Meshmerising

Let's give a nod to the nineties with the return of fishnet, gauze and shimmer!

I've never really been fishnet's biggest fan, spending many years believing that it belongs solely to the punk variety, and I still strongly believe that fishnet tights and finger-less gloves do belong chained away in that category. However, much like England's relationship with Scotland at the moment, I may be willing to make a change in attitude on fishnet as a whole. This change came about under the influence of one of my pal's latest purchases; it was a totally wacky, totally brilliant, fishnet top from Urban Outfitters. The material is, at first glance, of a metallic blue, but under various lights the colour of the top can appear purple, green or even a tinge silver. I was incredibly impressed by my friend's find (and actually rather peeved I didn't find it myself.) Nonetheless, she managed to change my feelings towards fishnet, leading me to go on a man-hunt for a gauzey beauty of my own.

I discovered that most regular high-street shops didn't tend to stock the type of top I was after, not surprising as they are rather vintage looking, so I knew I had to look in the more obscure places, such as eBay or ASOS Marketplace (NOT to be confused with ASOS; ASOS Marketplace is all secondhand.) I finally managed to find one or two that had the right nineties vibe that I was after and, as there's always the risk with ASOS Marketplace of someone else purchasing your one of a kind item, I didn't hesitate to order. Fingers crossed that this won't be one of those times where clever lighting and pretty models completely transform a piece of clothing!

So if you're brave unleash your inner Cyndi Lauper and step out in a mesh creation (mind you, I would still steer clear of the finger-less gloves...)



Left: Urban Outfitters top
Right: ASOS Marketplace top

Scent from above

A fashion blog, by law (not really), must only report on clothes, shoes, bags, hats, etc. etc. Basically only things that you can wear. However, although some may argue that perfume is a cosmetic item and belongs in a drugstore rather than a clothing store, I'll argue for arguments sake that perfume is just as much a piece of clothing as a flattering dress.

A dress may capture a person's glance, but the perfect scent captures so much more. Scenario: a lady walks past you wearing a gorgeous silk Marc Jacobs number; you'll glance up and appreciate her dress, but once she's left the room the dress may have disappeared but the smell of her Chanel Coco Mademoiselle still lingers; that is what you'll remember her by. You won't remember the colour of her Marc Jacobs or the height of her Carvela heels, you'll remember the fresh, slightly citrusy scent of her Chanel. A scent captures the nose, mind and in some cases even the heart. The most common thoughts when someone smells incredible: what scent is that? Do I smell like that when I wear perfume? Is it possible to have a crush on a person's smell? It's not biased to just women either, the same thoughts and feelings apply for men's colognes too and I think that for both sexes there is nothing more flattering than a good scent. So this Christmas instead of asking for a new statement jumper or jacket to make you stand out, why not invest in a statement scent if you haven't got one already? Leave an impression in a different, more subtle way. I personally also feel fantastically fresh when I'm wearing my perfume, as I know that if I can smell it then I must smell incredible to the people around me too. I've been using Chanel Coco Mademoiselle for years now and I still adore the smell, but I quite fancied a change and that is why I'm purchasing Gucci Première in a few days (a very different scent from my current one; fresh and citrusy Vs. floral and slightly musty)and I know I'll get just as much use out of it as the Chanel, or a jumper!



Do let me know what your favourite scents are!

P.s. I haven't been updating my purchased page due to lack of free time, but I'm hoping to get it up to date soon!

Diamonds

It's time for another dip into the realm of my recurring thoughts (I know, I'm excited too) and I think this one is relevant to all age groups, genders, species, mammals etc. etc. So here we go...

Question: why do we have a human instinct to criticise others?

It seems to me that whatever anyone thinks, does, says, wears, there is always at least one person standing by their shoulder ready to belittle it. In a diverse world of many cultures, you'd think that by now this wouldn't be a problem and we'd all accept that each and every person has different interests, different likes and dislikes and different methods, but sadly not. I found a perfect example of this the other day when I asked my step-dad whether it irritates him that my mother always criticises his driving, his response; "Every driver criticises other drivers' methods" and when I asked why he said; "because it's not your own."

Because it's not your own.

Now is that really a reason to criticise something? Because it's not the way you choose to do something, because it's not your personal choice, does that mean it shouldn't be anyone else's? I'm not saying I'm not guilty of this too, boy I can give out peer-criticism, self-criticism, any-criticism by the barrel if I want to, but at least I'm aware it's wrong and try to contain it most of the time, which unfortunately cannot be said for most. Criticism transforms into a hobby for some, consuming their thoughts as they must comment on what an "ugly pair of shoes she's wearing" or how "weird his haircut is" just because it's something that you wouldn't think of choosing for yourself. I'm not going to wring out the already wrung towel of "be yourself, not what people expect you to be" or the classic "everyone is different", because I know, much like anti-smoking campaigns, people won't do something because they're told to, no matter how hard you push it, they will do it because they want to. So as perfect as it would be to live in a less-critical world I know it isn't possible and instead I would like to leave you with this:

Wise American jeweller, Harry Winston, once said; "no two diamonds are alike," (and he was pretty damn rich!)