all these things i've done

i've been so, so busy of late that sadly i've neglected my blog somewhat. with a whole week off ahead of me, today feels like the first time in a long time i've had time to get my life in order. first up : tidying my room. my room is a reflection of my lifestyle and right now it's messy, clothes are scattered everywhere and there are remnants of the past month scattered everywhere, in various guises. tickets, bags, cards and discarded party dresses depict my recent activities better than words ever could so i've taken some photos this morning and below is a brief history of my last month, according to the 'things' i've accumulated...

met ppq's percy parker and became the proud owner of this amazing carrier bag from the british design outfit. this bag is so fabulous, the picture just doesn't do it justice! i adore the playfulness of ppq, their designs are always so bold and they never shy away from colour. i particularly love the tribal vibe of their s/s 2010 collection and was impressed by their decision to use only black models in their catwalk - a fantastic way of ensuring their show made the headlines the next day.

worked on a one-off event for fashioin targets breast cancer at camden's proud galleries. read all about it here :

http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/archive/2009/11/04/party-alert-fashion-targets-breast-cancer.htm

now don't get me wrong, i like a good queue as much as the next brit, but i could never imagine myself queuing for hours in the novemeber chill to get my hands on the latest well-marketed must-have from a high street giant. lucky for me then that my lovely friend went to the gq party to launch the jimmy choo collection for h&m. and brought me a goody bag. no shoes, but i do now own a men's studded cuff which i'll wear to toughen up outfits.

became the proud owner of a beautiful lulu guinness charm bracelet - this has to be one of my favourite gifts ever. it's gorgeous and is definitely something i would have chosen for myself - the sign of a thoughtful gift-giver! thank you, thank you, thank you.

went to the company fashion awards, which were held in camden's gilgamesh. here my friend and i drank cocktails, chatted to henry holland about our favourite spice girl, discussed vodka with company editor vic white, sang britney on singstar, met two lovely ladies from the joy press office and went home happy. our goody bag contained a copy of the december issue of the magazine (with leona on the cover), along with lots of lovely beauty products from brands including pixi, nivea, carmex, mister mascara and o.p.i.

got myself a new job - the book above is a clue as to what industry i'll be working in... and i can't wait!

left the job i moved to london to start. i've had an amazing year and a half working with this company and made great friends and fabulous memories along the way but it's time for me to start something new, which i'm truly passionate about. so friday the 13th was my last day in the office and the team gave me a lovely little send off (which ended in a karaoke bar in clerkenwell with me and my colleague murdering sean kingston's beautiful girls with gusto). in these cards are kind words which make me sad to leave but at the same time confident and excited to start something new.

went to wembley for the first time ever to see coldplay, supported by jay-z, girls aloud and white lies. girls aloud were disappointingly average, jay-z was phenomenal and coldplay completely exceeded all expectations.

all sermons should start with scissorkicks

Being somewhat of a sucker for reality tv I stumbled across this little gem on the Discovery Channel on Saturday night. Let the title alarm you - Rampage is a nail biting series where crowds, riots and nature wreak havok. Trains, planes and automobiles spin out of control, destroying everything in their paths. It's not for the faint hearted but a welcomed change to Cheryl-Can-Do-No-Wrong- Cole's face on a Saturday night. Bet she can't do a scissorkick. Described as 'priests vs munks on the rampage'. What's not to love?

Launching a new product into an already crowded market is never an easy task and so I applaud Stylist magazine for bringing something new to the table in the world of female lifestyle titles. Granted, there is a fair amount of product placement which is nothing new for a women’s weekly mag but looking beyond the oversized image of this year’s ‘most wanted’ (read ‘most effectively PRed’) nail varnish, there truly is a lot of thoughtful comment and interesting articles in the title’s first issue. Personal highlights include a feature on why women are still earning less than men, with comments from female MPs, and the ‘Work Life’ page which features ‘a one-day diary from morning latte to lights out’ of a successful career woman.

This week we delved into the diary of Stephanie Phair, director of TheOutnet.com and former Vogue journalist, whose day rather predictably revolved entirely around fashion. Envious? Moi? Well, maybe a little, but mostly I just enjoyed this opportunity to further indulge my inner style voyeur. And I know I'm not alone in my fascination with finding out about the lifestyles of those working in the fashion industry. Take, for example, the presence of team ASOS on twitter. From the PR co-ordinator to the assistant buyer, the presence and collective following of the ASOS employees is impressive and hugely beneficial to the brand as a whole. The appeal of this (and the reason why Stephanie appearing in profile opps like 'Work Life' is so great for TheOutnet) is because we love to believe that we can relate to our favourite brands on a personal level. And whether that's simply by aspiring to dress like the Creative Director at Topshop or eat in the same restaurants as the CEO of People's Revolution, it is becoming apparent that well-heeled and well-versed employees can act as far more credible ambassadors than celebrities. Alexa Chung for New Look? Really? Anyone who admires Alexa Chung's fashion credentials knows that her style cannot be bought on the high street. And don't get me started on Cheryl Cole for L'Oreal...!

So while I eagerly await next week's installment of Stylist, I'll indulge my inner voyeur online with my favourite sartorial style blogs :

http://showmeyourwardrobe.blogspot.com/

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

http://fashionhedonism.blogspot.com/

http://www.whatkatiewore.com/

nobody likes a quitter

not that it would ever encourage me to take up smoking, i do absolutely love this picture, which hangs alongside two others in london's groucho club. try as they might, health boards and bodies cannot convince us that smoking is not cool, it seems the link between cigarettes and kudos just cannot be severed and artwork like this in exclusive haunts like the groucho only adds to this.

finally some sonia i can afford

going where matthew williamson, karl lagerfield and the lycra lovin' madonna have gone before, h&m today announced its upcoming collaboration with the inimitable 'queen of knits' sonia rykiel. her sweater dresses and bold designs have long since been causing a stir on the catwalks but until now her pieces have remained outwith the budgets of mere mortals like myself (even the sonia stuff @ urban outfitters is at the most expensive end of this pricey store). so suffice to say i'm VERY excited to see sonia's range for high street giant h&m. i like to think i'm not taken in by gimicky collaborations and celebrity lines and then a savvy brand like hennes goes and pulls on my heart strings... all i ask is that sonia's diffusion line retains her signature fun and vivacity. oh, and please don't make too many - i don't want to buy a bright, bold piece only to walk down the street and see three others wearing the exact same. oh, but please do make enough so that i don't have to queue overnight just to get whatever piece i will inevitably fall in love with...

some people have no shame

who on earth would give their beautiful wooden headboard in to an antique furniture store with their kinky cuffs still hooked up to the bedpost!? i have no idea but this find in a north london junk shop tickled me this afternoon. fetish fodder aside, this veritable aladdin's cave had lots of gorgeous 'pre-loved' furniture, books and lamps. i bought a much-needed curved mahogony wardrobe which will look perfect once filled.

a bar in a clothes store is a dangerous concept

okay, so it was for one night only, but the bar in oxford's street's new pull and bear store was pretty fun.