Cards I made recently

My sister's handmade jewellery

Thinking of setting up a web shop...

Marc Jacobs Ad

I think the quirkiness of these ads featuring Victoria Beckham is ingenious. It pokes fun at her celebrity status by casting her as a product, probably a reference to her omnipresence through countless photographs. The MJ ads are refreshing in an era of glossy, airbrushed fashion ads. The photos have a rawness to them and often portray their subjects (which included Dakota Fanning) candidly. This is increasing my desire for a polaroid camera.

"Last night I was dreaming

I was caught in a prison cell

When I woke up I was screaming

Calling out your name

And the judge and the jury

They all put the blame on me

They wouldn't go for my story

They wouldn't hear my plea

Only you can set me free

'Cos I'm guilty

Guilty as a girl can be

Come on baby can't you see

I stand accused

Of love in the first degree"

------Love in the First Degree

I've been obsessed with this song lately. I think the analogy and imagery is so cool. My taste in music includes classical pieces, oldies (Carpenters etc.), disco hits, lounge (Jamie Cullum etc.), jazz and other stuff that I don't know falls where (Coldplay etc). I leave you with this love-y doodle:

My earliest contact with fashion

When I was a child, while most people were reading Sweet Valley High I read the Babysitters' Club series. I totally loved the character Claudia Kishi, a Japanese-American with the most amazingly described thick, shiny jet-black hair. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of her wacky outfits, which usually included clothes thrifted, stolen from her dad or whatever, and handmade jewellery. The funny thing is, looking at her outfits now, they actually seem wearable today. She's pretty fashion-forward for her time, I think. I admire her for her mix of creativity, sense of humour, courage and nonchalance in her outfit choices. To put it simply, she wears what she wants, doesn't care what others think and looks great doing it. I love that devil-may-care attitude, not just with regard to fashion but to other aspects of life too. Some illustrations from the books depicting Claudia's style:

Why oh why does she still look so good despite being injured and hospitalized?

Claudia does menswear-inspired fashion in a black tuxedo pantsuit and white blouse. She makes it feminine by undoing the top few buttons and wearing a brooch.

Claudia stands out from the crowd in androgynous dressing again. The other girls' dresses are not very flattering (then again, this was some time ago).

Once again, she proves her ability to look chic in the most unglam of situations (this time a campfire). The loose shirt over leggings and side ponytail are adorable.

Black vest and red necklace over a casual T-shirt? Great school outfit.

Another of my style idols was Nancy Drew. I loved the mysteries and her pretty outfits. Think demure floral shift dresses. Not to mention her short titian hair! Some people, realising the potential of old Nancy Drew book covers, went on to make these:

Nancy Drew book purses! I love them!

Urban featured the famously elusive french style in today's issue. The French emphasize aesthetic beauty in all sectors of their lives. As a French nursery school teacher puts it, "Even if you grow up to be an accountant, it's better to be surrounded by beautiful furniture than by ugly furniture". This reminds me of not too long ago when I blabbered to my mum about how I want to own a beautiful house and decorate it myself as she patiently nodded. It's hard to imagine constantly being in a dull environment. Beautiful things stimulate the senses and give pleasure. It's a sad thing that flowers in Singapore are so expensive or I'd be whipping up floral arrangements for my house every week.

The acquittal of a secondary school teacher from charges of molestation of students was in the news today. I remember reading about the case when it first came up, which was a long time ago. His entire ordeal lasted three years, as he appealed against his original conviction. I remember thinking "what a horrible teacher". Perhaps one too many molest cases had coloured my vision. I was quick to judge him, and forgot that everyone is innocent till proven guilty. And as this case has taught me, even when proven guilty someone can still eventually be proven innocent. The court simply judges whether there there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that someone is guilty, and this is certainly fallible. He may actually be guilty, but that is not the issue. As a member of the public, I should not discriminate against such people.