I Wasn't Born To Follow

R.I.P Dennis Hopper. If you haven't seen Easy Rider yet I have two things to say to you. 1) Why? 2) Do it now.

Stuffs I like

Normally this might not be something I'm into,but today its about right. Blokes name is Matthew Robert Hughes, check em out.

Sweet 16?

Or 17. Around about that age anyway is how old these girls are meant to be. One thing that really bugs me is kids dressing like 30-year-old power women (hello Sea of Shoes). The shoe just really doesn't fit! And also the shoe of Harem Pants NEVER EVER fits, on ANYONE but a skinny-malinny 6ft tall model who could use the extra material to create illusions of other things in the thigh area.

But back to my point. Seeing as 16-year-olds are dressing like this these days, and I'm 22 and still being mistaken for a 16-year-old dressing like a 22-year-old, I guess the solution to my age problem is to start dressing like a 40-year-old lady who lunches??? No. I don't think so.

Is this just an accelerated version of the old playing dress-up in your mums heels and wearing the pinkest pink lipstick to your friends sleepover when you were seven? Now I'm not one of those cotton-wool parents, firstly because I don't have a child, and mostly because they really bug me. The parents who don't let their kids go to discos, or wash their laundry in Dettol, or who are totally outraged by Suri Cruise's excellent taste in shoes, handbags and nail polish shades. But am I naive and this is actually going to be Suri in 4 years time?

Look, everyone wants to grow up fast. Hell I (still) know the feeling of wanting to be looked at like you are 3 or 4 years older than you really are (or in my case getting the age bang on the nail is fine thanks). But dressing like you have ALREADY married the investment banker of your dreams and have found the world's most perfect nanny to raise your wonderfully worldly and cultured kids just looks a bit off in the teens. Or twenties even.

That crisp look which comes with having bought everything from net-a-porter only suits people who ACTUALLY have the above scenario. Why dive in all of that so fast when you can get away with a run in your stockings as a carefree nod to your carefree YOUNG life?

And besides, even if they were 30, THIS would still look better. Sigh, kids these days eh?

Hey darls,
well guys , life is a-changing and I have to change on with it. I have made this plan to travel but things are all up in the air and shit and now I'm back to square one.
Sometimes shit just doesn't go quite as planned, huh. Execute (read: formulate ) plan B.

Picture in honour of the upcoming Wanda Jackson show, she was a real fox back in the day. Big hair, big brows - everything Sarah loves in a woman.

The End of an Era

Sometimes stuff just doesn't work out. And maybe its for the best.

EMERGENCY BLOG II (not all in capitals)

Erm, hi y'all. So, I WANT THIS BAG SO MUCH! But is it worth $440 (or $398 online? p.s. how do i bring that up when I negotiate my lay-by? I hate confrontation) bones? I THINK YES!!! But I also almost bought those Opening Ceremony shoes way back when. P.s. will you hate me for putting my belongings in a deer? I'm pretty ok about fur to be honest. But this is a deer, Bambi if you will...ok let's try not to think about that shall we. And it's not black! Which from the vain-tastic photo I guess you all can see I need less of (in case you didn't believe me before). Do I hear lay-by calling my name? It whispers 'Sarah's credit card' in the wind. Oh god, what a fucking predicament! Moral of this story - NEVER try ANYTHING on Sarah, just leave it on the mannequin. Sigh, sigh, sigh. Someone push me over the edge please.

Music makes me lose control

or at least recently I have lost control of my music. I NEED HELP. Calling all ye cool readers, help me find something new to listen to so I don't go insane. I am up for any suggestions. Here is a run down of the kind of music I like:

1) I like 'good' country music.


2) I like swoon worthy country music along the lines of Hank Williams by swoon worthy tall, tall, tall young lads.


3) but I also LOVE (yes, capitals) 'bad' country music.


4) Neil Young. Fullstop.


5) Beyonce. Fullstop.


6) A list of assorted 'need to know and love' cool dudes


7) I even listen to gospel music


8) 50s and 60s rock n roll. Defo.



9) Fleetwood Mac. Fullstop.


10) You know, all the other shit that's out there Animal Collective, Elvis, Lady Gaga, Bill Callahan, Smog, Soujla Boy Tell 'Em, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Jenny Lewis, BRMC, The Kills, Taylor Swift, Leadbelly, Michael Jackson, Pulp, Primal Scream, The Black Keys, Keils, Pavement, The Cramps, Paul Simon, Justin Timberlake, The Smiths, 50 Cent, Cat Power, Sam Cooke, Merle Haggard, Tom Waits, blah, blah, blah, music wankery spew.



So roll, up roll up, suggest me something not on that list. I will give you a virtual hug if I like what I hear! As you can see I have crazy irrational taste that borderlines more on the side of 'bad' than 'good' so don't be afraid. The only thing that really makes my ears bleed is cutesy music. You know the kind that has too many xylophones and is always played in the golden light of sunset in a field of overgrown grass. GROSS. Oh and you know Pete Wentz's band and stuff like that (mamma didn't raise no fool). But yes, I just need help and assistance! My iPod is driving me bored.

p.s. re-posting this photo. God damn Elvis was a babe!


p.p.s. Jen Eatson I will NOT accept suggestions anywhere near you calling me an 'ultimate hipster' b.t.w. Get off that band wagon already. It's beginning to give me a rash.

Oh, cool!

Crystal knuckle duster. Hot damn! Hell yes! Oh my god yes!

Chanel Resort

So Chanel Resort 2011. Let's get the stuff I like out of the way first shall we? Yes, let's.

Pink, gingham, frilly (enough) bikini. I will begin my summer-bod regime now! Okay. Tomorrow. Okay, okay LATER! GIVE ME A BREAK!



Mono-chrome short. Cool.



Mono-chrome long. Cool. But not a 5ft 2" girl's best friend. Or any kind of friend for that matter, best, or normal.



The perfect white dress. Like a delicious wedding cake (only if you get the chocolate inside though, fruit cake is the pits). But if I got this (scoff) I think I would cut it short. Yes, that's right. I'd cut a Chanel gown all on my own using the kitchen scissors . I guess it's a good thing I gots no sugar daddy.



Sparkly disco pants. For all the sparkly discos I frequently attend.



Weird outfit. Awesome outfit. Crop top of my dreams.



Okay so weird stuff. To be honest, most of it was weird. Very weird. Very Eastern European on a cruise (which I guess is the target audience?) Weird patterns. Weird cuts. Weird styling. Like this chick. What is she up to? With the denim skirt? And the boots? THE BOOTS? AND THE SKIRT? WITH THE BOOTS? WHAT?



[enter witty yet predictable comment about the fabric and it's likeness to kitchen curtains, Pagani clothing and middle school fabric tech projects]



Been raiding the Little Miss section at Ralph Lauren have you Baptiste?



And let's finish off with a skinny-bitch. Ooh, child get yourself some chicken nuggets already!

Brigitte Bardot

OH. MY .GOD. Brigitte Bardot was a babe! Usually I think girls with darker hair are babes (yes, I discriminate. I like to think of it like 'supporting my own'...) And usually I'd lay around wishing I looked like Françoise Hardy. But today I'm gonna say it. I wish I looked like Brigitte Bardot. She just looks like candy, but then you know that if you messed with her she'd probably knife you when you'd least expect it, like in the line at the post office or something. Found the picture of her as a brunette.


Doesn't really work. Cute jump. Cute bathing suit. Not so cute hair. In this case, I'll make and exception and say, blonde is better.

Fringe

Let's have another trip down Sarah's fashion memory line. Fringe. It's having a little comeback is it not? I'm a bit undecided on this 'hippy-chic' comeback. On the one hand it's cool and makes you look like a carefree hippy. On the other hand it's lame and makes you look like you are trying to be a carefree hippy or a lame excuse of an Erin Wasson lookalike. When I was a kid my best friend and I had matching fringed tops. They were plain white and slightly too big for us, so started out as small dresses rather than t-shirts. They were fringed along the sleeves and hem. However we didn't look like try hard hippies because a) we were children and b) each tassel was finished off with two see-through different coloured neon beads. Yes, neon beads. We looked so awesome! We sounded even better, and I'm sure any adult who had to supervise us playing in these outfits would confirm. This was one of my earliest decision to make a fashion conscious choice about my clothes. I KNEW I was ahead of the pack in this get up (especially paired with lycra bike pants - yet another comeback, yes indeed) Sadly I don't have any precious photos of this pivotal outfit of my life - maybe my parents were too ashamed to immortalise it in a photo. But use you imagination, I know you have one.

Skin and Bones

Call me crazy but I find this



particularly unattractive. I know, I know, Skinny bitches look better in clothes etc etc, better for modelling and all that jazz. But wouldn't if you are going to see someone naked, wouldn't you rather see someone like this?



Just a thought.

The Anorak

Anoraks. What a naf concept, seriously who wears them? (Me). But despite their naf wrap they have become somewhat my life saver. Unless I'm at the beach, a water park, involved in a pre-planned summer water fight where I'm wearing appropriate clothes or in need of a shower I hate getting wet. I'm not the kind of person who can find the funny side of being hit in the face with a water bomb by a pesky child. I will only find anger. Annoying, out of control kids, you have been warned.

So having this grinch attitude towards water I have learned throughout my short life that an umbrella will most certainly NOT suffice.Sure umbrellas look quaint. You can buy them in pretty patterns. You can get a transparent one from $3(+GST) from Japan and pretend you are Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation. But if there is wind, if the rain is feeling a bit crazy that day and decides to go here, there and everywhere? Then the umbrella is a foe, not a friend. But you know what is a friend in those situations, yes the anorak!

I bought the above lovely little anorak from American Apparel at the beginning of the year in Melbourne when it was 42 degrees (I tell no lies) and knew it would come in handy one day. Today is the day. While I appreciate my American Apparel anorak from shielding me from the storm today, I must admit it does not have my complete heart. My heart really belongs to my primary school compulsory issue anorak.

Now this baby was ex-pen-sive! Let me tell you (or let my parents tell you). But oh boy was it worth every single cent. It wasn't just waterproof. It was WATERPROOF. Industrial is the word I'd use to describe it. You could sail the seven seas wrapped up in this baby (there was even a velcro fastening to cover two thirds of your face) and not even notice you were at sea. It also had snugs. Warm, warm, warm felt lining. So warm you'd think it was lined with some kind of animal pelt rather than felt. Oh god I miss it. And considering that I haven't grown a single inch since I was 12, I reckon I could still fit it! Mother kept my shameful uniform dresses but decided that the anorak was suited for a trade in at the uniform shop. Whhhhyyyy?

Smoke? Oh!

Does this bother anyone else? Or is it just me? Yes, this image from the d_luxe Celestial Geometries campaign has been around for a while etc, but it kind of bothers me that the little lassie is smoking. Hey now, I'm not a smoking Nazi. I am in fact part of that really lame 'it makes people (in well styled photos) look cooler' club (hello Kate Moss). But this really bugs me. I think maybe because it's not just a photo of Kate Moss, or an editorial in some magazine. It's an ad. It's weird. It's very 1950s in that sense I suppose. But still it weirds me out. Looking at it at first it didn't bother me so much - but then it started cropping up as little ads all over the internet and now - yes, you guessed it, weird. Anyone else? Or am I just the only square here? I also think it's interesting that as someone who doesn't really have any hang-ups about smoking in general I'd have this reaction. Subliminal messages at play? Methinks yes.

p.s. Cute braids.

Campaigns

I rather like the new Givenchy campaign - its simple without being trying too hard, and it isn't cheesy or show off ish.

Untitled.

Hello .
Something from my final year at uni that didn't go anywhere, but was fun to do. The babe is Rachel, and the wounds are fake. The boobs are real too.


Hello .

Unfortunately I lost all but two photos from this shoot, darn computer died. But anyway, this photo got me thinking about another photo that I saw recently, by a photographer named Sandy Kim. Now I'm not prude, a bit of nudity never hurt anyone, but ok ... I'm not going to post the photo because it goes against my blog ethics, but if you find her website and go to the XXX section I'm sure you will know which one it is. The photo, for some reason, really made me feel yuck. Maybe because I knew it wasn't fake blood, or a fake situation. That is some raw shit.
So this particular photo got me and some workmates a'talkin. If this particular photo by Kim was in a gallery, would I feel different?? I'm not sure, but either way, there is a line.. some things should be kept private.

Stuff I'm up to

Hello Blogosphere,
I haven't blogged properly is a long time, excuse me if this is terribly awkward.
Anyway, recently I have been workin on some stuff and shit, one of them being a Journal/ Concept book for New Zealand label sold in Ruby Boutiques, Madame Hawke. Two other photographers and I each came up with several photos based on a certain point of inspiration for the summer 2010/2011 range. I'm not sure when its available in-store but I will keep anyone who cares in the loop and let you know. Buy one!
This photo didn't make the cut, but I kinda like it.
Thanks to Sarah (y'all know her, right?) and the lovely Kat for modelling.

Ever feel like the odd one out?

Vegetable?

Who doesn't love instant noodles? I love them! And I'm proud to stand by them. I do eat actual human food, don't worry - but I also eat instant noodles. What a convenient snack! What an occasional shameful dinner! Especially if you eat them out of the styrofoam cup - no cleaning up! Awesome. But is it just me or has the vegetable flavour option disappeared from the shelves? Across the board, across the brands. Why? I miss it and want it back, it makes MSG feel healthy.

Wheels

So, wheels eh? I have four. They are on my little car named Billy (Chinese name, BEJ). Billy has been an old faithful friend to me for over 5 years now. He has taken me here, there, EVERYWHERE! To school when I really didn't want to go, to the Mc Donald's drive thru one very shameful evening back in the university haze - shameful as the Mc Donald's was literally 100m away from our house...let's not go there shall we, it was in Wellington in winter. Do you have any idea how cold it can get down there?! Do you have any idea how much tv shows mean to final year students and how short ad breaks are?! ANYWAY...

As much as I love Billy, I've been thinking about getting a wee two wheeled friend. A bicycle. I know they are very cool and stuff, and every man and their dog has one these days, but, so? It would still be cool to have one. I have a friend who uses his a lot (until recently when using sellotape to fix a busted tyre failed) and I feel left out and a kill joy on nice day when "Let's go cycle down by the docks" is suggested and all I can offer is a car. Besides I need a new form of exercise in disguise as climbing up the stairs to my 9th floor apartment is beginning to feel like actual exercise.

But getting a bike that isn't annoying and that is affordable is proving very difficult. Again Bif is more blessed in this area of life, like with fur purchases. I saw this bike two years ago in Tokyo at the Hello Kitty Bedazzle Station in Shibuya, and I still haven't seen anything quite as good. I am being serious. I think this is the only bike that will do for me. Sigh, bad news for me, good news for Billy.

Oh, Chloë Sevigny

If I was Chloë Sevigny I would be so happy. Not only would you be able to be Chloë Sevigny, but you'd also be able to be Nicki Grant (only one of the best fictional characters around) on a regular basis. If I had to dress up and play pretend I'd defo want to pretend a feisty Morman with a shopping addiction who has manipulation and sneakiness down to a tee. And I think it's pretty clear by now, that if I had to dress up and play reality I'd defo want to dress up in Chloë Sevigny friendly clothes. Sigh.