Pulchritudinous

Greetings Folks! Sorry for another temporary absence, but I have been very busy and very tired and very everything else which might cause a temporary absence from blogging. Oh, and I have found a new *pretty* word: Pulchritudinous! It means beautiful and my guess would be that it derives from the Latin word, Pulchra, meaning beautiful (See, three years of Latin were not completely wasted on me)

Anyway, having spent an evening watching terribly addictive bad TV and eating chocolate muffins made by my sister, I have decided to do something productive. Since I have no terribly urgent homework assignments, I have decided to post a few photos I took last Sunday.

I had spent all morning rehearsing for two plays I am doing in my youth drama group 'Daisy Pulls it off' and 'The History Boys' before driving straight to my friend - Aggi's house to let her forcibly make me remove all my make-up and assault my face (Well re-do my make-up in a more technically demanding way, one I could never do myself) She did it twice after crimping my hair, the results of which you can also see here. The first time she made it with huge streaks of teal on my eyelids and, although I liked it and it took her at least an hour to do, she removed it all to do this. I also ended up looking slightly paler than usual by the end of it, though I can not say that I was not warned. Aggi did point out that she was going for an 'alien' look and started off the session by commenting that I was starting to look like a corpse. By the end, however, I think it did look really good and I liked how she used practically white foundation on my cheekbones and nose to 'illuminate' them.

I will also include in this post a few random 'tid-bits' of quotes because I really can not be asked to write a proper post. I am too exhausted and I need to finish this within twenty minutes... or else.

"We play at being Nomads

At the strings of a lute and hands of a clock

Turning them backwards with dirty-nailed fingers

We play at picking locks."

- Z.Barnes

This look was really put together to wear on Sunday because I had a rehearsal, but I do like it. I like the vibrant green scarf against the black jazz shoes, simple black long-sleeved top and black trousers. I also think that this hair works really well with it. I did not think I would like it (and I know my Mother did not) but I love my hair crimped like this. I really want to buy some of those crimping tong things. Yes, I know that it damages the hair and all that, but this is a level of volume I am not accustomed to... I would not use them all the time, indeed I wouldn't have the time, but hair grows back and once in every two weeks wouldn't hurt.

I have also been thinking over the last few days about the term 'Opheliac' - the only example of this is that it is the title of an album by one of my friend's favourite singers... but it started me thinking on this track. What exactly is an Opheliac?
I am also exploring a new theory of mine in conjunction with my latest planned play named 'The Helen of Troy Syndrome', which is not-so-coincidentally the same name as the one given to a group of my better clothing designs - more to come soon on this subject.

"I would rather regret the things I have done than the things I have not." - Lucille Ball

"Nothing is ever as good as the fantasy of it."

- Z.Barnes (though, for all I know, this is already somebody else's quote)

I love clothes - I always have, but because my circle of friends is generally built on intellectual similarity rather than a shared love of style, some of them have questioned it. Recently, when asked over a Facebook message 'Why? Clothes are to keep warm and so you do not get arrested' I started off with this:

"I just like clothes."

Then, when prompted further:

"Why? Well, I suppose because I consider myself an Aesthete and, to me, clothing should be a form of expression, of Art. After all, Oscar Wilde said 'One should either be a work of Art or wear a work of Art' and I am sticking by that. Clothing should be like Paintings, Music, Architecture and Theatre... a way of proving that humanity is so much more than just apes on their hind legs with sharper brains and more technological advancements. "

Before finishing on this note.

"Anyway, it's nice to put an effort into things. It may not be right, but you are judged by the way you look... and I want to be judged in a certain way."

I rest my case.

 

 

 Thank you for reading! Do Comment and Please Follow. It means a lot to me.

I should be back soon with a much more fashion-related post. I am determined to do at least another three

posts before the end of march.  

PS: What do you all think of my hair like this? Like or not? Please comment! I will not be offended if you tell me that this hairstyle is one which I should never have even considered.

Wishing for Spring

Howdy guys!  Here I am, a week after my last post... and just when tardiness and lack of commitment were sins I thought I had almost stopped committing.

Anyway, so I have had quite a tiring week. I am not even sure why, but probably due to the large amount of cake I have eaten. Let me explain this point, my Mother is not at home so my thirteen year old sister has joyfully taken on the task of playing 'Mummy' and, if this lasts into adulthood which I doubt, she is certainly going to be a yummy one, but possibly to some very large children. Yesterday she made us Victoria sponge and today she made us brownies. I have no idea what she has in store for tomorrow, but I have already had the whole sinking feeling of 'I am going to be consuming so many calories' Blast!

(By the way, skip the next paragraph if you do not wish to hear a mini rant about a completely unrelated subject. In fact, you can do so anyway - it is not very interesting and some people may get offended)

Another issue with me this week? The realisation that many feminists have too much time on their hands to get angry at everything. Cartoons, Toy Story 3 (An old article I read. Although how they think a Barbie who quotes John Locke is sexist, especially because the issue was not the fact that she was a Barbie, I honestly do not know) and the use of the word 'Miss' or 'Actress', which just irritates me because they would have us replace 'Miss' by 'Ms' which is a terribly ugly and unpleasant sounding word. It is as if somebody could simply not be bothered to say 'Mrs' or 'Miss'. I managed to severely irritate one of my female teachers, asking if she was married so I would know whether to call her Miss or Mrs. I refuse to hear the disgusting word 'Ms' comign from my own mouth. If they have to go for a word somewhere in the middle, can they not try something slightly more pleasing sounding? Oh, and I know the old-fashioned connotations of the word 'Actress' being associated with prostitutes, but this being the 21st century, does anyone ever actually hear the word Actress and think 'prostitute' anymore? Serious actresses who will insist on being called 'Actors' are not being feminist in my opinion. Quite the opposite. This suggests that somehow a feminine form of a word is lesser to a masculine form, and that we should therefore all adopt the masculine form.
Let's be really feminist - why don't we call all 'actors' no matter their gender by the word 'actresses'? Why not? (Well, that last bit was silly but even so. Why can they not do something valuable with their time? Instead of getting angry with a world which, more or less, accepts them and treats them as equal, why can they not do more for women in countries where their human right are completely ignored, based almost entirely on their gender? Or where marital rape is still legal?)
Any arguments that anyone has regarding this issue, in particular the use of the word 'Miss' will be re-buffed without pity. You have been warned and this is only the tip of the argument.

I think I should swiftly proceed  onto a subject that makes me far less irritable and argumentative. I am introducing to you my outfit for the day, worn because I badly needed some brighter colours, then black to reflect my mood.

 

 

Now, although I wished to wear bright, warm colours, there was no real inspiration to this but, thanks to a sibling, I was forced to come up with one.

The following is a pretty accurate script of the exchange between the two of us:

Sibling: Zoé! Can you help me with... um... what are you dressed up as?

Myself: I am not dressed up.

Sibling: Well, what's your inspiration?

Myself: ... a painting by Mark Rothko (Thinking: It was on the spot, but thank God I didn't say the German Flag - no offence to any Germans)

Sibling:  Who's he? (Before waiting for an answer) You look sort of Spanish.

Myself: (Thinking: Thank God he/she didn't say German Flag - no offence to any Germans) I can live with that. There is something quite exotic about looking hispanic. Not that I do, of course. Firstly, I am too pale.

Sibling: You could dance the flamenco.

Myself: ...........................?

Sibling: Or West Side Story

Myself: I'll keep that in mind.

"Dying for a taste of Spring, and so glad that the beginnings of it are emerging. I am so sick of being permanently cold in a house with no central heating!"

(No Joke. My Father does not believe in the concept of central heating before December and after January, and even then it's touch and go. So I hope you understand because you can fill a hot water bottle up only so many times. Oh, and he - referring to my Father - has stolen my electric heater because I kept leaving it on when I was not in the room *Sigh*)

  

Is Rothko Art? I know some people can be cynical about this sort of thing, especially in light of the amount of money they make and the fact that Rothko paintings have been known to be hung the wrong way around by curators in Art exhibitions, but I think it most certainly is. Art can be many things. Rothko works because, at the time, it was new. That is what art is in many cases. 'The defeat of habit by originality' or finding a new way of looking at things and doing something that has not been done before.

Besides, I like Rothko pieces. They have the ability of awaking emotions, and they are not unpleasant to look at.

Guess what I found today? Daffodils! A sure sign that the cold can not last forever. On the other hand, they have probably been growing for a while and I have developed a tendency not to go outside very much when at home. The Garden is lovely at this time of year, but I am quite content with looking at it from the relative warmth - in comparison - of the freezing cold house in which I live. On that note, I have just notice that I can not feel my nose or my toes anymore. Never a good sign, so I might have to take a moment to get the blood circulating again and perhaps fill a fourth hot water bottle and fetch a second blanket to go under my duvet.

The sun at noon to higher air,
Unharnessing the silver Pair
That late before his chariot swam,
Rides on the gold wool of the Ram.

So braver notes the storm-cock sings
To start the rusted wheel of things,
And brutes in field and brutes in pen
Leap that the world goes round again.

The boys are up the woods with day
To fetch the daffodils away,
And home at noonday from the hills
They bring no dearth of daffodils.

Afield for palms the girls repair,
And sure enough the palms are there,
And each will find by hedge or pond
Her waving silver-tufted wand.

In farm and field through all the shire
The eye beholds the heart’s desire;
Ah, let not only mine be vain,
For lovers should be loved again.

-  A. E. Housman

Wearing:

Yves Saint Laurent Red Lip Gloss

Clarins Mascara

Black Chanel Eyeliner

A yellow skirt (don't ask me where it is from)

Black Lace Blouse that used to belong to my Grandmother

Red Pashmina

Red Radley Handbag

Opaque Black Tights (available in any good supermarket ;)

Red Scarf in hair - it was originally part of the hanging sleeves on my evil queen costume, but my sister cut it off. I was not happy with her.

Red Shoes (from Clarks I believe but sshhh... don't tell)

Orange Ribbon (from any good craft shop, so I can't remember which one)

Oh, and my Ralph Lauren Glasses, but I where those all the time or I would not be able to see. I am honestly as blind as a bat, or mole if you prefer.

^^^ The view from my window as the sun sets.

 Oh dear. I have just realised that my parting makes me look as though I had a slightly bald patch. Sugar!

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. Please Comment (but not to say that I look like a German Flag. As you can probably guess, I am a little paranoid about that) and do Follow!

Wonderfully Colourful Hair

Greetings! Here I am, ready to post in the brief half an hour I have until I have to go to my little brother's show of some sort. Oh, what fun. You may notice a small hint of sarcasm highlighted by my use of the word 'Oh' and the lack of exclamation mark. The truth is that today I am really very tired, having had a maths GCSE retake this morning and the prospect of too much coursework over the next seven days. To top it all off, I can feel the cold hand of 'possibly doing some sort of homework or revision', put it's feverish fingers tighter around my neck.

Anyway, in order to cheer myself up, this is a brightly coloured post in a move that will earn my mother's disaprovement - and to her I apologise - since she has always been a firm believer in not doing anything to hair, or my hair in any case (which is why the photos from my own source are of my friend, Aggi)

The first photos show how great two simply shades can be. E.g. Orange and Pink.

I am actually worried that I am not going to make any point in this. All there will be is me rambling to the tune of some wonderful photos of hair.
Maybe my point is A) Give it a go if you want to. You only live once after all... or B) You may not like it but you should really appreciate the artistry. After all, being different is what makes the world an interesting place. It would be really quite boring if we were all dressed the same.

What I like about coloured hair is the way it can finish an otherwise rather dull, or rather monochrome outfit. It is not purely done by alternative people. After all many designers such as Vivienne Westwood (bad example of non-alternative) but also Marc Jacobs, Duckie Brown and Thakoon Panichgul among a much larger selection, have used coloured hair on their runways. Oh, and the ends-only option is quite fashionable at the moment for a less out there example.

Here is my friend, Aggi, displaying her amazing style (she did the hair herself, which in itself - in my mind - deserves a round of applause) and great colour palette. Also proving how easy (or not, that sort of contradicts my previous statement) it is to do.

Might not be a look I'm trying any time soon. A) I am not allowed. B) I have not got the guts.... but I think the photos are truly gorgeous and I do not in any way regret having to beg to use them.

Which do you prefer anyway? The sunset effect or the absolutely crazy rainbow - which goes so absolutely beautifully with the steampunk goggles. I need to know where to get a pair. On another note, these are some beautiful photos. The green of the plant goes so well. Unfortunately, due to the school rules, she had to return it to it's original blonde colour. Anyway, it was good for the photos.

This was from an editorial that appeared in the March 2012 edition of Vogue. What can we get from this? It is not only alternative, but stylish and fun.

Either way, these are some absolutely great photos! I especially love the second one, though I am not too sure what is going on in it. It looks like her hair might be about to launch an attack on her.

Many people might, of course, think that brightly coloured hair is a fairly modern thing, arriving simultaneously with the arrival of subcultures. However, in 1913-1914, just before World War I, there was a vogue for dyed brightly coloured hair in exotic shades such as blue, violet or emerald. This started in Paris and then spread to other cities such as London. In 1924, the first celebrity hairdresser, Monsieur Antoine, dyed his dog's hair blue (admittedly quite a light blue) An influential client, Lady Elsie De Wolfe Mendl (who was a brilliant, eccentric woman, interior designer and - according to contemporary experts  in Paris - the best-dressed woman of 1935) took up the same style and this started a new fad.

On a last note, her is Tony Bennett feat. Lady Gaga with 'The Lady is a Tramp' - although I do prefer Frank Sinatra's version, Sinatra is unfortunately void of bright blue hair... and this version is really not at all bad. As an 'extra' on the topic of blue hair = quick facts. Blue hair has been described as a "sacred aesthetic" in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where lapis lazuli was used in funerary art and statuary. Also, many coloured pictorials from the Anglo-Saxon tribes after the departure of Roman troops feature women with blue hair. Though, I really don't know why... can anyone enlighten me?

Anyway, thank you for reading and please check back soon! Do comment and Please Follow!

Oh and, if you like this, here is my friend's Blog - It takes courage to be yourself

Cacharel Autumn/Winter 2011/2012

Hello to all! Here I am, taking a break from two hours of Mathematics Revision  that felt like a whole lot more - and neither Linear Equations nor the relatively simple Nth Term look any easier - to post something about the Cacharel Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 collection.
I was going to write a post about Dior's Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 collection, but I did not quite feel like it at the present moment... and so preferred to present this Cacharel collection.
Otherwise, today I was at the Peterborough Drama Festival where I was doing a duologue from 'Lady Windermere's Fan' by Oscar Wilde in the 15-16yrs category (my partner and I were awarded the highest mark - and therefore won in this category, although we did not win overall)

Features of the collection included:

• Cloche hat
• Knitwear
• Tapered trousers
• Brilliant patterned or coloured tights
• Zigzagging patterns
• Herringbone patterns
• Gloves - both long and shorter
• Icy Blue hue
• Boldly coloured heeled shoes: Yellow, Dark Blue, Red, Pastel Pinks and baby Blues.

My Favourite Aspects of the collection included the beautiful floaty, full-length skirts, a couple of brilliantly coloured pink cloche hats and the gorgeous long gloves. I liked the slightly 1920s vibe to this collection, and thought that the oversized cardigan/jumper woollen number above looked deliciously warm - this coming from somebody whose fingers feel like they might drop off... (since I wrote that, there was a break in the film I am watching and I was able to go to the kitchen and fetch some sort of hot consumable substance, or substances, and two hot water bottles)

^^^ I liked the use of narrow, brightly coloured belts, like the red one above which goes so wonderfully with the matching red shoes, gloves, clutch bag, cloche and even lips. The gloves are actually even more amazing for the streak of icy blue. Love the pattern on the outfit in question. I also love the other outfit here which involves a cloche in the ensemble, and which also has fantastically patterned tights in theory (in practice, only skinny people would look any good in them and, even then, many would wear them with the wrong thing and just end up looking absolutely dreadful. Therefore, not really practical)

^^^ I like the blue woollen concoctions, especially the one with the floaty skirt. I always think that warm, cost jumpers look fantastic with luxurious, floaty skirts. They sort of balance each other out perfectly.

 

Ling Liu and Dawei Sun, the new (sort of) designers for Cacharel, designed a collection inspired by ice crystals glimpsed through an airplane window and the famed aviator, Amelia Earhart. You can easily see in what way.

 

Thank you for reading. Do comment and please follow! :) I apologise for not writing that much.