Dotty and spotty wear aside for the minute, I just want to say how excited I am for this musical collaboration: Burial and Massive Attack. Burial has only gone and remixed MA's unreleased 'Four Walls' and the big one from their "Heligoland" album, 'Paradise Circus'. Some of you may recognise this one as the theme to the BBCs series "Luther" which has the rather wonderful Idris Elba who plays the legendary Stringer Bell in "The Wire" which is one of my favourite TV series ever. So basically, this chain of events makes for one totally brilliant collab. Also, Burial for those that don't know, is an London ambient/dubstep musician. Here's one of my favourites for those who might like to suss him out:
Burial - 'Archangel' from the album "Untrue"
He's had 2 albums along with remixing the likes of Jamie Woon, Miike Snow, Thom Yorke and Bloc Party. The collaboration of these two sets of incredible British musicians therefore is definitely a cause for celebration. 'Four Walls/Paradise Circus' hasn't really been released anywhere for the general public other than the momentary pre-order of 1000 vinyl copies by The Vinyl Factory which have all immediately been snapped up for the generous sum of £25. For now however only the 11+ minute "video" to 'Four Walls' has been put up on YouTube. So here you go:
Burial/Massive Attack - 'Four Walls (Burial Remix)'
While I'm here, I will just mention a couple of other big songs in my life right now. They're in the charts and everything so no judging. Firstly:
Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris - 'We Found Love'
No official video yet. Funny story behind the video though if you haven't heard, check out the literary skills of the Daily Mail to read up on the antics of a very angry farmer. Also on my radar is this RAC remix of Sunday Girl's 'Love U More'. It sounds terrible, but it really isn't at all. Promise.
Sunday Girl - 'Love U More (RAC Remix)'
And finally to explain my title, Delilah of Chase & Status 'Time' fame has released her own music. Her new solo track 'Go' is currently number 17 in the charts and she's used some of the lyrics from Diana King's 'Ain't Nobody' but although you might be expecting a d'n'b note to it, it's just totally mellow. However I have since Soundcloud-ed faster remixes so if you're wanting something with more instrumentals, you know where to go. Until then though, I'm going to end my music bit with the official video. It's not an exciting one in the slightest, but enjoy all the same:
Delilah - 'Go'
But onto the polka dot trend. This is a trend that I didn't anticipate myself actually liking, but as it has begun to proliferate I've decided that I quite like it after all as long as you don't end up looking like Minnie Mouse. Which could happen. So who, what, why and how.
Who: D&G, Gucci, Stella McCartney and Oscar de la Renta
What: The best items to be adorned with the many many dots and spots include the standard blouses and dresses (as long as you don't look too much like your gran) but also trousers, belts and hosiery. Although you kind find the pattern on shorts and skirts, I kinda feel that you look a bit like you've regressed back to the frilly party skirts of your childhood. And since it's coming up to winter, shorts with printed dots are giving a bit of a desperate Summer vibe.
Why: Because they make being an adult fun! I know I just said that skirts adorned with them can end up looking a bit childish, but if you add them to some 70s style flared trousers or to a pussybow blouse then it gives the impression that yeah, you might like fashion (or not), but you're having fun too.
How: Here's the time for the photo bit and where I will try to find some more affordable items for you to add to your A/W wardrobe as well as a few ideas with what you could wear them with.
Blouses and Tops:
I'm going to start with this category mainly because it's the easiest one to source but equally hard to get just right. One of my favourite polka dot looks is the sheer blouse:
Reiss - Kara Bell Sleeve Shirt (nude) - £89
Sorry about the old price tag, I'm moving on to cheaper things noooow:
Whistles - Polka Dot Sleeveless Blouse - £30 (sale)
Warehouse - Pinspot Front Tie Blouse (bright green) - £45
Topshop - Navy Polka Dot Crochet Collar Swing Top - £34
So there we have a bit of a selection. I've also seen some lovely tops in New Look and H&M but the links for pictures on these sites are hard to do so go have a gander yourself. The tops I've chosen are mainly with the smaller dots than the giant ones that are about. I think the best larger polka dot tops you can get though are if you go for a rummage at vintage fairs or shops in your home or university town. Since the polka dot was pretty big in the 80s, you're bound to find some fantastic finds if you just go and look for the more original. I have a lovely vintage navy blue dotty blouse that I found in the depths of a basket at a vintage fair in Leeds so it can be done! Also, I wouldn't recommend mixing polka dots. Ie. dotty tops with dotty bottoms.
Dresses:
This is one of the best ways to incorporate polka dots into your wardrobe, but beware of the red and white look, because like I said before you will look like Minnie Mouse. I've seen some lovely dresses on the likes of Alexa Chung but I'm fairly sure that her's are vintage finds. If you're handy with a sewing machine the long vintage dresses that you usually find can easily be taken up by you handy self. When it comes to vintage, as a side note, check out Rokit as well as the obvious eBay and as I've just discovered, Oxfam have their own online shop now as well! If you're not into the vintage rummaging however, Boohoo has some real surprises in store. Here are my favourites:
Boohoo - Louise Polka Dot Skater Dress (mocha) - £20 (also available in navy, berry, mustard and rust, if you've seen my previous posts you'll know how much the colour names make me smile)
Boohoo - Rachel Polka Dot Flocked Sheer Bodycon Dress - £15
ASOS - Collar Spot Dress (nude) - £15 (sale)
So there you have some dotty dresses to get yourself started. The middle dress shows that you can wear them out in an evening too and still look seriously sexy. I love the collar on the bottom one and the top one is perfect for both casual and drinks out depending on how you want to dress it.
Trousers:
Yes. You can get polka dotted trousers. Are they for everyone? No. They certainly aren't for me, mostly because I don't think I'm brave enough but hey, you go for it! Here are some ideas if you fancy it:
Jaeger - Spot Jacquard Trouser - £130
Topshop - Polka Dot Wide Leg Trousers (oxblood) - £45
ASOS - Spot Peg Jersey Trousers - £25
I think if you were going to get me to wear polka dots on my legs, the bottom one's would be the way forward. The Topshop flares are a bit too much for me personally, but if you're blessed with height, do it. And the top ones are ideal for almost any occasion, bring some A/W flare to the office. But I think you'd need a job to afford the Jaeger ones in any case.
I'm going to end on an Accessories note. An area I'm not very good at as unlike many women, I'm not massively into shoes but I'm going to give a couple of polka dot shoes which can be a great way to add a bit of the trend to a plainer outfit as well as a couple of other bits and pieces:
Accessories:
ASOS - LOCO Spot Bow Ballet Shoes - £25
Topshop - Cross Over Platforms - £110
Miss KG by Kurt Geiger - Ash (black) - £50 (sale)
Boohoo - Liv Polka Dot lace Panelled Body - £16
Accessorize - Polka Dot Mini Bag - £18
Nordstrom - Commando 'Big Dot' Sheer Tights - £21.59
So there you have it, a beginners guide to Polka Dots. Go big or go small, or simply not at all. There's a fine line between adding a touch of childish charm to adult clothing and looking like you're heading off to a children's teddy bear picnic. And as much as the latter might be a lot more fun than real life, no 20 something looks good like that.
And so on that note, I'm going to dig out all my current polka dot stuff (tights and blouse) and see what I can do with them. And I will leave you to judge my music taste on the usual iTunes shuffle gamble:
Oh dear, it's a bad one. Sorry guys:
Slipknot - 'Duality' from the album "Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)"
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