Kisses and Cross Stitches

18 Jan 2011

Paris Je T'Aime

pretty pictures, style and substance

Classic Parisian style.
Must haves:

1. Black beret
2. Beige trench coat

3. Sheer polka-dot tights

4. Pretty sheer blouse

5. Classic Chanel style bag

6. Breton striped tee

7. Camel coat
8. Sleek bob

9. Monochrome

10. .... Did I mention stripes?

Images: james kelly, la min ya net,nicole simone,stockholm street style, urban outfitters, columbine smille, andrea pola, via blondorexic

17 Jan 2011

Further fuelling my silk shirt obsession, I have spent my evening creating potential outfits on Polyvore based around my current favourite item of clothing. Now I want to spend all of my wages on high-waisted pouffy skirts, black lacey bras, oversized mens jumpers and jackets, long jersey column skirts and an array of chunky gold rings and thick cosy scarves.

13 Jan 2011

Ten Things I Like - january edition

pretty pictures, streetstyle, style and substance, style icon

1. Lillian Wilkie's 'Platform' series: Makes me incredidbly envious; I would love to pack a suitcase, grab a few cameras and some companions and travel around Europe by train, exploring new cities. I would love to travel across France and Germany, nip over to the Eastern European countries that I have never before visited, and travel south, taking in Croatia, Italy and Spain. In this ongoing series of photographs, Lillian manages to find beauty and intrigue in the humble train platform.

2. Celine PreFall 2011. Once again, Phoebe Philo has presented an outstanding collection of beautiful pieces which will be craved by women world wide. A palette of camel, burgundy, navy and black pleases, with stand out pieces including camoflague/patchwork prints, sweeping long dresses and a bevy of desirable coats.

3. Urban Outfitters look books. A lot of fun must be had when creating the Urban Outfitters lookbooks. The models get to prance around fabulous locations, dressed in the best of the new seasons clothes, pretending to be animals, enjoying a huge feast, blowing kisses to each other as they frolic. Sometimes shot digital, sometimes film, the photographs never look too polished and too styled, instead they could be the private snaps of an ultra cool group of friends holidaying together.

4. Edie Campbell. I adore Edie's sixties vibe. Reminiscent of Penelope Tree, with her huge eyes, long long hair and gazelle-like limbs, she snuck up out of nowhere the back end of 2010 to be included in Vogue UK's Best Dressed list of the year. Favouring standout printed vintage dresses, oversized mens jackets and schoolgirl pleated skirts, I am going to be keeping my eye on Edie for inspiration for how to dress in 2011.

5. Silk shirts (Topshop). Ahh the silk shirt, you have served me well the past few months, and you show no sign of going anywhere any time soon! Without a doubt, my absolute favourite trend of last year, I love how versatile the silk shirt can be. Casual for a wintery stroll with skinny jeans and a thick scarf borrowed from my boyfriend; smart for work with a high-waisted a-line skirt and heels; and worn on a night out with a mini skirt or shorts. Silk shirt development for the coming months involves teaming with a jersey maxi skirt and heels for a laid-back seventies vibe. Colour wise, opt for shades of orange or crisp white. I will be buying more in bulk, and this rust coloured Topshop beauty is number 1 on my list.

6. Andrea Pola's photography. These images have been all over the blogosphere the past week or so and it's no wonder why. Andrea's photographs are stunning, her models immaculately styled and her backgrounds/props are spot on. Some images appear as personal snapshots that you wish were your own, whilst others are fully fledged fashion shoots in luscious surroundings.

7. Columbine Smille's style in this photograph. Indigo skinny jeans, check. Tartan scarf draped casually around the neck, check. Amazing camel coat that I can't believe was from H&M and that I missed out on, check. Everything about this outfit is how I want to dress: understated, elegant and chic, with a left-bank French twist.

8. The Black Swan art work. Everything about this film is perfection, including the retro looking black, white and red alternate posters. I love the angular symmetry in the designs and would love to have a framed print of the above image to place on my wall.

9. Walking around with my camera, taking photographs (image via pepper and chips). I wish that I had more time to visit more places, to walk around on my own, or ideally with a few companions who I could photograph. Just to wear something loose and comfortable, hang my camera strap around my neck and not to worry about the amount left on my film, just to snap away at everything that catches my eye.

10. The impossibly fantastic photography of Alison Scarpulla. There is nothing more beautiful to be seen on the internet than the haunting perfection of Alison Scarpulla's work.