Havin' A Heatwavvve

It's boiling. Everywhere apparently. And while the British media and their meteorological histrionics never fail to amuse (a two day heatwave is not really a wave, is it?), it is bloody hot. But I do love summer. I hate humidity but sun shining, wind breezing - this can never be a bad thing. So rather than join the lot of whingers, who will later complain that we had no summer when the inevitable downpour ensues, I choose to ignore the stickiness and embrace the things I love about this hot hot heat...

* Gin and tonics with crushed up lime. Taking a sip and bursting a bit of lime pulp on your tongue is never more refreshing.

* Sitting on my balcony when the sun is rising and it's not too hot, reading and basking.

* Enjoying watching our little balcony pot of basil, chives and vines grow. Granted all I did was pick the items to be planted as I tend to kill the bepotted, but it's nice to watch the hard effort of others be bountiful...

*Walking everywhere to go nowhere just because we can.

* Cherries from the local grocer. I could eat cherries and cherries alone all summer long. They ARE summer to me.

* The simplicity of getting dressed in the morning: dress, canvas shoes, sunglasses, done.

*Even though we're all miserable, moaning, sweaty, sticky and generally angry at the world, you can walk through any London park, lose the sound of the city and realize it all ain't so bad. Smile! It's fuckin' summer.

Ooh, Child

Normally I find fashion editorials with kids in adult designer clothing to be a bit strange. Often the styling results in them being turned into weird sexualized mini-adults with too much make-up on. But I actually really like this editorial from Purple magazine, mostly because it is so fun-filled and innocent. The kids still look like kids, playing dress up (with Mommy's amazing wardrobe). And that's a good thing.







(source)

dot dot dot

I'm feeling the polka dot at the moment...it's just one of those prints that is a bit childish and fun without necessarily being twee. Cause twee and I just don't mix - too much of that combined with my stature and it's all a bit 'aw, you're short, and wearing something dainty therefore I shall automatically deem you cute.' Non, merci.

(sources: cherry blossom girl, motionslow)

all the right places

It doesn't take much to make me happy...and this outfit proves it. While simple -- a skirt and blouse -- the details such as the print on the blouse, the sleeves, the precise curve-hugging of the skirt and the fishnet-dotted tights all make it so much more enviable and admirable in my mind. To me, this is perfect spring/summer transition dressing. I couldn't care less about all that the Miami Vice-90s-neon-pastels look that seems to be floating around this summer. Give me this girl's outfit over that, any day. I can only hope to one day be able to pull off such detailed, tailored, sophisticated simplicity with her panache. Though I suppose I would have to minus the sophistication and throw in a bit of scruffy hair to make it truly me...ah well.

( à la facehunter)

"Rad or Bad"

So, go figure the day after I decide to wear socks and sandals, Refinery 29 pops up with a feature on whether socks and sandals are the newest micro-trend, or something that should be left to 9 year olds.

Personally, I wasn't aware that it was even a trend. In fact, I didn't really give it much thought other than my toes were too cold to wear sandals without socks but I bought those shoes a month ago and was aching to finally wear them. I guess I am the kind of person who only knows about those trends that are basically thrown in your face like ripped tights. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing, but I just found it amusing that things that I don't even think about become points of discussion in terms of trends and style. Sometimes socks are just socks, warmth for the toesies without any more to it. I am not really sure if I am making a point but...sometimes clothes are better left unanalyzed.

Dear eBay, how I loathe you,

*beware: a long rant to ensue*

I have a love/hate relationship with eBay. Sometimes you will look something up and find it being sold for 1p with no one bidding, and voila 5 days later its yours and it is everything you wanted it to be. Then there are other times, when you find something, that you kind of hoped would be there, but never actually expected it would be, like this A.P.C. dress:

I've had a thing for this A.P.C. dress since I saw it on Kirsten Dunst last summer. I lusted for it, but it was already sold out and I figured it was just one of those things that I would want but never have. I don't know what it is, to be honest, it is not particularly special...but want it I did. So periodically, I search for A.P.C. on eBay -- and last week, there it was, that A.P.C. dress going for a very reasonable price. So I watched it...the evil eBay watch that allows you to visit an item everyday and build up hope that one day, soon, it shall be yours. Only 1 bid -- for a week. "Others have to be watching it," I told myself, "No way it will be that easy." On the day of bidding, yesterday, I had the page open all day so that I wouldn't forget to bid. I like to bid 45 seconds before its over, swoop in and ensure my victory, and that was my plan for 1:20 am yesterday.

But then, at 10:30 pm, I refreshed the page to, ya know, check on the bidding when, all of a sudden, the price had jumped from reasonable to $162.50! In one second, I had lost it. Before I had even begun! $160 was definitely past my budget for a last season dress that essentially is a chambray sack with a little sailor detailing. I went to bed heartbroken, all my daydreams of the past week-- wearing it on a sunny summer day -- were dashed.

I awoke this morning and went to the page that I had despondently left open last night. I refreshed it one last time to see the final bid. It went for $372.76. 372.76 EFFING DOLLARS!!!

And this is why I hate eBay. It makes people crazy. The dress originally was 110 euros which is something like $140. Now, a year later, some crazy (or determined) person paid almost 3 times the price. There is a weird adrenaline rush that happens when you bid, and though you told yourself, no I will only bid $100, somehow, it's a competition and you can't let anyone else win and so you bid ridiculously high, hoping no one will suspect you are bluffing. But they do, and you pay $400 for a chambray sack that your mother could've made.

In fact, an epiphany! I bet my mother can make it (I've put her sewing skills to the test with A.P.C.-copying before). So I come out of this awful eBay experience with a defeated ego, dashed hope, no dress BUT the vindicated knowledge that I did not overpay for something just because eBay told me to. Plus my mom will make it better anyway. hmph!

Phew. The End.

Quote du Jour

A memo from the Bank of England on how to "Dress for Success." Ladies, pay attention:

"Look professional, not fashionable; be careful with perfume; always wear a heel of some sort — maximum 2 inches; always wear some sort of makeup — even if it’s just lipstick.” Shoes and skirt must be the same color. No-no’s include ankle chains — “professional, but not the one you want to be associated with;” white high heels; overstuffed handbags; an overload of rings, and double-pierced ears." ~ The Cut

Perhaps, we should all go back to the wonderfully coordinated oufits of these professional [though not bankers] ladies. Hair & makeup! Placements, everyone! Smile!
Ahem. Or not.

McQ McLooks

Alrighty, so the 'McQ Alexander McQueen collection for Target' look book is up, and I'm sure there will be bunches of twittering about it 'round the blogosphere and elsewhere, so all I'm gonna say is I'm a fan of the stuff below...and the rest is...fine, I suppose. I do love the grey jacket, the grey boots (not an actual part of the collection I am assuming) and, my favorite, the black cardigan, go figure. I guess I don't have the energy to have an elaborate opinion since I know I won't partake anyway being on a Target-less continent and all. You can see the rest here.