The Rainbow Notebook

Two Little Mermaids

2012-02-08T14:05:00.000+13:00

I've been watching two adaptations of The Little Mermaid over the past couple of days, courtesy of You Tube. Mala Morska Vila (Czechoslovakia, 1976) and Rusalochka (Russia, 1976). They are both excellent films and I really recommend them.

Mala Morska Vila is dreamy and tragic, with beautiful costumes and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack (which was reissued a couple of years back, though the film remains unavailable on a dvd with English subtitles). If you're a fan of Valerie and her Week of Wonders you'll love it.

Funnily enough it's actually the little mermaid in the Russian adaptation who is more of a Valerie-like character. She doesn't give up her voice for the prince, though she clearly loves him just as much as the mermaid in Mala Morska loves her prince.

I won't give away the ending, yet this humourous yet also haunting film does offer an unexpected alternative.

There's something Wicker Man or Valerie like in its focus on ritual and jousts and trying to burn witches at the stake which thankfully doesn't happen.

The princess is snarky, yet likeable in Rusalochka ("It's a cruel 13th century world we live in" she tells the mermaid). So is the witch which is refreshing.

Definitely an inspiring film.

Poetry

2012-02-05T19:56:00.002+13:00

I'm a bit behind on blogging about various chapbooks I've been loving lately. Lots of chapbooks from Birds of Lace who have a reading period right now, Kate Durbin's E! Entertainment, chapbooks from Dancing Girl Press and many more. They are all so so great.

As for writing - I have revised a couple of the poems in We Speak Girl before the final MS is due. I also have two new poems I may add into it. I'm now working mainly on my gothic influenced project which is a different approach from We Speak Girl in that the poems are all on the same topic and none of them use collaged material from other sources. So it's a new and interesting writing challenge for me.

Julia Morison and Rodarte

2012-02-04T14:17:00.000+13:00

I was flipping through the Julia Morison exhibiton catalogue A Loop Around a Loop this morning as she has a new exhibiton showing locally right now. I was thinking that it would be really interesting to make a comparison between the Material Evidence exhibit of Morison's which includes nine giant dresses hanging in the gallery and some of Rodarte's fashions.

Carlson

2012-02-02T11:53:00.000+13:00

I love the 1940's look of these clothes from Carlson's upcoming winter range. I wish I could make it down to Dunedin for the ID fashion show there at the end of March. Tanya Carlson, Charmaine Reveley and Company of Strangers are some of the awesome designer's showing there. It's held in the city's Victorian railway station. Plus Dunedin is such a wonderful city.

Sensation again

2012-02-01T11:49:00.002+13:00

Ann Radcliffe looked at paintings to gather inspiration for her texts - places she hadn't visited. I'm collecting a few gothic pictures from Tumblr and the internet in general, like the one above as inspiration.

I also started reading a couple of theory books relating to the gothic and sensation novels, thinking they might be useful for my project. I'm not so sure about a comment like this one from Lyn Pykett, though: "Equally problematic would be a feminist re-appropriation of women’s sensation fiction which would simply celebrate its focus on female emotions and sensations as a form of emotionally rich womanspeak articulating female power and feeling (…) or as a form of ecriture feminine which inscribes both the female body and a feminine subjectivity. This would be to risk re-inscribing essentialist notions of the feminine, and to replicate the gendered critical discourse of the nineteenth century through which sensation fiction was mediated” – Lyn Pykett, The “improper” feminine: the women’s sensation novel and the new woman writing.

Aurora Floyd

2012-01-30T10:00:00.002+13:00

While I was talking about the Gothic in my previous post, I should probably note that just as big an influence are the heroines of Sensation fiction. I'm currently reading the novel Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. I've read certain criticisms of the novel, but I think it's really good.

Gothic Heroines

2012-01-29T22:23:00.001+13:00

Here's a still from the BBC version of Northanger Abbey from a few years back. I have been immersing myself in all things gothic for an as yet unnamed "gothic heroine" poetry project I'm working on. I don't really want to say much more about the project at the moment, but I'm working on it and am very excited and pleased that I have decided to focus on this after a bit of drifting between various ideas and started things lately.

Pastel Cassette

2012-01-20T21:57:00.000+13:00

It has been awhile since I ran a music blog - but I have missed having a dedicated music spot so I've decided to create a second tumblr, Pastel Cassette to collect some of my favourite music videos. It's definitely just going to be the aural equivalent of an image tumblr - heaps of videos and a lack of restraint in posting whatever whenever. That's what I like about tumblr.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

2012-01-20T09:55:00.000+13:00

Have been watching and reading reviews of this show somewhat late after having enjoyed the pictures on Tumblr awhile back. Definitely material for another poem. Can I look at anything without wanting to turn it into a poem these days? It's all a case of deciding what's worth pursuing in writing I suppose. I don't have to write about everything, but there's a lot I do see as being able to work into my writing.

Current Listening

2012-01-17T10:35:00.000+13:00

A lot of music journalists seem to really dislike Best Coast and Maria Minerva. There was some snotty comment about the latter in the latest WIRE best of year lists. I've just been listening to Best Coast's album and while it's true that it's poppier than the music she made with Pocahaunted I like the album. I also just ordered the Maria Minerva album as it sounds really intriguing. It's often good to ignore bad reviews.

Darling Beastlettes

2012-01-11T10:20:00.003+13:00

'Darling Beastlettes' by Gina Abelkop: a book trailer/short film in two distinct universes from Birds of Lace on Vimeo.

Gina Abelkop just released her book trailer for her upcoming book Darling Beastlettes. With bleeding lillies and a performance of the poem "The Glass Tree" accompanied by piano and a cut-up version of a Tori Amos song it's really genius. The book is available for pre-order here, and if you pre-order it you get a wonderful poster.

I really love her chapbook Trollops in Love and zine How I got over My Big Bad Feelings, so I'm really looking forward to the book. I definitely recommend her work and press Birds of Lace if you are not already familiar with them.

Vintage Makeup Tutorial

2012-01-08T10:39:00.001+13:00

Just came across this awesome makeup video which uses genuine vintage Biba makeup! on Sasha of Astral Boutique's blog. The only genuine vintage makeup I have is a 1930s powder compact which I've never used - I just keep it as is.

Shirley

2012-01-07T13:16:00.001+13:00

Here's Shirley Temple and a Shirley Temple doll. It comes from this great Tumblr on Shirley. I spent this morning drafting a series of four poems on girls and dolls inspired by Shirley Temple, the "Like a Doll" editorial I posted about below, Victorian dolls and "dollybirds" - some ideas which I had already begun thinking about awhile ago.

Like A Doll

2012-01-06T20:35:00.001+13:00

I am completely mesmorized by this editorial by Tim Walker featuring a massive Shirley Temple doll. There are no words. I don't think I'll ever look at my Shirley Temple dolls in the same way.

Don't Deliver Us From Evil

2012-01-05T11:14:00.002+13:00

After reading a bit about it on the internet, I'm definitely quite intrigued to see this film.

Olimpia Splendid

2012-01-04T11:11:00.002+13:00

and here is some Olimpia Splendid!

New Islaja Live Video

2012-01-04T09:53:00.001+13:00

Just found a new (actually from 2010, but just uploaded) Islaja live performance.

2012-01-02T13:04:00.000+13:00

2012-01-02T13:03:00.000+13:00

2012-01-02T13:02:00.002+13:00

2012-01-02T13:01:00.002+13:00

2012-01-02T13:00:00.003+13:00

2012-01-02T13:00:00.000+13:00

Favourite albums of 2011

2011-12-30T11:13:00.000+13:00

It's a bit of a tradition for me to do a personal top ten albums of the year, so here goes. I think it has been yet another wonderful year for music - just one sign of this is that many of the artists above have released more than one album each, and the ones I left out of my ten are just as good - Tomutonttu released a picture disc and a split LP. The Advisory Circle and Moon Wiring Club both released further amazing LP's. U.S. Girls did a split LP - the list goes on. I have written a little about some of these albums on the blog during the year, but I don't really write reviews so much these days - a time thing, really. Here are a few further thoughts, anyway:

Bachelorette - S/T (Particle Tracks)
Bachelorette is the solo project of formerly Christchurch based musician Annabel Alpers. She creates haunted electronic tracks with a lonely orchestra of keyboards and effects. This was her final album under the Bachelorette name as she looks to explore different projects in the future.

Hertta Lussu Ässä- S/T (De Stijl)
HLA released an awesome cd-r a few years back called "You are such an pretty sucker" - in fact I think each edition had a different name and cover picture. It was really great and this album is even better. It's still playful, but has a lot of depth and layers to it. It's quiet, dark, fluid, colourful, strange. An album of contrasts and textures. Merja (Islaja), Jonna (Kuupuu, Olimpia Splendid etc) and Laura (Lau Nau) create amazing and quite different music in their respective solo projects and together they come together to create something quite unique.The titles of the songs "cocktail of life fluids" and "juicy bones" for example are really evocative of the music.

Tsembla - Fauna (Ikuissus)

This is the first full length album from Marja Johansson after a 7" last year. She creates really intriguing and evocative electronic based music.

Tomutonttu - Elävänä planeetalla (New Images)
Jan Anderzen played an amazing show in Christchurch between earthquakes last year - it remains one of my favourite live music experiences. It was short but he seemed to pack everything into it - just like he does on this album.

Jon Brooks - Music for Thomas Carnacki (Cafe Kaput)
Jon's music is so detailed and intricate both as The Advisory Circle and under his own name (also maybe (?) as D.D. Denham, though the secret identity of that artist remains under wraps). Each release was breathtaking and created it's own self-contained world, whilst also linked nicely together. This soundtrack was imagined for a ghost story by Thomas Carnacki. It makes a perfect soundtrack in it's own right. It's nineteenth century yet also so so modern.

Moon Wiring Club - Somewhere a Fox is Getting Married (Gecophonic)
This album was Moon Wiring Club's tribute album for the Royal Wedding. I can't imagine any other Royal tribute album quite like it. Moon Wiring Club's music is very funky, yet about as far away from dance and club music as you could imagine. I hope Kate and William enjoyed it as much as I did.

U.S. Girls - U.S. Girls on KRAAK (KRAAK)
Megan Remy's music is a ghostly shadow of pop music and it makes you really want to luxuriate in those shadows.

Lady Gaga - Born this Way
So much has been written about this album - I really love it and Gaga. I know some critics don't get Lady Gaga - they are the ones who missed out on a wonderful album with memorable tracks such as Marry the Night which was one of my favourites as it seemed like the 21st century pop version of No New York.

Part Wild Horses Mane on Both Sides - Sixth Samovar (Rayon Records)
Pacsal Nichols and Kelly Jones are creating some of the most interesting experimental sounds to come out of the UK. The Sheffield scene was a WIRE article a year or two ago. Their music is still present and astonishing.

Miaux - 7" (Ultra Eczema)

I can't wait until Miaux releases a full length.

Jane Eyre

2011-12-29T10:05:00.002+13:00

I finally watched Carey Fukunanga's version of Jane Eyre last night - I never got around to seeing it at the cinema and to be honest watching a DVD is the most pleasant option locally right now as we're still lacking a dedicated arthouse cinema, though it looks like that may change in the coming months.

I thought it was really great adaption. It's really atmospheric with scenes looking like a Pre-Raphaelite painting. It's very Victorian. I especially love the costumes too - Jane's wedding dress in old silk with all those flowers. The fact that it's reminiscent of Miss Havisham's wedding dress is a sign of things to come in the following wedding scene. Even the textures and colours of the day dresses and ribbons. It's definitely sumptuous visually.

I didn't feel that the acting fell flat like some of the negative reviews said either. They said that it was too restrained, but Jane is a different character from Cathy in Wuthering Heights, for instance. They are two different books. This version seems to do a better job of definining itself as something different from Wuthering Heights than the 2006 miniseries by the BBC (or ITV?) seemed to, though both are definitely worth watching.

I'd really love to see the version with Joan Fontaine now. It's so interesting that she starred in Rebecca as well, which I watched recently and loved. This time last year I was reading Wide Sargasso sea, which I'm definitely in the mood to re-read and find a good adaption of to watch as well. It's all so so inspiring to me right now (and yes, in terms of a piece of writing - I'm sure I've said before that I'd love to write an experimental gothic piece of some kind). It's definitely an era in both literature and art history I'm especially drawn too (they were my areas of study back when I was a student).

2011-12-27T13:56:00.000+13:00

photograph, Tumblr.

"Stop at that candy bar, will you." - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:25:00.002+13:00

photograph, Tumblr.
"But we are lovers, aren't we?" - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:24:00.002+13:00

photograph, Tumblr.
"This is a free country" - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:23:00.002+13:00

photograph, Tumblr.
"Wow! Looks Swank!" - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:20:00.003+13:00

photograph, Tumblr.
"Juvenile delickwent but frank and fetching." - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:19:00.004+13:00

Photograph, Tumblr.
"Incidentaly, I want all my clothes." - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:19:00.000+13:00

"Pardonnez, Mother. I was not aiming at you." - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:18:00.000+13:00

"Don't drool on me" - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:17:00.001+13:00

"I was a daisy-fresh girl, and look what you've done to me" - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-26T21:16:00.001+13:00

"Well, you haven't kissed me yet, have you?" - Dolores Haze, Lolita.

2011-12-20T10:07:00.001+13:00

To everyone who reads this blog. I will be back next year - possibly with new ideas for the blog.

Xmas Outfit Inspiration

2011-12-19T08:35:00.003+13:00

From the Grimoire blog

My Name is Dolores

2011-12-16T12:51:00.000+13:00

Dolly Kei

2011-12-14T10:01:00.005+13:00

Dolly Kei is probably the easiest Japanese street style to be inspired by in terms of acquiring the clothes if you live outside of Japan. Grimoire (where this gunne sax dress and equestrian print skirt are from) don't ship overseas, but I've already got a very similar skirt and dress from two of my favourite US based vintage sellers.

The Violent Years

2011-12-12T22:40:00.001+13:00

I touched on the Ed Wood film The Violent Years in my piece on Girl Gang Style I posted on Story Bought Dress. It's on the same DVD as the film Girl Gang and I must say that of the two it is definitely the more appealing film to me, though Girl Gang is quite good - I'm even writing a poem based on it - kind of as a companion piece to my Daisies poems as I see this film as the Daisies of B-Movies - the girls embarking on a series of destructive acts. It's much darker than Daisies, but has something similar in my opinion - also the way fashion plays such a role in it. Paula's silk pantsuit, for instance.

Gunne Sax Xmas

2011-12-09T11:18:00.001+13:00

Gorgeous Gunne Sax Christmas ensemble - seen here. Grimoire have a real dress-up, story inspired aesthetic which naturally I love.

A Vogue Christmas

2011-12-08T09:14:00.001+13:00

Cult Party Kei

2011-12-05T16:03:00.001+13:00

Bows, Sequins and Forks

2011-12-05T11:46:00.001+13:00

I've been reading a lot of Japanese streetstyle blogs and looking at images on Tumblr, particularly relating to the Dolly Kei and Cult Party styles popularized by the Japanese vintage shops Grimoire and The Virgin Mary - as well as the fact that this material might inform a poem it has also made me keen to have a go at creating some accessories of my own!

Dakota Fanning - A fairytale by Karl Lagerfield

2011-11-27T20:34:00.001+13:00

The Bad Seed

2011-11-26T13:24:00.001+13:00

How to conduct oneself during a fashion sale

2011-11-22T14:01:00.001+13:00

These rules were put out by Japanese fashion brand Baby, the Stars Shine Bright's San Francisco shop for their sale:

Please do not use BABY SF as a meeting point for meet-ups or gatherings; the store will be very crowded.
Customers may only try on seven (7) items total, and may not add items while in the dressing room unless there is no queue. Customers must decide which items to try on before entering the dressing room. We may impose a time limit of 20min, if there are more than five (5) people waiting for the dressing room.
Staff may ask to hold your items up at the front while you continue to browse. We will hold the items until you are ready to try them on or purchase them. Please be mindful not to drag our items on the floor.
The pink ottoman cushion is reserved for customers to try on shoes only. Please do not use it to store your bags/clothes (we have a coat rack), to take a nap, or prop up your feet. Please do not set your personal items on top of our items either.
Please do not lean on store furniture or fixtures. They are meant to support clothes and not people. We are not responsible for injuries caused by these actions.
Please be careful with the accessory cases, and do not try to move or open them without staff assistance.
Children who are under or appear under the age of ten (10) must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
No food or drinks allowed in the store. Please finish everything outside, and do not leave trash lying around.
All stores on the fashion floor are separate. Please pay for your items before leaving the store. Sorry, we cannot do holds.
Photos are still not allowed.

Current Inspirations

2011-11-18T14:00:00.001+13:00

Kesämaa

2011-11-18T11:14:00.001+13:00

I finally got a copy of Pekka Streng's Kesämaa yesterday. For some reason I had thought that this Finnish classic was out of print, but it was available as a reprint from LOVE records. The album is a huge influence on a lot of contemporary Finnish musicians. Here is what Sami Sänpäkkilä of ES, Tuusanuuskat etc had to say about it in The WIRE.

Green Girl

2011-11-17T14:44:00.001+13:00

I've already said that I love Kate Zambreno's new novel Green Girl - now it's time for me to respond to the book further, with a brief review.

I think that Green Girl is one of the best novels of 2011. More than that, I feel like it's a novel I have been waiting to read my whole life. I cansee the influences reviewers and Zambreno herself have mentioned - Lispector, Plath, the fact that Ruth is like Cleo in Cleofrom 5 to 7. I love the novel for the way it engages with the history of art and literature as well as being a novel I can see apects of my own life in - even if I'm not and never have been an American working in London at a perfume counter. It's easy to identify with Ruth and her uncertainty and coming into being. I haven't read anything quite like it and I'm so grateful for it.

Green Girl is a novel that is impossible toput down, yet will stay with you once you have read it. You devour each chapterof Ruth's story which is punctuated with quotes, from Shakespeare to Rhys and Colette,like the intertitles of a new wave film. This is entirely appropriate as Ruth,who is a Godard like ingénue, is obsessed with the glamour of film and herselflives her life as a character observed by all - the women she works with, themen she has toxic relationships with, strangers on the streets, the maternal and voyeuristic narrator,us - the readers of the book. Yet, like Varda's Cleo, Ruth longs to escape fromthis glare to find something, her artistry.

Green Girl is a genius, brilliant work of art. A walk with a 21st century flâneuse. I can't recommend it enough.

Loosed Women

2011-11-14T13:56:00.001+13:00

An amazing new poem by Carrie Murphy (Author of the chapbook Meet the Lavenders published by Birds of Lace) is up at Story Bought Dress.

The zine is always open to contributions - check out the site for further information.

House & Garden

2011-11-14T08:30:00.001+13:00

Katherine Mansfield's birthplace, Tinakori Road

Ilam Gardens, Christchurch

I was sorting out some photos of New Zealand landscapes for one of my cousins over the weekend. The pictures ended up being the usual picturesque vistas of the country with lakes and mountains - just as interesting are the landscapes on a more human scale - the gardens and homes. Pictured here are the Ilam homestead gardens where large portions of Peter Jackson's film Heavenly Creatures was filmed (like most historic buildings locally - the homestead is in a sad state currently, though still standing thankfully) and Katherine Mansfield's birthplace in Thorndon, Wellington.

Flower Girls

2011-11-10T16:24:00.001+13:00

Julia Margaret Cameron - The Sunflower

Marc Jacobs - Daisy

Oh, Lola!

2011-11-10T09:52:00.001+13:00

This advert has been banned in the UK. It seems they think it's too Lolitaish - I find the idea quite ridiculous. It's also like the viewer is projecting their own desires onto the girl and chastizing her for them, much like how Lolita of Nabokov's novel has suffered. I'm sure I'll be bringing these ideas into my piece of writing on the subject.

Music Writing

2011-11-09T16:11:00.002+13:00

Other Channels was a music blog I ran from 2008-2010. Its main focus was on reviews and news relating to experimental and independant music from around the world. A number of musicians and labels kindly sent me their music to review, but most of it was music I sought out myself. It was an independent venture - I wrote about whatever interested me. It was usually more from the perspective of a fan rather than a critic, but the two are never seperate.

I have been thinking that I'd be really keen to get back into some music writing - most likely working on interviews to be submitted to various online and/or print publications. I will also be thinking about the possibility of using this blog as a venue or creating a different one for work on this topic as well.

Stay tuned for updates!

Kate Durbin on Teenage Girls

2011-11-09T11:24:00.000+13:00

Kate Durbin has written another amazing piece on teenage girls. This one was presented at the &Now 2011 conference. It's great (and very appropriate!) that those of us who were too far away can now read it online!
"She is obsessed with herself as thing for trade. She glues Hello Kitty’s to her acrylic nails. She dyes her hair every pastel shade. She would like your attention"

Fashion in Rebecca and Girl Gang

2011-11-09T09:43:00.002+13:00

Here's quite an interesting post on fashion in Du Maurier's Rebecca. It's definitely inspiring me at the moment. The top photo isn't Rebecca related, but some kind of dreamy wardrobe like she might have had.

P.S You can now read my piece on the style of the film Girl Gang (1954) on Story Bought Dress

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and The Lover

2011-11-07T10:30:00.002+13:00

I'm just back from a whirlwind weekend away - it was so awesome and action packed. I haven't even had time to write my own notes about my visit or organize photos but I can say that one of the great books I found in a second hand bookstore while away was The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers. One of the great things about collecting books is remembering the places you found them. This one, quite by chance.

Also, Margeurite Duras' The Lover was my reading for the trip - it's breathtaking.

Music and Costume

2011-11-01T12:54:00.001+13:00

Speaking of costumes - Kukkiva Poliisi were one of the best dressed bands. Here are a few pics found on the internet. It's sad that they are no more, but Olimpia Splendid are really great as well as Hertta Lussu Ässä and Kuupuu.

Making or even indeed writing about music have been far from my mind lately as other writing projects have taken over, but I've still been listening to PLENTY.

The Costumed Woman

2011-11-01T09:22:00.002+13:00

This is such a vital article by Milla of The Girl Who Married a Bear on Halloween costumes and perhaps more importantly the transformative power of costume. Definitely recommended reading. As I was saying in my comment to Milla, one of the poems in We Speak Girl is about a masked parade. The girls in the poem take on cunning disguises to outwit their shadowy persecutors.

From Hel Looks

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000+13:00

Here I love this look - esp the folk scarf. I actually managed to locate one of these online recently. Mine is cream 1950's with a reddish pink floral design.

Lula Magazine

2011-10-27T12:51:00.000+13:00

The new Lula magazine came out recently. It's only a twice a year publication, but I really love the style of this magazine. It has developed quite a cult following. You can't even buy back issues! If anyone out there has any of the early issues they want to sell, do get in touch! as I'd be very interested. I feel a special need for the issue Rodarte edited (late 2010) as I missed that one.

Rebecca

2011-10-25T09:30:00.002+13:00

I am just going to pick up a VHS (!) of the film Rebecca from the library today. I'm so looking forward to seeing the film version of this novel. I'm really back into the idea of writing something gothic inspired as my next project. I don't know why I thought that just because I have a completed chapbook behind me I'd be any less vacillating with what goes into another project. I'd also love to do something Maya Deren related and re-watch all her films. Still working on my Lolita and Lolita fashion idea as well, though I just found out yesterday that Sara Stridsberg has written an amazing sounding novel on Lolita! (Nabokov, not the Japanese fashion) Not that that means I can't do something on the topic as well. I don't actually read Swedish or Norwegian so I won't really be able to understand much of her novel yet.

Poetry, Poetry, Poetry

2011-10-25T09:09:00.002+13:00

I have been reading a lot of great poetry recently - this includes recent chapbooks from Birds of Lace, Dancing Girl Press, Hyacinth Girl and Blood Pudding Press, some of which I will be receiving soon if I haven't already. I also just ordered the new Supermachine journal which includes poetry by Gina Abelkop, Carina Finn and many more. Really looking forward to reading it.

Style Guides

2011-10-20T14:59:00.001+13:00

I worked out some of my recent ideas relating to the fashion of Sue Lyon as Lolita and Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams for Story Bought Dress. These pieces will hopefully spill into some of my future writing projects as well as relating to the general theme of the blog/zine.

Wednesday's Girl

2011-10-19T14:21:00.002+13:00

Illustration by Jonas Löfgren from Lula Magazine

Wednesday Addams Dress from Clever Nettle

Mechanical Dolls

2011-10-19T12:17:00.002+13:00

I love Tim Walker's editorials. Here is his latest - Mechanical Dolls for Vogue Italia. I could just stare at these for hours on end.

Stina Kajaso

2011-10-16T13:35:00.001+13:00

I have been really fascinated by the work of Swedish performance artist Stina Kajaso. She has work in the latest Action Yes . There is also more on her blog SONOFDAD. I absolutely love this and it makes me wish I knew Swedish, but reading her work you don't worry so much about translation you get absorbed in being lost in translation.

Clara and the Pumpkin

2011-10-14T22:16:00.002+13:00

It wouldn't be October if I didn't post a Halloween themed picture of Clara Bow. Should I carve my own pumpkin this year?

Daisies and Violets

2011-10-14T10:26:00.002+13:00

I just ordered a Violetta Headband from Alexandra Grecco! I'm very excited about it as this means I can create a Daisies inspired outfit to match the Three poems from Sedmikrasky which are in We Speak Girl. The outfit isn't really for a purpose yet, but it seems like a good idea.

Update: definitely going to do an outfit picture of it for Story Bought Dress when I get it!

Sue Lyon

2011-10-11T16:11:00.001+13:00

Gigi

2011-10-10T15:25:00.000+13:00

Nana

2011-10-06T14:05:00.000+13:00

Celia Birtwell

2011-09-30T08:42:00.003+13:00

This book looks amazing!

An Interview with Kate Durbin

2011-09-27T11:58:00.003+13:00

I recently interviewed Kate Durbin about her performance art - check out the full interview on Fruit Fly Life. She talks about teenage girls, Tumblr, fashion, Disneyland, Lady Gaga and so much more! Thanks again for all your wonderful answers, Kate!

We Speak Girl

2011-09-26T14:23:00.002+13:00

I'm very excited to announce that my poetry chapbook We Speak Girl will be published by Dancing Girl Press in 2012 as part of the DPG chapbook series. I'm also very excited that Kari Larsen's Say your'e a fiction is coming out as part of the same series next year.

Fair Style

2011-09-26T10:35:00.000+13:00

The poet Arielle Bywater has started a street style blog focusing on looks that are a little different than your run of the mill street style blogs. http://commongroundfaircountrystyle.blogspot.com/ I think this blog will really appeal to a lot of people who read this blog and are fan's of individual bloggers like Missa of Thrift Candy and Milla of The Girl Who Married a Bear. It's individual fashion with a difference.

Here's what Arielle says about her blog: My street style blog, on the other hand, features people of all ages and economic backgrounds in a very different setting: the country. Some of these folks are farmers, midwives, fisherman, activists, craftspeople...and as you will see, they have a fantastic sense of their own style.

Career Girl

2011-09-26T10:17:00.001+13:00

I recently finished this novel by Janey Scott - it's an account of the life of a teenage model in the 1960's. She travels from Britain to Monte Carlo. It's a really fun read, though I wish something more dramatic had happend than just the clothes being ripped to shreds (spoiler alert!). Definitely reccommend it if you're after a vintage read, though. I would love to write a novel like this, even though I'm not a novelist.

Kamikaze Girls

2011-09-21T22:03:00.002+12:00

I'm really looking forward to seeing this film on DVD - it's pretty much vital research as well as looking like an excellent film.

Red Riding Hood Lipstick

2011-09-20T14:01:00.004+12:00

Two Gothic Lolitas in Harajuku

2011-09-18T20:02:00.004+12:00

After finishing my poetry chapbook manuscript, titled We Speak Girl (also the name of my tumblr), I have begun another project - it is tentativeley titled The Lolita Handbook. As usual, I have several other ideas in progress, but these are the two which are consuming most of my time and energy right now!

Spring Finds

2011-09-16T10:00:00.003+12:00

It has been ages since I did a post on some of my vintage related finds so here are two that are on their way to me in the mail - an awesome cape from Clever Nettle and the latest issue of Lula! I've also been indulging myself locally at the new Two Squirrels. It's so awesome.

Vanessa at Two Squirrels

Blogger Style

2011-09-13T11:16:00.000+12:00

Vogue UK recently did a fashion shoot of their imagining of blogger street style. What do you think of their version of it as opposed to the street style blogs themselves? Here is a recent favourite from Hel Looks.

Regency Style

2011-09-13T09:22:00.000+12:00

Lolita Style

2011-09-13T09:21:00.000+12:00

Pile of Panties

2011-09-08T14:20:00.000+12:00

I'm participating in Kate Durbin's latest art installation. It's called Pile of Panties and is inspired by "random clothing items found on the side of the road in L.A., discarded women, child abductions, has-been Hollywood starlets, the Holocaust, billboards in L.A., and Agent Provocateur lingerie." She will be showing this work at the Los Angeles Road Concert on Sept 18, but if like me you live a long way away, you can still participate by donating to her project online. Check out her blog for more detail.

Do or Diy

2011-09-08T14:12:00.000+12:00

There seems to have been a lot of controversy in the independent literary blogosphere about how the press BLAZEvox charged it's authors for publishing their books. I'm not going to weigh in on the argument - but I would say that if I was to publish something in chapbook or book form, which I haven't done yet I would choose a press that produces books I like to read. It's the same with zines, why would you submit to a zine you didn't read or had no interest in? I'm also very interested in diy which probably comes as much from my interest in the diy music scene as the literary one, though I do love that too. I'm very interested in producing and distributing a chapbook of my own, for that matter. It's all about finding a like-minded audience for your work. I'm not saying that this need be an uncritical one. A number of editors have written some interesting things: Kristy Bowen writes about Dancing Girl Press here, and Johannes Göransson of Action Books writes an interesting post about the entire issue here. As I've always said I find blogs and Tumblrs et al to be great venues for writing too. That's why I have my own and also started Story Bought Dress to try and curate some work other than my own.

Juliette Hogan's New Lookbook

2011-09-06T14:35:00.001+12:00

"It’s summer at Juliette Hogan and our muse for the season maintains a tenuous grip on her usual polished exterior as she falls hopelessly and utterly in love.
Clothes are thrown together, hair pulled messily back and cheeks are flushed as she moves about in a daydream through day and night with an air of mystery and adventure. She’s the studious type with a trashy romance novel buried inside her text book."

Bliss

2011-09-05T09:41:00.001+12:00

A new Katherine Mansfield adaption, Bliss showed on TV here in NZ the other week. It was very good, if not particularly accurate about her writing.

Vintage Birds

2011-09-03T13:18:00.001+12:00

Some months after quitting my Twitter account - I rejoin the fray under the guise of my zine/blog Story Bought Dress. You can follow me/it/us here, if you wish.

Jo and Britney

2011-08-30T13:51:00.002+12:00

This performance was so genius and the reaction of pop stars like Britney was priceless!

Rihanna in Wax

2011-08-30T13:48:00.001+12:00

There's something forever spooky and awesome about waxworks

Vintage Style with Story Bought Dress

2011-08-29T15:50:00.001+12:00

I couldn't resist creating another vintage inspired piece for Story Bought Dress!

Shakespeare's Sister

2011-08-25T12:09:00.000+12:00

"I told you in the course of this paper that Shakespeare had a sister; but do not look for her in Sir Sidney Lee's life of the poet. She died young — alas, she never wrote a word... Now my belief is that this poet who never wrote a word and was buried at the cross-roads still lives. She lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here to-night, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh"- Virginia Woolf.

Gaga and The Evil Queen

2011-08-24T14:56:00.000+12:00

2011-08-24T13:59:00.000+12:00

Green Girl

2011-08-20T14:31:00.000+12:00

An amazing book I recently read is Kate Zambreno's Green Girl. I could say a hundred things about this novel which a cursory blogpost wouldn't cover, but I just wanted to mention that it will be available from October. Check it out on Amazon.

The book is a modern day Hour of the Star, a heartwrenching novel. In Kate's words "an existential novel about fashion and makeup". You can see influences such as Lispector or the fact that Ruth is like Cleo in Cleo from 5 to 7, for sure, but the novel is a wonderful work of art in itself. I haven't read anything quite like it and I'm so grateful for it.

Woman Suit

2011-08-19T22:11:00.002+12:00

by Loredana Tiron-Pandit is also now up on my zine! The pieces people are sending me are really wonderful. Thanks everyone!

Tagged

2011-08-17T16:31:00.001+12:00

I am super excited to announce that the first contribution is now up at Story Bought Dress - thanks to Rachel Fenton for her wonderful piece!

Writer's Diary

2011-08-15T16:59:00.000+12:00

I have finally completed a two part poem inspired by May Queen festivities. Despite the fact that I have written another poem inspired by Rite of Spring, these two didn't end up having anything to do with the rite. The best laid writing plans often go astray and sometimes its for the better.