*DIED* world lookbook - Sunglasses

Concealing the eyes of the curious or you're shielding the suns rays or - you just wanna accessorize like a Poco loco en el coco! There's no shortage of styles of sunglasses to conquer this summer with, but low and behold I come across these 5 by 5 spectacles of art from Dutch label DIED* lookbook. My buzz was short-lived as these sunglasses are not part of the collection.

It's pretty impossible to find these sunnies bland, even if they would maximise poor vision and heighten kookyness.

{ Price – Low to High } Style Nanda + Wasteland + Storets

On-line store gazing, sorting out results by Price – Low to High, essentially supposed to save hours of time , though in essence becomes rather addictive gobbling up my few free hours, I'm convinced there's a web time vortex, web-browser mouse track-pad at the ready and you're ... locked in - the web vortex travelling a millisecond quicker!

The store Style Nanda has always been one of my faves, has plenty of Rad items and styling, even when at times I am not buying anything, I love to stop by and grab a dose of the stylish girls of StyleNanda.

The hologram sunglasses at Wasteland, look like they would be badassical to don, when in a cheeky mood. Storets are always good value for me having a mosey through their sale items. There's the occasional item inspired by high fashion designs, with the likes of Burberry Prorsum inspired outwear to Jimmy Choo inspired sneakers.

Music Monday : Olympic Games 2012

I think I'm in danger of succumbing to an Olympic overload, that was pretty much all I watched this weekend. I was speed gazing through 25 TV Olympic channels provided by the BBC, it is overwhelming to say the least, the unease started to creep in whether I overlooked an event or missed team GB and other favourite nations. I think this overwhelmed me more-so than the actual opening ceremony, even with the likes of Mr Bean, James Bond, Mary Poppins and 'you know who' making an appearance.

My Olympic OCD has since subsided just a tad! work eating showering netflix and walks to the park have taken care of it. Sharing a mix of uplifting tracks along with a genre of hiphop, indie and classic soundtracks.  

TRACKLIST

01 First Steps - Elbow 

02 Heart of Courage - Two Steps From Hell

03 Hall of Fame - The Script ft will.i.am 

04 The Champ is Here - Jadakiss 

05 Moving Mountains - Two Steps From Hell

06 It's My Life - Bon Jovi 

07 The Fighter ft Ryan Tedder - Gym Class Heroes 

08 Time - Hans Zimmer

09 Hoppipolla - Sigur Rós

10 Pursuit of Glory - Jhameel Blue Satellite Mix 

11 Huddle Formation - The Go Team

12 Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve

13 The Winner is - Devotchka

14 Winner - Justin Timberlake ft TI 

15 We are the people - Empire of the Sun

Listen 

Last week I was admittedly surprised to see this little blog featured on a list by IFB, titled Olympic Fever: 18 UK Blogs With Serious Style I very much appreciated the mention. Thank You ! this hyena was then able to hold up her tail and forward over the back, signalling animation!   

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend whether action packed or kicking back ?!

Beat the London Olympic brand police

As the final week countdown to the London 2012 Olympics is ticking down, the Olympic brand police will hit the streets out in full force! patrolling the areas outside and around the Olympic venue clamping down on any unauthorised use of words and images associated with the games.

Those fortunate to have London 2012 tickets have an exhaustive list of prohibited items to take into the stadium – enforcing sponsors' multimillion pound marketing deals. Pepsi t-shirts and wearing Nike footwear could get you banned, in order to protect official sponsors Coca-Cola and Adidas.

“The limitations on non-sponsors certainly are not helpful to local businesses hoping to capitalize on the Games,” says Jim Andrews, a senior vice president at IEG. But rules have been implemented “in the name of protecting the official sponsors,” he adds. “However, when they are perceived to be heavy-handed, they often backfire.” Other rules are created in the spirit of keeping the Games’ appearance non-commercial, “even though everyone knows that it is not the reality. It does set the Games apart from almost all other sports events, though, and does add to the Olympic mystique.”

BANNED FROM THE GAMES 

Oversized hats 

Balls, rackets, frisbees
Large flags and banners
Clothing with political statements or commercial signage
Noisemakers
Large golf-style umbrellas
Long-lens cameras and tripods
Excessive amounts of food
Liquids greater than 100ml

It's great to see some have taken a more creative and radical approach with bypassing the rules while some have created new rebellious campaigns mocking the brand police!

1. Banksy unveils new pieces commenting on the Olympics 

2. Witty souvenir tote bags designed by Hackney based illustrator Toby Leigh at ThatBigEventInLondon.co.uk

3.  House Cafe and Gallery, in Camberwell. 

4.  Illegal Olympic billboard spotted in Victoria Park London. 

For those tourists worried about travel and getting around London fromatob.com is a nifty search engine providing the fastest and cheapest connection for your journey. 

The Olympics, and indeed no sports events in modern times are just about sports, but seem to be sadly about corporate greed at its' finest . The sportsmen and women are becoming secondary at best. I wont let this dampen my enthusiasm for the games and the Olympic spirit, hopefully the same applies to you readers too!

Summer Party Events

Don't you admire the quirky clever party event ideas regarding everything from a venue, food, props, themes etc. I have seen identical weddings month after month which mostly cost above £40,000! The happy couple seem content enough, maybe I would have been the same, since it is a tradition of our culture to throw BIG weddings. 

A typical wedding can easily include 400-500 guests. If I'm honest I prefer more intimate personal occasions, that don't have to cost a fortune! There are a bunch of super concepts for party and event planning thanks to creative social curation sites, they have triggered my imagination, to seize the summer and take advantage of some well deserved respite. 

Here I was this summer concocting a small garden party, throw in a few DIY decorative props and some hearty rustic food, drink and music. We're currently in the middle of July and so far the weather has been a total washout! It has been the wettest June and July in 100 years, you'd think us brits would be used to it by now, but even by our standards it's been grim! Scratch cocktail umbrellas out and in comes umbrella for the downpour.

It was fun while it lasted brainstorming ideas for the outdoors,  I came across erento a convenient way to be able to rent everything you need, from party event hire to projectors and designer handbags for a wedding or party event.   

The London Olympics will begin next Friday, hopefully that will, more than make up for the grim climate, athletes have begun arriving in their thousands, my nearest airport has been busy. Curiously enough I have not seen any TV footage on the London Olympics building up to the opening ceremony, though maybe I spend far too much time moseying on-line.

Will you be viewing the London Olympic games?  

What are your plans for the summer of 2012? 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 /7 / 8 

Tasty Things No.3

one might call this a whole schmear of gewgaw that i encountered whilst riffling through haphazard hours. 

Row 1 :

 envelope handbag with a buckle closure bracelet by werelse x mango at werelse

cat teepee at loyal luxe

Row 2 :

 rottweiler print pvc zip pouch wallet by givenchy over at luisaviaroma

fallen trees turned into public bookcases in berlin via bookcrossing

Row 3 :

oversized notknot pillows by umemi at reykjavik corner store

yummy food packaging gnomo baguette designed by losiento studio

Row 4 :

musical wine glasses are the toast of the town buy at luna & curious

salt made from tears centuries-old craft with the freshest human tears at hoxton street monster supplies

Choco Moo Exhibition

Stylish Japanese Artist ‘Choco Moo’ is eminent for her convival,  signature monochrome art.

I'm taking in the fun popular culture references used in many of Choco Moo illustrations. Yuka has collaborated in the past with HELLZ JOYRICH, H&M and many magazines. Hell Ya!! for the cute adorable gizmo. 

‘heARTbeat is ART’ runs until 1st of August in The Underground Shop at Candy Nippon.

GROUND ZERO | FALL WINTER 2012-2013

GROUND-ZERO was established in 2003 by the young and talented brothers acting like a duo : Eri and Philip Chu. Each collection is like a new experiment to which no rules apply. Like a physicist GROUND-ZERO believes that each and every garment represents a mix of elements. The unique graphic print has become a signature. Merging creativity with craftsmanship, each of the two brothers is combining his fortes to give a strong direction to GROUND-ZERO. “Zero could be everything” – GROUND-ZERO will not limit itself to being just a fashion brand. It can be diverged into anything, from graphic arts, music, video, art installation and more. The possibilities of GROUND-ZERO are endless.

Up until now I've been oblivious of the Chu brothers, Eri and Philip. This FW 12/13 collection looks rad and fresh with creative graphics prints and studs to exhibit expression and statements. These brothers don't seem afraid to challenge the norms, just how I like it! I dig the whimsical illustrations on the images they blend celestially together providing the attitude and concept behind these garments. 

Link Love : Would You Rather ?

Which would you rather ?  My answers are a borrower .. an alligator tail .. and the last one is hard to choose!? 

Would you rather is a pretty simple game, where I think we've all played it one time or another during our fruitful teen years! Most likely we played it for our own amusement or just out of sheer boredom especially if it was during a double maths lesson.

From a curious perspective I wonder if we can deduce a persons personality or rationale through their answers, even if they're make believe scenarios !? The witty part can come afterwards when discussing the trivial answers and why we came to that conclusion, or is that a tad too geeky of me ? 

So anyhow it made me smile when I came across the http://woodyrather.tumblr.com whom creates fun colourful illustrations characterising the would you rather scenarios. Go check it out! How would you answer the above ? ? 

Enjoy your weekend folkss!

Iris van Herpen & United Nude : Thorn Shoe

Thorn - tastic! Iris van Herpen x United Nude unveil their 6th shoe collaboration for the “Hybrid-Holism” haute couture collection. The inside silhouette of the spike needles form a flower-like shape.

“Thorn” will be produced in very limited numbers in various colors, such as glossy nude, glossy black and matt black. Thrilled to see their collaboration is always pushing the boundaries, thus giving us tasty unconventional statement shoes.

 Thorn shoe was created using "liquid slow molded uppers and sharp-spiked stones with a 7+inch heel and hidden platform. The spikes, made of hand cut stones such as Labradorite, Tiger’s Eye, Leopard Jasper and Moss Agate, pierce through the upper between the platform and heel, creating a semi-precious arch of thorns that form the focal point of this ferocious bootie."

Photo's Courtesy of GoRunway & Fashionising

2NE1 Dara dons Undercut Hair style

I've done a sundry of things with my hair good & bad but an undercut has never been one of them, I've always wanted to do it! so I encouraged my sister to do it instead since I felt it would suit her better, she has softer features than I have! The outcome.. was RAD! I love her hair.  Hmm maybe I'll share a pic of her haircut on here.  

On topic, the transformational lady above Dara of 2NE1 happens to have a new hair cut too for their new upcoming album, the teaser photo of Dara's undercut looks super edgy and gorgeous, along with the tasty matching gold accessories which look versace like. I'm looking forward to zeroing in on 2NE1's new album performance and style. 

2NE1  I LOVE YOU MV (DARA)

Pamper or Prey ? Studded Glitter Sneaker

I'm super thrilled to find the nearest thing to the Miu Miu glitter studded sneaker. This was just what I was howling out for and I've found my prey! So glitter-heads is it pamper or prey ? 

Amara Baobab scented candle : Review

Good candles... really, really GOOD candles... are just the cat's pyjamas. They need to be functional, soothing and it helps if they look aesthetically appealing. I use to think most candles are of all relatively the same quality, until I was prone to headaches from the overpowering synthetic scented candles, I wasn't aware that the wrong candle could be toxic, if they weren't 100% pure. 

    

I have been given the opportunity to put the Baobab Madagascar Vanilla, one of Amara's most luxury candle brand to the test!

How is the packaging & aesthetics of the candle? 

For a luxury brand I expected good packaging and appearance, once I opened my package, I was able to see a beautiful black textured elegant sturdy box shown above in the photo. Making for an ideal wedding or birthday gift. The monochrome label around the box clues you as to what's inside.

The candle itself was larger than expected, it came in a hand-blown glass vase providing a telling high finish, with a monochrome printed ribbon and tag.

What did my candle smell like?

The scent description for Boaobab Madagascar Vanilla is as follows:

Its pure white wax and beautifully sweet scent. Inspired by Madagascar, or the 'big island' in the Indian Ocean, which is the largest producer of vanilla beans in the world. Madagascar bourbon vanilla is considered the highest quality, it has a creamy sweet smooth and mellow flavour which gives a tropical aroma, with the exotic scent of Frangipani tree held down by the base notes of Sandalwood. 

Immediately without the candle lit I was happy with the scent, it's pretty much everything you could want out of a great vanilla bean. It was creamy smooth authentic and comforting. The strength scent was just right, not too overpowering but pretty good for the size of the container. Best of all I had no headache !

How did my candle burn?

First of all I was happy to see 4 wicks on this candle for even burning. This was a relatively slow-burning candle, which I really appreciated. Longer for me to enjoy the scent! I didn't see any smokey black soot nor was there any around my candle rim when lit for less than 3 hour periods. A clean burning candle to say the least! Approx 60 hours of burn time.

Would I buy Baobab scented candle on a regular basis ? I would like to.. but it is a luxury range, though makes for a perfect gift for a friend or family or why not the occasional treat for yourself, I know I could get use to it! 

Graduate Fashion Week 2012

Uni classes came and went, with all the toils and spoils, congratulations! are now due to all the graduates and furthermore to the crème de la crème at 2012’s Graduate Fashion Gala Show. Have a little look... at the young, exciting and the creative.

XIAOPING HUANG

Particularly feeling the use of eye-wear complimenting the exuberant three-dimensional accordion pleats, they sort of remind me of a jack-in-the-box. Actually haven't seen a jack-in-the-box in yonks! okay back on topic. Xiaoping Huang was handed the Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textiles Award, for her creative planetary pleats. 

CLAIRE ACTON

My general favourite collection included this one, how clever are these hair fringes framing the printed pop art like giant faces. The rad hair theme works really well and LOVE the giant perspex hair clip necklace and the mini hair clips, certainly a statement accessory. I so want this! 

YVONNE KWOK

My eyes drew straight to this pastel palette collection and for the corseted ruffle silhouette crop jackets. The lightweight floaty structured pieces with opulent details, looks delightful feminine and quirky.

AMELIA SMITH

Russian dolls in all it's monochrome and gold glory, marched there way donning fur cossack hats with prints depicting the red square architecture, exuding a ceaseless charm, thus creating the ultra metallic matryoshka decadence. It comes by no thunderbolt that this collection was deservedly nominated for the Zandra Rhodes textile award.

CHARLI COHEN

These headpieces really stand out with the yellow accents of colour and bold CC logos, generating a Sport Lux sportswear line for women. Inspired by Olympics weight training, Charli Cohen harmonises her time between being a personal trainer as well as a sportswear designer, becoming the best motivator for a little workout or sports, in high-fashion functional exercise garments. 

And so, class of 2012 bravo! you have begun to blaze your own trails. The world is waiting for you! 

Snapshots No. 10 Grass is always greener

I like the feeling of bare feet on freshly mowed grass, provided that it's clean enough! Fresh lush cut grass smells nostalgic like a sunny weekend, it defines tennis at Wimbledon or the idyllic childhood. So I guess why not have that feeling anywhere and anytime!?

01 

Grassy by GLUSH clutch bags at 3939

02

Growing jewellery ring by Hafsteinn Juliusson 

03

Grass Skateboard  by Arthur King 

04

Grass blade bookmarks by Yuri Liku 

05

Where the green grass grows flip flops by Hyock Kwon 

{Runway} Prada AW 12

okay I had this post sitting in my draft folder for weeks ! I had forgot to post this. Perfect for the non-productive day I'm having and by mere coincidence Prada's brand new fall campaign is here showing the geometric printed suit's in all its glory. I'm particularly digging the dip dye hair against the flared crop pants and rubber footwear. 

Featuring model beauties Iselin Steiro, Elza Luijendijk, Vanessa Axente and Madison Headrick

Campaign was shot by photographer Steven Meisel

Music Monday: Euro 2012 Playlist

Euro 96 was my earliest football memory, World Cup 98 was my first momentous world cup and from then on truly, I was hooked. I super embraced it, the national teams..players..anthems, the joyous atmosphere the anticipation that only occurs during the tournament itself. I always create a music playlist for every tournament to gear me up for the games, this playlist for Euro 2012 is a mix of the nostalgic songs that remind me of all things football. 

Photo Courtesy of AFP 

If you are watching Euro 2012, who are you supporting ?

TRACKLIST

01 The Rockafeller Skank - Fat Boy Slim
02 Endless Summer - Oceana
03 Carnaval De Paris - Dario G
04 Rude Boy Rock - Lionrock
05 Samba De Janeiro - Bellini
06 Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
07 Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols
08 Un Dos Tres - DJ Kalu
09 Bodyrock - Moby
10 Fuego - Bomba Estereo
11 Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings
12 Kids - MGMT
13 Helele - Velile & Safri Duo
14 Football Gladiators - Rafa Marco & Wisplay
15 Pavane - Gabriel Fauré

Listen