WWW.ILOVEMISHMASH.COM

One style that I can say is very L.A and has still hardly caught on in the UK is the one feather earring.

I guess it relates to the L.A rock chick look which cannot be beaten anywhere else.

So I introduce to you www.ilovemishmash.com owned by my best friend in L.A Promise Gebreyohannes Simpson and Ingrid Mann.

The idea of Mish Mash is to not only create unique, individual pieces, but to also create pieces that are ethically fair and created with naturally shedded feathers embellished with stones, silver, leather and and coloured strings.

The Mish Mash ladies:

Promise Gebreyohannes Simpson                              Ingrid Mann

                         Promise and I rocking Mish Mash feathers!!!!

L.A - a land of so many talented people

L.A is a land of so many talented people... not only those that are in the 'industry' but also fashion, jewellery, make up and just a cool sense of style.

I truly am blessed to be circulated by such people. They are my inspiration and reason why I feel so fabulous living my life out here.  I often wonder if they see me in the same way as I see them but regardless, I want to share my talented people on my blog for others to see, learn and exchange information.

Graffiti art findings in LA

I'm sure most of you know who Banksy is, in a nutshell, the London graffiti artist, now millionaire and still no one knows what he looks like or who he is.

Banksy is famous not only for his controversial graffiti paintings but for his trademark logo the rat, which you will find all over London, particularly East London which is now a Banksy shrine.

Every morning on my way to the gym I see the below (Hauser and Wilshire). I'm not quite sure what it means or who it is by but I finally decided to take a picture of it....

I then came across this one on Monday (West 3rd St nr Alta Vista), which may I add is the perfect place for a first kiss after a date.

Being new to LA I am yet to discover if these are linked and if there are more. they may both be one

offs but so far I am intrigued....

Dirty East London - why nowhere will ever compare...

  

Above is a selection of my own personal photographs of East London when I was back there last Autumn.

The photos are only a snippet of how amazing and magical East London is....

Originally a Jewish community area, East London (spanning Aldgate, Aldgate East, Whitechapel, Mile End, Dalston, Shoreditch, Brick Lane, Hoxton and Bethnal Green) with its original buildings, cobbled streets and cheap rents became the home to Bangladeshi immigrants.

Brick Lane, the main strip for Sunday markets, Jewish bakeries and second hand stores became home to endless curry houses. With curry houses came late night opening hours, throw in a few pubs and the Londoners are happy. For those of you who are unaware, a good curry after a few beers is the way to an Englishman/woman's heart.

What was and still is an old, run down part of London used its surroundings to become what it is today: quirky bars and restaurants, vintage stores, food markets, art galleries and cheap 'hole in the wall' food. Instead of London's West End with newly built bars and food joints, all full of the stuck up after work crowd, East London gives character, friendly people, good convo and inexpensive drinks.

And I haven't even started on the fashion yet, oh the fashion!!! Every time I go to East London I get excited and plan my East London outfit... The fashion matches the area: old, vintage, stylish and individual. I call it vintage mixed with preppy English. Think brogues with shorts, lace dresses, tweed blazers, fedora hats, knee high socks, vintage Levi's...

The Vintage stores (pricey but amazing) reflect the fashion - East London is definitely a vintage lover's dream.

Here are some websites for my fave spots:


www.theredchurch.co.uk/          
my favorite bar ever


http://www.beyondretro.com/    
hands down best vintage store in London


http://www.visitbricklane.org/   
guide to Brick Lane


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxton_Square
a square full of bars - perfect for a bar crawl as I did for my 29th Birthday!!!
 

The New York Post writes about my fave part of London!!

A weekend in East London

This spring, discover a whole new side of the city

By DAVID LANDSEL

Last Updated: 6:23 AM, March 10, 2011

Posted: 4:34 PM, March 7, 2011

Comments: 0

THERE are many reasons why London is one of the best cities in the world, but all of them come in second behind the fact that London never stops changing. And if you think a sluggish economy put a stop to that, think again; if anything, the pace is picking up, in no small part due to next summer’s Olympic Games.
Yet none of the changes coming to the city in the run-up to this momentous (and contentious) event — new rail links, a tarted up Leicester Square, what have you — merit quite as much attention to the grass-roots regeneration of East London that’s been gathering steam for some years now. From Brick Lane to Homerton, Spitalfields to Dalston and back again, it seems at times that everything Londoners are talking about is happening somewhere out here, east of Liverpool Street Station.

 

Want to see what all the fuss is about? Next time you come to town, set aside a day or two and get to know a whole new side of London. Here’s a handy little guide to an introductory (and rather leisurely) weekend in the new East End — go now, though; by this time next year, everything might well have changed all over again.

FRIDAY
Lunch Hop onboard a sleek new East London Overground train — transfer at multiple points from the Tube or Docklands Light Railway — and head for Shoreditch High Street; a few steps in any direction from this station and you’ll bump into some of the city’s most up-to-the-minute shopping, dining and nightlife. North of the station, on unobtrusive Arnold Circus, ring the bell at the old Rochelle School for access to Rochelle Canteen , an almost-secret little café in what’s now an artist-studio complex. The proprietor is Margot Henderson; her husband Fergus is renowned for his cooking at London’s famous St. John restaurant. Consequently, the brief lunch menu (served from noon until 3 p.m. only) goes far beyond the usual, with finds such as tiny smoked sprats, brown shrimp salad and foie gras terrine served with chutney, not to mention the likes of macaroon ice cream for dessert.

Afternoon What East London lacks in iconic museums, it more than makes up for with its gallery scene, a sprawling, shape-shifting beast of a thing, often involving trips to places where there are no tube stations (Hackney Wick, for instance). As a casual visitor, though, you should start at the Whitechapel Gallery , an East End institution that recently completed a $21 million expansion that nearly doubled the size of the 100-plus-year-old institution. The gallery has played a significant role in the careers of many modern greats, bringing their work before London audiences for the first time. Today, visitors come to view the Kahlo’s,

Trend: L.A Vs London

So my friends here in L.A always tell me that people out here do not really dress up to go out and that people in L.A haven't quite got the fashion thing out here.

There is definitely a slowness in fashion in L.A but I also think people fall in to the comfort factor easily.  I mean when the sun is shining its easy to slip on shorts, flip flops and a t shirt, cute but not very 'trendy' and with the lack of winter months here too the AW trend I imagine is missed completely.

But L.A definitely does have its signature looks as below:

Vintage t shirts and fedora hats....

And my all time fave, denim shorts with boots, rock chick galore!!!











Not forgetting that California is the land of the 60s and the hippies, vintage stores out here I feel are much better than London, and a lot cheaper! The 'boho' look out here is a lot more natural rather than 'tried too hard'. Think Nicole Ritchie, Kate Bosworth and the Olsen sisters rather than Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Kate Moss....

Now London on the other hand has trend on point. Within moments of being on the catwalks the stores will have the current season's trend. Sometimes it would drive me crazy, it would be July and already stores are stocking AW, but then I would be appreciative because it really was a matter of 'buy it now or regret it later'.

I would often question if people in London were in fact trendy or simply following what is in every store and magazine?! All you will hear about is 'what's hot and what's not' to the point that if you didn't buy what was hot, you would be a loser.  Seeing people all over the city rocking the same look can be fun, but then I would find myself thinking "is this fashion, everyone wearing the same thing all season???"

The real trend setters are the ones who put thought in to the way they dress, it is more than an outfit you put on to show off, but a way of life, from your hair to your accessories, to your shoes, handbag and make up. I thank designers such as Vivienne Westwood for bringing us Brits Victoriana and Glam Rock and Stella McCartney for proving that minimalism is just as stylish as an eclectic mess. And of course the late Alexander McQueen for re inventing modern goth (thank you).

So, London Vs L.A, I bring an example:

For AW 2010 shearling jackets and boots were big in London, so much so that I could see it being 'over worn'.  When I arrived in L.A late December I saw the below, Jeffrey Campbell Denmark boots:

I was so pleased to see these thinking that I could rock these in L.A over the autumn months and not completely miss out on a trend.  When I showed them to my best friend out here, she said 'they are may be too trendy for L.A" "Too trendy" I thought?!, oh then I will definitely get them then!!!!! This is exactly the example of how one can stand out in L.A more so than in London.

So to sum it up, in my opinion London is definitely more fashion forward but I feel in L.A you can stand out more and really rock your style as an individual. Which brings me back to the reason why I started this blog in the first place....

About me...

My name is Farrah (inspired by Farrah Fawcett Majors, the original Charlie's Angel). I was born in Paris and came to England when I was 4, so technically yes, I am all Brit.

30 years old and born in 1980, I am an original and proud 80's child.

Fashion wise, anything 80s I love  - acid wash (my absolute fave ever),  lycra, skin tight jeans, mini skirts, shoulder pads, leopard print, lace, printed t shirts and jumpsuits. And of course the icons that go with it: Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Wham, Dynasty and Dallas to name a few.

I remember at junior school my class mates, and even their mothers would ask where I got my clothes from (mostly C&A and Tammy Girl back then). One time I wore different colored fluorescent socks over black leggings (cringe) and the next day everyone was doing it. To date I still have no clue where I got these ideas from.


As I hit my late 20s I discovered my mother's wardrobe, sadly she had thrown out a lot of clothes when we moved back to the UK but I did manage to land myself a few of her clutch purses, my all time favorite blazer,  Louis Vuitton bowling bag and a few other items. I would have killed for the acid wash jumpsuit she has pictures of oh and the over sized silver metallic tiger print t shirt.

Lesson learnt: everything comes back in to fashion, only throw away what you really and truly believe you will never wear again!

The argument: all black?

Some hate it, some love it. I say it is classic and timeless. All black rocks!!!

What I have realized however, is that the attire cannot be 'casual'. Glam it up with accessories (cue for color), mix fabrics - lace, chiffon, jersey, leather and for make up lovers, this is your dream for smokey eye make up, bold eye shadow and lipstick.

A recent picture of myself at a party in Downtown LA...

What do you think; all black, rocking or boring?