A Little Break...

Lovelies, you may have noticed a lack of posts. It's been quite difficult these past few days. And so I've decided a little break from blogging is in order - just until I sort things out with the new laptop. I don't have a specific time frame in mind. Hopefully it won't be too long, as I will miss you all.

Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004

I'm so sorry to let you all down. But I promise I'll be back and better than ever when I've sorted everything out. Thank you to everyone who comments, follows or even visits the robins you have no idea how much I appreciate your support.
Love you all and see you soon...

Romany

[photo courtesy of momentumpictures.co.uk]

The Curve

Christina Hendricks

"Look at my great job, and suck it!"
Christina Hendricks, to the haters.
Honestly, do I even need to justify why Christina is here? She is pure perfection, as far as I'm concerned.

NOTE: My laptop has broken [cue violins]. My dad has very, very kindly lent me one for a few days but blogging will still be difficult as for some stupid, stupid reason I did not back up my 'blogging' folder. Hopefully I will be able to retrieve those files somehow, but for now I will try my best...

Romany

[photo courtesy of southsidesox.com

The week that was...

Very slow week. You may have noticed I've been somewhat M.I.A. this week either here at my blog (only 2 posts - very bad), or replying to comments, and I can't apologise enough. A combination of Blogger being very nasty and refusing to let me create posts, and the fact that my laptop is playing up, meant that I was completely thrown off my blogging routine. My laptop is quite old, and I think it's safe to say I'm definitely in need of a new one at this point. And so, I'm sorry to say I'm not sure when I will be back to my proper routine. I will post as often as I can and reply to comments as often as I can, but if I mess up on either accounts just know that it is purely my silly little laptop's fault. On the bright side, though, I may have gotten a job as a receptionist at a medical clinic! It will be very casual, and it's still not definite, but fingers crossed that all goes well! Again, apologies all around for this week, and future weeks until everything is back to normal...
But for now, let us take a closer look at the week that has just come to a close...

Quote

"The Internet has allowed people to be 'couch critics.' You could sit anywhere in the world, you could sit in Oklahoma, look at a fashion show on the Internet, you could post your thoughts . . . the Internet has made fashion a lot more democratic in this way. You know, Tavi [Gevinson of Style Rookie], like her or don't like her, she's 13 - whether she even really writes it herself, the idea that she has gotten all this attention, it's because of the Internet, not because of anything else...She has every right to [post] on the Internet, she has every right to have the following she has . . . everybody can follow her and find her creative or funny or quirky or inspiring, but the idea is there are people here [at Elle magazine] who do know the history of fashion...It's absolutely true: if you don't know what you're talking about, then do you really have the credibility to talk about it?"

~Joe Zee, of Elle magazine, on fashion bloggers.
I can see where he's coming from. He is making the mistake of putting all fashion bloggers into the same category as someone like Tavi, and this obviously isn't fair - but I do see his point...


Wardrobe Envy
Nicole Richie leaving Traffic School in Van Nuys, California.
I'm pretty much loving everything about this outfit. The colours, the combination of shorts and tights (hot right now), the fact that Nicole is still championing the big sunnies trend. And I'm also quite fond of this hair colour on Nicole. I could go on all day...


Music
Cleveland indie threesome the Lighthouse and the Whaler have just released their self-titled debut album on iTunes, and have been described as blending 'classic modern pop with interesting orchestral sound-scapes that take you on an imaginary nautical journey beyond the sea.' Listen to White Days.


News
1. Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Radio Times has conducted a poll of 2,000 people, men and women, voting for their favourite film sirens - which spans over 75 years of cinema. The men voted James Bond film Dr. No's sexy Ursula Andress as their favourite, whereas the women voted Breakfast at Tiffany's sophisticated Audrey Hepburn as their favourite. Combined, the results put Audrey, again, at number one followed by...

2. Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music

3. Sigourney Weaver in the Alien movies

4. Ursula Andress in Dr. No

5. Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins

Readers, favourite film sirens?

In actual news, Alexander Wang is launching his first underwear collection, an expansion of T by Alexander Wang, on his website. Considering Wang's collections are usually in favour of the underwear-as-outerwear trend, Wang says the pieces are "definitely intended to be seen" and run from $48 to $72.



Vintage Beauty
Raquel Welch
I know we've all heard bad things about Raquel Welch that may or may not be true. But one thing cannot be denied...the woman is damn gorgeous, that's for sure.

Currently...
...listening to: Róisín Murphy.
...watching: Love Actually (can't even tell you how much I love this movie).
...reading: I think I'll remove this section from now on. Ha.
...eating: badly. Not enough food, due to lack of sleep.



Tell me all about your week!



Have a beautiful weekend!



Romany
[photos courtesy of nicolerichie.org, amazon.com, carlylaynefashionblog.wordpress.com, johnault.wordpress.com, angelfire.com, nerve.com, imdb.com, fashionologie.com and ana-lee.livejournal.com]

Dress Like an Icon...Claudia Cardinale

I would have posted this a few days ago, but Blogger has been cruel to me and keeping me from updating. But Claudia is so gorgeous that I'm sure all will be forgiven, right?

(item credits)

"To do this kind of work [acting], you have to be very strong, otherwise you lose your personality, your identity. "
Claudia Cardinale. Claudia certainly managed to maintain personality, a feisty pro-feminism one too. And all the while maintaining impeccable personal style, that only those lucky enough to be Italian can manage. But in case you were not born in the land of pasta, and have ever tried your hand at the Cardinale, look no further for help...

Romany

[photos courtesy of fashionrat.com and polyvore.com]

The Curve

Jayne Mansfield
Cannes Film Festival, 1964

Jayne was certainly no stranger to drawing attention to herself. But honestly, who wouldn't, with looks like that? Jayne Mansfield may not be as well-known as her "rivals" (Mansfield is sometimes described as being a "poor man's Marilyn Monroe"), but she's certainly one of my all-time favourite icons - always more than happy to celebrate her enviable figure.
"I like being a pin-up girl. There's nothing wrong with it."
Jayne Mansfield. No Jayne, there certainly isn't.

I received an award from the lovely LyddieGal over at Chic on the Cheap a couple of weeks ago, and am finally getting to post about it.

The rules...
share 10 things about yourself.

Here goes...
1. I am 5'10" (maybe taller) and have been tall for my age my entire life. This means I often get the "oh you're tall - can you please reach up and get that for me?" treatment. I don't mind helping, but it gets a bit old after a while.
2. I have incredibly inconsistent tastes (and thoughts and feelings). One day I like one thing, then the next day, sometimes even later the same day, I swing completely the opposite way and can't understand liking the first thing in the first place.
3. Over-confident people intimidate the hell out of me.
4. When I was younger, I got bitten on the nose by a chicken. I've been hostile towards them ever since.
5. I am a pescetarian.
6. I have developed a skill for reading body language over the years. I have a particular talent for guessing who people secretly harbour feelings for (which has been uncannily accurate in recent years).
7. I find reading books, even magazines sometimes, incredibly stressful. Leftover guilt from my final year of high school - if it wasn't study related, I couldn't enjoy it. As a result, I don't read much which is a shame because there are so many books I would love to read.
8. I have a real problem with people who are pretentious or judgemental when it comes to music taste. I've been surrounded by people like this for too long, and now I have no tolerance for their lack of tolerance (haha).
9. I'm incredibly picky when it comes to bags and shoes (which is probably why I am still yet to find a replacement for my gigantic tote that I used for school). You will never find me to be one of those women with endless rows of bags and shoes in her closet, as I doubt I could ever find that many that I like.
10. I like having an uncommon name. I have been told that it makes me sound like a variety of things, from a fairytale character to a "space-travelling freedom fighter".

And so I've decided that instead of passing this award on traditionally, I would love it if anyone who is reading this considers them-self tagged. I'm not copping out, but I just think this is a great way to get to know a blogger, so anyone who wants to do this consider yourself officially a recipient of the award.

Romany

[photos courtesy of nickgilmartin.wordpress.com]

The week that was...

Ah, I still have another award to write about! Monday, I promise.
But before Monday comes, I've got a very exciting weekend planned, personally (it's about time a little excitement came and shook up my rut). It's my gorgeous friend Hannah's 18th birthday party. Despite the fact that her actual birthday was in the beginning of February (and what a night THAT was), her official shindig kept getting pushed back for all kinds of reasons, but it's here now, and just in time for Easter. It seems absolutely wrong to be partying on this of all religious holidays, but hey, I'm in no mood to turn down any kind of excitement.
But for now, let's take a closer look at the week that has just come to a close...

Quote

"I’m pretty much 80 percent healthy, 20 percent indulgent, because I don’t believe in depriving yourself. As soon as you step into the public eye you need to take responsibility for the people you are influencing. Body image is something that the majority of young women struggle with and I do think it is important that models are seen to be healthy and at a weight that works for their body type."

~Miranda Kerr, on health and modelling.

I think it's absolutely wonderful to see Miranda have this attitude. Accepting responsibility of her status as a role model (whether she wants it this way or not - being in the public eye, she realises it's not up to her to decide) and being positive and sensible about it is such a refreshing change. I'm not much of a Miranda fan, but this quote alone may have converted me.

Wardrobe Envy

Karen Gillan (and costar Matt Smith) attend a photocall to launch the new season of 'Doctor Who', Manchester, England.
Yes, more stripes. We've established that I'm thoroughly obsessed. But surely I'm not the only one who thinks the divine redhead looks effortlessly cool in that-quintessentially-British-way whilst at the same time avoids looking like a bumblebee, am I?


Music

Baltimore-based 5 piece folk band Noble Lake's debut album, Heyday, has been praised as such, "....despite any sense of impending doom in the songs of Noble Lake, [lead singer James] Sarsgaard's tender voice and lyrics fight to rejoice in the good of today...stringing memories and anxieties into some of Baltimore's finest contemporary folk music." Listen to Morgantown.


News
In February, Conde Nast announced iPad versions of five of its titles were being prepped. In the same month, a video demo of Interview magazine's iPad app circulated, showing the photography and text of the magazine intermixed with video and audio content.

On April 3 in conjunction with the iPad launch, Interview will debut its April 2010 "iPad Issue" with a digital version designed specifically for the gadget. The application, which promises 330 screens of images and text, plus 20 minutes of video and audio content will be available on the iTunes iPad store for a special edition price of 99 cents. It precedes the print version by over a week - the April issue won't hit newsstands until the week of April 12.
What do you all think? Cool? Or lame?

Kylie Minogue
photographed by Mario Testino

In other news, singer Kylie Minogue, model Claudie Schiffer and actress Sienna Miller have stripped down for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2010 initiative, which aims to raise money and awareness of the killer disease. The campaign is sure to be close to Minogue's heart, considering her own battle with cancer in 2005.

Claudia Schiffer
photographed by Mario Testino

Sienna Miller
photographed by Mario Testino


Vintage Beauty
Claudia Cardinale
1967
Why anyone would want the big, round sunnies trend to wind down is beyond me...
When done right, à la Ms. Cardinale, the look can enhance even the most drab of outfits. Isn't she just gorgeous, on another note?

Currently...
...listening to: Reggie Watts
...watching: The Nanny
...reading: don't even ask. Haha.
...eating: pancakes, again. I need you all to help me shake this habit.


Tell me all about your week!


Have a beautiful weekend!


Romany

[photos courtesy of wireimage.com, amazon.com, fashionologie.com, fabsugar.com.au and digilander.libero.it]

Spotlight...Camilla Åkrans

There's not a whole hell of a lot to be found about Camilla Åkrans in terms of biography or information, out there. Which, in a way, is great because a little mystery never hurt anybody.

The Swedish star photographer Camilla Åkrans is one of the biggest names when fashion houses are picking a photographer to shoot their ad campaigns. 33 year old Camilla Akrans has done several big ad campaigns and she has also won the prestigious Best Photographer Award at the ELLE awards, 2006.

This is about as much as I got. I did, however, find an interview with Åkrans during which she had some interesting things to say about her beautiful, beautiful work.

Vogue China

Numéro

Numéro

Vogue Germany

Vogue Germany

"It's about trying to tell a story and to tell the model what kind of character she is while she is doing it, why she does it, instead of just telling her to do it. That's why I like to work with models that are interested in a kind of acting...
...if you don't get the connection with the model, then it's less successful."

Man About Town

Man About Town

New York Times

New York Times

Numéro

"[Photography is] like any artist: either you like to do it and you should do what you like to do and if no one else likes it, screw them, and if they do it's fantastic. I don't think you should change or try to do different stuff just to please the market, because in the end then maybe you don't like what you do and there's not point in doing it."

Pure inspiration...

I received this award from the gorgeous I'm Heraid over at Poorly Fashioned.

The rules...
1. Pass the award to 12 others.
2. Link the chosen ones within your post, and inform them in a comment.
3. Share the love and the link to the person who gave it to you.

I'm incredibly short on time, so instead of 12 I'm going to link only 4 (forgive me).
I pass the torch on to...
Style On Track
Cafe Fashionista
Chai, Cinnamon and Couture
Welcome to Fashion Court...The Verdict Is In

More awards tomorrow!

Romany

[photos courtesy of lundlund.com]

Dress Like an Icon...Charlotte Rampling

(item credits)

"To be honest, shopping for clothes doesn't interest me any more. Maybe it's because I've been lucky to have been able to rummage in the world's greatest dressing-up box - Paris - and I've had great clothes offered to me on a plate. I'm still invited to the Paris catwalk shows and at the end of each film shoot I've often been given one or two of my favourite pieces. But the truth is that I like to dress simply."
Charlotte Rampling.
I could go on and on about how gorgeous this woman is. Effortless, simple, chic style. If you've ever tried your hand at the Rampling, look no further for help...

Romany

[photos courtesy of theauteurs.com and polyvore.com]

A Magical Night...

A few weeks ago I got an email from Masha over at Our Religion inviting me to a special evening event at the Melbourne Zoo, for Earth Hour 2010. And boy was it special...
I invited my lovely auntie Jane to be my plus-one, and we were worried we'd miss out on the tour that was promised as part of the evening, considering we were running late (punctuality doesn't run in my family, I guess you could say). But thankfully, we arrived to our surprise with plenty of time to spare. As we checked in at the Bloggers Table, we were given a 'survival pack', consisting of some chocolate, sultanas, water, insect repellent, a reusable coffee cup (Keep Cup, very nifty invention) and some information on Zoos Australia. How sweet!

Our 'survival pack'

We set off on the tour, and I was starting to get a little bit scared. I love animals, but they really scare me. Especially the ones that are bigger and/or stronger than me. Thank god we didn't have time to visit the gorillas. I may have passed out. We did, however, have time to visit the giraffes, the zebras and emus, the reptiles and the lions (which we saw being fed - not as terrifying as it sounds). Considering it was evening, most of the park was shut from viewing, but it was fun while it lasted. The lions were behind a fence, so all of the photos I took are painfully dodgy, but I thought I'd upload at least one.

Gorgeous giraffe.

So tall...

The zebras matched our stripey tops.

Demon lion.
See what I mean? Painfully dodgy...

After the short-and-sweet tour, it was time for some dinner (the entire evening was absolutely free, if you can believe it). I was very pleased to see some veggie burgers on offer, as well as green salad and potato salad. There were even tables with place-settings for all of us bloggers to sit at! It was all very lovely. A nice, communal feeling. During dinner, the music started. The main attraction of the evening was the Earth Hour Unplugged concert, and Jane and I were very excited to see the Blackchords play as we'd been listening to their music before arriving at the zoo. Little did we know, as the tour was wrapping up and we were innocently eating dinner, the Blackchords were doing their set! We had no idea, and then it was too late. But all was not lost, as once we finished our dinner and set up our rug and bags on the lawn in front of the music pavilion, the second band Wagons began and they were very enjoyable.

Wagons.

Me.
It was a tiring day - I guess it shows...

Jane and I.

The lead singer was probably using a little too much language considering it was a family event, but everybody found it funny anyway. Being so short on cash recently, it's been a while since I've been to any sort of live music gig and I've forgotten how special the experience is - I've resolved to see more live music, as a result. Around 8.20pm it was very dark, and Tim Rogers began his set. As Earth Hour approached (8.30pm-9.30pm), the lights in the park and the stage were turned off and all that was left were the instruments, creating a really cool sensation. I hadn't been feeling well for a little while now, so we decided it might be best to leave after 15 minutes or so, to avoid the traffic (in case I would get to point where I needed to hit the bathroom). So unfortunately, we didn't get to see all of Tim Rogers, which was a shame because I was really enjoying his performance when we left.

The foreboding sky.

The crowd.

Our view of the stage.

Tim Rogers.

The stage.
Cool camera effects.

The stage.

But alas, an incredibly magical night all the same...


How was everyone's weekend?


Romany
p.s. I will do an award post in the coming days - don't worry, lovelies, I haven't forgotten.

[photos courtesy of my iPhone, my digital camera]

The week that was...

This week has been painfully boring. I'd sort of given up a little bit on the job-hunt. You know when something is failing for you over a long period of time, and you just become really disheartened about the whole thing, no matter what it is? And as the time ticks on, you start to question the decision and wonder whether its what you really wanted in the first place? Yeah, that's pretty much my head-space for the week that's just passed. But I've decided I'm going to start being more pro-active as of Monday, and try not to let it get me down. There are many more important things in life than a job, and I just have to put it all in perspective. It's not really a question of optimism or pessimism because I'm generally a very optimistic person - this is just a blip, if anything, simply because it's taking longer than I thought it would (and therefore putting off my much-anticipated trip to Europe due to lack of funds). Enough complaining...
Let's take a closer look at the week that has just come to a close...

Quote

"I have literally just been in this place of zero fear. I just believe, as totally hippy bullshit as that sounds, anything's possible if you're willing to grab it and make it your own. You look at Stevie Nicks. Did she have the most amazing voice in the world? Fuck no -- but she got on stage and she owned every molecule inside of herself and completely captured every molecule around everybody else in the entire room. She was this poster child for, 'I don't give a fuck, it's about my soul and my spirit and my music, and you either dig it or you don't.' And that's kind of my take on all this -- minus the vulgar words."

~Erin Wasson, on her current life-philosophy, to Paper Mag.

Ah, to not care. To be completely impervious to the sometimes traumatising effect of the judgements of others. Now that would be the life...

Wardrobe Envy

Jessica Alba has been sporting these 2151 Ray Bans all over California, recently, inspiring some serious envy. I've never really gotten into the Wayfarer trend, but this particular pair seem to be calling my name.

Music

I Speak Because I Can, British indie/folk singer Laura Marling's sophomore album, has been described by Marling, herself, as dealing with "responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood", and features a more mature sound and lyricism, in comparison to her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim. NME claims it be 'a stunning performance', and I think I might just agree.

News

Abbey Lee Kershaw for Michael Kors F/W 2010

Designer Michael Kors has vowed to raise the minimum age limit on models he hires to 16. "I think super-young girls used to be the exception," Kors says. "There’s always been a Twiggy, or a model who is very young. But they were few and far between. Now, they’re completely common. That’s something I see as a huge problem. The age of models really has to become a priority. We need to give these girls a chance to grow up."

"The fashion industry is starting to address real women again," Kors said at the Boston Health Forum, to applause from the audience. "Adults are in vogue. What a shock. This show season really was about the return of the adult in every city . . . The emphasis in fashion is shifting toward an emphasis on real women who are women, not girls. The reality is that women who buy designer clothes are 30-plus. The visual has to match the reality. Girls dressed up in their mother’s clothes? Guess what, it’s not attractive."

Vintage Beauty

Kirk Douglas and Brigitte Bardot
photographed in Cannes, 1953
Did you know that Brigitte Bardot became a press sensation after this set of photographs of her and Kirk Douglas (and also Errol Flynn) hanging on the Cannes beachfront during the 1953 Film Festival were snapped? Bardot was only 19 at the time, and starring in Un Acte d'Amour with Douglas. Bardot, famous for her 'mermaid style' blonde hair, was naturally a brunette. Ah, trivia...

Currently...
...listening to: Laura Marling.
...watching: old reruns of The Simpsons.
...reading: still trying to get through the Great Gatsby (I'm a slow reader).
...eating: Strawberry Shortcake biscuits.


Tell me all about your week!


Have a beautiful weekend!


Romany

[photos courtesy of celebrity-gossip.net, popoholic.com, en.wikipedia.org, style.com and kirk_douglas.images6.com]