I am sorry but… June 28, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Inspiration.Tags: bra, burlseque, Fashion
7 comments
I do have a more serious post to write at some point. However, I just couldn’t resist…
I saw this bra when browsing the House of Fraser sale today. It made me laugh. I know that actually when you think about it sex is quite a funny act, but I do not see how you could ever try to be sexy with very large hearts stuck to your nipples. It is impossible. Great for comedy, not so great in the bedroom, would be my conclusion. I simply had to share.
Or, maybe I am wrong. Maybe these are the sexiest thing since sliced bread (what, you mean you don’t find white bread sexy?!). Would you wear them?!
Judge Me Not June 24, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Rants.Tags: Fashion, judge, Rants, who I am
5 comments
*WARNING! This is, I am afraid, going to be a rant. A rant that has been building inside me for a good few weeks now, and which, like a pressure cooker over-heating, is about to explode and cover the ceiling with over-cooked rice. Yum*
I write about fashion. I like fashion. I have a habit of buying shoes, and wearing them. I voted Labour. I think I prefer cats over dogs, but this opinion changes day to day. I could read books on China and Japan until the cows came home. I enjoy dodgy sci-fi. My favourite films range from Die hard to Fightclub with American Beauty in-between. I don’t have a driving license, because I failed twice. I prefer the sun to the cold. I have an obsession with herbology and ancient humanity. My specialist subject in pub quizzes is Science & Nature. I am afraid of wasps and bees. I love social media and think it is amazing! My favourite car is probably a 2007 Ford Mustang GT. I am political and opinionated.
As you may be able to tell, I am a whole host of likes, dislikes and abilities. I am a complex person, as I think we all are, and I like to think I am relatively intelligent. This is why I get so incredibly fed up with people who insist on judging me based on one tiny aspect of my multi-faceted character. The people who look at the fact that I write about fashion, and immediately assume me to be a stupid, idiotic and shallow person. Never mind that the psychology of fashion is fascinating, or that I do actually do other stuff with my life. No, because I own lots of clothes and like to write about them I am neatly labelled and judged.
This, unsurprisingly, pisses me off. Excuse the French, but there is nothing worse than making a snap judgement. We all do it, I know that, but the key is being aware when our minds make those automatic snap judgements, and managing to rein them in before you assume and misjudge. To have people run with those opinions with no intention of revising them is infuriating and narrow-minded, and it makes me pretty fed up with society.
The thing is, you see, that I like fashion because it lets me express whatever side of myself I want to. There are areas of the industry that annoy me, of course, but I also feel that many of the fashion people I know are incredibly astute and intelligent women, with strong opinions and a wealth of knowledge. They, like me, are not vacuous wastes of space at all. I do buy a lot of clothes, that I cannot deny, but whilst people mock and judge for it they forget that actually I can afford to buy this, if I want to, because it is my own money. I save, I budget, and I spend some of my left-over disposable income on fashion – and largely in the format of cheap secondhand bargains. Most people spend money on something, my habit just happens to mean that I own a lot of different outfits.
NEVER EVER assume that I am a fool. Judge not, that you may not be judged.
Nicking a survey… June 22, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics.5 comments
There is nothing quite like not have anything to post about, and consequently nicking a questionnaire from someone else’s blog to fill the remarkable void in posting! This particular questionnaire comes from the lovely Katie Oh Katie – Thank you!
Five names you go by:
1. Lauren
2. Loz
3. Captain Cooke (at work!)
4. Laurie (by my dad)
5. The girl who writes about fashion (because, clearly, I have no other facets to my personality…)
Two of your favorite smells:
1. Melted Chocolate
2. Hugo Boss In Motion (my favourite smell, makes me go weak at the knees!)
Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Maxi dress (from aftershock)
2. Pink Topshop heels
3. Underwear…
Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Food. I desperately want food. My tummy is rumbling like a distant earthquake!
2. A kitten. Or a puppy. I’m not picky.
Three people you hope will fill this out:
1. Cie
2. Roisin
3. Kate
Two things you did last night:
1. Watched far too much StarTrek, but loved every minute of it!
2. Sewed a zip into a dress all by myself!
Two last things you cried over:
1. My relationship
2. Doctor Who!
Two things you ate today:
1. Tuna/Cucumber Sandwich
2. Chocolate bars – a Crunchie and a dark chocolate bounty, to be precise!
Two people you last talked to on the phone:
1. My mum
2. Someone at work
Five favorite bands/songs:
1. Regina Spektor – Samson
2. Bell X1 – Eve
3. The Killers – Mr Brightside
4. Johnny Cash – Hurt
5. Coldplay – Viva la Vida (I know, they are incessantly irritating, but this song is beautiful!)
I want to add others in there – Laura Marling, The Levellers, U2, Muse, Dresden Dolls, Panic!, Oasis, The Feeling, Seth Lakeman, Robbie Williams, Pendulum, RATM, Jimmy Eat World, Greenday… etc etc.
Two things that you are proud of:
1. My dedication and ambition
2. My intelligence (questionable, I know…)
Two things that you are not proud of:
1. My scatterbrained nature
2. How opinionated I am. What?! Me, opinionated?! Surely not!
Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. Fly to Ireland (to visit Google and MSN)
2. Watch the match (and fleece my boss for a pint whilst doing so!)
Two longest car rides:
1. It was a coach ride, but Birmingham to Inverness has to be up there!
2. A coach ride too – but we drove Tavistock to Paris when I was a wee nipper!
Two favorite beverages:
1. Sparkling Rose wine
2. Coca-Cola
Two of your favorite memories
1. Canoeing the Ardèche
2. Many many many uni memories
Three favorite concerts you have been to:
1. Greenday. Straight out the most astonishing concert I have ever ever seen!
2. Robbie Williams – 2006? At the Milton Keynes bowl.
3. The Levellers – my first ever gig, was amazing, Seth Lakeman was supporting and e-d up women were throwing their knickers at the stage. How could I not have loved it?!
Is anyone else going to join in?
Feeling Foxy? June 20, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics, Wordy Business.add a comment
(Image from here)
I did something silly yesterday. I walked home from Roisin’s, at about half past 11. It was dark, and a Saturday night, and the town was jam-packed with drunk scantily clad girls, and burly lairy guys. They were rolling out of the doors of all the bars and clubs, moving onto the next generation, and I slalommed my way through the centre of town, avoiding the clusters of excited students, and stepping gently around the huge and sour-faced bouncers who seemed to be everywhere.
This part of the journey was alright. It was only once I had wandered into the housing estate that offers the cut through to the street I am on that I though about what I was doing. My first thought was about the girl who disappeared a couple of weeks ago in Leamington, and whose body was sadly found the other day. She was my age, a pretty thing, and her disappearance has stunned the town more than a little. Although a man is in custody under suspicion of the murder, I suddenly thought that there I was, a young girl walking alone in the dark through a very quiet area – exactly the sort of set up that we are recommended against since childhood.
By this point I was worrying my poor little brain, and the presence of the dark itself was starting to get to me. I hate the shadows and pitch black anyway, they make me feel scared, terrified by the possibility that anything could be hiding out of sight. As the adrenaline started pumping, the psychological effect was that the darkness felt like it was creeping ever closer, defying the puddle of light that spilled from the streetlamps.
The third thing that scared me was the fox. It was a down a side street I passed, sitting stock still in the center of the road, a pointy-earred silhouette looking straight at me. I stopped, crouched down, and stared right back, as I am unable to resist a staring contest with any type of animal (oh – and I always win…). After about 5 minutes it moved away, before stopping stock still again to stare right into my eyes. It was beautiful, and under normal circumstances I would have been thanking my lucky stars that I had got to see such a sight.
However, the problem is that I have been reading a lot of books about China and Japan recently. I devour books like these, stories of Geishas and courtesans. On recurring theme is the spirit of foxes, which are always negative. Sometimes they are omens, sometimes pollutants, often shape-shifting spirits back to haunt the living. With my mind still firmly rooted in my fiction, the appearance of a fox when I was already scared was really badly timed!
I have to admit, I ran the rest of the way home. Thank god for my new trainers!
Photos, Bees, and What I Wore June 19, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, Photos, What I Wore.1 comment so far
Wow. I mean wow. Look how close I got to this bee. Me, a person totally and utterly terrified of the bloody creatures. I am proud!
Anyway, I have been taking some more photos, and because I am a bit down following the girl I was meant to be finding a flat with announcing today that she has just signed a contract on a flat (nice of her to keep me in the loop! Grrr), I thought I would share them with you.
Now, three days after I started putting together this post, I have finally got around to publishing it. Sorry! Anyway, here is my latest What I Wore picture, I wore those gorgeous Tommy Hilfiger shoes again although you can’t see them! I was really happy with this look, wandering around the fairground with my mum and our cameras. It was a gorgeous day!
What I Wore Trompe D'Oil Dress
Dress/Tunic: Oasis
Jeans: Topshop
Jacket: Jaeger
Shoes: Tommy Hilfiger
A Birdy Serenade June 18, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics.add a comment
(Image from here)
I am starting to love my walk to work. I see beautiful flowers, get to chat to people, and generally feel refreshed and invigorated by half past 8. Which, if you know what I am like in the mornings, is pretty impressive. Today I was following the most incredible dapper elderly man, who was wearing a pale grey suit and a spiffing white Trilby. I wish more people dressed like that in the world! I desperately wanted a photo, but was worried about the threat of a restraining order for stalking dapper old men…
As well as seeing some sublime examples of fashion, I was also being serenaded today. Everywhere I went the birds were singing their little hearts out – I heard the fluttery tones of a blackbird, the squabbling of a bush full of sparrows, the squawking of magpies – and then I was wolf-whistled at. By a bird. I was very confused for a while, as that uncannily human noise was quite so out of place amongst the rest of the dawn chorus – until I saw the cockatoo in its aviary in the garden. Yup, today I was whistled appreciatively at by a grey cockatoo. My life is now complete.
Shoes, my love… June 17, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion.2 comments
I am having a bit of a relationship with shoes. Again. I have managed to find myself falling head over heels (pun completely intended) with shoes again from the moment I had to send most of my beauties into storage. I have issues, it would seem. I simple can’t turn a good pair of shoes down, especially if they buy me a drink. In essence, it would seem that I am a complete shoe slut. Or a slut for shoes. Either one works for me…
I have looked before at quite why shoes make me so happy. There are so many reasons – the elongation of my legs, the fact that shoes never used to fit me, the fact that they make me feel attractive when a lot of the time I don’t. However, I can gibber on for as long as I want about the whys and what fors – but sometimes it is just because they are so damn pretty. Which, by the way, is why I ended up with these in my basket today…
Nine West Big Baby Heels - Just £35! Bargain!
Why how strange… June 15, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Life, Chatter & Politics.Tags: beauty, looks, style
10 comments
What an odd experience on the way to work today!
I had set off from my current residence, where I am living with the lovely Helen until I find myself somewhere official. Not knowing how long it would take me to find my way amongst the buildings and estates I had given myself rather too much time to get there, meaning I ended up far too early for my lift. As I wandered down to the street corner where I was planning to lurk for 20 minutes (I know, I know, it sounds bad. Don’t worry though, I haven’t set up a sideline in prostitution!), I was stopped by a man who had climbed out of his car and who was running after me.
Assuming he wanted directions, I wandered over to him, where ensued the following conversation:
Him: Sorry! I am about to do something really odd… first off, do you want a strawberry?
Me: (a little perplexed…) Um.. no, but thank you
Him: The second thing is that I just wanted to see if anyone had told you today that you are looking absolutely gorgeous?
Me: Um… (casts mind back over 10 minute walk in case I have forgotten something) nope, they haven’t
Him: Well,I just thought I should let you know how beautiful you are, in case noone else does
After a slightly awkward exchange of thank yous I made my escape, and made my way down to the street where I was meant to be meeting my boss for my lift to work. All the while I was trying desperately to work out if I was a) flattered or b) totally and utterly creeped out! After all, a man in his 40s professing his opinions on the way you look isn’t exactly a common occurrence!
Still, I suppose it is a confidence boost, and I don’t often feel too good about the way I look!
What I Wore: Red and White June 11, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion, What I Wore.1 comment so far
Well, I have discovered the self timer on my camera, although until it is sunny enough to photo outside you will have to deal with the yucky dusty interior of my flat. Which I move out of asap, so you won’t have to deal for long! Anyway, this photo was taken after I had changed out of my wonderful red patent flats and into something in which I could run to the shops for something (anything!) for dinner. Which is a shame, as the flats were lovely… but hey! Shit happens!
p.s excuse messy day-old hair and double chin, the camera was quite low and the day was drizzly!
Satin Wallis dress with red obi belt
Dress: Wallis (gifted by the lovely Alysa)
Tights: Dotty P’s
Flats: Newlook
Belt: Vintage
My Capsule Wardrobe Challenge June 11, 2010
Posted by Lauren Cooke in Fashion.Tags: capsule wardrobe, Clothes, clothing dilemmas!, Fashion, wardrobe
3 comments
This weekend I am moving into a friend’s house for a little while, whilst I look for a place of my own. Helen, the lovely lady who has given up her spare room to me has even given me us of a clothing rail, so me and my dresses and shoes can have somewhere to live.
The thing is, however, that I simply have too many clothes to practically transfer them all over to the room. So, many of them will have to be bagged up in bin bags and carted over to my 7ft by 7ft crate that will hopefully be big enough to store all of my belongings whilst I am in limbo. As such, I need to get my 80 odd dress and 80 odd pairs of shoes (not to mention skirts, trousers, tops…) condensed down enough to fit in one suitcase. One single suitcase. Welcome, oh hoarder of clothes, to the world of the capsule wardrobe.
So, what is my ideal (and possibly slightly over-planned) wardrobe going to consist of? Having thought about it a lot I think I am going to aim for a collection of clothes that fits with the below mission statement:
Multi-use and versatile items of clothing that can be changed to coordinate with a number of colours and a number of occasion, and which can be remixed to coordinate with the majority of items in the wardrobe.
Eek!
Beyond this, however, how do I work out exactly what items I will go with? Well, I need dresses, tops and skirts that can be layered and interchanged to create more outfits than you would have automatically thought. I will probably choose a number of base items in dark or versatile colours (such as black or navy) which I can then jazz up with accessories. Picking the shoes will also be tough, as I will have to choose those that are still attractive, but which will go with the whole range of colours. Accessories are easy – I will take all my belts and tights, so that I can use them to mix it up.
My theoretical capsule wardrobe (and we will see how this changes in the spur of the moment!) will be:
- 1 pair Jeans
- 1 pair trainers
- 3 plain tops in differing shapes/styles
- 5 x Dresses – vintage and classic styles, with a sun dress thrown in for good measure.
- 4 x Cardigans/jumpers
- 2 x Jackets/Blazers
- 1 x Maxi dress
- 2 x Skirts
- 2 pairs of flat dolly shoes
- 4 pairs of heels – 1 black, 1 pink, 1 yellow, 1 brown
- 2 pairs of boots – flat black, heeled brown.
- Belts, and tights – all of them!
What do you think? Have I missed anything out? How do you artfully construct your capsule wardrobe?
