Credit Crunch? What Credit Crunch?

I read in the mirror online this morning (yes, I am slightly ashamed to admit that I read the mirror) an article informing us all of their "fashion gurus" top 10 tips for staying fashionable during the credit crunch. They came up with the creative ideas of 1) 'discovering' ebay 20 swapping clothes with your sister 3) learning to sew. Oh yes, someone is getting paid to come up with this shit!

The tenth and final tip of course left me breathing a sigh of relief: "Pretend you are a student This season fashion actually gives a nod to Uni chic. Style yourself on Ali MacGraw in Love Story, with flares, preppy knits and polo tops, long hippy scarves and hats. Everyone will assume you are wearing Marc Jacobs, founder of grunge, who uses Ali as a constant source of inspiration. Scour second-hand shops for '70s/'80s vibe clothes to get the Grange Hill-look of the spring/summer 2008 catwalks (Luella Bartley's geeky specs and clashing prints). Or go Global Traveller-meets-gap student with ethnic scarves and dangly bits picked up at your local China Town. Remember, everyone is a student in the university of life."

Dick Van Dyke: Definite legend. Potential Style Icon?

Hey,

Yet another random, slightly unfashiony blog from me: come back Becky, all is forgiven!! See, I love Dick Van Dyke. Diagnosis Murder is my favourite show on TV, and his happy little face always makes my day. Sometimes my sister and I chat about what life would be like if Dick Van Dyke were our uncle and we got to hang out at his house; maybe he'd tapdance for us, or let us help him solve crimes. And when we were in Florida we saw his jacket from Mary Poppins in a memorabillia shop for a mere $66,000. Which just goes to show how popular Dick Van Dyke (DVD) really is. When we asked mum if she would lend us the money to get it she said no. Which is a bit of a shame really; it could've been an investment for the future! After all some things, like DVD himself, can only get better with age! I'd never really thought about the joyous DVD in a fashion context though; until my sister and I saw this jacket in Topshop yesterday and she squealed (actually squealed) oh my God, that jacket would make us look just like Dick Van Dyke! This lead us to wonder about a whole host of DVD themed outfits; straw boaters for Mary Poppins, white jackets for diagnosis murder, the list goes on.

So here is the FabFrocks guide to staying 'on trend' and looking like Dick Van Dyke: all at the same time! (All the clothes are from topshop because it's the only biggish store in Norwich where I could find all the DVD-style stuff. Sorry for the TS overload lately)

1) Mary Poppins DVD

Could I look anymore like DVD? The stripey jacket, the stripey shirt, the white trousers...all I needed was a blue bowtie and a straw boater. Damn you topshop for not having all the appropriate DVD attire! Actually individually each piece would be lovely for the coming summer months (fingers crossed) but alltogether, I hate to admit there's a risk of looking a little costumey.....

2) Diagnosis Murder DVD

This is my personal favourite DVD look; a checked shirt under a simple white jacket teamed with jeans. I could wear this to work (I have a very casual job) or to uni safe in the knowledge that I was paying tribute to a living legend without looking at all costumey (which is a bit of a worry with the Mary Poppins DVD outfit, although i'd love to wear it everyday)

3)Night at the Museum DVD

This is a more utilitarian look (as DVD is actually dressed as a security guard) I opted for simple lines and stuck strictly to navy blue to make this look work. (as well as pulling my best tap dancy moves) It's a less popular DVD theme, and sooo unflattering on me that it's not funny, but I thought i'd throw it in because it's a good movie (obviously, as Dick is in it) and it's his latest role.

So there you have it; 3 simple looks that will have you tapdancing all the way down to your nearest highstreet. And when DVD decides to adopt me as his neice, i'll know just what to wear for the occassion!

Love

Tor xx

Happy Birthday......to me!

Hey hey,

Yesterday was a momentous day. I handed in my 5,000 words on Muriel Spark, and I reached the grand old age of 24- I am officially in my mid-twenties (and very aware that i'm faar too old to still be a student.) To celebrate this momentous occassion my sister came to stay for a few days, and joined a merry crew of party goers and karaoke stars!

My beautiful sister Amie-Dave. Her magic make-up is from Dior and I am infinitely jealous. Her dress was in the Topshop sale for just £5: bargain!

Obviously Miss Wigmore was there for the occassion, and not only did she look stunning, she also baked a cake: a hazelnut filled chocolate-nutella delight, which I am eating for breakfast as I type this very word. Yum! Becky wore the Christopher Kane for Topshop dress she pined over in this previous post but didn't think she could afford; it was reduced to £60 (£56 with student discount) and Becky grabbed at it the way I grab at chocolate cake: quickly and with much greed. Yum again. Teamed with black ballet pumps and Topshop bling (apparently there was a Topshop "thing" going on last night) little Miss Becky looked lovely:

I'm scared that Becky will kill me for not letting her photoshop this before I put it up but I think she looks awesome!

Bucking the Topshop trend, I opted for a Primark floral dress (£14) with a puffball type skirt: there are layers of tulle underneath which give the skirt all the volume. My earrings are topshop, my bracelet is from river island, and (because it was my birthday) I wore killer black wedges.I like to think I look like a curvier, slightly drunker version of a Luella model:

And as well as the drinking (see above) there was singing. Oh boy, was there singing!

We were singing Dolly Parton like we really meant it. Oh yes

With birthdays come fashiony gifts, and I received so many pretty things I just can't wait to show you all. But I'm pretty sure my active high is ebbing out fairly quickly, and I just dont have the energy to change out of my pajamas. I'm going back to bed to sleep and nurse this hangover.....

You know your drunk when you're taking pictures of yourself in the ladies

Lots of love,

Tor xx

Muriel Spark Rules My Life!!!

Ahhh, bank holidays. A time to put on something pretty, hit the shops, and then while away the afternoon relaxing in a beer garden. Or not. In my case apparently you’re supposed to lock yourself like a hermit in the library wearing saggy leggings and a baggy Blondie T-shirt, because anyone spending their bank holiday indoors shouldn’t care what they look like. I’m slowly turning into a pale library troll. Yes, it’s deadline time again, and yet again I’ve left it all to the last minute. 5,000 words on what I think about Muriel Spark’s autobiography here I come! Woe is me, etc etc.

I love the way Spark looks on the cover of this book (sorry I couldn't find a bigger image)

This means that whilst I could tell you everything you didn’t want to know about Muriel Spark, I have been out of the fashion loop for a while (as you can no doubt tell from my shameless recent blogging record). So because I’m tired and this is the only ‘break’ I’m going to take for the next 3 hours, I’m going to go with what I know and write about Muriel Spark; fabulous writer, eccentric super-bitch, and worthy fashion icon.

Tight sweater, necklace with an animal pendant, and sexy tilted specs? What’s not to love??

Muriel Spark was obsessed with fashion (a woman after my own heart) and always dressed flamboyantly. It pleases me more than you can ever know to picture her zipping around Italy aged 80 in her alfa romeo and her fur coat: an image recounted in each of her obituaries, so it obviously pleased more people than just me! One journalist recorded that Spark swept in for an interview (then in her 70s) looking demure and sophisticated in a black and white Chanel suit that she had chosen to team with fluroscent pink ankle socks.

How can such a cruel woman have such a kind face?

Derek Stanford (Muriel's sworn enemy) described Muriels love of vintage jewelry and accessories; "there was generally within her wardrobe some small family property-a brooch, a clasp, a pair of earrings or her silver topped umberella- which had come from her mother or grandmother". He also wrote some lovely things about Muriel and her mothers relationship in his unofficial biography; "Mother and daughter hd a true feminine love of dress, jewelry and adornment....Whenever she visited her mother in Scotland they would do a deal or a swap with each other over some trinket or treasure. And later maybe the swap would be undone, redone"

I love this extract because it reminds me of my own relationship with my mum and especially my nan; I love going through their wardrobes picking out clothes and jewellery they haven't worn for years and trying them on all at once like a toddler. My mum is a very petite (and naturally beautiful) lady, and it breaks my balls that I can't fit into any of her couture ball gowns from the early '80s. (When i'm at home next weekend I will dig out some of the photo's and share them) And it was in part my nan (a lady who still obsesses about fashion despite being in her 70s) who inspired me to start my collection of vintage brooches-I know they aren't 'in vogue' at the moment, and it's a pretty old fashioned thing to collect, but I love them! They're sparkly delicate and garish all at the same time -what more do you need?!

Wearing things that have been worn by people I love makes me happy. My wardrobe had as many of my sisters clothes in it as it does mine; The Spark concept of fashion as a family heritage is something I can get behind.

I'm not saying that 'the Sparklet' was perfect just because she liked dresses (i've done my research!) She abandoned her son before he was a teenager, attacked anyone who crossed her loudly in the press, and was a generally 'difficult' lady (to put it nicely!) But she loved fashion and literature, just like 2 other pretty cool young ladies I know, and that makes her noteworthy at the least, and admirable at the most generous. Phew! And now I feel inspired to go and work some more on that essay......

Hope you all had a great bank holiday!

Tor xxx

TV TV TV: Testing, beta, try-out etc.

Hello blogosphere,

Sorry for the delay in the near-daily blather. Me and Tor have been sick (it's all the kissing with tongues we do) and unable to voice our mealy mouthed opinions about stuff 'n' junk. Tor is overrun with deadlines and schoolwork but I, as ever, have no real life or hobbies to speak of, so you're stuck with the Wigmore solo this week and possibly next. As a kind-of experiment, I just ran up a very shit 2 minute video on my BRAND NEW MAC. Yes, you heard right. I have joined the San-Fran hippie-poseur creative professional elite wankerclub du jour. I'd like to say I use it primarily for my creative work but in truth, I mostly use the neato built-in camera to check my make-up and see how cute I look in sepia, infrared and 'cartoon effect'.

With that in mind, here's my very first video blog, concerning the best charity shop find I've had this year. It cost £7 from Cancer Research. It also stinks of pubs and ladysweat because I've worn it three times and Tor once so I actually had to fish it out of th laundry pile. Y'all should thank your lucky stars that Smell-o-vision didn't make it past the 1950s.

Here it is: slurry voice, ill-advised 'humour', Debbie Reynolds tribute opening and all:



Wow. I just--- wow. Next time I'll write a script. And sort out some lighting. And get a voice coach. And learn my angles. And try not to smell like three separate days of human fluid.

I'm still ill you know. That's my excuse. I've watched 3 straight series of The American Office in bed on my laptop. It is vastly superior to the UK The Office. That is my opinion and it is correct. I am also addicted to Mindy Kaling (Kelly from The Office (US))'s awesome and unusually profane shopping blog.
You should probably go and read her. Apparently being an American comedy writer with a shopping addiction is pretty sweet. If I were her, I'd spend all my time trying to marry Paul Lieberstein. The fact that she does not appear to do this makes me respect her a little less.

Oh, Toby. I would feel your pain and groin.

I recognise he is fictional however so the actor Paul Lieberstein will have to do. This is not so bad, especially as he was also a writer on "Clarissa Explains It All". Clarissa taught a pre-teen Becky that early 90s fashion could one day liberate her from her fat girl baggy t-shity 'n' jeans combo!

Not bad, right? They're selling that Keith Haring t-shirt shizzle at Uniqlo right now!

Both £12.99 here at Uniqlo.co.uk

Lace, Doc Martens and hipster art -shirts? Screw Claudia Kishi - Clarissa Darling's the auger of mid 00's fashion truth!

Wow, for someone who purported not to want to write anything, I sure have blathered. In summary: TV = universally good, Me + TV = something other than universal good. But hey, online media is where the real writing money is, right?

Right?

Love,
Becky.