offended yet?

The images are from a new campaign by a Canadian hair salon....shockingly, the last image they do not consider the last image to be in anyway promoting violence towards women.....riiiiight....

If I owned Lanvin - I'd dance too

Tax troubles for Viv

Ooops. Looks like Viv's in a spot of bother!

According to the tax people (who I refer to almost as if they are satanists) Vivienne Westwood under estimated the worth of her company, and must now pay back €50,000 in back tax. ooops. Surely it's nothing to her, but still.....

HINDSIGHT

1991.
It's no excuse. Honestly it isn't. But a bra should never be worn as a top to match velvet trousers. Just saying.....

PHOTO : Mary Katrantzou backstage

How is it that four models stand together wearing completely different prints - but it works so beautifully...

Shoe porn

How fun are these? Every princess needs a glittery shoe - and I think these are mine! Granted they are €630 from Miu Miu, but a girl can dream can't she?
Oh yes....how a girl can dream....

(Miu Miu - Net a Porter.com)

WE DID IT???!!!!

McQueen have confirmed that they are looking into venues in London to showcase the Savage Beauty Exhibition, which took New York by storm this year. The exhibition is the second most successful exhibition at the Met after Van Gogh and was constantly extended over the summer due to demand.
McQueen have not confirmed a date, but said they are exploring 2013 as a possible year for the exhibit. They referred to the recent poll which was launched by Grazia Magazine, calling for the British designer's work to be shown here saying it showed a huge public demand here for the exhibition. BRING HIM HOME LADS!
If this is the case, then I am there with bells on

TREND GUIDE : Metallics

Okay so full on metallics are hard to do. There is no way on an Irish high street one could be caught dead rocking a full gold suit. I'm sorry Stella, there just isn't. There is another way to do metallics in a less full on style.
Slice a little metallic love into your wardrobe. I will warn you about metallic fabrics. I would never buy expensive or designer pieces. For the simple reason that it fades. It always does. So the best way to do it is to slide a cheaper piece in amongst your designer and work it that way. I'd feel a damn sight better throwing out a faded pair of €13 leggings then a €115 pair.
Zara has your back! I came across these images of the A/W collection and lookbook and fell in love. I think one piece of metallic should be enough though. I love this folded skirt.
It does strike me that people are either a silver or a gold person - never both.
So there is both!

Nautical but nice!

I often think nautical can seem a little cheap and halloween costume-y. But this playsuit from Lucy in Disguise has changed my mind a little! LID is now stocked in Brown Thomas as well, although I am not sure if this is! It's around the €100 mark, give or take a few quids.
I love the idea of tights and ankle boots with this - it's very very cute. Not sure where I would wear it. It's one of those 'occasion' things really!

PLACES THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Bell Cafe, Claredon Street, Dublin

I love coming here. It's quiet, out of the way and secluded. So secluded that it's near a church! It's hidden in away from the street which means the smoking area is a complete joy to sit in during the summer. I enjoy coming here for peace and quiet, which seldom exists in Dublin. It's always loud and busy.
There is always a strange collection of people laughing, debating and sometimes praying here. But for the price of a coffee you can feel like your away on your holidays for an hour or two. The food is expensive - which is not a good thing considering they are surrounded by the cheapest of chain cafes - oh and the staff could be friendlier. However, the atmosphere more then makes up for it. On a hot summers day you can hear tunes played or church music. It's peaceful - which means it's worth a visit or three.

PLACES THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Chinese Supermarket, Henry Street, Limerick.

A supermarket might be a bit of an odd one to start a list of the great places and things that make me happy but so be it. I recently took my ex partner to the Chinese supermarket and introduced the world of wonder that lies behind their doors.
People don't realise how cheap Chinese supermarkets are. A huge bag of rice will cost you only €12-€20 and last for a few months. I love wandering around the isles and examining food that I have never seen before.Like frozen mad looking veg, amazing dumplings and my recent find? A mixed bag of seafood which only costs a fiver, but lasts for 5 dinners for 2.
Squid, mussels, prawns, crab and crab sticks mixed together and frozen. Genius. I always buy a packet of dumpling while I am there as well. At €2.50, it would be rude not to.

September is bollocks

I'm being a bit dramatic, but I hate this time of year.
There is something really sad about the end of august when the kids go back to school, electric picnic is on, colleges start back and the weather gets colder and colder....but also, I'm sad because I have no more college for another two years when I start shopping for a PHD. So until then I am sad watching my summer, and indeed my year as I have known it come to an end.
I imagine that all graduates are feeling a little like this. A little lost in a world where it doesn't really make sense anymore. We can't get jobs, we can't get morgages, love doesn't exist and the country is fucked. So for the month of September, this blog is going to focus on things that make me happy.
Things that make you happy. So...what makes you happy?

QUOTAGE!

"Initially, I felt intimidated - of course I did. I didn't ever want Jack to think, 'Oh, God, how am I going to break it to her that she really shouldn't be doing this?'" she said. "I kept it all hidden for so long that it sort of became my dirty little secret."

- Karen Elson on writing her debut album - in a wardrobe. I don't blame her. If I had all the golden gems of clothing she has in there I would never leave. I would write the great (British) American novel in there. In fact, I'd leave only to get food and come straight back....

Lez be having you, Rihanna is gay!?!??!

According to the papers (mainly tabloids - so you know this HAS to be true) Rihanna is gay. Well, not gay per say, but bisexual. The lady above claims to have had amazing sex with the singer. Who she also said inspired her. Nice.
Anyway time will tell if Natasha Tajah Burton is actually telling the truth or not. But those are the ''facts''.

Guess what?

I know the text is backwards - damn mac camera! But it's my thesis. All bound up and ready to go. I'm taking a week off before I re-start it but for now, this is where it's at.
It. was. worth. it
However, a word to the wise for all people doing your thesis, watch who you dedicate yours to. Sadly myself and my partner broke up shortly after I had it bound. So now I have a dedication to someone I'm no longer with in mine. But it can't be helped.
I did get to name everyone who helped me out and I'm proud of my achievement. It's 22,000 words of pure blogging-happiness.

Henry Holland

Henry Holland blogged this picture of himself after some serious shopping. Now he did admit it was discount shopping - but still, oh to have his life!!!

VMAS - Insane fashion - when did this become a trend?

At what point did all the celebrities get together and decide that being insanely dressed is insanely cool???? I blame it on the sense of silliness that ran through collections such as Topshop Unique, where models were painted up to look like animals and wore dalmation prints. It seems that acknowledging your inner five year old is the way forward for this coming season - just as I popped all my mental looking clobber away too!!!
Leading the pack at the VMAs, for once - was not Lady Gaga (who looked relatively sane) but Katy Perry. Who tries so hard it hurts. Not only that but she must be the only person who enjoyed the Dior couture show. Given that she's head to toe in it.
Oh and wearing Versace too.
in other news, Jessie J is still on crutches.

VMAs - Beyonce is pregnant

Incase anyone still hasn't heard - Beyonce is preggers!!! So herself and Jay Z are expecting the world's coolest baby. It's not even born yet and it stole the show at the VMAs. The other show stealing moment came in the form of her orange Lanvin dress, which was STUNNING. I can't say the same about the Dolce and Gabbana she wore for her performance though.....

Erm, side note concerning the VMAs :

1 - Why did Justin Bieber arrive with a snake in his hand? Why? What purpose did that serve?

Skate Moss boots

Behold the skate boots from Dsquared's fall collection. Seriously, apparently you can walk in them. Even though they have a massive blade on the bottom!!

one trick pony

I can imagine that it hasn't escaped her attention that magazines no longer give a damn about her (rightly so) and her love life. The only mags that still feature her are literally bottom of the barrell trashy pathetic reads like NOW magazine or the occasional feature in HEAT.
But the long personal interviews with interesting magazines have now gone. Literally because she's shite and doesn't do anything. So this is her answer to it. Her own magazine all about her. Shudder.
I didn't even think Oprah's own magazine was a good idea but this is so useless that I had to feature it. Celebrities have a certain level of deluded self importance - but Katy Price is just off the charts. She's insane.
Still if you like reading about washed up former glamour girls - this one might just be for you....

I can't decide if i like it or hate it

I can't decide if I hate or love this cape/necklace, if it's ugly or gorgeous. It's from River Island anyway and its €65. I know it's over embellished as most River Island stuff is. But still...not sure...

t-shirts

I'm loving these 'boyfriend' T-shirts from Illustrated People at Topshop.
No idea why or who decided that baggy was to be replaced by the word 'boyfriend'

Next AW 2011

I know that this looks like an ad for Charlie Girl perfume from the 1970s, but it isn't. It's an image from the Next AW 2011 campaign. So you have been warned....

Dear lord why

OMG Avril Lavvy is show at New York Fashion Week. Apparently this isn't a joke. I dunno....its pretty funny to me....

Plus sized Models do belong

An Australian Journalist recently wrote in 'The Australian' about how plus sized models are irresponsible and shouldn't be on the catwalk. This argument, which started after a fashion show called Big is Beautiful, isn't a new one.

‘Most of the models looked healthy but some looked obese. While most fashion festivals ban models for being too skinny, why is it OK to see fat women on the runway?

Fat is not just a feminist issue, it's also a fashion one apparently.
People have been complaining for years about the inclusion of plus sized women on the runway. You had that stylist who walked out of Mark Fast's show over his inclusion of two plus sized (size 12 and 14) models in his line up. It's been raging for years.
So I thought I would give my two cents on the matter. Designer brands have to wake up and appreciate that their clients come in all shapes and sizes. It doesn't matter if your size 12, 14,16 - it does not stop you being interested in fashion and wanting a Prada number for your wardrobe. What it does stop you doing is being able to find well fitting pieces by your brand of choice. Since most designers seem to feel we should all be a size 8.
The world comes in many different sizes and we should all appreciate what we have instead of looking for ways to get what we don't. I appreciate that while my ass is not a size 0, I am healthy and functioning and I love my tummy!
I am sick of the arguement that plus sized women don't have a place in fashion. It's a little rich that designers prefer stick thin ladies who represent a small portion of their clients parade down the catwalk when all they have eaten are a few carrot sticks and a juice. I welcome the skinny, the chubby, the large and the beautiful. All I am saying is represent all of us.
Your clients. The ones who save for months for that Mulberry and don't skimp on the salad dressing!
The issue is not about if it's not okay to feature larger women - its making sure we have an accurate representation of ALL women of ALL sizes and ALL backgrounds. Making sure that we send a message that it's not the size that matters, we are all gorgeous.
Okay, getting a little rant-y, but the argument really winds me up!

Penny.....at the movies

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

Like I wasn't going to post a picture of Mila Kunis's side boob! Come on! Anyway! I got to see Friends with Benefits on Thursday. In fact I got to see 2/3 of it before I ran out of time. I have to say, once you get over the terrible pretense of a storyline - in that a blogger is offered a high position at GQ magazine - and the fact that Mila Kunis at her age would never have such a high up position - and that not one of them seems to be suffering from the recession at all - and if you just sit back and enjoy it. That's what happens. It's an enjoyable enough heap of romantic comedy.
I liked it mainly because I was brain dead from two sleepless writing nights and some of the one liners were actually funny.
I think I was so scarred after Horrible Bosses turned out to be such a heap of shit that I was expecting horrible things from this one. Not so. How ever, if you dislike being able to see a ''twist'' in a plot light years before it actually happens - then this is the one for you.
You also have to ask why Kunis is bothering with Timberlake, she's waaaaay hotter! In saying that, the mother is actually the best character. She has some gem one liners -
(after braiding her daughters hair)
"Ah! What did you do to me?''
Mother - '' I was trying to bond! It was either that or sniff glue!''
The normal female characters are all present here as well. The whiny romantic female looking for love and to settle down is placed against Timberlake's frankly less well developed character of 'the good guy'
Anyway, go see and see what you think...
* * *

ARGH! I DID IT!

Thanks for being so patient with me! I know I'm not blogging at my normal speed but I've just finished my thesis, and effectively my masters! It took a tough couple of days - I never want to drink coffee again - but it's been worth it. To see my name embossed in gold across that bitch was just wonderful. I am now adding the final chapter over the next month and trying to see if I can get it....oh god I can't say it! Hopefully!
It's been sleepless nights, a lot of travelling and a lot of fingernail biting stuff but it's finally ready.
I took a few days off to enjoy myself and basically have a drink or six. I'm in Limerick until Monday, collecting that thing on Monday night and heading to Dublin.
Fashionable month ahead of me, what with Vogue's Big Night Out on the 8th and the Harvey Nichols show on the 15th! Most exciting!
I did enjoy the HN show for SS11 this year. It's great to see all the new pieces and all the things I am going to spend the next season lusting over....sigh....
So stay tuned to the blog, we have some exciting new changes heading your way, some fashion shows, a few events and a squirrel named bob (actually I made the squirrel up - did it work??)

Bad times....

It's a bad time to work manufacturing clothes! Our high street has been hit with all sorts of allegations, deaths and sickness!

It started with Zara's use of sweat shop labour being discovered about a month ago. Which wasn't shocking - although it should be - because we unfortunately know these places exist.

It carried on with the death of a Chinese worker at an American Apparel factory when a knitting machine collasped on top of him

and now, it's H&M, according to the fash-newz this morning a wave of employees (98 the first day and then 198 the second) collapsed after a pungent smell came wafting out from a bunch of garments. The employees fainted and had to be sent home. Apparently, it's not the first time though, the factory in China has had this happen twice before. Not to mention a fire last year that killed 21 workers. It suggests that prehaps the chemical dyes on the fabrics could be to blame.

Having worked in retail for eight years, I feel bad that I so rarely think of the poor men and women who actually make these clothes. Channel Four ran an excellent documentary last year on the crisis of sweatshops and found there were actually sweatshops functioning in the UK. Not cool. The most I can urge people to do is check where your clothing actually comes from, who makes that cute pair of hotpants you have your eye on? Buy from reputable sources and be aware really. N

Cher in under 60 seconds....brilliant

LOOKBOOK : Miss Selfridge AW 2011/12

Jesus, whoever Miss Selfridge are hiring to style their lookbooks - they are doing a bang up job! I actually want pieces from this collection! Normally I don't bother with Miss Selfridge as it all feels a bit 'teenage' for me. So I just don't bother and pop it into the file where all the high street I don't bother with goes...like Oasis. I don't look and therefore, I'm never proved wrong.
I'm happy to admit that I am wrong this time! There are the usual crappy pieces of teenage stuff like badly made faux fur jackets but for the most part, it's a bright and cheerful collection with some really nice pieces. Not sure if I would blend my tights to my dress like that : but I'm sure there is someone out there who could make it work!
This happens every year though, the book arrives. I swear I'm going to buy and then I never do. I have no idea why. I think it's the crap layout of the stores which don't seem to have changed in layout and style since the early 90s. Time to revamp boys!



I love this mustard dress. Its gorgeous.

Shoe porn

Nasty Gal Vintage are really spoiling us with the alternative leopard print heel selection - I love it!!!
There were more leopard heels but unfortunatly the photos wouldn't load for love nor money (nor threats) so your stuck with these!
Sigh...I need new shoes

Elf Cosmetics.....

I presumed everyone knew about Elf Cosmetics...but just incase, here goes : everything on the website is £1.50 and if you spend over £30 then your shipping is free!
That includes lipsticks, varnishes, brushes, etc....everything. It's worthwhile to stock up on the basics here and a good few brushes. The colors aren't outrageous but are worth a look and a good way to build up a solid essential kit.
www.eyeslipsface.co.uk