Love...Love

I was flicking through an old copy of Elle today, Jan09 issue to be exact. I suddenly remembered how AMAZING this shoot was with Courtney Love. I have always said this would not be a celeb style blog. I am however making this one exception for my fave rock goddess. The styling is so inspiring, I could look at her all day!

Covert mission to Covert Candy...

I have found a great little website called Covert Candy. Essentially it's a vintage clothing exchange. Load up pics of your unwanted clothing to your own profile, people will buy them in exchange for credits. These credits are then there for you to spend on other people's unwanted gems. There are some great pieces to be had so get clicking. As I said in an earlier post, in this economic climate it's is all about reduce, re-use, recycle!

Here are a few pieces that I fear may have to be mine...

A selection of the goodies on offer

Covert Candy is also a great place for inspiration, with many bloggers (including yours truly) being featured within their blog section. So click your way to vintage heaven, just get ready to clear out your wardrobe and make way for some new pieces!

http://www.covertcandy.co.uk/

J'adore Coco...

Seeing as my nick name descends from the lady herself it seemed quite apt to do a post on her. Coco Chanel is by far the one person I would love to share dinner and chats with. Creator of one of the most famous and influential design houses in the world it is a wonder that 1982's Coco Solitaire is the only film to have been made about her life...until now. This year sees 3 films coming out about this self made woman. The first being Coco Chanel, made for American television. The second is Coco Chanel & Ignor Stravinsky which closed this years Cannes film festival and the third is Coco Avant Chanel (Coco before Chanel). It is the third that excites me the most. A biopic of this woman's life and the build up to what she did for the fashion world. A pioneer for 'girl power', Coco Chanel was an orphan from a very poor background. She worked extremely hard for all she achieved and this is why her rags to riches story will be one of the most entertaining.



Coco Avant Chanel trailer

To celebrate the film's release vintage fashionista's favourite website- Queens of Vintage challenged it's members to join a 'fashmob'- a fashion orientated flashmob. People were asked to meet at St Pancras Station, London (the porthole between London and Paris) dressed in their finest Chanel or Chanel-esque attire. The first 15 Chanel types to arrive got a gift. Unfortunately I couldn't make the 6pm start so missed it but to have seen all these impeccably dressed women, celebrating the life of one of the greatest women to have ever lived would have been fabulous.

I have been wearing my Chanel 2.55 all week in awe!

Lovebox-ed Every Minute!!

So this weekend I partied and schmoozed my way around the backstage area at Lovebox festival. I was working, this meant I got an artist wristband- "hurrah!!"

The backstage area was very laid back but still had a buzzing vibe with artists hanging out, catching up, practising on their guitars etc etc. All pretty much what you expect. It was however, incredible to meet some people that you are a genuine fan of or people that are just legends in their own right. A favourite moment had to be meeting two of the guys from The New York Dolls, looking relatively casual compared to their seventies glam rock days!

Glam rockers - New York Dolls

Another iconic moment (and probably the highlight) for me was meeting Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine. As you may be aware from an earlier post, I LOVE FLORENCE! She looked just as good in real life as I'd imagined. She was wearing a beautiful cream, vintage lace hat with a pretty blouse and tiny, tailored shorts. Later, for her AMAZING performance she wore a black playsuit with feather trim. The set was energetic, loud and gave enough to the crowd that no-one seemed to care that it was raining.

Florence & The Machine's amazing performance

Another happy musical memory was seeing Ladyhawke. Having missed her at Glastonbury (unintentionally) I had to make sure I saw her this time. Myself and the boy snuck off for her 50 minute set. It started off quietly but her live voice was impeccable and sounded just as it does on my Ipod. She played all her recent tracks and included Danny & Jenny (a previously unreleased track- what a treat!). They ended with a crowd pleasing performance of Delirium. There is something quite thrilling watching your favourite bands from the edge of the stage and then meeting them afterwards! Ladyhawke herself (aka Pip Brown) briefly hung out in the backstage area and was dressed in her true rock 'n' roll style; black skinny jeans, black studded boots and an oversized black and blue checked shirt.

Rock 'n' Roll style for Ladyhawke

We ended the weekend by watching Simian Mobile Disco. Having seen them a few times prior to Lovebox, I knew it was a must (even though it meant missing Groove Armada). Electrifying is the one word I will use to describe. The atmosphere, the crowd, the visuals (including lasers and lights as well as fire being shot out of the top of structures dotted around the crowd) were all electrifying!

A Girls New Best Friend...

LEGGINGS!! Leggings are literally everywhere and have been for what seems like forever.

I remember my first pair of leggings, I was about seven years old, they were mint green with pink rose buds on (I actually would wear these now). They were from BHS and I loved them, this is where my love affair with leggings began. Many pairs followed, including a questionable Adidas pair which were worn through the 'chav chic' look of my early teens (less said about that the better!). Then leggings were out of my life for a while being only associated with slightly over weight women at the slots in Atlantic City.
To my excitement (and slight worry at first) leggings have come back with vengeance. I bought my first pair this time round in Dec '07 for New Years Eve, a pair of black wet looks which I wore under some sequined hotpants. I am still wearing these leggings now. How has a trend led fad lasted two years? That's 4 seasons in fashion, aka about 20 years (fashion years are like dog years). Leggings really should be over and done with by now but are still worn by every woman in the country. The plain black jersey variety are favoured by more subtle women under dresses and tunics. While the slightly more courageous can literally encase their legs in pretty much every fabric, colour, pattern and finish they desire. On a more extreme level (slightly reminiscent of a robot) is the Balenciaga gold metal leggings, shown on the catwalk in '07. They can be studded, sequined and recently a denim variety has emerged...the jegging! On this vibe there has been word of a very disturbing take on the legging...meggings (men's leggings- let's not go there!)

Balenciaga gold metal leggings

Perhaps the reason these nineties aerobic fancies have such staying power is because of their versatility. Worn day or night under dresses or over sized tees, with crop tops, with flats, with towering heels they literally are the staple that goes with everything. They are the perfect piece to dress down the fact that you went clubbing last night and slept on your friend's floor as you stroll into your office the morning after. Alternatively if you go from the office to the club, whip off your leggings and you're ready to party! They are the perfect cover up for the unfortunate 'corned beef leg' look that us fair skinned Brits suffer from and therefore allow less confident gals to don their fave dresses. They are also an effective solution to the 'will it won't it' rain question that we face every morning when selecting our attire for the day.
All in all leggings really are an inspiration to other garments, to have lasted this long and still be acceptable by fashionista's everywhere is an achievement in it's own right.

All hail the legging!!

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle...

With the economic crisis still over our heads I have really had to be careful on what I spend my money on...and more to the point, how much I spend on clothes!

Unfortunately I am not in the position to purchase whatever I like, whenever I like. Therefore I have had to use alternative routes when wanting to don new threads. I have therefore been looking into customising my existing clothes and have even started customising the boys old clothes for myself.

This new 'make do and mend' attitude has sparked and added some innovative and creative key pieces to my summer wardrobe (please see my earlier Flower Power post for a fab jacket)

Another key piece of my seasonal wardrobe was also one of my favourite looks at Glastonbury. It involved an ACDC t-shirt that belonged to the boy. I cut the main bulk of the tee into tassels ( a very, lengthy and dull process but worth it, see above).

So realistically during the downturn there is no excuse not to look good, it's just going to take some imagination and a needle and thread!

Mum's the Word...

Thought I would do a quick Friday post about the outfit I put on today! The two key pieces to this outfit were gifts from my mum.

My lovely mum bought me this skirt from a boutique in Venice two years ago and today was it's first outing. She also gave me the bangle. It's vintage, made in the 1920s and is made out of maple.

A great look for a cool, summer's Friday...

The Man in The Mirror...

I couldn't let the untimely death of the great Michael Jackson go by without mentioning it. I am a huge fan as are most people of my generation and I think it is a terribly sad end to an incredible and somewhat tragic life.

I'm not however going to go into the ins and outs of his life, his estate and fortune, the kids, his debts, or even his music. I'm going to talk about his fashion.

Firstly I must give a nod to the obvious i.e the glove, the white socks and the fedora hat. They were all important MJ fashion moments and iconic parts of his style. The glove has been donned since his death as somewhat of a statement by many around the world, all wearing them to pay tribute and show their respect.

My favourite period of MJ style was the late 80's/early 90's era. This is when Jackson was at his peak in my view and the outfits matched the 'hoo haa' that went with Jackson fever. Sequins, studs, leather, leather trousers, lamé and straps and buckles were all key features during this time. My absolute favourite piece of all is the all- over sequined military jacket pictured above (note how it is not dissimilar to the Balmain jackets we have seen on the catwalk last fashion week) I am in awe of this jacket!

R.I.P MJ... you and your style will be missed the world over.

On yer bike...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, cycle chic is fast becoming the summer's hottest trend. I therefore realised it was a trend I was very much up for being a part of. Not only is a bike the latest in-vogue accessory but there are other pro's to the new way to travel. 1st it is economical- healthy to the bank balance. 2nd it is ecological- there is no excuse not to be green these days and 3rd it is good for the body-fitness and something that will help with the toning of my legs (a definate pro considering my 'getting in shape for summer' plan has literally come to a stand still).

So with all of this to bare in mind I hit Brick Lane on Sunday with my eyes set on a cheap, second hand bike. There were many to chose from along with many people looking, so I really had to keep my eyes peeled. As I wandered further up Brick Lane I feared I had got there a little late in the day (plans to get there for 10am got wiped out when the boy awoke me with a bacon sandwich in bed!). However, just as I was giving up, there she was, my future bike, whom I have now named Betsy!

Betsy is an old school Raleigh town bike. She was a dull grey colour with rust spots and a broken back brake but I still saw potential. I busted my best haggling skills and bought her for £35 and then went straight to Halfords. I ended up spending more in Halfords than I did on the bike!! Armed with paints, WD40, sand paper, cloths, masking tape and a hell of a lot of enthusiasm, Betsy, the boy and myself headed to the back garden where we spent a few hours working to turn Betsy into the shiny beast that is pictured above! I added a wicker basket and a silver bell to give her traditional, retro glamour.

She is magnificent and I feel like a kid on Christmas morning every time I sit on her.

Unfortunately I have managed to fall out with the bike already. I have been studying and working in fashion for the last seven years and am not close to being shot for Italian Vogue, yet I get an email today from a friend who is shooting for the magazine tomorrow and has asked to use Betsy as a prop in the shoot. I can not believe it!! After all that work the bike has surpassed me and is now rolling with the big wigs of the fashion world despite only having been in existence for one day!

Perhaps I am the fairy godmother of the bike world, or perhaps Betsy was just an ugly duckling yet to turn into a swan!

Glasto was a blasto!

Trash City and the crowd at Blur, Pyramid Stage

Apologies for the lack of posts of late, I have been at the world famous Glastonbury Festival, aka heaven. This was my second Glasto and it has confirmed in my mind that there really is nothing like it on earth. The sights, the people, the production, the outfits and obviously the music are all out of this world. There is no way to sum up the adventure in one blog but here goes with my attempt...

A personal favourite at Glastonbury is Trash City, this is just one of the many areas within the festival. Trash City is like a mini town with full on structures, bashed up helicopters and even complete nightclubs. It is difficult to remember that you are actually on a farm! The area is mind bending full of the weird and wonderful, just what we were looking for in the wee hours of the morning. I spent one evening after hours at Trash City's NYC's Downlow, this is the world's first travelling gay disco. With half the roof bombed-out and transvestites dancing on the roof, heckling passers by and inviting others in, it is no surprise that there were queues to get in. 'Queues?' I hear you cry? Yes unfortunately there were queues to get in. I blagged my way to the front with the help of a friends artist pass (thanks Marc). Once in you are hit by the heat, the tremendous bass and the fabulous drag artists (god knows how they looked that good when they had to get ready in a field!!).

Blur closing the event on the Sunday night was an epic encounter I will never forget. The sun set during their 2 hour performance and the vibe was relaxed and calm whilst being exciting and energetic. To see a band I grew up on reform and play to what looked like the whole festival (200,000 people) was a privilege and I feel that it was just as emotional for the band as Damon Albarn broke down mid-set with a few tears.

Other musical highlights for me included Dizzy Rascal, The Klaxons, a lesser known dub-step MC named Kof, he hosted a stage in the BBC Introducing tent (watch this space, a great crowd pleaser), Neil Young and of course 'The Boss', Bruce Springsteen. A disappointing performance came from N.E.R.D, they performed on the main Pyramid stage. Their set lacked volume, classic hits, energy and connection with the crowd. They were 40 mins late on set and as a result got cut short before they could finish and even thank the crowd, a very angry Pharrell tried to continue without a mic but eventually gave in. Bloc Party on the other hand had great connection with the crowd and their set had an electric and punchy vibe. The crowd was very pushy and slightly on the aggressive side but that added to the true rock 'n' roll feeling. White Lies were incredible and although relatively new, therefore lacking in lots of hits, they still held the crowd's attention and did a noteworthy cover of Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark.

Although I could go on for hours about what I can only describe as the best week of my life, I am going to have to cut it short. All I have left to say is thank you. Thank you to my Glastonbury family (it wouldn't have been the same without you), thank you to the boy for carrying all our stuff in the blistering heat, thank you to the acts that made me dance even though I had not slept in days and most importantly, THANK YOU GLASTO!!!

Coco has returned from Glasto: post will follow this evening, if I ever get my energy back!