The Office

I've always hated the idea of working in an office, and when at the beginning of the school year, we were told to go and find two weeks of work experience, I went to all lengths possible to procure a placement which doesn't involve office work.

Of course I realised that most jobs involve some sort of office but what I really didn't want was an office based environment, the type where computers are the main focus, and there are little cubicles etc. But then, when I managed to get a placement suitably un-officey (starts today... YAY! - and don't worry I won't blog about it) the regrets started flooding in.

I saw all my friends worrying over what is suitably 'smart' for an office. They had to go shopping, for blouses, smart skirts which hit the knee, new shoes. I had been given a dress code of 'casual' where 'jeans are perfectly acceptable'. I know, this is probably easier but I realised when my friend came round and started perusing my wardrobe that I have an alarming number of pieces that would be perfect for An Office.

If I don't work in an office, where can I wear beauties like this?

If you are lucky enough to work in an office and are maybe starting to wish you were a poet frolicking in fields of daisies and inspiration (or a farmer), this stunning Alexander McQueen suit is on sale at Net-a-Porter for £516.

Tag Time - 123

Ooooh, I've been tagged again by ENC, writer of fantastic blog observationmode. This should be an easy one:

1. Pick up the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

But it gets more complicated. Because upon reaching for 'the nearest book' I realised... there are three books I could choose, each exactly equidistant from my position on my chair, typing on this keyboard. The choices are:

-An Oxford Paperback FRENCH dictionary
-The Mitfords, Letters Between Six Sisters
-Pride and Prejudice

I've managed to rule the dictionary out because there are no sentences, only definitions. So I'll give you the Mitfords and P&P too, because I'm nice like that.

The Mitfords (this was actually a bit tricky too; my books are so stubborn. So I'm just typing out the first 4 sentences of the second letter on the page)

(from Diana to Deborah)
Darling Debo,
Last night the Fuhrer was talking about which of us was going to the Parteitag, and he says he specially wants you to go. Isn't it wonderful. I told what a marvellous ride you are and he thinks you are so beautfiul and wants you to see the Parteitag while you are young.

Wasn't that interesting? I've gone far enough to pass all the Hitler fever amongst Diana and Unity, now it's all about the Queen, Lucien Freud and Lanvin.

Pride and Prejudice

'I confess,' said he, 'that I should not have been at all surprised by her Ladyship's asking us on Sunday to drink tea and spend the evening at Rosings. I rather expected, from my knowledge of her affability that it would happen. But who could have foreseen such an attention as this? Who could have imagined that we should receive an invitation to dine there (an invitation moreover including the whole party) so immediately after your arrival!'

I haven't read this yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I especially love Jane Austen's dialogue and this is a fantastic example. And it fits so neatly into the rules!

And now, for the tags. Feel free to do them or not do them or you know... half do them. Whatever.

Ambika @ (Into) the Fray
WendyB @ Wendy Brandes Jewelry

And my blog reading list is relatively short, I didn't want to retag some and some are just too huge so I'm going to cheat (again) and leave it at two. Isn't this the hardest part of the tag? I think so..

PS yes I am posting in the future, I don't know why but I think it's cool.

Hello Not-Stranger

I wasn't thinking about it at the time, but yesterday was the first time I posted photographs of myself where you can properly see my whole face, therefore identify me if you know the real me. Not that it particularly matters; if someone I know is reading this, they will easily know who I am because I also constantly talk about the books I'm reading, films I've watched etc to my poor friends. Plus, there are the card photos, outfit posts... I'm not the most secretive person.

Right now however I have only told one friend about this blog. I thought she was a safe person to tell because she has a hopeless memory (I love you really, if you're reading) and whilst she commented once, I don't think she remembers its existence, certainly not the URL. I haven't told anyone else, because it feels ridiculously self-important to waltz up to someone 'guess what... I have a blog!' Plus some of my friends made some short-lived blogs about a year ago and I didn't want to associate with that. As a creative outlet, I really didn't want to have to worry about what people might possibly, maybe just think. But obviously, my friends do read fashion blogs and there's always the remote possibility they might stumble upon this. And if they do, I'm not going to do a vanishing act.

I merely ask, darling person I know (I call everyone darling) that you make your presence known as a visitor. Ring me up, drop it into a conversation, send me a letter. Please! xx

My Life in Hair

UPDATE: if you're still reading... I chickened out, everyone was telling me to! On the upside, I got a trim and it's looking a lot healthier, partly due to the miracle that is Aveda Damage Remedy. So I have deleted the photos, out of some sort of weird anti-face-on-internet thing I have going on. It's almost as weird as the hair thing.

I have a somewhat unusual phobia, although phobia may be too strong a wrong to describe my aversion to hairdressers.

Throughout my life, my feature most commented on has been my hair. More times than I could count, people have said that they wish they had my hair, how beautiful it is etc etc. Probably just as many times, they have also laughed at it and made jokes. Of course, I've always held onto the fact that they're 'just jealous'. Is it just me whose parents used that phrase on a practically daily basis when I came back from school every day distraught for one reason or another?

Anyway, despite the attention that my hair receives on its good days, it truly does have a life of its own and as a result of this I have had more than my fair share of bad hair days. In fact, I have more hair-related neuroses than is probably healthy and therefore I am pretty terrified of getting anything more than a trim (I have had approximately the same cut for a very long time). But right now, I really need to get it properly cut. It actually looks alright today, but I simply have too much hair, it overwhelms my face. Yet still, I do not know where to go, because I can't go back to my old hairdresser (he's scared of giving me more than a trim after past reactions) and I need to have that right level of trust.

So right now my hair is stick in limbo although I am grateful for the colour I do love and have been blessed with (although - why does no-one tell you that gingers get white hair early?). In a fit of OMG-I-WANT-TO-CUT-ALL-MY-HAIR-OFF I have decided to share with you My Life in Hair. The ups, the downs, the current 5ish year rut... some of these photos will truly quash my 'pretty face' persona, but it's all for a good cause. I need your advice!

Here I am, Baby Pretty Face, sporting the ever so stylish quiffy crop.

Then came the years of glory, pre-Raphaelite curls. These are the snaps which make me long to cut off all my hair. I think I'm kidding myself that I'll become this cute again.

But as I got older, the hair got heavier and lost some of its bounce. Cue a visit to the hairdresser which I will never forget, and probably stemmed my whole issue with hair. She proclaimed that my hair needed some 'volume' and proceeded to give me the worst haircut I have ever experienced. Putting these picture up is taking me some guts... I think they'll be going down soon.

Bad cuts don't last forever, even if the emotional scars do. Soon my hair was long enough and I got it cut... into the style I've consistently had for the past few years, the whole of my teenage life. When it's just cut, I like it, but my hair grows so damn quick and I'm getting a little bit bored.

Okay, so as I said... what to do? I love the texture and colour of my hair but never very much the cut. Is it just a case of accepting that I'll have the same long, life of its own hair for the rest of my life and brave the chop, hoping that one godawfut cut is enough for one lifetime? And yes, my hair is very tasty.

What type of blog are YOU? Take Two.

Around a month ago, I wrote about the different types of blogs... anony-blogs, mayjah blogs, combinations of the two. There are of course plenty of examples I failed to mention, but in that post I was mainly referring to the style of the blogs. Recently however I have noticed that blog content varies too, even within the fairly limited world of fashion blogging (outfit blogs, catwalk and trend blogs, fashion news blogs). But I'm going to surprise you here, and not do a mini essay psychoanalysing the different blogs in comparison to my own in excruciating detail.

Instead I am going to say that I have recently noticed that despite style blogs being the type I read most frequently, and the majority of my early posts being about style I am leaning more and more towards the randomest of topics. Furthermore, I tend to discuss these all within an inch of their lives (5+ paragraphs on my newspaper habits anyone?). Anyway my point is - yes, I do occasionally have one - how can you bear to read this shizzle? I have found that my more image heavy posts do tend to receive more comments but still, some of you are reading my longer posts, aren't you? Does it bother you when you have no idea what you'll be reading about when you click on my blog or does that not matter at all?

I know that it would bug me a bit, but I'm not sure I care because I do enjoy this (approximately) daily creative outlet. Still, I think I'm going to try to focus on what I try to make the common denominator of all my posts, which is finding beauty in everything.

Interestingly, here are six women who came up on the first page when I searched 'beautiful' on Google Image Search.

£££

It is pretty much an established fact that any sign of £, $ , € or any other currency symbol is bound to touch a nerve amongst people as a fiscally concerned species. However, as far as the human race goes I am relatively unconcerned with issues related to money. The amount of money I will earn is probably the lowest down factor on my list of concerns when thinking about my dream job; I want to be a writer or a midwife. My ideal husband would wear geeky glasses, have blond hair and blue eyes and as for his yearly income... I hadn't really given it that much thought. But a struggling poet or compassionate school-teacher do both sound very sexy.

At the same time, I know my desired lifestyle wouldn't be particularly suited to a low income; put simply, I am not very thrifty at all. This probably stems from my mother, who whilst never rich, always believes that life is stressful enough without worrying about a couple of pennies here or a penny there, if you can afford it. We do not go on luxurious holidays but we certainly have plenty of luxurious cake at over-priced cafes. My approach to money is ridiculed my a few of my friends, very much inverse snobs. How dare you spend over £15 on a pair of shoes?!? Think of the credit crunch! Think of the poor working-class! The starving babies in Africa! They judge, walking the polished pavements of middle-class London.

Nevertheless, as I have said, I am quite immune to issues of money, and I admit that it is a terribly naive idea, but I often think that it would be so lovely if all currency was thrown out the window. I think the power money holds over us is atrocious (But what about quality of products? Incentive to create? Purpose for work? Yes I know, I know, it's just an idea).

As a result of my opinions, I do not find it difficult to part with the money I have earnt (yes, earnt) and have probably spent more than the average teenager on single items of clothing. I do not bulk buy from Primark, ever, but I have spent over 100 squid on a jacket and over 50 smackers on a skirt. Still, when I fell in love with a gorgeous leopard print trench coat from Urban Outfitters, I could not part with the wonga (liking the synonyms here?). I saw it once and ran out of the shop for fear of succumbing temptation. The second time, I tried it on, my friend took a photo - which I cannot find - then returned it lovingly to its sisters. Now, I look on the Urban Outfitters website, there is a sale, and the trench is gone. They do have it, in other less fabulous colours:


Sadly, these bland colourways do nothing but remind me of the fabulousness of the leopard-print trench (which I do think I have mentioned on here in the past... once or twice) so I am saved from dropping a not remotely affordable £99.99. But I am left thinking... if the leopard-print trench was still available, would I have been able to part with that cash? In the grand scheme of things, yes it could be seen as quite a bargain, but still, not for someone who doesn't yet pay taxes or get Chanel handbags from Daddy.

Writing this has now left me thoroughly convinced that we should just abandon money. What temptation, corruption, joy, desolation and power it can create! Well, I think I had better adjust my hopes and aim to marry an economist (is that a job?) or someone equally understanding of money, because right now I really can't see any beauty or point in it at all.

News Reader

No, I'm not referring to the type who appears on TV, does the little paper shuffle and goes 'Hello, this is the ... news'. Neither am I referring to those whose Sunday rituals involve tea and the Sunday broadsheet. Nor one of these:

It has probably stemmed from the habits of my parents, but I hardly ever buy an actual newspaper (unless it comes with a good DVD). When I was younger, I would watch Newsround in order to 'keep up with current affairs' because we're always educated that if you don't know the news, you're ignorant.

Obviously, I started to grow out of that and pretty much stopped being aware of any news, even if what I knew before was mainly limited to world disasters and school makeovers. Oh, and did you know that Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth? I didn't.

That doesn't mean that I don't read the news. I do, checking onto Times Online and The Guardian regularly (read: 3 or 4 times a day). This is probably mainly because I prefer reading broadsheets, but I've never quite got the hang of physically handling them. They're big. Anyway, so naturally when I reach the website homepages I am updating myself with major news. However I rarely read those articles. Instead, I prefer to use the news as a way of expanding my understanding of issues as opposed to being informed of them. For this reason, I tend to stick to the hugely insightful comments and blogs on these websites, and the articles which debate rather than report.

Often my favourites are the most controversial, and then I often end up quoting them in conversations or debates (yes I'm that hugely annoying person who likes to support everything they say with 'I read...'). What sort of newsreader are you?

Anyway, I thought I'd post some of my favourite articles that I've read in the past few weeks (not that I agree with all of them) as they really do offer a lot of food for thought, something which I'm not sure I'm yet capable of doing. Yes, still recovering... I went to bed ridiculously early yesterday again.

Abortion: why it's the ultimate motherly act

'We like our Venuses young'

The do's and don'ts of poetry

Which interesting articles have you read lately?

Hello @ 6:49

No, you did not misread the title of this post. Yesterday I went backpacking with my school-friends as a practice for the 'real' hike in September. 12ish kilometres (or more due to a slight... detour) and the same thing again this morning, completed before I normally wake up on a Saturday.

There was a 17th birthday party in the same (public) field that we were camping in which kept me up until well past midnight. Luckily my heavy sleeping meant I slept through one drunken partygoer jumping on some (occupied) tents. Then I woke before 5 and had to get up properly for a 7 o'clock start soon after. So... hello @ 6:49

-Every part of my body aches down to the fingers typing this up. I am about to have a nice bath... I'm going to blame you if/when it overflows. Still, I had a wonderful time and despite feeling like I'm mstill wearing a 60l backpack, I feel very exhilarated and my legs feel very toned. I know this is probably a figment of my fluctuating imagination, but it's nice while it lasts.

-On that note: the 'i love my grass' mood of last Sunday (these posts are scary because they highlight how fast time passes) is firmly continuing. I think I may be rivalling Pollyanna in the silver lining stakes. Sickly.


-I am literally struggling to keep my eyes open and the bath is enticingly ready. But I just noticed on Dashboard that I have my first double figures comments! Did that sentence make any sense? Also... I just thought, there must be really different systems on typepad and blogger because I have no way of knowing if my old posts have new comments, unless I religiously check through them (which I *occasionally* do)

-OK, time to go.

PS I think the words of the day are paying off, this post is littered with impressive vocab dontcha think?

Style Schizophrenic

I have a problem.

I am not content to merely have a nice wardrobe. Whenever I watch a film, or read a fashion article, or a book, or a blog I am invariably left wanting a highly distinct style. Let me explain further. After watching The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , I became entirely convinced that I want a wardrobe where I can wear an entire outfit in one colour. Then I go even further. I want to be this lady:

(photo and article about New Yorkers who only wear one colour here)

But then I watch Breakfast at Tiffany's or see a couple of photos of Angelina Jolie. Immediately I want to purchase the entire contents of Uniqlo and wear nothing but neutral colours with the odd orange coat for the rest of my life.


Then I watch some films with one of those other old-time glamorous movie starlets. Or I browse through my wonderful book of Great Costumes from Classic Movies Paper Dolls before watching Atonement or an episode of Poirot. I am instantaneously convinced that serious vintage is the way to go and set out to stock up on fur stoles, slinky evening gowns and some hairspray.
Yet before I know it, I spot a springy looking girl with a funky crop and retro dress and think how dull elegant is. And I've gone and purchased a colourful floral dress although I don't have any shoes that go with it.

Oh... but how truly stylish do those daring bloggers and style-spotter darlings look in their fashion-forward mannish trousers, harem pants and vertiginous heels. I want to rock adrogyny! Or like somebody the Sartorialist would shoot. How about both?! (photo taken from said Sartorialist)

So... is there hope for a young 'un like me? Will I *one day* fall naturally into my own defined style, or am I destined to be a complete and utter style schizophrenic forever?

Tagged: seven songs shaping my spring

Thank you so much to Pamcasso at SquareOldSoul for my tag (it's always nicer to be properly tagged than to have to 'request') to:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.”

Until fairly late I was not very much into music. All my friends would know the lyrics to all the current songs and I'd just stand there commenting 'ooh that's nice, who is it?' and receive incredulous looks from those who could hardly believe that I didn't recognise Destiny's Child's latest hit.

In fact, I still don't watch the music channels and rarely remember to turn on the radio. So it's completely down to my beloved i-Pod that I have finally begun to discover my love of music and the magic properties it holds which calm, excite and inspire. Anyway, here are my current favourite songs that I'm loving listening to, I hope they're not dreadfully uncool (my grasp of song popularity is limited - I don't think I've ever been able to read a copy of NME without falling asleep). The titles are linked to videos of the songs on youtube.

The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf. Maybe I'm more in love with the musician than the music, but it is a wonderfully happy song.

Heart of Glass - Nouvelle Vague cover of Blondie. Of course, I do love the original but currently I'm prefering the Nouvelle Vague version which is a little more fresh right now.

Les Champs Elysees - Joe Dassin. I was given a compilation of French songs, of which this catchy tune was the surprise hit. A little embarrassing to admit but to quality is not one of the rules. Plus, I can understand the easy lyrics which is always a bonus. Au soleil, sous la pluie, a midi ou a minuit...

That Time - Regina Spektor. From my favourite album, Begin to Hope. Slightly less poppy and catchy than the other songs. I have always loved Regina since seeing her perform in September: for her fantastic name and that tunelessly singing to her songs is the only thing which completely distracts me from tortuous tummy aches.

Everyday is Like Sunday - Morrissey. I absolutely love the tune. A bit late (read: very) on the Morrissey bandwagon but I am particularly enjoying his songs right now.

Crown of Love - Arcade Fire. I am in love with this band's music, especially the theme of this song. I am desperate to go see them!

Go Tell The Women - Grinderman. I would never voluntarily go and get some Nick Cave but I heard this song through my dad, who's obsessed with Cave. I don't think I should be admitting to that at all, but go listen to the song and then try to tell me that the lyrics aren't genius. No video though, because Nick Cave live performances never sound anything like the actual song.

Now, tag time... I don't think any of these peeps are tagged yet. Just ignore if you are:

I Hate Generic
Mud On My Teadress
Peachy Hollow

Ok I'm cheating now, I can't think of any other bloggers who haven't done this and haven't been tagged to do it. So I'll do that horrible thing and say that if you want to be tagged, put your hand up and I might choose you.