Stockholm Diaries

I just spent the past two days in Stockholm, one of my favourite cities in the world. I slept on a yacht and spent the time hanging out with my friend Lisa. We went to see the new ABBA museum, shopped the Acne Archive and partied it up Södermalm style with a warehouse rave featuring The Knife. So sunny and beautiful, I was so sad to leave. Still, I'm in Copenhagen now with my family, ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest I'll be seeing in Malmö tomorrow night. Go Bonnie Tyler!

#PinItForwardUK

Some of you may be aware of the new social media site already, but Pinterest is officially launching in the UK with its #PintItForwardUK campaign. I'm already a total addict. A site where you can collate your favourite images on as many digital pinboards as you like, and then share them with your friends and followers – what's not to love? What I like most of all is that each pinned image links back to the original site, so credit is always provided for each photograph, unlike some other photo-sharing sites I can think of...

I have quite a few boards already covering everything from my seasonal shopping list to the cutest bearded guys the internet can offer. But probably my most popular board is simply my Random Loves – runway photos, artwork, streetstyle. Anything I find visually stimulating really. If you haven't joined yet, I really do recommend signing up here!

The next UK blog introducing their Pinterest pages to the UK will be Individualism if you want to check it out!

Duck

Tassel

Today I went to help Mother take photos of a new flat she's bought in Glasgow and is about to rent out. I think secretly she was going to try to tempt me to move in, enticing me into staying in Scotland... It was really nice, with hardwood floors and a brand new kitchen, but I think I'll stick with the luxury of my childhood bedroom and a daily cleaning service until I move back to London or who-knows-where. Still, I have lots of travelling coming up – starting with a flight to Stockholm on Wednesday morning! And then a high-speed train journey to Copenhagen on Friday. Nearly have my Eurovision outfit planned now.

Speaking of outfits, took today's gloomy weather as the opportunity to layer up with this tasselled shirt I got at the Ann Demeulemeester stock sale, obviously pairing it with the bag from the same collection that I got last year. Scottish fringe chic.

Wearing jacket by Undercover for Uniqlo, shirt and bag by Ann Demeulemeester, trousers by Odyn Vovk, brogues by Dr Martens.

Duck

Antwerp Haul: Part I

This season there were a lot more designers opening up their back catalogues at the Antwerp stocksales, rebranded as the Contemporary Fashion Days. Obviously this meant a longer trip, but it also led to me being a little bit more careful in each location. Do I really need this? Would I only wear this to a fashion party? Charlie and I made a pact only to buy things we'll wear again and again, rather than save for special occasions. If there wasn't anything jumping out immediately, better to hold off until the next venue, since there were just so many to choose from. I couldn't rely on getting my fill just from Ann and Raf.

Saying that, Raf's archive sale this time was probably just as large last year. And this time he had moved it to a much fancier and relaxed location. Probably because I didn't make it there until the second half of its opening day (God help those who came later in the week), but I was sure I had seen a lot of the stock before. The archival dregs, like those latex ponchos or the sea of sleeveless t-shirts. Luckily, though, there were a lot more footwear options than before. Table after table of boots, trainers, brogues, sandals... Thank fuck I'm sample size when it comes to shoes; I tried on the lot. In the end I came away with this beautiful pair of black suede desert boots, which kind of remind of the current season Ann Demeulemeester shoes. A classic that I'll definitely get a lot of use out of. I also found this simple t-shirt for the bargain price of €40. And now I'm skinny enough to fit into it!

Updates from Ann's sale to follow...

Wearing t-shirt and shoes by Raf Simons, jeans by Sparks, bracelet by Ann Demeulemeester, document holder by Acne. 

Duck

Brunchin'

After our binge in Antwerp overloading on rich Belgian delicacies (and yet no waffles?!), Charlie and I decided to slide back into UK living last week with a lighter lunch at East London faux-secret hangout, Bistrothèque. Cue a pick-me-up Bloody Mary and a scrumptious celeriac and wild mushroom dauphinoise with beetroot chips and salad. Lolz at the waiter mistaking us for regulars when we've only been a couple of times before. Maybe he knows us on the internet? East London always makes me head to the black sector of my wardrobes, even though I know hardly anyone else dresses like this any more... Le sigh.

Speaking of dressing and Belgium, I realise I haven't posted any of my purchases from the Antwerp stock sales yet! Sorry. I've been really busy since the start of May taking super intensive German revision lessons with a wonderful tutor, Katja. I start working on a small programming project for my supervisor in June so I'm taking this month to get my German up to scratch again before I start applying for long-term jobs. Transcribing the news daily takes up quite a lot of time! Please expect my Antwerp antics update in the next few days though...

Wearing jacket by Undercover by Jun Takahashi, Aura top by Ann Demeulemeester, bracelet and bag by Damir Doma, jeans by Odyn Vovk, shoes by Marni, sunglasses by Hardy Amies.

Photos by Charlie May.

Duck

That's hot

Charlie took these photos of me down by the docks in Antwerp. In fact, this was the view we woke up to Thursday morning, staying overnight as we had in cute little converted shipping containers. They were like miniature Japanese pod hotels, except surrounded by the remnants of a circus and many horses beginning training first thing in the morning. It might not look it here, but that day the weather got increasingly hot. So sunny, in fact, that I got awful sunburns on my neck and arms. I still have the scab from what must have been a hideous second degree burn on my neck :-( Serves me right for gaying it up in this sleeveless Astrid Andersen I found in Opening Ceremony last week. Anyway, practical or not, this is what I wore to the second day of the stock sales.

Wearing t-shirt by Astrid Andersen, necklace by Maison Martin Margiela, jeans by Sparks, trainers by Kris Van Assche and clutch by & Other Stories. 

Duck

Back

Well, I'm back in the country! I'm probably about a stone heavier from all the delicious Belgian food I ate, and I'm definitely poorer than Cyprus now, what with all the new additions to my wardrobe. The others didn't pick up as many pieces as last time, but the menswear offering at the Antwerp stock sales was really strong – I may have overindulged. More of that to come later though! Here let's just bask in the wonder of my favourite new accessory, the amazing Jil Sander acetate market bag from last year. Anna tracked one down as my birthday present. Now even more people can stare at me in WholeFoods.

Wearing waffle knit by Unused, jeans by Sparks, bracelet and clutch by Damir Doma, bag by Jil Sander, trainers by Kris Van Assche.

Duck

Sharon Wauchob | AW 2013

Tomorrow I'm off on my travels again and so, in my mind at least, it makes perfect sense now to share what I think will be the final set of photos from my last trip abroad, this time from Sharon Wauchob's show in the basement of the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild. Sharon doesn't seem to be that well known, which I find strange given that a) she's been showing her own line in Paris for years b) she is the creative director at EDUN shown in New York and c) she's very talented. The fashion press seem to obsess about the new and the outrageous, and they don't give enough attention to designers like Sharon – quietly producing season after season of chic, gorgeous collections that actually sell. This season she went for a mainly all-black outlook (hey, I'm not complaining), but sexed things up somewhat with see-through broderie anglaise and lace juxtaposed against buttery leather tops and cosy fur jackets. I repeat: I really don't get why she isn't more popular...

As I said, tomorrow I'm off travelling for a week – I'm going to London first, then Antwerp for the stock sales, and back to London for a big family party at the weekend. I've decided to leave my laptop behind and take this as a little digital holiday from the stress of my DPhil and this here blog. But don't worry, I'll be back with tales to tell from Antwerp, no doubt!

Duck

Little Donkey

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to...  Well, I guess I could if I started to fixate on being 27, living at home again and having no clear plan in life.  But let's look on the bright side — I'm almost a doctor (just the viva to survive now, EEK), I'm organising intensive German lessons for the summer to help with graduate job applications, my DPhil supervisor's offered me a contract in Germany until the Autumn to tide me over and the sun's out!  I'm taking the next month or so off to recuperate from what's been just over 8 consecutive years in tertiary education.  I'm booked up for Antwerp (now staying one night at the boutique chic Hotel Les Nuits and another in the ultra cool converted shipping containers at Sleeping Around) and can't wait to get those morning beers started, along with spending some of my birthday money at the Ann D and Raf stock sales.  Straight after I've got a big family do in London, and then just a few short weeks until I jet off to Copenhagen for the Malmö Eurovision song contest and a quick trip to visit my best Swedish friend in Stockholm.  Life's not shaping up too badly right now... 

P.S. For those of you unaware, my little donkey t-shirt is part of a collaboration between Marni and the (incredibly hubba-hubba bearded) Dutch artist Rop Van Mierlo.  He creates his cutesy animal illustrations by painting directly onto paper that has been soaked in water previously, so although he has a design idea in mind, there's always a little of bit serendipity involved in the process.  

Wearing jacket by 3.1 Phillip Lim, t-shirt by Marni, bracelets by LN-CC, jeans by Odyn Vovk, Converse and sunglasses by Nonnative x Kaneko.  

Duck

Reworking

I hate the fashion industry.  The magazines, the websites, the glitterati — they make me feel like once something's last season I just can't wear it again.  And heaven forbid you keep wearing the same items on your blog (another blogger actually told me outright one time to stop posting looks with the same pieces and go shopping).  Unless you keep it so long it becomes vintage, that is.  Well screw you, thefashionindustry, season schmeason.  I saw Andrew Mukamal wearing this doggie jumper on Pose the other day over a crisp shirt and I just knew I had to fish it out again, since I'd never worn it this preppy before.  It's the closest I can get to Karen's I LOVES ME KITTY perfection without going one paw too far.  Just what I needed for a brisk walk to the supermarket in gale force winds. 

Wearing jumper by Balenciaga, shirt by Club Monaco, trousers by Sparks, shoes by Dr Martens, and bag by 202 Factory at Opening Ceremony.

Duck