The Morning Strut

m.i.a

2011-10-29T17:43:00.000+01:00

here's one of the many, many, many reasons why...

{dress - d.i.y }

pinch the hooch

2011-06-17T20:50:00.000+01:00

If we are to believe Twitter users like GorgeousDUH and WassupMrBeiber, Coco Chanel, the woman responsible for 89% of popular fashion epigrams, once advised that a lady should always remove one item of jewellery before she leaves the house.

This little trick never worked for me, partially because it doesn't allow for mixing florals, leather and bling in a haphazard yet hilarious manner, but mostly because this kind of minimalist thinking was never going to get me a job as a Fly Girl on In Living Colour.

Personally, I think Chanel was saying, "Don't be afraid to edit", a motto that couturiers and hoochie mamas alike can take on board.

The moral of this tale? Giveth a lady four glasses of wine in a library and she will lay down for you on a couch of burgundy leather.

Really, this stuff writes itself.

threads: {top - mangled vintage dress} {skirt - forever21} {belt - h&m} {necklace - a frankenstein's monster of other necklaces} {bracelet - vintage} {turban - scarf pilfered from sister} {shoes - h&m}

tomorrow's threads

2011-06-09T22:17:00.000+01:00

the city has a face

2011-04-25T00:43:00.000+01:00

Far more work than play these days.

Luckily, the walk home is never dull...

images c/o the good people at boards.ie

romp thing

2011-04-14T20:56:00.000+01:00

I very rarely plan an outfit in advance. For one, it throws up disturbing memories of being a disco-bound 15-year-old and for two, how am I supposed to predict what mood I'll be in on any particular day?

It's even less common for me to DIY something for a certain event, but when I do whip something up with a specific purpose in mind, two things are bound to happen.

More on those later...

Whateverthisis started life as a unitard from ASOS, before I ripped it apart and pieced it back together again, attaching a bevy of pointless sundries to it along the way. Ruth lovingly pointed out (once she stopped laughing), that this can only mean I have a deep-rooted desire to be a professional gymnast.

Actually, this crazy mo' fo' was inspired by Sheila E's iconic asymmetrical jumpsuit, with a little Babooshka-day Kate Bush in the tail.

So back to the two inevitable consequences of dressing for a purpose...

1) waking up at 7am on the morning of the event in question to change the whole blasted thing around (I hacked more fabric off at the front and added armour to the belt)...

+
2) making it through the event in question without having a single picture taken of it in its final form.

Soon after, Ruth snapped a fellow fashion misfit wearing something similar.

Guess I'll just have to step things up a notch...

a not-so-single woman

2011-04-05T11:37:00.000+01:00

Back in December, I skived off to NY for a week to style this photo shoot for my sister's new vintage-inspired clothing line, Recollection (I blogged about it from her super fly studio).

Here are the final shots from the Lookbook.

My job was to tell the story of an incredibly beautiful woman, through her incredibly beautiful wardrobe.

This ultra chic housewife (I call her Esther) was on my mind for a week solid as I shopped for jewels and planned the outfits.

Would Esther wear fur?

What were Esther's favourite records?
What would Esther wear to the market?

How many gold brooches could Esther realistically convince her husband to buy for her?

and so on...

If you haven't already gathered, Esther is smart, adventurous, daring and opulent. Just like the clothes she plays house in...

Recollection Lookbook A/W 2011

{stills - edwin tse

hair - samantha landis

make-up - christina monita

assistant - elizabeth clancy
styling - the Morning Strut}

sun by psychokinesis

2011-02-25T12:30:00.000Z

Dublin's a pretty grey place to be at the moment (in all senses of the word) so this week I've been dressing to redeem my good mood.

Since last weekend, I've been rocking floral skirts, tropical prints and cutout swimsuits. I've been freezing, but the idea that I might be charming the sun out from behind the clouds has kept me nice and toasty. (note: in no way is this true - I think I heard my pockets chatter at one point.)

Today, I pulled another swimsuit out of storage, and when I set foot outside my apartment block to trek over to Ruth's studio - BAM! Swimsuit weather!

Before I knew it, me, Ruth and Chewbacca (Ruth's pooch...looks like this) were frolicking among the dunes and I had no clothes on.

Whether it was the inexplicable 10° hike in temperature, or the satisfaction of transforming the skies with my bulging brain and impractical wardrobe, I didn't feel the breeze for one second.

I can already hear my Mam teasing that I look like Miss Dollymount Beach Clean-Up 2011, so this last one is for her...

"...and I pledge to represent all ~~pregnant teens~~ beach clean-up ladies, be they man, woman, black or white. I thank you."

threads: {suimsuit - h&m, with fringe from asos dress} {scarf - vintage} {skirt - mangled vintage} {parasol - found in chinatown in nyc}

let's fucking have you, ireland

2011-02-25T08:54:00.000Z

image c/o Life

tomorrow's threads

2011-02-24T16:54:00.000Z

down the hatch

2011-02-20T19:18:00.000Z

Today, we begin with a moment of genuine terror.

I'm in the kiddie tunnel at the National Wax Museum.

No, not the kitchenette of horrors or whatever they call it, the cute little play area where you stick your four-year-old when they show a disappointing level of interest in a life size model of Brendan Grace. I'm not going to tell you what was up in that hatch, but it was not suitable for children.

There's absolutely no balance to this outfit.

Print for print, it's pure trash.

Seeing as I made absolutely no attempt to class things up when I got dressed that morning, I thought I'd see if hanging out with some of Ireland's great political and artistic minds (and a couple of head scratchers who presumably made it to wax on some form of dare) would make me look like any less of a harlot.

Your guess is as good as mine on that one.

Needless to say I felt right at home in the Writers' Room, with Wilder, Joycee and the lads.

ATTN: GOOD PEOPLE OF THE NATIONAL WAX MUSEUM - When you finally come to your senses and add me to this exhibition, I want my waxwork to be doing this.

And don't be putting her in no tea dress.

threads: {top - mangled dress} {skirt - motel} {belt - vintage} {leopard collar - oxfam} {bracelet - vintage} {tattoos - found in chinatown in London and helped along with eyeliner}

style swoon: mary margaret dunne

2011-02-09T11:57:00.001Z

Known to a whole city as Mad Mary, this vivacious lady stood on Dublin's O'Connell St. almost every day for 20 years and just danced.

A Facebook page dedicated to the curious dancing woman currently has over 20,000 fans. More often than not, visitors to the site recall her unfaltering glamour.

style creds: looked effortlessly chic in rain, wind or shine and flaunted an instantly recognisable style, which revolved around clashing colours, printed scarves, mismatched gloves, bangles, scrunchies, rosary beads, clip-on earrings, dancing heels and lashings of curly platinum hair.

Mary told the Irish Star that she danced in honour of the Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary, but I like to think she got up, got up and got down just for the thrill of it.

Failing eyesight meant she'd left the street by the time I moved to Dublin so unfortunately our paths never crossed, but there's no arguing with a story like hers.
Singing, dancing, protesting, preaching - whatever she was doing on that patch of concrete, people loved her for it.

Last year, Mary was interviewed the Irish Daily Mail;

Now 83, Mrs. Dunne is still a handsome woman, her snow-white hair attractively pinned up around her head. She wears a well-cut skirt and jacket with a brightly coloured scarf at her neck. There is one elaborate clip-on earring that dangles almost to her shoulder, the other presumably momentarily misplaced.

"I have stopped for the present," she explained carefully. "But I miss it. And I am not terribly fond of what I am hearing on the radio. There is a lot of bad news. My message has clearly been lost."

One of my favourite stories about Mary suggests that she had a longtime rivalry with the similarly infamous mad ould wan in the beret with the giant wooden crucifix (hey, everyone's got their baby with the one eyebrow). Adorable, yes, but clearly, the woman took no shit.

I can only imagine the kind of guff she got for standing in the most public spot in the country and acting like a loon for 20 years, but that's probably what I love most about the Mad Mary legacy. No amount of abuse could stop her doing what she wanted or dressing as she pleased.

Now, there's a message worth hanging onto.*

epilogue

Of course, our darling city has been home to dozens of other street characters over the years, from the lovable to the beastly. Information on these crackpot roamers is scant at best, but historian Éamonn MacThomáis dropped some choice names in this documentary, including Johnny Forty Coats, Bang Bang, Hairy Lemon, Hairy Yank, Shell Shock Joe, All Parcels and Nancy Needle Balls. Enjoy making place cards for that dinner party.

*A tribute dance for the dancing lady was held on O'Connell St. on March 7, 2010.
Mary is still alive and living in Dublin.

images via the Mad Mary Facebook page

state of mind purple

2011-01-29T17:26:00.001Z

Like everyone else in the country, I've been feeling a little under the weather this week, so rather than adventuring out of my apartment in search of a good time, I've been mostly hanging out in my room, playing with my face.

Sure, a good piece of cloth can soothe the aching shoulders, but for me, a game of drag queen dress-up is the quickest way to take your mind off what ails you.

NOTE: I have absolutely no idea what I was going for with this particular example of face-play. Looking at it now, I'd say it's part Siouxsie Sioux, part Bowie in Labyrinth, part Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent.

I guess that's the fun part about dressing to please yourself - you never know where the whim's going to take you.

post title c/o Nas...

screen swoon: la belle et la bête

2011-01-26T02:22:00.000Z

the picture: La Belle Et La Bête
the year: 1946
the director: Jean Cocteau
the talent: Josette Day et Jean Marais
the deal: beast meets girl

I never went in for the whole fairytale princess thing.
Sure, Cinderella gave me violent chills as a young'n, but that was only because in some versions (here) there were three balls, not one, and therefore three glorious gowns to pour over. Also, it was better than stories about oversized root vegetables and ludicrous amounts of porridge.

In the opening scene of La Belle Et La Bête, director Jean Cocteau requests that we view the film with "childlike simplicity", something I clearly lacked even as a nipper.

A minute later, the camera pans upwards to reveal Belle's sister Adelaide in a ridiculous sequin and pheasant feather hat and I conclude that for threads this elaborate, I can put up with 90 minutes of babbling, square-jawed schmaltz.

Cocteau called in Vogue illustrator Bébé (real name Christian Bérard) to take charge of the costumery on La Belle Et La Bête, which ranged from bedazzled necklines and colossal sleeves to grubby aprons and neat turbans.

"Watching Christian Bérard at work is an extraordinary sight. At (couture house) Paquin's, surrounded by tulle and ostrich feathers, smeared with charcoal, covered with perspiration and spots, his beard on fire, his shirt hanging out, he gives to luxury a profound significance. Between his small ink stained hands, the costumes cease to be mere props and take on the arrogant actuality of fashion. He makes us realize that a period dress is not merely a costume, but a fashion which belonged to a period and changed with it. People dressed by Bérard look as though they lived at a place, in a definite period, and not as though they were going to a fancy dress ball."

- Jean Cocteau, Diary Of A Film.

After WWII, fabric was in short supply, so it's beyond me how Bébé managed to piece together the dozens of elaborate gowns and embellished frock coats Cocteau required. Even minor characters like the fur-draped usurer were allowed their finery.

Like Cocteau, Bébé got big results by simple means.

For me, revolutionary effects like Cocteau's backwards editing techniques are matched by Bérard's ingenuity on the clothing front - I'm talking tricks like giving sparkle to the horse's mane, using Josette Day's hair as the ultimate accessory and kitting every cast member out in a floor-skimming cape, no matter how tough times were.

You'll be glad to know that while the bling and codpieces suggest the ultimate fantasy land, La Belle Et La Bête doesn't have a typical fantasy ending.

The 8-year-old cynic in me is only delighted.

You can watch the full film here, and read part of Cocteau's Diary Of A Film here.
(Oh, and yes, of course I love the Disney version too. I'm only human.)

tomorrow's threads

2011-01-25T20:04:00.000Z

wake up, little Siouxsie...

grunt, squeak, squawk

2011-01-17T10:25:00.000Z

The Morning Strut has already seen me confess to a semi-serious canine perversion, but this week, Ruth's camera caught me fawning over some slightly more exotic pets.

Firstly, I'm not sure how I feel about Zoos (see why here and here). From what I gather, some animals are happy, some aren't. I understand that the protection of so many species is dependent on conservation programmes, but that doesn't necessarily have to involve odd-looking punters like me grinning at them like morons, does it?

Bottom line is this; I could watch these gorgeous dudes all day, but I'm pretty sure they'd rather I didn't.

Personally, I love being behind bars. Only for a couple of minutes, mind.

As you may have guessed, tigers, leopards and lions all give me the massive swoons, but if I'm totally honest, my spotted heart belongs to another.

The giraffe is my spirit animal. I feel a kinship with them for countless reasons. They're proud, confident and sneakily clever. They're very laid-back creatures, but they're fucking terrifying when they want to be (they fight like sailors and they've been known to kick lions to death!)

They're the ultimate oddballs of nature - they don't look like anyone else in the wild and they can't help getting noticed.

Sometimes when I go to visit them, they look like they're loving all the attention.

Other times, they really seem very shy.

Weirdos.

threads: {dress - mangled vintage} {black belt - h&m} {gold elephant belt - vintage} {scarf - sister hand-me-down} {jacket - other sister hand-me-down} {boots - dodgy shop on Meath St.} {ear bling - random store in ny} {finger bling - street market in NY}

tomorrow's threads

2011-01-16T14:41:00.000Z

...just call me Dolittle.

the morning strut's swoonsome Xmas things

2010-12-26T02:03:00.001Z

'Tis the season to be generous, so I've decided to treat all four of my readers to a little festive swoonage.

Without further ado, I present The Morning Strut's thoroughly useless assemblage of Xtacular Xmas Xavourites!

my favourite xmas lady:

for looking like tinsel the whole year 'round - the impossibly festive Carmen Miranda

my favourite xmas lad:

for joining in the fun when he possibly didn't want to - Bobby Farrell of Boney M

my favourite piece of commercial xmas tripe:

for nailing half a dozen classic movie moments in under a minute - M&S Xmas Campaign 2007

my favourite xmas animation:

for Fred Astaire's claymation chin - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (1970)

my favourite xmas party:

for featuring an off-her-face Katharine Hepburn - Xmas eve at the Federal Broadcasting Network, as seen in Desk Set (1957)

my favourite xmas movie:

c'mon.

my favourite xmas mistletune:

don't be fucking ridiculous - here's a handful to chew on;

Blue Christmas (To Who It May Concern) - Miles Davis Feat. Bob Dorough

Jingling Baby - L.L. Cool J

Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby Feat. The Andrews Sisters

Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong

Christmas In Hollis - Run DMC

Merry Christmas, Baby - Otis Redding

If any of my devoted quartet have made it this far, well done.

This is for you.

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Holidays! Let the record show that I wish Joy To The World and Peace On Earth.

(... some Men don't deserve Goodwill.)

xXx

a woman for all seasons

2010-12-22T13:27:00.000Z

you can call him ray...

2010-12-14T21:37:00.000Z

One of my very favourite nuggets of inspiration in the studio is a scan of this article from a 1959 issue of Vogue Pattern Book, featuring "lively teenager" and home sewer extraordinaire Lynda Harper. The piece follows Lynda as she creates a dress for prom night. But enough about her.

Her date's name is Rayford*.

Seriously. RAYFORD*.

Boy is he ever dreamy.

*Sadly, the name Rayford reached its popularity zenith around 1930, 29 years before this issue of VPB was even published! If anyone out there knows anyone by the name of Rayford, please urge him get in contact immediately, as I would like us to be wed.

isle of joy

2010-12-14T03:11:00.000Z

I'm in New York this week, a town I love to visit if only for the tasty, tasty anonymity it brings (down right irresistible for a journalist who's already used up all her witty repartee for 2010).

I've been dividing my time between trawling antique stores for massive ear rings, watching movies I can't get in European format, personally depleting the world's supply of scallion cream cheese, perving off buff train conductors, taking my book on a bar crawl of Manhattan, justifying everything with "I'm on vacation!" and having a guy on the street make my year by greeting me with a "Yo, what's up, white Rihanna?"

I'm also giving my sister a hand with her new vintage-inspired fashion line Recollection, which makes its ultra glamorous debut in Fall/Winter 2011.

Here's a look inside her ultra glamorous studio*...

*all photos by me

before the freeze

2010-12-10T18:08:00.001Z

Ireland's weather has always been a little fickle/unpredictable/hysterically evil, but this year the Seasons seemed to change at the drop of a hat.

Ruth took these photos, and a week later, Dublin was spazzing out under a foot of snow and I was suddenly dressing for the coldest temperatures of my lifetime. Bad news for my toes, worse news for my wardrobe.

Light coats, heavy knits, leather jackets, trenches, stockings, jersey dresses - all totally useless. Thanks to Mama Nature's hissy fit, I'll be rocking the Bolivian housewife look 'til Spring.

It's not all bad, though. The snow makes for a flawless backdrop to my ridiculous print obsession, the blizzards provide a natural wind machine and it's finally acceptable for me to dress like an extra from Dr. Zhivago.

...and hey, I always welcome an excuse to watch this video.

threads: {top - asos bandeau and h&m dress} {skirt - vintage} {tights - penneys} {brogues - penneys} {necklace - a gift from the wiley travelers of yearlongbreakup}

out of the fog

2010-11-29T02:21:00.000Z

I'm not in the habit of interviewing myself but I imagine that asking me to name my favourite item of clothing is like asking me how to get to O'Connell St. - you're after a no-frills answer in 30 words or less, but will inevitably be faced with a lot of incoherent babbling and wild, aggressive gestures.

I associate certain inanimate objects with certain animate objects and for this reason (and a million others), I will never, ever be able to single out just one item of clothing as my most prized.

I may not be able to choose my favourite threads, but this is what I wore when there was a .03% chance I was going to be in the same room as Prince, making it a pretty special get-up. So special in fact, I'm now a tad shy about showing this rather Mildred Pierce suit dress to anyone (this should explain the slightly cautious and perfectly creepy nature of the above shots).

Mr. Nelson never did turn up to court that day, but when a fellow reporter presumed I was a die hard fan by my furs and heels, I knew I'd gotten it right.

Think tomorrow I'll dress to meet Little Richard...

threads: {dress - vintage} {shoes - farylrobin, who deserve massive love for quoting marge simpson on their homepage!} {ear bling - random store in ny} {finger bling - asos} {wrist bling - vintage and absolut (yes, the vodka!)} {tattoo - found in Chinatown in London}

style swoon - rudolph valentino

2010-11-28T03:02:00.001Z

He was the original Latin Lover, one of the most graceful men ever to hit the silver screen, a true dandy, a poster boy for all things exotic and one of the sexiest humans ever - today, I'm swooning over silent movie siren Rudolph Valentino.

Born in Castellaneta, a small town on Italy's heel, an 18-year-old Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi landed on Ellis island on Christmas Eve Eve, 1913. Come 1921, he was not only the most-lusted after man in America, he was the catalyst for an all-out revolution in the population's taste in men. Nobody wanted a square-jawed everyman after Valentino came along.

Once movie-goers saw him tango across the floor in The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, they were hooked on his dark looks and intense allure. After that picture, a nation hung on his every word, though they never heard him speak.

style creds: he loved to wear jewellery, his massive wardrobe included a fur-trimmed dressing gown, his first job in America was as a taxi dancer, he made it acceptable for men to wear gauchos and I can't find a single picture of him with a hair out of place.

Valentino got some pretty harsh slagging for his effeminate dress sense, but it didn't stop him from wearing increasingly outlandish costumes in his films and being a consummate glamourboy outside the studio lot. When an article in the Chicago Tribune blamed him for the feminisation of American men, Rudy challenged the journalist to a duel. A DUEL.

When Rudolph Valentino died from appendicitis at the age of 31, the response was hysterical. In London, a female dancer commited suicide. In New York, a woman shot herself and fell across a heap of his photographs. 30,000 women attended his funeral.

For me, the Valentino effect is all about mystery. He was an enigma (like a kind of sexy Sphinx) and still is. We know very little about the man behind the smoulder, which makes it all the more exciting when we watch his films today. That said, I'm pretty sure he was a demon in the sack.

If you don't believe me, check out the look in Gloria Swanson's eyes.

now is the time for guts and guile

2010-11-27T14:50:00.000Z

- an important message from Mother Courage

this ain't england

2010-11-15T04:42:00.003Z

If I had my wicked way, I'd look like I'd come straight from The Cotton Club circa 1938 all day every day, but believe it or not, I don't have access to a lot of coyote fur coats and gold lame gowns.

'80s-tastic tack, on the other hand, seems to follow me around like a bad rash. Not only am I a 1987 baby, but my 7,000 ft stature allows me to take style cues from fabulous giant birds of the era like Brigitte Nielsen and Grace Jones.

I guess it's no harm to trade the Cotton Club for The Blitz for a while, if I'm allowed have tunes like this, this and this as my soundtrack...

p.s. a shot that didn't make it to blog is positively going on file as a promo pic for my as-yet-unformed electro breakdance revival outfit. Get your interview requests in good and early, kids...

threads: {shirt - h&m} {shiny pants - aa} {cummerbund - d.i.y.} {jacket - vintage} {shoes - new look} {hugely beat-up clutch - penney's} {finger bling - asos} {scowl - model's own}

style swoon - sheila e.

2010-11-15T03:04:00.001Z

She led the glamorous life, she was a stone cold fox, she's a guy's girl, she's positively koo koo and she can still drum you into oblivion - today, it's all about funk diva and fearless glamourbird Sheila E.

style creds: once owned a turquoise drum kit, was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams, is Tito Puente's goddaughter, is responsible for some of the most drool-enducing album covers of all time and eh...she hangs out with Prince!

Her style was characterised by excess; colossal shoulders, candy box make-up, religious iconography, enormous ear rings, Louis XIV masculinity, something-encrusted everything and very, very big hair.

Most importantly, she was absolutely fearless about showing off her body - just look at what she wore on the Tonight Show in 1987!

Sheila epitomised OTT '80s fashion and for about a decade she was a faithful disciple of Prince's personal style (hear her talk about it here). She's long since relinquished her eccentric wardrobe (these days you'll mostly find her in boring, slinky numbers), but I'm pretty sure that's a product of Ms. E doing precisely what she wants and not giving a fuck what anyone has to say about it. And isn't that why we loved her in the first place?

"I'm not trying to sell sex. I just don't like wearing a lot of clothes on stage."

Right On.

animal magnetism

2010-11-13T17:17:00.000Z

Sometimes Ruth and I work really hard - proper back-aching, sweat-making, ass-breaking hard...And then there are those days when we sit around and paint each other's nails.

I had to go all the way to London to get my mitts on this miracle potion by Barry M (don't worry, there were other reasons for my trip - Kelly Brook wasn't going to stare at herself, now was she?), which creates a kind of beat-up graffiti effect on your paws.

I then surprised no-one by trying my hand at some animal patterns and Ruth was happy to play fucked-up zebra to my cheetah.

Oh, it's on!

threads: {my base coat - precious metals nail polish by 17}

{ruth's base coat - the semen of a million irate stallions}

{top coat - instant nail effects by barry m}

let me 'splain...

2010-11-12T00:49:00.001Z

If I get a little insane about clothes from time to time, it's probably because there's a genuine lifelong love behind it. Certain pictures were blowing my unspoilt little brain before I could walk, and Lucille Ball darting around her tiny greyscale apartment in a rhinestone encrusted housecoat was one of these images.

I've wanted that housecoat for nigh-on two decades - since the day I first got it into my curly little head and every couple of years since, when I revisited the show for a '50s overdose. Last year, my friend Karen (who's been known to pull a hair-brained scheme of her own in her time) presented me with a book of I Love Lucy paper dolls, which I've been playing with ever since.

Obviously that particular rhinestone cowboy can never be mine, but when I tried on a rather rigid vintage lace dress in Wild Child one afternoon, it practically begged me to take it home and slash it! I took a scissors to it and poof! - she was ready to layer over pants, skirts and dresses.

One day I will replicate every headscarf, pantsuit and potato sack in Lucy's part functional, part eccentric wardrobe, but for now, this mangled find will see me through a zany shenanigan or two.

threads: {bra - asos} {skirt - penney's} {housecoat - mangled vintage} {boots - penney's} {wrist bling - vintage} {ear rings - d.i.y.}

tomorrow's threads

2010-11-09T17:13:00.000Z

three old bitches

2010-11-06T02:04:00.005Z

Inhabitants of the city of Dublin will already be aware of my obsession with the canine species - many's the dog owner who's caught me perving off their pooch of a Sunday's eve...

I'm desperate for one of my own, but location, lifestyle and my tendancy to be a complete sham of a human being don't really allow it. If my goldfish Ginger makes it to her third birthday, maybe then I'll think about introducing a wee mutt into my family. For now, I'll continue to whore myself around for dogsitting duties and secretly hope someone lands a little flea bag in my lap.

I only kinda sorta coordinate with Minnie and Medjie in these shots (does two tone hair count?), but for a masterclass in doggie uniformity, look no further than the character of Nadine Hale in Easter Parade, played by the irrepressible Ann Miller, who I conveniently bigged up in this post earlier today!

threads: {swimsuit - vintage} {skirt - vintage...note the full-on leopard heads in the pattern!} {furs - M&S} {boots - shady Indian gentleman} {bag - penneys} {belt - vintage} {ear bling - vintage}

{Minnie and Medjie appear courtesy of the haus of Claire and Djamel}

style swoon - ann miller

2010-11-05T16:32:00.001Z

Today I'm bigging up Ann Miller - the woman with the fastest feet in Hollywood.

She knew how to wear clothes, she loved the company of gentlemen, she danced well into her 50s, had ginormous hair, and was a consummate glamourpuss right 'til the end.

style creds: claimed to have invented tights, listed her occupation on her tax returns as "Star Lady", had her legs insured for a million dollars and, according to IMdb, believed she was Queen Hathshepsut of Egypt in a previous life.

Some actresses during Hollywood's golden age found the studio system taxing, hated having their image micromanaged by studio bigwigs and resented always being expected to walk, talk and look like a movie star - not Annie. She loved the ritual of getting dressed (hear her talk about it here) and had a genuine affection for all things feathered and glittered.

All in all, a wonderful example of a life lived glamorously.

What a dame.

tomorrow's threads

2010-11-04T14:37:00.000Z

only tomorrow, I'll have friends...

white and cold

2010-11-01T01:46:00.000Z

I was angry today, so I dressed for combat. For me, this means black, mesh, leather, a little ammo and some ink - as you can see, I got a little overzealous with one of the the address stamps in Ruth's studio!

I'd be a perjurious ho if I said this hair colour doesn't make me feel like icy temptress Kim Novak, so it's been coming in extra handy when I need to give someone the cold shoulder.

threads: {bodysuit - aa} {skirt- asos} {harness - d.i.y.} {scarf - oxfam} {boots - topshop} {tats - studio62photography}

green trash

2010-10-28T19:59:00.002+01:00

...after the Gaga show, chanelling the Lady who taught us that nasty, skanky and trashy can be beautiful too.

threads: {dress - mangled vintage from sister's '90s wardrobe} {belt bling - recycled neck bling} {ribbon - eh...it's a ribbon}

that gangsta luvin'

2010-10-23T16:14:00.001+01:00

Some days, you just feel like hustlin'...

(more information on gangsta luv can be found here, here and here.)

threads: {bodysuit - aa} {boiler suit - mangled wild child vintage} {belt - cut up corset} {neck bling - some hockster in NYC} {hand bling - topshop} {boots - unidentified Indian man on Meath St.}

what an 'andsome 'ead, they'd have said...

2010-10-23T16:11:00.000+01:00

It's but a week 'til the most bewitching day of the year and I'm still no further along with my Hallowe'en costume than I was back in July, thanks to these massively distracting ladies who hang out in the window of my local joke shop. I just can't resist their creepy, creepy charms...

The more I look at this picture, the more I feel like Worzel Gummidge. If you don't remember Worzel Gummidge, it was a hugely creepy children's TV show in the '80s about a tragic scarecrow with an array of interchangeable turnip heads.

If you do remember Worzel Gummidge... well, bless your heart.

threads: {dress - mangled vintage} {cardigan - mam find} {other - penney's}

tomorrow's threads

2010-10-22T15:32:00.000+01:00

what's your favourite colour, baby?

2010-10-22T15:17:00.004+01:00

If it wasn't already obvious, I've got a huge soft spot for animal prints. I've been known to set myself the challenge of making it through whole weekends wearing nothing but.

I love to tell people that leopard is my favourite colour. When they reply that leopard is not a colour at all, I simply scream

'It is, too! It's a living colour!',

claw them across the tummy and dash dramatically into a nearby jungle to hide in the forestscape.

Thank god for this spotted coat of mine...

threads: {bra - asos} {skirt - penney's} {shirt - h&m} {neck bling - leftovers} {hand bling - asos + topshop}

{shoes - c/o unidentified Indian man on Meath St.}

words

2010-10-21T18:20:00.000+01:00

Hello you,

I am the Grand Puba of The Morning Strut and I write words about clothes.

Here is some further information on me...

I am the Nigga In Charge over here, I Am Lion, I've got Jungle Fever, I'm a Different Kind Of Cat, I'm a Woman and I Like It Loud.

For more on the idea behind The Morning Strut, see my Mode Of Conduct.

Much love,

Celina xXx

Mail: themorningstrut@gmail.com

Twitter: @themorningstrut

Facebook: Oh God, no.

mode of conduct

2010-10-21T17:45:00.000+01:00

I’m a huge believer in the redemptive power of clothes - there’s not a hater I can’t handle or an argument I can’t win, provided I’m wearing the right outfit...

Dresses and skirts and jackets and jewellery have done a lot for me over the years, so I feel it’s only fitting that I do right by them - that is, bring them around the city with me once in a while and show them off. Fashion is a fun art, but people sometimes forget that it's also funny, which is precisely why you'll find me swanning about in gangsta chains, fringed underwear and thigh-high splits in the Winter time.

As you can imagine, other people find this quite funny too. Whenever I move to a new street, the locals seem to delight in pointing out how absurd I look as I go about my business.

Still, after a couple of weeks, they grow accustomed to my vulgar style and don't make quite so many remarks. In a couple of very rare cases, my neighbours have even learned to like it! This is when I know I’ve done something good – when I've resisted the urge to amend my wardrobe to suit a bunch of strangers and when I know that the next girl who walks down that street in a pair of see-through palazzo pants probably won't get such a hard time!

I created The Morning Strut as a way to celebrate the inanimate objects that give me tiny little thrills every day, and to remember some great men and women who loved clothes as much as I do.

(...and if I can do anything towards eliminating fashion fear, well, that would be a very, very nice bonus)

stills

2010-10-21T02:15:00.001+01:00

Unless otherwise stated, photography on The Morning Strut is the work of this wonderful lady...

Ruth Medjber* - photographer, good time gal and future President of yo' ass...

(*not pictured, actual Ruth)

For more on Ruth and her fabulous, fabulous snaps, please see these clickables;

Mail: ruth@studio62photography.com
Web: http://www.studio62photography.com/
& http://www.ruthlessimagery.wordpress.com/