Happy New Year

Source: Flickr

Happy New Year... let's hope this year is a good one.

Returning home

As the Christmas and New Year periods draw to a close, my mind turns to returning home to my own flat and getting my living arrangements back to normal. As much as I love Christmas time with the tree, fairy lights and decorations, I also look forward to putting them away for another year and having a good re-think on new changes to make my space a better place. 

So who better to turn to for inspiration than Domestic Bliss writer Rita Konig. I have followed editorials on her styling for a few years now and am always comforted by her cosy looking living space, she always creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere in her homes. I like her mix of vintage with quality pieces, there is always lots of things to look at which I take any day over minimalism, I love the flea-market look with lots of cute objects - here are some pics from an editorial in Domino magazine.

Music is My Boyfriend

I love music, all different kinds of music for different moods and different times of the day and I'm always looking to discover new artists. Currently on my ipod is the list below but I'd love to hear more of your suggestions.

Air, Amp Fiddler, Amy Winehouse, April March, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Aretha Franklin, Ashlee Simpson, Au Revoir Simone, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Beck, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Blondie, The Brand New Heavies, Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music, Calvin Harris, Cansei De Ser Sexy, Cat Power, The Corrs, The Cranberries, The Cure, Daft Punk, Damage, Dead or Alive, Death Cab for Cutie, Deep Dish, Depeche Mode, Destiny’s Child, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Donell Jones, Drizabone, Duran Duran, Dusty Springfield, Earth Wind & Fire, Edith Piaf, Estelle, Feist, Fergie, Foreigner, Francoise Hardy, Frank Sinatra, Frou Frou, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Gabriella Cilmi, Goldfrapp, Gomez, Gorillaz, Grace Jones, Gwen Stefani, Hard-Fi, Heaven 17, Hilary Duff, Hot Chip, Ian Brown, Jamiroquai, Japan, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, John Foxx, John Parish and Polly Jean Harvey, Journey, Joy Division, Justice, Justin Timberlake, Kelis, The Killers, The Kills, Kings of Leon, The Kooks, Kraftwerk, KT Tunstall, Kylie Minogue, Ladytron, The Last Shadow Puppets, Leonard Cohen, The Like, Lionel Richie, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force, Loose Ends,  Lou Reed, Lucy Pearl, Madonna, Mark Ronson, MC Solaar, MGMT, Michael Jackson, Minnie Riperton, Mozart, Nancy Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Natasha Bedingfield, Nelly Furtado, New Order, New York Dolls, New Young Pony Club, Nigel Kennedy, Nina Simone, Nirvana, Noisettes, Nouvelle Vague, Oasis, OK Go, Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark, Patti Smith, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John & Victoria Bergsman, Pharrell Williams, PJ Harvey, Placebo, Portishead, The Presets, Prince, Propaganda, The Pussycat Dolls, Q-Tip, Q Lazzarus & Garvey, REM, Robert Palmer, The Rolling Stones, September, Serge Gainsbourg, She & Him, Skunk Anansie, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Sneaker Pimps, Snow Patrol, Soft Cell, Sonic Youth, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Stone Roses, Talking Heads, Timbaland, Toni Braxton, Toots & the Maytals,, U2, Vampire Weekend, Vanessa Paradis, The Velvet Underground, Was (Not Was), The White Stripes, Yann Tierson, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Zero 7, 2Pac, 50 Cent 

Marie-Antoinette

I thought I would share with you one of my Christmas gifts, aren't these little trinket boxes adorable? They reminded me very much of the Sophia Coppola film Marie-Antoinette. Although I'm not a major fan of period dramas, as a lover of all things feminine, you can't fail to be seduced by the opulence, pastel hues and sweet delights on offer in the film.  Every scene is a visual feast, it is a film I can watch over and over and I really want to get my hands on the book by Antonia Fraser, I'll probably read it while listening to the fabulously selected Soundtrack.

Dreamy Christmas

Source: flickr gina4xoxoxo

I can't believe how busy the last few days have been. I now have two and a half weeks off work which is fantastic but the days are going by so fast. I love this time of year, so it's all enjoyable but leaves little time for blogging. Once Christmas is out of the way, I'll have more time to spend on the blog. I'm still new to this and there are so many things I want to do.

So until then.... Merry Christmas everyone.

Rome circa 1963

I was looking at this image again taken by The Sartorialist and fell in love just a little bit. It reminded me so much of a Fellini film albeit a colour version and the title was so apt that it made me want to visit Italy and hang out drinking espresso.

Icon - Camille Bidault-Waddington

Camille Bidault-Waddington is one of my favourite style icons, she is always ahead of the trends, if not the one creating them. She arrived from France in 1997 as a freelance Stylist and has since worked with renowned photgraphers Juergen Teller, Mario Testino and Terry Richardson; has worked on projects for Marc by Marc Jacobs, Byblos and Pucci; and collaborated in publications Dazed & Confused, The Face, Pop, Vogue Italia, Vogue Nippon and Vogue China.

An impressive CV but more importantly, she has great personal style. She appears quite natural and thrown-together but in a way that only the super-stylish French can. This picture caused an argument in my work office, by a colleague who could not understand for one moment that this ensemble could possibly be regarded as anything other than a joke.

How could you look at this outfit and think it could be a joke? Is it the colour combination? Is it the excessive gold chains? The overall charity-shop effect maybe?

No matter, in my eyes she can do no wrong and I know that what she creates is what the rest of us will be wearing, be it in a few years time.

Toys for grown-ups

Source: brownsfashion.com

How delightful are these Alber Elbaz designed china dolls? With 7 to choose from and only 800 of each set being made, they will be individually signed and numbered and are based on the Spring/Summer 08/09 Lanvin collection. Put your name on the waiting list now, but maybe at £210 each, they are a little too precious to be played with?

Pastel Thoughts

havetolove

In the summer, I found a great boutique, not far from where I live, called havetolove. Although it is possible to find designer fashion in Newcastle - we have Fenwick and Cruise for the big names; it is still great to come across independent boutiques that sell the smaller labels that you are unlikely to find in the larger shops. I like to think that this means it is less likely to see everyone else wearing the same. The labels currently being stocked include - 18th Amendment, Alannah Hill, American Retro, Amuleti J (J Brand), Anna Rita N, By Malene Birger, Diabless, Galliano, havetohold, Jenny Packham, Kenneth Jay Lane, Les Bijoux De Sophie, Love Sex Money, Made In Heaven (MIH), Manoush, Meghan Fabulous, Mimi Holliday, Pinko, Pistol Panties, Roberto Cavalli Class, Saloni and tibi.The shop itself embraces everything girly and is designed in a modern boudoir fashion. I was recently reminded of the shop and found that they also have a website with an on-line shopping facility. What is even better is that there are currently discounts on offer on selected lines. My favourites on the site - the Zare silver "I Love You" Envelope necklace (above) and By Malene Birger black lace Sionna Dress with Cape (below).

Source: all photos from havetolove.com

Princesse Tam Tam

It was so sad to hear last week, about the death of the founders of the lingerie company Princesse Tam Tam, in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The husband and wife team named their company after the 1935 Josephine Baker film, set up in 1985 with 158 worldwide stores. I have yet to own any of this underwear but have admired it for a while, a definite must-have on my wish list.

Source: vogue.com

Winter has arrived

The winter is well and truly upon us now, it is so cold here. I just want to stay in and hibernate, eat stollen and drink warm mulled wine. I love this time of year when I can stay in but my Christmas party season is starting this weekend. I'm not relishing the thought of getting around town in my party clothes. Maybe after a few glasses of mulled wine before I leave my flat, I'll not care too much.

This weather poses so many sartorial challenges. I live in Newcastle upon Tyne and rumour has it we don't wear coats here for a night on the town. Although not Geordie-born, I still rarely wrap up warm when bar-hopping. I will take some pics and post at some point. I have deliberated over posting photographs of myself but the main thing I love to look at on other blogs are the outfit posts. Fashion is a major passion in my life, It's in my thoughts most minutes of the day and this was my original reason for setting up a blog in the first place.

Icon - Anna Karina

I recently bought a Jean-Luc Goddard box set – Volume 2. Don’t ask me why I started with Volume 2 before Volume 1, perhaps the film collection was more appealing – Pierrot le Fou, Une Femme est Une Femme, La Chinoiserie, Le Petit Soldat and Detective. Three of the films have Anna Karina in the lead female role, they are set in the sixties and are French, two of my favourite criteria. I love the style of this era and basically I am obsessed with anything French at the moment.

Anna Karina’s style instantly appealed to me. Why is it my female icons are usually of the dark hair/pale skin variety that I most closely resemble? Maybe we see them as better versions of ourselves, people we can aspire to, emulate and take inspiration. Anna Karina, a Danish born French actress who was originally a model before being spotted by Jean-Luc Goddard. He originally wanted her for a major part in A Bout de Souffle which she then turned down but took on a role in Le Petit Soldat. They eventually married during the filming of Une Femme Est Une Femme.

Winter Lovelies

Inspired by The Cherry Blossom Girl's post Winter Birds, I found on the Top Shop website, the beautiful feather bolero along with a couple of other versions. I find it difficult to think of an occasion where I could wear this piece other than frolicking in the woods. In reality though, this is unlikely to happen!

Bows, bows, bows

My love of, and the trend of, bow-wearing looks set to continue. I discovered this delightful on-line shop today, LouLou Loves You, it has some fabulous bow accessories. They're girly which I like but with a harder edge. I found the leather dress below from H&M which fits the bill, hopefully they'll get it in my local H&M.

Silver Swan

My parents live close to a place called Barnard Castle in the North of England which houses Bowes Museum. Since being a child, the highlight of any visit was a performance by the magical silver swan.

The Silver Swan dates from 1773 and was bought from Parisian jeweller M. Briquet for £200 in 1872. It was seen at the 1867 Paris International Exhibition by John and Josephine Bowes. It was also seen at the exhibition by the American novelist Mark Twain and is described in his book The Innocents Abroad:

‘I watched the Silver Swan, which had a living grace about his movement and a living intelligence in his eyes-watched him swimming about as comfortably and unconcernedly as it he had been born in a morass instead of a jeweller’s shop - watched him seize a silver fish from under the water and hold up his head and go through the customary and elaborate motions of swallowing it...'

The Swan has recently been dismantled and reconstructed to be cleaned and given an over-haul as well as recording the details of the workings for future generations, last Thursday was it's unveiling. So it now looks like it will continue for many years to come, an icon in itself for the North East of England.