7 Wonders - August

1. Have you ever wondered how to make ice-cream? Or invented your own weird and wonderful flavours? A Beautiful Mess this week posted their own rhubarb and blueberry recipes.

2. This out-take from the Charlotte Free for Complot campaign is DIVINE. I need to buy dozens of flowers and re-create this shot.

3. Mariell takes fabulous photographs of her every day life. This shot combines several fantastic elements - Kew Gardens (I need to visit Kew Gardens next time I am in London), the gorgeous lighting that Mariell is good at capturing and the amazing outfit her friend is wearing. That primary coloured printed skirt is PERFECTION.

4. Why aren't there any amazing tiled walls in Manchester? I keep coming across beautiful tiled walls like in this Kinga Burza photograph. They make for incredible back-drops for portraits.

 5. Natalie's outfits keep on getting better and better. Her effortless fusion of bohemian/rock chic/off-duty-model style is currently providing me with endless inspiration. The girl takes awesome photos too!

6. Shini's Fabergé egg nails are RIDICULOUSLY good. She provided a 'how to' guide on her blog. The perfect way to tap into next season's Oriental trend.

7. I've been following the progression of the Rookie roadtrip on various Instagram feeds. These first few photos taken by Petra Collins for Urban Outfitters are stunning! 

Get £15 off when you spend over £100 on the Urban Outfitters website before August 12th by clicking the link below and using code UK15

7 Wonders - Anabela Carneiro from Fieldguided

It's been a while, but here is the latest installment of '7 Wonders'. Please welcome to my blog Anabela Carneiro, who writes one of my favourite blogs, Fieldguided.Here are Anabela's current inspirations :-

1. This photoshoot by Anja Verdugo for Audrey Grace Boutique, Like Candy. Anja never ceases to amaze me.

2. Photography by Ina Jang. Minimal and gorgeous.

 

 3.My friend Leilanni Todd’s clothing line is so pretty! I particularly love her eyelet shorts.

 4. Temporary cat tattoos by Harriet Gray. I wouldn’t mind having some of these tattooed on me permanently!

 5. My friend Saelan made this mix for summer and it is such a good roadtrip soundtrack! I particularly like tracks 11 and 12.

 6. This blog post on A Continuous Lean, which really speaks to my love of clean, traditional menswear.

 7. This post on Freunde von Freunden. Lisbon is one of my favourite cities, and I love how light and bright these pictures are. Plus I love the designer’s work! Any man who carries a tote bag is all right in my books.  

  

7 Wonders - Hannah Rose from Capture the Castle

The first guest blogger that I welcome to my blog to share her '7 Wonders' is the delightful Hannah Rose who writes one of my all-time favourite blogs, Capture the Castle. Please read on for Hannah's current inspirations.

1. Natalie Nikitovic's photos of Dress Up 

Dress Up is a cute Australian label by Stephanie Downey. Her aeshetic is slightly retro 1970s - think loads of corduroy, high-waisted culottes and wide-legged pants - and totally relaxed and laid back. Stephanie paired up with her mate, photographer Natalie Nikitovic to take photos of some of Stephanie's friends (and the best advertisements for Dress Up) out and about in her local Melbourne. I think my favourite set is this one of Leah, with her beautiful, thick long hair all cosy in Dress Up's cherry red sweater.

2. TOME A/W 12 look book 

The partnership of two Aussies living in New York - stylist Ryan Lobo and former Derek Lam design director Ramon Martin - TOME is one of those fantastic, je ne sais quoi labels that gets it right every time and makes you wonder how you ever lived without it in your wardrobe. For their sophomore season they produced an elegant riff on Japanese Karate-uniforms and late 1980s oversized silhouettes. The bi-colour trench is top of my shopping list for next season.

3. So how was your day 

I can't get enough of this new site, which chronicles a day in the life of hip, happening creative types. Everyone loves a good sticky beak into other people's lives, and the people at So how was your day always seem to ask the right questions (like what you had for breakfast, and whether you are a Gale or Peeta fan). 

4. Flower bombing by hope this lasts 


I've been a fan of the girl from Flower Drum ever since I saw them in the Sydney magazine a year or so ago. They are basically two flower-obsessed friends who spend ages at the flower markets buying lots of beautiful blooms and arranging them in their signature flower bomb (round balls just bursting with flowers that you can hang from the roof or from a light fixture or whatever you want). One of my favourite bloggers, Aubrey from Hope This Lasts, went to a flower bombing lesson with the girls from the Flower Drum and this was the result. Stunning! And makes me believe that I could do it myself at home.

5. Shopghost 

I - along with most other 20-something girls interested in fashion - am obsessed with Stevie Dance. I loved the days when she was the renegade fashion editor at RUSSH, attending fashion week with unbrushed hair and a face untouched by the makeup brush, in Balenciaga leather shorts and a ratty old tee. Now she's a freelance stylist that heads up an online zine Shopghost, celebrating everything that is good about the world of online shopping. She's touched something of the zeitgeist here, creating a space where people can have a chat about clothes and things they've seen online and want to buy - just like girls do with bricks-and-mortar shops - but in the virtual space. My favourite sections are  Guest Ghost, where Dance's well-dressed friends spill the secrets behind the wardrobe (and how much they spend on clothes!!), and the Ghost Loves section, which dissects a current trend with quirky facts and ephemera. 

6. Mychameleon's editorial pictures 

Speaking of online shopping... I like a site that takes interesting editorial pictures of their clothes (babeing models earn extra points). The Mychameleon always take gorgeous pictures of broody and moody girls pouting and shrugging their way across a variety of outfits from brands including Thomsen, Stine Goya and Gary Bigeni. I love their selection of brands, the perfect cross-section of local labels and international favourites (I've been introduced to many brands this way!) and their pictures make everything look so damn good.                 

7. Rachel Kara's pictures of Bread and Circus 

Rachel Kara is a fantastic photographer and a great friend, and she took some truly beautiful pictures of my favourite cafe/restaurant in Sydney at the moment - Bread and Circus. This place is seriously, seriously, seriously good, all organic food, quirky flavours, more-ish flavours and generous helpings of everything. I love the sandwich boxes, salad plates for lunch and the foxy porrdige and not-so-scrambled eggs in the morning and, of course, the life-altering choc chip cookie. Always. Rachel captures the feeling of plenty that you get from being at Bread and Circus perfectly.

7 Wonders

In an attempt to bring some order to my somewhat sporadic posting, I am slowly going to introduce a few regular features to my blog. The first of these is '7 Wonders', where I am going to ask some fellow internet darlings to tell me 7 things which are currently inspiring them on the world wide web. To begin, here are my 7 Wonders -

1. Annie Monroe's hair. 

It is relatively hard to find pictures of The Like's keyboard player but when you do, you are rewarded with images of what I think of as Perfect Hair. My current coiffure crush, I already have the blunt fringe and am currently growing my bob a little longer for that desired length.

Photograph. Jeana Sohn.

2. Flower Crowns.
Mariam Sitchinava asked 13 young Georgian women to create their own floral garlands for her 'Crowns' project.The resulting images are beautifully arresting, with the vivid crowns instantly capturing your attention, whilst complimenting the rural landscapes. I'm itching to weave garlands together myself.
Photograph. Mariam Sitchinava.

3. A tour of Kate Foley's apartment.
Refinery 29 take us on a whistle-stop tour of the Opening Ceremony buyer's home and closet, throwing in a   cute-as-a-button kitten for further approval. Kate Foley's style is widely documented by street style photographers, with her wedges and white socks being instantly recognisable style staples. Her apartment is equally as stylish, with navy blue walls, a stunning mezzanine and heaps of personality.
Photograph. Mark Lantosca for Refinery 29.

4. Leila Peterson.
In a slightly unusual twist, I discovered Leila Peterson's work through her excellent Instagram feed. This subsequently led on to spending hours devouring her website and blog and completely falling in love with her perceptions of life by the sea in California. Who would have thought that photographs taken whilst walking the dog by the beach could be this awe-inspiring?
Photograph. Leila Peterson.

5. Marais SS12 lookbook.
The latest lookbook by Marais is very simplistic, fresh and clean. The clothes themselves are topping my summer wish list - especially the pastel-hued sandals below (which would perfectly compliment my favourite grey jersey midi-dress and lilac nails).
Photograph. Marais.

6. Tina Sosna.
Another current photographer crush is Tina Sosna. Tina documents her native Germany in a way that reminds you that all of your childhood fairy tales originated there. I have recently become even more enamoured with film photography than I already was before - beautiful images such as those of Tina's remind me why film is so special.
Photograph. Tina Sosna.

7. The Topshop Tumblr.
Out of all of the online retailers, Topshop have, in my opinion, utilised tumblr in the best possible way. They have dedicated their tumblr 100% to streetstyle, with a comprehensive mix of outfits from the streets of London, fashion week and head office style. I often scour the website for inspiration of little details to incorporate into my wardrobe- be that painting each nail a different pastel shade or layering a woolly jumper over a delicate dress.
Photograph. Topshop Tumblr.