a thousand words for snow

Shini should be back in London (shot at Topshop's press day in November) and I can't wait to see her: I've missed that girl. She's wearing: Jacket - Uniqlo, Shoes - Clarks, Sweater - Gmarket, Skirt - Storets.com, white shirt - AA, bag - Lithuania!


My husband, Mr. Dot, walked in the door tonight shortly after I did. (I had the most perfect of days with Jenny Jen, starting with scrambled eggs @ Pain Quotadien and culminating with trying on the most GORGEOUS suede stacked heeled shoes at Acne (my first time in the shop: she's been in Sweden several times) and ogling everything at Dover STreet Market). I was wearing a large sheer creamy white blouse under an old grey cardigan (I actually found it on the street on my first London Fashion Week, right outside Somerset House: I like to think a supermodel discarded it while stepping into a limousine, like Cinderella, and was whisked away. It feels like good luck). I was also wearing nude coloured riding pants style leggings from H&M. He looked me up and down and said 'Good look'.

Lately I do like what I'm wearing, after about three months of always feeling I was getting it wrong. I go through stages. Mainly, these days, I'm just wrapping myself in the softest most comfortable knits: big white jumpers, creamy warm cable tights by Tabio, leggings, white thermal underwear.. it's like wearing warm snow.








I recently read somewhere - The Telegraph? - typical January article predicting what we'll all be wearing this spring. No offence to whoever I wrote it, but really: Stop it. Stop telling us that we have to throw away everything nude, or camel. I didn't rush out and buy everything in nude or camel (or TAN: the colour is tan - or if it's lighter, it's called BEIGE). I bought some new things but mostly, I just opened my close because I've always been wearing: white. Beige. Some grey. Pale pale pinks. Navy. Black. And dammit I'm not going to give my wardrobe to charity and wear only bold patterns - altho I do love the pattern on pattern thing.

These days, and all through December and especially, the snowy time in Herefordshire for Christmas, all I've wanted to wear is a million shades of white, ranging from pinky whites to grey to warm toasty tans. Don't they say the Eskimos have like a thousand words for snow? Well there must be a million words for white.










All photos here shot by me, apart from the trio from Topshop's SS 2011 collection, and it's either from Topshop's press day, or our car in Herefordshire during Christmas. And I haven't put my watermark on all the shots, because by now, anyone who's crazy enough to use my photos without my knowledge or permission: good luck to you!

Thank you to Liz for the Topshop Press Day invite, for the link to the look book, and for just being so nice. Anyone can see it, you don't need a written invitation: simply click here.

Have a lovely weekend everyone: hope you're all where you want to be.

influence: the vanishing twin

This isn't the post I planned to do today: I've been storing up a whole collection of leopard print images, far too many for one post. This is, instead, about an amazing Singapore born, London based designer named Eugene Lin. I was so grateful to Jen for finding him at LFW and bringing me along to his studio a few weeks back.

Her post about him, about the concept behind his S/S 2011 collection, The Vanishing Twin, explained it so well, I felt, that I just didn't feel the need to do my own post.





And also, I was so impressed by Eugene, so inspired by the magic of the light in that studio, his intelligence and keen mind and sense of humour and irony.. as time went on, I felt I couldn't do it justice. And I had too many photos to fit in one post.. and I had done one already ('ghost in the machine')..




But the idea itself, and that day, kept haunting me, like my own invisible twin growing in my imagination. These pieces, you see, were inspired - influenced - by a rare medical condition where one's twin can develop, be absorbed, into our own bodies. Jen said her husband, Mr. Crusader, who is a scientist, was scoffing that it's not a real condition. And I was laughing when she told me because when I told Hedvig, she had looked at me in her stoic Norwegian way and said, totally deadpan: 'I know what it is. My friend had it. In her butt.' You had to be there, to know how calmly serious Hedvig can be, to know why I found that so hilarious. Or maybe I've got a really sick sense of humour.






I'm fascinated how an idea, sketches, can become a reality. Or rather, how rarely we bring our ideas to fruition, which is why I so admire those who do.






So why did I choose to finally post this today? Because I happened to see my friend Shini's post about being 'in exile' in Warsaw: Atelier Klimas (I love this girl's deadpan humour). And reading her post, the way a shot of a cup of tea could transport me to a designer's studio in Poland, influenced me to get off my own metaphorical butt and get this post done and dusted.




Can you see how even this jacket has a kind of 'twin': the vest is part of the jacket. Each piece has that element. I'd love to do a little shoot, like I did with Topshop/Goodone, because everyone I know could easily wear a piece from this collection: while it's all clearly Eugene Lin's vision, his voice, it also is versatile enough that there's something for everyone's unique style.

Is that something you'd like to see? If I can get enough interest, I'll ask to borrow some clothes.

Photos by me, apart from the shots with the model, which are by Anna Feyimi courtesy of Eugene Lin. Photos of me in the jacket are from Jennifer, the infamous, ubiquitous Style Crusader. And by the way, I'm aware it's Halloween but no one's invited me to any Halloween parties, I'm not dressing up this year, and this post wasn't intended to tie in with Halloween. Altho... in a way.. I can see the influence.

leap of faith

Last night Mr. Dot & I were sitting down to a nice dinner of M&S chicken kiev and his food on the planet, roast potatoes made the way he likes them, nice and crispy.. next thing we know all HELL is breaking loose on the UK news.

I realise this is a global blog and I know that even in America this isn't that unusual (I called my Mom when David & Sam Cam were going in to see the Queen, asked her to turn on one of her half a dozen televisions, then hung up on her) but for us here in London, it was.. EPIC.





Anyone in America old enough to remember OJ in the White Bronco? That's what it was like: national newscasters watching helicopter footage of Gordon Brown & his family in a black Jag, speculating out loud about 'he's turning down Pall Mall, if he turns right on such & such a street he's going to see the Queen RIGHT NOW'. This was totally off the script, everyone was making it up as they went along. We were all texting each other like 'ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?? IT'S SO WEIRD!!"



Oh! The photos. Right. I met Toni, of the brilliant blog Fashion Cloud, last Thursday @ the Sketchbook Talk I did with Jen the Style Crusader, and we just instantly became friends. In fact I shot thesethe moment I met her.

So last night, as this was all unfolding, Toni & I started tweeting, we were so on the same page. I had this image of the Queen and Prince Phillip sitting down to THEIR supper, on trays, in front of the telly, about to watch Coronation Street, when - sod's law - the doorbell rings & there's Gordon. And then, a few minutes later, there's Dave. Not to mention that back @ No. 10, some poor staff member was frantically changing the sheets in the master bedroom.



I know we shouldn't talk about politics, religion, or money, but my money is on this New Conservative government - supported by the LIberal Democrats - being a real shot in the arm for Britain. I'm willing to take that leap of faith.

It might sound contradictory to be pro Obama in America and pro Cameron in the UK, but, hey, they're both Blue parties. I've always been more of a Blue girl than Red, frankly. I found Gordon Brown's departing words moving and dignified, and I wish him and his family well.

But Sam Cam does seems like such a girl's girl. I'd be her friend. She looked like a deer in the headlights in front of all that press, but thank god her hair was washed and shiny, and she was doing pretty well with her blue maternity dress & killer heels. She gets my vote. And so does Toni, who also said she's a 'bad jumper', and yet she took that chance, that leap of faith, and elevated clear off the ground. In killer heels as well.

(speaking of JUMP: just got sent this fabulous link to Inside Out (Topshop) from the fabulous Clare of The Eff Memoirs. Thanks Clare! xo )

Bless you all, each one of you, for your honest and supportive and wonderful comments. So what's new in your part of the world?

Toni is wearing:
T-shirt: Filles à papa • Cardigan: Zara Men (stolen from the bf) • Jeans: H&M • OTK leather boots: Zara • Bag: NEXT • Silver cuff: gifted by Philippe Audibert

flawless

'Chase the dream, not the competition.'

- Flawless, to Simon Cowell, Britain's Got Talent

It's a glorious weekend here in London. Before I even upload the new STUFF I've shot, there are still so many to catch up on from the last blogger's cupcake thing. For example, Simon Smith, from Flawless.



We were rushing thru a crowd and I saw Simon. Had no idea who he was, just liked his look and asked to shoot him. When I asked who made his cardigan he started showing us how it wraps, said his friend made it. Jen and I were just snapping away. He was such a delight and a great sport, posing for us with all these women surrounding him.



This was all happening so fast: Jen gave him one her cards (aren't they great?) and I forget, one of us asked what he did and I thought he said he was a doctor. Jen asked for who and he said something and she started screaming. Well, not screaming exactly.. yeah, kind of high pitched screaming (mind you, it was a crowded scene: Friday end of work pub West End madness, so no one blinked). I didn't understand any of it, but later she said, you know, FLAWLESS. That dance band from Britain's Got Talent.

If there's anyone there besides me who doesn't know these guys, or even if you do: this is their audition tape. And since I couldn't decide which shots to use, and because I can't embed it as a video, this is the best way I could think of to show you Simon dancing. And I'm going to email Simon and tell him I"m posting this and ask him who his friend is, and what else he is wearing, because I just think he's got that special something. He is so dotted.




Does anyone remember: did I dream it, or did there used to be an American commercial where this soap opera actor said 'I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV'? I remember my dad saying that expression. Anyway, I keep saying that phrase lately and cracking myself up.

get your rah rahs out

The past two days have been GORGEOUS here in London, and yesterday was just magic: met up with Jen (the Style Crusader) then joined by a growing, incredibly wonderful group of friends: bloggers, mostly, but all with wonderful style. We had such a blast street shooting & eating cupcakes, and I kept shooting Jen in her rah rah skirt from Rare. (Mine is in the post, but that's for another post). I kept shooting her all day, shouting at her 'work it!' and cracking her up.



(btw: for those of you kids out there, my title is a really lame reference to a Rolling Stones' album cover. Ask your parents - or your grandparents - or, if you want some further reading, click here. God bless wikipedia!)

Weird coincidence: while I was posting this, I could hear Mr. Dot playing this song while patiently waiting for me to post so we can run out. It's a great song, please click on it because it really does fit this post. Jagger really does have innate great style. And he looks uncannily, exactly like Mr. Dot did when I met him in NY. Hence being here now, in London.



I LOVE Jen's ensemble and feel it is spot on perfect: the soft peachy nude pink flower petals of the skirt are balanced by the hard geometric lines of her black knit biker style jacket (I'll find out from where), then the white ribbed skinny 'wifebeater' tee (what is the WORD for them? I wear them all the time), black tights, white sneakers sans laces, and to make sure it's not too matchy matchy, brown leather Alexander McQueen bag. Oh and magenta nails. Can you top that!