Seeing RED

Anyone who knows me well is aware that black is frequently my colour du jour but today I realised that several things I wish to write about all for under the same vibrant shade that is RED!! Firstly, huge congrats to the charming Mr Eddie Redmayne who has won a Tony for his performance in RED.  I was lucky enough to go and see it when it was at the Donmar and it blew me away.  I wish Alfred Molina could have won too..his performance as the tortured Rothko was phenomenal.  Despite the efforts of my own personal art historian whizz (the boy) I never fully 'got' Rothko.  Even when I was taken round the marvellous retrospective at Tate Modern and had the boy go on and on about his genius...well, I kinda nodded along but between you and me, I was left a little cold.  John Logan's play and the astonishing performances from the two man cast actually made me re-consider and want to go back and look at his paintings all over again.  Another wow factor of the production was that they actually painted the sets live so the paintings, as backdrops, appeared before your eyes.

I have been pining to add this set of new Penguin books to my already over-filled shelves.  Part of a collaboration between Penguin and (RED) you can also give yourself a hearty pat on the back when you purchase them as 50% of the profits will be going to the Global Fund to help eliminate Aids in Africa.

I have to say that I think the cover for 'The House of Mirth' is my favourite..but that might be a personal weakness for the materialistic heroine Lily Bart slipping through,  Click on the link to Penguin above to check out the whole collection.

Now for a moment of huge self-indulgence..My latest craze is doing tapestry whilst slouched in front of trash tv on my increasingly rare nights in.  I have just finished one that I have been working on for SEVEN years! There is no decent excuse for this other than a) my laziness and b) I completely forgot about it, however, like all trends, it has re-emerged! The kits come from Jolly Red and I urge you to get involved.  My particular favourites are the Hearts and Stars patterns as they're in such vibrant colours, I feel slightly less grannyish.  I intend to have mine backed on bright fuschia velvet, not the conventional black as seen below.

Finally I have been pining after this H&M Garden Collection limited edition jacket for ages! I elbow fought my way to a store the day it was released but to no avail.  Finally after several weeks of stalking it on Ebay (and refusing to pay stupidly over the odds), I've managed to get it.  It's two dress sizes bigger than I am but I don't care, the exaggerated shoulders and rose embellishment are worthy of a couture piece and having it slightlybigger than I need it serves to emphasise this more! Expect pictures of me giving it it's test run soon!

My inspiration.....the wonderful Winona in Beetlejuice, have always had a complete girl-crush on her..

VPL

I'll be honest, I've never been one of those girls who is crazy about underwear.  Yes I wear it (calm down) but I've always splashed my cash on the items that the majority of the outside world would actually see.  This isn't because I dress to impress 'them' eg. other girlfriends, men, my mother, it's because clothes are my passion. MINE all mine.  So, before I contiune sounding like Golum, this brings me neatly onto the underwear question.  I know many women who are completely dotty about it, will spend a small fortune on bits of lace of lace and wire and miniscule knickers that wouldn't cover a flea's pimple.  Most women when pressed (and I did a little survey on this) will say that it's because it makes them feel good, knowing that they have something a little bit special, sometimes even naughty, beneath their clothes.  More power to you but if I'm going to spend, then stuff that's hidden away, that I won't see and appreciate is not for me.  However I have come to a crossroads because there's a new trend in town..underwear as outerwear.

Now I know you're thinking this...

...but that's not exactly what I mean.  I think we all know who started the "underwear as outerwear" trend, Ghandi and before him, Jesus, then eventually Madge met up with Jean Paul Gaultier and everything went two sandwiches short of a picnic.  As with many ideas that start as a bit of a giggle, they can have legs and we progressed from visible bra straps, to knickers as eveningwear (yes Sienna I mean you) and now it's relatively difficult to find a top, especially for eveningwear that doesn't resemble underwear. As we navigate through this difficult terrain together, I've realised that there is only one sensible option: the corset.  It's underwear but not as we know it.

I don't mean the red, lacy, showgirl variety, think Mad Men structuring..wide straps, neutral colours, even having it semi hidden away by being built into or wearing over a t-shirt.  Yes it's tricky but your other option is wafting around in something resembling a negligee and I challenge anyone of a 'legal' age to pull that off in everyday life without looking like they've got lost on the way to the Playboy Mansion.