my continuing love for all things 'ye olde...'

listening to: 'hanging on too long' - duffy.

more & more i seem to be wanting to teleport myself back in time. i think it's stemmed from my growing adoration of music throwing off a vintage vibe. it all started with amy winehouse... and the list has grown to include (but is not restricted to) the puppini sisters, adele, and my newest favourite duffy. i strongly suggest you check out some of her music - she's quickly becoming my favourite. i've always been fascinated by history, especially the 1920s, 1940s, and 1970s. but if my heart could only be divvied up into two sections, the 1940s and 70s would take their rightful place in there. at the mo i am super into the 1940s - not a suprise given that so much of fashion and music right now, two of my most favourite things in the world, seem to be so centered on that era.

so i decided to share my love of these three epochs with you, faithful reader. if you exist, that is. i haven't had any comments in awhile, which is kinda depressing but not altogether unexpected as my most recent posts have admittedly lacked finesse, among other things. even i get bored with reading my blog, but then again everybody is always most critical when they reflect upon themselves.

when i think of the 1920s, i immediately think of f scott fitzgerald's masterpiece, the great gatsby. hardly original, i know, but after reading it (and watching the robert redford/mia farrow adaptation) i just HAD to satiate my appetite with anything else flapper-related i could get my hands on. especially his other works; although, incredibly frustratingly, every single time i go to the library to lend tender is the night it is always already taken; however over the summer holidays i did finally manage to procure the beautiful and damned. however, as i've already blathered on about my love for flapper-esque headbands, i'll skip right along to the 1940s.

pussy-bow blouses, waistcoats in tweed, sillohuette-hugging definition. when i think of taking the 1940s new look thing into the present day, i picture a pair of wide-legged jeans (with plenty of buttons) teamed with a body-con singlet tucked in, plenty of bracelets, and a jewel-hued capelet thrown nonchantly over the shoulders. or a pencil skirt and waistcoat combo, topped off with a tweed hat - not a fedora, that's too obvious, but a jaunty little baker boy cap. and a pair of gold-rimmed classic aviators, an ode to the stereotypical Pearl Harbour soldier.

From the stories i've heard, my parents were mega hippies back in the day. growing up i listened to a mixture of led zeppelin, hendrix, the who, pink floyd, the eagles, meatloaf, david bowie, marianne faithfull... all the good stuff. when i was little i wasn't a fan; but now i dig! i'm truly not just jumping on the floral bandwagon... not only am i a fan of the whole floathy, etheral - i'm loathe to say it - hippie buzz, but i am a bit of a girly girl. so florals really are right up my alley. you could take the same pair of jeans from your 40s ensemble and mix it with some long, lean crochet and an oversized floral shirt with rolled up sleeves. the messy hair/thin headband look a la susie bubble would look mega cute.

well it's late and i have an assignment due friday that i havent even begun - political campaigning in nz, and how it has changed since the introduction of the mmp system - and even though i probably won't do any tonight, i don't want to go to bed tooooo late otherwise i won't get up till midday tomorrow.

but before i go, i'd love to hear what eras other people have love affairs with. stay cool friends!

i wish i was a seamstress!

listening to: 'faces going places' - jose vanders

today, courtesy of somewhere out there in the blogosphere, i discovered this story.

burdastyle.com is the brainchild of a brooklyn-born duo, nora abousteit & benedikta von karaisl. and i think it's going to be my new addiction, even if i never actually get around to making anything. where

they could have profited from selling their AMAZING clothing patterns online, they created a community. and now it's thriving: not only do they provide patterns, but registered users can also upload patterns of their own. it really is craft heaven... and makes me wish even more i had gotten mum to teach me how to sew before it was too late.

i haven't even made a substantial dent in the pages filled with patterns yet, and already i'm dreaming of whipping up a number of the ones i have seen. and the best thing is, if i ever gather up enough courage to attempt anything, there is a section of 'how to's' PLUS 'sewpedia' for any tricky definitions required...

everybody make sure you go check it out - creativity, especially shared creativity, like this deserves to be supported.

happy st patty's!

listening to: 'emotional champ' - new buffalo

hey friends! hope you all have a sweet st patricks day planned... sadly, i am COMPLETELY broke. we have 2 bills to pay this week. so alana is not in the best mood today! although with hair like mine it's practically st patricks every day of my life.

to cheer me up, i decided to jump onto polyvore yet again. at first i was going to make a single st patrick's-inspired outfit, then i decided to make two: one for day, one for night.

but then i searched 'green' (haha original, right!).

there were just so many things catching my eyes.
i couldn't really single things out to the point where i would be able to create only two outfits.

so here is my pick of the finest green offerings available. if you could pick only one item, which would it be? i think mine would have to be the marni slouchy tote... yum. hmm. or maybe the bookworm boots from anthropologie. and the shoes from emma pink are delicious too. as is the chloe top. ok, so i can't decide. man, imagine what havoc i could wreak with a credit card. i think the world would blow up.

enjoy! and have an extra guinness for me!

back to school, yo.

listening to: 'american boys' - estelle feat. kanye west

yes, i know, i've been mega slack on the blogging lately. but i blame stupid uni!! i have been flat tack trying to keep up with the crazy amounts of reading i've had to do. i'm doing a mere 3 papers this semester, and i'm incredibly glad i didn't sign up for more than that! i am still really liking my papers, inneresting blah blah, but the amount of work?! not so much.

here in dunedin - studentville, basically - there are 3 groups of dressers.

1. average joes: nothing special. i, sadly, fit into this category; although since my job prospects are looking up i'll actually be able to afford new threads! woot.

2. clones: girls with matching EVERYTHING. matching fake tan, matching black puffa jackets, matching skinny jeans (light blue this year, i see), matching black leather boots.

3. indie kids: those who actually make an effort to dress creatively. sadly, clones are starting to infiltrate that group too...

anyway, back to the main reason for this (well overdue) post. i always pay particular attention to the "alternative" dressers. the real ones, not the ones who are wearing their scarves that way because it's been deemed cool. i love seeing how they put themselves together. it's so nice to see people steering clear of glassons.

i decided to put together a couple of outfits which i could picture someone wearing around campus. if i keep following my diet and exercise plan (GO ME!) and combine that with a bit of extra moolah i may be that girl! to all those in dunedin, keep your eyes peeled over the coming months.

as you all should know by now, i'm a sucker for baggy cardis. i am also kinda digging a roman/greek vibe, and even though the metallic cuff doesn't automatically conjure images of ancient times, i think it's a pretty modern take on that look. maybe it'd be more obvious if it was in bronze?

being a nerd is in man! i love that brogues are trendy with the hipsters these days - and i think this colour really funks them up. still digging the knee highs... is everybody else over them yet? oh and ps, polyvore has made me fall in love with rick owens. duh i'd heard of him and everything but here he isn't exactly a household name. but i love the slouchiness of his stuff... way cool.

i really like this, though i think i would have to partake in a little dutch courage before venturing outside in this. i forgot to put in like a tanktop for under the cardigan... oops. the first item i spotted was that amazing prada clutch - and yes, i basically built the entire outfit around that. it reminds me of the tarantino movie, true romance. i think this is something alabama would definitely wear, but i'm betting she'd pair it with a push up bra. and the jacket wouldn't stay on long.

i am so so in love with crisp white shirt dresses these days. this one is a bit too long for the look i was going for, but the detailing on the front was exactly what i was picturing in my minds eye. it'd look great with a tan no doubt! i was looking for some kind of roman gladiator style sandals - i'm pretty sure they were deemed 'out' again years ago, but this is my blog and that's how i roll!! - but after spotting these divine lanvin ones i couldn't stop fantasising over them

check out my polyvore (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?id=140021) for details on any of the pieces. oh and if you're super dedicated, you should search for claire de lune... i wish i could style the way she can!

for the first time in a long time

listening to: 'grace is gone' - dave matthews band

sorry i haven't been keeping up with the posts in awhile. i have had so much work to do for uni that i've barely had time to browse blogs myself, let alone actually write one. although to be honest part of my lack of writing is because i am still on a bit of a downbuzz, and didn't really want to bore you further.

i don't have too much to write about, except i wanted to post some pictures of my new guess clutch! a dear dear friend of my mum's was here in dunedin last weekend for her son's basketball tournament, and she took me out to lunch. it was lovely to see her - it was nice to be able to talk to somebody about mum. i'm missing her so much. all i want is to be able to just ring her and tell her how shitty my days have been lately. i feel so alone up here. i've basically been sitting alone in my room at random intervals listening to a playlist i made on my ipod, crying and staring at the last birthday card mum ever gave me.

but back to my story. rosey and i had lunch at a wee cafe and then had a bit of a browse in some shops. we were in andrea biani, and she was choosing a new handbag to buy for herself - just to interrupt: lipstick red, beautiful hand-tooled embossed leather. it's soo soft, and basically i was drooling - when i happened to mention how pretty i thought this silver clutch was. i was browsing through the shoes while rosey was paying for her bag, and when she turned around she had bought me the purse! i didn't know what to say... on one hand i feel super awful, because it was $65! but on the other, i wasn't going to turn down a guess clutch lol.

so here's a snap... hope you love it as much as i do!! sorry my photography skillz are below par; way below par. it's next to my balenciaga motorcycle bag, which i got online. therefore i'm not sure of it's authenticity... but i loved it anyway! i broke the zip tho :(

mentally moving on?

listening to: 'walking on broken glass' - annie lennox

i love them all, and appreciate everything that they have offered me.
but i can picture myself moving on, away from, some people i hang out with these days.

is that a really snotty thing to say? i don't know. i just feel like i'm kind of expanding, or trying to expand anyway (haha although not literally, actually my diet and exercise regime has been much much stricter the past week or so, go me!!). i'm not saying i like hate my friends and want or need to get away from them or anything!! but i just feel like i'm not the REAL me around some of them. a lot of the time anyway. there are elements of the real me that shine through, but it's not the full picture. i think everybody sees me as a one-dimensional person, and i don't see myself that way at all.

i have so many interests and ideas, and while they are generally centred around the same basic idea or principle they are varied and eclectic. even my music taste shows how random and broad my likes are. i can listen to basically anything and find something beautiful in it; even if i don't like it, i generally appreciate it. or parts of it. and i'd like to find some friends like that. i like to have different kinds of friends, so i can be challenged/entertained/whatever in different ways.

and i'd like some friends who appreciated the whole me - even if they didn't like the same things as me, or agree with me all the time. i don't want a circle of monochromatic friends who think and behave in the exact same way as i do. i want to be able to talk about fashion, politics, music, ideology. i want to be able to talk about books, and movies that don't revolve around toilet humour. some of my friends know about my blog; and sometimes i feel like an outsider simply for having one. trust me, not everything is as trivial as that. just idle comments and ignorance has really been wearing me down lately. it's ridiculous that i can't feel like myself around the people who are supposedly closest to me.

my life at the moment is just same shit different day. although it's not so bad now: my classes are super intriguing, and i'm enjoying them alot. i like living with the people i live with, but other than that i'm just not sure i share anything in common with many of friends other than our usual weekend debauchery. it's not particularly multi-faceted.

humph. maybe it's just tuesday-itis. is this just a slump, or a fully fledged rut? i am undecided.

id fashion week

listening to: 'kashmir' - led zeppelin

so last week was id fashion week - unless you're from new zealand, you probably haven't even heard of it. it's held right here in dunedin (unfortunately i have never been able to go - tickets are a little out of my student price range haha). airnz new zealand fashion week is held in october, for the last 9 years id has followed on from the official new zealand fashion week.

dunedin is known for being a bit artsy, and it has a pretty solid reputation here in new zealand for having pretty sweet bands and other creative shiz. like some very very talented designers: tanya carlson, for one, is from dunedin and has consistently shown a collection. sadly though this was her final year... before moving north to auckland (gag). other designers who hit the runway - thought to be the longest in the world - this year include cherry cotton candy, nom*d, and keucke. plus a ton more, including capsule collections and also some students from otago polytech's fashion design degree. AND the guest designer this year was none other than adrian hailwood, whose label hailwood has branched out from his signature, adored t-shirts to full on womenswear (and menswear too!). the fact that the place-getters in the emerging designers award were from australia, new zealand and the netherlands of all places should show you how reputable this week is slowly becoming.

i'm super annoyed that the official website didn't have photos of the entire collections; only a review with one or two photos attached. POOR EFFORT. from what i've read and seen, online and in reviews in the otago daily times, the trends set at fashion week follow on from what is currently being shown worldwide. some key trends were:

40s-era silhouettes

inky indigo blue/purple hues including aubergine &violet

capes!

fusion between masculinity/femininity

equestrian-chic

plaid

grey, rather than the previously eponymous black (staple part of the dunedin palette)

fur stoles

although still retaining a tie to an avant-garde vibe so often associated with id - for example, sharn blackwell's 'freaks', which saw unexpected 3d silhouettes traipsing down the runway - the majority of it all was very wearable. this year the focus was on the tailoring, which was superb and illustrated how world-class our national fashion scene is becoming. my only criticism would be that now we need to start leading the trends, rather than following them. designers here have well and truly mastered their craft; but i think it's time to inject some innovation into the collections: new zealanders are always proud of the 'kiwi ingenuity' that runs through our veins, so it would be nice to see that reflected in our clothing. i'm not saying that kiwi designers follow trends to the letter: that is far from the truth. as shown at id, they use worldwide trends as a base and reinvent them according to their personal design asthetics. but it's time to up the ante in the innovation stakes.

to have a wee browse of what was on offer, go here. and let me know what you think of the new zealand fashion scene!!

awards season... for milan aw09

listening to: 'nine in the afternoon' - panic! at the disco

sombre. austere. sober. LIES.

in my opinion - and i'm pretty much an expert, so respec' - the adjectives being bandied around re: milan fashion week are so off base. yes, the sepia-toned hues being sent down the runways aren't as electric as colours seen in previous fashion weeks; but i think some people are missing the point. the return to tailoring, to classy autumnal dressing, is just a backlash to the stupid nu-rave that at one point seemed to take over the globe. trust me, if kids in new zealand are dressing like that, then it's a global phenomenon... we seem to pick up on trends long after everybody else.

there seems to be a real return to old school glamour, and it's definitely in response to things like 80s revival, where bold colours ruled the roost. in milan it's all about bright red lipstick and a structured sillohuette. and fur stoles galore... love it, but vintage or synthetic, people!! even shows such as blumarine and pucci, which didn't stray too far from their "signature" palettes, adopted more watercolour-like, washed out tones. i'd never heard of luisa beccaria - should i be embarassed to admit that? i'm not sure - but i loved the icy blue tones that also cropped up in her show.

everybody has been raving about miuccia prada's collection, and i'm going to jump on the bandwagon. AMAZING. the detailing is absolutely stunning, and a true example of just how beautiful fashion can be. i love the black lace paired with sprinklings of both ice blue and beige. despite being so detailed and potentially fussy, the look works because of the wearability of it all. those palettes are just so beautiful yet at the same time interesting - each would lighten up an otherwise uniteresting outfit. winter can just be such a drag - outfits have a tendancy to be bland. even if you absolutely adore fashion, sometimes when you're freezing cold and cranky it's just easier to put on an outfit as dull as the weather around you.

the detailing award: no surprise here... prada wins hands down. i'm not sure if that lace is handmade or machine made - either way, it's sheer intricacy can't be beat.

favourite print award: just cavalli's mini shift dress. the flamingo print wasn't only on the dress, but also extended to the sheer tights! i can see swarms of stylish girls pairing those tights with anything and everything.

colour palette award: missoni. oooh, i bet you all thought i was going to pick prada. sorry guys; missoni's mixes of mustard, beige, teal, grey, white, black, sage and charcoal are making me drool right now.

coat of the week award: the most amazing coat i have ever seen would have to be one from missoni. featuring the print that was reoccurent in their entire collection, it reminds me of one of those faux kimono's really tacky chainsmoking housewives with bleached blonde hair would have worn in the 70s. (runners up include a navy coat from alberta feretti and a large-collared soft grey one from pucci)

best layering award: it's a tie between alberta ferreti's rouched bronze & navy dress, paired with tights; and a chunky coat over a drapey dress, worn with tights and a scarf knotted just so at burberry prosum.

best fur award: fendi, for the cutest 3/4 length sleeved jacket, cinched at the waist of course.

daytime outfit award: another tie - an ice blue, cream, grey and white concotion by luisa beccaria; and a very innocent schoolgirl outfit consisting of cardigan, white shirt, skinny belt, and beige skirt from blumarine.

nightime outfit award: the slinkiest navy knee-length dress i've ever seen, by maurizio pecaroro.

favourite sillohuette: a a black top paired with a gorgeous olive tulip skirt by max mara.

overall collection award: missoni! i just loved it... top notch!!

the most mixed bag of mixed bags

listening to: 'home again' - shihad

i am in such a crud mood tonight (but i'm not getting into all that), so i thought blogging might cheer me up a bit. apologies for the lack of posts recently - we have had serious issues with our wireless here in the flat! big-time grr.

so first of all, this song is awesome. quintessential kiwi rock, what's better? get thee to itunes if you don't know this song and see what i'm raving about. shihad are basically the most famous kiwi band of my generation, and it's for good reason. i saw them live in 7th form - we roadtripped up from invercargill to dunedin, it was awesome - and they were frikkin rad. i hadn't been that into them before that trip, but i was definitely converted. i have been on such a kiwi music buzz lately... i just seriously can't stop listening to shapies!

still on the kiwi vibe, i've been meaning to mention my favouritest magazine ever in the whole entire world. yes yes i know mags like nylon, paper, zink & stuff are pretty damn sweet, but it's so different - in an incredibly nice way!! - to have such a polished fashion/streetstyle/beauty/lifestyle magazine targeted towards a new zealand market, as until the happy day i stumbled across it in whitcoulls i had raised myself on a steady diet of australian vogue (where everything was beyond my means, and aimed at an older audience) and the odd harpers bazaar, as well as fashion quarterly (new zealand based, but again for the older reader). my magazine purchases were devoid of anything really relevant to ME. oh, except for one aussie nylon i managed to procure: it was super hard to find. so thank you karen magazine!! the editorials are amazing, the content is brill, and it's basically everything i could ever want.. sadly 'tis only published biannually. while it's not quite as street-style-ish as, for example, russh, it's the closest magazine to focus on my demographic that actually satisfies my desires and requirements for what i could class as a great magazine. hopefully it gradually incorporates more and more street style, as there is definitely a niche market out there that would lap up a magazine that fuses high fashion and fashion reality.

so what else should i yarn about? i tried to create some ombre tights before i came up to dunedin but they really didn't work, so i gave up. i figure by the time i get it right they will no longer be uber cool. i attempted creating them in both violet and navy, and was so sad that they didn't turn out successfully. i have a real thing for each of those colours right now. the weather is getting cooler already, and i can envisage a winter where i'm pairing my standard blacks and greys with suitably soft, slightly washed out hues of purple and blue.. grey, mauve and a splice of electric blue to jazz things up a bit is a colour combo haunting my many daydreams lately. a mauve leotard under a pair of highwaisted grey wool pants... delicious!! pairing it with a peacoat would be like an ensemble chrysallis... the changing shape & layers would be pretty cool. would the chrysallis analogy or an anology comparing it to those russian dolls that have the little dolls inside them be more striking? what are those dolls even called anyway?

a developing interest for me is a kind of touristy, postcard-like aesthetic. while i was browsing fashion156.com i was taken by a shot from the central st martin's show at lfw. it wasn't specifically an example of that tourist-kitsch idea but the colour combo is a snapshot of what i've been picturing in my mind: teal, a slightly darker blue (but not quite navy), yellow, white & a wee hint of beige. try and spot it here: top row. if i was a creative whizz i'd quite fancy whipping up a lipstick red tulip skirt with a cinched waist and a built-in apron thingee overtop (i've been lusting over aprons for some time now) in a printed fabric of like an old village on the mediterranean or something. my vision includes whitewashed buildings, terracotta rooves, sparkling pop of colour via beautiful blue seas.. by the way, i don't mean kind of a faux-apron either; i mean one with like actual little pockets reminiscent of a stepford wife.

do you know what my favourite thing is since becoming a bit more involved (or compulsive, you choose) with fashion? it's the amount of "rules" i have seen broken. i went to an all-girls school for awhile, i'm from a relatively well-to-do family (at least by nz standards, we're absolutely not even close when it comes to international standards), i've always had impeccable manners - aside from the occassional lapse. therefore, my modus operandi was always that i knew what was acceptable or "right". if i had heard about people wearing tights with open toed shoes, i would have been HORRIFIED. like, literally horrified. or mixing prints - GASP O RAMA!! but now i've seen it, visually experienced it, and amazingly i actually appreciate it. every site i click onto has at least one girl wearing a pair of grey tights with chunky beige platform sandals - open toed sandals. and someone - male or female - mixing either two different plaids, or stripes and a bold abstract print. i think i mentioned previously a girl i saw when i came back to dunedin? wearing polka dots and abstract? it was when we were waiting at the lights, and i was super relieved i was wearing my sunglasses cos i just couldn't look away! i had to take her outfit in, it was that good. if i wasn't so self-conscious i would absolutely love to do what the people behind the likes of the sartorialist do: take photos of people whose outfits catch their eye, inspire them, make them swoon. dunedin is really different from my hometown of invercargill in the sense that, being an academic hub, there are quite a few really arty, creative people; the array of outfits is sometimes quite striking. also, being a bigger town it isn't as close minded. back home, all the girls - myself included - wear basically the same thing, minus a couple variations. it's just the way things are. sure there are clones here too. i think i've mentioned that before. the girls who dress the same here are more noticeable than home - here, they really wear the SAME standard outfit of grey skinnies, black puffer, knee high boots - but it's diluted by all the randoms who rock different looks. i really need to find a job, as i'm running out of money fast and i need to be able to feed my growing love for vintage and my yearning to create all the ideas floating around inside this crazy little head of mine... yes that's right, i'm so broke i can't even op-shop! right now i'm a fashion afficianado with nothing to wear.

headbands. been a pretty major fad for at least a couple of seasons now, and one that i was definitely a fan of. but right now, rather than the preppy school-girl styles that i had previously been all over like a rash i'm really digging the flapper-style ones popping up on street style websites and online chain stores alike. i like the skinny ones as seen on the queen of cool kids (in my book at least) susie bubble - mixed with a slightly messy, exaggerated-volume 'do. but my real love is for the ones with ornate detailing: feathers, sequins, feathers AND sequins. even just a massive bow attached to a headband makes me all shivery - but they have to be worn just so. the great gatsby is a permanant fixture on my all-time-greats mental list of books (and later, movies), both for the story and the costumes alike. and the roaring 20's is one of my favourite eras, for a number of misc reasons, not least of all the clothes. i went to a halloween party when i was 12 - halloween isn't big here so it was kind of a memorable event - and i remember i hired this amazing dusky pink flapper dress with a lace overlay (prada aw09 style) and feathers down the bottom from the repatory society. surprise surprise, i topped it off with a silk headband with yet another feather. check out my selection/variations...

well my friends, i'm done. that's all folks! i'm off to sleep, gotta be fresh for the part-ay we're hosting tomorrow night. bring on saturday!

ps i want a shirt dress so bad. stark white.

bored, and hanging at the flat by myself

listening to: 'sandstorm' - darude

so insanely bored, lonely and cranky right now.

that is all.