SHIRT ON SKIN

Ok I'll admit it. 

Right now I'm not thinking about the million and one things I've left myself to do before school starts again next week. And I'm not thinking of my best friend's birthday present that I still haven't got or the fact that I just spent the money I'd saved on a top I do not need. 

And I definitely am not thinking about the open box of Lint chocolates sitting on top of the microwave...

No, I'm thinking about this campaign. About the simplicity of its beauty, of the two women who feature in it and the perfect shirts that adorn one of them.

Kate and Daria. 

A match made in genetic heaven.

Why oh why do my mirror selfies never ever look quite this good?! Even if I do try and filter them in black and white. 

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful shoot after the jump.

Meanwhile those chocolates just seem to have fallen into my lap...resolutions?! 

Oh leave me in peace. It's the weekend.

DRINK MORE LEMONADE

So it's 2016. A new year once more.

Where did the last one go?!

I have spent the last three weeks in a semi-food-comatosed state, blissfully unaware of and totally ignoring the reality of life. Unfortunately tomorrow is the first Monday of the new year and thus brings with it the harsh awakening that I have been so avoiding.

Having trawled my way through both the Telegraph and Times newspapers this weekend, I have no idea which vegan/paleo/veggie/*insert other food fad here* diet to follow, nor which bizarre new exercise regime I should undertake.

And so I feel like I may just ignore them all.

That is not to say that I am going to neglect the diet/exercise trend entirely. That would be foolish considering the whale-like state I'm currently in.

But having glanced at the newspaper front pages in the Co-op, it feels a teensy bit like people are completely and utterly obsessed with the change you must undertake in your own life come January.

I'm all for great resolutions, most of which I never stick to, but come on. I don't need to read five different magazines and find five different ways of improving/detoxing/self-helping my life. 

My goals for 2016 look something like this:

1. Get a job. Like a real, proper job that I feel excited about and proud of. Or at least a few interviews

2. Stop eating chocolate after every meal. Seriously, it's getting out of hand

3. Remember to polish my shoes for said potential job interviews. Scruffy boots just aren't really an option

4. Stop stalking other peoples' lives on Instagram. Maybe just live my own

4. Stop giving a f*** about things that don't matter

Oh and try to blog more. But I say that every month don't I?! But seriously, I mean it this time.

Realistically, why don't we just drink more lemonade?

Pic taken in LA, shot on Sony x55

AN INSTAGRAM OTHER HALF

This video made me laugh out loud. A proper, audible laugh too. Not just a silent heave of the shoulders.

I myself don't have an Instagram husband...yet...but I have been known to use the self timer. Or my long suffering mum.

 It is crazy how unbelievably accurate this is.

That line, "We used to eat our food...now we just take pictures of it." 

So spot on it's unreal.

I am definitely guilty of Instagramming the most mundane rubbish (see multiple photos of my feet and also my breakfast) but I am getting better. And I know that my best and most memorable evenings are never immortalised in a photo. I'm too busy enjoying myself.

CHRISTMAS LIFE LESSONS

Christmas is a'coming and as I was rushing out of the door this morning to do some last minute shopping, I accidentally stopped to trawl the internet and found this hilariously eye-opening article on ManRepeller.

It examines the tradition that is the annual watching of Love Actually. But alongside this it gives the ultimate tips in how to handle the Christmas party/dating season.

I for one will never look at this film in the same way.

And I'll be keeping an eye on those Christmas party lurkers...

Three hours later, my trawling is complete and now I'm off. Oxford Street in all its revolting packed glory calls.

Pic FashionMeNow

WEIWEI

I'm not going to lie. Getting up in the dark is never an enjoyable experience. And getting up when it's dark, cold and rainy is just the pits.

But when an invitation lands in your inbox to see the most talked about exhibition of the year at the Royal Academy at 8am, before the eager masses are even allowed to enter the building, an early morning suddenly doesn't seem so bad.

Ai Weiwei is the man behind the exhibition and what a man he is.

Having grown up in one of China's notorious labour camps, he has been imprisoned, beaten, harassed and lives in a constant state of surveillance. 

From these horrific circumstances however, he creates beautifully powerful pieces of art that leave you feeling insignificant and empowered in one thought.

It was utterly mesmerising. Truly one of the best shows I've ever seen.

"The art always wins. Anything can happen to me but the art will always stay."

AI WEIWEI

Pic @ivrashton on Instagram

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

“People come in here with a need but they leave with a want,” smiles Marla Collins-Soana, buyer at Retro Clothing, Notting Hill. Sandwiched in-between a garish tourist shop and an unassuming art shop, Retro Clothing is not immediately eye catching as you wander past, involuntarily herded along by throngs of people pushing their way along Portobello Road.

Step inside and you understand why people liken un-cave like places to Aladdin’s Cave. Rows upon rows of previously loved clothing line the walls. A glass cabinet runs along the length of the store, filled with glittering pairs of shoes, their labels twinkling under the lights.

I couldn’t resist, and nor could most of the people, mainly women, in there. I wanted what I couldn’t have, what other people were holding and what I’d seen in magazines. As I clasped an exclusive sweatshirt in my hand, glaring at anyone who dared come close, I eagerly showed my friends.

“That’s so nice,” they both mumbled. “But, it’s just a jumper. Isn’t it?”

WEAVER OF FAIRYTALES

Fashion's prince channeling arguably literature's most famous. 

Oh, and there's Cate Blanchett thrown in the mix too.

Fashion's prince is of course Tim Walker, a weaver of fairytales and a genius in every sense of the word.