Stud

I've been neglecting the blog again. My excuse this time is a jolly jaunt up to Scotland visiting relatives. I always feel such guilt when I don't update, I suppose because when I first opened the House of Harps, I posted every single day. But then again, no-one read my blog when it first started, so I'm the only who notices my failure to continue this high standard I set myself.

Ahem, anyway...if you hate horribly coordinated outfits then I suggest you don't scroll down. You just know I couldn't resist matching my shirt with my socks! The cardigan is a recent acquisition. I love the weight of it and the way it drapes; the stud work really is rather heavy. I am actually quite anti-stud, in that all the cool young things these days tend to jump on anything studded and its so ubiquitous now (plus, I totally did the whole goth thing as a teenager, and got sick of the sight of studs). However, this is a rather restrained use of studding, so I can live with it.

Shoes (Chloe), cardigan (asos.com), trousers (American Apparel), gold vest (Warehouse), thrifted blue shirt.

My hair was some sort of saloon wench style, with my usual quiffed volume and some loose ringlets to one side.

Cowboy Jockey?

I'm not sure what my thinking was behind this outfit...all I know is that I wanted to mix deep burgandy red with a brighter turquoise. I think my desire for this pairing possibly came from this look where I had dark red on my lips, and turquoisey colours throughout the outfit. For some reason the colours and possibly the stripes too are reminding me of a jockey? I could be alone in thinking that. The cowboy element comes from the shirt, which is by the now defunct Copenhagen label Camilla Staerk. Before the label ceased trading, Camilla left the company and started her own label again under the name Staerk. I've not seen much of Staerk's work, but the clothes by Camilla Staerk (this is getting confusing), were pretty interesting and worth a look. The lady herself is actually pretty damn cool. Go on...google her, she's usually wearing all black with a well tied headscarf. My shirt is from the aw06 collection, which first brought the label to my attention. The collection was full of nice little details, bits of lace, different textures and unusual shapes/execution of quite classic pieces. Plus, the accessories, in particular the buckle boots, were desirable. I liked the addition of a different texture into the shirt, in quite a subtle way, with the shiny material, and of course, the little neck tie is cute. I think next time I wear the stripey stockings I'll wear darker tights underneath so the contrast isn't as noticable, and the stripes more subtle.

p.s. I acknowledge the fact that my skirt needs ironing.

image from camillastaerk.co.uk

Bag (Vivienne Westwood), blazer (John Lewis), shirt (Camilla Staerk), vintage skirt, shoes (ebay).

Something new, something blue

As I've previously mentioned, I think I have a habit of sticking to the same silhouette too much, and would like to try more new things. I don't usually go for much 'volume' in my outfits, nor do I normally like loose fitting things, but I loved this top when I first saw it, and loved it even more when I tried it on. It's not exactly a fashion risk, but it is something new to introduce to my wardrobe, whilst the ornate pattern ensures it is true to my style. I'm getting an Edwardian Orientalist feel from the top, probably something to do with its floatyness and Eastern pattern? The top is basically a silk scarf, turned into a blouse. Its drapes beautifully, and it feels so light on the skin. I'm sure that this top will get a lot of use over the coming summer, as an easy to throw on cover-up. It really is quite sheer, and I wanted to inject a brighter colour into the outfit, so I layered a turqoise vest underneath, with matching socks. Whilst I was dubious about the top in the shop, I'm now quite excited at the prospect of mixing it with more outfits...I can try belting it, tucking it into a high-waisted skirt, wearing open over a top/dress, or even gathering and tying it at the front, exposing my midriff (I'll save that one for warmer days [also, there's a murmur that crop tops are going to be 'fashionable' again for the summer. I look forward to reliving my glory days as a child of the 90's, who so often wore crop tops]). The shoes I love so so much (how can you not love pewter snakeskin platforms?), but they are slightly too big so don't get much wear. The leather has stretched to the point where they slip at the back every time I take a step, so I had the genius plan of affixing them to my feet with ribbons, and bloody hell it actually worked. I bought them on a geography field trip, where I did more shopping than geographying. One final thing...my hair. I managed to create the mother of all beehives today, as seen in the first 2 photos below. It made Marge Simpsons hair look small. It was suitably hairsprayed and secured, but then I took a look at the extreme wind outside, and decided it wasn't worth the frustration of getting outside and it falling to pieces in public. So, I reluctantly took it down a notch, to more appropriate extremes. It was fun while it lasted.

Shoes (Ravel), fur stole (M&S), top (Zara), vest (Mango), trousers (H&M).

My eye make-up was pretty blue, but the flash seems to have removed any trace of my painstaking application of turquoise shadow. Also, a darker almost purple lipstick, as my normal red would have looked out of place with todays outfit.

Blue nails, very dark blue, but still blue! A first for me

Fabulous fringed skirt fit for frolicking

Todays outfit was fun to wear. I twirled around a lot and shook my bum. This skirt was an amazing ebay find, it has no label and is kind of unfinished, leading me to believe it was handmade diy affair. It's totally wearable though, and I've only had to add a hook and eye to improve the fit. It has a sort of Hawaiian grass skirt vibe, no? The top was just a plain, warm, practical top that needed some excitement. So I swapped its buttons for some vintage enamel ones from the twenties, and some tiny brass patterned ones. The close up shot shows the detail of the enamel, and the gold, dark red and turquoise colours used. The buttons basically inspired the whole outfit, as I wanted to wear gold (the skirt) and turquoise (the necklace). The necklace is one of my favourites but doesn't get much wear as it is an awkward colour... sort of somewhere between turquoise and duck egg blue. The stones of the necklace actually do look like little eggs, I believe it is Czech. The bangle is also worth a mention, as it has such an unusual effect. The close up shot towards the end of the post will show you what I mean, but its like a load of gold studs encased in a smooth covering of resin. From afar its as if you can touch the studs, like a 3d effect, but the bangle is totally smooth.

When I stepped out of my door today I found a parcel waiting for me. Don't you hate it when the postman doesn't knock? So, a late addition to my outfit were these socks, which came in the parcel (along with an array of other colored socks). They were called 'aqua' and I expected a much more vivid colour, but I'm quite pleased actually because the pale blue seems to match my necklace pretty well. They're actually knee length and quite sheer, so I've doubled them up several times to get a more intense colour. Something about the socks and shoes is reminding me of Grease? Am I mad? Maybe I'm getting confused with something else....

Coat (Mango), fur stole (M&S), leather gloves (M&S), top (Zara), vintage buttons, vintage skirt, vintage bag, shoes (Dune), socks (lovecolour-lovetights.com)

Matching turquoise eyeliner and eyeshadow...and a darker lipstick than normal.