Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee

One of the nice things about finishing my thesis is that I now have the capacity to become a functioning member of society again. OR, I can avoid society altogether, by playing a new video game. Obviously, I chose the later. I've started playing Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer on the Nintendo DS XL, and wasn't planning on blogging about it but everything is so aesthetically pleasing, and a big function of this game is taking photographs stored on an SD card, so since I was taking photos anyway I though- why not? 

So uh, avert your eyes if you want to avoid any spoilers or if video games aren't your cup of tea. Like the name suggestions, this game focuses on the interior decorating aspect of the game, so for every room I decorate I thought I would catalog each and pair them with a style icon or cinematic moment which inspired each room. I hope you enjoy!

I made my character look a bit like Andy Warhol with a pastel pink pixie haircut (something which I wouldn't try IRL myself, given that I've just graduated and am in desperate need of a JOB but I thought it would be fun. Otherwise I probably would have liked to make an avatar resembling Grace Coddington, Anna Wintour or Karl Lagerfeld. Unfortunately gloves aren't an option for avatars yet, so I'm still waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a mini Karl.

So the first room I got to decorate was for Lottie the otter, who also works at Nook's Homes (the office you work at in the game). She's pretty cute, has a blue polka dot bow in her hair styled with bangs in a bun. Naturally I approve of her pink fur. I decorated this room using the 'Lovely Furniture Set', which fans of the Animal Crossing franchise will recognize quiet easily, however, if you're NOT familiar with the series, it's appeared in just about every game since its inception. 

Anyway, it reminded me a lot of the bedroom from Grease, as well as the independent films of Samuel Shanahoy who also happens to run one of the most amazing Tumblrs. It's kind of tacky, which is why I love it and also ironic. If the room was a song, it would be 'So Into Yo' by Tamia. If it was an emoji it would naturally be a heart with sparkles. If it was a food, it would be a strawberry milkshake with two straws, shared by Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon. 

Clio Peppiatt Spring 2015

Considering I’ve been stalking this designer for months on social media, it seems ludicrous that I haven’t had time to properly introduce Clio Peppiatt! I posted an outfit inspired by the British designer a while ago, but never really took the time to discuss her work??? Yeah, basically even I’m surprised by that gross oversight. Clio Peppiatt has been active since Fall 2014, but I decided to review her most recent collection first. While chronological order has its appeal (for very obvious reasons), since I have so much blogging to catch up on I’d prefer to have a holistic view on what’s coming out of London Fashion Week before rummaging through archives and focusing on each designer individually. There’s a bunch of amazing British designers with an insane online following and well-defined aesthetic who I find absolutely inspiring in terms of producing color, often hand-illustrated work. So, without further ado: Clio Peppiatt.

It’s not a collection which can be easily pigeon-holed within a certain motif or concept, which is kind of the reason why I like it so much. Each piece stands out on its own, with the commonalities being a pastel color palette and ruffles Carmen Miranda style. The lookbook itself is reminiscent of Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, with just a lil' bit of American Hustle through the “rose-tinted lens” of photographer Alex Prager.  The collection was in fact, shot by Nadia Lee Cohen, however, the low angle shots and heavily processed images creating distinctly surreal blue skies reminds me a lot of Prager’s narrative photo series. In much the same way, it feels like there’s a story hidden in here somewhere but we’re not seeing the full picture. The clothes however, remain the star of the show and are heavily intertwined with the creatives at Polyester Zine, particularly founding editor in chief, Ione Gamble, who owns a pair of custom knee high boots from this very collection. 

As daft as it may sound I’m always a little overwhelmed when it comes to dreaming up outfits for Summer, particularly on those 100 degree days when my entire face feels like it’s melting and my arm pits have bad breath. I had every intention of buying the ruffle shrimp top from this very collection, however, even the best laid plans can sometimes go amiss. I had hoped to buy it on sale (sometimes discount codes are announced via the ClioPeppiatt Instagram account, however, it seems like I’ve been out of luck for the last couple of months. That, and I’d also love to own that mermaid bodysuit. The colors are absolutely perfect, it looks just like something Kailey from Mermaidens would wear. I’d love to know if, like me, you have a favorite piece from this collection and how/ when you would wear it! Also since I have nothing but time on my hands and there’s a cool designer you’ve been crushing on lately I’m dying to know (hint hint, comment below!) I'd also though I'd mention that Clio Peppiatt are currently looking for interns in London between November and February. If you're interested, shoot them an email!

Heart Breaker

Wearing: Saddle shoes by Ati Lin, Dangerfield dress, Target sweater, Nasty Gal faux leather jacket (handpainted by Esther Kim of estherlovesyou) and Meadham Kirchhoff X Topshop handbag. 

I can't believe I've had this jacket for months now and haven't worn it once! Well that's not completely true I wore it once but hadn't looked at it since then. However, it's the first time I've featured it on this blog and I bet you're all dying to know where it came from! The jacket is faux leather made by Nasty Gal and the back panel was hand painted by artist Esther Kim from estherlovesyou. Esther ran a competition on her instagram several months ago now and lo and behold- I was the winner! This outfit was actually meant to go with this moodboard but I kept putting it off. I was worried that it might feel too cliche or whatever, but I also felt like my old hair wasn't really on par with the whole outfit. Since having it cut and colour I feel much more confident in my own body, but also my ability to create outfits which aren't for the male gaze and are purely an escape from the mundane. Hence why this outfit is more like an exaggeration of the final scene from Grease (1978) with some Cry-Baby (1990) thrown in for good measure but movie nostalgia aside this look was inspired by real women.