FOUND: The perfect TAN flat boots!

Revolve also updated recently, yesterday in fact, and rejoice I did when snuffling through their newest offerings I finally found The Boots I've Been Looking Everybloodywhere For. Flat tan boots.. doesn't sound too hard to find, does it? Mmnurrrp. Wrong.

I love the rich tan, I love their straight cut (very similar to my beloved Moschino Jeans black boots), I especially love the two-tone colours which means I don't have to wear a bag exactly matching that tan shade with them. (Yeh, I'm funny about that)

I've heard some great things about Corso Como boots in terms of quality, so given that these simple boots should last forever in style terms too it's a relief to know I shouldn't have to reprise my quest again anytime soon.

Corso Como Sandra Vintage Flat Boot in Two-Toned Cognac

New @ NAP: 70's smash, patent pretties and flower power.

Haven't been onto Net-A-Porter for awhile - the temptation of the beautiful things found within is simply too cruel to bear whilst labouring under the financial burden of renovating. Tonight however my resolve has crumbled, and I've gone back to the beloved "What's New" button like any addict to their poison.

I won't be shopping, though; I'm going to instead start dealing with my pain and shopaholic cravings by posting new lemmings and other interesting things up on here to share. Besides, some of these beautiful things just deserve to be posted.


Balmain Fitted Corduroy Jacket
Perhaps inspired by Balenciaga's Spanish moment last F/W season, there's more Matador in this jacket's lines than you could wave a red flag at. You might feel as you'd you'd been run through the wallet by a bull after paying for this beauty - at over USD$2.5k it's a lot to spend on an item so strongly representative of a certain season.

Fendi Petal Trimmed Dress
This is beautiful, and seems more couture than RTW to me with such incredible detail and workmanship. Actually it reminds me of a lampshade we saw in Ikea whilst buying a kitchen there last month, an orb of waxed paper half-cups.. whilst this isn't exactly the same thing it's certainly got that modern clean look to it, and I love how fresh and different it's design it compared the the usual cocktail dress. I can't help but wonder though.. how on earth do you sit down in it?

Were I a princess..
..and, since we're talking fairy tales, were I also granted enough bust to hold the darn thing up, I'd wear this next time I needed to run down the corner store for some milk:

Marchesa Beaded Chiffon Dress

Only I'd ditch the stilettos, and wear it with these:

Miu Miu Buckle Biker Boots
Gerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Marni Metallic Balloon Bag and Small Balloon Tote
One of Marni's gorgeous Balloon Totes (in any guise) has been on my One Day list since their release, and now they've added to past leather richness and patent plastic brights with new incarnations in metallic silver and 2008's obligatory purple shade.

A petal by any other name..
Any brief walk through a park or five minutes watching a gardening show will teach you that petals come in all shapes and sizes, and it seems this is true too for fashion, with rather a few fashion houses having cultivated a 'Petal Dress' in their collection hothouses this season. Whilst Fendi's eggplant-coloured Frill Trim Dress has clearly originated from the same genus as their Petal Trim Dress already mentioned, Rue De Mail's take on their Petal Trim Dress seems more inspired by black orchids perhaps than your usual rose petal.

Pretty in print.
Origami aside, flowers are to be found upon - rather than created from - fabrics still, and whilst nearly everyone's moved on from the utter floral deluge of a couple of seasons ago there are still some late bloomers about: case in point, Cavalli's gorgeous silken rose-print cami.

Oh my gaudy!
Well, having done flower shows, water colours, purple everything and robotics, we're now moving on to - make that moving back to - the 70's! Again! Whee..

The art of discerning 70's design is a simple one:
Basically, if it looks as though someone's vomited a rainbow palatte of oil paint upon a canvas, then put said canvas into a washing machine on high spin for half an hour before finally adding a few mustard, chocolate and lime touch-ups for good measure.. well, then it's most likely 70's inspired. Furthermore, if you find that gazing upon said patterns induces retinal bleeding within your eyes.. then BINGO. It definitely hits the mark.

Whilst not all of these are that bad.. so long as you pair them with black everything and wear very dark glasses to avoid accidentally blinding yourself whilst driving.. there are some which you'd need to be either very brave or very stoned to wear. Having said that, most of the offending items are by Tibi, which leaves me wondering what the heck they've been smoking over there...

Mmm.. shinyyyy.....
Forgive me my Homer moment, but there's just something about patent leather that makes the mouth water. Even in winter tones of dark plum and black it looks so luscious and rich, and adds a bit of shiny decadence to your day. I haven't found my perfect patent bag yet - I'm currently wildly swinging between Andrea Brueckner's Luxembourg Satchel in Black Crackle, and Botkier's Sasha Duffle in Black Patent - but here are some other patent pretties to drool over. Even though some aren't at all my style I still can't help being drawn to them for their glossy glory and shimmering shine! Mmm.. shinyyyy......

Morning After headache..

Good golly. I've not been this immediately taken by something for awhile, but against my better judgement I've been perusing the Rebecca Minkoff website to finally check her bags out for real, and have fallen completely head over heels for a few of her goodies.

But aren't I supposed to be steering clear from continuing my handbag obsessions? Recession, renovations, repayments.. Rebecca bagssssess!!!


FAIL, Frankie. Fail.


Failure no.1: Rebecca Minkoff Rose in Night, and in Dusty (wtfBBQ? pink??!)

I've been wanting a smaller black bag for nights out or quick trips for awhile, and although I had my eye on a wee funky Chanel number my acute current lack of fundage put the kybosh on the Coco. These babies, at $295 each, I could have two of for the price of that wee one French piece.

Even Laura Hollins - a.k.a. Agyness Deyn - who usually dresses as though a fancy dress shop vomited upon her, looks good with one. Heck, if they can cure her......

Failure no.2: Rebecca Minkoff Nikki Hobo in Wine

Who is this bird? I've no ideas on her, but whilst her attire in these pics would make even the blind whimper, I can't take my eyes off that bag..

Failure no.3: Rebecca Minkoff Morning After in Sea Green

Joining Aqua Mulberry Mabel in contention for the coveted Aqua Coloured Bag position in my collection is new competitor the Morning After in Sea Green. Bear in mind, this ain't no ordinary Sea Green; no, siree. No Brighton-Beach-on-a-sunny-day here, no Bondi-Beach-sans-cigars. This is Caribbean blue, Whitehaven Beach clear. This is the sea green you dream of when booking that tropical holiday, the kind you're still wishing for after you arrive and are paddling around in cloudy Bali murk, locals with chickens under their arms tugging at your arm to braid your hair whilst spraying "Iss reyall!!" CK One into your eyes; all the while Cliff Richard's "Summer Holidays" desperately cycles in your head whilst your souvineer Bali belly rumbles away below..

No, this Sea Green is an escape you can carry with you literally wherever you go and that you'll never wish to forget.. and no customs queues or visa applications required.

Two (+ new) of my favourite things..

Belen Echandia "Love Me" in Fuschia, Fiamma Red, and Wine.

Finally a day off, my first of five (though I've an OT coming up), and I spent the morning reclining on the couch of my good friends' coffee shop which, after a near-drowning in January's floods, reopened to much fanfare this morning. Whilst pondering the universe over my doppio, as you do, it occurred to me that I've really developed a thing lately for rich burgundy, wine, plummy colours.

It's funny how finding one gorgeous thing in a certain shade leaves you wanting more of that colour, even in completely unrelated items and when the colour is one with which you've not previously associated. My glasses, my Roxanne in Plum Antique Glace that I carried today, a silk scarf exactly matching that bag, and of course my new Strat.. all shades of lollipop cherry and merlot claret, all bought within the last few whiles.

Whilst making an effort on the Purse Forum recently to venture onto previously unexplored corners (read: brands) of the boards I've discovered and fallen in love with a few new exotic creatures from genus' Belen Echandia and Rebecca Minkoff. Despite moving onto these new things however I've retained my current colour craze: I'm finding high upon my lust-list right now a BE Love Me bag in Wine, a stunning shade of port that's part patent plum, part shimmer; and a Rebecca Minkoff Morning After in Fuschia, the brightest, girliest hot rich pink you'd see on the colour chart. A light-year away from my burgundies in it's brilliance to be sure, but located directly upwards on the paint chart, towards the light.

[That is, assuming the light is to be found by craning your neck upwards; Minkoff seemingly disagrees, lavishly bestowing golden shimmer upon the bottom of her bags of all places, rather along the lines of Louboutin's unexpected flash of red sole on another traditionally "out of sight, out of mind" area.]

My attraction to the rich yummy-plummy tones needs no explanation, but my new-found gravitation towards fuschia shades altogether more Paris Hilton than pink and more feminine than Frankie has ever felt the notion to be.. well, it has me baffled. Perhaps it's winter? Were I locked within the seasonal sleet of a grim London winter this would make for a ready explanation - when cold, seek a heat source, right? However, out here in the outback, desert weather is (whilst cold at night) warmer during the day than an Auckland beach mid-summer. Work? Over eight years in teal baggies would drive anyone to extrovert extremes, and I can't deny I've been rather jaded at work of late, pardon the pun. But pink has never been my thing, regardless, and the thought of wearing such a shade would have only a few months ago had me nigh on kissing the porcelain - I'm a tomboy; I don't do pink! A cupboard full of Cons and Docs, yet just one lonely pair of heels is testament to that. So, too, is my wardrobe: Dry denim aplenty, but dresses..? 2. Gerrrr.

I guess.. all I can put it down to is evolution. As with checking out new brands it's a movement (in another manner) away from that which I've already done, and given I'd already set out on the path of pinkish-reds, it's only a short misguided wander from those safe realms into the mardi-gras neighbourhood across the tracks. But whilst appreciating in an image the brilliant contrast of fuschia leather against crackle gold patent, it's quite another to add said pink'n'gold piece to one's wardrobe of canvas sandshoes and scuffed-up jeans and strut. Some things just don't happen naturally, and too often we ignore nature's heed and carry on regardless to our peril; just look what happened to Marie Curie! If it ain't right, don't force it.

As such I've returned to the dark side and have construed a trade. Worldwide recession and rising fuel prices as they are, luxury spending has taken a tumble, and this is widely reflected in both ebay and tPF marketplaces. Bags, they ain't-a-selling, so trading is a benign way of keeping the habit and happily more and more tPF'ers are cottoning onto this. [Myself, I've been trading for over 3 years, and have done rather well out of it in the past; around 30% of my $8k-odd collection are gained through trades, and I sure as hell didn't start with that much cash. Tip? Always trade upwards, no matter how subtly.]

So here's my New: Partly a results of exploring new territories, partly response to my increasingly loud wish for a grey bag to add to my collection, and finally, in no small part an internal revolt against my pretty-in-pink leanings!

Rebecca Minkoff Morning After Mini in Charcoal/Black Basketweave.
Included are the black Elisha shoulder strap, allowing the bag to be carried messenger style; and the golden chain (as shown with black), both optional extras.

HAS Fat Strat!

Oh good golly I finally have her, and she's gorgeous!!!

We went down to Brissy over last weekend and most of last week to buy a kitchen and other renovational goodies for the house. More on that to be posted in my desperately out-of-date renovation blog, but for now I'm giving the ol' grey matter (also in need of renovation!) a break from bearers, noggins, electrical plans and all the other miscellanea that accompanies building to instead gaze upon the bordeaux-hued delight that is my new guitar.

We picked her up Saturday morning, and I then had to spend the whole day with her unopened, still factory-sealed, in the box in the back of the car. Would have been a particularly cruel form of torture were we not flat out getting lost in pouring rain in the deepest, darkest depths of Underwood half that morning, and then later finding ourselves in a similar situation in the bowels of the Ikea labyrinth. After such a long day it was lovely to open that box in the evening, and finally play with (if not quite play, yet!) my beloved new Strat.

Firstly I was surprised at how similar it felt to my acoustic on the neck, although the lower action is certainly easier to fret for my L-plater fingers. It's strange playing a solid-body guitar though, but it's smaller size overall made it much more comfortable to just have on your lap than the bulky acoustic. I don't have an amp yet - and probably won't until I'm no longer making the kinds of noises you don't want amplified! - but the week before had bought on ebay the Vox AmPlug, a kind of mini amp you plug directly into your guitar, and then plug headphones (and, if you wish, aux input) into for silent amplification. The AmPlug I bought was the Rock version.. they come in the Rock, similar to a 60's British 100-Watter; the AM30, based upon the iconic you-know-what; and a Heavy Metal version for crunchy LOUD. I really wanted the AM30 but missed out on one, so will be chasing one up soon.

Despite the lack of a 'proper' amp it still sounds great through the AmPlug, and I've had fun playing with the gain and tone settings of the Vox, and also the tone and pickup switches on the guitar. I've clearly a lot of time needed to spend mucking around with these (and the trem bar, which I've taken back out for now), something I'm really looking forward to. Now I've the Strat at home I can play this here and leave my acoustic at work to pluck during downtime. I've been taking Holly into work and playing the LAMG dvd's on her there, and doing maybe an hour at a time, plus just song-playing muckarounds and some finger drills myself. I don't get to do this everyday, emergencies being just that, of course, but am maybe getting 5 hours a week done of actual lessons and reviewing past stuff. Will get there in the end!