The Best of 2009

Weep, weep, tear, snot, tear. It's the last ever Musical Friday of 2009! And what a year it's been... I guess. Socially, ecomnomically it's been pretty shit but goddam the music's been good. Let's exclude repulsives like Chipmunk, Pixie Lott and that burke Alexandra and have a look back at the artists who really tried out something new. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to music this year. Telepathe, First Aid Kit, Sin Fang Bous and Golden Silvers have been stand outs for me. And let's not forget, my Devendra released his greatly antcipated album which let no-one down (I was lucky to cream over,I mean, listen to him at the Shephards Bush Empire on the 15th and my God can the man put on an amazing gig!)So enjoy the walk down memory lane. Did I leave anyone off? Or someone on that doesn't deserve it? To be honest, I don't care because it's my blog. Mine, mine, mine and it's the end of 2009. That ryhmes.


Animal Collective - My Girls



Telepathe - Chrome's On It



Dirty Projectors - Two Doves



Flashguns - I Do Not Love You



Peggy Sue and The Pirates - Alice In The Kitchen



Florence and the Machine (Jack Beats Remix) - Drumming Song



Davendra Banhart - Baby



Bombay Bicycle Club - Always Like This



Sin Fang Bous - Clangour and Flutes



Passion Pit - The Reeling



Camera Obscura - French Navy



Bat For Lashes - Sleep Alone



Girls - Laura



Wavves - So Bored



Golden Silvers - True Romance



Vampire Weekend - Cousins



First Aid Kit - Hard Believer



The Drums - Let's Go Surfing



Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks



Bell X1 - The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella



Timber Timbre - We'll Find Out



The xx - Crystalised



Hebuca - Suffering



Villagers - The Meaning of The Ritual



Pit er Pat - Evacuation Day



The Maccabees - Love You Better

Musical Friday

I am back from my New York travels. It feels like I have woken up from a very beautiful dream. Reports to come. Happy Friday, I'm off to an internship at Recognise magazine, check it out peoples.

Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move

Kid Cudi - Make Her Say ft. Kanye West, Common

Jefferson Airplane -White Rabbit

Sin Fang Bous: clangour and flutes

Mahjongg - Aluminum

Tacks, the Boy Disaster - "Frozen Feet"

People Press Play - These Days

Birthday Wishlist

My birthday is looming and what's the harm in creating a very unrealistic wishlist? No harm at all, I don't think. So, feel free to get me whatever you want, but obviously I'd rather it be from the list. Much love xx

A giant bowl of Lucky Charms


Zara Simon Bird Pendant


Hermes Ashtray


A Parisian Armoire

A House in London


A Brownstone in Manhattan


A night in the cinema watching the original Gray Gardens

A Philip Treacy Creation


Timothy Walker's Book


A YSL cocktail ring


A DL & Co candle

A hot chocolate in Manhattan's Serendipity


A photo of myself taken by Terry Richardson or...


Juergen Teller


My very own Polly Morgan


A persian cat


A Pandora pearl cocktail ring

A Michael Kors watch

A bottle of Bond No9, Coney Island


A Chanel Bag


A Barbour Jacket

Musical Friday

Girls - Laura



Cats In Paris - Foxes



Devendra Banhart - Baby



Grizzly Bear - Knife



Plastiscines - Bicyclette



Cass McCombs - The Executioner



Shit Robot - Simple Things (Work It Out)



Timber Timbre - Oh Messiah




Weird War - Mental Poisoning



Wolf Parade - Modern World



Joanna Newsom - Sprout And The Bean

Blogspotted: The Selby

You must, must, must go on this blog. The Selby is like The Sartorialist for interiors. It focuses on images taken in creative people's homes, stores, studios and everywhere in between. The photography is totally scrummy and the places... well, let's just say if you don't feel at least a twinge of jealousy there's something wrong with you. It's also a great place to get inspiration if you feel like giving your pad a little make over. I also love taking a sneak peek into other people's lives. Who knew bieng nosey could feel so delicious?







http://theselby.com/

J Smith Esquire Online Shop

Like most of you out there, I love the excitement of waiting for something ordered online to arrive. The thrill of signing for an asos package or rummaging through polystyrene balls to uncover a DVD from amazon is something that brightens up five minutes in the day. But the big thrills, the really, really special ones don't come cheep. But, really, who cares?


J Smith Esquire, bespoke millinery extraordinaire, has put his beautiful creations online for us all to buy. Imagine a giant elephant trunk arriving on your doorstep! Each piece is completely individual and the hairdresser turned hat-making genius has made a great move by supplying his hats to everyone and everything.

My fave is a beautiful pheasant, curled around horse hair Swarovski crystals, glass beads and much more. £650... better start saving. Do you think the price includes postage and packaging?


http://jsmithesquireshop.com/index.php

Documentary: Vive Le Punk

'Vive Le Punk' is a 1993 documentary that has only recently been seen. It focuses on the build up of The Chamber of Pop Culture's first exhibition. It also contains the only (apprently) filmed conersation between Westwood and creative partner Malcolm McLaren, where they talk about their designs and ideas.

i-D magazine said '...the result is a remarkable, insightful, comic, uncomfortable, wonderful and charming documentation...'

Sounds rather good, doesn't it?

Blogspotted: Vivian Maier, Her Discovered Work

"In 2007, a Chicago estate agent stumbled across an astonishing visual archive of mid-century America. So began one man's mission to rediscover Vivian Maier: nanny, eccentric and 'photographer extraordinaire."

Vivian Maier was a French nanny who photographed Chicago from the 1950's to the 1970's. Her beautiful, poignant and sometimes humerous documentations of a city through thirty decades are so historically important, it's amazing to think her work has only been discovered recently.

The link at the bottom of this post will send you to a lovely blog where you can really explore her work. Or you can read this brilliant article to discover more about the mysterious woman who captured an America that only seems real in the movies. It's really interesting, so give it a read.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/little-miss-big-shot-fifties-america-exposed-ndash-by-a-french-nanny-1811040.html





http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

Amazing Fashion Shows, then and now

CHRISTIAN DIOR FALL-WINTER 2000-2001 HAUTE COUTURE

Chanel Cruise 2010

John Galliano Spring Summer 2003 Prêt-à-Porter (Part 1)

KATE MOSS HOLOGRAM, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SHOW

Chanel Fall Winter 2009/2010 Full Show Part 1

Jeremy Scott - Fall Winter 2009

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture FW 07

Amato Haute Couture 001

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2009-2010

Alexander McQueen Spring/ Summer 2005

Lily Allen Jewellery

This upsets me. Lily Allen, when will you learn? No-one loved Lily Loves... In fact, Beth Ditto sold more for New Look than you and I'm pretty sure nobody wants to look like her. You ruined pastel coloured Ray-Bans for everybody and did for Chanel what Daniella Westbrook did for Burberry. And yet you release a jewellery line? I know this is old news but I never gave it the attention it deserves. I can picture the scene: Lily is sitting in a large office surrounded by a bunch of fat men in pin-striped suits. She keeps checking her Blackberry and is loudly chewing gum. She puts her feet up on the head fat-cat's desk and he thinks "God, this girl is awful. I can't believe my daughter likes her. Hold on. I'm getting paid to help her, but she takes money from the teenager I support. So, really she's taking my money. And I'm forty-five with a degree from Oxford and she graduated from the University of Myspace. I hate my life."

Fat Cat: Lily?
Lily Allen: Yeah? What?
Fat Cat: You've got to decide what symbols you like.
Lily Allen: For what?
Fat Cat: For your new jewellery line... remember?
Lily Allen: For New Look?
Fat Cat: No, not for New Look. Just because... Look, we've been here for an hour...
Lily Allen: Yeah, yeah. Allright (Still). What's my choice?
Fat Cat: Just flick through the options book will you? Here...
(He passes her the options books and she flicks through it, a strained expression on her face. It's almost like she's concentrating or something.)
Lily Allen: Hhmmm..
Fat Cat: Well? Which ones do you like?
Lily Allen: I hate them all.
Fat Cat: You hate them all? Come come, now. Have another look.
Lily Allen: I've looked, allright? They're all shit.
(The sound of nervous shuffles fill the room. Fat Cat clears his throat.)
Fat Cat: But Lily, you can't have missed the winking smiley faces? Oh, look here... A flamingo! How quirky it is!
Lily Allen: Quirky?
Fat Cat: Yes, quirky. Oh, and look. Coins. How kitsch it could be!
Lily Allen: Kitsch? My songs are kitsch, you know. I write about penises and exes that are shit in bed and stuff.
Fat Cat: Well, there you go. All of this matches your style, don't you think?
Lily Allen: I don't know... I mean, I'm thinking about quitting the net and want to set up my own Record Label... And I only really wear black now... I'm growing up, you know?
Fat Cat: Peaches Geldof has her own jewellery line...
Lily Allen: Shit yeah... Flamingos and coins are fine. You're right, they are so me. Tacky yet classy. 'Cos you know, I'm a cockney from public school.
Fat Cat: Exactly. This is all your vision, Lily. You've made great choices.
Lily Allen: Yeah, you're right. I'm so clever. Can I piss off now?
Fat Cat: Of course you can. See you at our next meeting, Miss Allen.
Lily Allen: Meeting for what? What the fuck? Twitter keeps freezing...
(Lily Allen walks off into the distance and Fat Cat wonders how successfully a tie can act as a noose.)


What is that green thing? It looks like an infected vagina. I'm assuming it's not. It's probably a pear or something. But why? And who would buy it? Look at her in the picture below. She's either laughing at the idiots stupid enough to buy her hideous pieces or she's laughing through the pain of having to wear them herself. Now she knows how we feel.

New York, New York, It's a hell of a town

I am unemployed. I'm living in a recession. I can just about afford train fare into London and have to hitch-hike my way back into the sticks. I walk through Selfridges and Liberty drooling and walk out wiping my tears away with my empty hands. I desperately want a Longchamp bag and screamed with envy when I heard my dear friend has just bought one. I take pleasure in the fact my parents pay for the internet, so at least I can go on their website and design my own make believe one (You totally can do that. You can even get your name sewn on! http://www.longchamp.com/en/home-e-shopping/home-sur-mesure-usa-560.html) I yearn to douse myelf in Jo Malone's Vanilla and Asise (God I love that smell!) and buy every necklace Alex Monroe has ever created and yet I smell of my cat and make my own jewellry with dry pasta and string. But hang on a minute... in two weeks time I will be on a terrifying plane journey to New York!!

I struggled with the decision. I should be job hunting instead of Bloomingdales hunting, right? Well, not really. For the past month I have been researching everything you can do for free or really, really on the cheap and I have found some fantastic things. I have been to New York three times before and wanted to do something different. So this trip will not include the Empire State Building or Ground Zero. I will not wait in line at the M & M store in Times Square nor will I take a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. Instead I will be venturing into the unknown; the equally brilliant, equally stylish, equally interesting things to do in New York for half the price and I cannot wait. Oh, I've found some quirky things to do and I will share them with you on my blog in case you ever fancy taking a bite of the Big Apple sometime in the future. Keep checking, you might find something you like.

Conversations with Glenda Bailey, Fashion Museum, NYC

On November 19th (my birthday, in case any of you want to send me a pressie via facebook) Glenda Bailey will be talking with an audience at the Museum of Fashion, NYC. I have reserved two seats. I know I'm on holiday and it's my birthday but if you don't know who Glenda Bailey is you will soon understand why. She is the Editor in Chief of Harper's Bazaar (USA) and all round fashion journalism icon. It is also completely free (whoever said you have to spend a fortune in NYC is a bloody liar. Or they work for the tourist board and have had dollar signs for pupils ever since Sex and the City came out).

Bailey, originally from Derby, was the launch Editor of Marie Claire and became editor of US Marie Claire, in 1996. Known as the 'ultimate editor', Bailey was appointed the role of Editor in Chief for US Harper's when sales were flagging after its radical change in design and content. It was Bailey's job to bring it back to its old ways and regain the loyal readers without alienating the new ones. And boy did she do it! Sales were down 7.5% when she arrived, and the mag is now selling better than ever. She even managed to get Donatella Versace do to an interview with her immensely private daughter which no magazine was able to do before. I'm telling you, the woman is a legend!

The talk goes on for two hours and I'm already preparing my questions. She's one of those 'role model' types for me but I'm not doing her justice at all. Read this article on her, it's very interesting...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/glenda-bailey-woman-at-work-530221.html

This is just one amazing thing I plan to do in NYC... and it's completely free. Hoorah!

Hotel Monterey, Japan

I read a couple of weeks ago that a Japanese hotel has built a replica of a 100 year old Herefordshire church on its 21st floor. The church caters towards those in Japan who are more into the Western style wedding, which is apparently becoming more popular in the East. The church was built with the help of laser cameras, which ensured it's dimensions where exactly the same, and it even has a tiny bell tower which rings after weddings. I know I wouldn't want my room anywhere near the thing (how bloody annoying would the bell be?), but it's a totally cute, and pretty genius idea.

Musical Saturday

I'm ever so sorry for the non-existant Musical Friday. I just get so caught up in living my wonderful life I simply don't have the time. OK, ok I forgot. So I thought we'd do it a little different. I'm always suffering De Ja Vu when it comes to mainstream music. The same hooks, melodies, backing tracks over and over again like a musical Groundhog Day really get my goat. Here's a few recent examples of blatant copying. Or at least milking the 'artistic liscence' idea for all it's worth.

The choruses are exactly the same...

Lily Allen - Who'd Have Known?



Take That - Shine



Again, pretty similar chorus. It sounds like the same backing track...

Pixie Lott - Boys and Girls



Rhianna - Shut Up and Drive



Apparently she's getting sueud for ripping off Kelis. They are very similar. You can sing Chezza's song over Kelis's and it's the perfect fit.

Chreyl Cole - Fight For this Love (Embedding disabled by bloody request.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvp32_5xXQA&feature=related

Kelis - L'il Star



These two songs have identical time frames, and sound exactly the same when it comes to the bridge. Go to 2.30 on Black Eyed Peas and around 2.06 on the Sugababes. You can say 'Let the Beat rroooccckk' in that wierd, retarded way over the song and wouldn't even notice it's the Sugababes. Sounds like a good idea to me!

Sugababes - Get Sexy



Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow

Shunt Lounge and Theatre Company

According to their website, Shunt is a 'collective of ten artists creating large-scale performance events in unexpected, abandoned or derelict buildings throughout London.' They are now performing at Shunt Lounge, which is basically loads of interlinking railway arches (which used to be giant wine cellars) and according to people I've spoken to, it's impossible to find. Also, it's got quite a buzz around it so there's always a big queu but I think that depends on what time you decide to go. It also costs £10 to get in, but I think it's worth it. I really want to go! Performances are always bieng put on and while they are, you can drink till your hearts content. We can all go together!

Blogspotted: Mattias Inks

This is such a cute blog! Mattias A's illustrations are whimsical and so detailed, it's best to zoom in on them to fully appreciate them. Some of his prints are on sale for $900! Anywho, I like his day to day account of what he's been drawing and I like how his drawings reflect what's been interesting him that day. Check it out!

http://mattiasa.blogspot.com/