Just my friend Jim, photo taken by yours truely :)

SKATE PROOOOOOOOOO

http://www.viceland.com/skateramsgate/index.php

To celebrate the arrival of Skate 3 VICE UK sent photographer, and avid skater, Jonnie Craig off on a road trip to Ramsgate with a group of friends.

While they were there, they made the most of the best thing about skating, the hanging about with mates bit - an aspect which Skate 3’s revolutionary multiplayer features make use of for the first time. Skate 3 allows you to play with friends online and work as a team. No more sitting in your room in the dark racking up points alone, you can build the ultimate team and compete with others online, design your own parks and logos. In short – you can do a lot more than you can do in Ramsgate, and you can still do it with your mates.

MerrieGirl goes PRO

Just a quick post to say that MerrieGirl has an official website!

www.merriegirl.com

It shows all my styling work, along with some illustration work. Check it out everybody!

MerrieGirl

xxx

Ben Sherman MADNESS!!!!

Ben Sherman is one of those CLASSIC brands that should be a staple in people's wardrobes, especially guys. I mean you can't really fail with a simple Ben Sherman shirt, jeans and good shoes.

My favourite cult moment featuring Ben Sherman is in the film 'This Is England'.

The characters actually name drop the brand when Shawn is getting his head shaved, "Have you got your Ben Sherman?"

And the styling for the film is just stunning. It makes you want to buy a pair of red braces and shave your head.

But ANYWAY, we're here to talk Ben Sherman and Madness.

Madness are the most awesome band behind many a floor-filling party song. Baggy Trousers makes people dance on the furniture apparently, hehe.

The two have collaborated to produce a skinhead's dream collection, based on the 2-tone record company and the associated relationship between black and white people (I mean the very essence of Ska comes from it's black origins.) The collection attempts to sum up the idea of 'I'm not going to be a racist knobhead' that echoed through much of the scene at the time. This was pretty revolutionary for a society that was still having race riots up and down the country and had the right wing, facist national front (think the BNP in wife beaters and stompy boots) gaining popularity in a dissatisfied Britain.

This new collection, whether or not it solves racism or anything like that, is pretty damn cool. I especially love the Madness Tshirt with the hat - though I am a sucker for a band or slogan T shirt.

Enjoy the pictures, pinched off Vice Uk's fashion website:

http://vicestyle.com/en/news/today/post/ben-sherman-x-madness-2-tone

Have a nice day :)

MerrieGirl

xxx

Prada is the word...

Prada isn't usually my favourite brand, I mean I loved their fairy collection from a couple of seasons ago but nothing usually catches my eye. However, they know how to produce a stand out piece or two - remember their handmade lace collection from 2007/2008?

So for their new stuff, they've gone back to the 50's, using archive Prada prints in a variety of context to create the perfect, matchy-matchy, 'good Sandy' outfit.

The collection is essentially made up of three key pieces (all done in the range of prints): The circle-skirted summer dress, the chain-handled bag and the ballet pump. Perfect debutante style, in a beautiful print that gives it the modern edge.

The dress: I want one in every colour! This dress is a super flattering shape, wearable yet oh so chic, a difficult combination to find in high end fashion. The scoop neck and full skirt conjure up images of sitting in the passenger seat of some vintage cadillac, the perfect blow dry and a boy in a leather jacket. Gotta love that!

The bag: The trend for a chain handled bag rambles on, and Prada shows you why. The print looks so cute on such a little bag, especially with the quilted detail and cloth woven into the chain. But the vibrancy of the print stops it being too twee, making the bag a bit more versatile - you could wear it with a gorgeous, formal cocktail dress or it would look equally good with grey jeans and a band t-shirt.


The shoe: A ballet pump is pretty hard to beat in terms of cuteness, but once again the print gives it a bit of an edge. Though it will be perpetually girly thanks to the black bow detail. Wear with skinny jeans and a blazer to lighten a masculine look or with a plain summer dress to give it a fashion edge.

So I think you should definitely check this collection out.

ALSO, I blogged about the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A a while ago. It is now running and will be open until 26th of september so make it a summer mission to go see it! I am hoping to get down to London and see it in the next few weeks

I'm also hoping to get to RD Franks off Oxford Street, to get my fashion magazine hit! It's the best, most comprehensive fashion book & magazine store in London, you can find pretty much any international fashion magazine at this fabulous shop. I spent far too much money there last time I was in London.

The store: 5 Winsley St. London, W1W 8HG
Website: www.rdfranks.co.uk
Examples of publications they stock:

- Lula
- V
- Vogue (every country)
- the/End.
- Fantastic Man
- Material Girl
- Purple
- Ponytail
- Traffic
- Wound
- Anglomania
- Avenue Illustrated
- Wonderland

and much much more! Go visit them NOW! (and if you can't find the title you're looking for there, if it's a less obscure publication and Franks has just sold out, try the stationary department of Selfridges)

Have a nice day :)

MerrieGirl

- Prada images taken from instyle.com