Sunday 30 January 2011

My New Idol?




Gillian Zinser. She's me, MUCH IMPROVED. Its all there -- the messy hair, the Californian heritage, the unpredictable (weellll, in my case, that is, my unsuccessful attempts at looking nonchalantly stylish (I fail, yes, I fail). HOWEVER. She is all that, but perfectly awesome. I now have inspiration in the form of this wicked cool actress, who plays an equally cool character on 90210. If you aren't beyond adolescent joys yet (go immaturity), watch this fabulously predictable show. Sorry, Gillian. Bises.
Sorry, Garance. Just the ramblings of a bored francophile. This is She.



Awesome, right? Go Gillian. Moving on, though, let me communicate to my nonexistent fan base (yeah, you can laugh.) my recent stylistic fluctuations. I'll be going to Florida in a few months, and I think my newfound attachment to boardshorts and co. may be a result of that. Let me break it down for ya in a chemical formula. It pays to be a nerd.

Yearning for Summer (Su10000) + being broke ( --> yearning for out-of-reach Clothing (C-10000) as per usual) + the unfulfilled resolution to GET FIT (definitely a negative ion there. Grrr. I hate jogging) + Florida ---------------> O.D. -ing on 90210 and magazines + the cool appeal of Roxy ads (stemming from said magazines) and water sports in general + still being frustratingly broke.

So, yes, that is my life, style-wise. Between money troubles, excessive frugality, the ridiculous expense of clothes in London and general (school-related) business, I look exactly the same as I did a year ago!All that aside, though, I find it incredibly hard to be chic and minimalistic in black (which is actually easy, all of my outerwear is black, and its so cold here that I mostly am seen in outerwear) when the sun is completely absent. It is incredibly hard psychologically to wear black all the time in any case (if easy physically). Ergo, my need for cheap, colourful, wearable attire. I've been scouring Teenvoge. "Jeans for Every Budget"? Right. Every budget between J.K. Rowling and the Queen, more like.
Jeez. Imagine the Queen in jeans. (Yay! That rhymed!)
Anyhow. I should probably show some photographic evidence of the aforementioned coolness.



Gillian Zinser.
I'm really identifying with the hippies now. Everyone is so uptight! Can't we just chill and stop fighting wars and stuff? Dude. Seriously. (I am not high, before you ask.) Love, people. LOVE. Scuse me, I gotta go to a rooftop Beatles concert.

Crochet Bikinis! YES! No, I'm NOT joking! Shut up! But not the cape, hat or shoes. Just block them out, ok?
And also mentally alter the bottoms and make them a little more modern in shape, 'kay?

Swimsuit and wetsuit, both of which I really want. Cynthia Rowley for Roxy.


More Cynthia...


This is Lissie, an amazing singer/songwriter I was lucky enough to go and see in concert in December. GO GOOGLE HER, stat.


Someone surfing, duh.

So. My motto and aspiration is now: chill, GET SOME MONEY!!!, learn to surf, chill some more, and hopefully go to the beach. I just read an article about Gemma Arterton spending a week in Croatia. It made me want to cry.

EC

Monday 17 January 2011

Culinary Exploits

Here are some snaps of a (delicious) grapefruit sorbet I made the other day.


EC



Wednesday 12 January 2011

So I came home from school one day...

...and I realized my computer desktop was annoyingly devoid of pretty pictures. So I embarked on a jaunt to style.com and promptly died of garmentlust. Just to give you a heads-up, this post is gonna be hella long. Because I am subsumed with an insatiable need for these woven marvels. See what I did? I did the Shakespearean thing. Sorta. Not really. Whatever.

(Awkward turtle.)
These pictures are in the wrong order -- their pretty much back-to-front, and all the ones that have even a modicum of colour are D&G.
I am not really very big on ditsy little florals, but in massive tent-like clinging romantic gowns I am quite sure I can make a welcome exception.



She looks a wee bit like the goddess Diana about to murder the hunter who saw her bathing, no?
These dresses -- this whole collection particularly appeals to me (to say the absolute least) because all the models have centre-partings. I am one of the only girls in my entire grade who doesn't have a Jerry Hall do.
Also, the clinginess makes it look like they are mermaids!! Like they just climbed out of the ocean after sprouting legs!! As a reader, you ought to know that mermaids are by far the best mythical creatures in my book, along with forest nymphs. but you knew that, obviously. Not even unicorns can compete. And also, the swish factor of the weighty-looking skirt hems and the slight disarray of their hair gives an air of wildness -- like Jane in her own personal jungle.


Now for something slightly (emphasis on slightly) more urban/tame...

I think the key to what was achieved here was the shameless and wholehearted way in which the designers juxtaposed bold (garish?) colours/textures with reckless abandon. Yes. Lace and plaid.


I know all models have something nonchalant about them, but these models in particular, due no doubt to the clothes, don't seem to give a rat's posterior.


Yup! Plastic and florals!! You done good, D&G.

Dutch maid. The bag seems to almost morph into a milk bucket, oui?


I dunno, these all remind me of the song/video... the colours and general mood are fo shiz a recipe for sunlight (much needed over here).



And some 70s crochet as the crowning glory.

Here I love the blouse/pants combo; its a change from the rest of the collection and is AMAZING.

Again, getting more structured.

And the crop tops. A controversial addition to my wardrobe: I hate ones you might find in Topshop -- e.g., with idiotic sporty prints like a team number or something -- that are all baggy around the midriff (I am shuddering). However, here the florals and almost campy 70s peasant shape offer redemption in its awesomest form.

But I am actually torn: to favour minimalism or ditsy hippy camp all-out stuff (as seen above)?
I don't think I will ever be able to decide between them (or afford them).


Harking back to Greek mythology here...
And by the way, these are by all by Chloé. Bless. Thank goodness there is someone here to remind me that purity often TRUMPS ALL (in terms of fashion, at least...)



The skirt is almost balletic, while I am at all times a complete sucker for a tight, long-sleeves lycra top. GAHH (that's me being a total sucker.)

Gasp! Avert your eyes!




LEATHER



You may have guessed that I harbour a penchant for flowing, light, voluminous skirts. Suspici
on confirmed.

Also, I am a big fan of the utilitarian, throw-on-and-look-amazing vibe (yes, it is a vibe, ok? There really is no other word for it) and near-androgyny of this collection. But in case that gets a bit dry, there is always the alternative (see far above) which, God knows, I could not live without.




And finally, Comme des Garçons. Total androgyny here; what I love is the wacky, asymmetrical blazer.
Signing off now.
EC

Monday 3 January 2011

OOPS.

Wellll, I was too busy recieving amazing presents these past few weeks to blog. Lame excuse, I know, but its the only one I have. Smiley face.However, allow me to segué nicely into my intended topic (I don't like the word, it sounds too... scholastic. And also formal. But, "for want of a better word"....). MY NEW CAMERA. It is beautiful! And, more importantly, better than our cruddy old Canon which has a penchant for distributing weird blotches on the least zoomed-in images. This new Holy Grail (in my view, anything not looking like our camera, is said Grail. Right? Am I right? Its a brick!!) of photography has inspired me to not only spend hours in front of the computer researching resort collections which I will finally and in exhaustive detail blog about (yes, as my former babysitting kids would say, "Too much words!" Well. Sor-ee.) I will hopefully take pictures of my OWN outfits on ME, which you may or may not be interested in. If not, begone! Shame on you, spending all this time on those machines you call computers reading and writing pages upon pages of useless bloggery!Oh. Wait. I just described myself. Huh.
Anyhoo. I exit the realm of technology from 2003 ("Wow! Pictures? Without film?!") and enter the realm of HIGH FIDELITY, BABY!
As a sort of demo, some assigned shots for this year's school art project using my glorious new device. And yes, they are assigned, I'm not one of those people who take shots of themselves just to fill the internet up with their 'glorious beauty'. No beauty here -- except of the sartorial kind! Whoatackycatchphrase!

The Chunk, 2003 edition. Famed for being as thick as the wall of a medieval fortress.


We were told to create a series of photographs involving reflections. Well, ain't it swell -- I just happened to have this trippy bathroom!


And the black hair is a wig, by the way. I didn't just decide to be a Joan Jett impersonator one day....
Although that would be pretty awesome. Ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!


And also, the Ramones kick posterior.

Another part of the art project was to create a fabric design. And in the process, I did something I never thought I'd do -- I put a piece of foliage into my photocopier. And here the theme was trees, in case you were wondering.
Speaking of fabric design, I went to Liberty of London today and met a lovely Liberty lady by the name of Sarah Barton Keeley (www.myspace.com/sarahbartonkeeley -- if you're reading this, thanks again! Your music is EPIC, 'Engines' in particular) Please show her love, she led me to the scarf of my dreams, which will feature in the next post.

Well, dang. The upload isn't working. Hold on...

Nope. Its being stubborn. I'll try again later. BUT. I have a really dumb video I made a few months ago. It's a joke and the clothes are bad -- INTENTIONALLY. Its kitsch.



And pay attention to the soundtrack (the Velvet Underground and the Beatles -- unbeatable combo!) My beautiful friends Lauren (blonde) and Flopsy (brunette) star. Enjoy this idiotic example of how I waste my time!

Love,
E