Monday, May 28, 2012


'I don't write for children. I write' - Maurice Sendak


PHILOSOPHY

I believe that peaches have the ability to heal. I believe that sunshine is good for the soul. My gods are Macneice and Keats and Kipling, Hughes, Plath, Fitzgerald, Tolkien. My heroes are Simba and Aslan, Harry (and Ron and Hermione), Heathcliff, Tristan, Isolde, Arthur, Audrey, Max and his Wild Things, the Velveteen Rabbit, Helen of Troy, Tom, Jerry, Achilles - and they have been my constancy. And as long as there are secret gardens to be found, Rochesters to be won, children who require Narnia, and a land where the bong-trees grow, that shall be my ideology. I believe that careers are a figment of the 20th century, the age of chivalry is not yet dead, hope is the ambrosia of all dreamers. Above all I believe that there are revolutions yet to be had.


- Ava Heywood

Sunday, May 27, 2012

FREE & SUMMER 2K12 TO-DO


So you know that feeling when you're just completely and utterly liberated? Well, I've got it now...


With summer approaching, here's what I want to do:


1. Master the art of macaroons



 2. This - just found myself a little polaroid camera for none other than £5 on Saturday



3. Some crazy-ass jewellery

4. Frocks galore


5. Yes - learn how to drive



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

THE WEDDINGS: RECAP & FAVES


I had so much fun preparing this series - please excuse the volley of posts all on the same topic. So, let's sum it up: we had the hipster wedding in Paris (Un Peu Bobo), where Baroque takes on new colours; the unconventionally chic wedding in California (Un Peu Rock) with wedges and netting, the southern wedding (On Dirait le Sud) with subdued colours and an olive orchard, the fresh spring (Delicatesse Printaniere) with whites and greens galore, the hippy one complete with teepee (A Very Hippy Occasion), the classic French country party - white dress, champagne, chateau (Oysters and Champagne), and finally the beach wedding (Nouvelle Vague).

So it was fun. I got to indulge my inner little girl by making wedding inspiration boards. But then I think, we all talk about having the perfect wedding, and suddenly it occurred to me: what exactly is that? What makes your wedding perfect? Is it the guestlist? Is it how good your skin looks or what the groom wears? Is it the seating plan, the menu, the centrpeices, the flowers, the flowergirls, the lace, the hair - what? Why does it matter? Is it really going to be the most important day of your life?

I am a firm believer in eloping. Enough said. I'll be signing a piece of paper for my wedding, and maybe I'll have a party afterwards. I'll be frightfully tasteful and wear black and smoke from a cigarette holder and dance until the early hours of the morning and drink absolutely nothing but champagne, and it'll be worth remembering. I might have flowers and I might not have a something blue, I certainly won't have a veil and I'll wear flat shoes. There will be really amazing burgers and lots of gorgeous men in black tie.

What do you want your ideal wedding to be like? traditional? unconventional?









THE WEDDINGS : THE DRESSES


 So here are a selection of my favourite wedding dresses encountered over the course of my travels - with this short lace number in first place. I love it.






Monday, May 21, 2012

THE WEDDING {7}: A VERY HIPPY OCCASION










THE WEDDING {6}: NOUVELLE VAGUE

So, getting married on the beach is established stereotype by now, I know. But that's because there's something so appealing about getting married to the sound of waves, and then beach fires, dinner on the sand... Enough said. Breezy, simple shapes for this one and a fresh colour scheme. I love the idea of a big, chunky plait. Doesn't she look happy? You could be, once again, unconventional, and wear these cute lace espadrilles, or you could go barefoot...






THE WEDDING {5}: VERY OYSTERS AND CHAMPAGNE


If traditional is your kind of thing, then this is the wedding for you. It's just about ready for a pumpkin carriage.





THE WEDDING {4}: ON DIRAIT LE SUD...

Now for a place close to my heart - we'll be heading to a Southern olive orchard for our next wedding. As in the previous post, I'm thinking a dress that isn't quite white. I love this one for the detailing. Top it off with little flat gold shoes, because you couldn't dance in an orchard without them... ;) Hair in a complex form of plait and no jewellery. Olives that burst with sun, Peaches in crates and dancing fit for high summer.








PLUTOT RIVIERA OU GARD?

Catholic or Protestant? It all boils down to what side of the river you're on. On the one hand the subdued colours of Uzes, or the flamboyancy of Arles. Are you more Carven or Christian Lacroix? Here is a few of the places you should visit. They're all slightly off the beaten track.


Tarascon, Chateau St Privat, Grasse, Roussillon, Lagrasse, Avignon

THE WEDDING {3}: UN PEU ROCK


For the third wedding in this series, I thought I'd go for something weird and wonderful. So I thought, pinstriped deckchairs? bring it on. Wedges? Pop culture food with a twist, like tuna burgers with sprouts and wasabi, sweet potato fries (I've heard they're great with chocolate sauce), panna cotta with balsamic sauce strawberries - yep, yep, yep. As for the gown, you could play with length. I love this net pointille specimen, and the beige hue. The high ponytail Is practical and would give the whole ensemble great allure. For a more tame approach, you could go with some simple black stilettos or flats.


















THE WEDDING {2}: UN PEU BOBO


For an oh-so-hipster wedding, take it to Paris, with an unconventionally short, structured dress, and yes, those are little black lace booties (aren't they cute?), a top-bun cum beehive, ultra-feminine hair ornament and a rooftop reception. Dancing by the city lights far into the evening.