If I only had a brain

I warn you in advance, this is kind of just a random post of random thoughts because I can't really be bothered using my brain properly today.

I've just finished reading The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, which I bought on a whim in HMV last week. I've not seen the film (which was directed by Sofia Coppola and stars Kirsten Dunst) but after reading the novel, I'd quite like to see it. Anyway, I thoroughly recommend the book, it's lovely and tragic.

"The Lisbon girls were thirteen (Cecilia), and fourteen (Lux), and fifteen (Bonnie), and sixteen (Mary), and seventeen (Therese). They were short, round-buttocked in denim, with rounded cheeks that recalled some dorsal softness. Whenever we got a glimpse, their faces looked indecently revealed, as though we were used to seeing women in veils."

I scanned the image from the cover of my copy (you know how I love to scan!). I really like the shoes in that photo!

I'm currently on a mission to read all the books. While I was at uni, I read a lot of books, but they were mostly books I had to read because of my course, so now I'm trying to make up for that by reading everything I can get my hands on. Got any recommendations? Please share!

I realised last week that the beautiful floral pieces from the Dior Couture show reminded me of the Flower Fairies poetry books I used to read when I was about twelve. Yes, I know, it all sounds very twee, but when I was younger I loved looking through the pages upon pages of pretty pictures and reading the silly, whimsical little poems that went along with them. You may recognise the images or at least the style of drawing, as I think a lot of them are now used on the front of greetings cards and notebooks etc. Anyway, FYI, each photo corresponds to a poem about a particular type of flower fairy and the author, Cicely Mary Barker penned and illustrated hundreds of them.

The Narcissus Fairy

The Scilla Fairy (Have you ever heard of the 'Scilla' flower? No me neither...)

(Images scanned from "A Flower Fairies Treasury" by Cicely Mary Barker)

Cute, aren't they? I know, they're hardly Dior Couture, but I do like that blue hood/cloak thing in the last picture. Galliano, take note!

You may have noticed that I've added a 'legal stuff' page to the blog. This is mainly due to the fact that I recently joined the IFB and have spent a lot of today and yesterday reading articles about blog copyright and other important, serious things that you might not think about as a blogger, but really should. Anyway, I doubt that I'll ever need to enforce my 'copyright regulations' because I'm such a tiny wee blog really, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Potential copycats, bugger off! How do other people feel about blog copyright etc? I'd be interested to hear other bloggers' thoughts on the matter because I think it's quite an important issue.

Bloomin' lovely

I'd been so caught up in all the fabulous Resort shows that had been happening recently, that I hadn't even noticed that the Fall Couture shows had started. Silly Franki. Fortunately, my beautious friend Lauren brought this fact to my attention - thanks Lauren. (Lauren also has a blog, which can be read here, but she hasn't posted anything in a LONG time. Everyone, I think you should join me in saying "Lauren, please blog again. You are funny and the world needs funny. Do it for the good of the world!")

Of course, as soon as I heard about the Dior show, I knew I had to post about it because, as previous posts on here may suggest, I FRIKKIN LOVE DIOR!

I think part of the reason why I love Dior so much, is that the shows never fail to surprise me. When everyone else is doing dark, muted colours and subtle tailoring, John Galliano wraps the models heads up in cellophane, goes completely mental with a pair of pinking shears and then, just to make things REALLY CRAZY, comes out at the end of the show in what I can only imagine is a couture version of an Edwardian beekeeping suit. It's just so exciting!

Inspired, quite obviously, by flowers, this show was literally an explosion of colours and textures. Rather than focusing solely on floral prints, which we've been seeing everywhere since...well...since forever, Galliano actually created pieces that looked like they were made from flowers - the colours, the shapes, the textures, every garment had some kind of clear reference to a particular type of flower. I especially love the strapless white dress (third photo down) that has a splash of deep blue, which kind of fades out at the edges; it really reminds me of how lilies have the same kind of thing - really deep pink in the centre of the flower that fades out onto the petals. They also pointed out on Style.com how the cellophane headpieces and raffia belts seem to be inspired by the wrappings you get on bouquets. It was like the Chelsea Flower Show does Couture! I always say this when I post on Dior, but just go to Style.com and have a look at the full collection; I've posted a selection but you really need to seem them all!

As usual, they've also done crazy amazing hair and makeup - does anyone else find the hairstyles remind them a bit of something from Dr Seuss?!

A dress of petals!

Venus-fly-trap-tulle-dress-creation-madness

All images from Style.com

Oh beauty!

Also, can I just say thank you to everyone who commented on my last post - I'm glad I got such a positive response, was a bit worried I'd get a load of Twilight fans cursing me and burning curly haired effegies of me as a sacrifice to Edward Cullen... and quite frankly, I just don't need that...

Ooh la la

The Resort 2011 collections are upon us and I've not been particularly fussed on many of them so far. Last year, I did several posts on Resort 2010 because there just seemed to be such an amazing array of colours and prints and shapes and I had so much to say, but it feels a bit like this year, a lot of designers have done a complete one-eighty and are now in a very minimalist place. While minimalism can be great, (less is more and all that) sometimes, I just want to replace 'minimal' with 'boring'.

Fortunately, one of the labels that never fails to impress, is Dior. Oh how I love Dior. I think, out of all the fashion houses out there, Dior is probably the one I look at most and think "yeah, I LOVE this collection". John Galliano is my hero.

This collection had a 60s 'mod' theme with beehived hair, big sunglasses and lots of bright block colours with white details. There was also a French influence, with chic tailored trenches, Breton stripes and sexy little neckerchiefs and chokers. With regards to styling, there was something for everyone, with both masculine and feminine looks making their way down the catwalk; dotted amongst the super-pretty dresses was a selection of boyish blazers and trousers, topped off with fedoras (or trilbies? I never know the difference) and baker boy caps. Of course, for me, it's all about the dresses; Galliano seems to be really celebrating the female form, with lots of nipped in waists and short, figure-hugging skirts. 'Sheer' was also a theme here, with organza and chiffon playing a big part (I'm not entirely sure what would be the best kind of underwear to wear with some of this stuff). I'm also loving all the cute, girly details - Peter Pan collars, embellished roses, pleats and frills. And of course there's loads of lovely couture gowns for us all drool over - long, feminine and floaty, in ice cream colours such as mint, peach and pink. It's just a gorgeous collection - I've only posted a few pictures, but I urge, if you haven't done already, to go here and have a look for yourself!

All images from style.com

Whiter shade of pale

Bonjour mes petites chatons!

To those of you who don't randomly break into French every now and then just to make yourselves sound a bit more exciting (not that I'd ever do that...), that means "hello my little kittens!"

Lesson over.

Anyway, feeling a bit French tonight as I've just been looking back over the photos from the Dior Couture show. I meant to post this over a week ago but then I got distracted by the colourful hair over at Chanel. Je suis desolee...

Now, don't get me wrong, the clothes over at Dior were stunning, in fact, I pretty much would have eaten some of them because they were just so ridiculously beautiful (and it's not often I consider eating clothing, contrary to popular belief), I mean look at this, THIS was the final piece;

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!!! "You are so beautiful to meeeeeeee"

However, as with the Chanel show, I actually got a bit more excited about the hair and makeup than the clothes, which seems insane considering, well just look at THAT dress!!! But you have to understand, the models just looked so PRETTY and I'm a big fan of pretty. I hold my hands up, I'm not really as edgy as I like to think I am; when it all comes down to it, I do like things to look girlie and pretty and well, sometimes, SOMETIMES (Jesus H Christ it is ALL coming out tonight) I like pastels ok?!

So I think you need to just take a look for yourselves;

Magdalena, this is getting silly. Stop being so damn beautiful!!!

Look at the hair! Will you just LOOK at the hair! Are you looking? I mean REALLY looking? With your eyes?

You see? Pretty right? I literally want to touch their faces. Just touch them a little bit. Gently, so as not to smudge the makeup. Oh and the hair! Even though those coiffs have probably been backcombed and sprayed like crazy, they just look all soft and whispy and well, yeah, I want to touch them too. Basically if we've learnt anything here it's that I want to touch the models at Dior. Now I never really had high hopes of ever actually being invited to a Dior show, but I think I've pretty much ruined my chances now haven't I? Nobody wants to be strutting down a runway, all fabulous and Dior-ified only to be accosted by a curly scouser who proceeds to stroke their face do they? Well they don't do they?

But all I can say to that is that the folks over at Dior shouldn't make their models look so touchable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to touch them. In fact, I'm certain of it.

Actually, the person who was responsible for all this touchability (well the makeup part anyway, I've no idea who did the hair - they should really put show credits somewhere) was makeup artist extraordinaire, Pat McGrath. Now I've only just learned about the existence of this woman, but she is seriously AM-UH-ZING. It appears that she does a hell of a lot of the big fashion shows, and she actually created this look for Dior Fall RTW 2008 which I've been a tad obsessed with ever since I first saw it two years ago;

I like to call this look 60s-drag-queen-o-rama

So yeah, Pat McGrath = very good. Pat, you've got The Little Curly Girl's seal of approval. You'll go far my friend.

While the general styling of the Dior show was leaning more towards Edwardian, those white powdered faces and big bouffant-y hair dos, combined with all the pretty pastels, reminded me of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette;

I'll be honest, Kirsten, I don't really understand why you're famous because to me you are just very boring, but I did like this film. And I liked Bring It On. And Interview with the Vampire. And Little Women. Ok, so I like a lot of your films, but I do not particularly rate you Kirsten, I'm sorry, but I just don't. And Mona Lisa Smile.

Funnily enough, last Halloween I went to a fancy dress party as Marie Antoinette and I won best costume! It was pretty much the highlight of my year. Fairly easy costume actually - old dress from a ball I went to at uni, bouffanty hair with lots of talc in it, white face powder, a few little accessories etc SORTED.

Looking back, I think I could have afforded to have gone even bigger with the hair. I'll bear that in mind for the next time I dress up as a dead french queen.

Here I am with my award - I was so happy!

Weirdly, I actually really enjoyed having a super white face. Considering I'm usually the queen of bronzer (not literally, that title clearly would go to Donatella Versace), it was quite refreshing to look in the mirror and see a ghostly-white reflection staring back. Maybe it's because white powder actually makes your skin look really good - it kind of covers everything up and gives you a really smooth, even base. Plus, I loved having a beauty spot. Anyway, if that kind of makeup suddenly became a big trend (fingers crossed that it does!!!) I would be very much in support of it!

In the words of Art Attack's Neil Buchanan - "try it yourself" - white powder. It's the past future.

(all images from style.com, except the ones of me, obviously)