All in White

Cardigan: H&M, Dress: River Island, Boots: Clarks

For someone who often tends towards androgyny, this is a very frothy dress to have added into my wardrobe in the last few months. But I was irresistibly drawn to it, and even though my siblings have delighted in the opportunity for "Anna, you're wearing a nightie" jokes, I really enjoy wearing it. Maybe the prevalence of all-white on the runways has rubbed off on me; it still feels like a very brave decision to throw caution to the wind and risk dropping food so obviously.

(Not So) Frightened Rabbit

Headband: my sister's, Dress: ASOS, Shoes: New Look Generation 915

I'm a sucker for a good print - the rabbits all over this dress drew me in in a way that the silhouette wouldn't usually. Even though the overall effect is on the traditionally girly side - the A-line skirt, the puffy sleeves, the lace headband, the bows on my shoes - sometimes it's nice to go for something a little different. It was a pleasant change to go for a 'pretty' outfit.

Ad Round Up VI: Paris ii

Despite the giant pit of nothing that I'm doing with my time, I still adore the way that time slows down when you just know that it's a Bank Holiday.

Miu Miu: Katlin Aas, Emily DiDonato, Daphne Groenveld, Georgia May Jagger, Adriana Lima, Marina Nery, Hind Sahli, Anne Verhallen, Lindsey Wixon by Inez & Vindooh

This collection/campaign is probably my favourite - the spots, the stripes, the colours, the quasi-nautical shoot, the scarves, the metallic boots - I'm just sending theoretical heart emojis at Miuccia for this one. Bonus Points for being just the right amount of sweet.

Valentino: Kati Nescher, Maud Welzen by Inez & Vindooh

The serenity of the Valentino models, and the slightly ethereal feel to them, is wonderful and fully reflects the medieval-princess aura of their shows and designs, even when it's a mini skirt. Bonus Points for the blue - it's almost Virgin Blue.

Dior: Daria Strokous byWilly Vanderperre

The 'new' Dior is just the right amount of polish, don't you think? It makes me think of people who are just naturally 'fabulous' - it doesn't even look like they're trying. And that's been pretty well recreated here, with the touches of red and the haughty expressions. Bonus Points for the shoe print, and making expensive look natural.

Lanvin: Edie Campbell by Steven Meisel

Remember the dancing campaign? This one's just as good; the clothes look dynamic, like something I could actually wear, despite how impractical they may really me. Bonus Points for making the same model look so utterly different with each look.

Celine: Daria Werbowy by Juergen Teller

I feel as though this campaign shouldn't work - the background reminiscent of the bathroom tiles at my grandmothers, the typically-Teller stark photography - but it does, and hats off to 'em.

Kenzo: Sean O'Pry, Rinko Kikuchi by Toilet Paper

This campaign is just an explosion of fun - it might be a tiny bit nightmare-y if you think about it too hard, but it's so bright that it stands out in the impeding gloom of winter (is that something I can think about on a hot sunny day like today?) Bonus Points for taking the 'hipster' eye obsession and making it way more fun.

Hermes:

I have a pretty intense aversion to snow - it's cold, gets in the way, you end up all soggy without an atmospheric rain-walk (some people have told me I ahven't seen 'real' snow, but I studied in New England for a year, I've seen snow). However, I would consider adjusting that on the basis of these images, where snow starts looking like the perfect accompaniment to my outfit. If I had a cape and thigh-high boots. Or skied. Hmmm. Bonus Points for The World's Most Expensive Ski Flags.

Ad Round Up V: Paris i

I suspect that a not-inconsiderable part of these images' appeal to me is the black & white, and the French cool they embody. It's a winning formula, and one I'm rarely not attracted to. This is another two-parter (which is leading to all manner of contemplations about why there seem to be more ads from Europe-proper), split by the colour saturation of the images.

Saint Laurent: Freja Beha Erichsen by Hedi Slimane

Even though I'm not really getting happy feelings about the current Saint Laurent direction (it's cool, but it feels like Slimane just took the name and ignored what it was?), this ad campaign is pretty kick-ass. My girl-crush on Freja probably helps here, but they emit the kind of cool I dream of being. Bonus Points for that bag, it's on my wishlist (OK, maybe Slimane has some good ideas).

Isabel Marant: Daria Werbowy by Karim Sadli

Who doesn't love Daria? And who doesn't love Isabel Marant? It might be an obvious pairing, since they're both having a 'moment', but that doesn't make it bad. Bonus Points for featuring shorts in an Autumn/Winter campaign.

Givenchy: Amanda Seyfried by Mert and Marcus

The half-Bambi print is already showing signs that Tisci's still got the Midas Touch when it comes to images-on-sweaters. It's been so pervasive already that I didn't even realise that there was a matching clutch. Plus, Seyfried looks amazing here. Bonus Points for the matching clutch

Joseph: Suvi by Boo George

Blurry backgrounds in black and white might be a photography student trope, but it's so rarely used in the fash-un world now that it still caught my eye as I flipped past on my way to actual content.

Sandro: Edie Campbell

Masculine tailoring (and the black & white) take this seaside shot a hundred miles from Mulberry's SS12 campaign - more icy chill than ice cream, it makes the most of Edie's current 'do, and makes my current moody teenager face way more zeitgeist-y than it should be.

Chloe: 

It's only half in keeping with the theme of this post, but don't the colourless pair look like school mean girls somehow? And doesn't their counterpart look like the new outsider? Not that anyone could be an outsider in Chloe. There's a chance that September-Back-to-School fever has hit me, even though I don't start for a month has influenced how I read this ad, but the fact that two images has started a story in my head says something.

Ad Round Up IV: Milan ii

When splitting Milan in two, I decided to the more 'established' houses first, and then the 'others' in the second post. This isn't because I think the bigger designers are more important, although they arguably have greater influence on the trends of any period, but because it's a simple division to make.

Jil Sander: Edie Campbell by David Sims

These shots might not actually show an awful lot of the clothes they're theoretically trying to sell, but they're beautiful, and the clean minimalism is very true to Sander's aesthetic. Bonus Points for Edie's skin melting into the background. (I know Sander's a major player, but that last post was running loooooong)

MSGM:

This is how to do clashing prints.

Etro: Elisabeth Erm, Aymeline Valade, Sung Hee byt Mario Testino

This is amazingly luxe. From the clothes to the backdrop, it's the ultimate reaction to all the minimalism that gets thrown about; the contrast between the image and the label-font just accentuates this.

Erika Cavallini semi-couture: by Monia Merlo

This is the only campaign image I've seen, but the rest of it is just as wonderful (and can be seen here). I'd never heard of Cavallini before, but I think I might have a new obsession - the styling of this is the right dose of ladylike, with the socks as a 'fun' twist. Even though it's a head-to-toe look, it doesn't look contrived, it looks natural. Bonus Points for doing what Louis Vuitton did, but better (if you ask me anyway).

Ad Round Up III: Milan i

Turns out I really like Italian adverts, so this is going to appear in two halves

Dolce & Gabbana: Monica Bellucci, Andreea Diaconu, Bianca Balti, Kate King, by Domenico Dolce

Dolce & Gabbana's ad campaign are pretty similar season after season, but it's a winning formula, that makes the clothes look like a part of the Italian cultural landscape as seen by Hollywood, helped by the inclusion of locals and the fact that the clothes themselves are steeped in the landscape from their inception. Bonus Points for crowns.

Gucci: Abbey Lee Kershaw by Mert and Marcus

This shot is hypnotic... you turn the page and you're hit with a weird kind of power/sex appeal. Even though Gucci isn't one of my wishlist labels, and shiny clothes weird me out a little, this shot is too good not to include. Bonus Points for making the top half not look a a little cheap.

Emporio Armani: Jacquelyn Jablonski, Ruby Aldridge, Esther Heesch by Craig McDe

The twinsy nature of Emporio shows translates well to print. But maybe I just like the hats, and just how happy they seem to have a bag. Never underestimate the happy-power of new bags.... Bonus Points for carrying bags like they don't have bombs in them.

Prada: Christy Turlington by Steven Meisel

I'll let in on a secret - I'm not a fan of Prada's campaigns. And this one isn't an exception, except for this shot. It's probably because it's the only one where the model isn't losing her clothes... The clothes look great when they aren't styled like the runway show. Bonus Points for making the whole wet-hair thing look good for once.

Bottega Veneta: by Ralph Gibson

Bottega may have toned down the hair from runway to magazine, but that edge on a classic shape is still there somehow. The outfit looks deceptively simple, but has that expensive aura that makes it aspirationally simple. Bonus Points for using colour and black and white in the same spread.

The Best American Television

When I'm talking about American TV, I don't mean the sitcoms that get played on repeat on E4 until I can't stand them anymore. I'm talking about Drama. Not fluffy teen drama (which is my not-so-guilty pleasure in life), I mean 'real' drama, with that degree of dramatic integrity that makes shows 'cult' hits.

My love of American Drama isn't all encompassing - I've tried and failed to get into Breaking Bad, and I'm still working on The Walking Dead - and British Drama is equally good, but today I noticed something about the shows I get hooked on. I'm always late to the party because I get in TV ruts and forget a lot, so my two favourites are streamed obsessively for a week and then left until the end of the next season for my next 'sesh'.

It's the title sequences. I like shows with off-kilter, not really linked to the show, weird, creepy title sequences. I'm talking about the beginnings of True Blood and American Horror Story. They set the atmosphere of the show without actually showing anything of the show. They aren't created by the same people, but they're both TVMA shows I think, so it must be the channel that's good at the formula rather than a specific person. Either way, they're ace sequences, with the right music and imagery to represent the shows.

Tea: Pu-Erh

Anyone who knows me, knows I drink a lot of tea. And not in a 'normal' British way - my best friend came round last week and laughed when I asked her which of the three types of tea present in the kitchen she wanted. This is just at my mum's, I've been known to have more... Her options were Yorkshire Gold, Earl Grey, and Pu-Erh.

Pu-Erh is a Chinese tea that's pretty similar to Lapsang Souchong in aroma and taste. Like Lapsang, it's not one to have with milk if you only have a little milk in your tea - I'm a 'just the tea' person, so I couldn't tell you for certain. Bizarrely, it's a little pink, which is a bit of a shock the first time you pour it. My mum and I picked it up on a whim when selecting a multi-buy in Whittards (it's a touch pricey, but they do the best range of leaf teas, so I'm getting used to it), and we're the only two in the house who'll drink it. My tea-drinking brothers aren't a fan of the smokey, earthy edge to it. 

It's a fermented tea, which isn't something I was aware of before I started being nosey about this blend. It's a little...peculiar, and apparently has health benefits. However, I'm always a little cynical about that sort of thing.

Ad Round-Up II: London

Is it just me, or do London-based labels, especially the 'out-there' ones like Kane and Holland, not seem to advertise in the same way as other labels? It's a shame, although it does mean I don't have to do this post in tow halves.

Paul Smith:

I have a weakness for preppy-ness, and the Paul Smith campaigns are always, like the brand, the right amount of polished prep. Sure, the girl looks sulky, and it isn't as 'arty' a campaign as SS13 was, but something about the way she's tugging on her coat, and the wonderful shades of blue, really caught my eye. Bonus Points for making me (momentarily) consider switching out my doctors bag for a clutch again.

Stella McCartney: Suvi Koponen, Chiharu Okunugi by Mert and Marcus

Je sais, je sais, Stella shows in Paris, but she's a London girl, and this is the easiest way to reclaim her. The quirky signage in the left image, and the vivid colours in both make the images seem somehow cheerier than the deadpan model faces. Bonus Points for making walking through a pool in an expensive coat seem totally normal.

Orla Keiley: Kirsi Pyrhonen by Julia Hetta

After the typing-pool presentation in February, Orla Keily is clearly sticking with the theme here, and the campaign is just as cool and quirky as the original outing was. Bonus Points for tempting me to try white tights (watch this space).

Vivienne Westwood: by Jack Piersen

My weak spot for roses explains why I love this image from Viv's latest campaign the most. Bonus Points for shooting an AW campaign in a blatantly summer setting, and for advertising the bags without a model.

Anya Hindmarch: by Jenny van Sommers

The eclectic backdrop Hindmarch gives her bags in her campaigns make me smile - last season's might have been more elaborate, but these are equalling appealing.

L.K.Bennett: Rosamund Pike by

Even though Pike looks a little uncomfortable, I'm just as enamoured of her as the rest of the world right now - plus, having dared to handle one of the bags she helped design, I can say that it's on my fantasy wishlist.Bonus Points for featuring London landmarks without a Palace reference.

Topshop:

I was almost tempted to file this under Inspiration rather than under Ad Campaigns, but I figured that if an ad made me want to wear the clothes, that probably meant it was working. Bonus Points for making me rethink my 'eh' attitude to Topshop (even though I'd bet that these clothes will be hell to find in-store..).

Hillier London: from LOVE magazine

Not an ad campaign, but it comes much closer than any other editorial ever does; Hillier should be grateful. Bonus Points for making clip-art cool again

Ad Round Up I: New York

Part One of a series of posts on the new round of Autumn/Winter '13 ad campaigns as seen in Vogue UK/Elle UK/LOVE, focused on New York (it's the first city for Fashion Week, and that seems like a logival way to organise the posts to stop it being one epic ramble).

rag & bone: Lea Seydoux by Glen Luchford

 rag & bone seem to have stepped away from the model DIY approach they've used in the past, instead showing the French actress being cool all over New York, which is how the clothes were intended to be used. Bonus points for a smiling model, black and white, getting someone French to add that Gallic je-ne-sais-quois

Proenza Schouler: Sasha Pivovarova by David Simms

Getting Sasha in your campaign is no mean feat, and the fact that she looks like herself, all natural hair and nonchalant bitch-face gives this a step up on the Prada campaign we last saw her in. Bonus Points for random bird wing

Oscar de la Renta: Iris van Berne, Kate Bogucharskaia, Patrycja Gardygajlo by Norman Jean Roy

The trio of models make de la Renta look like far more than the New York elite that make up his client base - it's more edge than class, without alienating those looking to the label for elegance. Bonus Points for featuring buckety hats without making me internally scream WHYYYYYYY?? and the obi feel of the belts without an air of cultural appropriation.

3.1 Phillip Lim: Kiko Mizuhara by But Sou Lai

I know this is only half a double page shot of the campaign, but it's the bit I like; the juxtaposition of the neon lights and similarly toned outfit look like random stills from a party scene in a film where you really want to be friends with the characters. I want to be friends with the 3.1PL girl, I'm sold on the clothes. Bonus Points for not making it seem Las-Vegas-seedy

Paige Denim: ???

No one really lies around leaning on their friends legs, and I think that without the caption the picture would look a little dead, but the jeans look awesome. Bonus Points for a 00:17 film that wasn't just a moving shot of some clothes

Donna Karen: Catherine McNeil by Mikael Jansson

The sex appeal of this dress, even without a view of the front, screams out of the back cover Vogue UK, and I guess the guy's alright... Bonus Points for showing the back of a dress without a mirror to show the front.

DKNY: Cara Delevigne by Patrick Demarchelier

Another half shot, just because I'm not convinced that the man painting the box on the other side of the page really added anything to a rare shot that I like of Delevigne. Bonus Points for daring to get the dress a little dirty.

Image copyright to the brands, images via Vogue/Elle/LOVE

General Ghost

I'm in the middle of a bit of a love affair with General Ghost, a duo based in Nashville. They're often described as a cross between Pedro the Lion and Death Cab, they're a NoiseTrade 'Featured Artist', and since last year they have released two EPs. They met via twitter, but work as musicians with other artists, so General Ghost could be seen as their 'side-project' or what they do when they aren't busy with their 'day job' (Jon Howard plays guitar for Paramore, but this is far from Paramore material).

In a conversation with a friend, he announced that in The World According To [Him], every band would have an interesting story behind their name. I'm not sure what he classes as 'interesting', but I really love the story behind 'General Ghost' - they attributed odd noises in the War of 1812-era building they record in to the ghost of the general who built it, the General's Ghost, and then "We took away the apostrophe because ghosts hate punctuation." (Source)

Their records have just the right amount of 'production fun' - there's a flippy bit on 'Don't Waste Yourself', and there are more than two instruments on all the tracks, with a sprinkling of what I, ignorantly, think of as 'computer noises' - without compromising on their self-referenced quick writing style. Howard says that it feels more natural, working quickly, and there is a definite sense that not much about the finished product is forced, over-thought, or over-edited. Not that there is a lack of 'finish' to them, just that they feel authentic. Even their 'New York Minute' cover has the right amount of GG spin in it to make it feel like one of their own.

General Ghosts is the kind of band that you know would be excellent in small venues, but could also amp it up for bigger stages - the kind of band that cries out for a festival stage in the sunshine. (Or maybe I'm just still in that summer mood and wish for another festival and more sunshine...)

Don't Need You

Jumper: Fat Face, Skinny Jeans: Gap (Always Skinny, grey wash - my perfect skinnies), Boots: River Island

These boots, which I almost didn't buy (good job I had my shopping devil with me), kind of make even the most basic outfit feel a little edgier, thanks to the baby studs and the fact that really there is nothing cooler in life than cowboys (I have zero interest in The Lone Ranger, but I want the LEGO sets...). John Wayne films, the image of shoot-outs at dawn, the swinging of saloon doors and the danger of the 'Wild West', the remembered details from history classes and modules, jumping on your horse and heading out alone... it's all imagery that sticks with me. Even though sartorially speaking the boots (and the knotted square scarves in winter, kind of like Celine AW12) are all that I'd adopt, doesn't mean that I don't feel as though that one item gives me mythical, and entirely imaginary, badass-ery.

I'm Not A Robot

Jumper: H&M (Boys School Uniform), Dress: Zara TFC, Bag: Matt&Nat, Boots: River Island

Another shot from last week's trip to London - we wandered into the courtyard at the Royal Academy to chill for a bit after having a quick nose in Fortnum & Mason (more on that to come next week....). The jumper is one I picked up in the boys' school uniform section of H&M, where I also buy shirts - I like the cut of boys clothes, and these ones both fit me better than I would have admitted a couple of years ago, and are cheaper than something of a similar quality in the 'grown-up' section thanks to the handy lack of VAT on children's clothing. As an added bonus, my increasing sartorial tendency towards androgyny means that these 'boy' clothes have a welcome place in my wardrobe.

Even though posing in front of the Society of Antiquaries (a sign which was cropped off this photo when it was taken unfortunately) wasn't really a part of our day, I liked the idea of the dichotomy between the name over the door and the robots on this dress: