I catch the train to Rome most weeks, it has been the most simple of pleasures to watch the wild poppies grow. Just yesterday some asshole mowed the overgrown tracks.

FLIES, BUGS AND WILTING POSIES

Deco design. I have always had a fondness for art deco jewellery; I think this comes from my Mothers eye for incredible adornments (and no she isn't the type to style up her twin set with pearly bits).
Instead her choice is always a little more dark and haunting. Lately she has a perch for collecting pendants like wilting flowers and mysterious horses. My most favoured of her jewellery is a cameo styled scarab ring from her travels through Egypt.






Sipping cheap wine from plastic cups would be forever okay- if I had a fancy finger piece like these ones...



Although I'm accepting of any bejewelled creatures I prefer them not to be living, literally creeping or crawling would be just a little too much.

ALSO

• If you are after a pet you could try the Tenebrionid Beetle Brooch from Mexico; he doesn't need feeding, nor will he fly away and leave you- pin him close to your heart!
  
• If you're the scientific type maybe you would be interested in a Bombardier Beetle. These creatures give off a scent as a defence mechanism. Scientists and designers have arranged so we can fill beetle rings and pendants with pretty perfumes. Wearable technology for aroma delivery...www.smartsecondskin.com

Xx

And it's even better with english subtitles.

Madame de La Fayette's "La Princesse de Clèves" reworked by french director Christophe Honoré

LA BELLE PERSONNE [film], PEAR APPLES, THE WALKMEN [music], COEUR DE PIRATE [music], ONSENS IN THE NUDE, HOME MADE ADVENT CALENDARS, TOWER BOOKS TOKYO, FLORIDA SIGISMOND, MARTIN MARGIELA'S CUPROCK DISPLAY, RAG TAG STORES, CINNAMON, CERAMIC T/A COFFEE CUPS FROM MOMA DESIGN STORE, SUPERFUTRE [website], WHITE MAGIC [music], POEMS BY EMMA BELFOUR, FRACAS PERFUME, GREEN CURRY, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES [film], THANK-YOU MART 390, MATT IRWIN FILM FOR ARMANI EXCHANGE, GARLIC CHILLI PEAS, GROWING A PILE OF XMAS GIFTS, CONCEALER, 100 DENIER STOCKINGS, THE SELBY [website], BEING HOME SOON xx.

1. Ueno Zoo- I was way more excited than this kid to see an assortment of beautiful, strange and interesting.
2. It's an okay coffee house we know as Starbucks; Ashamedly I’ve become a whore! It is the only reliable cafe frequenting the many corners of Tokyo city. The cashier staff sings your coffee order to the barrister staff, and then they all harp your order together in unity. Tsutaya Starbucks in Roppongi Hills is the best, with a comparatively decent selection of international magazines/ art books. It's not exactly the most the quaint of coffee spots or the cosiest of libraries; but the two commercial chain stores have joined nicely to serve a purpose.
   
3. Ginza Graphic Gallery; this place has a fast turn over of exhibitions, and if I have to time to waste in this pompous shopping district it is spent here. Recently showing prolific artists such as Alan Fletcher and MM Paris.
4. The seven dwarfs of Hiroo and the cities Christmas decorations by night.
5. Sora No Niwa; a very special restaurant with an imaginative menu of organic tofu and soy treats. I first dined at this place with a visiting friend, and have since gone back with friends ten fold. A delicious weekly ritual.
   
6. The Grand Park Hyatt's indoor swimming pool and spa.
   
7. Cosmic Wonder Aoyama Store; for a really whimsical retail experience. I felt like Alice in Wonderland opening suspense laden doors to reveal another world; that of the Cosmic Wonder closet. A hyper-minimalist and void-ish store offering a zen-esque retreat from the city outside. www.cosmicwonder.com
8. Barbecued corn on the cob; can be found at weekend stalls held in Harajuku's Yoyogi Park. The best way to cure a sore head on a Sunday is to eat festival food and revel in the hysterical acts of Yoyogi entertainers. My favourite stall holder even gives up his seat so you can 'dine in'; 400 yen well spent.
9. The Metro's endearing safety reminders.
10. And not to overlook the simple pleasures:
    

• A electronically heated toilet seat on a winters night.
  
• Drinking on the street from vending machines that sell cans of beer/ fruity sake mixers.

Xx

I'm alright with potential homelessness...

Fashion for the soon to be homeless? When the bank has seized our assets and we're tossed to the streets with nothing but our humble sleeping bag.
Mr Giles Deacon shows us the way of the future; part business survival strategy or perhaps just more evidence of his macabre storytelling. Regardless I like Mr Giles Deacon. He = intellectual and witty, proactively adapting his designs to suit times of "financial doom" and this ear stinging speak about the recession. It looks as though form follows function is a mantra well known and practiced in his 2009 creations. Instead of looking at fashion from a superfluous and frivolous standpoint, instead we can categorise these purchases as real investment pieces- ensuring us shelter and warmth.

Giles Deacon Fall 08

Designers who have gone before- Victor and Rolf had a similar concept with their collection Bedtime Story (2005)

Pack lightly. Take only what is necessary; wear your home on your back, your sleeve- these are my nomadic tendencies speaking. We all know home is where the heart is. Inviting people over will suddenly become all the more personal and quite an intimate affair.
In the case that I have slightly overreacted, and times don't actually get as tough as I'm prepared for... well then I can write this preparation off as just another excuse to never get out of bed. My fascination and fondness for bed often gets the better of me... I'm a much happier girl wrapped up warm in a good thread count.

Xx