It must be because my hair is currently longer than it's ever been...either that or I really need to get a hobby...but I'm currently fascinated by videos of weird and wonderful hair options. The latest gives very detailed instructions for creating a hair bow. If I didn't have such miserably thin hair I'd give it a go...as it is I'll just marvel at the dexterity (and lush locks) of the girl in the video...

As I mentioned the other day, the embellishments on a Rika bag have initiated a quest for a skull and talon to hang around my neck this summer...not that I actually need to find the skull portion of the equation as my fixation with the macabre means that there's an enameled brass skull pendant from Chloe currently sitting in my jewelry box just waiting to find its mate.

It doesn't look like there will be any issue getting hold of a talon either...the only questions being price and which bird or animal part I want to wear. Though I'd love to get my hands on another piece from Pamela Love her eagle claw ($352) is more than I want to spend. Thankfully another NY based jeweler, Erica Weiner, offers a similar bald eagle talon (in brass instead of gold vermeil) for $70...a slightly smaller raptor talon for $60...and a definite conversation starter...the fox's penis bone for $60.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the raptor talon but I'll keep looking a little longer just in case something else turns up...

I can't say that I feel like whistling, though there certainly is plenty of slush around...nature's way of killing off anything that was energetic (and presumptuous) enough to thrust its head above the soil in recent weeks. Enough already...I may have a sweater collection to rival Imelda Marcos' shoe closet but I'm fed up with wearing the darned things...

The Guardian's fashion videos leave me groaning and cursing the ease with which these things can be made and posted...this week's topic, "rave meets safari", ignored Louis Vuitton's Spicy shoe...which is, after all, the shoe that symbolizes this look...and, instead, focused almost exclusively on Jimmy Choo...and left the viewer with the information that if you spend 795 quid on a pair of shoes and a further 1,395 on a bag you can be "on trend" (as Jess Cartner-Morely loves to say in these things).

Grazia's offerings, on the other hand, actually seem...useful. Well, useful if you have an urge to recreate the bagel bun from Philip Lim's Spring/Summer 09 runway...or give yourself clip-in hair extensions...that kind of "useful"...not rocket science but fun if you want to do something different with your hair and have some time to kill on a Sunday afternoon. Though I don't see myself having the urge (or the patience) to clip in some faux locks I may try a one-sided Princess Leia tribute once the weather warms up.

As part of my consideration of "all the things that will make summer bearable" I've been giving some thought (at least tentatively) to adding a white dress to my summer wish list...I like the idea of something blindingly pure to wear on a scorching summer day (pure, that is, until I manage to acquire a grass stain or some other summer-related form of discoloration).

There are, however, two mental stumbling blocks connected with this plan that I find myself banging into like a bird slamming itself against a glass window...

1. When confronted by a white dress I have a tendency to think about shampoo commercials from the 1970's which, from what I can tell, were infested with blonde women in white dresses...running around alpine meadows...and washing their hair in streams
   
2. As someone who is incredibly pale I'm a little concerned whether my limbs and the dress will merge together...perfect as a form of camouflage but not necessarily the look I'm going for

Obviously I need to spend some quality time with a few w.d.'s in a changing room to ascertain whether they do indeed cause me to resemble either an alpine maiden with cleanliness issues or the invisible man in a flour factory. On the off-chance that neither of these dread happenings take place I was happy to stumble across some white dress inspiration at the end of a video clip on Style.com...not terribly helpful for summer but the tones and layers were too beautiful to ignore.

I think I can safely say that this is the first time that I've lusted over a bag purely so that I could rip the embellishments off and use them as pendants (I'll admit that there have been many other random and negligible reasons for bag purchases, just not this particular one). Yet, there we are...Rika's tote bag has filled me with longing for a gold skull nestling next to a talon/tooth to hang around my neck this summer.

All I can say is...let the hunt begin...

My mother bought the heavy cotton Navajo cardigan from the Ralph Lauren store in Paris...there's a fashion anomaly for you...English woman living in France buys faux native American cardigan by American designer. I'm not sure what she wore it with...my best guess would be more Ralph Lauren in the form of wrap skirts and country casuals...but since I got hold of it I've found it incredibly difficult to partner with anything except jeans. As this is the perfect time (temperature-wise) for wearing it as a jacket alternative I'm determined to unearth some skirt...dress...or other non-jean item...that it can actually be worn with. Not a plan that worked today but we'll see if I can figure something out before summer...

While I can't actually claim to have "saved" $500 I did feel remarkably frugal when I noticed Church's classic Burwood brogues on Net-a-Porter...well, frugal and closely related to the cat in the adage who let "I dare not wait upon I would"...as they're virtually identical to a pair that are lurking in my closet (an Ally Cappelino/Church's collaboration that I bought many years ago and have worn...let me see...probably less than ten times). Not that they languished unworn for any good reason...for a while they were "too new" and therefore "too nice" for regular wear...then they "no longer fit my current aesthetic"...then, for a while, they were in storage and therefore inaccessible...now, they're just not something I wear very often (for no particular reason). Yet another reminder that what comes around goes around...and I really need to de-lurk all of the things in the back of my closet and work with what I've got before I fulfill my automatic urge to buy something new.

After spending way too long on YouTube trying to find an interesting video of "Dream a Little Dream"...and failing miserably I might add...I came across this one featuring Paolo Conte singing "Via con me"...nothing to do with the topic of this post but they were both part of the soundtrack for French Kiss...and the antics of the Playmobil figures made me giggle...so I'm going with a little free association on this one.

But why was this relentless pursuit of D.A.L.D. taking place you ask? Well, quite frankly, it seemed the perfect accompaniment for Chanel's "Mattress" bag...as the appealing squishiness of the bag just seems to beckon me to nap time (and the accompanying dreams said bag ignites). Though, to be honest, the quilting reminds me far more of vinyl banquettes in seedy pubs than divans...though I understand why the boffins at Chanel didn't want to call it the "seedy pub seating" bag...

No daisies to date...though a few crocuses are bravely thrusting their heads out of the soil...a decision they'll regret come this weekend when snow flurries are forecast.

In my mind I'm ready to begin my bi-annual closet overhaul...where winter clothes get taken out of my main closet and moved into the storage closet and their summer brethren get to see the light of day...but, realistically, I know that I've got to wait (or else the crocuses won't be the only thing suffering from hypothermia this weekend).

As someone who doesn't really like slogan t-shirts (apart from vintage Katherine Hamnett ones) I admit that I might be slightly biased...there again, I might be biased because I'm a fan of The Smiths... Perhaps it's best to say that I realize that I'm biased but...what in the name of hell was Pauric Sweeney thinking when he created the bags below? Browns website describes them as "bright roomy shopper(s) with attitude"...personally I think they're an abomination...plagiarism run amok.

Why a designer who usually makes such beautiful bags would succumb to a gimmick like this I have no idea. And it's not just The Smiths either...Prince's Sign o' the Times ("Let's fall in love, get married, have a baby...We'll call him Nate, if it's a boy") is lasered into leather (at £575 a pop) as well. Really...is nothing sacred?

Today's words..."road"..."hell"..."paved"...and the ever popular "good intentions". Because just when I was (mentally) patting myself on the back for sticking pretty close to my summer wish list and not wasting money on fripperies I find myself completely smitten by this ruffled vest by Swedish designer Carin Rodebjer (an F.I.T. graduate whose collections draw inspiration from...Swedish national costumes, Parisian bohemians in the twenties and Finnish trash-rockers Hanoi Rocks).

What I find so appealing about this piece...apart from the toughly delicate, or delicately tough, sea of ruffles...is the fact that it is so lightweight that it would allow me to continue wearing my beloved layers even in the midst of summer. So now, the internal battle begins...to be "bad" or to be "good"? Or, as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow put it...

"There was a little girl
And she had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead,
When she was good,
She was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid."

A walk around the bird house at the local zoo made me feel like spring had indeed sprung...thanks to all that greenery and trilling. Of course, it also made me feel incredibly...subdued...as I watched a Golden-breasted Starling strut its stuff on one of the branches. Suddenly I have an overwhelming longing for a bright yellow top...purple bib necklace...and kingfisher blue jacket...

“`Come, come,' said Tom's father, `at your time of life,
There's no longer excuse for thus playing the rake
It is time you should think, boy, of taking a wife'
`Why, so it is, father - whose wife shall I take?'”

I've raved about Blogotheque before...and their unique take on the music video...featuring bands playing in streets, bars, parks, public transportation, and a host of other locations...so apologies for the repetition. However, I couldn't not mention (oh God, my excitement caused a double negative) their recordings with Tom Jones. The videos are much larger on their site so you can fully appreciate the black and gold ensemble worthy of an editor at Paris Vogue...the shots of Mr. Jones' hotel room...and all other minutiae. The attached is more than large enough however to completely enjoy the music...

Tom Jones - If He Should Ever Leave You - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Our newly found (and probably...or should that be hopefully?...short-lived) "let's be healthy and bask in the joy of nature" regime meant that today included a 7.5 mile walk to pick up my Chalayan pants. If I wasn't so knackered at the moment I'd do a little dance...or at least try the darned things on... And yes, this is what I wear for a long walk... T-shirt - American Apparel, Mickey skull sweater - Lucien Pellat-Finet, skirt - Zucca, flats - Gentle Souls

I'd like to thank the Times' website for momentarily making my day as I read the words "Fashionable Creasing...Throw away your iron! The new look is slightly crumpled". As a confirmed non-ironer...to the point where an ex-boss once gave me an iron for Christmas (not the most subtle of gifts, it was like giving a case of deodorant to someone with odor issues)...I felt like this was the moment I'd been waiting for.

I sat and daydreamed and imagined a day when I...and my equally disheveled breathern...would be able to walk the streets without fear of mockery or reprisal. Not thought of as slobs who were too lazy to remove the creases from their clothes...but as pioneers in a rumpled revolution. Then I clicked through to the slide show and found...barely a wrinkle...the sartorial equivalent of a shot of Botox and a few rounds of microdermabrasion. Perhaps the "slightly crumpled" of the introduction was purely iron(y)...

I'm determined to find ways to wear my H&M dress-on-a-shorter-person-top-on-me "dress" as an actual dress...or at least a close approximation thereof. I really like it with jeans but that seems like the lazy/easy option so I want to see what else I can do with it. Today I tried it with a gingham patterned lycra miniskirt that I bought from Benetton eons ago. Truth be told, this is essentially a last ditch attempt to find something to do with the skirt...I haven't worn it for a long time and have no urge to do so now unless most of it (and therefore me) can be hidden (kind of like an iceberg...nine-tenths submerged at any time). Taking a step back I don't see this as either a massive success or a complete failure...though there is something decidedly strange about the final silhouette...ah well, back to the drawing board, I don't suppose Archimedes had his Eureka moment the very first time he took a bath.

Though I haven't made a pom pom in...well, let's just say it's been a while....I feel the craving upon me...thanks to this bag and instructional kit courtesy of pom pom international who are, according to their website, "the home of pom pom making for world peace". Their aim...to create the world's biggest collective pom pom (comprised of single poms sent in by anyone who has the time or inclination to make one...as of last May the total stood at 1,427)...and use it as a kind of goodwill ambassador. I know what you're going to say...will this really stand as the "ultimate symbol of social harmony for the 21st century" or a "whimsical,non-political...gesture of peace and reconciliation"? Probably not, but I've heard crazier ideas.

A couple of days ago I mentioned wanting to be "the girl in the leather jacket"...well, with sufficient funding, I have found the leather jacket that I would like to be in. I hadn't noticed it when I viewed the images from Rodarte's spring/summer show but...there it was...staring up at me from the pages of Barney's latest missive...looking like something that a satyress would choose for a quiet weekend of wine and debauchery. Stone colored leather...knitted areas at every orifice...a satisfying amount of buckles...and a shaggy "threaded" area on the chest (thus taking care of the goat portion of the satyress' make-up).

Sadly my budget does not encompass a $3565 leather jacket...especially one in a pale hue which I would manage to stain within a matter of hours...so I will restrict myself to ogling and dreaming...