Studs & Biker Computers

Today I received my order of pyramid studs from Rebirth (an ebay shop) and immediately set to work on a metallic black bag I bought from Sportsgirl a few months ago. It's a great size, I love the fabric but it seemed as though something was missing. So I pushed in a few rows of studs while I watched Arrested Development (so, not much effort involved there!) and once I was done I felt like I was looking at a completely different bag. I had a ton left and was enjoying myself so I added some studs to my laptop case. It was so boring before and I had taken to using one of my big clutches as it's case, now it looks like a little biker computer!

 

Some Eye Candy

Peter Jensen

How cute is this collection? It's so quirky and bright and cheerful! It's such a nice break from all the black that has been so popular amongst the fall collections so far. I suppose it's kind of like looking at the classical wing of an art museum, you might like it and appreciate it but there's only so much you can look it before you want to see some De Stijl. Or a Jackson Pollock. Or in this case an adorable Eskimo version of Heidi.

Central Saint Martins

Central Saint Martin's College is a ridiculously well regarded and selective school of art and design in London that has prodcued some serious talent. Alexander McQueen is a former student (Isabella Blow purchased his entire graduation collection), as are Stella McCartney, Hussein Chalayan, Paul Smith and John Galliano.
Knowing the kind of creativity that has emerged from Saint Martin's makes it even more fun to look at the type of designs that are shown during the London Fashion Week show (the participants are the Masters Degree students). Here are some of my favourite looks....I particularly like the stockings with the splattered metallic paint (a quick DIY project?).




The entire show is here.

Cute things & Osvald, My Baby

I'm writing this entry on my new, teensy tiny laptop (which is so cute it's ridiculous. Is it weird to hug a computer?) and it's got me in the most squishy, girly, cute hunting mood.
Cookie cutters from cachalot.jp

The couple that wear adorable hats together...stays together? From youmightlikethis.com

Adorable illustrations by Jessica Hische. Have a look at her site, her pictures are cute and funny and clever.


Sometimes my cat has has makes funny meows and squeaks in her sleep, I think it's because she's dreaming. I thought it was the cutest thing ever. Until I saw this bunny....

The person that posted the video had the include a disclaimer because people were concerned the rabbit had breathing problems because it was snuffling and squeaking away. I suppose it's kind of like the rabbit version of snoring and sleep talking though?

Finally, my baby laptop...the keyboard is much, MUCH smaller than I'm used to (it's about a third of the size of a normal keyboard) so I'm making typos left, right and center but it's got all the applications I need, comes with a built in web cam (great for Skype!) and has 160GB storage. Basically, it's a good laptop for school or Uni because it's very small, has enough room for all the apps I need, has a built in modem and can be hooked up to a regular keyboard and screen when I want to work in full size. Oh, and it was only $599 Australian. Wow, I am such a nerd.
I even named it. It's called Osvald, because he has the neat, minimalistic yet highly functional qualities of Swedish design. If he were a person he'd be a hot blond with slightly androgynous features, great glasses and a wardrobe filled with Comme des Garçons. He's the computer version of Ikea.

Book shelves

Before I head out for tapas (mmmm, yummy tapas), here are some of my favourite pictures of books and their houses. I'm a mad bibliophile, I love books so much I can't keep up with my 'too read' pile and I am constantly trying to figure out the best way to organise and display my collection. I definitely get organisation envy from looking at these photos, especially the ones with cosy chairs to curl up in with one of the many good books.




And finally, Kaiser Karl's ENORMOUS collection of books!

Tiny Dancer

First of all, style.com is the greatest waste of time ever during any fashion week.
Secondly, I'm a bit in love with the post-ballet lesson garb that makes up Lutz and Patmos' collection. I went through a ton of pairs of those beige ballet slippers when I was little and obsessed with ballet (3 classes a week and a jazz lesson too, I was really, really into dancing!). It appeals to me in the sense that it brings back really good memories of dancing in the nice warm studio and then braving the extremes of the Auckland weather, all bundled up in the heaviest knits I could find.

From www.corbis.com

Ballet dancer BB
So, do you have any childhood attachments to a certain style or type of clothing?

The Black Turtleneck

One of the unfortunate things about living in the Southern Hemisphere is that we always seem to be a year behind when it comes to fashion. Heavy fabrics come down the runway on snug models while here in Australia the last thing anybody wants to think about is warming up.
However this NY Fashion Week coincides nicely with an unseasonably cold summer. My appreciation for a simple black turtleneck (we call them skivvys) has never been so great and a multitude of designers seem to have used it as a winter appropriate version of the white cotton tee. Shipley & Halmos used their turtleneck as a base underneath beautiful little slip dresses and stockings (very 90's!), Cushnie Et Ochs paired their black skivvy with straight legged, glam rock jeans and trousers and DKNY (not pictured) showed theirs underneath a varity of city wear, my favourite being a red short sleeved jacket with black leather gloves.

Edward Burtunsky

I'm in love with Edward Burtynsky's photographs. The colours are so vivid and striking, there is so much detail in each image it's almost intoxicating, I can't look away! I spent hours trawling through his website (look at his photos of quarries, it's like Cubist ants are cutting away the stone). Absolutely beautiful.


It's a very rainy, grey Saturday afternoon (so much for the height of summer!) and my little brother and I are watching 30 Rock and lying around like house cats. It's a perfect lazy day.

Fishtail Hair

My very, very, oh-so-favourite type of plait is the fishtail plait, it's so pretty and romantic and when it's slightly messy it still looks 'done'. This youtube tutorial is really great and easy to follow. Before I snipped my hair off I used to like to pin fishtail plaits up on top of my head like Heidi, it's the perfect hot day hair!

Bits & Pieces

Photo by Denise Grunstein
Amazing Roald Dahl Inspired Editorial → I used to adore Roald Dahl when I was younger, love reading his non-fiction adult books (Boy and Going Solo is part of the Penguin classics range I'm so obsessed with!) and adore any spin on his books, particularly this amazing UK Vogue editorial from some time last year.

Hugh Ferriss' Amazing Architectural Drawings → Hugh Ferriss was an American architect/delineator (drawing perspective images of buildings) who influenced the design of Gotham City (yes, the city from Batman) and drew the most amazing, creepy and beautiful buildings. Have a look, his ministry building designs are very "1984". Wow, that was so nerdy!

This Crazy Amazing Apartment on Apartment Therapy → A fantasticly quirky and full apartment with a ton of fun bits and pieces and a really warm feeling to it.

Also, university enrolls in February and I'm taking my first Criminology course. So exciting!

Stuff I Want Folder

Recently my lovely Mum bought me an external hard drive. I was using a pathetic little 80GB hard drive that I may or may not have stolen off my Dad and it couldn't fit nearly enough of the rubbish I love to right click/save.
Upon moving every image from my computer, our family computer and the prehistoric little hard drive to my new, blue light flashing, super giant 500GB Maxtor monster (seriously, it weighs a ton. Like 5 science textbooks in a backpack) I felt as though I had just cleaned out my entire bedroom and come across many precious gems.
Now we come to my point....it took a while didn't it?
I always keep a folder titled "Stuff I Want!" where I save the most fantastic, extravagant, beautiful little pieces of heaven that I would love to (but will never) own. I like to just leave it for a while, 6 months or so, and then have a flick through what I've saved. I imagine much of it's what a magnificant Russian billionare aristocrat has hanging in her wardrobe, lying in her jewellery box and perching on her vanity table. She probably dances around her palatial country house wrapped in layer upon layer of vintage Poiret kimonos and dresses and a big insane Tom Binns necklace with her ipod tucked in her pocket, eating cherries and...alright, this has gone far enough. Here are some goodies...



Saved from TFS and.....a google search for Tom Binns.