snippet of shiny thought #16: holly's twin shoes

The same day as the previous post, I had been walking from Piccadilly Station thinking that the shop windows were all about colour blocking, but the light on the street - dull, grey - matched the clothes palette which was totally neutral, black, dull, grey. Then at a distance I saw two happy girls bounding towards me emitting colourfulness and I thought 'yes: a street shot!'

Just as I was about to approach them to ask if they'd like to be photographed for my blah blah blah, who should say hello but my blog friend Lucy, of Snippets of Shiny Thoughts! I just read a great post she did on a uni project: she designed a perfume bottle and concept/logo/etc for Richard Nicholl, called SMOKE. I REALLY think it should be made, exactly as she conceived it. I'd buy it.





I'm starting to feel that my life in the city of London is one of those television soaps where there are about six characters in total and they just 'happen' to run into each other. I mean, the coincidences sometimes.. anyway my snippet of thought for this post was, meeting Holly, who has the colouring and haircut that I'd love to have in my next life, and who is really sweet, and I happened to admire her velvet ballet pumps and she said she got them at Urban Outfitters. But here's the clever snippet: she knew at the time she'd want them to last forever, so she bought two pair. It's such a good idea. I read somewhere that's what Jackie Kennedy did: if she liked a certain tee, or jumper, for example, she'd buy it in several colours. I wish I did it with a pair of black suede ballet flats with pompoms I got at Topshop years ago. And come to think of it: my neon pink plastic jelly sandals that I got at Urban Outfitters: if only I got two of those pair. When they eventually broke, I found a similar pair at New Look, but they're not exactly the same pink. They're a bit too peachy pink for me.





Actually.. this is weird. When I found the posts about it ('my reincarnated hot pink plastic celebrity sandals', 3 June 2009) and prior, 'my hot pink plastic celebrity feet'), the first comment was from a blog friend in Texas, Amy, who no longer blogs, who said 'go get another pair!' A sign: should have listened to that shiny snippet in my head. Because they no longer sell them: the closest I could get to hot pink New Look sandals were these.

What does this have to do with beets by the way? Not much. Except that was the next shot after the shoe shot - a luscious beet root and goat's cheese salad at the Arcadia Press Day (previous post) and I just like the way they look in relation to one another.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

everything is connected: easing our way into spring

It started last night, when I saw this post by Erika, of the Fashion Chalet, and decided it's my favourite look of the moment. Of course, she lives in the American South, and on a sunny day can pull this off: I don't know if the London light will ever be quite right. I love the way she channels D&G (her white eyelet dress) with Chanel (the hay).. well just read the post, you'll see what I mean. (E's rings, dress and suede fringe bag by Forever 21, H&M bow hair-clip, suede fringe Minnetonka Knee-Hi boots.)




Anyway, it got me thinking about how if I had to point to one universal 'trend' - it's more than a trend, it's a meme, a movement - to mix it up (feminine/masculine, casual/chic) and decided to pull out one photo that epitomised that trend. I couldn't do just one, of course: but I think black biker jackets - leather and lace, basically - are the best example.



Note her fringe bag channels Erika's boots, and Jen: see her demure patent loafers? Aren't they exactly the ones you wanted in Kate Kanzier but they didn't have in your size?



That led me to thinking about last Friday, and how Jen couldn't decide what to wear, ('easing my way into spring') and I realised how similar her scarf/jacket looks. And how it really is all about that: easing our way into spring, with our own unique but often uncannily similar style.



(On Jen: Mulberry Scarf, Madewell Jacket, Zara T-shirt, Urban Outfitters Leggings, Kate Kanzier Green Luella Brogues)



THEN, I went to E's blog to steal her shots (with her permission, of course) and lo and behold! A new post by her ('forward march'): which, in the most serendipitous, unplanned way, kind of brings it all full circle.

Thank you Alex, for your gorgeous photos of Erika. Thank you Erika for agreeing to 'guest blog', thank you Jen for posing.. thank you blond girl whose name I forgot... thank you each of you, for reading this and maybe even commenting, because otherwise, I'm just shouting in the dark! Have a lovely Tuesday night, wherever on the planet you are, and hope you're easing your way into spring nicely (unless of course you're in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case, you're easing your way into fall).

p.s. While I was posting this, Mr. Dot found this on youtube.. you should have seen us both, mock surfin' & singing along. Something to help ease you into spring, and oldie but goodie: