Happy Friday: Study

Oh the agony! Why am I doing assignments again?? Just how many qualifications do I wish to collect anyway??

This weekend I must write an assignment, going back on a promise I made myself several years ago after completing a Masters of Law while also working full time. Clearly, I have a self-harm problem, in the form of study. I swear it stops after this assignment and exam are neatly filed away in the "Career Enhancing Move" pile. I have even gone so far as to delete my annual reminder saying "Consider MBA". Consider it considered: I'm not doing it.

Stylish Cinema

Trapped in my apartment and looking for something to assist my efforts at not doing an assignment that's due next week, I did the first thing any good procrastinator would do: turn on the TV. Things you realise when you aimlessly turn on the TV : there is nothing on TV; TV probably makes you dumber; precious hours of your life can slip away while watching Z grade celebrities engage in a ballroom dancing competition.

Thankfully outlier station Gem was showing The Talented Mr Ripley. What a treat for the eyes, and a glorious reminder of my brief visit to Rome in August. 

The Talented Mr Ripley is set largely around Italy in the mid-1950s, and centres around a group of young, beautiful and wealthy Americans gaily spending their parent's money as they holiday over an Italian summer. Filmed in 1999 (I think this almost puts it into "classic" territory), the all-star cast is very young and very, very gorgeous. Of course, set in the 1950s, the clothing is immaculate. 

It's a big call, but I think this film really captures Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow at their best looks-wise (that's not a very nice thing to say, as they both still look great, but they are gorgeous in Ripley).

Paltrow plays Marge, the doe-eyed, sweet and innocently devoted girlfriend of Dickie (played by Jude Law). Dickie is selfish, at times unkind, but ultimately rather likable with his rakish attitude to life. Marge is a glamour puss: espadrilles and classic white shirts by day, and dripping diamonds and ball gowns by night. As winter closes in, and she starts to wise up to Ripley (played with a dab hand by Matt Damon), her clothing morphs into a more sophisticated, grown-up style. 

Do not mess with leopard print-wearing woman

A good trench never goes out of style

Also starring is Cate Blanchett as Meredith and Philip Seymour-Hoffman as the man who smells a Ripley-sized rat long before anyone else.

The Talented Mr Ripley had me longing for summer days in Italy and a scarf in my hair.

Oh Lorde

You look pretty great.

Totally rocking the glam-leisure trend.

Happy Friday: (Mini) Summer Holiday

On Sunday Lovely Hubby and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary. It seems so long ago since that day: a balmy afternoon in country Queensland, when we made our vows, and we tried to give our close friends and family a little glimpse in to our secret, happy world of love. Weddings are pretty special. It's still the best day of my life.

So of course you can't let a day so memorable go by without a little celebration! This afternoon we're sneaking away early for a mini beach break. Sunshine, champagne, croissants and Japanese food. I can't wait!

Happy Friday x

Shoesday: Mary Katrantzou for Adidas

Fashion's Queen of print - Mary Katrantzou - has released her latest collection: an out of the box, glow in the dark collaboration with Adidas.

The collection features studded shoes, serious lashings of colour, and of course a solid dose of the the furious prints we've come to expect from this Dutch master.

The collection doesn't just stop with shoes - with figure-hugging zip up dresses and pullovers in neoprene and print mesh with lashings of florals and the iconic adidas 3-stripes, the trend of wearing athletic wear as outer wear is unlikely to die out any time soon.

Instagram vs Real Life - Guest Editor Garance Dore

I came across one of Garance Dore's posts this morning and couldn't resist sharing parts of it. It is so true. I am a bit of an Instagram obsessive, and I can definitely understand the insecurity Instagram can breed. I actually bumped into a friend a few months ago, and I mentioned how great everything looked for her (based on her Instagram feed). How wrong I was. No job, boyfriend troubles and a complete lack of direction had her feeling utterly powerless. I was stunned: her photographed, filtered life gave away none of the angst that she was feeling. You would never guess.

Ummmm, hang on. Excuse me for just two seconds. I can’t talk now, I have to Instagram something. Oooook….there we go.

Send.

Ok, all set. It’s posted. Woooo, 10 likes! In two seconds!!! Heheheh. Oh sorry. I’m here. How’s it going? Are you on Instagram? How’s your Instagram life? Super cool, right?

The thing with Instagram, it’s the difference there is between our real life and the dream life we post. Ok so we’re all supposed to know it and take Instagram life with a grain of salt, but let’s be honest, we all forget.

We really think we can follow people’s life on Instagram. And then things happen like :

Friend : “Oh, sorry – I didn’t reach out too much these past week, I saw on Instagram you were busy travelling and very happy.”
Or things like : “Oh my gooood, you had the best summer didn’t you!”

Me: “Huh? What are you talking about? I mean, I went through a break up, I moved, it was kind of a mess there for a minute. Ohhh, you mean my INSTAGRAM? Well, yeah – it’s my Instagram account!!! Don’t judge me by my Instagram!!! I had a summer that was sometimes amazing, sometimes boring, sometimes awful. Just like everyone else. And four nice photos of Greece (Okay I have to admit, one pretty amazing week) don’t make my whole summer amazing.

But at the same time, I totally jump to conclusions too. One of my friends spent three weeks posting lovey selfies with her new guy, and I said:

Me: “Oh honeeeey!!! I’m so happy for you! You met the love of your life! He’s so cute with his beard!”
My friend: “The guy with the beard? That asshole? No, no – it’s over now. Good riddance! But since you can’t really make a break up announcement on Instagram (unless you post some inexplicable quote that only three people will understand, like “All ends are beginnings” “Love is never enough” “Singles do it better”) everyone thinks I’m still with him.
But no worries – two weeks without cheesy love selfies and everyone will have forgotten.”

So there you go. That will teach us to only post the happy photos, right?

But have you ever tried posting a photo of something normal, or even a little depressing?
Oh la la, total disaster, unfollowing festival, disappearance from the planet of likes.

---- credits to Garance Dore for these words and pictures


If anyone looked at my Instagram account, they would probably I just drink coffee all day. (Which is pretty accurate at the moment.) I wonder if our Instagram accounts will be the relics we leave behind for the uber evolved humans to discover after climate change wipes us all out? What will they think of us? Between Kim Kardashian's butt, a litany of green smoothies and "bliss" balls, and a bunch of cats and dogs, they'll probably assume we died because we weren't terribly bright. Someone Instagram the comet landing, STAT!