fun-glasses

  Wearing sunglasses is one of my favourite hobbies. I have sensitive peepers anyway (something to do with contact lenses or something), but even if I didn't strictly NEED them, i would still "need" them. I just think they look make you look cooler, and me and my housemates have been known to have "sunglasses-mandatory" nights out. It's fun, everyone treats you like you're special.

 My clothes are mostly neutral coloured and "simple" (boring), and if I'm wearing makeup, 90% of the time it will be a "five product face", but in my sunglasses choices I let my inner high-maintenance diva take over. The more extravagant and ridiculous, the better. But don't get it twisted, I still want my sunglasses to be cheap, because that way I can have an expansive wardrobe of different ridiculous touches to add to any outfit. Here are two pairs I got recently and am very pleased with (they are both from eBay and were about $10 each - eBay is the BEST PLACE for cheap and silly sunglasses).

 The first pair are some Celine knockoffs. I hate to admit it but I do enjoy a fake designer sunglass - everything about my appearance from my poorly cut fringe to my extremely smashed phone screen suggests I have no money, so these make a nice contrast. I do sort of see that these are somewhat gaudy and horrible, but scruffed down with the rest of my appearance I just really like them. 

 The second pair are Miu Miu "cut out" knockoffs which are just so cool. They are slightly tamer than the Celine pair, and basically look like a classic, boring pair of sunglasses but with the bottoms cut off. (A classic with a twist? But what a horrible, overused phrase.) I favour a tortoiseshell frame because I think they look super great with an all black outfit (where black sunglasses look a bit teenage-emo). 

 Sunglasses are the easiest way to add a "bit of jazz". Seriously, all you have to do is put them on, and you're done. You have to wear some when the sun comes out, so why not have them be fun-glasses?

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