hey baby, what's your sign?

Brilliant editorial in the December UK Vogue. I've taken quite a fancy to the Cancer shot. Why do I feel the urge to print and tack things on my wall lately?

But I'm not a crab, I'm a Taurus: Practical, reliable, patient, persistent, solid, determined, industrious, strong willed, sensuous, affectionate, warm-hearted, trustworthy. Or so the internet tells me. Definitely stubborn. Yes, definitely.

(Find the fashion interpretation of your star sign, i.e. the rest of the editorial here)

Almost reality

Enough of outfit ideals, this is my outfit reality. A rotation of two, maybe three, giant knit sweaters. Minus the nonchalant model of course.

A tear from one of the more appealing editorials I've seen in a while. Low-key and natural, much more my scene. Cinnamon Girl, Dossier Issue 6 FW 10.

quick view

Polka dots and gap teeth. A room with solely a bed. A bed room. I like that.

(full editorial here)

On disappearing

She just finished school and didn't know what to do with herself. She packed a small duffel with jumpers and skirts and went over to grand-mère's, hoping the clutter and eccentricities of the surroundings would clear her mind.

To be honest, I don't know if this webshoot for Another (styled and photographed by my favorites of favorites, Camille Bidault-Waddington) has made the blog rounds in the past month since I have been completely removed from the blogging world for quite some time. I know that the blog has lain quiet before but never for this long and I've always kept up with my Reader. But since I finished exams (at the end of May!) I haven't posted a post or read a blog.

Currently I have 1000+ posts to read. It wasn't particularly purposeful, I just found that I felt no compulsion, no desire to know what was going on. I blame oversaturation perhaps. Seeing the same editorial over and over, seeing the same girl wearing the same thing even though she was a different girl. The internet and the way it has provided for the democratization and globalization of fashion is an interesting thing. Not a bad thing, but sometimes it overwhelms me, especially as an active participant. I get bombarded with images of people and their internet lives and it freaks me out. So I had to step away.

This blog has no purpose. It has no theme, no direction, no particular point of view. Just me and my quite random thoughts and desires. So when I have no thoughts, desire or inspirations it goes quiet. But I think I'll always come back. If anyone happened to stick around, thanks. Sorry for being wishy-washy.

And now to note: this editorial is everything I do love: A timeless simplicity that could similarly yet contrarily be described as a sort of 70s minimalism, all set in a charming haberdashery of a flat. And that is all.

How Tao, Brown Cow

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." ~ Lao-Tzu

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything at the moment. End of school malaise, gray sky weather and all that. Bah humbug.

And on a slightly less dour note, I quite like this editorial from the new Russh (which I won't see for another two months, knowing my local mag shop). Got that whole feral beauty thing going on, wilderness, eyebrows run amok and all that. It makes me smile.

On Nails and Abby Lee

The post where I write slightly excessively about nails:

I am a bit funny when it comes to nail polish. I used to be an avid nail biter, and then after years of new years resolutions and ragged nails, I simply stopped. Now my nails can grow to a nice healthy length happily, and when they do so, I leave them bare. But whenever a nail or two chips, I cut them all down, and paint them. I have a thing about short nails -- at least my own -- where I can't stand them unless they are painted. I think its because I find that my fingers are bit short, and short nails make them look stumpier (for lack of a better word). So I have a ritual: grow nails, nails break, trim nails, paint nails, grow nails, etc. Rinse and repeat.

When I do paint them, I also almost solely paint them in dark colours: navy blue, burgundy, dark purple, slate blue, dark gray... these are all on constant rotation. But, last summer, when at the local CVS with my 12 year old sister, I picked up a bottle of Revlon's orangey-red 'Red Hot Tamale' and her little wide eyes lit up; she wanted me to buy it so she could try it. So I did. I tried it, but thought it a bit too orange [looks a bit less bright in my shitty webcam pic, that's lazyness folks]. But I'm giving it another go recently and now I kind of love it. Plus it makes me think of the surf colour palette of the new Abby Lee Kershaw editorial in the current Australian Vogue that has me all in a tizzy. Could an editorial breathe any more summer in it with her fantastic dip-dye hair and orange lips? I think not. See the rest here...

Keep on Wading

(Allure 1998 scans thanks to ms. disneyrollergirl)

I don't know what is with me and my current yearning for rusticity and all things rural - perhaps it is because I associate the country with my house, where most woes fall by the wayside in favour of laziness and familial comfort. A little bit of idealization while absent? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, these shots by Tim Walker (from way back when) certainly fuel my longing to go play outside in the sunshine.

Peering In

(more!)

Soft, muted colours, slouchy, diaphanous clothing and a little flash of nip... Yep, it may be chilly outside, but Spring is in full swing in the magazine world.

David Bellemére always does a fantastic job creating hazy, dreamy editorials for Italian Marie Claire and this one is just another example of what he does best.

Colour Therapy

A burst of colour for another grey grey day. It was sunny on Sunday and it was perfect. Now it's back to dim skies and a foggy air.

While I don't really wear bright colours nor am I constantly doused in black, today I'm going to find and wear the most obnoxiously loud, brightly coloured item of clothing in my wardrobe to shake away the winter day blues.

(US Vogue editorial discovered here)

Red Hot [Chilly] Pepper

I'm generally a big fan of autumnal/winter colours. Give me grey and navy blue anyday, any season, and I'll wear it happily. But I'll admit that it can be a bit drab, dour and, um, life-sucking to constantly match the weather. This is why I am absolutely in love with the Camille Bidault-Waddington styled (who else could do layers so perfectly?) editorial, The Big Chill, in the December issue of US Elle. It's all winter colours with a punch of red to waken everything up. Indeed another editorial in the same issue uses red as well to marvelous effect. I'll never give up my beloved greys, but a little spice never hurt anyone.


The Big Chill




The Exhibitionist



(source).

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)

#31

I had given up all hope of being able to get the newest issue of Russh in any reasonable amount of time, but now their new site is not only selling back issues, but also the current issue AND ships worldwide. It's a bit pricey, (15 AUD plus a whopping $21 shipping to the UK), so I have to remain content trawling my local convenience store to find the previous, two-month old issue. I've been successful with the last three issues, and since Australia is in a different season anyway, by the time I get the issue, it practically corresponds to the Northern Hemisphere ... or so I tell myself.

But for those you, desperate for the newest and latest from Down Under, it is now only a click away.

Christy et Jean

I think it's relatively obvious that Jean Seberg, immortalized in her little striped shirt in A bout de souffle (Breathless), is considered one of those 'classic' style icons. And then there is Christy Turlington, super amongst Supers. Put the two together, throw Ellen von Unwerth behind the lens, and you have this wonderful Turlington as Seberg editorial from a 1990 US Vogue. Pretty fucking fabulous.








(source.)