My father's shoes

I've always been a pain in the ass (full stop) to my father (full stop pt.II) about his shoes because I've felt he could benefit from the constructive criticism and to be honest nowadays his shoes are a whole lot more stylish because of that. Hey, no need to thank me, Boss. I actually remember being little and thinking I'd never have a boyfriend who wore ugly shoes (then life was like 'lol kid, here, have a bunch of them') because looking at my dad and his boring dad loafers, I thought they pretty much summed up the worst in a man - being a massive bore.

But now I find myself lusting over a pair of shoes that are more conservative than those my father ever wore, and it's so ironic I'm surprised they haven't made it into the lyrics of an Alanis Morissette song. 

Speaking of irony, it seems to me it is key when it comes to tackling these babies, otherwise you risk looking like a torie/republican/right-wing god-fearing little asshole. So, how does one wear such shoe whilst maintaining the three basic qualities of an interesting human being (wit, sense of humor, a free spirit)? I think the trick is to either go a) intellectual; b) a little preppy, which really doesn't work on me because I just end up looking like a crossbreed between a salsa dancer and an accountant or c) fuck it all and just play random.

Given the options it's pretty obvious there's only one way for me to go, which is option c). Sure, it's the one with the highest risk of failure, but it's not like I'm trying out for the fashion Olympics or anything. These guys (above) are Zara, so not an expensive freudian dip into the masculine shoe universe. Who knows, right? If it's not too weird maybe I'll end up getting some proper big boy shoes, huh? Like these gorgeous, beautifully crafted Churches.

two sudden realizations than cannot go unnoticed

1. I'm sure this happens to everyone: it's when you're late that all traffic lights go red on you like a bunch of judgmental assholes just because you hit the snooze button a couple of times. BUT every time this happens to me my mind drifts off to a fantasy world where all of a sudden and totally miraculously, the whole country is integrated into an earlier time zone. And - boom! - my ass gets saved.

2. My most favourite object in the whole world is THE DISCO BALL. I love how a sphere covered in tiny square mirrors can be so magical and become  such a powerful symbol of awesome times. I don't think nightclubs actually have them anymore, but hey, I think that's like a massive strategic mistake that will cost them one day. I'm tellin' ya. *points finger*

Yaaaaaay!

           

Planet Disco Ball. I'll say, I quite like this.

Judith Leiber Disco Ball evening bag - I totes would.

Sweet jebus, you've answered my prayers as far as helmets are concerned.

D-I-S-C-O.

Oh, and lastly, a personal favourite: Miu Miu crystal embellished satin pumps. You know that work colleague  we've all had who's really straight until you see them at the office christmas party dancing like nobody's business after necking7 gin & tonics? This is their shoe equivalent. They are totally business at the front/party at the back.

Stupid ****ing rain.

Feels like it's been raining since the dawn of times. Plus I hate the whole gear: wellies, umbrellas, hate the whole kit, ya know, sweaty feet, and then comes a gust of wind and suddenly you're standing in the middle of the sidewalk looking like a douchebag with your umbrella twisted upwards.

So if I'm gonna get soaked anyway, here's what I'd like to get soaked in. (I'm totes embracing the old lady in me, and I'm getting a Goyard bag one of these days. Apparently conservative is the new revolutionary, hurrah dahlins.)

rain by anapprodrigues showing what to wear with a vintage black purse

BEHOLD...

THE VAGINA DRESS:

Vagina dress, by Chloé.

In the mood for:

1. Alexander Wang Masha mules in nude suede & white leather; can't stand how they can be so sexy, clean and architectural at the same time. What a brilliant design. 

2. Christian Louboutin did something really powerful as he launched his nudes collection. Google 'nude shoes' and you will be bombarded with a million images of beige or peachy shoes, which means the standard nude is based solely on white girls (surprise, right...?). But, luckily, Monsieur Louboutin saw beyon this and took a similar approach to nude shoes as cosmetics brands do to foundation, by launching a nudes collection with 5 different tones. 

3. Givenchy Pandora bag. Looks like a weird, dysfunctional object, in an awesome way.

4. Fucking thumbs up for Balmain for being chic and rock'n'roll at the same time like no one else can. Love the wash on this jumpsuit and the rich detailing on the upped body. 

5. Valentino also does something quite impressive with this whole collection: making austerity look sexy and sophisticated, instead of frigid. With the right attitude and a glass of champagne, you could be covered from head to toe in this at a party and still get bunch of hot guys' numbers, I betcha.

6. Three words: double breasted + Balmain.

7. Gianvito Rossi sexy as hell strappy shoes. Lust at first sight. 

8. Stella McCartney matchstick ring - so brilliant!

9. Good menswear is slowly starting to grow on me. This is by De Fursac and it's exactly what I like as far as men's clothing goes. Sharp, tailored, chic and modern. 

10. Biggest descovery cosmetics-wise for me, courtesy of my lovely friend Mona. I know tinted moisturizer has been around since the time dinossaurs roamed the Earth, but I only just tried it last month. Seriously, if you haven't tried it, do it. If your skin tone can only be compared to a dead squid during winter, this product was invented for you. 

J'adore

Dudes and dudettes, check out these fab Sonia Rykiel mocassins I just saw on Jalouse.

 "I WANT IT ALL
I WANT IT AAAALL
I WANT IT AAAAAALL
 I WANT IT NOW"

Tattoos

I got my third tattoo last saturday. (I got it done at 10am - I had no idea it was possible to schedule an appointment for a tattoo  at 10 am at Lisbon's most bohemian neighborhood, but it just so happened that my super cool tattoo artist was an early bird.)

Here it is. It says 'Made in Portugal', like those scratchy little tags inside our clothes. It's got to do with my work and with my personal life, of course. But more on that some other time.

I had my Roy Lichtenstein yellow brushstroke (below) done at the same place last year, so as to mark a defining time in my life, as well as in order to manifest my endless admiration for this brilliant artist, of course, and last but not least, with the grand purpose of having such an interesting, conceptually charged image painted on me forever.

This brushstroke tattoo happened 10 years after my first one, which I somehow managed to convince my parents  into letting me do at age 17. Main argument: my brothers have tattoos, why can't I? I was a bona fide metalhead at the time and decided to express my love for my music via - thank the lordy - something simple and graphic: a stylized lightning bolt à la AC/DC. Dumb as I was at the time, I'm totally patting myself on the back for averting a disaster. Well done, kid.

I love the idea of tattoos but I am very fussy about which tattoos I like, though. I dislike both huge designs and the micro tats that are so fashionable these days, which seem just a bit too decorative to me sometimes. And I think tattoos can be perfectly chic, too. Take those lovely Valentino adverts, for instance, featuring photographer Terry Richardson's heavily tattoed arms. I LOVED these adverts at the first milisecond I looked at them because of the cool way in which they mix luxury with something usually perceived as subversive and underground. Who in this day and age is still one-dimensional anyway? In fact, I love showing mine off with girly outfits. 

I really like seeing mine when I wear girly clothes and jewelry, like pearls and stuff like that. It's like they can just neutralize the snobbery of chic and balance the bimbo out of girly, which is just what I can't stand. What's the point of living a good life if you're removed from the intensity of the real world? It's like accepting that we are not meant to last forever (so what's the point of being so precious?), yet, at the same time, recognizing in a tattoo a very serious manifesto of personal taste. 

Am I careless about the inevitability of aging? I'd say the money I spend at Kiehl's suggests otherwise! How will my tattoos look when I'm 70? Not too bad I hope, but I don't ever want to be a person with nothing to say. Not now and certainly not in 40 or 50 years.

Anyway, I gathered a few images of people with interesting styles and tattoos. Here they are:

 (image above sourced from garancedore.fr)

And my favourite, Alice Dellal: 

star of my favourite Chanel adverts: