20100831

A tourist in the waking world, never quite awake

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments about my exam results last week! I'm super behind on replying (as always) but you're all so amazing for commenting in the first place!
Ooh I'll warn you now, this is an epically long post, but half of it's photos so I won't mind if you skip past my incessant rambling, tehe.

- - - - -
Wow, so yeah, I went down to London last weekend! (...'cuz traveling on a coach for 9 hours is always fun)
We went to Madame Tussuad's Wax Works and the London Eye - both major London tourist locations, so doubtless to say it was ridiculously crowded.
Just before boarding the eye I was suddenly struck by an immense (somewhat casually reoccurring) fear of heights, and felt a little freaked out by the fact I'd soon be hovering above London in a giant glass torpedo.
There was that horrific moment when I was stepping on board and it was still moving round so I literally had to leap across the platform, over the 'death drop' (...ok, so maybe there was a teeny-tiny gap - but in my head it was like the ground had opened ready to swallow me whole!)

But ok, mellow drama aside it was actually quite fun; taking lots of photos, getting a birds-eye-view of the city, and trying to start a Mexican wave with the people in the carriage above

... which didn't work.

It was verrrry disappointing.





After watching an episode of Dr Who ages ago (the one where the wax dummies came to life and attacked everybody) I couldn't help feeling the slightest bit paranoid whilst wandering through Madame Tussuad's... well, I say wandering... frantic shuffling and stumbling into strangers sounds a bit more realistic. You'd be surprised how aggressive people get when they want their photo taken with a wax celebrity.
I was a little overwhelmed at first, but after being shoved in the ribs half a dozen times the chaotic crowd mentality set in and I thought "Right, this means war!"
By the time we reached the Hollywood section, I felt the urge to scream "Mwahaha, the race is on!" as my eyes locked with a nearby tourist, who I've affectionately nick-named 'dude in the Hawaiian shirt'. He wasn't your average dude in a Hawaiian shirt, he was some sort of super tourist, with the power to weave his way through crowds at top speeds (raging up to 1mph!)
It was an epic race (shuffle) towards Marilyn Monroe. Which I won, of course... but only because the poor guy tripped over his own feet, tehehe.
And my prize? Well, probably not my dignity, but rather an impossibly blurry, zoomed-in photo of the side of my face... wow, thanks mum.










This is what I wore - pretty basic but it was cold.
I am madly in love with that bowler hat, it's like 'the hat next door'. You know, the one you've secretly admired for years but never had the courage talk to... I mean, purchase. I don't talk to my hats... that's crazy.
Hmmm, yeah, crazy.

It makes all my others jealous 'cuz it's just that fan-tabby-tastic.


Anywhoo, TTFN m'dears!

x x x

20100819

We are all embers from the same fire



I was terrified. Then I realised how little it mattered, how insignificant I was... how whatever was written on that piece of paper was totally irrelevant, it wouldn't, couldn't define me, it wouldn't change me, whatever mistakes I might have made meant nothing.
When you're scared it's usually because of that niggling, unknown element that twists and tumbles in your head, expanding into something much worse than it actually is. What we don't realise, when we're scared, when it feels like your heart's beating out of your ears, is that it's not the end of the world. Eventually I will be nothing but dust, an echo of what was, and hopefully not of what could have been. But for now, I feel this, a heart beating inside of me, sometimes it's the only thing that reassures me I'm actually alive... sometimes fear is the only thing that reminds my heart to remind me.



Image source: weheartit
. . . I don't own this photo but it takes my breath away it's that amazing.

Ok, surpassing all the melodrama I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who wished me luck in the previous post! I didn't fail my AS levels, so I guess I'm not joining the circus (damn, I really wanted to grow a beard... ahaha) in fact I got ABBC - I'm still reeling with shock of it all, especially the 'A which I got for art! :O I have no idea how I managed to scrape an A, but I guess miracles do happen, tehe.

Hope everyone else's results went well!

x x x

20100818

Once upon a time I failed my AS levels and had to join the circus




This is the product of complete and utter boredom... and the realisation that I'd yet to take any photos for my art project. I know it's summer, but Mr A. Level doesn't gimme a break. So I get all the necklaces I can find, throw 'em in a hat and voila! Some nice photos, and a ridiculous mess of tangled jewellery.

Eeeek, it's AS results day tomorrow! Wish me luck....
x x x

20100816

My new boots

In my ever-so eager anticipation for autumn, I jumped in on the shearling trend and got these lovely fold-over faux sheepskin ankle boots. They're a size too big but it doesn't bother me in the slightest because they're soo comfy! Problem is I can't wear them outdoors just yet because they need water-proofing :( but for now they'll do for romping about the house.

I truely adore them, so much so I'm thinking of naming them (yep, I name my stuff once it's deemed special enough)... I'm thinking Suzie and Shaun, tehe. Pretty snazzy right?? Oooh snazzy, that's a fun word... snazzy, snazzieee, snazz-eyyyy...
Excuse the randomness but I'm all hyped up on cheesecake and macaroons, mmmm, macaroons.... ok, I'm snazzing out of it!
Eeep, I mean snapping!
...Okay, moving swiftly on - this is my first attempt at making a polyvore! I'm maybe a teensy bit addicted to polyvore now, I'll have to post some others at a later date, but I'm quite happy with this;


I also found this image of Zara's autumn lookbook earlier and wanted to share it with you guys

I wasn't too fond of it at first but they're really growing on me - the chunky knits and knee socks are especially adorable.
I absolutely can't wait for autumn now, and unleashing my autumn wardrobe onto the blogosphere, tehe.

TTFN!
x x x


(p.s. you have no idea how hard (and painful) it was taking that photo of my boots whilst they were on my actual feet... Note to self: don't try bending like that again, ever.)

20100815

C'est millésime!

This is one of my more vintage / eclectic looks... It was one of those rare days when the sun decided to show it's face, yet I decided to stay indoors, with Elle magazine and Audrey Hepburn (in Breakfast at Tiffany's) for company ;)







Hope you've all had a nice weekend!

(( Today's Anthem: 'The Gift' by Angels and Airwaves ))

TTFN x x x

20100812

Into the wild.

I felt really inspired by one of the new collections - 'Into The Wild' @ topshop.com
It's a combination of girly meets grunge; an aging fairytale of cobweb cardigans draped effortlessly across the frame, crystal-embellishment floating like midnight stars upon a stream of silky chiffon, layered beneath chunky knits and dark, damaged leather.
And of course, as much of a/w 2010 focuses on the woman, rather than simply the clothes, the 'look' they've embodied for this collection translates to me as... a dreamer, a wanderer, an ingenue with attitude - she has long matted hair that floats triumphantly upon the autumn breeze, she has dark crimson lips and an illuminating glow that flickers behind the eyes.






The key pieces I've picked up on are; tuff jackets teamed with floaty dresses, longer hem-lines, subtle iridescent fabrics, lace and sheer inserts, faux-fur, faded / damaged denim, lace-up ankle boots, kitten heels, chunky knits, woolly hats and animal-inspired prints.

Hope you guys liked this post, it's a little different from the usual but I haven't taken any good outfit posts lately and I didn't want you guys to think I'd disappeared off the face of the blogosphere again, tehe.

TTFN darlings!

(p.s. for any of you sleepless dreamers out there, well, there's a meteor shower happening at midnight. I'm staying up for it, don't even know what I'm expecting to see, probably nothing if all the clouds are in the way, but here's hoping for something magical...)

x x x

20100807

Hollywood infected my brain

The shorts I mentioned (ranted about) in the last post are finally in my possession! I'd honestly lost hope and then whadd'ya know - BAM! I went to a different topshop and reluctantly asked if they had any left in stock, expecting to be disappointed once again, but oh no! There they were, in all their fantastically peculiar glory...


Btw. are we all liking the larger image sizes?? I finally mastered the HTML thingy and well, ta-dah!

I bought September's (UK) issue of ELLE magazine. A strange fact about me is that I read fashion mags from the back cover to the front. I don't quite know why, I think it's just easier to flick through, and I always get a little excited when I look back later and find a page I overlooked, tehe. I'm sure you all wanted to know that...

I also bought some black lace and purple velvet-like material from a market stall because I am going to (attempt to) make a skirt! This may turn out to be an epic failure as, just like many others, I start with the mantra "how hard can it be?" ... well with my vast inexperience on the sewing machine, clumsy nature and haphazardly disposition, lets just say a lot could go wrong...

Ooh I can't forget to say a super big hello to my darling new followers! You guys are all so amazing for letting me ramble on like this - hope every body's having a lovely summer (or winter if you're living in Australia!)

TTFN lovlies!
x x x

20100804

Insainity is a sane response to an insane world



Source: topshop.com

I'm hopelessly charmed by quirky, unusual pieces like these. I adore the galaxy vest - but the price... not so adorable. It's such an epic design it's hard not to be hypnotised! I think my universe now in fact revolves around getting this vest, tehe.
Ohhh how it pains me to say this, but the shorts... have SOLD OUT! *gasp*
The second I saw them I thought of the Marina & the Diamonds gig I'm going to in a few months - they had the whole "Hollywood infected your brain" vibe - which was spot on because the other day I saw a photo of Marina herself wearing these shorts! I'm not in any way starstruck, but honestly, it's like we share a brain ;)

I've also wanted a Polaroid camera since like forever (ok, since Christmas), but last night I discovered this amazing application called the 'Poladroid Project' which can turn photos on your computer into the format of a polaroid. Here's a few of my faves that I Poladroid-ed...




There's something I love about polaroids... maybe it's their instancy - because a photo really is capturing a moment, and even when the image in your mind starts to fade, you still have the photos to remind you. And there's so much more to it than just an image, there's always a story behind it, because a photo can document emotions as well as memories; what it means to be alive, real and infinite.
Even forced and staged photography can say a lot about a person - it's a statement to the world that they exist, indivisible proof that long after they're gone they can stay alive.
Looking through the lens, there's so much potential when building an image. It's the same world, that we live in, but we all see it differently, we can create the best out of the worst and use a photograph as evidence of what real beauty means. Because life is, and forever should be; beautiful, chaotic, spontaneous and impossibly strange! ...Yeah, if you haven't guessed by now, I love photography... and not to be too forward, but I think photography kinda loves me too ;) tehehe.

TTFN you beautiful people!

x x x

(p.s. if any of you read this entire post I shall love you forever because it's ridiculously long, and you're a total hero for getting through it! ;)