An Outfit A Day #2

AN OUTFIT A DAY #2

I thought it was about time I did another 'An Outfit A Day' post after the last post I did way back in January, was actually rather successful (much to my complete and utter surprise). I didn't think anybody would care about what I choose to wear every day, or intrigued enough about my personal style. Yet it turns out that some of you lovely dear readers were, so thank you a million times over. You know how to make an already prone to blushing girl, blush even more with happiness. Ever since that first post, I've been continuing to make a conscious effort to take a picture of my outfit before I leave for the day. Just before I'm about to leave, typically in a late, bumbling, forgetful rush, I pick up my beloved little compact camera and take a snapshot of what I'm wearing, then I'm gone, gone, gone right out the door and blown away on the breeze.

As with the last post, 99% of the time I don't take the photographs with an ulterior motive. It's just in that particular moment, I feel an overwhelming need to capture this very particular outfit in all its glory. I never know if it will make it on to a blog post or not, but that doesn't even matter. All that matters, is that I have physical evidence that on that day, I was wearing a socially acceptable outfit that not only reflected my own personal style to a T, but also could possibly be somewhat stylish. Or at least enough so to not make people squint their eyes in sheer shock. But once again, the photographs soon mount up, and at some point I decided another post was definitely on the cards, so voilà here were are. 

In the photographs you can probably see that there's certain recurring pieces that always seem to pop up, or particular stylistic choices that I always seem to be drawn too. For me personally, it totally blows my mind seeing what I wear in a format such as this, because I dress myself so absent-mindedly that I often don't take a moment to fully appreciate the outfit I've constructed, or the common themes that always seem to arise in my outfit choices. You don't realise that you're subconsciously always leaning towards certain pieces of clothing, or prone to wearing you clothes in a very particular and distinctive way. Yet when you see all this photographic evidence before you, it suddenly becomes very apparent. For example, this time round I've loved wearing my black chunky boots with black leggings or jeans, in order to make my legs look a little bit longer. I've been wearing my black high waisted H&M trousers to death, always making sure I tuck my top into it so I can accentuate my figure. I'm still doing the ankle boots and Doc Martens combo, because I am yet to invest in more normal length socks. I've been choosing more neutral colour palettes, and trying to keep things minimal and simplistic, as inspired by my lil sis who is something of a born again fashionista. The silver hoop earrings are always a permanent feature now, as is my Zara trench or H&M leather jacket, and interestingly I've been expressing my creativity more through my necklace and shoe choices. 

It still amazes me to see how my style has evolved over the years. I often laugh with friends and family who bore witness to my teenage years, and the horrendous stylistic choices I blindly made. I can't look at old photographs without wanting to melt into the ground in a puddle of embarrassment, or instead time travel to younger me and get her to really properly look in a mirror, and question her life choices. Some of the most important things I've learnt fashion-wise over the years, are to 1) work out what suits, complements and accentuates your figure, 2) within the clothes that suit you, what designs best represent your personality, the version of you you want to express, align with the inspiration you gather from the world around you, 3) don't be afraid to experiment with outfit combinations, and 4) be confident with what you wear. I used to think people were talking proper bs when they said that confident is the best accessory, but it turns out they aren't. If you wear clothes that make you feel like a gangsta' killa' sassy b.o.s.s, then externalise that confidence and take it with you wherever you go. Walk the walk of an individual who believes in their fabulousness and knows how damn sassy they look right now. With every footstep forward, convey the message that you not only know exactly who you are, but that you love who you are wholeheartedly in all your perfection and imperfection too. Life's waaaaay too short to worry if that woman over there thinks you need to invest in some socks that cover your ankles, or that guy thinks your eyebrows are too fierce, or if that person is wondering why you thought it was a good idea to match stripes with florals and a pair of tassled ankle boots too. At the end of the day, the opinions of others don't matter. It's all about you, and celebrating how amazing you are. And don't you 4get it.

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HERE WE GO...

 

In The Countryside

IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

For a while now, I have known that I'm an individual made of two halves, much like my star sign Gemini, and I need those two halves in order to make me whole. I like a bit of both, never one thing entirely. I'm never satisfied with one thing, I can't commit to one thing, because I appreciate the value in everything. Some mornings I wake up feeling one way, other mornings I wake up feeling the complete opposite, and I've learnt how to work with that. It's all about balance and following that inner compass, calibrated with your inner needs and wants, which guides you on which set of directions you're to follow on this particular day, in order to meet those needs and those wants.

One of the most important balances to me personally, is that infamous city:countryside fandango, where you either commit to one or the other, or instead find yourself lying somewhere in between the two. Like I said, I adore the city. In my heart of hearts I know hands down that I am made for the big city. The attraction and the promise and the possibilities it presents are too strong. Like a moth to a source of light, it continually draws me in and the spark of the city seems to spark life into me too. I adore living in Manchester for that very reason. The incredible architecture, the vastness of the place, the constant motion and whirlwind of activity. All the lights, the sounds, the people, the transport, the buildings, the hum of electricity, the infinite spark of life. I love it all. It seems to satisfy a part of my soul that aims for that constant stimulation. The restless part of me that can never quite sit still. That's what the city does for me.

Yet on the converse, I've grown up in the suburbs of a small city, right on the edge of the beckoning countryside, as did I grow up visiting places like Yorkshire, Devon and the mighty Peak District. Although city life is undoubtedly my calling right now, and in some respects has been the making of me, the countryside also makes up a big part of who I am too. I love the freedom of the outdoors. I love the fresh air spilling into my lungs, making me feel at one with nature. I love every shade of weather, I love the architecture of nature, I love the colours, the sounds, the serenity, the unapologetic beauty. I love the solitude, the peacefulness, the escapism. Standing on top of a cliff overlooking the bright blue sea, or on top of a hill that you've climbed and marvelling at the sweeping valleys and rolling hills below. Freeing yourself of the demands, cares, worries of everyday life, and instead connecting with yourself and the world, and giving yourself time to think, dream, explore.

As someone who is poised to over-do things, and finds this to be encouraged by the constant stimulation and buzz of city life, I increasingly crave that escapism from my mind and the world around me. As much as I need those wonders that the city can afford me, I also need to balance it out with the goodness of nature too, which is why this Easter I've been so intent on making sure I manage to get out into the countryside every so often. So far I've been on day trips to Chatsworth in Derbyshire, and the Bronte Country up in Yorkshire, and the serenity and beauty of those peaceful, stunning locations has been exactly what my busy mind needed to take a break and calm the heck down. It's been wonderful. So to celebrate the countryside, here are some photographs from my little expeditions for you to enjoy. And if it's been a while since you visited the countryside too, dear readers, then I strongly urge you to locate your nearest method of transportation and run like the wind. Get yourself to the countryside asap. They don't make Countryfile for no reason!

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 PHOTOBOOK

Jeremiah Goodman

JEREMIAH GOODMAN

The other day I was flicking through a magazine when I happened across these beautiful, fluid, richly painted depictions of interior design. Over the years my appreciation for architecture and all things building related has bloomed, and like a bee to a honey pot my wandering eyes can't help but be drawn in appreciation to those stunning man made creations. Therefore I naturally couldn't resist the allure of the paintings nestled within the pages of that magazine, and I simply had to find out who the artist was. It turns out his name is Jeremiah Goodman, an American artist and illustrator born in 1922 and still standing strong today. He is infamous in the world of architecture for his unique and highly distinctive painting style, that perfectly nestles itself in the continuum that lies between architecture and interior design.

Jeremiah has dabbled in many creative mediums over the years, aside from his renowned architectural and interior design work, with divulsions including murals, book and editorial illustration, advertising and set design. However it is portraiture of interior design and architecture that he is most well known and celebrated for. Jeremiah has a signature style that seems to stand within a league of its own, yet the characteristics of its distinctiveness are hard to place one's finger on. It feels somewhat familiar, yet you're all too aware that you've never seen anything quite like this before. His work is almost startling and arresting to look at. Jeremiah adds a spark of life and exuberance to his stationary subject matter, and injects a flow of motion, via his colour palette and brush strokes, to animate his illustrations into life. You don't feel as though you're looking at a depiction of a room, far from it. Instead, it's as though you're submerged within a living entity full of reason, personality, purpose, character and a story to tell. Even though Jeremiah's brush strokes are loose and fluid, they intertwine together in perfect clarity to give precisely the right quantity of definition.

I could easily look at Jeremiah's work for days upon end. There's something so inviting and serene about them, and it feels like there's a million and one little details hidden away in each illustration, just waiting to be found and decoded. Jeremiah is quoted as saying that "I have always felt that one's memory of a room is more accurate than a photograph" and it only takes an encounter with one of his pieces of art to realise the artful, intricate, vivid superiority and sheer beauty of the human memory, and how a camera may capture the outline of a moment, yet it's the human mind and detailed dexterity that capture the emotion, feeling and energy embedded within it.

All work belongs to Jeremiah Goodman, with images sourced from DEAN RHYS MORGAN.

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Everything You've Come To Expect

EVERYTHING YOU'VE COME TO EXPECT

I must say, it's very rare that I go out and buy an album on its release day. I don't even remember the last time I anticipated an album as much as I've anticipated this little beauty, 'Everything You've Come To Expect' by The Last Shadow Puppets. Recently, I've been listening to its predecessor 'The Age of The Understatement', and the depth, skill and prowess of the album still continues to amaze me. There aren't a lot of artists around these days who make music that stands of its own accord like that, irrespective of anyone and anything else. These days, the musical landscape is very stereotypical and very closely connected, with immense overlap and little segregation. The dots you can join up from one artist to the next have very little distance in-between, and the longevity of the music is very much based in the here and now. Here today. Gone tomorrow. The mainstream music industry is something of a fast food chain, in that it's made for the moment, it lacks depth, it's a quick fix, it's mass made, mass produced, a corporate entity with a floundering soul and heart. Sure it has its purpose and its uses. A lot of the music we hear today is great for a dance, great to sing along to, but that's just it. It doesn't penetrate the surface. It often doesn't connect to you. It doesn't carry a greater depth and soul and meaning, like I personally believe good music should. You aren't going to turn to it in a time of need. You aren't going to use it as a narrative to your life. It isn't going to change you. You aren't going to grow, just by listening to it. It isn't going to stay with you throughout your life. And I think that's why I have always loved Alex Turner so much, and why he consistently prevails as being my favourite musician of all time. Because to me, and so many others, his music is not only all those things, but so much more too.

Whatever he turns his hand to, whether it be the Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets, the Submarine soundtrack, he does it with such sincerity, beauty, soul, passion, energy. Nothing he creates is transitory. Nothing is done just for the sake of it. It's always created with the intention to be permanent, to frame a period of time, to contribute something meaningful to the framework of music history, to connect the listeners back to the heart and soul of real, true, breathing music. Alex Turner is never a follower, treading on the tailcoats of others, immersing himself within the majority, doing what's expected. He's a pioneer. He's an innovator. He's extremely talented at all the main components comprising a musical backbone. He's inquisitive and perceptive. He's mastered the art of integration. He sees a world that lies between the lines. He sees something where others see nothing. And he's also endearingly modest about his talents. NME are always harping on about how he's a musical genius, a lyrical master, the voice of a generation, and it's difficult to disagree with that. Alex Turner is all those things, yet the irony is these credentials are often not directed his way, or at least not as frequently as they should be. In may ways, Alex Turner is the underdog of the music industry, in that the magnitude of his contributions are rarely fully appreciated or noticed. Time and time again he does his duty, and spurns another work of art to blow our minds and dazzle our souls, yet the value and worth and appreciation he garners, is never truly enough. How could it ever be? He's easily one of the greats, yet I can't help but feel like he's one of those artists whose musicianship and talents will only fully be appreciated when time has passed, and it transpires that his work has not only the benefit of longevity, but it has also had the power to influence and shape the music of the following generations in a multitude of different ways.

One of the things I love most about Alex Turner, is watching him grow and evolve as a musician. He never seems to put a foot wrong. Over the years he has taken many risks, in order to develop and hone his craft, yet his unique defining profile remains, and in many ways is strengthened and bettered by the musical detours he makes. You can't help but hypothesise if this is in part due to the deep connection and security he has with his song-writing and musical abilities. He knows his musical identity and abilities so thoroughly, he knows his backbone so well, that it in turn affords him a special freedom to explore and venture beyond because he always knows how to bring it back round, and connect the dots back together. He never diminishes, but instead always grows. He never loses himself, but instead submerges to new depths. He never takes a step back because he's too busy moving forwards. He never loses himself in the crowd because his inner harmony means he's strong enough to walk alone. Yet in spite of his prevailing self-assurance, it's impossible not to praise Alex Turner's talents and successes, without giving some much needed gratitude, respect and attention to his endearing and equally talented, fellow Puppeteer, Miles Kane. Miles was and is an integral and crucial part in Alex Turner's evolution as a musician, and in some respects is the beating heart of this pinnacle and saviour of modern day music.

If you were to pick apart the components of Alex Turner's musical make-up, many would have to be attributed to Miles Kane's influence, but in terms of power balance, Alex Turner's international fame and well known public persona technically give him the upper hand. Yet when you take both Alex and Miles together, you realise that there is an overwhelming sense of equality between the two of them. They are two halves that together make a perfect whole. They better each other, complete each other, inspire each other, grow each other. Miles is the making of Alex. Alex is the making of Miles. It's a bit like the relationship between Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks, in Fleetwood Mac, in that both are equally talented, and each fully supports and helps better the other, yet one friend garners the majority of the attention and recognition. However the rivalry you expect is lacking, because this isn't just a relationship, it's a partnership, and it thus blooms and blossoms and roots far far below the surface. It's not about envy and jealousy and competitiveness. It's about love and pride and appreciation for one another. Although Alex Turner receives the most recognition out of the two, he wouldn't be who he is, or where he is, nor would he be able to achieve recognition as one of the musical greats and effect the music industry the way he has, without Miles Kane. And the beauty of their relationship, is seeing Alex's acknowledgement of this, and the reciprocating gestures he sends Miles' way. They share their successes together, they continually lift each other up, and that deep rooted sincerity, affection, honesty, friendship, is what I believe makes The Last Shadow Puppets such an interesting and endearing band to follow.

When you listen to their music, all those qualities are reflected within every word, every chord, every song. The relationship between Miles and Alex is almost like that of soulmates, and the integration of Miles' and Alex's talents, alongside their friendship and adoration for one another, continually makes for stunning and incredibly complementary collaborations. Hearing them work off one another is a true joy, because each brings out the best in the other and lifts the other up to unparalleled heights. 'Everything You've Come To Expect' is further evidence of the beauty and strength of their unique relationship, and not only picks up from where 'The Age of The Understatement' left off, but also expands upon it with a reverberating confidence and assuredness too. It quickly envelopes out towards the periphery of the territory explored on their début album, and then artfully surpasses it, guided by an amalgamation of rich and varied influences that serve to strengthen the original TLSP sound. There's a touch of The Beatles, Tame Impala, Dion, and even a hint of ELO on extra track 'The Bourne Identity'. Some songs, such as 'Bad Habits', 'Pattern' and 'Aviation' clearly play to Miles' strengths and influences, pumped with that electric, energetic, fizzling Liverpuddlian soul. Other songs, such as 'The Dream Synopsis', 'Everything You've Come To Expect' and 'The Element of Surprise' are instead taken up by Alex, as he further explores that dreamy, sultry, hypnotic, surrealist vein of music that he does so effortlessly well. Meanwhile the songs in between see both Alex and Miles course head to head and explode into a joyful, intriguing, innovative musical hybrid, where it could be argued that the magic really takes place. Not only do we hear the best of both men, we also hear the infinite possibilities that genesis when the two come together, as do we hear them evolving both individually and together towards the future too.

'Everything You've Come To Expect' is something of a masterpiece, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a long time fan of both Alex Turner and Miles Kane. This is an incredibly special album not only because of the spectacular end results, but also because of the myriad of components that lead to its creation. Once again, TLSP have created an album that is in another league of its own, and an album that will no doubt carve out a place for itself in the architecture of musical history, just as its predecessor did eight years previously. This isn't just an album for the here and now, it's a living, breathing, growing entity that nourishes, dreams, dares, explores with every listen, and the repercussions will reverberate and inspire for many years to come. It's filled with life. It's surmised with a hidden depth. It's rich with soul. And right now I'm looking at the album lying across from me on the table, its yielded secrets both expected and unexpected in equal measure, and I can't help but feel like I have borne witness to something very special indeed.

http://www.thelastshadowpuppets.com/