Short it out

T shirt + Shorts + Shoes - Topshop// Necklace - Craft Market in New York

This entire outfit is kind of crumpled, creating a terrifying camel-toe illusion, but that's because I wore it for work all day before taking pics. These shorts are my new favourite thing in the world, and gave me a rare opportunity to wear these rip-off brogues I bought more than a year ago.

THe furry friend in the first pic is sadly not mine. He slipped in when I arrived home and decided he wanted to be Hackney's Next Top Model. Very sweet.

Put a ring on it

Just two days until Pamela Love's popup launches at Brown's Focus.

Time out says: "Love's Americana-themed pop-up at Browns Focus, curated with the help of Alexa Chung and Style.com's Maya Singer, will feature an extensive collection of Love's jewellery, including reworked vintage pieces and exclusive items never before stocked in London."

I'm there, with bells on.

Apologies for my absence this week - work is winning.

Never 21

After ogling these fab boots on Fade to Black, I realised they weren't, in fact, the mega expensive Chloe version, but a bargain pair from Forever 21. Too good to miss right? So I headed over to their site, filled my basket, then realised the shipping to the UK is $45! Are you freaking kidding me?
I strongly declined taking that exorbitant hit. But, for my yankee friends, here's a small sample of what else I would have bought from their New In section alone...

Cole position

Ok, so she's Tweedy now, but my pun well has run a little dry today after many a headline for my proper job.Soz.

There's just something about 'are Cheryl' I find fascinating. For me she's not a style icon... I think she tends to look overdone, especially on X Factor. But sometimes I see a candid where she's put herself together, and isn't trying too hard, and I think: "well done good woman." This was one of those times.

Ok, maybe it's this outfit's similarity to a recent ensemble of my own, but I think the more casual look works well on her... hell, who am I kidding, I prefer a thrown-together look on anyone! (Posh take note)

I also happen to know this top's from Bank. High Street - wahey! If any of you are after a piece of Ms Tweedy... see HERE. The shorts look like Diesel... hmmm. Shame they're not a more distressed vintage pair, but our Chez does love a label!

The art of the knock-off...

Now, here's a little lovely that has been floating around the internets for a while; Alpha 60's awesome River Phoenix t-shirt. Its a steep £55 on ASOS, and perpetually sold out. Money limitations and the elusive nature of the t-shirt have prevented me from making it mine, but I couldn't help but dip my toe in the sometimes murky waters of eBay to see if they had a similar t-shirt. They did, of course; with the same cool-as-all-hell image from Stand By Me with a young River, fag in hand.

Alpha 60's:


Most of them were going for about £11, plus postage from Japan, and I've got to say, I'm a little tempted. Not for a second do I think it would have the lovely hang and quality of its designer doppelganger, but in truth its probably not something I would wear that often anyway, and as much as I love it now I can see me being fickle and getting over it pretty quickly (unlike my stance on River himself I hasten to add!).

An eBay offering...



Anyway, what do you guys reckon? Are knock-offs ever acceptable? In this case, I'm inclined to say yes...

This is my last guest blog post - I've had a blast and I'm quite sad to hand Curve in the Mode back to its rightful owner! Thanks for having me though! If you want to keep reading my musings, in a shortened form, feel free to follow me on Twitter, I'm @bethevs.

City slicker

I love everything about this editorial. The girl's a fashion genious anyway, despite what I may think about her on-screen personality. And I adore those boots in the middle pic. If only I could wear heels in the city.

Olivia Palermo in ASOS August. Pics courtesy of marieclaire

Excuse me Miss

So my twitter is all, well, atwitter with the Miss Selfridge A/W collection... and it's not good. Someone even mentioned doing a mouthsick... a visceral reaction so strong it should be reserved for furry crocs, surely?

Anyway, I've had a little shufty, and I have to say, I've seen some gems! Now, this being a blog and all, I must be true to myself and say I probably won't buy any of these items. They fit firmly into the looks-awesome-on-someone-else-who-is-thinner-and-goes-to-more-interesting-places-than-me camp... but it's fun to play around outside out usual style boundaries, right?

1 - Can't you just see yourself swanning around an illicit party in the seventies, cigarette in one hand, martini in another, draped in this baby? It's fabulous!
2 - A lined cardie/coat seems so warm right now while I'm trapped in my over-air-conditioned office. It's only 25 outside people, just crack a window!
3 - I would definitely wear this if I were Florence. With number 6. But more about them later.
4 - Do I love 'em? Do I hate 'em? There's definitely something I love about the heel... it reminds me of my forever style-icon Angela Chase. They would look amazing with woolly tights. (Yep, I'm still cold).
5 - A duo I would wear if I were off out on a fabulous night anytime soon. There's something really interesting about how eclectic this whole collection is... seventies, sixties, witchies...
6 - These are the only thing I'm really coveting. I can see these teamed with a million mini shifts I've seen recently, or my skinnies, or even some J Brand Houlihans (and I don't even like 'em much!). Alas, I can't walk around London all day in a heel. Oh God. I just used the fashion singular. Now that deserves a mouthsick!

Cut down in your Primark

Thought I'd share a little haul I had recently at everyone's favourite bargain hall Primark.
First up this cuff, which goes with a lilac outfit I'm sporting to a friend's up-coming nuptuals...

I love finding the perfect accessory for £2.50.
Next is some summer sandals you must have seen everyone wearing...

A mere £12 for real-life suede in a lovely corally-pink. This is also a great opportunity to showcase my current favourite nails (ok, I'm starting to say that every week) - OPI's Done Out In Deco. That's a pretty good colour representation, and it goes on really nicely. A great summer shade... and who knew lilac went with everything?

(I also bagged some black suede studded gladiators for £12, and wanted to blog them, but they got so dusty last night in Hyde Park I couldn't possibly show them off... when I've cleaned them up maybe...)

And who would believe the beautiful eiderdown these are all modelled on is Primers too? A snip at £15 and so close to (if not a little smaller than) the Laura Ashley ones I've been coveting for about three years. It's come in so handy in the last week when it's too hot for a duvet, too cold for nothing, and will be pretty snuggly in the winter too.

So my last item was a head scratcher. I know in this fashion world we're supposed to be looking forward, but I've never been too good at buying for the season ahead, so this purchase took some mulling over...

I absolutely adore this, but its two layers of polyester make it impossible to wear in the summer. It's an autumn item to be worn with black tights and boots, I reckon, so I have squirrelled it away for cooler climes. (It was £15, FYI.)

But that's the problem with Primark, isn't it - almost everything you pick up is synthetic. I'm surprised I don't get static shocks just strolling through the aisles. Ah the price we (don't) pay for fashion!

UPDATE - I've changed my comments so anyone can do it, even if you don't have a google account etc. PLEASE let me know (twitter? email?) if you can't make it work!

Get stoned

There was a recurring theme among the fash pack at the Isle of Wight festival, where stonewash denim reigned supreme.

I think I own the shirt top-centre -- if it's from New Look -- and have some Levi 501 cutoffs rather similar to that fab belted pair top-left, which makes me think I do have something to wear to the Kings of Leon gig I'm off to next week (my only bash at a festival this year).

Though, in some ways, these pics are partly making me want to run far far away from this look, as it may be pretty ubiquitous in Hyde Park next Wednesday... ponder ponder...

Pics from Vogue.com see here

Grotbags

So, the minute I clapped eyes on this bag (oh, about five and a half years ago) I wanted it more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life...

Obviously at the tender age of 20 - who am I kidding, even at the slightly riper age of 26 - I don't have the dough for a Balenciaga, but thankfully, the lovely people at Lush came up with 'their own version' (read total rip-off) which some amazing people bought me for my twenty-first.



It went everywhere with me... even to the fancy-dress party I'd just been to above, where I was inexplicably dressed as a Guns 'n' Roses groupie. After reading how Mary-Kate's was stained with red wine, Marlborough Red burns and the general markings of a good night out, I became a little devil-may-care with its welfare, and it bears the scars today.

When the picture of Mary-Kate popped up on Olsens Anonymous last week, it made me dig out the little charmer, and vow to start taking it places again. It deserves to be seen. Now I just need that amazing neon pink nail varnish I've been coveting for years - any suggestions?