There is one night out look that I always seem to return to by default. Most nights, I'll shimmy into a girly dress and step into some cute high heels but there's nothing like the rock chick look to make me feel fierce, glam and ready to party.
I greet the black leggings (in many varieties; shiny, sequinned and slashed) MJ print T-Shirt & sequinned or plain, dark blazer finished with studded high heels, like an old friend and transform into a strong confident rock star. (complete with air guitar.) Just don't ask me to sing Sweet Child O' Mine after a few glasses of wine.
I am usually quite a good girl but the rebel inside me wants to rock a tough, sexy, don't mess with me look.
This tough girl vision isn't complete without lashings of black eyeliner and mascara. My favourites are Bobbi Brown longwear gel eyeliner and Benefit Bad Gal lash mascara. (Even the name reflects the image I want to convey)
The shoes complete the look. They've gotta be high, they've gotta be black, they've gotta be quite chunky and they've gotta have tough details such as studs or buckles but a few tassells never hurt either. My fail safe Topshop studded heels have served me well.
No other look can make me feel quite as powerful and there's something seductive about slipping into the slinky leggings and black, studded, killer heals. Long may the Queen of rock rein. Rock on!
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Sunday, 16 January 2011
The Beast that is 21st Century Beauty
Last night I went to a well-known Essex nightclub and it made me think about current attitudes towards how we 'should' look. Of course, places like this, occupied by fake-tanned, skinny-framed, hair extensioned, made up to the nines WAG wannabes are at the extreme end of the spectrum. But they represent how extreme and fake our perceptions of beauty have become in the western world.
don't get me wrong, I love to get dressed up, slap on the fake tan, a bit of make-up and stick on the false eyelashes but there is a limit. When you and your mates start to look like a troupe of walking, talking dolls you know you've gone too far. The fake look is so unnapealing. Ask most men and they will say they prefer natural and curvy. But being bombarded with these images in magazines, on TV and even in our local bars and shopping cenrtres on a daily basis is bound to make a girl feel insecure and provoke thoughts of 'if I look like that will it stop my boyfriend from cheating on me? Will I be more popular? Will I feel better about myself?' When it seems that the society we live in nowadays is designed to make us feel worse about ourselves; Starve and exercise yourself to perfection, cover your natural skin colour in gravy coloured gloop or fry on the sunbed, your natural hair is not good enough; weigh it down with extensions, have a few unsightly lines in your forehead? Inject them with poison to make them go away for a few months. No-one will be able to tell when you're happy but who cares! When put like this our current ideas of beauty seem absurd. But this is the scary reality.
Where will it all end? Will our daughters be begging for face transplants from better-looking dead people for their 18th birthday? Will we enourage people not to smile or frown so they don't develop those awful lines which we simply can't have on our faces because God forbid we look like we've lived a life rather than stepped straight out of a box? I think things need to change and one of them isn't my dress size. Attitudes are all wrong and there are enough problems in the world without persuading people to invent 'problems' with their bodies. It's a cliche but everyone is different and we should celebrate these differences rather than trying to fit everyone into the same, flawless scantily-clad mould. Whose with me?
don't get me wrong, I love to get dressed up, slap on the fake tan, a bit of make-up and stick on the false eyelashes but there is a limit. When you and your mates start to look like a troupe of walking, talking dolls you know you've gone too far. The fake look is so unnapealing. Ask most men and they will say they prefer natural and curvy. But being bombarded with these images in magazines, on TV and even in our local bars and shopping cenrtres on a daily basis is bound to make a girl feel insecure and provoke thoughts of 'if I look like that will it stop my boyfriend from cheating on me? Will I be more popular? Will I feel better about myself?' When it seems that the society we live in nowadays is designed to make us feel worse about ourselves; Starve and exercise yourself to perfection, cover your natural skin colour in gravy coloured gloop or fry on the sunbed, your natural hair is not good enough; weigh it down with extensions, have a few unsightly lines in your forehead? Inject them with poison to make them go away for a few months. No-one will be able to tell when you're happy but who cares! When put like this our current ideas of beauty seem absurd. But this is the scary reality.
Where will it all end? Will our daughters be begging for face transplants from better-looking dead people for their 18th birthday? Will we enourage people not to smile or frown so they don't develop those awful lines which we simply can't have on our faces because God forbid we look like we've lived a life rather than stepped straight out of a box? I think things need to change and one of them isn't my dress size. Attitudes are all wrong and there are enough problems in the world without persuading people to invent 'problems' with their bodies. It's a cliche but everyone is different and we should celebrate these differences rather than trying to fit everyone into the same, flawless scantily-clad mould. Whose with me?
Sunday, 2 January 2011
A Hint at the new season trends
It's that time of year again when the new season trends are revealed in the Fashion glossies. Its difficult to imagine prancing about in a chiffon maxidress when the temperatures are still sub-zero outside but the early reveal gives us a chance to plan our Spring/Summer wardrobes.
Just like past seasons, I have fallen in love with with most of the Chloe collection.
As usual, it's just so grown-up and Ladylike. My favourite is the one shoulder, sheer,calf-length, camel/mink coloured dress. It's the stuff fashion dreams are made of. (picture below from: http://lookbooks.com/jill-lambiase/post_view/paris-fashion-week-chloe-spring-summer-2011-collection - a fantastic website for all things fashion related)
But, as Chloe is not within my financial reach I've got my fingers crossed that the High Street produce some good copies.
When the seasons change my wardrobe becomes as Fashion conveyor belt; out with the old and in with the new.
I'll have to tone it down this year but I just can't help it. I am obsessed with everything new and bang up to date.
From Bold and bright block colours to romantic, girly garnments S/S 2011 Fashion looks like it's going to both exciting and wearable. Bring it on!
Just like past seasons, I have fallen in love with with most of the Chloe collection.
As usual, it's just so grown-up and Ladylike. My favourite is the one shoulder, sheer,calf-length, camel/mink coloured dress. It's the stuff fashion dreams are made of. (picture below from: http://lookbooks.com/jill-lambiase/post_view/paris-fashion-week-chloe-spring-summer-2011-collection - a fantastic website for all things fashion related)
But, as Chloe is not within my financial reach I've got my fingers crossed that the High Street produce some good copies.
When the seasons change my wardrobe becomes as Fashion conveyor belt; out with the old and in with the new.
I'll have to tone it down this year but I just can't help it. I am obsessed with everything new and bang up to date.
From Bold and bright block colours to romantic, girly garnments S/S 2011 Fashion looks like it's going to both exciting and wearable. Bring it on!
Happy New Year!
We are now into 2011 but do we have flying cars or hoverboards like films such as Back to the Future predicted? No, we have boring old road cars, rubbish trains and ugly shoes with wheels in that only kids wear.
Technology disappointments aside, 2011 looks to be, I hate to say it pretty similar to 2010, 2009, 2008...
Many Facebook and Twitter friends declare that 2011 is their year and things are going to happen for them but then 12 months later they're saying the same thing.
my advice is to give yourself a break. Just because people like Simon Cowell, Lord/Sir (whatever he's known as nowadays) Alan Sugar and Lady GaGa are mega successful doesn't mean we all have to be.
Success means different things to different people and to have that level of fame and wealth requires a ridiculous amount of hard work along with a massive dose of luck.
That said, many of us are stuck in boring dead-end jobs and having difficultly breaking free due to the hangover of the recession, lack of experience or motivation and too many cocky idiots who are influenced by the apprentice, charming their way into jobs that more modest, but just as hard-working people should be getting.
But don't give up. If it's your dream job you want do everything you can to get it but if you don't get it pick yourself up and try to get another job. I feel hypocritical saying this as I am in the same situation but am struggling to find the time and motivation to find my dream job. Hopefully sometime this year I'll get there.
The message of January is one of reinvention: Lose the Christmas pounds, get fit, have a spring clean, a new start...
But resolutions are hard to keep and I am sick of the adverts for celebrity fitness dvds on the telly whilst I'm trying to eat my pringles.
What I'm trying to say really is try to ignore the pressures and the voices telling you you're not good enough as you are. If you're truly unhappy and think that changing something in your life will make you feel better then do it. But make sure it's for yourself, not anyone else.
I just want to take this opportunity to wish my blog readers (all five of you!) a very Happy new year. Here's hoping that 2011 brings you luck, love and happiness.
Technology disappointments aside, 2011 looks to be, I hate to say it pretty similar to 2010, 2009, 2008...
Many Facebook and Twitter friends declare that 2011 is their year and things are going to happen for them but then 12 months later they're saying the same thing.
my advice is to give yourself a break. Just because people like Simon Cowell, Lord/Sir (whatever he's known as nowadays) Alan Sugar and Lady GaGa are mega successful doesn't mean we all have to be.
Success means different things to different people and to have that level of fame and wealth requires a ridiculous amount of hard work along with a massive dose of luck.
That said, many of us are stuck in boring dead-end jobs and having difficultly breaking free due to the hangover of the recession, lack of experience or motivation and too many cocky idiots who are influenced by the apprentice, charming their way into jobs that more modest, but just as hard-working people should be getting.
But don't give up. If it's your dream job you want do everything you can to get it but if you don't get it pick yourself up and try to get another job. I feel hypocritical saying this as I am in the same situation but am struggling to find the time and motivation to find my dream job. Hopefully sometime this year I'll get there.
The message of January is one of reinvention: Lose the Christmas pounds, get fit, have a spring clean, a new start...
But resolutions are hard to keep and I am sick of the adverts for celebrity fitness dvds on the telly whilst I'm trying to eat my pringles.
What I'm trying to say really is try to ignore the pressures and the voices telling you you're not good enough as you are. If you're truly unhappy and think that changing something in your life will make you feel better then do it. But make sure it's for yourself, not anyone else.
I just want to take this opportunity to wish my blog readers (all five of you!) a very Happy new year. Here's hoping that 2011 brings you luck, love and happiness.
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