April 30, 2012

I Can't Stand The Rain


It's been a long, rainy, uninspiring weekend, after a long, rainy week. Rain, rain and more rain. I had to work all day Saturday and had a very quiet day in today listening to Edith Piaf, re-reading The Great Gatsby, dreaming of dryer and warmer places, eating eggs with pesto for breakfast and a roast chicken dinner, with some large glasses of wine to make it all better.

When I did venture out it was in old favourite clothes, my practical raincoat and my trusty black Hunters, so the pictures above are inspiration.

I have some new things to show you, but it'll just have to wait til next week. Hope you had a good one.

x

April 28, 2012

Tiny Silver Treats



I had somehow forgotten about the magical place that is Etsy, but popped in today looking for some as-small-as-possible silver earrings (having an earring moment right now), and have just departed with these three pairs of teeny tiny sterling silver delight, all handmade in Thailand, and mine for under £12, delivered to my door.


A little treat with minimum effort and minimum purse dentage. Perfect!

x

April 26, 2012

Hot Nails




Check out Sarah’s nails!

They’re Meadham Kirchoff nail wraps, and with the exception of one very cheeky one, are super cute baby animals, dolls and smiling love hearts in popping shades of lemon, navy, lilac and red.  

All the models at the London Fashion Week show were wearing them and they gave sets away to the front row, so everyone was all a-flutter, and for good reason!

You can currently get them at ASOS (thought they don’t ship to the UK) and Topshop.

Sarah is a super chic and super smart workmate of mine. She currently also has the best short hair of anyone I know, I’ll post a picture sometime if she lets me!

x

Parisian Chic



The other night I went to see Café De Flore, a film that was equal parts beautiful, annoying and unusual, and starred the enigmatic Vanessa Paradis. While this film saw her cast as a tired single mother in early '70s Paris, all dark-circled eyes, tied-back hair, practical shoes and frumpy cardigans, in real life she's a total babe.

Cool things about her:
- If you look at her for a while, she’s like a hybrid of some of the world’s most beautiful women all rolled into one – Kate Moss, Alicia Silverstone (hey, it was the 90s!), Heather Graham, maybe even a touch of Leighton Meester...
- She models, she sings (admittedly pretty badly), she acts
- She wears mostly black, but likes a bit of sparkle
- She smiles a lot 
- She doesn’t give much away
- Her surname really is Paradis, which is 'heaven' in French
- She looks almost exactly the same as she did 20 years ago
- She's the epitome of effortless Parisian chic
- Her hair. A bohemian dream
- She's been the face of Chanel and Miu Miu and is a favorite of Karl Lagerfeld
- She's collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg 
- She owns an island in the Bahamas with Johnny Depp... her boyfriend and father of her children

I’d still like to fix her teeth, which I know is not the right thing to say, but there it is. 

Channel her look with perfectly tousled hair via Bumble and Bumble Texture Creme, a smokey Chanel eye, a classic black blazer like this Isabel Marant Oscar style, or a cool leather biker jacket.

x

London's Calling



That's all.


x

April 25, 2012

I Heart Magazines #1



Some of you may already know or follow my Facebook group, We Heart Magazines - it's basically just a place I add regular snippets of magazine news, plus shoots, covers and editorial that catch my eye. It's been going since November 2010 and currently has 467 followers.

Since some of my most popular posts on this blog have been magazine-related (like this and this), I thought it might be good to consolidate the best of We Heart Magazines into a neat little parcel for War Paint & Roses. Good?

First up, remember The Face? It was a pop culture magazine that ran from May 1980 to May 2004, and was definitely one of the best of the time, or since. Test Pressing has run a really great and rare interview with the founder and editor Nick Logan. It's loooong, but totally worth your time.

Second is the news that Fashion East founder and all-round amaze babe Lulu Kennedy has just been announced as Editor-at-Large at LOVE magazine.

Third just gives a little nudge to a rumour that's already been doing the rounds for a while, concerning the irrepressible Carine Roitfeld (ex Editor in Chief of Paris Vogue) and her upcoming magazine venture. According to The Cut, the magazine is due out in September, will be biannual, based in New York and more book-like than magazine-esque. There will be no “front of the book” section and its emphasis will be “fashion with a lot of freedom," says she of the centre-part, smokey eyes and fabulous legs.

Finally, one of my current faves so super excited, Issue 9 of interiors-based Apartamento magazine is out now. Get it! (Also watch out for my interview with Editor in Chief Marco Velardi, coming soon).

x

April 23, 2012

Wild Cats, Studs And Spring Blooms


London's weather has been totally unpredictable this week, tipping wildly from glorious sun to sheets of rain and icy wind, with dark brooding clouds, fork lightning and booming thunder thrown in for free.

Late Saturday afternoon erred on the side of bright lemony sunshine with the odd gust of mean wind, so we went for a stroll along Regents Canal down to Victoria Park, stopping to chat with some waggy dogs, regal snowy swans and sooty-faced geese as we went.

Catching the last of the light before it disappeared permanently behind a veil of scudding cloud, we then followed a winding route through elaborate beds of vivid flowers (no photos sorry, whites and greens were what I wanted for this post) to the cosy haven of the Royal Inn on the Park pub. Not a bad way to cap off a lazy spring day.

Thought I had better capture these sass & bide denim shorts before it was too late, as I have (nearly) quite literally loved them to pieces, and I fear they will soon have to be put to pasture. Not being a huge fan of the high waist or the over-exposed thigh, these little beauties have just the right amount of slouch, sit low at the hips and have strips of luxe heavy-duty studs across each back pocket. Oh, I will miss them.

x

Wearing: Zara shirt, sass & bide denim shorts, Topshop tights, Acne boots, ASOS leather bag.


Photos by Michael Humphrey

April 22, 2012

Jewels And Baby Animals


How beautiful is this shoot? A super babe, exquisite make-up, decadent nails, opulent jewellery... oh and adorable baby animals! 

It's Nick Knight's first ever Instagram photo shoot, inspired by "Internet memes, animal GIFs and Autumn/Winter 2012's taste for grown-up, blown-up overdressing."

x

Lovely New Things


A big bunch of Dutch double tulips in delicious sunset orange.

After an extensive search (read, most of the winter) for a pair of totally plain black leather boots that weren't Acne Pistols, I finally admitted defeat and bought Acne Pistols.

A pair of oversized Ray-Ban Wayfarers, to keep my regular-sized Ray-Ban Wayfarers company.

Happy weekend!

x

April 21, 2012

Magic What She Do


I’m sure I’m not alone on this, but I don’t think there’s anything more magical or breathtakingly beautiful in all the world than crystals. Utterly otherworldly and dazzlingly complex, yet also fabulously organic. The texture, the patterns, the colour, the light… I could look at them all day.

One day I’d like to have a) my own crystal cave or b) a room coated with crystals along the lines of artist Roger Hiorn’s crystal apartment

In the meantime, I’m going to start collecting them for our apartment (Hi boyfriend, hope you’re okay with this…), get a bunch of crystal jewellery, and keep staring at these amazing images.

x

April 20, 2012

The Devil's In The Details


Just before the Easter break I wrote about spring cleaning our apartmentWell, that felt so good - equal parts cleansing, reinvigorating and mood-enhancing - that I’m now starting work on other areas of life that have been neglected somewhat, namely my wardrobe and my makeup.

It’s actually pretty amazing how doing a bunch of tiny things you’ve managed to put off for ages can make a big difference. Here are some things I’ve done or am dedicated to doing this week.

First and most obvious, filter my wardrobe. Step one is to rifle through and toss out anything I haven’t worn in… say… three months (not including season-specific items). From this, decide which I’m likely to ever wear again. Those that don’t make the cut will either go in a ‘give-away’ or a ‘sell’ pile.

Another urgent issue to address is all those annoying dry-clean only items. As a collector of silk shirts and other impractical-to-clean items, this is a constant issue, mostly finance and memory-based (read - I can’t really afford it and when I can I always forget), so I often have a towering pile of sad and crumpled items waiting. 

There are three particular trouble-makers that my local drycleaner won’t take, as two have painted metal buttons (this was discovered when the paint came off the buttons of one the first time I took it in, beware the deceptive beauty of the T By Alexander Wang silk crepe de chine shirt!) and the other has metal collar tips that apparently leach stains onto the fabric and they aren't prepared to take the risk. Seriously, they are the bane of my existence. I am determined to find someone that will clean these, who is also easy to get to… (love you shirts)

A third smaller sub-group here is the ‘menders and alterations’ – that Cybele silk dress I really should let go but love so much, despite being borderline threadbare from overuse and complete with tear from where I caught it on a drawer handle (a dark day), and my favourite black skinny J Brand jeans, which have always been way too long in the leg, for some reason I seem to have an aversion to getting them hemmed so instead I hardly ever wear them. This is just stupid, and needs to be remedied. I can already feel the joy my ankles will experience when they are released from their bunched-up torment.

Next is what’s on the bottom of the wardrobe, currently in a huge, jumbled, dusty and terrible pile – shoes. Again, a few things need to happen. One is the above filter and file, but the other is what I like to think of as shoe redemption. Often (but not always) the shoes you love the most are also those you wear the most, therefore, they’re likely to be showing that love and wear, in all the wrong places. 

Take a look at those guys and ask yourself – can I save you, and what will it take? In my case, some simple and inexpensive fixes are getting new shoe laces for my patent-leather brogues (one has come unraveled and is threatening to snap at any time) and glueing down the sole on my well-loved biker boots, which have lately taken on the appearance of something a comical hobo character might wear - flapping sole and all…

Others follow in quick succession -

New tights! And plenty of them! Again with the comical hobo thing, every pair of black tights I own (and there are many) has at least one hole in the toe, I’ve taken to only wearing closed shoes so no one can see my shame.

Throw away old make-up! (Realistically I won't ever try to get the last drop out of that YSL foundation bottle, despite looking at it and thinking about it for the last month or so.) And wash brushes and sponges! So fresh!

Actually that’s all I can think of for now… but boy, I feel better already. Deep cleansing sigh. Any other tips, while I’m at it?

x


(Image via songofstyle)

April 19, 2012

Pretty Hair



I am a great and loyal fan of the top knot and the bun, so will definitely be giving this reverse French plait top-knot thing a go, though I suspect it’s not as easy as Elle.com makes out…

1.     Give your hair a good brush to detangle.
2.     Tip your head upside down.
3.     Take an inch-wide section of hair at the nape of your neck and split in to three.
4.     Start plaiting upwards, taking pieces of hair from each side to create a reverse French braid.
5.     Once you reach the top of your head, gather all the leftover hair and twist it into a bun on top of your head. 
6.     Secure with a hair tie. 

x

April 18, 2012

Shhhhh, Secret Sale

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

Attention please! 

Totes amaze online retailer Shopbop is currently having a (slightly) secret 'friends and family' sale. 

Enter the code INTHEFAMILY20 to get a tidy 20 percent off a huge bunch of designer brands, including some of my absolute favourites like Alexander Wang, Theyskens' Theory, DANNIJO, Opening Ceremony, Cheap Monday, Equipment, Karen Walker, Jeffrey Campbell, House of Harlow, Sass & Bide and Stella McCartney. Oh my!
 
I've put together a few of my super favourite pieces (heavy on the Alexander Wang, it's true), for your perusal. Now go shop.

x

1. Alexander Wang Brenda leopard-print bag
2. House of Harlow gold Horsehoe bracelet
3. Alexander Wang black Dillon sneakers
4. Karen Walker tortoiseshell Perfect Day sunglasses
5. DANNIJO Mara necklace
6. House of Harlow black Eden wedges
7. Alexander Wang azure Fumo wallet 
8. DANNIJO silver Cintia collar
9. Chloe Linnee sunglasses
10. Alexander Wang grey Ruby suede oxfords
11. Alexander Wang navy Marion bag
12. Cheap Monday Cryokinesis sunglasses
13. Jeffrey Campbell Arizona python booties