fun fun fun

If you're reading this somewhere on the Northern Hemisphere, and you're not near the equator, chances are your fashion concerns these days are about keeping warm. It's actually snowing today in London - which never happens - and all I want to wear are my new gifted Mou boots and layers and lots of white. So while I'm safely tucked indoors with the cat, under the duvet, going through hundreds of press day photos, I can't get the song FUN FUN FUN by the Beach Boys out of my head. It's the theme song to the website of the designer of the shoes, KATIA LOMBARDO, featured in this post, for next season that I fell in love with at My Wardrobe's fabulously fun press day last week. Click here and keep that window open while you read this: I promise you'll be singing this song all day.













Just because it's cold out - or, actually, BECAUSE it's cold out - I'm craving the chocolate brown/black/white/bits of hot pink/lime green/turquoise accents of summer and sun. I want to wear this strapless Dolce & Gabanna swimsuit with Katia's crazy heels and big sunglasses and sun hats and lounge by a pool at a resort. The reality is of course I'd be IN the pool or the sea, not wearing any of the above accessories apart from swim goggles, my hair would be all wet and ungroomed and the chlorine and/or sea water would be eating the above mentioned D&G swimsuit. But still: it's fun to think about.


The other girl in these shots - besides me - is TALA SAMMAN, of MyFashDiary, and we met her at the My Wardrobe thing as she was leaving - we were with Susie and they were chatting and Jen & I started snapping her like we were papparazzi, going crazy for her hot pink Lanvin necklace she'd just bought @ H&M (her puffa jacket is Juicy Couture). I'll do another post of her soon - with a little online interview - and hopefully we'll meet up and do another shoot before she leaves for Dubai.

All the shoes shown here (apart from my lovely gifted Kurt Geiger's, top, and the lime suede DVF pair) are by KATIA LOMBARDO, available soon at MY WARDROBE (they've currently got S/S and A/W 2010).

THANK YOU SUSIE!! More to come xoxo

p.s. CORRECTION: Not all the shoes are Katia's - they're all at My Wardrobe - or will be - but apart from the nude heels with the kind of lizard/leopard heels, the other two - the boots with the great zig zag soles in camel, and in black, they're by the Danish designer CAMILLA SKOVAARD. I thought I could tell by the label but I no, I was wrong. Have you noticed there are some great FEMALE shoe designers moving up in the rank lately? You go, girls!

the real thing

I saw Vafa outside our favourite supermarket, Sainsbury's. I liked her look, altho I'm not really keen on jeans and boots at the moment. Probably because I'm so into black riding boots with black leggings with everything. And it wasn't the leopard print, which, I'm not kidding, I'm seeing on every single woman I see. It was just her face: she just exuded niceness.

While I was shooting her, I asked a bit about where she's from, where she got that bag, those shoes. She was really shy, really modest & sweet, and (this is the embarrassing part) she said either Kazakhstan, or Uzbekistan, which if anyone has seen West Wing knows, is quite different (I've even looked them up on wikipedia: yup. Very different). And I can't remember which one!



Then I asked where she got her bag: Dolce & Gabanna. I mean, look at the workmanship on this thing: there's even little copper links, along with the silver! I'm just so used to admiring things people wear and it's all Topshop this, Zara that, or H&M, or from a charity shop for £5.. this answer kind of stunned me. Confused, I asked if she works in the fashion industry (she doesn't). So I asked where her boots are from. Jimmy Choo. Oh, okay. I just didn't dare ask about anything else.



They look EXACTLY identical to the pair of vintage Anne Klein boots I wore literally to bits. I had loved them so much: no one wore thigh high boots at the time, apart from professional girls on the beat. They used to fall down and bag around my ankles, which, along with bare legs and little dresses, gave a great kind of girly look. It was so my style, and felt.. special. Damn, I miss those boots.



Thinking further about the comments on the girly girl post: none of the bloggers I've gotten to know seem remotely high maintenance, no matter how girly their styles. (And let's face it: there is nothing more unattractive to a guy, than a high maintenance woman. It's not a question of grooming: if they're 'high maintenance' emotionally, men will run a mile). It may seem a contradiction but, as a group, style bloggers are pretty switched on & low maintenance. True style icons don't spend hours looking in the mirror & checking their looks, and they're definitely not divas.

It's like that great quote by Gore Vidal: 'Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.'

wish list

The other day, I showed you the luscious Holly-with-a-y, in Erin O'Connor's Zac Posen dress. Well, here's another of Topshop's delightful Style Consultants, the vivacious Hollie-with-an-i.e (I know, it was confusing me, too). I'm not sure that's the right term, but when she & Sophie were describing what they do, I asked if it's like Rachel in Friends, and Hollie said with an impish smile 'Yeah, the one with Josh-u-AH.'

Anyway, here she is trying on Peaches Geldof's Dolce & Gabanna floral number. It's funny because I see Peaches as a tiny, cuddly, curvy type, and Hollie is soooo tall & willowy. And yet, it fits her like a glove.



Can't wait to show you the Audrey Hepburn shots! I don't mean to be a tease but Mr. Dot & I both have dental emergencies to attend to first, altho his seems to be so much more of an emergency. Either that, or I've got a higher pain threshold. But I doubt it: I'm a big baby when it comes to pain.



I'm seeing a lot of bloggers posting their wish list. I don't actually have one. Actually, that's not true. My wish list would consist of boots, boots, and more boots. Acne platform booties. Cuban heel motorcycle types. Over the knee black ones to replace my vintage Anne Klein faux suede pair that disintegrated last year. They don't have to cost a mint: there are tons I'd love from Office, Topshop, Asos.. I'm pretty low maintenance, for a female.

THAT SAID: Santa, if you're feeling pretty flush this year, and you absolutely must spoil me, I wouldn't say no to this little black bootie by Georgina Goodman.



Or, her electric blue pump with the winged fin. I love the way her soles are striped, so much more sophisticated than that flash of red. And so much more original, don't you think?

the girl next door

I was running late to meet my wonderful friend Maralee for lunch the other day (luckily, she was, too) and I met Alexandra just round the corner from home (she lives nearby, too). I couldn't not shoot her: she's got such a lovely, sunny manner, and a natural beauty that reminds me of a young Grace Kelly. Three quick shots: snap, snap, snap.



Shoes by French Sole, and sunglasses Dolce & Gabanna. Didn't get a chance to source the rest as kept on running, but if I hear from her, I'll keep you posted.

Now I must run, too: I'm late for a yoga class that I'm dreading: Natalie is one tough cookie, but in a good way! ; )