'I carried a Watermelon!'... 7 1980s Film Sources of Wardrobe Inspiration...

I like lists! I think that magazines and the internet (damn you buzzfeed) have been forcing lists down our throats for so many years that I actually think in lists a lot of the time!... As such I've decided i'm going to start writing some of my blog posts in beautiful list format... Exciting I know.

I'm starting things off with films from the 1980s that you can get some good wardrobe inspo from (The '90s draft is already done). I'm a sucker for soaking in the visual delights of a cheesy '80s flick... The abundance of hairspray, overly generous application of blusher, massive shoulder pads. Just yes!!...

 Pretty in Pink (1986)– Once you get over the fact that Duckie is played by Two And a Half Men’s Jon Cryer (I lie, you never get over it you just learn to live with it), you’ll realise how great his wardrobe is. Even though Molly Ringwald takes the lead as Andy- the smart, angsty high school student with a knack for fashion design, it’s supporting characters Duckie (who's like a better dressed version of a modern day hipster) and the ever eccentric Iona, whose wardrobe’s will have you lusting after over-sized blazers, round shades and  PVC dresses. Not just the typical wardrobe of most mainstream films of the era, seriously setting this film ahead in the fashion stakes.

Dirty Dancing (1987)- Ok I know including this classic is a biiiiiiit of a cheat since it’s actually set in the ‘60s... But I couldn't not list this when Jennifer Grey’s wardrobe is like a 90 minute American Apparel commercial! Leotards, high waisted shorts and jeans, pretty flowing dresses... All very simple but all very stylish.

Heathers (1988) - Probably my favourite ‘80s film, a cult classic and as far as I'm concerned the blueprint for Clueless and Mean Girls, Heathers is packed with sartorial inspiration as well as some of the best quotable lines I've ever heard- 'Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw', 'Grow up Heather, bulimia's so '87', 'Whether to kill yourself or not is the most important decision a teenager can make'- gahhhh the list goes on and on... Anyway, returning to the point, you'll be hard pressed to find a scene where you wont wanna be jotting down outfit notes. Veronica (Winona Ryder) is impeccably dressed from start to finish and the Heather's blazers and skirts sets are divine. Betty Finn also brings some rather pleasing geek chic to the table and I want a Big Fun t-shirt... Now!!!!!... Too much goodness to list so if you haven't already- WATCH. THIS. FILM.

• 
  
  
  

    Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (1985)- I must’ve seen this film about 50 times... Not even exaggerating, I know most of the script. Starring a before-they-were-famous young Hollywood cast of Sarah Jessica Parker, (as Janey Glenn), Helen Hunt (as Lynne Stone) and Shannon Doherty (as Maggie Malene), there are some good and bad outfits in this one (for bad see Jeff Malene’s belly top at the end of the film... Complete with very hairy belly. Just no). Lynne Stone is the style maverick in this one, my personal highlight being the grasshopper hat, over-sized yellow tee with cutout and black leotard combo (pictured below). This is a bit of an obscure film so unfortunately I couldn't find as many pictures as I would have liked... I implore you to watch it to witness the magic that is Lynne Stone's fur hat, baggy coat and military belt outfit- sounds so wrong, looks so right!

         

         (the outfit you need to see in full!!)

Working Girl (1988)- There's not much I can say about the film itself; I've only actually seen it once and it's certainly no favourite of mine, but Working Girl makes my list for one big reason- Power dressing. Shoulder pads for days, suits to die for, gorgeous coats; Melanie Griffiths looks great from beginning to end. If I ever worked in an office i'd dress like this!... Though i'd leave most of the hair in the '80s where it belongs.

 Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)- Where would any '80s list be without this fashion classic?!... Showcasing some of the most iconic looks of the '80s Lace, beads, metallics, bralets, blazers, hair bands, crop tops- this film never misses a sartorial beat. It's like an A-Z of everything good about '80s clothing and the once goodness that was Madonna. If it hadn't been done to death for ever fancy dress party of the last twenty years i'd gladly dress like Madonna's character Susan every day just to brighten up my life!! Bloody brilliant. The pictures really do speak for themselves... 

  

Coming to America (1988)-  Saving the best till last- who doesn't like this film?!?!... Coming to America is so entertaining that just thinking about it makes me want to abandon writing this list to go and watch it right now! Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and Semmi (according to my best friend, my apparent doppelganger Arsenio Hall), arrive in New York in attire so fabulous that that one scene alone is enough to comfortably secure them the place as the winner of this list. The coats, matching hats, gold chains and leather gloves (see picture one) combinations are on point, if I could find a winter coat and hat like Semmi's i'd probably throw the rest of my clothes away and live in them! I once saw an elderly man dressed very similarly walking down Brick Lane, best dressed man I've ever seen!! The king and queen also provide their fair share of looks with a decadent array of furs and turbans. And the scenes set it Zamunda are an aesthetic feast of beautiful, colourful prints and turbans.

So there you have it, my top '80s film sources of fashion inspiration.  What do you think??

There are so many great '80s films i'm sure to have missed something important- is there anything else you guys think should've been on the list??... Films only! (There will be other posts about TV shows etc) xx

(Disclaimer- I do not own any of the pictures used in this post. The pictures are used for commentary purposes only. If you own any of the material and wish to have it removed please e-mail me and I will do so).

Got The Walls Kicking Like They Six Months Pregnant...

Every time I've been away from the blogspot blogosphere I always come back saying something lame about how much has (or more often than not, hasn't,) changed and carry on blogging as sporadically as before... Well this time things really have changed... Cos i'm pregnant!!!!!!... Yes, pregs, preggo, up the duff, with child, however you wanna say it- I am pregnant and come September shall be welcoming a beautiful (fingers crossed lol) little boy into the toxic fumes of our London life.

This has all reignited my interest in blogging and so here I am... Camera on standby and ready to share/vent... At the time of writing i'm 24 weeks pregs which seems a good time to start regularly updating about weekly changes in preggo land as there seem to be more to update on at this point...

I'm gonna start off with a post I wish someone had written for me to read in the early days... From what i've read so far pregnancy blogging and literature in general is all super cutesy and joyous which is far from my style. Before anyone says it I know everyone's pregnancy is different etc etc, take this with a pinch of salt, things wont go down like this for everyone...

5 things I wish someone had warned me about pregnancy...

  

(Only just realised how exceptionally watermarked the mirror was when I took this pic, gross)

1. One day you will wake up with massive, swollen ankles and feet!... I know this isn't exactly a secret but the level of swelling is somewhat unbelievable. Your feet will look like sausages and your ankles will morph into kankles. No amount of rest or wearing flat shoes will change this. Get used to a few months of ugly, spread out, dinosaur feet.
2. Your poop will stink, regardless of what you've eaten that day!... Babydaddy begged me not to include this but I don't care if this is TMI, someone should warn pregnant women of how stinky their poo's will become!!!! I've set a half an hour rule for how long people should wait if they're using the bathroom after i've had to do a number 2.... Seriously, a pregnant woman's number 2 is like a non-pregnant woman's number 4. So wrong but so unavoidable.
3. Early pregnancy might make you feel like you've gone into a coma- in the very early stages of my pregnancy, like weeks in before I actually knew that I was pregnant, I was sleeping for about 12 hours a night. My boyfriend kept poking fun at me for being bed bound and lazy- a few weeks later we found out that I was in fact pregs. I've always enjoyed a good, long night's sleep- I can't really have a good day with less than 8.5/9 hours sleep, but sleeping for 12 hours, feeling completely shattered all day and falling asleep randomly throughout the day was not pleasant. If you know you're pregnant and are feeling tired allow yourself the sleep- you need it... Growing a baby is difficult work!
4. There comes a point where nothing you own fits you any more- Again, not a secret but it can be quite a shock if your bump sneaks up on you like mine did... Up until the end of month 4 to 5 my belly wasn't seeming all that large, I could still fit into most of my old clothes if I just moved up a notch or two on my belt. I'd put it down to being quite tall and having a long torso. Fast forward a month or two and my belly, hips and booty were all popping into another dimension. The whole thing is doubly annoying if you only wear high-waisted clothing... As I did. Maternity clothes are gross. I do not plan on buying any. So i'm keeping my eyes peeled on Etsy and Ebay for cheap stretchy/baggy vintage dresses and jumpsuits that i'll still be able to wear next Summer.  
5. Aches and pains- Not much to elaborate on here just expect lots of different aches and pains. I spend most of the night bending and stretching my legs and turning from side to side... As uncomfortable as it is it's still ten times better than period pains though!

It seems almost surreal to be writing about my pregnancy and reflecting on how much life will change when my son is born. A year ago, amidst weekly piss ups with my friends and having little more planned beyond wanting to go to Outlook Festival in the Summer, if someone had predicted i'd be having a baby I would have laughed myself into hysterics... Now I can easily spend hours browsing contentedly through baby products. Weird. Very weird.
As usual feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail and i'll get back to you as soon as I can. I wont only be posting about pregnancy/baby stuff btw. xx

(Title = lyrics to 'The Morning' by The Weeknd)

Speak Until The Dust, Settles In The Same Specific Place, Light Refused To Go, Drink It From A Cast and Iron Plate...

Last week I took my Marley Braids out. Not the ones from my last post but the super long ones I did afterwards and never got round to posting here. Now it might not seem too strange that I should take out all my braids in between hairstyles but this was actually the first time I've taken them all out since my hair has been long enough to braid!! I've literally been washing it in sections and just re-doing it braid by braid because i've been so reluctant too see all my hair out at once and be crushed by disappointment in the length. Last week  that is exactly what happened. After months and months of neglect my hair really hasn't grown very much at all. 10 months of growing it and nothing to show for it. My hair regime has been virtually non-existent and I haven't been moisturising it very often, my diet has been appalling and i've been scraping my braids into tight, high ponytails almost every day. Combine these factors with shrinkage and my painfully unrealistic expectations and there really was only one way this was going to end... In bitter, bitter tears. I really did give up and had resolved to forget the whole frustrating ordeal, nip to the barbers and shave my kinky lil problem off and live my life (at least for the foreseeable future) as a content #NoHairDontCare kinda girl... That was until a few very wise yet very simple points from my mate Cedric changed my mind... He basically made the point that this is where the real growing starts- this is where I begin to work on length.

The reason why this is so important is because I think when your 'big chop' is a real big chop... As in a hardcore 0.5 down to the scalp big chop, it's easy to forget that you are literally starting again. From scratch. It's not like cutting away relaxed ends and growing your hair out from a few inches. This for some reason just jolted me into seeing sense- If I can't get over my impatience I will never have decent length hair. This really is where the true grow out begins and if I look after myself and my hair properly then this time next year I should start to see some real progress. After prescribing myself: Biotin, MSM, lots of water, an improved diet and some serious TLC for my hair- starting with the purchase of a bottle of coconut oil and a tub of raw shea butter, I decided Havana Twists were the next protective destination for my hair...

I'm definitely a fan of this style. I've admired twists for years but always thought they'd be really hard to do (don't ask).... Turns out they're pretty easy. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of room for my technique to improve but I was happy with my first attempt results.

Maintenance wise though I think they will be a bit of a pain and they definitely wont last as long as braids but i'm glad to have a style change... Even if it's only a small one.

What do you guys think of twists??...

Yay or nay?? xx

(P.S. Title = lyrics to 'Cavalier' by James Vincent McMorrow)

zizziswardrobe.tumblr.com

zizzisfaces.tumblr.com

www.facebook.com/ZizzisWardrobe

Pulling Shapes Just For Your Eyes, So With Toothpaste kisses And Lines, I'll Be Yours And You'll Be...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Yet again i've failed to keep my posting promises since last time but I think my New Year's blogging resolution is going to be- stop the laziness and post when you can, as consistently as possible without all the excuses and drama. 

Yes, yes indeed.

Today's photos are pretty simple. A Forever 21 ensemble of a fuzzy black jumper I chopped into a crop and my booty shorts, heeeyyyyyyyyyyy...

Hopefully as the year progresses and my own hair gets a lil longer i'll be able to put in longer Marley braids!

As per usual photos are re-bloggable on tumblr from zizzisfaces and zizziswardrobe so don't be re-posting please.

Any resolutions guys?? xx

zizziswardrobe.tumblr.com

zizzisfaces.tumblr.com

www.facebook.com/ZizzisWardrobe

(P.S. Title = Lyrics to 'Toothpaste Kisses' by The Maccabees)

When Things Are Thrown Away Like They Are Daily, Time Passes And The Constants Stay, So If That Is How It Is....

James Blake's new album really has been giving me life these last few days!! I loved his first one but didn't even know he had another one out- i'm always so late with music.

Well the main purpose of this post is actually just to publish a bloody post... Time flies by so quickly, one month becomes two, two become three and next thing you know i'm writing a blog about the joys of parenthood!! I've got so much half done stuff backed up in my drafts it's ridiculous... I will publish about going to London Fashion Week S/S14 if it kills me... Or if it takes me 'til next season.

So yeah, nothing particularly inspiring here but here are a few shots of me as i'm looking now anyway.

I'm channelling Sandy from Grease...

(I still have blue face paint in my hair from dressing up as an Avatar for Halloween, only really shows up with flash. Ergh. How the heck d'you get face paint out of marley hair??!)

Yep... As soon as my hair was long enough I put my marley braids back in.

Certainly wouldn't recommend protective styling when your hair hasn't even hit three inches yet but I can't be dealing with the TWA (teeny weeny afro) lengths. 

Nuh-uh. Not me.

Thanks for all the 'where have you gone?' e-mails and comments. Much appreciated and I promise i'll see the year out posting as much as possible to make up for my Summer disappearance.

Toodles to you bitches xx

(P.S. Title = lyrics to 'Overgrown' by James Blake)

zizzisfaces.tumblr.com

zizziswardrobe.tumblr.com

www.facebook.com/zizziswardrobe