Sand, Sea and Sunburn

Before I go away for a real holiday where I can get really sunburnt, I went away for just the weekend to my friends beach house. Although just under an hours ride away it posed a welcome relief from; well, from home.
Arriving late Friday night, after a cramped and hot car ride we gave in to our instinct to cool down and jumped straight into the sea. However, this lasted about ten minutes before we ran shivering back up the beach, slipped and slid our way across the tiled floors and hastily unpacked our beach towels. At least we tried.
I personally am not a massive fan of the beach. I'd rather go somewhere in the countryside than to the seaside; but there is something about waking up to the sea every morning. Hearing the gulls and the waves and walking along the shore before coming back in for breakfast. Something so removed from everyday life. That is until you return and your flip flops which you placed so lovingly upon the beach are now floating away on high tide. You have no choice but to brave the freezing temperatures and look entirely ungraceful as you splash forward to retrieve your precious footwear. Yet we returned to find a cup of coffee and some toast waiting which we happily accepted.
Through all of the mosquito bites, and the sunburn and the salt and the sand; my favorite aspect of returning to the beach house each summer is for one reason. Midnight swims. Although I appear to be completely alone in this sentiment. Due to some untapped primal instinct (or the opening scene of Jaws), not one of my fellow beach companions enjoys the thought of going into the water in the dark. So they more than willingly let me go it alone. I personally love swimming through the ink black water, with the exception of that silvery slice of moonlight. Always to my left and always avoiding me when I try to swim in it. It's like the reverse of trying to jump on your own shadow. After some time of my fruitless game I'll get out and join my friends on the beach.
After more minor details such as BBQ's, sunbathing, volleyball and of course Ring of Fire, I left. Walked out the door and down the drive as red and white as any England shirt you may see. I was very proud until Sunday's game; which I'll leave for some more sport inclined Journo to comment on. Until then, I'm going to go sunbathe some more. Wish me luck.

Confessions of a Belgian Waffle

Today proved to be very unsuccessful in terms of going to the beach (cue shivering under beach towels whilst trying to shake sand out of the Dorito's. Said sand consequently gets in our eyes. All the while my consistent worry remains the fact that my hair is quickly blowing into it's stubbornly un-brushable state). Yet in terms of fashion, it's a quick reminder that the A/W collections will soon be upon us.
So far the sneak preview has included woolens; for example the all in one woolen shorts by Jil Sander and Prada's knee high woolen socks. The colors remain muted in homage to the minimalist look of the S/S collection. And the camel coat by the likes of Chanel keeps cropping up in various photo's and magazines. Through this mish mash of ideas will no doubt come a definitive look when the collections hit the high street around September. By then hopefully the rain will have a legitimate excuse to be beating down my window.

In terms of more traditional art forms; Alison Read deserves a look up. Her blunt, black and white print style ranges from the soft smudged charcoal appeal of a baby elephant, to a harsh linear crow. Specializing in animals she is most definitely on my radar. And consequently a few of her prints can be brought from a shop on Parchment Street in Winchester.


Lastly if you're not already in the know-this blog needs a read.

http://www.belgianwaffling.com/

And a thank you for inspiring this blog title.

Celebri-Tots and Diddy Designers

With Suri Cruise the new Celebri-tot and push up bra's the latest thing for under ten-year-olds, the question on every mothers lips lately is "are our little ones growing up far to fast?". The answer to that is of course debatable.

First and foremost, the clothes on offer to the children such as padded bikinis for the under five's, and heels for their barely developed feet are undeniably bad. Taken from experience after five years of wearing heels about five times a week-they're damaging! Or, if you're going to wear heels, slap on a pair of five year old Jimmy Choos, don't waste time on Primark! (In other words, only shove your child into heels if you can afford the surgery in years to come).
As for the push-ups and the padding; if the parents who buy these for their children want this to look normal, well then pad out the hips and the thighs while you're at it; chuck in some teenage kind of mood swing and watch how quickly their little girl disappears in front of their eyes. Which is essentially what their choice of clothing is doing to their child.

Because any normal little girl would gravitate towards the pink princess dress, the Sleeping Beauty outfit or the teddy bear. If the child herself is demanding the sexy underwear, any normal parent would be concerned. Children don't read the papers or watch the news. They don't read gossip magazines or follow Perez Hilton. The people responsible for wanting to look like Suri Cruise are the adults.

On the other end of the spectrum, in the same way a little girl would zone in on a pink dress, in modern day terms, that pink dress is a J'adore Dior t-shirt. The Minnie Mouse outfit is sparkly Hannah Montana get up and the teddy bear will be the new Princess and the Frog Wii game. None of these items exemplify sex in the same way kitten heels and make up do, they're just a reflection on the times we live in. Maybe parents shouldn't be fretting about what the children want to wear, but how much the bill will add up before they leave home.