American Apparel Dilemma

Tried this dress on the other day and decided it was one of those perfect LBDs that American Apparel do so well. Got two last year (shown below) and they just suit so many occasions! Have worn the one shouldered into lectures with tights, boots and a cardi and out on the tiles on numerous occasions. It washes well, it's the perfect length, its good belted....i cannot give enough praise.

But here's the problem. That jersey scoop back dress......was €54! Its cotton, it's plain, it doesnt exactly break boundaries in terms of design or originality.....yet it costs the same as a month and a half of internet, 20 giant bags of giant chocolate buttons, 6 dresses from charity shops where i often find my favourite dresses, food for 2 weeks, a considerable portion of a new laptop, spending money for trip Africa etc etc.

So i have that decision between a dress that would be PERFECT for any occasion, is a blank canvas for over-accesorisation which i love (and has a sexy scoop back without being in your face with boobage or leggage) and a hole in my pocket, and all for a cotton shift that i would estimate was made for less than €5. If i were to count the wear i would get out of it, it would be a no brainer but i would be embarassed if anyone asked how much i paid for it!

Anyhoo, stay tuned, tomorrow i shall post my sketch homage to the man repeller including the pair of Be&D shoes I would choose for her amazing giveaway. Would post it now only the scanner is loud and its late and i dont want to wake my housemate and i also should sleep given that i have to be in a hospital 7 hours from now (dont worry i'm not allowed treat patients yet)!!

Images from AA

Friday Night Sketch Sesh

Here's two drawings I did last night. Quite like that dress she has on, sometimes I wish I could make the clothes as easily as I sketch them. Studying for exams. Bone disease today. STIMULATING. Not so much.

This weekend's drawings

Had some time this weekend which is rare! So decided i'd do some drawing. Didn't have many of my supplies ie none so just did some pencil ones. The clothes are mostly out of my head. Some of the shoes are designer. Love those Miu Miu 2011 shoes with the triple ankle strap. There's some vintage Manolos in one of the pics too. Looked at my Manolo Blahnik coffee table book this weekend for the first time in ages. Amazing. Trying to think of things to sell to pay for my elective to Tanzania this summer. Looking at things i love and do not under any circumstances want to sell thinking 'hmmmmm...'

Topshop Splurge

Decided the splurge on this Topshop dress! Well it wasn't too bad i guess, €55 but with the 10% student discount. Not the worst and i will wear it a lot. Wore it with the lace collar necklace from the previous post. Will definitely be dressing it down for lectures with a cardigan and boots. Just love the print!

Image from Outblush.com

Recentish Purchases

So I've been off this for quite a while and I don't really know why! Since Christmas I have been extremely busy, on rotation in a hospital in a different county, then full time lectures. So apart from the odd elaborate doodle in a particularly boring Pathology lecture, I guess you could say I've had a bit of a creative block with regards to drawing. But I'm still WEARING clothes (sigh of relief from everyone there) so I figured I'd show some of my more recent purchases and maybe a few wishlist items!

Bought the two finger ring above in Forever 21 before Christmas. They're such a silly Lauren Conrad fuelled trend but I do like them! This one has a lovely combination of brassy, matte gold finish with sparkly ass diamonds!

The lace collar necklace below is another of my favourite new things althoug it actually broke a week after buying it, not because it was shoddy but because its a delicate little thing. I just have to replace a link and it'll be good to go but haven't had a chance to do it/get my jeweller mum to do it! I got in from Branchbound, a seller on etsy.com and it arrived scarily fast to Dublin from California in a lovely little package. I really do adore it even if the starched lace is a little itchy and its corners get turned up by accident under your coat when you're not paying full attention. Actually come to think of it it's a little troublesome but I DON'T CARE!

Got these boots only today in River Island. I tried them on about five times over the past week in several different branches of RI in order to decide whether I could really justify buying them. I do need a replacement everyday boot as my primark babies, although sturdier than most primark shoes, have finally begun to look a little dozed. But I'm glad I bought them because they are fantabulous. They go with jeans and tights, they are casual but yet could be dressy and they just look so neat. They remind me of the shoes in the Ladybird version of The Elves and The Shoemaker. Although those were less cowboy and....well really not very similar at all.

But the purchase of these boots comes with a promise that I cannot but ANYTHING unnecessary or luxury until I have raised enough money for my elective in Tanzania. I love charity shops so if I must buy something, it will be from a charity shop. Only problem is I rarely get a chance to go to the good streets for charity shopping, I miss my days in Rathmines. But I did get a lovely patent clutch and a sparkly Zara cardigan in Oxfam on George's St. last week so there's hope for me. Anyway I digress.

The next purchase was the most exciting. I was at the Point Village Market one Saturday before Christmas just having a browse in the kind of cold weather that you cannot comprehend until you brave that exact windtrap beside the O2. So I'm looking at the Enable Ireland stand because if you can get something cheap and help charity than that will double the warm fuzzy feeling of buying something, and in the aforementioned arctic temperatures all the warm fuzzies are necessary. So I see this See By Chloé bag and my heart starts to pound a little bit. Its brand new. Its top quality leather. It's definitely not fake because who makes fakes of a cheaper diffusion liine? Its black and navy blue which has been a favourite colour combo of mine since I was about 7 when my dad tole me that it was chic. It was €30. So while that would be laughable to pay in a charity shop for a bag, considering it was brand new and designer.....I was sold. So I tottered off to the nearest ATM and brought that baby home! Then I looked it up and it retails for around $395. Wow. Then I felt bad that Enable Ireland got so little.

The last item I have to share with you is probably my favourite. H&M triumph again. Its a mint coloured, dove print jacket. It's just perfect and ithas to be the thing that I consistently get compliments about when I wear it, which is kind of awkward because I'm not the best at taking them so usually i just say 'H&M.' Maeve Higgins has an unbelievable sketch about girls and the battles they have where they compete to give complements. Don't know where you could find it but...FIND IT becasue it's hilarious. Anyway the other super thing about it is that it's machine washable! I know I sound like a granny but from the feeling of it and its delicate appearance and the shoulder padding etc you might expect that it would be dry clean only or...bain of my life....handwash but no! It keeps its shape, no need to iron. I love it! Sorry I look so demented in the below photo. That's kind of how I look when I get a compliment: happy but unsure of what to do and a bit uncomfortable.

This next thing is a wish item. It's just so expensive but it has to be one of the nicest perfumes I've ever smelled. I usually wear either Moschino I Love Love or DKNY woman. The moschino one is the only perfume that has had people stop me in shops or the street to ask what perfume I'm wearing but it can be difficult to get. The DKNY one is just so distinctive so sometimes you'll have a bonding moment on the luas or in Dunnes stores when someone says 'DKNY?'

Anyway I want this:

Only problem is if people ever ask what I'm wearing, i'll have to make that difficult decision of whether to do a fully committed french accent or just give an anglicised 'prada infusion of iris' or a really irish 'In-Fusion De Eye-Riss.'

Anyhoodles, bye all!

Arcade Fire - O2 Dublin

I went to see Arcade Fire last night in the O2 in Dublin. There are no words. I've been a fan since I first heard funeral, probably in 2005 or so. I'll never forget hearing that album for the first time, that feeling of 'this is unlike anything else I've ever heard,' the gloomy euphoria, a kind of gritty sparkle, songs that are as amazing to listen to on your own while walking down the street as they are bounding off the walls of a huge arena.

Every time you hear a song of theirs, you discover a new lyric that you've never quite appreciated before. There are few bands in the world who can marry interesting and intelligent lyrics with the most beautiful melodies, layers of sounds from what seems like hundreds of instruments and most importantly epic, fully committed live performances. They set a standard for live performance that is unlikely to be met by any other band around at the moment as far as I can see. It's the kind of performance where you feel like dancing, crying and laughing all at once. It completely overtakes your senses.

I first saw them live at Oxegen in 2007, then at Oxegen in 2010 and finally last night. Their setlist was mostly songs from Funeral and The Suburbs but with a few from their second album such as Intervention, My Body Is a Cage, No Cars Go and Keep the Car Running.

The higlights for me were the Neighbourhoods and Wake Up which was their final song. Irish crowds, it has to be said are some of the most enthusiastic 'sing-alongers' in the world and Win himself said that each time they come to Ireland, we set a new standard among Europeans. I don't doubt that he's being genuine there, only an extreme cynic would! He reminisced about their 2005 Electric Picnic gig which is legendary among their Irish performances.....if only I could travel back in time!

My sister came along and although she doesn't know a lot of their music, she was blown away too. I can't imagine anyone in the world from a Ke$ha lover, to the Daniel O' Donnell obsessed who wouldn't be overwhelmed by their live performance. Truly the best live act I have ever seen and probably....will ever see.

Bought a limited edition lithograph that says the date of the concert on the bottom, it's hanging proudly on my wall.

I know I sounds like an obsessed freak. I also know that there are plenty of bands out there who may be just as amazing as arcade fire and I'm excited to get the know them but for now, I shall just wallow in this post AF hangover of delight....until the next time they come to Ireland!

Swallow

Did this while watching 'I'm a Celebrity...' last night. The joy of it! I realise that the outfits I draw are usually quite horrid unless they are by a designer. This is not because I have bad taste, its mostly because it's more fun to draw something pleated, gathered, ruched and leopard print than a simple Jil Sander shift despite my love for said simple clothing. But the odd time I design something quite nice. If only I could make clothes.

So I was thinking of doing some things on here that aren't just illustrations. Not sure how it'll go but we'll see.

Really want to go the the exhibition on in the Taylor Gallery on Kildare Street in Dublin. This image is one of her pieces entitled 'Reclining Nude.' I just think it's beautiful. Maybe after exams!