I want... Friday fancies.

Some Friday pretty.

All things I have been thinking about this week:

Santorini, pretty bags and holiday tans, stacks of jewellery, An Education and Carey Mulligan, and the pics of Mossy's wedding in US Vogue.

Pics thanks to: The Cool Hunter, style.com, Russh

I want... to be thinner, don't I?

There are some things in life that annoy me; ignorance, people playing their music loudly on their headphones, mushrooms, but the one thing that annoys me more than any of that is diets and dieting, or rather people's obsession with all things weight. Don't get me wrong I would love to be a few pounds lighter (and a few inches taller if we're wishing for things) but talking about it won't make it happen. There is nothing more boring in this world than listening to someone talking about diet plans. I would honestly rather watch paint dry, at least you could get high from the fumes and have some peace and quiet.

I know this is a sensitive subject and this is obviously only my view on it, but recently this has been on my mind a lot. Part of the reason for that is because of someone I work with who is thin, unhealthily so. She is great, so helpful and good at her job but it makes me so sad just looking at her because she is so unwell and that is all I can see. As confident and charming (read: bitchy and outspoken) as I am, I'm not immune from insecurities, especially during "bikini season". Plus I work in fashion where your perspective can become skewed. So I do understand the theory of wanting to be slim but the reality is something I will never get. To me the most sensible thing to do if you want to slim down is to eat less and exercise more. Drinking diet drinks, depriving your body of things you want won't work in the long run because the more you forbid something the more you crave it.

I am not saying this from a preachy point of view, trust me I am not a size zero or too far the other way in case you are thinking I'm typing this from the comfort of my lazy boy whilst sitting on my 24 stone arse. I drink more red wine than is healthy considering one bottle of wine is over my recommended calorie allowance for one day, but I would rather do that than not. If my option was one glass of wine or two glasses of gin and slimline tonic, I'll go for the wine every time (and I love me a G&T). Nothing is likely to piss me off faster than going for dinner and knowing that the people I am with are not reading the menu to see what they'd like for supper but reading it to see which option has the least fat/calories. If you are worried, bring your own food from home like some knobby celebrity or just don't go out for dinner.

I suppose the reason this bothers me so much, is thin isn't always beautiful. There is a difference between thin and slim. Thin is when you are almost unhealthy, when you look like a good meal would make a difference to you. There are slim girls who are gorgeous, Keira Knightly, Alexa Chung, Kate Bosworth, to name a few, but there are also normal size girls with boobs and hips who are equally as stunning. When Beyonce played Glastonbury I went from kind of liking her (and trying to do her booty shake when drunk) to being in proper awe of her. To be able to dance and sing live for 90mins, with only a 5 minute break is amazing. Your body has to be a machine, a healthy machine. So it is possible to be "curvy" (I hate that word) and still look awesome. (I am not stupid I know Beyonce and these other women are curvy in celeb world but slim in the real world.)

Three women, Beyonce, Samara Weaving and Sophia Bush, all gorgeous, all have awesome figures that are slim without being thin or unhealthy. Goes to show it is possible.

Also all of this can apply to men too but if I start on about that I'll be here all day.

Disclaimer: all images are not mine

I Want... To Be On Holiday

Today I am here...



The temperature outside is about 28 degrees. In my air-conditioned office I am wearing a jacket because I am cold. So all things considered, I would rather be here...

Images with thanks to google.com

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I haven’t posted in a while, this isn’t because I’m lazy – well isn't entirely down to my laziness – but because I’m stuck. When I started this blog I was freelancing (that’s what I called it, certain people in my life - Father, the boyfriend - liked to call it being unemployed). Regardless of the label I was spending the majority of my time thinking about fashion rather than actually surrounding myself with it. So the blog was a way to keep my hand in. However recently I have found fashion inspiration somewhat lacking, my job (actual job – all members of the family circle agree on this) is thinking, talking and writing about fashion. And as all social smokers eventually find out, too much of a good thing is bad for the lungs.

So this post heralds a blog change. I’ll still post about fashion because to be honest most things I want, like and think about are fashion based, but I will also post about other things. If you readers out there (all 3 of you who I probably saw at the pub on Saturday) are upset by this I’m sorry, but not that sorry because frankly there are a billion other, much better and more regularly updated fashion blogs out there so go read them. But do come back here to read my thoughts on all manner of things, from wine to politics, to holidays and Beyonce.

But as I am not one to leave the masses wanting, here are my current favourite fashion blogs –

Richgirlsss – An Aussie based, bit of everything fashion blog. This is a new find for me but I'm already a big fan of her style and inspiration.

Garance Dore – This is a bit of a blog classic, on every best blog list there is. She appeals to my desire to be French and fabulous.

Tuula Vintage – Another Aussie blog. This one is more of a personal style blog, her style is slightly edgier than my dream style but she has great hair and cool photos.

Fashion Me Now – This is a London based fashion girl, with a great eye and very cool personal style (though she doesn’t post that many pictures of herself).

Notting Hill Girl – An Aussie living in West London, not exactly a rare phenomenon but one of the best blog about it I know. This is part personal style blog, part general inspiration.

The Sartorialist – If you haven’t heard of this blog then shame on you and your blogging knowledge, it’s like proper famous. So famous people are kinda over it but I still think it’s pretty.

Vanessa Jackman – Great blog for “fashion snaps” but with words. Plenty of pretty to be found.

We the People – Street style fashion blog based in Sydney. Love seeing the fashion on the other side of the world but also because I would quite like to live out there as I have mentioned before.

Il etait une fois – Another Aussie blog, I know this is becoming a bit of a trend but what can I say, I like their style.

And finally, it’s not fashion but I am obsessed by this blog…

The Beauty Department – A beauty blog, from Lauren Conrad (yep her of MTV reality show fame) and her hair and make up team. It has great hints and tips and makes it look easy.

Illustration by Garance Dore

Hair Hair

Sometimes I want things I can't have. This happens quite often when I see a celebrity or model with a new haircut. I start to convince myself I want that too. I almost get as far as booking an appointment before I remember that I look about 18 and my face is the same shape as the moon so a pixie crop on me will make me look like a 12 year old choir boy. Or that part of my charm is my inherent laziness so anything that requires effort (like a choppy bob) is a waste of time because effort is something I refuse to put in.

Doesn't mean I can't look at the pretty though and think, I want her hair.

Images thanks to Instyle.co.uk and Dianna Agron tumblr

Happy Birthday to me...

It is very nearly my birthday.

I am not a birthday person, I enjoy the presents (as any shallow, object obsessed person does) but I hate the focus. I hate it being all about me; my birthday, my day, my decisions. The irony is on any other day I adore it being about me and am prone to throw a strop if it isn't.

This birthday I am particularly dreading. It has been brought to my attention that I am in fact not getting any younger and this birthday will not only add a year to my life but will push me into the next box on official forms. My last birthday whilst not as "nothing" as I thought it would be, was not as bad for me as it was for some of my friends. I dealt with last year in quite a grown up fashion, however on this birthday, despite it being a school night I fully intend to get drunk and possible cry about my wasted youth.

There are a few things that might make my birthday more bearable....

A Daisy Knights chakra bracelet (available at my wardrobe).

Laduree macaroons.

Vintage cocktail glasses, a cocktail shaker and a bottle of Noilly Pratt (all part of my quest for the perfect Martini).

Angus & Julia Stone to serenade me, specifically with And The Boys (but I'm not fussy), if they aren't available then it'd be great if Adele could pop round with tickets for her London dates.

Images thanks to Laduree, Daisy Knights, Google. Videos thanks to youtube.com

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