H&M Magazine: Summer 2012

Shoes, Patrizia Pepe. Trousers, DIY

Thank you hubby for helping with the shots

Next time you’re out shopping for a pair of scarf-print trousers, you know, with dodgy stitching and a waistband scrimped out of an old pair of jeggings, I recommend you pop into H&M and pick up a copy of the summer issue magazine. Then come home, dig out an big old scarf, and give your sewing machine (or mum) a good rattle. I personally was like this through the entire procedure but I promise it was a lot of fun. Best bit? Use the leftover fabric to do Erica’s (of the emporium that is Honestly…WTF) satchel DIY that’s on the other side of the spread. I’ll pop the full DIY up live next week, so go dig up a big scarf in the meantime!

(Left-to-Right)1    Leather Coat – Gift from mummy (Massimo Dutti), Stripe Top –Uniqlo, Jeans – Replay, Khaki heels – Primark, Necklace –DanniJo, Cross-body Bag- ASOS
2    Black neoprene jacket – H&M, Parachute Dress - All Saints,  Stripe Top – Uniqlo, Bag – Barbara Boner, Necklace – Brook & Lyn, Booties – Missoni
3    Leather shorts – Vintage, Shoes – secondhand Alexander Wang via Vestiaire Collective, Trench - Uniqlo, Bag – Marc Jacobs via Monnier Freres, Stripe Top - Uniqlo

Boys, look away, go play with the lawn sprinkler please. Girls, should I be afraid the Uniqlooks monthly recap is synchronizing with my release-the-Kraken time of the month? Like clockwork! I hate you! I love you. Nowadays this seems to be the only thing that helps keep track of time… this and an evil pile of bills that clog up the mailbox but never-mind that because I don’t believe they exist, realllllllly, it’s just a fantasy. (Hubby says he’s got it, such a man) Anyhow, just a quick one for today – the classic striped top that just about goes with anything, done up in three ways. Mind, I might’ve butchered the fail-safe classic with the parachute-dress, but right now that floats my hormonal boat so please let’s just call it an outfit.

1    Cotton Shirt - Uniqlo Men, Jeans – Zara, Shoes - Friis & Company (via Zalando), Bag – Marc Jacobs via Monnier Freres, Boyfriend Watch – ASOS
2    Black trench – Calvin Klein (gift from mummy!), Cotton Shirt - Uniqlo Men, Trousers – Uniqlo, Shoes – secondhand Alexander Wang via Vestiare Collective, Diary – Filofax Enigma
3    Leather Cap – Ebay, Cotton Shirt – Uniqlo Men, Dress – ASOS, Jacket – H&M, Leather trousers -ASOS, Shoes – Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony

The irregular geography of the warehouse conversion that is our flat lends a lifestyle not unlike a 11-year-old’s birthday party held in one of those kiddy indoor-playgrounds with rubber obstacles and plastic-ball pools that generally smell of feet and pee. OK, the latter probably not so much – on most days, at least – unless I once again decide to be clever with the pantry arrangement and place a melon on the top shelf and then 5 weeks later find out it’s leaked pee-like substance throughout the entire shelving unit. Rotten melon reeks of sweaty feet, why naturally! Anyhoo, from the mezzanine level I have a sweeping view of the entire flat, so by default anything that needs to be taken down to the lounge, or the general direction of the exit, is simply thrown down over the rails. With an accompanying ‘weeeeeeeeee’ noise at that. Said items either land on the bicycles or squarely on the couch, which is in fact where a haphazard pile of junk now lives – aka my new closet. Consisting of this Uniqlo Men’s pink cotton shirt, a few crumpled ‘silk’ tops, two pairs of jeans, a jersey dress, four jackets for the daily season-change and of course socks of unknown cleanliness sprinkled in between… these are things I’ve been pulling out for the past how many months I’ve had the day-job. If I’d known growing up was to be this messy I think I’d have followed the boy out the window when I had the chance, but then again looking at the state of the flat I’ve clearly convinced him to marry me and sign Neverland over in a prenup. From time to time I slide down the stairs’ handrail fireman-style and wail siren-noises to alert the hubby that I’m hungry.

Please do check out Uniqlooks to see what I’ve been up to and join in on the Uniqlo dress-up fun! Thank you Kit for helping with the first outfit and hubby for the rest!

Coat – H&M, Top – Amber Sakai, Jeans – Henry Holland x Debenhams, Shoes – Friis & Company (via Zalando), Camerabag – Stylesscrapbook x Kipling, Leather Jacket –  Day Birger et Mikkelsen, Navy blazer- Uniqlo

Shelving Disneyland and Paris for now – and I’m aware this shelf is still full with unfulfilled promises of Part Two‘s of supposedly fantastical adventures (i.e Azerbaijan and Kew Gardens), but I suppose now they will have to get cozy on the IKEA Billys until I run out of topics to entertain my guests (you) and then soon enough I’ll start pulling out photo-albums and first-editions from the bookshelf at an attempt to impress. I kind of wish I have a fancy chandelier instead.

Ironically, I’d mentioned that Berlin to me was like Disneyland when I was a teenager – a faraway land where all dreams come true… or in other words anywhere but home where curfew is 10pm, parties start at 11 and mother leaves 12 missed calls while you’re dancing. A faraway land with lots of light and a vibrant music culture, preferably. So when I landed in Berlin courtesy of Zalando I was hit by excitement, nostalgia and a tinge of giddiness, but shock to the system, too. I was quickly realizing I’d actually grown out of popular music (is Katy Perry still kissing girls?) and was finding all the graffiti more disconcerting than amusing – probably sharing inner-boiling sentiments of an old German lady living on the second floor of a freshly graffiti-ed compound. But as Carrie and I lost ourselves on an expedition to find the Brandenburg gate for touring’s sake we kept running into unexpected, awesome nooks that diverted us even further off the beaten track. It takes a while to understand, that you need to stop comparing the city to Paris or London at some point and from then on it becomes a completely new experience. The grunge and the architectural disorderliness are simply products of the rich history of Berlin, as if it’s all embedded in the buildings and streets, now how charismatic is that.

Thank you Zalando for having us and Carrie for the shots of moi.

Coat – ASOS White, Cashmere Dress – Arelalizza, Shoes – Zara, Bag – Warehouse, Cuffs – H&M;

As acting president of the Meh! club I don’t even have to tell you what I feel about Valentine’s day, but if you’re really eager to find out dial 080C-YNI-CISM and my secretary will be happy to fill you in on that while chewing loudly on stale gum. At no stage during school was I ever Glen Coco of the class and when I was finally rid of my braces and the dandelion weed under my armpits I then promptly acquired a geek boyfriend who brought me flowers every single day and 6 years later I ended up marrying him. So this card design collaboration with Beyond Retro (along with Bip Ling, Mademoiselle Robot and Fashion Editor At Large) is really for some kitsch fun, and of course a little contribution to the British Heart Foundation (£1 of all sales will be donated). So next time you’re in don’t forget to pick one up – I sent one to my baby brother last week and he claims he’s still picking up glitter hearts from his keyboard, everytime loving me just a tiny bit less…

BTW, could anyone recommend a tailor in London? The Aquascutum coat I picked up is all great except the 80′s power shoulders. I got rid of the pads but it still makes me look like I attacked the wrong end my my mummy’s closet. Help!