Sick

You guys, I'm really sorry.  You know I have a blog right? Unfortunately this means I'm basically a pox.  Hard to believe, but I will make you ill.  If Franca Sozzani says so, it must be true.
This whole Franca Sozzani epidemic (boy did I turn the tables on her, I called her an epidemic) has reminded me why the fashion world can be pretty ridiculous. Lady, relax, I don't want to give you the flu, I've had the vaccine.  Embrace the internet in a big bandwidth embrace.  Get a grip, there are far worse epidemics to deal with around the world.  Mostly, her rant made me laugh though.


On a side note, I had no idea who this Franca lady was until I read about how I'm a plague of locusts.  Gee whizz, I am a bad-ass "Fashion blogger pox".
x Fi
PS Competition ends on Friday.  Feel free to enter.

Goodone, Fiona

The expression, "Good one", can be a bit cruel when used in certain situations. Like "Good one, you just broke my Ming vase".
However, if you were to say "I like your dress Fiona, Goodone", I would assume you were referring to my new jumper dress.

Dress from Goodone, Jeans from UO

I have been a fan of Goodone, since spotting them a few seasons ago at Fashion Week. I like them as they are great advocates for sustainable fashion and make nice jumpers. This is a win/win situation which you can wear.

Argyle/ Fair Isle/Somesortofisle knit feature on my shoulder

Another great advocate for sustainable fashion is the wonderwoman Amelia Gregory of Amelia's Magazine. I found my new jumper at the Ethical Pop-up shop as part of the Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration (#ACOFI) launch celebrations in 123 Bethnal Green. Fun times in the ethical fun factory. I can't wait to wear my Goodone jumper while reading the #ACOFI book (more on that to come).

x Fi
PS There is a great feature on Goodone on Amelia's Magazine website, good reading.
PPS Just a few days left to enter our competition...

Cupcakover

Cupcakover; the "sweeter" hangover.
     Defined as a short-term mild headache and stomach pangs experienced by people who are after ingesting at least four Hummingbird cupcakes in one sitting and are no longer feeling the frosting elation.
Definition taken from "Fiona's urban Ridiculous Dictionary".

Oh, the girlish blogger cliche of loving cupcakes.

The Hummingbird Bakery on Old Brompton Road has reopened recently, with far more space to inhale delicious cakes. My initial impression of the Old Brompton Road branch of the Hummingbird is of waiting outside in the rain to go inside to order. All is changed now, with a larger display section and a sleek cupcake bar, allowing you to have a less poky cupcake experience. I went to the reopening bash with my friend Louise, an East London Craft Guerilla and partook in some a lot of cake eating.

Highlight of the evening: Tasting the cocktail cupcakes. I highly recommend the Strawberry Daiquiri and Mojito flavour for some sort of special event you need cake for.

Lowlight of the evening: The post-frosting comedown while on the tube home.

Having my cake and eating it, while wearing a Susie Bubble tshirt from the UO sample sale, River Island cardigan and a vintage leather skirt from Sunday Upmarket on Brick Lane

x fi

In her head

I love the styling and this look in general.  The Nicki Minaj pink lipstick does it for me.

As seen on Fashion156

I wonder what she is thinking. I bet it's something like "I am a really sexy black leather bullet girl". Or "Crumbs, I forgot to get soy milk".
However, I am very much inspired to cut out half moon shapes from a black t-shirt.
x Fi

Instant Hip

Last Sunday, I attempted to go to the Hipstamatic exhibition in the Orange Dot Gallery with my friend Damien. We never made it there, as it was shut. I'm looking forward to checking it out soon though.
The great thing about hipstamatic photos is that you can take pictures of ridiculously mundane things like a rock and make them look really cool. It makes you seem like a really great photographer, when all you did was click a button on your phone.  One person I know mistook all these hipster hipstamatics as real photos and couldn't understand why her pictures weren't as good. Then she discovered it was an app.
I started playing around with some hipstamatic tutorials online to try make myself look a bit cooler.

Cardigan from Boden, Top a gift from some great former-work friends, Skirt from Warehouse

I'm definitely increasing my cool-factor with these old school colour tones.

x Fi

Swedish H&M Hasbeens

I don't normally do this (rehash collaboration news).  You already know about it, you probably have read about it somewhere else.   It has been tweeted about all day. I am making an exception to my rule; because I love clogs.

H&M are making a Swedish shoe love-fest with Swedish Hasbeens.  I had been looking at my own clogs the other day thinking when they can bang around Shoreditch again.  Now I can have a slick black pair.  Imagine the imaginary scenarios I can imagine myself in with those clogs!  My only concern is how much H&M will stick to the Swedish companies idea of sustainability.  It would be great if they stuck with the earth-friendly ideas, fingers crossed it happens.

  Images taken from here.

Coming out April 20th.  I may actually get out of bed for this one.

Speaking of Swedish Hasbeens, we should all admire and celebrate Bethany from Best Coast's clogs.

I intend to have teh mega lolz with my clogz in Spring.

x Fi

Kaleidoscope

The Suzan "Home" from Mr Goldbar on Vimeo.

How great is this video?  Apparently, there is some sort of ipad app you can download, which lets you alter the kaleidoscope effects on the video.  The Suzan are definitely one of my new band crushes for 2011.

The video made me think of Mary Katrantzou, who makes kaleidoscope digital prints on structurally interesting dresses.  This song would be a great background tune to some of her S/S2011 collection.  It would be very cool to alter the kaleidoscope effect on your dress, like the video app.  

Would Spring hurry up already?

Images taken from Style.com 

x Fi

PS Keep on entering the competition, if you haven't already. Broken record? Us?

Paper Peter

These pictures are calling to have some captions.

"Um, when I told you you would love my new swan dress, I didn't mean for you to go out and buy it"

Check this picture here

Helena thought bringing her lunch snack as a handbag was one of her best ideas yet. They were the perfect shade of green to match her slick slacks.

Get the picture here

Initially, it seemed like a great idea to dress up and try find where Ryan Reynolds lives.  Until they ran out of gin, found themselves stuck and started to sober up..

Look here

All paper ladies are dressed by Peter Jensen.

How great are these paper dolls?  All these pictures from a Peter Jensen and Laurie Simmons collaboration for his Spring/Summer 2010 collection.  You can see the whole thing over on Laurie's rather brilliant website.

x fi

PS It's a few posts down.  I'm talking about our great competition.  

Flapper feet

I intend to dance more. Dancing more requires dancing shoes and flapper fringing.

H! by Henry Holland for Debenhams shoes and H&M socks

I like to think my ankles are flapper girls when I wear these socks. Flapper girls, minus their heads, arms, legs and are in fact ankles attached to feet.
x Fi

PS Competition with Siren London, do it.

Are you free tomorrow?

Me and my friends from The Note Well have an event going on in East London if you are about.  I would love to invite you along.

The Note Well is a small charity which supports good listening.  I started helping them out a few months ago, after falling for the idea of using music to develop new friendships.  Music makes friends: I met Alice who started The Note Well through a band (our good friends Phosphorescent).
Anyway, we have an event in The Book Club in Shoreditch on Monday 8th January 2011.  It is called Speed Listening strikes back. Click on the links to find out more.
Hope to see you there!
x fi

PS Don't forget we have our competition going down where you can get your paws onto some bags.  You know you want to enter.

Sirens a blazin', we have a giveaway

How great are competitions? You can maybe win something if you keep reading here.
How great are these Mexican candy skulls?

From here

They remind me of these great bags by Siren.

Speaking of great bags, would you like one of these bags? We have, not one, not three, but FIVE of them up for grabs. A huge thanks to the fantastic Siren for joining forces with us to give back to our friends.
If you haven't heard of them already, Siren London is one of those great kitsch brands that I have loved for a very long time. They have great knits with vintage prints and patterns. Their feline prints are purr-fect. And now they do bags!

To be in with a chance to win, simply answer this question..
Why did the Mexican man knock his wife off a cliff?
Leave a comment with your answer under this post! Hint: The question is a joke.

Bonus points for...
1. Friending us on our google reader,our twitter and our facebook

2. Friending Siren on their twitter and facebook

3. Sending out an excited tweet saying something like "WOW WHAT A GREAT GIVEAWAY FROM @SAVEOURSHOES & @SIRENLONDONLTD OVER ON http://www.sos-saveourshoes.com/" Get creative if you want.

Let us know in your comment what you do to enter, so we can give you all the points you deserve. Also, leave me some way to contact you if you are one of the FIVE winners. As January is a bit of a glum month, the competition is going to run until the 31st of January 2011 (give or take, knowing me).
Isn't this awesome?
x Fi

New diary, not so new you.

Woah, it's 2011. I'm still the same person?! Oh.
Here are my practical resolutions, these are things I shall endeavour do on a regular basis.

1. Have more pun! (This one has already been put into practice, I just sent a friend the following text "Bear with me, we shall paws for a moment".)
2. Dance more. I dance quite a lot, but I figure there is no harm in doing more.
   
3. Cut sugar from my coffee. I'm sweet enough.
4. Make more things. Be it paper chains, friends, cups of tea.
5. Tell you guys about how I joined The Note Well. Speaking of it, we have an event next week in East London, please come.
6. Wear less impractical things. For example, why the hell am I wearing a lace shirt on the 2nd of January. Shirt on sale, necklace with lots of love from Maggie Angus, skirt from Awear a while back
7. Give up crisps. Eat less crisps.

I think I can do this. If you catch me wearing a bikini in February, while grasping a mochafrappachappchino and salty crisps. you can say I have failed.

What about you guys? Resolutions? Aspirations? Anyone else up for trying to give up crisps?

x Fi

EDIT: So when I say less impractical things, I mean, things that will give me a cold. I have avoided having one all winter.  (Right after I write this, I will have jinxed myself and be seriously ill).

Yeah..