the other kate

La Lanphear (I only exaggarated the proportions a tad!)

I am cringing even as I type this but, were I held to gunpoint and told to name a personal 'style icon' I would probably utter the name Kate Lanphear, the current Senior Style Director at US Elle.

You would never guess it though from the way I dress as I don't try to emulate her sartorial style. I'm not blind. What she wears as a towering, willowy slip of a thing would look very, very different on my rotund frame. And lets not get into the ridiculous amount of accoutrements on those wrists. Few can pull off that rock chic look with conviction and I am not deluded enough to believe I am one of those few. It's more her philosophy and approach to dressing that I embrace.

So, what is this philosophy I speak of? It is the idea of adopting a personal uniform which takes precedence over following the latest trends. Like Kate, I favour classics with a twist and unique pieces over resembling a stylistically, schizophrenic fashion victim. This is not to say my wardrobe isn't constantly evolving nor that it is free from containing a number of questionable purchases. It just does so in a far more subtle and steady rate than the average 'fashionable' young woman's. I'm also a big believer in melding the old in my closet, with the new and this ability to seamlessly pair this season's look with tired old wardrobe staples is where la Lanphear excels.

So why choose Lanphear over the French Voguette battalion who adhere to perhaps an even stricter uniform? Easy. Emmanuelle Alt, new editrix at Vogue Paris and her mignonnes (Melanie, Geraldine et all) go for the safe approach. A Balmain jacket is a thing of beauty but the silhouette of power blazer and skinny jeans does get old. Lanphear is able to make her monochromatic wardrobe look constantly fresh by injecting flashes of brilliance from up and coming designers teamed with an arsenal of statement making accessories. And that hair! Could limp brunette locks strike fear into a cut as fierce as Kate's? I think not.

The final drawcard of Kate's style is her individuality. Unlike many of her contemporaries, the pieces she wears are not those same items that saturate the fashion rags, which makes her look less contrived, endearing her to people like myself who would rather wear a paper bag than look like everyone else on the street. After all, isn't that what real personal style is about in the end? Individuality?

take 2, or perhaps it's 3 or even 4

Having never been a particularly disciplined person, it came as no surprise to me that when push came to shove, and my time was stretched very, very thinly, the first thing to be shoved out of my life was the blog. A shame, given how much I actually enjoy writing and pottering about, creating and exploring.

So here goes, my return to missesfancypants! Anyone taking bets on how long till my next lapse?

technologically inept

Does that term apply to anyone else?

It seems the more years I rack up (in age), the less in touch with technology I become. Things I could once do blindfolded, transform into arduous tasks that require several hours on google, trying to figure out the keywords that will help me out. AND even then, things don't necessarily work out and I have to consult little sister or give up. SO, if you notice, glitches, omissions and other weirdities on misses fancypants, apologies in advance and blame my technological (is that a word?) ineptitude (that one is a word).

Okay. I'm going to smash my head against the keyboard now....

(Yes, I know things are missing from my most recent blog posts. Give me a little time to rectify things. Little sister is busy at the moment and google is doing my head in).

catching up to do

In my absence from misses fancypants over the last few weeks, I have accumulated such a large backlog of posts I found it difficult to know where to begin, again. Luckily, Mitsy provided the perfect [re]opener. I chanced upon her blog ART-MIND mid last year and it has become a permanent fixture on my daily blog rounds. Although I've not met her myself, she strikes me as the sort for whom creating is no less an essential than breathing. Her 99 feelings totems are high on my wanted list and it's very easy to see why. Unique and each one handcrafted, they perfectly embody the emotive state they represent. My favourite is Invincible. 


Anyway apart from raving about Mitsy, I do in fact have another reason for this post. As she was kind enough to use my suggestion for last month's mosaic, 'a collection of dreams', I've felt terrible for not setting aside a little time to make one of my own but, true to my mantra of better late than never, I finally got around to it  although not on Big Huge Labs (as it won't work for me), and here it is.

1. day dreaming. best done staring at the clouds
2. wings
3. lyrics from Florence and the Machines' Dog Days Are Over
4. limitless

I'd say it's fairly easy to determine from this list what I dream of.

PS- One of the key reasons I took so long to make my mosaic was that I'd made a vow to strictly use my own content only on misses fancypants. I guess I'll make an exception this time and simply credit my image sources. Thanks to Jon Fisher from SheffieldStar, rebel butterfly and Banksy!

PPS. Sorry for taking so long Mitsy!

if i was driving off into the sunset

The soundtrack for my journey would be California Sunrise by Dirty Gold.

saint valentine, kiss my ...

As the likelihood of my being destined for spinsterhood grows, I find that I prefer to purchase nice things for myself rather than wait for someone to present them to me. This is just as well  because according to those who know me best, I am so particular that shopping for me is supposedly a nightmarish challenge not to be attempted by the faint of heart. BUT, so what if I am particular? At least I know EXACTLY what I like.

Usually I don't require any specific reason for a little self-gifting but certain things do seem more appropriate on Hallmark worthy occasions. Being an independent, young-ish woman (read subtext- romantic loser) I thought Valentine's Day provided the perfect excuse to commence a new annual tradition.

The plan was that little sister and myself would each buy the other a lovely adornment. The inaugural piece? A jordy by Jordan Askill ring. Armed with my trusty credit card, I trekked down to Violent Green at noon to pick out said rings with little sister. Well, wouldn't you know it? Saint Valentine was clearly giving me and my new tradition the finger(har, har) as they were SOLD OUT. Bummer.

Not one to give up so easily I went online where one google search and two websites later yielded another stockist, Mycatwalk.com. Not quite the shopping experience I was after but what to do? Online purchase it would have to be. They should be here before the end of the week. Middle finger (right hand) can't wait for a little jordy action!

Happy Valentine's Day!

triple b

Heya claud! Welcome back to Bris-Vegas!
 

The (not-so) new kid (back) in town is saturated in scathing wit and less than gentle sarcasm. The kid in question? Bogan Boobs BrisVegas (BBB), which provides a refreshing commentary on Brisbane's burgeoning bogan era. Unfortunately if you're not familiar with the local vernacular, the term bogan may mean nothing to you. Just another strange word invented by those strange people down under. Well, allow me to enlighten you...actually allow the Urban Dictionary to enlighten you, with a laugh or three thrown in for good measure (click here). Hilarious!

Anyway, after my rant the other day, I am very excited about tuning into future installments of Bogan Boobs and I wanted to share. Hope you enjoy reading it too.

DISCLAIMER: I must admit my opinion on BBB may be biased, as the author of this blog is a long lost friend recently returned to Brisbane. I have always enjoyed conversing with Claud (and yes, you converse with Claud, not merely chat). As a friend, her intellect can sometimes be rather intimidating (she harbours a fondness for big words) but it is also terribly insightful and you leave each and every conversation a wee bit wiser- if not then at least with one new addition to your vocabulary!