I am not so great when it comes to New Year celebrations. I shall be having a quiet one at home, Swiss style, with some 70’s fondue, avec de la viande et du fromage! I do love the fact that a New Year brings with it an opportunity for fresh starts and resolutions. Mine are yet to be finalised but I like the fact that anything (potentially!) can begin with a new digit.

Enjoy the gluttonous joy that comes with Christmas. R x

Vintage is a buzzword of modern fashion. To describe an outfit as, “vintage” holds a kudos, a certain air of cool and uniqueness. What does this word actually mean? One definition is Second-Hand (although that doesn’t sound remotely appealing compared to vintage.) Another is Well Worn/Used, which vintage often is. The only word that comes close to the cool that the word “vintage” evokes is Antique, as that sounds expensive as well as original! I am an unlucky hunter of all that is vintage. My grandmother has a wardrobe full of amazing clothing but she is almost a foot shorter than me, plus she adores and covets her clothes, still ironing and airing items that are decades old and unworn. A wardrobe raid by me is something I don’t feel she would welcome, although I am still plucking up the courage to ask. Searching through vintage shops, I often find fab pieces but they don’t fit – unique + original, often = one size. My favourite online vintage stores often have items that really excite me…but then I scroll down to see the off-limits phrase, “sold out.” So vintage look seems my only option. Orla Kiely has produced a range that is exactly that, slightly out of my price range but definitely “modern vintage” in look. The 60’s inspired collection features some amazing key pieces – chunky knits, amazing platform heels and authentic prints. Some items are currently on sale, so they may slip on to my affordability radar! We’ve all got friends with ridiculously cool wardrobes that when you ask, “Where did you get that from?” the reply, “Oh, a little vintage shop in…” comes back. Search out some fake vintage pieces…maybe Orla Kiely could save you.

The coolest fringe in music today + girl crush potential = The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Aside from lead singer Mette Lindberg’s obvious appeal, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are producing an eclectic mix of 70’s-00’s pop/electro in psychedelic technicolour, all in the vein of Burt Bacharach on acid. This combined with their intrinsic sense of style and cool, make for a very appealing band. Publicity is not something The Asteroids will need – they have been championed by Apple and have featured as the soundtrack artist in the iPod Touch add, so stardom beckons. Now all I have to ask myself, is why I can’t get away with such a cool fringe! Listen on MySpace and check out their website here. If you have any doubts about the Asteroids, take a look on iTunes at their fly-on-the-wall video – not only are they cool but they’re super nice too.

In the digital age we are all amateur photographers, sometimes too intent on capturing the moment, rather than truly experiencing it. Mr. Things of Random Coolness and I often snap away together but find the resulting photographs can represent the same event in a different light. The photographer can discover, pick out so much detail and in the days of airbrushing and touch-ups, I often wonder what I am truly seeing. A photograph by Mario Testino never feels that way. The relationship formed with his subjects seems genuine, allowing a true insight into their character. No more so is this evident than in his photographs of Kate Moss – for me it’s all in the eyes; she seems so at ease, so natural, offering us a true glimpse of her real self. The most interesting element of the photographs I have chosen above is disguise. Kate is hidden behind a mask, behind thick, haphazard face-paints…yet for me, these pictures provide a sincere and natural portrait. Mario Testino’s website is currently under construction but you can sign up to his newsletter here.

The Monday to Friday drudgery of “real life” is always tough but especially so in the winter. As you can see, the time and motivation to post has recently escaped me. Life seems a little bit more grey, your world seems seeped in darkness….and then the weekend arrives. You are given a ration of light that you are normally deprived of between 9 and 5 and a weight seems lifted off your shoulders. Colours seem more rich and visible (as unfortunately is the dust that accumulates in the darkness while you are at work.) My thoughts turn to macaroons on these cold but sunny winter days. In my mind: Sunlight + Crisp cold air + Colour = Parisian macaroons. I suddenly feel I need to dress a little more brightly and Chloé’s Spring 2009 collection comes to mind. I will never be able to afford any of the pieces from the collection but from it, I can take inspiration and be reminded of my favourite Parisian treat and feel that even in the darkest hours of winter, brightness is on the horizon. My personal favourites are Laudrée’s cassis violette macaroons, purple wonders! So if the winter obscurity is dragging you down, look on Style.com at Chloé’s vibrant upcoming palette and seek out a macaroon, of the purple variety if possible.