Photo Diary: The Christmas Holidays

I'm going back to uni tomorrow so I thought I'd make a post looking back over this month, It's been such a great Christmas and New Year and I'm missing it already :( I took the picture above before I left home, I'm wearing a top from Topshop and a hat from Penneys. I had really frizzy hair  that day so this hat was the only thing that helped, plus black hats make any outfit slightly cooler. I'm also wearing a new eyeshadow palette from Seventeen, its full of really pretty nudes, pinks and shimmery golds/coppers. I might do a review sometime (the beauty area of the blogging world is so intimidating eek)

New Years was such an amazing time, it was me and my boyfriends two year anniversary so we went to the fireworks in Cardiff to celebrate and ring in the new year. He bought me a big framed poster of Morrissey and Marr as an anniversary present, he knows me too well

I had such a relaxing time at home with my family. I starting reading some of my books for college, its so much easier to read when there is no time pressure. The Virgin Suicides is my favourite book so far. I bought some lush things in Dublin in order to make my break super relaxing.It was also my Dad's 50th birthday, we had a party so I got to meet up with the two sides of my family

all pictures from my instagram

It was also my brothers birthday so we went out for a meal, I got this lemon tart for dessert, it was so yummy. We also went to see the Hateful Eight. I really liked it, not as much as some of the earlier Tarantino movies but it was still pretty enjoyable. I didn't like Django Unchained that much so maybe its just the western genre that I'm not feeling.I also made an 8tracks based on songs that could be in a Tarantino or have a Tarantino aesthetic (you know what I mean). You used to be able to embedd 8tracks in blogger but I can't seem to now :( I feel like blogspot really needs to do some updates and keep up with some other social networking sites. Anyway here's a link to my playlist :) I gave my room a big clear out and I found lots of magazines and zines I bought from etsy. I really want to start buying zines again, theyre so fun to collect. 

I went back to Dublin a few days early in order to go to a film conference called The Film Network run by the Trinity film society. There were talks by Irish filmmakers like Ed Guiney, the producer of Room and The Lobster, Tim Fleming, the director of Once and Jenny Oman, the set designer for Brooklyn and Frank. It was a really interesting insight into how film sets are actually run and how to get a film into production. I have class tomorrow at 11am so I better finish this post here and catch some zzzs

Moonage Daydream

top - river island

velvet joni jeans - topshop (sold out similar here)

boots - office

Today was one of those days when I couldn't stop applying eyeliner but hey I kind of like it that way. I got the velvet joni jeans in the sale this Christmas but they are sold out online now. Its annoying that most of my clothes and shoes are in Dublin. I've been rotating between two pairs of shoes all month. I've been listening to Ziggy Stardust all day, its becoming a new favourite

The Influence of David Bowie on Fashion and Film

Today we lost one of the most influential people to have ever existed. David Bowie shaped the image of the rock n roll star and inspired some of the most amazing music to date. His influence also extends to fashion and film by inspiring collections by Jean Gaultier and appearing on soundtracks for some of the most memorable moments in film. I've written this post to celebrate the continuing influence of David Bowie and to pay tribute to his extraordinary ability to create and inspire. 

Fashion

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier's Spring/Summer 2013 ready to wear show was inspired by the fashion icons of the 1980s such as David Bowie, Madonna, Boy George and Grace Jones. The above pictures show the influence of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona which was epitomized by choppy orange/red hair, knitted leotards, jumpsuit, lashings of eyeshadow and the occasional eyepatch. The image of Ziggy Stardust helped to inspire the creation of the glam rock look.

Miu Miu

Miu Miu's Fall collection in 2012 is heavily influenced by the iconic image of David Bowie in the video for Life on Mars (the 1971 single which was featured on the album Hunky Dory). The androgynous look consisted of over-sized pantsuits, silk ties and light blue eyeshadow. 

Givenchy

Givenchy's Spring 2010 ready to wear show presented a black and white geometrically stripped blazer that is almost identical to the one worn by David Bowie in the seventies during his Aladdin Zane phase. 

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten acknowledges the influence of the image of David Bowie as The Thin White Duke for the Fall 2011 collection. The collection featured redish blonde slicked back hair, oversized blazers and pleated trousers. The show was also accompanied by a deconstructed version of David Bowie's song Golden Years. The tribute to David Bowie continued in the Fall 2011 womenswear collection. During the show images of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust was projected behind the runway and a remixed version of Hereos accompanied the presentation.

The Kate Moss Vogue Covers

David Bowie inspired two vogue covers which featured Kate Moss impersonating the singer. The Vogue UK cover for the May 2003 issue shows Kate adorned with the famous lighting bolt which David Bowie wore for the iconic album cover for Aladdin Sane. Kate Moss appeared as David Bowie again in 2011 for the Vogue Paris December issue, this time dressed as Ziggy Stardust. Last year Kate Moss accepted a Brit award for David Bowie while wearing the famous Ziggy Stardust playsuit. The Kate Moss as David Bowie impersonation continues...

Film 

The Runaways

The 2010 biopic of the band The Runaways features a scene in which Cherie Currie, played by Dakota Fanning, dresses up as Ziggy Stardust and mimes to the song Lady Grinning Soul. I really love this scene because it epitomizes teenage rebellion and shows the influence of Bowie in popular culture.

Inglorious Basterds

One of my favourite scenes from the 2009 film by Quentin Tarantino is the scene in which Shosanna applies "warpaint" to the David Bowie's song Cat People. I think this song is the perfect accompaniment to Shosanna's transformation into a fearless nazi killer. 

Frances Ha

The 2013 film directed by Noel Baumbach is about a dancer called Frances, played by Greta Gerwig who struggles to get her life together after her best friend Sophie moves out of her apartment and she is forced to move. The scene in which Frances runs and dances through the streets of New York to Modern Love by David Bowie is my favourite scene in the movie. You can watch it here. 

I hope you liked this post, I haven't written one like this before but I really enjoyed it. Let me know in the comments below if you can think of any more tributes to David Bowie in popular culture

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New Years Resolutions/ A 2016 To Do List

 After recovering from New Years celebrations, I thought I'd bite the bullet and make a list of all the things I'd like to achieve in 2016. I don't plan on cutting out on anything, I'd rather take on new challenges and improve on existing ones. 

Finish my Degree

My main priority in 2016 is to finish my degree. I've probably mentioned before that I'm currently studying English and Film at University College Dublin. I only have one semester left so I'm determined to keep my grades up. I'll be spending a lot of January reading and preparing for next semester in order to keep the final year stress to a minimum. 

Exercise

My second new year's resolution is the most typical but for me its a long time due. As someone who spends a substantial amount reading or sitting at a laptop, my fitness level is basically at zero. I plan on walking to college in the morning instead of taking a bus and going to the gym on the weekends.

Learn How To Cook

I really want to achieve this resolution because I'm really tired of eating boring meals. I find it really hard to cook in college because for one thing I have a really tight budget when it comes to grocery shopping and secondly I get home late during the weekdays and I usually resort to oven chips and salad. I really want to learn how to make substantial vegetarian food. I'd also love to make my own sauces from scratch. Admittedly, I made this resolution last year but I think this year I will finally learn how to make a meal that myself and others will enjoy!

Find a Job

This is the most challenging task of 2016. I will be finishing college next May and I'll be looking for a job almost immediately. I will be applying for jobs in Bristol so I will spending my Christmas break researching jobs and figuring out the job-searching process. If anyone has any advice about looking for a job in a different country or any stories about their experience landing a job then leave a comment below, it will be much appreciated :)

Move House

I'm really excited about the prospect of moving into a new flat with my boyfriend. I've been living in Dublin with other students for the best part of three years so I'm looking forward to making my new place feel more like home and decorating it with various pictures of bands hehe. However, I'm also a little apprehensive about the prospect of moving country and looking for a flat in a completely new city, I intend on moving from Dublin to Bristol. It will take time to get used to a new area but I'm really excited to start a new chapter of my life. 

Go to More Gigs

In 2015 I saw my boys Johnny Marr and Morrissey so it was a pretty good year. Next year I want to go to a lot more gigs. I have tickets for Wolf Alice in March but I'd also love to go to a festival in Manchester called Cosmosis, the lineup is so good. I'd also love to see The Kills live, they are releasing an album this year so hopefully they will tour in the UK

Write More

This resolution is along the lines of the compulsory "must blog more" resolution but I also intend on figuring out what kind of things I like to write about. I plan on writing more reviews and personal posts in order to find a personal writing style. As I'm finishing college in May, I'd like to maintain my writing skills by trying to write a little everyday. I also think reading is very important to creative writing so I intend on continuing the habit of regularly reading. Last year I made a reading challenge on goodreads to read at least 15 books in 2015. I ended up reading 19 books last year so this year I will set the target for 20 books.  

Take more pictures

My final resolution for 2016 is to take  more pictures. I will be going through a lot of new experiences this year and I'd like to capture a lot of the memories along the way. I want to finally figure out how to use my dslr camera properly and I also want to take more photographs on disposable cameras. I plan on printing out a lot of the pictures that I've taken on my iphone and putting them in photo albums. I just love looking back on old photographs.

I hope you all have a good 2016!