Something Blue

"Blue, I didn't ask you,

Blue, I didn't invite you.

Blue, why did you come around so soon?

My heart it wasn't ready for you,

I don't know what the hell to do,

The full moon showed up in your face, Blue"

~ Balsamo/Deighton, Christian Phillips

A couple of weeks ago I had the very great honour of walking the red carpet with a very special man at a very special film premier; Tommy's Honour, directed by Jason Connery, is a beautiful, inspiring and deeply moving film, and it had its world premier at the opening night of the 70th Edinburgh International Film Festival. For such a spectacular occasion, I needed a pretty spectacular dress, so naturally I turned to my favourite Designer, the super talented Emma Manley. 

Where do I even begin with this stunning dress of dreams? It is another impossibly beautiful Manley piece; a glorious work of art, and a statement dress in the truest sense of the word. Crafted from perforated leather, it is embellished with appliquéd hand-cut leather strips that are moulded into beautiful bows, each one held down with a silver stud. The beautiful embellishment features heavily at the base of the dress, and moves upwards delicately and randomly.

Also available in dark grey, rich wine, and vibrant pink colourways, it was the powder blue shade that I was immediately attracted to. In the meaning of colours, pale blue is a peaceful and tranquil colour that creates a sense of calmness, relaxation and order. We all know how peaceful and calming it feels to lie on our back on a bright Summers day, looking up into a beautiful blue cloudless sky. And we know that when a rare blue moon occurs, the magick is endless. I love wearing blue. 

I styled my dress with a pair of Zebra print Manolo Blahnik shoes. I love to clash colours and prints, and this styling combination is my idea of perfection. A beautiful silver clutch by Nadia Minkoff completed my red carpet look.  

If you think a man might struggle to compete with such a standout dress on the red carpet, you'd be very wrong; Jason wowed everyone by wearing a kilt! We got his kilt (the particular tartan he wore is called 'Scottish Spirit') from Slaters in Edinburgh (huge thanks to Sandy and the team, who looked after us so well). Jason looked absolutely gorgeous, and effortlessly cool in his great outfit; he was hands down the best dressed man  at the premier. There was plenty of swooning when we emerged from our car and his loyal fans spotted him! What is it about a man in a kilt that is so irresistible?  

And the fun didn't end on the red carpet; a couple of weeks later,  I got to wear my beautiful dress all over again for this Blog photoshoot! Kate and I were joined on the shoot by 16 year old photography student Sam Millward, an exceptionally talented, and very professional young photographer. Watch out for him, and remember, you saw him here first!

Get The Look:

Dress: Manley 'Carly' Bow Dress in powder blue

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik 'D'Orsay' Peep-toe Shoes in Zebra (similar)

Bag: Nadia Minkoff 'Kensington' Clutch Bag in antique silver 

Photos: Sam Millward ©

Premier photos: Ivon Bartholomew and Gordon Terris  ©

Behind the scenes photo: Kate Carpenter Photography ©

'Blue' song lyric: Balsamo/Deighton ©

Love Wins

"Keep on dreaming of the day when it all will change

Believe in the end, love wins

If you're waiting for the time when your sun will shine

Oh, look above 'cause love wins"

~ Robbie Seay Band

Dawn O'Porters' BOBbyDOP brand is a wonderful collection of cool designs & amazing vintage finds. It is fast becoming my go-to place for vintage and vintage inspired clothing (blogged here).

BOB's gorgeous new 'Equality Collection', consists of four limited edition pieces, featuring three prints by artist Karen Mabon. All three prints are beautiful and funny, but they also carry a serious message. As Dawn herself says, "Vintage fashion history is all about revolutions, and clothes representing what was going on for women at the time. Our prints look fantastic, but they also have a lot to say".

The print on the 'Women are Boss' 80s inspired dress, is an ode to women at the top, and hard working mums everywhere. The 70s inspired 'Boys Toys' circle skirt playfully raises two fingers to the gender specific toy industry, and the 'Love Wins' shirt and leggings print is a celebration of love; all kinds of love, between all kinds of people, and pays homage to the wonderful progression of marriage equality.

My favourite piece from the collection is the 'Love Wins' Shirt. A gorgeous 60s inspired design, it has a cute Peter Pan collar, quirky love heart buttons, and is made (in England) from Cupro, an eco friendly fabric that mimics silk but is machine washable. The vibrant Karen Mabon print, set against a cream background, features couples of all shapes, sizes, creeds, colour, sexes and even species. It is a true celebration of love in its many different forms.

As the lovely folk at BOB say, "fashion is politics, wear how you feel".

Get The Look:

Shirt: BOBbyDOP 'Love Wins' Shirt

Shorts: Zara Denim Shorts
Slippers: ASOS 'Nessa' Sheep Slippers
Featured Album: 'Unfolding' by Balsamo Deighton

Photos: Kate Carpenter Photography ©
Location: Momento Studio

Step Inside My Playground

"Come step inside my Playground

And see what's goin' on tonight.

Come step inside my Playground

Be spellbound in my Playground."

~ Eraserhead

I have a bit of a thing for skirts at the moment. I've always favoured dresses, but super-cool brands like Manley and Maje, who really know how to do skirts, have shown me that a great skirt can be a girls best friend.

The 'Geste' skirt by French label Maje is a beauty; featuring bold stripes on a woven material, hook & eye fastening to the front, and two side pockets, it is a chic, playful piece that adds a touch of Parisian flair to any outfit.

I paired the skirt with the coolest band tshirt. This lush tee, in soft pink with a contrasting red design to the front, was designed by singer Steve Balsamo exclusively for his and Rosalie Deighton's collaboration with PledgeMusic; you can read all about that & their eagerly awaited debut album here. We ran a competition together a few weeks ago and our winner, Barnaby (pictured below; thanks for the pic Barnaby!), looks very cool indeed in his Balsamo/Deighton tshirt prize! 

In keeping with the rock vibe that inevitably goes hand in hand with a band tshirt, I finished my look off with the most rock 'n' roll footwear in the world. Fierce and fabulous, the iconic Christian Louboutin studded 'Pigalle' struts from day to night effortlessly. 

Get The Look:

Skirt: Maje 'Geste' Stripe Skirt

Tshirt: Balsamo/Deighton Band Tee in pink/red (exclusive to PledgeMusic)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin Studded 'Pigalle' Shoes in black (similar)

Photos: Phill Griffith 

Unfolding

"I'm right here

on the table

I'm a cross upon a seal

I'm not asking to be opened

I'm unfolding"

~ Balsamo/Deighton & Julian Wilson

In May this year, Country/Folk/Americana duo Balsamo/Deighton will be releasing their hugely anticipated debut album 'Unfolding'. Steve Balsamo and Rosalie Deighton have been writing beautiful music together for a number of years and they are very excited to be collaborating with PledgeMusic, a direct-to-fan music platform that brings artists and fans together, to share the experience of their music as it happens.

The talented duo have created some very special items and experiences for their Pledgers; not only can you pre-order their beautiful album on CD or vinyl, you can also get an opportunity to spend time with them in the studio, own a guitar they played on the album, get exclusive artwork, or even have a song written and recorded especially for you! All that, and so much more.

Steve has also designed an exclusive t-shirt for the ‘Unfolding’ project which will only be available to Pledgers. You all know that I am very partial to a great band tee and I am delighted to be the proud owner of the very first one! Featuring a picture of the talented pair and a poetical lyric from one of their beautiful songs, it is simply lush!

If you want to gain access to exclusive band content and see Pledger only updates that will give you a fascinating insight into Balsamo/Deighton's beautiful music, pop over to PledgeMusic here and get involved! The band will be donating 10% of any money raised after their goal is reached to Harry's Fund, a charity very close to their hearts.

And that's not all; thanks to the generosity of the band, one lucky reader can win their very own Balsamo/Deighton tshirt! All you have to do to enter this great giveaway is like Balsamo/Deighton's Facebook page and write a caption in the comments below this photo. The funniest and most original caption wins the super cool tee! The winner will be chosen at random by Steve & Rosalie and announced on Friday January 30th. Good luck!!!

Get The Look:

T-shirt: Balsamo/Deighton Band Tee (exclusive to PledgeMusic)

Skirt: Maje 'Glaise' Mini Skirt in red

Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs Multi-strap Patent Leather Shoes

Photos: Kate Carpenter Photography ©