cool looking lady writers

I'm sure all of y'all are aware of that famous Joan Didion for Celine pic which was probably the most universally loved thing the internet has ever seen. I am firmly on the bandwagon and also think it was the business.

An OBB (Original Bad Bitch)

Huge sunglasses, huge necklace, boring black sweater, coral lip, I am seriously about this. But it got me thinking about more, less "mainstream" pics of some of my favourite female writers who have aesthetic vibes which I dig.

Joan was ALWAYS a cool chick, even before the Celine stamp of approval. Girl knows how to work an oversized sack dress in a way I seriously admire. I'm also all into the bare faced, simple haired look. 

Another strong look of Joan's (we're on first name terms) is the oversized plain coloured jumper. On the left she pairs it expertly with a simple necklace and more ubiquitous big black shades, and on the right I think I can spy some 90s-revival white trainers. A trendsetter of the highest order. And her writing is obviously really cool, unusual, sad, clever and all around inspiring.
Read: Play it as it Lays, Slouching Toward Bethlehem, The Year of Magical Thinking.
Wear: No makeup, shapeless dresses and jumpers, big sunglasses, simple hair.

Another of my favourite lady writers is the surrealist Leonora Carrington. From youth to old ladiness she had an ethereal, other-worldy beauty. Pile up your hair on top of your head, put on some sort of cape, define some inquisitive eyebrows and light up a cigarette (pls don't do the last one based on my advice).

Leonora Carrington is seriously so cool. She's most famous as a painter but I am massively into her writing, too. She has some really cool ideas about how being a woman is magical, subversive and amazing. Left, she rocks an incredibly trendy crochet top, and right perfectly pairs a boxy cable knit jumper with small hoop earrings and a cat. 
Read: The Hearing Trumpet, Down Below.
Wear: Messy "up-dos", baggy collars, lots of white, bushy eyebrows.

What is really interesting about Sylvia Plath's vibes are the enormous contrast between how she looked and how she "really" was - if we are going by her writings. Plath always dressed like the cleanest-cuttest, least subversive, most "together" girl in the room. Pearl earrings, pearl buttons, alice bands and collars all lend themselves to a timeless, "girly" look.

Light, bright colours pair well with each other, and a toothy grin is accentuated by a smudgy red lip. I don't really need to tell you that Sylvia Plath is a seriously good writer. Her poetic imagery is some of my absolute favourite.
Read: The Bell Jar, Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, Ariel. (Also, The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm is a really interesting read.)
Wear: Neat curls, pastel colours, hairbands, subtle red lipstick.

Donna Tartt is everything I want to be once I finally escape the siren call of really long hair and stupid coloured lipstick. She seems to perfectly balance the look of a corporate business HBIC with a somewhat spookier, witchy, Wednesday-Addams-grown-up vibe. It's the contrast between the formal blazer / "sensible" haircut and the Victoriana flouncy shirt / mystical looking rings.

Here are some pix of Donna Tartt as a younger, but equally cool, woman. She knows how to to pair the world's subtlest feline eyeliner with a barely-there orangey lipstick. Her brows are small but perfectly formed, suggesting she has just said something extremely interesting and is waiting for you to argue with her. And can we talk about those leopard print gloves? I want them. Ok, I'm done. Tartt is such a good writer. She has really good ideas, and says them in a way which is really original and never annoying.
Read: The Secret History, The Goldfinch.
Wear: Understated eyeliner, black and white, neat hair, witchy jewellery, LEOPARD PRINT GLOVES.

usa thrifting

There are certain things America just does better than the UK: their dedication to cup holders, plug sockets and cheap enormous coffee (with french vanilla dairy free creamer - hello) is amongst some of the best I've seen. And as you'd expect, the consumer experience here is bigger and better, too. For the most part I try to balance my makeup shopping habits out by sticking to second hand consumerism (because then it doesn't count, right?). Here are some of the things I have found which I am very pleased about.

If you're an avid follower of my instagram you'll have already spied these clumpoes I got for $10. They were originally taller, but because idgaf I cut them off in the ankle area. They lean more towards the "spice girl", retro side of clump, I think because of the flared out platform. Kind of stupid, but I have worn them a lot already because so am I.

 This second pair of shoes was purchased out of necessity during a particularly icy visit to Cambridge. They remind me of those Doc Martens that are a bit different from normal Doc Martens, and I have worn them every day since I got them, because sometimes practical shoes are the practical choice. I think they look especially good with tights and a dress for a Bratz Doll aesthetic.

 After a long period of time off, I am back on the flannel shirt bandwagon! But only when following some rules: 1) no bright colours, 2) must be free flowing and not at all stiff, and 3) can only be worn buttoned all the way up. I am against the tying-around the waist look for reasons I cannot properly justify. Annie Kreighbaum, my idol and namesake (just kidding, my namesake is actually maybe Annie Lennox), said something about only wearing a flannel shirt like you were a teenager skater boy as the best man at his dad's second wedding, which is a position I strongly advocate.

 I am very pleased with this, because I feel like it is the sort of thing you could pretend is "dressy" enough to go on a night out in, but it is really just a box of velvet with a collar. I actually bought this because of a bit in the Grimes video for Oblivion, and also because of all those old photos of Courtney Love. Basically, I think black tops with white collars look very cool and also make all makeup choices (ie lots of makeup or no makeup) look better.

I also bought these Ralph Lauren jeans covered in white flower patterns. I think they are good replacements for boring old non-flowery jeans to make you look like more of a "risk-taker" or even "fashionista" (*throws up*). They don't fit great, (too big, too short, too low-waisted) but for $2 I couldn't leave them behind and I feel confident they are not beyond help (a strong endorsement if ever I made one).
So yes, while charity shopping is good, thrifting is better, and I'm sure this won't be my last session. Lots of love xx

how i learned to stop worrying and love pleather

For many years, wearing "leather" trousers was something I supported others doing, but never expected to be brave enough to become involved in myself. Then I realised that I am definitely going to die one day, and it might even be today, and anyway, what is so brave about covering your (most likely hairy ... or maybe that's just me) legs in what is essentially plastic bags? It doesn't take bravery, all it takes is for you to be easily convinced in H&M one time (or in my case, twice). Enter, my pleather pants:

H&M Joggers Available Here are genuinely the best purchase I have made since the summer and I bought a £1 ticket that allowed me to go to ALL of the pop music concerts. They cost £25 and yes, I have them in two colours, ok. They really appeal to my inner Kanye West, and the best part about them is if you tuck in the cord and wear a top that covers the elastic, they look like tapered leg real trousers and actually have a really nice fit on the leg; the mid-point between baggy and fitted. You can fool everyone into thinking you might be kind of uncomfortable while remaining completely comfortable! I particularly love the combination of these with a textured knitted jumper, particularly in from the beige colour family (holla), also with a HBIC white shirt. I will issue three brief warning on these pants. 1: On the first wear, they will be so unbreathable that your legs feel like two basted turkeys covered in sweat-gravy. After a wash, the breathability increases (although not to levels of a normal trouser). 2: Sometimes during brisk movement (reaching for something on the bottom shelf in a shop is the classic), all of the air will rush out of the trouser leg, creating a fart-like noise. This incidence, too, has rapidly decreased since washing the trousers. 3: Wearing these trousers while sitting on pleather furniture is noisy. I learned the hard way and was basically unable to move at the cinema for the whole of Interstellar (a very long film). Nonetheless, I am so happy to own these trousers and I think we will have a long and loving relationship. If you remain unconvinced, I think Lilly says is best (or just most insanely):

The obvious progression for me fulfilling my dream of wearing sheets of plastic all over my body was a full pleather dress:

This one is by The Whitepepper and I got it on ebay. I totally dig what my uncle terms the "art teacher smock", and this one really does tick all of the boxed because it has pockets. I honestly cannot understand why all dresses don't come with pockets, unless I'm making them myself, because pockets are really hard. Although this dress does have a similar breathability issue, sometimes it's nice to be trapped in a sauna of your own making, particularly in South London in December. There are no fart-noise problems / funny japes, or squeaking against the seat embarrassments. When I wore this dress Lilly called me "a Spice Girl" and "a female pimp". When I wore the trouser she said I "was dressed like Prince". All great compliments (they are definitely compliments).

The next stage in my pleather journey is finally working out how to wear my pleather cap. I actually like it, but so far everybody in my life disagrees. (My mum said "this isn't what you do!" and Alex actually used to word "hate" - rude.) Sorry for this weird photo, the selfie-situation in my current studio (bedroom) isn't up to par - just kidding, S&D, thanks for letting me stay here!!!

 Is it just me, or is there a sort of religious-figure element to the above photo? The arms above the head, the haunting eyes, the backwards baseball cap...
If you need anymore convincing of the wonders of pleather-life, here is a GIF of my queen, Adore Delano, doing a dance move that I truly respect:

 My Hero.

i knitted two jumpers

I have always known how to knit and have used my skills to make some very amusing gifts for friends (I made Tom Glencross a hat with a bobble the size of a baby's head which I am particularly proud of). But my whole life I never thought I could actually knit a full garment which I would actually wear. If you are in the same position, eg. have only ever made scarves / hats / blankets, then I am here to tell you: jumpers are not hard. And they give you an excuse to watch an entire season of MTV's "Are You The One?" in a day (guilty as charged).

 Here is the first one I did. The picture isn't great but it is a really nice khaki colour with a bit of dimension. This was really easy, it was knitted in one piece wrist to wrist. I followed a Kaffe Fassett pattern but changed it quite a lot, making it wider, with a smaller neckline and thinner sleeves. 

 And here is me wearing the jumper, where the colour looks a lot better. I was very proud of myself and am now officially a "knitter". That means, I always have a project on the go, and I am genuinely contemplating buying a "knitting bag".

After my triumph with jumper #1, I decided I could do a proper jumper made of four whole pieces. And even this wasn't too hard! I used a pattern from ravelry, which is a website my mum uses for pattern sharing, but again I changed it a lot. I am very glad that I did the bottom of it how I did, it has a border and side splits and I think it has a really nice effect. This is in a lovely beige / camel colour with black flecks. 

Here it is on. I am so cool and clever at knitting.
If anybody wants I can definitely share the patterns I used (made up) then I would be more than happy to share, but I'm under the impression that to most people it would just be nonsense taking up space in my (otherwise aesthetically immaculate- har har) blog. But maybe even if you don't like these exact designs, this could inspire ya. Knitting is very fun and completing little projects is very good for my mental wellbeing, and then at the end you have a new and very warm and relatively inexpensive jumper!

stylish boys

Here are some photos of boys, ones who I like anyway for their work and their personalities (and usually for their hansy-ness), but also for their fly clothes.

Here is something I have loved for about four years, Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes wearing a khaki felt cape with black fur lining. This is literally all I have ever wanted from an item of outerwear and have never found. I think I could actually make this myself with a bit of effort. I couldn't find the original photos of this which I fell in love with, but he did a LOT of twirling about and other cape-related fun. Good Job Coberst.

 Here is Conor again wearing many different shades of black, a "good hat", a bunch of necklaces and a gummy smile. CUTE!

Here is a photo of general fabulousness. Obviously RuPaul looks like everything I've ever wanted to be, but I'm not sure I can really focus on Ru in a post about boy fashion. The purpose of this is to illustrate that, although this is not the point at all, I like the way Kurt Cobain dressed. Stripes, blonde bob, fun sunglasses (fun-glasses), vg.

 Here is another picture I have admired for many years. It's the combination of a million things which works for me. This is what I am trying to emulate when I wear leopard-print, and not "a pimp" which is what Lilly has accused me of looking like.

Matthew Gray Gubler is, imo, the handsomest of all the handsomes. Here he is looking v soft-grunge in a stripey lacoste jumper. Bonus points for it being a polaroid.

Matthew stop it. Put that lower-stomach away. Loving a big stripey jumper and black jeans, cool and understated, particularly when paired with the one-strand-fringe.

 

Did you know that MGG always wears odd socks because he believes he falls over if he doesn't? This is the sort of mad-thinking I can get on board with. Even though he is wearing corduroy in the photo, which I wouldn't normally condone, he makes up for it with the non-matching dinosaur socks. By the way, you should all follow MGG on instagram, he is very insane and hilarious.

So there are some photos of boys which I like to keep in mind when I get dressed. Bonus Picture of Carson from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (aka the best television show ever).