90s Models

It was when I discovered the Tumblr 80s-90s-supermodels that I realised that I love looking at old editorials and runways from the 1990s. I can't quite pinpoint why, but I think it may because of one or two things - or both: a) The fun, youthful yet luxurious style appeals to me in ways no one will ever understand, and/or b) It's really something, to see baby faces, before they had to make an effort to look younger and got their own TV show and book and clothing line and movie and.....bleh. They looked  cute and childlike, but sophisticated all at the same time, exactly how the clothes they modelled were.

So, today's lesson? Never underestimate the power of a baby face and a frilly dress. Who knows, it may just get you a contract with Elite.. 

I took some *mayjah* inspiration from the Betsey Johnson S/S '99 show, particularly the segment above - the hair, the clothes, even the music -ugh. I love it.

Moodboard: Black and White Strangeness

Sadly, I do not know the names of any of the creators of these images.. I just found them on Tumblr. If you happen to know any names, comment them below and I can give them credit!

I won't lie: I really love things that make no sense, but still intrigue and perhaps even stir up something inside you, be that wonder, curiousity or even disturbance and fear. Just in general, any piece of art that gives you a weird feeling and makes a mark on you for at least a week is art that I find quite favourable. Why? I'm not quite sure.

I have found black and white images do this in particular: Their starkness allows for a picture to have a different kind of complexity to coloured images. I think this, combined with some utter weirdness (take my examples above) makes for a really messed up, but totally awesome piece of art.

If you quite like some of the pictures above, I would highly recomment checking out some of these Tumblrs. They have pages and pages of disturbing, artsy pictures (it sounds wonderful, doesn't it?). So, in no particular order:

e-eyes

qukko

greyfaced

venato

kerosenne

h-oly-war

oppressing

You can also find such pictures by searching the tag 'dark' or 'black and white' on Tumblr.

Black Leather

Well, as Morticia Addams says (according to Tumblr), 'Black is such a happy colour'. If I'm completely honest, I couldn't agree more. You can look at black as a colour of doom and darkness and depression, but I prefer to look upon it as a void of possibilities: Black is a colour of real texture. I have never to my knowledge come accross a black piece of clothing that had a texture that didn't suit its colour. For example: A black, faux leather bag would be considered something of a staple for any girl, right? Well, what about a neon yellow faux leather bag? Not so much - although as a slight extremist, I quite like the sound of that. Long story short: Black lets a textured fabric speak for itself, without any fuss. Velvet never glistens more beautifully than it does in black; Nor does leather.

Ah, leather. Black leather, in particular. It never fails to fascinate me how it shines, how it moves, and how the designers use it (shoutout to Givenchy.. Cough). They somehow morph some leather pieces to cling to the curves, while other garments are starched and shapless - but still shiny, and yet still completely matte. All praise black leather! Until faux leather garments are in abundance in Penneys, however, I will just have to stick with a beat-up charity shop trench that screams 'I AM FROM THE MATRIX' and my Dr Martens. One day.

Hairspo

Hair isn't an area of high expertise for me, as I currently in short supply of it - If you'll pardon the pun. But, I sure do like to look at other people's hair, in sheer envy. I love to look at what hair stylists have managed to create on the runway, and their works of art will never fail to amaze me. Above are some styles I really love, and would replicate on my own hair in a heartbeat, if I had the skills. And if it were acceptable in society to wear 1,000 pins in your hair at once.

Hope everyone is having/had a lovely Saint Patrick's day!

Inspiration: Look to the Past.

All pictures taken by my family, decades ago! As you can see, I cropped them because, well, they're personal? Hope you understand. They're still gorgeous, right?

 Hey everyone! Hope you're having a stellar weekend - I've been spending mine completely unwinding. It's been lovely.

Now, I'm not someone who is very informed about past decades' trends.. I don't hail pin-up girls, and I'll gladly confess that Marylin Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor are the only Hollywood starlets I am remotely familiar with! I really have to work on that.  But, I recently came across some photos of my family from years and years gone by (I'm talking, my dad in a pram 'years gone by'). Even though I don't often look to the 50s and 60s for inspiration, these pictures dazzled me.  It really made me see it all differently. It seems more real now, because I have seen people I know and love in cat-eye glasses, and in little shorts with socks to their knees. I can now say that my favourite thing about the 50s/60s was the simplicity of it all: Not Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, not even Twiggy (although, she's beautiful, there's no denying). Instead, I love the pale, muted colours and family pictures.

I urge everyone out there to hunt down some old photos of your family growing up. If you can't find any, do some research! But, good luck finding anything that isn't The Beatles - The real pictures of real people are the best ones.

Natalia Vodianova

Natalia Vodianova is not someone I was very familiar with for a while, despite having a picture of her stuck to my wall for over a year.. How ignorant of me. I was only inspired to do some research on her recently, and I can now definitely say that I am head over heels with this model. Vodianova, or 'Supernova', as she is known in the fashion world, began modelling in Paris at the young age of 17 after spending her childhood in poverty, in a poor industrial town in Russia. She's still going strong at thirty, and has graced covers of Vogue - Vogues of all kinds -,and tonnes of other reputable magazines.

 However, Vodianova is far more than just a beautiful face - She's got her own charity, Naked Heart. The foundation sets out to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in Russia, and has done so much since it was set up in 2004. It aims to give the children a place to play, and to make sure that they have a loving, supportive family behind them.

Props to you, Natalia! What an inspiration.

I love Andrew Vanwyngarden.

Hey folks! So, today's the first of February.. right? That date in itself holds a few meanings: It's Saint Bridget's Day. It's also the day I'm due some pocket money, oh yesss. But I'm not here to discuss pocket money, I'm here to take a moment to appreciate Andrew Vanwyngarden, as it's his 30th birthday. 

Andrew is one of two members (the other member being Ben Goldwasser, a complete god in his own right)  in the band MGMT ('Kids', anyone?), and is lead vocalist of the band.  Well, it'd be fair to say that MGMT is probably one of the only bands that I have constantly had in my top 5 bands for like, four years running - that's quite a while for me! I constantly go through phases and evolve into liking different things, so I consider it to be quite an achievement. When I was 11/12, I literally spent a year listening to their first album Oracular Spectacular and 'Lungs' by Florence and the Machine. That was all. I'm glad to say that my music taste has broadened a bit since then, but they've constantly remained one of my favourites. Good on you, fellas.

I mean, I can still remember the first time I heard their song Electric Feel, and ever since it's been one of my all-time favourites. In fact, the friendship between myself and one of my closest friends (Hey you there, Caoilfhionn!) ever is based upon this band. And our mutual love of Andrew. He's a right dreamboat, isn't he?

MGMT are set to release their third album this year. To say I'm looking forward to it would be very much an understatement. Let's hope there'll be a worldwide tour to follow. Please.

By the way: Exams are half over. Yes! One more week, and things'll be more regular. Hope everyone is doing well. x

Spunky Seapunk.

Hello everyone! It's been a bit of a while, hm? Sorry about that, I'm still preparing for exams that start up this coming Tuesday.. Oh, the joy of exams. I'll be back with floods of posts very soon.. promise!

 

Have you ever found that how you would like  to dress and how you actually  dress are two completely different things? Well, I certainly find that a lot. I don't know whether this is down to not being able to afford the clothes I like, not having the guts just yet  to wear the clothes, or my ideas getting lost in translation somehow. Anyway, I thought I  would share with you how I would fancy dressing, if I had the willpower, an endless supply of cash and the ability to not give a crap if people stare. I'd probably go seapunk.. No, not probably - definitely. 

Seapunk, pastel goth, nu-goth, cyber goth, whatever name tickles your fancy, is one of the many innovative style tribes that has emerged from the depths of the internet. It's based on a perfect balance of clunky peices and daintiness, and black mixed with pastels, neons, pixelated patterns and some iridescence - A little tacky, in essence, but it's just so right. Its key pieces include baggy tie-dye shirts, black platforms (the chunkier, the better), bindis, holographic sunnies and anything with aliens on it. Think 90s Gwen Stefani, along with Charlotte Free, Azealia Banks and Grimes. They've all got it nailed. 
 

Holographic Magic

Hi guys! I'm back. I've got two exams left, so I thought while I had an opportunity I could start myself back up with a simple post about something completely tacky that I completely love - Iridescence! I don't know if I'd have the guts to wear any of it just yet, nor do I think I'd be able to find a piece within my ridiculous price expectations. Penneys, I'll be waiting..

Interesting Eyes

Hellooo, I thought I would just share with you some unique eye makeup I have come across recently, which I actually love. I had a pile more, but these are definitely my favourite! Hope you like, and that you're having an excellent week.

Also, just as a heads up: I cannot guarantee any posts of real substance until the end of November, as I have exams to do, and a lot of preparation. I know I'm not consistent with my posts as it is, and I apologise. Back to normal (as in, regular posts) in December! I'll get my act together, I promise.

Magazine Hoarding and Moodboarding

Hello (non-existent, I'm pretty sure) readers! Apologies for going slightly skimpy on posts this week, but I went back to school (sadface) and found it hard to cram stuff in. I had big plans for the weekend regarding blog posts, but of course I had to be blessed with sluggish, groggy migraines and sneezing every 2-3 seconds. Attractive, I know..

I did however decide to document the ~exciting~ events of the weekend (they're not really that exciting) whereby I updated my moodboard with more autumn-y images. This magical moodboarding 'hobby' is not something I have discussed before, but is something I do regularly enough, every few months when I have (a lot of) spare time. I thought I could just explain my 'process' of moodboarding to you guys, and just waffle for a little while!

Magazines I have accumalated over the past 2 years: KISS, Style, Company, Hot Press, Kerrang, Big Cheese, NME, Rock Sound.. Hoarders, here we come!

Before I begin, I would like to explain something: When I say 'moodboard', I don't necessarily mean a cork board, or a poster. I just mean a collage of pictures on a wall, or any surface that you like or that inspire you. Now, to my knowledge you can go in a few directions with a moodboard: Photography, fashion, music.. whatever interests you! I personally have one for music, a few fashion/photography ones and one for general things that I like.You can also make moodboards from any material lying around - from magazines, old photos, drawings, or even print some pictures off from Tumblr or WeHeartIt. I like to use old magazines - mainly pictured above! The Sunday Times Style Magazine is a very handy magazine to collect for moodboards if you like fashion and you/your parents regularly buy the Sunday Times. Also, if you like photography, you may find pictures that you like in  the 'Spectrum' section of the Sunday Times Magazine, also included with the Sunday Times newspaper! Double whammy. This means you can just keep it for free afterwards, and you will accumlate them quickly as it comes out weekly. For (rock) music entusiasts, the same goes for Kerrang, but you'll have to pay for it unless your parents buy it or something - unlikely!
So normally, once I have collected quite a few magazines and have some spare time, I flick through them all. If I find an image that I like, I'll cut it out and put it to one side. These pictures will then be put in my ~mood board~.

The product of this weekend. No, I don't have a life..

 Next, I usually sort the pictures into their themes, colours, or subject. Whatever kind of moodboard I want to make. For example, for the one I was making at the weekend I had gothic and baroque-style fashion in mind, so I picked out pictures including golds and blacks. It's a rather dark mood board, and because of this I just put it on the inside of my wardrobe for ~inspiration~ (too much ~s?).
When it comes to sticking the pictures up, arrangement can make a huge difference. You could go for a muddled, chaotic close-together arrangement, or a more minimalistic one with spaces between each picture. So many choices. Keep adjusting until you're done, and then you can admire your work. Update the moodboard regularly, to suit your moods, seasons and so on. Go wild!

Moodboarding: When Pinterest is not enough.

 That's basically it! Happy mood boarding. Reading back over this post, I really do feel very sad for making this but hey, it can look really nice if done well. It's theraputic too, if that makes it any more appealing to anyone?

I'll be needing some Delevingne genes..

Hello everyone! So I have spent the past week going through some emotional extremes, to say the least. I've pretty much fallen in love with anything that I have seen this week, including Cara Delevingne. Of course her achingly beautiful face has graced my Tumblr dash more than a few times, but I decided to give her name a Google a few days ago. Next thing I know, I'm going through all pages on Youtube under 'Cara Delevingne interview' desperately grasping for a small piece of her glorious face and personality.. Just look at her. Delevingne has been the name on everyone's lips since she became a face for Burberry, and since she's been, well, everywhere. Covers, campaigns, every runway on earth, and more recently she's made her way onto the silver screen. Clearly all-round talented, I can't wait to see where this girl goes.. So far, so good. Forever sighing at that perfect bone structure... it's fine.