Oh, Such A Primadonna

Menswear Favourites (A/W 2012)

2012-02-01T12:46:00.000Z

I know I've said it before, sometimes I find menswear collections more inspiring, than the women's collections.
Womenswear styles are so, flighty. As Heidi Klum always tells us, "one day you're in, the next day you're out". Menswear, at least to an outside observer (meaning me), always seems a lot less 'skittish', a little more fluid; where womenswear jolts back and forth between styles and trends, always looking at what everyone else is doing, menswear seems to flow nicely. While some may suggest it's a bit monotonous - there's only so many ways you can wear a pair of trousers - I appreciate the consistency, but more than that I revel in the obvious creativity - there are a million ways you can wear, design and style a pair of trousers.
This is why I can't help but follow the menswear shows every year, so of course with the Milan and Paris menswear shows finishing recently, I had to share my favourites.

I've never really been fan of Acne's womenswear, whenever I hear the word Acne (of course, in a fashion context), I think of Alice Dellal, Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof and the like - not my style at all. The menswear stuff, however, I sort of love. I'm very into a brightly colour-blocked pant this season (I am also very into Brad Goreski's show, where every item of clothing is singular - a shoe, a sock etc). I also love all the layering, particularly the cashmere twinset.

The inclusion of Burberry is sort of a given at this point, nevertheless, I love that the colours in this collection (although a darker hue), link to the women's Spring/Summer collection, and will no doubt link to the Autumn/Winter women's collection. As usual, gorgeous tailoring, gorgeous coats and gorgeous colours.

(more after the break)

These pictures really don't do this collection any justice, the detailing on those jackets (and shoes) is insane - incredibly intricate and beautiful. The collection as a whole reminded me of a Russian Tsar being transported into the prohibition age, with the woollen, pinstripe suits and bow ties, mixed with those embroidered military styled jackets, and jewel toned pyjamas to tie the two together.

More velvet, more jewel tones - do you see a theme emerging? Not that I'm complaining! I also love the heavy knits and the detailing on those weekend bags.

When looking through the collections, my first thought was who would look great walking the red carpet in this/that look. For this collection the first name to pop into my head was Ryan Gosling. Of course now I can't 'unsee' Ryan Gosling walking the red carpet in these looks, which honestly, isn't a bad thing.

Irritatingly self-assured, Cockney singer, Olly Murs has ruined hats for me, with all his singing and stuff. But, funnily enough, I don't hate these hats, at all. I actually think the hats add something to these (not necessarily boring) looks, in a 'put a hat on, it'll make you look a bit quirky' kind of way. I also really want that colour-blocked jumper.

I love Missoni print (despite the overkill that was their Target collection) - it's simple, understated and yet completely recognisable. I love the pairing of the Missoni print in this collection, with the small check - and of course there's the hint of jewelled and earthy tones. Possibly my favourite collection of the season.

Firstly, why do men get all these big bags perfect for fitting kitchen sinks in, and we get itsy-bitsy clutch bags? It's not fair! I love the 70's influences, I know it doesn't get as much love as other decades, but for the styles and colours alone, I think I would've loved the 70's. I also get massive Sam Rockwell vibes from this collection, particularly from that last image - anyone else?

I don't who Walter Van Beirendonck is, but this collection reminded me of X-Men, and for that I can not fault him. Rather than a celebrity walking the red carpet, I picture a really awesome mutant whose power is knowing how to effortlessly colour-block and mix and match patterns. Obviously, not that great a mutant, but fantastically dressed.
Men, if you take anything from this season's collections, you're probably going to learn how to colour block and to purchase a weekend bag and a velvet suit in time for next Autumn.
(all images via The Fashionisto)
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I Like Your Style: Sienna Miller

2012-01-18T11:00:00.000Z

At this point most people know Sienna Miller for her rather high-profile previous relationships, most notably her on-off long term relationship with Jude Law - rather than her acting roles in films like Layer Cake, Alfie and Factory Girl. However, In recent years she's seemed to have mellowed a lot, stayed out of the papers and focused on her work. She recently appeared on stage in New York and London and launched her fashion line Twenty8Twelve with her sister Savannah (it's also rumoured that she's expecting her first child with her boyfriend Tom Sturridge).

When Sienna first came into public consciousness she became synonymous for her boho style (even if you google boho now, she'll pop up quite a bit in the results), which, if I'm honest, I hated, and looking back seems incredibly dated. Since ditching the boho look, which even she admitted she got sick of, Sienna's style has become a lot more refined and glam on the red carpet and grungier in her day to day life, albeit with a little nod to the boho style she became known for.

(all images edited by me, via Sienna-Miller.org)

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I Want to See This Film: Moonrise Kingdom

2012-01-13T18:03:00.001Z

Wes Anderson is one of few film writers/directors who consistently splits audiences. You tend to find people genuinely either love his films or hate them. Personally, I love them. After you've seen one of Anderson's films you can never really be unsure of whether you're watching one again, even his adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox had his usual air of eccentricity.
Although, I'm not a fan of Bruce Willis or Edward Norton and, am quite upset about the lack of Anjelica Huston in this film; that's completely outweighed by the fact that it also stars Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand, who are both extremely awesome.
Moonrise Kingdom currently has no official UK release date (hopefully it's soon!).

Hope you have a great weekend!
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On Display: An Introduction.

2012-01-10T17:58:00.000Z

Oh look, this is new.
I'm sure I've mentioned that I started a Masters in Museum and Heritage Management, last October. Since starting I've been trying to think of ways to incorporate what I'm learning on the course into my blog, rather than simply telling you that I'd been to a museum and taken lots of pictures of signs. I considered everything from, well, telling you that I'd been to a museum and taken lots of pictures of signs in my 'recently' posts to creating a whole other blog just for 'museum stuff', but that seemed a little bit ludicrous. So, I'm trying this. Granted I'm not sure what this will become, but I'm trying it.
I should probably start by giving you a little background about my course. As I said, I'm studying for a masters Museum and Heritage Management. At the moment it's quite heritage and history based, which although not my background (I stopped History after GCSE), it's quite exciting, if not occasionally a struggle; luckily I'm managing to tailor it to my interests. I'm having fun visiting museums and galleries that I've never visited, and revisiting those I have with fresh eyes. The workload is interesting, we're in two days a week and I volunteer once a week, but most of the rest of my time is spent doing work for class. Overall, I'm loving it a million times more than my undergrad, which honestly isn't difficult. I just can't wait for whatever comes next!

I've already had the chance to visit places and museums that I've never been to (Liverpool, Creswell Craggs, Erewash Museum ...) and hear some really interesting people speak.
(The photo above is My 'museum leaflet folder' filled with every leaflet and children's activity booklet I've picked up at a museum or gallery in the past few months.)
In an attempt to 'fill in the gaps' of stuff I'm not learning on the course or I suppose bolster my interests, I've been trying to attend a few art/fashion museum lectures, tours and talks. So if you can recommend any to attend please let me know!
I thought I'd share a couple of exhibitions I'm hoping to see in the coming months, again if you can recommend any to attend please let me know.
Savage Style: Costumes from Lily's Wardrobe at Liverpool Walker Gallery, 4th Nov 2011 - 19th Feb 2012
Yayoi Kusama at TATE Modern, 9th Feb 2012 - 5th June 2012
Artist Rooms: Andy Warhol at Sheffield Graves Gallery, 7th April 2012 - 1st Dec 2012

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Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

Right this moment, I'm am hopefully a bit squiffy, whilst wearing a mask - hopefully you're doing something equally fun!
I hope 2011 was a happy one, here's to 2012 (fingers crossed it's not apocalyptic)!
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Favourite Things 2011

2011-12-31T13:43:00.000Z

(Are you getting tired of the Julie Andrews pictures accompanying these posts yet?)

So, another year is almost over and I've spent it hating a lot of things, but I've also spent it loving a lot more. These are the things I've loved; my favourite things.

Television

It's been quite a good year for me and TV, thanks to IPlayer and 4OD I have managed to watch a lot more than I normally would and catch-up with everything. I've watched quite a lot of TV, granted a lot of it was old episodes of Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Spaced and Absolutely Fabulous (praise be the DVD box set), but I've watched a few other things too.

Parks and Recreation is an American comedy focused on Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), an extremely enthusiastic employee of the Pawnee government, working for the Parks and Recreation department. A lot of really good comedies have been coming out of the US recently, so much that sometimes you don't know which to watch. I know everyone has been raving about Modern Family, and don't get me wrong Modern Family is good, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say Parks and Rec is ten times better. Written by The Office (US) writers, Parks and Rec has the same 'Mockumentary' style of filming.

My favourite part of the show (other than the fact it makes me crave waffles and ice cream on a weekly basis) is the friendship between Leslie and nurse Ann (played by Rashida Jones). There are very few female friendships portrayed on TV (and film), or at least there are very few portrayed in this way, if modern film/TV were to be believed all we talk about is shoes, handbags, men and Brangelina, which believe it or not , we don't. With Leslie and Ann, there's no bitchiness, no superficiality and they both love each other despite their oddities. Oddities which each member of the Parks and Rec. department have in abundance.

(more favourites after the jump)

A group of kids doing community service get struck by lightning during a storm, and begin to develop superpowers.

This one comes with a dedication the Tumblr community, I've never seen a TV show more broadly represented across Tumblr than Misfits, other than possibly Skins (which, honestly, golf claps to Channel 4). So, well played The Internets, you wore me down and I started watching Misfits, from the beginning about three weeks ago. I finished watching series 1-2 and half of series 3 a couple of days later. Yes, I was hooked. If you follow me on Twitter you will have seen me tweet about it (there really is no 'might' when it comes to Misfits, you've seen me tweet it) quite a bit and you may have picked up on the fact that I am obsessed with all the bizarre, and sometimes rubbish, powers that people have. My only problem with it is that I wish I'd staggered my viewing a little so I wasn't so upset about series 3 finishing.

Music

A few nights ago I dreamt that I did a solo ballet to an acoustic guitarist playing Will Young's greatest hits. Now, I'm really into the belief that dreams mean something, so what I'm taking from that dream is that either I'm destined to be a great ballerina or that I've listened to a lot of Will Young recently. Yeah, I'm going with the latter.
I love Will Young, he seems like a truly lovely, funny and talented person (and no, he's not paying me to write this). I didn't watch Pop Idol when he was on it, but seeing him on TV and hearing how his music has developed since that point, it's awesome to see. His most recent album, Echoes, came out in September and I have been playing it on repeat ever since; an interesting mix of stunning (and at times haunting vocals), dancey beats and piano melodies - it probably shouldn't work but it seriously does.

I couldn't not really, could I? Adele's had a pretty awesome year (despite throat surgery) with one of the best selling albums of the year; winning awards whilst chilling in her chair, making the world cry on cue with a few simple bars and allegedly making Anna Wintour realise that sizes exist other than the Vogue sample sizes. It's hard to believe that '21' came out way back in January (my original review still stands), because you still hear it absolutely everywhere and I don't know about you, but I'm nowhere near sick of hearing it.

Honourable mentions go to Nicki Minaj and Nicola Roberts.
Nicki mostly gets a mention for the sheer volume of times I have listened/rapped along to Super Bass. I was pretty late on the Nicki bandwagon, but I'm glad that I hitched a ride, because Pink Friday has definitely been one of my most played albums of this year.
Nicola gets a mention, because of how genuinely surprised I was when I enjoyed her debut solo album. I've mentioned before how much I disliked Girls Aloud, and although I really quite liked Nicola, based on Cheryl and Nadine's solo efforts I wasn't expecting much. So, yes I was pleasantly surprised how much I like Cinderella's Eyes, although not a perfect album (there are some seriously dubious lyrics and cheesy melodies) I really did like it.
Film
I've thought for quite a while about the films that I've seen and although I've not seen an incredible amount, very few come to mind as immediately or as often as one in particular, so I decided to just do one. Although, I couldn't forget to mention X-Men:First Class, Tintin and the general silver screen domination of Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine, Ides of March, Drive and Crazy, Stupid Love) this year.

But, yeah. This film. I know most sites are going to talk about this film, at least most female-driven sites are, I imagine. Nevertheless, you can't fault a bit of girl power really can you? Aside from Morning Glory (which came out in 2010, otherwise it would get a massive honourable mention from me), I don't think I've watched any film this year more than I have Bridesmaids - not only that, but it's very few films that still make me laugh, and cringe. after that many repeat viewings. I love that Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote it, I love that it's a predominantly female cast, I love that it's funny (because we're funny too) and I love that the men who do star happen to be crazy awesome men like Jon Hamm and Chris O'Dowd. And, really, how refreshing was it to see a film in which women are portrayed in a more realistic way and not well, like the rom-com cliche? I hope that Hollywood realise that not only do female audiences care and want to see more diverse portrayals of themselves, but so do the viewing public as whole!

In 2012, I'm looking forward to the final instalment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, The new Muppets Movie {insert Kermit the Frog-esque happy dance here}. On TV, I'm hoping that series 3 of Glee gets about 10 times better (this can easily happen if they get Mercedes and Sam back together). I'm also excited for the much awaited next series of Mad Men (fingers crossed Don got another divorce during this super long break) and the equally awaited (by me at least) new series of BBC's Sherlock.
Is there anything you think I should be watching/listening to next year? What have been your favourites and what are you looking forward to?
I hope you've been thoroughly entertained this year and continue to be in 2012.

(main image - weheartit; TV images - NBC and E4; Music Images - Last.fm; Film Image - Tumblr)
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Lana Del Rey

2011-12-29T11:02:00.000Z

I haven't written a music post in forever. It's mostly because by the time I've found out about an artist, they've been out forever and everyone already knows about them. Although, this artist has been around a bit this year, hopefully you haven't heard too much about her or even better, for me, haven't heard of her at all.

Lana Del Rey (real name Lizzy Grant) is a singer/songwriter from Lake Placid, New York, United States. She released her debut album, “Lana Del Rey” in 2010 and issued the “Video Games” b/w “Blue Jeans” single in October 2011.

In all honesty, I discovered Lana Del Rey after seeing a photo of her come up on my Tumblr dashboard. The yellow gold, the fake nails, that face - there's no denying she has a love of tack (my kind of girl) and she's stunning. She describes herself as a 'Gangsta Nancy Sinatra', which, really, you can't not love. However when it came to her music I was a little unsure. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but her voice really wasn't it.

Video Games - Lana Del Rey

(Jools Holland, October 2011)

Lana's music is a little bit retro with the combination of her throaty voice and 60's melodies, laid over modern, ambient beats. She might describe herself as a 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra', but the image that comes to mind when I hear her music is 'Jessica Rabbit performing with Faithless'.
Born to Die (Official Video)To be released in the UK 23rd January, 2012.
Lana's album 'Born to Die' is due for release on January 30th, 2012.
More Lana.
Official WebsiteFacebookTwitterLast.fm

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Season's Greetings!

2011-12-25T10:00:00.000Z

Merry Christmas to those that celebrate, and Merry Happy to everyone else, I hope you have a nice and relaxing day whatever you do!
xx

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Film Inspiration: Burlesque

2011-12-20T13:00:00.000Z

Title: BurlesqueReleased: 2010Director: Steve AntinStarring: Cher, Stanley Tucci and Christina Aguilera.
"A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer."
It's nearly Christmas, so I thought it was the perfect time for a bit of sparkle and fluff, and believe me 'Burlesque' has both in abundance. Along with many other films with basically the same premise - Showgirls, Flashdance, Coyote Ugly, Glitter, I'm sure there are more - this is a huge guilty pleasure of mine. Honestly, you can't put Cher, Christina Aguilera, Stanley Tucci, Alan Cumming and Kristen Bell in one film and expect it to be anything but.
As you'd imagine with a title like Burlesque and starring performers like Cher and Christina, the film oozes glitz and glamour - filled with hints of the old hollywood glamour that Burlesque suggests, alongside super saturated colours and the typical wardrobe staples of this type of film - sequins, leather, feathers and lace - with, of course, dark settings and dimly-lit corners. Granted, at times it's a little tacky, but as I always say a little tacky is not necessarily a bad thing.

All images edited by me.Image copyright Screen Gems Inc.
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Reading Challenge? I Give Up.

2011-12-18T13:39:00.000Z

Yes, you read correctly. I gave up on my Goodreads challenge. To be honest I'm not surprised, and I'm not really disappointed. As I mentioned (many, many times) the intention with setting a reading target was always to motivate me to get back into reading, which it definitely did (and I imagine will continue to). So if you aren't on Goodreads (or a similar site), I'd recommend joining and setting up your own for 2012!

Nevertheless, I couldn't completely give in without sharing the last two books I completed, and incidentally my two favourite books of the year.

1. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman.

"Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it's about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister."

My favourite, favourite - one of those 'read it in one sitting because you can't bear to put it down' books. It's a beautiful combination of enchanting fantasy, sweet sincerity and emotionally heart-breaking (I cried quite a bit, ie uncontrollable sobbing 'quite a bit'). The book is split into two parts - childhood and adulthood, I found the former a lot stronger, than the latter and there were parts that I had to go back and re-read, simply because I'd misunderstand something, but overall a truly beautiful book.

2. How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran

"1913 – Suffragette throws herself under the King’s horse. 1969 – Feminists storm Miss World. NOW – Caitlin Moran rewrites The Female Eunuch from a bar stool and demands to know why pants are getting smaller."

I love Caitlin's writing - see the now infamous Lady Gaga interview - I love Caitlin's tweets. So, I couldn't wait to love her book, and love it, I did. Part memoir, part guide and part feminist script 'How To Be A Woman' is laugh-out-loud-on-public-transport funny. A little 'jumpy' in parts, as the links between 'memoir' and 'feminist rant' don't flow as easily as they could. I do however love Caitlin's honesty whether she's talking about her childhood, pregnancy, sex or abortion - she remains completely frank throughout.

So, what do I plan to read next, albeit at my leisure and not in parallel with a self-enforced reading target? Well, I'm playing catch-up with films at the moment so I'm planning to read The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights, both of which I've previously attempted to read, but didn't enjoy (F. Scott Fitzgerald books and I don't get on, at all). As well as, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, which also has a film adaptation coming out - this was one of my 'issues with the library' books that you may be aware of if you follow me on Twitter - I ended up having to return it within a couple of weeks of getting it out, I love Jonathan Safran Foer's writing, so I'm itching to read it. Finally, Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, which was recommended by a friend and since reading up about it seems to have been pretty well recieved.

Are reading any great books at the moment?

As always I love recommendations!

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My Style Icons: An Unreal Continuation - Denise Huxtable

2011-11-23T12:30:00.000Z

My Style Icons: An Unreal ContinuationPart III: Denise Huxtable(The Cosby Show - tv series)
The Cosby Show was a late-80's to early-90's sitcom based on the lives of affluent African-American family, The Huxtable's, living in Brooklyn, New York. The family was made up of father Dr. Cliff Huxtable, played by Bill Cosby and mother Clair Huxtable, esq played by Phylicia Rashad. As well as their, five children Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pullman). The show also included other additions to the family including grandparents, spouses and more children, including a young Raven Symone.
Although, each character had their own unique style - namely Cliff's interesting jumpers - the one who always stood out for me was Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet). It was partly because she looked, and dressed, a lot like my mum, but it was also because she had incredible style, which completely epitomised the era.

(more after the jump)

Denise's style was an interesting mix of boho and masculine tailoring, although incredibly 'of-the-time', with the prevalence of 80's/90's styles and shapes in fashion, it's also quite current. The basis of her style were warm, earthy tones - rusty browns and oranges, mustards, mossy greens and deep purples - chunky statement jewellery and oversized, sometimes masculine clothing. As the show progressed, Denise's style became a lot more refined and neater around the edges, with simpler layers and more neutral colours, but the bohemian edge still remained.

(product Information here, here and here)

(all images used via Cosby Show Caps)

More Cosby Show fun.

The Cosby Sweater Project
Cosby Show Caps
The Complete Series DVD's (Amazon)

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Oliver Jeffers

2011-11-21T11:30:00.000Z

I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised to hear that some of my favourite books are children's books; Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach (and Fantastic Mr Fox, The Magic Finger and The Twits), Mick Inkpen's Nothing, Paddington Bear and of course Winnie the Pooh. It's partly because of the nostalgia, partly because I still love the simple humour and whimsy and sometimes it's because of the illustrations. I think the best illustrations perfectly capture the book without distracting from it, but also can be looked at and understood without reading the words.

Oliver Jeffer's is one of my favourite, reasonably recent children's author and illustrator. I love Oliver Jeffers' books, they capture the childhood innocence of 'anything is possible' - catching stars, sailing to the South Pole, eating books... - and make it believable. Of course there's always a little bit of humour added in.

"Oliver Jeffers makes art. From figurative painting and installation to illustration and picture-book making, Jeffers work takes many forms. His distinctive oil paintings have been exhibited in multiple cities, including the National Portrait Gallery in London."

My most favourite of Oliver's books, is the generally quite popular 'Lost and Found', which was adapted into a tv film in 2008.

"A magical tale of friendship and loneliness, which tells the story of a little boy who one day finds a penguin on his doorstep. Although at first he is unsure what to do, the boy becomes determined to help the penguin find his way back home...Even if that means rowing all the way to the South Pole!"

(more after the jump)

A couple of sketches which were used for the film, I love the detail!

A few other illustrations by Oliver.

From How to Catch a Star

From The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Official WebsiteOliver on FacebookOliver on TwitterOliver Jeffers jewellery line for Digby & Iona
All images and quotes via OliverJeffers.com.

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Gleecap: The Story So Far...

2011-11-17T10:00:00.000Z

Rumour Has It/Someone Like You - The Troubletones
As you may have noticed (I think I might have actually mentioned it), I'm not continuing doing Gleecaps anymore. They took a lot of time to write and considering I skip through a lot of the show (*cough*Finchel*cough*), it seemed a little pointless. That doesn't mean I can't post awesome videos like the one above though right?
I'm not sure how I feel about the current series. The big plug before it started suggested that it was Glee going back to the basics of the first series, but I'm not sure exactly what that meant, because it doesn't seem that different. There also seems to be a huge focus on the people who won the 'Glee Project'; as someone who didn't watch that show, I'm really happy for them and I'mma let them finish, but I genuinely couldn't care less. Finally, don't even get me started on the adoption storyline.
Obviously, the things I am loving are the fact that Brittany and Santana are, sort of, an official couple. Blane joining McKinley (although I miss the Warblers) and the forming of The Troubletones (as illustrated by the video above from this weeks new episode). In reality The Troubletones would wipe the floor with New Directions at competitions, but I'm sure in the land of Glee, Rachel and Finn will be triumphant, as usual.
How are you finding the new series? Do you have a favourite storyline so far?What about the new characters?

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Timelapse.

2011-11-12T15:40:00.000Z

Video by William Castleman on Vimeo.
That video was my attempt at illustrating how quickly time can pass, and how much can change without you really noticing. A bit like attempting to blog on a regular basis - you see what I did there?
So it's been a while, almost a month, and every time I leave it that long (although let's be fair, I've left it longer) I feel incredibly guilty. I'm dropping in to apologise and to say hello. I'm still here.
Hopefully I'll be able to schedule a few posts over the next couple of days, in between doing uni work. Meanwhile I'm still posting on Tumblr (although sporadically) and I'm still tweeting like a fiend.
I hope you're having a great weekend and I'll speak to you very soon, I promise!
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I Like This Video...

2011-10-19T10:30:00.000+01:00

Unofficial title sequence for 'The Adventures of Tintin', featuring elements from each of the 24 books.
Music composed by Ray Parker and Tom Szczesniak. By James Curran (@slimjimstudios).
Have I mentioned how excited I am about The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn? No? Not this week? Great. Seriously, I don't think I've been this excited about a film since Spice World (high praise indeed, and of course I'm equally excited about the new Muppets Film).
Announced in 2007. Delayed in 2008. Filmed in 2009. Delayed again in 2010. 2011, and it's finally here! It's felt like forever, I thought 2011 would never come!
As I type I am researching/booking advance preview tickets in my local area for myself and my younger brother. Tintin will be my first 3D film, ever, and as someone who enjoys a bit of pomp and circumstance, I think it's quite fitting; if I'm going to watch a film in 3D, it might as well be a film I wouldn't even consider not seeing at the cinema.
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On This Day.

2011-10-16T09:03:00.000+01:00

On this day 218 years ago Marie Antoinette was guillotined during the French Revolution.On this day 157 years ago writer, Oscar Wilde was born.On this day 88 years ago The Walt Disney Company was founded by Walt and Roy Disney.
On this day 24 years ago I was born.
These birthday's just keep on coming back around, don't they? So yes, today I am 24 years of age. As you may remember I normally do a New Year's Resolution post on my birthday, but I thought this year I'd give myself a rest and post it in the week - because not only is today Sunday; the day of sitting around in your pyjamas all day, but today is my birthday; a day of sitting around in your pyjamas all day whilst eating cake.
Have a great Sunday!

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Liverpoooool.

2011-10-13T12:30:00.000+01:00

(obviously the title is said in a Liverpool accent)

As you may have noticed from the fairly long absence, I am officially a full-time MA student. Which has so far meant early mornings, early nights, volunteer work and an onslaught of assignments, and I'm only in my second week! I must say that I'm enjoying it, a lot! Aside from two presentations in two weeks (not marked, thankfully), the scariest thing so far has been a field trip to Liverpool, prior to our first official week of teaching. Scary in the 'sharing a room with four people you barely know way'! Talk about throwing us in the deep end, but I think it worked; it was a gorgeous weekend and lots of fun!

Despite the fact that this was a learning weekend - analysing and critiquing Liverpool museum/gallery heritage sites - I managed to take a few pictures (albeit with my phone as both of my cameras are broken) to share with you!

Lady Lever Gallery in Port Sunlight

It's kind of a shame I only took a picture of the front of the building (it was the first place we visited and I was tired), because Port Sunlight is a beautiful village. You can read about Port Sunlight here and Lady Lever Gallery here.

(more pictures after the break)

Crosby Beach

Home of Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' sculptures. There are 100 sculptures of the same size dotted across the beach, the amount you see of course depends on the time of the day. We went around 6.30pm (it was low tide) and we managed to wade into the sea and see a few - we also spotted a few heads over the tides being used as perches for seagulls! You can read more about 'Another Place' here.

TATELiverpool
My analysis was based on TATELiverpool so I thought I'd include a picture, this time of the side of the building. You can find out about TATELiverpool here.

Super Lambananas
Yeah. I'm still not sure what these are, not even sure if I like them, but there are quite a few around Liverpool Albert Docks, apparently (that is except the original one). You can read about them here.

(we also went to The Walker Art Gallery, The World Museum, The Maritime Museum and The Slavery Museum, Dunham Massey and The Museum of Liverpool, but I didn't want to subject you to more pictures of the front of buildings and signage/facilities)

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I Like This Song: Charlene Soraia.

2011-10-11T10:12:00.000+01:00

This cover of The Calling's 2001 hit song Wherever You Will Go, has been revisited by singer Charlene Soraia for the new Twinings Tea adverts. I have to say I did quite like the song when it first came out (10 entire years ago, insane), but I hadn't really listened to it since then. When I heard Charlene's version on the advert (prior to watching a YouTube video) it made me stop in my tracks, Charlene's voice and the slowed-down tempo have made an already beautiful song, even more-so.
Wherever You Will Go is currently available on Itunes.

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I Want To See this Film.

2011-10-10T10:30:00.000+01:00

The majority of comments I read about this film are kind of negative, mostly trashing Michelle Williams for not looking like Marilyn. I have to say I'm intrigued by the film. Having never really been a Marilyn fan, I always found her a little sad and the women who idolise her a little misguided, but that's a whole other bog post. I do, however love Michelle Williams, she's grown into such an incredible actress since Dawson's Creek, and although I think the voice is perhaps a little too 'off', I'm really happy that they didn't go for a lookalike and she didn't try to copy everything about Marilyn (as I imagine Scarlett Johansson, or most other people would).

Michelle Williams by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue US October, 2011.(images via Fashion Gone Rogue)
My Week With Marilyn opens in the UK on the 18th November.
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National Poetry Day.

2011-10-06T17:25:00.099+01:00

Today is National Poetry Day - many happy returns!
I bet you thought I'd forget, you would give me your poem and then it'd be really awkward, because I'd have forgotten, and then I'd have to make one up on the the spot and it'd be awful... Well, I thank goodness I remembered!

National Poetry day was actually one of my favourite days when I was at school (another favourite was World Book Day, because we got to read/watch/win a load of books and Shakespeare related stuff). With a love of literature and previously being a member of my college's 'Poetry Appreciation Society', I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that I have an ever-growing collection of poems stored on my computer. As such, I tend to go through phases when it comes to my favourite poem/poet, so my thought is why not share a few?

A fair of amount of research (I googled) suggests that the UK's favourite poet is T.S Eliot , whereas the favourite poem tends to be 'If' by Ruyard Kipling (which I must admit I can't stand, possibly due to the fact that it gets used in a lot of beer adverts).

Whilst studying English Lit for my A-Levels we spent some time on Carol Ann Duffy's book 'The World's Wife' (which I briefly mentioned here) and even longer on War Poetry. The World's Wife has become one of the few books that I've studied that I still love, even after months of analysing and disecting the text - possibly helped by going to see her read her poems live; as has one of the poems I studied - Suicide in the Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon (which I metioned here). I won't share all of my favourites from The World's Wife as they are a bit long (but you can read them at the links) - The Devil's Wife, Little Red Cap and Demeter - but I thought I'd share this particular one as who better to hear from on Poetry day than Shakespeare's wife (and I'm a bit of a romantic at heart)?

Anne Hathaway

The bed we loved in was a spinning world
of forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops, seas
where we would dive for pearls. My lover’s words
were shooting stars which fell to earth as kisses
on these lips; my body now a softer rhyme
to his, now echo, assonance; his touch
a verb dancing in the centre of a noun.
Some nights, I dreamed he’d written me, the bed
a page beneath his writer’s hands. Romance
and drama played by touch, by scent, by taste.
In the other bed, the best, our guests dozed on,
dribbling their prose. My living laughing love -
I hold him in the casket of my widow’s head
as he held me upon that next best bed.

This year's theme is Games, because they were far too excited about the London 2012 Olympics to wait an entire year before having it as a theme (perhaps next year's theme will be 'overzealous' or 'impatience').

Is anything happening in your area for National Poetry Day? Do you have a favourite poem/poet?

National Poetry Day (Official Site)

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My London Fashion Week Favourites - S/S 2012

2011-09-21T19:00:00.000+01:00

Because you really want to hear what another blogger thought about London Fashion Week.
I've never been a huge fan of Spring/Summer collections, I'm not a huge fan of summer in general - I love jumpers, tights, boots, layers and cozy fabrics. In the warmer months all I want to do is walk around in maxi-dresses barefoot. That being said this year I have warmed a little to the summer collections, perhaps it's due to the fact that we had such a non-existent summer in the UK, that even I feel short-changed or perhaps it was that so many of my favourite 'autumnal' colours were used that it felt like A/W again (albeit with flimsier fabrics and no coats).

Roksanda IllincicLook, all three of my favourite colours - hot pink, turquoise blue and mustard yellow! I'm not normally one for structured and minimal, but I think it's growing on me. Plus I want that entire pink look - hair and all!

GilesThere comes a point during 'fashion season' where you think you can pretty much predict what the rest is going to be like - colours, shapes, prints etc. And then Giles Deacon comes along in the middle of it and sort of says, "Well, actually I'm going to do this instead". That's what I like about Giles - the difference between collections and most importantly everyone else's collections. This one was apparently based on The Black Swan (swan images seen above and lots of plumage), but I thought it looked like The Snow Queen's summer wardrobe.
(click through for more)

Holly Fulton I don't know much about Holly Fulton, but according to the review on Style.com she "revels in bad taste" and "is a fan of the gauche". I think I may love her already."Fulton's latest collection was inspired by, as she explained, the idea of a woman who blows her vacation budget on clothes, and so instead of heading to Saint-Tropez, goes to the tacky English resort town of Margate." (Style.com)

Mark Fast

When I worked at Topshop the first person I made friends with was doing a knitwear course at NTU, she was from rural Wales, grew up on a sheep farm (seriously) and loved wool. If you know how to make me a jumper, I will love you forever. Therefore, I inherently love Mark Fast, simply because of the fact that he's a knitwear designer and I have an incredible fondness for crochet (it reminds me of my Grandma).

Matthew WilliamsonIf there is such a thing as a fangirl for fashion, I crush hard on Matthew Williamson. I want to be his bff, I want him to decorate my house and we could travel to far off lands. I love his use of colour and I love that he's influenced by so many different cultures. MW 4EVA OMG!!!1!!

Topshop UniqueI always find Topshop a bit hit or miss for my tastes. I tend to hate their spring/summer collections, I loved the Autumn/Winter 2010 and 2009 collections, but hated their 2011 a/w collection (possibly a result of being quite emotionally invested in 101 Dalmatians). This s/s collection, eh, I don't vehemently hate it as much as I hated their previous s/s collections. The looks I did like though, I loved (all three of them), unsurprisingly - knitted details and bold prints.

Jaeger LondonSix year old me would positively scoff at my inclusion of Jaeger, the hours spent waiting around for my mum to try things on in Jaeger, how could I?! 24 (almost) year old me appreciates the simple, classic pieces, the high quality and the bold colours. Also, look, a funny hat!

BurberryI'll go on record as saying this is my favourite Burberry collection for a while, which is I high praise considering you'd be hard pressed to find one I haven't liked. Of course I'm sure you aren't surprised I like this, it's positively Autumnal; but I also love the batik prints and the chunky beadwork. Not sure about these funny hats though.
(all images via Style.com)
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Reading Challenge - Almost Halfway!

2011-09-19T12:00:00.002+01:00

Do you remember all the way back in January when I joined Goodreads, and began my reading challenge? For those who don't, you can read about it here. Now, nine months later, I'm almost halfway. That might not seem that great, and honestly it's not compared to the rate I normally read at, but after spending 3 years at university and mostly only reading the set texts (The Cultural Industries, Events Management and The Event Safety Guide, mainly, for enquiring minds), I'm quite proud of myself for actually getting back into the routine.
Anyway I thought I'd give you a little summary of the books I've read so far.In chronological order (starting bottom row, right to left):
1. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey - If you haven't already read this, you've probably heard of it. When first released it made it's way onto Oprah's popular book club list, it then became even more notorious when it was discovered some of the stories in the book were false. The book is an account of Frey's time at a drug and alcohol rehab facility. My copy contained the publisher's note. It may have been the first, but this book has become the bane of my reading challenge; I began reading it in fits and spurts - a combination of it being a bit of slow starter and me being a bit squeamish. Perhaps, I've lived far too sheltered a life/or am a little naive but the accounts of Frey's time as a an addict turned my stomach a little, and at times I couldn't muster any sympathy for him. I found the book and Frey himself a little melodramatic, and at times arrogant. I did enjoy hearing about his acquaintances in rehab as they all seemed a lot more realistic, but the idea that anyone could believe some of the stories (which he later admitted were untrue) was beyond me, perhaps that's the benefit of hindsight.
2. The Accidental by Ali Smith - The Accidental follows the Smart family whilst spending their summer holiday in Norfolk, when a stranger in the form of Amber, appears on their doorstep. How do I hate this book, let me count the ways. Okay, so perhaps not that bad, but not so great either. Each chapter is told in the voice of each member of the Smart family - 12 year old Astrid, 17 year old Magnus, author Eve and university professor Mike - and Amber. In my opinion this contributed to the book as a whole to be a bit disjointed (not to say that all books written this way are the same). When each character had (if I remember right) two chapters, of a few pages, for their story it became a little difficult to 'keep up' and I sometimes felt that certain things weren't explained at all, particularly the appearance of Amber.
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Surely I don't need to explain Pride and Prejudice to you, do I? I'll be honest here, other than what we read at school I've not really read much of the Classics (I've read Jane Eyre and a couple of Dostoevsky's, and of course one of my favourite books is Vanity Fair) and I was put off reading Austen after reading Emma, so I was a little hesitant reading Pride and Prejudice, despite (and I suppose as a result of) its reputation. Thankfully, it lived up to its reputation, because I absolutely loved it. Admittedly, I didn't warm to the characters as I did in Joe Wright's adaptation (understandable when you cast the likes Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan et al), but I love the depth of story that reading the book, obviously, gave.
(more if you click through)4. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin - The story of the ambitious Lacey Yeager, a young woman working in the competitive New York art world.This book caught my eye for two reasons; Firstly, I read Steve Martin's book, Shopgirl, a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Secondly, as I've mentioned I'm interested in working at art galleries and exhibitions, so I was quite intrigued. On the whole I enjoyed the book, it's an interesting look into a world that I hope to work in and there are a lot of art based facts (about paintings, galleries and collectors), although this at times worked to the detriment of the book, as it became a little bogged down with facts and the plot seemed less explored.
5. Playing with the Grown-Ups by Sophie Dahl - The adventures of Kitty and her mother Marina, a free-spirited artist who finds herself caught up and beguiled by cult leader Guru Swaami-Ji, and takes Kitty and her siblings along for the ride.I neither loved nor disliked Playing with the Grown-Ups, it's an easy read, a bit 'fluffy', funny and relatable (the mother/daughter relationship in particular) - nevertheless it was enjoyable. I don't find Sophie Dahl's work, outside of modelling, incredibly ground-breaking (the less said about her tv show, the better), but I find her quite endearing and I think that definitely comes through in the book.
6. One Day by David Nicholls - Are you sick of hearing about this book yet? For those who haven't heard of this book, see here. For everybody else, I quite liked it too and yes, I cried.
7. I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley - A collection of essays based on the life of New York based writer Sloane Crosley. Another easy read. I Was Told There'd Be Cake is a collection of funny stories and anecdotes during Crosley's life time including her time volunteering at the Museum of Natural History (and a story about moths, which hit a little too close to home), a call out the blue to be an old friend's bridesmaid and an interesting neighbour. Like I said, an easy read, partly because it's quite short, partly because it's really quite funny and partly because it's really quite relatable, at least for me - each awkward and cringeworthy moment had me thinking "Me Too!".
8. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan - A novel about the ups-and-downs of a relationship in the form of a dictionary.Not at all what I expected, it's not really a novel in the typical sense - there's not really much of a plot or characters, it's just the story of two people in love, told sort-of in prose with each letter in the alphabet. And yet, it's enjoyable and again, it's relatable.
9. The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin - Daniel Pecan Cambridge cannot cross the street except at driveways symmetrically opposed to each. He is also in love with his therapist, the local real estate agent (whom he has never met) and his pharmacist.Steve Martin's books, or at least the one's that I have read all seem very character focused, rather than having one specific plot line with the typical 'beginning, middle and end', there's never really much of a story, just stuff happening to the characters, a bit like a Sofia Coppola film. Not necessarily a bad thing. I didn't enjoy this as much as the other two, not for the previous reason, but mostly because I didn't particularly warm to any of the characters. It's an enjoyable book, just not my favourite of Martin's.
10. It's Not Me It's You by Jon Richardson - Comedian Jon Richardson (single for seven years and counting) is a control freak, on a search for 'the one'. I was on the waiting list at the library for 3 months waiting for this book, was it worth it? In my opinion, yes, but I already knew that. Last year my mum sent me an article from the Guardian written by John along the same theme; A Control Freak Looks or Love, which led to Jon writing It's Not Me, It's You. Some would, understandably, make the assumption that Jon being a comedian, he would write a comedic book , but that's not really what it's about. Granted it's a funny book, but it's also incredibly honest and at times, quite sad. Which is what ultimately endears you to Jon - his admittance that he is a perfectionist and he's flawed, but all he really wants is someone to make him a cup of tea in the morning.
11. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (not pictured) - Judd Foxman returns home early to find his wife and boss in bed together. Now not only is he getting a divorce, Judd is also unemployed and his father has just died, with his dying wish being that his family carry out the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva. The Gleek that I am, I heard about this book through Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray) on her twitter/tumblr. She said it was funny, so I hunted it down and she was right. When I described the plot to friends they were a little surprised that I found it so funny, but if you come from a large family you'll understand - imagine being cramped in your childhood home, with your entire family, for a week. Add a barely functioning house, a neighbourhood filled with bizarre characters and a lot of memories, and you get a pretty funny book.
Have you read any of these books, what did you think? Have you read any good books recently? Perhaps you could recommend a few to help me complete my challenge, and feel free to add me on Goodreads!
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Film Inspiration: Romeo + Juliet

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000+01:00

Title: Romeo + JulietReleased: 1996Director: Baz LuhrmanStarring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes and John Leguizamo.
"A modern retelling of William Shakespeare's famous play of two star-crossed lovers, and their feuding families"
I can't believe that this film came out 15 years ago, is that long enough to call it a classic? Whatever, I'm calling it.
So, this classic film, directed by Baz Luhrman was met with some controversy. Audiences (and critics) fell on two sides of a fence it was either 'hip', modern and visually stunning or "Shakespeare for dummies"; with guns, explosions, screaming and shiny things. Well, call me a dummy, because I loved it! Aside from the fact that I've mentioned far too many times how much I enjoy the concept of adapting and modernising classic literature for younger audiences - 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Easy A etc. - I love this film because of how aesthetically vibrant it is.
Set in the city of Verona, which always reminds me of places like Venice Beach, California and Miami Beach, Florida; filled with the weird and wonderful, vibrant, multi-cultural and a little bit debauched. The colours are saturated to the point that everything appears fake - glamour and wealth to the point of gaudy and trashy - and there is an abundance of religious, namely Catholic, iconography.

All images capped/edited by me. Image copyright Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
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Little Boxes.

2011-09-06T15:34:00.000+01:00

So, I'm back! Not that I actually went anywhere, but I'm back with a new power adaptor, which sounds incredibly boring. Actually, ignore that, I'm back from monitoring the mating rituals of tortoises on the Galapagos Islands.
Phew, those tortoises and their hijinks!
Whilst away (*wink*wink*) I received a couple of interesting boxes in the post that I really wanted to share with you!
Mystery Box No.1

If you follow make-up brand Models Own on their Facebook page you will have noticed that they were running a 50% off sale to all of their Facebook friends, over the Bank Holiday Weekend. Models Own has steadily become one of my favourite nail polish brands so I couldn't resist taking advantage of the sale. I was a little wary that because of the huge demand I would be waiting a while for my order, but they came in three days (officially the shortest wait time for anything I've ever ordered). They also came in that nice little box up there. So I just wanted to join the chorus of people singing the praises of Models Own and their fabulously organised sale.

Top Image (left to right):

Juicy Jules, Magenta Divine, Pink Fizz.

I told myself never, ever to buy any more glitter polishes, ever. Anyone who has tried to remove glitter polish will understand. But as you can clearly see, I caved, big time. I saw Magenta Divine in a magazine a while ago and it was love at first sight. Magenta Divine is a fuschia (with a tinge of purple) glitter, and it really is divine. Juicy Jules is a holographic type silver glitter, and is absolutely gorgeous when it catches the light. Pink Fizz is an aptly named pink champagne coloured glitter. All of them take a few coats to achieve a block colour look; I also bought Seche Vite top coat a couple of weeks ago, which has definitely made the removal a lot easier.
(info on the bottom image, a couple more polishes and mystery box number 2 after the jump)Bottom Image (left to right):Gold Rush, Cherry Pie, 25 Carat GoldI've never been one for gold polish, I don't know why but it's never appealed to me. Now all of a sudden I have two! Thanks to my not too great photo they look quite similar - Gold Rush is however a shimmery gold whereas 25 Carat Gold is more of a matte gold. Both are gorgeous on. Cherry Pie, which was actually bought with my mum in mind, is sort of burgundy with gold shimmer. Possibly my least favourite of the ones I bought as it dries quite matte on its own and I'm not a huge fan of shimmer, but it looks really nice on my mum.

Pink Punch and Fluro' Orange. (l-r)I have been wanting a neon polish for quite a while now, so I couldn't resist buying these two! Pink Punch photographs terribly (honestly, this isn't just my cameraphone), in reality it's a really vibrant, neon pink. Whereas, Fluro Orange photographs perfectly, if not slightly less vibrant than it truly is - I have to confess I hated all orange polish before this one (being completely honest, I still do), but I am in love with this polish - it's so bright and somehow manages to get brighter in the light!
And that's the lot a pretty decent order if I do say so myself. At the moment I'm just wearing the colours as they are, but I will no doubt be trying some nail art, which I normally post on my nail blog, here.

Mystery Box No. 2

Another pretty package!

I had signed up for a free membership to the Art Fund pass over the summer, which unfortunately expired at the end of August. So when they ran a 50% off promotion I decided to sign up for another year.

The National Art Pass helps museums and galleries across the UK to buy art, but it also offers free entry to participating museums and galleries, half price on exhibitions (including those at the Tate, V&A and The British Museum) and you also receive invites to special art fund events. I already have a list of all the places I want to visit before the year is up!

I hope you all had a amazing summer break, whatever you did. It's good to be back!

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An Ode to Autumn.

2011-09-03T04:30:00.000+01:00

(images via here and here)

I know it's not officially Autumn just yet, but I couldn't resist making a bit of a fashion ode to my most favourite season - falling leaves, rain, chunky knits, oranges, browns, yellows, tights, boots, my birthday (hah) - I love Autumn!

(P.S - Hoping to get a new computer cable in the next couple of weeks, just waiting for Apple to send it back. Should be back to regular posting soon - I have lots planned!)

Happy Weekend!

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Emma San Cartier Illustration

2011-08-19T12:14:00.000+01:00

These illustrations are by artist Emma San Cartier, who divides her time between Toronto and San Francisco.

Inspired by nature and stories from mythology and fairy tales, she creates her illustrations in pen and ink and watercolor.

I love that every one of her illustrations have an air of fantasy that tells a story within itself, a mythical quality. The softness and blending of the watercolours make her illustrations beatifully dreamlike, just like a fairy tale.

(more images after the jump)

Emma's Official Site
Etsy Store

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Wistow Maize Maze.

2011-08-17T11:23:00.002+01:00

So, last week Monday we (we being myself, my mum, brother, sister, three aunts and a cousin) spent the day at Wistow Maize Maze in Leicestershire. The design for the maze is changed every summer, when we went it was in the shape of a honey bee to raise awareness for the 'Save the Honney Bee Campaign'.Wistow Maze has over 3 miles of paths and incorporates high level bridges and viewing towers - its also deceivingly large, we took quite a few wrong turns and even lost my brother!

We also went to the Wistow Rural Centre, which is across the road from the maze and has, amongst other things a café, garden centre and a model village.

(more pictures after the jump)

Mini Wistow Village

We had a great day out at Wistow - I would definitely recommend a visit if you're nearby!

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Recently I Have Mostly

2011-08-15T15:47:00.000+01:00

newspaperblackout
So, again I have to apologise for the lack of posts; I'm still without a cable to charge my computer. It's mostly because I keep spending my money on other things, but it's also because (and this will sound stupid to a lot of people) Mercury is in retrograde and I don't want to tempt fate (last time mercury was in retrograde I had the same problem, this time I broke my phone).
- I went to Wistow Maize Maze in Leicestershire with some of my family. It was a great day out. I shall share a few pictures in the next couple of days.
- I had a couple of weeks where I honestly felt a bit rubbish; I had breakouts, trouble sleeping and really bad asthma. I'm generally quite a healthy person, but I have been a bit lapse in taking care of myself recently. The lack of sleep is definitely being helped by not being able to use my computer. Whereas, the breakouts were really easy to sort out thanks to Lush - I steamed my face with Tea Tree Toner Tabs and cleansed with Ultrabland (which incidentally has to be my favourite Lush product) and my skin was back to normal within a couple of days. I also started following Blogilates, thanks to the recommendation of Terri-Jane and have already done a couple of the workouts. I'm also looking about doing a couple of fitness classes.
- It's my birthday in two months (almost to the day - Oct 16th) and I''m trying to decided what I want to do to celebrate. On here, I'm still considering a giveaway which would also mark the 5th birthday of the blog. In general, I'm not sure what I want to do. Last year as you may remember I went to see Wicked, which was amazing, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to go through all the trouble of rounding up my friends and organising something like that. I'm actually entertaining the idea of spending it on my own in a hotel somewhere, this may seem a bit pathetic to some, but would be absolute bliss for me!
- I literally read a couple more books since last time, awful I know, but I'm waiting on a few reservations at the library. Firstly I read I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, which was recommended to me by Dana a very long time ago - I Was Told... is a series of, very funny, short essays based on the author's every day life. Of course the one thing that sold the book to me was the title, as my mum told when she glanced at the cover, it definitely sounds like something I'd say! I also read The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan. The novel is set out in the format of dictionary with a series of short entries for certain words, which track the story of a relationship.
autonomy, n.
"I want my books to have their own shelves," you said, and that's how I knew it would be okay to live together. (From The Lover's Dictionary)

Hey there.' I cleared my throat. 'How are you?'
I'm engaged!'
Incidentally, this is an unacceptable answer to that question.
(From I Was Told There'd Be Cake)
- I'm officially going back to university for my Masters this year and I'm really quite excited! I'm actually starting to feel as hopeful, career wise, as I did when I first finished my undergraduate degree - a year spent applying for jobs that you don't get can really take a toll on one's confidence - I'm back to being optimistic about my future! I'm even considering my plans are once my Masters is finished!
Lix Storm. Chillin' like a boss.
- Regular what I've been watching on TV Update. Like most in the UK I have been enjoying watching The Hour. I felt that it was a little slow and confusing at first, but it's really started to flow now, which is great. I'm loving the the relationship between Bel and Freddie - especially Freddie's 'puppy-dog eyes', but I'm completely in adoration of Lix Storm (played by Anna Chancellor). If I described people as being 'fierce', which clearly I don't, I would say that Lix Storm has an over abundance of ferocity.
- Still with TV. I have been catching up with a few American Sitcom recommendations, namely Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. You should probably watch Parks and Rec if you can as it is all kinds of amazing (of which you may already be aware if you follow me on twitter). Modern Family is also incredibly funny, although I don't love it as much as Parks and Rec, it has definitely grown on me as the series goes on. On a related note, you should probably read this post from Gradulthood, which has spawned many-a-conversation.
- Finally, You may have worked out from my last post that I'm obsessed with the song Super Bass by Nicki Minaj and after a couple of weeks of hard work and listening to it on repeat I now know the entire first verse (and chorus by heart), time well spent I think you'll agree.
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Positive Thoughts.

2011-08-10T20:54:00.000+01:00

Sending love and positive thoughts to those in areas affected by the riots across the UK - I hope you are all keeping safe and well. Here in Nottingham the Notts Police (special constables etc) are doing a great job around the city, whilst keeping everyone continuously updated; you can follow their updates via their Tumblr account. On the same note I couldn't pass up an opportunity to make you all smile (surely we need it).

Michael Landy’s project Acts of Kindness is a celebration of compassion and generosity, inviting us to notice acts of kindness however simple and small. The artist explains, ‘Sometimes we tend to assume that you have to be superhuman to be kind, rather than just an ordinary person.’ So, to unsettle that idea, Acts of Kindness catches those little exchanges that are almost too fleeting and mundane to be noticed or remembered.

Although Landy's project focuses on the London Underground, it's such an important message to live by wherever you are.
A few stories from the site:

I was waiting on the platform of the Underground station one hot summer's day,when a young man came up to me and put his hand down the back of my dress.I started to reel away in shock, when he pulled out his hand, and closed in his fist was a bee which he'd just caught flying down my frock.

I cried on the Victoria line, last Friday. Boy trouble. When I got off at Stockwell a girl of about 22 came running up to me to see if I was OK. She gave me a hug and looked right into my tear soaked eyes and said 'sometimes you just need a hug from a random stranger on the tube.' As she walked off in the opposite direction I realised she was right. She'll never know how much her kindness meant to me.

One morning on a busy District Line train to work, we were just pulling our of Earl's Court when there was suddenly lots of shouting at the end of the carriage - somehow, a mother and her young son had been separated, with the mother still on the platform and the son on the train. Everyone in the carriage reacted quickly, and all the emergency levers were pulled, stopping the train. We all made way for the boy to be let off, and mother and son were reunited, thanks to the quick reactions of a few commuters.

(more after the jump)

Returning to work after this intense period of activity and grief following the death of my husband's dad I stepped onto the tube at Seven Sisters and felt sadness rush through me. I covered my face with my hands and cried. As the train pulled into Victoria I was momentarily engulfed in a soft, warm and perfumed embrace. When I looked up I saw a woman in a fur coat swish through the closing doors. An angel of compassion. I will never forget that moment.

I was attending wedding alone and this would have been the first "event" as it was without my ex, I was dreading the occasion. Confidence was low, rifling through my handbag I had lost my compact mirror. I peered into the tube window to try and make out my refection, when an elderly gentleman told me I looked wonderful, that act of kindness gave me such confidence.

On a Friday night I boarded the train dressed up ready to go out and thinking I looked the bee’s knees. A woman came up to me, and very kindly, and quietly, told me I had my skirt tucked into my knickers.

You can read more random acts here. (found via Cellardoor) Facebook'/Bloglovin'/Twitter/Tumblr/pinterest

Video Killed the Radio Star.

2011-08-06T14:47:00.000+01:00

What did we do before Youtube? I'm sure we all ask ourselves a variation of this question daily (whether it's Youtube, Google, Facebook birthday notifications... etc); obviously the answer to that question is that I got the recommended 8 hours sleep every night, but never mind! If it wasn't for Youtube how would I know what a baby panda sneeze sounds like, or know how amazing Celine Dion is, or watch videos of old tv shows, or, yeah you get what I'm saying here - everything I know can be seen or has been learnt on Youtube. This week on youtube I discovered Jenna Marbles who is very funny (and also a bit nsfw), I also discovered Drew Tabor. Drew Tabor is one of the many Youtube musicians who do covers of songs, now youre probably what separates her from the rest of them? Well, I dont know, make of her what you will, but I love a cover song and I absolutely fell in love with her version of 'Super Bass' by Nicki Minaj (and then all her other videos) so I simply thought I'd share a couple. Super Bass (Nicki Minaj cover)
Friday (Rebecca Black cover) (more after the jump) Justin Bieber Medley
Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield cover)
Also just because - a couple covers by Danielle Ate the Sandwich and Calling Milton.
She-Wolf (Shakira cover) Fuckin' Perfect (P!nk cover)

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I Like Your Style: Leighton Meester

2011-08-03T12:32:00.001+01:00

Leighton Meester is probably best known for portraying the iconic (yup, I'm calling it) Blair Wladorf in US TV show, Gossip Girl.
Playing a character like Blair Waldorf with her distinctive sense of style (particularly in the high school years), it could have been difficult for Leighton to define herself and become recognisable aside from the character she plays. Leighton's fashion sense is however, the complete opposite of Blair's - unconventional, daring and occasionally risqué - with a few masculine lines and interesting shapes thrown in - she has definitely set herself apart from her prim counterpart (and in my opinion her co-star - Chanel/Anna Wintour muse Blake Lively).

(all images via leightonmeester.us)
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So What If I Like Pretty Things.

2011-07-25T15:21:00.002+01:00

I've been a little awol around these parts recently; firstly I got accepted onto my MA course, so I have been celebrating by going through the incredibly long reading list I was sent by my new senior lecturer. Although, mainly, I've been having problems with my macbook - or my macbook power cable, which 7 months ago was brand spanking new and now it is refusing to work. So as you can imagine I was not too pleased - but for the time being I have been lent a new power cable from some lovely friends!

During this short absence I found a bit of time to buy new stuff, namely stuff of the shiny variety (I also bought Rufus Wainwright's album "Want One", hence the title)! There is a fantastic accessories shop, Sian's, near me that sells jewellery seconds for around £1 each - I can't leave without about five different pieces each visit.

1. Earrings. I have a bit of a thing for heart-shaped jewellery, seriously, this must be my sixth/seventh pair of heart-shaped earrings. Let's not even start with the heart rings, necklaces and brooches! I love that you can see the wood grain on these.

2. Earrings. These sort of reminded me of Roman armour.

3. Fly Ring. Sort of reminded me of this bracelet that Taylor Tomasi Hill has.

4. Claw Ring. Not my usual style, but I actually really like it.

5. Bracelets (l-r). Vintage gold bracelet found for two for 50p each. Friendship bracelet given to me by a friend, surprisingly. String bracelets all picked up for £1 each in the Topshop sale. There were two of the one with the gold cubes, but I gave one to my sister (which she decided to wear to school and got told to cut off by one of her teachers).

Now I'm officially back on my spending ban, other than a new screen for my cracked Iphone (I felt like crying) and a basic white tee/vest top for going out on my friends birthday in a couple of weeks, I am officially saving my money for a rainy day, which considering the recent weather is an extreme likelihood!
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RIP Amy Winehouse.

2011-07-23T19:00:00.000+01:00

last.fm

How many of us hoped that the next time we read (or wrote) something about Amy Winehouse, it would be about new music or her working on a new album? Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but I really hoped so. A lot of people, on Twitter, Facebook and the general 'internets' have been talking about how completely not shocked they are, well colour me surprised, perhaps it's the eternal optimist in me or the eternal Amy fan. But I'm shocked and genuinely upset at the news of her death.
A true, yet tragic talent. RIP Amy Winehouse.

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Secrets of the Pop Song.

2011-07-15T16:26:00.000+01:00

Believe it or not I'm not a big tv watcher. In a figurative sense, there isn't a lot that I enjoy watching. In the literal sense, I just hate sitting down in front of the television; preferring to revisit old boxsets (mostly Teachers, Spaced and Laguna Beach Series 1). However, every now and again I will catch-up on things I've missed on IPlayer or 4OD, particularly IPlayer. Whilst catching up on all the programmes I've missed - Pointless, The Apprentice and Angry Boys - it also recommend that I watch 3-part series Secrets of the Pop Song.

BBC Two explores the process of songwriting in new three-part series, Secrets Of The Pop Song, which follows the pen to paper to first public performance.

Each episode sees songwriter, producer and musician Guy Chambers, collaborating with an artist to write a new song each week – a ballad, an anthem and a breakthrough single, with a variety of celebrated musical contributors divulging the secrets of the trade along the way.

(via guychambers.com)
I've always been a champion for (good) pop music, whether it's a guilty pleasure, nostalgia or just, well McFly. I love pop! I do however, think we've reached an odd (read: awful) point in music where everything is the same - David Guetta produced, a bit 'ravey' or featuring a Pitbull-esque rap - also known as 'In The Club Syndrome' (I might've just invented that). It's human nature, you find a formula that works so you use it over and over again until it becomes, for want of a better word, formulaic. I imagine a lot of the songs in the Top 40 charts could be layered over each other and essentially still be the same song. Those of you who listen to music outside of the charts/Top 40 are probably just thinking, so what, don't listen to the charts, but as a person who grew up listening to Top 40 - watching Top of the Pops every week, taping songs off the radio and making up dance routines - I find it sort of sad.

What I love about Secrets of a Pop Song (which is separated into three parts; Ballad, Breakthrough Single and Anthem) is that it not only dissects the process of writing and producing a pop song from scratch, but it also considers the history and impact of pop music; It even addresses the whole issue of 'manufactured pop'.
The first episode, Ballad, featured Rufus Wainwright, with whom Guy wrote a beautiful ballad called - the release of which I'm anxiously awaiting. I love Rufus' music and I fell in love with the piano-riff straight away, I've been humming it since I watched the episode! The second, Breakthrough Single featured Mark Ronson and Tawiah. I'm sure you've heard of Mark Ronson, but if you haven't heard of Tawiah you really should - she toured with Mark on his Version tour, has an awesome voice and you can buy her EP, In Jodi's Bedroom on Itunes. The third and final episode, Anthem, will feature Noisettes, and although I'm not a huge Noisettes fan I'm certainly looking forward to it!
The final episode of Secrets of the Pop Song is on BBC 2 tomorrow at 9.45 pm.You can watch the previous episodes on BBC IPLayer now.
(click through to see a clip of Rufus and Guy performing World War III.)
(all images via the BBC)

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I Want To See This Film...

2011-07-11T16:35:00.000+01:00

Finally! The trailer for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn has officially been released, and if possible - I'm more excited than I previously was! I've been quite a huge fan of both the comic books and the cartoons since a young age, so at first - like I imagine most fans were - I was a little apprehensive about this film, but it's looking pretty good, right? I'm even liking the whole 3D motion capture thing.
The Secret of the Unicorn is due for release in Europe on Boxing Day (December 23rd in the US).Eeeeeeek!

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Kiss Me Quick!

2011-07-08T22:40:00.002+01:00

Apparently it was International Kissing Day on Wednesday, these world something or other days always pass me by until a few days later when you read about stunts and so-forth, If only I'd known I'm sure could have celebrated it a lot better than I did! To make up for it I thought I'd share this video containing a few facts about kissing.
Happy Weekend!xx
(video via Wired.com)
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My Style Icons: An Unreal Continuation - Belle du Jour

2011-07-01T10:58:00.002+01:00

Well, well I haven't done one of these for a while! You can see previous Style Icon posts here. But for now, let's just get on with it, shall we?

My Style Icons: An Unreal Continuation

Part II: Belle/Hannah

(Secret Diary of a Call Girl - tv series)

Secret Diary of a Call Girl is based on the blog and books of the (previously) anonymous sex worker better known as Belle Du Jour.

Belle/Hannah probably seems like an odd choice for a style icon post seeing as it's pretty much her job to be to be in various states of undress. However, as a 'high-class' call girl with a high fee, Belle's wardrobe is equally high class.

I must admit that during series' one and two I actually found Belle's outfits, well, a little 'hookerish; and tacky (although the divide between Belle and Hannah was more obvious). It would seem that Belle went under a bit of a makeover at the beginning of series 3 as her wardrobe (figurative and literally) transformed from being a bit cheap looking to very classy and essentially a lot less like a stereotypical prostitute.

"In a world of children in bikinis and grandmothers in f*ck-me boots, the surest way to tell a prostitute is to look for the woman in the designer suit."

I've got a bit of a soft spot for anyone who accessorises like they were a magpie in a past life (see here and here) and that fact spreads to fictional people - from massive earrings and killer heels to glittering brooches and quirky hair-pieces, Belle is always beautifully bejewelled and adorned.

(more after the jump)

The main difference between the Call Girl (Belle) and the real girl (Hannah) are the subtle changes in her style. In the first two series' Hannah's apartment is, literally, divided between her work life and her real life - the contrast in the way she dresses is even more obvious. Belle wears slinky dresses, stiletto heel and red lipstick; Hannah wear jeans or jogging bottoms and doesn't bother doing her hair. In the final two series' however the differences aren't quite as obvious, but if you look close enough, Hannah wears simple, sometimes sweet clothes - simple lines and 'girly' clothing, whereas Belle favours bold prints, layers of statement jewellery and more fitted, slinky clothing.

Hannah/Belle(click name for product information)

NB: Belle/Billie Piper isn't the only stylish one on Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Ashley Madekwe who plays Bambi (and dates Ben/Iddo Goldberg in real life) has her own fashion blog - Ring My Bell.

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I Want To See This Film...

2011-06-30T10:13:00.001+01:00

One Day is the film adaptation of the book of the same name by David Nicholls. The film visits Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) on the same date each year, beginning with the night after their University graduation.
How awful is it of me to want to see film mostly because I'm curious as to how much I'm going to hate it?
I finished reading the book a couple of weeks ago, and absolutely loved it. I did however make the mistake of watching the trailer before I started reading, thankfully it didn't take me too long before I settled into it. Unfortunately watching the trailer beforehand also meant that once I'd got familiar with the characters, I became quite annoyed at the thought of Anne Hathaway playing Emma Morley - Anne Hathaway as feminist, political activist and Northern lass Emma Morley - watching the trailer alone is making me dislike her as Emma, especially with the fact that they changed her accent to quite a well-to-do southern accent (with incredibly large hints of Anne's American accent), seeing as the fact that she's Northern and working class is such a large part of her character - I thought someone like Louise Delamere or even Anna Friel would have been perfect for the role, but I suppose they wouldn't draw in the big audiences. That being said I quite like the rest of the cast - Jim Sturgess as Dexter, Patricia Clarkson as Dexter's mother and Romola Garai as Sylvie - all quite perfect.
Have you read the book? How do you feel about the adaptation and the cast? How do you feel about the casting of Anne Hathaway?

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Vintage Grapes.

2011-06-28T15:54:00.000+01:00

With Pitti Uomo and Paris (Menswear) fashion week just finishing I still haven't come down from my Men's Fashion high from a couple of weeks ago. It was during this time that I found out about Menswear company Vintage Grapes, and I couldn't resist doing a little feature here.

Vintage Grapes Clothier, founded in 2009, is a premier luxury garment brand based in Connecticut, USA. The brand aims to embody the sophistication of the vineyard lifestyle.

I love that despite the collection features classic and timeless pieces, they also have nostalgic air . Their collections remind me of the photos of my Grandparents and their generation, in a crisp suit and tie. It almost seems that these days we've lost our sense of occasion, wearing jeans whenever possible; for me Vintage Grapes embodies a time when people made an effort, but moreover looked confident, comfortable and elegant.

(more after the jump)

Vintage Grapes' Spring/Summer 2011 collection entitled “Return of the Elegant” - featuring polished woven dress shirts, signature handcrafted neckwear, and classic double pleated bottoms - completely embodies the nostalgic mentality, it really is a return to classic, elegant styles.

Founder, Jared Dye, shares his tips on how to live the Vintage Grapes lifestyle

(text via Definitive Touch):

1. Make not only a great first impression with your outer appearance, but be sure to also make a great lasting, lifelong impression with your inner appearance: character.

2. Be confident and comfortable in your own skin; success comes in cans, not can’ts. Always dress for success.

3. A true gentleman knows the value of a good tailor and upon finding one develops that relationship as he would any business relationship.

4. Everything has its place. With that said, when opting to wear a necktie, be sure that the end of your tie always meets the top of your belt. With regard to placement of a tie-clip, the tie-clip should be placed about two-thirds of the way down the tie.

5. Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none. William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

More From Vintage Grapes:
Official SiteFacebookTwitter
(images are owned by, and used with the permission of Vintage Grapes LLC)
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Recently, I Have Mostly..

2011-06-27T14:38:00.000+01:00

weheartit

Yup, it's a recently post again. Hopefully this will make my life sound slightly more interesting than it does in the weekly posts let's see shall we?

I finally joined Etsy, I know I'm very behind the times, and I think I have now officially ruined my life, or at least my bank account. At the moment my favourites are renneslechateau, Sandali, Reduction Nation, Frosted Willow and GOLDhearted. You should also check out Fuzzy Sushi by my lovely friend Jen. So, y'know, I'm going to be pretty broke for the next few months!

I've eaten yummy food with friends. I went to Pizza Express with Tash on a very rainy Sunday (made infinitely better by finding £5 on the floor); I'm sure everyone is clued in on all the offers that they have at Pizza Express - I've been getting the newsletter for a couple of years and I finally got to use one! Later on in the week I got a surprise visit from my friend Roscoe (I haven't seen her for 2 years, so it was a very nice surprise). As well as showing her a few Nottingham sights we had brunch at Alley Cafe (which is a really nice vegetarian/vegan cafe), walked up a bit more of an appetite and had dinner at Gourmet Burger Kitchen; the walk was definitely necessary before eating the massive, and extremely yummy burgers (served by an equally yummy waiter/server), I had the Malay burger and plate of chips, which was then washed down by an after dinner Oreo milkshake, of course - I still felt full the next day! Both days were lots of fun, I think whether you see a friend every couple of weeks or every couple of years, the sign of a true friend is when it doesn't feel like you haven't seen them for a while and you just slip into the same comfortable conversation and routine of having fun doing nothing.

I've also been eating a lot of fresh fruit. It's summer, sort-of, and my favourite fruits are in-season or at least they seem to be very well stocked in Sainsbury's! I've been munching on nectarines, pineapple, cherries and of course, strawberries.

Still on food, I've been making chocolate covered pretzels on almost a weekly basis. My mum and I were addicted to Pretzel Flipz when they first came out quite a few years ago, so we were really annoyed when they discontinued them, that was until I realised that they are probably the most easy things to make - pretzels, dipped in melted chocolate and chilled. Since that realisation, I've been making them all the time - the combination of sweet and salty is so addictive!

I didn't go to Glastonbury. This may seem like an odd point (don't worry I won't list everything I haven't done), but I mentioned a couple of times late last year/early this year that I was going, but after some deliberation, I changed my mind and decided not to go. With the money I didn't spend on going and everything that accompanies that I am nearly ready to do my practical driving test, so certainly no regret in that department (also I never was too big on the idea of living in a field for four days).

Sort of music related, I broke my earphones. Or I should say my earphones decided to stop working through no fault of my own. I seem to go through a lot of earphones and I refuse to believe it's just a 'me thing'. So, if anyone has any recommendations please let me know - I have quite small ears so they have to be in-ear and I like high-quality sound (I've been quite pleased with Sennheiser earphones previously).

I finally went to see X Men: First Class, and absolutely loved it! I liked that the pace was a little different to typical Superhero/Action films, sometimes they leave you not really understanding why everything is blowing up, but I thought there was a nice balance of story, humour and action - and I find the back story behind Erik and Charles Xavier quite interesting - X Men were always my favourite super heroes growing up - possibly thanks to far too much time on Marvel Universe. The only things that bugged me in the film were Zoe Kravitz's character, Angel Salvadore, who just seemed a bit pointless and January Jones (Emma Frost); who apparently has been tricking us into thinking she was fantastic at playing the cold and lifeless Betty in Mad Men, when really that was just her not so great acting.

Still with films I've finally watched. I got Morning Glory on DVD, which stars Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford, and having only got it about two weeks ago I have almost definitely watched about 8 times already. It's not too 'chick-flicky', it's quite funny, Diane Keaton is brilliant and I will watch anything with Rachel McAdams in, anything, she is far too adorable.

Again, on the same point. I recently rediscovered all my old Disney videos (yup, VHS) and have enjoyed re-watching a few of them: Beauty & The Beast, Mulan, 101 Dalmatians and, one of my top three favourite Disney films, The Rescuers; which features most of my all time favourite Disney songs (the rest of my favourite Disney songs are actually in my other three favourites - The Little Mermaid and Aladdin), in particular 'Tomorrow is Another Day', also possibly the most obscure Disney song!

I don't really 'do' makeup - I don't really see much point in spending time every morning putting it on when you can use that time getting more sleep and therefore looking more refreshed and relaxed than makeup could ever make you look. That being said, I quite enjoy having a bit of fun with make-up before a night out, normally that'll consist of glitter in it's various forms. So with the intent of shaking things up a bit, I bought the Wink Marker Pen by Barry M, and am actually surprised by how much I enjoy using it. I've always struggled a bit with eyeliner, but I love this - goes on really easily, cleans up well and is easy to use!

Finally, I have a new bike. I say new, it was my uncle's, but he kindly gave it to me and it's new to me. So yey, new bike! I imagine it'll help in the absence of a getaway car as I plan to conveniently be around Christian Bale/Tom Hardy/Joseph Gordon Levitt during the course of the week.

And that's the lot! This week I shall be camped out on my sofa watching week two of Wimbledon - I know it's quite predictable but I love watching Federer and Nadal and the Williams sisters playing each other respectively, so those are my hopes for the final.

Hope you have a great week whatever you do!

(PS. I'm back on the 'net now so post should be back to a normal pace in the next few days)
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I Like This Video: Nicola Roberts - Beat of My Drum

2011-06-22T13:57:00.001+01:00

I'm not currently sold on the song just yet, but I love the video for Nicola Roberts' debut solo single 'Beat of My Drum'.
You may recognise Nicola as one fifth of, I think, defunct girl-band Girls Aloud (I don't know/care what they are doing). I certainly could never be described as a Girls Aloud fan, ever - I explained a little why in my Spice Girls post, the rest of the reasoning is mostly to do with my immense dislike for Cheryl Cole. I do however regularly admit to liking Nicola; Nicola was my favourite during Popstars the Rivals (the show through which Girls Aloud were formed) and I have to admit I'm still quite fond of her. Whilst the rest of the girls have gone down that Footballers Wife route style-wise and life-wise, whether married to a footballer or not. Nicola, however ditched the fake tan and the tacky highlights pretty early on to favour a more natural, 'fashiony' look, becoming a popular spotting around London Fashion Week and launching her make-up range, Dainty Doll.
As I said, I'm not completely sold on the song - I think it requires a few more listens, but you can't fault a bit of Diplo and the chorus reminds me of Justice's D.A.N.C.E. I do however love the video, it's a bit like the toned down, English version of Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' video - instead of the warm and tropical climate, it's in a church hall and is filled with pastels instead of bright and bold colours, it is however, ultimately a striking and fun video.
Beat of My Drum is out now.Nicola's debut album Cinderella's Eyes is out later this year.
(Click through to see Nicola's Behind the Scenes video for Beat of My Drum)
Nicola Roberts (official site)
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Film Inspiration: An Education

2011-06-15T15:26:00.000+01:00

Title: An Education

Released: 2009

Director: Lone Scherfig

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Saarsgard, Alfred Molina.

"A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age."

An Education was actually the film that inspired me to start doing film inspiration posts. The first time I saw this film I fell in love with all the late 50's/early 60's decor - Jenny's family home (particularly the kitchen), the shop fronts and groceries, Ms Stubbs' home and Danny and Helen's flat. I also became a little bit infatuated with Rosamund Pike's character, Helen, who is a little bit dippy but incredibly glamorous. I love seeing the way Jenny becomes 'educated' during the course of the film - from her hum-drum life as a schoolgirl, to being a one half of a glamorous couple about town - as her wardrobe changes and you see the ever growing contrast between her classic 1950's home to Danny and Helen's apartment, which oozed glamour and culture.

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This Week I Have Mostly...

2011-06-10T13:26:00.001+01:00

Happy Friday! [insert super old Rebecca Black reference here]I am currently without Internet at home so am relying on my local library, which is a pretty large pet peeve - I hate using my computer in public, I'm sure nobody is vaguely interested in what I'm doing, but I become incredibly self-conscious!
What have you been up to this week? Well, This week I have mostly;

I shared the photo above on my personal Facebook page earlier in the week, it tied in with my post about pictures on walls so I thought I'd post it here too. I discovered it in one of the loo's at Bungalows and Bears a couple of months ago, and thought it too sweet not to share; it's some of the lyrics from The Beatles song 'I Will'.

I got a really positive response from my last post (Reasons Why I love Menswear), through the comments, Twitter, Tumblr and in my emails, so thank you everyone who contacted me; it made me feel a lot less like I was having mardy, and a lot more like I was making sense, which very rarely happens!

Carrying on from the previous point, I discovered a new favourite Tumblr to add to my Menswear favourites - Positively Dashing - which I have been pinning all week (Other favourites include Men in Cardigans and The Cosby Sweater Project). Speaking of Tumblr I also changed my Tumblr theme, and am in love with tumblr all over again!

I managed to get through a couple of books to help towards my general read more books challenge (and resolution). In the past couple of weeks I finished reading Pride and Prejudice, which I absolutely loved. I also read An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin, Playing with the Grown Ups by Sophie Dahl and One Day by David Nicholls - all of which had been on my 'to-read' list for sometime and all of which I enjoyed (I reviewed a couple of them in a little more detail which you can read here).

I found out that Wollaton Hall (which is about a 20 min walk from my house) is being used in the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, as the exterior of Wayne Manor [source]. Although a few films have been filmed in Nottingham (Shane Meadows films a bit here), this is probably one of the bigger ones, and I'm genuinely quite excited (not only because, depending on the plot, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy will be in a 10 mile radius of me for quite a few weeks).

They've finally released the poster for The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, due to be released on Boxing Day in the UK. I've been quite a big Tintin fan since I was little, reading the books, watching the TV show (I've been watching my boxset just this week) and visiting the Covent Garden shop a few too many times; I have been counting down since they announced that the film was going to be made - and they keep adding fantastic people to the cast (Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost...) - so as you can imagine at this point I'm so excited, I'm ready to burst!

And that's about it - these posts never fail to make me seem incredibly uninteresting. This weekend I'm off to the cinema - very excited!

Hope you have a great weekend whatever you do!

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Reasons Why I Love Menswear.

2011-06-06T10:02:00.002+01:00

thefashionisto
(Marc by Marc Jacobs, Fall 2011)

Menswear.

In recent weeks (or even months) I've become a little bored of fashion.

Stuff in the shops seem a little boring, I've stopped buying magazines for the same reasons (and a little because of this) and well, I'm sick of fashion blogs.

Fashion blogs have been my main source of fashion information (outside of Style.com) for a while now, but recently I've become a little tired of seeing outfit upon outfit, picture upon picture of the same pretty, pouting poseurs with nothing interesting to say; The same reason why I'm reluctant to do outfit posts on a regular basis. I will admit there are a few I love - Blair's posts always feature interesting musings and I'm very much enjoying following her book posts. Lauren has a completely different approach to what she wears. Pretty Things shares her vast collection of amazing accessories. Whereas Karla, Ashley and Marie post sporadically enough that I don't tire of their gorgeous style. The rest? Let me say I have renamed going through my blog reader every morning as 'trawling', trying to find the gems amongst everything else.

I've always loved fashion (or clothes, I should say) from a very young age, but as a girl with an older brother and a lot of older male cousins, aside all the extremely pretty dresses my mother made me wear, I wore a lot of hand-me-downs and the majority of them came from the boys in my family - so as you can imagine their clothes sort-of outnumbered the fluffy dresses and tutus I owned. Regardless of how often I get tired of womenswear, I never tire of looking at men's clothes (perhaps it's because I don't really wear men's clothes).

So let me explain a few of the reasons why I love Menswear.

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Simplicity.

For me menswear is about classic, well made pieces, perhaps with some variation like a change of material or cut. No frills, no fuss - no tassels, no fringing, no heavy hardware, no cut-outs... I'm sure you see where I'm going here. The fact that something so stunning in appearance can be made from the right cuts and lines is quite awe inspiring.

Male Models.
I'm a girl. I'm a girl, who likes boys. Most importantly, I'm a girl who likes boys with pretty faces. Therefore, I can't deny I love a male model (if you want specifics I'm quite a big George Barnett fan). If I knew any, I believe I'd be what they call a 'serial modelizer'. There is nothing more lovely than seeing a gorgeous man striding towards you (or down a runway) in a beautifully fitted suit.

Tommy Ton for Style.com

A well dressed man is, for want of a better word, a bit hot.
To illustrate this point, see above. That would be my 'imaginary fashion boyfriend' Josh Peskowitz, the style director at Gilt, but you already know that if you follow me on Tumblr (and pay attention to my general ramblings). You can also refer to the previous point, but whether the gentleman is a male model or not I genuinely believe any man who is well styled/dressed instantly becomes more attractive.

fyeahmenswear

Men don't (seem) to take it too seriously.
Perhaps I don't socialise in the right circles (and to be honest, thank goodness) the men I know who express an interest in fashion, don't express it as a matter of life and death in the same way that many females I know do. As previously mentioned, you only have to look at the thousands of female bloggers who post regular outfit posts, they may look lovely - and really a lot of them do - but you can't help wishing they'd crack a smile once in a while (or at least stop trying so hard). Womenswear designers have a habit of making their designs/looks incredibly exclusive - you have to be a certain shape, height, weight, even colour - Menswear runaways/editorials always seem a lot more inclusive, granted they aren't above a certain weight limit but they always appear a lot more diverse than womenswear.

The Fashionisto.
D&G, Fall 2011

More Menswear.
Fashionisto.
F.Yeah Menswear on Tumblr.
My Pinterest Menswear album.

[You're Not From] Brighton.

2011-06-04T12:01:00.001+01:00

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, I spent my Bank Holiday in Brighton. The week prior to that, however was spent with one eye on the weather forecast as it to-and-fro'd between rain, cloudy skies and well, more rain. Thankfully it didn't rain (not until we were on our way home again that is), but it was pretty overcast and gloomy all day - as you can probably tell from my photos!
As a someone from 'slap-bang' in the middle of the Midlands every now and again I feel it's necessary to make a pilgrimage to go look at the sea, but nine times out of ten I wonder why I bother, this was one those times. Although I enjoy spending time in Brighton (and I'm actually quite fond of the English seaside when it's cold and gloomy), the trip was a bit of a downer all around; which of course isn't helped by the fact that I find Brighton vintage shops a bit overpriced.
I did however manage to pick up these shoes (in patent red, of course!) and discovered a new favourite food - frozen yoghurt - thanks to Lick Yoghurt!

The West Pier, which you can read about here, caught fire three times in 2003.

Royal Pavillion

Yum!

Can't resist taking pictures of graffiti, especially when it's this cute!

Have a Great Weekend!
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Pictures of Walls.

2011-06-01T12:23:00.001+01:00

Well, hello. How are you?
I hope you had a lovely weekend (a long one for both the UK and US). I had a lovely time in Brighton during the bank holiday, although I've somehow mislaid my camera cable within two days of finding it again; So I can't hare my experiences with you just yet, but hopefully I'll find it and be able to share lot of lovely pictures (mostly of new sunglasses and shoes)!
In the meantime I thought I'd share one of my favourite websites with you - Pictures of Walls, which as the website description so nicely puts it, it is 'A gallery of walls with stuff written on'.
I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I love graffiti. I spend far too much time going through all the galleries on pictures of walls, which my pictures file on my computer can definitely attest to.

(more after the jump)

http://www.picturesofwalls.com

(all images via pictures of walls)
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I Am Not My Hair.

2011-05-30T12:07:00.001+01:00

Sorry Gaga, but I'm going to have to go with India.arie on this one;

I am not my hair.

I am not this skin.

I am a soul that lives within.

In the case of getting one's hair did, I believe there are two camps with females - those who fuss and those who couldn't give a fuss. I fall in to the latter camp. The least amount of time that I can spend on general beautification the better. The past couple of weeks, however all I have done is fuss about my hair. I've reached that point, which I reach every couple of months/years, where I've realised that my 'hair ritual' isn't actually working for me.

Before we go too far into 'haircare' I'll tell you a little bit about my hair.

Firstly I suppose I should define it by typical standards; Afro hair. Never been straightened, chemically or otherwise, It is I believe what they call Type 4 or kinky-curly. When I was younger it'd usually be in plaits or bunches. Now I have plaited extensions, which I'm quite attached to (pun intended). I wash, plait, 'extend' my hair myself, sometimes with help from my mum, aunties and once in a while my dad. One common misconception about my hair is that they are dreadlocks, they are not; The second is that I won't mind you touching my hair because you think it's 'cool' or 'funky', you may not touch my hair.

I love my hair.
As with many things about my body/appearance it's taken me a while to get to that point, but I do.
I love my hair.

As I imagine a lot of black women do, It's difficult finding beauty stuff that work for me without having to go to specialised shops (say for example, if I want to just nip to my local Boots), none more so than 'hair care' items. This year alone I've gone through 3 different brands of shampoo, with results ranging from allergic reactions to never actually feeling like my hair was clean, and I try to find things that contain natural ingredients and aren't tested on animals, which is what led me to Lush.

I'm pretty faithful to the beauty products I use as my skin hasn't really changed since my teen years, I haven't needed to change much. When I do however decide to stray I normally stray to Lush (which has had an exceedingly detrimental affect to my Boots points balance). This is however the first time I've tried Lush hair 'stuff' and I have to say I'm a bit of a convert.

I used Lush's solid shampoo, Trichomania. Their solid conditioner, Jungle and leave in hair treatment R&B. All of which left my hair feeling super soft and smelling gorgeous - I've even had compliments on how lovely my hair smells (even now up to a week after having done my hair). I'm so pleased that all the products worked so well in my hair, like said, I don't enjoy trying new beauty products so to finally find something that I really love is fantastic - definitely a beauty success!

Do you have as much trouble as me when finding beauty products? Are there any beauty products that you swear by?

Like some Baby Barbarella...

2011-05-28T13:11:00.001+01:00

Dress/Tunic: Ghost (vintage)

Cardigan: H&M

Boots: Rokit Vintage (Brick Lane)

Necklace: c/o Michelle Verwiel at Anieke

I'm not that big on accessories, normally just opting for a big pair of earrings and calling it day. However, recently I've been drawn to statement pieces like the 'chunked' necklace by Michelle Verwiel above.

This outfit is something I wear whenever I can't be bothered to make an effort in the mornings; The dress is one of those that I can throw on over a pair of leggings or tights (never without - it's far too short!) and the cardigan and boots were practically lived in whilst I was at university, which is why they are both falling apart! But combined, well, it all reminds me a little of Jane Fonda in Barbarella - hence the title of the post - plus I love that the outfit consists of only four pieces!

Hope you're having a great weekend lovelies!

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This Week I Have Mostly...

2011-05-25T12:46:00.002+01:00

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I've hit the 'teen movie' section of my film want to see list, and have inevitably discovered a few more teen films that slipped under my radar. During the past week I have watched Drive Me Crazy, Sugar & Spice, Jawbreaker, Election, Teaching Mrs Tingle and Can't Hardly Wait (I'm sure they're all a rettro review/film inspiration post in the making). As I'm on a bit of a roll at the moment, can you recommend any teen films that I may not have seen? Obviously, the cheesier the better!

I'm back to being addicted to The Apprentice. Have you been watching? At the moment my favourite is Tom the inventor, because he is just bizarrely adorable (I did like Gavin {spoiler} but obviously he's been fired{end spoiler}; I really don't like Vincent and Susan - Vincent is the walking definition of the phrase 'makes my skin crawl', he's such a sleaze and everyone keeps talking about how Susan is the youngest, in my opinion she acts it - like a petulant child! Do you have a favourite yet?

I have talked about my love for McFly many time on this here blog, so you will not be surprised to hear that I have started watching their new channel 5 reality show McFly On The Wall. At the moment it's quite focused on Dougie's visit to the priory, but I'm looking forward to getting a behind the scenes look at the band as they always seem like really good friends and such good fun!

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I've listened to a lot of Barbra Streisand, possibly to counteract the amount of Barbra songs that Lea Michele sings on Glee; She was starting to make me hate Barbra's songs (and yes I wanted an excuse to sneak a Barbra Streisand picture on my blog). Speaking of Glee, I will hopefully start up on Gleecaps again before the series is up, but as I've said before it is quite time consuming and I'm quite busy at the moment!

I bought a couple of new nail polishes on Ebay, and I'm so excited for them to arrive in the post over the next couple of days; I'm expecting Essie Luscious Lips, Topshop Sketch and Models Own Red 'n' Black and Top Turqouise.

I bought new shampoo and conditioner! This is all very exciting, but I'll expand on that later on in the week!

Are you having a nice week? Any plans this Bank Holiday Weekend?

I hope you have a fun-filled time whatever you are doing!

(ps. As well as the four links below, you can also now follow me on Pinterest!)

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Abigail McKenzie Illustration

2011-05-20T11:06:00.001+01:00

As I've told you before, I am a bit obsessed with fashion illustration - the one thing I can't do, but would desperately want to do. Of course due to my obsession I spend far too much time fawning over other people's illustrations. At the moment my obsession du jour is Abigail McKenzie; Having 'favourited' so many of her images on Flickr and blogging even more on Tumblr, I thought it was about time I did a proper blog dedicated to her work!

(a few more images after the jump)

As Abigail tells us on her profile, she 'specialises in making feminine imagery of wonderful things and beautiful ladies', which you can certainly see from her gorgeous illustrations of some quite iconic women. The fact that Abigail's subjects wonderful, delicate and beautiful things, really fits so well with her illustration style, which I'm assuming are created using water-colours, which at first glance appear very soft and graceful, but also with incredible depth.

More from Abigail McKenzie Illustration:

Website
Flickr
Blog
Twitter

All images via Abigail McKenzie Illustration on Flickr.
All images © Abigail McKenzie.

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I Want to See This Film...

2011-05-17T12:36:00.000+01:00

I've never seen a Woody Allen film. Nope, never; Not even Annie Hall. Allen's films have either not been that high on my list of films that I want to see, seemed a little 'too-cool-for-school' in that 'you wouldn't get me anyhow' way or they starred actors that I don't particularly like (*cough* Scarlett Johannson *cough*). Midnight in Paris premiered at Cannes Film Festival last week with mixed reviews - mostly saying that it's not one of Allen's best films, which might be why I quite want to see it; It also features Rachel McAdams and Marion Cotillard, who definitely outweigh any of the negatives.

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Recently, I Have Mostly...

2011-05-13T19:48:00.000+01:00

weheartit

Yeah, it's been a while since I've written one of these, hence the 'recently' in the title. There was the double Bank Holiday weekend (because someone got married or something) and after that everything sort of blended into what felt like an eternal weekend.

So recently (during this vague and unending time period ) I have mostly.

It's sort of mine and my friend's (Tash, for enquiring minds) thing to spend far too long in Waterstones every time we go into the city centre, and the most recent time was no exception. Tash is going on holiday in a couple of weeks, so she had quite a field day with the 3for2 offer that they always have at this time of year. I on the other hand have a huge pile of 'to-read' books that I've barely even started to make my way through (as you may have noticed if you follow me on Goodreads). I could not however resist the lure of the Penguin Popular Classics (which only cost about £2 each) this time adding Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which is one of those books I always think I've read due to the fact that I've seen the TV adaptation and film so many times.

Continuing the book theme, I visited my local book shop which sells (sometimes) damaged books for a lot less than they'd usually retail at. This time I picked up Leon: Ingredients and Recipes (which ties in with the Leon Restaurants) for only £3, and a little sellotape damage repair work. It's a really fun recipe book, complete with pull-out posters, stickers and lots of interesting food related information. I also bought French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guillano, and yes I know what you're thinking, but I'd heard so much about it and I was intrigued (plus it was only £2, so I can always sell it on amazon after).

I have a very long list of films I want to see, which I've either missed seeing at the cinema, weren't on wide release or that are 'before my time; I also discovered 'Indie Movies Online' thanks to the gent's over at Gradulthood and have managed to watch a couple of films I never would of heard about - my favourite being Conversations With Other Women (above). Obviously in theory it's a little counterproductive as I've stopped going to see new releases meaning they just get added to the list, but there really isn't that much that appeals to me in cinemas at the moment.

I've gone a little bit Ebay crazy in the past couple of weeks and have started bidding on a lot of nail polishes. So far I've had a few losses and near misses, but hopefully the days spent glued to my phone will result in a few new polishes, fingers crossed.

And that's about it; Or it's all I can remember due to the super long Blogger error today tat deleted a few posts! Hopefully next week will be a little more memorable. I'm especially looking forward to a bit of a Eurovision party tomorrow night and a bit of a Lush beauty spree for some much needed beauty items. What do you have planned?

Have a great weekend!

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The Good Guy

2011-05-11T10:43:00.006+01:00

Will You Know When You Meet Him?

Ambitious young Manhattanite and urban conservationist Beth (Alexis Bledel) wants it all: a good job, good friends, and a good guy to share the city with. Of course that last one is often the trickiest of all. Beth falls hard for Tommy (Scott Porter), a sexy, young Wall Street hot-shot. But just as everything seems to be falling into place, complications arise in the form of Tommy's sensitive and handsome co-worker Daniel. Beth soon learns that the game of love in the big city is a lot like Wall Street -- high risk, high reward and everybody has an angle.

This is sort of a retro review in the sense that this film was released in the US early last year, but I only heard of it about, hmm, 10 minutes before I watched it. So lets pretend this is a new and exciting film.

This is one of those films filled with actors who look really familiar but you just can't quite place (until, like, 2am a few weeks later), so to save you the 2am revelations let me fill you in; It stars Alexis Bledel who you may recognise from The Gilmore Girls (which comes on E4 late morning and late afternoon) or perhaps you may know her as Becky the blue eyed prostitute in Sin City. It also stars Byan Greenberg as Daniel, personally I think he looks like he could play Jake Gyllenhaal's brother in something, alas he hasn't (yet), but he did play that guy with the baby in One Tree Hill and Uma Thurman's younger boyfriend in Prime. The film also stars Andrew McCarthy as a sleazy Wall Street boss, but you may know him as the guy Andie picked over Duckie (and other brat pack films) and finally my personal favourite 'I know that face' person is Anna Chlumsky possibly still best known as Vada Sultenfuss in My Girl.

Now, there are a few actresses that I really like who's films I will watch regardless of how awful the film is or has the potential to be Alexis Bledel is one of them (funnily enough I'm not as tolerant when it comes to actors I love), the list also includes Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Mandy Moore and Lauren Graham (also known as Alexis' mum in Gilmore Girls). The older 'Gilmore Girl' (Graham, as well as Mandy Moore, Piper Perabo, Gabriel Macht...) is why I refuse to listen to anyone who tells me that Because I Said So is a terrible film. The younger, Bledel, is the reason I have sat through a couple of awful films of late: Post Grad and I'm Reed Fish. Thankfully, as they say 'third time lucky', I actually quite enjoyed The Good Guy.

(continues after the jump - a bit spoilery)

As you would imagine The Good Guy really plays up to that age old dating dilemma of trying to find 'the good guy' amongst the, well, not so good guys - the prince after all the frogs if you will. The film perfectly shows how you can be deceived in a relationship to believe that your partner is finally 'the good one', until it's too late. This is exactly what the film does as it opens with the end of the story, the viewers first thought being that Tommy (Scott Porter) is 'The Good Guy' suggested in the title and Daniel (Bryan Greenberg) being set up to be the not so good guy. This continues with one typical Romantic Comedy act of romance after another; - Tommy himself hinting that he's the one who is bound to be heartbroken - until about halfway through the film, when we realise that we too have been sucked into Tommy's nice guy act. becoming aware that he's not as nice as he seems and perhaps Daniel is as nice he seems..

The film tells us that Beth (Alexis Bledel) and Tommy are typical New Yorkers trying to date in notoriously 'undateable' New York City (or so Sex and the City and every New York based TV show/film would lead us to believe). But wait the cliché's don't end there. Tommy is your typical Wall Street type - suave, a little bit arrogant and talks very fast. In fact his entire office is filled with run-of-the-mill alpha-male, cocky stock broker types who also talk very fast, that is except for sensitive 'army computer geek' Daniel (Bryan Greenberg).

Beth and her friends don't escape the 'typical stereotyping' either; Beth is an ambitious career woman (something to do with conservation) with a pressing decision to make about the aforementioned career. Beth also attends a book club with her Rom-Com cliché friends - the sassy 'ethnic' friend, in this case Jordan (Jessalyn Wanlim) who is Chinese and the ditsy and awkward in love Lisa (played by Anna Chlumsky) (this pairing can also be seen in Rom-Com's such as How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Clueless, Never Been Kissed, She's The Man... to name but a few) Essentially, what I'm trying to say is this film is incredibly cliché ridden, or at least it at first glance.

What makes The Good Guy not your typical Rom-Com (or simply makes it not a Rom-Com at all) is that it actually isn't told from Beth's point of view - trying to 'work her way through her love life' - it's also about Tommy, the Wall Street guy trying to be a good person, whilst also being good at his job and Daniel the 'socially-awkward' guy trying to be good at his job, whilst also remaining a good person. (Yeah, you see what I did there?).

One of the things I liked were the subtle hints that were dropped at the beginning suggesting the course of the story. For example and without giving too much away; The book club read The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford - about an 'ex soldier and seemingly perfect gentleman. He was just the sort of man you could trust your wife with' a little foreshadowing there perhaps? Secondly, whenever Tommy is due to meet Beth he's either late or on his way from somewhere we later find out isn't his apartment.

Despite enjoying the film there were a couple of negatives for me, the first one being that Beth's ex-boyfriend who, from what I can gather, was already married gets mentioned in passing quite a lot, but is never quite explained for one to fully understand the situation. Secondly, there are also a couple of scenes of Tommy and Daniel working. Now I'm assuming those were in there to show that they are proper stockbrokers who are really ruthless and great at their jobs, but as someone with zero knowledge of the stock market or the lingo (apologies to my previous university finance and business lecturers) all I got from those scenes was that they were talking very fast and swearing a bit.

During the film Beth complains that half-way through reading The Good Soldier she realised that the narrator isn't as reliable or truthful as she believes, wondering what the point of that is. Daniel tells her:

"Maybe it's just like real life. Sometimes people just aren't who you thought they were."

And that is essentially what The Good Guy is about, and ultimately why I liked it. The film itself isn't what it seems at first, which is a typical boy-meets girl Rom-Com - although at face value it's about relationships it's also about trusting your own judgement, making mistakes and either carrying on as you were, blindly or moving on an learning from all that has happened.

(all images via IMDB)

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Mr. Men & Little Miss: Google Doodles

2011-05-09T10:00:00.001+01:00

Mr Bump

Today would have been Mr Men and Little Miss book creator Roger Hargreaves' 76th birthday, to celebrate Google have changed their logo (or Google Doodles as they are sometimes known) to feature different characters form the book series.

Like so many children I was quite obsessed with the Mr Men & Little Miss series - and spent a lot of time trying to decide which Little Miss I was (usually Little Miss Fickle, ironically) - so I spent a while refreshing Google's homepage this morning to see every variation of the design. I thought I'd share them with those who don't have the patience and/or apparent spare time that I do.

Mr. Messy

Little Miss Tiny

Mr Rush

(see the rest after the jump)

Mr. Forgetful

Mr. Funny

Mr. Slow

Mr. Tickle

Mr. Uppity & Little Miss Naughty

Mr. Happy

Little Miss Shy

Little Miss Sunshine

Mr Dizzy

Little Miss Curious

Little Miss Magic

Little Miss Chatterbox

Read more about Mr Men and Little Miss on the official website.

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