The Return Of The Maverick.

Day: Wednesday. Activity: Having a bath and going to the bank. Fags: 0! Not out of choice though, I appear to only have 28p left in my bank account. Boo. Alcohol intake: None so far, although there is a very tempting bottle of wine in the fridge, which may have to accompany my dinner tonight. Money spent: Zero! Indulgence: Well, I suppose spending 80% of the day either in bed or in front of the TV is quite an indulgence! Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dihG2yy__sE

As some of you may have realised, or forgotten by n

ow I suspect, I have been m.i.a for quite a while. But hey, I'm back now and ready to start up Don't Kiss Me all over again.

I would try and review everything that's happened over the past year and a bi

t in the fashion world, bu

t that would take me so long I'd end up permanently a year behind! So, instead I'm going straight to my favorite look of the season, one that I've loved every-time it's come arou

nd - nautical.

Here's some of my favorite high street pieces:

London Town

Have just back from a pretty perfect few days in London. I got the train at 11pm-ish on Sunday (I was meant to get it at 8, but a quick chat with a friend turned into a full on catch-up & drinking session) which was pretty horrible as I arrived a bit before 1 and didn't ant to get a tube on my own, so I called a couple of friends - Alex and Rob - and went to a bar somewhere by Paddington station and drank a bottle of the cheapest wine on the menu. They then took me to Rob's flat in Notting Hill where I was crashing on the sofa. It's kinda a bit shabby chic, but I like it - and they have the most amazing DVD collection so we sat up watching vintage classics for a good few hours. Next morning - after a breakfast of coffee and cigarettes - I made a trip to this amazing vintage shop right by their flat called "Retro Clothing" where I got a broach and scarf. Then I got a tube to Oxford Circus, but made a point of avoiding the generic high street stores and headed straight to Berwick Street where they sell the most beautiful fabrics ever. I got a royal blue sequin covered silk, matching blue velvet, blue lining and black netting for a dress I just designed. After that I met my cousin and had a wonder around Soho before getting lunch in a lovely little Thai restaurant. I then went to Liberty's and gawped at the designer vintage section, which left me dying for another vintage hit, so I headed to Carnaby Street where I got a vintage dress and red jacket. I then jumped on the tube to Camden where I met Alex and Rob and some of their friends - all of who were lovely - and proceeded to get very tipsy and dance about to some amazing tunes. Next morning Alex had the day off so we got on a tube back to Camden and shopped around all day - unfortunately by this point I had spent all of my wages, my allowance and my EMA, so had no money to spend on any of the beautiful clothes. With my lack of money I mind, I popped back to Rob's got my stuff and got on the next train home - a very happy girl with new clothes, fabric and memories.
I was, however, wondering where you would all recommend as the best places to visit in London? You know - best pub, chilled bar, cheap club, vintage store, antique market, etc, etc?

Men, men, men...

Day: Sunday. Activity: work and chillaxing (6 days with out a rest, plus 3 nights out this week = dying & loads of cw to catch up on!).) Fags: 0. (wooh!) Alcohol intake: None today, far far too many over the past week! Money spent: None today :). Indulgence: Nothing, tbh. Listening to: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tpsDegqioVA

Not sure if I mentioned the new job at John Lewis? Well anyway, yesterday they decided I wasn't going to be put on men's fashion - instead I'm going on sport! Yes, me - the least sporty person ever. However, after spending the whole day pretending I knew which Tennis racket was more streamlined, and why one treadmill is twice the price of the other, I managed to sneak away to menswear to help with the tidying up. And aaahh it's so nice! Men's fashion is just the loveliest thing in the world - I think it's because it's something I've never paid that much attention to, and all of a sudden I've been introduced to this whole new world of fashion I never knew was there. Anyway, after "ooohing" and "aaawwing" at cashmere jumpers for about a hour I decided it was something I had to share with you, so here's my top men's clothing at the moment - all of which are by Ralph Lauren and can be purchased from John Lewis ;].

(click to enlarge)

To be honest, I don't even go for guys that dress like this, but they are all so lovely and perfectly made, I'm sure any guy wearing these beauties could make me fall head over heels!

Back to reality...

It appears I've made a ridiculous amount of posts about designer shiz lately, so in order to bring myself back down to earth and remember I'm far more "high street" than "high fashion", I'm going to post about the thing most true to my heart and my budget - shoes. Topshop shoes to be precise. I'm obsessed! Completely and utterly in love. And it's no wonder when you look at these beauties, most of which are about £70 - not bad! I might just have to save up for every single pair of these - I'm not sure there's any I can live without!!

Rundown...

Day: Thursday. Activity: College, and plans of going out tonight, for a boogie (however going out on week nights never ends well, so I may reconsider.) Fags: 2. (Pretty good.) Alcohol intake: Umm 1 glass of wine...3 units? Money spent: £15.20 (bottle of vino and vogue). Indulgence: see previous ;]. Listening to: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4uHkrKg29d0

So, it seems I've unintentionally been doing a rundown of my favourite Spring/Summer 09 collections! But, I couldn't just leave it with the few I've mentioned (Dior, Preen, Christopher Kane, Giles Deacon, Henry Holland ad Luella), as there are so many more that have truly inspired me. With that in mind, I've decided to throw in a review of some of the other shows that have got me buzzing - unfortunately I don't have enough time to account for all of the collections I've loved, but here's a selection of my faves (I may add to this later at some point, but I'm really in love with so many - unusual as I'm normally very critical! - that the Autumn/Winter collections would be out before I'd finished!)


First up, Basso & Brooke.

It's all colour and patterns at Basso & Brooke - very "more is more"! And I think that's why I love it so much - clashing colours and patterns that just seem to compliment each other so well! The geometric pattern compliment the geometric shapes of the dress ad the super cute jump suits. The ball gowns are elegant with an edgy twit created by the Hawaiian floral patterns.


I've got love for Westwood this season (hell, I've always got a bit'o love for Viv!)

Again a bit of the clashing patterns, animal prints mixed with stripes - but more so, matching colours. I love the all baby pink, waistcoat, jacket and shorts ensemble, with a bit of yellow chucked in on the footwork. And logo t-shirts are definitely something I'll be re-investing in next Spring! The evening wear is also pot on - as always - with embellishment galour!

Denim daydreams at Topshop Unique.

I love topshop, and I love topshop unique even more! my favourite from this collection is the over sized beige jacket (bottom left), but the denim is unforgivably cute. Moving away from mixing different colours of denim - it's all about matching here. I will e buying myself matching pale denim shorts and waistcoat very, very soon!

Versatility at Viktor & Rolf.

Since going to see the House of Viktor & Rolf exhibition in London in July, I've considered them to be one of the designers who are most successfully experimental with shapes, however with this collection, they've proved that not only can they do shape, they can do colour and pattern too. Beautiful!

Dior, Dahlinng!

Day: Wednesday. Activity: College, lots and lots of art work. Fags: 0. (Yes, that's right!). Alcohol intake: 0. Money spent: £0.35 (1 cookie). Indulgence: Cookie & strawberry bonbons. Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiWeLsupcqE




At John Galliano's Dior Spring/Summer 2009 collection, there was a clear divide between styles - bright colours and monochromes. Ergo, leading to (wo)mans life long debate - to colour or not to colour?


Christian Dior in his publication in 1954 entitled 'The Little Dictionary of Fashion - A guide to dress sense for every woman' declared that he could write a whole book on the fabulousness of black. With the media constantly telling us different tales; "black is slimming", "colours bring out your complexion", "black is sexy", "black is boring", etc, etc, it's hard for anyone to make a decision as to which to choose.
However, why don't we all take a leaf out of Dior's book? If black is your favourite colour, don't give it up just because predictions for Spring/Summer 09 show colour, colour, colour. As John Galliano shows us, you can do both!
Personally I'm a lover of both black and colour, ad so wear them entirely depending on my mood. Take today for example - despite the horrible weather - I was in a very cheery mood when i awoke - so I wore a pink vintage print t-shirt, with a stripey skirt and tights. However yesterday, when my mood was slightly less happy-go-lucky, I wore dark skinny-jeans, a black cardie and black boots.
And surprisingly I don't feel morbid or depressed in black - it's just something I feel comfortable in, it's fail-safe. In black you always feel sexy and confident - sometimes understated is great for those "everyone must think I'm a horrible, strange, big haired person" days. There's nothing worse than on a day where your confidence is at an all time low, wearing a colour which makes you feel very self conscious. Every head you turn (most likely admiring your great taste) feels like someone dogging you up. Every whispered conversation (most likely about work of something totally boring) feels like it is about you and that hideous (beautiful) red coat.
So, yes, I love colour - but only for days when I feel on top of the world! Making me a firm believer in having a wide variety of shades in your wardrobe - plenty of black/brown/navy for "bleehh" days, and plenty of colour for "yeaahh" days ;].



Beautiful black at Dior.



And some just as beautiful brights as well!

Spring/Summer 09's got me thinking...

Day: Tuesday. Activity: College, followed by an exciting English essay and then some blog-stalking. Fags: 1 (still being strong!). Alcohol intake: 0. Money spent: £5.60 (coffee and a cake at my favourite cafe). Indulgence: See previous. Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqM6oLM63YE


Over the past few days I've been reviewing the Spring/Summer 09 collections, and here's the ones that really got me thinking.
The lavish prints and tartans of last seasons collection have gone completely out the window with the Spring/Summer 09 collection from Preen. However, despite my initial thoughts when I heard about this "toning down", the catwalk pieces were just as exciting as ever. Patters printed on the fabrics have been exchanged for intricately manipulated patters in the material, with slashing and layering of different opaquity (is that a word!?) of fabrics. The mesh cut-out dresses were by far my favourite (especially in the burnt orange, which is THE colour for 09, don't you know!?). The whole concept of the collection seemed to revolve around moulding and adapting classic looks. No bright, garish patterns, no giant corsages or bows - all the decoration is created from the basics (zips twisted around the skirts and dress backs for decoration, fabrics manipulated into sculptured shapes, or cut away at into patterns.) Gets full marks for design and skill from me!

After Christopher Kane's fifth show, at London Fashion week, most of us were left in awe of his Spring/Summer 08 collection. He's abandoned the OTT glitter and sequins he was famed for after last seasons collection - but most definitely not for something more subdued. Giant sequins have been replaces with giant swirls of sculptural chiffon and leather. Of coarse in true Kane style, the hemlines are short and the colours a striking - not for the modest woman. Animal themes run through the collection with Gorilla graphic tops and leopard print cashmere's, and there is something about this which strikes me as very "street style" - are we seeing another example of what I like to call the "bubble-up-effect"? Fashionista.com shows Jessica, a 24 year old fashion journalist in London wearing a style similar to one of Kane's looks (far left) - high waisted skirts with graphic t-shirts. And this isn't the only place we've seen this look before - urban outfitters have been teaming vintage print tee's with high waisted skirts and braces for months now. However I must emphasise, I'm not criticising Christopher Kane, or implying he's a style stealer in the slightest - I'm actually a great fan of any designer who takes inspiration from the everyday girl. It's wonderful to see they look at some of the great young fashion minds, the real trend setters and the "it girls" with out the labels to see what it is we actually want from fashion. And Kane's King Kong inspired t-shirts are exactly that, what we want from fashion - young, quirky and memorable.

Velvet Underground

Key piece for Autumn/Winter 08? Anything (and I mean anything, I even saw a girl with velvet leggings yesterday) velvet. Take a look at these lovelies for inspiration:

Geek Chic

I'm a huge fan of sunglasses, all different shapes, colours and sizes. But it's not exactly sunny in winter, is it!? Disaster! Or not, as the case maybe. Such a simple answer, I don't know why no-one thought of it before - glasses! Well, yes I do realise glasses aren't a new invention, but they haven't exactly been a fashion statement until lately. I'm not talking about reading glasses, though - it's all about the "oh the lenses fell out of my sunnies" look.

See, all the fashionistas are all ready on the ball with this trend, so pick up these beauties and you're set to go! Only problem I can see is they don't hide "I haven't slept in 48hours" eyes, we might have to revert to the "I'm a child star who wears sunglasses 24/7" look for those hungover days!

Girls we wish we were and events we wish we could have attended...

Day: Monday. Activity: I'm ill (again!!), so sleeping and reading french vogue (or pretending to, but I don't actually speak French, so i just look at the pretty clothes/models) Fags: 1 (how good am I!?). Alcohol intake: Probably still drunk from the weekend, hard to tell ;]. Money spent: 0 (good girl). Indulgence: Coffee, coffee, chocolate, more coffee... Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmnM7DdUqwY

Over the past year, its been all party party party in my world, but unfortunately I don't move in quite as cool circles as our favourite it-girls do. We can always pretend, though, right? ;]

The Hugo Boss Party at Kingswood Estate, East Hampton.

Leigh's Birthday.

Longchamp 60th Anniversary in NYC.

Maybe next year, eh!?

My weekend...

This weekend has been pretty shopping / fashion jam packed, so I thought I'd share some of it with you. Starting with yesterday, I had some very overdue art books to take back to the library, so I headed into town, which of corse ended in a trip to Bristols new shopping centre, Cabot Circus. First stop - Urban Outfitters. With out a doubt one of the greatest shops known to man! Ater atleast an hour browsing the rails and rumbling through the shelves of vintage goodies, I decided on this brown leather mock-croc bag. It's perfect as you can wear it as a clutch in the evening (even has a perfect little handle, cause we all get anoyed at holiding it under our arm all night, don't we?), or attatch the gold chain and wear it on your shoulder during the day. Lovely, for £38 :]. After spending a considerable amount of time in Topshop, and realising everything I had chosen the week before had sold out, I was feeling a wee bit down hearted, but just as I was walking out of shopping center I saw River Island, and remembered how much I love this seasons colletion. Very glad I made a trip there, as I bough a lovely warm cream cardy for £29.99, with gold and pearl buttons :] perfect!

So, by the end of Saturday I realised it was the 4th of the month and I'd already spent all of my allowance (which comes on the 1st!) Not very smooth, Gemma!

But fear not! Today my Mother and I had tickets for a fashion show in Bristol, sort of a "Bristol Fashion Week" style thing. Just, minus any designer labels! But hey, I love a bit of high street fashion - and what's better for inspiration than seeing it paraded down a catwalk in all its loveliness!? After this, my mum (despite having not been speaking to me all week, due to a little incident involving a tattoo...) decided I just had to get some new black shoes for job interviews, however after we spent hours looking for a pair and I still couldn't find any I like, she decided to make me a deal (which worked very much in my favour) - she'd buy me the gorgeous tartan Dune platforms, if i found a pair of work shoes within the next half an hour. Perfect! Got the platforms and put a pair of 3inch black heals on order in Kurt Geiger for work. Then to top it all off, we fell in love with a bright floral mini dress in H&M, which she bought me, seem as it was only £19.99.

However, one thing that has really been playig on my mind today, is M&S. For years ow, we've been hearing about M&S' new look, with the press supposing they are now a "cool" brand. I've always dissagreed with this, claiming they are trying too hard to be young, and to target to a market which is way off their current consumers. But today I was actualy shocked, when models floated down the catwalk in some totally stunning clothes - from M&S! My favourite was this Peruna Coat, which I even went to try on, but unfortunately wasn't available in my size. Maybe I won't put M&S down so much in future!

Things to do and see...

Day: Thursday. Activity: English essay (bleh), might go on a bit of a shopping spree later (the new Cabot Circus hopping extravaganza opens in my home town today ;]) Fags: 0. Alcohol intake: 0. Money spent: 0 (so far). Indulgence: I've been healthy today, lots of freshly squeezed orange juice! Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub-Gvmtg1m8

So Basically I just want to enlighten y'all to what you should be doing this Autumn. Nothing will make rainy days more entertaining than the following (especially if you attend them in a fur trimmed Chloe trench and some Gucci biker boots)!

1. Film: Beautiful Loosers

Aaron Rose direct this documentary, which follows the lives and careers of a collective group of Do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world. This 90minuit film beautifully demonstrates the lives of modern artists in the 90's, making it one of the most gritty, indie documentary films to reach us for a long time. Anyone who is a fan of modern art should not miss this, and anyone who isn't, I would highly recommend watching it anyway - it is truly enlightening.

2. Exhibition: Cult of Denim

From October 15th - November 14th Selfridges unveils collaboration with Britain’s hottest talent, artist Stuart Semple, in a celebration of the most iconic and historical chapter of fashion: Cult Of Denim – a new collection of artworks on denim .A new collection of original works will be shown for sale in store from mid October alongside a series of specially created limited edition prints on denim, t-shirt graphics, 8 pairs of handpainted jeans, and a glowing diamond shaped installation. For those who love Stuart Semple' work as much as me, this will be a must see.

3. Shopping: Bristol Vintage Fashion Fair

For most Bristolians, this is a can't miss event. Coming around every few months, we cannot resist the vintage goodies at Edwin Dyson' fair. It's next coming around on the 12th of October (t the Anson Rooms on Queens rd, as per usual), with even more vintage lovelies than before. Expect up to 40 stalls of coats, gloves, hats, scarves, all bleedin' sorts of vintage treasures. It is love.

4. Film: Eight Miles High

Eight Miles High is the true story of a German model, Uschi Obermaier, whose lovers included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Jimi Hendrix.

We Salute Sequins

SEQUINS = LOVE

All above dresses are available from www.sequinqueen.com and are super sparkly and sexy! And tbh a bit of a bargain and all! ;]

The Best of London Fashion Week

Giles Deacon sent an electric mix of futuristic fashion down the catwalk. This collaberation of Sophisticated Space-Age was by far one of the most innovative collections at London Fashion Week. Mostly in black and white with a few flashes of colour storming down the catwalk every so often, this is one show that definitely had impact!
The second I saw the snaps from Henry Holland's show, I was reminded why I'm in love with him and everything he does. There is not one item of clothing in this collection I wouldn't wear (surprising giving I'm quite often thinking the opposite about a lot of well esteemed designers shows!) So cute, so girly, so fresh and so summer! This is one collection that makes me desperate to start planning my Spring/Summer wardrobe already! :]
Luella's collection is another I can see myself in every item. It's so lady like and so Pretty Women (the book, not the film!). Once again it's patterns galor, but its not only the patterns that make these fabrics so beautiful - the colour pallet is delightfully summery and cute. Pleats and frills just add to the lady-like glamour!

Nylove

I love love love Nylon (coolest online mag to grace our screens). It's my new bible, I will use it for all advise, life and fashion decisions. Join me?

Besides, who can't help but love the mag that created Miss Cory Kennedy!

Drama Junky

Now, you can officially call me mental, 'cause it's official, I am! Why i it, when everything's going well, I hate it!? I think I'm a drama junky.
Let me (try to) explain. Girl likes boy. Girl thinks boy doesn't like girl. Girl is happy thinking he doesn't like her as girl can moan and get upset and generally be a moody, attention seeking bitch. Boy tells girl he does like girl. Girl is happy - for about 30minuts. Then girl gets bored. Girl doesn't like boy anymore.
Well, yea I'm sure you can guess who the moody attention seeking bitch is.
I have issues.
He's lovely.
Why does this not make me extremely, estactically happy.
Can someone please find me an egotistical, cruel, annoying, horrible guy instead of this Mr Perfect? Cause clearly it's doing nothing for me.

Converted :]

Day: Wednesday. Activity: Beading a dress (my new masterpiece - I bought a vintage black velvet bodycon dress about a year ago and have been meaning to embellish it for ages now), not going to college (if your head felt like mine does now, you wouldn't either, possibly pulled a few too many all nighters in this past week or so and it is finally catching up with me!) Fags: 1. (Okay, so I told everyone I quit, and I fully intended on...but then my "emergency supply" became to tempting. Note to self: replace emergency pack for real emergencies.) Alcohol intake: None today :]. Money spent: Zilch! (and I still managed to get a gorg new belt, ribbed tights, copy of Loud and Quite and a new Urban Decay eyeliner - mother has finally learnt the point of the post-it note shopping lists on the fridge door ;]) Indulgence: Nothing (I've been pretty good today, although I suppose taking the day off wasn't that angelic.) Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM6fx78dpuM

Okay, I used to hate RiverIsland. There's always been something about it that seemed so cheap. However, I can't deny it, their autumn/winter 08 collection has converted me! I'm officially in love with the chunky cardies, super cute (and oh so sex and the city) dresses and furry coats. You can definitely see a vintage inspiration going on there. Here are some of my favourites.

Topshop on top of the pattern craze!

Day: Wednesday. Activity: Photographing Funfairs (art) ad being stupidly ill. (V bad, can't be ill, must work, must go to party on Saturday, must, must, must!) Fags: 1. (Very good, don't like smoking when I'm ill.) Alcohol intake: None. Money spent: £30ish (Broach I couldn't resist, plus fayre entry, plus medicine, plus lunch and three coffees) Indulgence: Hoige piece of cake at lunch. Listening to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQRJvZBH1gw

Prints are everywhere atm, with the floral look fading out, it's all about less girly patterns and more punky patterns! Here are some of my faves!

Topshops Tartan Trends:

tips from Aggy, Alice and Behati and go for the Lumberjack meets Highland fling look!

Simple Stripes:

Made a stripey statement like Georgia and Aggy!

Animal Antics:

Get out your wild-side like Kate, Aggy and Georgia. Don't forget to add some animal attitude ;]!