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Select Month April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 May 2008

Uncategorized Tasty Foodstuffs Style Bella Threads from the Web What I Wore Today Fun How To Inspiration

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Kara is travelling to Japan for the first time. She wants to eat lots of sushi & buy all the Kawaii trinkets she can get her hands on. During the flight over she gives herself a manicure with delicious pink nail polish & listens to Blondie on her ipod. She’ll make little videos of her travels in Japan & put them up on youtube for her family & friends. Kara packed her lime green Doc Martens, copies of Fruits magazine, a rhinestone tiara & bottles of her favourite bubble bath.

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During her gap year Tory will travel to Argentina before returning to Sydney to complete her degree in Entomology. She will develop a fondness for locro & yerba tea that will last a lifetime. Tory plans to climb the Andes & visit the Ibera Wetlands, making friends along the way. In her duffel bag she packs Hemingway novels & four pairs of jeans. While preparing for the flight home in Buenos Aires she looses her camera. Luckily, all the photos were on Flickr anyway.

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On her way to Vienna to see her grandmother, Olivia daydreams about taking possible shopping trips to London & Paris afterwards. While in Vienna Olivia & her Oma will shop for sweet pastries, go to the Volkstheater Wein, gossip about relatives & catch the tram just about everywhere. She will return home with her suitcase full of German magazines, old photos & a pair of Louboutin’s she managed to pick up from Paris, of course.

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Isabella decided to take the train to Krakow because she thought it would be more romantic. She’s travelling there to begin studying at art school & hopes that the two years of Polish language classes will have been useful. On the weekends she’ll sketch pictures of the Jewish Quarter in charcoals & sell them to tourists. Besides all the vintage hats & gloves in her suitcase, she has packed her folio, conte crayons, a broken medium format camera & peppermint sticks. Unfortunately, Isabella forgot to pack anything warm to wear.

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Lauren is going to Ibiza to meet up with old friends. They will stay out all night dancing to gabba & singing at the top of their lungs. During the day Lauren plans to sunbake by the side of hostel pool reading magazines & flirting with cute boys, though most of the time she takes a nap instead. She packs her neon yellow dancing boots, purple sandals, pots of glitter face paint, fishnet stockings as well as plenty of sarongs & berocca.

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Morgan is traveling from New York to Edinburgh for a business trip. She’ll stop by Holyrood while there just to see what all the fuss is about. She carefully packed all the business documents in her suitcase, alongside her tailored suits & black patent pumps. Underneath everything she hid a leather riding crop & her teddy bear Mustafa. During the stopover in LAX she taps away nervously on her Vaio & updates her facebook status compulsively. “STILL waiting at the airport”

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• Black velvet high-waisted skirt with button details
• Black satin blouse with tie
• Black patent pumps
• Black faux-croc handbag
• Silver & amber ring
• Silver bangle
• Silver snowflake earrings

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This is what I wore to my job interview! Or as Queen Michelle calls it; Job Shop Style! I wanted something that was professional, neat, tidy & just a little bit fashionable. Minimal jewellery. I know black is very generic, but it’s also very safe! My trusty Mary-Janes are broken at the moment so I wore these lovely patent pumps instead. Look how shiny they are!

I was really excited & optomistic walking to the interview but when I got to the reception I started feeling a little nervous. So I sat & read Orlando to try and clam myself down a bit. I know that I become terribly introverted when I’m nervous & a job interview isn’t the best time to clam up! I think I did pretty well because I was asked back for a second interview. These people seem super nice & I’ll be thrilled if I get to work with them!

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Image by Maddest Hatter

The Cat’s Eye is a relatively simple make up style that consists of a line drawn along the eyelid ending with a small flick at the outer corner. It’s elegance lies in this simplicity. The Cat’s Eye is synonymous with all that is sophisticated, retro, glamorous & adorable. The Cat’s Eye is achieved with these five easy steps; Prime, Shadow, Line, Extend & Flick!

Employed by the likes of Christian Dior, Pola Negri, Marilyn Munroe, Betty Page, Amy Winehouse, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dita von Teese, Extravagent Goths & Fetish Models the Cat’s Eye proves that it’s also very versatile. A simple & demure black line & some mascara during the day can become smoky, alluring & sultry by night. Add a smooth line underneath the eye for a daring & dramatic look or extend the line into a bat-wing ala Winehouse. Add extra flicks to the outer corner for a bit of fifties revival or try experimenting with different colours (fuchsia, teal, violet, neon!)

So rather than writing a boring tutorial that could quite possibly be retitled “How To Draw A Line On Your Eyelid” I decided to give you all something a little more exciting.

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The Cat’s Meow

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For perfect Cat’s Eyes every time

you must first learn how to prime

(Too Faced Shadow Insurance works best I think)

Now being careful of course, not to blink

first Shadow, then Blend

any colour you please my friend!

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After Shadow & Primer

bring out your liner

(M.A.C Penultimate Liner is a good sell)

Knowing small even strokes do work well

line your lid from end to end

as close to the lashes as your fingers will lend

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At the corner give a quick flick

& wave around the mascara stick

Knowing that you cannot err

get ready to primp preen & purr

Because if you followed these instructions, written

you will now look like an adorable kitten!

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& there you have it! It’s not so daunting that the most humble of makeup students would be afraid, & it’s exciting enough to be employed by kittens everywhere. Have fun!

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What makes something tasteful? When do you cross the line into poor taste? I’m not just talking about wearing stripes with spots, or something as mundane as that. I’m talking about fashion choices that shock, horrify & insult. There are numerous debates over the Internet as to whether wearing fur is tasteless or not. Moral issues aside, most wearers of fur do not intend to cause offence every time they don a coat, muff or stole. They may well understand that some people might object, but fur is usually worn for its warmth & beauty - not for its political shock-value.

What then, of items deliberately worn for this reaction?

In September 1976 the singer Siouxsie Sioux was physically assaulted while on a trip to France. At the time she was wearing a black armband decorated with a swastika. Sioux freely admitted that she wore the armband not because she was a Nazi sympathiser, but because she partly failed to understand the role of the symbol as a taboo, & party because she wished to shock people. She later explained;

The Nazis were not only anti-Semitic but anti-anyone different, anti-anyone like me.

The reason I choose Sioux as an example over people like Titler & Doe Deere is that Titler follows in the footsteps of comedians like Charlie Chaplain in ridiculing Nazism & Hitler. Deere on the other hand, was just playing dress up. Sioux donned the armband because she knew people would be horrified.

So what of this?

The text is an unsourced quote form Charles Manson, the man responsible for a spate of violent murders during 1969 in an effort to spark a race-war. Queen Michelle of Kingdom of Style says

For the longest time I have been thinking about designing a t-shirt with the famous quote by Charles Manson

But is seems that Bob hjelte got there first with the above photo featured on her Lookbook. The photo with the bloodied knife & the animal mask, is designed to shock & provoke. This is accomplished by riding on the emotional baggage associated with a particular person & a particular event - one that is almost universally condemned. Is this tasteful? Is it fashionable? Even if it is fashionable, is it acceptable to wear the T-shirt? This quote from Trent Reznor seems appropriate;

While I was working on Downward Spiral, I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: “Are you exploiting my sister’s death by living in her house?” For the first time, the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, “No, it’s just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I’m in this place where a weird part of history occurred.” I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don’t want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, “What if it was my sister?” I thought, “Fuck Charlie Manson.” I went home and cried that night. It made me see there’s another side to things, you know?

Or as Jane from What’s Wrong With the Zoo said;

Till…I asked myself what I would think if in forty years some fashion-chicks would come up with quoting Joseph Fritzl on their T-Shirts. Could I ever take them serious[ly]?

I just thought it was worth discussing.

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The new year has begun & now it’s time take that old calendar off the wall & replace with a brand spanking new one. But you & I, we’re special. We don’t want just any calendar now do we? Of course not, so here are some of the best that the world wide web can offer us.

1. The Cheap Calendar

Here’s a cheap & easy calendar made out of post it notes. You write the date out on individual post it notes & stick them to the wall. Then use the rest of the space on each post it note for reminders, to do lists or whatever! Take today’s note with you when you leave the house - awesome!

2. The Messy Calendar

This calendar by artist Oscar Diaz uses blotting paper to absorb coloured ink. The line of blotting paper marks out the numbers on the calendar & each day slowly appears over time. Be careful not to spill that bottle though!

3. The Destructive Calendar

Designer Susanna Hertrich developed this hypothetical calender that shreds itself. Each day takes a full 24 hours to shred, slowly moving on to display the next day. With no off button, you had better think about placing it over a bin; if it even goes into production that is.

4. The Crafty Calendar

The cute handmade calendar was whipped up by Rashida of i heart linen. It was auctioned off for charity not too long ago. The removable buttons are held on with Velcro & are removed at end of each day. I love the blue & grey colour scheme & how easy the whole thing is to customise.

5. The Stress-busting Calendar

Popping bubble wrap is an immensely satisfying time waster. The folks at Bubble Calendar have managed to combine the awesome pastime of popping bubble wrap with the functionality of a calendar. Pop each day as it passes you by - if you can even wait that long!

6. The Wallpaper Calendar

Christiaan Postma has created a calendar that come the end of the year will not come off you wall without a little steam & some persuasion. Why is that? Because it’s wallpaper. No word of when the wallpaper will enter into production though.

7. The expensive Calendar

This calendar designed specifically for newave looks & behaves much like a clock. The hands point dutifully towards the present day of the week & day of the month. Each day ticks over much like each second on a clock. Not for regular folks though, this costs a hefty $95,000. With a price tag like that, I’d want it to last more than a year.

8. The Cute Calendar

Artist & illustrator Cecilie Ellefsen is responsible for some of the most adorable creations & her 2008 calendar is no exception. While it is perhaps the most conventional calendar here, it is one of my favourites. I love the decals used for each day’s shape & the cute little characters. Here’s hoping that 2009 calendar will be available soon!

9. The Hands-on Calendar

The Behance Network offers up some seriously artistic fodder for thought & I found this calendar on their site. It is a little box of numbered fridge magnets - awesome! You affix the magnets to your fridge (or any metal surface for that matter) & hey presto! you have a calendar. The customization options are endless, & who doesn’t like playing with magnets!?

10. The Pyromaniac’s Calendar

Also from Behance, this matchstick calendar is any pyromaniac’s dream. The calendar is designed to be similar to a book of matches, with each day written along the length of the individual matches. Think up new & exciting uses for each day’s flame - light a scented candle or a luxurious cigarette. Light the gas ring on the stove for tonight’s dinner - or burn your junk mail!

11. The Indy Calendar

Film for Polaroid cameras is pretty hard to get a hold of these days. You can pick up a pack on ebay for about $50, so really this calander made of photos should be called the “expensively artistic calendar.” Marc of Click. Wind. Repeat. must have spent ages looking for all those numbers! But really, this is just too cute. If they ever start making Polaroid film again I think I might try this.

12. The Human Calendar

This is totally cute. It’s a calendar composed of photos of people, each holding a number or day of the week. (& there’s that one guy who has to hold the year!) The pictures change everyday! I have no idea who these people are or how much effort went into this but it must be my favourite out of all the calendars here.

So, which one will be hanging on your wall this year?

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It’s New Years Eve! A time for celebrating with good friends, which is exactly what I did - & here’s what I was wearing when the clock struck midnight!

• Black ruffle dress & red satin ribbon
• Red wool beret
• Red patent PVC peep-toe pumps
• Vintage Czech cameo on black satin ribbon
• Silver snowflake earrings
• Black handbag

This is my attempt at the messy hairdo. I don’t think I succeeded much; making messy hair look effortlessly chic is an ironically taxing exercise. For my NYE celebrations I choose a house party hosted by an old school friend of mine where we sat around & talked & giggled & drank till midnight. I drank gin & tonic mixed with lime & a little Campari - super delicious! It was one of the best NYE parties I have been to in a long while. We even had sparklers!

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We have had some amazing weather lately. Luckily, where I am there has been no damage. For several days together it’s just been deliciously overcast; a cool break form the hot sticky spring days of a week ago. I went for a walk in the park & the weather reminded me of Britain & the outdoor sports used to pass the time there. So I whipped up three fantasy outfits on Polyvore that are inspired the sporting British gentry. They’re full of goodies & are complete with the necessities; boots, gloves & hats.

Rambling & Birdwatching

Product Information

Pack a luncheon basket with your favourite sandwiches & slip into some tights to keep warm. Add some matching boots & gloves in lilac, both with cute button detailing & finish with a wide brimmed hat (equally handy for rain & sun). Don’t forget to bring a pair of binoculars; handy for spying the local fauna.

Falconry

Product Information

Don your favourite pair of Christian Louboutin boots over velvet trousers & pair with a beautiful silk & cashmere blouse. Owls have been used as hunting birds too, so wear this topaz owl brooch for good luck. Finish the look with a wide leather belt & a pair of feathered earrings.

Horse Riding

Product Information

For a ride through the fields slip into some tailored, yet loosely comfortable trousers & pair with a tartan vest & blouse. A thick knit riding hat & some gloves will keep the cold out. Strap on a pair of cherry red Doc Martens & don’t forget the lucky ribbon & riding crop!

Extra Credit

• Join the Ramblers’ Association!
• Or the Royal Society for Protection of Birds.
• Check out photos from Dita von Teese & Marilyn Manson’s wedding for stylish falconry outfits.
• Visit this neat online gallery of vintage equestrian fashion.
• & lastly, How to Pack a Picnic Basket!

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Tired of the ubiquitous (& tediously discreet) little black headphones that came with your walkman/discman/ipod/portable music device?  I know I am, & I don’t even have a walkman/discman/ipod/portable music device. Those white wires may have been cool in 2001, but not any more. They’re everywhere, they’re boring & they never match your outfit. Well my friends, I have the solution. Bling. Bling for your headphones. Bling for your head, really. Inspired by Nubby Twiglet’s brief post featuring lime green headphones, I began to scour the internet for aesthetic advances in the magical world of headphones. I was a woman possessed, a woman on a mission. Oh boy & did I find some good ones, some bad ones & surprisingly, some really ugly ones!

1. First up are some pretty neat retrofitted headphones made by Molly Friedrich. Molly whipped up a brass & leather case cover so that her ipod would match her headphones. Sweet!

2. They have more charm than a pocket watch & are about as useful as a paperweight, because this next set of headphones don’t actually work. Still, with all those pretty brass cogs, at least they look nice, right?

3. The lime green headphones! So lime! So musical!

4. These next headphones were made with sculpting clay & a coat-hanger. Inspired by Ruby Gloom, these headphones feature cute little sculls & a frame made of ‘bones’.

5. In the middle sits Irene McGee & her blindingly fucia marabou trimmed headphones. Comes complete with a set of instructions for DIY….if you’re so inclined.

6. They glow! They pulse to your music! Perfect for twelve year old girls on scooters or pastel obsessed individuals.

7. These headphones are so extravagent, they’re somewhat ridiculous. Expect to pay as much as $80,000 USD for these diamond encrusted earphones.

8. More bling than the last set, but not nearly as expensive. These swarovski decorated headphones will only set you back $2500. Also available in pink…what about blue?

9. This last pair was handmade by the same Molly Friedrich from the first image. Here she shows you how to make your own retrofitted headphones.

I’m particularly liking skullcandy’s G.I. headphones in grey. As far as I know they’re not available in Australia. Pitty. Though my search was for a set of headphones so beautiful they would make me cry, I think I would settle for a pair that pumped me music straight from a tree. How about you?

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Valentino Noeud d’Amore Clutch

The owner of the Noeud d’Amore clutch is a marketing assistant which a penchant for Mucha’s art nouveau paintings. She takes this clutch, teamed with red satin kitten heals, to the chic bar down town where she & her friends giggle over old school stories while drinking Chambord & lemonade. Inside she stashes pink-papered cigarettes, kiwi flavoured bubblegum, colouring pencils & a photograph of her pet hamster, George.

Leiber Ganesh Collectors Clutch

The woman who owns the Ganesh clutch is a bit of a nomad. She discovered Ganesha while on the trek across India & now elephants are her favourite animals. She likes to drink iced tea while sunbathing in her front yard on Wednesday mornings when she knows the cute postal boy will come by. The movie Bambi makes her cry every time, though when she thinks no one is watching she will sometimes eat a plate of beef tatake while out at sushi restaurants.

Marc Jacobs Iris Sequined Evening Bag

This woman is married to a lawyer & likes to spend his money on manicures & shoes. After her hair appointment, she meets her friends at a café in the middle of the city where they drink wine, talk about each other & plan shopping expeditions. She bought this Iris sequined evening bag because the frog reminded her of her university days when she wanted to work in environmental conservation. Though she tells everyone that it’s because the sequins match the colour of her Louboutin’s perfectly. One day she thinks she would like to own an art studio. But not right now, as she’s too busy.

Fendi Artist Baguette

This woman bought the Artist Baguette on a whim one Saturday morning because she liked the pens that came with it. She doesn’t regret her decision. When not working at her café, she is always listening to music on her headphones & imagining what it would be like to live underwater. She collects fluffy teddy bears & pet rocks, giving each one a unique name. Once a week, she takes this clutch with her on a shopping trip to the sweet shop across town where she buys big bags of pastel coloured peppermints.

Leiber Humble The Penguin Minaudier

When she was a little girl she watched the penguins while on a trip to the zoo & this Humble The Penguin bag reminds her of those sunny summer days when she wished desperately for the animals to talk back to her. When upset, she recites Desiderata inside her head. She wears this clutch with soft cotton dresses in floral patterns to the ice-cream parlour down the road where she & her girlfriend eat waffles, hold hands under the table & talk about their favourite films. When she grows up she wants to be an actress, or a pastry chef. She can’t decide.

More Fabulous Inspiration

• Gala Darling’s Irregular Choice Shoes I Love & The Imaginary People Who Wear Them
• & Umbrella Lurve!
• & iCiNG Infatuations: Five Fabulous… Nail Polishes

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One trend seen on the runway recently was black. Somewhat Victorian, Lolita & neogoth, it seems black is back. Unless you have a clothing budget proportionate to price of a new home (you lucky girl if you do!), most of the lovely clothes on the runway will not make it into your closet. You can however borrow from these designs and use them as inspiration. Dammit, I know I am - these photos from the Alexander McQueen show just make me swoon! Here’s a rundown of the basic elements seen so far.

The Inspiration

Chanel

Lanvin & YSL

Balenciaga, Givenchy & Collette Dinnigan

Alexander McQueen

Andrew Gn

Images courtesy of Style.com

The Look

Several elements are recurring here, first up, the blouse & it’s all in the details. These Victorian inspired blouses begin with fabric covered buttons leading all the way up to a high collar, accented with simple & dainty lace, ribbon or ruffles all in black or white. That word again; simple. The look is somewhat androgynous & the feminine ribbon, ruffles & lace are merely accents. They shouldn’t shouldn’t steal the show! The blouses are accented with decorative cuffs, both the frilly kind & the simple over sized button-up kind.

Trousers are long, lean & high waisted. Also black, they taper at the ankles or are worn with a small boot-cut. A lot of emphasis is placed on the high waistline, so draw attention there with modest belts or buttons.

The coat. Military-esque styling lends these coats a structured style. Only the YLS coat is worn loosely or over sized, while the rest are tailored and fitted. The cuffs on the coat are designed so the the details on the sleeves of the blouse can show though, which lends everything a slightly Victorian look. Even if patterned, these coats are again, all black.

Skirts & dresses are high waisted & embellished with soft ruffles & pleats. Chanel opts for long, loose & flowing full-length skirts, whilst Alexander McQueen creates doll-like skirts ending just above, or just below the knee. Underskirts or pleats at the side provide volume & the whole thing is yes, you guessed it, black.

Make-up is pale & somewhat neutral (which I must confess is a blessing for little o’l anglo me!) The colour is of course black, but as for the placement, you have two options. Opt for black smokey, even batwing, eyes a la Lanvin & Balenciaga. Both Evan Rachel Wood & Amy Winehouse have been bringing black rimmed eyes back lately. The other option is to paint your lips with lashings of blood red, purple, or even black lipstick, the glossier the better. Their lips may be lovely, but don’t wear your bangs like the alien & eyeless YSL models or you’ll bump into things!

Make it yours

So you want it on a budget? I’d suggest investing in some good quality accessories & trying some DIY restructuring. A good place to start might be a pair of black tight-fitting gloves in satin, rubber, PVC (oh my!) or leather. Purchase some lengths of soft white linnen or silk & use them to make a cravat or wrist ties. You could replace the buttons on an old blouse with some fabric covered ones & add a bit Victorian flair by stitching on some premade ruffles or lace. For something more simple, wear a plain black skirt with black pumps or mary janes & a pair of white tights. Thrift stores are great places to pick a bargains. Keep a look out for useful items & remember, if the clothes you find are not black already, it’s very easy to dye them.

Extra Credit

• Check out these sets on Polyvore for more inspiration.
• Read Gala Darling’s article on Neogoth.
• Celebrate with Miss K of Aromaleigh & read about the recent catwalk trend.
• Peruse what Popsugar has to say about black lips & dark eyes.
• As well as what Claire Coleman wrote at Mail Online.
  

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