Pauline Borca

I found this amazing textile designer while browsing Don't Panic's online magazine...

(Photo's from Don't Panic online)

Pauline Borca is a French textile designer living in Paris who was taught how to crochet by her grandmother as a young girl, she has designed a SS11 collection themed on two lovers exploring the center of the earth.

The designs are very different from her own simple minimalist style, with embroidered landscapes on dresses, lambskin and owl feathers to form collars, animal masks and 3D houses sewn into the pockets of cardigans.





See: http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/style/pauline-borca for interview.

Pauline Borca's website: www.paulineborca.com

January blues

At present everyone is feeling a little bit down in the dumps. After all it is January and February is just around the corner. Months which are said to be the most depressing of the year. I for one am feeling the blues all too much as I'm finding it hard to stay positive in light of the fact that finding my way into my desired profession is taking much much longer than anticipated.

So in a defiant protest to these dreary months I have put some thought into the reasons that January and February are going to make me smile:

A fresh start! 2011 started so well with friends and wine and lots of vintage shopping, after all it is a new year and so a new start. Who knows what this year will bring?

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Fashion weeks... Most exciting and important dates in the fashion calender yay!

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Summer is creeping up on us.... (well spring at least) although I tend to will it along this time of year by choosing to freeze in my little ballet pumps and lace blouses under a fur coat at the first glimpse of sun.

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Summer = Festivals! And this year I'm returning to TGE festival in May which really isn't too long and then IOW festival in June. Flower headbands, great music, cider and dancing till the sun comes up.

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The days are slowly getting longer.. which means the evenings are slowly becoming lighter :)

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It's Easter soon... which can mean only one thing: Cadbury's Chocolate Eggs. The best.

New Year above The Fossil Shop...

What a treat.

My first couple of days starting 2011 were spent in a little seaside town called Lyme Regis and it was truly the best New Years I've ever had. We stayed in a lovely old house which had a Fossil Shop on the ground floor. Low ceilings, sloping floors, creaky beds with patchwork quilts and a kitchen full of mismatched crockery.... I loved it.

We went for a yummy 7 course meal on New Years Eve, the restaurant was at the top of a hill looking out over the sea front and this is where I tried my very first oyster.

After the yummy meal and many glasses of white wine we had a little dance and welcomed in the new year. We then merrily walked down to the pebbly beach and lit some lanterns to set off into the sky...

I must admit the rest of the night is a bit of a blur as we retired back to the house to drink hideous amounts of alcohol and play our music loud.

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New Years day brought an achy head and an early rise for me (I got the creaky bed)

Deciding to take a stroll around town I was delighted to find lots of interesting gift, clothes and charity shops along the high street. One of of which I fell in love with...

A vintage shop crammed full of the most beautiful pieces one could have imagined. I walked around the tiny shop for at least half an hour wide-eyed taking everything in, jewellery boxes full of pretty necklaces, bracelets and rings. Ladies driving gloves draped over an antique set of drawers with fur and felt hats propped on hat stands... envelope handbags with gold chains, suede lined wallets, camel coats, patchwork blankets, an vintage card game, a hand crafted dolls house.... I could go on forever, it was like I had died and gone to vintage heaven.

Here are some sneaky photos to show you just how adorable it was... I purchased a silver charm bracelet for £36 and I will be returning to Lyme Regis, for no other reason then to re-visit this treasure trove.

Turkey

Gobble, Gobble....

Boat Trip!

Beach therapy...

Sunset

The Festival of V

Peace

Right so... because I have been so stupendously busy and haven't had time to update (lazy) I can't really remember the order of events from V fest, so I'm going to make it up a bit.

First of all we spent half of Friday setting up camp... This was a very stressful task for me to do (esp with my boyfriend) as I like to take control and constructing this tent was particularity hard because of its height and my pocket size! But eventually we got there, thank goodness.

(This is our friend Matt who is happy that the tent is up and the arguing is finished)

The first night everyone got good 'n' drunk and we decided to take a stroll over to the fun fair... I do like a good fair ground ride. I'm not sure what everyone is doing here, looks like they are dancing? To dirty fairground music?... Hmmm

This is where the festival starts and my memory fades, but I know that it begins with all of the boys christening the grounds... Lovely.

We of course had to see Paul Weller - Legend and Woking favourite, he was awesome as per usual. One of the best acts from the festival for me were The White Lies who were just brilliant and absolutely faultless live.

Oh yes, Courteeners... another brilliant set. The bear and I were lucky enough to win some i-tunes festival tickets to see these guys too. But it was great to see them up on the main stage at a festival of this size, right where they belong!

A random band we saw were Stereophonics, I've got to be honest and say I wasn't that bothered about seeing them but I'm so glad we did because they were genius. It was so great remembering how much I used loved them and the happy memories that came with "Have a nice day"


I have loved The Kooks from day one. Luke is just incredible and I can not get enough of his voice, all of their songs are so feel good and always make me smile. But there was some sadness attached with this gig, we hadn't heard the news yet but Charlie, the lead singer of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool had committed suicide the night before and Luke dedicated a song to him. It was quite emotional. We saw them play at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton just a few months back on the seafront. R.I.P Charles.

"I'll meet you at the ice cream van"

The Last act we saw were Kasabian... It poured and poured with rain but we danced and sang along until it was all over.... and sung all the way back to our camp too. In the pouring rain...

I must say packing up day was horrific... the mud was like soup, we had a hell of a job getting everything to the car and getting the car out of the mud! The fun was definitely over and it was time to get back home to our warm beds and have a lovely hot bubbly bath.

Lovebox festival

A day full of drinking, dancing and laughing...

An adorable staffy I spotted on our walk down to the festival venue. They look scary I know but I have one and they are so lovely.

Anyway on to the festival....

Greeted by many dog sniffers...

Skip anyone?

Time for Booka Shade and sweaty dancing...