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.

Let's get physical

So, after 26 years of resistance, discovering 100 cm2 of cellulite and entering the 2011 London Marathon, I've finally accepted that everyone should do a bit of exercise.

Mega circuits, swimming, pilates, spinning, old-school aerobics (I'm hoping for an instructor with a bum bag) and cycling are all on the list (actually, I've been two-wheels good for about a year, but that's another story) after joining the local leisure centre. But with every new venture comes a wardrobe challenge, so how to work out without looking like I've just stepped out of Gregg's? Where to turn for sweaty sartorial inspiration? I look no further than my muse Miss Whitney Port.

Now, let me note that I don't see the gym as an opportunity to pose... I was once a member of a David Lloyd gym and the Wags in a full face of make up made me feel physically sick. I'm just looking for a way to keep cool and comfortable while also looking cool and comfortable. My girl Whit ticks all those boxes!