FEATHERS & FRINGE...

Someone commented that my camera being half broken would aid in capturing the 1920s vibe of the party, um ball actually, I went to last weekend. Not sure about that as these are my only usable pictures. You get the idea anyway. The event was organized by two of my cousins to raise money for their non profit company, Paper Vine, which works with a co-operative of women in Uganda. You can read all about the work they do here.

NO WORDS...

...and I don't mean that in the Rachel Zoe sense of the phrase, I'm just not feeling very wordy at the moment, hence the patchwork quilt effect of my recent posts. (I'm very aware of the amount of use my "lists" label has been getting lately.) But I have been listening to loads more music - inopportune timing because my car CD player has just chosen to die. I've also been tearing out masses of visuals in the old school way - I'd show you more but my scanner has also broken (Mercury? Are you retrograde?) and my camera's not holding up too well either.

I'm going to a 1920s themed EVENT tomorrow, and I'm very excited about wearing this dress. I will try to document the evening with my crappy half dead camera as best I can.

{photos - 1: me, 2: torn out bits from Vogue Paris various and Russh various, 3: me.

80s TUESDAY...

Everything counts in large amounts.

{Dave had tamed his dance moves by the time of this concert, which is a shame.}

THIS WEEK'S WANDERING...

* Regretsy. Sometimes, when I'm doing something serious, one of these "brainchildren" will pop into my head and I'll start snickering uncontrollably. {via Decorno}

* This {via ii-ne-kore via If Jane} and this have convinced me to start a Japan by any means necessary fund.

* Niotillfem - around this time of year I start craving happy colour and hygge again. (edit: I just remembered she's Swedish, not Danish but nevermind.)

* Liselotte Watkins {via July Stars} and Miel et Cannelle {via I can't remember} - more happy rummaging around in creative minds.

*And I keep meaning to do a post about Anvil but I can't seem to do it justice. I wouldn't watch it for ages, not being entirely convinced by the sound of a documentary about a not very successful Canadian heavy metal band. Finally I grouchily submitted and...You have to watch it.
I hope they win an Oscar for the film. Aaaannnnnvvvviiiiiiilllllll!
(I also want this T shirt.)

SCRAPS...

*My darling love The Rivoli Ballroom was used for the Belle de Nuit ed in the current Lula magazine. Suggestions of ghostly dancing figures surround the model in some shots - yep, that's exactly like being at The Rivoli. I'm spooked out just thinking about it.

*

*I don't go for the strictly edited flickr stream approach. I go for the other, record of everything approach. I think there's value in that, but I've been wanting to spring clean my flickr so badly. With edging up to 1000 photos, wading through it is almost impossible. For now, I've created a set of just 111 photos I like for whatever reason and the rest - well, I don't know. I might start another flickr account at some point and just put 5 photos with some kind of artistic merit in it.

{pics from Lula: Sandra Freij
Cake photo: I photographed it, I ate it.}

DEMOCRACY...

How unfair of me to have named a blog mostly about clothes, after a cat who can't even wear them. Granted, her natural markings blow any Alexander McQueen digital print out of the water, but still. As much as Lola would love to dress up, the options for cat attire have, until now been limited to gimmickry. Not really her style. Until now...

At first, I misread the article and thought it said you could contact United Bamboo to buy a cat outfit. Unfortunately it's only to buy a calendar featuring cats in outfits. Probably better for my poor, already claw lacerated arms not to give it a try. (And don't tell me to try and pull a sample - Lola is, ahem, not sample size.)

{via Refinery 29}

RED, WHITE AND BLUE...

I need a blue bathrobe.

*?...

*I ordered the Book of Disquiet. I can't remember how I found out about it, but it looks rather amazing. I've been ploughing through a spate of books I haven't got on with so I'm hoping this will break me out my reading rut. Has anyone read it?

*Also, has anyone read The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky? My first reading of Suite Francaise will always remain a transporting moment, but when I read some of her other books I was disappointed. I think some of her earlier work was reissued to capitalize on the success of Suite Francaise, but the novels I read were written years before SF and I found them uneven. Obviously the urgency of the real life events that makes Suite Francaise resonate so strongly plays a role in its iconic status, but could The Dogs and the Wolves be in the same league?

*Ah, these are the perfect boots but, they're from Topshop. And Topshop heels, especially Topshop platform heels, do not unbroken bones and good balance make. Do I risk it just for those rare taxi to seated moments?

*Lanvin was beautiful, and I understand wanting to use modern fabrics but...polyester? Is that modern? A petroleum derived fabric seems a little old world order to me; unless you're an Arab princess. If I had £2000 to drop on a dress, it would be a Lanvin dress, but not one that doesn't allow my skin to breathe and may catch fire. Alber is a thoughtful, intelligent chap so I can't imagine the use of polyester is just there to make a statement. Or is there really no new fabric technology that's more environmentally friendly/breathable? That to me, would be modern. (Though Alber, if you're reading, I would never say no to Lanvin. Or to tea and scones with you to discuss the non rhetorical polyester question.)

*edit - p.s. Remember when I was in Paris and was freaking out about the cool mini adult children in their perfect clothes, but wasn't quite sure how to approach the "may I, a complete stranger, photograph your toddler" question? Maya has bravely collected some evidence.
Believe it. (They don't just look like that because they're fashion maven spawn and it's fashion week.)

EVERYDAY IS LIKE SUNDAY...

Since discovering Toujours Toi and Family Affairs last year I've been wildly enamoured of the clothes, the styling, the mood and the poetic names and stories given to each piece. So when lovely Nina from Toujours Toi asked if I'd like to write the press release for her Family Affairs autumn/winter collection, I said, OHMYGOD WOOHOO, OF COURSE, ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY, or something in the affirmative to that effect.

To be able to delve into the references and inspirations for the collection was something I enjoyed every second of. I mean, come on, how can you beat re-watching scenes from Annie Hall on youtube and calling it *research*. Weirdly, a week or so before I heard from Nina I had been re-watching the video of Morrissey's Everyday is Like Sunday. When I was a child I would watch it over and over on a VHS tape I'd recorded from the TV. And Everyday is Like Sunday is the name and inspiration for the fall/winter 09 collection. See, it was meant to be.

The bio I wrote is here, and here's a bit of my blurb about the collection:

The name Everyday is Like Sunday comes from the Morrissey song, evoking feelings of melancholy, wandering, ennui, (the lyrics: every day is silent and grey; how I didn’t wish I was not here) but within that, a feeling of contentment. Other inspirations in the mix include listening to favourite records late at home on a Sunday, Annie Hall in the Hamptons, the sad beauty of fall, strolling through Paris in the rain with your best friend really tired but happy...together these references merge to set the feel of the fall / winter 09 collection.


I'm so in love with the collection, especially the stars, I'm obsessed with that star print. Here's a little taster, you can see the rest of the lookbook (and shop) on the site now.

Erm, my favourite ladies Au Revoir Simone also wear the collection = DYING.

THE PLANET OF LOST COMMENTS...

Oh. Apparently some comments aren't getting through. If you've left a comment and it hasn't shown up email me at lolaisbeauty[AT]hotmail[DOT]co[DOT]uk. I don't usually reject comments unless they're spam so if you left one and it's not been moderated, it never got to me.

merci

HAIR RAISING...

I may not have the answer to everything, but I do know this:

*If you buy L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss semi permanent hair dye in light brown, your hair will be light brown, then over the course of four or five months it will lighten alarmingly until it is gingery blonde. You will have root re-growth and will wonder how this can possibly happen since the dye is supposed to last *up to* 28 washes.

You have clearly not understood the situation as you then purchase L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss in medium brown to try and get your hair back to its (lovely in hindsight) natural shade. Your hair goes black. With dark brown/grey patches. You phone the L'Oreal helpline and they tell you that the dye is *tone on tone* so even though it says on the pack it lasts *up to* 28 washes it does not actually wash out. As if the words tone on tone explain this.

They advise putting Head & Shoulders (actually they're only allowed to say "a strong shampoo" and you say, "like what, Head & Shoulders?" and they keep saying, yes that one, the one you said, but they will not say Head & Shoulders) on your dry hair for 15 minutes, rinse it out and keep repeating and the colour will start to lift. After an entire bottle of Head & Shoulders you definitely do not have dandruff, but you still have extremely dark brown fried/destroyed hair.

When you go on the internet you discover countless horror stories about L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss, including those of people whose heads and eyes swelled up like balloons after using it. You are glad you only suffered a headache from the chemicals and hair that looks like a cheap black wig.

You go to a hair colour specialist who advises you not to strip the colour out and ruin your hair even more, then sells you another semi permanent colour which you do not use. You get used to it, only gasping when passing mirrors. You realise you have the same hair as your teenage stoner self.


At least now I can impersonate Rick Owens...

{photo credit unknown}