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  ;-)  ........)

Yellow fever....

I have been noticing a LOT of yellow around me on the streets of late.  Mainly displayed in the area of footwear, it has also been seen as far north as the t-shirt, and it never fails to make the wearer appear bright, sunny and summery!  Not a colour that wall-flowers should attempt, it certainly rewards those brave enough to try it - whether they just put a toe in the sandal water, or go for the full effect!

xxo

Tatt's lovely....

I have never been brave enough to get a tattoo myself - and not because of the pain I imagine that I imagine must be involved when a needle is repeatedly jabbed into your flesh.  No, that has nothing to do with it!  The real motive for my fear is that I simply have never been able to think of anything I want etched into my skin for the rest of my life!  I guess I like the idea of fashion, in that it is fluid, and you are able to change constantly....to re-invent your "look" with each new season.

That's not to say, however, that I dislike tattoos - on the contrary, I love them.  I only wish I was a little braver, and then I too could sport something as beautiful as this dragonfly, peeking out from beneath two of my favourite prints!

xxo

Prints charming....

While I have always been more of a "plain" person, I have found myself looking more and more covetously at the prints on offer this summer.  Floaty florals, paisley patterns.....they're all there - and more!  Wear just one item, or pile patterns on top of patterns!

There is a fabulous freedom to fashion now - a perfect time to break out of my "plain" rut and begin experimenting with these 'charming prints.  ;-)

xxo

Natural Style

I guess it was only recently, really, that it truly occurred to me how often the clothes we adorn ourselves with are a direct reflection of designs, colours and shapes that occur naturally in the world around us.   Floral or plant adorned designs bloomed on the catwalks this season, with designers such as Stella McCartney borrowing straight from their much loved gardens.

Whether it's as clear as a floral fabric, as abstract as......say, a waterfall, represented in a fortuny pleat, or as literal as a heart shaped leaf stamped on hosiery, mother nature is still a fabulous style muse and icon.

xxo

Spotted at the bar....

Ahhhh - nothing accessories an outfit like......a nice pint!

So here we have two of the British national obsessions in one shot  - beer and mobile phones!

xxo

Tiger tiger.....

Tiger tiger burning bright
Printed on fabric, a charming sight! ;-)

Sometimes I need a little reminder of what a bad poet I am that prints can be unusual, imaginative or illustrative.... 

And what better reminder could there be than a bright, colourful and striking picture-print of a tiger - my chinese horoscope sign!! 
Tigers are fearless, bold and fabulous -  just like the woman who dons such an eye-catching article...

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

On the subject of colour...

While I'm talking about colour, I must say that one thing has really struck me lately.....  Colour is gorgeous!  I have always been a purely "black" gal - open my wardrobe and you will see lots of black sitting alongside more black, punctuated with subtle tones of......black!  But I have to admit that this colour thing is worth a look.  When wandering the streets it is, more often than not, colour which catches the eye - and more important than that, it is colour that brings a smile!  So, to colour or not to colour?

xo 

Warm & Wooly, London

It's very difficult to know where to go after images of the gorgeous Rihanna - so I have decided that right down is the only way......to an image I took while rather inebriated at a fabulous London establishment.  I looked over and saw this warm winter wooly, and while being from New Zealand made the sheepish print appeal, in fact I think it is the length that really appeals to me.  To my enormous chagrin, with my body shape I can't really wear shorter tops, but I think they look wonderful!  It's a look that really brings to mind those spunky WWII gals with their newly acquired sartorial freedom.....or the American rockabilly?  Either way, this was a fabulous choice for an autumnal evening in one of Soho's many drinking holes, and with the simple black pants, she wears it well! 

xo

LFW SS/11 Day 5 #2

The incomparable Erin O'Connor in Marc Jacobs....

LFW SS/11 Day 5

LFW SS/11 Day 1 - Epilogue

London Fashion Week: Day One