Photo to Outfit: Bird on the Blue Sky

One of my favourite things about the fall is the trees without any leaves on them. Not only can you get all sorts of cool patterns from the branches and the sky as a back drop, but you also see the birds more. I took this photo of an unidentified black bird a few weeks ago*, and I couldn't help but think that it would look really cool as an outfit.

Raven on Clear Skies by RosieUnknown 


I'm not really sure what occasion this is appropriate for, it you're me probably just school, but I think it would be fun for a casual party or I'm not sure what else. I really wanted to find some sort of think fish net cardigan to go over the dress, but a lace sweat shirt was the best I could do and I think that it would create a nice contrast with the more dressy dress.

Where would you wear an outfit like this?


Love,
Rosie



 * I think it was a rook but I really have no clue. 

Interesting Random Cohesiveness

I don't know if it's because I have been living out of a third of a hiking back pack for the past two weeks, or because I've been seeing all the amazingly dressed girls over here in the UK, but I am starting to get really and truly bored with my clothing*.

inspiration winter 2010 by RosieUnknown 

I've been wanting to wear sort of random outfits that only sort have a cohesiveness to them. I hope that made sense, I really don't know how to put it. I've also been missing my more interesting clothing and accessories, like my pirate hat, my cat ears, most of my jewelry, my many sweaters, most of my skirts, well, you get the picture.

What look are you going for this winter?

Love,
Rosie

*If you were doubting this fact, I've already started planning what I'll wear once I have my whole closet back in about a month.

Clothing for Comfortable Traveling

I am one of those seemingly rare people who really enjoys airports. Everyone I know loves the planes, and the destinations, but is neutral at best when it comes to airports. And yes, there are awful ones. There are times when even I hate them, but there are so many neat things to be enjoyed if you open your mind. The people watching is fascinating and diverse, it's always fun to watch the planes, you can shop, read a book, make a friend, go for a walk, go exploring. One of the biggest reasons the people I've talked to don't like airports is that they find them uncomfortable. I see the problem not as being the airport (usually); but the outfit.

Plane Outfit by RosieUnknown 

 This is the only style of outfit I will wear to travel now, since it is the most comfortable thing I can put on my body. Obviously everyone is different, but the general ideas are pretty universal.

 Leggings and Dress: I find pants fairly uncomfortable, so there is no way I'm wearing them to fly. Also, Leggings and a knee length dress keep me covered in pretty much any position I could contort my body into, which is an essential for me. If you prefer pants, I'd recommend something loose like a harem pant, with a tunic top or bodysuit so you don't realize at the end of a flight that your curled up in a seat position was showing everyone near you just what kind of panties you were wearing.

Sweater: Airplanes are often really cold, and if you aren't using it it can be folded up and used as a pillow.

Pashmina: scarf, wrap, blanket, emergency hair control, pillow, protection from dubious seats, top, skirt; there really isn't much that a big pashmina can't do.

Soft cloth head band: not only will it keep your hair in place, but it will also serve as an emergency eye cover and block some noise.

Walking shoes: Since  generally do some hiking or heavy duty sight seeing, I always like to have my walking shoes along, and they are great for trekking through airports, lugging bags through public transit and keeping you balanced on moving planes. Another plus: since they are the biggest shoes you'll bring (probably), you'll save space in your bag. If you absolutely don't need walking shoes or sneakers, I would wear flats, but unless they are the best flats on earth, I don't think they could be as comfy as walking shoes.

What do you wear when traveling

Love,
Rosie

Fall Dream Wardrobe: Crazy, Ugly, Funky and Awesome

In the midst of running around packing today, I realized that I could not, in fact leave blog post writing to 10 pm, since I would be on my way to Europe by then. That of course, left me with a problem: my brain does not function before 10 pm and I was incapable of coming up with an idea.

Twitter came to my rescue, and after a few minutes of panicking, I thought it would be neat to show you my dream fall wardrobe. This fall, I want to be wearing lots of crazy hats, big borderline "ugly" sweaters and funky skirts with awesome tights.

Fall dream wardrobe by RosieUnknown

 Sadly, since I had to pack my entire closet for the next several months in hiking back pack, randomness was abandoned in favour of a completely red and black wardrobe with the only exceptions being an orange sweater (for warmth) and a cream coloured sweater (cause it's amazing and versatile). The only pattern I packed was plaid or argyle (exception: paisley dress).

Despite these restraints, I still dream of rainbows and pastels and clashing and crazyness.

What's your dream fall wardrobe?

Love,
Rosie

Overstated and Somewhat Tacky

Lately, I've been seriously craving anything and everything sparkly. More specifically; anything and everything diamondy and being me, I want them insanely huge and tacky. Obviously, real diamonds are way way way out of my price range, but I can still bling myself out with plastic.

I have no idea where I got the necklace, but I recently found it while cleaning my room and decided that it is pretty much the best thing on earth. I made the earrings when I realized that my life couldn't be complete without a pair of Lego head earrings, and that the only thing better than Lego head earrings would be Lego head earrings with large, slightly pink, plastic crystals. My next plan is to try and get my hands on some crystals from a chandelier or something, since, like I said, overstated and tacky are practically my middle names. 

Do you love diamonds? Do you like them understated and demure or over the top?

Love,
Rosie

PS: all photos are links to their sources :)

The Trouble with Ruffles

In general, I pretty much love my style, all the aspects of it. The one draw back of my extreme love of close fitting skirts lies underneath: I have an insane love for ruffled underwear.

Pretty Pink Nylon with Ruffles Panties

Yeah, that kind of ruffled. And now I feel really conflicted, because while I have no problem spending money on pretty things, the pretty things I buy generally get worn. But panties that would only be wearable with one or two skirts that I don't wear that often? That's a bit crazy even by my standards.

Do you indulge in pretty garments that never get worn?

Love,
Rosie

For the Love of Rubber Boots

I will admit, I am not a huge fan of rainy weather. Frizzy hair, wet clothing and mud are all unfortunate consequences. The one fun  consequence, in my opinion, is that you get to wear rubber boots without feeling like a farmer/slightly ridiculous. 

I like my rubber boots super bright, like these:

Hunter Original Colours

One of the many wonderful things about rubber boots is that they lend themselves to so many different looks. Yes, if you wore them with many outfits on a normal day they might feel a bit strange, but when it's actually raining I have never lacked ideas for what to wear them with. 

For example; you could go for what I consider a sort of festival look:

Rubber Boots, take 1 by RosieUnknown 

 Nothing better than a simple, stylish outfit with a polar bear hat, right?

Or, if you lean more towards a love of colour you could play up the bright pink
 

Rubber Boots, take 2 by RosieUnknown

And by play up the pink I obviously mean add many other colours and move through life as a joyful rainbow.


We all have days when we just want to blend into the woodwork a bit, and rubber boots won't fail you then either.
 

Rubber Boots, take 3 by RosieUnknown 

They are the perfect complement to a super casual outfit, because sometimes you really can't be bothered. (Even on those days I can't resist a few cute accessories though, which is why I included the brooches.)

Do you own/wear rubber boots? What would/do you like to wear them with?

Love,
Rosie 

PS: If you want to know how I actually wore my rubber boots recently, don't worry, the outfit post should be out tomorrow.

What I Wore: Sweet Strawberries

In case you were wondering, I'm not dead. Like usual when I disappear off the face of the internet for a while, I have been completely occupied with the show I currently in and work. More on that once I have photos of my beautiful costumes, because it would be sad to talk about it with out being able to show you the wonderful custom costumes I get to wear.


For now, please accept this outfit post from weeks ago:

Yes, I know this is not a photo of an outfit. It's a photo of a bowl of strawberries I had just picked from the garden and that my mother was hulling. It's also what inspired me to wear the outfit shown bellow, because strawberries are, in my opinion, one of the tastiest and most beautiful foods that exist.

Jeans, Old Navy; t-shirt, Smart Set; hat, ???; apple necklace, handmade by me from an old christmas decoration; green necklace, gift from a friend.

The necklace is actually an apple, but I felt it had the appropriate feel for the outfit, and I was dying to try it out, so I wore it anyways. It's really bulky, so I'm not sure if I like it or not yet, it may become something other than a necklace in the near future.


Have you ever worn an outfit inspired by food? If so, was it inspired, or pretty literal?

Love,
Rosie

Biodiversity and Style

You may or may not be aware, but yesterday was the international day for biodiversity. (Side note: biodiversity is the diversity of different living species) Now, it may seem strange that I'm writing about this on a fashion blog, but the biodiversity of our world relates to pretty much everything else in the world. 

The most direct link to fashion though, is inspiration. Think about how many collections and outfits have been inspired by the wonders of the natural world. A two minute glance at style.com  reveals several recent collections that heavily featured animal inspiration.

The world of clothing has only touched on a small part of the multitude of plants and animals on our planet, but every time a species becomes extinct, we cut off a future source of inspiration. For this reason (and for many, many other reasons such as the stability of our ecosystems and the potential for new medicines), it is of the utmost importance to protect the different species of our wonderful planet.

It may seem like a single person can't do anything against a problem this big, but simple acts such as switching to recycled paper products around your home, buying organic produce, or shopping for clothing at second hand stores can make a difference. Possibly even more importantly, when you use your power as a consumer to say that you care about the environment and biodiversity, you can impact what the government and large corporations do.

For more information on why biodiversity is crucial, stop by this page on Global Issues detailing why biodiversity matters.

Have you ever had outfits inspired by the natural world?

Love,
Rosie

Regal Inspiration

I had a few days off this past week, and without any new episodes of Bones to watch, I decided to give The Tudors a try. I have been fascinated by the Tudor era for years, and I still count Queen Elizabeth as one of my inspirations and idols. ANYWAYS, I'm finishing the last episode of the first season at the moment, and I'm totally loving it. I particularly love the costumes, and while I'm not sure how historically accurate they are, they amazingly beautiful.

I'm not wild about the cut of this dress, but look at that fabric! It's so rich and so RED.

I haven't reached this scene yet, but I came across this picture when I was looking for the images in this post, and I couldn't resist the dress in it. I'm usually more of a black and silver girl, but the cream and gold combination is drawing me in.

The iridescent blue of bell sleeves over the paler greenish blue of the under-sleeves is inspiring me. I will have to experiment with it soon.

Once again, I haven't seen this scene yet, but would you look at the necklace? And the head piece!

Red crushed velvet with gold accenting? Yes please! It doesn't get much more regal then that.

The costumes in this scene are part of a play, but I still love the little ruff. Is it not wonderful?

Even if this style of dress was only accessible to a fraction of a percent of the population, and even if it is slightly impractical, it is still beautiful.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

A Week of Wonderland

I thought life would calm down a bit once the theatre production finished Friday before last, but boy was I wrong. I spent all week catching up on everything I neglected while devoting my life to the play. I finally got things mostly under control yesterday, so I went to finally see Alice in Wonderland with my family. 

I'm fairly certain that it may be my new all time favourite movie. From the minute it started to the time the lights came on again, I was spellbound. I'm kinda still in awe really. It was the first time I had seen a movie in 3D (I don't go to the movie theatre that often), and it was amazing! And I know I'm a bit late to be catching on to the obsession, but this is my blog and I will do what I like*, so I will be celebrating Alice all week here.

I sort of want to paint this image on my wall, or just random scenes from the movie. I would kill to live in Wonderland!

I'm fairly positive that the Mad Hatter is my favourite character. I love all of him, but his style is just AMAZING. Stay tuned for more Mad Hatter posts as the week continues, including a post on Dressing like the Mad Hatter (Monday), Top Notch Top Hats (Wednesday), and Not Quite as Mad Hatter Makeup (Saturday).

Alice is amazing too though, and she wears so many gorgeous costumes. I plan on doing an Alice Inspired Outfit Post on Tuesday.

She is completely mad, obsessed with red, and incredibly self centred. So pretty much like me. Only I would never, ever use a flamingo as a golf club, they make much better lawn ornaments :P. All joking aside, the Red Queen is a stylistic force to be reckoned with, and I will be tackling Dressing like the Red Queen on Friday.

And last but certainly not least, the White Queen. Who can resist dark brows, lips and nails on a sea of white? To conclude the week, I will be Reviewing Green Beaver Lip Shimmer in Bordeaux.

Love, Rosie

* I don't mean to sound childish, I just think that I should be allowed to write what I want on my own blog.

My Idol: Buffy

I've said this before, and I will probably say it again. My second favourite* tv show of all time is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love pretty much every aspect of the show, but Buffy's clothing is especially amazing.

She wears a lot of miniskirts/dresses, usually with tall, chunky heeled boots. Did I mention that she spends a good part of her time beating up vampires, climbing out her second floor window, and jumping fences? While making amazingly witty remarks? I can only hope that someday I will be as badass as she is.

This picture is season two, but I think it's a pretty good example of a "typical" Buffy outfit. It's also a great example of Buffy's accessorizing skills. She knows that a tall, dark, brooding vampire boyfriend in a leather jacket goes with everything!

Cordelia (the brunette), has pretty amazing style too. She wears a lot of lime green in season one, and a leopard print mini skirt? I need one!

This picture, from the season one season finale, is probably one of my favourite Buffy outfits EVER. White prom dress, check. Mysterious vampire boyfriend's leather jacket, check. Crossbow, check.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

*Firefly is a hands down first, even though there are only thirteen episodes, and Bones is a close third. Funny fact: Joss Whedon is the creator of the first two, and David Boreanaz stars in the second two.

I wish I had a school uniform

I have never had a school uniform. Sure, there have been dress codes (I still don't get why leggings and a tunic top weren't accepted at my middle school), but never an actual uniform. To tell the truth, I kinda wish I had one.

I wish I had a uniform... by RosieUnknown

I know I would probably hate it within a month, if not a week, but I think it would make getting dressed more interesting, but also easier. I know that most schools that have a uniform probably don't let you wear stilettos or fishnets, but it's fun to imagine.

Did any of you have a uniform? What did you think of it?

Love, Rosie

I wanna be a Rocker

February has really been getting to me. I feel so uninspired when it comes to clothing, and getting dressed every morning has become more and more of a struggle. I think it may be because my style has changed quite a bit lately.

Style Inspiration: 22/02/2010 by RosieUnknown

Part 1 of my new style goal: rocker chick. Lately I've really been craving a bit of bag girl in my style, I want to be able to transmit the sort of effortless vibe that I see people wearing. It's like they just sort of rolled out of bed and threw on the first things that came to hand, but they look amazing anyways. I haven't figured out what the key ingredient is yet.

My style hasn't just been veering towards rocker, so I will share my other source of inspiration within the next few days.

Love, Rosie

My new love: My Mom, the Style Icon

I have been known to borrow clothing from my mummy. For example:

This sweater was originally my mother's, circa the 1980s. She had some pretty cool clothing back in the day, and still does.

These moms though, they are truly magnificent. I discovered My Mom, the Style Icon about half an hour ago, and it is definitely one of my new favourite blogs. If my mother and grandmothers had clothes that amazingly awesome, I would probably never shop again.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

India Arie

Lately I've been listening to a lot of India Arie. I've also been watching her videos pretty much non stop and now I can't wait for summer, which is about 5 or 6 months away, but I can't wait for the warm glowing heat. I think I sort of want to start wearing a lot of white, even though I know that I don't look particularly good in white.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

Highlighter Guts and Chunky Knits

In case you had ever wondered: this is what highlighter guts look like when they aren't protected by the plastic exoskeleton. More precisely, this is what highlighter guts look like on oatmeal colour school floor tiles dating from circa 1970. The tiles, not highlighter guts. They showed up between 1 pm and 3:45 pm this afternoon.

After I took this picture, I said to myself (I talk to myself a lot), that would be a cool outfit!

Grey and Pink by RosieUnknown

So I obviously made a polyvore set inspired by it. Ok, so I used pink instead of yellow, and grey instead of oatmeal colour, but the idea is the same. Lots of chunky knits, cosy fabrics, and just enough hot pink to make the outfit, well, pink.

Love, Rosie

Sexy Secretary with a dash of Punk

Lately I have been feeling rather dissatisfied with my outfits and clothing in general. There are some outfits that I love, but I feel like a lot of them leave me thinking: why did I wear that?

So I started thinking about what I wanted to wear, and came up with the following:

Dream Style: 10/01/2010 by RosieUnknown

I think I want to go for a slightly sexy secretary look, with a bit of punk/goth thrown in for the fun of it. I'm craving pencil skirts, tight v-neck sweaters, wide belts, high heels. Sleek, simple lines, but interesting colours and textures.

I have long since given up on trying to find a pencil skirt that will fit me, I think I will have to embark on a sewing project, but more on that later.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: I you wanted to make me extra happy, you could check out my new photography blog, Exposure Extraordinaire.

Introducing Dream Rosie

Dream Style: December 12 2009 by RosieUnknown

In my dream world, where I am not only smart but also athletic and musical, where guys can't help falling for me, and where I get what I want, this is what I'm wearing. In real life, where I am smart, but a couch potato who can't carry a tune, where I can't figure out why I can't get a date, and where I am stuck thinking about saving for university, I am wearing much more boring clothing.

That's why you are spending today's post with Dream Rosie. A brief introduction: she is smart, funny, has a few close friends (like me), but she also has tons of friends and acquaintances. She never passes up a party, she can dance the night away without breaking a sweat, and only ever drinks vodka or champagne. Dream Rosie always gets the guy she wants, and is a great girlfriend, but leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her, since guys can't help from liking her.

Dream Rosie flatters her curvy body with close fitting pencil skirts, and the occasional tutu, paired with anything lace, mesh, leather or studded. Heels are a must, for every occasion. Her colours of preference are black and red, and she rarely wears any other colours. Her look is topped off with a smoky eye and red lips, ebony curls across the porcelain skin of her face.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

The Amazingness the is Mika

A week or so ago, a friend of mine introduced my to the amazingness that is Mika. I haven't listened to a ton of his songs, but this one really caught my attention:

I love this song. I love this message. I love the costumes the girls are wearing. I don't think I need to say anything else.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: I also recommend his songs Lollipop and We Are Golden. The video for lollipop is adorable, and how can you not love a song in which the line "Sucking too hard on your lollipop, Oh love's going to get you down" features prominently? As for We Are Golden, f***ing amazing. All I have to say.