Tattoos: Graffiti or Art?

Source: tumblr.com

A few weeks ago, I had the joy of watching the wonderfully honest Katie Hopkins go off on another one of her rants on This Morning that tend to offend, upset and piss a lot of people off - a talent that only she could possess (another one is making sexual advances toward an incredibly uncomfortable Phillip Scofield, which always makes me giggle). In this particular rant, Katie decided that it wasn’t enough to hate on overweight individuals, lower class families and all the Charmaines and Brooklyns of the world, and so advanced to proclaiming her hate for tattoos. “I think as an employer I certainly wouldn't employ someone with tattoos [...] socially I think we still look at tattoos as graffiti,” she stated, whilst a heavily tattooed ex-X Factor contestant Katie Waissal sat beside, grimacing at her words. Hopkins added “When you see tattoos you think of someone who's looking for attention, who hasn't managed to find a way in their life through conventional means who is just shouting, 'I want attention'.”

Carnaby Christmas Shopping Evening

Photo credit: Martin Pettitt via Flickr

Here's another piece I wrote for The Clothes Maiden, check them out here.

Every Londoner knows that if they want quirky stores, independent boutiques and unique, scrummy restaurants, the place to go is Carnaby. Situated in the heart of the West End,  the iconic area hosts over 100 places to shop and eat, making it a the perfect destination for a bit of Christmas shopping with a difference. Tonight, Carnaby is hosting a fabulous Christmas shopping party, where attendees can enjoy complimentary drinks, music from live DJ’s, and 20% discounts in various stores around the area. Grazia’s editor-at-large will be hosting free AW13 trend talks in Book Exchange, while the magazine’s style hunters will be strolling around snapping some of their favourite street styles. Shoppers will also be the first to see the newly installed Christmas decorations and get the chance to see the Carnaby Christmas lights turn on. To celebrate the launch of this fantastic event, The Clothes Maiden were invited for a mini taster shopping session, popping in to several stores around Carnaby and learning more about the companies and their histories.

The Shoreditch Fashion Show 2013

This is a piece I wrote for The Clothes Maiden - check them out!

With a range of impressive art installations, some of Britain’s most talented graduates, gifted musicians, and delicious food, Shoreditch Fashion Show is definitely not your standard fashion affair. The bi-annual event, brainchild of Wynter Heaves and presented by Offbeat and Made in Shoreditch, promises to fuse together art, fashion and live music into one giant creative experience - and boy did it not disappoint.

The Paradise Returns to BBC 1

Source: telegraph.co.uk

With the explosion of period dramas such as Downton Abby, there was a time when I believe I was the only one in the country - if not the world - who didn't get the hype (that could be because I’ve never actually sat through an entire episode, but we’ll just ignore that). Don’t get me wrong, I do love me a bit of historical television, but for some reason I was never drawn to Downton. Then, with a flash of monochrome paisley and rigid corsets came The Paradise, a 19^th century period drama that not only won me over with the casting (HELLO Emun Elliott), but enticed me with the lavish costumes, charming setting, and rather intriguing story line.

A Generation of Man Repellers - And Why We Love It

Source: manrepeller.com
See how many f**** she gives? I'd say none.

A couple of months back, I was scouring the Topshop sale with one of my many fellow shopping addicts when I came across the most divine pair of shoes hidden among the array of “from £79.99 to £69.99” booties (no Topshop that is not a sale, sort it out). Diamonds in the wrath I thought, as I eyed these beauties, praying they would fit my ridiculously wide feet. I sat down, forced slid my foot in and stood up. Slightly squished toes, but nowhere near the Geisha-esque tightness I assumed. They fit. They were gorgeous. And they were £20. As I raised them up to the sky as Rafiki did with Simba, I turned around to see my friend, eyebrows raised, lip curled, giving me that look. I lowered the shoes, my face dropping. “What?”

 “Um...Caz you know I love you, which is precisely why I’m going to tell you to gently put those back and start towards the exit.” I blinked at him; what was wrong with them? Okay, so they were leopard print suede, a bit square and had a heel like a dodgy cowboy boot, but couldn't he see the potential?

Why is No One Talking About The White Queen?

With the appearance of Netflix, Love Film and *ahem* downloading, nowadays I rarely sit down at the television and watch something from start to finish (apart from The Great British Bake Off - it's back guys, it's back. Soggy bottoms FTW). However, one particular programme that got me excited merely from the adverts was The White Queen. It can be argued that my enthusiasm stemmed from the BBC previews displaying Max Irons in the role of King Edward, who's piercing eyes, perfectly chiselled jawline and rather appealing physique had me completely glued to the screen. "Someone give me a pen!" I shouted, as I scribbled down the name of the show, not taking my eyes off the curly brown hair. But this is just one argument; the other is that I am exceedingly enthralled by history, which to some extent is true. I prefer the first explanation though.

Introducing...Kiki

As Cazzy Bean is considered my 'personal' blog, I feel that I should begin to add a few 'personal' touches to it. Don't worry, you're not going to be bombarded with photographs of me in my underwear watching Orange is the New Black and munching on poppadoms, but I do want to start sharing a bit more about my life. So to kick off, I think it's time to introduce a part of the family that most definitely deserves to be a part of this blog. Ladies and ladies (as I'm pretty sure my readership consists solely of females - if not, do let me know!) I present to you...

Cleo.

Hey gurl. Hey.

The Animal in You

Geeks, Nerds and T-Shirts

I like slogan shirts. From classic Keep Calm logos, to designer parodies such as Féline and Homies, to the age-old argument of Team Edward v Team Jacob, (are we still banging on about this?) to humorous play on words like Comme Des Fuckdown, slogan shirts are hugely popular among celebrities, bloggers and the now the general public. Yeah, I like them. Funnily enough, the only slogan shirt I've ever owned was the one I mentioned in a previous post – an asymmetric red long sleeve with the words “I love my attitude problem” printed in silver glitter (yes I know, I have already hung my head in shame on numerous occasions, thanks). Although I was probably craving a rebellious nature, my 12 year old attitude problem was non-existent so it was kind of a meaningless broadcast. Because after all, a slogan shirt is supposed to reflect the person wearing it, right?

Like a Mermaid

Cheap & Cheerful - Top 5 Fashion Websites for the Thrifty Shopper

If you know me personally or have read my previous posts proclaiming just how much of a cheapskate I really am, you'll know that I am...well, a cheapskate*. I dye my own hair, click straight to the 'sale' section of a clothing website, and spend hours trawling through charity shops. I never spend more than £20 on a pair of shoes, and if Primark didn't exist I would probably walk around naked. Ebay is my best friend. Full price items are my foes.

Dig up the Bones and Leave the Soul Alone

Sorrento, City of Love (and Active Volcanoes)

I'm back! Okay, so it's pretty fair to say that I've been back for a while but trying to get back into a certain routine after a week of captivating views, wonderful food and oblivious Vespa riders has proven to be rather difficult. As soon as the plane landed on British soil my heart began to ache for Italy - it wasn't just the place that I missed, it was feeling that it gave me. O Sole Mio!

So yes, we went to Italy - more specifically, Sorrento. Well, up a mountain on the outskirts of Sorrento. I won't bore you with geographical details, but for those who don't know, Sorrento is a small town by the sea overlooking the bay of Naples in the south of Italy. It's picturesque views, wonderful walks and traditionally 'Italian' vibe has tourists flocking in their thousands every summer. Yes, it is incredibly touristy and everything is quite expensive but if you know how to budget, want a relaxing beach holiday with also plenty to see, Sorrento is ideal.

So what did we do?

The Good Ol' British Summer

I'm trying to ignore the fact that it's mid-June and I am considering digging out my winter coat from the cupboard. As much as I do love the old bean (plum coloured perfection if I do say so myself), my leather jacket hasn't had as much exposure this season as I would have liked it too. Plus I'd much rather be strolling around the streets in...well, very little, thank you very much. It was literally a week ago when I was sitting on the grass with my friends discussing sex Machiavelli (or something equally as intelligent), basking in the sunshine and abusing our iPhone cameras. Then just like that - though in a very standard English manner - the next day greeted us with a rather pleasant bout of torrential rain and tornado-like winds. My body genuinely doesn't know how to feel anymore! *sighs epically*  And so folks, this blog post is seemingly transforming itself into the Londoner's guide to Moaning About The 'Summer'.

Top 4 Men's Shoes I Love to Hate

Let's create a scenario, boys and girls. Well, this one's for the girls. Mostly. You're on the train. A 'fit bloke', as my fellow Londoners would say, gets on and sits opposite you. You exchange glances, smile, he looks away and you start examining his attire. "Ooh yes good shout...liking the blazer...awesome choice of hue there...and then we get to the..OH DAYM. Nevermind". He's wearing a pair of double buckled loafers so shiny that your £15 lipgloss suddenly doesn't feel worthy enough. You smile awkwardly and try to look anywhere but his feet. Yet the glint of the plastic silver can't escape your view and all you want is to shake him and ask "Why, boy? Why?!" Here my friends is a prime example of how vital footwear is (and how pervy one can be on public transport).

Tall Girl Problems Revisited: Favourites from Next

So a few posts back I ranted and raved about the fact that us tall chicks can rarely find clothes to match our towering silhouettes and that tall sections in major high street stores simply aren't enough to satisfy our shapes. Well...I take that back (and I don't do that often so feel free to absorb the moment with ease).

The Great Gatsby Review...Sort Of

You know how I said that when I get a job I refuse to let it take over my life? (I probably didn't, but I thought it, so that counts.)Yeah, well that failed. Note to self: do not let job take over life.

When I haven't been working, I've been sick. I'm not going to bore you with all the gory details, but let's just say it wasn't exactly a slight cough. You'd think that lying in bed and staring at the ceiling every day would inspire me to do a little bit of writing, and yet, most of my days have been spent watching movies, reading novels (I'm re-reading Nineteen Eighty-Four, mind is being blown AGAIN) and using my iPhone for absolutely everything apart from actually making calls - if you follow me on Instagram and your feed has been bombarded with pictures of cats, you'll catch the drift.

In between being sick and working - and on a more positive note - I managed to go and see The Great Gatsby on opening night. Despite being an avid reader, I'd never actually laid my hands on a copy of the original text (surprising, as a lot of kids read it as part of their curriculum). However as a lover of 20's fashion, retro cars and Baz Luhrmann, I was really, really looking forward to seeing Leo's butt this modern rendition of a classic novel.

Kindle vs. Books

I don't know about you, but there is something about opening a freshly printed magazine, its pages still loosely stuck together, that gives me a real sense of satisfaction. The smell of the ink, the uncreased pages and the glossy front cover all provide a pleasure that can only be compared to a steaming hot chocolate on a winter’s night (wow, that was some rather cheesy Gouda right there). The same goes for novels – the smell of a book to me is what freshly baked cookies are to Mary Berry; delightful. When I see a book that’s been poorly treated, I feel the need to take it into my chest and embrace it as if it was an abused animal. Why would someone curl your corners or highlight phrases, you poor paperback?

Happy Easter//Birthday//April Fools

Yes yes, I know I'm a tad late, but I've been sooo busy eating my weight in chocolate doing very important things that I didn't have time to post about Easter, so I thought I'd write a little bit about what I got up to during this underestimated holiday.

Life As a Tall Lady

Source: someguyssomethoughtssomewords.blogspot.co.uk

You know that annoying tall person that sits in front of you at the cinema and moves their head continuously so you can never fully see the screen? Yeah, that's probably me. Or when you're at a gig and a lanky human pops out of no where and starts waving their hands about in front of your face even though they could stand at the back of the crowd and still see everything clearly? That's also probably me. Sorry about that.

Bog Off Mother Nature - Diary Doll Period Pants - Review

What is it with men and shriveling up every time a woman mentions the word 'period'? The awkward silence, the immediate change of subject; it's like when you tell someone how McDonalds burgers are made. I remember my dad's face the first time I ran down the stairs screaming my head off. The fear is his eyes..it was like I had just told him I was bleeding from the womb. Oh wait...

Rihanna for River Island

I am not usually one to criticise a collection – as I am so diverse with my outfit tastes, I always find something that catches my eye or tickles my fashion fancy. So as I settled down with a nice cup of green tea and loaded up the Rihanna for River Island fashion show, I expected nothing less from the starlet, who is fast becoming a style icon. What I got, however, was a lot of black, a lot of thigh and a hell of a lot of swearing.

Rihanna’s style has developed dramatically since the boob-protruding green dress in SOS and gold crop top in Pon de Replay. The years have seen her move through phases of girlie and soft, to classy and mature, to damn right disturb(ia)ing. Now RiRi seems to have finally settled into her own unique style mixing genres of rock and hiphop and, as she admits in a behind-the-scenes River Island video, her collection is a little selfish; she designed the clothing with herself in mind.

FIRF - Fashion I'd Rather Forget

So me and my friend Charlotte met up for coffee over the weekend, and began reminiscing about the good ol' days, as we tend do. As we discussed  hot teachers, mad parties and awkward first kisses, the subject of style weaved it's way into the conversation. "I used to look in the mirror and think 'GOD I'm cool', with my England top and faded jeans," she laughed. This little convo with my matie made me think again about what the jesus I was wearing back then, and if you've read my previous post, you'll known that my fashion choices as a kid/young teen weren't the most delightful of the sort - in fact, they were pretty tragic. And so to further this discussion a bit, I thought I'd have a little chatter about my fashion faux pas (photographs will be added at a later date, as I currently have no access to my hard-drive).

January/February Highlights

Chavs vs. Goths

When I was an obnoxious and moody teenager, there were only two ways to describe young people - chavs and goths (or goffs, as the chavs liked to call them). These groups were usually distinguished by their attire, choice of hang-out place, or who they decided to befriend...yes, welcome to the world of teenagehood..how shallow of us all! Now, although the stereotypical image of a goff is black hair, dark eye-makeup and an attraction towards music of the heavy-metal kind, this was not always the case when it came to my adolescence. I lacked most of these qualities, but because I didn't listen to Dr Dre or have a liking for Nike trainers, I and most of my friends were instantly placed in the 'goff' category. Thus, anyone who wasn't a chav was a goff, and vice versa.

It Starts with an Idea - Interview with Made in Chelsea's Caggie Dunlop

Source: iswai.com

Please accept my apologies dear readers, for my internship has stripped me of all free time. :( My weekends are now spent catching up on Vampire Diaries (my god, Ian Somerholder...my god), attempting to see friends (and buying them extensive amounts of chocolate to apologize for my lack of being), and snoring away my troubles. 

A few months back, I emailed the lovely Caggie Dunlop from Made in Chelsea regarding her new fashion line, ISWAI. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a rather big fan of MiC, and after hearing about ISWAI (which stands for It Starts With An Idea) through the grapevine and having a bit of a snoop on the website, I really liked what they were doing and wanted to know more.

Diary of a (Rather Awkward) Intern

So this was something that I kept pretty under wraps for fear that it would all go completely pear shaped, but now that I have officially secured my position for the next four weeks, I think it's safe to say...I am the newest intern at Sugarscape!!

Yes my dears, for the next month, I shall be entertaining myself (and hopefully you guys also) with updates on One Direction, Taylor Swift and other such teen icons. Although this isn't something I would usually find myself writing about, the opportunity is awesome and, despite being only 4 days in, I am already enjoying it thoroughly (and as much as I hate to admit it, it's actually quite intriguing to know all the gossip before anyone else; I feel like Perez Hilton, but with longer hair).  

Hollywood Costume Exhibition

(Warning: long post alert!)

One of the greatest things about watching a movie is seeing the amount of effort that is made into creating the perfect experience for an audience, whether that be through setting, clothing, or simply choice of actor. I was always a keen observer of these elements, but my A-Level Film Studies classes seemed to have permanently distorted my ability to watch a movie without analyzing almost everything about it. This is not necessarily a bad thing – you see things others don’t, you appreciate features such as light, cinematography and music, which in turn makes the viewing experience a more pleasurable one (it’s also particularly fun predicting the ending and sitting smugly with an “I KNEW IT!” face for the remainder of the movie).

Updates 2013

I've been a bad, bad mummy. Two and a half week without posting! If there was ever such a thing as social services in the blogging world I would be charged with major neglect...for this I apologize, dear blog, and pledge my eternal devotion to you *strokes*.

So, it's the new year! Like most people who like to create resolutions they never keep, this unfortunate time of the year comes around to remind me that a) I am no longer a size 10 due to excessive eating of Lindt chocolate, and b) my debit card should be temporarily confiscated during boxing day sales (I resent you, River Island). Either way, Christmas was quiet, family orientated and full of continental treats. Here's my (really late) outfit from the day: