i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

i have taken one of my all time favourite foods (that i rarely eat because anything naughty makes me fat just looking at it!) as inspiration for my the new season. i was beyond excited waaaaay back in september when i perused the new season collections, because lo and behold, pastels are one of the biggest trends for s/s 12. the reason for my sheer excitement was because i usually HATE this season aesthetically. for too many years the same boring trends have been on and off the catwalks and filtered down onto the high street. now i'm no sheep, but since the fashion month inspires our great british high street (where i shop due to a lack of an a-lister bank balance) it is pretty hard to not wear what the retailers sell. so, when i saw all the fondant fancies, pale ice cream pastels, macaroon shades and flippy flouncy fripperies that my favourite designers offered i was overjoyed. of course i'm gonna take a leaf out of mrs prada's book and add some tough girl leather, as well as lashings of print clashing a la mary katrantzou and peter pilotto to give my new season look a bit of edge, but pastels are the name of the game in terms of colour palette... so make mine a scoop of pistachio, lemon and blueberry to go!

diary of a lady...

One of my new years resolutions, and for me the most important, is to be more ladylike. For me this is a really big thing... Now I'm no Waynetta Slob or Vicky Pollard but I wouldn't qualify to be in the Debretts guide either. First off is grooming... I'm never seen without a full face of (Chanel) make up and shower daily but I could be better at doing a few things. So my biggest thing is to start getting my eyebrows done regularly (every 3 weeks as opposed to every 6!) I get them threaded, and my chosen brow bar is Blink. Now living in Manchester I could easily get them done for less than a fiver somewhere local to me but the girls at Blink get it PERFECT! I do recommend. Secondly I will be getting regular gels on my nails...my hands are a personal bone of contention due to developing dermatitis a couple of years ago and a lifetime of picking around my nails... So pretty hands are a personal goal! I have also surprised myself and been commuting to regular haircuts and spending a small fortune on swanky hair products.

Now the second part of my "transformation" is my style. I have slowly developed from very eclectic and so mismatched I could give Anna dello Russo a run for her money to a mixture of minimalism with a dash of eclecticism. However since I'm not a huge fan of my Caribbean curves, I have admittedly over the years favoured deconstructed oversized silhouettes, with an androgynous twist. Thus resulting in my brother asking recently "do you shop anywhere other than old men's shops?" so I have decided to polish up my look. Therefore a shopping extravaganza ensued. I indulged in pencil skirts, short flippy a-line dresses and lots of things accentuating my waist. I did throw in some new brogues, leather and 60s style shift dresses for old times' sake. It is safe to say I also embraced the peplum with vigour? I was extremely proud of myself, and the boy looked thrilled!

A little lady inspired shoot will be coming VERY soon...

trophy jacket...

meet natalie bloomfield, 23, nurse. owner of the most wonderful name and the most fabulous trophy jacket. i am jonesing for all things aztec and her mix of dip dyed locks and battered boots and denim cut offs make the jacket all the more desirable. i love!

a vintage treasure...

meet gemma, 20, a fashion student. i stumbled upon her whilst shopping and she caught my eye with her eclectic mix of high street and vintage. my, oh my, the hat! i just loved the whole lot...

blouse, cow london. cardigan, private vintage seller. boots, river island.

London town here I come...

macaroons at laduree

an image from christian louboutin shot by phillipe gracia

her majesty the queen, lucian freud

the dream by damien hirst

I am planning an imminent trip to London in the next couple of months...I do have a secret agenda though. As well as catching up with my nearest and dearest that all danced off to the capital in pursuit of fabulous careers and exciting opportunities, there is a long list of things I'd like to go and see.

First and foremost I will be off to attend a number of exhibitions. Top of my list are not one, but two retrospectives. Now dear readers this is quite unheard of for me, as I am usually drawn more towards photography or fashion exhibits (more of that later!)
First off I am really excited to see the Lucien Freud retrospective. It is being held at my favourite gallery... The National Portrait Gallery. I love the high lofty ceilings, spacious corridors and general airiness of the gallery. I love the dark, greeting tones of his portraits. The way that he captures their still pensive faces, and that he wasn't afraid to capture flaws and insecurities.

My next choice is Damien Hirst. Now I am admittedly don't have a very broad knowledge of artists and painters, but I do have a secret soft spot for the YBAs. Mainly because I grew up with their careers developing and their work, along with some choice designers and photographers helped develop my appreciation and passion for all things creative. So I am going to be brave, poorly off to the Tate Modern and broaden my modern art mind. Also I have alwaaaaays wanted a peek of that diamond skull.

Now the third stop on my gallery tour is (drum roll please) Christian Louboutin at the Design Museum. The exhibition is a celebration of his 20 year tenure at the top of the shoe game. The exhibition is accompanied by a sumptuous book of his work photographed by Phillipe Gracia and published by Rizzoli. Now you see I am a huge fan of the man with the red soles, therefore this is a very personal choice for me. I have dreamt of sliding my tootsies into a pair of his vertiginous works of art for many years, and this exhibition will be fuel for my fashion fire. Plus I am looking forward to my first peek around the Design Museum as I have never been before, so that in itself will be an experience.

Lastly I will be cruising round the capital with a wish list of things to do... i thought i would let you in on them...

1. Maccaroons at Laduree.
2. Cruise by Marc by Marc Jacobs on Mount Street (the Jacobs line of cheap treats is amazing...)
3. Liberty. Enough said!
4. Lucy in Disguise...I'm still yet to visit.
5. Covent Garden and Brick Lane for vintage fun.
6. Selfridges... just because.
7. Browns, Browns Focus and the shoe shop too!
8. Start boutique.
9. the hummingbird bakery and ella's bakehouse...for cake related fun.
10. Cruise tacky gift shops for silly trinkets... it's tradition!

can anything ever be perfect...

i am mixed race and for many years have battled with finding a foundation for my oily skin. now don't get me wrong i love that my natural oils mean i age slower and am lucky to look younger than i am. however finding make up that doesn't slide off or require powder and blotting paper is nigh on impossible. even the so called matt formulas can't control my half Jamaican heritage. last year I read about a new foundation Chanel had developed to replace mat and pro lumiére... so all excited I rushed off to get my little hands on it...only to be told "sorry it's not released until January." i was devastated. you see i can't use powder as it worsens my dry areas and blotting papers don't last forever, so I've always had to reapply once i start to look more oil slick, less dewy and youthful. so to my excitement Perfect Lumière recently hit the counters and i got myself a bottle. it works a treat! well for me anyway...there are no shiny moments and it gives me the right amount of coverage to hide eye bags and imperfections. Perfect ain't the word...

dear diary...

this week i have been mostly...

Eating healthily.
Drinking tea.
Perusing everything fashion. Magazines, blogs, shows, anything and everything...
Illustrating.
Lusting after Charlotte Olympia.
Wishing I was Iris Apfel.
Getting excited about fashion month.
Re-igniting my love for Eve Arnold.
Buying flowers