Grace Wears

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Selfie Scrapbook

'Selfie trend is getting a bit sinister'

-The Telegraph, March 2014

This outfit post has been evolving for a while. I had the dreaded Storage Full thing on my phone so went about deleting everything surplus to requirement from my handheld. I embarked on a journey through my photographs and initially I happened upon a variety of selfies (body not face - nothing worth hacking into my iCloud for) taken in the loos of St John - sounds a bit grotty but they just so happen to be the whitest, cleanest WCs in London and have the best mirror for a full body outfit shot. So this post started as 'St John Selfies' throughout the year. But I only found about four which maybe was not enough to keep anyone interested. Coming across another series of photographs taken in three different musical venues over the summer, therefore three different sets of clothes, I thought this post could be called something reeeally imaginative like 'Gigs - What I Wore'. The variety of artists being Paloma Faith at The Roundhouse, Jonathan Wilson at Village Underground and One Direction at Wembley. One evening of lipstick and saxophones followed by beards, harmonicas and patchouli, finishing off with screaming, sherbet and cherry chap-sticks but blog-post wise I still wasn't feeling enthused. And then I wore boring things to the Paloma gig so that plan was scuppered.

It shortly afterwards became a post about my mini trip to the States. A bit of a 'Miami Vice' vibe but I wasn't very committed to the idea and sort of ended up just wearing a bikini and floaty things and taking a few snaps that I thought were good to go. That was until my friend and I lay on sun loungers next to supermodel Erin Wasson for an afternoon and I ended up deleting all my photographs and vowing to only eat broccoli and smoke cigarettes for the rest of my life.

Then just before I decided that it would be a full on shameless selfie post I was pouring over the weekend papers and read that Kim Kardashian is bringing out a book called 'Selfish' entirely of her and her bottom. It also reported that obsessive selfie-taking is now a recognised mental disorder. Argh! Quick! Delete! But then it seemed like such a waste. So before I consign most of these shots to the trash and free up some storage space - here are some of the clothes I have worn around the town, things I've tried on, things I've been given and things I can't wait to wear. There's no common theme except for the fact they're nearly all of me and lots have been taken in bathrooms around the world. A selfie-scrapbook if you will. I hope it doesn't make you feel the need to suggest I urgently require a stint in the Priory sans phone and mirrors.

THINGS I'VE WORN

First St. John Selfie. You may have seen this one before.

Loos of LouLous

My favourite Cedric Charlier bag which is having a moment again

Close up of my dress from Lime Green Bow.

Bathroom up The Shard. If you look carefully you'll see this is also a 'Belfie'.*

Close up of my Zimmerman Splatter Dress

Me wearing a sink and some tiles in Polpo

St John Selfie #2

We went to a Caribbean music night in Miami.

The pale pink bathrooms of Soho Beach House. Another favourite Zimmerman dress
which matched the interiors.

Boring outfit for Paloma.

St. John - last one. In my new favourite Zara dress which will see me
through these weird weather days.

THINGS I TRIED ON (and MAYBE bought)

I was nearly sold on this Kate Moss for Topshop dress until I saw LiLo
falling out of a club in it.

Obsessed with this Bonwitt Teller silk dress at Lime Green Bow. See it here.

Favourite handbag. Apart from the fact I can only fit some earphones in it.

Another wonderful handmade thing found in the charity shop on Notting Hill
Gate. It looks like a night sky.

Kenneth Jay Lane Ring from eBay

Victor Costa pale pink origami dress. Also from Lime Green Bow.
I am in love with this dress.
More on it soon.

Chanello

GIFTS THAT WERE GIVEN (from people who clearly know me very well!)

Lucky me! A birthday gift. Viennese gem from a flea market. Emerald green is my
favourite colour. And my adored Amethyst ring from best friends.

Lucky me again! Favourite birthday gift. I had been dreaming about owning this. My dream came true!
The most beautiful gold Bluebell pendant by Catherine Zoraida.

Christmas present from my sister...VIP ONE DIRECTION tickets at Wembley! Hurray!
Up there with one of the best nights of my life. Dress from Topshop.

One Direction gave us a watch! With their signatures on the back. Yes!

I actually wear the watch...with my LLBean Tote.

Things I will be wearing

ASOS Salon dress.

I was going to show you this on the next post but I got too excited.
My magical Portobello blanket coat. More on this next time.

Topshop. Too good.

*Handy Glossary

Helfie: a selfie of hair

Belfie: a selfie of the derriere

Welfie: a work out selfie

Drelfie: a drunken selfie

Shelfie: a selfie of your bookshelf

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Monday, 11 August 2014

Wanting For Winter

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!”
-Humbert Wolfe

Why is it that I spend all year wishing for summer and then half way through I get a burning desire to snuggle up in a jumper? In the hottest week of the year all I can think about is sitting by the fire drinking red wine. But then when you are actually sitting by the fire with red wine all you want to do is be sitting by the pool with an Aperol Spritz. However with a slight chill in the air today after the tail end of a hurricane, I feel I am justified in compiling a wish-list for the coming season.

APC Felt Trilby
Topshop Lace Crop
Eddie Borgo Necklace
Bionda Castana Red Heels
Antonio Marras Lace Top and Trousers
Olympia Le-Tan Clutch
Eugenia Kim Floral Headband
Ainea Faux Fur Coat
Ballet Beautiful Shoes
Charlotte Olympia Glance Alot Pouch
Merchant Archive Metallic Floral Jumpsuit

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Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Turkish Delights

After such a blissful holiday there last year, I felt Turkey was due another visit. We headed to the sleepy-ish village of Kalkan with azure seas, bougainvillea crowned houses and secret streets. Ummmm interestingly it also happens to have Chanel's Turkish flagship store! Who knew? We lay about like stray cats in the sunshine without a stag-do or tequila shot in site. (Not strictly true).

I hoped that by now being (what is considered) grown up I would be able to pack properly and not have to replenish my wardrobe while I was actually on holiday because I had forgotten to bring all the things I needed and LOADS of things I didn't. This time I just about managed with my hotchpotch of things. Once I went to Paris for a winter weekend, having packed the night before in a bit of a haze, only to open my suitcase and find one shoe, a beret and some red silk long-johns which meant having to wear a mans coat the entire time and wanting to hide in a hole. I never learn.

So in Kalkan instead of purchasing anything practical and despite my buy 'more quality, less quantity' birthday resolution I came back with a whole other suitcase, a handbag, two pairs of earrings, five bracelets, two rings, a shirt, two sarongs, two pairs of shoes and a technicolor dream-coat. Handy. And because Turkey aren't in the Euro it makes it feel like everything is free! It's not. At Dalaman airport at 2 in the morning I was asked to weigh in my hand luggage which put the frighteners on me as I had spent all my holiday money on clothes and couldn't foot the exorbitant charges the airline were demanding. In front of a queue of very cross, tut-tutting, head shaking Brits-abroad I had to take out all my extras and hide them from the very formidable check-in ladies and then secretly re-pack them behind a pillar so Security wouldn't notice.

DAY ONE!

I donned my favourite dreamy new dress from Cabbages & Roses. It actually came with sleeves but I took them off. I've kept them to sew back on in winter. I think it may be easier just to buy another one? No. No no no.
Maybe.

Slippers from Istanbul. Or more specifically, stolen from my mother.

DAY TWO

Melissa Odabash Robyn Kaftan and Turkish Towel

Heavenly holiday reading. My Ernest Hemingway obsession continues. I fear that had I lived in his lifetime, I too would have gone in search of him to try to become his wife (it didn't seem too difficult). This is a beautifully written, well executed story of the four wives in Hemingways life. Naomi Wood often uses clothes as a way of differentiating between the female characters which as you can imagine very much appealed to me! Subsequently I am now on the search for a black feather dress that looks like swan wings.

Rather a lot of this went on.

DAY THREE

Grocer Selfie

Zimmerman Sundress & Chanel Espadrilles

Local Barber. I find everything about this place aesthetically appealing. It's a pity I didn't photograph it straight.

DAY FOUR - THE BOAT

Topshop Palm Print Bikini

Another superb book which I started reading on my last holiday and never got around to finishing at the time. It is the biography of Sheila Milbanke, an Australian beauty who came to Great Britain and married in to the upper echelons of society. Its a picture of a life lived alongside some of the most famous people in British history and sheds a light on the whirlwind of parties and clothes and the fun they had but also how life was changed so drastically by two world wars.

Sunglasses from Le Specs

Espadrilles from the gentlemen's department in River Island. £3!

DAY FIVE

ASOS Swing Dress

Tea to Tan By Terry - this stuff is incredible and useful if you don't like tanning your face. It's a watercolour bronzer which smells delicious and makes you look bronzed in a minute. You can shake it to make it a bit shimmery for the evening. Soleil Tan De Chanel Illuminating Fluid is a birthday present from my sister. Makes your skin look tanned and amazing. Caudalie Beauty Elixir....this stuff is heaven on a hot day and the recipe has been around for centuries. Queen Isabelle of Hungary called it the elixir of youth. I've googled her and she looks pretty good.

LAST DAY - BOO HOO