Festival fever

Glastonbury 2010

I am not really into festivals, as I recently told a friend I am more a box of wine/picnic blanket type concert goer than the camping in the rain/getting sweaty in the mosh pit festival goer. This might be because although in the UK we have arguably the most famous festival, Glastonbury. We also have famously temperamental (read: crap) weather and as the idea of being rained on for 4 days appeals to me as much a root canal without anaesthetic, I've never been that into the idea of festivals.

There are two exceptions to this though, every year I think how much I would love to go to SXSW in Austin, Texas and Coachella in California. SXSW is mostly to do with my desire to go to Austin, Texas. Plus it is a total multi-media festival with music and film projects and lots of up-coming artists.

Coachella is on at the moment and this year the line up sounds particularly awesome, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Mumford & Sons, Nas and Ellie Goulding to name a (random) few. Also from a superficial perspective (surprisng I know!) the fashion at Coachella is always worth a look. I don't know if it's because it's the artist that play or because of the location being so close to L.A but the A-list always turn out in their well dressed masses.

The MVP's so far on my list are the usual suspects - Kate Bosworth and Diane Kruger. I have made no secret of my love for Kate, I think she always looks great. I love her short shorts with high tops. Very California cool.

Diane (accessorising with the lovely Josh Jackson - and gentlemen take note this is how to do summer dressing; no skinny jeans, no cut off shorts, just a classic white shirt and straight leg slightly washed out jeans) manages to look great working the perfect summer combo of a nude maxi skirt and plain vest.

So maybe I am re-thinking my anti festival stance or maybe I just want to be somewhere sunny listening to cool music and looking fabulous.

Pictures with thanks to Just Jared

Advance Australia Fair...

Palm beach, Sydney, NSW

Sometimes I think I would quite like to live in Australia. This can be because the weather is that certain shade of London grey or because I've seen a particularly good episode of Home and Away (judge me all you want but you know you can still sing the entire theme tune, or the Neighbours one if that was more your bag). Other times it can be for a reason as simple as wanting cool clothes by Aussie brands that aren't stocked in the UK.

SS11 - look 39 (aka, my dream bikini)

My latest Aussie love is a brand called LOVER. I first noticed this brand in NYLON when they had a really cool bikini. My relationship with bikini's is much like my relationship with running - in my head I picture one thing, in reality it is quite another, so finding a bikini I like is quite a complicated thing. This also explains why I have about ten different styles of bikini, but only wear the same black H&M one from a billion years ago. Anyway, the bikini's by Lover are the reason I found the collection - the SS11 ones are so cute with Ikat prints and loads of different styles.

SS11 - look 19

But luckily for me, it's not just the bikini's that are great, the entire collection is gorgeous. It's called a Dance for One and is off duty dancer style, albeit more dancer cool than Black Swan crazy. I can't decide on my favourite piece, I love the shorts from look 33, the slouchy silk shirt from look 19, the nude jacket/blazer from look 27 (I have already mentioned my love of blazers here), I am also lusting after the palazzo pants look 22 - sadly I'm too short to wear them, but I think my absolute favourite most wanted piece is the shirt dress (in the pic above). And that's not even mentioning the silk shorts with lace hem or the peg trousers, or the lace dresses or the playsuits!

Whilst the lovely people at net-a-porter do stock some pieces they don't stock the whole collection. So obviously the only sensible thing is to move to Australia, where I can buy what I want when I want.

Oh and just because....

AW11 - the wish list begins

Chanel AW11 - Abbey Lee wearing a gorgeous jacket (that I want, obviously)

I haven’t blogged in a while, I could pretend that this is because I am no longer shallow and ruled by what I want (not true) or I could pretend that it is because I am very busy and important now (equally not true). There is no real reason, I just haven’t. However I am back now and in the spirit of IWWYH – there are lots of things I want.

I'd like these...

Right now I want the Chanel biker boots from the AW11 collection. I am not really a Chanel girl (other than bikes, bags and boots) but if I was I would be the type that wears impeccable coats and suits, not frayed jeans, which is why I was not so keen on SS11. However with AW11 Uncle Karl has made me want to wear Chanel again, yes it is a bit grungy but it is grungy with a French twist meaning everything is actually worth a fortune and paired with the right thing would look elegant and timeless.

or these.

Although I loved the quilted jumpsuit, I could and would never wear it. I also loved the coats and jackets but the boots are what have stuck in my mind. The reason I want the boots is due to my love affair with biker boots, I have a pair (Pierre Hardy for Gap from 3 years ago) that I adore. I adore them so much that I wear them all the time, with anything and now they are in dire need of some TLC from the cobbler. But I can’t stand to take them to be repaired because then I would not be able to wear them, so I need a replacement. Enter Chanel. Yes, they aren’t on sale yet, and no, I couldn’t afford them when they do become available. But a girl can dream, and dream of Chanel, I shall.

Tee for you?

Slogan tees are one of those things that I love but don't wear because I'm not really a t-shirt wearer. However I might have to change my mind, thanks to Erin O'Connor and Kate Halfpenny. They have done a great range of slogan tees (and canvas bags). My fave is the one above, She Died Of Beauty, which is what their great website is called too (go here). The other slogans are equally cool and have already been spotted on Coleen Rooney (don't let that put you off) and Rihanna.

Oh and incase the cute website, great model shots (feat. Erin - well if one half of your team is a super model, why the hell not!) and the catchy slogans weren't enough to convince you, they are all ethically made. So at only £40.00 what more could you want!

Images thanks to www.shediedofbeauty.com

Bag envy

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Rachel Bilson. It is for a combination of reasons, she has pretty hair (though not right now - bad roots, maybe intentional but that doesn't make it okay), she has a huge collection of Chanel and never seems like she's trying to hard. Plus she was Summer Roberts in The O.C. and some of my favourite quotes with friends come from that show and her character ("Just explain it to him, he left. And suddenly there was a hot hot yard guy in the yard - who was hot").

But now I love her because of her bag. It's the new Roberto Cavalli 'Diva' bag which will be available online and instore from November. I know we're living in "the age of austerity" and all that jazz but I think we might be seeing the rise of a new IT bag. Taylor Swift, Natalia Vodianova and Rachel all already have one, of course that may have something to do with them being at the Roberto Cavalli SS10 womanswear show - but I would've gone, you just need to ask and I would've happily taken the bag!

Image thanks to Getty

Seeing red

I have a love affair with red hair. It stems from spider man comics, MJ was a kick ass red head and I wanted to be her. Then MJ went on to the big screen in the Spider Man trilogy and was played by Kirsten Dunst who went red for the role and the love affair continued (although frankly the less said about Spider Man 3 the better).

Inside of me there is a red head waiting to be released. My brown-y/blonde locks have been through the ringer, from highlights (ages 14 - 18) dark brown (19 - 23) an unfortunate plum episode (24) and now faded red-y brown that went blonde in the sun. But really what I want and what my hair wants to is to be auburn! I'm talking Julianne Moore, Christina Hendricks, Karen Elson, Coco Rocha in her red phase!



Everytime I decide I'll leave my hair as it is, that red might not suit me (although it so would) I am confronted by more glorious red heads. This month on the front of Asos magazine is another of my girl crushes Bonnie Wright, who is the wonderful Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films. It's not enough that her parents are jewellery designers, Wright & Teague, she also has beautiful red hair that I covet!

Then inside the mag there is a great editorial with actress Emma Stone, featuring gorgeous clothes but her equally gorgeous red hair! If you don't get Asos magazine, the wonderful folk over at the site have put it up online here. I love the skirt that Emma is wearing in the below pic, ready for my autumn flirtation with skater skirts and maybe even red hair!


Images thanks to asos.com and imdb

Mad about the Girl

I have just discovered a love for Mad Men and have just finished watching series two, (yeah, I know how behind I am). The styling in Mad Men is just immense, the key to detail is superb and costume designer Janie Bryant really does deserve all the credit she is getting.

My favourite character is Betty Draper, I know she's neurotic and a little crazy but I love her. (The boyfriend's fave is Don - I hope that isn't an omen). I think part of the reason I love Betty is that everything appears to be perfect, her hair is always set, the dresses are always perfectly pressed and the make up in place, even if everything around her is crashing down. I on the other hand am the exact opposite, which is why I love blazers. They are my go-to wardrobe piece. I have a basic black Zara one that I throw on with everything and anything, instantly updating a look from casual to smart casual.

So imagine my joy when watching series two and seeing Betty Draper in her riding gear, complete with various blazers. The tweed one in the image above is one of her more basic options. There are all sorts she wears throughout the series.



Yet even her off duty riding look (sans blazer) is immaculate. The cream coat and cashmere jumper, with just the hint of an Hermes scarf poking out under the collar - it's the casual elegance of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly that I wish I possessed.



So even though she's a little nuts I will continue to covet Betty Draper's style and maybe purchase a check blazer, like this £70 Topshop one to attempt to bring a little Betty style into my life.

Images thanks to AMC