Getting High

despite the recent criticism, it seems high waists are here for a while longer....even for guys

Hey Shorty

Every day the Same

This morning I had one of those typical 'so many clothes but nothing to wear' moments. Running late for work, I stared into my overflowing cupboard (one of two), rifled through the racks, threw garments all over my bed, and amid a mess of scattered jeans, dresses and cardis declared that nothing was right. Oh, how simple were the days at school, when we got up late, threw down some breakfast and flung on the same uniform we wore the day before. And the day before. And the day before that. Conformity conshmormity.

For 365 days, life will once again be that simple for Sheena Matheiken. Starting from May 2009, she has pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Well, there are actually seven identical dresses that will be on rotation - she may be environmentally conscious, but she's also conscious of the stench of year old musty clothing.

There is a point to this experiment. The Uniform Project will be used to raise funds for the Akanksha Foundation, a non-profit organisation helping to educate underprivileged children in India. Donations received throughout the project period will be used to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

She says of her venture:

I was raised and schooled in India where uniforms were a mandate in most public schools. Despite the imposed conformity, kids always found a way to bend the rules and flaunt a little personality. Boys rolled up their sleeves, wore over-sized swatches, and hiked up their pants to show off their high-tops. Girls obsessed over bangles, bindis and bad hairdos. Peaking through the sea of uniforms were the idiosyncrasies of teen style and individual flare. I now want to put the same rules to test again, only this time I'm trading in the catholic school fervor for an eBay addiction and relocating the school walls to this wonderful place called the internet.

Personally, I think she's onto something. I mean, for 365 days she willl be free of the stress that is Morning Outfit Construction. Sure, she has to work out a different way to wear the dress each day, but really, what's a bit of accessorising? She gets to enjoy the fun part - taking the ingredients and cooking them up into something delicious. And two months in, she's proving herself to be quite creative. See below.

Florence + the Machine

I'm currently enjoying the sounds of indie act Florence and the Machine. A collaboration between English artist Florence Welch and several musicians providing backing for her vocals (the Machine), their tunes are catchy, quirky and a whole lot of radness.

The recently released Lungs is an amazing debut album from the 22-year old. With an often bluesy, souly sound, it has the ability to be easy listening, inspiring, energising and an emotional outlet all at once.

2009 has been a big year for Flo, what with performing at Glastonbury, Oxegen, supporting the White Lies, Friendly Fires and Glasvegas on the Shockwaves NME Awards tour and winning the Critic's Choice Award at the Brit Awards. But there's still much to come, with Reading and Leeds music festivals and their very own UK tour in the pipeline for the remainder of the year.

She certainly knows how to make an entrance.

Florence + the Machine - Lungs. Go. Buy. Now.

I can see right through you

...In the eye of the beholder

Lately I've had a longing. A yearning for a little something in my life - to cuddle, play with and care for. When I see someone walking by with their own little guy, I can't help but run over for a play.
No, my biological clock is not in a state of overdrive - there's plenty of ticking left on that timekeeper. Rather, my cluckiness is concerned with a companion of the four-legged variety.

Having been without a pet for the last year and a half, I've found myself drawn to all the little pups that seem to be running round recently. This infatuation has led to many conversations with friends about our favourite breeds. And repeatedly, my dogs of choice have been met with disagreement, shock, and occasionally disgust. In my eyes, a dog needs to have character. Sure, golden retrievers or labs are beautiful dogs - our family pet for 16 years was a lab cross - but to me there's nothing cuter than an ugly little pooch. Boston terriers, pugs, bulldogs, chihuahuas, staffies... the weirder looking and more squished their faces are, the better. How could you say no to their big, googly, slightly cross-eyed puppy dog eyes?