Manchester Fashion

Kind of failed at posting outfit posts so far, so here are some of me, Bee, and some 'street photojournalism' from Manchester, as well as photos of Jay Brannan at the Night and Day Café :)

Some market goodies:


A tasty muffin:

Shoes:



A really cool guy in a suit who had immense skill at balancing on a damp bench:


I loved the brown bag, and the dress of the girl with the camera:


Bee:
Moi:


The Night and Day Café (I want to live there, ok?) :


The one and only perfect Mr. Jay Brannan:



and a poster of him that we stole for my wall:


His support act, John Ainsworth, who is super talented and has a voice like Matt Bellamy's from Muse:


Bee, at the station:
Me at the station. We were rocking winter coats for the first time and it felt good:


and some crazy pigeons:

I should have been born to a rich family

browsing www.thecorner.com is not good for me D:

I can't even afford sale items, which is sad! I've applied for every possible job and not heard anything back yet, but when I do get a job, I think I will occasionally splurge on things I covet. Obviously not these things that I shall list, because I think only when I'm getting a decent annual wage will I be able to afford these, but...

1. Antonio Marras straw hat
2. Proenza Schouler tweed blazer
3. Haider Ackermann satin jacket
4. A. F. Vandevorst belt

I don't understand my obsession with the Vandevorst belts, but I really, really want one. I love that they used variations of the same belts for their S/S10, A/W10 collections... I don't know why, it just makes me happy. XD

Things that I like.

eh, this is gunna be a pointless pic spam to fill some rather neglected space

Blazers: I wear mine everywhere, it is possibly my main wardrobe staple, either open over a t-shirt and trousers, or buttoned and belted over a dress... I have so many outfits that I seem to complete with my blazer. I just need to build a collection of them now so that I don't feel so repetitive.

Belts: I usually wear belts to cinch in at the waist, to assentuate and create neat lines and a more defined silhouette, because I am so guilty of wearing clothes with no shape, which I bought specifically for the looseness and androgyny, and then belting over them anyway. I especially love leather (or faux leather) ones, generally brown, with a nice buckle, and a vintage air.

Shorts and tights: both of these things, seperately and together. I love them.

White shirts/Menswear in general: I wish I didn't love menswear... I'm not at all interested in male fashion in general for some reason, but I love the mens section on the high street, especially in H&M... They seem to get everything that I long for and it makes me mad >:(

Wedges: My more recent obsession with shoes is both saddening and delightful. I need more.

Floaty dresses: I like to feel girly.

I obviously like more than just this, but if I had my way, I think my wardrobe might be almost entirely made up of these things. Mhm.

All photos © Jak and Jil Blog

so hot it'll melt your popsicle

Uninentionally got distracted from here by my Tumblr...

I know it's pretty dull reading, covering any runway stuff, but so far from Sao Paulo it looks like S/S2011 will be mostly metallic and stripes, which I have to be honest, I'm not digging. I hope they don't ditch the nudes/neutrals/florals from this year entirely, or the whole 'Summer girls wear denim and white' minimalism, because I love the 2010 look :(

Countdown to Marc Jacobs;

I've been ridiculously excited about the live online streaming of the Marc Jacobs A/W10 Show since it was announced, and I set the date in my phone calender and have been positively gushing about it ever since!

So tonight, in preparation, I have taken Pro Plus and drank my weight in tea. I drink copious amounts of tea anyway, but I've even outdone myself today I think, so this show better be good!! I'm incredibly hyper!

-----

I actually made notes as though I was some kind of reporter whilst watching this, so let's see if I can make some sense of them...

Adorable Marc Jacobs tugged down the curtain as Robert Duffy (@robertcduffy) had mentioned on Twitter only minutes before, to reveal his models. The theme was definately utility chic; the smooth, suave business feel of the sharply tailored suits was toned down with loose, flowing hair and fresh faces. Little kitten heels in neutral colours were paired with socks for an older, more womanly feel, rather than cutesy (I felt).

Flowing materials in soft pastels ruled the show (like most others this season), with a smattering of glimmer and shine in the dresses and coats especially. Capes, fur-trims and knee length skirts were staple features, as were elbow-length gloves, sweeping backlines, and thin satin dresses worn under thicker, heavier coats. There was romanticism in ruffles, frills and loose bows, that added a touch of delicacy to an otherwise strong collection.

Cravings.

My money spending is unstoppable recently, it's getting pretty bad... I drew out my last tenner yesterday so that I have some money on me if I need to catch the bus or something but I don't plan on using it otherwise, since I won't have any more until the very end of January.

I think it's all this cold weather, ice and snow. It's depressing and I am seeking solace in the Sales racks. In the past week (week!) I've purchased an oversized white tshirt with dark navy stripes and a puffy silver shiny skirt from River Island; I'm always going in there to make eyes at all the pretty clothes but I've never actually bought anything from there before because it's usually out of my price range (sad). I've bought a lace print jersey dress from asos.com, which I am in love with, the rose coloured Topshop tights pictured in one of my previous posts, a fitted black blazer and a dark beetroot-red silk tunic/dress from the New Look sales. I also bought Michael Bublé's Call Me Irresponsible album, and Jason Mraz's We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things album (finally, after listening to it on a loop for months on Spotify), and Paris Je T'aime... and I ordered The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Dans Paris from play.com ... Oh! and 4 new pairs of shoes...


I sound like a shopaholic.
I probably am a shopaholic.
The first stage of getting over a problem is admitting you have one.

I am no longer going to spend money. At least for the time being, since I have none. Haha!
I do really love the new stuff that I've bought, so I'll probably post some pictures soon of me wearing some of it :) Maybe.

I know this post is becoming horrifyingly long but I'm in a chatty mood and since this is for my own pleasure and no one will ever read it (except, of course, you, my beloved imaginary reader) I'm going to write as much as I feel like.

Today, Bee and I watched the end of Series 5 of Gilmore Girls and the first 3 episodes of the sixth series (which is so far, depressing and infuriating) and I must have been in a hungry mood because everything they ate on the show seemed delicious to me, and made me crave donuts, and I texted my mum 5 times in around 2 hours, and all the texts concerned food, 3 of which included pleas for her to buy donuts. So I got home for tea and ate pizza and donuts and I seriously don't think I've ever been this full in my life (except for the other day when Bee and I ate Rolo ice cream with Baileys, or the time we ate an entire 12" pizza and 2 portions of cheesy chips between us before Photography, or... well, you get the point) but I feel incredibly satisfied. We watched Paranormal Activity too and my mum and aunty actually screamed, it was hilarious! Today was a good day.

I really want chocolate milkshake...

A beginning;

I write to let off some steam, and I guess this blog is the beginning of a whole new medium for me to rant on, instead of venting on unsuspecting bystanders (I really feel sorry for whoever gets in my way when I'm on a fashion war path).

Money, recently (and forever more, probably) is my main problem. I love clothes, but I can't afford the ones I want. I'm constantly wanting to wear new outfits and look different and edgy, but it's difficult when you have to wear the same things over.

I'm currently following the fashion show season (obviously) with all the new Spring 2010 coming in across the globe, and of course I've been keeping an eye on my favourite models; namely Skye Stracke. She is simply stunning, but I have to say my all time favourite catwalk photo of her at the moment is this one:

style.com

That sheer dress by A. F. Vandevorst is just the most beautiful piece of material I have ever seen (obviously a slight embellishment, but I want it so, so much for my wardrobe right now it is killing me that I just don't have that sort of money; or any money at all for that matter). I somehow managed to start browsing the Urban Outfitters website (I wonder how that happened??) and now I have a package on it's way with this in it:

I have a thing for all-in-ones. I think maybe it's a regression back into early childhood where you can just throw on something comfy and not have to worry about layering and whether things match... because that's already done for you already. I expect this to be relatively loose and comfortable and definately chic, and I cannot wait for it to arrive! Now I just need to convince myself that it was money well spent, since I've just lost £30 from my New York fund...

Anyway, enough ranting for one day, but I am definately in an impulsive mood today, otherwise I wouldn't have been so quick to 'splurge' on something relatively unessential when what I really need is thick wool tights and cardigans for a winter that is quickly progressing.