Monday 25 February 2013

Oscars 2k13

Sunday 24th February 2013:
*Jennifer Lawrence (aged 22 and a bit) won an Oscar for best actress and celebrated deep into the night. Wearing Dior.
*Lisa Neiss (aged 21 and a bit) watched a bit of TV and went to bed. Wearing spotty pyjamas.

At least Quavenzhane Wallis (aged 9 and a bit) didn't win. Go and play in the sandpit.

But no, I am no cynic.

The gowns were gorgeous and the dancing delightful. Charlize and Channing, I didn't know you had it in you! And Adele winning her little Oscar.. very much deserved! Oh and Jennifer Anniston in her Valentino. Valentino you god. Despite being the 85th ceremony, the 2013 Oscars were like every year.. fun to watch for the glitz, the glamour and the grandeur.

Thursday 21 February 2013

Ikea's Love Child

I am well aware of the fact that I am an entire week behind with this. Yes, Valentine's was a week ago last Thursday. But I still think that this idea of Ikea is sheer genius and pretty damn funny!


Monday 18 February 2013

eye fone


The day has come, I've caved and jumped aboard the iPhone bandwagon. Up until 1pm on Saturday afternoon I was still toting my Blackberry Curve 8250 circa 2009/10. The touch pad no longer worked, it's slowness was sheer frustration and various communication means on it were frankly, a joke, but it was still my baby. Nah, I won't get an iPhone. I like my Blackberry. I lied.

Now I am the partially proud but completely confused owner of a swish new iPhone. World of technology, communication and Instagramming be my oyster! #smug

Two days in and I've already realised why the heft price tag was worth it: I no longer have to put myself through and endure THE bone melting and gut wrenching Blackberry alarm.

Thursday 14 February 2013

topshop.com


The beguiling fashion weeks: one of those happenings that the world watches with awe. At least I do. Or used to. There has been such a shift recently! Now the notorious fashion blogger sits alongside the powerful players… ‘frow’ A/W 12? “Bryan Boy” and Largerfeld side by side… Jealous, moi? (Perhaps a weeny little bit…) Fashion weeks are becoming accessible to the lay(wo)man. Even better than that? The lay(wo)man at home. Even in bed if (s)he so fancies.

In 2011 Burberry set the trend by sharing its looks via Twitter before the clothes even hit the runway! Then for the S/S 13 Diane von Furstenberg show, Sergey Brin (top dog at Google) was in the frow... Quoi? Somehow the line between expressing creativity and a marketing window at Fashion Week blurred a long time ago – Mercedez Benz Fashion Week, sponsored by Vodafone and sponsored a little bit more by MasterCard anyone?! Brin and DvF were wearing some terrifically techy ‘Glass by Google’ frames – glasses with a little camera and a monitor in the frame, just incase the world through your smartphone doesn’t look rosy enough. Some of the models were even sent down the runway in them (although DvF didn’t design them..). The footage from the cameras has been turned into a short film that myself and Joe Bloggs can watch from the comfort of our pyjama bottoms in bed. #streetstyle #bedstyle

But this season it’s trusty Topshop that’s going all dot com. (Anybody else remember when Topshop was in a league with New Look, Dorothy Perkins et al??) Their A/W 12 show is going to be projected across topshop.com, YouTube and Google+. Not only that, but supermodel supreme du jour Cara Delevingne (as well as model Jourdan Dunn) will be wearing HD micro-cameras fitted into their outfits, giving lucky me and Joe Bloggs a model’s-eye view of everything show related... right from the first step onto the runway, to the manic outfit change backstage. Now if those fashion horror stories are true, (think periods and no pants. EW) then I’m not particularly positive that I want to see that..!
 Justin Cook, Topshop’s chief marketing officer, (emphasis here on marketing officer…) has gushed that “consumers will...be able to buy the nail polish the models are wearing and click on the clothes to re-colour them and pre-order them. This has the potential for digital wildfire.” Digital wildfire it may well be Justin, but for me it also somewhat ruins fashion week. Shouldn’t the clothes be the central factor? Isn’t part of the appeal and the attraction of the shows that we as the lay observer DON’T have unlimited access? For me the shows are all about DvF’s impressive creations, or Jil Sander’s clean cut lines. I’m not too bothered about how many iPad Minis Cara can count on the frow and frankly I don’t wish to know whether the no pants backstage horror stories are true!

To be honest I’m not really sure where I’m going with this argument, but that’s ok... I don’t think fashion week quite knows where it’s heading either.

(Duh, I'm obviously still going to watch the whole thing... hashtagging away to my hearts desire with the rest of them!)

Tuesday 12 February 2013

An Extra Virgin

I have just found my new favourite thing... (Ok, fine, Char found it) ...but it's still my new favourite thing.


SO so great.

My Shelf Life


 'Shelf Life' questions ('Shelf Life' questions taken from The Spectator’s regular feature)

1. What are you reading at the moment?
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford (as part of my Readarama)

2. As a child, what did you read under the covers?
Pretty much anything. I ALWAYS read in bed… with one hand on the light switch incase I heard footsteps on the stairs. My biggest fear was not having enough books by my bed. I was a big Dick King-Smith and Michael Morpurgo fan. But to this day Astrid Lindgren is my absolute favourite children’s author.
(n.b. When Mummy dear was blowing-drying my hair, I unfailingly read all of the Asterix & Obelix comics. These 2 Gauls definitely taught me everything I know about the world. E.g. The Swiss are mad about cheese fondue, Britain grinds to a halt at 5 o’clock sharp for tea…)

3. Has a book ever made you cry, and if so which one?
Goodnight Mr Tom. I sobbed.

4. You are about to be put into solitary confinement for a year and allowed to take three books. What would you choose?
(I’m going to apply the Desert Island Discs rule here: I’ll get given the King James Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare anyway, so they don’t have to go on the list.)
*any of the Harry Potter’s (exact one to be decided on a whim at the time)
*Astrid Lindgren’s The Six Bullerby Children
*I’d be brave and pick something that I haven’t read... something from my reading list.
 
5. Which literary character would you most like to sleep with?
Jay Gatsby after one of his parties. Simple.

6. If you could write a self-help book, what would you call it?
It could be worse – this is pretty much my life motto. When I was monumentally home-sick aged 12, I told myself to man up... Empress Elizabeth of Austria (aka Empress Sissi) was engaged and married off at 15. Into a family and life which she loathed. Now SHE had a real reason to hate life. 

7. Michael Gove has asked you to rewrite the GCSE English Literature syllabus. Which book, which play, and which poem would you make compulsory reading?
Um, what is on the syllabus? Realistically, you’re going to 100% hate whatever you have to read and study, therefore I don’t think I’d change anything. In hindsight though (and obviously thanks to my subsequent acquisition of intelligence. paha) I actually think The Lord of the Flies (on my syllabus) is a great read! The island really does beautifully depict the microcosm of society... jokes aside pals, it is a good book!


8. Which party from literature would you most like to have attended?
Obviously a party at Gatsby’s! (see Q5...) I also wouldn’t turn down an invitation to one of Sebastian Flyte’s Oxford parties.

9. What would you title your memoirs?
A Neiss life. I’m sorry, but a name like mine simply must be abused for all its worth.  

10. Which literary character do you dream of playing?
Ginny Weasley. I want to go to Hogwarts, it’s as easy as that. Obviously Hermione is a bit more of a star, but Ginny’s on the Quidditch team!

11. What book would you give to a lover?
Your Fertility Signals: Using Them to Avoid Pregnancy Naturally by Merryl Winstein. I joke, I joke. I would obviously find something deep, meaningful and loving to give him..

12. Spying Dan Brown on someone’s bookshelf can spell havoc for a friendship. What’s your literary dealbreaker?
As John Waters politely puts it, “If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ‘em.” Therefore in this case we’re onto a winner.. at least there’s a bookshelf. Dan Brown or no Dan Brown.


Thursday 7 February 2013

and Other Stories of late..

I think that it's time to get excited. 

Since I was about 14, H&M has been a trusty shop in which to venture should I need some form of clothing. England, Germany, UK, they all have it. With its cheap prices (and therefore, alas, slightly cheap quality) it's always has the basics and, like any other shop, invest a few $$ more, and you can come away with a pretty good purchase!

On the other hand, although still very much high street, Cos (H&M's other line), is somewhat more 'sophisticated' and 'of higher quality'. If I had a bigger budget, slash unlimited funds, I would like an express delivery of their entire S/S 13 Look Book please. Thanks.



But helloooo young friend.. there's a new member of the family on the scene! Obviously while I was still pottering around in my pyjamas and chewing bubble gum, Vogue, Elle et al have already casually raised the subject of the newbie fashion line: & Other Stories will be opening some shops this spring in various cities, including London (natch). Sadly not in my current base of Switzerland. But paha.. I'm moving from Switzerland back to London this spring.

Collections will be "diverse, ranging from masculine tailoring to feminine chic", and aimed to be "lasting wardrobe treasures within a wide price range", a statement from the firm read. The line will be  created by ateliers in Paris and Stockholm, with high quality at affordable prices as a focus. 

Monday 4 February 2013

Readarama

New week, new start and I'm feeling brave. I've signed myself up (quite literally via email confirmation newsletter) to Penguin Books' Readarama. The idea is pretty simple - read a novel a week. You can either read along with what THE mysterious 'reader' is reading (and no it's not the boy reading to Kate Winslet) or you can simply read whatever floats your boat... as long as it's a novel. In a week.
Obviously the idea is to hashtag away to your hearts content via #readarama on Twitter, in order to fully participate, or to let anyone who's bothered know what you're reading!

At the moment I'm juggling a full time job, uni Masters applications, a house hunt etc etc blah blah sob sob, but hopefully I'll give myself the kick up the bottom to do this little resolution! (And if I'm having a particularly bust week then yes, The Very Hungry Caterpillar WILL count as a novel.)