Album of the Week

So the other day, I stumbled upon (not Stumbled Upon) The Brunettes somewhere or other, and was so impressed by what I heard, I had already decided I had to post about them this week. Then I listened even more and realised 'Hey! I know this B-A-B-Y song!'. I think it must have been played on triple j. It is great, but so are all their songs - quite catchy, yet mellow, not too poppie...basically they are indie. And they are a really quirky and cool couple, so, they are my new favourites!

ps. Definitely rethinking my original comments on Kasabian's other albums...

pps. Just finished my first week of work in my new job!!

ppps. Congratulations to my friends on the safe arrival of their new baby girl Natasha xxxx

ASOSickofhavingnomoney!

Did I mention my new flatmate works for ASOS?!?! Of course she gets a very nice discount. I'll take these please...

Horace coat; Sass and Bide tee; Pringle leather and cashmere gloves; Karen Walker dress; Markus Lupfer Love tee; Gestuz bow back dress; ASOS robe.

Busted!!

Strawberry is so the best flavour of shake. I am trying to convert everyone I know. The others are so bad in comparison. Trust me.

First day in my new job today! I am pooped after a whole day of sponge-like absorption. Downside is I won't get paid until after Christmas :-( Looks like a very lean year for pressies everyone, sorry!!!

Double digits worth of Followers on my blog!! Woohoo! Feels like I should be proud. Now lets see if I can work and blog at the same time...

Album of the Week

Forgot all about doing an Album of the Week last week as I was running around like crazy preparing for the weekend. Most of this week was spent recovering from said weekend, which incidentally involved dancing to alot of Florence and the Machine. So, after asking Wes for a recommendation, we have been kindly introduced to Pony Pony Run Run. Info about them is a bit thin on the ground, unfortunately. Apparently they have been around for a few years; I would describe their sound as electro-pop/rock; and they seem to be heavily into the current trend for bands and friends-of-bands remixing each other's stuff back and forth, and they even have a feature on their myspace where you can remix the tracks yourself.

Owing to their Frenchness, comparisons to Phoenix are probably unavoidable, and to be honest they do sound a little bit like them. But Phoenix are great, so is that such a bad thing? I do really like all the tracks I've heard so far. I think they remind me a bit of Passion Pit too, whom I also love, so all round, I can't see what's not to like about Pony Pony Run Run except the amount of concentration it takes to type their name! Their album 'You Need Pony Pony Run Run' is out now.

nibbley nibbley

So, how exciting was the whole 'online mobile pop-up limited edition scarf' thing!? For those who don't know, Cadbury launched this brilliant stroke of marketing genius to promote the new Caramel Nibbles. So, what would us modern bloggy kids like better than something that combines fashion, chocolate, blogging, social networking and pop-up shops? The shop popped up on selected blogs where you could join a virtual queue and watch a live feed of the shop girls who address you by name and popped your scarf in the post right in front of your very eyes. I even got Wes addicted and he was glued to the Facebook news feed all day Friday when he was supposed to be working! So off I went to the gym and did a spot of shopping while he frantically followed it around the blogosphere until he actually got me one, on the last blog (think it was wishwishwish) when there were just three scarves left!! Just in case you were interested, I wore mine for the first time today. Thank you Caramel Bunny! Did you get your paws on one?

Blazer: Topshop; Tee: Sportsgirl; Jeans: Topshop; Kicks: Nike

We'll always have St Paul's

Farewell to my lovely friends Anna and Mike. Off home to NZ, I wish them all the best. They threw a party to farewell their friends, this wonderful city, and their amazing flat in front of St Paul's! I know the photos are a bit 'arty' but I will never be there again so I had to share them anyway.

Coat: Topshop; Necklace: Sportsgirl; Skirt: Lipsy

Delicate Mayhem

Saw these drawings by Delicate Mayhem for the first time at Spitalfields last Sunday. Wandering the market as a group, it was a rare moment of co-ordinated oohing and ahhing by all involved. So detailed and intricate, you could be absorbed in front of one for hours spotting new bits and pieces. They are all in limited, numbered runs and the prices are totally reasonable too, I think they would look great presented as a series of small drawings. The London ones are my faves - the perfect subject for this ‘organised chaos’ style. This one is City Road, in my neck of the woods.

An Education

It is quite ironic that going to the movies is so expensive in London, as a cinema is just the perfect place to spend a cold and rainy afternoon, and what city has more of an abundance of those than we do? Yes, the weather has been terrible lately, but taking advantage of freebies is a major part of my life now and I get two for one tickets on Wednesdays! Woohoo!

So off I went to see An Education with my sis. What a beautiful film! Set in the 60s, it is a non-stop visual feast with authentic fashion, hair, makeup, cars, houses...Honestly, it could have been about nothing at all and I still would have enjoyed it, but as it were, it is actually a really captivating story. Carey Mulligan is so beautiful and really perfect in the role, she deserves all the recognition she is getting for it. And Rosamund Pike is so beautiful as Aunt Helen I actually gasped the first time you see her in that white fur on the theatre steps!

ps. My sister has since gone back to the desert. Boohoo! I'm so lonely.

An end to life on the down-low?

Heels have never played a major part in my life. They're more like an occasional guest star, but not even one you are happy to see, you know, because of the pain, hobbling, and slow-walking. Not to mention they are kind of against the code of ethics of my day job.

But recently I have been wondering if maybe I should give them a bit more of a go. There are just so many more cool outfit opportunities, and a certain air and grace you get when you walk in them.

These past two weeks I have seen plenty and fallen in love with a few pairs, but none so much as these amazing wedges from Topshop...

But having said that, I am also pleasantly surprised to report there are many more options available with a low or flat heel this season. Maybe the stores have finally realised that we live in a city where we don't have cars, we walk miles everyday, and there are cobblestones everywhere!!

Hmm, got any blacker? Sorry, but it is coming into winter!

Album of the Week

Hurrah! I always have the highest expectations of Kasabian, and finally, this new album does not disappoint. Do I need to say the title? Really? Okay, but don't sue me if I get it wrong, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. I have always found that they are a band with great singles (more than great. Really, really great), but then not enough songs to back those up on an album, so I end up skipping to the tracks I know and find everything else a bit, well, boring. But this one is definitely a listen-all-the-way-through album, and I'm thinking I might have to discipline myself to have another go at their previous releases, just in case I missed any gems. They do write that kind of rock-pop with an awesome riff that is right up my alley. They are very catchy tunes, but here they add in a few twists and switching of genres so it doesn't get lumped in the Brit-pop bin, like I think they have been before. Don't they just look cool too? Obv I'm a sucker for a beardy-man and don't get me started on colonial military jackets! lol

Just listen to this album. You will like it.

Stuff November

Well, this month's post has taken a little bit more putting together than October's, that's for sure. Coupled with a lack of commuting comes a lack of free press (I actually miss the london paper, how sad!) and to be honest I am still quite happily working my way through last month's list with my sister. But, at a stretch, this is what I might do this month if I had both time and money:

• It seems to be quite the month for comedy! A bunch of good comics are touring at the moment, but my choices would have to be Ross Noble (mad, but in good way) and Dylan Moran (legendary). Simon Amstell is doing shows in November too-man I loved him on Buzzcocks and even though the guest hosts are doing pretty well in the post I just realised I don't really watch that show anymore. When is it even on?
  
  
• Frozen yoghurt vendors must be the new cupcakeries as they are popping up all over town. There is one on Camden Passage that I pass every day and I must remember to try it before it gets too cold to even fathom. How are these places planning to stay open during winter?
  
  
• Enjoy the crowd at Oxford Circus. Well, not quite, but they have finished the works aimed at improving the way the hordes of sheep move through this previously ridiculous bottleneck. I might even chuck a diagonal!! Actually, I don't think I have ever needed to cross in any other direction than from Topshop to H&M. Nuff said?
  
  
• Things are very busy in the H&M designer collaboration department. First up is Jimmy Choo. H&M have even posted online a guide explaining how to line up so they are obviously expecting a big day on the 14th (have any of you guys ever been to one of these launches? Would love to hear about it). Typically for me, I am not that impressed by the collection and ironically, the things I would be most likely to buy would be the clothes and not any of the shoes! Next up will be Sonia Rykiel, which is only lingerie for now, so non-essential thank goodness. Hopefully by the time they do real clothes I might have some spare cash - love Sonia!!
  
  
• For £40 you can buy your way into the London art scene at the RCA Secrets exhibition/sale. All artworks are postcard-sized and anonymous until after you make your purchase, so you better be studying your brushstrokes if you fancy picking up something by a famous muso, artist or designer.

Show me your studio!

Headed on down to the ShowSTUDIO exhibition last week, and was really impressed. Nick Knight is such a visionary, and has really been ahead of the pack for years now. Mostly described as a photographer, he is much more, an artist really and his celebrity connections, wow! He really knows how to get the most out of his subjects and they are more like collaborations than just photoshoots. If you can get to see it, I'd definitely recommend it, it was the biggest exhibition I've seen in that Somerset House gallery, and such good value - only £5! Thinking about going back this week to watch another photoshoot in the specially designed studio with double-sided mirrors for hours of potential voyeuristic fascination. Another tick for the list.

designersxmywardrobe

Just so you know, my wardrobe does not normally contain anything remotely designer. The closest I come is a Josh Goot for Target trench. I am just one of the regular folk who read Vogue and dream about one day being in the position to be able to buy such beautiful things. So I hope you can understand just how exciting it was when my sister gifted me a couple of very special pieces. She is not filthy rich, she got them at a filthy big sale. Still can't believe it!! It has got to be the most wonderful gift ever, just ridiculously generous, and I felt so guilty accepting them, but now I have to focus on giving them the life they deserve - despite every fibre of my being saying I must preserve them at all costs, I am determined they would want to go out and be styled up and do whatever normal clothes do.

LANVIN...is quite 'evening', so I like to dress her down a bit with a tee...

With H&M leather jacket and trusty Cons; and with grey H&M tee, Sportsgirl neckpiece, ASOS boots, and vintage belt.

BALMAIN...I imagine most would style her up with nice chic courts and opaques, but I prefer the contrast of the beading with the grungy-casual parka...

With Leona Edmiston Pins and Sportsgirl Reese heels; and with old parka, Edinburgh pashmina, and KG boots.

She got a couple of gorgeous Lanvin skirts for herself, but the piece de resistance is the black lace Balmain dress that Gwyneth Paltrow wore to the Iron Man premiere last year. I don't even know if it fits her, she is just keeping it as a museum piece!