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  1. Levels

    Monday, September 26

    So, yes, I know. Seriously long time, no posts. It's been a pretty crazy couple of months and this really hasn't been on my radar. Now however I'm feeling guilty about it and I desperately need a project since I have now left full time education and I'm now hanging out in the real world with very few short term goals. I'm craving writing on a scale I never knew I could ever feel. I miss seminars and sharing my ideas with a group of like minded people, as discussing the poetic rhythm of a novel or the pitfalls of the rehabilitation of offenders isn't exactly something my general audience at home wish to hear about. I even thought I could start some sort of bookclub with my fellow graduated English students. But then I remembered that I'm not middle aged and that this would very much be a last resort. Yoga apparently is the next step. I miss uni fantastically. I keep receiving texts from my friends now back in Leeds with the oh so sweet words of 'INTERGALACTIC PLANETARY PLANETARY INTERGALACTIC' (Law, 2011). I'm making my way back up North for a weekend in October and a few days next week in London but sadly the real world is hitting me hard. One of the worst things about not being a student, being very much unemployed and not having any money, is that I have suddenly had to grow up. My mentality, thanks to uni, has definitely matured. I can quite easily say that I am no longer an 18 year old know-it-all fresher and nor would I want to be one again. Unfortunately however I have realised that at 21 and as no longer a student, I need to dress more like an adult. In other words, I think it may be time to subdue the florals, lower the hems and mute the colours. Not in a boring Next way, but in more of a 'hey look at me and please please hire me because I'm a responsible adult, not an over eager, over academic student'. This graduale shift therefore has led me to the first post I've done in a while and with an overarching focus on fashion, with an iTunes shuffle at the end.

    I've had my eye on the A/W 11 trends for a while now. My observation of the end of year fashion started with that subtle movement of the hairy jumpers and the 50 denier tights into the once prime position of the printed maxi dresses and the neon bikinis. Although I rejoiced at the time (have to take up maxi dresses, 5'2" is not a model height and no tropical beach holiday this year to wear said bikinis), I must say that for the first time, I'm not really looking forward to Winter. This is not, owing to popular opinion, because I am what can only be described as Bambi in the presence of ice, but because I was a lot more excited about the S/S 11 trends than the A/W ones. I do like my darker colours, black just looks good on everyone to me, but it's that pesky "rust" colour which pops up this time of year that can upset me. Rust is orange. Essentially if you're not of an olive or darker complexion this colour seems to wash you out and make you look like you're trying too hard to be "on trend". This is one of the worst possible situations. I just had a quick browse of the new ASOS collection. I clicked on jumpers and hooray, ORANGE appears. A particularly awful one is an orange blocked with cobalt blue. You too can now look just like an over-coloured and over-flavoured cocktail. However, if you click on this monstrosity, you discover that they have failed to advertise that you can buy it in 2 other colours: "aubergine" and "blue". (I would also like to point out that the colour descriptions for the former one are yes, you guessed it, "rust" and "teal".) Here is a photo - I'm fairly sure that you will agree that rust, in the world of fashion is simply a marketing tool to make orange less scary to the average woman. Orange is scary. Especially when blocked with "teal":


    Looking at the aubergine and blue one though I find that although the colours may be more pleasing, the actual jumper itself looks like a Year 9 Textiles student has cut up 2 different jumpers and sewn them together. Poor show ASOS. The prevalence of "rust" continues throughout the search of jumpers but I do spot that there is also a fantastic palette of blacks, greys, navys and the more majestic jewel colours (such as burgundy, petrol blue, crimson, emerald and primrose/mustard yellow) which are very much an ongoing trend. There are a whole load of trends at the moment and I want to cover a few, but in separate entries so that I actually have something to do with my excessive spare time. Therefore, I want to cover the rather beautiful, yet often daring Jewel Box Colours in this part of today's entry and how I have slotted them into my wardrobe. So, with no further ado here are my favourite Upper/Lower High Street Jewel Tone items:

    1. Crimson/Ruby - I'm starting with my least favourite colour. This is only because red doesn't suit me. Apparently it should, but it just doesn't. Regardless of this however, red (the non fashionista name for 'crimson', 'ruby' or 'scarlet') can be one of the many ways to stand out this season. I think the only way you'd get me to wear red this season is with this item:

    American Apparel - The Wool Cape (Valentine) - £145

    Sorry for the quality - Here's a link to the AA website: http://store.americanapparel.co.uk/Rsawn301.html. Yes, it's super pricey especially since AA is not especially well known for it's quality. However, I love this item. It's perfect to add a block of ruby (or 'valentine') red into your wardrobe for a stroll round town or to a bar for an evening. Also, since you won't be wearing it all day/night you don't have to worry about standing out too much. I also know that it's a cape which I can't say is the most appealing item in the world. Give it a chance though. This one is fantastic because it isn't too cape like, it has a zip therefore it doesn't run the risk of drowning you out too much and it also seems to combine femininity with masculinity fairly well. The only downside since I have been in the rainy and windy North for the last 3 years, is that there is no hood for weather in which your umbrella would not survive. Another mention for a more formal look is this dress: 

    Vila - Verine Dress (Lava Rust) - £54.95

    I have to say, my favourite thing about this blog today is my discovery of the fantastic variety of names for colours used by the fashion industry. It's like looking at a Dulux colour catalogue. This dress is perfect for the office, for a bit of shopping, dinner out with someone special or afternoon tea with friends. I think this one ticks a lot of boxes mostly because the structure is quite flattering to curves especially and therefore useful for a number of occasions where you can both show of your figure as well as conceal a 3 course meal. See French Connection for their Signal Red Lookbook. 

    2. Yellow/Mustard - like "rust", this can well be one of those colours that can wash you out. However, I'm going to cautiously suggest that any hair colour looks good with this colour except red, and by red I mean Rihanna red not ginger. I just want a moment though to show off my mustard trousers. Potentially my most daring item of clothing that I own. I am a massive fan of Moschino and I found these beauties on eBay a good 6 months ago. Everyone laughed. Everyone took the piss and now I can say HA - I have both mustard coloured, on trend, high waisted, peg leg trousers, and they're genuine Moschino. I will admit that they were a bit of a shock when I opened them and there is the question as to what on earth you wear with them (unfortunately "rust" looks good) but despite all these qualms, I may be in love. Here is a photo of them:

    Sorry - iPhoto refused to save this in portrait

    Onto a couple of mustard suggestions. Firstly, if you can find mustard trousers and are feeling brave, go for it. Wear a black top to contrast (you won't look as bee like as you'd think) or a rust one. More on the brown side than the orange though. I found these one on a quick search on ASOS:

    ASOS - High Waist Peg Trousers in Cord (mustard) - £28 on sale

    On to a couple more options from the ever questionable Topshop. I love Topshop clothes. But the shop is well up it's own arse and every couple of items I buy from there fall apart almost instantly because the stitching is so poor Nonetheless, if you're looking for high street mustard, here are some ideas from Topshop:

    Topshop - Knitted Aran Collar Cardigan (mustard) - £48


    Topshop (Rare) - Skater Belt Dress (mustard) - £32

    French Connection - Lucky Snood (oak tree/black) - £20

    So, a jumper, a dress and a snood. I actually love the snood. I saw it in store not that long ago and I am almost certainly going to buy it. Mustard is a lot of fun, and as shown with the snood and the jumper, you can have removable items as with the red/ruby so you don't feel you're overdoing it on the colour. For some high end designer inspiration, check out Fendi's A/W 11 catwalk collection. Also, I just want to add in here that gold is a nice addition as well. I've been wearing it on my nails lately, in particular No. 7's Stay Perfect Nail Colour in 'I'm Exquisite'. I just have to note that "exquisite" is a pretty perfect word. With mustard, black is the best colour to contrast with. Along with red, rust and white. 

    3. Berry/Amythyst and beyond - I first have to give a mention to my wonderful friend Cindy. A while back, in the middle of the summer, I find her cooking in this fabulous maxi skirt in a berry colour. She tells me it was from ASOS but unfortunately the colour she bought it in has since sold out. I guess you could call it a raspberry colour to be exact. This lighter colour ranging all the way down to a deep 'amythyst' is definitely on trend right now. I'm not going to call it purple, because this sums up to me my 11 year old self's pink and purple bedroom. Currently, I'd start with the raspberry colour and as autumn progresses into winter, I'd lean more towards the darker side. Also, darker for going out. I personally think dresses and skirts look best in this colour so here are a couple of choices:

    ASOS - ASOS Petite Exclusive Mini Dress w/Cross Back Cut Out Sides (berry) - £25

    Do the world a favour though and don't wear black boring heels with this dress. Try either elaborate black heels or maybe even orange/rust/yellow/mustard. 

    Motel - Becka Skirt (violet) - £32

    Amethyst I have found is one of the harder colours to find flattering clothes in. You also run the risk with looking a bit like The Purple One in a Quality Street box if the material is too shiny. After all my searching, I honestly think my friend's maxi skirt is one of the best items I've seen in the berry/amethyst colour but sadly, it has now sold out. 

    4. Blue/Petrol/Cobalt Blue - blue to me appears to be one of the less worn colours in the world. Denim is always out there and seems to be the staple blue item in pretty much any British man or woman's wardrobe. 
    It is also an odd colour to wear as it often seems people put white with blue and you start looking a bit nautical. I'm going to admit that I only have one very blue item, besides jeans, in my wardrobe and this is a crushed velvet 3/4 sleeve, rather short vintage dress that I bought in a vintage haul on eBay. It was totally by chance and since then I have found it to be a very useful addition. However, here are some less obscure suggestions for the blue look starting with a link to Very for an on trend 60s look. I'm not sure what this dress would look like on however, I can imagine that it may well drown out a few people and others may be inclined to belt it which defeats the whole 60s look. There is also this blazer from New Look which again adds a somewhat temporary splash to an outfit (sorry for the lack of actual photos, these sites won't let me copy and paste). As suggested by the photo, this blue goes really well with cream as the main focus with the blue to pop. 

    And this going out look:
    Vero Moda - Key Hole Drape Back Low Side Dress (shiney cobalt) - £22

    and here's the back (but in black)


    I actually adore this dress and at such a fantastic price why aren't you getting it right now? Also available from ASOS. I may even get this one it's so darn pretty and the cobalt colour is absolutely gorgeous. 

    5. Green/Emerald - this is my final yet favourite colour so apologies if I get too excited. Green is probably my favourite colour in general. It doesn't even particularly suit me but it's almost as versatile as black yet appears to be shunted into the sale rack far too often. First, let me demonstrate how beautiful green can be by directing you to Jaeger. Just take a look and tell me that their definition of green/emerald isn't simply wonderful. It's almost royally green. This is my most admired item, like New Look and Very though I can't paste but I found it on ASOS along with a £23 reduction in price:

    Boutique by Jaeger - Textured Stripe Jumper (emerald green) - £115/£92

    I would like to just sneak in my new green trousers though because although these may not quite be emerald, they do add the much needed green-ness to my wardrobe at at £10 from H&M how can you possibly go wrong? Apologies to everyone who has seen me recently for wearing them pretty much every single day:

    H&M - Treggings - Online £7.99, although I swear they were £9.99 in store


    Sadly for us mere mortals however, the truest emerald colours out this season reside in the designer end of the fashion spectrum. If you'd like to cry over some gems though check out Jil Sander - Navy, Pucci and Diane Von Furstenberg's catwalk collections. Even the best emerald coloured shoes are living with Kurt Geiger. Never mind. It seems that emerald green actually lives up to it's bejewelled price tag for the very best hues. 

    So here I shall come to a close on the jewel box but prepare yourselves for a closer analysis of some more A/W trends in the very near future (tomorrow). The jewel tones are, to me, a really exciting group of colours, and I hope that I've shown that they don't need to be reserved for evenings spent at swanky London bars, because, let's face it, only the minority of us do that. I think that the mustard hues are the most versatile, bringing a bit of sunshine to the darkening mornings that are closing in on us. 

    Here then I shall end with an iTunes shuffle (and a cheeky music recommendation to make you feel so very happy): 

    The recommendation:


    Matt & Kim - 'Daylight'

    Also, the title of my blog today refers to 'Levels' by Avicii (uh-VEE-chee according to Wikipedia) - massive love for this. 

    And the iTunes shuffle for optimum embarrassment:

    A.R. Rahman - 'Mausam & Escape' (Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack)

    Well, that was surprising. I paid for this. That's how much I like this album. And if you haven't seen the film and/or read the book, do it. 


    Posted by prandicle at 17:42 | 0 comments | | |

  2. Mash It

    Wednesday, June 22

    I have spent a good proportion of the last couple of days searching for clothes and scanning for new music as my iTunes is currently full of Top 40 guilty pleasures. Therefore I decided that I needed the input of intelligent music as well as intellectual clothes in order to fit into my new status as graduate. I'm planning to enjoy this summer in the usual regalia of denim shorts and an array of crop/sheer/non existent tops and floral dresses but I'm getting increasingly aware that my wardrobe needs to be updated to a working 21 year old's rather than a student's, even though I'm yet to find a job. So as usual, I'll make a start with some music that I have discovered on my adventures into the Internet followed by a quick run down of my material desires. 


    Anyone that knows me will probably know that I'm a YouTube obsessor. Not necessarily for music, just everything. I can spend hours on there watching everything from parts of American documentaries to music video parodies. In this respect I can sometimes get a little annoyed when someone finds something fantastic before me, it's just the competitive side of me. When my friend Robyn came to stay with me in Leeds a few weeks ago someone posted this on her Facebook wall: 


    This is called Lights by Norwegian Recycling. Norwegian Recycling is one guy called Frans Peter Bull Enger and in his own words is currently 'intrigued by the possibility to write lyrics and express articulated views and opinions by using the words and voices of other artists. I also emphasize the visual aspect by releasing videos to accompany my tracks'. Being a bit of a fan of Kanye West et al's Flashing Lights it was wonderful see that a guy had created a whole song, all about lights, taking a good proportion of focus off the ever egotistic Kanye. Watching it with my friend Robyn we were both outrageously pleased that there was a Blink 182 sample in there. Oh and some old school Modjo's Lady. You can't help but feel really bouncy with this song and how well it's blended together and I really think that it does 'write lyrics' using a range of artists. Mash ups are a really tricky genre to get right in my opinion. I have a massive collection on my iTunes but only a handful I enjoy listening too. I think the first one I ever heard was years ago on an MTV show (the name escapes me) but it was a mash up of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit with Destiny Child's Bootylicious. Sounds crazy? You're right. Listening back to it right now on YouTube I am pained. But then that might simply be that the quality isn't fantastic. It does surprisingly blend, just Beyonce's voice kinda grates on you in contrast to Cobain's.  Also it seems to be a weird juxtaposition of genres in the video - gyrating UV male bums and the mop dancing caretaker. Speaking of mash ups though, I found this beauty in the depths of Audio Porn: Aaliyah vs The XX. I am an absolutely huge fan of The XX and Intro is one of the best opening tracks to an album I think I've ever heard. Whenever I hear that it's been sampled I'm immediately trying to find it and this is no exception. I've heard a lot of crap but there are some good remixes and samples out there and I think this is up there with them. Another one that my friend Rush discovered is a mash up of The XX with Notorious B.I.G which has completely grown on me. I know nothing about B.I.G but I know that this sounds weirdly right - Wait What - Dead Wrong Intro:



    Audio Porn is fantastic for some crazy mash ups and another one I discovered recently is Echo and the Bunnymen vs. Florence and the Machine, Killing Days:


    But enough of this mash up business, onto a few more tracks that I've discovered and will massively rate starting with something a little on the same lines but more of a Cuban remix than anything else. I may be massively behind the times but whilst on the drive home from a party at the weekend, following the chilled notes of the Black Keys my friend Rush asked if I'd heard of a nonprofit Cuban influence upon Western music collaboration entitled Rhythms del Mundo. Clearly my face said it all. He immediately played this wonderful tune, a jazzed up, Cubanised version of Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved:



    We then went on to discuss what a bad rep Maroon 5 seemed to gain over the years. I never had any of their albums, only a handful of tracks but I always loved to hear This Love. They're a bit boring, bit mainstream, bit middle class, middle aged but I have a bit of an attraction to the lead singer. So yes, check out Rhythms del Mundo, their album(s)' profits benefit the organisation Artists Project Earth and every little helps when it comes to saving our planet.

    And onto something totally brand spanking new in the guise of Explosions in the Sky. So I know I said in my last post that I'm not really into instrumentals. This is one of the few exceptions. I think it's because everything these guys do is completely epic. It isn't just using a computer and pushing some sounds together which seems to be a large proportion of music production at the moment, but they actually appear to involve themselves entirely in their music and it seems to be a real labour of love for them. One of my personal favourites by them is Glittering Blackness on their first 2000 album How Strange, Innocence: 

    My absolute favourite part of this is around the 2:43 mark onwards. They call their music 'cathartic mini-symphonies' and I think that this is exactly the best way to describe it. To me they are a real set of musicians, 3 guitars and a drum kit. Onto the new stuff though, these guys, despite all the epicness of their music, have never produced an equally epic music video, or one at all at that. While on Wired this evening I saw that this has all changed and now there is an 8 month in the making music video with a minute per month to show for it under the title Last Known Surroundings. An almost completely perfect video to enhance the listening experience. So if you haven't ever heard of them, check them out immediately and if you have, go watch this and become an even greater fan than before. 

    Finally, onto a wee bit of fashion before I head off to bed (I need to a) stop writing before bed time and b) maybe start posts with fashion and end with music occasionally). As I think I mentioned in a previous post I was aiming to get round to creating a DIY cut out denim shirt. Today, I found that denim shirt and cut it to pieces. Stylishly anyway (I think). I feel that I want to keep cutting bits out of it but right now it's exactly how I pictured it and I'm happy with the end result so I'm thinking of finding another shirt tomorrow to cut up a bit more in different places. Keep in mind that I have almost zero experience of textiles other than a few cushion covers in year 9 so it was just basic snipping. As it's denim I'm not finishing it off, just leaving it to fray a bit and see how that goes as I don't think I'll be wearing the shirt that much. Here are a couple of pictures: 

    Ignore the gold belt. What a disasterous choice! 


    Overall I'm quite pleased with the end result. I really really want to take the top of the back out too but I think it would overboard on the cutting up front. I'm so looking forward to wearing it out/to my driving lesson...

    So anyway, I'm shattered and like I say, driving lesson in the morning and so to end with an iTunes shuffle special (note, I didn't put a music video to the last one because I do not in any way recommend listening to it.) For today's song iTunes has chosen: Vampire Weekend - M79 from the self titled album. Much better than last week and so I will end with giving the music "video" for it: 


    I've chosen a live one because the violins make it that much better. 

    Posted by prandicle at 23:13 | Labels: , , , , , | 1 comments | | |

  3. Festivalia

    Thursday, June 16

    I have been wonderfully appalling at making this a regular feature but I have been non stop for weeks and this is one of the earliest opportunities to write down some thoughts on festivals, music in general and a venture to find the perfect shoe. 

    Firstly, I am not going to re-hash my boyfriend's blog account of Parklife Festival which was held on the 11-12th of June just gone, but instead, I am going to post some shameless advertising to Alex's money making dog poo I have only been to Latitude and Wireless Festivals and a fair number of gigs in my life but this festival was , as my boyfriend eloquently states, 'money making dog poo'. All I can say was that it was a massively expensive disappointment. Essentially, I am currently listening to Nero's 'Innocence' on my £30 speakers and it sounds better on these than it did in a tent with man himself playing in front of me. You know it's not been a good festival when you come home and play Chase and Status on your laptop and you have a better time pissing off your neighbours with insane bass than you do singing 'Time' for the artist because the sound from the stage is such poor quality. One of the most entertaining parts of my weekend was the guy completely off his tits behind us singing SWEET sensation over and over again during Chase and Status' entire set. The number of times I just wanted to turn round and go home are uncountable. However, the company was awesome, the artists tried their hardest with what they had (often apologising) and the weather was wonderfully British (hail the size of broken glass, thunder, 18 degree heat and torrential rain all day Sunday) but the organisers were completely piss poor and I was left massively disappointed. I don't particularly feel that I can honestly tell someone that I saw the acts that I did as I couldn't hear them. I was so excited to see Nero and didn't even care that I couldn't breathe but when you can't hear the drop, just leave. I have no idea how many people outside of my group of friends felt the same way and I don't know if many people are complaining but I am going to make the recommendation that you should think twice before going next year. Warehouse Project, along with other organisers such as Festival Republic have ruined the festival atmosphere, sacrificing quality with quantity for increasingly expensive prices. 

    But now onto happier subjects starting with the Leeds Summerball. This was a wonderful evening (and unlike Parklife, I could hear the acts) and a fantastic way to end my undergraduate career. The main acts besides the Metropolis/Wax:On tent which was similar to the Parklife line up, were Ellie Goulding, Darwin Deez and Chipmunk. I am unashamedly an Ellie Goulding fan, I think her voice is beautifully haunting and unlike other uni acts that have been experienced at the cringeworthy Fruity evenings, she wasn't trying hard to be cool *cough* Skins cast *cough*. She just got up, sang beautifully and entertained the crowd. I do think she failed to remember that she was playing to a crowd of very drunk students who paid for a whole evening, not just to hear her. This meant that she played a whole album's worth of songs when the crowd only really wanted to hear 'Your Song' and 'Starry Eyed'. I did take a few drunken videos but subsequently deleted them off my camera in an equally drunken moment - here is a YouTube user's video montage though if you're interested:


    05.54 onwards for 'Your Song' is my favourite part as everyone really goes for it in their football crowd manner. I think me and my friends left at around 4 and all I had in my head on the coach back was Example's 'Watch the Sun Come Up' and was suddenly convinced that Example had been playing in the Metropolis/Wax:On tent and was devastated that I had missed him. What... I wish you could record your drunken internal monologues for future hilarity. Speaking of this song though, this remix was my summer 2010 tune: 


    Onto new music though. I am completely in love with a couple of tracks at the moment.
    First is this completely incredible intro of Is Tropical's 'The Greeks' followed by the beat electronica of the bridge. 


    The video is a special effects dream (and a censor's nightmare). Following on from this, those of you in the UK who enjoy the delights of iTunes' Pandora's Box of music that is Single of the Week, you might have downloaded Austra's 'Lose It'. To me she reminds me of a cross between Clare Maguire, The XX and maybe Lykke Li (which I only recently discovered was pronounced Licky Lee, who knew?). This is, in my opinion, an iTunes win. She has the haunting voice like that of Ellie Goulding and Clare Maguire with the simplistic melodies of the XX and the general style of Lykke Li which combines the two. If you're interested, here it is: 


    Which reminds me, I have yet to check out this week's free song... I just downloaded it and I will easily state that it is one of the worst tracks I have heard in 2011. It's called 'Emergency' and is by Wonderland. Avoid unless you are a fan of shit. A track I would recommend on the other hand that has just sprung to mind is called 'You' by Creep ft Nina Sky. It really reminds me of something else that I have heard and obsessed over recently but I can't quite place it. It's chilled out with what could be called a light dubstep effect to it. I think maybe it reminds me a female Jamie Woon? Maybe? 


    Last night I received a text from my dad (the man with the world's largest CD collection) with the following: 'So Kruder and Dorfmeister are cool? And if your reply is Who I will explode'. I didn't want my dad to explode so instead I didn't reply. I checked them out this morning and I will give them a 6/10. I think they're a bit boring for me. Wikipedia says that they are drum and bass, lounge and trip hop. They say they are drum and bass, dub and electronica. I will establish that they are lounge jazz dub with a bit of a D'n'B vibe. I'm not massively into ambient. Although I like 'depressing music' according to my boyfriend, I have a very soft spot for the XX, Jamie Woon and the Foals but I fail to really enjoy instrumental. Even if it is clever which this K&D lot are. Perhaps they will grow on me. 


    This was the one that I found that I liked the most. A couple of the tents I went to a Parklife sounded a bit like this. I don't find the genre especially exciting though. Boo. So thank you daddy, but no. While I'm on the music side of things, I thought I would bring this very enjoyable BBC Magazine archive to your attention. There are only a few entries as it isn't a regular feature but if you like to know the origins of songs then have a look. This is the latest one looking into Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'  but this page has the archive list on the side for more of them including 'Killing in the Name' and 'Ernie': 

    Finally, I just want to share 2 moments of joy. The first is my purchase of a pair of shoes I have been craving for a very long time. I'm not much of a shoe person and the majority of my shoes, including heels are black. Despite being 5'2", I rarely wear heels as I tend to prefer comfort for a night out rather than crippling pain. Not quite a fashionista's attitude, more of an old lady's really. Despite all this however, I have been channelling the 70s vibe recently. Although I am vertically challenged I am currently engaged in a love affair with maxi dresses and skirts at the moment. And to go with said dresses I was desperately seeking a pair of chunky heeled sandals. These did not seem to exist on the high street. The pair I was basing my choice on were these by Jeffrey Campbell [edit, photo has been deleted on the website therefore has gone from here too. Here is a leopard print pair to demonstrate the style...not the print]

    jeffrey-campbell-foxy-platforms.jpg

    I will admit that I very nearly put them in my basket to buy as I was so head over heels in love. But I actually wanted them in more of a tan colour and preferably not with a $129 price tag (even with the exchange rate that's still pretty massive). I looked on every high street website and in every store I could think of. ASOS came fairly close but then they didn't have my size, and I find ASOS shoes really uncomfortable. I expressed my need to my boyfriend while we were in York yesterday and found a promising pair in Office. But for £70. And then, a light in the distance shone over TK Maxx of all places. I headed to the shoe section and there I found a pair of shoes by Rocketdog. Rocketdog, personally, are not a particularly me brand. I had a pair of those Irish dancing kind of shoes by them in year 11 and another pair of horrific brown pumps when I was 15. They always seem to have a bit of a child like, adolescent feel to them. These, in a way, were no different with their bright orange and purple logo (really, orange and purple?) on top of the white floral patten that lined the insole. But besides this, to me I had found a budget version of the catwalk model. Although they are no Jeffrey Campbell's I think they are a satisfactory substitute. And in typical TK Maxx price promise they were £30 reduced from £70. And here they are:
    As you can see, no towering heels but the sole wedge makes me feel taller and stable. And the best part? I can walk in them with absolutely no trouble at all. An achievement for the heelphobe. As soon as I got in from York I stripped off and tried them on with everything from my black maxi dress to my Primark curtain dress, a staple from last summer. I very rarely find something that is exactly what I want for a small price and therefore I felt that this was worth blogging about. Unbelievably girly, but my happiness is astounding. The other 2 items that are currently on my shopping list are the solid/sheer skirts. I think I will end up making one this summer as they are disgustingly easy to make but I don't have access to a sewing machine until I am back in the hometown. I also have a Levi denim shirt that I am planning to cut up. I'm hoping to take out the shoulders and the back. I'm a real amateur at textiles so I'm hoping that my mum can give me some guidance. I bet she can't wait for me to be home, breaking the silence of home with the shouts of MUUUUUUM I'm stuck. The one other item I really want in my life is a pair of shorts that are neither vintage denim nor outrageously tight. I haven't quite figured this one out yet but all in good time. I'd also like someone to take me shopping and buy me some new tops. I really struggle with tops. I just don't 'get' them. I don't even understand myself...

    Oh, and the other news besides the shoe palava? I have finished my degree. As far as I can tell I have my 2:1. I got my exam results, had a hair cut/trim by my favourite ever hairdresser, got sushi came home and wrote this whilst easting a Whispa bar. 

    I also had an idea to end my blogs. It's terribly cliched but you might get some idea of how non-eclectic my iTunes really is depending upon it's temperament. I'm going to press next whilst on shuffle and tell you the song that is chosen. This way I will either come across as pretentious or a real guilty pleasure lover. I have a lot of crap and I hate to delete music so take all this with a pinch of salt =)

    So the shuffle song of the day is: Inna - 'Amazing' - I should have known my iTunes would screw me over. I have a feeling my boyfriend told me to download this because 'it was dirty as hell' and not dirty in the good way. 

    Posted by prandicle at 14:29 | Labels: , , , , | 1 comments | | |

  4. Blustery Blues

    Tuesday, May 10

    So right in the middle of my final year of uni in my final semester during my final exams of undergraduate university ever I decide to start a blog. Why? Because procrastination is a student's best friend and right now I'd rather be doing anything other than writing notes about Interpersonal Violence. As interesting as it sounds, the theory part of it isn't. Not even when Freud is involved and you know when he's involved and it's still boring you are fantastically screwed.

    Besides all the violence malarky however, I'm massively into my fashion and my music...and a bit of photography on the side and so this is more for my benefit than anything else. Just to showcase my personal interests and maybe a little bit about my currently extremely average life. Bear with me while I get to grips with it all. I used to have an erm...LiveJournal account...but that was way back when I was SEVENTEEN and I even learnt a fair bit of HTML when I was SIXTEEN on erm...Myspace. 5 years on however, much like all my GCSE and A-level knowledge, it has faded away into an abyss made up of As You Like It and glaciation. Moving on then, like I said I'm in my last semester of uni and my exams are about a week away. Getting me though this terrifying period of my life is some truly wonderful music. I honestly can't remember where I initially heard about Jamie Woon. I had one his of songs, Spiral hanging around on my iTunes and then whilst having a browse on Audio Porn (if you haven't heard of this, ch ch ch check it out), I think I saw a cover he'd done of Adele's everlasting Someone Like You. And so my obsession grew. I got the album. I played it on repeat and here is the song (Spirits) that is getting me through:



    Quite wonderfully this is the YouTube version that is also on the album. I've never looked him up on YouTube before so this link took me on a little adventure. I hadn't even seen him. Miraculously, he looks almost exactly like I pictured him. I'm not sure how often that happens. You know when you're chatting to someone and they're going on about some psycho friend or a gorgeous guy they've met and you kinda picture them a bit like said psycho friend or you're own ideal man but maybe with darker or lighter features. Thankfully he doesn't look as dickheady as he could have done. Anyway, back to the song/album. The album is called Mirrorwriting (released April 2011) and other songs to take note of are Spirals (as previously mentioned) and Nightair which seems to be the one that more people know. I think it might have been released but didn't get much airtime here (I just Wikipedia-d it. It was released in the UK in 2008 originally). He also collaborated with Burial who remixed his song Wayfaring Stranger. It has a typical Burial sound which kinda gives it an atmosphere of an abandoned lighthouse. The kinda place that I'd love to go photograph, but maybe not with that tune playing in my ears...



    So that's Jamie Woon for you all. I'm not sure how "mainstream" he is or is getting but I'm simply revelling in his music. It's not my typical genre I'm going to admit. Maybe a bit too chilled and a couple of the tracks are a teeny bit leaning on the pop side which kinda disappointed me but not enough to prevent me listening to the album over and over again. There are a fair more other tracks etc that I'm really getting into. I tend to just download individual tracks as I'm not the biggest album collector (one of the very few things I did not inherit from my father, the owner of the largest album collection in East Anglia I expect). It takes a really good artist to make me want to get their album but he did it. While I'm here though, talking about music that's getting me through, a certain Ellie Goulding is playing at my Summer Ball. Summer Ball sounds a lot more impressive than it actually is. Don't feel too jealous. I'm almost not really looking forward to it and wouldn't even be going if it wasn't my final year and if almost everyone I know was going. I found this wonderful mashup/cover by a lady called Neon Hitch called What Starry Eyes Know. So it's clearly a mash up of Goulding's Starry Eyes and the other half is a song I'd never heard by Two Door Cinema Club called What You Know. Should probably download it and hear the original. 


    Anyway, I'm totally, utterly in love with this. At the beginning of the track Neon sounds a lot like Marina and the Diamonds but she gets into her own voice and I love it. She's one of those people who looks nothing like you'd imagine. Her name and her look doesn't really seem to go with her voice. The way she looks (and sounds in a couple of moments in some songs) reminds me of that godawful Cher Lloyd of X Factor fame.  A little off putting, but again, not enough to put me off for good. 

    As I'm just at home at the moment (not the library, crammed, hot and the toilets in Eddie B are a disgrace to human kind) I haven't been making my usual effort. I've been living in my denim shorts and rather gorgeous, recently bought off eBay woollen cardi thing. I'll post a picture at some point. It has fastenings to die for. In fact, at lunch time I will bust out the camera and take a photo of it. I adore it. I basically bought a woman's wardrobe recently. If she had been my shoe size it would all have been mine. I also got a absolutely beautiful dark blue velvet dress which I'm now considering wearing for Summer Ball. As I said, not all that exciting. It isn't even a ball where you can wear extravagant dresses and outrageous heels. It's in a goddamn field. My dad bought me a beautiful dress. You know, one of those dresses you always go back and ogle in a shop but I'm terrified of it getting ruined. So I think I'll wear the old vintage one that cost a fiver. I'll do a proper fashionista blog post asap, maybe get some opinions on which one? 

    Anyway, onto the revision. Child violence anyone? 


    Posted by prandicle at 12:17 | Labels: , , , , , | 1 comments | | |