cold snap = alana's increasing desire for cardigans

listening to: 'wreck of the day' - anna nalick

well friends daylight saving has brought about the official beginning of the southern hemisphere's autumn. which doesn't bother me too much, as i grew up in a little bitty town with a reputation for being a bit on the nippy side. although i still adamantly maintain that dunedin is in fact colder than invercargill.

cold weather means i get to bust out my cold weather clothes. yay! this autumn/winter my focus is going to be on an androgynous tailored layering vibe. i've started scouring online for oversized men's cardigans (so far i have found at least 4 that i am DESPERATE to have. and considering they range in price from $4 to $15 i think i will be able to purchase at least a couple. i think my favourites would have to be a vintage pierre cardin one (i can't tell if it is grey or soft blue, with white vertical stripes) and a basic olive marle one. there is also an alpaca wool women's longline cardi that i am dying for but reserve is already $27 so i will possibly miss out on that. i've also had a quick look at mens blazers, but as yet haven't found anything that i couldn't live without. i know layering oversized men's pieces isn't exactly original, but i need to invest in some more basics. hopefully i will come up with ways of jazzing things up a bit. my first paycheck from work comes next wednesday (sadly i handed in my paperwork too late to get it this week) and i am soo excited! it will be nice to be able to buy a few bits and bobs. however, as i also have to purchase a new outfit for a wedding on the 26th i somehow think my shopping will be limited for a few weeks more yet. i am really digging a super sharp silhouette, with more structure than a skyscraper. usually i would define myself (and others would do the same) as a very girly, feminine person; but i guess this is just another eg of my super eclectic personality emerging. since it's getting colder now i will probably be stuck in a jeans/boots combo (yaaaaawn) but it would be nice to keep things interesting up top.

on a completely opposite note, dad has finally booked our holiday to vanuatu this winter! we leave on june 25th and stay 7 nights at the iririki resort and spa, which is a 69-acre little island directly across from port vila. it looks absolutely amazing, and i can't wait to just go and relax on a white sandy beach. heaven! i definitely think the 3 of us need it. anyway, as a result i've decided i need to buy a new bathing suit, so i've been spending literally hours online having a looksee. moontide's 'stardust' is my pick right now, but i guess it'll depend on how much i can afford to spend! i am so super excited though. if anybody has been there i'd love to hear anything and everything about it.

so my updated wishlist right now includes:
1. super long cardigans
2. oversized tailored blazers. single breasted only. i'd like them to be quite low cut too
3. a new pair of slim cut jeans. i only have a pair in black, which i left at home, and i don't really like the bogan vibe they throw off
4. some crisp white shirts with big collars i can turn up and have poking out of cardis and blazers
5. a checkered scarf, still
6. an interesting hat of some description
7. swimsuit!!
8. bright red suspenders. or yellow. or maybe electric blue. ok so anything in a primary colour

the wind beneath my wings

listening to: 'tangerine' - led zeppelin

it is 3:11 pm (friday) and i haven't sleep since around 9am thursday so please excuse the less than enthralling title. and probably also the following post.

all i seem to think about these days are the pieces i want to add to my wardrobe - the pieces i know i will probably never purchase (it's hard being a student, especially one who still has not found a job) but will lust over anyway. while it's definitely not as fulfilling as actually owning things, it's fun anyway and much cheaper.

what am i fantasising over right now? well lets see... firstly, a pair of bright yellow, high-waisted short shorts from topshop a la the flying saucer. if you haven't heard of her, check out my blogroll to the right... and if you have heard of her, click on her link anyway and head on over to check these shorts out for yourself. while it is now officially autumn here in the land of the long white cloud, we are still enjoying the longest summer weather in over a decade. although to be frank i'd prefer colder temperatures to global warming. i just want to pad around in short shorts and singlet tops but i don't want to scare people, not only with my completely inappropriate figure but also my pasty white legs. even in summers as glorious as this, my legs remain completely uncoloured while the rest of me turns lobster red. it is not attractive.

two words: rick owens.

and yes, i am jumping on the gladiator sandal bandwagon. i envy girls with legs long and lean enough to wear them. i'd love a pair in bronze...

i am a fan of the baggy, nonchalant 'i just threw this together' look, and a key staple of this look is the mansized loose button-down shirt. i want them in a variety of colours, specifically a nice light blue and also a white-based floral version. i'd wear them open over top of those delish yellow shorts and a white tank top, or otherwise i'd pair them with something more structured. like maybe a high waisted pencil skirt, with some of those radical nerd glasses to accessorise.

a huge checkered scarf, preferably in black and white, complete with fringe.

a quilted purse like the infamous chanel ones, except obviously not chanel. i lust after one in a sexy metallic purple colour, with a gold chain and clasp.

i know they are soo two seasons ago - or more? who knows who cares - but i saw a picture on the sartorialist of a woman wearing the most amazing high-waisted wide leg jeans. i have been on a real led zep kick lately and i'd just wanna lounge round in them, pretending i was robert plant's chick.

suspenders. i want a pair of bright red ones, maybe customised to have little rainbow coloured clasps. yummers.

i have also recently taken to wearing long tunics over leggings when i go out on the town. i have this really cool grey one with veeeeery subtle flecks of silver through it: it's got a beautiful scoop neck and pleats down the front, and sits really nicely. however today, while a friend and i were visiting the city council to get a new recycling bin for the flat we spotted market stalls over the road in the octagon. then i spotted a clothing stall and against my better judgement went and had a browse. i walked away with two more tunics: one is a very drapey kind of olivey/khaki colour with a keyhole cutout in the front and a wee button, and the other is very trendy... i'm talking block colours (black and bright blue, which i personally love against the colour of my hair).

that's about it. make love not war friends, and stay rad.

**UPDATE: oh, and a really loud, obnoxious, cheesy tourist t-shirt from like australia zoo or something. i'd wear those suspenders over top.