HALLOWEEN PREPARATIONS

I love Halloween. It's probably my favourite holiday (other than Christmas) and one that has been a big deal since I was little. As a child our family socialised mainly with Canadian ex-pats (because that's where I was born) and my parent's created a little social circle of similar Brits with Canadian ties or vice versa. Our little gang was often extended to include Americans living in London too and Halloween was always celebrated.  

Because trick or treating wasn't the norm at all back in the mid 80s, we used to go en masse to one another's houses, or other families we'd checked with first. I can vividly remember trudging through Blackheath Village in an uncomfortable homemade ghost costume with my little trick or treat bag - I wore the same costume every year until I was about 12. A ping pong ball halved with little slits cut out and put over the eyes, held in place by a pair of sheer-ish white tights worn over the head and a white sheet with a hole in it. High tech stuff. We also used to go to my friend's house to dunk for apples and then her Dad would hide a Rolo in a pile of flour (no drying of the face allowed) and the treat of the Rolo would be somewhat tempered by the mouthful of pastry like flour you'd accidentally inhale. 

Today Halloween is a great opportunity to cook some fun food, indulge in my love of kitsch and get dressed up in something amusing, oh, and have friends round to share it with so I don't look like billy no mates. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I'll debut the costume my little brain has been hatching....

Slippers - Target 

Photo taken with Instagram 

Halloween Pt 3

I've been cooking all day for Halloween, but even so I still have to be dressed up to do it. Went for a simple witchy vibe with new pinny made by my Mum. I picked up the cat print fabric at The City Quilter in New York and was hoping that might make a Halloween quilt (how cool would that be?), sadly she told me in no uncertain terms that this would never happen, but made this instead as a surprise. 

Dress - Charity Shop 

Tights - Target 

Apron - Homemade by my Mum

Shoes - Fabio Rusconi

And my pumpkins... Phew, my hands hurt after this - all bruised and red raw, but I think it was worth it. 

Chanel in my hands, Chanel on my back

At the moment I am reading the Justine Picardie Coco Chanel biography. I have read most books about Gabrielle Chanel, but this is by far the most beautiful. It feels like reading a very chic picture book (unlike most non fiction the book is crammed with full colour pictures all the way through, not just a crappy 8 page insert in the middle you have to keep flicking back or forwards to). As so much of Chanel's work was about creating recognisable visual motifs it makes sense that with this glorious hardback you actually get to see the influences next to the sumptuous creations.  

(This looks like a rude gesture here - it's not. I have no idea why I am doing this, other than my arms hurt a bit from all the weights I'm doing at the moment, so maybe it was an involuntary movement?)

Jacket - Chanel (from Housing Works Thrift)

T-Shirt - Target 

Jeans - Topshop 

Shoes - Russell & Bromley 

Outfit Post Interrupted

There I was in the middle of my outfit post this morning when the door bell rang...and my ASOS shoes (that if you read this blog you may be familiar with) had arrived a couple of days early. I know I said I couldn't afford to buy them, but I was lying awake a night thinking of them. If it gets to that stage I have to relent. It's between my health or my bank balance - it's easier to make more money than it is to come back from the dead, right?

Top - Target (soooo Proenza Schouler S/S 10 without the price tag, I like to think)

Trousers & Belt - Zara

Shoes in top 2 pics - See by Chloe

Shoes in bottom 2 pics - ASOS 

The Morning After The Night Before

Am a tad hungover today, so excuse the glassy eyes. Nothing quite like a summery outfit to convince everyone else that your demeanour is similarly summery, when in fact all you want to do is go back to bed and wait for the Law & Order repeats to kick in at about 4pm. 

T Shirt - Target 

Jeans - Topshop Jamie's 

Shoes - Christian Louboutin