being waxed denim, which has made been quietly growing in popularity, allowing many people to capture the same edgy 'rock' style without having to possess a rock bank balance.  
xxo

Costume characters....

When we are little we love to dress up.  I remember wistfully the large wooden 'Dressing Up' box upstairs in my grandmothers house - the way I would dive in head first, emerging minutes later as a "Medieval queen", a "fairy princess" or a "victorian lady" - (even, on occasion, as "my mother at her school ball").  One of the [many] sad aspects of aging seems to be that we lose that playful desire to dress up outrageously, (save for those special occasions when we deem it acceptable, ie. Halloween)....

.......or some of us do!  Thankfully there have always been those amongst us who retain this youthful sense of style in their daily sartorial choices - the Marchesa Casati's, the Isabella Blow's and the Anna Dello Russo's.

I love the couple above, not only for the gorgeous colour but for their sense of fun!  To me, they look as though they have just stepped from the pages of Oliver Twist, or some such novel - a modern day Artful Dodger and Nancy.

So I think why not employ more fashion fun on a daily basis - we only live once after all....

Hmmmm - I think I feel a New Years Resolution coming on......

xxo

Prick up your ears....

Looking around me on the streets this autumn one thing stuck out above all others - ears!  Many of the hats I spied this autumn had them!  Now, hats are something of a fashion passion of mine - always have been, & I have remained loyal to them whether "on" trend or off!  But I must admit that for the past few winters I have become a bit lazy with my choices......it has been either a beanie or trilby exclusive affair.  So while I have to admit (sigh) that I may just fall outside the age bracket for pulling this style off, I wholeheartedly embrace it as a concept!!  

It is always wonderful to see someone having FUN with what they wear - not taking it all too seriously!  

xxo

Chalk Farm Road, London

I've said it before & I'll say it again - winter has some sartorial merit!

I think it's also worth noting that I'm seeing more & more black lipstick this year too......first at London Fashion Week on Marina (of Marina & The Diamonds), now looking pretty cool in Camden.  I am personally looking forward to the new black YSL lippy that will be coming out soon, alongside a white one.  These are to layer over your existing colour to either lighten or darken it - how clever is that then? 

xxo

Halloween's on the way....

Halloween's coming;  let the costume shopping commence!

xxo

Camel Boots, Covent Garden, London

Up until now I have been pretty much a strictly black shoe gal, but lately, something has altered.  I am starting to see the possibilities in other colours for footwear.  And the shade that has captured my eye this season?  Well camel of course!
xo

London Fashion Week: Day One