he said, she said

scott schuman; "I love that Carine is always happy to stop and talk or have her picture taken with her fans. Carine shows a genuine interest - Carine asked this young lady where she was from. The girl walked away just beaming."


pic and text from the sartorialist

carine, i ♥ you

Self-gifting

'Tis the season for a little self-gifting. Yes indeedy. A vintage dress here, a cocktail ring there, maybe a pair of crystal embellished Mary Janes? Perhaps it appears that I've taken the Christmas spirit a tad too literally; but let's put this into perspective. The only strata of people in life who can legitimately make 'lists' without fear of reprisal are kids under the age of 8 and those about to get hitched. Where's the justice? My name isn't Virginia and I don't intend on working the ailse anytime soon so ho-ho-hold on a minute and give a girl a break. I've been a good girl all year - it's time for payback! Now where's my credit card...

It All Comes Out in the Wash

Handy I'm not. It seems my DNA is programmed for faff and frippery. Throw in any bit of math, financial management or DIY and my head spins like Lynda Blair. Cut to: my washing machine hissing and spitting yesterday Exorcist-stylee. Not good; not least because half of my wardrobe lies wet in those steel Bosch jaws. Most of all my banjaxed Midas touch is sure to anger the machine. But I want my clothes back so I call for back up. Colum the handyman arrives and handy he is, forcing Ms Bosch to cough up dust, debris and....my underwire. Mort! Yes, it would appear the only ghost in the machine was that of a well chewed bra. Nice.

team hack lepere

saturday 28th november 2008

dear diary.

this is how i want to be when i am older.
this is how all relationships should be.
(minus the phones) but who knows, maybe they're calling each other.

i'm cold.

the end.

pic the sartorialist

girl on roller skates

I have two days off of college, so i'm taking the opportunity to head to london for the weekend, where I shall unsuccessfully resist vintage shopping (i need to buy christmas presents instead!) and have a general snout. having a slight day of losing my fashion mojo (in the words of kirsty lee) and feel a much needed people watch to get some outfit ideas!

possibly no posting until monday!

pic nicolas lawn

Swag

Into every life a little swag must fall. If that's the case, I'm definitely taking one for the team. This week alone I've received a P.INC diamond necklace, N. Peal cashmere scarf, €100 voucher for Kildare Village, Tiffany keyring and silk blouse from Whistles. I'm beginning to think Santa got his dates wrong. But hey, who's complaining?!

Hair of the Matter

There's nothing like a good brouhaha - especially when it involves politicians. Oh how we love to see the mighty crumble in this country. The latest 'scandal' in question involves none other than a $410 beauty bill allegedly clocked up by Mary Harney on an official trip to Florida. In the broader context the bill was red-flagged due to excessive spending by government officials. In isolation, it's small beans = €300. Would we rather our political representatives dock up to Cape Canaveral looking like the poor 'Oirish' cousins? After spending a morning at 'Leaders' Questions' in the Dail, I can tell you I'd be more than happy to shell out my taxpaying euros on sharpening up our political posse. Most of them looked like they slept in their clothes over summer recess. Surely a few bob for a wash and blowdry isn't a misappropriation of funds? It should be considered willful negligence not to do so. Case in point: Nicholas Sarkozy's security unit fashionably upstaged Cowan & Co on the French PM's July visit. It's time for serious sartorial measures. Let the $410 be waived I say. Lord knows we could use the help...

Dave Fanning Tonight - RTE Radio 1

Catch me tonight at 7pm on the Dave Fanning Show (RTE Radio 1) talking about none other than high heels! After my foray into the world of 8-inch Louey B's, I've been asked to speak on why women love 'em so much. As I've said before - more consistently reliable than sex - and you don't have to make 'em eggs! CLICK HERE for a playback of the show.

wear what they wear

damn this obscenely cold weather we're having. i want to wear shorts and miniskirts without fearing losing my legs to frostbite. i'm chilled to the bone. and i have five layers on.
this is england!

if you're stumped for on what to wear tomorrow..

and you're warmer than me..

why, copy lisa jo and sarah!



kathy is your friend

schoolboy fantasties make the cut for paris vogue's calendar

images from next year's Paris Vogue annual calendar have just surfaced. while i like the whole "sexy pin up calendar for girls" aspect, (as it kind of gives those calendars of women rolling in oil that you find in garages the finger) I prefer last year's which showed the models covered in colourful body paint. While at a glance it appeared that the models were covered in tattoos, on closer inspection, the illustrations of body organs and naked women were a little high fashion meets frida kahlo.



this years' edition is fun enough, with a couple of tongue and cheek poses (see erin heatheron holding her "pussy") but in my eyes, it doesn't live up to last year's standards. The calendar sees carine's styled interpretations of male fantasties, so naturally we have jourdan dunn decked out in louis vuitton nurse garb, a little questionable as come the new year the outfit will be two seasons out of date.
and gasp! where oh where is lara stone? is anna selezneva the new girl in town?

pics, fashionologie, see more here

Virgin Vie Fundraiser

Allow me to mount by crystal-embellished soapbox if I may. There's a fab Virgin Vie cosmetics, jewellery and homeware fundraising party in aid of the Simon Community on December 1st. This is a gift-wrapped chance to bag those Crimbo pressies early. What's more, 20% of all money taken for products on the night will go directly to the charity which helps provide real solutions to homelessness in the Greater Dublin area. Get down to the Mont Herbert hotel and flex some retail muscle for a damn good cause. There, I've dismounted. You may go now...

Date:- 1st December
Time:- 6pm onwards
Location:- Mount Herbert Hotel, Herbert Road, Dublin 4
Tel:- 085 737 5510

Lucky Londoners!

making good bad style good style

circa 1995

let's all watch clueless, sing boombastic by shaggy and work out how to channel cher, dionne and tai's outfits.

you know that phrase, "so bad it's good?"

and because i'm feeling a dungarees moment coming on.

guys, guys, it's happened. i'm now old enough to get nostaligic and actually have the knowledge to reference by gone eras! haa, i can chat retro shit and not have some 30 year old raise their eyebrows at me. oh.. isn't it kind of wrong that the 90s is now being referenced?

food for thought

the undeniably cool fleurette of dead fleurette has put into words something i've been pondering over the last few months..

does posting outfit posts make that person pretentious and egocentric?

all that posing and pre arranging, it's a little contrived, and hey, anyone who has taken outfit posts including myself will admit that it's not exactly spontaneous, unless of course you have a personal paparazzi, ie, a mate or boyfriend, and in that case doesn't that make you more pretentious?

often i feel a little uneasy about this "photo generation" we seem to have become, constantly feeling the need to document our every move and every person that we encounter. i admit, i carry my camera everywhere with me out of thyis quasi-fear of missing on capturing a perfect moment, but i often feel it's lame that it goes without saying that evidence of a successful night is getting tagged on facebook.

BUT at the same time, we're fashion bloggers, so why not! Just because you might take photos of your outfits, it doesn't make you some vain cory kennedy-alike hipster, it's simply about sharing and documenting what we're wearing, and besides, if you're proud of an outfit and feel good in it, why not stick it up? it's when people share that a huge archive of inspiration can be created.

If personal style posts are accussed of being pretentious and contrived, then surely so many realms within fashion and fashion blogging fall into that category.

ahh, my head is spinning and i'm being tugged in both directions! it's debate time! get involved, rant, please!

denim

here's to 2009.. most likely to be the year of denim.

Fashion Gaydar

I can't take credit for this one. This piece of priceless reality TV gossip comes directly from my one of my gay best friends.

Andrew sent you a message.
-------------------
Subject: Makes Project Runway Look Butch

Well throw out your back catalogue DVDs of America's Next Top Model, delete Project Runway from your Tivo, we have a new reality show on the block - Blush:Search for the Next Great Make Up Artist. Loving the fact the tasks are designed to test the compassion and confidence of contestants; makes the other shows look like they belong on Men and Motors :)

On a slightly less serious note, when are we doing Xmas drinks?

Andy x

Cabaret Chic

Missed The Afternoon Show? CLICK HERE to catch up with my Cabaret Chic slot. Expect lots of feathers, fishnets and bustier action. Don't miss those Tootsie Royale hats - they're fab!

kate and johnny

and the adidas trainers that she loved so.

more sharing of the 90s Kate love.

i'll take her glasses, and his boots.

ps, at the risk of sounding all "look at me!" lisa corneliusson over at swedish site LLC just posted a little interview feature that I took part in, and it's pretty cooll y'all. lovely to be amongst such a bunch of great bloggers, with the knight cat, tommy of jak and jil, and am-lul also featured..

the english translation is a bit shaky (click below) so here are a few of the answers I gave in "good. proper. correct. english"!

You are drawn to characters in films and books - tell us about a favorite!
Fictional characters are one of my top sources of inspiration, so it's hard to choose! Women who are independent, a little crazy and oddly stylish usually hit the spot. So Marla Singer from Fight Club for her grubby old prom dresses, Natalie Finch from Running with Scissors for her spontinaety, Sloane Peterson from Ferris Bueller's Day Off for her fringe jacket and nonchalence. And Margot Tenenbaum because she chopped off her finger and deems it something to boast about.

Tell us about yourself and how you came about to start Discotheque Confusion.
I started Discotheque Confusion two years ago when I had been toying with the idea of creating a fashion zine but the blog seemed a cheaper alternative! I live in England, a couple of hours from London and I'm a few months away from the end of college.I plan to spend the next year saving like a madmad in order to hotfoot it over to New York where I hope to live for a few months and intern within Fashion PR.

Why do we find ourselves being in love with Erin Wasson all of a sudden?
I think that when we are exposed to so many typically "fake" looking women in the world, to see a side of Erin, who has a tomboyish side that is so undeniably sexy is incredibly refreshing and also inspiring. Her style is so simple; a pair of cut off shorts or a thin white tee; it's accessable and the fact that she skateboards just adds to this "badass" factor which I think people who have an interest in fashion find appealing . We love her because so often everything within the fashion world is about perfection. So when Erin rocked up to the CDFA awards with her leg in a cast and crutches and she still killed it, our love for her was confirmed.

just a girl. and a t shirt.

Living in such a high-tech world seems to have people nostalgic for the past. Old fashioned snail mail and care packages are favoured over impersonal texts and emails. Most prefer the instant pleasure of a Polaroid to a digital camera. Just as mixtapes ruled in the 80s, we still gravitate towards homemade labours of love.

this homemade appeal is what drew me to i ♥ boxie, a small dalston based tee shirt company which has cuteness and unashamed cool in equal amounts. now here's a thought; how about wearing your heart on your tee shirt rather than on your sleeve?

i came across the i ♥ boxie site a few months back and after reading about moxie (as the mastermind is approproiately named) and her soft spot for typewriters and a desire for embracing the story behind the tee shirt and it's wearer, i fell in love and dropped her a line.

though many of the tee shirts are made in duplicate numbers (but you can opt the bespoke "t spoke" way) they're all very personal in that they're inspired by a place or person special to moxie and their slogans tell a story. if you order a tee for yourself, expect the story to come typed (with mistakes and all) on a little typewritten page; i find little novelties such as this so refreshing and so much more rewarding than getting some old tee in a polythene wrapper from X online store.

another reason to heart moxie is because of the price, which at £23 a pop is certainly no piss take, especially when the personalised tees (you drop them a line with your own slogan) cost exactly the same to "encourage people to have their own tee that tells their own story."

check out the loveliness http://www.iloveboxie.com/

** to clarify, this is my (i guess you could say..) "policy" on chatting shit about amazing products.. I'll only feature products that I genuinely love on this blog, regardless of any freebies or incentives, because selling out smells badd. i got in touch with moxie to let her know i was going to feature her lovely tees on the blog and she kindly offered to send me one of my own. thanks again m. x **

I Blog Fashion and Twiggy on The Afternoon Show

Tune into RTE 1's The Afternoon Show from 3 tomorrow to catch my Cabaret Chic fashion slot. I'll be joined by legendary model Twiggy on the sofa to talk where I'll be showing you how to work that 'razzle dazzle' - without getting arrested. There are some fabulous tophats courtesy of Tootsie Royale Millinery so be sure to watch!

Phil Mitchell Hearts Hakkasan

I was in London yesterday for a super press day courtesy of Asos.com. Not only did we journos get a sneaky peek at the SS09 collection (more deets anon!) but they kindly treated us to a lovely dim sum lunch at Hakkasan. On my way out to the front desk to get my coat, I heard someone ask for a menu. I turned around to see Eastenders' Phil Mitchell beside me. As I casually buttoned up, he asked the maitre d' if he could make a booking. 'For how many?' she asked; at which point I was tempted to chime in 'It's for faaaamily Phil, innit?' Luckily I resisted the urge to get headbutted. I'm sure the poor bloke has heard that line umpteen times...and he looked a bit cross. Still glad I was in the presence of East End lore...even if it was in the West End.

Elemis Moisture Melt

In times of global downturn, it's reassuring to know there are some beauty products that are made to multi-task. Forget your Boots '3-for-2' deals or Lancome 'one to be skincare if you want these poxy travel samples'. Elemis has introduced Moisture Melt - an intense hydrating oil made from exotic frangipani monoi. In laymans' terms this means it can be used as a moisturiser on wet or dry skin, a weekly hair conditioning masque, a treatment for stubborn cuticles, or overnight to soften dry hands and feet. Just warm the bottle under the hot tap and the product, which solidifies at room temperature, melts into a silky liquid as you require it. The result? No nasty spills or greedy overuse! Oh, it also helps protect against free radicals. We hate those pesky things. Get Elemis Exotic Frangipani Moni Moisture Melt £29/ €35

jen and chloe, you are my (plural) homegirl

if ever there was confirmation needed, this is it.

i love these guys because:

1 they don't light up a cigarette just because they're having a photo taken.

2 and they pull ugly faces not pretty ugly faces.

3 they ask "stars" (stamos and cardellini) to pose for a photo with them like fangirls.

4 and because it's jen, (lesley) and chloe.

thankk you deex, you lovely thing, for the heads up. get better soon!

pics cafeconlesley

kate moss nostalgia

walking back from my salsa lesson on wednesday night (that's right, i do salsa..) i found myself in Borders leafing through "Kate Moss Style" a new and satisfyingly chunky book by Angela Buttolph.

The vast number of pictures of Kate Moss reminded me of how fantastic she looked in the 90s. In recent years, she hasn't wowed me in quite the way she used to and some of the older pictures really inspired me to recreate the outfits that are so simple yet effective, like a long slim tube skirt with a little white tee tucked in and some quirky sunglasses.

I'm thinking a Kate Moss style post is in the works just to remind us all of why we love her so.

The Apprentice Shoe Editing Blunder

The best editing blunder of late has to go to the producers behind TV3's The Apprentice. On tonight's episode, Kiwi contestant Sarah Cowley was fired for her flaccid project management skills but it was the editor who spliced together two different pairs of heels in her departing shot that should've been sacked. How (or why?) she managed to change from one nasty pair of shoes to the next just beggars belief. Shot one: Orla leaves the boardroom with trolley dolley in a pair of orthopedic chic strappy granny sandals. Shot two: Orla alights the black cab with same trolley dolley; this time sporting a pair of mumsy Mary Janes (an offence in itself to defile such an iconic heel!). At first, I thought Bill was a bit mislead in firing her ass instead of that Orla (who I'm convinced is an actress!) until my retina nearly melted from spying the footwear foulers! Kudos to fierce fashionista sense Mr. Cullen.

on the campaign trail

there is much promoting of "Influence" the Olsens sister's fashion focused coffee table book to be done. and thank god many a pair of shoes to be donned. here is the evidence so far.

Poll Results - Sex Beats Shopping

Who would have thought? People would rather give up flexing retail muscle for flexing another..ehm...muscle. I would've bet my boring cotton undies to the contrary. I'm all for swinging from the chandeliers but surely the hedonistic thrill of buying a pair of Louey B's tops that of a good shag - if only for consistency. Any time I need a pick me up, I just look at my feet. And I'm not obliged to make them eggs.