Inspiration - Street Art in Barcelona

Good news photos are working again, so here's a long awaited post!

Last August I went on a summer holiday to Barcelona. They've been a long time coming, but finally here are the photos!

I completely fell in love with the Spanish city and ended up becoming a little bit obsessed with all the fantastic street art. Everyone in Barcelona seems to be so fantastically artistic and everywhere you go there is something fascinating to look at. The graffiti is incredible and there are brilliant street performances to watch everywhere. Place all this amongst fantastic buildings by Gaudi and you are on to a winner! I even stumbled across loads of antique markets and vintage shops. Besides London, this is the one other city that I could imagine myself living in.

I took absolutely thousands of photos, but here is a roundup of my favourite pictures of Barcelona's street art. I hope you enjoy them and feel inspired to go there yourself. I definitely recommend it.

Christmas Trip to Whitby, The Land of Dracula.



I'm so sorry about my lack of posting over the past few weeks. It's been a really crazy Christmas! Tristan and I just got a new car and we have ended up pretty much driving around the whole of Britain in it to visit family.

I am having some massive problems with uploading photos, so for now here are a few pics from our trip to Whitby, Yorkshire. You wouldn't actually be able to guess how long it's taken me to put this post together!

I had so much fun in Whitby. We went for dinner at the Magpie Cafe, which is meant to have the best fish and chips in the country, and went Vampire hunting in the Whitby Abbey ruins. Unfortunately, lots of the shops were closed, but I still managed to find some Christmas presents and a new 1970s teaset for myself for £4.95. It's gorgeous and a bargain!

WInter Trend Fur Muff

When I put together an outfit I always like to draw inspiration from the past. It's something I have always done ever since I was a wee child. Every winter I used to imagine that I was a Victorian Christmas Caroller wearing a cloak, a bonnet and a muff. Basically, I imagined that I looked a little bit like this-

Now it may be 20 years later but it's safe to say that my fashion inspiration hasn't really changed. Here's the outfit I picked today to do some Christmas shopping in Greenwich. I bought this muff (faux fur of course!) in Heal's last Christmas for £15 and it really has been the best purchase ever. I am pretty much wearing it every day at the moment as it keeps my hands so warm and toasty. There's a little ribbon inside so if you need to use your hands for anything you can just put the ribbon round your wrist and your hands are completely free. Very handy. Trust me that if you try one you will NEVER go back to using boring old gloves again. Here's to hoping that muffs start trending again in 2013!

I finished my outfit off with a pair of my Glitter Shoes. I make these shoes myself. They are so sparkly and perfect for the party season. If your interested in them, I will be selling on Etsy soon. Follow this blog and I will post details as soon as I can.

And what outfit would be complete without a gorgeous handbag. Here I am wearing my Mulberry Lily in Oak.

Photography © Tristan Trend (aka my lovely boyfriend)

Let it Snow

Last weekend came the first London snow of 2012 and I couldn't resist a snowy Hipstamatic photo sesh. I spent Sunday afternoon wondering around Charlton Park and here are some of the results.

Astrid Kirchherr and The Beatles: Living in a Material World

After watching Martin Scorsese's compelling documentary "George Harrison: Living in a Material World", i found myself feeling extremely inspired. I am a huge Beatles fan, but i found myself most affected by the fantastic photography of Astrid Kirchherr. 

Astrid is a photographer and artist who is mainly known for her association with The Beatles during their time in Germany. We are so lucky to have had this wonderfully talented photographer to record these early years. Her photos are so rich with emotion. I feel that before The Beatles seemed almost 'super-human' to me, but this set of photos show us the real men.

I particularly love her unusual, one side heavy, compositions that she features in a lot of her work.

I find her creativity and innovation so inspiring. Even her personal style is edgy, yet timeless. She is credited with introducing the band to their iconic 'moptop' haircut and early style, although she denies this. Stuart Sutcliffe was even known to sometimes borrow her clothing. 

Sadly, i have heard that she gave up her photography in 1967 after feeling that she would only be known for her photos of the 'Fantastic Four'. I really wish there was a wider collection of Kirchherr, but i guess that's what makes her so wonderful. The photos perfectly capture icons within a brief period of time; popular culture; and ground breaking fashions and artistic forethought. 

During these early years it seems that she really was a muse to The Beatles and helped to shape the band they became.         

Here are some examples of Kirchherr's Beatles portfolio. I could actually study these pictures for days.