roland mouret again

I finally saw some of his dresses in the Edinburgh Gap, since they hadn't sold out there. I wonder why - they were as bad in real life as I thought they looked in the pictures. What's interesting is that I have finally found someone who agrees with me - Style Tribe thinks so too. So reassuring after every single magazine spread recently has been drooling over them.

new clothes!

Last night we went to Tiger Lily which was a lot of fun, if rather expensive - £7/cocktail! I'd never been, and it was much bigger than I thought it would be and extremely stylish. I was very pleased to see that all the girls had made an effort and were all in dresses and skirts - bye bye to those days of jeans and a sparkly top. I am so pleased. It's good to see people make an effort. I was wearing my new picture Topshop gold top, and a pair of black wool shorts from Gap with black tights and knee high boots. It worked very well - good mix of cheeky and fashiony. I also picked up a grey dress from Miss Selfridge whcih is great - elbow sleeves, trapeze shape, pockets. Perfect. Unfortunately I have a whole load of other clothes which have to go back today, and I am feeling far too lazy to go and do it.

tomorrow I am buying...

£22 from Topshop. Also comes in gold. And tomorrow will be inhabiting my wardrobe, hopefully with some cute short shorts for going out tomorrow night. Fab.

hiatus

I don't really know why I've been so busy this week that I haven't been able to post, because I can't really point to anything I've managed to achieve either. I mean, beyond the ho-hum dum-drum of working life. I have however just found a great post on Daddy Likey about how Elle and Vogue have completely warped our fashion values, and that $1000 is a sensible price for a bag. I have been feeling this a lot recently, with managing to stop myself dropping £200 on several sparkly dresses (yes, I know, it is very much my weakness), dresses by Tibi, 3.1 Philip Lim, and Chloe because I have decided that £300 really isn't so bad if it's designer, and £500 for those Marc Jacobs shearling boots. Those would be practical in Edinburgh. Sense is saving me. And soon, builders fitting a (cheap IKEA) kitchen will be relieving my bank account of a couple of grand!

sunday sunday

Being hungover is a waste of a day. I can't even dress inspired (gap boyfriend jeans, brown gap sweater, converse). All I've managed to do today is take my clothes to the charity shop, make my boyfriend cupcakes for his birthday, and a lot of laundry. Not exactly productive. Tomorrow is Monday; maybe I'll get on my to-do list then.

slightly more in my league

The new Topshop site works better than the old one, and for once has some decent stuff (sorry, but Topshop has just not been living up to its usual high standards recently - I've become much more a Miss Selfridge girl). I'm adoring the sequinned vest and cute shorts. The only frustration with the site now is that it often features these fabulous outfits as pictures with no links to the clothes, which is bad for lazy people who just want to click "buy this outfit"!

I've got a party tonight, and, even with the extensive wardrobe that I have, I have no clue what I want to wear. I drive myself insane sometimes.

wishlist at marc jacobs

I decided to do a little bit of window-shopping this morning (at least online, it's easier for me to say no: I just turn off the laptop) and found a couple of sweet things from marc by marc at Net a Porter. A bit beyond my bank balance (the top is £140, and the dress £280 I think), but nice to aspire to. Oh, and whilst I didn't win the Euromillions lottery, neither did anyone else. Roll on rollover. Only £120million!

me too!

Daddy Likey has just confessed to being a fashion fraud. I have to fess up too. I'm only a part-time fashion freak; Mondays through Thursdays I am Miss Dull in grey and black in the office. And not in a chic way. More in a "got dressed in the dark" way. Oh, and when I come home it's green American Apparel jogging pants and a stained grey college hoodie. Chic? Not unless it's Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

I'm having a fringe nightmare. I have a bit of hair which just will not behave, and is too short to be tucked anywhere. It is just hanging down the middle of my face, which is so not stylish. I tried putting a headband on today, and I looked like I should have been heading off to French at my private school. I think in business this is a zero sum situation.

making up is so very hard to do

I do like Mischa Barton. And I like her makeup even more, probably because usually I can copy it. I was reading somewhere recently (one of the far too many magazines I have!) that liquid black eyeliner with no shadow is very now, and here's Mischa doing it. Top it off with some lovely pink blush (I'm using Stila's little blush pot in something very pink), and some lip balm, and what a look. Fresh, healthy, and cool. Even I can carry it off.

primark madness!

I mentioned last week that I am dying for a gold dress from Primark. It's only supposed to be £18. Apart from the fact that it has sold out everywhere, apart from ebay, where it is going for around £50. Feels like a rip-off, apart from all the other party dresses are still twice that price. Buy buy buy!

blast from the past

I was walking home yesterday and I went past Cult Clothing, and for some reason I decided to pop in. Cult is such a shop from my student past - all funky t-shirts and hoodies. Still, it had loads of funky vintagey stuff from a brand called Superdry, which I was sorely tempted by, as well as some cool glittery "rawk" t-shirts. I managed to keep my purse in my bag though.

One more reason to move...

It is well-known that I harbour great ambitions to move to the US, and anthropologie gives me one more reason to do so. I absolutely adore their take on fashion; off-kilter, slightly random, and definitely not about looking as pretty as possible for the boys. For me, that's all about what clothes are about: a chance to express my personality, and my personality is definitely anthropologie. Shop Diary shows some pretty cool highlights of the catalogue, and it's online as well. It's just a real shame they don't ship to the UK. I know that there is probably some clever way of getting around this by badgering some of my American friends, but I just can't ask that of them.

wishlist

I am dying for some sexy black nail varnish. I know Chanel have a tres chic, tres sold out shade, but I'm sure some cheap brand will do the trick, though I want it to have a high gloss, maybe even a slight shimmer (not sparkle) in it. Having said that, the one thing holding me back is that I'm not sure how well it will go down in the offices of one of the world's largest companies: they tend to be a little on the more conservative side of things.

winter woolies!!!

My, it is cold in Edinburgh right now. I love November cold; it's exciting and cosy. March cold, in contrast, is just plain boring because you have worn every single cosy item of clothing that you have about 20 zillion times over the last five months.

Anyway, my current keep myself warm and hip move: grey knee high socks worn over grey ribbed tights with black souchy boots and a mini-dress. I saw a tres chic girl in New York doing this, and I just had to copy. Yeh!

high street prices again

I wrote last week that high street prices for dresses are on the up and up, and it apprears I'm not alone in thinking this. My favourite newspaper, the often-linked-to Guardian has a story about it as well. See, I was right! Unfortunately, it doesn't bring me any closer to getting something short and sparkly for Christmas. Actually, the French Connection dress is currently on my wishlist. It is very cool on as well - just the right length (mid-thigh) and the sequins give it a great weight that just makes you feel insouciant. It's been featured in just about every magazine this season though, so there is a slight ubiquitous feeling about it. Having said that, I've yet to see anyone wearing it. Maybe because it is 130 quid!

today I'm wearing...

Grey sweater: Oasis
Black dress: Urban Outfitters
Jeans (boy, unseen): Gap
Shoes: Converse

I wanted something easy to wear whilst shopping. Since today is a Sunday, I also didn't wash my hair, which I really like. It is really fine, and has much more texture when I don't wash it. Having said that, the scruffy urchin look just doesn't cut it at the office, so I only get to do that at the weekend.

black black and more black

I managed to go shopping today - always a lovely way to spend a Sunday. I was on the hunt for a dress to go to a charity gala in - something cocktaily with character. Unfortunately, I didn't managed to actually get that, although I found a nice one in monsoon that was black sating with a wide red ribbon below the bust that was promising. I always have the fear that wearing a dress from monsoon runs far too high a risk that someone else will also be wearing it; the market for event dresses is just a little bit too small, particularly at the lower end of the budget scale. When I grow up I'll be able to avoid this risk, but at the moment, the pay check just isn't going that far!

So, I didn't manage to get a dress. Naturally I didn't come home empty handed. Instead of sticking with this season's grey, I bought a lot of black. This is extremely out of character; normally I can't stand black clothes, because I wear them a lot for work (no, I'm not working in a funeral parlour, but financial technology isn't far behind it). I got a black dress from Miss Selfridge with fabulous balloon sleeves and a roll neck - it is jersey and ends just below the knee. Very gorgeous. I'm planning on wearing it with either tights or leggings and either my black patent peep-toes, or my silver sparkly heels. Fabulous. Continuing on in Miss Selfridge, I also got a sensible black v neck sleeveless top with a sequinned collar/shoulder straps. It's quite loose, and has a fabulously functional little pocket as well. Brilliant. I got a brown cardigan that I can only describe as funkily shaped - baggy, voluminous. Tres on trend.

I also picked up a pair of leggings from Oasis, and a grey top. Oasis manage to produce plenty of what I call "sensible" tops; not sensible in the way of, ooooh, you can wear that with anything, but more, oh, I know I'll wear that a lot of I can't think of anything to wear.

I did spend some quality time in Topshop as well, but I just have to say that Topshop has lost its way for the moment. I know that structure and shape are very big this season, but it seems that Topshop is marching to the beat of its own drum. Something that I would normally commend, but this season, I am just feeling uninspired by it. Confusingly, I just saw a nice editorial in the Observer magazine that was almost entirely Topshop - all about grunge, which is right up my scruffy street - why are these clothes not in the stores? Why are we having weird blue tartans inflicted upon us?

leggings part II

Harrods Girl over at I Am Fashion picks up on the leggings trend, giving it her thumbs up. Over on my front, I have caved! I bought a pair today, against all the odds. The decision came when my sister bought be a very cheap and chic gold brocade mini, mini shift dress from Primark (yes, she is a Primark girl. Edinburgh, alas, does not have the bargain basement store. We're not that kind of city). The dress is beautiful, but barely covers my bum. I tried wearing it with black tights, but you could see the top part where the texture changes, so leggings offer a bit more protection. And maybe give the rest of my wardobe a few more options. I'm particularly looking forward to pairing them with my silver disco heels. But never, never, will they be paired with a denim skirt. A girl has to stick to a few rules!

The Measure

Time for a review of The Guardian's Measure this week.

Going Up
Sunday Nights Against all oddes, this is now the best TV night ever with Entourage, The Office: An American Workplace, and Arrested Development. About flipping time, eh?
Me: They mentioned Arrested Development last week, so at least they still think it's good. Sunday nights are all about tv for me. Right now I'm supposed to be going to the gym, but it just ain't going to happen tonight, is it?
Facials Darling, it's the only way to cope with the coming winter. Go to Bliss for efficiency, Jo Malone for indulgence, or Vaishaly for both.
French Connection Sto the presses! FC is totally brilliant this season! Out goes the crap advertising schtick, in come amazing tunic and jumper dresses
Me: Totally amazing is a bit far. They do have a great grey parka and a fab navy with gold sequined mini dress, though.
Hoods Cosy and tres, tres in
Me: No argument from me
Roddy Doyle's Paula Spencer Not as good as the first, but a damned sight better than most things out there
Me: Eh? no clue about this at all. Am guessing a book, but beyond that, no idea. Can't be too cool then, can it?
Phoenix's It's Never Been Like That We literally cannot stop dancing to this
Me: Oh no, I'm once again out of it on the music front. I am so unhip!!

Going Down
High street prices £130 for a dress? As Gary Coleman would say, wotchootawkin' bout?
Me: Ohmigod, I so agree. More to come on this later, as I'm currently looking for a cute sparkly number for Christmas parties. Oh, and I have no idea who Gary Coleman is.
Ankle boots Girlfriend, you ain't Debbie Gibson. Give it up
Me: Oh dear oh dear. Just last week The Measure was telling us ankle boots were the shoes of the season. How fickle they are, how ficke the are.
Side partings Sooooo Wag. Go for a model-tastic centre parting, ok?
Pussy-bow blouses Every autumn we give them a go. And every autumn we give them right back up
Trinny and Susannah not going too well, this career move, is it, honeys?
Me: Is that that the cackle of schadenfraude I'm hearing?

So there you go. I can tell you that this week I'll mostly be wearing my hair in a centre parting whilst watching tv and making my facial appointments - until next Saturday when it will be all change again.

isn't she lovely?

I noticed that I Am Fashion had a round-up of Kirsten Dunst's recent magazine covers, and it just got me thinking how cute she is. I went a wandering over to teenvogue where I saw these adorable pictures of her - I really love her had, and her jacket is from dior homme. Nothing like a girl looking stylish in men's clothes. I have no idea whether she has a stylist or not. Probably, but she doesn't look like a Rachel Zoe girl, does she?

leggings and me

I'm conflicted. Tis true. It's about leggings.

Leggings and me do not get along. Not that I really know this, because I have never actually tried a pair of leggings on. Ever. Not even when I was a small child. Everyone else is wearing them though, and, well, sometimes, they look good. Sometimes. My problem is the sheer ubiquity of them. It used to be a couple of years ago you would see a cute London girl with her denim mini and her black leggings, and it would be exciting; now just about every girl aged 14 and up (and up!) is wearing them with ballet flats and minis. And maybe since my eye is now "in", I vaguely think it is cute, but really, it is all just annoying; does everyone have to wear the same??? (Yes, it is fashion, that is what happens, I am just being naive!)

But this begs the further question; am I just denying myself the opportunity to look cute because I refuse to buy myself some leggings and rock the look? Is my petulance and stubborn streak stopping me from being cute? But if I capitulate and get me some, am compromising my fashion beliefs? Oh the moral quandary.

Marie Antoinette

I went home last night (I managed to blag a flight to Belfast through work) and got to hang out with my family, especially my sister. My sister is just about the only person I know who is as crazy about clothes as I am. We also have fairly similar senses of style; she just got me the cutest two minidresses from Primark (more on that later). Anyway, we agree on what we love most of the time, so she was the perfect person to take along to Marie Antoinette - I really couldn't think of another person I know who would enjoy a film which was mainly about pretty dresses and fabulous cakes. I read an article about the cakes for Marie Antoinette in, of all magazines, the bmi in-flight magazine, which was actually really interesting. And yes, they were beautiful, gorgeous, decadent and luxurious. There is a very fun montage scene that basically flashes between shoes, dresses, and cakes - all my favourite things!!

Anyway, I am glad that I took my sister. You really would have to be quite forgiving to like Marie Antoinette. It has a very definite Sophia Coppola feeling about it - not much dialogue, lots of montages, lots of scenes showing parties and dressing up. Oh, and of course a fab rocky soundtrack. I have no idea whether it was historically accurate, but it was certainly modern. And for me, thoroughly enjoyable. Also, I have a small resemblence to Kirsten Dunst (small mouth, small eyes, giggly, blonde, but no, I'm not gorgeous like she is!) and so watching her on film is slightly freaky. Can be heartening (I resemble that?) and depressing (no way will I ever look like that!). Still, there could be worse people to resemble. But it didn't make me want to make my hair 3 foot taller than my head.

So yes, I had fun watching the movie, but it really is one you go into knowing you are going to love. Otherwise, it's probably not for you.

my current inspiration

I went to see The Departed last week, and I admit that I am alone in being a tad underwhelmed by it. Too many people being shot in the last 20 minutes, and far too long by half. But, there was the joy of Madolyn's suit - a light grey pinstriped number with a waistcoast (vest for those American readers). I would love to wear that to the office with crisp white converse or vans. That would make my day instead of the crumpled M&S black trousers I pull on the dark every day.

I tried to find a pic of it online, but the best I could do was at IMDB who wouldn't let me save the picture. Meanies.

Sunday Morning

One of my plans for this blog is to have a more or less daily "what I'm wearing" photo option. Sounds grand, doesn't it? Having said that, since this morning I'm wearing my bright green American Apparel joggies with a vest that came free with Elle magazine, and a jumper from the witchery that never recovered from a collision with some sort of brown food group, that may not be the best plan. Oh, and I've rolled out of bed so I'm a four-eyed dork as well. But yesterday I was looking cute, I promise.

Instead, I'm going to turn to one of my favourite weekly moments in fashion: The Measure. The Measure appears in The Guardian magazine every Saturday, and it is constantly hilarious. It is also notoriously fickle. You would be mad to live your life by The Measure since you would be switching between skinny and straight leg jeans every 10 minutes. However, The Measure is deeply aware of this, and is therefore incredibly tongue in cheek. Anyway, here's this week's:

Going Up
Ankle Boots Love 'em or (more likely) hate 'em, they are officially the footwear of the season
Me: Oh so heartily agree. Lil Sis got a grey pair in New York, and she looks fab in them, but they still sort of give me the creeps. Although the ones which are more boot than shoe are much more appealing. Topshop are doing a very cool brown pair with interesting strapping for 75 quid. Haven't yet invested in this trend.
Dr Harris Our favourite skincare for the chapping winter. The lip balm is the best in town
Me: Who? (Oh no, am I admitting my ignorance of Doc Harris too publicly?)
Frederic Fekkai One member of the Measure says" 'This stuff has saved my hair! Thanks Fred!'
Me: I'm rubbish at hair products, and hair in general. I will never have cool hair it has to be said. On a more measurely front, I've realised that lots of it is based around women patting themselves on the back and saying "me too!". Or being like, "you know nothing you London-dwelling myopic fashionistas!". I know I've done both.
Arrested Development Meant to mention this so very long ago. Catch the last series now on TV before it disappears forever.
Me: Ah, the lovely Measure girls do like their TV and literature as well. Not so myopic after all. I myself have never watched Arrested Development. I keep hearing good things, but since I always forget to keep the TV guide part of the newspaper, it is a challenge to know when to turn it on.
Izzo/In The End Jay-Z and Linkin Park. Should be so wrong, but is actually totally and utterly brilliant
Rupert Everett Adding our voice to the clamour, his autobiography is our kinda lit-er-a-ture
Me: I have no idea what is going on with the hyphenation there. See, I've been reading the Measure for years, and theycan still outfox me.

Going Down
Un-eco friendly fashion Patent leather, rubber details, perspex - all over the place next season. Al Gore will not be pleased.
Me: The Guardian is known for being a lefty, green, sandal-wearing tree-hugging paper, with a regular ethical consumer column and regular features on how to have an eco-holiday. 89% of Guardian readers recycle, and 76% of Guardian readers just plain cycle. Ok, so I made those up, but you get the idea. This is a little nod to them.
Leggings with ankle boots Can you say, 'Fashion victim'? Can you say, 'Pigs' trotters'?
Me: Oooh, mean! Watch out for them in the Going Up in a few weeks time!
1990s fashion revival Oversized parkas, sweatshirts, smiley faces... Noel Gallager is not a style icon
Me: Me too! The first time I've been old enough to have gone through the original faze of something being "retro". I'm not sure I like it. Though I do want a parka - keep me warm on a cold evening, and being in fashion? Thank you. Although since my ideal would be one from The North Face it is definitely my practical side (it does exist!) shining through.
Diets Supersized clothes? Baggy tunics? Who cares if the models are thin - we're reaching for the Krispy Kremes!
Me: I'd just like to add on this point that(a)I adore Krispy Kremes and (b) the cover of The Guardian magazine was titled Super Thin Me: The Women Dying to be Skinny. At least for once the two are matching up.
Over-the-knee boots Designers, will you ever learn? Pretty Woman is, like Noel, not a style icon...
Me: ooooh, I did see a pair I liked though!!!


And there you have it - a breakdown of one of the more irreverant hit/miss columns published. I adore those sorts of columns and how they approach fashion. Silly, fun, and to be enjoyed.

welcome to chickmoukite

My first post. Always a momentous occasion, don't you think? What is the inspiration around chickmoukite? Well, I have an unabiding love of clothes. Nothing makes me happier than waking up on a Saturday morning and realising that today I can choose who I am today. (Working in a financial organisation means that Mon-Fri clothes are pretty much a wash-out) I express myself through what I wear, and I take enormous pleasure from that. However, I also realise that my love of clothes does not necessarily translate itself into a natural sense of style - I have none! I try hard, I really do, but I will never manage to be one of those women who only needs to own three black t-shirts and a scarf and will always look fabulous; instead I am more of a girl who looks like she has raided a dressing up box. To be able to have a capsule wardrobe would be amazing; the reality is that I adore the new too much, and everything in fashion, even vintage, is about new, it's about novelty, it's about excitement. And, quite simply, I love it.

Sometimes, I try and interpret fashion as art. Sometimes, I pay attention to catwalks and shows, but the reality is that I am informed by what I see every day; what I walk past on the stret, what I see in magazines, what I imagine in my own head. I can't pretend to be original, though I will say I try. But you know what? I do not have buckets of cash - I barely make it through the month! My wardrobe is more Primark rather than Prada. What am I talking about? I don't even have Prada sunglasses (I once had a small, black, incredibly overpriced Prada bag - it was a birthday present and I took it everywhere for several years), and the last thing I bought was a grey cardigan from New Look. A girl can dream, can't she? So,mostly this blog will be informed by the very democratic British high street; not such a fashion wasteland, I'll have you know. Trust me, I have plenty of experience with it. And since I get paid on Monday, I'll be having much more experience over the next two weeks. After that, it'll be back to living on pasta and dreamily windowshopping. And so the cycle repeats itself!

To an future of fashion mishaps on record - maybe this isn't such a good idea...