fashion, art and mess.

moving moving.

2008-08-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hellooo (:

and not just moving my head around.

I've decided to start a new blog. I've decided this blog has become more 'MESS MESS MESS' than fashion, art and mess.
so, NEW BLOG!

check it out (: i like it more than this one.

lightleaks.

2008-08-25T01:04:00.000-07:00

the second roll of diana i've had developed.
the first was one big lightleak.
i'm really upset, because i KNOW i removed the film right. i was standing in a cupboard in the middle of a building! no light!!! ho hum...

Lake Maggiorie, Italy.

Zurmat, Switzerland

151 posts.

2008-08-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

haha, my last post was my 150th! i should have made a bigger deal of it!
i'm not back blogging, yet, but i thought i'd show you the polaroids i took on holiday. get ready for a long post...

a dreamy river.

a long journey.

a beautiful drive.

a cloudy day.

an attempt.

a roadside shrine.

a place, revisited.

a friendly ride.

a famous mountain.
(the matterhorn)

a slippery slope.

a family shot.

a worrying drop.

a bored moment.

a windy day.

a surreal light.

a different world, a bad scan.

a treasured image.

a dear, unknown place.

After some confusion over when Fresher's actually starts for me, it's now clear that I leave for University in two weeks. shitshit.
I'm hoping that whilst packing, i'll get a better idea of who i am, or something, or at least, WHAT i want to wear so i can start blogging again! i was thinking of maybe starting a whole new blog? i don't know.
but, THANK YOU for all your lovely comments. and reassurances. and everything
<3>

taking breaks.

2008-08-15T11:52:00.001-07:00

I know that my posting has been pretty sporadic and crappy for...erm...ever, but i'm going to take an official break from blogging for a while.
In a month (to the day, actually...) i will be starting my art foundation course at university. this scares the living shit out of me. everything will change.
Holiday, instead of soothing my nerves, has made me even more unsure about everything than usual.
When I get my holiday snaps developed I will probably post them, but for the moment I'd rather keep my mug off of here. i'm not being stalked, or wanted by the police, honest!

I hope i won't compleltly lose everyone from reading my blog! and, my self inforced ban will probably allow me to read other people's blogs, and actually comment, without feeling like a bad person for being fat, ugly and unfashionable!

so.
i hope everyone's having a wonderful summer, and anyone who got A Level results yesterday I HOPE YOU DID WELL!!
let the manic, terrifying preparations commence...

snaps

2008-08-06T12:32:00.001-07:00

so, here i am! in switzerland, yay yay.
it's currently 9.30 in the evening and i'm sitting next to a swimming pool, with lots of flowers and mountains and stuff around. here are some pictures i took during the journey here. i now thank my parents for driving, because i get to see so many more beautiful places than i would otherwise!

france!

youth hostel in Troyes.
well. a steam next to it.

Troyes- a historic town in France.

coconut ice cream....mmmm...it makes up for me being so short...

they had really cute espresso cups!

this bag- i found it in a charity shop and loved it. the label said £10, which i thought to be quite steep, but i opened it up and there was a wonderful polaroid camera inside! with film in it!! it was expired, but still made me very very happy.
and it holds any one of my cameras, with my new compact slipped in the side. or my phone.

lake geneva + reflections

sunset in susten, where we're staying.

views.

i got a compact digital camera with some birthday money, which takes photographs underwater. this will bring hours of enjoyment! i've taken some films, but they're taking ages to upload...maybe another time...

i hope you're all well!

we're all going on a summer holiday!

2008-08-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

no more working for a week or two (:

at 4am on monday morning the drive from gatwick, england, to susten, switzerland commences.
eight hundred miles.
two days in a fucking car.
why can't we just go somewhere normal!? carbon footprint, parents!!

anyway, whilst i'm away i'm going to think about what direction i want my blog to take. at the moment, it's more 'mess' than anything else, and it's irritating me. any ideas? to be honest, the 'fashion' part of this blog has always been a bit shit. i'm not the most creative of dressers, and probably never will be.
but, i'd like to keep up the 'art and mess' part of it.
answers on a postcard?

before i leave, i'm planning on actually making my new banner that i took the photographs for ages ago. lazy annah.

warm days.

2008-07-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

london. dianaf+

view from a train approaching london bridge - london bridge - a view from half way up the hill to greenwich observatory - greenwich park

home. polaroid

pure silk blouse from river island - pre-storm

projects

2008-07-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

i'm really sorry for my lack of blogging recently- the combination of beautiful weather, working, a family get together and working towards on some illustrations for a zine (!!!!! excited !!!!!) have meant that i haven't had a lot of time to blog.
i have also imposed a clothes shopping ban on myself- on anything over £3. yes! i can still buy knickers!! who doesn't love underwear, hey?
whilst shopping with my best friend last week, i tried on this top from topshop:

the one i tried was actually a beautiful dusty pink (not a colour i've ever tried before- i automatically thought it would look awful against my skin, but it actually looked lovely) and i've really fallen in love with it.
however, £28 for a vest top with some flowers on it is...URGH. criminal!!! so i'm planning on making one myself! yay!

my blogging is going to be pretty sporadic for the next three weeks, as next monday i go away to Switzerland for two weeks. I'm really excited because we'll be staying in the mountains, and i do love mountains! i know the campsite has internet access so hopefully i'll be able to bring you pictures! if you want, anyway!

oh, and on the subject of the cupcakes in my last post:
the topping is actually crushed up Fox fruit sweet things (boiled sweets, basically). they gave the EXACT effect i was looking for, although they did melt after a day...

whiteout

2008-07-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

e my haha! cheating bandwidth! i will now use my flickr, with it's newly purchaced pro account to host my pictures.
although. that means there's more likelihood of people from college finding my blog.
having a blog makes me feel very self centered.
anyway.

a nice dress! a nice day!

i never wear shoes at home.

then it got cold and we had dinner outside so i wore some lilac tights and my blazer and my gold shoes.
so i lied.
i wear shoes at home sometimes. but only because it was cold.

oh and i made fairy cakes

bandwidth...

2008-07-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

GRRRR!! DAMN YOU PHOTOBUCKET!!!
i apologise for all of the "bandwidth exceeded" photo things everywhere. i'm not going to pay for more bandwidth with them, so it'll be that way until the 25th of this month. i'm really sorry.
whilst the rest of my page is ugly ugly ugly, here are four photographs that i took with my dianaf+ and 120 film (the correct film for the camera). i'm pretty pleased with them, even if they don't really look much.

double exposure, the pavilions, brighton.

taken from a train window.

double exposure- my garden and a guitar.

a man on stilts in brighton.
i love this picture.
i am so glad i plucked up the courage to take my scary looking camera out and snap him.

there are some others that i need to scan, plus some from my party, but my scanner's right over there +points across room+ and my sewing machine is in the way.
that sewing machine is in my bad books. it won't do what i want it to and i'm trying to do something really important and exciting that i will soon blog about that i have another nine days to do stressed stressed stressed!!!!

the seven seas.

2008-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Whilst going through my wardrobe, i was able to highlight 'key pieces' that i really need. for example, i don't have a single white strap/vest top. how did that happen!?
but one thing that i really WANT and i think would be useful: a pair of wide legged, high waisted trousers, preferably with some nautical buttons (:

(the cherry blossom girl)

does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations of where i might find these? i'm useless at actually finding things i want...

wardrobe remix.

2008-07-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

today, i started the terrifying task of sorting out my wardrobe. i am a very messy person. very very messy.
anyway, my wardrobe is now completely cleared out, and things are organised, with stuff still to sort out neatly (well...neatly-ish) boxed at the bottom.
i've still got an under-bed box, and a huge packing case to sort out, most of which will be sent to charity shops/ebayed. i will take some pictures of things, and if anyone sees anything they might be interested, let me know and i will take proper pictures of them for you to see. plus i'll sell them cheap.

anyway. with all of my clothes out of my wardrobe and in very neat piles, i decided to play with some pieces that i rarely/have never worn out before, and my new skirt and blazer. here are my hilarous results.
PLEASE NOTE. i look like a twat in all of these. i wasn't wearing any make up, and it was an 'i need makeup day'. the later pictures are particularly cringe-worthy...but i'm not getting all of my clothes out of my wardrobe to re-shoot...

1.

reading Murakami- READ SOME OF HIS WORK. i love love love him.
plus he's Japanese. I'm not going to go into my serious weird crush on japanese men...ahem.

okay, this doesn't quite work. the introduction of dark colours is too much, i think (the tights match better in real life...) but i might play around with different combinations, maybe dark tights...
skirt- h&m
blouse- charity shop
blazer- asos.com
shoes- peacocks
tights- portobello road market

2.

okay. these photos...i look like i'm trying to be a domonatrix or something. i was actually trying to show the shape of the trousers, and look 'fierce'...

THIS MAKE-UP IS PHOTOSHOPPED ON.

i actually quite like this, even if it is very different to what i normally wear.
i got the weird trousers from a topshop sale for £3, and i developed a weird liking for them. the blouse is something mum just bought home from work, randomly...it's a wonderful shape:

it's got bat-wing arms, and a cowl-ish neck, which is unbuttoned here...

trousers- topshop
shirt- school dressing up box
shoes- primark

jeans- topshop
corset top- tammy girl when i was 13.
here, i was trying to channel susie bubble (who, normally, i would not even ATTEMPT to imitate...i would look even MORE stupid than i do normally) by turning my garment up-side-down. it worked surprisingly well! especially with the blazer. if i do actually wear this out, i'll wear it with a strappy top, not the weird corset-y one i was wearing, and i'd probably wear the shirt inside out so you didn't see the stitching. and...with either a simple black skirt and tights, or straight black trousers and heels.

and finally, just trying the blazer with some other shirts...

blouse- MK1

as you may or may not have noticed, i like this blazer.

my tidy wardrobe (: even though it looks a bit dingy and dark =/

my box of things to alter...

getting smarter.

2008-07-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

i have issues with dressing "smart". at college, a couple of people commented that i always dressed 'up' cause i wore dresses when the majority of people wore jeans and a tshirt. however, when it comes to actually dressing up, i never really know where to start. for example, my first instinct when going to an interview was to wear an old cardigan. i did end up wearing a smart-ish jacket, but for a while i've had my eye out for a smart jacket that can dress up simple outfits, and harden up something a bit girly.
i got this jacket through the post from asos.com yesterday, and i love it.

i was being attacket by bushes.

i also wandered into the Peacocks sale yesterday (classy....) and found these shoes for £7. they reminded me of the three strap shoes by chloe, only...er...cheaper and more crossed over. i really liked the wooden heel, so i got them. they're incredibly difficult to walk in.

summer breeze.

2008-07-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

when you look, you find. I went shopping on my lunch break yesterday and looked ONLY at skirts (i actually managed not to get drawn straight to dresses...) and i came out with two very different skirts.
i took heed of all of your advice (thank you, everyone =D) and although i WISH i could go for the tight skirt+baggy t-shirt look, it's just not going to happen.

for some reason my mind is numb and i can't think of anything to write. spending a lonely night in after a lovely day with my boy (:

I'd like to apologise in advance for 1) my exposed bra/bra straps in half of these. damn knickerbox sale luring me to buy underwear that shows under tops. and 2) my completely, hopelessly twisted necklace. thanks for warning me there, ed :P

i actually hated these two things enough to start photoshopping them out. i VERY rarely do anything to alter my photos (other than saturation/overlaying images, but they're pretty obvious...) so i felt ashamed of myself. although, at least i wasn't making myself look really skinny and fresh faced!

skirt 01
I got this from New Look for £12. I kept the label in it (naughtily...) incase i went off it, but i do like it. even if it's probably not aimed at the age 18 market.

i got told off by Ed for never wearing my hair back, so i made a makeshift chopstick out of a twig. classy.

i apologise for this cardigan. i love it. i truly do. really truly. but it makes me look like a slob. i ordered the blazer i had my eye on, which I'll have fun using to smarten up outfits like this...

from asos.com

HAPPY PHOTOS TIME!

this makes me want dreadlocks...

sometimes i wonder why...i really do.

skirt two to come.

oh, and i will get round to posting about the exhibition of our A Level work..

skirting around the issue.

2008-07-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

recently, my boyfriend pointed out that i very rarely wear skirts. i tend to opt for either boring jeans and the same old t-shirts, or a dress if i feel brave enough to show my legs.

the truth is that i've always had a problem with knowing what to put WITH skirts.
everyone else can do it find!
i have an aversion to this seasons ruffle skirt, because i'm convinced it will make my hips look huge, and although i do have THIS and THIS skirt that i wear on and off, they're really my only wearable skirts.

when i got an birthday £10 off email from ASOS.com, i immediately went to dresses. (well, after this jacket, that i love, and will probably get.) however, i will now force myself to look through skirts. i quite like wearing over the knee skirts- they feel light and airy without the fear of exposing my rear with one gust of wind. my hatred of my legs always rears its head more with skirts than with dresses for some reason, which probably explains my dislike of wearing them.

does anyone have any advice for what to wear WITH skirts? that sounds like a stupid question, but it always just flumoxes me!

anyway, here are some inspirational pictures of inspirational girls in lovely skirts.

adri

flying saucer

rumi

(wearing a skirt by childhood flames.)

pandora

the clothes horse

cheapskate chic

i could go on forever...

i should really now go and search Chictopia for people with the same body type as mine (let's face it-my legs are NEVER going to be as thin as i want them) and then put a load in my scrap book for inspiration...

taggy tag.

2008-07-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

5 things found in my bag
1. my brown notebook
2. purse
3. phone/mp3 players
4. a camera, if it fits...
5. a book

5 things found in my wallet
1. money
2. cheques, yay!
3. receipts
4.hair pins/bands
5. my peacock pin. it's awesome.

5 favourite things in my room
1.my new polaroid wall
2. and of course my shrine to ed- a walllll of pictures!
3. clothing!
4. technology- cameras, laptop
5. my editorials on the walls

5 things I want to do right now
1. be with my boyfriend
2. have my friends back and drink alcohol.
3. sleep. sleep.
4. not have to go to work at 7 tomorrow morning.
5. draw/paint/sew

5 things I'm currently into
1. illustration
2. murakami
3. shopping
4. sleeping
5. not working =/

5 impressions of the lovely 'she's lost control again' who tagged me
1. she has great taste in tights and blazers
2. i LOVE her take on layered skirts...
3. she has a really versatile style
4. she makes awesome collages
5. she shares great editorials!

i tag paris in luella land, cheapskate chic, the clothes horse, cinnamon, coffee and laughs and adrift in the blogosphere.

goodies (:

2008-07-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

i was debating whether to do a post about some bits and pieces i got for my birthday or not- i don't want to seem like i'm bragging or anything, but they're pretty things and i want to show them!
well, obviously i decided to post, i hope you don't mind!

i think all my friends and family must thing i smell or something, because i got this perfume from my wonderful boyfriend (it smells so good...)

(it has such a lovely lacy cover!)

and Lush soap from three separate people! a big box from my dad, a lovely (unrealised...don't tell anyone!) bathbomb, and a selection of soaps from two friends that work at Lush. they're making my room smell heavenly...

i also got a selection of notebooks and a book on polaroids

my mum bought me this gorgeous trinket box with a chintz pattern

and mum and dad bought me this beautiful coloured glass ring:

the photo really doesn't do it justice! and, please excuse the horrible burst burn blisters on my fingers =/

another friend bought me this lovely dress that i've been eyeing up from new look for ages now- it's quite a lot like the dress here only it's a really light cotton so it'll be great for daytime (:

(please excuse the dodgy expression..)

fortunately the weather was fine last night so the fairy lights and home made fairy cakes:

stayed dry and tasty (:
however, it's FREEZING today, so i'm layering this dress with jeans.

the night before the morning after.

2008-07-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

a little too much sambuca=crazy face!

bebo face =/

fun night (:

6575 days.

2008-07-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to me!

so, i turned eighteen yesterday, it was very exciting! i actually had a pretty lazy day with the boyf and then just had a meal at home with my parents. i got some lovely lovely gifts- Diesel For Life perfume from Ed, a GORGEOUS ring from my parents, and a big lush box from my dad (and of course, my beloved diana!)
tonight i'm having friends over for a party, so i;m going off to make fairy cakes in a minute.
here are some pictures:

summer soup, ciabatta and cheese (:

erm. how unattractive!

pretty garden (:

my dad's camera was playing up =/

i wore my new dress that i bought from oli.co.uk. it's pure silk and from lipsy!
it was reduced from £89 to £19. how could i NOT buy it?!

micro-SCOPE

2008-07-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

you americans call them thrift stores, us brits call them charity shops.
whatever you call them, they're good. whilst waiting for my mum the other day, i absent mindedly popped into SCOPE (a charity for multiple sclerosis) because their shoes looked good. unfortunately, they were all little sizes. i twirled a necklace holder and spotted a pretty leaf necklace, and whilst wandering towards the cash desk, flipped through some dresses hanging up. a shine caught my eye!
i love the spontainuity of charity shopping, and the little treasures you can so easily find.
i bought this dress for £4.25, and it seems almost new. i love the shimmer of the fabric, and i want to wear it with coloured tights come winter. i'm thinking aubergine or burgandy...
i might wear it tonight, to see my friend playing Alice in Alice in Wonderland.

mmm breeze!

lazy daisy

2008-07-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

last night, my mum and i set off on what we thought would be a delightful and fruitful trip of fabric shopping and browsing at ikea.
their fabric selection is shocking.
really
really
bad.

dammit.
i came back with four coat hangers
and this:

it's a mini pineapple. i wonder if it grows.

anyway. near ikea there was an outlet called Outfit, that was a topshop, miss selfridge, evans, warehouse and dorothy perkins under one roof.
strange.
anyway, i found some lovely daisy accessories from topshop. i'm wearing them today, for my lazy day off. after i've posted this i'm going to cycle up to the local studio to see if i can help with some photoshop.

oh, and meet my new pyjama bottoms...

pretty (:
from oli.co.uk

views from the afternoon

2008-07-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

on monday i had the last of my sewing classes. i've yet to even try my skirt on properly, but i will get pictures at some point! i would've liked to have got pictures of everyone wearing their skirts, but it didn't really work out that way!
anyway, i did get some pictures of the great space that we worked in. it's in the middle of a town, so it's really quite a retreat. the fabric shop is below, and on the second floor there is another studio, where an artist, and illustrator and a seamstress work!
the seamstress, Andrea, was so lovely. she helped out most weeks. she also showed me how to do free embroidery...when i get another day off when, i'll try it out...
anyway.
pictures:
(if you right click and view image,it'll come up bigger)

from the door

the machine tables

looking down the room at the cutting tables (and Eunice, the teacher)

looking the other way!

the industrial sewing machine. this part of the building is used during the day. a lady takes orders and sews curtains and upholstery and stuff.

i have a couple more posts coming- i will make them into several short posts rather than one long one, i think.
my posting, and commenting, is a bit...sparodic at the moment, i've been working 7-4 for the past three days, with half an hour break. i've been worn out moan moan moan +slaps self+

f+

2008-07-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

i got my first film shot with my diana f+ back yesterday, and at first glance, my heart sank.
they were pretty lame results.
i was way too ambitious with doubly exposures and stuff, and my day had been really hard, i was all hormonal and i just sat down and had a little cry.
my day was then cheered up by some mail order clothes arriving...new pajama bottoms!! cardigan! silk dress!

however, looking through them again, i've found some that i actually really like.

shame i've no idea what most of them are...

well, I like them. even if people don't get them (:

love birds.

2008-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

as you may have noticed, i like birds quite a lot.
i went shopping in brighton today, and enjoyed the main perks of having a job: having money!
fortunately work is a lot more bearable now..still tiring but what isn't?!
anyway, i got some lovely things:

a cute love birds clip

a bird mug, from Habitat

a beautiful (and huuuuge) printed paper with Ganesh on it. i will find something cool to do with it...

two antiqued candle holders for my photography teacher- we have the end of year art and photography exhibition on tuesday, where all of our work is showcased. i can't wait! i thought it would be nice to give her something to say thankyou for all she's done!

i also got a lovely top that i intend to wear to it. here's a preview:

and, a dress for my party on saturday...

clothes tags, music tags...

2008-06-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by the finitely wonderfully illustrator, Paris in Luella Land [seriously, check her out. she's amazing] to do a music tag thingaling, where i tell you seven songs i'm into right now.
soooo here we go!
(stealing Paris' colour scheme idea...)
i've tried to match the mood of the song to a colour...

song one
I AM SNOW by SOL SEPPY
I love sol seppy. a lot. her voice is so dreamy, so beautiful. check out the video for Human on her website. this song is about love, and was written for Cartier's LOVE campagine and i just float away every time i listen to it.
i am snow melting in your hand
i will never know, never understand

song two
VIDA LA VIDA by COLDPLAY
this is around on the radio a lot at the moment in England. I think it's a really...energising song. it'll probably turn into a summer anthem...

song three
RADIO PROTECTOR by 65 DAYS OF STATIC
my elder brother is obsessed with this band. obsessed to the point of getting their logo tattooed on his arm...BUT I LIKED THEM FIRST! I just think this song is amazing. pure...amazing. there's just something about it. CHECK THEM OUT. and, if you like them, see them live. i'm not a HUGE live music fan, but i've seen them twice and they're ace.

song five
MUCH FINER by LE TIGRE
This song always makes me feel so much better when i'm down. i went through a phase of being obsessed with Le Tigre, and although I'm not so much now, I still love them.

song four
THE TWIST by GOLDFRAPP
i love goldfrapp. full stop.
i love the...sexiness of this song. and the beat. yup.

song six
SCARECROW AND FUNGUS by REGINA SPEKTOR
I think Regina is Ace. Ace. she has so many different 'sounds' and moods to her music, and she sounds so cute in live recordings. this song, Samson, Aquarius and No One are my favorites of hers.

song seven
BODYSNATCHERS by RADIOHEAD
I think everyone loves radiohead. there's so much of their music to choose from, but i love the up-beat-ness of this song. plus, they're one of the few bands my boyfriend and i have a common intrest in!

my mood colouring is kinda off.

I TAG
cheapskate chic
that's just my vibe, really
history books
adrift in the blogosphere
beja beja
leopard print and lace
sarah says