Ombré

It began with Drew. At a first glance, it appeared as though she simply needed her roots doing, at a second I realised that the colour change was occurring slightly further down her mane; specifically the ends. The idea is that your hair is lighter at the ends then at the roots and changes in a gradual hue; kind of like applying a gradient map to your hair. I’m becoming more and more tempted to try this on my hair; although maybe I’ll wait till the snow melts as it’s quite a summery look. All my favourites are at it; Alexa Chung, Rachel Bilson and notably Leighton Meester- another Girl-Crush of mine.

Ombré hair was just one of the looks in the December beauty shoot that she did for Marie Claire. She looked beautiful and made rock-chic look elegant by balancing out a glitter mouth with a naked eye. 

Mr Margiela

Having studied Maison Martin Margiela as my conceptual designer of choice this semester, I felt adequately equipped to write an article about the brand for the January Issue of Mens Fashion Magazine. Read it here, and watch this space for more Margiela related goodness.

Girl-Crush: Drew Barrymore

Ever since she walked onto the Alan Carr show wearing that Margiela inspired cape and black wedge shoes; ive been girl-crushing on Drew Barrymore. Shes been around a lot lately promoting her new film, Going the Distance so ive had plenty to drool over; I just love how she manages to look thrown together yet polished at the same time- truly an art form! Here are some of the outfits I love.

Letters from Chanel

The excitement of receiving a parcel is never lost on me; so imagine how excited I was when, on return from Leeds for Christmas break, there was one waiting for me. My parcel came tied in the perfect black and white ribbon of Chanel, all the way from New York. Enclosed was a beautiful card decorated with an illustration by Karl himself and edition of Chanel: her style and her life. I can’t wait to add it to my groaning bookshelf!

Thailand

3 days, 8 flight tickets, 2 actual flights, two routes... Hello Thailand. For the holidays, 3citiesgirl has ventured out to Thailand with her family; watch this space for posts and pictures, all wifi dependent!

I Ladurée You

The moment I handed in my final assignment I was in my car and homebound; only for a night though- I couldn’t wait to pack up my favourite things and run away to London. I find it so relaxing to be there; I have time to do things I don’t get a chance to do, like read, knit, and most importantly cook. I have to state here that although I am a sufficiently good cook (I’ve yet to kill anyone by undercooked chicken) I’m definitely not one for following a recipe. My efforts never match the photograph and usually end up in the bin; this is probably why I end up cooking Chinese, Thai and fusion foods where recipes are more experimental, forgiving and (to be fair), exciting.

Maybe it’s the Christmassy air, but one evening, The Editor decided he fancied something a little more festive and British. So I cooked my first roast, stuffing and all, with a crumble to finish (shhh…note my secret ingredient) and it turned out quite lovely after all!

 Ed rewarded my efforts the next day with some gorgeous Ladurée Macaroons- nothing says I love you like Ladurée!

Royal Variety

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend the live performance of the Royal Variety. Student life in Leeds rarely is an occasion to play dress up (unless its for an Otley run) so it was nice to get glammed up and spend the evening being entertained by many, including my favourite comedian Michael Mcintyre. People really went all out; floorlength gowns and little fur shrugs- a far cry from the library in Leeds where I’d been just a few hours earlier! The highlight of the evening was Take That’s performance I’m not usually a fan but they really put on a show, however, I forgot where I was for a moment when N-Dubz came onstage and wooped- the embarrassment was only slightly reduced when some people a few rows behind me joined in. 

Girltoy (No, It's Not Rude)

They had this video playing in the Jack And Jones store in Copenhagen- très amusant! Do you want to become a Girl toy? 

Copenhagen, Tak

It’s no excuse of course, but the last few weeks have been a busybusybusy blur of trains, planes and my not-so-trusty car, which apparently is ill equipped for the snowy weather. Though I haven’t ventured too far out of the time zone, it’s left me feeling a bit lost in translation and disoriented.

(Lets pretend I posted this two weeks ago.)
Over the weekend I went to Copenhagen for the night for an event- and of course had to do the usual Leeds to Manchester drive to catch a flight and then the same in reverse the following day. I've never been there before so I wasn't sure what to expect; I’ve seen street style shots, which depict its residents as pretty cool so I was looking forward to exploring the city.

Photos from http://copenhagenstreetstyle.dk/

We stayed at the Nimb Hotel, which is simply gorgeous- all wooden floors, fur throws and roaring fireplaces with quirky accents, which gave it a ‘designed’ edge. The hotel has only 13 rooms; each is slightly different. Ours had its own bookshelf complete will a library even Karl would be proud of and a little fireplace which was so cosy. 

The Nimb Hotel

Behind the hotel is Tivoli; which is a massive outdoor market. It felt like a cross between Disneyland and the German Markets that we get in England; smelling of sausage and waffles and yummy mulled wine (they call it Glögg). There were lots of little huts selling different things but I was fascinated by the amount of fur on sale; hundreds of soft throws, hats, jackets, slippers, and even phone cases!

I spent some time in the city centre which I found was really random; there were tons of shops resembling H&M wedged in next to kebab shops, tattoo parlours and further down, a Gucci- it was all rather confusing. One boutique that I loved was Asylum, which stocked a really cool eclectic mix of clothes.

Having spent less then 24 hours there, my opinion of Copenhagen is still uncertain. Unlike other cities like Paris and Milan, there wasn’t really a clear ‘style’- associated with the people and places alike; however, for a quick chance to see somewhere new, it was well worth it. 

Monday Treat- 20% off ASOS

With my workload manic and it's only just Monday, I know I'm going to have to treat myself tonight with 20% off ASOS own brand. I've got my eye on this gorgeous lace and mesh contour dress- what will you spend yours on? Enter ASOS20 at checkout ;)

Leeds: ASOS Mobile

This is going to make sitting in lectures very expensive...

Leeds: Catwalk Genius

We all know about investment pieces; that perfect black dress or tailored blazer, however Catwalk Genius is an all together different kind of investing. The concept is that you invest in an upcoming designer by buying a share in their collection; once they have full investment they can make the collection and you have an opportunity to make profit. I think its such a cool way to support new designers and I was surprised that there weren't that many designers listed on the site. Still, I discovered pitchouguina and loved her designs- so much that I now have shares in her collection! Check out her 'Cardigans for love stories'.

Leeds: Thanks, Mr Evans

Although I'm relatively new to street photography (the awkward moment when you approach someone: "hi, your cool- can I take your picture?") i've been following it for a while and I came across this quote by photographer Walker Evans:

"Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long."

So in a none creepy way, I've been staring, particularly on my way to my 9am lectures and I realised that asides from the token 'still drunk, last nights make up and uggs' get up sported by some, people on campus actually dress pretty well. Hopefully soon I can put my camera where my mouth is so to speak and get some good shots. 

London: Louis Vuitton A/W 11 Ad Campaign

The seasonal ad campaigns from the fashion powerhouses are always highly anticipated and designers are now giving us the opportunity to sneak a peek at what goes on behind the camera and understand the process that goes into that final image. Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton released this video in addition to advert which I think really is a clever way of connecting the consumer with the brand. I love the Man Men inspired look and Christy Turlington was the perfect model for it. 

London: Street Style

As part of a feature for the November Edition of MFM I took to the streets of Spitafields Market and out and about Brick Lane to find some guys who have a distinct personal look. To see the whole feature and more, check out Mens Fashion Magazine on October 30th. 

James McFadzean, London

Distinctive for: the mix of textures; cable knit with worn leather and a crisp white shirt toughened up with ripped dark jeans.

Matt & Rob, Sidcup

Distinctive for: the clever layering (the black hoodie's Primark) and their 'we don't care about fashion' attitude.

Yusuke, Japan

Distinctive for: the spray-on wet-look jeans with the oversized cardigan and the general 'basic' colour palette.

Fernando, New York

Distinctive for: his rock n' roll mix of bedhead quiff and frayed scarf. The pointy shoes and popped collar are very Johnny Borrell.

Rod, London

Distinctive for: his unapologetic fur obsession and his inability to concentrate long enough for a photograph; "That was intense."

Steve, London

Distinctive for: his on trend aviator jacket offset by slightly special shoelaces.

London: Observations

I love to watch people I see in everyday circumstances and try to guess things about their lives based on how they've put themselves together. Who they are, what their job is, what they care about. It's fun being right but it's even better being wrong; because it proves that you should never judge a book by it's cover. Fashion allows you to wake up and be whoever you want to be. 

Florence: Pitti Filati 66. 27-29th January 10

 Despite the epic journey there (Leeds to Manchester, Manchester to Zurich, 5am Zurich to Florence), Pitti Filati was definately worth visiting. It was a knitters dream of textures and innovative yarns for Spring/Summer 11.

 The stand layouts were displayed in quirky ways; one stand had a garden theme and all the greenery was knitted and displayed in flowerpots. Elsewhere, they had a knitted bicycle and sushi- yum!

The most interactive stand was Millefile- designed like a fairground with a photo booth and superhero photo boards as well as pretty little sandwiches in the shape of letters.

 The trend area was amazing- with the theme being 'No' and playing on the idea of going back to basics. "No car; lets go for a walk" and "No washing machine; I'll do it by hand" were two of the trends but my favourite was "No email; write me a letter" which I thought was so relevant to the way we communicate today- after all, wheres the romance in an email? It featured letters and poems knitted onto fabric scraps and decorated with intricate details- I wish I could receive a letter so beautifully presented!

Leeds: Sicilian, Sartorial & Sensual

Celebrating 50 collections and 25 years in the business, Dolce and Gabbana ended their A/W 10/11 show with a short film showing the craftsmanship that goes into each piece which is simply beautiful. 

See Dolce & Gabanna at work

Manchester: Hello Strangers

Some people think of fashion and dismiss it as just a pretty dress. I don't understand those people. Fashion is a commitment to consciously design every aspect of myself. It is research and design; being influenced by others and making it my own. It is a life choice. It’s the perfume I wear, the earrings I love, the places I go to and the places I want to go to. It is the breathtaking design of a building and the colour of an old leather sofa. It is my mum, my friends, and the people I can’t stand. It is the driving force that makes me evolve, change, grow. It is not just a pretty dress.