Wardrobe Malfunction

What is it with mothers?  Why do I care about her opinion on an outfit so much that when criticized I run back to my wardrobe in a panic? (it’s not like she’s Daphne Guinness)I confess the outfit of which I speak was a tad on the gothic side; vintage black crepe day dress, 3 rosary style necklaces, a pair of red patent leather shoe boots (which my mother bought for me!) and a long black Westwood jacket. Upon seeing me she burst out laughing and quipped ‘who died?’ followed by ‘you look like a 90 year old Italian widow from the turn of the century’. Four outfit changes later I arrive at work (late) in the same jacket and jewellery having replaced the dress and shoes with dark grey (once black) jeans, black t-shirt and YSL black and white stiletto brogues. The really annoying thing, the thing that really gets me is that she was right. I’m wearing a knackered old pair of jeans, shoes from about 10 seasons ago and my look is now Rock Chic rather than Goth Granny and most importantly (?) a lot younger!

1940s Day dress £75 candysays.co.uk, YSL Clog £460 Browns, Rosary £6  Newsagent Quex Rd (Kilburn NW6) .

Letting Go

I wouldn’t say I’m a hoarder (I do have way too much stuff though) and sometimes get a little over attached to things; a lightweight black t-shirt from H&M that has so many holes it resembles nothing more than a rag, A 19^th century red toile transfer printed cow jug with a broken handle at the back of a kitchen cupboard that is neither use nor ornament, you get the picture. The big thing that I haven’t been able to relinquish is my Victorian deep buttoned velvet sofa; honestly it’s knackered and really, really uncomfortable. I’ve been going to have it re-upholstered for at least 2years but just haven’t found the ‘right’ fabric; do I go for crazy hot pink velvet? A French shabby chic grey linen? I’d have no problem choosing the perfect fabric for you, so why can’t I do it for me? I now fear it’s too late to save my dear little sofa, too far gone and so I will have to bite the bullet and call a man with a van to take it to it’s final resting place; the landfill depot in Kentish Town. I might bin that black t-shirt too!

1930s Velvet sofa £3,050 COUCH, Black T shirt James Perse £50 Studio 8 (NW1), Red Toile tea pot $39 thefind.com

Homeward Bound

OMG! Red Alert! A second 40^th Birthday party invitation forced it’s middle aged spread through my letterbox today. The first a couple of months ago I brushed off as a fluke, I couldn’t possibly be old enough to have close friends (who’s party I actually wanted to go to) turning 40! FYI I am a few years off 40 thank god and had always been the youngest in my social group, now what do you think that says about me and vanity? I don’t think too much about my age. I never celebrate my Birthday with a party largely because it’s early January and everyone is always all partied out by then. This year was an exception; one of my very close (and slightly OCD) girlfriends exclaimed with horror at my definitive I am doing nothing for my birthday that I had ‘TO DO SOMETHING!’ so, I let her organise drinks at Shoreditch house, it was probably the best birthday in years (thank you LG). So, the invite that has just reared it’s ugly head is not only in my home town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne but has the dreaded bonus of an 80’s theme! What to wear has led me to Obsessively watching Bananarama, T’pau and Transvision Vamp videos on youtube in search of inspiration. Weirdly I kinda feel younger than I did upon receipt of the 80s invite!

Cowboy boots £15.40 Ebay, T-Shirt £12.99 Camden Market, Now That’s what I call music Vol 10 £5.99 Ebay, Wham Bar still only 10p but a lot smaller than I remember local news agent.

Poirot

What is it about a globe especially an old one with a bit of patina (vintage dirt) that transports me into a Poirot daydream? Really, the 30s of the silver screen must bear little resemblance to what it was actually like for ordinary people; America was suffering ‘The great Depression’ and you couldn’t get a drink there thanks to Prohibition, Yet in design terms it was a period of anything goes hi design. Not even the humblest of household items escaped a fashionable astetic re-design. 2010 feels like it could almost be twinned with 1930, we’re in a non-dictatorial period of design and recovering from recession while longing for luxury. The 30s was recovering from the affects of WWI and the absolute heyday of decadence. I plan to trawl primelocation.com in search of a suitable 1930s apartment in which to live out a fantasy of bias cut dresses, cocktails and Nile cruises.

Vintage globe £65, Art deco toaster £175, Cowl neck bias cut dress £2705 Net-a Porter, 1930s Suitcase £425.

Freedom

Upon hanging up the phone with one’s accountant after a long lecture concerning the terminal illness of one’s finances most people would be prompted into drafting up some sort of plan for an economy drive; Sainsbury’s instead of Ocado deliveries, actually making dinner and not reservations, tube instead of cab that sorta thing. So why did I find my self-obsessing over luxury? Because I have delusions of grandeur, not any sort of grandeur either really grand grandeur I‘ve been fantasising about having really offensive Oligarch sums of money. The sort of money that gives you freedom. They say money can’t buy you love (and it can’t I concur) what they don’t tell you is what money can buy you. For me money = freedom and right now I could do with some.

Maserati Quattroporte  from £90,000, Westin Excelsior Hotel- Rome $29,000 a night, Lottery ticket £1 (well, it could be you, I mean me.)

Spring?

Right now I am so longing for sun that I am obsessed with spring! I want to acquire a new spring wardrobe and I want to stop wearing wolford opaque’s, my head is full of images of light little dresses and pirate boots but I’m also desperate to get a few more wears of last season’s Alexander McQueen fox cape, I’m fickle as well as shallow; my mother must be so proud! It’s all about light isn’t, it; spring? There is a change in the light that is mood enhancing together with a pretty fresh pastel palette. Ring in spring with Vintage lampshades in delicate shades, hyacinth bulbs balanced in vases (oh the smell!) and brighten up the black with colourful silk scarves!

Hand painted vintage shade £39, Silk scarf YSL £155, vintage hyacinth vase £30