Wednesday 30 June 2010

A BIG OLD THANK YOU

My exams are now over. After five weeks of study leave and exams, I have finished school FOREVER.
Or until I go to university, wherever that may be. It's not looking likely at the moment, if my last exam is anything to go by.
I owe the fact I am still sane to several wonderful people:
Grace

Hannah
Lora
Charlotte (who is on a plane to New Zealand RIGHT NOW)
Flo x

What I Wore To: My Final Exam

In 5 hours and 10 minutes I will have finished my secondary school education forever.
I'm wearing a French Connection dress (that actually belongs to a friend but I'm keeping it until she gives me back my Ralph Lauren shirt), an American Apparel bandeau, my Marc Jacobs watch, and Office shoes.
Flo x

Monday 28 June 2010

One exam left

I'm going to and do some outfit posts over the summer. 
I am going to begin with today's outfit, as there is less than 48 hours to go until my summer finally begins.
 
I'm wearing a Topshop crop-top that I cut the sleeves off because it was just TOO HOT, River Island shorts,  and Office pumps. That's it. Because of the heat, I am attempting to wear as few clothes as possible without actually wandering around in my underwear. 
A word about the shorts. They are the first item I have ever bought from River Island. I'm not a River Island girl, at all. But after being greatly disappointed by Topshop, H&M, and Zara (I even tried Cult), my desperation made me cross to the other side of the pedestrianised zone and enter River Island, a place where my friends and I fear to tread (I'm  not actually sure why...). And there these shorts were, hanging right by the door. 
Has anyone else had any miraculous discoveries like this? 
Flo x

Glastonbury

I'm one of those people who has never understood the appeal of festivals (who wants to camp for three days with no showers in the mud and rain with thousands of equally smelly and muddy people?), and I have certainly never understood the nation's obsession with Glastonbury. Until this year. 
My brother forced me to watch Dizzee Rascal performing You've Got The Dirtee Love with the magical Florence Welch. And then Florence + The Machine performing Dog Days. I figured that since I will be attending my first festival in less than two weeks, I should see what all the fuss is about. And suddenly it clicked. It's FUN. 
However, I'm not going to wither on about my epiphany of how festivals "aren't just about the music and there's something more to them etc" because I'm not going to be able to put it into words without sounding: 
a) pretentious 
b) like I have no idea what I'm talking about. 
So I'm going to simply show you why I now like festivals, wrapped up in one 7 minute video:
Flo x

Beach? Beach.

In celebration of the hottest day of the year so far, my friend and I took to Broadstairs beach yesterday. 
In true Brit fashion, we ate fish and chips, ice cream and those greasy doughnuts that only seem to exist at beach-side cafes.
My friend has the Hipstamatic app on her iPhone, and she taught me how to use it. It took a while.


Sun cream in my eye.
I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather we're having. How are you taking advantage of it (before we go back to having to complain about the cold and the rain).
Flo x

Sunday 27 June 2010

Best Ad Ever?





Putting Karen Elson (my all-time favourite model), Natalia Vodianova and Christy Turlington in the new Louis Vuitton campaign was a brilliant idea. Whoever came up with it is a genius idea. I wanted the entire collection before, but now I really really want it and I am really going to be keeping my eye out for reasonably priced versions (may be not of the ball gown). Ah, the power of advertising.
Flo x

Saturday 26 June 2010

Happy Birthday Mama!

Flo x

Clothes Show Live Style Awards

Last night I was lucky enough to get tickets to the Clothes Show Live Style Awards in London. 
Held in Earls Court 1 (the last time I was there was for a Justin Timberlake concert when I was 11),
there were just six awards, performances by The Wanted (a boyband?), Esme Dentes (friend of Justin) and Paloma Faith, who was very good and won the Best Dressed Female award. In her acceptance speech, she gave the valuable advice of "girls should keep eating". She recommended kebabs. 
Following the awards ceremony there was a 30 minute catwalk show, complete with dancers, which was rather impressive.
I also bumped into Katie and Joe (of the blog What Katie Wore) and it was nice to see them again.
I wore a vintage jacket (whose lining was coming apart all night), a Dorothy Perkins dress and Marc Jacobs watch, with Topshop wedges and bag. 
This picture was taken by my talented little brother on his iPhone. 
Flo x

Thursday 24 June 2010

7 days to go

My school leaver's ball is a week today. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement.
This is the only big, dress-up event I will ever attend in relation to my school, and as a result, I started thinking about my dress early. Some people are saying that they aren't going to make much of an effort "I'll just get a dress from town that I can wear again because it's just a school thing/I don't want to spend too much money/I don't really care", and that's their choice, there's nothing wrong with that - I just think that this ball is about celebrating the end of our (secondary) school careers and the time we have spent together. But then again, I love any excuse to dress up.
I thought I had found the perfect dress in a vintage shop in Covent Garden. It was floor length pink silk covered by a layer of black net, with some minimal bead detailing on the bust, but sadly, it was made in the 1920s, when women were considerably more flat chested than I am, so I was left to look elsewhere. 
I then considered ASOS Black, especially this dress:
However, I really didn't want to be wearing the same dress as anyone else. 
Which means that I, or rather, my mother, would be making the dress. And that's exactly what we did. 
The dress comes from a Vintage Vogue pattern, and is in pink silk and black net, like the dress I tried on. 
I wanted it to be a combination of the dress Grace Kelly wears in Rear Window, the dress Carrie Bradshaw wears in Paris in the last episode of Sex and the City, when she meets Big and a Dior dress I saw in an old issue of Vogue. 



Only six people have seen the dress - I'm really keeping it hidden until the ball itself - I don't understand why people post pictures of themselves in the dress on Facebook - it ruins the wonderful surprise. 
Flo x

All images via: Google images

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Summer in a picture.

I am very lucky to live very near some beautiful countryside. I was driving past this field today, and I had to stop to take a picture of it.
This reminds me of so many summer days spent riding around on my bike with my family and friends. 
Flo x


Recent purchases

To get through the pain that is A Level revision, I went shopping. Quite a bit. Here are some of my best purchases:
This cotton dress from Topshop is really light and floaty. I'm definitely wearing it on holiday this year.
I went a bit crazy in Zara, getting shorts and trousers - the khakis below and an identical pair in navy blue.
The khakis are so cool and comfortable - they're a really light material. Khakis are really having a moment - both The Sartorialist and Disney Roller Girl have been talking about them. I wear mine with brogues or pumps are a sheer white shirt. 
I got these sandals from Office. I love the bright colour and that when I walk, the beads made a really satisfying noise as they move when I walk. I also got these wedges from Office, to wear with shorts or one of my many floral dresses:
I'm nearly done with my exams now - only 8 days until my summer officially starts! 
Flo x

Monday 21 June 2010

Summer Solstice

Today is the longest day of the year. It didn't get dark here in KentLand until 10pm. 
I normally celebrate with a walk (and perhaps dance) on the beach but this year I totally spaced because of revision and forgot all about it. Until this afternoon, when I was lounging around in the garden. 
So after a trip to the cinema, to see Wild Target (funny Brit comedy - Emily Blunt is hilarious and wears cool nail varnish, Bill Nighy looks old and Rupert Grint is Ron Weasely with a beard), my friend and I headed to the beach. 
I did a little dance. She didn't. 
ANYWAY the point of this very long story is that because it was Summer Solstice there was a gorgeous sunset: 
(Taken by Lora through my very dirty windscreen)
I am now officially very excited for summer. 
Flo x

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

I was ready at least 20 minutes before my family, for once. I'm wearing Bear's old Gap Kids denim jacket and a Gap striped tee (via ASOS).
The best way to spend a sunny afternoon is to sit in the garden with friends eating cake and drinking champagne. Lovely.

Above: Victoria sponge and chocolate fingers.
Below: Blueberry clafoutis (left) and lemon drizzle cake (right).
All from the Farmer's Market.

Lil' sis.
It rained on and off all day and created this amazing light.
Flo x

Fun at the fair

Funfairs. I love them.
When I was a lot younger (like, 7), I wanted to run away with the fair as soon as I was old enough and spend all my time going on the rides again and again. I love the rides, the food, the really odd people you meet there and how there always are small dogs and children running around.
I am scarily good at Dodgems. I took my driving test three times. Fear me.
They were definitely cheating, and now I have evidence to prove it.







The Waltzer is definitely my favourite ride.
I went again with my friends a few days after this, but my pictures didn't come out. Boo. 
My dress is from Topshop (so are all dresses the girls are wearing), and everyone's shoes are from Office (a weird coincidence, we didn't arrange that before we went out. Promise). 
Flo x

All these pictures were taken by the super talented Holly W.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

The End of an Era

I have now officially left school. No more lessons. EVER. All I have to do now is revise for, oooh, four more exams that will determine MY ENTIRE FUTURE. Other than being able to wake up at a normal time, the only good thing about leaving school is finally getting a Leaver's hoodie.

Flo x

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