Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

What goes around, comes around.



"So soon that a fashion is universal, it is out of date" Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach


The secret to fashion is that nothing really ever goes out of fashion. Everything is always coming back into trend, maybe years, decades or even a century in time. This was the highly intellectual conversation that my friend Zoe and I were having on Sunday night after we had been to the pictures to see Tween rom-com Beautiful Creatures. (a movie not to drag your boyfriend to ladies, that would just be cruel.) Here are a few of my favourite recurring trends that I want to recreate over the next few weeks. It can be a game, guess what trend I am wearing today!

Trend number one

Monochrome: striped, checked, different sleeves, different trousers legs. You name it, if it is black and white, it is bang on trend. As seen previously in my blog, I have achieve the monochrome look without buying anything new this season. I'm down with the kids.

Trend number two

Shift: no this is not slang for kissing someone (to shift someone is to kiss them right?? Or did I just make this up??) Shift clothing is a box shaped like attire for example shift dresses. I don't really have that many shift style clothing items as it doesn't really suit my shape as I am so small and it drowns me. But I do have a few shift shirts that I like to tuck into pencil skirts or skinnies. Totally rocking the swinging sixties. Especially if it is a bright colour, far out dude. Check out this shift dress from Asos

Trend number three

The nineties: think spice girls, think all saints, think b*witched and their double denim. C'est la vie! The nineties are back although it seems only yesterday that they were actually here. Back in the day I was rocking my Adidas poppers (aw remember these, the tracksuit bottoms with the buttons the whole way up them) but this trend is truly rocking the doc martins and dungarees look! I'm not sure if this one I am going to be able to achieve or even pull off it without fully looking like I am my 12 year old tomboy self again.

Trend number four

Flares: omg, can it be true?!? Bloggers from all over the world have been working the flare wide leg trousers for the past couple of seasons but flare jeans are finally coming back into fashion! Spotted on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, I will be dusting off my denim flares that have been huffing with me at the back of my wardrobe for the past couple of years. No more skinnies which are a nightmare to get off. Sexy undressing in these is impossible. It has gotten to the point where I try not to wear skinnies if Connor is coming over to my house to stay if you know what I mean ;)

Rebecca Minkoff at New York Fashion week

Yeah so, trend spotting for 2013 by wearing fashion from previous years. This can't qualify as vintage can it?!?





Friday, 15 February 2013

Full moon, half moon, total eclipse


"It's an extraordinary thing, this tiny little province of Northern Ireland, where carnage happened. And I was a part of it.  I grew up in it." Liam Neeson




This weekend I am backing Belfast!  If you haven't guessed by now I am from the lovely country of Northern Ireland.   I don't know about other bloggers who are reading this but I am fascinated by the views I get.  I am constantly refreshing to see how many have viewed it since I last looked. The amazingness of the internet is that you can track where people are viewing your blog from.  This week alone I have had viewers from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Poland, America, France and Germany.  It is unbelievable the power of the internet.

 View of Belfast from my balcony


So I wanted to do this post (and the next one on monday) as a review of Belfast as sadly it has been getting some bad press due to a small minority of people.  There has been a massive drive across Northern Ireland lately mainly focusing in Belfast to "back Belfast."  Due to the protests and the fact it was a very cold and long January, people have been mainly staying at home.  Understandable but it has been affecting business across the province.  Also, many visitors have been put off coming to Belfast due to what they are hearing on the news.

To be truthful, it doesn't affect my life if they fly a flag or not over City Hall in Belfast city centre.  But to some people it does and that is fair enough.  My take on it is that when I am 85 or whatever age, lying on my death bed, I won't remember the day that they decided not to fly the flag over city hall.  I will remember my family and friends,  my wedding day, giving birth to my children, their 1st smile and loving my grandchildren.

I am "half a Jaffa," as I like to call myself.  I was brought up half protestant, half catholic.  My mum was a catholic, my dad a protestant.  I went to a very protestant primary school where I wore the red hand of Ulster on my chest via my school jumper.  We said the Lord's prayer each day with the added doxology (that's the bit at the end of the Lord's prayer that protestants say).  When I was eight years old, I did my First Holy Communion and I brought my Communion dress into school for show and tell.  I didn't know that I was different, I wasn't treated different, I wasn't brought up to think there was any difference.  I just wanted to show off a dress that I had worn at the weekend.  I then attended the most catholic school in the area with nuns and everything.  Of course, I had no idea.  I just loved the school, the teachers and it was my choice.  Religion was never mentioned.  That was until the first day and we said the Lord's prayer in Assembly and I continued on at the end.  I had no clue why everyone stopped.  Call me naive, call me silly but honestly, I think my parents did a great job bringing me up not to judge people or know there is a difference between the two.

I have always got on with everyone, none of my friends care what religion I am.  I have attended mass and church.  I know the name of my family's priest and I know the name of my family's minister (I even fancied his son at one point).  Belfast is a beautiful city and I honestly can't see myself living anywhere else.  Sure, I want to go travelling and possibly live in another country for a few years but I will always come back to Northern Ireland to raise my children.  It's my home.

View of Belfast from my balcony last month

So this weekend, my schedule is jammed packed! Well tonight I am travelling to the boyfriend's house which is about half an hour outside Belfast and having a lovely home cooked belated Valentine's day meal.  Tomorrow, Connor, Connor's little brother, Harry and I are going to the Mac, Belfast's brand new arts venue.  They are showing an exhibition on Andy Warhol, the first time any of his work has been showing in Northern Ireland!  Then on Sunday, I am having a girly catch up day with my two best friends, Zoe and Jenny.  We are going to have a day of fun!!! Plan is to hit the Titanic museum which is unbelievable, ice skating, dinner in Victoria Square and who knows where else.  Probably Lisburn Road too for ice cream and a cup of tea.

So tune in Monday for lots of fun photos, reviews and what I was wearing over the weekend!