Fur Real?

One of my favourite things to wear during this winter has been my Musquash fur coat, which I got from my Grandmother when she downsized to an apartment. I don't condone real fur being used in fashion nowadays but with vintage fashion I don't have a problem with it. As far as I'm concerned they're beautiful pieces and shouldn't be wasted. I haven't had any paint thrown over me yet so hopefully people have finally realised we can appreciate vintage fur without having to hark on about animal rights all the time. Most of the fur we see in vintage stores is from the 60's, and refusing to wear it isn't going to resurrect the animals any time soon. Controversial? Maybe.

In the outfit posted above I've teamed my fur with my new leather panelled trousers from Urban Outfitters, a scarf which used to be my Mum's and striped beret from Topshop. My shoes are also Topshop and I've pulled UO grey socks over them for a slightly different look. I'd really love to try this with some long leggings over heels but at 5'10 I find it hard to find leggings which extend over my ankles let alone long enough to pull over heels. I'll just have to keep looking!

Bisous, R xox

Purple Reign

I knew I had to have this colour as soon as I saw it. Similar to the colours used by YSL and Louis Vuitton for their SS 11, it's called Cyber by Mac. It's actually my first Mac lipstick I've bought, I never seem to have enough disposable cash to buy good quality makeup but with a colour like this you pretty much need to go for quality, to avoid looking like you're dressing up for halloween. I wasn't disappointed. Lovely bold, strong, statement colour to spruce up an outfit. I think it's lush :)

London Living

My first term at London College of Fashion has been a manic one and a as a result I've guiltily neglected my blog. I've decided as one of my (early) New Year Resolutions to take it up again, along with detoxing, healthy eating and to stop eating my body weight in Mince Pies.
Bisous funny faces,
R xox

If it ain't broke...

For a couple of years now I've fallen head over heels for Vintage clothes and Im pretty sure it's going to be a life-long love affair. The thing that puts alot of people off, the idea of someone else wearing it first, is one of the main attractions for me. I like to think that each garment or piece of jewellery has a story behind it and I'm wearing a tiny little bit of history. I'm also a bit of a believer that they just don't make 'em like they used to! Vintage clothes have a quality about them that modern clothes don't, and at the end of the day you're not going to look like just another Topshop clone if you're wearing something from 30 years ago.

Vintage can be expensive but it can also be a cheaper alternative to the highstreet if you know where to look. My favourite places to shop Vintage tend to be down Brick Lane and Portobello areas. Brick Lane has a couple of Rokit stores, which sell pretty cheap vintage, and also have a website, www.rokit.co.uk which is a good option if you don't like trawling round the shops all day. I'm also pretty sure they have a returns policy on the website which is obviously essential with vintage, as you have no idea what the size is going to be like.
An even cheaper way of wearing vintage (and by that i mean free!)is to root through all your parents old stuff. I've found some great dresses, jumpers and skirts that my mum used to wear back in the day and it cost me absolutely nothing. Perfect!

When wearing vintage you want to mix it up with some old and new stuff so you don't overdo it and just look like you've stepped out of the 1970's or some "Back To The Future" esque storyline. I love that movie :)

The pictures above is what I wore the other day when I met a friend, and fellow blogger, for lunch, http://toparistonight.blogspot.com/. My mum's drop waist dress, Alan the adorable Dachshund bag, beret from Primark and shoes from Topshop. Let me know what you think :)

R xoxoxoxoxox

Malene Birger Au/Wi

A couple of weeks ago I did a week of work experience with a local magazine that's part of the newspaper my Dad works for. It wasn't exactly Vogue but I had a really good week and was given the opportunity to write and layout my own article to go in the magazine, about Au/Wi trends. I interviewed local boutiques, got press passes for photos and enjoyed working a couple of desks down from my Dad who is my one and only favourite.

Whilst writing the article I came across a designer Malene Birger who was stocked by one of the local boutiques and fell in love with the clothes instantly. Simple but very stunning. Unfortunately I don't have much idea of prices as the look book for press doesn't specify. Very annoying, but some of the SS Collection is available on Net-a-porter so it gives you a rough idea. Thought I'd post a few pictures for you all to drool over, because if you're anything like me you'll love it all.

My favourites are definitely going to have to be the leather trews and square shouldered silk dresses. I'm also a bit of a sucker for the grey joggers but heels are going to be essential when wearing those, to avoid just looking like your out on a run or being mistaken for a chav (god-forbid!)

Lots of love,

R xoxoxoxox

Barry M, Mint Green.

A delicious summer colour, I'm in love with this nail polish.

Fringe Benefits

I've spent the last 4 months trying to grow my fringe out and I've now reached a semi-acceptable beyond nose level- but as irony would have it I now want to cut it back in. I love the effortless cool of fringes and if you've got the right face for them, they can look amazing. If you're gonna do fringes there's only really two ways:
Thick, heavy, over the eyebrows, especially good if you've got thick hair like me. A modern version of beautiful Jean Shrimpton's late 60's haircut.
Or short, hot rolled and noticeably above the eyebrows. Think Dita Von Teese meets the retro "Page Boy" haircut. For the more eccentric.
When you're growing them out you can also opt for the centre parting, "curtains" which look alot cooler than they sound. Alexa Chung, Jameela Jamil, they're all doing it.
Fringes have been around for a while now, but I think it's more about having the right face than being in fashion. And if Marc Jacobs doing fringes on his AW10 catwalks, it's good enough for me!
As my hair is naturally curly and out of control when in contact with water I'm going to leave the fringe for after the Summer Hols and see if I still fancy it in September, when my hairs a bit longer and can keep my forehead warm in the colder months!

R xoxoxox

Puppy Love

I've got a gorgeous tabby cat who I LOVE to bits, but I've got my eye on a new pet. A lovely little sausage dog called Alan. He only exists in my mind at present but when I've got a place of my own I'm determined Alan will be one of my first purchases.

For the meantime I might have to satisfy my needs with one of these, a Dachsund Bag from dutchbydesign.com. A bit of a novelty bag but I think they're divine and perfect for me! A pet dog that doesn't need cleaning up after and is just as fashionable as its owner ;) !

R xoxoxox

The Enchanted Palace

This exhibition in on at Kensington Palace currently and is amazing. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in fashion, art or fantasy fairytales. I've never been to Kensington Palace before but it's been transformed into an "Enchanted Palace" with artists and designers such as Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest and Stephen Jones using different rooms to create art installations reflecting different historical stories and figures from the past. As a complete history and fashion geek it goes without saying that I loved it.
Most of the rooms had blacked out windows and the whole exhibition followed quite a spooky and almost sinister theme with bare trees and shadows reflected on the walls and ceilings. One of my favourite rooms was "The Room of Dancing Princesses" which was filled with bare, leafless tress and had the dresses of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana, posed in dancing stances, both tragic stories in their own ways.
Another very striking installation was Vivienne Westwood, who's work I adore anyway. Her room was a huge sweeping staircase called the Room of Flight, which depicted the story of one princess who married for love but later died during childbirth. The dress was placed standing on the staircase and was very ghostly without mannequin or body inside. A simple but powerful statement.

I apologise for the poor photography of the exhibition, cameras weren't allowed so it was very much a sneaky and shoddy job from my bag.

Lots of love, R xoxoxox

Postcards from Paris

I have a lovely boy. I wish I could have gone with him this time, but we'll make it to Paris together, sometime. xox

Fashion Trends and Fashion Colleges.

A fashion trend that is really present in my mind at the moment and that I'm predicting will be big Au/Wi is the Midi length. The maxi trend is huge at the moment, as it always seems to be during the Summer, and spending Saturday at Henley Regatta with a couple of friends from home and the boy it was everywhere. But with different seasons approaching I think it's time to jazz it up a bit and try something different. The length you should be looking for is somewhere below your knees and above your ankles and looks great- a sort of "Vintage Chic". It creates an elegant and feminine look but is so much more practical than the maxi length and gives an opportunity to show off some killer heels too! I'm thinking pleats, floaty, "sways as you walk" type skirts, but you can also opt for the fuller, 50's skirts with a clinched in waist to show off some real womanly curves. Actress Melina Mercouri does it perfectly- tank top, belt, lighter than air skirt.

I also found out last week that I have received a place at London College of Fashion to study Womenswear: Fashion Design next year which I am thrilled about and cannot wait to start now! The thought of studying and living in London is so so exciting and I'm very blessed to have such an opportunity. Now to sort out accommodation and those all important student loans!

All for now folks, over and out

R xoxoxox

New Bloginnings

I have been enjoying a divine 4 month long summer for almost a month and I'm already ashamedly bored and craving to do something creative and put my endless days to good use so..here is my latest project. A blog.
I recently finished a Foundation Degree at UCA Farnham specialising in Fashion Design and despite the sleepless nights and racked up bills of pritsticks, paper and sketchbooks I loved my whole experience and met some lovely lovely people!
With a pastime as a complete history geek and combined crush on Tony Robinson from Time Team I did have doubts at the end of last Summer about which direction I wanted to head in, a toss-up between Fashion and Classical Civilisation, but this year has really confirmed that I must be involved in Fashion in some way in order to lead a happy existence. To put it bluntly.
What I'm doing next year is still completely up in the air so for now I'm looking for internships in Fashion and Fashion Journalism and enjoying my time to do whatever I want to do.

Thats all for now chaps,

R xoxoxox