Smaggle Style

Today was crazy busy at work again so I barely had time to post this on my way out the door. Browny (my work photographer and office mate) made me do Ryan from the O.C faces in my photos. It’s rainy today and that was her inspiration…

* Vintage strapless dress (it’s purple underneath) from Ebay

* Beaded shrug from second hand store at Kingston Markets

* Earrings from Threefiveeightyfive - I love them, they are twice as big as I thought they would be and I am delighted

* Wallhanging bracelet - I bought the wall hanging from Oxfam and turned it into a bracelet. It has a massive blue glass pendant hanging from it and makes awesome jingly sounds when I move

This afternoon I am heading home to pack for my weekend away with Mr Smaggle… very exciting!

Oh and today’s office comments were

* You look nice

* You look like you’re going out to a club

* You look like a peacock

Riiiiight…

The other day I was buying fish at the market and this amazing woman walked into the store. She was dressed in all different shades of red and burgundy with chunky little heels and layers of velvet and lace. She also wore a hat with a long feather in it. She was, quite simply, magnificent. And I was too shy to tell her how awesome she looked. So after gaping at her for a good 5 minutes I walked away without saying a word and she probably now thinks that I thought she looked so awful that I couldn’t stop staring at her. I mean really what did I think she was going to do? Slap me in the face with an Atlantic salmon? Hell no! She would have been pleasantly surprised, graciously accepted my compliment and would have walked around for the rest of the day feeling fantastic. And she would have gone home her classy husband and told him all about it while drinking a whisky in front of the fire. So my pretties, the point of this post is to encourage you to compliment strangers. On anything. If you like what they are wearing just bite the bullet and tell them. Trust me. It’s better than staring at them like a stalker then running away from them.

I came across the most gorgeous site the other day. It’s called Inner French Girl. The blogger describes this perfect French girl inside and how she aspires to be like her. A good friend of mine (I am talking about you Jimmy if you’re reading this!) once said to me that the most admirable trait in a human being is the desire for self improvement. So I am harnessing my Inner French Girl and giving her a a swift kick up the bum with a list of things to get her going -

My Inner French Girl
* Eats well everyday and drinks plenty of water. She also exercises regularly and is never too lazy to walk up the stairs or carry heavy boxes.

* Does her washing every week (not just when she’s desperate) and separates her whites and darks. She also puts all her delicates in lingerie bags.

* She wipes her hands on hand towels and not her clothes. She also doesn’t spill food on herself. (I am serious, I am so grubby it’s unbelievable)

* She always sends thank you notes promptly and never forgets to take something when she visits friends.

* Her hair is perfect all the time.

* She has found the most marvelous shade of red lipstick and wears it daily in trademark style.

* She never swears or says unkind things about others. (I only say mean things about stupid people but I am seriously trying to cut back)

* She is kind to the environment and refuses to take boutique bags with all the tempting tissue paper and uses only designer canvas totes.

* She wears scarves.

* She sits up straight and carries herself like a lady.

You will be pleased to know that I have started being French already. I made my bed this morning and when I went to the gym I took my work skirt on a proper skirt hanger and not crumpled up in my bag. I also ate a  nutritious salad for lunch and drank water all day. And I fully intend on going to bed really soon to get lots of French beauty sleep.

Please do visit the lovely French site - it’s so pretty and there are lots of interesting posts. And what a marvelous blog it is that promotes self improvement in such a positive way!

Today was crazy busy at work and I barely had time to eat lunch! I am nearly finished now but thought I would post today’s outfit before I leave because the internet here is so much quicker than anywhere else. My outfit today was inspired by Agathe’s post on dressing in black and yellow!

* White Home Sweet Home T-shirt from Stock Jeans

* Yellow skirt from second hand store at the Kingston Markets

* Black sandals from Marco Gianni

* Antique Chair brooch from Tilly Bloom

* Mango coral bracelet Smaggle Made

Facehunter was the first ever street style blog that I found. And the day I did I spent the next 8 HOURS going through every single photo in the 2 year old archive. This site is magnificent. I won’t bore you with the details of my relationship with Facehunter because once you visit this mastermind yourself, you too will feel the love that only London (European)street style can provide. My only issue with this site is a petty one - it’s winter in London and summer where I am so the fashions are little irrelevant. So I’ve skipped back to August this year and picked a few beauties to steal summer style tips from… naughty.

Tank tops with really wide arm holes - mmm… smacky-licious.

Fascinators that sit flat against your head - try feather pads or crochet material.

Arm socks - for when those evenings get a little chilly but you still want to show off your shoulders.

T-shirt dresses - perfect for throwing on over your swimmers, layering over shorts and mini skirts or for wearing as a loose dress while sipping cocktails on a balcony over looking the ocean.

A white dress, a shit load of bangles and some red lippie. Stunning.

Strapless dresses and tops to show of your shoulders.

A funky straw hat and some well fitting jeans. Strawberry locks would be nice too if you can manage it.

Sleeveless hoodie with hoodie part actually in use! Genius.

Dressing like a doll - little hair clips, cute skirts and bows.

The maxi dress. Well come on, weren’t you all wondering where Cosmopolitan got it the trend from?

After my Giselle Shepatin post yesterday I emailed the lovely lady herself and received a very prompt reply. The magazine I saw her in was Belle Armoire and she very kindly sent me their link. Also I said that she designs the costumes for Cirque du Soleil which is not entirely true. She designs and sells clothing for the stores and entry tents not the performances. She also mentions that one of their models is Aloysia Gavre, is a veteran trapeze artist of two Cirque du Soleil shows. I also spelt Cirque du Soleil incorrectly. So my apologies for the incorrect info and thanks to Giselle for the correct information!

I was waiting to meet my friend for dinner last week and she was little late so I curled up in one of the leather chairs in the craft section of Borders and read the exquisite, yet over priced foreign art magazines. It was in Belle Armoire that I discovered the whimsical fancies of the talented Giselle Shepatin. It’s worth visiting her site just for the gorgeous layout and rich, rustic colours. With a BFA under her belt as well as an MA specialising in textiles her works are far more about art than fashion. She is a great believer in recycled fashion and economic design and she follows her pieces through every stage of production. I adore how organic her work is and I am big fan of her general colour scheme. I find her taupes, browns and forrest greens are such flattering colours and her fabrics are to die for.

Unfortunately I am not dignified or classy enough for her clothes just yet but maybe in a few years time I will have read enough literature, visited enough art galleries and travelled the world enough to be able to carry myself with the confidence and grace needed to truly do Giselle’s designs justice. And I know many of you are reading this and wondering why her pieces seem so familiar… Seen Cirque du Soleil recently? She designs and sells clothing for the entry tents and stores. So is it really any wonder why her clothes make me want to frolic in forrests with bare feet and flowers in my hair…

Today was the worst washing day I have ever had so I am posting yesterdays outfit instead. Yesterday was lovely - Mr Smaggle and I dragged our hungover selves to the Kingston Markets where we ate Ethiopian food and chocolate covered strawberries. I then visited my lovely friend Matt at the Glassworks. In the afternoon we saw an anime film before having bangers and mash for dinner while watching The Office at our mates house. What a pleasant weekend. Today I worked and then visited my auntie on the way home. She has a very cool secret fashion related business opening soon that I can’t wait to tell you all about…

 * White blousy shirt from Newtown

* Denim skirt secondhand from Ebay (has a James Bond picture and the words ‘The missing link is moving underground’ written on it in permanent marker)

* Black sandals from Marco Gianni (or Giovanni… can’t remember)

* Wood dinosaur necklace gift from friends from Itrip Iskip

* My new ring that I adore!

When I went to the Glassworks my lovely friend Matt (who works there) gave me my birthday present. It’s this gorgeous glass ring by a Japanese artist called Itsuka Ito. She was studying English at the ANU and came into his work and asked to make some stuff to sell while she was here. These pictures are pretty bad but I had to get up close to show you how it looks different from different angles.

I know the photos are terrible but this ring really is stunning. It’s all smooth and bulbous like a drop of rain on a flower petal. It’s also a total mind spin because at different angles it can be all black, black and purple, clear with slashes of black or completely clear. This ring is so structurally perfect it’s just a completely satisfying piece of art. Thanks Matt and Ged - massive kisses and love to both of you!

Alright! I know the whole springtime/flower thing is about as obvious as the plot of an episode of CSI Miami but lets not be too harsh just yet. Flowers are lovely. There is no denying it. So just suck it up and go with it.

* Spring time is wonderful for wearing flowers in your hair. Just pluck some from a tree and stick them in with pins. Try a few a subtle ones all through your hair or a big statement flower pinned behind your ear. Oh and if you use fresh ones make sure they are grub and bug free before putting them anywhere near your tresses…

* Why not sew a gorgeous fabric flower onto some ribbon and tie it around your neck? Or your wrist? Or your waist? Or even your ankle?

*Buy some fresh flowers and carry them in a basket. I am serious! The pleasantness of this is entirely underated. Plus the cuteness factor is massive.

* Wear a flower pinned to the strap of your sundress. It will hold your bra in place and will make you look deliciously summery.

* Floral patterns are super desirable for spring so make use of the warmer weather and frolic like a kitten on speed in a little flowery cotton number.

 Here are some pics for your floral fix…

Kenneth Jay Lane 

Louiseblack 

Jaana-Mari 

iVillage

Today was the busiest day in the history of the world! I was rushing around all day and now I am going home to girly things like paint my nails and talk about boys…

* Black long sleeve top from Target

* Tapestry dress from Tree of Life

* Fave brown boots from Redpath

* Gold ring from Mr Smaggle in Dubai

* Leather and resin necklace Smaggle Made