All I Want for Christmas (it's not much, really...)

Dear Santa,

I have been very good this year. I was good last year too, and I have to say that the knitting needles and steering wheel cover I received on Christmas morning really didn’t cut it present-wise. So I have provided a comprehensive list of very affordable (ahem) items to assist you in your duties this year, with accompanying images to avoid any confusion. I figure you use the internet now – chimneys and all that are so last century.

* PRADA LEATHER WADERS – I don’t know why I want them but I do. Fashionation described them as ‘disgusting’ – but what else is a fashionista going to wear when she goes digging for crabs?



* BALMAIN MILITARY-DETAIL SHOULDER-PADDED JACKET – American revolution meets Margaret Thatcher meets fabulous. Gimme.



* RAY BAN CLUBMASTERS – Ray Ban expects to have sold 15 million of these frames by 2010. They’ve been seen on the likes of Robert Pattinson, Beyonce, Allison Mossheart of The Kills and The Dead Weather, and Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick.



* BURBERRY PRORSUM GOLD MINIDRESS – although the silver short-sleeved jacket pictured would be equally acceptable. The perfect space age outfit for the ultimate sci-fi year – 2010.





* DOLCE AND GABBANA PYJAMAS - As Jessica Alba has showed us, they can go from night to day. Would I? Yes I would.



* MISS LANVIN DOLL - You're never too old to play with dolls (especially when they're this cute!)



* CHLOE PERFUME - my all-time favourite has just been released in two new variations on the original bestseller - Eau de Parfum Intense, with darker, oriental notes, and Eau de Toilette, with fruity notes like mandarin and watermelon.



And, um, yeah, that's it. It's not much, is it? (haha it took me aaaages to write this post, cos there were too many things on the list!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Danielle Kathleen Jewellery

I first met Danni in my creative writing class. She writes beautiful, fantastical stories and – wait a minute – makes beautiful, fantastical jewellery too! Danni finds her inspiration in “little stories a child makes up as they play in the garden, and dream. There are princesses, creepy crawlies and flowers, tea sets, mythical creatures and even voodoo dolls! All the things that fill up the imagination.” I am absolutely in love with her piece ‘The Anatomical Heart’, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of mine in her next shipment!

How would you describe your work?

Femininely delicate and a very simple, organic aesthetic. My current range, "A Handful of Memories" is a series of acrylic layer jewelery that draw on motifs of childhood and fairy tales.

Tips on how to wear your pieces?

I believe any outfit, no matter what it is, is best paired with confidence. My pieces are large statements- they don't hide! I've worn mine in punk rock influence outfits, goth influence and even pop style colour outfits as well! Its all about the statement you want to make, and how confident you are in pulling it off. For the larger pendants, wear them on a long chain or ribbon, and have them swing freely. See La Roux in her film clip, Bulletproof. The gold portrait is rather similar to one of my designs, and she pulls it off wonderfully with a funky, eighties influence outfit. As the pieces are all black and white, they can be mixed with almost anything!

Favourite designer?

My favourite jewelery designer is Ted Noten. His works are fantastic! The Lady K Bags, which are resin handbags with items like working guns, diamonds and even rats cast into them, are such an inspiration. He also looks at communicating a story or character through the work- sometimes fictional, and sometimes through the wearer.

Where can we buy your jewellery?

I sell my jewelery at Gorman House Markets on Saturdays. After Christmas I hope to be down at the South Coast, so I'll be selling at the Moruya Markets (about half an hour from Batemans Bay) for a few weeks, then back here at Gorman House once more. I also sell continuously on my Etsy store, under Danielle Kathleen.

Danni also has a blog which is definitely worth checking out, or you can become a fan on facebook.

Video Me

Like JJ on Skins S3, I occasionally get ‘locked on’ to something, and at the moment it is Beyonce’s ‘Video Phone’ film clip. I can’t log on to a computer without Youtubing it, and I actually sat watching it over and over the other night for AN HOUR before I realised the time. She manages to be incredibly sexy as well as fashion forward, which is a difficult thing to accomplish – her outfits include a military-style leotard/jacket with square shoulder pads, a skin coloured silicone bra, bangles stacked to the elbow, sequinned high-waisted shorts (which I REALLY REALLY WANT) and various jumpsuits with matching evening gloves. The remix features Lady Gaga. And none of the men have faces.

Another of my current favourites is Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' clip. It appears to be set in a mental asylum, which is fitting considering that she may actually be insane. But I love that she wears whatever weird shit she wants without trying to be sexy - including those terrifying-but-somehow-desirable Alexander McQueen 'Armadillo' heels.



If you like stylish boys (and who doesn't?) check out Kid Cudi's 'Make Her Say' clip, featuring Kanye West and Common. Kanye DOES appear to be wearing horrid yellow hiking boots (seems he can't do anything right lately) but Cudi's clubmasters and trilby more than compensate. Plus the direction is superb!

And I just realised that Lady Gaga is somehow involved in ALL of those videos!

Images: Dolce and Gabbana fall/winter 09 campaign, Skins twins, harajuku girls, matching stripes, pink harajuku girls

Matchy-Matchy

In a tale of questionable authenticity, Anna Wintour coldly deemed a woman ‘matchy-matchy’ when she appeared in her office wearing a supremely coordinated outfit. I started thinking about this when I rocked up to the library the other day to find that I was wearing exactly the same basic grey tank as my best friend. Same brand and everything. Now, I don’t really care about that kind of thing, and it was barely noticeable since it was a basic. But then I was studying at a local cafe today (I’m such a party girl) and I realised that my pale pink blazer, laptop, and glomesh purse were all exactly the same colour. A little scary.

So, how matchy is too matchy?

It’s a difficult question, because it seems you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Harajuku girls often match each other and personally, I love it. Plus I’ve noticed that guys love this kind of thing – it seems to tap into that whole ‘twin fetish’ thing that I will never understand. I think it’s pretty rare to be able to pull this off if you’re not a Harajuku girl. That said, I really like the idea of matching with your friends and I’ve occasionally tried to convince my friends to do this, only to be brutally rebuffed. You would need to make sure that you matched completely, because if it looks accidental the impact is lost, and depending on where you’re going, that could be embarrassing. But if you think you can do it, knock yourself out (and call me if you need someone to do it with!).

As for matching clothes and accessories in an individual outfit, my only strict policy would be to NEVER wear all one colour, unless it’s black. Even if it’s different shades, you look obsessive. There are a couple of exceptions, like awesome, ironic onesies and the occasional power suit. But even then, you should try to break it up with shoes and accessories of different shades.

Other than that, denim-on-denim is rarely a good idea, nor is matching animal prints (we’ve all seen a woman clad entirely in leopard print during our lives and it’s not a pretty sight).

Charlotte York: “Imagine being blind and not being able to see a beautiful day like today. Can you think of anything worse?”
Anthony Marentino: “Stonewashed jeans and a matching jacket.”
- From Sex and the City episode ‘Let There Be Light’

Procrastination...

One thing I like to do when I’m not doing what I should be doing is browse images on the web. I’ve only recently discovered We Heart It, which houses a beautiful array of inspirational images, with more added every day. And one person who never fails to produce a good image and an interesting outfit is Lady Gaga. I don't particularly like her music but I love her outrageous style (except the kermit and birds nest fiascoes). She makes me want to start wearing leotards to uni.







Images: white leotard, bow, studded snood, hair piece, nude leotard

Exam Chic

These Galliano models look how I feel! It's that time of year again - exam time - when you just roll out of bed and into the library, wearing a mish-mash of the semi-clean clothes you found on your bedroom floor, yesterday's make-up, and quite often a hat because you haven't had time to wash your hair... Or is that just me?

These are images from his spring/summer collection for 2010.