Wednesday 28 July 2010

Holiday Packing

Tomorrow I leave for my summer holiday with my family. We are driving (brave parents- they have three teenage children) through France to Italy, where we are renting a house in Tuscany for a week. On the drive there, we are spending a night in Dijon, and the next by Lake Como. On the return journey, we are staying in the Alps and having a night in Paris. 
My challenge is: we are driving there, meaning everything we are taking has to fit in the boot of our car and that I am limited as to the amount of clothes and shoes I can take. 
From left to right: 
Topshop jacket, Jaeger shirt, Zara trousers, floral Topshop dress, black Dorothy Perkins dress, (another) floral Topshop dress, floral H&M dress, tie dye dress from Topshop, black dress (also) from Topshop and (yet another) floral dress (also) from Topshop.
From left to right: 
grey H&M t-shirt, black American apparel body, blue and white vest from Warehouse, striped tee from Gap, beige shorts from Zara and denim shorts from River Island. 
From left to right:
Office wedges, beloved converse, Office sandals, Havaiana flip-flops, Office pumps and espadrilles I bought a few years ago in Italy. 
I hope everyone is having a good summer. 
Flo x

Monday 26 July 2010

Happy Birthday Lora


One of my all-time-favourite people turned 18 on Saturday.
It took her long enough.



Happy birthday Batman.
Flo x

Friday 23 July 2010

Commemoration Service.

When I finished school for my muck-up day, I didn't feel to sad, because I knew I would be going back there for my exams, and then seeing everyone at the Commemoration Service (also known as Commem). It all seemed far away in the distant future until yesterday when I realised that I had to call the school to confirm my attendance, and that this would be my final event as a Langton Girl. 
The service, held in Canterbury Cathedral, was the same as ever - talking without the teachers noticing, mouthing the words along to the hymns that I hadn't been to the rehearsal for, and folding up my programme, origami-style, until it falls apart. 
At the same time, the service felt different. I was aware that I hadn't walked down from school to the cathedral with the other teachers and pupils, that what I was wearing was different now that I am no longer constrained by uniform rules, and that I entered the service from a different entrance. The words of the service, had more resonance than they usually did (probably because before I knew I would be going back again) and the speeches made by the Head Girls made me cry a little. It really hit me that I wouldn't be part of that school tradition again. 
Another tradition is that after the service, the teachers will chat and talk with the leaving pupils outside the cathedral for a few minutes in a much more informal way than they would do at school. The teachers I spoke to were all kind enough to wish me Good Luck for the future and whatever I go on to do. 
A group of us with our old head teacher, Mr Stanton.
Lize, Annabel, Georgie and I with Mr Hanna, one of my English teachers. 
I can't believer how much I am going to miss my school - I had some wonderful times there and made some brilliant friends. 

Thursday 22 July 2010

Topshop A/W 10/11 Lookbook

In case you haven't noticed, I rather like Topshop. So today I finally sat down and had a look at the Topshop lookbook for this coming season. I was really disappointed in Topshop's last winter collection (they had all those ridiculous vampire tops because they were cashing in on the Twilight craze), but this year's A/W is looking pretty good.
Most of the looks feature coats or jackets, which suggests that they are going to be part of my wardrobe this winter. There is also a variety of different hem lines, rather than the basic mini length, which makes things more interesting. The colour palette is also good - mostly dark but with bright splashes of colour make a difference from Topshop everything-must-be-black looks. Interestingly for a dress devotee, like me, there are only 3 or 4 dresses in the entire look book - the focus is mainly on separates. 
My three favourite looks:
This jacket is obviously Burberry inspired, and I really like the different shades of the fur/sheepskin/shearling on the jacket. I love the length and colour of this this skirt - I think it would look really good with a pair of thick wool tights.
Although this hat and cape together look a wee bit Inspector Gadget-esque, I like them both. Camel is going to be really big next season, especially in cape form, and I'm a sucker for any kind of hat. I also like the tartan on the skirt.
 
Another cape, this time in navy blue (my favourite colour!). I prefer this to the one above because it has a hood. Despite my love for hats (I have about 20), I rarely wear them due to my hair - hats and big curly hair don't mix - so a hood suits my needs perfectly, but very few coats have them. I really like the jodhpur-style leggins, but I'm really not sure about the boots. They look like they belong with a Balmain-style leather jacket.

Two other looks I liked:
I liked parts of these looks, but not the whole outfit:
I like the coat. It reminds me of a coat my dad still has somewhere in the back of his wardrobe that looks like what a football commentator might where. I really dislike the cable knit pattern on the top - why print the pattern when you can get the real thing? And I'm not sure about the structured skirt with the outfit. Nice socks though.
I love this skirt. I have a similar vintage Betty Jackson one that used to belong to my mother. I think the white boots are an interesting twist on the tougher black boots, or plain white trainers. The top half of this look confuses me. I can't tell whether that the t-shirt has a bra printed on it, or whether the model is wearing a bra over the t-shirt. Either way, I'm not keen. I admire anyone who can pull off wearing their underwear-as-outerwear, but it's not really a look for me.
What do you think of the look book?
Flo x

What I Wore To: Cook Chili

I went to work for just four hours today (I need money for university in September so I'm doing all the hours that I can), then made my family a delicious chili con carne (if I say so myself), even if I did forget the kidney beans and tomato puree. 
I'm wearing a very old Topshop tea dress (I got it when I was 14 and it used to reach below my knees) with my beloved Converse and a hair band from Dorothy Perkins (in the pictures below you can see my vintage watch). I absolutely adore this dress, even though it is chiffon and has a slip underneath it is wonderfully cool and I can run around at work without getting too hot. 
My nosy dogs came out to see what was going on. Lottie (below) may have only been there because she thinks that my Converse are actually her favourite chew toy. Dream on dog.
Flo x

Wednesday 21 July 2010

What I Wore To: See Inception

When I headed out to the cinema it was cooler than it has been, but it was still warm. When I left the cinema it was raining, biblical-style. So I had to hang around at the cinema for ages because there was no way I was running through the rain in this skirt - it's my mother's favourite vintage skirt. I wore it with an H&M t-shirt, Zara belt and Converse. I use this bag all the time, but it never seems to feature in my pictures - I got it from the Marc B concession in Topshop Oxford St. My necklace and charm bracelets are vintage and my watch is Marc by Marc Jacobs.
What do you think about the skirt? It's longer than a lot of the stuff I usually wear, and what a lot of stores are stocking at the moment, but hemlines are coming down for A/W '10, so I thought I'd stay ahead of the trend (that and my mother is several inches taller than me). My little brother thinks I look like a grandmother and "a bit formal". Any further developments on that? I do agree with the formal part, but I think the Converse and the t-shirt make it more casual.
Read my review of Inception here.
Flo x

Film Review: Inception

One of my closest and dearest friends is really into her films, and a few months ago she lent me her copy of the July issue of Empire magazine, which contained a huge feature on Inception, the new film by Christopher Nolan, who directed, amongst other things, The Dark Knight. After seeing a few trailers/teasers, most sent to me by my film-enthusiast friend, and the realisation that the film starred two of my favourite actors, Tom Hardy (Heathcliff in the ITV version of Wuthering Heights) and Joseoh-Gordon Levitt (from 500 Days Of Summer), as well as my favourite girl-crush Ellen Page (Juno), I headed along to the cinema today, more than a little bit excited.
I'm terrible in the cinema - I'm the person you really don't want to sit by because I talk and crack jokes all the way through whatever film I'm watching. Not Inception though. Apart from asking if an actor was who I thought he was, I didn't say anything to the friend I was with - this film had me so captured, so absorbed, that I didn't notice two hours passing until I realised I desperately needed the toilet. 
The film is excellent; it draws the viewer in and makes them want to keep watching. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, so attention needs to kept on the screen at all times. The end, while not a cliffhanger, leaves questions in the viewers minder, which meant that my friend and I were outside the cinema in the rain, talking about Inception for a good 20 minutes. 
I don't want to give away the plot of the film, and it's quite hard to say to much about the film without spoiling it, so watch the trailer below to get an idea of what the film is about.  

The only thing that disappointed me about Inception was the lack of development in the relationship between Ellen Page's and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's characters. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that. But maybe that's just me, and Leonardo Dicaprio's relationship with his wife is the main focus of the film.
The acting is brilliant - Ellen Page steals every scene she is and I was very impressed by Leonardo Dicaprio's performance (he's still got it!). But stop reading this now. And go and see the film. 
Flo x

Monday 19 July 2010

Film Review: Eclipse

I have something embarrassing to admit - when I was about 14, I was really into the Twilight books. I remember the excitement of the New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn books coming out, and reading them again and again. And then I grew up. I started reading better, more realistic books and promptly forgot about Twilgiht. While rearranging my room last week, I found my Twilight books, stuffed at the back of my bookshelves, so I opened Eclipse and started reading (anything to avoid the task at hand). I stopped again after three pages. I couldn't bear the drivel and the whining and the ridiculousness of the books. Nevertheless, last night, some friends and I headed out to the cinema to see Eclipse. 
I'm sure everyone knows the plot by now - Bella has to choose between her vampire boyfriend Edward and her werewolf best friend Jacob, but she can't, yadda yadda yadda. Oh, and some vampires are trying to kill her. 
My friends and I found the film hilarious, but I don't think that was what director David Slade was going for. The acting was pretty ridiculous and overdone - it was very funny to watch Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner look as though they were about to kiss, when they were meant to be spoiling for a fight. 
Most of the comic moments mostly come from Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob the werewolf, including the line "I kissed Bella....and she broke her hand....punching my face...". And when Riley, another vampire came out of the water, supposedly looking all evil, my friend and I turned to each other at exactly the same time and shrieked "He looks like Voldemort!". Luckily the only people who heard us were our siblings, who came with us. 
(This is the closest image I could find - it's not the right scene, but you get the idea).
For a movie with a budget as big as the one that Eclipse has, you would have think they could have pushed some more money to the costume department. The Cullens (vampire family), who are meant to have oodles of money, all wear rather nasty looking clothes (nice colour co-ordination though)
Also, Bella's engagement ring? Edward has money, but sweet guy that he is, he just nipped down to his local Claire's Accessories and got her this:
BARF. It someone proposed to me with this, I wouldn't say yes. 
What really got to me about this film, in the same way as the book did, is the backward steps Bella seems to take. She chooses the vampire in the end (surely you all knew that, right?), who is overprotective to the point of abusiveness, and who essentially forces her into marriage (or at least an engagement) before he will even think about having sex with her. It is as though feminism never happened - she has to change her species to be  with him. 
I have to say, the Eclipse is better than the other two films, but it's not great - it's entertaining, and keeps you absorbed, but the acting leaves a lot to be desired - I was rather impressed by the special effects though. My 12-year-old sister loved it "sooooo much", but I would be careful about her review, she's Team Edward. 
Flo x

What I Wore To: Do Absolutely Nothing

Today has been one of those summer days where it is boiling hot, and no-one is around to do anything of interest, so I have spent my day lazing around the house and garden, eating and reading, with a brief reprieve for dog walking and meeting my godmother for a catch-up.
I'm wearing a playsuit from Topshop I got in the winter sale a few years ago, with my grandmother's vintage watch. 
Flo x 

Sunday 18 July 2010

What I Wore To: Lovebox

The weather, and people on Twitter, told me that it was going to rain while we at Lovebox, so I dressed for rain. It didn't rain in the end, but I was glad I had the ridiculous coat, because it got cold later. 
Apologies for the poor picture - my camera was charging while I was taking this. 
I wore my mum's coat (that she walks the dogs in - stylish!), Topshop dress, and my festival staple, Office boots, and wool socks. 
Flo x

Lovebox.

I got a ticket to the Lovebox music festival last minute, so with two friends and my brother, we headed down to Victoria Park. My little brother, music devotee that he is, stayed by the barrier all day because he LOVES Dizzee Rascal. So, around the time Ellie Goulding arrived, I popped over to join him, so by the time Dizzee came on I had a front-of-barrier standing point, even if it did mean dealing with all the people who thought that because they had pushed their way through the crowd as Dizzee came on meant they could just shove us out of the way, or hit me round the head with a camera. 
On the waltzer with Hattie. 
Younger brother modelling the Lyle & Scott from the Spring/Summer '10 collection. 
The Midnight Beast ("YouTube sensation!")
View from the barrier:
Ellie Goulding:

Ellie walked past us and she is SO PRETTY in real life. She wasn't wearing any make-up and her skin looked so pure and clear. 
The Noisettes:

Chase & Status (or the guy who was with Chase & Status - they just sat at their keyboards)
DIZZEE RASCAL "Wassup Vick-EE Park!"


(No zoom).
Flo x

Saturday 17 July 2010

Coat.

I know, I know, it's July. Summer has barely begun. Yet here I am, lusting over coats that I will be wearing come late September. For all my love of girly dresses, floaty skirts and heels, I love nothing more than a masculine coat for winter. Last year, my brother had to ban me from borrowing his coats - I wore them more than my own (sadly I don't have any pictures though - that would be evidence of my theft). 
This year, I decided that I would simply go Zara Mens, or River Island Man (where Bear got his coats from) and deal with the strange looks but now I don't have to. I was checking my emails and I opened one from Topshop, containing this beauty.
It's everything I look for in a coat - double breasted WITH pockets, long sleeves (none of this 3/4 nonsense that to deal with), big collar, and the perfect length to wear with dresses and trousers. The only downside I can see is that it is from Topshop, which means a lot of people may get it, and as I like my clothes to look as unique/different as possible, I may still go to the men's departments. My mother just reminded me about vintage and charity shops so I may try there as well. 
Flo x

Image via: (the new-but-not-improved) www.topshop.com 

Thursday 15 July 2010

Festival Fashion

The festival season is well under way, so I'm a little late in doing this post. 
I didn't have my camera while I was at Lounge On The Farm (I didn't want it to get stolen), so I couldn't take the outfit pictures I wanted to, and so I had to make do with my (new) iPhone instead.
The weekend was hot and sunny, so the main accessory was sunglasses: 
I'm wearing Lora's sunglasses, that she bought from a stall at the festival, and my Union Jack top is from Topshop. Lora is wearing my sunglasses from Topshop. 
Ashley (above) and Ani (below) in Ray Bans. 

A lot of people (myself included) wore band t shirts - mine used to belong to my brother, but it shrunk in the wash. I wore my River Island shorts all week - they have become one of the best buys I have ever made. Hannah's cardigan and slip are both from Zara.
Georgie (above) and Paris (below) also embraced the band-tee-and-sunglasses combo.
Nice hat.
I always find Topshop's t-shirts rather lacking - they can never make them simple - the one I'm wearing here comes from Topman (size XS). I'm wearing my River Island shorts and you can just see the top of my socks. I wore these boots from Office all weekend, with a pair of thick socks - they kept my feet relatively dust and dirt free.
 

On the last day, it was a little cooler, so I wore my ASOS top with the shorts, a watch that used to belong to my grandmother, and my trusty vintage bag. Lora is wearing a Jack Wills jumper and Topshop jeans. Oh, and a mask that we stole from someone's tent (sorry about that, whoever you are). 
Flo x

What I Wore To: Reorganise My Room

Even though I am (fingers crossed) leaving home in less than two months to go to university, and moving out of my room in six weeks to make room for my brother, I rearranged my room today - out of sheer boredom. I've got a lot more space now and my bed should be cooler because it's under the window. 
I'm wearing a Jigsaw shirt, trousers and belt from Zara, and pumps from Office.
Flo x

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Summer's Day Off

The weather has been crazy lovely for most of my summer holiday so far. But once it started raining on Sunday night, it didn't stop. 
When Mama was driving me home from work today I had to take a picture of this rainbow: 
It's so pretty! 
Flo x

Lounge On The Farm

I spent the last four days at my local music festival, Lounge On The Farm, with my friends, watching bands and burning up in the hottest weekend of the year (so far). The main reason I went was to see Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, a Motown group who I've been listening to for as long as I can remember (parental influence). We also saw: Example, DJ Yoda, Beardyman, Fionn Regan, Toots and the Maytals, my school's band, Slam Funk, who won a competition to play at the festival, Slow Club, Hot Club de Paris and First Aid Kit. 
Martha Reeves
Fionn Regan
Slam Funk
I didn't realise how much sitting around there is at festivals (this was my first festival), so we spent a lot of the time by our tent in the campsite. 


I have the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone - I may have over used it.






Flo x
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