YE RIN MOK

I've had a long term love affair with photographer Ye Rin Mok's work. Her sparse, strongly coordinated images juxtapositioned with off beat clothing make for beautiful photographs. They are minimal in their composition and use of props thus existing as intriguingly calculated snap shots in to a fresh, pastel world where the viewer is subtely and seductively invited in...

 (All images property of www.yerinmok.com)

See more here:  http://www.yerinmok.com/

HOLLER, COLLAR

Hello. I'm going to write about my lust of the day, a collar. These have been around for ages now. But that's fine. Because I like to 'get in to things' late. For example, an album released at a certain time may be really amazing...but all the hype and publicity puts me off, so I wait until it's died down and then I can listen to it nicely. Similarly, I'm now going to buy a collar and will be happy in the knowledge that this ship has sailed. What follows is my favourite collars in no particular order -

1) Erickson Beamon at Urban Outfitters Leather Stone Collar - £80

 (www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

2) Light blue Collar Jewel. Swarovski, pearls and leopard by Rainshade at Etsy - £39.00

(Sara Biondi at Etsy)

3) Topshop Graphic Section Collar Necklace - £25.00

(www.topshop.com)

4) Rokit Recycled Black Leather Studded Peter Pan Collar - £25.00

  (www.rokit.co.uk)

I'm after the very embellished type to wear with a plain cotton coral tone t-shirt and peg leg trousers (boy day) or faux leather skater skirt (girl day). I have decided to attempt to make my own. These attempts often start out ok but turn all horrible and make me feel sick then I'm forced to throw the thing Ive been working on under the bed and forget it ever happened. Fingers crossed for this time! I'll let you know.

BOOTS MANOEVRE

A quick look through the street style shots on Elle.co.uk revealed a clear favourite for me...

I like the way in which the outfit has been constructed, the xl sizing of the shaggy faux fur monster coat and midi length skirt with clumpy boots shouldn't work, but does. This outfit's success is in the small details...a fresh face and unfussy top knot stop it from looking too calculated, a fairly plain skirt/tights allow attention to focus on the more extravagant details. The boots add an element of distasteful humour - verging on cyber goth - and a heel steers the outfit away from frumpy. My favourite of outfits are those that look thrown together, bohemian, but balanced, and this one ticks the boxes.

TRASHY TREASURE

TRASHY TREASURE

To continue...I'd like to share my favourite find of the day which is a fluro red stitched waiscoat (£1- charity shop)

I will wear it with a thin gold studded belt from the 70's (which I like to think previously belonged to a glam rock cover band). This will hopefully add to all the confusion between the traditional gypsy-esque flowers and the typically 80's trashy gold buttons. There must have been a transitional time somewhere between the 1970's and 1980's when people got confused about what they were supposed to do. Perhaps that was when some bright spark designed this treat, to please both. The End, for now.

CREEPY

Charity shopping can be a creepy experience, but one that is completely worth enduring for the amazing oddities that can be found. For starters there's the smells...a combined mesh of odours from the donations (like when you mix all the paint colours together and it makes brown). Then there's the anonymous crusts of god knows what on the jumpers, the horrible local radio station, the shoppers who get jealous when you find something and think the rail you're browsing has all the anwsers so push you out of the way to look (this happens A LOT).

Today I decided to go charity shopping down a street near where I live which has 3 or 4 really decent charity shops. I wore my creepers...they are actually faux creepers picked up on the high street for cheap. But I'm broke more often than not...so they'll do. I like the ugly donkey brown colour and the thick sole/pointed toe which gives them an unflatteing/clumsy feel which I really enjoy. Teamed with cigarette pants and black 'school' socks, I felt sufficently creepy and hit the charity shops. I was NOT dissapointed, finding tons of great stuff for dirty cheap, this included...

-An amazing red stitched waistcoat from the 70's (£1)

-An electric blue wool full length granny coat (£3)

-A hand knitted cardi (£1)

and I also really enjoyed bantering with the dears who worked there...thanks, creepy charity shops. I love you.