back and begging for stuff.

so i'm back. feel bad for my extended hiatus, but it was essential. my last month has been hectic. full of assignments, exams, physie highs and lows with some work mixed in for good financial measure. all except the latter are over now for another year and i can't wait for 2011 to begin. EXCEPT for chistmas. it's pretty wrong that my first post back is grubbing for presents but as my sister is scared of shopping for my gifts i now present you with my updated list of summer/christmas must haves.... well things i must have.

i'm known now for my love of internet shopping and it really is a simple reason. i like stuff no one has or, maybe even didn't think they wanted until they saw it. 'hipster' is a disgusting word, but i really am one. combined with a huge dollop of geek for good measure. which is where i will begin.

battlestar galactic was and will always be my favourite show of all time. when it ended my sadness was cushioned by its sister show caprica. a few years ago bsg released 2000 limited edition cylon toasters. they sold out and to get one now you will be looking at a price tag upwards of $500. so, instead of maxing out mums credit card, you can now get cylon toast from a caprica toaster here. on sale for a measly $65.   

MODEKUNGEN are an amazing swedish brand. although, their site is entirely in their native tongue it is reasonably easy to navigate. this is their handvaska med nitar undertill bag.... no idea how to say that but has me going, oooh pretty. the brand suits my post-punk loving self but is still classic enough to be rocked with a cardie. will set you back 899 SEK or $132. another reason to shop online, our dollar rocks!

i'm a bit confused as to why i want these israeli desert boots. maybe i think they will make me look like ziva off ncis. meh for $70 it's well worth the consumer indulgence. palladium boots have some other rather less conventional shoes going on here and they are all very well priced considering how well made they are.




it just isn't summer without new swimmers and sunnies. this year black milk will supply the former and ray-ban the latter. the red galaxy one piece really does sell itself. just look at its amazing weirdness, and will set you back $85. quite reasonable, no? the black milk brand really is amazing, it's site is a print lovers dream. check out their other swimmers and leggings: R2D2, Astronauts and Skeletons.

ray-ban's have been on my christmas list for years and years, and i haven't really ever bothered to ask for a pair because they were simply too expensive. well the american dollar sucks and they aren't as out of your reach as you may think. a pair of wayfarer 2's will cost you $145, have a look at their many many colour options for two tone magnificence.


'think geek' really is nerd heaven. as someone who habitually loses book marks and even the book itself, this find could not have come at a better time. the book rest lamp is everything i have ever dreamt of and more. well, not really but it is very cool looking and more importantly nifty. combine this with a pac-man alarm clock, going to sleep and waking up will never be the same again.


now, please excuse my indie indulgence but i just must have these shirts, to turn into singlets.... well for mum to turn into singlets. kurt cobain and count duckula. bit of a questionable combo but still, these both make me squee with love in two very different ways. firstly, the daniel johnson shirt worn famously by kurt cobain is the personification of my disenfranchised teenage years. ooh the angst. and count duckula, well it's count duckula! possibly the best children's show EVER!

onto dvds and books. stocking stuffer essentials. let's pretend for a second that i have room in my apartment for anymore box sets and/or novels. hypothetically, it's not surprising that i need every season of waking the dead, peep show and jam and jerusalem. the english really do comedy and serial killers better than any other nation in the world. ebay is always worth a look for box sets, even after you consider postage, you can save a considerable amount of $$$. penguin classics are always a cheap and cheerful addition to any christmas morning. 'wind and the willows', 'madame bovary', 'journey to the centre of the earth', 'middlemarch', 'mrs. dalloway' and 'decline and fall' by evelyn waugh have been on my ebay watch list for the past month or so.

lastly, as i sit watching the first day of the ashes i'm reminded of the fact i have never EVER been to see live international cricket. for something that played such a big part of my childhood summers. so i'd love tickets to go watch the english FINALLY get what is coming to them. ticketek have some very good deals for families and even a concession price for us poor university students. a silver ticket as the SCG will cost you $90 for an adult (and $77 with concession).

well that's it. hope these sites give you some ideas for presents (not just for me, though keep me in mind) that might be a bit out of the box but fit someone you know and love.

wish-list!

so summer is coming and i couldn't be more excited. summer fashion, sand and my albino skin rarely sit well with one another, but i have found some amazing new things that could just make this season bearable. slut wear, it seriously just not me. a winter full of stocking, scarfs, army boots and skinny jeans are much more up my ally. still, my latest finds give me hope for the coming sweltering season.

and. here. we. go.

(top to bottom: SHIN MultiDress $198, Necklush Inkdrop $74, Galibardy Apple Ring Red $34, Paola Loves To Shop Subway Map Wayfarer Sunglasses $10, Black Milk Cape $70, Underground Fred - Cuban Heel Gold Beat Boot $79.50)

butt-ugly!

well, it isn't really a debate i find difficult to come to an opinion on. men who wear their pants half down their legs in an effort to flash their expensively branded ass look like docuhe bags who think a fun night out includes watching jersey shore and then maybe going out and robbing a bottle shop. still, i never thought i'd see the day when wearing your pants this way could be an illegal act. and i got to say, i love it!

now, the new york post is complete trash but the article re this news is pretty interesting and hilarious. check it here!

fyi, i just found out what jersey shore is and have never watched it. but, it seemed an appropriate metaphor for stupidity. cheers, kathryn. you teach me things.

a match made on hoth!

my love for star wars knows no bounds and as it turns out, by proxy, the same is true for adidas! this is because, they have released a line of star wars themed shoes and clothes! as someone constantly searching for the perfect pair of white high-tops this find could not have come sooner. also, what is not to love about an advertising campaign involving snoop dog.

these are the shoes that i have in mind. now, it is just a matter of getting my hands on a pair. thank lucas, that my sister currently resides in america. the home of all things ridiculously consumer minded.

check the whole line here and receive an oddly accurate laser display show courtesy of our good pal darth vader's ultimate weapon, the death star. the vid below it also definitely worth a look. oh and spot daft punk, i love them even more now.

the cut.

new york magazine's online fashion blog the cut is one that i follow fairly religiously. it's not for just the obvious superficial 'oooh so pretty' reasons, they actually have something to say. the cut heavily critiques fashion lines, questions ethics of the fashion industry, and opens up debate on topics ranging from elle mcpherson eating powdered rhino horns to michelle obama's obvious love for all things metallic to australia's push for more realistic looking plus sized models. still, to date the weirdest thing i have come across on this site is regarding the power of the mullet.

everyone, who owns a mirror and lives in a community that would mock you mercilessly if you sported the dreaded hairstyle understands the 'yuck' factor when you see someone sporting a mullet. business in the front, party in the back, is terribly outdated but more than that has a very unattractive socio-economic connection that can't be ignored.

still, like most things the iranian government has taken the eradication of the ghastly hairstyle way too far. earlier this week, the telegraph (which i don't usually go anywhere near) reported that, "in an attempt to rid the country of 'decadent western cuts', iran's culture ministry has produced a catalogue of haircuts that meet government approval. the list of banned styles includes ponytails, mullets and elaborate spikes. however, quiffs appear to be acceptable as are fashioning one's hair in the style of simon cowell or cultivating a 1980s-style floppy fringe."

and yes, if you are caught sporting one of the banned styles you will be arrested. these new laws have been enacted under the guise of strict islamic law and coincide with iran police who carry out regular morality checks. ok, fine. it's only a mullet it probably should be stopped but come on, where does this stop?

i am very lucky, like all of you, to live in a country that although it is heavily regulated by governing officials, have not (yet) gone to such extremes as to prevent this form of personal expression. the mullet might be hideous but it is just that. a choice.

burberry update.

bit of a mini post because well, i'm dyeing from some sort of next day beer drinking thing.... so burberry update! thanks to heather, jp, kel and my mum! the 'michelle wants a burberry coat fund' is going quite well. $100 down, with $500 to go. so help a sister out. otherwise i'm going to have to work for the coat.

i am planning on getting the coat the week after next with various donations, birthday money and my own hard earned cash.

check out the coat i'm buying here. thinking of getting the tan one but i also like the navy one. which colour do you think? navy is easier to keep clean but tan is just so....burberry.

also, how cool is the tartan under the collar?

the satorialist.

some of you may know of the lovely fashion photographer scott schuman's blog the satorialist. i routinely check this blog a few times a few to see what weird and wonderful people he has grabbed a shot of on his travels all around the world.

if or when you go check this blog out the thing i always remember is, i can never either afford most of the things on it OR would never think of combining these clothes and coming up with a look like that. but, it does give you fashion ideas.

my taste in fashion is actually fairly generic in comparison to the people in the blog. i have come to terms with this. still, the quest for cool, different, brand name clothes is never ending. you might not be able to buy cool but, snazy clothes might make you feel pretty cool.

this blog just goes to show you, pushing the envelope in what you wear is really just a question of how far you want to go. the blog really does prove that fashion style can reflect your own personality. these are people on the street, normal people. just like you and me. 'cept richer. bastards! ha!

etsy!

i have been asked to post about this website by a friend who i recommended it to and is now insanely obsessed with it. etsy is a great online shopping website that is a bit like ebay but without the bidding and houses way WAY better stuff.

do check it out if you like clothes, books, accessories, furniture and house stuff that are one of a kind and a bit different. the sellers are really helpful and will post to australian most of the time if you ask. also, all prices in usd so consult xe exchange for up-to-date currency conversion stats before clicking that 'commit to buy' button.

i must warn you there is also a lot of crap on this site but they are outnumbered by great finds....not that i have a birthday coming up or anything. previously expensive brand names that are now vintage are michelle must haves, so shop away. thus, unless you want to look cool and be insanely poor then don't click here.

why wollongong sucks.

now, i have always been a lover of wollongong since i moved here and it really wasn't until today that i started hating on it. been missing my friends that (selfishly) moved away to have lives and uni careers outside of the south coast but i have never felt it more than today. the lovely and talented brian chase (from the yeah yeah yeahs) is playing a free lunchtime gig at the uni bar and no one here seems to care. strike one wollongong.

he is wonderful and a member of one of my fave and easily coolest bands in the world and people here are going, brian who? for shame! also, i had to park today almost in freaking figtree! was late for class when a douche bag wearing a volcolm shirt saying 'your mum is my other ride' called me an indie wanker, for no reason. wtf i wasn't even wearing or doing anything weird. strike two wollongong!

i was ready to go back to bed at this stage and in hind sight probably should have!

one more strike and you are out, to use my newly acquired baseball knowledge! gota say if this happens again i'm going to have to go on a killing spree and cull the area after an extensive music and fashion quiz/poll. failure means death! you have been warned.

but, like all things there is a good side to wollongong. work is fun! but, when you're sick and grumpy all the tedious tiny annoying things jump into focus. i'm sure it's the universes way of keeping you on your toes.

dreaming of burberry....again.

i want a trench coat! is it too much to ask for a beautiful tan, double breasted, knee length, tartan lined beauty with a sexy burberry tag? seems so if you aren't willing to sell a kidney to get one. under $500 is farely reasonable, no? yea it really isn't. upwards of $1000! for shame burberry.

well in my internet travels i found some wonderful pics but i really like this one the most. that kid screams innocent cool. not a bit of pretentiousness in sight. the satorialist couldn't have found a cooler kid.

oh well i guess i'll have to settle for a london fog trench. or not.....all donations for the 'michelle wants a burberry coat fund' are accepted via email and in person. ALSO, i do have a birthday coming up. remember, tan, double breasted, knee length, burberry! cheers. i promise to act surprised.

oh nicole, thank god paris dumped you!

this is probably going to get me a lot of flack off my super trendy mates but after flicking through a nylon mag this morning (didn't buy it, ha too expensive this week) i found nicole richies new fall/winter fashion line AND it is rather amazing! for god sake she has a phantom of the opera style cape in there. i want it, if only so i can run around my flat pretending to be a witch of hogwarts. but my nerdiness aside, this is a very cool line. velvet, peacock prints mixed with a top hat....what more could a girl want.

also, the other surprising aspect of this absurd discovery is the price. these pieces are actually totally affordable. well, for a celebrity fashion label that is. richie's mix of 70s fashion, that she obviously has a serious crush on is mixed with the trendy retroness of todays (i really hate to say alternative/indie) fashion. but this line is actually not for just the rake moss skinny. free flowing with vibrant colours many of the dresses and layered looks hide a multitude of body sins. still she keeps her line called 'winter kate' very cool with looks clearly inspired by iconic 70s fashionistas like steve nicks and debbie harry.

two very big names there. can't say i ever expected to love something by one half of a duo involving paris hilton but then again a tory just won the british election. anything is possible it seems. check out the nylon story here, hope it surprises you too.

you know, it's all my mothers fault i'm this way!

as i contemplate my future winter fashion choices and what i will put with what, it dawns on me the obvious impact 1950s and 60s fashion icons have on me. in some subliminal way, twiggy, bridget bardot, marianne faithfull, lauren bacal, edie sedgwick and of course janet leigh with their unique brand of amazingness have snuck into my wardrobe dreams. yes i dream of clothes, what of it! it's a nice reprieve from the giant badger with his good friend the knife wielding clown! but i digress....

i'm not naive, i know that fashion goes in cycles and my love of these amazing women is a result of what is 'cool' at the moment. still, i think my love for these radtastic ladies ('cept ole edie, not sure how to reason her away. that's her there btw.) is perhaps a product of my upbringing. good looking, clever, independent but still with nice husbands, wealthy, blonde = my mum. doesn't really explain why i have their haircut, but i suppose it could shed some light on why i do seem to enjoy somewhat of a 60s lifestyle. i mean for god sake i just bought a bicycle from that decade!

art, film, music, the sexual revolution, the pill, BARBARELLA, more sex, pop art, easy rider, the free speech movement, the original star trek series, hippys, mick jagger before plastic surgery, minimalism, 2001: a space odyssey, CREAM (the band, you dirty birds), the civil rights movement, screen printing, the beatles, more drugs, oceans eleven (original NOT remake), beehives, more rock n' roll, mini-skirts, the mamas and the papas, goldfinger AND dr. no, warhol, the bikini, jimmy hendrix, nehru jackets, planet of the apes.

i could go on, but i really should stop now while i can. anywho, i know i have an incredibly idealised vision of this era but still assassinations, wars and prime minister swimming misshaps not with standing, if the tardis were to come by i'd definitely ask william hartnell for a lift back to a more revolutionary time.

lightspeed champion!

now see that funny looking dude there? his name is devonte hynes and he is also known as lightspeed champion. the guy has a very cool album out called 'life is sweet! nice to meet you.' and 'tis good shit! he is slightly insane though, in the good me kinda way.

his album is an odd mix of elvis, grandiose chorus', indie cool and chamber music. and if that doesn't sell it to ya he tricked me into thinking he was british and he is TEXAN! not to mention his affinity to dress up as princess leia for a charity performance....not sure what he and his band were raising money for.

well, i like the song 'the big guns of highsmith'. check 'em out -> http://www.myspace.com/lightspeedchampion

exercise is for once a by-product of looking cool.

i am currently bidding on a sweet vintage bicycle on ebay. look there it is! isn't she pretty? yes 'she' don't look too much into it. i think i might call her evangeline. anywho, i calculated last week when getting petrol that i hadn't bought petrol for 5 weeks! 5! how cool is that?! still, not THAT surprising. since getting a sweet new job not 10 minutes walk from where i live and university parking sucking so very hard, i only really use my car to shlep my arse to physie in figtree once a week.

also, the people at my work have been peer pressuring everyone into getting a bike....you know to be cool. i'm perfectly capable of rationalising the slight expense as a way of keeping my current employment. that and well parking inspectors love to book me, not getting parking fines will pay for the bike even if i don't win evangeline and am forced to buy one from melbourne, where all the cool bikes live apparently.

rationalisation over. will take some pretty pictures of me on it as soon as i have it.

foodwink does lee and me.

another sneaky re-blog as my cadbury expose didn't quite pan out. sorry emma, too late now, defs next yr. it unfortunately didn't quite get past the r and d stage (research and development for you non sg1 people).

anyways moving on.... yesterday i was trolling through my favourite blogs and low and behold in my fave food one was a sweet post on my work. how cool is that?! loving LOVING my new job, great atmosphere to dine and work in with awesome people who are really passionate about the things im obsessed with.

foodwink also are a goldmine of local information on the best places for breakfast, lunch and dinner. check their lee and me post here.

damn attractive indie kids!

initially i was just going to post about the cool new band i have discovered this week (blood red shoes, check em out they are really easy to like) but after having a little wander through their film clips and finding the one below, i've decided to change direction a bit. if you watch the video clip below you will notice the insane attractiveness of not only the bands members but the other kids involved. this level of indie attractiveness is really starting to piss me off.

now i've not usually got anything against exceedingly hott people, the ones that are my friends are disgustingly nice. still, my problem is with this kind of frakin hottie is their invasion of my eye-line. ALL THE BLOODY TIME! i remember a time when cool musicians, that play(ed) songs that i love, were different and usually had a face like a smashed crab. mick jagger, cool dude, ugly as all hell. aretha franklin, now she needed a lot of room to eat her chicken wings. even matthew bellamy, is a scrawny old man.

but all that seems to have changed, even in the last 5 years. indie kids have now gone from being weirdos with jeans that are far too tight for polite society to cool fashion forward people in the eyes of normal surf shop wearing folk. i started to wonder if this was actually a good thing about 6 months ago. i mean, it is time to question things when big w starts selling $20 skinny jeans. it seems now that anyone with a slightly baggy shirt and a pair of cons (converse) is as indie as pete doherty. buy a $600 pair of shoes, develop a cocaine addiction and hang out with kate moss and then i might allow you entry into the indie cool club.

this all leads me back to the good duo, blood red shoes, they make great music and look fucking shit awesome doing it so props to them. BUT the flip side of this is vanessa amorosi. her latest venture into the indie rock side of video hits pissses me off to no end! this is the woman that not 10 years ago told us to 'shine, shine on shine on'. her songwriting capabilites im afraid have not improved much over the last decade and she has returned to us as her real self. her REAL 'self' is now heavily tattooed and sporting fashion looks ripped straight from 'the satorialist'. eeewwww. making money off looks started by poor university students who spend all their centre link money on designer shoes and smack is just so tacky!

anyway, rant over. check this vid and the band out.

just a quick fashion tip ->

my lovely friend josh, who is responsible for turning me into a knock off version of elly jackson about a month back, has a new plaything. he is a very talented lad and now the creator of peaches and luigi has a new shop. buy some very cool original things from his new store here.

he really is a fashion forward fella.

my wardrobe is a black hole where dreams go to die!

damn my generation, but i NEED more stuff. i disgust myself. while i was getting ready to go out tonight and planning what to wear i quickly discovered that i have nothing to wear. nothing! now i need to spend my next few paycheques on clothes and accessories. its just were the cash needs to go.

this has forced me into understanding why i have this urge. simply calling it a girly whim and part of my female makeup seems simplistic and well, sexist. my thinking is that it's to do with status. what our clothes say about us. you can't go around telling people your like a certain type of music, but wear a band shirt or make yourself look indie cool and well your personality is on the surface.

this to me parallels with the idea that women in male dominated work places, are forced to work twice as the men they are competing with for pay rises etc. i think this is because women are judged on what they look like first and how they think and behave second. maybe, this is why i, as a woman, have this near on obsession with shoes and not just do they make me look pretty but also do they make me look trashy? or like im trying too hard? or like im not trying enough?

damn my gender! oh crap, i think i can hear myself pissing off germaine. all i want is something to wear, is that so bloody wrong?

shinny pretty things

ok so i can blame my generation all i want; how peer pressure and the media have forced me into shopping like a crazy person during an economic crisis but that would be a dirty lie. i just like shinny things that are pretty and make me feel pretty, is that so wrong? the answer is 'yes' but i strive to live well below my parents and friends expectations of me whilst wearing $300 shoes and a michael kors coat when my job could fall out from underneath me.

don't even get me started on how much money i owe various people. oh that reminds me, if i owe you money get in quick cause the cash i got is going fast. winter clothes are so much cooler than the summer ones i also think they are more expensive cause of all the extra material. there are some nudie jeans that have been calling my name as well, probably doesn't help that i walk past them a few dozen times a day.

well it's time for this trashy, narcissistic and fairly pointless post to end. apologies, to everyone who bothered to read this far. ill do better next time. maybe.

maybe buddhism can help

now im really hoping that reincarnation exists cause next time around im coming back as emma watson, the only reason being the amazing burberry spring/summer collection. so many pretty things that i just realised i will only be able to afford in my middle age. there is no way im gonna have the ass of emma watson when im 40. hence the need for reincarnation.

it makes sense when u think about it for 3 hours. young, hott, rich and famous. half way there. oh well maybe the universe will get it right the next time around. :)

see the pretties here.