The wait is over

I know it's midnight(ish)round about now but heck I'm busting to blog (it's been forever if not a decade already since my last post...so you want an explanation for my slacking huh? Well it's simple I've had no computer!Yikes and yes I lost my life support machine that is the oh so stylish fashion blogshere, tears were indeed very much involved as was lots of hanging around and saving for this God send of a laptop.I attempted to fill the void with magazines-a-plenty however it just didn't fulfill those fierce fashion hunger pains like blogs can and do.Magazines are rice cakes they only fill the hunger for oohh five minutes, blogs on the other hand are, well blogs are thick crusty bread -much more substance and far more satisfying. Look at me back for five seconds and I'm comparing fashion to bread...you get the drift). I'm very much aware how I'm most probably to be the only one who is reading this post what with me doing a complete vanishing act since what , September '10?
Just in case there are any prettyneon readers that remain out there?Here is a quick glance at what I've been stalking since I last logged off...those Miu Miu shoes, the face paint gone stark raving mad Vivienne Westwood accessories campaign,Juicy Couture (I want to be there amongst all that vibrant out door tea party mayhem with the 'ickle white bunnies, heart shaped balloons,hats and bags)and of course swooning over THAT Paloma Faith frock- no words for it really just a big fat WHOAWOW!
Well night all, see you in the morning with what is possibly in my humble opinion the very best pair of super-wide trousers you have and will ever see in your life...just maybe?

Getting theatrical

So we all know what this time of year consists of in terms of fashion, as sadly from September onwards this seasons trends all become a little predictable no need to style.com it. We all know the fashion drill already. In the following order...purple sequins,purple sequins and erm more lashings of purple sequins.Bored now. Or so I would usually be come this time of year, when every shop window merges into one giant sequin scene (if not sequin slaughter?).After paying much attention to the high street windows I've noticed that this season is fresh new and exciting finally those dusty sequins have been shaken off the A/W ritual is over, by introducing more textures and more style options than perhaps ever before. From rich brocade velvets,pleats,leather,Victorian inspired lace designs and vintagesque embellished old school glamorous fifties inspired frocks.All can be found in Pearl Lowe's new collection for Peacocks.







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It's no secret that I adore Pearl Lowe's designs as many times I've sat here gushed, swooned and preached on and on and on about how excited I get whenever a new collection is revealed as I tick off and count down the days, obsessively checking out the Peacocks website for updates or sneaky peek glances.Oh and I have a slight style crush on Daisy Lowe too.But the latest installment of Pearl Lowe makes all previous collections look drab, I love the theatrical touches and grown up Gothic details and what with those festive celebrations approaching it's time to get organised and avoid the December mayhem.So I am instead doing some festive clickingI must,must, MUST act quick before any size 12/14's vanish (I made this mistake last time and cried a few tears into my pillow)and I have done just that.By mocking up my Xmas day ensemble (see above)using computer magic i.e photoshop,though some more tweaks may yet be made I'm undecided about the heart bag and I think there's too much blue going on...a festive smurf is not what I'm aiming to achieve.I may break it up with another colour? One thing is for sure the shoes I'm definitely adding to basket and the dress shall soon be on it's way, eekk I can't wait, oh the shallow, materialistic bliss!

Can't Speak French

Remember how yesterday I was quite excited about my recent fashion find all thanks to the dentist? Well multiply that sheer excitement by ooh I don't know say a billion? And that's how ecstatic I am about my further finds on Derhy.The website is fantastic bursting with gem after gem, no clogs or coats with bits of sheep fluff stuck to them(I really dislike most of this years Autumn/Winter trends simply not my cup of tea: no offense sheep or sheep lovers each to their own).I've never seen such a mind blowing array of dresses and adorable fun Tops, all splashed with the most vibrant prints.One day into my Derhy investigation I've learned that it's french...do you know how distraught I am that I ditched my french lessons back in the school days. Gutted.Fear not as the website can of course be translated, phew!
However, I still very much want to pack up and relocate to France. Where's my fashion passport at? Until that day arrives the Derhy website will have to make do I guess...how do you sigh in french?




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Falling in love

I don't often blog on the go, as mobile reception is super slow around here. However I felt compelled to declare my love for Derhy.com which I've just discovered at the dentist of all places. I've never considered the dentist to be a fashion hub of exciting news/trends etc.
I should probably explain as I have about 20 minutes before they poke, push and pull my teeth around in there...the dreaded dentist room with the even more feared dentist chair ekk! Must distract and separate myself from this grim clinical reality, like right now!
I browse through an impressive selection of magazines while I await my fate (erm two fillings-bottom teeth *ouch* they kill the most),no Heat or OK mags here which are far worse than any dentist procedure in my humble opinion anyway. I can't believe anyone reads them things? Page after page of Z-list celeb 'miracle fat busting' diets and tacky celeb love 'triangles' oh the drama.
I'm rambling. Ahh yes so I pick up Style magazine, when a thin book slips out and falls on my lap, immediately the front cover grabs my attention or my inner free spirited hippie's attention anyway.Why what is this? My investigation begins not a second to waste, hmm some brand called Derhy? I'm oblivious to Derhy yet I'm already in love and want to be nothing more than a Derhy girl (just look below and your no doubt appreciate why to be a Derhy girl is my new shallow ambition) when I grow up.





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...I must dash off now to the dentist chair, my investigation and research into Derhy continues.

Top of the gloss

First up wow wow wows thank you ALL of you for all your comments and emails that you sent me after my last post I was and still am blown away by all the nice things you said the feedback was insane, I forget that people read this. And I'm really glad it made some of you feel better and more confident about yourselves, size tags should never define us as women, nor restrict our style.Once again many thanks gals. I must say I'm so very extremely ecstatic to return here back to blogshere where I belong it's like my home from home,yes confessions of a dork right there! I've had no computer (for fucksakes Santa please drop that red Dell laptop down my chimney on Xmas eve. I've been such a good girl and even ditched the toxic coffee.Come on I deserve it!) for a good month or so now hence the silence.Though probably quite a pleasant silence huh from all those messy fashion ramblings and rants of which I spit out and type going full speed haha.Seriously though I've been climbing the walls and reading back-to-back issues of Vogue to Bell (my pet lion head - rabbit. Not to be confused with an actual lion...now that would be silly wouldn't it?), though trends have very little importance to her, being an animal and all she doesn't have an opinion on fashion editorials unless it features a bunch of green lettuce, carrots and other various rabbit friendly vegetables,in which case she expresses her love by munching on magazine pages.Anyhoo's inspired by many weeks of reading Vogues to Bell (whilst dangling an bright orange carrot in front of her little pink nose in an attempt to catch her undivided attention...see this is what happens when you have no access to fashion blogs, no exchanges of comments etc- results in trying to have a fashion related convo with a fluffy rabbit who to be honest most of the time was baffled and just jumped around the garden.While I chased her ass around lecturing her on style, despite of course her not actually owning a wardrobe.Sigh), I thought I'd compile my own sort of Top Of The Pops (if this reference means nothing to you please youtube it...it will transform your life) style best of Vogue 2010 (so far) chart. Erm or something along those lines?

So it's no secret that I'm a slave to glossy monthly magazines,the whole lot of 'em I have no shame in admitting I judge them by their covers, flick through the pictures first ignoring all txt, then go back start again but second time round I absorb the written features, third time I over analyse the reasons to as why one image or editorial has me returning back to its page for more again and again and again days, weeks, months and years later.
Nor do I feel ashamed by the fact I have to OCD stack them in correct year/date order, I'm ridiculous over the top precious and protective over one particular fashion magazine. Vogue.Perhaps I'm over protective of her (Vogue) because I still recall when I first began collecting them as a tomboyish 10yr old child with an magpie eye for pretty things be it shoes, bags, dresses never mind if I was running around in shorts and over sized T-shirts collecting insects and cutting my knees open skateboarding. Pretty clothes were very much an attraction to my scruffy self. I guess in simple terms Vogue introduced me to the world wide wardrobe of life, art, culture and so on.Vogue has been and still remains an education to me, though no longer does it replace my Sunday night homework sessions.Though the fact still remains that Vogues excites and has such an inspiring impact on me as it did back when I was 10yrs old.Now it's become a grown up picture book with txt.
And whoa what delightful pictures Vogue has provided us with this year.Some will forever be etched upon my brain for along time to come, influencing my wardrobe and style decisions whether I be aware of this or not.Because Vogue editorials have that Derren Brown effect on you and your style subconscious, 'frilly coloured ankle socks and peeptoe shoes hmm what an odd idea of mine.Oh no hold up I remember spotting this in Vogue months back' This was my method of selecting the best of Vogue: almost all the images/editorials below from this years issue of Vogue have had an subtle ripple effect on my wardrobe,some have motivated me to depart from the familiar and push my creativity.Other Vogue issues from this year had me wanting to have a cheap sleazy night out at an gritty motel head to toe in in Miu Miu (see Vogue April issue), before signing up to the circus, and afterwards embarking on an road trip along the coast in my simple vintage lace dress hiding my face with giant sunshades.Vogue never fails to encourage us all to think outside the box?Or should that be outside the wardrobe?See what I did there?Enjoy...




Vogue October issue

Vogue Febuary issue



Vogue March issue



Vogue April issue

Tag

Browsing the clothes shops during lunch time, stuffing cake down my neck when it begins to piss down I decide to take shelter in the nearest shop- H&M. With no hint of the freak down pour easing off any time soon I except that my lunch time shall just have to be wasted inside the store (bummer huh?), I have no intention of actually adopting any items, seems I do still maintain some willpower.Hmm who would have thought it?
Anywho's I'm casually browsing the rails as you do, when I spy an adorable Nana knitted reindeer jumper dress, in glorious ice cream colours. Curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to play dress up in the changing rooms to kill time. Dedicated to my normal routine I grab two different sizes as I differ from store to store. Example in Primark I can be anything from a 12-18, in Newlook I'm a size 14 and so on, schizophrenic size system? I'm not one to allow a size tag to define me nor concern me. So what if I'm like a hundred different sizes? I'm not losing sleep over it or going to stress that I have a size 16 hanging up in my wardrobe.I enjoy food and I enjoy fashion lucky enough for me I've never felt compelled to keep the two separate, err not that I go around wearing cake or anything.I fell in love with style and fashion but never really swooned over or felt the desire to be like those models who grace the pages of Vogue and Elle etc.To me they simply aren't realistic.
Sadly to a small few they seem to be an hollow inspiration, if not some twisted religion?





As I pull over my size 14 jumper dress, and team it with a pair of size 12 heart patterned shorts (sale £4, yes I did take these home), I'm content not distraught that the size 12 jumper failed to slid over my curves. However next door to my changing room, I over hear various very disturbing conversations bouncing off the paper thin walls of the stores changing rooms. It's not exactly hard to hear others chatter through the flimsy walls.Firstly I over hear one group of girls erasing food groups from their "diet bible". I only wish I was kidding.
One girl sounds heartbroken, distraught and angry about failing to fit into a size 8,disgusted that she can't squeeze into the children's clothes, rather than her 'friend' comfort her and inform her that it's perfectly Okay for a twenty something to wear womenswear rather than a size age 5-6 jeans, she agrees with her upset friend that she has indeed "piled on the pounds through indulging in too much cereal" and must stick to the "model's diet the one we read in Style magazine". As if their deluded banter couldn't become anymore odd, they both agree to purchase a dress which is two sizes too small and "ditch lunch for three months"
Guess those two girls won't be stopping at Gregs for a bite to eat?
The opposite side of my changing room, I over hear yet another fragile and upset girl
work herself up in a huff about going up one dress size. She begins telling herself off and ranting at her bemused pal,"how am I ever going to get another date with any hot men if I keep ballooning up to the next size? I can't believe I need a size 12!Do you think I should consider that Slimfast diet?"
Erm no love I think you should consider getting a grip of reality and let go of size tags, they are just tags after all and are not the be all end all of the world.Buy the garmet you like pay less attention to the size by snipping off the tag, hang up those hang ups and don't allow false celebrity/model images fool you into believing that any size is wrong be it a size 8,10,12,14,16,18 or XL.Just roll with what you've got and except the solid fact that we can't all look identical we aren't all born with Vogue-esque limbs, this doesn't mean you can't celebrate and be proud of you and your own style. As for slimfasting it to keep the opposite sex pleased and have frequent dates. Please don't be daft, banish the thought that men only find air brushed women attractive. Besides come on now, think about it- nothing except bland low fat powder like milkshake everyday? Urrgh just for the sake of dropping a tag size or two. May I suggest you repeat this foolish idea out loud, so you can confirm how utterly crazy and insane that is.

Weekend Crush'in

Why the one week hiatus? Do you remember my go casual for one week dare? Inflicted on me by my 'friend' who is a great believer in skinny jeans and rock & roll tee's, the 'friend' who egged me on playground style to indulge and become bff with denim. Yes well all the experimenting with dressing down left me for dead,casual left me defeated and by day four I surrounded by skipping around in my floaty floral frock, waving an anti-denim anti-casual flag created by recycling my denim jeans (never again peoples, I indeed committed a crime)you know just thinking of the environment and all that green jazz!
I'm still recovering from my casual/denim break down, I fear these mental wounds may never truly heal: I had an alarming nightmare in which several pairs of jeans and other casual items formed into this double denim blue beast, it invaded my wardrobe when Alexa Chung (like my nightmare couldn't become any worse)appeared and began to lecture me on all things 'cool' and casual forcing me to watch T4 before setting fire to my collection of dresses. To pick myself up from the deep depressing depths of fashion hell that is casual, I've made a weekend wish list to banish all memories of denim jeans forever!(insert smug/evil loud laugh)forever I tell you! Beginning with Peacocks who have an epic 20 % sale discount on everything including sale items.









I'm crushin like I've never crushed before (does that sound wrong?)on Peacocks Victorian floral bag and tanned heeled brogues,eekk and have you seen the pretty authentic Pearl dress? Have ya, have ya, have ya?! Now I have no intentions of waking up early tomorrow,dragging my feet to the nearest bus stop (which err isn't very near at all) and squeezing onto the packed sweaty Saturday bus full of screaming kids and oddballs.Hell no I'm killing two birds with one stone...catching up on shut eye followed by abusing the Peacocks 20 % off sale online from the comfort of my bedroom whoop, whoop. No sore feet,stuffy changing rooms or migraine's caused by bemused, bored screaming toddlers for me. Insert another whoop HERE.