I am a dedicated Sheerio

I bravely ventured this recent Tuesday night.
I went to a gig, on my own, for the first time. No, I'm not a lonely cat lady (or at least, not yet) but my friends are either enrolled at university far away or they don't like Ed Sheeran because they're weirdos. I, however, adore Ed Sheeran. When I can't sleep I often fall asleep to his music, and I have always maintained that my first dance at my future wedding will be to an Ed Sheeran song ('Kiss Me' or 'This'). So, on Tuesday, I turned up to the Hammersmith Apollo, bought a ticket outside which I had haggled down to £35, and experienced one of the best nights of my life.
Wow. Ed Sheeran knows how to write music, how to sing and how to work a crowd. If you ever have the opportunity to see him live, do it do it do it! I guarantee you will leave the gig with a tonne of respect for Ed as an artist, even if you are not a fan.

During one acoustic song, he asked the audience to be completely quiet and the effect was incredible. During another, he sang without the microphone so that it was truly acoustic and the result was stunning. Furthermore, apart from two collaborations with the warm up acts, he played on stage completely by himself; there was no drummer, no guitarist: just Ed, using his talent to strum and drum his guitar which he often looped to create backing music on the spot. He would effortlessly go from one beautifully gentle love ballad to a fast tempo gets-everybody-dancing hit. Two nights in a row, apparently, he broke his guitar because he was beating the rhythm so hard.

Without a doubt every single person in that room was singing or mouthing along and enjoying the performance.

The lowest point for me was when Ed told us all to 'turn to the person next to you, put our arm round them, and tell them you love them'. Thanks Ed, make me feel awkward haha! On the brighter side, I laughed it off (to myself, obviously) and he followed the lovey-dovey couples vibe (the room was packed with couples) with one of my favourite songs, 'This'. Hence I just swayed with the crowd and, again with myself, had an emotional moment. 
There is no doubt that Ed Sheeran's was one of the best concerts I have ever been to and yep, definitely having my first dance to 'This'. His music is so beautiful, his lyrics are clever and wonderful and I love him so so much. Who knows, maybe he'll be the one at the altar with me! (Although, don't tell him 'cos that's a little bit obsessive and weird).

I thought I would tell you about Tuesday evening because it was such an incredible night for me and I wanted to share my passion. After all, that's why I'm here! But, to make this a little more fashion related here is what I wore:

 I recently bought the top from River Island, in a large size. The Scarf is fluff heaven and from River Island too. Coat from Paul Smith (mens, cheeky). Boots from a car boot sale. 

Worn with a pair of Jeans. Little bit indie, but I thought it was appropriate for a concert :)

That's it from me today, but here's a little Sheeran to keep you going. (listen to  'Kiss Me' with good headphones or imagine it with a lovely bass)

Campaign Darling

About two years ago, a friend gave me a gift for Christmas. She was aware that I loved fashion and so she gave me a calendar on which every day featured an image from the fashion world. I kept my favourite pages and the images from the most famous designers. Now, I think that they would feel at home here, on my blog. Also they are quite interesting so I thought you would enjoy them too.

 

Versace Campaigns: from top to bottom: Gianni Versace 1985, Versace 1994, Versus 1996. It's quite interesting to compare the many diffusion lines of Versace; Versus was a gift from Gianni to his sister, Donatella, in 1989. (Gianni Versace was founded in 1978). I love to see once again the bright, baroque-like prints that Versace does so well. In fact, I posted something similar a while ago, just click here

Ah, and here we have Calvin Klein, founded in 1968: top left 1983, top right 1993, bottom left 1994, bottom right 1995. I particularly love the image with Kate Moss; it's simple, striking, forward and it is captured so well that I almost feel like I'm intruding on this great bond between her and the male model. I find it entertaining that even in 1983 the underwear company acknowledged the power and appeal of a tanned, toned and beautiful man. Speaking of which...

Now this is no Calvin Klein campaign but I just had to include this: Adam Briefs 1976. Oh so daring and oh so brilliant. Where I work, I am surrounded by re-touchers and it's fascinating to observe their jobs and what they are required to do. These days, the fashion industry perfects everything to the very last detail. (and I mean very very last little silly detail) A model with slightly hairier arms than usual? Her arms are edited. And yet here we see that in 1976 the requirements for a body model were not so extreme as they are today. I really respect that. It doesn't make me want to buy the boxers any less and instead it's the creative idea behind the campaign that really grabs my attention.

 

Top left: The Gap 1989, Top right: The Gap 1989, Bottom left: Christian Dior1977, Bottom right: Christian Dior 1977. Ah, Christian Dior my darlings. I absolutely love these campaigns and I think that they should bring them back. Okay so grammatically 'Explosive is Your Dior' makes no sense but it's brilliant, memorable and exciting. Badass women never go out of style. The Gap adverts are pretty simple but cute. To be honest I don't have much to say about them but I thought that Gap was worth including.

 

And last, but most certainly not least: Bill Blass campaigns. Top: 1966, bottom: 1985. I had never heard of Bill Blass until I found these but I absolutely love these images. William 'Bill' Blass was an American designer best known for his wearable designs. Bill Blass Ltd began in 1959 and continues today, although Bill himself passed away in 2002. You can find Blass collections since 2000 here at Style.com. I would love to know the inspiration behind the first image; you will notice that the woman is tied up at the front of the man's car. However, her sturdy gaze into the camera seems to assure us that she is not worried or upset. The great city backdrop suggests a sense of power and magnitude which is further echoed by the looming car and I really admire this photo. The second photo speaks for itself. I adore creative and minimal photographs. I also enjoy how the red and black indicate to the woman's sexiness but also stand out against the white background.

That's it, but I have plenty more of these and I will show them to you soon. Bye bye for now :)

Guess who's back, back again...

I'm sorry! I keep disappearing, reappearing with the promise never to leave you again and then... yep, disappearing. However I can now guarantee you plenty of updates and plenty of posts. And, my lovers, I promise never to leave you again! I have begun my big steps into the world. I am becoming organised, efficient, and- dare I say it- an adult! I have turned 18, left college, started permanent work, and I aim to pursue this blog as a serious commitment during my gap year and then into my career as an undergraduate student in University. 

My timing is a bit lame to be honest, as I've missed London Fashion Week, but I think I can provide you with enough raw and interesting material. Take my tights for instance; how damn cool are these bad boys:

I was lucky enough to find them in a charity shop! £18, brand new, never been worn and authentic. They'll probably stay that way for another five years until I find the special occasion to wear them at or until I build the courage to risk a ladder. DIY idea: Grab a pair of tights, and stitch into them. I've never tried it, but it might work.

A few more photos for you, and then I'll leave it at that for the first post. I thought that I'd tease you with a taste of what I've been dressing up in for the past few months and then head off ;) See you soon.

 

Blue hair, blue day! (although a happy day...!) Skirt from whistles, jacket from primark, top stolen from my Mum's old clothes, chain stolen from my brother. 

 

Nottinghill Carnival-themed clubbing, so I opted for this vintage black knit dress, covered in various sequin flowers. 

 Lord and Lady of the manor eh eh? College end of year ball. Went with this black maxi dress (designer unknown), black stilettos, earrings I made myself a few years ago and a vintage Butler and Wilson embroidered clutch. Two images, so that you can see the close up of the dress and the embroidered patterns.

 Birthday celebrations, so I dressed my girls up fancy. Steph (left) wore my vintage, silver-sequin blazer/jacket thing and metallic long sleeved top from Forever 21. Shoes and skirt are her own. Clem (second left) wore my black suede wedges from ebay (cheap haha!), and black strapless LBD from some store in America. I wore black Calvin Klein leather jacket, silver-sequin dress by Louche.

 Oh, um.... Don't ask... welcome to my friends haha!