Pig Love

"I plan to write more books whenever I can find the appropriate writing attire and color-coordinated pen"

 Sometimes when you head into work or school on a Monday, a happy little buzz that appears sometime on a Friday afternoon can fade away..which is why the wonderful world of fashion is a great place to escape to.  When I was little and having a bad day (like throwing a tantrum in Marks and Spencers), one thing could always cheer me up and it proved the same this morning.  The Muppets! Kermit is still my favourite but his long time love is set to make quite a stir on Planet Fashion.

Front row, wearing Jullien Macdonald, between Tracey Emin and Margo Stilley

 I know that Emmanuelle Alt has stepped up as the new editor at French Vogue but to be honest, I'm rather excited about the fact that shortly they will be embracing the fuller figure.  Fashion icon Miss Piggy will appear in the new Muppet Movie as a plus-size fashion editor for Vogue Paris - and the famously formidable pig certainly won't be taking orders from anyone, even from Ms Alt.

A punked up vibe in a quilted Burberry trench.

The film, set for release in February 2012, sees the world's biggest Muppet fan and his friends (played by Jason Segel and Amy Adams), try to save the Muppet Theatre by encouraging the Muppets to reform.  Whilst Miss Piggy has been hard at work in the fashion world, Fozzie has formed a casino tribute band called the Moopets, Animal has been admitted to a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management and Gonzo has become a high-powered plumbing magnate.

Geisha style and wearing Jason Wu

 It's set to be one of the most fashionable films of 2012, since I'm sure Miss Piggy let loose in the Vogue sample cupboard will be a sight to behold, if only I could go with her..

Piggy does Prada

In Miu Miu at Selfridges, or should that be Moi Moi?

In Marc Jacobs with a Carrie Bradshaw style corsage

Piggy pals - with (and wearing) Marc Jacobs.

 

 

Oops a daisy!

Spot the similarity...no, it's not the skinny legs..

Confession time..I STILL haven't done any of my Ebay-ing. Not a single thing. Been rather snowed at work as our events season kicks off and I've also been de-camping to the Boy's at the weekend which is all the way South of the river and by the time I get back on Sunday evenings, it's time for trash television, magazine reading, baths and blog reading! (I know I sound like I'm making excuses by the way...)

I'm cross with myself as I'd sort of made a mental resolution that I wouldn't purchase anything else until I had begun my Ebay-ing mission but there were a few (largely SALES...come on, shopping in the sales doesn't count!!!) purchases that snuck under the radar.  Here we go..

These had to be bought. There is a TOAST very near where I live so it it a hazard walking past anytime but especially when there are mark-downs. Classic tan brogues that were £145 and are now £58. Absolute bargain.

Next up and also from TOAST, are these two incredibly useful basics. The perfect long v-neck cardigan. I wear them as jumper dresses with tights, a silk scarf and..ahem..my new brogues...Was £99, now £30!!

This is new season and hence, EXTRA naughty but I can justify this by saying that it's a classic - navy, polka dot, lovely shape. Yes it's sheer but I can slip a camisole under it for work or a plain black bra with a tux jacket and skinnies at night maybe. See, that's two uses already..

The Topshop habit is hard to kick...

Spring is feeling a long way off right now and here in London it has been grey skies and decidedly damp.  Not wet enough to justify me wearing my Hunters or even my lovely Vivienne Westwood ankle boot wellies.  I needed an 'in between' boot. My beautiful Clarks Suede Desert boots cannot be subjected to constant drizzle. The fallibility of suede is one of my biggest moans and another reason why, although I adore the Isabel Marant ankle boots, spending over £300 on something that I can't really wear out much due to our inclement weather is something I can't really justify.  I had seen these little beauties when they were full price  and when I spotted them in the my-wardrobe sale, I knew we were meant to be....

I loved the taupe/ grey colour, the heel height, the way they looked a bit like sexy hiking boots...

And finally, although this isn't a purchase, it really deserves an honourable mention, to my wonderful friend Muddles who brought her back from the Orient as an early birthday present to me. Over-sized, tan and totally unexpected. THANK YOU x

I love her.

UPDATE!! On my last post about wardobes, just to encourage the nosy amongst you, this sight is a GREAT find  http://closetvisit.com/. Go and have a peek!X

Milly and her wardrobe

 

Right folks, I know lots of my fellow bloggers have been making New Year's fashion resolutions.  I particularly liked Dead Fleurette's unflinching honesty about what can happen with clothes resolutions and also Miss Moll Cherie's 2011 list.  My first resolution of the New Year is this..a wardrobe cull. A brutal clear-out with the results going to charity shops and Ebay (to fund new purchases).

I'm sure you recognise this one..even without Carrie

I used to have a wardrobe organised in colour, shoes in labelled boxes and all  (ok..most) flats in the rack on my wardrobe door, coats were hung on the wall in the hall.  I still have two accessories bags..one is a large Anya Hindmarch weekend bag that I keep all my wool/ cashmere scarfs/ hats and gloves in and the other is a large Laduree bag which I keep all my silk scarfs in neat rolls.  These are the only two things that are still neat and orderly. I managed an underwear/ tights sort out before Christmas and that gave me a great sense of achievement.  The top two drawers in my chest of drawers, top left now has tights/ socks rolled up on their sides arranged by colour and fabric, the top right has pants rolled into neat curls and bras laid out by colour.

What I can only aspire to....regardless of organisation, I may have to move house first...and win the lottery.

My handbags are still organised, most in dust bags and arranged neatly on a shelf but there the wardrobe and drawers are descending into chaos.  I do still make a point of putting away all the clothes I've taken off at the end of each day into the wardrobe/ laundry/ dry cleaning pile, that's pretty good going right? 

I'd probably look as happy as she does if my wardrobe was in fact a room like Olivia Wilde's.

Essentially I don't mind too much doing the wardrobe cull, it's then summoning the energy to photograph everything and put it on Ebay and THEN you have to post everything off that gets to me.  There's always so many more interesting things to do in the evening or at the weekend but I must do it. Public promise right here, right now, I will do this before the beginning of February. I will also put a link up to the stuff on Ebay to prove that I've done it.  Wish me luck and let me know your fashion resolutions...X

Rachel Zoe..not as glam a closet as I'd thought..

Then you see this lady's..and it's only the shoes you can see in this picture!

A wardrobe that comes with a stepladder..um...and a child.

Back to life, back to reality

They kind of look like how I felt my first day back in the office..

So after the dramas of Heathrow (three days trapped there because of the snow!) we had another day in Mumbai before making it to the family home in Calcutta. Seeing the family was bliss but because of all the dramas, we only had three days with them and it was very hard to say goodbye.  I know the world is a much smaller place with sophisticated travel (in theory) and Internet but sometimes places feel very far away, especially when you have people you love there.

From Calcutta we went to Goa, which was utter bliss.  I literally wanted every pore on my body to absorb the sunshine and bring it back to England with me! Fresh fish, strolling on the beach and having some proper time with my parents and brother was a fantastic way to bring in the new year.  Then flying home to Heathrow where the wonderful Boy met me at the airport and we all went back to the Shire together for a few days of English countryside.  We had also planned the first weekend away together so we could have a little Christmas all of our own. We went to the wonderful Holm House in Penarth on the Welsh coast.. a review to follow at some point!

In the meantime, I needed some fashion inspiration to kickstart my way back to work, end my internet detox and generally get back on the radar again and where better to look than Emmanuelle Alt, who has a new job on her hands...you might have heard...

 The 45-year-old new editor-in-chief has a personal style characterized by androgynous French cool and her obsessions with "Saturday Night Fever", Michael Jackson, and the 1965-1975 era. Emmanuelle is known for her sharp Parisian style looking effortlessly chic all the time. Emmanuelle's husband, Franck Durand, is the artistic director at Isabel Marant...which must be a help when getting dressed in the morning.

All this being said I can hardly wait to see the April issue of the French Vogue which will be the first under Emmanuelle Alt's hands-on editorial leadership!