Game On

Photographed a sportswear shoot a while ago to co-incide with the Olympics. Because nobody else is doing that, ahem. Shot on 35mm (buttons and digital-ness scare me) the negatives come up a little rusty compared to the hard copies but I still love it. A proper post on this abandoned blog will resume tommorow, I promise.

Delays & Details

Details in the fabric.

I'd usually blame the little blog hiatus on my inability to commit. But I'm not going to be too hard on myself, in retrospect starting a fashion blog on a week where my clothes and laptop were 50 miles away from me wasn't a great idea. But we're now re-united and everything's just dandy. Rambling shall resume.

Jumping Forward

Images mine. Collage - Kate Moss by Corinne Day. Lookbook images from Maurie & Eve.

People are so damn impatient. 
As soon as you pop on an engagement ring, people need to know when you're getting married. Fresh off the plane from your honeymoon, the breeding question is put forward. Before you've even got around to snipping the umbilical cord, they ask you when you're having the next.

Fashion is very much like this.

Just as there's a glimmer of hope that we may finally see the back of the cold-front (it's been a pretty mild winter but for the sake of my point...) and stepping out in bare legs becomes an almost rational thought (almost, I said, ALMOST) I'm told I must take note of all pre-fall collections that showed earlier this month and start to look forward to the next season of frozen misery. Say what? Don't get me wrong,I like an oatmeal cable-knit as much as the next, but the likeliness of you persuading me to gladly anticipate months of gloom & goosebumps is as likely as you getting me in ballet flats. Rare.

But like a sheep, I follow. 
Taking queues from Australian brand Maurie & Eve's Winter collection which pared some lovely polo-necked jumpers and lighter knits with slouchy mint green trousers (winter obviously doesn't hit too hard down under), I hunted down a couple of the best alternatives on the high-street, because I'm good like that.
I went into Marks & Spencer's for sushi and came out with a jumper. Typical.
 Chunky, stripey and oversized (or maybe that's just cos I got it two sizes too big) it's a nifty find  for quite a reasonable price of 35 sushi packs but I'm having second thoughts due to the fact I think I look a bit Where's Wally. Nobody wants that.
Another find in another surprising location, New Look. I was lured into the store by a yellow version of it horrendously styled on a window mannequin. Then found it in red. Didn't buy either because I'd filled my jumper quota for the day and am trying to put money towards paying my rent and you know, eating.
Jeez, I'm so sensible these days.

Devil, you know.

The other day when I was at my parents house snooping around for my birthday present I started delving through my dad's book collection. Once I'd finished scanning through 'What to do when sh** goes down', 'Death Clutch' & 'The Grappler's Handbook' (those well-known literature classics) I came across this William Baker book all about Australian gal Kylie at the bottom of the bunch. Slightly alarming that my dad stashes books about pint-sized pop stars under his desk but whatever. 

Nice suprise though. The book is really stunning. I was half-expecting cheesy images from the 90's full of sequins, glitter and Kylie's hot-pant clad backside (which is in no way a bad thing) but I was pleasantly surprised at just how sophisticated it was. 
Scribbles, lyrics and notes about each shoot are scrawled across grainy B&W images, and there are lots of contact sheets throughout (I'm a sucker for a contact sheet.) 
It's dirt cheap on amazon, I reccomend it even if you have to watch her music videos on mute like me.

Oh man, I really want an ass like hers, too.

Double Denim

Ah, double denim is a risky business. I've steered clear of double dipping since I was in a Bewitched tribute band back in high school and for good reason. No girl aims to look like a truck driver or Shakin' Stevens when they get dressed in the morning. 
Putting this on was purely down to necessity rather than choice as I'd left most of my clothes in London and needed something aside from a polka dot mini-dress to go to food shopping in. I grabbed some jeans I had lying around and borrowed took forever a men's XXL denim shirt from a friend. 
I'm still not entirely convinced. But if you're thinking of transporting yourself back to the 90's, try and mix a darker denim with a lighter one for contrast, don some jewellery to maintain a bit of femininity and pin, tuck and roll your shirt so you don't drown in denim. That would be a terrible way to go.
Less like this and a little more like this 


Yay or Nay for DD?

Dropping Hints.

I'm not really that big on receiving presents and asking for things. Partly due to the fact I never really want anything, my parents don't really believe in materialistic givings, and I feel guilty if I do as everyone’s still a little bruised from Christmas. However, if I’m forced to come up with stuff I want, I would ideally like these to find their way to me.

No harm ever came from subtle hinting.

Gypset Style Book Via Amazon, Jo Malone scent, IKEA cowhide rug, Urban Outfitters photo, leather-bound notepad, Topshop boots, ASOS wrist cuff, black-skull money bank.

THE BOWERY

My Bowery.

Whenever someone asks about the blog name:

"Well there's a species of bird called the Bowerbird who obsessively hoardes and collects a load of crap and shiny things over long periods of time. They build up piles in their nest and clutter their home in order to attract male birds"

"Yeah that sounds like you"


Images.
1. The Selby book. Of course
2. I hang my clothes on hooks from the ceiling a lot. Why hide them away in a wardrobe?
3. Horoscope books & an arty safe. That is no longer a secret safe. Damn.
4. A few books, empty bottles & arguably the tackiest candles ever made.
5. Union jack pillows
6. Posters I collected while in Montmatre. And some meditation balls. We'll get to that later.
7. Antlers are a weird obsession of mine seeing as I'm vegetarian
. Won't eat the animals, but happily hang their carcases around the place.
8. Crystals. I'm into all that shit.
9. A really lovely painting my friend did a while back
10. Half a wine glass full of rings. Crystals. Wine bottles I lugged back from France because of the 'pretty labels.' Customs were not impressed.
11. Moodboards & a wolf-head dream catcher picked up from Portugal that I always try and talk to when I've had too much to drink.
12. Just a few of the kids.
13a&b. Obsession of my life.