English Rose

Summer Style, New Projects, And A BIG, BIG Sorry

2012-08-08T03:09:00.002-07:00

Hey strangers, remember me??? Apparently you incredible people do seeing as thousands of you still check this site every month even though I've become The Worst, Best Fashion Blogger.

(Alexander McQueen at The Fashion Museum, Bath)

A lot's been going on in my life behind the computer screen and I have been the crazy busiest in a long while. Getting ready to start my final year at Cambridge (how fast has the time gone?!), trying to work out what on earth I'm going to do next (hopefully something within the fashion industry, I have a few ideas so watch this space), working on issue 3 of Go Lightly Magazine, AND I've recently just set up yet ANOTHER fashion-related website!

This one's less for les femmes and more for les hommes seeing as it's called:

'menarefashionabletoo.com'

but I would be BEYOND grateful if you could all check it out and tell every chic guy you know. Every page view counts. Pretty please.

(Me at a surprise Ingrid Michaelson pop-up show in London - excuse the yucky concert face)

So basically I can't promise you that my blogging on this site will be anything other than sporadic at best over the next couple of months, but I will try. I really don't want to lose touch with you guys, or with this blog. We've all been on such a journey together and I feel like I've grown up, found myself (well, nearly there), and found my own style and my own voice in front of your eyes, and watched many of you do the same.

(Me at my favourite museum in the world - The VIctoria and Albert, London)

Also I'm still on Twitter people!! I don't have nearly enough followers and the lovely ones I do, don't reply to my tweets! Sad English Rose Face. This is inexcusable. Google Analytics tell me that you're out there in your thousands so FOLLOW ME OKAY?! @englishroseblog (love you really) I would love to hear what you guys are up to, plus you'll be the first to know when I'm posting another blog post, and what I'm currently wearing as I've been taking photos of my summer style.

Speaking of, this post is dotted with a few pics from my summer so far:

Hope everything is immense in your worlds and that you are having a truly great Summer - have a YouTube clip on me.

Stay safe and chic and awesome mes chéris,

(and follow me on Twitter)

English Rose x

Poetry In Motion

2012-02-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies, proper, apology-filled, picture-heavy post coming up very soon, I promise. Just come across this INCREDIBLE picture from a recent V magazine editorial called 'Ode Couture' by the genius that is Nick Knight, and just couldn't wait until my next post to share to the utter amazingness:

Breathtakingly beautiful n'est-ce pas?

Hope you're all having an amazing weekend.

Stay safe and chic mes cheries,

English Rose x

Soviet Kitsch

2012-01-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Bonjour Mes Amies!! Hope the New Year is going S'wonderfully for you all (sorry, I went to the see the English National Ballet perform 'Strictly Gershwin' last night and am still trying to come down from the insane high).

Just a quick picture post, as promised in my bid to be a better blogger this year. I've been rocking a 'soviet kitsch' look for a while now thanks to an amazing faux fur hat I bought (new) from a London vintage shop. Not only is it warm, but it protects my lovely straightened hair from the awful British weather. I get killer hat hair though.

I paired it with this INSANE oversized man's coat I found in a charity shop a while ago and have been meaning to share with you all. My waist is one of my best features (the exact same width as Audrey Hepburn's don'tcha know?) so I've sinched it in with a belt, and my suede wedged boots (you all know I love me a wedge). I realise I look like a Russian soldier. But hopefully a very fashionable one...

Hope you're staying safe and chic chéries,

English Rose x

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

2012-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

BONJOUR MES AMIES!!

I just wanted to wish you all the happiest, healthiest, luckiest, and most fashionable year yet. I'm so hopeful and excited about 2012. I hope this is the year when all of your dreams come true.

Thank you all so much for your love, support, advice and emails about the last post. I'm still trying to figure out the best thing to do, but I know that this blog will keep going. Nobody puts baby in the corner. I'm constantly telling everyone to dance to the beat of their own drum, not to care what other people think, and to find their own voice. I practice what I preach in ever other area of my life so it's about time I applied it to this blog. Things will have to be different but there will be things, I promise.

New posts, new pictures, new fashion, new rants, new year. <3

Starting with these new pictures of Christmas where I got this INCREDIBLE jacket from the mothership. I'm obsessed with it. You all know that I live for Chanel, but I'm nineteen not ninety. My wardrobe is full of Chanel-esque "grandma" jackets and although I try to make them more edgy and youthful, let's face it, they're not. Which is why I'm so obsessed with this jacket. It's got leather on one of the lapels which makes it so much more rock 'n' roll. I paired it with my purple tulle skirt, I <3 Marc, Karl, Coco tee, vintage Fender Stratocaster (is it lame that I name my guitars?) and my 'rock chick' ankle boots.

I've got the moooooooves like Jagger...

I know better than to tell you how often I'll be posting. I'm going back to Cambridge soon and may not be able to make good on my new year's blogging resolution but I am aiming for AT LEAST once a week, so please bear with me. Continue to spread the word, follow (and TALK to) me on Twitter and just generally be the amazing and super fashionable readers that I know you are. I love you guys. Here's to 2012!!! <3

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

See You Anon?

2011-12-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies, I promised you a ranty post and a proper explanation for my insane absence, and if nothing else, I keep my promises so here it is. Get yourself a cuppa, put on your reading glasses, and I'll begin:

Although I'd be lying if I said studying at one of the world's best universities, trying to have a "normal" (and semi-sane) teenage experience, single-handedly creating a fashion magazine, juggling all the extra-curricular and "self-improving" skills and activities I undertake in my capacity as a masochistic over-achiever, being somewhat "fashioned-out", and trying to handle all the other balls of fire life throws your way, didn't all play their part in my flaky neglect of this blog in recent months, the biggest reason of all is the hardest to overcome.

Regular readers will know that when I first started this blog three years ago, my life wasn't exactly in a great place. Like many bloggers, this place became a life-changing and dearly treasured refuge and escape from the "real world". By connecting with truly wonderful people from all over the world with similar likes and interests, many of whom I now consider every inch as "real" as my other friends, I not only began to find the self I'd so spectacularly lost, but I found a whole load of other things I didn't even know I was looking for. Words can't express how much you guys and this blog will always mean to me.

Although this blog now gets thousands of hits every week, it has never been about numbers for me. It has always been, and will always be, about the individual people behind the screen. One reader who took the time out to read one of my ranty posts (like this one) or someone taking the time out to email me to say how inspired they have been mean so much more than any of the perks and wider recognition that may come my way. In many ways, you guys know a me that the people in my everyday life never will, or at least didn't until very recently.

I deliberately started writing this blog under an alias in order to afford myself the freedom from the social constraints and pressures that so imposed and restricted upon my everyday life. My life is a constant battle between the extrovert and introvert within me, the bubbly and frivolous "fashionista" and the serious, introspective and intensely private and guarded Cambridge student. Both sides are equally authentic, but they don't get equal exposure. The people in my everyday life know me as the latter, not the former. You guys know me as both.

By writing under an alias, I was able to put up a clear barrier between the two worlds and the two versions of myself. Being your 'English Rose' meant that I was free to be all of me in a way that I wasn't in my everyday life and I clung on to that freedom for dear life. Without it I wouldn't have said half the things I did, taken half of the pictures I had, or ranted in the way I needed to. This blog wouldn't be what it is, or meant as much to you guys as it does, if I had written under my own name. By being someone else, I found myself.

Apart from my incredibly supportive and wonderful Mum (best friend and photographer) , no-one in my "real" life knew anything about this blog. Until recently.

You see, when I created my online magazine "Go Lightly", I was so immensely proud and excited about all the hard work and love that I had poured into it, that I needed to share it with you guys. You are the people who took my interest in fashion and made it an obsession. You encouraged me in my writing and styling abilities. Through your wonderful blogs, you inspired me to inspired others. This blog and my magazine 'Go Lightly' would be NOTHING without you guys. I wanted as many people as possible to see my new venture, published under my own name this time, that it seemed silly not to let you guys know about it. You are all my target magazine readers and I wanted you guys to enjoy it and to give you back something for all your support over the years.

I stressed over that decision for so long. Publicising the magazine on this blog would be waving my right and my so beloved freedom of anonymity. I knew that once it was done, it couldn't be undone. I decided eventually that the benefits of going public and in someway linking the blog to the magazine and "outing" myself in the process outweighed the costs, and I still maintain that. But that doesn't mean it hasn't been without its' downsides.

All the things I feared, the many reasons I chose to write under an alias in the first place, have mostly come true. Don't get me wrong, the people in my life are very supportive about my fashionable "persona", if a little surprised that I've kept such a huge part of myself from them. I'm lucky that unlike some bloggers, the people I know don't mock my blog. Or at least they don't to my face. To be honest, I wouldn't care if they did. I'm not big on peer pressure, or the opinion of others. If you know anything about me, it's that I dance to the beat of my own drum. Fashion-wise and life-wise.

But I can't shake the feeling that for everything I've gained, something has been lost. It's not possible to adequately express just how much of a private and guarded person I am. I keep the things that are dearest to me under metaphorical lock and key. This blog, and the "true" me, expressed within each post were in the safest of safekeeping. There is a reason that the people in my everyday life don't know me like you guys do and that's because I'm bullet-proof levels of careful with my true self and with my heart. The me they know is unquestionably the real me, but it's only one part of the complicated patchwork that make up "me". It takes people years to get to knowme like you guys do and that is why this blog meant so much. I was able to show a side of myself that I deliberately keep hidden from view. And now that Pandora's box has been well and truly opened, I'm vulnerable and the freedom and security that this blog offered is no longer there.

The people in my life now read this blog regularly, follow it on Twitter and Facebook and have offered their support to take photos. It's SO lovely of them, but it's the very opposite of what I wanted. There's too much overlap between what is real and what isn't. What is sacred and private, and what is public and accessible. Where 'English Rose' stops and ACJ begins is a line so blurry that it may as well be non-existent. I can feel the social body-armour going on, and the barriers going up, as I go to write a new post.I only ever want to be open, honest and have integrity with you guys and with myself. I figured that rather than be only half of myself, I'd rather not post at all. And so that's what I did.

So here we are. I know 99.999999% of you won't have read all, or any of this. You're forgiven. I still love you. For the 0.00000000001% that did, I figured I owed you an explanation most of all. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out where to go from here. I know it doesn't have to be a negative, that I can turn it into something positive even if it isn't ideal, but for now it feels too messy and not clear enough in either my head or my heart. Any emailed or comment suggestions of how to overcome the lack of anonymity would genuinely be greatly appreciated.

For now I will say just say thank you for everything. For your years of support and loyalty even though I've been a flaky and an appallingly inconsistent blogger. For being true friends who have supported me through the hardest times of my life so far, even though you had no idea what was going on off-screen, and for inspiring as much as I hope I have inspired you. I meant what I said in my lsat post, this blog, and the "real" me would be nothing without you guys and I could never turn my back on it completely.

Rant over. If you made it to the end, you're my hero.

Hope you are all staying as safe and as chic as I know you all are.

(Only 19 days till Christmas!!)

Ton amie pour la vie,

ENGLISH ROSE xxxx

Sooo...

2011-11-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

...I made the Huffington Post today which is ridiculous, amazing and surprising in equal measure.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/22/fashion-bloggers-6-teens-_n_1108571.html

Despite their kind words, and misplaced belief that I'm "taking the style world by storm", what you and I both know mes amies, is that I'm the world's worst fashion blogger. Lately it seems I start every post apologizing profusely for my absence, only to leave it another month or so until my next post. Quite why thousands of you continue to visit this blog each month, or to send me wonderful emails is beyond me, but I appreciate it more than you know. I might have other things going on in my life, but I'll never turn my back on blogging completely. You guys are far too wonderful.

I have so much to tell you, so many fashion stories, rants and outfits to share that I'm not sure quite where to start but I probably should start somewhere.

For the last 8 weeks, all my fashion energy and attention has been channeled away from this blog and into my role as co-Fashion editor for Cambridge University's 'Varsity' newspaper. My reign is sadly now over, but I had a wonderful time and have lots of fashionable things to share with you. Clearly this blog is no longer anonymous (upcoming post/rant about that very soon), so I might as well get some good out of the situation too. For those of you who aren't following the blog on Twitter (and why on earth not? @englishroseblog ) here's a sneak peek from an animal themed shoot I recently styled and which you can see in full here:

And for those of you who need a bit of guidance on what to wear this season, have a read of my eight part 'Trend Insider' series

Right, I PROMISE I will post again in the next couple of days. I just really wanted to say thank you so indescribably much again for your continued love and support. You guys are everything, and this blog and 'Go Lightly Magazine' would be nothing without you. Bear with me. I'm not done yet - if I'm going to 'take the style world by storm', you're all coming with me...

Stay safe and chic as always mes amies,

English Rose x

Go Lightly Magazine - Issue 2 ♥

2011-09-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Bonjour mes amies!! Yes, I am still alive. Just about. I know I've officially become the world's worst blogger but before you send my award in the post, I do have a good excuse, honest. For the past 2 months, I've been working like a crazy woman to produce the A/W'11-12 issue of my bi-annual online high fashion magazine 'Go Lightly' (http://www.golightly-magazine.com).

Apart from a few contributions, I do absolutely everything from the articles to the features, website and styling myself - using only MS Word and Paint - so it's been challenging to say the least. I'm really proud of this issue and can't wait to share it with you all.

So please check it out and let me know what you think. The first issue got such an overwhelmingly wonderful response, and I've put even more time, effort, love and energy into this one, so I hope as many people as possible read and enjoy it. You know I already love each and every one of you but I'd love you foreverandeverandever if you could spread the fashionable word by telling all of your readers and friends about it, and following the magazine on Facebook and Twitter. I have a lot of love to give, so jump aboard the love train and love me and the magazine back pleasethankyou. ♥

Apart from the magazine, I've had such a wonderful summer that I'm looking forward to sharing with you all at some point in the hopefully-not-too-distant-but-I-cant-make-any-promises-future. What have you all been up to this summer? Tell me everything.

And thank you for the original inspiration. Each and every one of you are the ultimate 'Go Lightly Girls' (and boys). You continue to inspire me and I couldn't have done it without you.

Oooh and if you get the time after checking out this blog, Go Lightly Magazine, the Facebook anddddd the Twitter site make sure you check out the absolutely wonderful blog 'CosmiCaroline'. She's just a tad amazing, depressingly stylish and blogs far more regularly than I do, so if you like my blog, you'll love hers.

Looking forward to hearing what you think of the magazine and to you spreading the fashionable word.

Stay safe and chic - and Go Lightly mes chéries,

English Rose x

I Want To Philosophize With All The Guys...♥

2011-06-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Bonjour mes amies! Hope you're all super-duper. Just a really quick post because this is an absolutely crazy week and I don't know when I'll get another free moment. You know how I said in the last post that I didn't want to just give you guys self-timered images from my dorm room? Well, a girl can change her mind...

I'm wearing a bowler hat! I loved it from the second I laid eyes on it ages ago but wasn't sure if I could pull it off so I needed a second (or couple hundred) opinions. So what do you think mes chéries? Am I successfully channeling my inner beatnik?

Speaking of beatniks, I am going to Europe for three weeks in just under a fortnight and would ♥LOVE♥ your opinions on the must-visit places (sadly this time on a budget). I'm going to Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Venice and Berlin so if you know of any uber-fabulous shops/cafés/restaurants/parks/places that you would recommend then please let me know.

Have a long and ranty post coming up soon so stay posted. Also thought you might want to know that after almost a year of being at the same college as her with no sighting, I have now bumped into Lily Cole three times in the space of a month.

Models, it seems, are like buses.

Hope you're all staying as safe and as chic as always,

English Rose x

Living For The Weekend ♥

2011-06-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

Bonjour mes amies, just a super quick post today in my bid to be a much better blogger. We all need a break from time to time and it's amazing how much going home can remind you of who you are and what's really important in life. That Dorothy was onto something, there really is no place like it. It was the middle of term and I was suffering a bit from what's known here as the "week 5 blues" so I decided to get on a train and come home for the weekend. It was absolutely the right decision. Either my mum or my house has magical properties, but I'm writing this from my dorm room at uni much happier, saner, and refreshed.

Apart from being reunited with my lovely London (above), being home also meant that I finally had a photographer (my mum) to take photos of my outfits for you lovely people. My fashionable alter ego is pretty much a secret from everyone here and it's kind of weird to ask people you don't know if they will take posey "fash-shun" pictures of you. Awkward much? Plus I think you all deserve better than dodgy self-timered images of me in my room which has meant some of my best Cambridge outfits have sadly gone to waste. Never fear darlings, I shall replicate them for you as soon as I am back home this summer.

So here's what I wore this weekend. Did you guys get up to much? Anything exciting? Yesterday evening I got a new fringe on a whim but totally didn't factor in the Great British weather and the fact that it is going to rain buckets this week. Anything other than sunshine + my hair = disaster. Bad hair day does not even BEGIN to describe it darlings. I'm pretty sure I've cracked a few mirrors and made a few small children cry. today Also "they" are wrong. The best invention was not sliced bread, it was hair straighteners =P

Saturday:

Sunday:

Also, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your INCREDIBLE support and feedback for 'Go Lightly' magazine pleaseeee keep the wonderful comments and love coming in and continue to spread the word by mouth, blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Hope you're staying as safe and chic as always,

English Rose x

Shoes, Glorious Shoes

2011-05-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bonsoir mes amies! How are you all? I could give you the usual (sincere) spiel about how much I've missed you all and how busy I've been but that's no excuse. I have been an appallingly bad blogger, and I am incredibly sorry. Some of you guys have been there for me since the very beginning and have helped me through so much. I consider some of you to be my friends and am always astonished when I receive the weekly viewing figures and fanmail for this blog despite rarely posting nowadays.

(Illustrations: Manolo Blahnik)

I was given a stilletoed-kick into action by a wonderful piece of fanmail I received which made me remember why I started this blog and why I love it so much. It's my way of connecting with like minded people from all over the world and I I hope you benefit from it as much as I do. So. New resolution (almost halfway through the year).

I, English Rose, hereby promise to blog a lot more. I may now have my own fashion magazine. I may be trying to study for a degree at one of the world's best universities. But fashion. comes. first.

Always.

I can't promise that my posts will be long, regular, or indeed interesting but they will be more frequent. Don't give up on me just yet darlings.

So. I have bought a gazillion lovely things since the last time I spoke to you all and will be revealing them to you in due course so that you can join in the drool fest. First up, these AMKSAJIFJAOIFAOAMAZING shoes I got at the weekend:

Quite possibly my most amazing/life-changing/ridiculous fashion purchase yet, the second I laid my eyes on them - I was hooked. Love at first sight. Sartorial Soulmates. I felt like Lady Gaga, and it felt goooood.

So eye-catching a piece of art were the wedges, (which are special edition pieces from London College of Fashion graduates), that everyone in the store was flocking to them. They also had them in fluorescent colours but they reminded me too much of clown shoes. Albeit super-stylish ones.

Now darlings, not to be a fashion snob but heels separate the fashion lions from the tigers if you know what I mean. These are a fashion shoe. In the singular. Not "shoes" but "a shoe". Everyone may have appreciated how gorgeous and unusual they were but most people would look, maybe laugh or gasp, and then put it back down. Not me. I saw, screamed, tried on, took pictures, and went straight to the till. In the queue I was unsurprisingly getting looks that said both "you are crazy" and "I am in awe of you". Leaving the shop, I was speechless - has that ever happened to any of you? Like you can't quite believe how good something is? I'm still in shock to be honest.

So loves of my life, how have you all been? What have been your fashion 'love at first sight' purchases. Leave me a comment and let me know!

I hope you have all been absolutely immense, and if you haven't already, check out my magazine 'Go Lightly' like the Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and spread the fashionable word.

As always, stay safe and chic mes amies,

English Rose x

Go Lightly Magazine

2011-04-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

BONJOUR MES AMIES!!

How are you all?! I know I have been the world's worst blogger and you are all probably "like, soooo totally over it" but I have a (few) very good reasons for my ridiculously long and neglectful absence. Honest.

1) I have been trying to juggle studying, friends and life at Cambridge University for the past 8 weeks. You are all wonderful, intelligent multitaskers so enough said.

2) In my extremely rare moments of free time from my crazy, hectic life over the past six months, I have single-handedly been organising and creating my own bi-annual online high fashion magazine. Yep. I KNOW RIGHT?!

I know it'll break the whole 'anonymity code' thingymajjig but I really don't care. I've worked so hard on it, I'm so proud of it, and I love you all so much that I just can't wait to share it with you all and to hear your feedback.

It's called Go Lightly Magazine and it's a bi-annual online high fashion magazine for stylish dreamers who live 'la vie en Vogue'. Fashionable, fun, frivolous and oh so feminine, its a celebration what it is means to be a young girl, trying to find your place in the modern world and remaining classy and fabulous whilst doing so.

Although I've done 99% of everything - from the layout, to the website, features, styling, articles and interviews (all using only MS Word and Paint. Yep. I Know Right.); I have also got some wonderful contributions from some of my most incredibly talented and fashionably knowledgeable friends from some of the UK's most prestigious art colleges, as well as from the blogosphere, including Erika From Café Fashionista, and CosmiCaroline.

You all mean so much to me, and have been SO supportive of everything I've done in the past that I really hope that you will all be there every step of the way on my new stiletto-clad journey, and that you will become life-long readers. So without further ado, mes belles cheries, here it is. The creative project that I have poured every ounce of time, energy, creativity, and life-long love of fashion and magazines into. It has been the most fun, frustrating, and indescribably rewarding experience of my life.

Darlings, to begin your fashionable love affair PLEASE visit:

http://www.golightly-magazine.com

If you visit the website, read the magazine, follow it on twitter and facebook, and/or promote the hell out of it by telling all of your readers, family and friends, I'll love you even more than I already do. And that's a helluva lot.

So yeah. Now six months of work is done, I'm going to give myself a well deserved rest this weekend, spend a lovely Mother's Day avec ma mere and try to get some uni work done, before I start work on the AW11 issue. And catch up with all of you of course.

Can't wait to hear what you think!

Have an immense weekend darlings, tell me all about it

Stay safe and chic mes cheries,

English Rose x

Audrey Hepburn Jumping Image: Phillip Halsman

Cover: www.golightly-magazine.com

"Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" - 1920s Photoshoot - Part Trois ♥

2011-02-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies, I know this is ridiculously overdue and I'm very sorry for being an very bad English Rose but life has been even more hectic than usual. You're all probably "like soooo totally over it", but here's the third and final installment of my 1920s photoshoot before I return to talking my usual fashion related nonsense.

C'est tout.

Hope you are all incredible, I really cannot wait to have a moment to breathe and catch up with you all properly. I miss you guys. Be awesome.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

"Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" - 1920s Photoshoot - Part Deux ♥

2011-01-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies, I hope you all had a great weekend. I'm back in Cambridge getting ready for the new term to start so I will be exceptionnellement busy over the coming weeks. I am determined to make time for my lovely bloggers however so am bringing you part two of my 1920s photoshoot. Enjoy.

What do you think? Keep your opinions coming darlings, I love hearing them. Also follow me on Twitter pretty please? Okaythanksbye.

Have a truly immense week!

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

"Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!" - 1920s Photoshoot - Part Un ♥

2011-01-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies!! Hope you are all superduper. I've been a very busy girl indeed. Somewhere in between last minute uni work, I managed to sweeze in an absolutely amazing 1920s photoshoot. I talked about doing it in the last post and decided to take the jump.

I have to confess that in addition to wanting to show you guys some of my clothes that fit the 1920s brief perfectly, I also have another ulterior motive for wanting to do it. I decided that I want to combine my two loves of fashion and writing and become a professional freelance journalist and fashion stylist. Styling is something that is such a huge part of me but I'd never really contemplated it as a career. It all feels so right, and I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner but I'll tell you all about my lightbulb moment in a future post.

I can't wait to share the photos with you but there are so many amazing ones that I'm going to spread the immensity over three posts, plus I'm saving the best for last so stay tuned mes amies. So without further ado, here it is, 1920s part one:

So what do you think darlings? Do I have what it takes to be a fabulous fashion stylist/flapper girl?

I'd love to hear what you think.

Also I finally caved and got Twitter. Follow me so I don't feel like a complete sell out?

♥Tweet♥

Hope you all have an amazing week, and watch this space for part two!

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

"Sophisticated - God I'm Sophisticated!" - Daisy Buchanan

2011-01-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Bonjour mes amies, hope you are all super and that the New Year has been good to you so far.

It started with a hat. You'd be proud of me darlings, I'm trying to buy far less and cherish all the beautiful things I have more, but when I saw a gorgeous bowler hat out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't resist. And just like that, it was love.

(not my actual hat but not too dissimilar -

see previous post)

When I fall in love, fashion or otherwise, I fall hard and this hat just happens to be my new obsession. It goes with so many of my clothes it's almost a joke. I'm a huge hat fan generally, they are not only useful for bad hair days, but are a an integral part of using fashion to play a character which I love. When I put it on I feel like I become another person (not as extreme as a Beyoncé/Sasha Fierce situation, but almost). I feel confident, exuberant, bubbly. I am the life of the party, the girl who sparkles when she walks into the room and who is so overflowing with love for life that it is infectious.

This hat is my ring, my Kryptonite, my sartorial drug. I am in short, addicted.

Another reason I love it so much is that it ties in SO perfectly with one of my absolute favourite eras of all time, the 1920s. I'm beyond obsessed with the twenties as any one who knows me is well aware.I utterly adore the luxurious glamour of the decade and am fascinated by the 'lost generation' of bored, over-privelleged post-war Americans, so beautifully detailed in the pages of Fitzgerald and Hemmingway novels, as they struggled to find their place in the world.

On a side note, I'm planning a 1920s themed photoshoot with all my amazing clothes and accessories that fit the brief so ridiculously perfectly so watch this space darlings.

I have a real feeling that come Autumn/Winter fashion weeks, the catwalks will be full of amazing outfits inspired by, and downright immersed in, the 1920s. You mark my words darlings. You heard it here first. 2010 was all about the 1950s, 2011 is seeing a Seventies revival, but Spring/Summer 2012 will be the year of the 1920s.

Of course my lovely readers are trendsetters, not followers, so start buying, wearing and living the decade now so that by the time it does come en Vogue everyone will remember that you wore it first, and better. So without further ado, here's some tips on how to achieve the perfect nineteen twenties insouciance:

Read: The Great Gatbsy - A MUST read for any 1920s or literature fan. One of my all time favourite books and The Ultimate American novel. I am in love with this cover by modern Penguin Classics.

Watch: I am so excited for the new show Boardwalk Empire to come to the UK later this month, I've been hearing only good things about it from my contacts across the pond. I think it will definitely do for the revival of interest in 1920s fashion what Mad Men famously did for 1950s style.

Listen: To jazz, Louis Armstrong is of course the Godfather of crooning:

Drink: What Prohibition? Invest in some Martini glasses for lounging on the chaise-longue sipping those fabulous mint Juleps.

Accessorise: Make sure you accessorize to the max. Think long, sparkly jewellery, stylish hats, feather boas, lace stockings, fascinators, silk purses and ornate hairbands. The bigger and more glitzy, the better:

Forever 21 - Feather Hairband

Asos - Floral Hairband

Diane Von Furstenberg - Hairband

Forever 21 - Pearlescent Clutch:

New Look - Beaded Clutch - Was £18, Now £5:

House of Holland for Pretty Polly Stockings:

Any 1920s look would of course not be complete with the flapper dress. Here are some of the best out there at the moment, and better yet, many are reduced:

Topshop - Kate Moss Icon Beaded Dress - Was £130, Now £40

Oasis Lace Fringe Flapper Dress

Asos Beaded Flapper Dress - Was £120 , Now £72

So there you have it, I hope I've inspired you to try something new this New Year and that even if all you do is read The Great Gatsby, or buy a feather hair band, you find some small way to pay hommage to the amazing decade that was the twenties.

What are your other fashion decade crushes darlings? Stay tuned for the 1920s photoshoot coming very soon.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend darlings.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

2011

2011-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New

Year

Mes Amies!!

I hope it is full of everything you could ever want and more.

I hope this is the year that all of your fashionable dreams come true.

And I hope to join you every stilletoed step of the way.

Honey, I’m Home!

The kind of, sort of, not really, return of English Rose - fashionable help needed mes amies!!

2010-10-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

BONJOUR MES AMIES!!!!!!!

Ahhhh words can't express how much I've missed you guys and I'm hoping some of you have missed me too seeing as I was still getting new comments right up until yesterday and even more mind blowing was still getting hundreds of hits a day despite not posting for nearly two months. God I love you guys.

The really annoying thing is I'm not even here to stay!! Don't call it a comeback just yet; call it the beginning of something that looks like a comeback. Sort of. Kind of. Not really. You seee my beautiful fashionable darlings, whilst I have been fashionably MIA huge changes have been going on in the real life world of your virtual English Rose. I started my three year course two weeks ago at England's 'prestigious' Cambridge University which, although the most amazing experience of my life which I am dying to share with you all means:

1) I'm no longer in London =( (Don't worry, terms are short and as I obviously won't be the smartest person here I may as well be one of the best dressed, I've done you all proud so far). I feel so 'out of the loop' with everything. There are cows and sheep here darlings, cows and sheep.

2) My usual photographer is in London so I can't even show you guys my amazing 'college chic' look and wardrobe that I've been rocking (I'm trying trying to correct this by setting my camera to self timer but the town and especially my college King's (see all photos), where supermodel Lily Cole is currently a third year - no sightings yet though, plus she understandably lives away from campus, but still, is RIDICULOUSLY beautiful, it would be such a shame not to make the most of it and show you guys so i'll wait until I feel I know, trust and feel more comfortable around people here a bit better before I let them into my virtual world and ask them to take posy 'high fashion' photos of me)

3) This sentence stresses me out to write; no one I've met so far reads I-D - I tried to hide the shock and disgust when someone who was hanging out in my room asked me "what's this?" and preceded to put her greasy hands on MY. I-D and complain about the amount of nudity that was in it. I tried to explain it was art and she just looked blank so I realised it was a lost cause and gave up. The search goes on for someone else who knows and cares who Marc Jacobs is.

4) I'm busy. Like ridiculously, fantastically, tiringly, amazingly, wonderfully busy. Regular readers know I'm in a constant happy state of so-little-time-so-much-to-so (does anyone else remember the MK+Ashley show and books? Ahh I digress!) but this is busy on a whole new level. Between socialising, making friends, work, going out, having fun, activities, societies, calling home, paperwork and so much more, I haven't had time to breathe, let alone do stuff I have to do, let alone do stuff I want to do like catching up on Glee or blogging. I have been here almost two weeks and this is literally the first free moment I have so I'm trying to cram a whole load of stuff into this evening because who knows when i'll get to write again.

You will be hearing from me soon-ish hopefully when things settle down a bit and I start to get something resembling a routine and a sense of normalcy and calm that I am severely lacking at the moment. Having said all of this, I'm absolutely loving it, which is where the reason I decided to write this post without the whole long essay came in. Right i'll make it a bit clearer so people who don't like to read my essays can just skip to this section. If you actually read the above you sure must of missed me.

YOUR FASHIONABLE HELP NEEDED MES AMIES:

Right, so in addition to my weekly college 'formal halls' which are insanely amazing events complete with candlelight Harry Potter style dinner hall, waiting staff, a 'wine butler' (I kid you not), sophisticated 3 course meal and loads more, I also have a 'Fresher's Ball' to go to on Friday which I am BEYOND excited about. The theme is 'Black and White' black tie ball and I had brought two options with me but now I can't decide between the two. I was like ahh I can't ask my mum who is usually my go-to for fashion advice, who can I ask?! Then I had a lightening bolt. My amazing and super stylish readers!!!!

Ahhh, I'm running out of time, I just want to talk to you guys forever! Here's the deal. Two amazing dresses. Both black and white. Both perfect for the event. If you see this before Friday, write below which dress 1 or 2 you think I should wear and i'll love you forever. You guys are awesome. I've missed you. I hope you are all amazing and your lives have been nothing but immense. I'm looking forward to visiting your lovely blogs and having a proper catch up/update soon but until thennnn,

Stay safe and chic mes chéries, (feels SO good to say!)

English Rose x

Dress 1:

Dress 2

Sabbatical

2010-08-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

Definition: An extended period of leave, taken in order to carry out projects not otherwise associated with the main job

Bonjour mes amies, hope you are all amazing. I've decided to take a few weeks break from blogging. I love this blog and you guys more than words can express which is why I don't want to ruin it by creating posts which are uninspired and lack the creativity and passion which I truly care about putting into each post, which I believe makes the blog special and which I think you all appreciate. I don't want this blog to become a chore, it's supposed to be a fun creative outlet however I feel, although it isn't there yet, it's becoming more of the former rather than the latter. So I'm pressing pause. Not forever, not even for a long time; just until I feel like I have something worth saying, writing and reading. I hope you all understand. You have all been nothing but wonderful, loyal and suppportive and I hope you'll continue to do so and will all be there when I hopefully return in the next few weeks. I promise you i'll be back with a fashionable, inspired and of course, chic vengeance. Arnie has nothing on me. In the meantime darlings,

Stay safe and chic mes belles chéries,

Fashionably and forever yours,

English Rose x

Adamantine.

2010-08-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

Definition: Showing a great quality of resistance and rigid authority. Impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests or reason.

Bonjour mes amies, hope you are all having a great week. As you all know, I'm somewhat of a style chameleon; although 99% of the time I tend to favour an ultra feminine, chic, ladylike and my attempt at 'sophisticated', look (hey, God loves a trier). For 1% of the year however, I decide to take a break from being the "British Blair Waldorf" (thanks Erica from Café Fashionista for the name, quite honestly one of my favourite compliments ever) and choose to mix it up a bit.

The day the 1% fell on this year happened to be a day when I felt in the mood to channel my inner rock "I'm with the Band" chic, complete with battered converses, a load of accessories that threatened to topple me over and a "don't mess with me" scowl. I was smiling on the inside though, honest:

Oooh, I also wanted to share with you my two new beyondgorgeouscouldntleavetheshopwithoutthemarenttheyadorable? purchases that I bought today. Feel free to join in the lovefest.

I'm sorry but stunning boots, with heels and grip?!?! You mean to say you can actually be practical and fashionable?!?!

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

Serrated.

2010-08-01T03:29:00.000-07:00

Definition: Saw-like; having a row of sharp or tooth-like projections

FRINGE BENEFITS?

Bonjour mes amies, hope you are all having a super weekend. Sorry I've been so slow in replying to all your lovely comments, I'll hopefully get it all done within the next few days. I wanted get your opinions on a trend that I just can't take to, in the hope that maybe someone can change my mind. It's fringing. I just don't get it. Will somebody please tell me why oh why would somebody want to look as if they've just had an altercation with a paper shredder and lost?

I know it's "like sooo totally in this season". I am aware that everyone from D&G to Moschino to Prada (prada, really love their fringe) have done it. I am aware that it compliments the ever present and staple look of stars such as Sienna Miller, Mary Kate Olsen and Kate Moss; "Boho Chic" or is perfect when paired with cowboy boots and hat whilst channelling your inner Cowgirl for the style-du-jour "Americana" look. But none of this is enough to make someone in fringing look any less like someone going to a fancy dress party dressed as Pocohontas to me. Am I alone in this thinking?

For those fringe fans, please honestly tell me how does it not frustrate you to have the constant "flap, flap, flap" against your outfit everytime you move? Depending on the length of the fringes, if you think about it, it's also slightly impractical and a potential health and safety hazard as it can get caught in everything from fans to car doors. Wearing fringing therefore means that you'll either be taken away in the back of a fashion police car or an ambulance. I'd rather keep my freedom and stick to my smooth edges and not pose a danger to myself or the eyes of the public.

Maybe it's because I favour the sleek, polished, "prim & proper" look, that I don't see the attraction of something that looks unfinished or ripped and destroyed. Personally I don't see the allure of paying hundreds of pounds, dollars or euros for something you could easily do yourself for free with a pair of scissors. Doing ripped jeans yourself is slightly riskier (those I just about understand and like) but with fringing there really is no difference between the DIY and designer versions.

Still it doesn't look set to go away. From trousers with tassles in the 90s (oh the shame) to the catwalks of 2010, whether I like it or not, fringing looks like it will be around for quite some time to come. What do you think of the trend mes amies? Are you fringe fans or foes? Hope you all have a fabulous week ahead.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose

Subterfuge.

2010-07-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

Definition: Something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity; used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc

Bonjour mes amies, hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. As you know, I like to have a rant every now and then and aim for the blog to be a perfect mix of talking about frivolous and superficial aspects of the fashion industry and debating and writing about the more serious, controversial side. I wanted to get your thoughts on something which as outraged and anoyed me and to draw attention to the issue for those of you who may not have heard about it.

For those of you who don't know of her, Crystal Renn is a 24 year old, super successful, plus size supermodel (one of the first of her kind), famous fo turning her back on the 'size zero phenomenon'. Her pioneering success, confidence and vocal message that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes is made even more inspiring when you consider the fact that for years in her late teens, Crystal suffered from anorexia. After being told to lose over 5 stone or a third of her weight at just 13 years old before she would get signed, she commenced down a path of starvation and extreme excersizing until one day, she'd had enough.

When she realised that being a successful model didn't have to mean being rail thin, she chose life and health over unhappiness and self-destruction. For those of you that want to hear more about Crystal's inspirational life story, she wrote a bestselling book 'Hungry' which makes for a truly great, inspiring read.

I am of course summarizing what is a very serious, long, complex and inspiring story. I am painfully aware that overcoming eating disorders is an extremely lengthy and slow process, but I am only skimming because this isn't a post about Crystal Renn herself, eating disorders, or about the use of plus size models in the industry (an issue which regular readers wll know has been discussed extensively on the blog).

This post is about a recent controversy involving airbrushed photos that appeared of a T shirt charity campaign, Passion for Fashion, for photographer Nicholas Routzen. Routzen had asked Crystal, in the full knowledge of her plus size status, to be a part of the campaign which she gladly agreed to, however when the pictures came out, I think it's fair to say that Crystal, and the thousands of people who looked up to her, were less than pleased with the end result. Mass hysteria ensued and Crystal fans felt that she had "betrayed" them. The problem? In the photos (below) Crystal Renn bears more resemblance to her anorexic days than her present appearance.

Routzen had airbrushed the images of Crystal to the point where Crystal, an American size 10 (UK size 14) was made to look like a size 2 (UK size 6) "at most". Crystal has expressed her outrage in various interviews and on US talk shows such as ‘The Today Show’. Of the airbrushed images in question, she said; "When I saw the pictures I was absolutely shocked, I sat in silence for a good five minutes. It was not an accurate portrayal of my body in any way.”

However Crystal can’t be accused of not knowing the industry she works for: “I understand a certain amount of retouching - if there's a zit or you want to smooth things out - but to change my body completely, that's not what I'm about and that's not the message I want to give."

“I don't want young women to think being thin is the only way to be beautiful. Beauty is not a pant size. I'm known for my body and I'm proud of my body.”

She admits however, to losing a bit of weight recently but puts it down to healthy exercise which she is now in a "safe and healthy" place to do, with no plans to lose any more weight.

After admitting that he "shaped her", Routzen insisted in his defence that "I did nothing that I wouldn't do to anyone. I'm paid to make women look beautiful." Not exactly an apology or at the very least, a recognition of why there has been so much controversy.

Now for my two cents. I am 100,000% behind Crystal Renn and I think that the fact that she has gone on television to express her outrage makes her even more of a role model as she is letting insecure, impressionable girls and women everywhere know that it is not real, and it is not acceptable.

My support of her is increased further with the knowledge that she was not naive to the fact that airbrushing in the industry takes place. She expected the pictures to be airbrushed slightly, just not to the point where she is barely recognizable and looks like every other skinny model, something which she prides herself and inspires others, on being the very opposite of.

I understand that the use of plus size models in the industry is highly controversial and divides opinion, but like I said, this post isn't about that. Whatever you think of plus sized models, the fact is that designers and photographers have a choice whether to book them, instead of "average" models or not. If Nicholas Routzen wanted to showcase the T shirts on a skinnier frame, why didn't he just ask a skinny model to do the job?

It makes no sense to me to go to the effort of booking Crystal Renn only to make her look like, well, not Crystal Renn. Plus it's incredibly dangerous and irresponsible in my opinion. Renn is a role model for being curvy, and with his comment that he is 'paid to make women look beautiful' he is implying that only thin is attractive and what kind of message is that sending out?

So what do you think about this issue mes amies? Do you think Nicholas Routzen was out of order to ask her to be part of the campaign, only to then airbrush her down to size? Or is Crystal's outrage misplaced as, whilst unfortunate, it is to be expected? Hope you're all superduper.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,
English Rose x

Quixotic

2010-07-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Definition: Possessing or acting with the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality; romantic to extravagance, absurdly chivalristic.

Bonjour mes amies! Hope you are all having a super weekend and have lots of exciting things planned. I can't thank you enough for your phenomenal response and feedback on the last post. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of you that read it all the way through, and even more so by your kind words about my style and content. You guys give me so much confidence in my abilities as a writer and in my chances of making a real career out of it, so thank you kindly. Whilst I am a never ending fountain of words, I don't want this to be solely an article based blog and like to have a variety of fashion related posts, so considering the heavy word content of the last one I decided to make this an outfit post and give your brain's (and mine) a break.

Before I showcase my outfit I just wanted to let you know about the subtle and not so subtle changes to the blog. Most of you would have noticed the dramatic change in the layout, which will continue to by altered slightly in the coming days. As the wise woman Sheryl Crow once said, "a change can do you good". It's good to mix it up one in a while and have a bit of variety in life, and the blog is no different. So it's out with the old layout, background and clichéd song lyrics for titles. Being the language lover that I am, I've decided to give you a new, genuine word per post, to add to your vocabulary and impress people. I love to be different and after racking my brains for something original, realised I haven't seen that on any other blogs. So from now on if you see words and accompanying definitions as post titles popping up all over the place, you know where they got the idea from first. I'd love to know what you guys think about the new changes - tu l'aime (Y) ou deteste (N)?

Back to the outfit post. The other day I went to a garden party and thought it was the perfect opportunity to wear my new gorgeous, intricate dress that I got for a bargain in the summer sales (more about those in another post). I paired it with my woven pattern hairband, monochrome heels, quilted patent clutch, grey floral ring and this amazing new grey floral bracelet from topshop:

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

Just like Lauren and Whitney! Well not really...

2010-07-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

BONJOUR MES AMIES!! I'm backk, have I told you lately that I love you? I don't know what I did in a past life to deserve such lovely, loyal and supportive readers but I consider myself a very lucky girl indeed and has missed you and your lovely blogs muchly during my break that was anything but a break.

I have been doing an internship at the HQ of British high street fashion retailers New Look, which although fun and useful has left me completely exhausted; I have a whole new respect for interns, especially the unpaid ones, who are basically left to do the worst bits of everyone else's jobs and then some without any real thanks, respect or recognition. I've been lucky in that I've been doing slightly different work to all the other interns, loads of whom are from places like America and are choosing to spend their summer here working for free (better them than me, although I can't really talk as I did the exact same thing last summer when I went to New York).

Last week I was working in the PR and advertising department and it was a real eye opener. First to the juicy fun stuff. I got to pick outfits for loads of British celebrities and send it to them in the hope that they will wear it and be photographed. Two of the stars, including model Daisy Lowe and a member of the British pop girlband The Sugababes were photographed at the weekend in my looks which was beyond cool and so in a roundabout way I guess you could say I was a celebrity stylist for the day. The assistant of a beyond famous star came in for some free swag too. Whilst I won't say who they are, I will tell you that they have somewhat of an empire state of mind, if you catch my drift ;)

It made me realize just how amazing celebrities have it. Depending on their status, they can get hundreds of companys and brands sending them the most amazing free stuff, in the hope that they can get some publicity. *Note to Karl Lagerfeld, if I ever become famous for something worthwhile (I can't stand people who are famous just for being famous) I will HAPPILY wear nothing but Chanel every day for the rest of my life, for free, just thought you should know*

I also got to have a snoop at their amazing upcoming Autumn/Winter collection in their incredible showroom which they have meetings in (how cool?!). Like any fashion fanatic, I always have one eye on the future and whilst i'm enjoying summer, I cannot WAIT for Autumn/Winter. Not for the cold, wet weather; that, I can happily do without, but for "The Fashion, dahhling".

Nothing beats autumn/winter fashion for me, but I'll talk about that more in another post. The point is that it made me crave autumn and as a summer lover, that's a rare and beautiful thing. I was also allowed to sit in and give input on a meeting where they were discussing who to front their new campaign. They've had Alexa Chung and Lily Allen in the past and currently they have Taylor Momsen but they're looking for another famous person who's young, stylish and current. Whilst they didn't come to any firm decisions but the potential names involved sound exciting so watch this space.

Onto the less than glamourous side. As both a person and a writer, I pride myself on my honesty and integrity and hope you guys appreciate it. I just wouldn't feel comfortable not showing you half instead of the whole picture. Whilst there was so much I loved, there was also a darker side that I didn't like and I feel it's my duty to report that too. If you only want to read how fabulous it was then skip to the end, if not then read on my friends.

There was something about PR that made me, being all self righteous and principled, incredibly uneasy. I know some people like the immense Kelly Cutrone of People's Revolution (who I ADORE) are born for it, and i'm not bashing the profession, I just don't think it's for me, so in that respect, something useful came out of the internship. Not to state the complete obvious but it just feels so dishonest.

For those of you that don't know, PR stands for Public Relations and it's all about how a certain brand or person is presented in the public domain. Most businesses, including celebrities have their PR reps and fashion labels are no different. Usually they promote a positive image and try to get their client as much publicity as possible (because there's "no such thing as bad publicity"), but sometimes they also have to do a fair amount of damage control (it's a shock Lindsay Lohan's PR team haven't all had strokes with the amount of work they must have to do).

Last week I had to go through this ginormous database with hundreds of thousands of paparazzi pictures of every A-Z list celebrity in the world and look through hundreds images of celebrities who New Look have sent free clothes to in order to see if they have been photographed wearing them. If they are, then the PR department will try and get those photos into magazines. I know it doesn't sound too bad, and quite interesting even, but after a while it just got creepy.

I saw people's special private moments with their partners, children, friends, family; moments when they clearly didn't know they were being photographed. After about the 200th photo of a certain A-lister, I felt hugely uncomfortable, like a complete stalker and invading someone's most intimate moments when I had no right to be there. Even though I had a leigitimate reason and purpose, the exisitence of the database in the first place just creeped me out. However it does serve its purpose for the businesses that are fashion and fame. A few months ago New Look scored a huge coup when Beyoncé was photographed wearing one of their £20 dresses. It sold out within 5 hours. And she became even more down to earth in the eyes of the public.

I'm one of the most cynical, least naive people that ever existed, but it's different knowing something goes on and actually experiencing it first hand. It made me realise just how much of a business, and a sham, it all is. And to be perfectly honest, trying to pass off lies as reality to impressionable people who don't know better makes me quite angry.

Scores of people have gone into creating a single photo of a celebrity that you see in a magazine. From the PR department of the fashion brand who sent the clothes to them, to the PR department of the packet of gum they are holding to the celebrity's PR rep who tipped off the paparazzi as to their location, to the stylist who put the look together, to the magazine that airbrushed the image. If you thought the celebrity just threw on what they wanted and "just happened" to be photographed and look amazing, think again my friend. You almost feel sorry for celebrities when you realise just how little control they have over their own lives and careers, then you think about all the free stuff and the sympathy fades...

The fashion industry I adore, by its very definition, is all about illusion, selling you an unattainble, non existent reality but making it seem close enough that it is within your grasp. However as someone who thinks knowledge is power, I'm beginning to think ignorance is bliss. Like most people, despite being aware of it, I'm not ashamed to admit that I buy 100% into the lifestyle that fashion sells us. I devour magazines; wanting to look like the model on a yacht in St Tropez with her boyfriend, decked out in diamonds and designer gear. I happily allow myself to believe in the hour I'm reading that I can easily afford all the luxury items and holidays (what price tag?) before coming crashing back to reality only to fall right back into my dream with the next magazine I see.

It's why I love the fashion industry, I'm enchanted by it, completely under its spell. But I'm beginning to think that I like the finished product rather than all the smoke, mirrors and underhand deals that go into creating the image of perfection. Whilst I want to be a fashion editor (Vogue or ID please =D) it made me question yet again whether fashion is something that I would be better off admiring from a distance and dabbling in rather than emmersing myself fully and making a career out of it. I'm still young and have time enough to work it out, but it is definitely something to bear in mind. One thing's for sure, I won't be working in the PR side of the industry.

This week I'm shadowing the Head Designer and Creative Director which is beyond fun and interesting, so i'll give you a report on that soon. For now however, I should probably take a break from this computer and shockingly long post which I don't for a second expect most of you to have read all the way through (no hard feelings darlings, I wouldn't either) and give my mind and eyes a rest. Hope you are all immense.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

Images Source: Google

"I'm mad about the boy..."

2010-07-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

BONJOUR MES AMIES!! I'M FREEE!! Exams are finally over, thank you SO much for all of your kind words, well wishes and most importantly, patience. I promise that my blog posts will now become far more frequent and hopefully more interesting too. Plus it's a double celebration as my shopping ban is now over, and with summer sales around the corner, you know what that means...

Many of you may have read the findings of a recent survey that was released which described the 10 fashions that men hate to see on women, including Uggs, Harem pants, Neon anything and Leggings. It got me thinking; what do I hate and love to see on guys? As a girl who knows and loves her fashion, it's important to me that any guy I go out with, if not as passionate and knowledgeable about fashion as me, (that might be warning signs of a bigger problem, if you know what I mean) takes pride in their appearance, has a distinct (chic) sense of personal style, and knows what looks good.

What I find attractive style-wise on a guy has a lot to do with the type of guys I'm attracted to. Darlings, I love my geeks. Not puny, nerdy geeks, but hot, preppy geeks. Geek chic. I'm not personally into butch, 'macho' men with lots of muscles, chest hair and bravado, nor do I like guys full of ego that spend longer in the bathroom than you and more on hair products than you spend in a month. Nope. I like 'em skinny, sensitive and intelligent but able to totally defend your honour should the situation arise. Dandy and Dapper, Unaware and Uninterested in just how hot they are, choosing to care more about their chosen passion, be it movies, music, literature or art than the superficial. I'm not sure that guy exists, but being the hopeless romantic dreamer I am, I won't give up looking. I figure that they exist in movies and tv in the shape of hotties like Henry from Ugly Betty, Michael Cera, Artie from Glee, Seth from the OC and the perfect specimen that is Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl, so they totally do in real life. Right guys?

...

RIGHT GUYS?!

Whatever you go for in a mate, and whatever people say, looks although definitely not everything, are fairly important. It's the first thing you see, what captures and compels your attention. Before you get to judge someone's character or personality, it is human nature to first judge them on appearance, even if you are open to having the judgement changed once you get to know them. It's what the whole fashion industry is based on, and something even the least superficial person can't help doing. That being said, the second someone attractive opens their mouth, ugliness can escape and vice versa, but the old saying that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" is completely true. Before talking to him, if a guy is wearing anything on my turn-off list, i'm unlikely to think he's mister right. Whereas if he's wearing any or, dare I dream, all of my male style turn-ons, well that's a whole other story....

Je Deteste:

Baggy Pants - urm mate...I think your belt is broken...

V neck T-shirts - put it away man, just put.it.away...

Earrings - who wants their boyfriend to be more feminine than them?

and the absolute cardinal sin...

Socks and Sandals - no words.

J'adore...♥

Bow Ties - SWOOOOOOOON- oh Chuck, why do you have to be fictional?

Preppy jumpers/cardigans - as if he couldn't get any more perfect...

Geek Glasses - if they're real, even better

Converse High/Low tops - I'm an indie kid at heart, I adore boys in bands.

Skinny Jeans - like Zac Efron ...

...just not too tight okay dude?

So darlings, what do you love and most importantly hate on a potential partner style-wise? Do any of you agree with my choices or does my turn off list reflect your turn ons or the other way around? Part of the beauty of being human is that we all like different things, different strokes for different folks and all that. What one style item "has you at hello"? Do tell, and whilst you're at it, have a fabulous week.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x

"I close my eyes and the flashback starts..."

2010-06-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Bonjour mes amies! Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend, my exams finish in 5 days and freedom is so close I can almost taste it. But it's still not quite there. It's weird because the longer exams go on, the less motivation and energy you have. I'm as ready as i'll ever be so whatever happens, happens, que sera.

With freedom being within my grasp, and only one exam to go, I am finally going out more. Hence today's outfit which I really loved. It was swelteringly hot and I was channeling one of my all time favourite decades the1950s (as if you all didn't already know). Red isn't a colour is wear very often but I think I might do more after today. Having been deprived of it for so long, I definitely 'saw red' today in a red and white candy striped dress, red belt, red cardigan, red shoes, red and white polka dot bangle and a white and black polka dot hairband. As if I wasn't red enough I decided to stand by a red postbox - who said humans don't have to ability to camouflage?

So what colour do you wear too little of or tend to shy away from? Hope you are all truly fabulous,

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x