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.

amira & sophie at the bus stop, or, the story of my purple claude montana motorcycle jacket

South Kensington: Amira, in purple coat by unqlo, cute little 'Ohio' Western stud black suede booties from pied a terre (available online @ John Lewis for £150). Her friend Sophia is in a New Look leather jacket and sweet sand coloured suede Topshop ankle boots. I love the way they were just hanging out with friends at a bus stop: not going anywhere, just using it as place to sit. Note Sophia could keep her bag hanging about, open. That's how residential South Ken is, in places. I wouldn't try this trick on Oxford Street, girls!



Seeing Amira's purple jacket reminded me again that I really do like purple, especially with red. During the last few years, I've finally dragged out my vintage Claude Montana purple leather jacket. Hated it for years, actually. I had this friend, Nicole, who was a bit of a minor IT girl, back in London. We were friends in NY, and everything was a 'mad time'. She'd call me up at 10 on a 'school night', telling me to hop in a taxi & we'd go out somewhere 'mad'. I'd say 'but I have to stop at a cash machine first' and she'd say 'don't be silly, darling, that's what men are for'.



She was always borrowing money from me - $100 in those days was a lot - and then she'd pay me back in cast-offs. This jacket was one of them. It was glaringly purple, for starts, and very dated: late 70s, which in the early 90s, was not very nice. I didn't want her hand me downs, I wanted the cash! But I remember her showing me the label - which was worn off even then - and explaining how 'Claude', before he started his own label, had worked for this company and designed the jacket. Which hung in the back of my closet. Yet, like some old boyfriend you can't seem to shake, somehow moved with me here. I've since looked him up (Claude, that is) on wikipedia and sure enough, if you read this, he started his own label in '79, so this must have been just before. The exact company's name, like the label, remains a blank to me. Altho I bet someone reading this will know!



What does this have to do with Amira & Sophia? Absolutely nothing. And last I knew, Nicole settled down, married well, and is living happily in Australia. Nicole, wherever you are: we did have fun, and I'd rather this jacket than some old de-valued $100 bill, any day!



Love this shot, even tho it's blurry. And I love their looks, both of them. Which look is more you?

jelly flip flop

Last Wednesday I posted on my reincarnated hot pink plastic celebrity sandals (which I had previously posted on exactly a month earlier, coincidentally, on May 3rd), and erroneously stated that I purchased them in Next, but couldn't find them on their site. Anonymous has helpfully pointed out that's because I had actually purchased them at New Look. They're online here, listed as 'jelly flip flops', in coral (the first incarnation was a hotter, cooler pink), for 8 quid (either $16USD, or $12, depending on the fluctuating exchange rate). Anonymous, thank you. I stand corrected.