Angry? Let me think about that...

The other day I found an advert in the back of a magazine for cosmetic surgery which made me rather angry. In my rage, I did what any normal person would do and I tweeted about it. However, instead of typing "Have you fucking *seen* this shit?" which was pretty much what I was thinking, I decided to opt for the rather toned down "N.B. Other methods of obtaining confidence are also available" instead. Within minutes, I realised why I'd done it and also why I keep being told to have more of an opinion in my writing: I'm afraid of accidentally contradicting myself. If, in my moment of rage, I had tweeted that the cosmetic surgery advert was utterly hideous, 140 characters wouldn't have been enough to adequately explain why. Out of a small fear of later having to explain that I don't think elective surgery is bad, wrong or always unnecessary (I simply detest the terrible way it is often advertised), I ended up suppressing my rage and tweeting something far less interesting.

All of the journalists I admire are the ones who will declare that anyone who says their wedding is going to be/was the best day of their life just hasn't taken enough MDMA in a field at 3am. The ones who describe the warnings on cigarette packets as being "like a Victorian letter of condolence, sent slightly too early". And the ones who manage to get the phrase "spunking knob" into a serious article about the sexualisation of children. These are not people who sit back and think "will this offend someone?" - they are people who assume that someone's bound to be offended anyway so why not dive into it with a little bit of flair? If I want to write something interesting, I need to think everything through and avoid potential hypocrisy without accidentally removing all of the bile and actual opinions from the piece. If I feel confident enough to rant about Ugg boots then surely I can be confident enough to write about other things which also make me want to punch strangers in the face?

So, I should probably admit one thing before I enter this new opinionated world of mine... Bridesmaids made me want to drink so much that the inevitable hungover shame would wipe away all memory of the movie. I want my two hours back.

Glamorous ethical lingerie by Ayten Gasson

UK lingerie brand Ayten Gasson have launched their new Eco range this week and it definitely proves that ethical fashion can be glamorous. The limited edition range contains classic pieces made from organic and cruelty-free silks trimmed with vintage cotton lace. The Eco camisole and tap pant set (pictured) are made from peace silk. Unlike the traditional method of silk production where the cocoon is boiled alive, peace silk allows the silkworm to emerge from its cocoon and live out a full life. The Eco teddy has been made from stretch organic silk, and all pieces in the range are trimmed with vintage cotton lace and hand tied ribbon bows, giving a decidedly vintage feel. Creative Director Ayten Mustafa says:

"We are trying to highlight the importance of UK made products and the history behind UK manufacturing, while creating a 100% ethical product. Our Eco range is manufactured in the UK, using vintage lace from the old mills in Nottingham which have closed due to designers sourcing cheaper alternatives overseas. The fabrics are brought from the only company in the UK who specialise in organic silks."

Each item from the Eco collection has been designed and manufactured in the UK - utilising some of the last remaining lingerie manufacturers in England - and pieces are hand finished in the designer’s London studio. Ayten Gasson hopes to expand the range for Spring Summer 2012 and make this collection of ethical lingerie a permanent feature for the label.

Bridesmaids: Snog, Marry or Avoid?

I can't remember how I first found out about the movie Bridesmaids. From the title and the poster I initially assumed it would be a hideously bitchy 'bridezilla' movie or a saccharine chick-flick, but all the comments I read suggested it was neither. A film about women that's genuine and, heaven forbid, rather funny? This had to be seen to be believed, so I quickly suggested it to my sister as something to do with her own bridesmaids, including me. From all the pre-release hype, the movie sounded side-splittingly funny so when the ever lovely Poppy Dinsey invited me to a mini-preview screening for a handful of bloggers on Monday, I jumped at the chance to check it out before getting tickets for my sister and her friends.

The movie was almost everything I wanted it to be. The acting was great, the characters were realistic, the plot was dripping with opportunities for comedy gold. However, in my inexperienced reviewer brain, I had decided that my gauge of how good Bridesmaids was would be based on whether or not I wanted to see it again and... it failed me. Do you know why? Because I didn't leave the cinema laughing, I left depressed. I engaged so much with the main character that all I could think of was how shitty her life was, and that made me rather sad indeed. Come on, the only good thing in her life was Chris O'Dowd (better known as Roy from The IT Crowd), who is great when he gets a chance to be funny, but decidedly bland when he doesn't get the opportunity to flex his comedy muscles. "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" - perhaps rebooting the cinema system would have worked and we could have watched something else instead.

There were many scenes of utter embarrassment - the speeches at the engagement party, the flight to the bachelorette party, the entire bridal shower - which isn't my type of humour at all, and the one gross-out part seemed to have been thrown in for the hell of it because it stuck out like a sore thumb. Maybe it was the type of comedy employed, maybe it was the utter waste of time and money that was the wedding and preparations (WTF is a bridal shower anyway?)... whatever the reason, I just wasn't laughing enough. It was a movie about friendship, and a comment on the hell that can be unleashed upon friends and family once a marriage proposal has been accepted, and it did both of these things very well. But because I didn't laugh much and am still wondering how on earth Annie is going to get her life back together, I really can't recommend it. Unless you are a magazines-and-girls-nights-out kinda woman, I reckon there are much more fun ways to spend two hours. Me? I'd rather go to a decent pub with my friends and chat over drinks instead.

Get Stitched! Vintage-inspired jewellery

There are few things I like more than buttons. In fact, buttons are on my list of things that make me smile, so being able to add more buttons to my outfit by way of jewellery is something I'm always keen on doing. However, bright-coloured plastic button earrings don't always go with everything, so I began the search for silver jewellery that ties in perfectly with my look. Thankfully Sarah Hallowes, a jewellery designer who produces hand-made vintage-style silver jewellery inspired by buttons and textiles, has jumped in to fill this particular gap beautifully. One look at the gallery on her website delivers an eyeful of cute enamelled button jewellery!

Based in London but originally from Dorset, Sarah visits the countryside whenever she can to draw inspiration from her surroundings, as well as from vintage textiles, children’s books and long-forgotten items in second hand shops. Her work includes handmade buttons and stitching, with some pieces made by imprinting designs from vintage fabric and lace to give a unique texture to each item. This ensures that each pretty piece of jewellery that Sarah creates is not only beautiful and special, but also unique. You can buy Sarah's jewellery on Folksy and Etsy, plus she will be exhibiting at Craft Central Gets Hitched in central London on 23rd-25th June 2011. Continuing the wedding theme, she is also teaching a garter making workshop at Craft Central on 28th June. I wonder if I could decorate one with buttons?

Images via Sarah Hallowes.

The future of lingerie and bodywear design?

Leicester’s De Montfort University (DMU) staged its second annual London contour fashion catwalk show on Monday, featuring designs by students who will be graduating from the Contour Fashion and the Fashion and Contour Design courses this summer. The collections on show illustrated a stunning mix of skill and creativity, which proves that DMU's excellent reputation in this area is well-deserved. The show was beautifully put together - models were styled in different ways including wispy-romantic, rockabilly and addicted-to-love - with each graduate getting a chance to do something a little different with their music and overall presentation.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share a few of my favourites from the show with you, and I really hope that these graduates all go on to bigger and better things. Kirsty Hall, BA(Hons) Contour Fashion, wowed us all with a stunning collection inspired by jockey silks (see above). This was my favourite from the show and Kirsty describes it best herself when she says: "I feel like my designs are more daring and playful than what can be found on the high street at the minute. The shapes and colours are really striking and unusual for a lingerie collection, and are worn to be seen." Sarah Greenwood, BA(Hons) Contour Fashion, delivered a delightfully feminine floral collection that was very commercial without ever being dull (see left). Sarah Burgess, BA(Hons) Fashion and Contour Design, showed an incredibly strong and desirable collection of fuchsia pink floral swimwear that had retro styling in places but remained extremely wearable. Ella Chidgey, BA(Hons) Contour Fashion, presented an amazing collection of lingerie with styling inspiration taken bullet bras and corsets. Bright turquoise and electric blue highlights were echoed in the accessories the models carried, which was a lovely touch.

If you are interested in seeing more, there are some photographs from the DMU graduate collections on the Lingerie Buyer website, and there is also a report of the catwalk show over on the Figleaves blog.

Images via De Montfort University.

Let's talk about SlutWalk London

On Saturday 11th June, thousands of women and men marched through central London to draw attention to the fact that rape is NOT acceptable, clothing is NOT consent and victims should NOT be blamed. The march and rally that followed in Trafalgar Square were positive, peaceful and presented a united force for feminist good. Sadly, despite making a lot of noise on the day, media coverage of the event has been rather minimal. Reports of numbers in attendance range from 'hundreds' in The Telegraph and the Metro (a headline clearly designed to make the protest seem small as the story itself mentions 'thousands'), to 'over 4,000' in The Mirror and 'over 5,000' on Londonist. There are some great photos on Demotix that give you an idea of the dedication and strength of the views of many of those in attendance, so it's a shame that more was not made of this. How can we spread the message if mainstream media get bored and decide they'd rather talk about Formula 1 instead?

UPDATE: It turns out that my protest inexperience was showing. Only violent gatherings make the front page, it would seem. How silly of me to forget.

Lipstick & Curls at Topshop Oxford Circus

Yesterday saw the arrival of a splash of vintage glamour on Oxford Street in London. The Topshop flagship store at Oxford Circus is now home to the lovely Lipstick & Curls ladies and their team of hair and make-up experts, who are waiting to transform you for a night out or to teach you the tricks to do it yourself. They managed to work some magic on my hair in a mere 15 minutes when I attended Coquette at Kettner's in Soho earlier this year, so I was pretty excited to discover that I'd now be able to make an appointment with them at a location so incredibly close to my office. These ladies are well-known in vintage circles, having worked with film companies and staff/volunteers/visitors at last year's Vintage Festival, so for me their new parlour was definitely worth a visit! It's on the ground floor, next to Topshop's make-up counter, and looks just as cute as you might expect. I'm already going through my diary to see what events I'm heading to after work that might require their services en route.

Despite many people's preconceptions of a vintage parlour, it's not all about victory rolls. So, if the classic look of the 1940s isn't really your thing, you can still turn to them for that touch of glamour. They've created hair styles from the 1920s through to the 1970s, but even if you're not a retro gal they still will have something for you. Need a glamorous up-do that will add a hint of vintage without overpowering your look? They can help. Want some luscious lashes for a night out? They can help. Need to learn how to get the perfect lip and eyebrow shape for immaculate make-up every time? They're your go-to girls.

The salon is open every day in the afternoon and evening (Monday to Wednesday 1-7pm, Thursday to Saturday 12-8pm, Sunday 12-6pm) and the price list and contact details are available on their website.

Get your SlutWalk facts straight!

As you may have heard, Toronto police officer Michael Sanguinetti told students at Osgoode Hall Law School that, "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised" and, within a few months, Slutwalks had been organised in many cities across Canada and the US in response to his comments. Despite the name, SlutWalks are not saying there's a link between sexually alluring clothing and rape or encouraging it - quite the opposite in fact! People organising and taking part in the walks know that there are many people who share Sanguinetti's uneducated view and it is these people who spread the myth that women who are sexually assaulted somehow 'asked for it' by wearing provocative clothing. The walks are there to protest at the victim-blaming rape culture of western society.

Pretty soon after that SlutWalks began happening in the UK too. According to The Guardian, "Organisers say they are protesting against a culture which puts the blame for rape and sexual assault on to the victim, makes women less likely to report rape and contributes to low conviction rates for those accused of rape and sexual assault." How could anyone possibly think that this is a bad thing? OK, so the use of the word slut and its reclaiming is something I personally have no issue with, but surely others can look past a name and get hold of a few facts before judging the motives of the movement? SlutWalk Toronto's incredibly interesting about page has the following to say:

"Being assaulted isn’t about what you wear; it’s not even about sex; but using a pejorative term to rationalize inexcusable behaviour creates an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim [...] We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result. Being in charge of our sexual lives should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence, regardless if we participate in sex for pleasure or work. No one should equate enjoying sex with attracting sexual assault."

So, there you go. Some SlutWalkers may be there to reclaim 'slut' from the haters, but all will be there to say that rape is not OK, and neither is blaming the victim. No one deserves to be raped. Whatever your thoughts on the walks themselves, surely it's amazing that so many people are talking about such a serious emotive subject as a result?

Image via Anton Bielousov's Flickr photostream.

Choosing vintage-style dresses

You may have noticed an increasing number of high street stores not only producing vintage-inspired dresses, but now also labelling them as such. The latest big launch, with accompanying window displays in every store, is New Vintage by Oasis. The dresses in the collection are beautiful and well designed, but they still miss the mark in my opinion because of one simple detail: they're made from soft silk. Choosing silk doesn't seem like a massive faux pas for any reason other than the fact it puts these dresses over £100 - perhaps a bit too expensive for your average Oasis shopper - but there are a couple of other reasons why I think this is a bad idea. First of all, most genuine vintage party frocks I have seen are constructed from stiffer silk dupion or taffeta which hold structure better than the sort of floaty easily-ripped silk that these frocks are made from. The fabric feels beautiful but is much better suited to soft scarves or lingerie. In addition, this makes the dresses 'hand wash only'.

A much better bet, and at a similar price point to the Oasis dresses, is the first collection of vintage style dresses designed by Natasha Bailie. Not only are they beautiful, and not from a chain store so you won't see lots of women wearing the same one, they are also 100% cotton which is pleasingly sturdy and easy to care for. The dress is also thoughtfully designed, with no built-in petticoats - so you can dress it up or down as much as you like - and no unnecessary sequins. You can buy the design in five different floral fabrics too which is useful, unless you're very indecisive!

So, what's the key to hunting for the ideal vintage-style frock? Research, research, research! Google is your friend with this one and, if you have limited knowledge fashion history, you should probably start by taking a look at exactly what style of dress women wore in days gone by. You might think you already know, but a little bit of fashion research online could save you a lot of time when browsing in stores. If you know that 1950s style frocks are your thing, a quick glance at high street stores' dresses will be all you need to see if anything's worth a closer look as different parts of the 20th century had very distinctively different designs.

Next, you need to find something modern that draws inspiration from your favourite era, and simply by searching for 'vintage style dresses' or 'vintage inspired dresses' you will get quite a few fantastic links to start you off. For example, Fever London's dresses are all vintage-inspired with stuff from pretty much every decade from the 1930s to the 1970s. Rock my Vintage realise that wearing original vintage is not for everyone and so they have got together a nice selection of vintage-inspired pieces available in multiple modern sizes. Well-known reproduction brands like Heyday and Vivien of Holloway have a selection of 'modern vintage' dresses, and blogs like Retro Chick and Diary of a Vintage Girl will be able to provide lots of links to more sites selling vintage-inspired and reproduction dresses. A little bit of background knowledge goes a long way, so take some time to arm yourself with a bit of information before parting with your cash. If you're lucky, it'll help you find something even prettier and cheaper than the high street has to offer.

The ideal woman doesn't exist

I don't know where this image of three inexplicably naked and differently sized women is originally from, but it certainly isn't new. It reappeared on Twitter today and I couldn't resist asking my followers, "Is this true, or an excuse for nudity?". Before long there was a small flurry of responses.

The first few replies I received were from men stating, somewhat predictably, that they preferred the size 16 model and that the size 8 woman was "too skinny". @theknickermafia then pointed out, quite rightly, that everyone's taste is different. Next @Traumata wondered why 'men's ideal' should matter to women at all. "It always comes across to me as 'you're being silly, men like curves. Surely you want to look how men want?', but I can see the benefits in showing beautiful, happy women who aren't model sizes. There should be more of that." @pekingspring said, "Reality looks pretty hot to me, TBH. Or should I be tutting at the flagrant objectification of women?", while @snarey concisely declared it to be "oversimplified nonsense on both counts". @MrSnowgarden suspected it was just an excuse for nudity, but also had issues with the image that were too long for Twitter's 140 character limit! When someone asked which I preferred/aspired to, I simply replied: "I don't aspire to be anything other than me. I think confident women are attractive, whatever their size." As I suspected, there was much discussion to be had on face value, but what do we think the original point of this image is, and has it been lost?

The big problem is that, well... they're naked. Whatever you think of the point the person who made this image was trying to put across, the nudity simply distracts from any worthy message regarding improving women's body image and instead just brings it all back to sex. Whether or not they should, these days most people look at an image of a naked person and find it sexual. No matter what the age, shape or size of the person concerned, it's pretty much always seen as a sexual act to get your kit off in front of a camera. If the person appears to be under 16 or over 70, it's viewed as disgusting because 'you shouldn't be thinking sexual thoughts about them', should you? If the naked person is fat they should be covering up, if they're thin they should eat something, because it's just not considered to be sexually attractive to be anything other than 'normal' (not by me, I hasten to add).

So, by removing these women's clothes, whoever created the image has ensured more people will look at it and talk about it, but I think they have also ensured their original point will be lost. Whatever that was, my point is that all three of those women look amazing, so why should we be worrying about shedding or gaining a few pounds as long as we're healthy? Even if you do decide that you want to make a few changes to your appearance, remember that the only person you should really want to please with the way you look is yourself. The reason these women look great is because they are confident. There is no denying that Gok Wan's show How To Look Good Naked is an inspiration when it comes to finding the confidence to love yourself the way you are. We really do need more of that kind of thing.

I cannot find the original source for the image accompanying this post so, if you know where it's from, please contact me so that I can credit the photographer and/or publication. Thanks.

Self promotion

Tonight I have handed out a couple of my Moo cards, promoted my writing on Twitter and have also updated my bio there to make it bit more relevant to the subjects I cover. This made me realise that I don't often link to my other writing here, so here's a quick update for those of you who've perhaps missed out. In a flurry of sex and relationship posts for BitchBuzz in recent weeks, I have written about The Great Wall Of Vagina which is on display in Brighton (this smut-free exhibition has now been extended until the end of June), The Pleasure of Anticipation, have pondered if Social Media Can Help in a Crisis, and have also reviewed London Boudoir Photography. Next up... perhaps something that isn't about sex or nudity? Well, apparently it's best to write about what you know.