adieu 2011.

I don't remember seeing in 2011. I was in a reasonably terrible bar in Ascot surrounded by people I didn't know (lovely people but unknown people nontheless) save for one friend who came to the rescue when my orginial plans fell through. I ended up being put in a cab to go home early and being really rather sick.
It's not the best start to a year.
At the beginning of the year I was working three jobs. Two different waitress jobs to keep my head above the water and freelancing to attempt to push my "career" forwards. I did every short film, feature or tiny bit of experience that came my way. All unpaid. Then I got a properly paid job designing the costumes for a feature. It was minimum wage but it was paid. I had to quit my waitress jobs to do it. I thought it was the start of my career. It wasn't. It was horrendously unproffessional, I didn't get paid and I quit the job halfway through. Thankfully, the incredibly kind people at Porters and Bedgebury Pineatery took me back.
I had no money. I felt sick with worry.
And then, a few days after my birthday in May, I got a phone call to come and do a couple of days work as a runner for the costume department on a feature. And this happened.

 And then this happened. Then this.


I feel incredibly lucky right now. Here's hoping 2012 will be as kind.

The new addiction.

It's amazing what can happen over Christmas. Thanks to the presence of two grandmothers and a gift from my mum, I'm now a knitter.

settled.

Finally, I have a place in London (well, Acton) to call home. After 2 years of calling in a lot of favours from a lot of people, I can finally come home to my own room, make tea in my own kitchen and keep my shampoo in my own shower (you'd be suprised how much a difference just being able to leave your shampoo in a shower can make to your life!)
I moved here with no furniture and after a difficult bed decision, a nightmare trip to IKEA and a bit of trawling around 2nd hand shops, last night I flattened my last cardboard box.
Now all I need is more picture frames. I'm a great believer that one can never have enough picture frames.

 

 

Ring from Cos. I've only just discovered them (I'm slow, I know). Trying to not spend money in there is like trying to tell yourself you don't need tequila on a night out.

 

Oh yeah, and Christmas and stuff.

moustache of the day. 3.

Thompson and Thomson from 

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

This is purely because I went to see the film the other night and highly enjoyed it. Sumptuous animation, very funny with wonderful characters and highly adventurous! I'm not a childhood reader of Tintin so I judged the film with fresh eyes and mind. And it that scenario, I'd say it's well worth a cinema viewing.

 

moustache of the day. 2.

Andy Wainwright

j'ADR.

Anna Dello Russo is a marvel. Fact. 

We have our Lady Gagas, Rhiannas, and other "avant garde" dressing pop stars. But in all honesty, to me, something about them just doesn't quite sit right with me. They always look incredible, don't get me wrong, but no one expresses their love of fashion like Anna Dello Russo.

Her tweet this morning inspired me so much "Every morning I check the weather before to dress up"

It's not just getting dressed, it's dressing up. Every day you can be a different person. If you want to. So many people (not just women, but men as well) feel they have to dress safely, that they can't wear what they truly want to. What if you just want to wear a feathered helmet?! True, ADR has the money and resources to access any look she wants but her spirit should be embraced.

Fashion is cruel and puts unfair pressures on women. But it is also beautiful and creative and when used in the right way, can make people feel wonderful. It should be embraced in whichever way you wish to use it. Don't just get dressed, dress up!

All photos by Tommy Ton

leafy.

Today I celebrated the official end to British summer time at the weekend by dressing like a tree.

But far more important than the beautiful turning colours of the trees, is the promise of a month of moustachioed men. Oh yes. It's Movember. And I love me a man with a tash.

Lovely

disco disco disco disco.

I like my trousers high waisted and skinny. I love a tucked in shirt and I find your natural shape gets lost in hipsters. Plus your arse has a habit of playing peek-a-boo no matter how hard you try to keep it under wraps. It's taken me about 6 months to even try these on but I couldn't resist the super-stretch and shimmer any longer. And a 15% off voucher landing in my email this morning meant I could resist them no longer.
I am currently awaiting the arrival of
THE AA DISCO PANT

 DISCO

Pricey. Yes. Slightly absurd. Yes.

Rather than glaming them up, I think I'll be countrying them down. Aran knit cardigan and walking boots and tweed coat.

Or maybe I'll just bleach my hair and do as god intended.

gift.

Are there many things better than very late birthday presents? These are my late present from a gorgeous friend I certainly don't see enough.
I'm a fan of plastic flowers. You don't get that sadness of realising you're a bad flower-mother when you come home and the thing has withered and died. And orange is my ultimate happy colour.
Plus chocolate with in-jokes written on it? Genius.

it's darker in the mornings.

I wake up at 5:45 every (week)day for work. Despite the fact we didn't really have a summer in this country, it is lovely to wake up at that time and the sun be above the horizon. It's not any more. There's a steely blue glow but it's certainly not daylight.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sudden surprise heatwave last week. I spent it at home, away from London, in my parent's garden surrounded by grape vines and on the beach. It was sublime and it makes me wish I had had a summer at all.
But there was a slightly icy chill in the air this morning that triggered a little thrill in me. The romantic idea of winter. Of scarves and gloves and hats and sheepskin and walking through frosty grass and real fires and hot drinks and the smell of cinnamon and cloves and of Christmas.
And now I'm excited. And these photos have got me even more in the mood.

 Flickr

Flickr

 Flickr

Flickr

Flickr

In fact, e.kristina's whole Winter photostream on Flickr gives me that little shiver of excitement.

Time to get the knitwear out.

lunch discovery.

I get hungry very frequently. Like, every two hours frequently. Today for lunch I was craving falafel. Luckily, a cafe over the road from work which I have never tried before had a falafel, hummous and harissa sandwich on the special board. I obliged. It's amazing. And they serve Illy coffee. Well worth a visit if you're around Vauxhall and need a lovely light lunch.

 Find them here.

swimsuit situation.

I have been struck by an intense need for water recently. Sparked by a dream about surfing and having moved up to London, away from the coast, I have a constant urge to be swimming. Not exactly helped by finally seeing The Inbetweeners Movie and that ariel shot of Malia and the sparkling blue ocean (I didn't think of the amount of drunk people's vomit, pee and poop in it).

So spurred on by that, I researched a swimming pool in my new area and bought a swimsuit (having left mine at my parents house). With no free time to actually shop around for one, I picked a very simple black one up in Sainsbury's when doing a lunch run. I went for my usual size and thought nothing more of it. Until I got home that night and decided to try it on. Couldn't get the thing over my arse and it was a struggle to get it that far. Who are these flat bottomed women Sainsbury's are making clothes for?! To celebrate not being a size 8 by Sainsbury's standards, I made a huge bowl of Putanesca and went browsing for a new swimsuit. I have fallen a bit for this Black Milk one.

For £58.44 and only available in XS, I'm guessing it's probably not a good idea though.

I probably wouldn't be able to get it over my arse.

new job.

I have disappeared for a while. The last film I was working on that was featured here turned out to be a total disaster. But lessons were learned and I gained some rather lovely new friends from it. But onwards and upwards.
I've now gone from Costume Designer to Costume PA. From the top to the bottom, From the smallest budget to the biggest. And I couldn't be happier. Plus, the on set catering is soooo much better. No more stone cold chicken and rice every single day for me. A barbequed pork chop at 11:30 am? Why the bloody hell not I ask you?!

Plus, the very first feature I worked on is available to pre-order on Amazon here. You should get it. It's pretty funny.

the cool down.

Because there's nothing like a Gin & Gin in the costume room at the end of a long day.

heavy metal ptII.

I've been lusting after this Vivienne Westwood ever since one of my best friends introduced me to it Selfridges about a year ago. Sadly, I just don't have the cash handy for it. Spurred on by this and my desire to re-create the look from Jak and Jil I posted in Febuary, I purchased a slightly cheaper (£166 cheaper) ASOS version. I am pleased with the results.

jump!

Taking a stroll to the corner shop at lunch and couldn't resist this charming blue wall.
Production design, sound, and two make-up ladies.

catch up.

So I gave myself three days and I lasted two. That's comitment for you! To make up for it, three photos to cover the days I have missed.

Summon Robo-maid

There is a stationary theif on the loose

Inspired by a brilliant blog post by my sister, I thought I would post the (I like to think modest) contents of my bag. I bought the bag this week. It's my first ever handbag. It's the closest I'll be getting to a nightingale for a long time.

Bag from TK Maxx, Ray Ban wayfarers (not mine), phone charger, Body Shop handcream, tapemeasure, Filofax, Keys (with Boba Fett and Santa Lego), wallet, Costume Design 101 by Richard La Motte and my HTC Desire HD (I'm not an apple gal...yet)

belted.

My on-set work belt. I need a prettier one with apropriate pockets. I'm not sure this is what Screw Fix had in mind when they made a tool belt. I'm thinking a quilted leather Chanel style one is more job-appropriate.

shadows.

In a vague attempt to keep a record of what's going on around me, I'm going to try to take one photo a day.
I give myself about 3 days.
This was taken on location in a disused wing of a psychiatric hospital. Actually not as creepy as it sounds. I'll admit that someone else did all the settings on the camera for me. All I did was frame it up.
Cheat.

working girl

I have been a waitress since the beginning of my working life. Which is a few years now. Last month I quit the two best waitressing jobs I've ever had. One in a cafe in the middle of a forest with endless tea and cakes and cute ducks. The other a seriously characterful wine bar with the funniest staff and best food. I am now officially a Costume Designer. For the next two months at least. I'm in North London shooting a low budget feature and living with my costumes. It's cosy.

And it comes with perks. Namely two boxes of Puma stuff to use in the film. But personally, I'm more excited by half of it being set in the 90s. I used this post by the ever inspirational (and ever youthful) Tavi. I now have the boxset of My So Called life on my wishlist.

Plaid and floral? Yes.

It also means I get to watch Clueless. Any excuse to watch Clueless.

And Spiceworld. Purely for research. Of course.

the comfort zone.

Yesterday my day was taken up trawling through charity shops with a list as long as my arm, buying up costumes. I was stalking around the cheap shoe store Shoe Zone amongst the diamonted faux Uggs and clogg high heels for little girls (the idea of high heels for little girls makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. In the way kid's beauty pagents and Miley Cyrus makes me feel uncomfortable) and there, in the old lady slipper corner were these beauties. I tired to stop myself but something about the idea of emerald green velvet, gold embroidery and the sheer comfort of them would not let me walk away.
And I figure £7 is a reasonable price to be ridiculous at.
Slippers as shoes.
It's the way forwards.





tribute.

Tribute to Alexander McQueen by Nick Knight, music by Björk from SHOWstudio on Vimeo.

The perfect creative trio. I think it capture the violent beauty of McQueen's work wonderfully. And I'm always a fan of McKnight's distorted but loving view on fashion. And Björk never ceases to amaze me.

heavy metal.

from jakandjil.com

I would very much like this in gold please. But minus the cigarette. There is something I enjoy very much about smoking. I know I shouldn't admit that. But despite my guilty enjoyment of it, it's mainly the cancer that stops me from doing it.

why am I not at Fashion Week? pt.I.

Today, in London, a dear and talented photographer friend acquired a pass to London Fashion Week. He talked of schools of people rushing in and out of shows, spotting Juliette Lewis, entourages, climbing into another photographer's tripod to get the shots he wanted, not having enough time to go to the Burberry show, every ridiculous but exciting thing I'd imagine would come from a first time visit to London Fashion Week.

Today in Bedgebury, I consistently poured hot chocolate all over my converse trainers (the fault of a terrible jug, not my incompetency at pouring)

I don't even like wearing trainers.