the anti muse; colonel sanders

i'm a bit of a one for championing an anti-fashion hero.
it's why often I'll find myself drawn to characters in films, or odd characters from books and cartoons.
for the past couple of months ago, my latest anti muse has been colonel sanders.

the stringey chicken buckets and meat stench I can do without, thanks, but take a closer look and you're left with a very ashley olsen-esque white blazer, clear clubmaster glasses and the coolest little cravat, which is rather western chic.

similar accessories have popped up on the catwalk at rag and bone and luella over the past couple of seasons, and they're the perfect accompaniment to a little androynous finery, just how colonel sanders likes it.

images ebay, style.com

my oh my, erin how do you do it?

as some of you may already know, I am lucky enough to work in my local topshop, which means that while working and dancing about with the other lovely girls who work there, I spend much of my time plotting which items I'll buy with my seasonal allowance.

we get ours in a weeks time and I am so very excited.


so I laughed a little wearily when I saw this picture of erin wearing these trousers, as after eyeing them up for weeks, I finally tried them on the other day, and they looked rather shiteous on me.

put it this way, you have to be very dedicated at shaving your legs and as the slits go up so high, new blemishes appear that even the teeniest of mini skirts never dared show. and overall i ended up looking like the ex girlfriend of edward scissorhands (not in a good way, because I know how appealing that sounds) after she has had a comfort food binge.

without sounding highly up my own arse, my legs are my favourite part as they're rather slim and long, and so, I would like to know, Erin, enlighten me, how on earth did you pull these off?

that is all.

pic: snatched from the lovely T at starbucks and jane austen

RTE.ie Does Fashion

Fashion website alert! Tomorrow RTE.ie is launching its new style section featuring two interviews with I Blog Fashion! Looking forward to getting a goo at the digital deets. Be sure to log for your fashion fix!

Scare Cut

Oh what a tangled web we weave... It seems that I've been less than honest and am now paying the price. I blame my hairdresser. She's the one who went on holiday. Had she been here to tend to my follicular needs, I wouldn't have had to resort to someone else's scissors. Depsite my damn near good excuse for straying (grown out fringe + upcoming TV appearance), had I exercised some patience, I would have been spared what can only be described as prison hair. Long story short (excuse the dody pun), I asked for my fringe to be pixied by my clandestine scissorhands. "Like Victoria Beckham?" he asked. "Yes, like that," I replied. To which he added, "Great. Let's just 'reshape' it." Alarm bells should have rung like bastards here. "Reshape" is often maverick hairdresser term for "cut the bejaysus out of it". Regardless, I left him to his own devices, confident he would behave in manner of my long-term tress tender. Alas, when I raised my head to greet my newly shorn head in the mirror, I saw Posh's long lost brother Victor Beckham. It's now two weeks since said incident and my hair is growing in in its normal freakish fashion....wide. So now I have short fat blunt hair. Nice.
If you need to find me, I'll be hiding under the biggest hat I can find for the next two months.

Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images

the rules of halloween dressing

When you pass the trick or treating age, dressing up becomes a substitute for the vast amount of multipack chocolates that you my no longer acquire, and it must be taken very seriously indeed.

Things get a little competitive, with everyone acting all aloof and uninterested until the last minute, plotting a costume that shall never ever, in the history (and future) of Halloween be topped.

Now is your last chance to get on with that undercover research..

my mother can testifty the trials of the halloween costume, and the importance of a bit of prepping. A couple of years ago she popped down to the fancy dress shop on the 31st and was met by the choice of a pvc nun's costume or a fat pumpkin suit. she opted for the latter (and looked 'badasss' in a very deadpan way). and I think the sexy habit ended up in rick owens studio.

here are some of the rules to dressing well for halloween.

do have a drag party

kings and queens welcome, girls grab a moustache and brill creme, guys grab platforms and boobs. gender bending has never been so hot.

don't be too obscure

as much as i love channelling film characters, going as some extra from a french film just so that you can wear a striped jumper and smoke a cigarette in a holder is the height of pretentiousness.

don't be sexy cats
or slutty devils, dark angels or.. flirty bats. whatever else you could think up along these lines; just no.
why do peoples parents not teach these rules from a young age?

do consider an anti cartoon character

remember when we were little and we were dying to go to parties dressed as ariel, belle and (insert disney princess here)? why not relive this? or the flintstones, tom and jerry, tintin, the snorks, the moomins..
if you're adamant on the cat theme. go as top cat!

don't be afraid to look a little silly
besides, this is the perfect excuse to not look prettypretty and to show your sense of humour.

do embrace headwear
wigs, fruitbowls, pumpkins, trees, headresses, an axe. find whatever will balance on your head and you're good to go.

do be original

the 118 118 men do not fit into this category

pics google,. flickr

Retro Fascinators

High squeal alert!!! I am totally hearting on these Katy Perry-esque retro hair fascinators from Nanny K. Normally the word 'fascinator' evokes images of naff weddings and tacky race meetings sponsored by Coast but this is the shiz!!! These quirky gingham/cherry numbers are just a sneaky peek at what you can expect. Think antique lace, ribbon, vintage flowers and feathers - all expertly crafted by designer Natashsa Yearley in her Somerset studio. Retail prices start at £4 for a small flower to £90 for a cocktail hat. Sweet. Check out the full collection at www.enamore.co.uk.
Image credit: Rene August; Hair & Make-up: Beatriz Lopez

like she writes in her diary

zoe over at sick. just posted a little alice dellal interview.

and asked the readers to offer their own responses to the questions.
which inspired me to ask you some questions as a way of learning a bit more about my lovely readers (and lurkers, please do comment too!) and also so that we can spread the love for, well, our loves.

so let's have a little group bonding session and fill out the questions below.

style icon:
food:
model:
perfume:
book:
film:
designer:
band:
city:
your style:
shop:
where do you see yourself in five years?
perfect day:
current job:
dream job:

i'll add my own into the mix at some point
happy saturday!

Not So Shabby

Not too long ago a friend told me about the utterly bijou Shabby Chic boutique. Not only does the Meath mecca stock Vargas style shoes by Finnish cobbler Minna Parikka (hearted majorly by said friend) but it's now got some blinding bling from London label Mawi. I'm loving this military crested pin - very colonial chic and a look also seen in SS09 collections like that of Paul Costelloe.
Not so shabby...

Image: Jaipur button with navy velvet medal €175

short shorts and quivering knees

dirty dancing is one of those guilty pleasures, let's face it; it's not a very cool film to like. i'll watch it every couple of years and giggle and sigh in all the right parts, and unashamedly cave in and behave in an overly girlish manner reserved only for this film.

baby is meant to be uncool.
but everytime i watch it, this outfit sticks in my head.

and um, her name is actually pretty rad
imagine being called baby!
better trip down the american apparel, i guess

in the name of fashion

i was having a little read of young shields, the blog of the lovely claire and found myself having a sympathetic giggle at the comments she got at school about her fantastic diy ripped jeans. i'm sure most of you (as you're such a stylish bunch..) have also received many a "witty", or not so witty reference to your clothes before; the type that make you shake your head in a vaguely amused way and say "well done guys.." and i thought it would be cool to share some of the tales.

so, i'll start. on friday, i wore my wet look leggings and got

what's funny is that it is usually guys (those two examples varied from the age of 17 to about 60) with a cheekily knowing piss-take tone in their voice, who think they have said something hugely original and proceed to crack themselves up laughing, even when you've heard the exact same comment twice already. it's actually pretty funny! just as long as what they're saying is appropriately witty and intelligent as fashion will allow!

big hugs to hannah metz who created these gorgeous little illustrations for this post. if this is your cup of tea, be sure to check out her blog for more lovliness.. and the snaps of her house because it's the coolest ever.

miami blaze

summer is well and truly over.

boo hoo.

watch this and then bury your head in the sand.

so that when you deny the fact that it is now the time of blustery wind and showers, you may think of lara stone and puppies (the dogs.. although her "puppies" were out too) having fun in the sunshine.

Taken to the (Dry) Cleaners

Let's face it. It's not often that I bitch. No siree bob. Ain't my speed. It does beg the question really as to why I have a blog label entitled - The Bitch; but enough of the hair splitting. Suffice to say, I've got a beef with Grafton Dry Cleaners. Yes, I know dry cleaning isn't environmentally sound. I did however buy that cream linen Jesire trapeze dress without knowing that wet-cleaning would shrink it Rexy style. Damage done and all that, I've been taking it to Marlowe cleaners in Terenure that charge me a bargainista €11.95. Not bad. As I was in town yesterday, I dropped the same guna over to the much-lauded Grafton. Handing in my deets, she rang the dress through, told me I could pick it up today and that it would cost me €16.50!! WTF? It would want to be sprinkled in fairy dust and be capable of fetching my coffee for that. I'm not being parsimonious here. I'm just doing some emergency swag math:

€16.50 x 24 times a year = €396
That's a whole new dress! For just an extra €24, I could get that Stine Goya paragon of fabulousness in Indigo & Cloth.

I've literally been taken to the cleaners! (Cue: drum roll. "Ladies and gentlemen I'll be here all night. Do try the shrimp!")

Credits: 'Rexy' - courtesy of Dublin Streets' Matt Matheson

wrap it up and send it away

last week, i spent the day in bed equipped with many a dried up glue stick and a big old pair or scissors making up care packages for the winners of the last fashion quiz.

some of you may remember that back in may there was a little competition that when down where i asked people to predict who would wear which labels to the met costume gala (tricky, i know..) and tala was the winner of the first ever discotheque confusion mix (yay!) this was so much fun that when I was making up the parcels for the winners of the most recent fashion quiz, i created the"discotheque confusion mix volume II".

it was very lucky that the winners turned out to be a lovely trio of bloggers (jessica from sick., deex from pistol whipped and sunniva from the style spot) and i designed unique cover art for each girl according to what i had already gathered from their personalities.



i love putting together letters and parcels, just because i know what a pleasure it is to recieve them.

for the rest of you, here is the playlist, and this might be a good time for everyone to recommend some music that they love. there is so much droll around at the moment; so please share the love!

australia-the shins
see emily play-pink floyd
vicar in a tutu-the smiths
steven-voxtrot
don't look that way at it-white denim
midnight man-nick cave and the bad seeds
the killing moon-echo and the bunnymen
stars and sons-broken social scene
east yourself-goldfrapp
venus-air
love will tear us apart-joy division
head over heels-tears for fears
phantom limb-the shins
heimrich maneuver-interpol
enjoy the silence-depeche mode
boys don't cry-the cure
later monday-jon brion
love her madly-the doors
heartbreaker-metronomy

each parcel differed, but overall these were included; a couple of magazine clippings, sweets/a chinese fortune cookie, some vintage buttons, mix cd, perfume sample, viktor and rolf postcards..

Fashion Bloggers' Brunch - the Debrief

No matter how tired you are on a Saturday morning, nothing wakes you up faster than the thought of mimosas, muffins and mad music mixes. That's right - the third Fashion Bloggers' Brunch kicked off at 11.30am in the Wrangler loft compliments of Thinkhouse PR and and er finished....at 5? Yep - we kind of stayed longer than anticipated but that's only because the company was gold-dipped frickin fabulous...it has nothing to do with the lovely goodies from Kildare Village and all thse bubbles...lots and lots of bubbles. I'd give you the low down on the chat but I'm way too wiped for that. A picture tells a thousand words. Amen for 17.I'm off for a nap.

lepere and hack

well, aren't they just the coolest couple.
who wins, anouck with her glasses, or jefferson with this socks?

via fashionolgie.com

Sophia Loren - Style Icon

There's a lot of talk about sex symbols, screen sirens and women of our time but no one in my opinion compares to Sophia Loren. Born Sofia Villani Scicolone in 1934, the actress is a the true definition of a Roman Goddess. In an age where thin is in, it's refreshing to turn back time to get a glimpse of some real curves and a woman who doesn't have to resort to silicone to get them. What's more la bella Sophia can burn up the screen with her almond eyes and self-confidence alone. More than that, what other sestogenerian has appeared on the Pirelli calendar? True beauty...it's an attitude, a belief and a life.

nylon reaches a new low

um, paris hilton is nylon's new cover girl.
????


????
wow marvin scott jarrett, just keeps getting further away from that interesting indie girl muse, doesn't he?

gone are the days of michelle williams, meg and jack, christina ricci.

guess interesting people don't sell!

ps, i have nevereverever posted about paris hilton before (i don't think at least)..
who knows, she hasn't been around for so long, maybe she's becoming a cult icon.

hahahaha, don't make me laugh!

hazy sun, girl in the red dress

via mila-loveology.blogspot.com

bon anniversaire!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY, MY DARLING!

come on everyone, give it up for our favourite north carolinan.
raise your drinking devices, be it a cuppa tea or the finest champagne.

and dance around to goldfrapp in stupidly high shoes.
have a good one, my lovely.

the time and the place, is 10.17 (hee..)

10.17

Oyster Magazine - Worth a Shuck

When I got stopped at LFW by Oyster magazine to get my piccie taken - have to admit - hadn't a scooby who they were. In fact you could say I wouldn't know them if I shucked over them. (har har!) Okay. So I'm not a comedian but you did sorta giggle. Anyhoo...I took a breeze through their site (looking for my mug of course) and gotta admit am WAY impressed. These fellas are up there with my beloved JC Report. Without them I wouldn't have known that Sophia Copolla is designing bags for Vuitton, Valentino sacked creative director Alessandra Facchinetti, several Prada models wiped out on the SS09 runways in sky high heels and corsets are making models faint on the runway. This shiz is good! Kudos to my Aussie Aesthetes. Love ya! xxx

Patricia Field Does Dublin

Our favourite scarlet-haired stylist- Patricia Field - launched her inaugural 'Destination Style - New York' collection at Marks & Spencer today. I was lucky enough to be given one of her scarves as a present and am loving this kitsch iconic print. It'll go perfectly with my new 3/4 sleeve recycled navy blazer from Urban Outfitters. Will have to give it a twirl at the upcoming FBB which is being held on Saturday in the Warehouse exhibiton space thanks to Emily & Co. at Thinkhouse PR. Hurrah! Mimosas, muffins and Ms. Field. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning!

Brown Thomas Menswear Relaunch

So much for the spirit of blogging. I've been less than 'of the moment' recently and a bit more like 'after the fact' with my missives. Safe to say it has had a lot to do with the full-on fashion shenanigans in the capital of late. The Brown Thomas menswear department relaunch was just one swanky soiree that kept me in bubbles and Balenciaga for the evening. Not only is the place an absolute aesthetic mecca - it should be after a €10 million squid refurb - but the lust-worthy labels (Westood, Gucci, Canali, Burberry) and uber-hot on stage trumpeter kept me salivating for the night. We were loving the English Eccentric look worn by the waitresses. I thought the hat was Carolina Herrera until I was told it was Penneys with feathers! Kudos to the stylist. And a bit cheeky too! We likey! ;

taylor tomasi

click to enlarge

millions and trillions of pictures.

because the word sweetie would seem appropriate to describe her.

but then you spot her collection of amazing tough boots and think again.

taylor tomasi is the biz.

pics, fashion spot

Public Apology

I'd like to issue a public apology to my thighs. There was no need for me to systematically polish off a chocolate cake in 24 hours (although it was fun). Nor was it smart to believe champagne and croissants could pass as fruit and fibre. This behaviour I realise only serves to cause irrevocable pain. Wrenching off leather trousers in the fitting room of Principles may make good blog fodder but that sales assistant wasn't too happy when I asked her to grab a leg. In fact, I'm certain it was out of sympathy that she chose not to charge me for the damage. From now on I will aim to maintain adipose-challenged pins - or if I could just hold out til February when the volume trend will be hitting the highstreet.

snakeskin and cobweb knits

ali stephens in 10 Magazine

"because things that are sheer and have lots and lot of holes are like, going to be so big."

models.com