Seven Songs for Spring

I've been tagged by lovely Fashion* CHALET! It is such a sweet tag - something shows our mood and music tastes at the moment. Me? I'm bit retro ... so I like these classics for spring!

• Carpenter – (They Long to Be) Close to You (70s)

Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, it was originally recorded by Richard Chamberlain in 1963. However, the Carpenter’s version is the most recognised as a hit in 1970.

• U2 – With or Without You (1987)

It is the lead single from U2’s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It was released in March and was first spring song I fell in love with. I was 6 years old and thought I was so cool.

• U2 – Everlasting Love (1987)

It was written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden. The song was first a hit for Robert Knight in 1967 and then repeatedly recorded by many famous artist, such as Carl Carlton, Sandra Cretu, U2 and many others.

• Tracy Chapman (1988) – Fast Car

It was released on Tracy Chapman self-titled debut, Tracy Chapman, in May 1988 and won a Grammy for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". The complex lyrics gave a deep story of her hard but determined life.

• Alison Krauss (1995) - Baby, Now That I've Found You
  

It was written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod for The Foundations’ debut single in 1967, but it did not go well. The lucky thing is that BBC’s newly formed Radio 1 tried to find records that pirate stations had missed. Then, by November it became UK No. 1. In 1995, Alison Krauss collected the single into her album Now that I’ve Found You: A Collection. Her voice is just sooooo spring and sweet.

• Coldplay (2008) - Viva La Vida

Named after Mexcian artist Frida Kahlo, Viva la Vida (long live the life, in Spanish) is the fourth studio album by Coldplay released in May 2008. I adore the artwork featured on the album cover - the painting Liberty Leading the People (La Liberte Guidant Le Peuple) by French Painter Eugene Delacroix, commemorating the July Revolution of 1830.

• Duffy (2008) - Mercy

It is the second single from the album Rockferry by Duffy, released in February 2008! The retro-soul style of the song is just beautiful!

I'm happily tagging some of great Amie's Style Dungeon, Observation Mode, Searching The Inner Me, Retro Life Style, Super Kawaii Mama,The Wandering Alchemist and Silje's Fashion, and hope all of you enjoy this little tag!

Who's That Girl? Do We Know Her?

Flipping through some old magazines, I all the sudden notice that interesting trivia of how some heavyweight people in fashion come into this industry! We always do "tagging" between bloggers, so I thought that maybe "tagging" them can be quite fun!

- Girl No. 1

• She served cod, chips and mushy peas at 17. One of her regular customers in the chip shop was Henry Holland, designer and creator of the House of Holland rhyming slogan T-shirts. Now, she is the face of the house.
  

• She went to London and worked in a burger joint in the day and a bar at night.

• She visited Model 1, slammed down a portfolio and refused to leave until she was signed.

• She was recently dropped by Burberry after Mario Testino dubbed her "over-publicised". He was tired that she had been promoting her face everywhere. He has replaced her with Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

• She is Agyness Deyn.

School Photo

Agyness (was named Laura) with mother Lorraine

Photographed by Terry Richardson for i-D, may 2008

Photographed by Terry Richardson for i-D, may 2008

Paul Smith Women 05 Fall

- Girl No. 2

• She moved to New York in 1979 to study Ancient Chinese Art and shared a flat with the actress Catherine Oxenberg.

• Starting as an assistant to Anna Wintour in 1981, she then soon assisted André Leon Talley, now U.S. Vogue’s editor-at-large.

• She discovered Alexander McQueen with the purchase of his entire graduate collection for £5,000, paying it off in weekly £100 instalments.

• Discovered model, Sophie Dahl, & described her as "a blow up doll with brains".

• According to a 2002 interview with Tamsin Blanchard, it was she who brokered the deal in which Gucci purchased McQueen's label. Her friend, Daphne Guinness, said that “She was upset that McQueen didn't take her along when he sold his brand to Gucci. Once the deals started happening, she fell by the wayside. Everybody else got contracts, and she got a free dress".

• She is Isabella Blow.

- Girl No. 3

• Her father, legendary Charles Vere Wintour CBE, was an editor of the Evening Standard; and her mother, Eleanor Trego Baker, was the daughter of a Harvard Law professor.

• At 15, her father arranged a job for her in Biba boutique. She soon started dating older and well-connected men. She briefly dated Piers Paul Read, then 24. In her later teens, she dated gossip columist Nigel Dempster and became a fixture on the London club circuit with him.

• Dropping out of school at 16, one of her boyfriends, Richard Neville, gave her first look at magazine production when she hung around the offices of his controversial Oz.

• She entered fashion journalism in 1970 when Harper’s Bazar merged with Queen, and the new magazine needed editorial assistants.

• Her salary is reported to be $2 million a year and generous perks including Mercedes S-Class, a $50,000 shopping allowance, and the Coco Chanel Suite at the Ritz Paris during Pairs Fashion Show. Condé Nast president Si Newhouse had also provided her an interest-free $1.6 million loan to purchase her townhouse in Greenwich Village.

• She encouraged fashion houses to hire younger, e.g. her invention of John Galliano for Christian Dior.

• She gets up at 5:40 am everyday, plays tennis and gets to Vogue's offices at 8am. She seldom stays at a party over 20 minutes and gets to bed by 10:15 every night.

• An intern at Vogue was told she must not make eye contact with her or initiate conversation with her. One day in the hall, the intern saw her trip and stepped over her rather than violate this taboo.

• She is Anna Wintour (with her trademark bob since age of 14).

- Girl No. 4

• At 18, She began modeling, having been scouted on the street in Paris by a British photographer's assistant.

• She then became a writer and then a stylist for French ELLE.

• She worked as a consultant and muse for Tom Ford at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent for six years.

• She describes her professional progress as a series of accidents. She was working as a freelance stylist and her daughter was in a children's fashion shoot. The photographer was Mario Testino. They hit it off and began working together as a team for American and French Vogue.

• She said: 'You can wear a completely transparent shirt and show all the breasts - I don't care. But I prefer to have my hands in my pocket than to have a nice little bag. So I am not good for all these fashions. They have to sell bags, bags, bags, bags, bags, bags. I hate handbags.'

• She is Carine Roitfeld.
  

Carine Roitfeld in Purple Magazine

About Miss L

Welcome to this fashion merry-go-round! I’m a wardrobe thinker and protector at heart. As designers may try various experiments followed by surrounding changes, we change our styling moods from time to time. Therefore, this blog is a small but fine space to detox your wardrobe and inject other fashion essentials that make you smile.

No one needs to be a rule-follower. You can be either adventurous or classy! You can wear black all the time or love colour! There is no “must-have” or “mustn’t do” for fashion or styling, but you, not others, have to be in love with the clothes from the moment it’s on you. Hopefully, you will find something interesting and nice in this blog to enhance your style.

If you have a stylish closet and need some helps, I would be more than happy to assist you, either it is wardrobe management, detox or searching for a rare piece! Still, I do charge...

Shohreh, Park and Stranger!

What would you do if you have a super stylish friend? Photograph her! Victim: Shohreh (sorry, you are too pretty to not be photographed)! Her only dayoff was modelling for me! Also, thanks for Carla's little help... so 1 model, 2 photographers, 1 park and 1 stranger!

Doesn't she look super cool sitting on the bench? How about sitting besides a handsome stranger? Go on, you will love it....

Photographed by Miss L and Carla

Funky Quirky Hoxton

I haven't been shopping for a while, because first not many "to-die-for" things on the market right now (many retailers are waiting for the sales) and second I try to be good with money and my wardrobe space! However, I still pop into Hoxton Boutique to have a look and indeed they have some great stuff! And their new online shop will be launched very soon!

Hoxton Boutique
No. 2 Hoxton Street
London
N1 6NG
Tel: 020 7684 2083

What's the fuss about?
Hoxton Boutique opened in January 2000 and remains as one of the best kept secret down east end, London! It has some exclusive collections from Japan and great costume jewellery around the World! Let's go in to have a look, shall we?

The minute I walked into Hoxton Boutique, I felt I'm in a trendy bar in the town but in stead of drinks, I'm simulated by all the cool and quirky clothes! The staffs are really nice and cool - one of the most important things for repeated customers!

Alison Whalley, the owner and designer, has a sharp eye for fashion. She has sourced a great mixture of clothes for both work and play, such as Isabel Marant, Hussein Chalayan, Margo London (very girly and sophiscated dresses with some English sense of humour, loved by Selma Blair, Maggie Gylenhall, Kirsten Dunst and so many more stylish girls!), Paul & Joe Sister, Bobi (a great jersey range) and +HOBO+ (Hoxton's own brand and sold world wide from France to Japan! Alison gives the comfortable jersey wear some new definition with young graphic print and romantic shapes!), and a huge collection of beautiful and GREAT PRICED custom jewellery!

Secret No1: The shop has been favoured by many buyers of high street retail chain - if you want to get somthing before the "trend" being copied or started, you know where you should head to! Also, the quality of their jewellery is amazing and everything is worked into detail! The great news is that once its new online boutique launched, you can buy these funky custom jewellery directly online!

Now, let's go into their vintage room to have a look - various vintage clothes and accessories! Oh, Secret No.2: There is a sale corner - where you can find half price Martin Margiela, Hussein Chalayan and so much more other brands? Hoxton Boutique!

Secret No.3: I keep the best secret to the last! The capsule collection of 250-items (only available in Europe) Andy Warhol by Pepe Jeans London has just arrived in Hoxton Boutique yesterday! Not even many Pepe Jeans own boutiques carry them!

The collection is for 2008 Fall, so Hoxton will get various design gradually from now on! The collaboration between Pepe Jeans London and Andy Warhol Foundation in New York has really captured his fashion-forward spirit - the carefully chosen print, the floaty silk and pure cotton and the 60's influenced cut is just everything we want to wear and keep! It has two themes, Pop (based on signed contracts of the artist) and Factory (allusion of Warhol's portraits), draws on his muses Edie Sedgwick and Candy Darling as inspiration.

Lovely Alison has helped me to model some great outfits available!

- Outfit 1.

Silk Floral Dress: Andy Warhol by Pepe Jeans London £159

Footless Tights: Johnathan Aston £10
Shoes: Vintage

- Outfit 2.

Black & White Strapped Dress: +HOBO+ £89

Black Heart Necklace: £23
Footless Tights: Johnathan Aston £10
Shoes: Vintage

- Outfit 3.

Black & White Silk Top: Andy Warhol by Pepe Jeans London £98

Black Skinny Jeans: Dr. Denim £45
Diamante Leopard Bangle: £35

- Outfit 4.

Polka Dots Dress: Franche Lippee £217
(the super cute Japanese brand - exclusive sold in Hoxton Boutique in the UK)

Black Skinny Jeans: Dr. Denim £45
Bag: Marc Labat £49

If you are ever in London, and wonder where to get cool and quirky cloth with some personality, then just pop in Hoxton Boutique, you will have all the answers :)