Style Cred to the Cartoons

On a non-uniform day recently I was told I resembled Velma from Scooby Doo. The most obvious reaction to this should be offence, however, being compared to a smart girl who wears turtle necks and pleat skirts is actually flattering and p rad in my opinion. Daphne may be the bombshell of Scooby-Doo but Velma is a dark horse when it comes to style. It inspired me to delve into the cartoon archives and discover other animated dark horses of style.

~Velma Dinkley~
Well its only right to begin with Velma. What is there to say? Velma is practical but cool with her picks, knowing she will be chasing criminals all over the place, she opts for comfortable yet classic clothing, and of course the famous specs. Velma is the true underdog of preppy style.

werkin' it 

~The Flinstones~

Fred, Wilma and Pebbles have the obvious drawback of living in the Stone Age, so are not lucky enough to have the material resources we have today. They overcome this fundamental disadvantage, however, to be style ambassadors for Bedrock (well maybe not literally)and make pretty stylish ensembles out of basic fabrics. After all, no one quite wears a leopard-print tunic with a tie quite like Fred Flintstone, do they? And even baby Pebbles wears a bone to replace a hairband. Genius.

~Snoopy~

I don't think this is
official but it shows
how rad snoopy is.

Although Snoopy doesn't actually move, he is the epitomy of canine cool and even when he's not wearing clothes he is still the dog of the town. Also, he is the only dog I have ever come across to play the saxophone and wear shades. I actually used to have a Snoopy sweatshirt but it got lost in the realms of jumble/car boot sale.


 Sources: (top to bottom)

www.velmadinkley.com

http://mrwgifs.com/freddie-daphne-velma-shagging-dancing-on-scooby-doo/

http://decomprasconpebblesywilma.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.sidereel.com/The_Flintstones/season-6/episode-20
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/432838214156737862/

 http://www.cweden.com/snoopy/joecool/snoopy033.jpg

(waves goodbye)
Suzie


Don't Just Dream In Your Sleep

Yesterday,  as some pre-exam respite, we went to see the Birmingham Royal Ballet on tour. It wasn't the traditional Swan Lake or Romeo and Juliet but extracts from three very different ballets, Les Rendezvous, Kin and Elite Syncopations. They were all very modern, especially Kin which premiered in April, but in diverse ways.

 

Les Rendezvous was the least modern with dancers wearing polka dot costumes at some kind of garden party (?), I'm not entirely sure what it supposed to represent but I still enjoyed it. Kin was very dark (literally and metaphorically) with the dancers bare-legged and straight-faced. Elite Syncopations was probably my favourite, partly because it had a nostalgic feel to it reminding me of childhood trips to the circus, also because the band were on stage, like part of the cast, and lastly because it was very funny.

 

 

 

Jacket - eBay

Top - India (the country, man that sounds smug, someone else got it for me though)

Skirt - New Weekends

Belt - Mini Boden (it's a hand-me-down from when I was little!)

 

I seem to be living in this skirt at the moment. Thing is, it is just so versatile. I have only owned it for 2 months but I have already worn it to Bath, London, the ballet and even a jazz festival. And also, pleats are in so this was a wise buy.

 

~~~

 

A few songs I cannot stop listening/singing/dancing like a maniac to:

This is on the new Coco Mademoiselle ad (if you haven't seen it then climb out from under your rock and WATCH IT) I cannot stress how much better it is than the last one. Hopefully, you can hear them above the screaming (you'll see what I mean)

Yes yes yes, now I am the one who has been living under a rock, having only just started listening to Swim Deep. Honestly, I heard about them a while ago and just never got round to listening to them but recently I started and ,well, they're pretty rad.



Lana's new single is everything I hoped it to be and more. Still cinematic and enigmatic, but different as well. She's done it again.
 

(waves goodbye)

Suzie  

Oriental Whims

The other day we were flicking through old photo albums and, apart from finding some humiliating extracts from my childhood, we came across my Mum's photos from her trip to Japan and Hong Kong in 1982.

I love the effect of the photos, what would now be called vintage even though it wasn't that long ago, that you can't find in photographs today. There's a quality to them that is near impossible to find these days.

 

 Japan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Macau / Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

Although I love all the photographs my favourite has to be the one of Mount Fuji, its so beautiful and such an iconic landmark, my mum says they were really lucky to see it because it usually can't be seen at that time of year (clouds or something).

 

(waves goodbye)

Suzie

A Dreamy Seduction

I recently watched The Graduate and I can honestly say it is something special. I heard about it in (500) Days of Summer and I thought I ought to watch it seeing as it plays a role in this film and because its an utter classic.



The storyline is simple; boy has affair with older woman then falls in love with woman's daughter. But the way this is expanded, distorted, and visualised results in a truly mesmerising and ethereal (i'll be using this word A LOT) beauty. The cinematography is so clever and canny, enough to make you smirk to yourself upon realising the simile/metaphor/comparison, not only this, but it has this sun bleached effect, like a never-ending summer, an ethereal quality that adds a far-away feel. The panning and quick shots and, jeez, just everything about it. At times, it reflects upon the feelings of Ben, Dustin Hoffman's character, who is not sure about his future and stepping into the unknown, just like the dreamy world that California is portrayed as in the film.

 

What also contributes to it being so, well, AwEsOmE is the soundtrack; ALL SIMON AND GARFUNKEL. The soothing yet moving sound is so coherent with the film and adapts to the emotions without changing style. I love films with the same music running through it (the third man, key e.g.) and S and G adds to that summery, ethereal, Californian happiness. That's all I can describe it as, happiness.

The style is oh-so-American, swinging 60s, soft top cars and baking summers. Everything about it is effortless. Mrs Robinson always looks so sleek and elegant, no effort required. The same with Elaine, her mane of golden/strawberry blonde/caramel locks and her uncomplicated yet cool and classy dress sense. The men in sharp suits or flannel shorts with neighbourhood smiles.

 



 

There are many film stills/photos I would have liked to included (not that I really need anymore) but there's nothing worse than a ruining a film for someone, especially one as good as The Graduate.

(waves goodbye)

 

Suzie

 

 

All pictures from The Graduate (1967) 

Weekend Wanders/Wonders

Its not the weekend anymore, so I should probably put week instead of weekend. Oh well, easter holidays have arrived and I have gone into slacker mode which is why this post took 5 days to write and the reason for its randomness.

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My first wander this weekend was a literal one; I braved the outside world and went on a lengthy dog walk, attempting some photography and using a by standing wall as a tripod (cheers for the help)whilst battling inevitable gale force winds. I would like to formally apologise for the quality of the photos/ my hair/ me/ the weather/ non-aesthetically-pleasing-overall-turnout. I'm new to the whole blogging/photography biz so I guess they're excusable.

Coat - Sherwood Forest

Jumper/sweater - Grey Dog Boutique

Jeans - Johnnie B

Wellies - Hunter

I appreciate that this outfit is kinda dull and not blogworthy/imaginative but I was walking dogs in a muddy surrounding, so wearing fancy stuff was not an option.

Dog lead scarves - HEIGHT of fashion

I found this gem of a jumper at Grey Dog Boutique,  a cute vintage shop in Arkansas (mail order, no flying involved unfortunately). It is a fab golden yellow and the best thing is... it has REMOVABLE VELCRO SHOULDER PADS. talk about 80s.





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other wanders/wonders:



NB: worn ironically

Sooo, on Monday morning I went for the chop (hair, that is).Its shorter than I anticipated (I was aiming more for Debbie harry meets freja beha) but I really like the length and my sister said it resembles kurt cobain (dsajhsdsadsdalk!), overstatement but flattered all the same. Hat - I Am Floyd (creds to sister)

 Pics in b and w because my face has more craters than the moon.

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wondery/dreamy songs

 

(waves goodbye)

Suzie

 

p.s watched Forrest Gump the other day and the soundtrack is something else, give it all ears.



Kings of Cool

This week I have watched two very different films; one a timeless war film, the other an 80s comedy, yet they have both inspired and mesmerised me. The first is The Great Escape and the second is Big. I wasn't exaggerating when I said different.
          The Great Escape is the story of Allied prisoners of war escaping, obvs, a prison camp in Germany. The main attraction is Steve Mcqueen, or the King of Cool (lets just call him Steve), who plays Hilts 'Cooler King' and darts around like a cat, flitting from place to place with ease and grace, which no one has ever managed to recreate(and I don't recommend, you'd just look dumb). Despite living in a prison camp, he seems pretty chilled most of the time and is ALWAYS wearing rad clothes. Yes, for pretty much the entirety of the film he is wearing the same outfit but he rocks it every time. Think leather jacket, blue sweatshirt with severed sleeves, chinos and WWII service boots (cooler than they sound).

All pictures from The Great Escape (1963)



Big is the story of a 12 year old boy, Josh Baskin, who wishes he was ...well..big, on a magic carnival machine and the next morning..BAM what do you know, he is a 20-something year old Tom Hanks. Naturally, his mother does not believe that her 12 year old has grown a foot overnight so Tom Hanks has to run away to New York until him and his trusty pal find the magic carnival machine which can revert him to his former self. In the meantime, he acquires an ace wardrobe and all you notice is what fab clothes he is wearing all the time, well I did anyway - bomber jackets, patterened shirts, oversized knits and slogan tees. oh and one solid pair of Nike Air Force II.

  

All pictures from Big (1988)

What these two characters have in common is the fact they are both effortlessly cool, in very different ways. Josh Baskin is kitsch cool whilst Hilts is classic cool, like Mcqueen himself.  Mcqueen may have the upper hand here, being the 'King of Cool', however, there's no denying the radulous (new fav word) 80s feel to Hanks' wardrobe. Either way, both films are a great watch and offer style tips to all.

(waves goodbye)

Suzie