Smaggle

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I was buying coffee the other day and this gorgeous little creature behind the counter was staring at me. Not right into my eyes but just above my eyes. I looked at her and smiled awkwardly and she said ‘Sorry! It’s just that you have the most perfect eyebrows I’ve ever seen. God, I would KILL for your eyebrows!’. I was terribly pleased by this compliment and shamelessly ran to the nearest bathroom to check them out. She was quite right. I do have exceptional eyebrows. Despite the fact that they seriously need a pluck, they are perfectly shaped with a delicate curve that mimics the lines of my eyes. They are not too bushy and not to fine – The Goldilocks of eyebrows. When she handed me this compliment I snuck a peak at her eyebrows for comparison. To be honest, they were pretty dismal. They were thin, pale, over plucked, half drawn on and were trying, but failing miserably, to hide beneath a long fringe. They were obviously giving this poor girl a lot of grief.

I would like to point out though, before the eyebrow incident I was checking out her teeny tiny bum in her teeny tiny jeans and lamenting that no matter how skinny I am my bum will NEVER be that small. And I didn’t even notice her scabby eyebrows because I was too busy checking out her straight white teeth and swishy black hair. This gorgeous girl was letting her eyebrow anxiety shadow the fact that she is a freaking knock out.

This got me thinking… Most women are uncomfortable with their bodies in some way right? Big thighs, small boobs, jiggly belly, tuck-shop lady arms, super fine hair, stumpy fingers etc… For me it’s not anything in particular it’s just being a ‘big’ girl. I’m not saying I’m fat. I’m just tall and well built and a fairly healthy size 12. I’m actually quite average in size but for some reason the bane of my existence is the fact that I’m not built like a ballet dancer. My little chat with the coffee making beauty (who IS built like a ballet dancer) made me realise that women of all shapes and sizes have issues with their appearance. Just because she is a size 6 doesn’t make her self loathing any less valid. EVERYBODY has some kind of beef with their body and we are all equal in our quest for physical perfection.

So on that note ladies I think we should all list our amazing features and acknowledge them instead of chucking tanties about stupid things that other people don’t even notice unless you point them out. I want you to list three things that people have complimented you on. Now I want you to think about these three features the next time you get dressed and think about playing them up. None of this ‘My thighs look like cottage cheese’ crap. If you have long slender fingers I want to see manicures and cocktail rings. If you have caramel skin I want to see you moisturised and glowing in strapless tops. If you have long, long legs I want you strutting your sexy butt in some killer heels.

To kick start the list of love here’s mine…

* My hair - I’m thinking more accessories and more volume. I honestly don’t believe that one’s hair can ever be too big. 

* My eyebrows/eyes – I’m thinking smoky navy eyeliner everyday. It’s going to be my new trademark.

* My posture – I stand very tall so I try to wear flats so I seem less of a giant but I’m going to wear high heels more often and not apologise for my height. I’ll just be a massive and spectacular amazon!

 Tell me, what are your killer features? The ones that make you smile when you look in the mirror? The ones that make people stare at you in the street? Don’t be shy! Tell me your killer features and what you’re going to do to make them smokin’!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

I’m really embarrassed to admit it, but recently I cannot stop thinking about ‘naked’ shoes. Either clear plastic or a perfectly matched skin tone, I’m totally lusting after that weird alien, no shoe look. I normally hate ‘naked’ shoes. When celebrities wear them it looks like they have crazy equine feet with a skin covered bone growing out of their foot serving as a heel. But for some reason I’m really feeling the love right now. When searching for celebrities wearing such shoes the results came up slim. Nicky Hilton and Hayden Panettiere? Neither of them are real style icons (for me) but I’m ashamed to admit I still love the shoes. Despite the feet wearing them.

I found this pic on Fashion News and the author of this site confirms my worst suspicions. Plastic shoes are for strippers. Well I guess it’s time for me to get naked because I’m still not deterred.

Hayden is cute let’s face it. And those shoes aren’t too shabby with her slinky blue dress and ultra American looks.

Love SJP’s take on the naked look. These shoes are actually skin coloured leather. Me likey very much.

I also found many pictures of Katie Price (whom we don’t really like very much at Smaggle) wearing a million different styles of the shoes but I couldn’t post the pictures on my site because she also isn’t wearing clothes.

What do you ladies and gents think? Tacky? Or workable? Am I PMS-ing? Should I put off the purchase of the stripper heels until I’m at a different point in my menstrual cycle?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Despite trying to wean myself off my weekly glossies I’ve recently been having a bit of a Grazia binge. There was an article in this weeks magazine written by a journo who found herself mimicking her partners’ styles… until she found true love and started dressing like ‘herself’. I found the subject of this article quite interesting and wanted to ask my readers – Does your style mimic your partner’s?

I have the attention span of a goldfish and before Mr Smaggle, my longest relationship lasted about 5 months. Which was more than ample time for me to abandon my heels and lace and start schlepping around in a lame imitation of whatever eye candy I was lusting after at the time. I had a crush on a guy in high school who was a walking advertisement for death metal bands and I cried like a little bitch at my brother trying to get him to give me his Sepultura t-shirt. Seriously, I know my style is beyond bi-polar but can you see me in a concert tee? Despite my efforts to please, my lanky metal head soon hooked up with another girl so I took my broken heart and handed it straight to a scruffy, hippy lad and I started wearing a lot of leather and silver jewellery with long skirts that had bells attached to the drawstring waist.

Obviously other girls have done this too and I was thinking it may not be a bad thing. It’s only natural for people to adapt to their surroundings and maybe it’s the chameleon in us all that causes these changes. The question is – does mimicking our partners style work? Or does it make us look like big fat losers. Let’s turn to the celebrities for guidance…

Here are some couples who work it…

 Here are some couples who don’t…

Let’s apply that to Smaggle-land – In my current state of relationship bliss I have to say that my style has not evolved to match my man. It’s been nurtured by his keen sense of design and his undying support of my weird and wacky style but I have never felt the need to emulate his style by wearing well fitting jeans and fine knit sweaters. Sartorially speaking we do match but not in a Brit and JT kind of way. If I had to pick a celebrity couple that we dress like I would have to go with…

Jennifer Connolly and Paul Bettany

If you add around 20 kilos and some curls to Jennifer we could be twins. Paul Bettany and Mr Smaggle are already twins. Actually my man looks more like Paul Bettany and Chris Martin’s love child. Anyway, the point is that I believe our styles are complimentary to each other but that our styles also exist wholly on their own. He is all relaxed jeans, beautifully fitting shirts and hats. I’m all funky skirts and quirky accessories so we really do work well together. According to the Grazia article when you find sartorial peace in a relationship then the guy is a keeper. It’s love advice that my stylish sisters and I can understand!

So what about you my lovelies? Have you ever changed your style for a man? Or has a man ever changed his style for you? Do you steal your boyfriends clothes? Have you settled into your own style after having met the man or woman of your dreams? How do the relationships that you have affect the way you dress?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Today was, as usual, super crazy and busy. I went to an awesome Pump class at lunch time that I actually enjoyed… it was rather bizarre. I think it’s because the instructor is so gorgeous and I like to pretend that she’s my best friend. This afternoon I’m off to a bridesmaids meeting to talk about the hen’s night, dresses, make-up and flowers. Our boy bridesmaid (the bridesmate) will be there too but we’ll buy him beer so he doesn’t get too bored. And then this evening I’m off to a friends house for dinner! And I’m spicing up the photos again… I know I look a little deranged but we all need a rest from my sullen model-like poses…

* Tights x 2 from Big W- That’s two pairs of 120 deniers baby! Oh and thanks to the reader who hooked me up with Big W for the 120s – I love them!

* Knit dress thifted

* Top from Target

* Cardigan from Target

* Boots from Payless

* Earrings from Baldren Smaggle for my birthday

* Ring by Kenneth Jay Lane from Ebay

* Sunglasses from a weird cheap shop

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Just a little list of things that made me go all tingly as I scrolled through Google reader this morning…

The latest episode of Threadbanger shows us how to braid and also gives us a peek at a pretty funky New York apartment. The braiding tutorial is great because most people know how to braid but what if you don’t? I’d be too embarrassed to ask someone as an adult. They might think my parents abused me.

There’s controversy in the blogosphere over at Cheetos are Orange with her post on the keffiyeh. I completely agree. I own a scarf exactly like the one in the picture that I wear all time. And I will continue to do so despite it’s association with these so called ‘hipsters’. I’m wearing it here, here and here. Oh and here I am wearing it in a parody of a ‘famous’ girl. So I guess I kind of understand the point…

Esme and the Laneway is adorable. She makes me want to bake apple pies and darn socks.

Nice and Shiny shows us the super awesome neck earring.

The Tuesday Tutorial from Indie Fixx is awesome.

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

I’m totally behind the times on this one but I’ve recently joined Chictopia and I have to say I’m very impressed. It’s another online outfit sharing forum but what really sets them apart is their ‘gallery’. I don’t want to sound like a bitch but on some other outfit sharing sites I got sick to death of flicking through thousands of photos of people wearing jeans and t-shirts. What the…? I can see that on the street thanks. Chictopia culls the photos for you and leaves a lovely archive of the most clever and eccentric style icons… if you flick far enough through the archives you might even find Lady Smaggle lurking there. Here are a few of my favourites from the gallery…

Regine

Bizzy

Harriett

Musketear

Lulu

Emmathorn

I’m a sucker for good photography and girls who are subhumanly attractive.

love Lady Smaggle

xxx

I had another crazy busy day today. I ran straight from work to a craft shop to pick up some last minute things for my application. Hopefully I can post it tomorrow. Then I ran straight to an audition and then to a dinner with some of Mr Smaggle’s family friends. I’m just about to have a cup of tea before I go to bed… I’m so tired!

* Dress from Big W

* Opaques from Big W

* Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Mary Janes

* Cardigan from Marco Gianni

* Earrings by Bouvier from Bijoux

* Obi belt thrifted

In the picture you can see Mr Smaggle’s bike that he bought for $20 off Ebay. We went for a massive bike ride on Sunday morning which was delightful. We’re planning on making a habit out of it…

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

Have you ever seen the movie Scarface? Yeah… neither have I. On Saturday night Mr Smaggle and I wandered aimlessly around Blockbuster trying to find a DVD and we stumbled upon Scarface which is one of those films that if you admit that you have never watched it in front of certain people, they will act as if you just punched a child. Not that we punch children but the shock value is obviously the same. So to avoid such situations in the future we decided to just bite the bullet and watch it.

After around half an hour I fell asleep on Mr Smaggle’s lap and stayed there for the full three hour duration of the film. Hence why I still haven’t seen Scarface. I did woozily raise my head on occasion and gasp at the epitome of style that is Elvira. From what I grasped in the thirty minutes of the film that I actually watched, Elvira is the arm-candy pretty girl of this incredibly intense drug circle that is run by Al Pacino and some other fabulous suit wearing hotties. Her style is the look I’m coveting for summer. She has these long slim arms and a long, fringed bob.  She wears long, long slinky dresses with exaggerated, plunging necklines. She also has this incredible clean-ness about her. In every scene she looks like she has just stepped out of a bath full rose petals and you can tell that she smells like vanilla cupcakes. She also wears the same set of jewellery through out the entire film. Bvulgari-esque diamond and sapphire drop earrings, a simple circle of diamonds around her wrist and one hell of a diamond perched on the ring finger of her right hand. 

Here is what you need to get to achieve this look…

* Black eyeliner and smoky grey eyeshadow for that heavy-lidded I-just-snorted-lines-from-the-toilet-seat look.

* A millionaire drug dealer boyfriend so you don’t have to ruin your nails with work.

* Speaking of nails you need them long and tapered and very, very clean and very, very shiny.

* Marlboro lights. Elvira only smokes cigarettes that are completely white. 

* A delicious but sensible amount of genuine sparkle. And I mean genuine. If you can’t afford it sleep with someone who can and then steal their credit card.

* Dress in head to toe monochrome.

* Apart from your thousands of dollars worth of bling the best accessory for a designer dress is a bitch stare.

* Carry a tiny handbag with nothing but cigarettes and lipstick inside. And never pay for anything.

* Hire a chef and a personal trainer but never eat or work out. Both will be detrimental to that waifish look that we’re aiming for. 

* Never, ever tan. 

Now all I have to do is find a job where I can lounge around in evening gowns sipping martinis and looking sultry… Any suggestions?

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx

I’m a bit shy in my photo today because Browny is away and one of the other girls I work with offered to take my photo. It’s really weird but I was kind of embarrassed. So that’s why I’m all coy today. Had a another very busy day but soon I’m off to drink some gin with my girlfriends and have a beading evening… and then I’ll play some Mario Kart.

* Pants from Witchery

* Top from Myer

* Cardigan from Cowboys and Angels (my favourite store in Canberra and it’s now closed! It’s turned into a lame baby store.)

* Tights from Coles

* Shoes from Big W

* Sunnies from weird cheap store

Have a marvelous weekend!

Love Lady Smaggle

xxx