Such a trend setter, or simply a follower who didn't realise it!

So, I'm reading this article in the Guardian a week or so ago and it struck me that sometimes there is an amazing synchronicity to my fashion choices.
Recently, well since New Year's trip to the big apple, I've been wearing a pair of purple, green and black Adidas high tops. There I was, tripping all over the place thinking I looked so cool and vaguely original since most fashionistas won't be wearing them and any art students who would be wearing them are so ahead of the curve they've already given them up as outdated. Alas, alack, but it appears that I must have absorbed the subliminal message that high top trainers are back in and EVERYONE'S wearing them. Then it was confirmed everyone's wearing them when the Guardian's Fashion Statement email from London Fashion Week stated that a fashion low was:
"The arrival of blisters on the backs of ankles from new Nike hi-tops joins Twitter Finger as Fashion Injury of the Week."

Plus, I know it's geeky but I so want everything in the new Adidas Star Wars range! Especially these Princess Leia inspired high tops. I'm loving the colours and who wouldn't want to feel like Princess Leia?! Fair enough, it's not the cool ass-kicking Leia but the imprisoned and chained to Jabba the Hutt in a gold bikini Leia - but hey that's the iconic image. I'm also debating whether or not I want to fully out myself as a geek (normally I'm so far back in the closet when it comes to identifying as geek that I'm summering on Hoth) by wearing the absolutely cool but more overtly Star Wars looking Stormtrooper trainers.

Team Cupcake!

Last night my mate K and I went to a great event run by Foodies of Holyrood where we decorated cupcakes. Although it's become a bit of a cliche to bake cakes in a retro apron, we had a great time decorating with fondant icing and edible glitter (helped along by a couple of glasses of fizz). It also fit in with the new trend for ladylike outifts and pastel colours which I read about in February's Vogue . I accessorised my *cough* beautiful cupcakes with a cute little dress in a blue and white pattern but toughened the outfit up with a pair of chunky biker boots in a look I tend to refer to in my head as "funky land girl". But I mentioned this idea to K and she may have given me a WTF?! look so I may rethink the whole speaking out loud thing.

Vintage Musings

Vintage, second hand or thrift shopping has always been popular for those of us interested in fashion but less interested in the high prices. My favourite places in Edinburgh are Armstrongs, the Rusty Zip and Godiva. Plus the charity shops in ritzy areas as you can find some great stuff if you're willing to search through the piles and piles of cast offs.

I got a great 50s dress (right) years ago for a wedding. Wearing it makes me feel like I should be sitting taking tea with Miss Marple in a country house garden.

The bodice (ah how i love that word! very Mills & Boon) has built in boning so it creates that 50s va-va-voom silhouette. Plus the cool label identifies the dress as an Ascot Model. I'd say that the labels are about the fourth best thing about vintage clothes.

The top three being:

1. Small sizes in vintage clothing especially in 1940s or 50s styles. Being hobbit sized I appreciate not having to seriously alter the length of dresses

2. Cool patterned fabric, I have a complete fetish for unusual patterns and would buy an unsuitable piece of clothing just for the fabric

3. The sheer unadulterated joy of an outfit being admired and informing the person "oh this? it's vintage" with the subtle undertone of oneupmanship because they're wearing something generic from the high street. Don't get me wrong I love the high street but it's fun having completely unique outfits in the wardrobe. And I just realised how sad that sounds, generating joy from feeling superior due to the vintage origin of an outfit....

Anyway, I was recently in New York and in amongst the obvious places to shop like Century 21 or Old Navy, I found some really cool thrift stores. There were two down the street from our hotel in Chelsea and I must have gone in to both places about 4 times in the week.

I got two dresses, one cream stiff fabric overlaid with pink lace in a ballerina style, and the other a fitted black wool with a deep scooped back outlined with diamante. Very excited about creating an opportunity to wear both. Neither are exactly day dresses and it's not like I want to go out looking like I've wandered off the set of a period drama. Thoughts swirling round include combining the pink lace with flats, a cardigan or long sleeved t-shirt underneath and doing a dark smokey eye to toughen up the sweetness. It's also an option for a friend's summer wedding, with perhaps twisted, plaited hair to emphasise a nymph image. It's very much a dress made for wandering a green, lush landscape and catching the eye of a god disguised as a simple shepherd boy.

The black dress will have to be saved for a special event where dressing like a femme fatale won't look too out of place - waved hair like Veronica Lake but black nail polish to avoid too cliche an image.

The fact is that although I had to trawl through a large amount of trash to find the treasure, I'd encourage everyone to try out vintage or charity shops simply for the thrill of the chase.

Rx