MeetMyParkLife

Occasion: Parklife Festival!

Saturday: Day One

I'm still smiling even though the weather was typical Manchester!

Outfit Recipe [let's take it from the top]...

• Vintage vibrant red 80’s strapless playsuit *perfect ‘throw-on’ festival style!...although tricky when port-a-loos are involved!
• Cream & peal wool jumper *a thin layer of wool will help keep you warm while partying on into the night!*
• Khaki parka *unfortunately Manchester’s weather wasn't that promising*

A Sprinkle Of Accessories...

• Black patent wellington boots *a festival must!*
• Gold chain headband *to keep the hair in place all day*

With An Essence Of...

• Mud!

Sipping on…

• Cider *the drink of festivals!*

Dancing To...

• Noah & the Whale [one of the festival’s headliners]

Lusting After…

• Sunshine to wear proper summer festival gear!

Parklife weekend has finally arrived & I'm ready to party...even if it has to be in the mud!

However...in order to get my weekend ticket I was volunteering on the Saturday from 11-7, meaning I got to catch the headliners for the first day & let my hair down [well all that is the fringe!] on the Sunday! By the time my volunteering was finished [and after downing some confiscated drinks *shhhhh*] I managed to catch the American band Noah & the Whale rocking the main stage. Their songs sounded as good as the recordings...I just wish I knew a few more of their songs!

http://www.parklife.uk.com/

MeetMyJourney

A Friend & fellow blogger, Galaxy Glamour, has recently been in contact with me about an interview of my fashion journey so far. Please Check out her amazing style and beauty blog & my first ever interview in the blogging world...

http://beautifulsimplicity-holziepink.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/interview-with-graduate-fashion.html

MeetMyDedication

Occasion: Moving Art Materials & Going To The Cinema To Celebrate

 The End Of My Group Project!

Yes, I am sitting in a wheelbarrow!...

This is because today was the day that our group project officially ended [and our new summer project began…no rest for the wicked!]…but what to do with all our materials? Being a bit of a hoarder & not knowing where this would all end up if I just left it at our current workshop [20/22 in the Northern Quarter] I roped my boyfriend Sean into helping me wheel this lot and more all the way home!...Well he did the wheeling & I did the dealing!

But it was well worth it!...After investing in about 50 cushions all together to create a ‘comfy social seating area’ for Manchester’s Hipsters, that wasn’t such an expected hit due to this city’s iconic weather, I thought we might as well transfer our flat!

So now our decorated wheelbarrow [previous made to transfer ‘found material’ all across the town] is sitting in our kitchen with a selection of brightly coloured cushions overflowing it. And my flatmates got dug in straight away!

Outfit Recipe [let's take it from the top]...

• Hot pink vest *tied up in a front knot to turn into a crop top to wear with high-waisted trousers*
• Yellow ochre & pearl embellished suede leather bolero jacket *colour clashing is key in summer*
• Navy blue brocade patterned high-waisted trousers *they have been called “Aladdin” pants & belly dancing trousers, but Mediterranean wide-leg free flowing trousers are the perfect shape right now*

A Sprinkle Of Accessories...

• Handmade recycled African beaded earrings [see yesterday's post]

After wheeling around town I decided to treat my hand to a bit of sparkle…literally! As soon as I saw Barry M’s sparkle polish for only £2.99 I knew I had to get myself [& my nails] some! A few layers later & they were dazzling. Keep building up for more of a disco ball effect!

Lusting After…

• More sparkly nail varnishes *in every colour!*

Watching...

• Prometheus 3D [great effects but scarier than I expected!]

Munching on…

• Popcorn *sweet of course!*

MeetMyGift

…From My Friend & To Society

Occasion: The Day After The Surprise Party…

Brunch & Jewellery Making = Perfect Hangover Cure!

Where: Liverpool's Mellow Mello Cafe

 [http://www.mellomello.co.uk/]

*We Even Spotted An Actor There!*

Making…

• Handmade jewellery out of Ghanaian beads made from recycled materials like old car tyres. To be sold at this upcoming African jewellery fair in Liverpool...

Sipping on…

• Tea! *out of this amazing ceramic teapot...*

Munching on…

• Homemade vegetarian lasagna & double-tier summer berry sponge *I wish I could cook like this!*

Dancing To...

• Anything Jazz & Vintage *the genre’s this cute café specialises in*

Lusting After…

• Our handmade ethnic earrings...my friend Suzie insisted that I took one pair of my creations & one pair of her's home to show off! So her is me modelling her emerald creation...

MeetMyCelebrations

As the whole country was celebrating one part of history [The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee] I was celebrating another…Vimto!

[Photographs taken where Vimto was originally mixed, Granby Row, Manchester]

Occasion: Street Parties In The Northern Quarter & Surprise Party In Liverpool

Because I was heading straight to Liverpool after I checked out the Northern Quarter’s patriotic celebrations I had to dress from day/into night. Take off my denim jacket [which reveals the low criss-cross back of my playsuit] & tights, then I’m ready to boogie! 

Please Excuse The Ladder...All That Grape Treading Is Hard Work!

Outfit Recipe [let's take it from the top]...

• Vintage metallic burgundy playsuit *check out the back!*
• Vintage light denim jacket
• Black & straw ‘flatforms’

A Sprinkle Of Accessories...

• Black tights *to prevent that bank holiday chill*
• Gold chain head-band

With An Essence Of...

• Vimto [of course!]

Sipping on…

• I know what it should have been but I thought I'd give Ginger wine a try! *Verdict: very sweet, but better when mixed with a spirit!*

Munching on…

• Homemade “Slutty Brownies” [These are an actual recipes, I’m not just being rude!...http://mysanfranciscokitchen.com/slutty-brownies/] They have a digestive biscuit base & an oreo biscuit layer, topped off with gooey brownie mix *heaven!* 

Dancing To...

• Can’t quite remember, but surely that means it was a good night!?

Visiting...

• Liverpool's many bars & clubs including the £1 tequila bar Ca Va [dangerous!], Heebeegeebies & Aloha.

Lusting After…

• Homemade jewellery [check out my next post!]

MeetOurSunday

Today My Boyfriend & I decided to dress each other…

Occasion: Hung-over Lunch & Shopping in Town

Piccadilly Garden's Fountains [Note: How High Are The Fountains behind me compared to Sean!

Annie’s Outfit Recipe *As Chosen by Sean*

Androgynous ‘London Business Class’ Rocker [let's take it from the top]...

• Black studded leather jacket *one of my investment buys* [Topshop]
• Fine knit swan print pastel jumper top
• Medium denim jeans
• Patent black brogues

A Sprinkle Of Accessories...

• Black felt vintage bowler hat
• Minimalist silver shapes watch *a previous Birthday present, treat it well & they will last forever* [Sekonda]
• Long silver Saint Christopher pendant *Saint of Travel, reminds you the enjoy wherever you are*
• Silver teddy bear & Celtic star necklace *made myself out of Mum’s old jewellery*

With An Essence Of...

• Paul Smith’s ‘Rose’ *Sean picked out my scent too*

Munching on…

• Macaroni cheese, garlic bread & salad *mmm, lovely hangover cure!*

Dancing To...

• Spice Girls - Wannabe
• Oasis - She's Electric
• General Fiasco - Rebel Get By [Sean & I saw them together recently & they were amazing...we even got invited into their dressing room for a drink afterwards!]

Lusting After…

• Anything & everything silk!

My Verdict..."I love this look for a casual chilled out Sunday! The bowler hat was perfect for disguising a bad hair day & keeping the drizzle off me!"

***********************************************************************************************************

Sean’s Outfit Recipe *As chosen by Annie* 

Rockin’ The Double Denim 50s Style [let's take it from the top]...

• Vintage denim jacket [actually mine]
• Purple top [Topman]
• Light denim jeans
• Green ribbed socks *old skool*
• Brown Brogues

A Sprinkle Of Accessories...

• Black leather belt

With An Essence Of...

• Lager!

Munching on…

• Double hamburger & chips *which definitely defeated him!*

Dancing To...

• The Kooks - Naive

Lusting After…

• Bjorn Borg boxers
• David Beckham’s ‘Bodywear’ collection at H&M [http://www.hm.com/gb/subdepartment/MEN?Nr=4294961308#Nr=4294930476] [http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/videos/TMG9056306/David-Beckham-launches-his-HandM-underwear-range.html]
• Fun fancy dress outfits!

When picking out Sean’s outfit this morning [well this afternoon because we went out last night!] I began with the shoes & worked up, due to Manchester’s temperamental weather! Smart brown brogues combined with a t-shirt & jeans smartens up the look just enough for a chilled out Sunday lunch. The contrasting old skool ribbed green socks [reminds me of hockey!] elevate the look to a quirky level. Roll up the jeans a few times to further accentuate.

When deciding on an outer-layer I decided to really push the 50s style, complementing Sean’s slicked back quiff, with a denim jacket. The majority of people are actually afraid of denim clashing or as we now know it “double denim”, however more recently the look has become popular again & I think Sean has the right attitude to pull it off…

Sean's Verdict..."Amazing Manchester didn't know what hit it!"

MeetMyWeek

In Photographs...

Dressing at fashion shows make you realise how fast-paced the fashion industry really is…

I experiences hairy jock-straps, heavily embellished insect-inspired knitwear, wooden scaffold-structured outer-garments as well as layers & layers of garments topped off with amazing accessories like sweet little cherries on a cupcake [well maybe not so much the hairy jock-straps!]

However, this collection did remind me of a certain Martin Margiela's design...

Lady Gaga also pretentiously sported a similar style to numerous events...

But on the plus side, this dramatic look does attract a lot of press attention...

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-15762187
• http://trendland.com/page/4/?s=margiela&x=0&y=0
• http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/monster-hair-ball-lady-gagas-812214

Some collections were sponsored by shoe brands, with Jeffrey Campbell [http://www.jeffreycampbellshoes.com/] providing all the shoes for the lucky ones… His cut-out heels topped off the look, complimenting the printed knitwear & pastel hues. I love the way he particularly plays around with the shoes' heels & soles, creating a totally unique heely-feeling.

My obsession with brogues would go into overload if I got my mits on a pair of these cut-out heeled versions, let alone this summer-friendly pair...

Imaginations were obviously running wild in the final year Fashion students at Manchester Metropolitan University as they were preparing their final collections for the catwalk.First in the running order was their Manchester Fashion Show, at The Museum of Science & Industry [MOSI], ironically where my group held our previous fashion show! However, it did make me realise how much work I have ahead of me in the up-and-coming two years of my life…the collections looked incredible!

This was all in preparation for the finale at London’s Annual Graduate Fashion Week, where only 14 of the collections have been chosen to walk the catwalk of opportunities.

This is where I aim to end up.

http://www.gfw.org.uk/