Sunday 31 October 2010

stolen girlfriends club

The epitome of New Zealand fashion, Stolen Girlfriends Club, are now selling their beautiful designs on ASOS. How I have only just found this out, I don't know, but they have had an appearance on the well-known and loved website for a while now. 

I first found out about Stolen Girlfriends Club (SGC) when I was living in New Zealand and I stumbled upon this piece of heavy metal:


photography from stolengirlfriendsclub.com

I would visit the little boutique shop in my town (almost) on a daily basis until I, finally, bought the dream that is, the SGC necklace. I want their whole jewellery collection; it's so chunky and masculine. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of budget, otherwise I would buy their clothes too.  SGC design some amazing threads, their attention to detail and their use of fabrics are amazing. Here are a couple of my favourite outfits, don't forget to check out stolengirlfriendsclub.com and asos.com to get your own Stolen Girlfriends Club fix.

BADSIDE SINGLET - olive 
 MARIA LACE SKIRT - nude lace
PATTI HAT - black
NOMAD BOOT - tan_black

SPIKELESS DRESS - pink silk

TEEN QUEEN JEAN - duaty pink
COIL CAMI TOP - black
PATTI HAT - black

all photography stolengirlfriendsclub.com



Saturday 30 October 2010

where is the love

photography from the cool hunter


Pei-San Ng’s “Passion
 2,500 matches glued to a piece of reclaimed plywood; I want it.

Friday 29 October 2010

mcflurry or mcfancy?




photography from the cool hunter


Fancy or what? If you can find a better way to eat McDonalds, then please share it with the rest of us because I don't know about you, but i'd rather a Burberry burger than a McChicken burger, any day. This is the definition of upper class fast-food.

Created strictly for high-end events around the world - such as Fashion Week -  this sophisticated store offers first class service, for second class food, the highly desirable packaging brings an elegance to McDonalds to which I never thought was possible.

I'm already looking forward to London Fashion week next year, where I can find the restaurant that is, McFancy, and experience the silver service for myself.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

apple crumble








photography by leonie benaiah


Last week, I treated my friends to a dose of my special apple crumble and custard - it was dreamy (even if I do say so myself) and warmed us up a treat. I'm making it again next week for some Uni friends, something to inspire us to work, I hope. If you're not going to be one of the lucky people popping round, here is the recipe for you to try out yourself:


INGREDIENTS

Crumble
300g/10½oz plain flour, sieved pinch of salt
- 175g/6oz unrefined brown sugar
- 200g/7oz unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
Filling
- 450g/1lb apples, peeled, cored and cut (is any shape you wish)
- 50g/2oz unrefined brown sugar
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tspn crushed cloves
METHOD
Simmer the apples in a saucepan with a splash of water, the sugar and spices, until the apples are soft and crumbly. Put them in a bottom of an oven-proof dish. For the crumble, mix the butter with the flour, then add the sugar and sprinkle on top of the apples.
Place in the oven for 30-40mins at 180Âșc and enjoy!

lookbook

An indulgent night in, for me, is sitting on my bed, nibbling at some chocolate at delving into the world that is  'lookbook'. If you've never heard of it, it's a place for like-minded fashionistas to show off their favourite ensembles. 


People who are members (you need to be invited, or ask to join, which I think is a little shallow...) upload their photo and add where they bought their outfit pieces from. You can then 'hype' the looks you like, which puts them on the leader board.


Men and women all over the world upload pictures onto lookbook; it's a great place to find inspiration for any upcoming event like a date, a day trip in the city or even for popping over to your corner shop. Here are some of my favourite looks:











Check out the website for yourself: www.lookbook.nu

Sunday 24 October 2010

h&m welcomes lanvin







In less than two weeks Lanvin are to become the next designer collaboration with H&M. On November 2nd, the Lanvin collection will debut and be ‘full of wonderful surprises’, says Margareta van den Bosch, the creative advisor at H&M.

The collection will go on sale just over a month before Christmas, on November 23rd, across 200 H&M stores around the world. The fashion line will include men’s and womenswear; featuring Lanvin's signature trademarks balanced with H&M’s affordable price tag.
Lanvin is a French label, based in Paris and established in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin. It is a luxurious brand, which combines traditional French style with a modern twist. Alber Elbaz has been the artistic director for the label since 2001 and has transformed the line with the use of his talent, raw energy and creativity.
Many designers have collaborated with H&M in the past, such as Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld and Sonia Rykiel, all of which have been extremely successful.
If you can’t make it down to your local H&M store (and check out the ‘H&M for Lanvin’ collection in the flesh) get online at www.hm.com to watch the special film about the collection, from 2nd November.

Friday 22 October 2010

#1

This is the video to Hurts - Wonderful Life, it screams sophistication and style (and is very Tom Ford).
I recently went to see them at Shepherds Bush Empire for a friend's 21st, and they were amazing live - I really hope they play at Glastonbury next year so I can get some more Hurts action.





the cool hunter

Last year, a kiwi friend of mine introduced me to 'The Cool Hunter' website - I am now an addict. Unfortunately, they don't update it as much as I would have liked, but you can still spend hours trawling through the cool fashion, art, music, architecture, design, travel, lifestyle, gadgets, ads, kids, stores, events, bars, food, house and transportation - they pretty much cover every base you can think of.

'The Cool Hunter' is a website based in the UK, which searches the globe for essentially, anything 'cool' and different. It's great if you're going traveling, you will be able to find some amazing places to visit. Here are a few of my favourites:


Finger In The Nose 
A clothing range for children, situated in France. The mini models are oh, so cute.




        


        

Victor Churchill Butcher
Opened since 1876, this Sydney butchers is definitely one of a kind. Do you think they'll open one in Epsom?





Crosby Street Hotel
A gorgeous hotel room in New York, need I say anymore?


I'm sure i'll blog about things I find this site many more times in the future, but if you would like to check it out for yourself, the website is: www.thecoolhunter.co.uk - enjoy.

Thursday 21 October 2010

so long, luella.






Sitting at home on my laptop, I type in 'luella.com', not an unfrequent website choice, to find a very upsetting message: 



'The Luella website has now ceased trading.'




Yes, that's right, the brand Luella Bartley is the lastest fashion victim of recession - sob sob sob. 
She once described her line as 'the kind of clothes you can get drunk and fall over in' unfortunately, her clothes aren't getting back up again.

Bartley launched 'Luella' in 1999, it was a very successful line and won Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2008. Many celebrities wore her designs, such as Alexa Chung and Lily Allen.


Before becoming a designer, Bartley worked as a journalist for Vogue and the Evening Standard, who knows, we might be seeing her around sooner than we thought...



Wednesday 20 October 2010

acorn pendant by karen walker



So, my twenty-first birthday is just around the corner and I am in love with Karen Walker's new jewellery range - the acorn pendant in particular - made from white gold, gold and silver. Has anyone got a spare £170?

Sunday 17 October 2010

the book club







As part of our course, we were asked to go to,  'The Book Club' in Shoreditch - an exhibition on street style was waiting. 
It was such a mission to get there, (a long walk plus many a tube change) but we were excited as our tutors had pumped it up so much. As it turns out, it was just a cafe with some photography of pretty people on the wall, we weren't best pleased, but I managed to snap some pretty cool street art on the way. J'adore East London.



www.wearetbc.com/

fms magazine launch









Yesterday, my friends and I jumped on a train to London to join the rich and famous at Punk, Soho. We were celebrating FMS’s seventh issue in style, with copious amounts of free booze, gorgeous people and new music. (Check out Daytona Lights, a band we are now slightly obsessed with: http://www.myspace.com/daytonalights)

Overall, it was a great way to spend a Tuesday evening - we even popped into China Town on the way home for a quick feed. Amazing.




Friday 8 October 2010

new zealand welcomes topshop


After living In New Zealand for 3 years, pining for Topshop, it finally arrives. (Just as I’m about to leave I might add). Carefully picked items, chosen by Karen Walker herself, shall be available in the store, as well as Unique, Kate Moss’ collection and a handful of other labels under the Topshop name.
Karen has made it clear that there will be only a few sizes in each style; so it will be unlikely you’ll bump into someone in Ponsonby wearing the same garment - yippeee.
Topshop will be opened to the public on 24th April, and I for one, cannot wait. I can feel a road trip to Takapuna coming along already…
 Its OK to grow up, just as long as you don’t grow old. Face it you are young.
— Jarvis Cocker

frankie, hello.




I am a magazine junkie. Sitting at an airport waiting to board a plane or strolling around town on a typical Saturday morning – I always find myself drifting towards the magazine shop.

I enjoy reading Vogue, The Guardian, Nylon, Elle, yet nothing I have found relates to me as much as Frankie Magazine does. It’s eye catching and pretty on the outside and a treasure trove on the inside; filled with awkward photographs, unusual articles, inspiring, mature (yet silly) and a lay out that is oh so creative, but most of all it makes me laugh. 
Published and based in Australia, Frankie is a magazine released every other month and is committed to sharing passions of music, arts, photography, fashion and pop culture to their readers. With article titles like, ‘little charmed ones’, and ‘poddy mcpodcast’ it’s very hard not to read this quirky mag from cover to cover.
The first time I saw Frankie Magazine, I was browsing through a boutique in Auckland; and there, neatly arranged on the till was Frankie, all crisp and new. The front cover read ‘London Girls’ in a simple typography, neat and effortlessly stylish - I had to have a copy. So, using the last remaining change in my pocket I bought my very first issue of Frankie Magazine, little did I know it wouldn’t be my last.

To this day it still boggles me how Frankie manages to appear so chic and simple and yet it is filled with bags of information. As soon as I finish reading my bi-monthly dose of Frankie I follow it up by disappearing into the world that is the internet. Anything featured in Frankie I look up online; blogs, music, art, photography, fashion… Some of my favourites includewww.frankie.com.auwww.catherinecampbell.net and www.lonelyheartslabel.com.

If you want to make quirky soft toys, learn the importance of being nude or just want to get lost in a world of retro, classic and cool, I would definitely recommend Frankie Magazine.

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