Cold Times

There's only a few things getting me through the winter weather and they are all completely superficial. First is awards season. It's too exciting to see the outfits and they all lead up to the Oscars which take place on 7 March this year. My favourite BAFTA outfit this year was Carey Mulligan and not just because she's a winner. She is so cute it's impossible not to like her. The Vionnet dress would have been so wrong on someone bigger than a size six but she pulled it off like a pro. I really wanted to see 'An Education' the film she won a Bafta for. It was written by Nick Hornby who is one of my favourite British writers. Audrey Tautou also looked amazing in her sugar pink Lanvin dress. She always looks so French. Another personal favourite of mine was Jaime Winstone who looked a vision in Alexander McQueen. I love her style, it's so grown up but edgy and fun at the same time.

Carey, Audrey and Jaime above looking fabulous

The Brits last week were mixed. Music and fashion alike. Between Cheryl's terrible miming and Geri acting like she was still relevant today, it was a bit of a wishy-washy show. Highlights for me were Florence performing with Dizzee Rascal (obviously as she and he looked amazing) and Liam throwing Oasis's award in the crowd. He got a lot of stick for it but I thought it was quite funny in an altogether uneventful show.

Florence belts out and Dizzee looks suave @ The Brits last week

The second thing getting me through the-7 degrees weather in the morning (the car recorded this temperature this morning) is the coverage of London Fashion Week. Live streaming here, magazines dedicated to disecting the catwalks, the catwalks politics and who's wearing what on the front rows makes for good reading and watching.

The third thing getting me through is comfort food. Soup and bread has never tasted so good. Need more carbs to keep warm.

Cold times in Torry

Image sources: guardian dot com, times dot com, Claire Harkins dot com

Get yer antlers on

London began hosting it's Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Week on Friday. Fashion is always ahead of itself and that's why I like it. Since we are still in the depths of winter everything on the catwalks is appealing me to so much more than sorbet Spring colours. In fact I nipped into Topshop today to kill 5 minutes before shorthand and they actually had bikinis in stock. My skin hasn't seen real hot sunshine since a brief day in July last year when the sun came out in Guernsey. I love the sun but the cold north east wind up here means that even when the sun is shining on the glistening granite I still have goosepimples. It's good to give your pins a break from opague tights though.

Margaret Howell's show looked great (I only know from the photos because I'm miles away) but her looks are just up my street. Duffle coats, oversized shirt dresses, chunky knitwear, gilets, belting up and mannish shoes (see post below - flats rock!) and lots of layers. A recurring theme in a lot of the shows has been red especially in Howell's, I don't wear a lot of red but this could mean it will be everywhere come Autumn. Apparently I read on Grazia dot com that Alexa (as in Chung obviously) took a photo of one of the outfits and declared "I fucking love them!" If it's good enough for Chung...

I also found out that Topshop Unique had some interesting headgear on their catwalk. Displaying their animal obsession, models strutted with antlers and uber-bushy eye brows amongst other interesting ideas. Furry mittens, lots of faux fur added to the winter animal theme. Clearly I am way ahead of the fash-pack as I sported antlers and a furry gilet way back in October 2009. See below my antler effort sandwiched between Topshop Unique's creations. The last three images are Margaret Howell's designs:

Look how cute the red satchel is in the last one!! Margaret Howell A/W 2010, Topshop Unique A/W 2010. Photo sources: Grazia dot com and Guardian dot com

The sky's the limit

I love a great flat shoe. Flat shoes can be so boring to some people because they don't give you the height or the excitement or the bunions that a skyscraper heel can give. I like chunky heels but stilettos are a no-go for me. The S/S2010 catwalks mean that the high street will now start to churn out midi-heels. This excites me because I'm a sucker for a midi-heel. I have the best pair of midi Mary-Janes which are very Holly Golightly - sticking with The Breakfast at Tiffanys theme. Even though I'm not particularly tall, I enjoy wearing flats even when I'm out dancing. This is because when songs I love come on, I tend to lose all femininity and dance like a boy. This can't be done with high heels. It is hard though to find sexy flat shoes, without ending up looking like a librarian who has ended up on a night out. It's getting the balance right between boy-librarian-geek and sex bomb. It's a toughie in flats.

I did find a sexy pair of flats though in Topshop. Almost like a shoe boot with a cuban heel. How excited was I to find these beauties? Pretty excited. And since I could almost justify it, I bought them. I can't find them online but I found them in the Aberdeen Topshop store just off Market Street.

Worn with silver socks from Warehouse and very old blue jeans.

Year of the Tiger

I am super excited that it's the Chinese Year of the Tiger this year. Sunday February 14th was the start of the Chinese New Year and I celebrated with a delicious Wok Wok last Saturday night. Wok Wok in Crown Street in Aberdeen is the most delicious Chinese take-away I have ever eaten. The staff are lovely and the kitchen is always busy and clean. I would love to visit China one day, it's stooped in so much rich history and is such a complicated country, it absolutely fascinates me.

I was born in 1986 which makes me a Tiger. I can't believe that tigers are very nearly extinct, but it is really happening. For Christmas 2009, I was given an adopted polar bear as a gift as polar bears are nearly extinct too. It's getting too warm in the Arctic circle because of climate change and the snow and ice is melting. Another blizzard hit Aberdeen on Friday. I was sitting in a public affairs lecture and looked out the window. It looked surreal, a massive blanket of snow lay on the ground and fluffy snow drops furiously added to the blanket. I saw a little cream animal and for one moment I actually thought it was a baby polar bear. Had they migrated down to Aberdeen from Svalbard? No, of course not. It was a little dog jumping down the snowy hill.

Support animals in danger of extinction here.

The Silver Screen

Seeing Breakfast at Tiffany's on the big screen was a delight. The film is timeless and unbelievably stylish. I have too many favourite scenes to mention but cat is as much the star of the film as Audrey. The Belmont Picturehouse in Aberdeen is showing it this Wednesday again (17th) at 11:am and at 6:30pm. It is such a treat to see it at the pictures with a big audience and popcorn!

:)

Posted via web from Rachel's posterous

Body Armour

Footballers' Wives was brilliant telly at the time. I stumbled across an episode of this on the Freeview channel Fiver on Wednesday night complete with Chardonnay and her boobs gaping out and Gary Lucy way before Dancing on Ice. This was the genius concept which crash landed before the WAGs stepped out for real in Baden Baden at the 2006 world cup. I am a secret Coleen Rooney obsessive. I loved her in her moon boots and velour tracksuits, she just didn't care. Compared to the constant pout of Vicky Beckham and the grooming of Cheryl Cole, Coleen was a light relief.

Fashion has changed from the boob baring and hipster trousers showing midriff days. The in-look is much more safe and covered up. A quick look through the high street confirms this. I do love a Tea Dress and the pretty slouchy clothes on offer on the high street but maybe it's time for a return to 'daring to do fashion in a different way.' Doesn't roll of the tongue. I spotted this ASOS dress which I love because it is actually armour. Imagine wearing armour on a night out? You would feel invincible. I better get ab crunching though for that peek-a-boo oblique flesh.

The melt-a-heart dress

As a student currently trying to complete my post graduate degree in journalism, I have a lack of funds to consume fashion in the way that the magazines want women like myself to. One can still lust though. And lust I did it at this gorgeous ASOS dress. Chanel inspired with beautiful buttons down the back, it makes me consider going into the Big Brother house (for the last time of course before it's axed) to secure some cash from a crap magazine deal to buy my heart out.

This shift dress definitely looks more expensive than it is. And would melt anyone's heart if you're the type who loves to have a valentine on Valentines Day.