Zig Zag Wanderers!
[ 11 May 2012, 12:34 ]
What a week! Kat has been in town & she has been distracting me (in the best way possible)! I’ve barely even been home!
Yesterday we got prettied up by Regan Rabanal (my favourite — & first ever! — make-up artist in NYC!), then met with Christina, Marielle & Alie from Made U Look Photography. From shooting on rooftops, to stumbling around the West Village, to ending up on the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, it was a perfect day. Christina, Marielle & Alie all had about 5 cameras around their necks at all times, shooting in a variety of formats & experimenting with lots of different film… It was so exciting & we can’t wait to see the final results!
On the subject of iPhone apps, by the way, I used 8mm to film a few clips yesterday & made them into a little video!
Hooray! Here’s to a glorious weekend…
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Invasion Of The 1960s Supervixens!
[ 27 March 2012, 10:12 ]
Who knew orange + pink + blue could be so sublime? You know, I have to admit to you: I never liked orange until very recently. (The same goes for yellow.) I’m not totally sure when I changed my mind, but when Pantone declared Tangerine Tango as the “colour of the year”, it suddenly all made perfect sense. Since then, I haven’t been able to avoid adding pops of tangerine to my wardrobe… & I’ve also developed an obsession with tangerines themselves! (The perfect snack, truly!)
Orange isn’t a colour I can wear in large quantities, especially right next to my face — it doesn’t work for my colouring. If you find, like me, that orange makes you look sickly, just wear it in small amounts! In this hat, for example, the stripes are offset by pink. You can also work orange into your accessories (bags, bangles, rings & necklaces) or try wearing it on your bottom half. A tangerine skirt will go with just about anything! Yum! Just as delicious as its name.
If you’d never visited this blog before, you might think these photos were taken somewhere idyllic, somewhere sublime. I’ve never been to the English seaside, but for me, these photos totally evoke visions of striped changing huts along the seashore. Well, they were actually taken against a door on a busy street — Broome Street between Broadway & Crosby Street. See? To my right were a gaggle of construction workers doing something with a bunch of power tools, & hordes of tourists were passing by every second.
That’s one of the things I love most about New York City: every door, alleyway, street corner & stoop is a universe unto itself. Really, this is one of the most magnificent cities in the world. If you haven’t come to visit yet, put it on your bucket list & start saving your pennies for a plane-ride! Oh, & bring your camera!
So, this is my second post for Very.com. I’m so glad I checked out their shoe section, because these wedges rock my world! I couldn’t resist teaming the pink shift dress with these shoes for a major 60’s vibe. I am really feeling the 60’s thing right now, in case you couldn’t tell! It feels so NOW, & very true to my Day Tripping Darling style direction for 2012!
Man. MAN. I am slightly — okay, understatement — obsessed with these shoes. They remind me of these striped Pierre Hardy wedges which are pretty much my ideal shoe… Except the Very.com version is about one-billionth the price! Ding ding ding, we have a winner!
I’m wearing…
Floppy striped sunhat (here’s a similar hat)
Pink shift dress from Very.com
Michael Kors quartz acetate watch
Pink & orange-striped wedges from Very.com
I kept my jewellery really simple with this, because it didn’t need much. I’m just wearing my wedding & engagement rings, & two necklaces I wear everyday. One is a floating diamond, which my mother gave me on my wedding day, & the other is a sterling silver skull with bunny ears, with black diamonds for eyes! The bunny skull was a gift from Mike. I love it! (You can’t even see them, sadly, because they’re tucked under the dress. Next time!)
I think if I was going to do this outfit again, I’d add a stack of gold, orange & pink bracelets. That would make for an amazing accompaniment!
I’m telling you, massive floppy sunhats are going to be IT this summer. If you don’t have one, go out & snap one up! They’re really inexpensive & can totally transform your outfit. This one is made of paper (!!!) & it cost me about $10. A big hat completely elevates any outfit, & it’s great for when you want to go “incognito” (but still make a big sartorial splash)!
No matter how hungover, tired or sad you feel, a big hat & a pair of chic sunglasses will make you feel like a queen! They should be a part of any international playgirl’s arsenal!
I’m really loving this make-up, too. It’s definitely dramatic & very 1960s-influenced: in the swingin’ sixties, it was all about the high, dark crease!
My make-up was done by Brianne at MAC Cosmetics Soho, & as you can see, she made my skin look completely flawless. I should ask make-up artists HOW they do that, but never remember! All I know is that she was stippling the foundation on with a big brush, & that may have had something to do with it. I’m wearing enormous false eyelashes (of course!) & the high pink creases were drawn on with a pencil lipliner! Genius…
When I got home, I took a close-up of the eye make-up, which you can see here. I love that little flick under my eye. It’s very birdlike!
It’s cooled down pretty considerably since we took these photos last Thursday — it’s below freezing right now! — but looking back at them is doing a great job of reminding me that summer is just around the corner…
Stripes & super-sized sun-hats,
Superb photos by Lydia Hudgens, MWAH, & thank you thank you thank to Brianne at MAC Cosmetics Soho!
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From Soho With Love!
[ 24 March 2012, 20:59 ]
Hello from a stoop in Soho! These photos were taken on Thursday, one of the nicest days New York City has had in ages. The weather was perfect for wobbling around precariously on cobblestones!
Mike & I spent today (Saturday) bicycling around the city. It was our first springtime ride & actually, the first time we’d been riding together! It was fantastic: we rode from the East Village along the East River, down to Battery Park, & up to the West Village before cutting across & heading home. We ate sandwiches while looking at the ships, saw a real live turkey in Battery Park (!!!) & climbed to the top of the Irish Hunger Memorial. We had such a wonderful time, definitely our new favourite activity! That kind of weekend coupled with sundresses like this makes me think that this will be a very auspicious summer indeed!
I don’t really feel like Gala in these photos. I feel like a spy from the 1960s, sent to New York City to pose as a tourist… & steal back top secret microfilm! Maybe it’s just that we watched O.S.S. 117: Lost In Rio the other night, or maybe it’s the spectacles… Who knows?!
Either way, I am completely obsessed with these glasses. I bought them ages ago (on Etsy! Support independent designers!) but barely wore them. When I packed them in my suitcase for Las Vegas, though, they became the favourite accessory of Kat, Nubby & I… & now I can’t get enough of them! I’ve been wearing them on the crown of my head for a couple of days now. In fact, they ended up being the focal point of my Badoo portrait!
This dress is so simple & cute — you just throw it on & go. I should know, because I CHANGED INTO IT ON THE STREET! Yes! In the middle of the footpath! Thankfully, Saint Lydia always comes to my rescue, & held up an enormous scarf as some kind of makeshift changing room… The things we do for love blogs!
But the dress was a gift from Very.com, & it connects me — sort of — to Tyra Banks, which brings me — almost — one step closer to Jade! (Oh girl!!!) Here’s how we connect the dots: Very.com is a major sponsor of the current season of America’s Next Top Model, & they’re also collaborating with me! Okay, maybe it’s a veeeeery loose, roundabout sort of connection… I probably won’t be “smizeing” for Tyra anytime soon. But I can pretend!
So I’m going to show you two outfits that came from their Love Label — one today, & another next week. I think this one is so cute: very easy & sassy.
I’m wearing…
Bedazzled glasses from Tequila Star (yes, you DO need a pair of your own!)
Striped shift dress from Very.com
Diana F+ Mr Pink camera
Michael Kors quartz acetate watch (I love the clear watch-strap!)
Platform heels (here are some similar shoes!)
Don’t you think this dress is VERY Bond girl, though? I do. I can totally envision some swingin’ 60’s vixen wearing it with go-go boots & a big beehive!
This is my “just chilling in Soho, waiting to kidnap a diplomat’s daughter” look. See? I told you I was spy-crazy!
I love a good nude heel — they make your legs look ultra-long! They solve a lot of problems too, because you can basically wear them with a dress of any colour. Even better, they make you look like a giant!
...Mission complete! With top secret microfilm in hand, it’s now time to high-tail it to the airport…
In other words, yes, this is me hailing a cab! I always wanted to be able to whistle for one, though, & this week, my trainer, Alex, told me he is going to teach me how to do that whistle-with-your-fingers-in-your-mouth thing… A proposition I am very excited by!
Just you wait… Maybe one day, I’ll be whistling at you across the street!
It’s time for this spy to sign off…
Kisses & code-names,
Photos by Lydia Hudgens, who always makes shooting a breeze. A pleasure! Also, much love to Brianne at MAC Cosmetics Soho, who did an incredible job with my make-up!
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Rock & Roll Ghost Town
[ 12 March 2012, 10:21 ]
The sun was setting over the ghost town in the desert. Kat & Nubby & I crawled into the rental car for our last outfit change of the day. Kat helped Nubby shimmy out of her goldfish dress while I wriggled my way into a dress made of ostrich feathers. We scrambled to attach headpieces & fasten belts, all too aware that the light was quickly disappearing. When we ran across to where David & Lisa were waiting for us, we were thrilled to be greeted with a bag of coloured smoke-bombs!
Lisa had to drive way, way out to buy them — apparently you can’t buy or sell fireworks within Las Vegas city limits — but they made for pretty awesome photos. Unfortunately, they were of differing efficacy… & their effects were sometimes unpredictable!
I mean, Kat was almost devoured by smoke!
Nubby’s just fizzled…
While mine mostly made me laugh!
...Or cough!
When Nubby put on my bedazzled glasses, she couldn’t help exclaiming that she looked like she’d been kicked off Elton John’s tour bus (!!!), so we wandered out into the road to see if any ghost trucks would pick us up. (Large Marge, anyone?!)
Would you give a lift to these fruit loops?!
Okay, for the final time, I have to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came together to make this shoot happen. Our make-up & hair — by Your Beauty Call — was absolutely top-notch, & we could not have done this without them! They are truly the best in Las Vegas, & have worked on the likes of Paris Hilton & the Kardashians. (Say what you will about those girls, they always look damn good!) Our make-up was completely flawless & didn’t need any touch-ups, even after a very long, very hot, very sweaty day! (Don’t worry, this isn’t the last you’ve seen of their work, either. I have a fantastic feature with LaVey to share with you soon!)
I also have to emphasise just HOW WONDERFUL it was to work with David McNeil & Lisa Devlin. Of course, it helps that they are two of the most preeminent wedding photographers in the United Kingdom! Their photos — as you can see — are absolutely killer, & I can’t wait to create magic with both of them again sometime soon… I owe them infinite eternal love for spending the day with us & being so incredibly fun & pleasant the whole time. Plus, thanks to Amy for doing a fab job assisting Lisa!
P.S. If you’re getting married & you’re on the hunt for a truly incredible photographer, Lisa & David both travel to shoot destination weddings… OH MY GOD, DO IT! I promise you that you won’t regret it!
All dolled up in the desert…
Gala: Bedazzled glasses by Tequila Star / Star headband by Janine Basil / Betsey Johnson tank top (LOVE SO MUCH!) / Betsey Johnson dress / Chinese Laundry shoes
Nubby: Mouse Ears, Disneyland / Dress, Camilla & Marc / Tights, H&M / Boots, Ai for Matiko
Kat: Charlotte Balbier Tutti Frutti gown, custom made in black / Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Lady Dragon shoes in yellow & black
Love!
Photography: David McNeil Photography & Lisa Devlin Photography. Assisted by Amy Bartlam.
Hair & make-up: LaVey (make-up) & Janine (hair) of Your Beauty Call.
Florals: Enchanted Florists.
Dusty kisses,
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The Good, The Bad, & The Bunny
[ 8 March 2012, 00:09 ]
Have you ever been to a ghost town? I didn’t really even think they existed anywhere beyond the realm of movies & books… So you can only imagine my excitement two weeks ago, when I made the trek out to Nelson, Nevada!
The history of Nelson is fascinating. The town was abandoned in 1975 after a huge flood, but it’s a known fact that the whole place is super-haunted. It’s said that Nelson was home to one of America’s first serial killers — he eluded capture & his remains were found in a cave in 1940! — as well as cursed by the ghosts of hell dogs, dead miners & pioneers… !
These days there’s not much there to keep the ghosts company, except for some amazing rusted-out cars & creaky old buildings. Of course, Kat, Nubby & I took full advantage of the surroundings!
I love photos of the three of us like this…
...Because mostly, when we’re together, we look like this!
Honestly, what an incredible place to take photos. It doesn’t get much better than this, & I can never resist climbing on an old car!
I was so lucky to discover Nelson while I was researching photoshoot locations. As I ransacked Google image search, the pictures which came up were mostly of barren landscapes, but my head was immediately filled with visions of voluminous vintage dresses, girls dancing & kicking up big clouds of desert dust.
During my research, I kept fixating on images of this beautiful turquoise Chevy pick-up, & thinking about how beautiful it would look with the sun setting overhead. When we finally arrived in Nelson, the Chevy was even more sublime than I had hoped. What resulted is some of my favourite photos ever taken…
We were wearing…
Gala: Sparkly bunny ears by Janine Basil / Star earrings by I’m Your Present / Vintage 1950s purple dress / Betsey Johnson starburst Polly shoes
Nubby: Dress, Asos / Tights, H&M / Clutch, Kate Spade / Heels, Dries van Noten
Kat: 1940’s mint green pink vintage dress from Frock & Roll Vintage / Topshop Aurora Borealis necklace / Benjamin Adams Rhiana shoes in pink
We love these people!
Photography: David McNeil Photography & Lisa Devlin Photography. Assisted by Amy Bartlam.
Hair & make-up: LaVey (make-up) & Janine (hair) of Your Beauty Call.
Florals: Enchanted Florists.
We had so much fun shooting this — as I think you can see! — & I hope that it inspires you to live your own fairytale…
Photos from our final photoshoot are coming on Monday! Stay tuned!
Love & the golden hour,
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