Rings Rings such beautiful things

I am really into rings at the moment, I never used to be at all, in fact until fairly recently I hardly ever worn them. I love vintage jewellery, unusual pieces, thrift store finds and here are a couple of my personal favourites....most of which have been given to me or found, which makes them that little bit more interesting.

I always think sometimes the most subtle accessory can be what makes you individual. I want to have a huge array of rings and bracelets and necklaces from which to choose. Here are a few rings that caught my eye - and I want them!

A Thomas Sabo ring which I found on a pretty cool website called Fabulous Collection which sells jewellery and has it's own blog.

These fine pieces can all be found at my fave online boutique jewellery store, which I wish I could shop at on a monthly basis if my empty wallet allowed. Kabiri is a great marketplace for up and coming jewellery designers to showcase and sell there items. A lot of their pieces are one-off making them really special.

Vintage clothing and the Female Dandy

I am so excited to hear about the Vintage Goodwood festival taking place from 13-15th August this year. It is the first of what will hopefully be a successful annual event that celebrates British music and fashion from the 1940's through to the 1980's. They promise a mesmerising display of catwalk shows, hands-on-creative workshops, and a vintage hair Salon, as well as DJ's, Bands, vintage collectors and sellers of vintage clothing and vinyl as well as contemporary brands inspired by Britain’s rich creative and cultural heritage. Besides the main themes being Fashion and Music they say there is also going to be lots of great Food, Art, Film and design. I am really hoping to attend this festival which is taking place on the beautiful Sussex coast - a quintessential British getaway

So with the vintage feel in my mind it made me think about the Female Dandy which was a popular look in the 1920's and now is starting to show on the runways of today. A slight move on from the military trend to more structured suits and waistcoats. You can see it also the Dandy style in such films like Coco before Chanel where masculine meets a definite femininity due to the great tailoring that accentuates the female form, which is what being Dandy is all about , it's less androgynous and far more female. A British classic style, that I love.
Here are some looks from recent shows

Here is a fashion shoot Brooklyn Decker did for Elle Magazine Jan 2010. I love the three piece cashmere Ralph Lauren suit.

So before I forget Shop Girl from the blog Sugar and Spice wrote a really interesting article about online Fashion Stores charging for delivery, she asked a few fellow bloggers for their opinion on this and what they thought about High Street shops charging, something that personally puts me off when the delivery is quite high and adds a lot to the total price. Being one of the bloggers asked for her opinion I was super happy when she linked me into the post, as it's a great blog that is updated daily and is filled with interesting and inspiring fashion ideas, so when you have time check it out.
So back to the female dandy theme, my number one icon of the moment and a person who I think represents the cross over of masculine but still very feminine is Janelle Monae, whose style and music I am loving at the moment. Check out this video tightrope for amazing tuxedo dancing.

Chloe Winter-Fall Preview, Photos and Share the love

Here are some sneak preview pictures of the upcoming Chloe Fall-Winter 2010 collection and advertising campaign. I am loving the retro 1970's feel. Looks like the high-waisted trousers are making another appearance in the coming season, aswell as soft touches of denim and leather....hmmm excited to the see the rest.

So I have just got some film back from the labs, there is always something exciting about getting negatives back and seeing if there is anything good, I find that whole process is lost with digital. These are shot on one of my favourite "toy" plastic camera's - a Vivitar slim and wide. It cost me a whole £5 to buy but I love the slightly warped effect if gives images. So here is my "Part 1 summer fun in Cardiff".

So keeping on the local beat, my day was brightened up by going to have tea and coffee at my favourite local quirky giftshop/tea room WonderStuff, which never fails to please. A combination of cosy surroundings and daily fresh baked cakes served on vintage soda bar inspired plates makes my eyes smile. I have also become a fan huge of Qype, which is a great "find it and share it" user generated site. Basically you the reader write reviews about places in your city, I always find "real reviews" of restaurants, bars and shops are much better and far more unbiased than press released ones. Anyway I was quite excited to share my thoughts on the WonderStuff coffeeshop on Qype - I love to share my experiences with others who live near me. Also whats even better not is Qype is also a free iphone app, so now when I am out and about in Cardiff or London and looking for a chic and friendly bar to go to I have user reviews at my fingertips.....ahhhh isn't technology great (when it works that is :). Just thought I'd spread the love heehee

Wonder Stuff hot chocolate....yum yum

Paints, Laura Ashley and I blame Coco

 

Wearing a Laura Ashley top to match my new paint heehee

So finally i'm getting round to decorating the back room in the house *yey*. I am not the quickest person when it comes to deciding colours and curtains and what not - only because I am fussy and I fear the idea of being boring, knowing that there is a world of choices out there. Anyway to my delight Laura Ashley in Cardiff was having a sale, and I simply love love love there household stuff, so I was more than delighted to have picked up some blue gingham curtains and Bluebell paint. Bluebell is not a very good description of the paint colour, infact it sounds alittle sickly sweet, which it is not, it's a sort of pale but warm powder blue, but I did nearly buy some paint simply based on the names - Pale Parisian Blue or Duck Egg. Also I learnt something new, as I didn't realise that Laura Ashley was born in Wales (even though I live in Wales, I was born in South Africa so I have an excuse for not knowing), her designs remind me of quintessential floral British countryside’s and would be a label Charlotte from Sex in the City would wear. Her polka dot patterns and beautiful wallpaper have made her a firm favourite in classic British fashion. I came across this photoshoot from the 90's and I just love those maxi dresses.

So every now and then someone catches my eye, style wise and this week is Coco Sumner from I blame Coco (she also happens to be Stings daughter) and although I am not a huge fan of her music I do like her casual "I just got out of bed" look. At the tender age of 19 she has a great sense of style and I like her attitude towards the industry as she appears to not really care too much about what people say. She makes plan t-shirts look like the new must have and is in my mind a Vice Magazine poster girl for the current youth.

Tipi Native Fashion Love

So as I said in the last blog post I have just finished up with my job this week - whoo hoo, which means more time to concentrate on things I love, such as photography and writing. Yesterday I did some promo shoots for a new eco Laundromat/Cafe in Bristol called "The Clean Bean", it's really cool and eco friendly and I hope they do well - will post some edited pictures soon. So my boyfriend and I came back from our Tipi adventure on the West Coast in Wales at a place called Larkhill Tipi's. What a beautiful places owned by beautiful people, was so nice to be out in the fresh air again, cooking on open fires, really a wonderful experience. It made me think of Native American inspired fashion and come across a fashion shoot for French Glamour - I want all those clothes and walk around in a permanent state of peace and love and Tipi living ethos.

Looking pensive in a summer dress from Next, knitted top from Miss Selfridge and Shoes from Office

I am surprised there are not more fashion photo shoots shot alongside Tipi's - I find there design very inspiring. I did however come across this Native American inspired shoot

One person though I cannot fail to mention when I think of Tipi's and American Indian's is Juliette from Juliette and the Licks. She is such a fashion fierce individual who is never afraid to shock - which I just what I like, people who take risks. Also I love the song Hot Kiss...hope she tours the UK soon.

Long live feathered headress!

Street and Cycle Fashion

So news news news...anyway I have been away for the past few days on a little holiday in a Tipi, yes you did hear that right - a Tipi - and it was great. Also I have finally quit my job (Big cheer) which means more blogging and photography time, so I am very excited about that. This is just a short little post about my current favourites - I am in love with this blog called Cycle Chic - fashion on bikes from Copenhagen and other parts of the world, if you have time check this blog out!. How I do wish that the UK was as cycle friendly as cities in europe, like Amsterdam. Also how I wish for a real vintage bike so I can ride around and feel like I am in the film 500 days of summer.

So being from South Africa originally and from one of the most colourful cities in the world - Cape Town, and with all the craze of the football happening at the moment, I thought I would shed some light on one of my favourite street fashion photographers who simply captures they current creativity in the street trends out there at the moment. Nontsikelelo Veleko really is an amazing photographer and shows of how beautiful and colour the people and country really is.

Three simple things

Just a quick post about three little things take make me smile - for one - new shoes equal happy feet :)

The 2nd is my new salt and pepper shakers, they are like little hugging monkeys and make me smile every morning

Third is I love love love sushi and the last time I went it made me think of sushi inspired fashion and I found this ring - super cool.

What are three things that make your day?