Britain's new princess (well sort of..)

...technically she's a duchess



Ok so I did end up getting a little bit caught up with wedding fever this morning watching the service, but in the words of the immortal Holly Golightly, 'it was all so wildly romantic'.

Kate Middleton looked absolutely stunning in her Alexander McQueen, Grace Kelly inspired wedding dress. Sarah Burton really did do an amazing job







The dress is a gorgeous long, lace sleeved and bodiced piece, and she looked every bit the perfect princess. What I love about it is that its so timeless. Unlike Princess Diana's dress, which was very much of it's day, Kate's has a gorgeous vintage look that won't date.

You can definitely see the parallels to Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding dress



A new icon is born?


images from Guardian & Vogue Websites

something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue..

So the whole country seems to have gone absolutely berserk about the Royal Wedding, and with the excitement mounting for tomorrow's nuptials I thought it seemed only right to mention...

As everyone currently resident in the UK will tell you only too well, the wedding is literally the only thing which is being discussed. Beside the multitude of bank hols which have fallen on us, it does seem like the whole thing is getting a little bit tedious...



Ok so this was taken in Sunderland so pretty extreme example.
still there's something I find a little bit creepy about being able to buy replica Princess Diana/Kate Middleton engagement rings in Primark... perhaps a sign of a little step too far?

Now of course I am going to tune in for the wedding (albeit probably not the full ceremony), partly because it's history...partly because I want to see what she looks like (and who she's wearing). Money appears to be on McQueen- and as Lorraine Candy tweeted: 'if it is McQueen we should celebrate royals supporting British fashion industry: 2nd biggest employer in UK'

Don't get me wrong I've got nothing against the Royals, and I do love the Mario Testino engagement photo




You've got to admit she'd make a pretty hot queen, and its nice that people are being so enthusiastic- even in a time when there are so many mixed attitudes to the monarchy. I just think the wedding fever may have been taken a little too far.

Then again maybe I'm just bitter because they'd sold out of clotted cream in morrisons...

happy easter + bank holiday heaven

Just a quick one, since I know I have to return to essay hell..

This morning I had the nice surprise of finding out that no actually, I did not have to go into work today as I had previously thought.
So instead I spent the day picking up easter treats for the family.





Happy Easter everyone...












I hope everyone in the UK enjoys the long weekend...

"fashion fades, style is eternal" -Yves Saint Laurent

While clearing my room today, I found a pile of old magazines stuffed at the back of my wardrobe. They were a pile I'd picked up at a carboot sale (and at £1 for 5 of them it would've been rude to say no). They're copies of Honey and imagine my surprise at one of the articles I stumbled upon....




The article reads:

If the world suddenly spun around to the year 2000, model-girl Grace Coddington would still be way-ahead in fashion. For years she gas been the fashion yardstick for the no-fuss, no-frill girls. Her idol is Courrèges, the space-age Paris designer who is uncompromisingly modern. And Grace won't give way to passing fads and fancies. 'Dolly-clothes' are her pet abomination. Her hair is Sassoon-short - she was one of the first to dare to let Vidal sculpture it thus. Her outline is taut, slim, at right-angles with the crystal-cut clothes she wears for her London-Paris commuter-life.


The article was published in 1965 (May), and it felt so weird reading it now and thinking how right the article. Here we are 65 years later, and Grace Coddington is still making her mark in the fashion world as creative director for American Vogue and producing gorgeous shoots.




Promise I'll have a proper look through them when I get a chance and share anything else that's interesting. But not right now...I've just got out of work and there's too much sunshine outside to let it go to waste....

Hope you all have a great weekend!

sunshine, pirates and shopping

The sunshine this morning has put me in such a good mood! I went horse riding for the first time yesterday and absolutely LOVED it! Legs are a little bit sore today though..



Now today I was planning on doing my uni reading- piracy in late victorian novels- but the weather has got me thinking about summer wardrobes and how much stuff i want to buy. For those of you who haven't already, you need to check out Zara's latest lookbooks, they've got some great pieces in at the moment!
some of my favourites have to be:









I am also completely in love with this dress....although heartbroken to discover a friend of mine has recently purchased it! Also it's probably a little bit too similar to the dress I got for my birthday:



I love the way Zara is always more about the understated pieces, and they always stock very classic shapes. I think the colours that they have in store at the moment are fab too- lots of bright statement pieces but nothing is garish or in your face, just lots of fun pieces perfect for summer!

I also spotted this little shirt, which i feel would be perfect for an interview...

I've been looking for a good, short-sleeved white shirt to go with these trousers I picked up in the Topshop sale


I need to get in touch with J though and see if they have any in stock in the north east, as they've sold out of my size online!! boo.

And to top off what looks like is going to be a great day, Vogue just landed on my doorstep. This month sees the first time British Vogue has ever published a choice of covers, mine is the Lara Stone cover:




The other covers feature Freja Beha Erichsen



and Natalia Vodianova




Now do I lie about watching Audrey Hepburn films, drinking cloudy lemonade and reading Vogue, or do I do my uni reading? decisions, decisions...

peek-a-boo

Probably one of the most unreliable bloggers in the world but never mind...

These past few months have been very manic and I've had lots to do at uni and at work- can't wait for summer to get here so i can relax. Right now its the Easter break, so I can let my hair down a little bit in between essay writing and catch up with some of my favourite people,


and indulge in long lunches at fiume :)

I managed to pick up a few bargains last week- I got this trench from h&m for only a tenner!! Very pleased as I was looking for a little jacket for the summer



Also snapped up these beauties in the Topshop flash sale for £35



I am so in love with them, and was debating with myself whether to get them when they were full price -so it seems like fate that I found them in the sale! However, it's April now...do I really need yet another pair of boots when we're moving into spring?? Probably not...