Candle Extravaganza

I have found a new love of candles and waxwork.

It all started at the beginning of winter when it became too cold for me to sit outside my backdoor to smoke, so I would stay inside and burn a few candles to burn away the smoke. Then I went a step further and bought some scented candles, which evidently produced a nicer smell than smoke. Then after a visit from family who saw I had candles, I received a lot of candles as Christmas gifts, all different shapes, sizes, scents and colours and I was most grateful. Sometimes it is a shame to use them though.

Then I came across DL & Company who produce collections of some of the most beautiful products I've ever seen from candles to stationary. It all has quite a gothic feel about it and their stuff would make great gifts.

Here are some of my favourite candles that I would like to receive. They are quite expensive though if you were to actually use them, but I'm sure they are more for decoration than covering up smokey smells.

This black skull candle with the snake (quite an obvious choice of mine) is amazing and would sit perfectly on my cabinet in between my white skull candle and my scientist skull.

Then you see this hand candle ( A.K.A 'The Hand-le'). I used the burning image because it is just so brilliant!

But this is my absolute favourite and I want it so bad! It is an actual size head and neck candle and is more like a sculpture of wax. It has the size and the weight to make me want to splash out $450 dollars on it.

And the wick is on the inside so she crys wax out of her eyes! Oh my, if there is anything I want this year it is this! I would definitely burn it once to get the wax down her face and leave it as a talking piece, then just burn tealight candles from the pound shop.

Dear Saint Valentine,

Please send this to me!

It's The Shoooes

Maybe not as extreme, but these are a great, more wearable way to wear this animal skin trend through the summer without any snapped ankles.

Good ol' Jeffrey Cambell.

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2010

Or I am also tempted by these classic, red hot, black strap wedge boots by Sam Edelman. They're the perfect kind of equestrian/ bondage that I could really get used to.

I really would just feel like a true HOEmie in these and the new Ashish sweat pants from the Topshop collection.

Excited!

Black is the new Black

As a swift follow on from the last post, here is a band that I do love and deserves mentioning. After accidently stumbling upon a Black Sabbath tribute band last night in Dalston, I have realized how I have been neglecting my passion for them. I got there just in time to hear this brilliant band do all my favorite Black Sabbath songs extremely well and just drunk enough to get as close as possible and really enjoy myself. The bottom half of my legs and my neck are paying for my enjoyment though.

Here is my tribute.

Kesha...

....NO!
That is enough now. No more music that sounds exactly the same and does not have any point to it at all, apart from this young girl who might have fun for about a year and carry on brushing her teeth with "Jack" which will probably lead to a crack habit. So NO I will not put my hands up and NO the party doesn't start when you walk in. So F**k Off.

If you want to find out more about this girl, watch a lot of T4 or Viva music channel.

Pastels Darling

So S/S 10 is definitely upon us, not outside but in the fashion world and is fast becoming Autumn/ Winter again but I love to see the positivity and freshness of summer and got very excited when I opened Dazed and Confused and saw this quite spooky use of Spring/ Summer done beautifully by Katie Shillingford.

I absolutely love the idea of all the pretty pastel colours and pretty floaty fabrics, with whimsical prints, but it isn't me and I would love to show images of myself in this trend, but I won't as I don't (as of yet) own anything in this, but I am getting more and more drawn to it for some reason. I'm guessing as it's a new year and a lot of things are changing for the better in my life, that I am going to just go with it and introduce more than tones into my wardrobe.

I'm excited about this and as I grow my hair out and welcome all change I think I will start my journey straight to the shop and break myself in with a packet of my favorite pastels, then by taking inspiration from summer, mixing it with some classic pieces, a splash of talc and bobs your uncle.

Oh Dior Couture...

... There will come a day when I don't just long to view the images of the Dior Couture shows, but I will be there and I will cry..

.. And I'm not ashamed of that.

A Taste of DOOM..

So, after struggling to get in after a grand night out this weekend, I half remember being woken up by the boyf asking to use my bank card for something... I was very sleepy due to the early hour and celebrating a new freedom of mine with friends, left quite intoxicated, so I must have said yes.

The next day I kind of remembered and thought it was a dream and when I asked about what exactly had happened and what had I just bought I was answered with this...

Excited squeals of MF DOOM playing at Camden Roundhouse on March 5th that we are both attending! Yeah. Now I have a constant struggle to remember who MF DOOM is out of many names that get thrown at me in conversation about hip hop, I do think I am getting the hang of it all though, he's Madvillain with Madlib, Danger Doom with DangerMouse and something else to do with J Dilla. Anyway even though I was tricked into buying these tickets for the show I am actually quite excited now.

The whole weekend is a Taste of Sonar mini festival that gets everyone ready for the actual festival which happens every year in Barcelona. Since I am not expecting to go to that festival, (unless I unconsciously buy tickets for it another night) this one will be a great substitute.

As you may have guessed I am not an extreme fan of this artist, even though you think I would be by the amount of records I am made to listen to but I am sure it's going to be amazing.

That is he even turns up, I heard he doesn't own a passport and when he has played at other gigs he has just sent other people to mime to his records, he can get away with this because no one will know as he always wears the Gladiator mask when performing. Which is good in one way because he is a true Villain and can do as he pleases but not so good for his true fans that pay good money to go and see him.

So all in all, I hope he's there and this is one of my favorites...

ASH!SH

I am absolutely Loving Ashish and everything they do, from the catwalk to the high street Topshop collaboration, I can't get enough!!

I know that everyone has seen them and knows how good they are, but still not having bought these boots makes me very sad and I am sure they are the first things I will buy as soon as the christmas pocket sore is over and I can happily get back to buying gifts for myself all year round.

And so now they are bringing out a new collection for Topshop (around the beginning of Feb) and producing even more things that I cant get enough of (black, comfortable, studs) I am even more confused as I don't know what I will be doing this year but I know I must be wearing this spiky biker jacket each day that I do it. Maybe even these trousers too.

The collection also includes some luxury jersey sweat pants and cropped jumpers, simple shapes and cosy fabrics. I like the idea of being extremely comfortable in joggers and jumpers, hopefully I would look more superstar than sports casual.

I have been thinking of avoiding Topshop for a long time, for many reasons, but I may have to succumb to the power of the green and painfully hand over cash for this one!

Marc Jacobs has said he is "tired of seeing young girls wearing black and studs. "It's not such an individual expression," he said after his terrific Spring show, the underlying message of which could've been, duh, be an individual."

I do also so have a real soft spot for the ol' Marc Jacobs but I always have and always will be wearing black and studs, whether it be on trend or not, it's just a bonus when it is and I just get called a goth when it's not! Oh fashion, how you mock me.

Del Largerfield

Not everyday you go back up to Sheffield and after preparing to dress for a fashionable New Years Evening come down to get a swift vodka and vimto then bump into the one and only Karl Lagerfield.

Happy New Year All x

Where The Wild Things Are...

...So Yes, I went to see Where The Wild Things Are and I loved it.
I do kind of remember having the book as a child, or it was my big sister's, but either way I recognised the book and story when I first heard the movie was coming out. From then I have heard all the details from my boyf, who was and still obviously into the story and before I found out the Tagline for the film, I honestly do believe there is one in all of us, but mostly him.

I was feeling bad suffering from another extreme head cold in the independent cinema that we went to but it wasn't busy in there and although I wasn't disturbing many people, the sound of my snotty roars were louder, until I learnt to disguise them behind the screaming that was on the film. I like how the film was so simple, with only the same characters throughout and so little actually happening, but so good to watch, I think that's what gets your attention for so long.

Not going to go into too much detail about this, except I loved it so much I cried quite heavily at the end and the beginning scene was my absolute favourite where the main lad is just going mental all over his house and that's the kind of thing I could relate to, this is also mostly what I remember from my childhood. Funtimes.

Material Girl

I recently got the chance to spend a lovely day down by the riverside, taking in good food smells, people watching and hanging around the Tate Modern. The Pop Life: Art In A Material World exhibition was on and with a sneaky blag (of my boyf's mum being a member) we got in to see it for free.

As I have mentioned in previous posts I know nothing about art except what I like, which is mostly funny art, or art that mocks life or art itself. So this exhibition is probably the most perfect for me to visit. From the minute you walked in, to the minute you walked out was so bright, rude, funny, disturbing, politically incorrect and just so wonderful. There was so much to see and remember so I suggest you might just want to read through the rooms here.

My favourite rooms were definately the Keith Haring Pop Shop, Maurizio Cattelan, Pruitt Early and Jeff Koons. Jeff Koons private Over 18's Only room was one of my favourites, just because it was quite "hard" to enjoy, ha, "enjoy" being a very "loose" term as the whole room was full of oversized pornographic pictures. The awkwardness of looking at anal entry and knowing how long to stare at a, more than life sized, ejaculating penis was fascinating and funny to me. Trying to watch other people's reactions at the same time was hilarious. Oh and me tripping over the clear perspex barrier into the huge sculpture of "lovers"in the centre of the room. I am 25 now but maybe I shouldn't have been allowed to go in there.

Keith Haring's Pop Shop was an exact replica of his Pop Shop that he opened in 1986 in New York, the whole room was completely covered in his graffiti style scribbles and drawings, it was so simple and at the same time, there was so much to look at. His work was brightly framed and hung around the walls with, a small booth in one of them for purchasing classic t-shirts and pins.

I am struggling to get hold off any good examples of this exhibition to share my excitement, so I just think you should go and see for yourself.

Tate Modern:1st October 2009 - 17th January 2010

Illness

Thought I would catch up on the blogging, I've been pretty lame since I have been working many late nights, discovering Ebay takes up a lot of time and also fitting in some kind of life in between. Well all this has come to another holt as I have taking up not going to work for a couple of days due to illness which is beyond my control and I cannot explain.

Symptoms: Fever, Nausea, Shakes, at first I thought I may have been wearing myself down thinking too much about "life" and what is what and where to go and what to do. These thoughts have been taking up a lot of my time recently. Then I thought maybe because where I work it is 1000 degrees and running around all day sweating, then walking outside and waiting for buses in the cold wind and rain has probably taken is tole.

All the factors are probably just moulding into one feverish problem now that I have to get myself out of. Today, I will try to tackle the illness by bathing out the sweats and not let this beat me. I will get dressed and drink tea and maybe try and go to the shop for some goodness.

I will mostly be wearing these:

Maybe on my way out I will find the other half to wear these snuggly all in ones! I don't know how my actual other half would feel about that, but until he lets go and embraces the thermal onesie's I think I'll keeping my eye out...and so will he if he ever saw me in one.

What's Black, White and Red All Over..?

Marc by Marc Jacobs. S/S 10


Luella. S/S10

Josh Goot. S/S10

..Ok, not necessarily red, but Black, white and a bright colour is the new black for Spring/ Summer 10 collections, these are a few of my favourite combinations.

All polka dot...? Who would have thought. Well, stripes are allowed too!

Miss Van

Last night I was invited to an exhibition at StolenSpace in East London, to see thee Miss Van from Barcelona (and her work). I almost changed my mind because after a hardcore day, my feet were hurting and I was very tired from my week of early mornings. Anyway, I did go and I was pleasantly suprised. Now I am no artiste and have no knowledge of the good, the bad and the ugly, but I will just say what I liked and why.

Miss Van had one room with her new collection of gothic, cute, twisted fashion style drawing, paintings and illustrations titled LOVESTAIN. The style was beautiful and still quite raw, with messy pencil lines coming through the paint and ink. The Lovesatin collection looked great on the walls, with antique frames for some and paintings on wooden logs for others, there was also a section with a repeated image framed and each face had been decorated in different masks, make-up, hats and other interesting things. In the bigger space there was an archive of her older work, which wasn't my fave as some of it was a bit too kitsch for me and the really early stuff was too girly.
For anyone that enjoys fashion, art, make-up, theatre, fake hair and funny faces you should definatley check this out.

As I don't didn't know anything out this artist, I have had a snoop about and she has also buddied up with designer and goldsmith Katrin Bauer to create a selection of jewellery using the "le biche" as the main inspiration, as well as wooden pins and cute nik naks.

I don't actually get art, it actual makes me quite nervous. My boyfriend is an artist and I know many other artists, who are all completely different. I like funny, simple art. I like things that make me laugh and almost mocks art. I get very wary of "artists" that rip everything apart and pick at tiny details to create a meaning. This means I am wary of being in a room full of artists talking to me about the meaning and the work, when all I want to say is I like the colours or the lips and not have to justify it.

Free booze is always a bonus though.

Ranya Mordanova....

...Is a friggin' babe!!

And a great model (of course), but I couldn't stop myself from blogging about her as I have seen her in a lot of the S/S10 shows. I get a feeling we will all see a lot more of her through out next year.
For Rodarte she pulls off some serious (hate to say it) fierce poses, then can look totally adorable and cute in the Topshop Unique collection, with her hair in bunches and pop socks.

Rodarte S/S10 RTW

Paul Smith Women S/S10 RTW

Topshop Unique S/S10

Topshop Unique S/S10

I love the fact that the black bob is coming back in as I knew sporting it for the last 16 years would pay off. Even though now there is the task of what to do when you walk past some-one with the exact same hair cut as you.. I feel like a classic car collector or bus driver and get a real urge to nod or wave at the person like you, but I don't think people like this.

As well as Ranya wearing it well my other faves are of course..

Audre Tautou in Amelie

Thora Birch in Ghost World

The Girl in the Diet Coke Adverts

Show Me Your (Topshop) Wardrobe

After the show and more than a few cheeky glasses of champagne there was only one thing to do..go and carry on drinking and say hello to our fellow Topshoppers and explain our day but not leave with out letting Jackie Dixon take our picture as she has been doing a wonderful job of celebrating a year of her wonderful, addictive blog Show Me Your Wardrobe by kindly coming into store each day of LFW to capture customers individual styles and adding fancy pieces to jazz people up.

You can check out every day so far on the Topshop Facebook page,

Here was our shot..

A Couple of quick pics..

...from my mobile phone as my camera is currently dead.

Sir Phillip Green, Kate Moss, Chloe Green and Lady Tina Green

Jamie Winstone, Peaches Geldoff, Alexa Chung and others..

The backdrop and catwalk

This is Rachel, Jemma, Caroline and Dominique in front of the wall, which is what I was actually taking a photo of.

Topshop Unique Show

All images from LFW website.

I usually associate Sunday afternoons with comfy oversized clobber, chunky dinners and matinees but instead yesterday was filled with fancy fashion folk, finger foods and free flowing champagne.

I really enjoyed watching Topshop's Unique collection go down the industrial catwalk in Topshop's ShowSpace yesterday, it was full of surf inspired pieces, casual mixed with tailored jackets and latex under garments. It was another fun collection which had great styling again by Katie Grand.

As with all Topshop Unique shoes, they got my neck twisting trying to figure out my favourite pairs and as always I choose the thickest and chunkiest style (the boots in the second image).

The show was jam packed with celebs and VIPs such as Kate Moss, Phillip Green and his family, Alexa Chung, Jamie Winstone, Peaches Geldoff and many more. I'm sure there are a few things that they would all like to get their hands on. All in all it was a brilliant day.

Team Peter

Recently I was asked by a friend to join to help on the new Peter Andre video, she was assisting the stylist and this is where i would have been more comfortable, but instead she asked me to appear in the video, after a lot of no's and only if's I agreed. I am glad I did as it was a great day out dressing up and poncing around for fun. I'm also glad that in the end she was in it too, as well as another one of our friends, Robert, not Peter
The video is out now and includes my arms and the back of my head! Brilliant.

Not Working and Finding Funny Things

Finding amusing signs on walls and objects that have been a long standing jokes for most of my life are all well and good, but mocking people with missing limbs is not funny, neither is trying to take a photo of them without getting tutted at by passers by.

I just couldn't resist this one armed man (looks like he has no arms but he was smoking with the other) outside an amusements arcade in Bournemouth. If I could draw I would have sketched it into some kind of catchphrase style game and called him Mr Chips.

Alice, Alice Who The ..... Is Alice

Just wanted to mention how excited I am for the Tim Burton Version of Alice In Wonderland, released March 2010.
Since watching the trailer for the movie I have not been able to stop thinking about it. This is bad as there is quite a long time bewtween now and the release date and I'm far too excited, far to early.

Everything is reminding me of it too, this morning on the bus, I had my Ipod on shuffle and heard White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, Clarence in Wonderland by Mr Bungle and Forward to Death by Dead Kennedys, this one isn't relevant but still a good shuffle choice!

I am now just waiting to bump into bald male twins with black and white stripey t-shirts and red braces to tip me over the edge!

La Vie En Rose

Not knowing much about Edith Piaf and getting quite annoyed by the song that was used on the Specsavers advert, I was invited to learn more and watch the Biopic movie of this Parisian lady's life.

It was absolutely amazing. Visually beautiful, fashionably stunning and pleasant on the ear. The film starts at the end and skips back and forth from her childhood to her life growing up, left by her mother, raised in a brothel, taken back by her father who forces her to entertain a crowd in the street for money, which is where she learns she has the most wonderful voice at the age of 9. The story carries on through her life, loves and to her liver failure.

Not giving too much away, but the whole film is both inspirational and tragic, and keeps your emotions busy throughout.

Now I feel as if I know Edith Piaf and want to go and sing my heart out all over town. But I won't, don't worry! 

Watch it!

Killer Heels..

I tried these on and have fallen for them, i would probably fall in them too, but I think a hospital trip would be worth it!
John Galliano Autumn/Winter OOOOOOooooh 9..

Wooden Bolts..

These are two boys that sing and play instruments and I like the way they do it, so listen to this and keep your eye out for gigs in London, Sheffield, Leeds and anywhere else they can travel to.

Tits and Arse...

I definately want to go to London's Fashion & Textile Museum to see what was going on down under in the ol' days and make myself feel better about the pain and struggle that I have with underwear and to see what they went through, as well as setting the Glamour for us lot now!!
"The exhibition presents a visual demonstration of how female underwear has evolved as women’s role in society changed. It encompasses the changing trends from the ‘flatten it’ to the ‘push it up’ to the ‘let it all hang out’! "
A decision that pops up (and over) everyday..

Opens June 12th!

WALLPAPER* MAGAZINE...

...Will soon be launching the July Issue with a 20 page story of the Erotic House inspired Soft Furnishing photo shoot on which I assisted Francesca Burns with the styling.

The story was an idea from legendary graphic designer Peter Saville and shot by Nick Knight, a photographer that I have been following ever since I bought my first issue of Vogue.

So being involved with this project was quite a privilege. 

The whole shoot was filmed and shown as a live feed to the ShowStudio website, where you can find interviews and behind the scenes footage.

What Did I Just Say...

Just seen that Dazed & Confused are reading it and lovin' it!!

I tell thee... He's a good un'... Keep your eyes out.

Comic comic comic comicameleon..

Here is a man who is quite fancy with a pencil in his hand, a cahon between his legs and pretty much anything that he touches!!

Tom J Newell is the talk of the (London and Sheffield) town with his finger in a few artistic pies since the launch of his new well awaited comic, PICTORIAL SHOWBOAT.





This is a hand drawn, 18 page, tonal comic created with hardcore love for things you may know such as Biggie (Notourious), MF DOOM, street art, folk, meaningless pictures and chez referencing plus loads more that I forget about. It is worth reading through a good few times so that nothing is missd!!

My faves, Urban Street Artists, Santa Cruz, Pull Out Poster (Centre fold) and .. well all of it actually...