Look, Know

In London again, but Back to Manchester Today

Again, today is the day I'm going back to Manchester for the bank holiday weekend. Tonight my boyfriend and I are going out for dinner... and I've decided to get ready now, so no faffing once I get back to the homeland. Feeling very chirpy, as I have an excuse to wear heels tonight (I'm wearing flats on the train) and this dress looks super good with dainty heels, as it's a slightly trapeze style fit — good for eating large quantities food! 

I've done my hair up, and sprayed it to death with hairspray, talc powder, etc as I couldn't be bothered to wash it today, but it needed sorting out. I spent all day yesterday walking around London, doing bits and pieces, in the sun, swanning around in my leopard print chiffon skirt and an array of silk scarves, needless to say, my hair was a bit of a mess at the end of the day. Though I have to say, you cannot beat summer in London... it is simply just the most exciting/vibrant place to be when the weather's out. 

I've found out, that the work I'm doing about the veil, is going to be possibly shown on the Islam channel, which I'm very excited about, and should probably be working on it right now instead of blogging or luxuriously spending the weekend in Manchester again! Not sure how I feel about being interviewed on camera, but I felt really reassured that the work I was doing was engaging the Muslim community and they thought it was a great idea too, and wanted to know more about the concept. So that news has given me a new drive, to keep up my own work, and to keep getting involved with stuff around London outside of uni. I'm finding that the more work I do that interests me, the happier I feel, and the easier it gets when you get a bland brief about gardens and furnishing fabrics.

Futuristic garden inspired textiles, in theory it all sounds like it should be a great starting point, but I'm really quite stubborn, and prefer to do my own thing, and absolutely hate being told what to do. I'll find a way to make it exciting, that's the role of a designer, no? You have to see a brief and make it your own, using experimentation and processes, etc and other industry speak. 

Plus side, I'm so happy to be wearing this dress, the colours are wonderful, and I've painted my nails again in a pale green, and matched my eyeshadow. 

Multicoloured loose fitting 60's psychedelic dress, with a round neck line, worn with Zara blue suede heels.

 

HAVE A GREAT BANK HOLIDAY!

Meditation

Just a little mini post today... Still up in Manchester, cooking, and getting cooked for, pubbing around chorlton, and sleeping in the sun soaked rooms at my parents house.  Bliss before the descent down to the back log of work, reading, research, and stitching to be done in London town. From the age of fourteen, I've been waiting to wear this dress, it was my mother's during the 70's, but the confidence to wear a full on, floor length dress, has finally caught up with my long standing love of hippy drippy dressing.

Beautiful silk indian printed dress with balloon sleeves, worn with snake skin print wedges, and a gold and bronze necklace. Feeling very floaty and romantic today indeed..even though, I'm full of a cold... and taking it very easy....

  

I don't have a tripod here, so I've used a very (low) coffee table, hence the reason the photos were landscape, and I look tiny, whilst the chairs look huge!! 

Break Time

Ok so the week after I posted last, was a flurry of panic and sewing and leather, and models, and hair and brixton and ultimate craziness.... You're not going to see a photo of the fan shaped collared lizard skin jacket I made, because it's frankly far too studenty. Then I hop footed on a train to Manchester and have just had the most relaxing week, of drinking in the sunshine, driving to Tatton and Lyme park, cooking in my mother's new house, and spending time with generally great people. Its been a big sigh of relief to not think about anything too much for a week and really enjoy myself. So posting or blogging hasn't been top of list for a couple of weeks, but I've been back in London for a couple days for uni/organising stuff.

I wore a variation of this outfit the day I landed back in Manchester the Friday before last. I haven't worn this jacket for coming up to a year now... It's a nice summer jacket, and unfussy. I've also dug out my blue velvet swing coat, which is perfect for not so warm but glorious spring days. Ahh summer finally. Brightened everyone's spirits no? Bit unusual to see me in pale neutrals, but it feels refreshing. I feel like I've balanced it out with colour in my make up, and painted nails....which is also unusual for me. 

I'm feeling so enamoured by this blast of summer in the air... it's prompted me to wear nail varnish for the first time EVER. This is big news, as I just don't do hands/nails, I work quite heavily with my hands, handling fabrics and threads, dyeing, e.t.c which means they go to shit mostly.... But I have to say, I'm enjoying the splashes of colour, if you think about it, it seems rather bizarre as to why I haven't tried this out before, although if I keep on having a play with polish, I'm definitely sticking to the 60second stuff... I had a paint disaster with some Barry M stuff, no more said. 

And another new experimentation, is going back to my love of bright eye makeup. I was always into big eye make up/strong lips when I was a teenager, but slowly morphed into an eyeliner, blusher, soft lips girl (I started working in an office) by the time I was 18. Recently I've returned to wearing strong lips, my signature purple, and the only one red I own. So it was quite fun delving into my make up bag full of the exciting liners, and shadows... I'm planning on wearing this stuff in the day time, like today, and I don't think it looks like too much to be honest.

(told you my hands take a beating - they're always falling apart!)

I want to have a play, and be creative with make up again. This is how I feel about clothes too...that sense of more playfulness and a real joy of dressing up needs to be injected back into the way I dress. I think I'm getting there.

Things that are taking up my time at the moment, but in a good way:

I've got an essay to write about the Hijab/covering, and deconstructing this garment to suggest dissolving the idea of it being a political statement, and the stigma that so many people attach to this piece of clothing. So I've spent the few days that I'm back in London in the libraries...But I'm going back up to Manchester today...

I'm also getting heavily involved with organising Violence on Trial and it's been a hell of lot of fun. It's pushed me out of my comfort zones, and made me work a part of myself that was languishing, since I moved to London. So making the most of being in London and getting involved with stuff outside of uni, has certainly made me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. 

In regards to the blog, I see it as a little outlet to talk about stuff in my head, and chatting about what I'm wearing, and maybe what that means to me. I reckon I'm only going to post once a week or so, and with a bit more writing, as I'll have something to catch up on too. 

Solo

 

I'm obviously really sad, that I'm not going to be sharing this blog with my best mate Ashiya anymore, for the foreseeable future, as we started this together as a join venture, and we really loved the conversation it created between us. Getting to see what each other was wearing on the days we didn't meet up, and also when I was still in Manchester, and Ashiya in London, it was an ace way of sharing outfits with each other. But I know that not everyone can feel totally comfortable with "putting yourself" out there. This is an age of information overload, and in the constant shrieking of web noise vying for your attention, it's hard to forget that it's not always the best idea to bare all on a public page, and to realise how easily your personal becomes the public. So I totally respect and understand Ashiya's decision. I'll keep on blogging, as I really do love it, and I'd like to carry on the conversation as it were...  I feel this blog has always been about the outfits, and I will continue to do the same, as we've always done; an appreciation of clothes, personal style, and expression. Hope it's not too fluffy. But I'll leave the hard core stuff for other platforms. 

Shirt: H&M

Dress: Vintage

Tights: Topshop

Shoes: Office

 

Big Bird

I couldn't resist putting the turquoise shoes on... does anyone just wear high heels at home for pure pleasure? I can't abide wearing heels when I've got to travel etc anymore. I used to be so heels savvy; I've been wearing high heels since I was 14, my first pair were an 80's style, horrific mixture of tangerine, yellow and turquoise, three inch high courts and I Loved them. I got used to wearing heels out often, and in the day time as well. I could run for the bus, I could dance, I could clip-clop about,  I wore them without any real thought. 

But because of all this heel wearing, I had bunions aged 18, it began to hurt to walk without some degree of a heel on a shoe, as my Achilles tendon was shortened aged 19, it was difficult going down stairs as my knees didn't bend fully by the time I was 20, and I was in denial about the permanent damage in my feet, that remained from my arthritis in my ball joints (not to mention breaking my foot last year) which puts me in the position at the grand age of (a mere) 22, where for a sustained period I'm not really able to wear a shoe higher than three inches anymore  — I can do it if I really want to, but I'm just not prepared to deal with it anymore — one and a half inch heels are my friend, as flat shoes are just as painful. My sister used to cycle everywhere in her five inch stilettos, and she's a respectable 5'7", because practically she couldn't walk very far. I need my mobility, and my freedom to run for the bus. If I ever have children, he/she will never be allowed to wear high heels or go anywhere near them until they're old enough to buy them themselves, and hopefully he/she won't have a height complex and think he/she has to look taller in order to be taken seriously. So my solution is to end up with as many low heeled/flat shoes in as many colours, as my high heel collection, as I am a self confessed shoe addict. But anyway I won't last long today in these five inch platforms, as comfy as they may be, and I'll soon kick them off... and put my boots on to go out...High heels look nice, but freedom to move is much more sexy.

Uni work is coming to a head. But I am sans model, (our chosen model has dropped out) and I reckon it will end up having to be me walking down the catwalk, amongst the longer taller thinner people who tend to pluck up to model for a college show. I am terrified, but somehow I feel it will be a buck against the trend, and two fingers up to the status quo. Still terrified, I've not been on a stage since I was 13. My god that was nine years ago. Anyway back to work. And good luck to all those marching today against the cuts on the public sector in London today (my boyfriend being one of them) I sadly have to stay in and stitch stuff.

Top: H&M (which is just inspired by Big Bird I reckon!)

Skirt: Zara

Shoes: Office

Tights: River Island

The Sacrifice

Not much make up on today.. I've been up early and finishing work that badly needed attention. Just had a break, and settled down to watch The Piano with my flatmate Helena, who'd not seen it before. I am now feeling that wonderful chilled out sensation, of where you've just watched something beautiful, and it calms everything around you? Anyway hope you are all having great weekends, it's been a glorious day today in London!

Wearing my new favourite boots (that I got in November and have only just managed to start wearing now)

Boots: Office

Skirt: Ebay

Shirt: Topshop

Belt: Mother's

One of the best things about Jane Campion's film, besides her cinematography, is the score by Michael Nyman... I'm probably going to end up listening to the soundtrack all evening now...

 

Headache

Ok, this week in all has been a bit rubbish, I'm not going to lie... I've not even bothered to wash my hair.. but who cares who know? Hence head scarf... great little way to tie up your greasy locks if you can't be arsed to dry shampoo/back comb/hair spray (it's a magic formula for shampoo dodgers like me).. I usually cover my hair with a scarf tied under the neck or wrap it around the head and shoulders....though I'm enjoying this cute way to tie a turban, I really like that it becomes a hair style almost. I'm writing an essay about the politics of covering one's hair, and tonight I'm going to a panel discussion about women and secularism, debating whether the state has the right to tell women whether they should cover their hair or not, and making it illegal to do so in public. Might be a little risky turning up with my head covered, but you know!

 

This is a very perfect 1950's dress, it's the right length and has a lovely pattern in unusual colours.. plus it fits all my measurements to a T. Sometimes I do feel, that by wearing curve flattering clothes, it draws too much attention to my sexuality and puts it on display — as in the very 1950's ideal of the eye candy female. I feel like its always a brave step to show off my figure, like I almost don't understand it fully or have control of what it does, as my figure is so stereotypically feminine. But it is a very pretty dress indeed, and fits like a dream, and I would want to do no less than celebrate who I am, and what I look like. I'm looking forward to being in my 30's as I somehow think it'll get easier and I'll feel more at ease in general... Who knows!

Have lovely weekends!

Dress: Vintage

Tights: H&M

Shoes: Kurt Geiger 

Scarf: Second hand.

A few notes

Tuesdays always seem to be filled with email writing/replying and general weekly organising. I had a really lazy weekend of doing nice things, eating and drinking and exploring, which felt almost guilty —  as the horrific events in Japan unfolded in the past few days. Nonetheless, I've given money to charity, as I don't know what other reaction you might have when you see that level of devastation occur. I'd like to think if the UK was suddenly ripped apart by nature, other people would at least think like wise (perhaps not).

I picked up this skirt in Beyond Retro, which is beyond full of shite by the way, (all their good stock probably gets sent to stylists straight away or something, as it's awfully dry in there. Good on your pocket though!) for a tenner, and I just really liked the colour, end of. After a day perusing the rubbish vintage shops in the East (we didn't buy anything else, but it was nice to have a rifle round) we walked right down to White Chapel, had a pint some where along the way, and then sat down to a marvellous curry at Tayyabs, I'm getting hungry just writing about it! Then an evening of dancing and cider in Brixton at the Hootenanny which is a great bustling venue inside and outside full of people talking and dancing and having a good time, I'd never been before but I'd really recommend it, it's got a fantastic atmosphere, and full of so many interesting people. It was really fun going somewhere different. Well, south of the river for a start!

 

Seeing as I'm going to be showing in a project in Brixton at the end of this month, it's quite good to have an explore of the area.. Anyway back to work of said pieces, being shown!

Shirt: H&M

Skirt: Vintage

Tights: River Island

Shoes: Office

Down in the Park

Hey! Shit morning, but I've cheered myself up by swanning around in these peach delights. I bought them for a tenner off ebay (including postage, I think they were £4 as the winning bid!) in the summer last year, they really were that perfect vintage find. The funny thing is, the vogue for palazzo pants has gone a bit viral now this summer, and they all seem to be in this gorgeous dusky colour (a nod the the 70s trend no doubt) and pleated polyester on the high street. Vintage trumps all around I say. Very chuffed. Cheered me no end today. Sorry for amount of photos, I just wanted to convey all the swishy-ness!

I've found some really beautiful mint green, chiffon silk, in my fabric stash, I think a blouse or top made from it would look lovely with these trousers. I might get creative, but that would be classed as procrastinating, and not concentrating on the job at hand — leather leather rubbish weird things out of leather — something for another day perhaps? 

Weekend is nearly here, and my boo is coming up, for curry in nice places and pints in lovely pubs, and maybe some vintage hunting for good measure. 

Top: Whistles

Head band: present from Ashiya

Trousers: Vintage

Shoes: Office

 

Happy International Women's Day!

Just wanted to say happy International Women's day! There's a few things going down in London, so if I muster any extra energy, I might just rock up to one, and join in.... but other than that, texturising leather is my purpose at the moment!

Bought this dress as filler for Topshop online, as I hate paying postage, and I'd rather pop in to the post office by my bus stop, and return things for free than pay £6 or something. This cute little dress was one that got sent back. It's a bit dull, and the material is on the thin side, and not worth the price tag I reckon. You could find something better on Ebay or failing that, run one up yourself.

As for today, I'm rocking a 70's  Russian folky, in velvet and (faux) furs vibe at the moment. An outfit post soon.

Hope you all had a good International women's day!