This is a questions that I think people often wonder. Why do people find this sudden unquenchable interest in such a transient yet repetitive arena? Why do people find the clothes and the shoes and the art so utterly fascinating? For me particularly, I know people wonder how someone with absolutely no fashion sense, who hated shoe shopping, ends up writing on fashion blogs and gradually growing more and more involved with the industry?

(Image from here)

I thought I would put together a post on the subject. So, here are some of my reason. These are mine individually, and I am sure they differ from your reasons – which is what I find fascinating! Let me know why you are involved, I would be fascinated to find out!

• First, I love the passion it inspires in so many people. I love standing on the outside looking in at the effect fashion and catwalk have upon the, dare I say it, real world. The clothes people pick, the attitudes they assume, I adore watching it. I know that I come at fashion as an outsider, and I try to keep that attitude, being aware of the ridiculous and the horrible and the downright damaging sides of the fashion industry. This is the very reason I am so involved, as I can look in and observe the patterns – and as a psychology grad, what I see is amazing!

• Um… the shoes. I know, I know, there should be a more complex reason. But for me, shoe never fit as a child. My long gangly feet were huge in length but teeny width wise, and I used to trail around shoe shop after shoe shop searching for a pair that fit. I hated shoes. And then, when I was all grown up, they started fitting. Like some sort of overcompensation, I quickly became obsessed. After all, they are just so darn pretty!

• My third reason is, in my humble little opinion, an interesting one. I love watching an industry that believes so strongly in what it does. That belief, however, is surprisingly transient, a little bubble of belief that will have changed as “fashion” does. Outside that bubble, however, time passes, people change, and only some styles get adopted. Do people choose for practicality? Does one designer inspire the masses? What makes one dress and another similar one sell on such different levels?

• Finally, I take a guilty pleasure in being involved in fashion. In finding that accidently, even though I generally follow my own trends, I know what is happening on the catwalk. I know what you guys think, what you write on your blogs, what is “in” and “out”. That, my friends, is a nice feeling, and probably one I would have had whatever area I chose. I love to feel involved!

Interestingly, it isn’t all about the art that the fashion industry obsesses over. In fact, transient fashion doesn’t play much of a part in my life, only introducing pieces I love to a wardrobe I don’t believe gets outdated – not if I still like it at least!

I have had my first day at work! It was of course daunting and a little scary at first, but I think it went OK! We shall wait and see!

Anyway, I thought I would let you know that the new Dorothy Perkins blog is up and running. I am a contributing writer (isn’t that exciting!!??) and my article will be published in the next few weeks (on the 16th to be specific!). Currently the blog is chatting to girls all over the world about what it means to go out, what makes nights fun, and their little individual routines and foibles that make their night special. It is fascinating seeing what differs around the globe!

If you like Dorothy Perkins ( and like the new blog!) then you might also appreciate this VIP voucher code, for a huge 25% off everything online. The code is DPVIPJ, go enjoy!

Other than that, I am also a new writer for BitchBuzz. If you haven’t seen it before, it is worth checking out, as the gals there are always writing about bright and edgy things with a little bit of added attitude.

It is all go at the moment!

I am having a little well-deserved break from blogging guys, during my week off between jobs. I will get back into it shortly, but for the meantime here is a pretty little semi-daily eBay post to keep the excitement up!

As you all know, I love irregular choice. It isn’t exactly a secret, and the piles of shoe boxes in my bedroom are proof of the addiction. Normally I am not a huge fan of their frankly strange cleft toed items, inspired by Maison Martin Margiela. This pair of heels, however, have a special saving grace. Yes, that is right – these can be worn as a heel, or as  a boot, simply with the addition of that super cool knee-high spat. Spats are one of my favourite things at the moment (although I own none), and knee-high pairs are quite rare. Even better, you could wear these spats with other heels too.

Irregular Choice Knee-High Spat Boots

OK, it would seem that maybe I just got myself into a silly little mood earlier this week! People seem to want me to stay around, and I want me to stay around – so the time has perhaps come to stop being silly! After all, I can’t be doing that badly with freelance jobs on the side and guest blogging for pretty funky publications, can I??!!

Anyway, back to the wonderful world of blogging haphazardly about the little thoughts and wonderments that cross my mind!

The art of the catnap!!

 (Image from here)

I was thinking, the other day, about how incredible the art of catnapping is. After all, we humans seem to be built with an innate ability to do it, all be it not quite such an impressive ability as cats may have, sleeping everywhere and only waking to eat! As babies, we catnap well, curling up and clenching our fists whilst recharging our batteries for the day ahead. This carries on into our early childhood, where nap-time is built into our day and relaxation is key. Well, relaxation and putting aside plenty of playtime.

Then, for me at least, the power of the catnap went away. I could only snooze in the day in my teens if I didn’t sleep for days on end. I would sleep in late, go to bed early – anything but take a short nap in the day. In fact, you could tell when I was ill, because I could just about be able to force my rebellious body to snooze, tetchy as it is!

It was therefor quite astounding for me to rediscover the art of the cat nap at uni. Something to do with the excessive alcohol, late nights, and unpredictable sleeping patterns of a few months at college somehow breeds even the most alert and awake of students into strange creatures with the ability to sleep wherever and whenever, and most likely in someone elses room. No longer was your bed the only one comfortable enough for you to sleep in – now any flat surface with a semblance of cushioning was ripe for the picking!

Now, with uni still fresh in my mind, I am an accomplished catnapper. I sometimes long for a hammock at work for those long afternoons, for an in-built cushion in the car where I sleep to stop myself being bored. I snooze on the sofa, if I choose, and I can even catch a couple of winks on the train.

Do you think there is something biological to this ability,some mental aging forcing me to recuperate for often?

I am feeling a bit strange about blogging. I get plenty of hits, but they are just people looking for images that are on my blog, with searches for “Geisha” currently hitting up in the area of 700 hits a day! I feel I am just yet another limp and vacuous voice pumping out nonsense that no one cares or wants to read about into the blogosphere.

I spend my days reading witty blogs, intelligent blogs, a huge number of brilliant blogs, all the while knowing that mine is just… not. Mine is average, dull, unexciting. Why carry on writing, when all yours are so much more wonderful.

I am sure this is just a funny mood I am having, a moment of paranoia, of low self-esteem.

But does anyone actually care if I write or don’t write, if I choose to blog or not to blog? I think not.

I have been thinking about fate at the moment. I have been thinking of the way that throughout my life, things just “happen” to me. Life will be tough, and just as it gets too much the universe throws me a rope, something happy enough to distract me from my moodiness, to make everything seem OK. In the same vein, I can search for something for ages – but it never reveals itself until I really need it, at that point where I am about to turn away and give up the fight.

I don’t, however, believe in fate. I believe that decision, and consequence, and happenstance, all contribute inextricably to my life. Getting up in the morning and going about my day leads me to a predictable set of events, all be it with a little dose of chaos and unpredictability thrown in. Do I believe that all these things happen as part of some long winding yet pre-prepared road, set in stone for me and me alone? No. No I don’t.

However, in my head that butterfly effect theory, the idea that a butterfly beating its wings in japan could tripped and earthquake in America? That as a metaphor makes sense to me. After all, a major life lesson is that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that every decision or step has a consequence, either for you, or your friends, or the world around you. Ambition, and free will, all contribute to our decisions and life choices, as does the way you are brought up, the food you eat, the things you see. It is useless to look at your life and see it as unchangeable – and it is equally useless to look at your life and ignore the connection it has to the environment around you.

That, you see, is the thing. Whether or not fate exists, we cannot exist with that in our mind. Fate would cause inaction, decisions would be unmakeable, if we believed in fate so strongly and religiously then it is quite feasible that that would stop us walking any path at all, let alone our “destined” one. Fate is the greatest and the oldest paradox! Assuming you have the power to mold and change your own life – now that is what inspires us to be bold, to be brave, to make changes and create a life that we can love and be proud of.

Just remember though – luck and coincidence and accidents – they are the things that make life so enjoyable, the things that make decisions so hard to make, the things that can bring us crashing down or build us up into the sky. No matter how much you believe you can control your life, no matter how much you can beat fate – sometimes it just won’t work, and in the end chaos and the universe always have the upper hand – and at least 5 Aces!

I don’t feel particularly inspired this week guys. I don’t even have lots of words bouncing around my head like I normally do – I think I am tired as my job finishes tomorrow, and am wining down from a very busy few weeks. As I can’t put digital pen to digital paper without getting a headache (I can’t think of anything to write, eat lots of mints to keep me occupied, get sugar induced headache…), I am instead going to put together an Etsy love list of pretty things that have been occupying my mind this week.

Desk items

I am pimping my 1930’s desk this week, which is going to, by the looks of it, take three coats of paint to cover!

Vintage Letter Holder

Adorable blue vintage typewriter

Cats

I desperately want a cat at the moment. A British Shorthair for an indoor cat, a cute little kitten who loves cuddles and laps. I am probably the most regular visitor to all the cat websites online!!

Such a cute little cat teddy!

I probably shouldn’t love these halloween cat earrings!

Greenday

I saw Greenday live on Tuesday. It was easily the best gig I have ever been to in my life. They juts kept singing and signing, dragging audience members on stage, encouraging participant, filling the room with pyrotechnics. The were on for over 3 hours and were sensational – and the gig came with a  Black Sabbath tribute in the middle, as we were in Birmingham!

Drum kit wall vinyl - really cool!

I love vintage tins. The history, the little lumps and bumps, the detailed illustrations. Quite frankly, they just don’t produce tins like that any more. Thankfully plenty of people kept these tins, and little wonders like this biscuit box are actually quite easy to get hold of – and they are great for holding all your threads/cottons and bits and pieces. Or, perhaps, for holding your biscuits (surely not!!).  This one in particular is a replica of a snuff-box held in the V&A – and isn’t it lovely!

Currently £1.50 with 5 hours left, this is a real bargain!

Vintage Biscuit Tin

I don’t quite know why, but I love these. As in wild, unadulterated love, the type that makes you want to throw caution to the wind and invest in a rare pair of boots that aren’t your size and that you will likely never wear. I think it is the fact they are wedge boots, yet glammed up with the gold exterior and cute Tim Burton style girl picture running up the calf. Whatever it is, I am having trouble not seeing red and randomly buying these shoes that won’t fit.

Irregular choice, you have done it again!

Irregular Choice Lace-Up Wedge Boots

I am very happy with my life and my career at the moment. It is strange to think that just a few short weeks ago I was struggling to keep my head above the water, what with work, moving jobs, freelance and more. Now the world, as it always does, seems to have come full circle, and I am happy and satisfied. I have freelance to be getting on with, blog aspirations, and even won a cool pair of river island shoes in a Twitter based competition yesterday.

As happy as I am, I am always a bit overly ambitious, and what I have is never enough.

Multiple blogs, future websites, new jobs – I want something more!

(Image from here)

I am thinking about going ahead and launching an idea that I cam up with a while ago. I have always wanted to be a personal shopper – and I am aware that my speciality lies in eBay, vintage and online sites. I know fashion, heels, what fits and what doesn’t. I am consequently planning to venture bravely into the world of internet personal shopping, helping happy shoppers from around the world to find their perfect clothes without the hassle of having to search for themselves.

Do you think it is a good idea? Should I do it?