Summer in the city - style inspiration from Roman Holiday

I know it's a bit of a cliche to name Audrey Hepburn as a style inspiration but she does make it look so effortless and so many of her roles really demonstrate the transformative potential of clothing.

So it was a complete pleasure to stumble across this video on Youtube of Hollywood costumier and fashion legend Edith Head talking about her designs and work with Hepburn on her breakout movie Roman Holiday (which you can currently watch for free on Youtube here - get it while you can!).

Head was the most honoured costume designer in the history of the Oscars and I heartily recommend watching any film she was involved with - she knew how to pick them! And her sketches and illustrations are almost as glorious to look at as watching the actresses move around the screen in the real thing.

Costume design for Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina by Edith Head via Indie Fixx

Costume design for Bettee Davis in All About Eve by Edith Head via Indie Fixx

Costume design for Grace Kelly in Rear Window by Edith Head via Indie Fixx

She was also the inspiration for the character of Edna Mode in The Incredibles. Head had her signature look down pat from a fairly early stage in her own career - the round glasses, blunt fringe, pulled back hair and perfectly cut two-piece suits or jackets slung over crisp shirts.

Edith Head at work via Moviestarmakeover

She was also, by all accounts, a completely fascinating woman to talk to. She'd be on the list for my fantasy fashion dinner party alongside Mrs Shilling.

Rather good illustrated Edith Head quote by Indie Fixx

For solid, no nonsense advice on style, your first port of call should be Head's How to Dress for Success. (There's some great extracts on the Daily Mail website of all places though I think you should buy the book rather than visit the Mail).

It is her vision for the runaway Princess in Rome that's my style inspiration for the hot sticky summer we've been having in London.

Don't feel like you have to cut all your hair off - a quick and simple ponytail should have a similar effect. Or leave it long if the weather is cool enough to not bother you.

A full skirt with a belt at the waist and a light cotton shirt or t-shirt is hard to beat. Hepburn's shirt goes through a number of iterations in the movie: buttoned up all the way and full sleeved, sleeves rolled up and collar open with a neck scarf, and my favourite - collar popped and bare necked. She also changes shoes - from smart pumps to roman sandals.

Prim and proper early on in the movie

With the original necktie from above plus rolled sleeves

From an early screen test with popped collar and striped neck scarf

Open collar

The skirt does need to be a decent length if you, like me, enjoy cycling around the city in the summer as it helps to preserve one's modesty while still letting in a bit of a cooling breeze - a bit of cool air up your skirt on a hot day is the kind of innocently illicit pleasure that makes life worth living and trousers can never really compete on that front.

It's an almost universally flattering combination. You don't need Hepburn's teen tiny waist to pull it off, I promise - just go for a narrower belt.

If you don't feel like you're tall enough for a longer skirt a/ you're probably wrong and b/ this combo still works if you adjust the proportions so shorten the shirtsleeves for a shorter skirt. Be aware that long shirt sleeves + short full skirt can err a bit too far towards schoolgirl which is fine if you're going for a Harajuku feel, but not very Hepburn-ish.

You can dress the whole thing down with a denim jacket or up with a tailored one and soften it with a cardigan. It's really very versatile. Skirts like this, with the all important hip pockets that I think are really essential, aren't all that easy to find at the moment sadly especially at a reasonable price. Ideally, they need to be lined and made of a non-synthetic fabric - cotton is best in summer. My favourite was from a Margaret Howell sample sale and I'd buy another one if I'd ever been able to find it again.

Right now I quite like these even though most don't have the pockets:

Stripe Lucia skirt by Tara Starlet - £68

Roksanda Ilincic Tilton wool-cleb crepe skirt - £775

Asos full midi skirt in scuba - £38

50s circle skirt by Vivien of Holloway in a huge variety of colour options - £45 (would be my favourite if it had hidden pockets)

Organza insert calf skirt by Topshop - £48

Vintage at Goodwood thoughts

Having finally recovered from the weekend, I have had some time to think properly about Vintage at Goodwood. I think that honestly its main problem was that it was overhyped, because I went expecting little and had a really good time while others went expecting a lot and came away dissapointed. A large portion of the blame for this probably lies with Goodwood's PR team - Freud - who have been less than corteous to number of bloggers and also went a bit overboard with the PR in the run up to the festival.

I know that quite a few of the peolpe involved with the event in its early days and even on the weekend itself are feeling a bit abused and disgruntled, but I can't really comment much on that as having been turned down for accreditation I went as a paying punter.
What I can say is that I doubt that they will have made any money and that, aside from the PRs, I was treated well by all of the organisers that I came into contact with.
I can also vouch for the fact that the festival obvioulsy had teething problems, although I can't think of any festival I've been to that hasn't. Yes, there were long queues in the morning for the toilets, of which there weren't enough, and showers and campsite changing rooms. But all of these were very well maintained, with the occasional blockages and water loss repaired relatively rapidly for this scale of event. And the very fact that there were proper flushing toilets with loo roll and soap, showers and changing rooms with lights, mirrors and plug sockets for hair appliances was really quite something. I'm more used to portaloos and washing my hair in a bucket. There weren't enough foodstalls of places to sit, again simple errors of judgement from inexperienced festival organisers.
Yes, there was mud. No one can control the weather. But far from being the quagmire we were expecting, the soil actually dried up pretty quickly and copiuos quantities of woodchip were deployed overnight to try and soak up the worst of it.
There has been a lot of criticism of the commercial nature of the event - that there was little there that was free to do, that it was focused very much on shopping and that there was too much fancy dress and not enough dedicated vinatge lifestyle stuff. I agree to a certain extent. But there was quite a bit to do with free workshops, fashion shows (although I must admit these were very oversubscribed and I didn't get to go to a single one), talks and events, they were just small and poorly advertised. The only progamme available was a large hard back annual for £12, which was both absurdly expensive and impractical. 
The popularity of the music tents was underestimated while the popularity of the main stage headliners was overestimated. Large swathes of empty field around the outdoor stages were a stark contrast to the sprawling queues to get into the 1940s themed Tanquery Torch Lounge. Many people missed some of the best music and artists due to lack of space and the timing of the main acts was pretty awful. But we did see the wonderful Puppini Sisters, rock n roll punk bands, swing bands, burlesque and plenty of wonderful dancers. The curator of the Torch tent said that they hadn't expected it to be such a hit and that next time it would be much bigger.
The Chap Olympiad was a particular highlight. I know some people have pointed out that you could pay £15 to see that in London, but the truth is that many of the people who saw it at Goodwood have probably never heard of The Chap and were delighted by the discovery. The same can be said of the Twentieth Century Society, the Leigh Bowery seaside-style poke-you-head through photo gallery and the bevvy of friendly Lipstick and Curls girls. Little touches like a old-time shoeshine stand, tea tents and actors performing staged vignettes were also peppered around the site helping make it both fun and interesting.
But what really made the event a joy was the people. It was truly lovely to see men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes dressed up to the nines, as so many of them did. What's more, the mix between vintage lifestylers, dabblers and fancy dressers from all eras was actually quite refreshing.
Yes, I can see that for the ardent vintage lifestyler and all the car and scooter enthusiasts involved it may have not been ideal, but their presence was hugely appreciated by the rest of us. We all put in more effort and had a better time because of them and I hope that they return if there is another one. I also hope that the organisers recognise the value of having them there and smooth over some of the disputes and hurt feelings that have been talked about by other bloggers. I had a great time there, but with a bit more thought this festival could be quite amazing.
Boring review bit over, pictures in the next post...

straight men don't understand - part 1

(Yves Saint Laurent Autumn/Winter 2009 via style.com)

There are two types of women - those who dress for men and those who don't.

Well, actually that's a bit unfair. We all like to feel like we are attractive to men and that will affect the way we dress. But there is a dividing line, perfectly illustrated last night at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen by the girls in too-tight super short body-con dresses with flippy hair and the girls in low cut sparkly things and skinny jeans and bleached blonde hair - a triumph of presentation over content.

These girls are really all about feeling good about themselves by dressing to attract men. I do not condemn this (much) but if it means that your skirt is so short that you have to keen tugging it down when you dance, perhaps you should have bought the next size up.

There are plenty of women who prefer a more subtle take on this and then there are those who dress for other women. For these creatures little is as satisfying as an honest complement on your outfit from another woman whose style you admire. And in fashion world this means wearing things that the majority straight men will never understand and often actively dislike.

Last night I wore one of these things - velvet, high waisted, vintage Mani peg legs that finish just on the ankle. JFK was unimpressed at dinner, but LMWAI and Miss Laura Trouble, who have a regular DJ slot at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen loved them.

(It might look like they're dancing and having a good time playing records, but they're actually just filled with excitement about my trousers.)

The trousers were a bit of a find - all those reconnaissance visits to Oxfam Gloucester Road finally paid off. They make me feel a bit Katherine Hepburn and, unlike most high waisted trousers or peg legs, don't make my bum look like it spreads over an area the size of the Sahara desert.

They're a bit difficult to photograph - black velvet is a bit of a light vacuum...

(Black velvety goodness)

I wore them paired with the perfect Margaret Howell Breton t shirt (an ebay bargain) and gold metal belt from the Topshop sale a couple of years ago plus my current favourite heels.

(More goodness)

We drank beer and tequila, the ultimate good time combo, but perhaps a little bit too much. Have spent most of today recovering. Ouff.

p.s. Watching The City. Perfect hangover viewing and cameos from Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes (who I slightly hate for being pretty and very young and in possession of an amazing wardrobe and getting to wear Chanel for the Crillon Ball. Seriously.) and Tommye Fitzpatrick of Fashionologie being shot for Elle. Lucky things.

And for my London readers who don't need to save their money for Christmas presents...

Sample sale spectacular!!!

I went to the Valentino sale today. It was a bit different to the usual scrum - very quiet, very expensive and very popular with Russians apparently.  Absolutely nothing there I could afford aside from a carrier bag. No, really.

The above is the edited highlights of the sample sale extravaganza that is hitting London. There's also an Anya Hindmarch sale going on today, tomorrow and Saturday. You can register for it here.

A good sample sale always makes me feel a little hot under the collar. They're really exciting, even though I rarely actually buy anything. Just the suggestion of an amazing bargain is enough to make me feel a bit flustered. The sample sale is like the diet coke man in my world.

I am most excited about the Osman and Christopher Kane sales... Sad to be missing the Peter Jensen though. Can someone report back for me?

Dear New York readers...

I know you exist, I can see it in my web stats which I am becoming increasingly obsessed with as my readership builds. This post is for you.

When I saw this I nearly wept because the other side of the world is definitely too far to go for a mark-down.

Yes it's an Acne pre-sale at Acne Studio in New York. There's also one at Opening Ceremony in LA. Sigh. (For those who have not been following the story, I am currently consumed with lust for everything Acne related. No, not the skin condition, the clothing label. Yes, I know it's an unfortunate name, but have you seen those wedges? And the pearl collar t-shirt. And the amazing collection of little black dresses... ok, I'll stop now.)

This week has been pretty amazing for new readers. There's more than 100 of you. And this week I have had new readers from as far afield as Vancouver, Brisbane, Goa and that most glamorous of all locations in the world, Nottingham. Hello lovely new readers!

Christmas wish list entry number 4 - knitted things by Yokoo

Etsy has done many good things for young niche designers, giving them a platform to sell their own wares and skipping the ridiculous struggle to find stockists, business partners and all that jazz. 
But Etsy is also overwhelmingly vast. It's just too much for me to filter through. So I am always grateful when other people flag up a great new Etsy find, be it affordable or otherwise. It allows me to feel smug about finding something new and unusual without having to do all the field work... lazy I know, but at least I'm honest about it.
One of my most recent Etsy finds is Yokoo, and yes, I know I'm very late to jump on this bandwagon because other bloggers have been banging on about her for aaaaaaaaaaaaages. Plus she's not just on Etsy, but also on Urban Outfitter's US site, not that that's much help to me.
But it wasn't till I saw a picture of TheShoeGirl's knitted chain scarf (she bought it after seeing in on Tavi's blog) that I actually went and found Yokoo's etsy shop. I'm a sucker for a big chunky knitted scarf, so it was pretty much love at first sight. Plus she also gives good interview.
Knitted things make great christmas gifts. I'd really quite like any of these;

Visit her shop here.

A new discovery - Seconda Mano, 114 Upper Street

For a compulsive charity shop fan, ebay shopper and jumble sale connoisseur like me, regular wardrobe clear outs are very important. Many of my friends have reason to be thankful for this, because usually I like giving things away to people I know will enjoy them rather than faff around on ebay.
But in the last couple of years, as my fashion knowledge has evolved, I have become far stricter with my shopping habits and I have also begun buying things to sell to help cover my costs. This can be quite hit and miss. Ebay is a pain in the backside and can be unpredictable - some gorgeous designer clothing won't even sell, let alone sell for what it's worth.
The easiest way to sell designer clothing is via clothing exchanges, but many in London don't exactly offer a fair deal. The worst culprit is the clothing exchange in Notting Hill where they will offer you £30 for something they will sell for more than £100. Which sucks. And they won't take anything they deem too 'classic' or by niche designers.
But, if you don't mind waiting for your money, there are some who will sell your unwanted designer clothing and accessories on your behalf with a 50/50 split.
My new favourite, Seconda Mano, is on Upper Street in North London. The shop itself is hidden away under a Giovanni's hairdressers at number 14, but the window is filled with incredible finds including a hot pink Chanel suit jacket and a brand new swoon-worthy Chanel Cocoon bag.

Downstairs is a virtual treasure trove of lovely things, today overseen by a nice man called Adam who gets almost as excited as I do about Christopher Kane.

I have just added some of my own pieces to their stock, including a vintage 70's emerald green satin YSL cummerbund, pale blue perspex Stella McCartney Belt and a pair of gorgeous black silk wide legged Jasmine Di Milo trousers which are sadly too short for me but will look spectacular on the right person.
This is my new place to sell on my best pieces. And might also have to be my new place to go to treat myself when the sample sales, garage sales and jumbles let me down.
One day when I have my own house and don't have to have such regular clear outs, I'd quite like it if my basement looked a little bit like Seconda Mano.

Oh, and did I mention the shoes...

Car death

Got up super early this morning (well, for a saturday it was early) because I was going to drive the Boy to work but the car wouldn't start.

I hate this car. It's huge and navy with grey upholstery. And it's always falling apart. Currently, it has one of the front lights held on with brown tape and a radio arial that is stuck inside the car. And it won't start. And it has a front light held on with brown parcel tape. We call it the car of death because it's the first car i drove and there were a few close scrapes. Plus it kind of looks like something an undertaker would drive on his day off. It's the kind of car that businessmen in cheap suits drive on long motorway trips.

In my dreams I drive a dusky blue Nissan Figaro...

Now I'm waiting for the nice AA man and brooding over the fact that this means I will miss my planned car boot sale visit.

Car boot sales are one of my favourite things in the whole wide world. Seriously. I'm something of an obsessive.

Last week I found a deep green, dropped waist Marni dress, a beautifully simple, perfectly cut but sadly too small, black Prada cocktail dress and a seriously Sloaney brown plaid silk Dior skirt that's a little too big for me but will be altered on old faithful (the sewing machine I've had since I was 16). I spent a grand total of £6. Does it get any better than that?

Um actually, yes, the week before was a cream Future Ozbek jacket with an amazing shiny gauze overlay for 50p. Amazing!

This weekend was going to be a full-on car boot fest as I'm also putting together a space-themed fancy dress box for a charity launch night that a friend is holding. If AA man fixes the car and I do get to go will post any amazing finds here.