Tongue-Untied Reading, Berlin :: the Second

Hello to you all!

After a successful first reading we now have our second one around the corner!

Tongue-Untied :: the Second

Wednesday, 26th September

La Raclette Bar @ 8 o'clock

This time we have four authors from Singapore, Israel, England and Portugal respectively! We are extremely excited and looking forward to another evening of specially for the evening created cocktails in the fabulous La Raclette Bar and great authors with completely eclectic styles from poetry to prose!

Here is the link to our page (re-vamped in a new design and an own Logo: very flash!):

Tongue-Untied Facebook Page

And here is the link direct to our event:

Tongue-Untied Event Page

And you can contact us here.

Looking forward to a great evening!

Your Tongue-Untied

Tongue-Untied Reading in Berlin

We will be holding our first reading at La Raclette Bar where talented english-speaking authors will read from their works while you enjoy a cocktail or two in a cosy, rustical environment in the heart of Kreuzberg.

Come along and enjoy a casual evening!

visit our page on

Facebook Page: Tongue-Untied

and find the Event on

Tongue-Untied in La Raclette Bar

Mr. Big and the white Thong

Begin the Book here: just scroll all the way down...

Following on from Mum and Georgie and Love.

“Right, so... This huge guy came into the shop. I swear he was almost seven foot, looked a bit worse for wear but was dressed head to toe in Yves Saint Laurent: I know, could’ve been gay but I swear he was far from it. So Amy is stood at the counter in her usual slouched, nibbling on a carrot fashion that does my head in…” Maggie giggled; she knew all of Lily’s colleagues and loved how she described them, “… and asks if we can help him. She said we, of course, not her; just to be on the safe side incase she doesn’t want to assist him any more. And this guy, crouching beneath our low ceilings, looked as if he was about to start crying. I really had to stifle a laugh cos it just looked so silly!” Lily loved remembering the stories as they never stopped being funny. “Amy was lovely. She slid out from behind the counter and led him to the front of the shop where he could stand up straight again because of the high ceiling. She asked him again how she could help and this time he actually spoke. He said he wanted to try on some underwear because he wanted to surprise his fiancé. Amy asked the usual questions: rubber, leather, with cock ring, without, sparkly, colourful… and the guy, suddenly speechless again probably due to Amy’s very open way of talking, pointed at the thongs hanging up next to the counter. ‘Oh, thongs! Yeah, sure!’ Amy trilled. So they went over to the thongs, the poor man buckled under the low beams. They took out a few, one white (yuk) and a multi-coloured sparkly thing that we have only sold once to an extremely gay young man who dotes upon colourful thongs. Amy accompanied Mr. Longjohn, as we have now nicknamed him, to the changing cabins where I was stood next to the tea and coffee stand.” Lily paused to take a sip of her coffee; Maggie-style, too weak with hardly any milk. Maggie giggled at Lily’s displeased face: “Sorry…” she whispered.

“So I watched this guy squeeze into the middle cabin. And I mean squeeze, his legs came up to my chest, he was e-NOR-mous! And he began trying on the thongs. Amy and I tried to peak inside the cabin where the curtains didn’t quite reach but couldn’t really see anything. After a few minutes Amy carefully asked, ‘Is everything ok? Do any of them fit?’ And suddenly, completely without warning, this huge oaf of a man opened the curtain and was stood infront of us totally naked except for a transparent white thong with no underwear underneath. Amy and I grew bright red and didn’t know where to look. I was wetting myself on the inside! And this guy was “big” all over,” (Lily did the bunny ears with her fingers and chuckled to herself). “It was falling out of all seams!! Amy had tears in her eyes until she suddenly just stood up straight and said; “I’m afraid you’re going to have to buy that: you’re not allowed to try the underwear on bare skin, hygienic reasons. I hope you understand?”

Lily shifted as George tried to make himself comfortable on the couch next to her. “I swear mum, I had to bite my teeth together to stop myself laughing. She was so serious and that really is a sore spot she has: too right. I mean, I don’t want to try on underwear that has been on somebody else before either. She has a point. And it’s just not hygienic. Anyway, this guy didn’t budge and we could see that he was getting, well, you know; a boner! And I just grabbed Amy, marched her to the counter and shouted after him, to put his pants back on and leave the cabin. So this guy came out again, dressed, with the thongs in his hand, looking like a puppy that had just been told off and began tearing the price tags off the thongs and then gave the tags to Amy. He then apologised! It was so bizarre. Normally they just give you the clothes and bugger off and we have to wash the bloody things. But no, he was so sweet. And so Amy started talking to him and it turned out his girlfriend is a bit of a dominatrix that had ordered him to buy underwear and he was completely overwhelmed by the task, had no idea where to start and so didn’t really know what to do. We felt so sorry for him that we even offered to take the things back but he insisted that he buys them. Gave us a tip too. Although I still don’t know whether I believe him. He did have a boner!”

Maggie had already begun laughing when Lily had said the word boner, her mum was easily amused, and her eyes had creased up with tears as she rocked back and forth. “The poor lad: you young things think it’s so easy nowadays with all these new things happening. I had a video talk with your brother yesterday. That was great!”

Lily laughed, her mum was a late adopter and wasn’t up to speed with all the newest channels of communication. “You mean Skype, mum!”

“Oh Darling, what do I know. But tell me something. What are your plans in the long term? You know you can’t really stay at the boutique for ever.” And so Lily took a deep breath and began telling her mum of her hopes and dreams: engagement, kids, a good job, something creative that makes her happy; of course maybe not exactly in that order but she wanted Matt and herself to start their future lives together. Soon. And she wanted a better-paid job! And Maggie listened to it all and when Lily finished she just said, “Darling, give it time. It’ll all work out fine. Be patient.”

And with a warm feeling Lily made her way home through the winter wonderland outside, looking forward to Matt and hating herself for being so jealous because she knew deep-down, that Matt was a good ‘un. Unfortunately, she came home to an empty flat, dark and dismal. So with a heavy heart Lily went to bed and it wasn’t until six in the morning that she woke slightly to the entering of her good boyfriend Matt and a tear slid down her hot, exhausted cheek.

Mum and Georgie and Love

Following on from The Girls, Roy and Mum:

Lily chucked her bag in the hallway just in time as George the English bulldog came pounding towards her, a look of madness in his eyes. Lily squatted down, balancing precariously on her bootys and braced herself. He jumped straight up at her neck and started licking it furiously. Lily could feel her balance go and before she knew it she’d toppled over backwards. “ARGH! Mum! Georgie, no!” Maggie came wobbling around the corner, wash cloth in hand, glasses tipped on the end of her nose and hair in her typical pineapple piled on the top of her head.

“George! No! Come here! I’m sorry Darling, he’s so rowdy today!” She wiped her hands on the cloth and grabbed George. Lily quickly straightened up and tried to rid herself of all the hairs and saliva he had left her with. She took off her coat and hung it on the coat stand next to the first of many walls of photos. Maggie loved having photos of everyone around her and her flat was like a museum. Unfortunately it also had quite a few nude pictures of Lily, which always made for a laugh when her friends visited.

“Isn’t it awful outside?” Maggie began faffing about and tidying (something Lily had obviously inherited). Lily checked herself in the mirror and brushed away the snowflakes in her face. She took off her boots. “Er mum, where shall I put these where George won’t get them?” Maggie smiled, “Here Darling, take this cloth and then put them on the cabinet.” Lily did as she was told, grabbed her handbag and followed her mum through the beaded curtains into the living room. “I’ve just been with Riza and Natty. It was really nice. We went to Nan’s.” Maggie was busy making coffee in the kitchen and um-med and aah-ed at Lily. “We had cake and milkshakes, I’m really stuffed!” Lily watched the upset George settle in his little bed and nuzzle his snout into his cuddly toy. “Oh, you probably don’t want any cake then, right?” Lily looked at a ladder in her tights and cursed under her breath; “I HATE tights…” She looked up and out of the wall-to-wall windows. “No thanks mum, just a coffee.”

Lily stared at the pictures in the flat as Maggie came through with coffee. There were pictures of everyone in the family but mostly photos of Lily from her modelling days. And ofcourse there were photos of Lily with Matt. One she particularly loved was of the two of them in Paris. It had been a particularly love-filled long weekend. Lily had treated them both to it and organised for them to stay with Jess, Matt’s ex, as she lived there. At first she had been reluctant to stay with her just because it meant they saved money for accommodation (as Matt was a student it didn’t make their financial situation any easier) but Jess and her had met a few times and she had also met Jess’s mother, a charming lady, and so she thought why not? And it had turned out to be a weekend of turbulent events from being bored to death by the garbage that left Jess’s mouth to being dragged from one ridiculously expensive café or bar to the next where Matt and Lily left almost half of their spending money on the first day and even to leaving a bit of a stain on the bed sheet which had caused them to break out in tears because it made them laugh so much. They had also been accused of being spoilsports for not going to a club where Jess had arranged for them to be on the guestlist but had last-minute decided she couldn’t go herself; as if they were going to go to a club in the middle of Paris to buy over-priced drinks, watch under-dressed people live an overly-arrogant lifestyle. No, Matt and Lily instead went out to a gorgeous little thai restaurant and had a wonderful evening just the two of them. And the whole weekend had been filled with getting away from Jess and her rants and gushes as quickly as possible and trundling through Paris, disgustingly in love, for the entire day. It had been a weekend they would never forget and this photo reminded Lily of how much she loved Matt again.

“So, what’s up? You didn’t sound so good on the phone.” Maggie propped herself up on the pillows piled on the couch with her mug of coffee. She looked somewhat worn out and Lily considered not pouring her heart out for a moment. But as soon as the thought had entered her head she knew she had to get it all out. And her mum always had an open ear (although frequently also said all the things you didn’t want to hear). And so Lily began telling Maggie about Matt and how she was still always jealous when Jess came to town and he immediately jumped to meet up with her. Sure, she had her mum that covered her credit card, which meant she could invite Matt out for steak and expensive things but Lily didn’t think of Matt as that shallow. There had to be more.

“I just get so annoyed that she snips her fingers or just turns up and immediately he drops everything and goes to meet her. What am I doing wrong? I really don’t get it.” Lily fiddled with the hem of her skirt, which was coming undone.

“Darling, it really is something he needs to grow out of. Or the two of you need to talk about it openly.”
“Mum, we have spoken about it and it ended up with him smashing a tea cup in the kitchen and leaving a huge dent in the wooden flooring. It doesn’t work. It’s as if I just have to be hushed and deal with it. And I can’t. Matt is the opposite of Stuart but sometimes he irritates me just like Stuart did.” Lily could feel the heat in her rising just at the thought of all the liberties Stuart had allowed himself.

“Darling I don’t think you can compare Stuart and Matt. And the thing with Jess will settle. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery?” Maggie slurped her coffee.

“A change of scenery? Why? Am I too boring? I mean, sure: I don’t have as much money as her, I don’t live in the glamorous Paris, I’m not a size zero and I don’t have time for spontaneous meetings or outings. But I thought he loved me for all the things she is not?” Lily disliked it when she doubted herself. She had achieved so much in life, experienced so much and been through so much. On a good day she thought of herself as an accomplished, clever young lady. But on days like this one she wanted to curl up and quietly sob to her self-loathing little self…

“Now Lily, don’t even start to compare yourself to her. You said yourself  that that girl probably isn’t half of what Matt fell in love with all those years ago. And he loves you; he loves you so much. So stop being daft. Are you sure you don’t want any cake?”

Lily pulled out the tissue from her cardigan sleeve. “No, mum.”
“You just have to focus on yourself again. How’s work going? What’s the plan there?” Maggie knew Lily loved working in the boutique but aspired to more and wished that her daughter would use all her talents and experience in a better-paid job.

“Oh, same old. Claudine has been in a bad mood the last week; not enough revenue. We can only sell when people actually come in to the shop… She has her difficulties with that. I’m still debating asking for a pay-rise. Don’t know how I’m going to approach that subject. But the funniest thing happened last week.” Lily loved telling stories about the customers that visited the boutique. And Maggie loved hearing them. Lily’s mum was a right character herself. She was approaching 65 now and her face was a picture of perfection. Time had of course left its mark and after four kids she certainly wasn’t a Jane Fonda, wrinkle-free and a perfect size ten. But Maggie was still a beauty (Lily had to get it from somewhere!). A little top heavy, not always at her best when she couldn’t be bothered to do her hair or had clumsily and hastily put make-up on but on a good day she could charm the socks off any man. And Maggie had a huge heart; it had left many a wrinkle on her face but it welcomed people in and cared and nurtured like a lion mother. Lily smiled at her mum; they were so close. Sometimes it felt as if Lily was Maggie’s mother when they chatted. Maggie had become slightly anxious and her self-confidence had suffered over time. Lily always remembered her mother as an absolute power woman but she knew that even the strongest of women had their soft spots.

The Girls, Roy and Mum

Following on from Nan's Crackerjack Café:

The ladies had met up around midday and now, at four o’clock, they had made it through various drinks and a round of French fries when Lily’s phone rang. Matt. “Sorry, it’s Matt: just let me get this.” Lily mumbled as she turned her head away. “Alright gorgeous?” she picked up. “Hey Lil, listen: I’m gonna be late back cos I’m heading into town after uni.” Lily frowned, “Oh, right? Whatcha doing? With who?” Riza and Natty stared at her and Lily saw Riza roll her eyes and whisper something to Natty. “Erm, with Jess. She’s in town and has family stuff going on and wanted a chat. I won’t be back too late, promise.” Lily felt her eyes well up, “But it’s my day off. You said we’d get sushi and have a night in.” She could hear Matt tense up on the other end of the line: “Yeah, we will: I’m not gonna be long.” Lily did her best to stay cool and calmly replied, “Ok, be in touch. Say hi.”

She hung up and Riza tutted. “I would really like to have a chat with that girl…” Lily sniffed loudly, “No, it’s ok: I mean they have a long history together, they experienced a lot.” Natty shook her head and laughed, “I bet they did!”

Lily pulled out her make up bag and dabbed at her red eyes. “No, not like that. They were together a really long time and I guess you just have memories and that. They managed to get over all their bad stuff. Not like Stuart and me.” Riza motioned to Patty for another round. “Sweetness, you and Stuart are a completely different matter. For god’s sake: he is a complete bugger. I just don’t want to see you like this,” she said as Natty started rummaging in her bag.

“No, it’s ok. Maybe he just needs to get it out of his system. I’ll be fine.” Natty pulled out an exquisitely expensive looking compact powder case. “There you go, dab yourself with this: it’s magic stuff.” Lily sniffed again and laughed. “Please, trust me. I’ll be fine.” Natty looked at her long and hard, “I hope so, for him!”

Lily didn’t want to admit her real feelings about the situation to the girls. An hour later they had scoffed down carrot cake with cream and a milkshake and Lily decided it was time to make a move before she started growing attached to the chair. They said their goodbyes, blew kisses and hugged over and over making plans for the next few days. Lily snuggled deep into her coat as she started making her way down the street reminding herself that Riza hadn’t told her the great news yet. She grappled with her handbag: gloves did not make finding things in your handbag easier. As she dialled her mum’s number and made her way over the road she couldn’t believe her eyes as she caught a short glimpse of Roy making his way towards home. The day was not getting better. Roy had broken her heart just as Stuart had, but he hadn’t done it quite as catastrophically. In fact, he hadn’t done much at all: Lily was to blame.

“Darling!” Lily heard Maggie’s voice ring on the other end of the line. “Where are you sweetheart? Are you outside? It’s freezing! I went out with Georgie…” (her English Bulldog); “… and he wouldn’t even go near the bushes to do his business! It’s a nightmare! Are you dressed warm enough? Darling…?” Lily felt her chest heave with a new round of sobs. “Mum? Can I come over?” There was a short silence. “Of course darling. Bring some pastries, I’ll make coffee.” And so Lily headed over to her mum’s. Just as she was ringing at the doorbell her phone beeped. “Hello darling, running a little late: will be home around midnight. So sorry, will make it up to you. Love you lots, Matt xx” She grumbled into her jacket and thought to herself, “It’s ok. He really does love you.” And with a heavy heart she scooted inside to get out of the heavy snowfall.

Black Milk Clothing

I had to share this webpage with you. I am already obsessed and wanting to buy one of everything. Loving the british patriotic pieces and in general the sheer wackiness. Had to share.

Enjoy!

Black Milk Clothing - from Australia <-- Link

Retro Game Leggings
© COPYRIGHT | BLACK MILK CLOTHING

Madonna, NFL and what I REALLY think...

So, I'm not normally one to fall out of line, express my real feelings in a forceful, gutsy and take-charge way. And by all means, I would not write under friends' facebook posts that I feel exactly the opposite of what they have deemed great, amazing or otherwise. I'm a peace-seeking, harmonious and friendly person in real life as well as in all social media I use.

BUT TODAY, the gloves are off, I am rolling the hard six, my own opinion is never wrong and I have decided to let my tongue roll and my fingers loose.

What am I talking about? Madonna. Last night. NFL, Superbowl. Long-awaited. Major hype. Super excited. Stars and stripes. Stars and songs. Dance and glory. And I know I will tread on toes, leave bad tastes and completely go against the opinions of many of my friends and lots of people out there. Frankly, it intimidates me; but today, I can't help myself.

What I am getting at is how irritated I am that everyone is saying how amazing her show was. And I hate to be the finger pointer, but really? Did you guys see what I saw? Here is how I break it down:

Stage/Set/Scene:

Now I know, that they didn't have long to build up the stage so I think it's great, that it was fantastically mobile and had stage lifts etc. Very good, not mind-boggling, but good. The videos that were played (or projected) were ok. The best being the dancer during "vogue" writhing on a Vogue cover.

Guests:

So, M.I.A., Nikki Minaj, LMFAO and Cee Lo Green all joined her. Well, LMFAO were great, but they are great anyhows. The others? Ok, Cee Lo Green is who he is too; but his contribution to "Like a Prayer" could have been stronger. but "Give me all your luvin'"? I saw the video clip online before last night and I thought: hmm, Lady Gaga really has overtaken her (even though I'm not the biggest Gaga fan) and Elton certainly knows what he's talking about. Really? I was just waiting for all the girls to start kissing each other like back in 2003 at the VMAs with Britney and Christina. There was no oomph, no power, nothing except very short skirts... Oh, and well done for sticking your middle finger up M.I.A.: very mature...

Costume:

Well... I mean, considering you're Madonna and you have top costume designers and stylist at your hands, it could have been more. Her outfit itself was bland, plain and the supposedly spectacular ripping off of the gladiator skirt went wrong and Madonna grappled at her skirt quite panicked to try and remove it. Not very pro. The dancers? Not really memorable... The only thing that stuck out was the Adidas tracksuits with music notes.

Dancers/Choreography:

The dancers were the absolute highlight for me. Fantastic through and through from parcours talents, slackliners and contortionists to the most talented dancers I take my hat off: legendary.

Madonna (dance and song):

Ok, so I've been relatively nice til now. But Madonna? Just her? The way she did it all? I mean Kudos for managing to hold through 13 odd minutes. But honestly? Neither the dance nor the singing blew me away. I mean, Madonna has never been a great singer, let's be honest. But she always managed to pull through by reinventing herself, her looks, her music. Now yesterday, none of that seemed tangible. Her dancing was awkward, as if certain movements hurt and she had to avoid certain bends or be assisted by her dancers. Her walking even looked weird, a bit like Tina Turner, bent at the knees, but Tina pulled it off. Were the heels too high? And the singing? Speculation that she wasn't actually singing live is already making its rounds. Ofcourse she wasn't. Lip-sync should be learnt: and yesterday we saw how it is not done.

Summary:

Now I'm sorry, if this is rude or if the comparison is unjust towards the "Queen of Pop" but if I look at what the "King of Pop" did in 1993 at the Superbowl with not half the technology we have today, with half the dancers, effects and costume changes I do believe that royalty has been delegated wrongly for quite some time and the queen should be kicked off the throne to make space for someone more worthy. See below the video of Michael Jackson at the NFL where the crowd cheers for two solid minutes while he just stands there, not even moving. The stage is simple, his entrance with the two doubles above the screens simple but effective, he possesses the stage, the effects are close to none, the dancers (a mere handful) and one costume change. Yet he sings brilliantly, performs like the legend that he is and his message of World Peace is conveyed adamantly throughout the entire show and not just at the end in bright, flashy lights.

I have nothing against Madonna, on the contrary, her music has brought many a groove to my hips, but that people are praising the performance last night the way they did, and considering she is put on par with the likes of Elton John, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, I think it is not right to say it was amazing, fantastic or any of the likes. I have seen stage shows in back alleys that have given me more of a thrill. 

Sorry all you hardcore Madonna fans out there: but this is how I face the music.

The Artist and the Roaring Twenties

The roaring twenties are back. Though I haven't even seen the film I am already overwhelmed by the response of the fashion world to the new film "The Artist" by Michel Hazanavicius. This spring designers such as Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Etro and Alberta Ferretti have already shown their inspiration with flapper dresses, fringes, gold, beads, low waists and cute details. The main character Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) is a wonderful shape (not too thin) and the cheekiness in her smile really peps up the twenties look. And as the stars are the first to pick up the trend with the likes of Zoe Saldana, Camilla Belle and Evan Rachel Wood as pioneers, I have decided that it should also be made available for us normal people.

So, here are a few looks. The twenties saw a lot of dresses. The typical charleston dress is not one I own in my wardrobe but there are enough dresses that border on the twenties time. And let's face it: women couldn't always wear fringed, beaded dresses. They had "dressing-down" days.

1. Compilation: dark day dresses
The following are two dresses I own, that can be combined wonderfully with cardigans, tights and heels or dandy shoes for a more casual style. Ideal with a little hat and gloves and a tiny umbrella if the sun comes out.

Polka-Dot Dress Dark Blue: from my mother in law, White heels: vintage
Burberry checked brown dress: Zara, Brown dainty heels: C and A 

2. Compilation: dark evening dresses
The following two dresses are always a charm on a flashy night out. With the right accessories they are also perfect for the twenties look. See further down also for a make-up and hair guide. The dark dress with long sleeves is a fave as I would rather wear a dress that covers a lot than exposes everything! Nevertheless, it has a completely bare back (eek!) and has a sash that drapes around the hip. I team it with opaque tights to hide even more skin.

Dress with roses: vintage
Long-sleeved dress: H and M, Gold Sandals: Stradivarius

3. Compilation: light dresses

The two light dresses I own are both multitalents. No matter whether with boots or heels, they both seem to dress up and down. The most important thing with light dresses is accessories as the light material tends to put a few pounds on. But I like to stick to pastel rose tones as I have pale skin and if I go too light I look like a snowman! The silvery looking dress is actually a light mauve colour. The dress is from H and M with a long zip down the back, short puffy lace sleeves and an A-Line cut (good on a frumpy day). I normally wear it with black tights and a black heel but for the twenties look it would also look sweet with a boyish touch of black tights and black or light dandy shoes. Again, accessories, accessories, accessories!
The second dress has a large flower on each shoulder which is already quite bold but I team it with flowered tights, white shoes with satin ribbons (that I bought especially for them) and a necklace with rose quartz entwined in gold.

Mauve dress: H and M
Greek style pastel pink dress and Tights: H and M,
Belt and Necklace: vintage, Shoes: OSCO

4. Compilation: Business Look (a)
I think the twenties look finds most use in the office. However, I have extended the twenties idols such as Clara Bow, Joan Crawford and Mary Pickford to Coco Chanel (see here). She is a constant inspiration in everything I do and so she should deserve some mention here!
This look is the typical Marlene Dietrich style trousers, relatively high-waisted with a white, long-sleeves, high-neck blouse. The heels are my most comfortable with a chunky heel and budapester pattern. As the look is already quite intense I don't dress it up with accessories too much. But I love a little hat and big sunglasses to give me that Chanel feel.

Trousers: TopShop, Blouser: H and M
Shoes: C and A 

5. Compilation: Business Look (b)
This is not as twenties but I still felt it deserved a spotlight here today. The top has such a wonderul neckline. The picture is in fact the back of the outfit. This is because the detail on both the top and the skirt are exquisite and on the back! The tiny buttons of the blouse look dainty if teamed with little wrist-length gloves. And the skirt has a ruffle across the entire back which makes my bum look a little fuller! As it is quite a bland look, I combine it with a pearl necklace, opaque black tights and little PVC booties with matching buttons.

Top: H and M, Skirt: ASOS
Boots: vintage, Pearl Necklace: granny 

Accessories
I have put together a few scarves, necklaces and brooches to give you an idea of what I normally combine with my twenties look. I like the pearls but I also like the pompous glittery stuff like my necklace from Swarovski. The scarves are almost entirely vintage. Best bet for accessories is always going to a flea market. The greatest of treasures are there!

Assorted items: vintage

Make-Up and Hair
I absolutely love make-up. The twenties look is also a great one. Mainly darker lips and well-defined eyebrows. I like to make myself considerably paler and also make my lips somewhat more cupid like with dark liner. See below a look I did where I wore a turquoise (or mint) dress covered in white lace. The eyeshadow matches the dress which means the lips have a really great contrast and stick out a lot more.

Ideally the hair is in a water wave but considering that is one of the trickiest hairstyles, I love putting in a hairpiece and going for a bit of a rockabilly quiff at the front with tumbling curls at the back. Alternatively, a low bun with a strong middle parting works. And if none of that is your thing: wear a hat or a feather hairband.

Right then, a long blog entry today. But really thought I would get it all out there. Let me know if there are any questions, suggestions or otherwise. Enjoy the twenties look (although I think we may have to wait a while til the weather sorts itself out!).

Interesting Links:

1920s Fashion and the Roaring Twenties
How 'The Artist's' Fashions Are Impacting the Red Carpet

Pastel, come and get me!

So, my post on spring and the Berlin Fashion Week (see here) was the beginning of a new found love for pastels. The more I check the newest in style stakes and fashion, lots of pastel is popping up everywhere. It must be the glimpse of sun every now and then which is tickling our fancy for brighter colours and not just black, grey and sludgy brown. Marie Claire has put together a whole selection (see here) and Ralph Lauren is really hitting it with his spring colours (see here). At the Critics' Choice Awards Diane Kruger and Elizabeth Olsen opted for pastel and just glowed in it (see here).

I have always had a thing for pastels, either teamed with really bold colours or just virginal white. So I have compiled three outfits, quite randomly this time, to get you in the mood for spring (flowers, love, birds tweeting and a break from all the dull faces as the sun comes out).

Look 1: Green and yellow pastures
The following look is proven to put me in a good mood almost immediately. I think colours really do give you a sunnier attitude and the looks I get normally back that up. The look is definately a casual, weekend one although I have worn it to work also. Instead of the flowery top a white blouse would give it a touch more finesse if you consider the colourful combo for work. The pastel yellow trousers together with the pastel turquoise jacket would not normally be my choice but teamed with the flowery top they just work. And because I know with such a bold mix I shouldn't overdo it any further, the necklace is simple and the shoes are flat.
Hair and Make-Up: open, flowy, beach-babe natural wavy hair, a dab of yellow on the eyelid, peach rouge and a dash of orangy lip gloss.
UPDATE: even Michelle Obama has got the mint going on (see here) and also Michelle Williams in a beautiful flowered dress (see here).

Trousers, Cardigan and Flowery Vest: H and M
Necklace and Sunglasses: vintage, Shoes: Deichmann

Look 2: All go with a green light!

The next look is a lot smarter and something for casual coffee or lunch, lounging, shopping with friends or also for work. I really like white. I even wear it in the winter when everyone looks at me as if I am mad. I don't care if it gets dirty in the sodding weather, I'll wash it; but again, it is a lovely contrast to all the dark colours out there. The white trousers I have had for ages now and with their sqin, slim-fit shape they are suitable in boots with thick socks in the winter and with strappy sandals and cute nail polish in the spring and summer. I also really enjoy green. So the green top, teamed with the green plateau sandals set off the white trousers perfectly and just to get a bit of a base in there (as I have brown hair) I like to wear a broad belt on my hips and a beige blazer to dress the whole outfit up a bit (the blazer was a gift from my mother-in-law and it is of fantastic quality with pink checkered lining). The shoes are amazing: green flowered satin, also very worn out by now. But the look also works with a dandy, brown leather shoe with laces.

Hair and Make-Up: a cute chignon at the back of the head (loose bun, larger than those of ballerinas), green eyeshadow with a dark forest green eyeliner on the top lid, bronze rouge and a moccha beige lipstick, no gloss.

Trousers, Top and Necklace: H and M,
Blazer: Susanne von Dörnberg (gift from Mother-in-Law),
Shoes: Italian, forgotten brand

Look 3: the girly mime, voilá!

The last look is a nice city look but also sweet for a romantic evening date over pasta and white wine. The recently acquired pastel pink trousers are not usually my thing (I'm not a pink, princess kind of girl) but I wanted them and so bought them! They work really well with white but here I've decided to team them with black and white stripes. This really tones down the princessy feel and especially with the denim jacket it has a bit more Madonna feel to it. With this outfit the accessories are important as the look is quite bland and can make me look pale and worn-out. So I have teamed it with an angel wings necklace and a rose quartz necklace to elongate the neck area. The handkerchief in the pocket gives it a bold contrast in an acrid pink and the squeaky green frog really sets that off. A casual Chanel watch on the arm brings a little sophistication into it along with the ridiculously high (10cm) but very comfortable strappy brown leather sandals.

Hair and Make-Up: hair in a high bun on top of head, thick black liner on top lid, pinky rouge and glittery pink lipstick.

Trousers and Top: H and M, Jacket: Jack and Jones,
Necklaces and Brooch: vintage and nanna
Handkerchief: from mother-in-law
Watch: Chanel

So, those are a few pastel looks for now. I am waiting on a pair of light blue trousers at the moment. Will give you an update with those. Look forward to my next piece on tights for spring. And let's hope collectively that spring comes soon!

Hell Bent on Leather

The newest fashion shows drift my way throughout the day and what I have to say I feel is missing is leather. I believe it's still gonna come. Cos let's be honest: spring is not only gonna bring pastels, it's gonna bring leather combined with pastel and the wonderful harmony of rough rock with light and girly...

In order to bring this closer to home (in my home to be exact), I have composed the following clothes collages to serve as some inspiration to everyone (including the designers: not sounding at all cocky now, ey?). I've put together an assortment of stuff from casual to chic to office to rock. Enjoy!

A word about the leather trousers:
I bought three of the same sort in different colours: camel beige, dark brown and black. Slightly high-waisted (makes for a great figure and stops any potential muffin-top falling out!), slim leg, with no pockets (Lagerfeld himself believes in sewing them up for a better fit) and with a stretchy band of material so that you can move easily and they don't bulge too much (classic leather difficulty). Quite good value for money ('nough said: fashion has its price).

LIGHT CAMEL: Office/Date/Family-Do

The following is a whole mix of wonderful colours and textures. 

- camel beige leather trousers feel warn against the 

- beige kimono with wonderful fuchsia, peach, jade and red splashes of colour, setting off the

- jade and red necklace and perfect with a peachy nail varnish to avoid any clashes and

- a simple peach or here it looks more fuchsia ribbed strappy top underneath.

- casual during the day with cowboy boots and 

- dressy in the evening with a strappy, leather, plateau, wooden-optic sandal that doesn't overpower.

- with it I love a plait that goes once round my head and a peach coloured flower with minimal make-up.

Kimono: HM, Shoes: BLU, Boots: Buffalo,
Top: Zara, Varnish: Manhattan

BLACK: Party/Friends
This is one of my faves. I'm not really a Rock kinda girl but every now and then I love to smudge intense kohl eyeliner over acrid green eyeshadow and tease my fringe into an elvis quiff. Additionally, I love contrast and bold with a cheeky wink of the eye. So, here we go:

- starting with the leather trousers that suggest rock, cool and hard I just adore the contrast of the

- screaming green sleeveless frog vest with "Just Kiss Me" emblazoned across it. Did I mention I also have a passion for frogs? Well, there you go. Covered with

- a vest, left open to allow for the print to be seen I like to wear

- matching green, squeaky wellie half-boots or, if I am hitting town and rocking hard then

- plateau booties which are incredibly comfortable and match the trousers perfectly. To top it off, my

- vintage necklaces (Ok, they belonged to my gran so not that vintage-y) but the heart and apple are further symbols that I love to combine with my outfits.

Top and Vest: CA, Wellies: Rossmann, Booties: HM
Necklace: Nanna's

DARK BROWN: Office/Date/Family-Do/Party
For this last pair I was indecisive which look to show you so I decided to do both. The dark brown is elegant, rocky and smart at the same time so they are suitable in many ways for all occasions.

The first look is complemented with my own design. Here goes:
- the T-Shirt is my own brand and design. I drew the character myself (he comes in many shapes and sizes, see here: MOOPY or directly on Facebook. I love it (not cos I drew it) but because it is so easily combined with blue jeans, white jeans, blazers, denim jackets and it always looks smart and raises eyebrows and makes people smile. Anyhows, combined with a
- denim shirt to add a little blue to the rather sombre tones and smartened up with a
- blazer that buttons in the waist. I like to keep my style preppy so I normally tie my hair in a low, sloppy side bun and cover fringe and all with a brown hunter-style hat (which we also used in the photo shoot) and my favorite
- black, pure, simple, leather heels and no accessories (the print speaks for itself).
- simple black, relatively thick eyeliner on top lid, mascara and a sheer, pinky gloss. Done.

T-Shirt: MissLisa, Denim Shirt: HM, Blazer: Zara
Hat: Zara, Shoes: Stradivarius

The second outfit is lighter, floaty and ideal for a romantic date in candelight or a summery day out with friends or family. Elegant, chic but still stylish. 

- the floaty, shoulder-free, slightly transparent but still child-friendly, elbow length top looks fabulous teamed with

- gold accessories in this case with a vintage flower pattern on pearl and pink stone twined in gold and a gold, bracelet watch with a 

- pair of suede, dark blue, grid, platform shoes (extremely comfortable and my

- hair in beach-babe curls and small, delicate bud earrings with a pastel blue and pink eyeshadow and sheer, fuchsia-coloured gloss. (I promise to do smthg on make-up sometime soon also!)

Top: HM, Accessories: Bonprix and Nanna, Shoes: Deichmann

There you go. That was hell bent on leather. Let me know if you have suggestions for the next blog entry: colour, material, style etc. and I will try and make it happen for you.

UPDATE: Yves Saint Laurent is getting into leather with the men this year. Also a great idea!! See article here: Yves Saint Laurent Fall 2012.

Fashion, Fashion, Berlin and Fashion

So the Berlin Fashion Week has begun. Again, I sit at my laptop all day watching the newest collections, the new trends, the trendy people and the extravagant parties. I'm not sure whether secretly I wish that I was there too because I love being homely, cosy and slugging out in my jogging bottoms with no make-up on but when I see all those flowy fabrics and colours I do get a twitch in me that ends up in me racing to the cupboard and pulling out clothes to combine in erratic harmony.

And so it came that, as I'm also unwell at the moment, I grabbed "The Devil Wears Prada" off the shelf, cuddled onto the couch with mandarine panna cotta yoghurt and indulged in a little visual retail therapy. I have to say I LOVE the movie. Apart from the fact that it has so many great outfits I just swoon over Meryl Streep. She's fantastic. But that's beside the point.

There was a great fashion designer at the Berlin Fashion Week called Alexandra Kiesel who inspired me today. See the Link here. It immediately made me think of fifties, spring, flowers, fresh and budapester shoes. And seeing I had just bought some new chunk heeled budapester shoes in camel beige (that I just fell in love with) I thought it would be a perfect look for the spring.

So, here's to the Fashion Week inspiring us even further and here's my first look for the spring:

Knit: Zara, Blouse: H&M
Skirt: Vintage, Shoes: Deichmann
Tights: Mango, Gloves: Vintage

using Photo Collage on the iPhone

UPDATE: The collection Blame won the Premium New Designers Award. Check out the colours and how similar the are to my ensemble -> here.

Sex Amnesia and being Sexy...

Let's talk about Sex, Baby

It's no secret that some people like more sex, others like less sex, some feel bothered by the thought of sex and some even use sex to get what they want (whether they enjoy it or not). What we mustn't forget: there are differences between sex in a relationship and single sex. Today I would like to address the former as I am in a monogamous relationship and have been for over three years now.

Making it happen

Lately I have got thinking about what makes a relationship successful and without a shadow of a doubt (in 99% of all cases) sex plays an important role. We are attracted to each other in the first place and appearance is the first point on our checklist that our gut feeling can cross off. This gut feeling (or the butterflies) decreases the longer a relationship goes as we get into a routine and daily life takes its toll. In a good relationship you are as much sex partner as friend and helper and hence when we come home in the evening we talk instead of passionately throwing ourselves at each other like in the hot first stage of the relationship. Hormones ofcourse also play a huge role in this: but that I will leave to the doctors to discuss and explain: Loss of Libido.

Love one another and you will be happy.
It's as simple and as difficult as that.
Michael Leunig

How I see it
There is no secret to having fun or being "good" in bed. At the end of the day, most men want to be "de man" in bed and women want to be the "damsel" that gets her fair share and not an in-out-shake-it-all-about-thanks-love-can you make me a cuppa tea kinda deal. Men like women that like men. And women like men that like women. Sounds kind of weird but at the end of the day, having a good time in bed relies mainly on both parties enjoying it, each other, being fair and being thankful for what they have.

Body issues
Leading on from how I see it I am aware that most women wish they had a bit more there and a little less here and some men think they're perfect (and secretly wish their tummy was a little more like that of the guy on the front of GQ magazine). But again, if you love yourself the way you are and just aim to keep healthy and fit then your partner will like you the way you are too (and if they don't: get rid of them!). It is incredible what a difference it makes if a woman is near to naked and thinking "I'm gonna blow his mind with some sexy, even though not perfect, salsa hip shake moves," to if she is near to naked and trying to hide her thighs thinking "Oh God, please don't look at my thighs as I try to wiggle a little salsa shake out". Work on what you like and temporarily ignore what you don't like. Men will instantly be drawn to whatever you decide to draw them to. Use it. They see boobs and their IQ drops a little (and some drool slightly). If you have a great bum, wrap it in something amazing and shake it to something. Even if you're not the greatest in Shakira moves, laugh and enjoy it. Trust me: it's incredibly sexy to laugh while you're wiggling... I know, we're not Baby and Johnny but you're a gift: present yourself that way.

Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing

Our face...

... reveals everything. If you try having sex infront of the mirror you quickly realise that what is actually going through your head is painted onto your face in the throes of passion. Although porn films really don't represent what we look like in real it is sometimes interesting to mimic some of their expressions and see how they look on us. Try it: if nothing else it'll make you laugh!

The Bottom Line

I don't want to go on about what makes a relationship great as it is different for every person. But the bottom line is, we should not try to be the people that tell others how humor, friendship etc. is so important to us because let's face it: sex is reproduction and is still the best way to bring us closer to each other. And so, even when you don't "feel like it", if your partner is making clear signs that he/she "wants" you, get over yourself, remember that you DO in fact like sex dating back to your first stage in the relationship and all those crazy hormones needless to say that it is a primal instinct, and let all your thoughts go, concentrate on only what is going on between the both of you and relax: it's not a chore and you WILL feel better after it.