What I Wore | Countryside Florals February 27, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in What I Wore.Tags: daily outfits, designers, Fashion, florals, outfit shot, What I wore
4 comments
Ben and I were meant to be going camping today, but then we realised that Alton Towers doesn’t actually open until the 20th of March – which not only threw a spanner in our plans, but in the plans for my Birthday next weekend! A rethink may be needed! Instead, we decided to drive the short distance to Warwick and explore Warwick Castle. The place is gorgeous, and once we had seen everything (including the dark and lowceilinged scary dungeons) we wandered into Warwick proper to explore the antique shops and grab a sport of reasonably affordable lunch.
As such the dress code was to wear something I could walk in – and I decided it was a great opportunity to gt out the lovely floral dress I scored in a charity shop last weekend. I paired it with the YSL jacket I am starting to love, and my lowish brown boots. It felt like the sort of lovely countryside outfit that I remember seeing on countryside royalty or heirs to vast fortunes, so I may have spent a while playing “Lady Lauren” in my head!
What I Wore Outfit Shot
Dress: Jigsaw (thrifted)
Jacket: YSL (eBay, bargain!)
Boots: Topshop
Belt: Who knows!
Why I Love Twitter February 26, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Social Media.Tags: Facebook, Social Media, status, twitter
2 comments
Following on from the seriousness of yesterdays post, I thought I would write today about something totally different and a little more lighthearted. Before I do, however, I wanted to a say a real and sincere thank you to all the wonderful people who offered their support and good wishes. I treasure you all.
Now onto the real subject of this post!
People don’t get Twitter. Well, a lot of people don’t anyway. They see it as a peculiar site full of short status updates, a bit like Facebook but without any good bits. They question me on a daily basis as to why I bother with it, and as to why I love it. I thought that maybe for anyone Googling this it wold be a good idea to try and put down in words what it is about this wonderful world that keeps me so enthralled.
When I first heard about Twitter, I wasn’t convinced. I didn’t really understand it, and I couldn’t see why I would put any effort into it. But then, gradually, people I knew and who’s blogs I followed started top use it more and more – so I thought I ould give it a go. I signed up, followed a few people, and sat back to wait for the revelations to roll in.
Needless to say it didn’t happen. I watched a few dull tweets scroll into my feed, and I considered backing out of the idea altogether. It was at this point that it all began to slot into place. The people I followed were posting links to their articles. They were asking questions, to which I was starting to want to respond. I found myself entertained and informed by the tweets. Sure there were some tweets about lunch and other status-y bits and pieces – but this was the stuffing that kept the content sharing and information personal. It reminded me that these were real people out there.
Sharing news and content was an area that I don’t think anyone had really seen Twitter heading towards. But once it started to happen, and its growth became more exponential and exciting, news began to travel fast. Something would happen on one side of the world, and I would instantly know about it on the other side of the ocean. Communities traversed continents, like they do in blogging but so much more immediate. Twitter became invaluable, informative and incredibly useful.
On top of this, I noticed a political side to the wonderful lefties who I followed on this social networking site. The circle of people had grown very naturally through recommendations and blogging communities, and consequently their were a lot of similarly politically minded, passionate and caring people all occupying the same online space. What with the power of news sharing and the general left-wing leanings of the Twitter dynamic I exist in, we soon started to actually be able to make a difference in the real offline world. I wrote a post here about how change and protest had once again become the territory of people who had left their activist days or inclinations long behind, or whom had never discovered them before. For me this was a digital revolution. It was amazing and inspiring.
Nowadays Twitter is a bit of everything. It is a group of friends who I may never meet, who support me and joke with me and who choose to share their news and opinions with me. They are my political equals, a common ground that can create a motivate change – and raise awareness of the little person who wouldn’t otherwise be heard.
I love it - and I think people should give it a chance and stick with the idea.
So nearly the end February 25, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Family, Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: break ups, Love, relationships
12 comments
Last night my relationship of three years nearly ended. We didn’t argue, we didn’t shout – but the bottom fell out on me and everything I know.
I had been out with the girls, and then I came back and wrote a blog post. We went to bed, but clearly something wasn’t right – and when Ben asked what was wrong I found myself admitting that I wasn’t sure if our relationship worked.
I don’t think me saying it was a huge surprise. Despite loving each other deeply and truly, we had been drifting apart for months, and nowadays it sometimes seems like we are two disconnected people who happen to live in the same house. We are best friends, but that isn’t just what being in a relationship is about. I tended to be quiet and deeply buried in the media each night as an escape, whilst Ben talked to anyone and everyone he could online just to keep himself occupied. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t healthy, and it was bad enough for both of us to wonder if it was a sensible idea to keep battling on – or whether it would be fairer to split and go our separate but affectionate ways for a while.
Having sobbed most of the night, this morning I went back to the flat (I spent the night elsewhere, I didn’t think it was fair on either of us to stay around). We talked, we hugged, we both cried. We love each other so much that the idea of not being together was horrifying, terrifying, impossible to understand. Our lives are so intertwined that I wouldn’t know where to begin to untangle us.
So, because we love each other, we have agreed a few things to try and make it work. Because we owe it to ourselves, if nothing else, to not just give up on this. We owe it to ourselves to give it one last ditch attempt, to really put the effort it – to try and make this work. If it doesn’t work, then so be it – but we will know in our hearts that we did our best and it just wasn’t meant to be. And I honestly believe that whichever way it ends up in the long run, we will remain true friends.
So, here is what we are going to try and do.
- Computers are banned on the sofas. We aren’t banned from using them, but we have to be at the table, so it is clear we are writing or browsing – and so if we want to sit on the sofas we have to interact and talk and share.
- We have rearranged the room. Gone is the old cramped layout, and now everything is cleaner, friendly, more attuned to both our needs.
- I am to listen more – and at the same time be aware that Ben and I don’t have to do everything together. I can give him a break by going shopping with the girls – it doesn’t mean anything bad.
- Once a week we will try and have a “date night”. Not an expensive one, but just a night where we do something purely in each others company. Cook a posh meal, or see a film at the cinema. Go for a walk or attend a comedy night. We mustn’t take each other for granted any more.
- We are hopefully going to go away. Free from technology, we will spend a night or two just with each other, rediscovering what it is about each other that made us fall in love to start with.
Hopefully we can make it. Because my heart almost broke last night, and I can’t face that again any time soon.
What I Wore | Kneehigh Socks & Jumper Dress February 22, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, What I Wore.Tags: basse mode, emilio pucci, Fashion, low fashion, magazine, outfit shot, white i wore today
4 comments
Usually when I wake up and get dressed I am not really conscious of how I will look. There is a little planning in my head, but if I am totally honest I am not usually actually awake until I get to work, and getting dressed whilst my brain is asleep means that all too often I am a little uninspired with the resulting outfits. There are exceptions, but all too often my sleepy brain leaves me fuzzy minded and a little boring in my clothing choices.
Today, however, I felt really inspired! I actually spent most of the day feeling cool – the varying shades of grey and my wonderful boots contributed to that feeling! Those boots, by the way, turned out to be Emilio Pucci - which means they were a bargain for £70!
What I Wore
Dress: NewLook (Sale)
Waistcoat: Oasis (charity shop)
Knee highs: Primark
Boots: Emilio Pucci
In other news, the blog for Basse Mode is nearly ready to go live. Myself, Emma and Fi have been working hard to get all th text ready, and today a designer I know agreed to do the header and Twitter background for us, in exchange for a few blogs. That seemed a fair deal to me!
The blog will set out all the things that we are hoping to achieve with Basse Mode, as well as various ways for people to get in contact. It will be the main calling point for the magazine, and hopefully the place that you guys kindly refer to when you spread the word!
Links á la Mode | Style Vs. Fashion February 22, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Links á la Mode.Tags: blog love, Blogs, Fashion, Links á la Mode, style
1 comment so far
Edited by Retro Chick
With the Fashion Week season in full swing and Fashion Pulse Daily live blogging from the IFB conference it can be easy to forget that there are other things going on in the world, where real women are shopping and dressing for real occasions.
There were actually surprisingly few Fashion Week oriented posts submitted this week. Possibly the Fashion Week attendees are still too busy to partake in Links á la Mode, but what I did find was a lot of posts focused on fashion, style and image in the real world. A Typical Atypical calls for a low fashion revolution and Idiosyncratic Style urges you to bring out your cocktail frocks for every day. Meanwhile, in the body image arena Intrinsically Florrie learns to love her specs, Sugar & Spice discusses tanning and Mariels Castle weighs in (see what I did there?) on the body size debate.
It would be impossible to leave this weeks links without mentioning the untimely and incredibly sad death of Alexander McQueen. There were posts submitted on this issue but I made the decision not to include them, not because they were bad, but because I felt that if I included one persons post I would need to include them all. There has been so much personal reflection on the life and designs of this amazing man in the fashion blogging world that to choose a small selection seemed impossible. If you would like to read these posts then, as ever, the full list of submissions is available in the forums.
Links à la Mode: February 18th
- A Typical Atypical – What girls really want to read about, and why fashion bloggers are changing the face of fashion
- Bonne Vie – Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Inspiration: What you borrow from another culture when it comes to wardrobe should be thoughtful
- Confessions of a Fashion Editor – Dear New Look; it’s over!
- Eternal Masquerade – Covering the Parallels Between Our Current Winter Wonderland and Under the Sea Fashions
- Fashion Pulse Daily – Fashion Pulse Daily blogs live from the Future of Fashion Blogging panel during IFB’s Evolving influence conference this week!
- Hot Beauty Health – Ready for Spring? Here are 9 Big Beauty Trends for Spring 2010!
- Idiosyncratic Style – Fashion Dare – Let your party frocks come out and play!
- Intrinsically Florrie – Making a spectacle of oneself: learning to love glasses and finding the right pair
- Mariels Castle – It’s not about been skinny or fat its about being healthy!
- Retro Chick – Love, Lust & Burlesque with the Bridewell Collective
- SFindiefashion.com – Spring comes early to Golden Gate Park. Showcase of spring 2010 looks from San Francisco designers.
- Stacie Blair – Show your Olympic spirit with fashionable gear from Aritzia!
- Style Eyes – The dilemma of a fashion blogger and why I’m taking Dame Vivienne Westwoods advice to stop shopping
- Style Symmetry – Fashion Blogger Interview Kingdom of Style’s Queen Michelle
- Sugar and spice and all things nice – Discussing the dangers of tanning and why the only safe tan is one from a bottle!!
- The Clothing Menu – interview with independent jewelry and clothing designer, Norwegian Wood
- The Fashion Planner – The Fashion Planner is hosting an eUndies.com Giveaway!
- The Very Subjective – very subjective (and therefore – very true) observations about style do’s and do not’s.
- Thread Style – Heel-wearing fashionistas also can be feminists.
- twentyteneightyfour – My thoughts on style vs fashion and how our appetite for fashion blogs is part of our quest for style
- ventures of jenn – The Great Vintage Debate: the ‘price’ of vintage both within and outside of the western world and what it really means.
PLEASE READ IF YOU’D LIKE TO PARTICIPATE:If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine
Saturday Shopping February 21, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: friends, pubs, Shopping
4 comments
Yesterday was lovely. Really lovely.
Having slept in until about half 11, I slowly got up, and then left with Cie to head into town. We were meeting the girls, Roisin, Carys and Kate, for a trip around the shops. The plan was to peruse some charity shops and find some lovely shoes for a do Cie has next week – and boy did we succeed with our intentions! Cie got a pair of expensive but beautiful Dune heels which were exactly the right level of “fierce” that we had been looking for, whilst most of us also found something in the charity shops. I bought a gorgeous straw hat for a mighty £2 (which I proceeded to wear all day), as well as a long flowery dress and an oversized jumper from NewLook with my left over Christmas money. I plan to wear this with a chunky belt and Friday’s boots!
Then we headed to The White Horse for a drink before heading home. This pub is an eclectic combination of furniture styles and light fittings, and as long as they don’t turn up the volume on the music too much then it is one of my favourite places to hang out in. Which, it turned out, is exactly what we did – we chatted and were joined by everyone’s respective other halves – all of which resulted in us heading home burger in hand at past 10pm! Quite unexpectedly late!
It is so nice to have a bunch of people in Leamington with whom I can head to the pub and relax and gossip with, along with having incredibly intelligent conversation (yeah, I know, hard to believe I could have any sort of intelligent conversation!). I really appreciate all of my gals! (and all the guys too, of course)
The White Horse, Leamington Spa
At the Last Minute… February 19, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Life, Chatter & Politics, Social Media, What I Wore, Wordy Business.Tags: blogging, daily outfits, events, Fashion, last minute, outfits, Shoes, What I wore
4 comments
Ahha! An opportunity for a pun! It mustn’t be missed – quick, grab it, don’t let it go. Yep, that’s right, squeeze the life out of it. Kill the pun by talking about it too much. Well done Lauren, well done.
In case you didn’t know and thus don’t get the pun, I spent thursday up in Manchester for a LastMinute.com meeting. I am now one of their new bloggers, starting to write this month, and I am very excited about it! The day was spent networking and attending sessions, and it actually turns out that despite the propensity for puns I am quite god at networking. As I was all alone and knew noone, I decided just to talk to whoever I came across, because otherwise I would be lonely! It worked, and I have hopefully made some really useful blogging and restaurant contacts. We also heard about their latest innovations, marketing, and brilliant social media strategy – they really have it sussed!
The evening was spent at the restaurant week launch party, where we watched 50s style singers and a cooking demonstration (not at the same time!). This meant we got to eat sublime Scallops, Venison and Lemon dessert. Followed, of course, by the actual dinner, a free bar and some more networking – plus very nice people! And a night of free 5* accommodation!
Anyway, I had to wear something smart yet quirky (because well, that is me after all!), and this is what I chose! I did wear a bra with the halterneck which backfired when it got warm in the evening – I had to do an emergency bathroom bra removal before I could take my jacket off! Most unladylike!
Jacket: Warehouse
Dress: eBay
Tights: Primark
Heels: New Look
The kitchen is much better for light isn’t it! I shall stick with this in future I think.
Whilst shopping in Manchester today, on Ben’s credit card as I am out of cash, I ended up buying two pairs of shoes. The first was a pair of Bronx in Barratts that were £20, and they are incredibly comfy – if a little summery!
The second pair wasn’t such a good bargain. In fact, considering how tight I am, they were pretty damn expensive. And ridiculous. But I tried them on as a joke, and then all the women in the aisle at TK Maxx (shoppers, I might add, not salespeople, I am not that much of a pushover!) convinced me to buy then as they look – kind of wicked. They are very Nubby Twiglet esque, and I love them! So, please don’t mock me and my £70 boots, I promise they look amazing!
What I Wore | Irregular Choice Boots February 17, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Foodiness, What I Wore.Tags: Fashion, Food, irregular choice boots, maple syrup, outfits, pancaske day, What I wore
7 comments
A bit of a pixellated image today, sorry, I don’t know what happened! Never mind, it gets the point across, and you can see my gorgeous soft green and gold suede boots. I wore them with my bargain YSL blazer, which is a little oversized but such good quality. I only paid about 99p for it, however, so that means I can justify only wearing it occasionally as a boyfriend blazer!
What I wore
Also, is this much maple syrup technically too much? Ben maintains it is! Personally I could wax lyrical about the sensory pleasures of drowning myself is the delicious smoky substance, as tasting it instantly makes me feel like I am standing in the centre of a beautiful forest, with slight smell of bonfires on the air. Of course being this closely dependant upon maple syrup measn I have to limit myself to having it once or twice a year, as otherwise I will overdose and surely die!
Maple syrup drenched pancake
Basse Mode – A Magazine About Low Fashion February 17, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Inspiration, Wordy Business.Tags: Fashion, magazines, publishing, Writing
3 comments
You may well have read my post last week talking about a magazine about Low Fashion. Essentially, a magazine about real women in real every day life, our normal thoughts, outfits and ideas.
Well, having inspired myself with this blog post, I ended up chatting to Emma and Fi on Twitter, and from their we have come up with a concept for a magazine that hopefully will one day exist. We need support, however, and this is where you gals and guys come into the equation.
The concept = Basse Mode!
Basee Mode means “Low Fashion”. We do have a blog on which we will soon be encouraging everyone to share their thoughts and get involved – and to share the idea with people. In order to get support and funding, we will need anyone who thinks it is a good idea to spread the word!
For now, however, whilst we tweak the blog and the concept, we would really appreciate it if you could fill out this questionnaire so we have some stats to back up our arguments and ideas!
Click here to help us out!
German Men With Gold… February 16, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: germany, gold, stories
1 comment so far
Hmm, I think that might classify as the weirdest title I have ever written on my blog! But I just had to share this little story with you!
(Image from here)
Yesterday my boss left the office to nip to Sainsburys at lunch. He was gone quite an extraordinary amount of time, and I was actually starting to wonder if he had disappeared on the way home, or whether he was lying in a ditch somewhere. Now I know the real story behind his absence it would have been possible for that to be the end result, if you are like I and a little paranoid!
On his way back to the office he noticed a merc pulled over in the lay by outside work. Being a kind soul he decided to pull over and make sure that the drivers hadn’t broken down. The drivers were German, and what ensued what a broken fractured conversation where Tony tried to find out what went wrong, all whilst only speaking a little German. It did emerge later that he was asking them to “Speak smaller” rather than “Speak slower” which probably explained some of the confusion!
It turned out, eventually, that they had very little petrol and their cards weren’t working, meaning that they couldn’t afford to get down to Dover to get home. It all smelt slightly of a scam, but as you can probably tell Tony is a nice guy, and would have felt really guilty if he didn’t help. As he puts it, he was paying for a clean conscience! They needed £50, but he gave them the £20 he had in his wallet and which he figured he could live without.
The men were desperate to give something in exchange for the cash, and were soon taking off all their jewellery (this story now has a whiff of the mob about it), all of which was gold and heavy and dramatic. They were thrusting it at him, and despite protesting heavily he at last had to give in and take two rings, which he agreed to hold as collateral until their boss rang in the coming few days to pay back the £20.
Despite initial hesitations when he arrived back at the office, it soon became apparent that the two gold signet rings were in fact real gold, 14k, and quite weighty with it.
Isn’t that just the strangest situation ever?!!
