Style Crush: Katy Perry

I have a guilty secret. I have a girl crush. I've tried to fight it and be strong but the cupcake bra was the final straw - I have a style crush on Katy Perry.

It hasn't always been this way though, honest! I distinctly remember despising 'I Kissed a Girl' so much that I wanted throw my radio out the window whenever I heard it. I warmed up a little when I saw the video for 'Waking Up in Vegas' and by the time there was that appearance at the Met Costume Institute Gala, in a dress so wacky it required a battery pack, I was smitten.

Skintight American flag dresses, 50s pin-up, heck, the girl even makes geek chic look good, though I don't think hubby to be Russell Brand would agree, below.

Katy shows off her geeky side on Twitter

What I like about Perry is the way she has fun with what she wears. Sure there is a whole load of concept behind the costumes and props in her videos but, unlike a certain Lady Gaga, you know that Perry will switch this off when she nips out to buy a pint of milk.

Tongue in cheek with the ability to poke fun at herself and fashion, Perry is a fresh alternative to serious pop and takes 'sugary pop' to a new level in her new video for 'California Gurls'. The cupcake bra was the icing on the cake and while I don't think I'll be busting out in a superhero outfits any time soon, Ms Perry has won my heart in the style stakes.

California Gurl images courtesy of Starcasm.net

London Yardies

I've just gotten back from a fantastic weekend catching up with friends in London and am exhausted! Perhaps the numerous bottles of wine the night before trekking across London for the bloggers Yard Sale this morning wasn't the best idea, but it was worth it in the end.

For some reason I was expecting a tiny yard with a queue stretching round the block and Susie standing at the entrance with a clipboard. Fortunately it was a breeze to find, a huge space and although there were a few skirmishes to get at the rails, the crowds were few, especially when we first arrived.

All the stall holders were lovely and there were some great buys on offer but Susie's trestle tables definitely had the most items and the best prices, and this is where I found a gorgeous tan leather doctors bag and a blue cotton 'House on the Prairie' style dress, all for the bargainous price of a fiver! My London pal Polly found a gorgeous printed scarf and top after rummaging around in the bottom of a suitcase so we came away happy, though without a hot dog as the BBQ was undergoing some technical problems...

[Edit] Thanks so much to the lovely Susie Bubble for hosting the event, you can read her synopsis of the event and have a gander at some fab photos by reading her Yard Sale post here.

Fashionable follies fight over Susie's treasures

London's best dressed also raided the rails of Frou Frou and Style Slicker

My £3 vintage blue dress...

... which goes rather nicely with my label-less £2 leather doctors bag (vintage scarf added by moi)

Something for the weekend... Quakers Friars

I know I'm going to feel old just writing this but when I was younger all we had to entertain ourselves during the summer holidays was running around on the beach and going to the local park. Fast-forward to the summer of 2010 and Bristol's youngsters can learn to designer their own clothes, try their hand at photography and attend journalism workshops!

Magazine Live! Is a five day event that kicked off at Quakers Friars in Cabot Circus on Wednesday and promise to educate and entertain creative kids aged 5-11. Events will be focused around a different theme each day and booking is not required so this would be a perfect event to take the kids to if they are no longer satisfied by making Rice Krispie cakes or helping around the house...

Magazine Live! is the first event of its kind and will give children a chance to express their creativity and explore beyond what they learn at school. A magazine will be produced across the course of the event by the participating children and there will also be a catwalk show too.

Events like this are a fantastic way of showing children how they can be creative and perhaps in fifteen years time the Next Big Thing in blogging or fashion design might be up on a podium reminiscing about their first foray into fashion...

Magazine Live! takes place at Quakers Friars until Sunday 22nd August. All events are free. For more info check out the Cabot Circus website.

[Edit: Photos added Aug 20th]

Style Bubble Yard Sale

This is happening in London on the exact weekend that I will be visiting the big smoke. Cannot contain myself and not even a hangover or tube closure will get in the way of attending this - one for your diaries if you're a Londoner... Check out what Susie has to say on the event and get all the info you need here.

What a Goldmine!

In the words of Austin Power's Goldmember, 'I like gooooold...' I also like treasure and bargains galore so I was excited to attend the opening of Stokes Croft's very own Gold Mine. The brainchild of those clever Dutty Girls on Cheltenham Road, Goldmine is a pop-up vintage boutique that is taking over the old motorcycle show room on Stokes Croft for a couple of months.

The not-for-profit venture will see proceeds go towards fashion and music workshops for the women of Bristol. All the clothes and accessories are a uniform price, ranging between £8 for boots and up to £15 for jackets, which makes a nice change from the overpriced stock in many of Bristol's vintage emporiums.

For tonight's launch I took along partner-in-crime Amy B to see what all the fuss was about and, glass of wine in hand, raided the rails. There were some fab find including a couple tapestry bags and a Laura Ashley dress that I had my eye on, while Amy found a couple of long granny style printed skirts that looked great on her - being able to pull of an elasticated waist with aplomb is truly a gift!

The party was in full swing when we got there, with a female DJ on the decks and wine and beer being consumed like water outside. From the looks of things it was the male species that were outside drinking, while their female counterparts were inside looking for buried treasures. There were a couple of fashion-forward men checking out the menswear (limited but good quality) but most of the shoppers were after dresses, jewellery and everything else in between.

Although I came away empty handed (apart from a glass of white wine and a choccy biscuit) I was pleased to see a wide selection of vintage on offer at good price. Despite the urban edge in Shop Dutty there was a wide variety of styles and genres covered and I will definitely be popping back before Gold Mine closes its doors in October.

The Gold Mine will be open seven days a week until mid October so pop down and bag yourself a bargain. For more info check out their Facebook page.

There is plenty of room in this old motorcycle showroom

As the party went on into the night vintage lovers, and I suspect long suffering boyfriends, made a beeline for outside

I fell in love with this black sheep jumper but sadly it was a little too itchy for me!

Gorgeous leather boots of bargain bucket prices

Mmm... shotgun a jammy dodger!

Some things for the weekend...

I have been so busy with my new freelance gig that I have had hardly anytime to blog about the fashions of Bristol of late, let alone go out and experience them for myself, so apologies for the sporadic posting of the last couple of weeks.

Anywho, there are plenty of exciting fashionable happenings taking place this weekend including the epic Bristol Harbour Festival. OK, while not exactly fashion related it will immerse the centre of Bristol with live music, local produce and plenty of warm cider. There are fireworks, sailor caps worn in a ironic way and lots and lots of boats, decked out in colourful flags and bunting. Celebrations kicked off last night and will continue across the weekend so grab your friends and a picnic blanket and head down.

Next up is Motel. Originally only a Bristol brand, you can now find the iconic prints and simple body-con dresses across the country in Topshop, Republic and House of Fraser to name but a few. Luckily for us Bristol-based girls their flagship store on Park Street is getting a makeover which has resulted in a pop-up shop opening up across the road next Cooshti! The shop opened its doors on Monday and will be selling stock at ridiculously cheap prices and till the old store re-opens in mid August. For more info check out the Facebook event, here.


Finally, if you have any energy left this weekend then you should hot-foot it down to Stokes Croft for the opening of a brand new vintage store, above. The brains behind Dutty Girl are launching Goldmine tomorrow night, and opening to the public on Monday. Running till mid October, you have but weeks to get your hands on cheap-as-chips bags, retro t-shirts and 80s jumpers. The location of choice is Central Reservation, once a motorcycle showroom, this huge space is now used for exhibitions and promotion of the visual arts. Goldmine will be open seven days a week so there is no excuse not to pop in and bag yourself a bargain.

Victoria Topping: One to Watch

Slightly off topic but I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the amazing digital illustrator Victoria Topping for Crack magazine. Although a little nervous, Victoria was a pleasure to interview and I was struck by the beauty of her illustrations. Working only on her precious Mac Victoria uses her love of disco and wallpaper patterns to create complex drawings built up of layers, textures and shapes.

Victoria has already had one fashion collaboration with Donuts (of Perry Road) but there will be more in the pipeline over the next few months so if you like her stuff as much as I do then keep an eye out on her website for more info.


You can read the full interview when Crack is out next week but to find out where you can get your hands on a piece of digital art check out her Facebook page here.