APRIL 30TH, 2011 ♥

If you like it then you shoulda...

Ring love! Actually, I more adore the concept of big, beautiful, art inspired rings, as I'm unfortunate enough not to own any rings of such great stature myself. (Yes, I just used the word 'stature' to describe rings. Stature = 'high level of respect gained by impressive achievement.' I think this is fitting!) I'm always looking at various designs, but rings somehow seem special; I can't really justify spending on this type of jewellery for myself.

I feel as though high end rings should only be gifts waiting to be given, not simply for the gesture, but so they will always retain that sentimental value. I have no idea how I figure this, as I have no problem at all with over-spending on clothing! But anyway, I've done a bit of ring stalking, and without further ado, here are my picks of the moment: (Forgive me if there's too much YSL in this list, but they are so damn amazing at this finger circling art!)


1. YSL Arty Aventurine ring. $270 US.


2. Gara Danielle Hammered Stackable Rings . $360 US.




3. Isharya Florentine gold-plated cocktail ring. $153 US.





4. Samantha Wills Harmony ring in white (also available in turquoise). $108 US.




5. YSL Arty gold-plated glass ring. $170 US.




6. Billy Bride Lima turquoise stone ring. $285 US.




7. Vintage brass Unicorn ring. From $17 US (On Ebay!)






8. Kenneth Jay Lane Coral and Jade crystal ring. $205 US.




9. YSL Lingot gold-plated heart ring. $262 US.




10. Mezi Mezi White Malachite ring. $218 US.





Let me know which of these is your favourite! (or if you know of any other rings you believe I would drool over.) My personal favourites for now have to be #3 and #8, for their stunning contrasts in colour - my eyes popped when I saw them!

Sparkle sparkle. Put a ring on it.

- C x

21ST APRIL, 2011 ♥

Oot and Aboot.

I am suddenly Scottish. Apart from that, I went shopping the other day with my dear boyfriend. Just a casual stroll around Rundle St, cappucinos in hand, and some minimal (yet special) purchases. I never thought I'd say this, but sometimes the best kind of shopping is when you don't come away with many items at all - you haven't broken the bank, you've had a great day with a nice person, been INSPIRED, and love the two small things you did take home. However everyone knows the worst kind of shopping is when you come away with nothing; so obviously some kind of balance must be achieved here! Ah, the tribulations of the sartorial slave.

Caffeinating at Cibo.




Wandering the sunny streets.




The khaki ASOS skirt I'm wearing is particularly favourable and cannot be seen here, so this is what the whole thing looks like! I call it my 'mermaid skirt', and have been known to only slightly struggle with the action of walking while wearing it. Who needs walking anyway.



Purchases!

Treasure #1: Vintage short-sleeved jumper from Clubhouse Lane Boutique on Frome Rd. I love this little jumper, it has to be my favourite purchase of Autumn so far!




Very cute floral embroidery. Loving the red against the navy.




Treasure #2: Vintage tan waist belt from Clothes Line Saga, a cute little basement shop on Rundle St. I'd been looking for a waist belt like this forever - definitely going to love it to pieces this winter.




Both Clubhouse Lane Boutique and Clothes Line Saga are choc full of hand-picked vintage and new clothes, shoes and accessories for men and women, and the staff are nothing short of lovely! Do visit if you're in Adelaide, and make sure you 'like' their Facebook pages for updates on stock.

Have a great Easter weekend. I'm doing something just a little bit exciting, involving elaborate costumes, tea, cupcakes, feather pillows and a film crew :P

Love!

- C x

16TH APRIL, 2011 ♥

Deviation.

Good old DeviantART! Upon doing some trawling of it just now, I came across an amazing Chinese photographer, Zhang Jingna. At only 22, she has an extensive portfolio and has started to work with big name brands. She focuses on capturing women surrounded by beautiful light, exquisite backdrops and often slightly gothic undertones. Jingna works pure magic with hair; I am obsessed with the hair in just about every photo! Here's a selection of my favourites, but make sure you visit her DeviantART page and own website for more of her work.

Saved my absolute favourite until last; I can't stop looking at this following image. The light, the curls, the symmetry, the dress, the jewels, the lips, the eyes... argh! Photo-gasm right there. This to me is a perfect photograph:

- C x

12TH APRIL, 2011 ♥

Blast Off.

So, we know by now that the whole nebula thing is some kind of trend as of recent years. For example, this spacey tee by Christopher Kane:



And more of his colourful constellation collection (alliteration win!) for Resort '11. Beautiful blending and colour palette choices in the prints!

Oh hai! I found a nebula kitty!





And another nicely styled nebula shirt:





BUT. Be prepared for the #1 greatest use of nebula in the world of fashion. Possibly even better than actual nebulae (apparently the plural of nebula is nebulae). The ones in space. YES. I am very excited to present this find:


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NEBULA WEDGES!!!!!











Custom made by Kustom Kix on the always wonderful Etsy, these babies will set you back $180 US - but let's be serious, that's a fairly tempting offer! Shoes of nebula glory, let me have you!

I want to DIY these in canvas sneaker form, as I'm too poor to even afford plain black wedges to paint on. Or paints. Hopefully I'll see them in my dreams, my starry ethereal dreams!

Until next time...

- C x

5TH APRIL, 2011 ♥

Womad Nomad.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the WOMADelaide festival - for people not familiar with WOMAD festivals, they stand for 'World of Music and Dance' and are a weekend of musical heaven and hippie adventures! The movement was started by Peter Gabriel in 1980, and the festivals consist of bands and artists from all over our beautiful world. This year was magical for me as I was able to attend all four days by volunteering! I had to do a four hour volunteer shift each day, and in return was given a free pass to the festival, which was such a great deal as the shifts could hardly be considered work.

It's a very hippie festival - the crowd is completely chillaxed, anything goes and that goes for fashion choices too! If you ever wanted to test out a slightly experimental ensemble, this is the place to do it! I love the WOMAD atmosphere - sunsets, dust, running barefoot, dancing through forests of flags, the delicious array of international food and most of all, the beautiful music that we probably wouldn't discover otherwise. At last year's WOMAD, I was lucky enough to see the world renowned Indian sitar player, Ravi Shankar - he was 90 years old and I never thought I'd have that opportunity!

Highlights for me this year were Calypso Rose (a 70 year old woman from Trinidad and Tobago with more soul and joy than I've ever seen inside one person), Space Invadas (a totally rad funk band from Sydney and the UK, very Curtis Mayfield-esque), Band of Brothers (virtuoso classical guitarists), Imelda May (Irish rockabilly singer), Faiz Ali Faiz (a group of male Pakastani singers and drummers), Joanna Newsom (US Indie harp goddess), Martha Wainright (folk singer from Canada) and a cute little Irish band called the Allan Kelly Quartet.

Here's a few pictures of my time at WOMAD 2011 - easily the best weekend of my year so far!



















It was one of those weekends where, when it's all over, you're a little bit shocked to be back in the real world again. Counting down until next year :)

- C x

9TH MARCH, 2011 ♥

Southern Belle.

Yesterday evening, I finally turned to the 1010th (and last) page of Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I will readily deem this great historical romance as one of the most engaging, enlightening and heartfelt stories I've ever read.

It's really one of those "I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT EVEN THOUGH IT'S 4AM" kind of books. Here is a scan of the actual copy I read from, so you can re-live the full experience with me :P (don't worry, no spoilers).



Whether you've read the book or not, most of us are familiar with Scarlett O'Hara - she's a strong willed, vibrant, hot-headed young woman who fights for survival throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction eras of the South. She defies the constraints of gender at the time, making countless enemies, 'beaux' and the occasional friend along the way.

I set off on this literary adventure not knowing anything at all about the American Civil War - as an Australian girl in the 2000's, I was never taught about it, so I read the historical sections of the book with immense interest. I have often found Gone With The Wind to be portrayed purely as a romance novel, but is actually full of detailed (extremely biased to the South of course) descriptions of the savage path the war took; its various battles, how the lives of families rich and poor were torn apart, and for those who made it through, the horrors of the Reconstruction era. If you haven't done so, READ, READ, please READ!!

Obviously, one thing I very much appreciated were the wonderful descriptions of the clothing worn throughout the book, especially those which sparked the fancy of the eldest Miss O'Hara. Dresses of huge circumferences made from crisp European fabrics, 'stays' laced to sixteen inches (the smallest waistline in the County!), silk pantalets, slippers, velvet riding habits, ruffles, stiff taffeta petticoats, emerald green Parisian bonnets, diamond 'ear-bobs', lace-covered black mourning dresses with long sleeves, buttoned up to the neck.

Vivien Leigh, the classic Southern Belle who was ironically British, played Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 four-hour epic blockbuster Gone With The Wind. I am yet to see this but have a copy in my hands and can't wait to sit down for a viewing!

Here are some beautiful stills of Leigh (one featuring her with Clark Gable as Rhett Butler) from the film. I found these on this website, "Doctor Macro's High Quality Movie Stills", where one can look through galleries of Golden Age Hollywood actors and actresses captured in their prime. The genuis costume designer for Gone With The Wind was Walter Plunkett. IT'S LOVE! ♥











I am struggling to get over these beautiful costumes, I feel a new obsession coming on! To fuel this, I will hopefully put together a post of Victorian American pre- and post-war fashion sometime in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

- C x

7TH MARCH, 2011 ♥

Academy Awards.

My Top Six! (for my own strange reasons).

6. Halle Berry in Marchesa.

Because she looks like a fairy queen and her skin is delicious like coffee.



5. Hilary Swank in Gucci Premiere Couture.

Because everyone should be allowed to wear Gucci Premiere Couture, not just "celebrity clients". Not that I'm jealous at all.



4. Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa

Because she looks like a prom queen who would give everyone a piece of her crappy plastic tiara. Oh yes, and because she's fourteen and doesn't dress like a baby prostitute! Hallelujah!





3. Mila Kunis in Elie Saab Couture Spring/Summer '11.

Because it's Elie Saab, not because it's Mila Kunis. This man is a G-E-N-I-U-S, there are many more creations where this beautiful lilac delight sprung from.



2. Florence Welch in Valentino Couture Spring/Summer '11.

Florence. Valentino. Kill me.
I must applaud her stylist, everything about this is incredible and I have nothing more to say. Oh, apart from this: HAIR, DRESS, SKIN, RED CARPET BACKDROP. Florence has this vintage, sparkling, firey, delicate yet untouchable allure and this Valentino was made for her.



1. Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture Spring/Summer '11.

Because she's the most stylish woman alive? The most classy? The most filled with a shining, old glamour that hardly anyone possesses anymore? The most gracious? Because she glides? There's a reason she played Queen Elizabeth. She's Cate Blanchett, she is wearing Givenchy, and the two together make her a goddess of pastels and perfection.





Look at this detailing!



I would love to own something as pristine as this Givenchy - I would dress up in it every night and my humble abode would become a femininely futuristic castle!

- C x