Oba my my my!

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm one of life's cry babies. I cry at weddings, watching movies, reading novels, even at a particularly poignant movement in a song. So, it's not surprising that when I heard the news that Barack Obama was to be the next President of the United States, I bawled like a baby. Then I read his speech and I cried again.

I was on holiday in California two years ago when he first declared his interest in running for president. I remember thinking "Who is this guy who's just appeared out of nowhere?" and cynically wondering how long it would take the Clinton machine to chew him up and spit him out. How wrong was I and how glad am I that I was wrong?

Since then I've kept an eye out for all the Obama goings on. It hasn't been hard. The British Press has been as intrigued by him as I've been from the beginning. He is an impressive man and what he has achieved today has been equally impressive.

Because even more than winning the highest office in one of the most influential countries in the world, he seems to have worked a magic over America that I wouldn't have thought possible. He has made America likeable again and he has made Americans, collectively, like the hero in a feel good movie. And I am rooting for that hero like never before.

When he made his historical "Yes We Can" speech today, I thought of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, I thought of all the slaves that lost their lives in the crossing and those who survived into even greater pain and drudgery.

I thought all the heroes everywhere and the power of the human spirit to effect change. And I made a vow to myself that I would try my hardest in my own life to follow this great example by making things happen for myself that I wanted to happen because it can be done. You just have to not be discouraged. To be calm and focussed and ready.

I'm hoping that others, especially those who feel disaffected and hopeless will be similarly inspired to step the hell up and out.

Well done America. You did good this time.

Nowt as queer as folk

Now, you know I'm not a one for outfit posts. This is mainly because when it comes to taking pictures of myself, I am cack-handed at best. This irks me. It irks me a lot. I like being good at what I do. Mediocre sucks.

Still, I thought I'd try the whole folk trend thing out a couple of weeks ago and kinda liked what I came up with. So, while rushing out the door on the way to work, I took a couple of pics. Whaddaya know? They came out relatively okay.
For some reason Russian Babushka dolls immediately came to mind. I guess it had something to do with the red and black colours and the florals. At least the ones I remember playing with and being quite obsessed with as a little girl were that colour.

But seeing as I'm not actaully wearing a scarf round my head (apparently doing so would make me "on trend" methinks it would also make me look like a dork!) I'd guess peasant/gypsy would be more apt.
The lovely Baboohska soft dolls at the top are from Erleperle. Check out her Etsy Shop here.

Dress, thrifted; scarf, Primark; boots, Topshop; black polo-neck, shrug, belt and ring, H&M

Rockabilly baby

My hair's grown to the point where I can now put it into a pretty decent updo. My favourite style right now is to wrap it all up into a pouffy quiff on top my head. It looks sort of rockabilly/pin up.

I did it for work yesterday and it looked so good, I couldn't resist dressing up a little.
(Click image to enlarge)
Spaghetti strap, black dress with red dots, and red cardi, H&M
Red lace body (just seen), thrifted
Red ankle socks, Topshop
Red and white shoes, Fly London
Fringed black scarf, thrifted
Sadly, you can't see my red and white dotted belt!

See:

Perfect pin-up
Pin-up outfit
Other people doing the pin up look

Shoe Lurve - Irregular Choice t-bar sandals, £64.99 at Schuh

If you are in any way interested in the whole pin up look then these shoes must've caught your attention. They have just the right amount of apple-pie cuteness to make any pin up outfit look even more perfectly quirky.

The shiny pillar-box red is offset beautifully by the blue candy stripe and I love that delicate, manageable, demi-wedge of a heel.

Wear with big hair and a tiny dress or a naval-inspired outfit; or clash 'em up with some contrasting prints and patterns.

So pretty, I could eat them with some ice-cream.

I want it now! Faith heart clutch, £30

When I think accessories on the high street, Faith isn't a brand that immediately comes to mind. But recently, I've seen them edging more and more into my conciousness (at least that bit of my consciousness that sees something bright shiny and covetable and goes "oooh!") when I think I might need a little cheap outfit pick-me-up.

They are by no means there yet with a ready stock of "lovies" (to quote Susie Bubble) but every so often they come up with the goods. This gorgeous bag is a good example.

Love that shiny red and the heart shaped, hard frame. The shape also looks nice a robust - like you might be able to fit in more than a credit card and a small mobile phone - and not cheap and flat. And, thoughtfully, they've provided a nice long chain handle.

My only quibble is, seeing as it's not made of leather, can the £30 price tag really be justified? In these financially times, I'm thinking: not. Still, nice to look at.

Also comes in black, for those of you who don't share my penchant for brights.

Outfit of the week 26/03/08

I'm feeling in a colourful mood this week, anything to stave off the gloom filled horror that spring is turning out to be so far. Still where there's colour, there's hope and the moment I laid eyes on this red shirt dress from French Connection the future seemed a whole lot brighter.

I've gone for a slouchy, daytime/weekend look with the dress layered over a long-sleeve tee and red socks layered over yellow tights (I know! Colour, remember?). It's finished off with funky sneakers and an even funkier canvass bag.

Time to go out and cause some traffic mayhem with your multi-coloured self.

71 per cent of you rated this outfit a technicolour-tastic, Do
28 per cent of you just don't do multi-colour and rated it a Don't

Click on image to enlarge

Dress, £65, French Connection

Blue, long-sleeved tee, £6, Dorothy Perkins

Sneakers, £29.99, Rocket Dog at Schuh

Canvass bag, £10, New Look

Yellow tights, £4.95, Pamela Mann at My Tights

Ribbed knee high socks, £9.95, Tabio

See more outfits

Online shopping picks - 31/01/08

Remember Late night shopping picks? Where i used to trudge around the high street on a thursday evening looking for any new and interesting things that might have hit the shops in the past week. Notice how I haven't done them lately? There's a simple reason for this: It's hard work.

But I don't want to leave you high and dry with no idea of all the lovely things you can obsess about (and maybe buy) on the weekend and since the bulk of my shopping is increasingly done online these days, I've flipped the script slightly. From now on I'll be doing a weekly online shopping picks, hence the title.

I ruff you
So, this week I have mostly been feening - and been provided with ample opportunity to pine - for all stuff ruffley and girlie. The shops are filled with gentle rustle of silk and chiffon and the gentle shush-shushing of layers of gossamer material rubbing against each other. As usual, ASOS hog the trend by presenting a shedload of ruffles and florals and manage to combine the two in a not-at-all-bad Lipsy blouse. Could this turn out to be my first real purchase from ASOS? The suspense must be unbearable for you.

For more ruffle action, check out Dorothy Perkins, Matalan, Topshop and Monsoon. Meanwhile, Principles is coming on all nautical and nice with a cute navy blue circle skirt. All the better to swoosh you with, m'dear. Pity about the the white striped PU belt that comes with. My advice: get rid of it and replace with a nice wide red leather one. The ASOS Premium centre buckle sash belt, £22 looks pretty cool (see accessories below).

Clockwise from top: Topshop ruffle-sleeve dress, £35; Dorothy Perkins ruffle front blouse, £28; Matalan butterfly print dress, £18; Principles circle skirt, £45; Lipsy tie neck blouse, £45 at ASOS; Monsoon tiered cami, £45

Accessories and other bits
If ruffles aren't your thing, fear not. Bag yourself some accessories instead. Over at River Island, I spied a gorgeous leaf choker, while All Saints and Love Label at Additions direct offer up cosy, slouchy knits. I especially like the oversized purple tabard with skinny yellow belt from Love Label, if only it weren't acrylic.

Anyhoo, you can't go wrong with Faith's girlie grey t-bars with a cute little bow but if you just can't stand the twee, grab a pair of demi-wedge gladiator sandals instead. Apparently, Victoria Beckham has a pair just like them (yes, that put me off too. Note to ASOS: I know this is how you used to sell clothes but you can stop it now, the plebs are gone).

Clockwise from top: All Saints slouchy cardigan, £75; ASOS Premium belt, £22; Faith grey peeptoes, £55; River Island leafy necklace, £12.99; ASOS gladiator sandals, £40; Love Label tabard, £29

Click on images to enlarge

Outfit of the week 25/01/08

Finally, I've had more than a minute free to put together an Outfit of the Week. As you know, between packing and moving and moving in and unpacking it's been a very stressful month and - of course - we still don't have internet access, so I'm basically cyber squatting (with permission!) at the moment.

Anyhoo, to the outfit... Seeing as spring/summer trends are tending towards a surfeit of prints and pansies and splashes of colour, I thought it would be fun to have an outfit that clashed them all together and still came out looking good.

Celeste Stien's beautifully patterned floral tights and the uber-cute dress patchwork-ish dress from Miss Selfridge provide the clash and a dash of my favourite red via the red long-sleeve tee (for added warmth) and shiny patent lace-ups provide a shot of colour and pull the clashing prints together. If you're out and about pull on your favourite black leather biker jacket and a big denim bag. Cute and kitsch.

64 per cent of you thought that this was clash to die for and rated this outfit a Do
35 per cent of you are seeking treatment for possible permanent eye damage and say it's a Don't


Click on image to enlarge

Miss Selfridge dress, £28
Celeste Stein floral tights at MyTights.com, £9.95
Kurt Geiger red lace-ups, £39
American Apparel long-sleeve tee, £15

I want it now! H&M printed mac, £19.99

Okay, what can I say about this coat other than it's a yummy, shiny, red and blue and loud as loud can be. That is why I want it.

When the storm clouds come a knockin' not only do I want to be caught in the rain in something that will provide half decent water-proofing, but I also want something suitable for skipping in the wet and dancing in puddles. Or something that at least makes me feel like doing it.

Basically this is a coat that would take all the misery out of the weather and imbue the wearer with instant gaiety. All that for less than £20? What's not to like?

Hello! Where were we..?

I know! I feel like I haven't posted for ages. First off, let me just say Happy New Year to you all lovely readers and thank you for continuing to drop by even during my going xmas AWOL. It's been a hectic and fabulous break and it's good to be back.

So what've I been up to? Well, in no particular order:

• Xmas parties. Eating enough to feed a small elephant and drinking enough to tranquilize said elephant. For a month.
• Wore my lovely new purple platform lace-ups at every opportunity and to the universal approval of my adoring fans (okay friends and fam)
• Slobbed around in the bloke's padded lumberjack shirt, eating leftovers, watching xmas telly (I was rather underwhelmed by the latest Doctor Who xmas special. It was bit rubbish really, which is a shame cos I lurve me some Doctor, yes I do!) and recovering from various states of hangover
• Xmas pressies. I got the coolest presents from the bloke, including a fabulous diamante bib choker from Polkadot (I loved it so much I wanted to wear it slobbing around in the lumberjack shirt but I didn't want to get any leftovers on it), Tom Ford Black Orchid Perfume, Ted Baker red fingerless mittens

• Got a year older. It was my birthday on December 30th. I hate my birthday. It falls in that no-man's land part of the year when everyone's full of xmas turkey, broke from xmas shopping, gone on xmas holidays and not interested in any parties until New Year's eve. Which means that nothing much ever happens on my birthday. Even my parents forgot my birthday once. (Hi Mom! Hi Dad! No, still haven't forgiven you; I was 12 years old!). Anyhoo, I did get a rather spiffy, brand-spanking-new bike for my birthday, which gave me an excuse to buy a totally rad, shiny red Bell helmet. Didn't do the sales. Two reasons for this: Reason the first, this winter's sales have been so uninspiring so far. Most of the stuff I've seen has either been still too expensive even with price cuts or just too cheap and dull to even bother with. Reason the second, I am going to have the brokest arse January of my life because the bloke and I are moving into a new place together, which means a healthy wodge of cash is going towards deposits and other expensive stuff (hardly a motivator for sales shopping!) Of course I will still do my sales picks for you guys (why should you have to suffer?) I do have to warn you though, it is slim pickins out there.

I want it now! River Island sheer red blouse, £29.99

You may remember my style crush on the Belle from Secret Diary... sheer red blouse a couple of months ago and my, rather fruitless search for a buy-able alternative.

Anyway, someone at River Island must have been reading because here's a sheer red blouse that almost, almost ticks all the boxes. The only difference is the elbow-length, pouffy sleeves, which I really rather like. And I love that pretty pussy bow.

This is the blouse to wear with your favourite pencil skirt and a dressy basque or cami (or, if your feeling adventurous, a matching lacy bra).

Outfit of the week 5/11/07

I'm in a bit of a mad raspberry mood this week. It's basically because I've just bought those very cute raspberry lace-ups from Topshop and I'm waiting -patiently - for them to arrive.

I am also loving autumn shorts. Seeing as we had such a pissy summer, it's nice that we're having a mild autumn, so far! I bet I just jinxed it for everyone and a freak storm is all like: "mild, huh? I'll show you mild missy!"

Anyway... This outfit is based in part on the rasperry lace-ups and in part on the shorts, I like the school-boyish feel, that feels complete with the addition of the satchel but is also belied by the bright colours.

Always a must for autumn shorts, thick tights. But chunky knit socks would work equally well. Wear with a cropped jacket of your choice. I call peacoat!

It's almost a 50-50 split with 57% rating this outfit a "Do" and 42% rating this outfit a "Don't". Either way, y'all liked the shoes and that's all that matters!

Red beenie, £10; scarf, £12 and v-neck, £10; Dorothy Perkins

Shorts £50, French Connection

Tights, £8, Accessorize

Raspberry shoes, £55, Topshop

PU satchel, £12, Miss Selfridge

What, no posts?!

I'm taking the day off for some fun times with good friends. I'll be back with the new Outfit of the Week tomorrow. Happy sunday folks!

I'll leave you with these two red lovelies from Topshop because they are so gorgeous they make me want to cry.



Raspberry lace-up shoes, £55 and Red boots, £95.

Ambushed by the fugly! River Island dress

So, I saw this dress at River Island online and I thought: this is my idea of a perfect dress. Red, tailored, with whimsical detailing and a plunging back. Did I mention that it's red? Then I went to have a look at the dress IRL and... what a disappointment!

That black band bit? It's this loose elastic thing that just hangs there looking tacky. And the contrasting zip in back? Is not contasting. And, well, the entire dress is just not what it should be. I'm just glad I didn't buy it online.

Let this be a lesson y'all. Be very careful what you buy online because mostly it doesn't live up to scrutiny close up. But you knew that already didn't you?

Shoe Lurve - Office patent 3-buckle shoes

I love these shoes so much that I can't even decide which colour I want more. Is it the classic black, which would look awesome with coloured or patterned tights or the pillar box red, which just look awesome?

Maybe both?

Outfit of the week 27/10/07

Shock! Horror! I think may have found something in the Kate Moss for Topshop collection that I might actually consider wearing. Of course, I've only seen it online so far, so I'm reserving judgement on quality, until I've seen said garment in real life. So far, the signs are poor as it is advertised as a Viscose/Elastane mix (yeuch!)

Quality notwithstanding, the look is cute. I like the monochrome stripes, cleverly used so the horizontals slim the torso while the verticals add some curve to the bottom. (Pear shaped girls, be ye not afraid, the ruching detail will flatter ample hips and bottom.)

When it comes to monochrome the temptation for me is to load up on coloured accessories. So, maybe a blue bag, yellow shoes and pink tights. But for full on glamour nothing quite works like touches of red.

Click on image to enlarge.

62% of you thought this outfit was a glamorous Do, the rest of you thought it was a boring Don't.

Dress, Kate Moss at Topshop, £60
Deco pendant necklace and black opaque tights, Accessorize £12 and £5 respectively
Red belt, Mango, £15
Patent bag, Linea at House of Fraser, £45
Shoes, Bertie , £99

Style stalking "Secret Diary..."

So, as I've previously mentioned, I have a serious crush on Belle's style in Secret Diary of a Call Girl at the moment. All the racy lingerie, fuck-me heels and plunging necklines are very what I want for my foreseeable christmases.

But this sheer red top with the massive pussy bow is my favourite.

Is it hot in here or is it just my flamin' top?

I've done a little searching around and right now it hard to find anything red and sheer at all let alone anything approaching the splendour of Belle's top. I plumped for this halter neck from Peacocks, combine it with a big red scarf (also incredibly hard to find, I had to settle for red leopard print) tied in a bow and you might have an approximation.

Then I had a brain wave - Victoria's Secret! And sure enough, I found two red tops (sadly none sheer) that would fit the bill. They are not exactly "it" but close enough.

Two bows for the price of one...

This is one of those multi-wear garments that you can, apparently wear six ways, it also doubles as a dress. That's value for money...


You guys across the pond in the US do not know how lucky you are to have Victoria's Secret, we have to make do with La Senza.

It's not who you wear, it's how you wear it

We're in the midst of Fashion Week frenzy and so my thoughts have turned to fashion labels and those who covet them. Because me? Not so much. I am firmly of the belief that an item of clothing's only value is the way you put it together with other items.

Primark's okay for Mr Pugh

Seeing as I'm not particularly rich (I'm working on it Ma!) I like stuff to be wallet friendly. I buy cheap shoes. I shop at Primark. The high street is my friend. I tend to pick things up that catch my eye and that I can afford. I don't care who's selling them.

My main concerns when it comes to shopping are: "ooh shiny!" or "ooh red!" or, if they're shoes, "ooh high!" and what sorts of outfits I could make of them. Afterall, they are items of clothing. They are not religion.

Now don't get me wrong, I still drool over clothes and shoes in the magazines like any other fashion obsessed girl (Miu Miu heels... to die for y'all) and I almost peed myself with joy when I bought a pair of Vivienne Westwood heels that I had been coveting for half my life (they were in the sales and about £50. I could not believe my luck). What I don't get is when people start to value one particular item of clothing above another simply because it has a designer label attached.

Mischa Barton gets fugged. Pic via Go Fug Yourself

Surely it's not so much about who made the clothes you wear as the way you wear them? Am I being naive in thinking that wearing head to toe high street in an interesting and stylish way trumps wearing head to toe designer and turning out like something from Go Fug Yourself?

I found it heartening reading a recent interview in the Independent on Sunday with fashionista-favourite du jour, Gareth Pugh, about what he wears: "Primark jeans, Uniqlo hoodie and a pair of £5 trainers from a shop on Brick Lane". I can only hope that he keeps that down to earth as his fashion star rises.

In the meantime, I'll be rocking my £10, sky blue, mock patent, Primark peeptoe wedgies with style and pride (and that cool vintage milk frau dress that I got from Brick Lane), while I dream sweet dreams of those Dries Van Noten shoes that may someday be mine (they would just look so good with my American Apparel black lame leggings and a leather dress).

See all the shoes I own

Wear with... M&S Limited Collection high waist pencil skirt

Reading the latest issue of Vogue, I was fascinated by an article on work wear. As a result I have been spending quite a lot of time thinking about how you wear work-appropriate clothes and still retain any individual style.

It's hard enough if you work in relatively creative spheres such as marketing or media but I really pity city girls and lawyers. Suits and more suits - I say this from one remove of course, I have no way of knowing except from my limited observation.

Anyway, with the work wear issue firmly in mind, I've chosen this M&S pencil-skirt. It's the business, obviously, but it's also got that subtle sexiness that makes it anything but drab and boring. Perfect for working a day to night look

Working day...

(Click image to enlarge)
Topshop blouse, £35; Schuh courts, £49.99; Jasper Conran bag, £65

Take one pencil skirt, add a grown-up blouse with bit of character and colour, team with a substantial bag and subtle shoes... You look work ready and stylish. I just have to mention that I adore this bag from Jasper Conran at Debenhams, chick, affordable and big enough to fit your files in. Result.

... and night

(Click image to enlarge)
River Island Cami, £24.99; Kurt Geiger shoes, £160; Dorothy Perkins clutch, £15

Let out your in inner Jessica Rabbit by adding some va va voom. Keep the skirt, add a sexy cami, and cute shoes (my first choice would be peep toes, but in the absence of those, these Kurt Gieger numbers with the delicious red heels are more than up to the task). Add a dainty bag in a bold colour, this season it's all about the clutch (I've chosen red. Plus ca change).

See: Five of the best... pencil skirts

I want it now - Dorothy Perkins PVC coat, £50

By now, y'all know my favourite colour is red, right? But if I ever had to choose the form in which my favourite colour could come in it would be shiny PVC or patent. So I could not believe my beady, red-lovin' eyes when I saw this beauty from Dorothy Perkins.

I know everyone's going on about the resurrection of leather for this season but I'm pretty sure that PVC is going to be the clear winner in what people will end up buying. This is simply gorgeous. Also, as an added bonus, it'll keep out the constant rain from this washout of a summer. I've already placed my order online. It's also available in blue - should you not share my colour obsession.