Topshop is dipping its toe into the U.S. market and to celebrate this foray it has launched a street style blog in conjunction with McCarren Pool Parties. These pool parties do not seem to hold much style promise in their name but the blog has proven me wrong. They turn out to be a hub of cool; a mix of music and quirky style. With this collaboration Topshop is stamping its fashion credentials on New York, ready for the fall opening of its flagship store. My one concern, how difficult it’s now going to be to spot the Brits abroad, especially if Topshop’s global domination continues!

On my return from the Travel, in a moment of possible madness, I gave away almost all my back copies of Vogue. I have slowly started to become disenchanted with the fashion bible that seems to become slightly more mainstream, offering evermore unobtainable lifestyles, with each issue (it feels almost blasphemous writing this!) I still adore Vogue and will no doubt continue to buy it but in a cathartic moment realised I no longer use my back issues for reference but instead to prop up a coffee table! The plethora of cutting edge European magazines that I was exposed to, no doubt greatly influenced my purge. Even the most mundane of newsagent seemed to carry some oddity or fashionable lifestyle magazine that jumped off the shelf. One that has been around for quite some time but that I have never got around to buying is hobo – a bi-annual, avant-garde magazine comprised of collections of interviews, essays and stunning photography. The magazine was expectantly, a joy to look at but surprisingly, a delight to read – also very heavy to lug home! So will I keep my hobo magazine, in a contradicting bid of snobbery, ON my coffee table but my Vogues underneath?…I’m yet to decide!

Those of you that have perused my Random Flickr Coolness (right), will have noticed my appreciation for Joy Division and how I was particularly blown away by the inspirational biopic of Ian Curtis, Control. Its star, Sam Riley, extends his talents beyond the big screen, as he becomes the face of Burberry’s Fall ad campaign. Alongside English rose, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, a striking duo emerges in the beautifully shot stills, by Mario Testino. I shall await their appearance in the ad-filled fashion bibles soon.

I am a believer in cultivating one’s own style…not being directed by trends or dictated to by the catwalk. Yet I am a monumental fan of street style websites, so in a way, influenced completely by others. It doesn’t matter what the site might be – the most well-known, The Sartorialist, Face-Hunter or the least technically “cool” in the vein of such magazines as Lucky. Street Style is street style, in all its guises, and coolness and individuality can be seen everywhere (obviously the bigger and more cultured the city, the more likely you are to see true, uninhibited expressions of self.) Lucky magazine is my current favourite supplier of daily style. Their looks aren’t too posed and all seem very achievable, although at times, not so fashion forward. See for yourself and get some real inspiration.

I have posted before about my desire to live in a world framed in 70’s light (or a Kooks video!), now the faces of Chloé‘s new signature fragrance; Chloe Sevigny, Anja Rubik, and Clemence Poesy, pose in the sunkissed California light for Nylon magazine. This montage does everything a set of stills should do – presenting an aspirational set of shots, no matter how staged they actually are! Flick through Nylon’s selection here and imagine yourself living in that 70’s light.

The official death of the Polaroid (I exaggerate, the decommissioning of instant film) has got me feeling nervous. The Polaroid for me, has become a symbol of freedom in creativity. There are sooo many projects using Polaroid pictures that are seeped in originality…what will their future be? Writer, Geoff Dyer has produced a collection of discarded Polaroids that were found abandoned in bins, puddles and on pavements – flick through here at the Guardian’s page and marvel). I love the way Geoff describes them as, “memories without a rememberer”…genius! (Read the full article in The Guardian.) Another favourite project of mine is Postcard Polaroid. It is a gorgeous little blog, whose writer’s encourage you to send you Polaroid shots as postcards from around the world (example above, far right). The results are so refreshing and truly novel. It makes me want to run away to somewhere remote and send them my postcard! There are famous Polaroid users in the guise of Jeremy Kost. His website, Roidrage, showcases a collection of Polaroids taken at celebrity haunts. The Polaroid seems to capture a very different side of celebrity (one of Jeremy’s images was captured on a swan at Coachella, far left.) If you are a fan of the Polaroid, like me, then you must join Polanoid. It is a network/forum aimed at building the biggest Polaroid-picture-collection of the planet, celebrating the magic of instant photography. On Polanoid you will find some true gems (see picture centre) that seem to frame the world in a beautiful 70’s sunset light (I think that is the key to my love of the Polaroid.) If I could capture my forthcoming nuptials on Polaroid alone, I would; my family however, aren’t as keen!

Erin Fetherston was quite an unknown entity to me, until I began the thus far, fruitless task of finding an informal/vintage/laid-back wedding dress. Erin’s name was mentioned in relation to the effortless cool of her garments but it was her Special Projects that captured my imagination. Those of you that are regular readers of my blog will know of the wedding dress search and my style adoration of Zooey Deschanel; in Erin’s Special Projects, both are combined. Zooey is one of Erin’s muses in a series of stunning photographs entitled Urban Flowers, set to a backdrop of inner-city scenes. Such a unique and enticing way to showcase a wonderful collection, that now seems far more appealing. (If any of you do have suggestions for the aforementioned wedding dress hunt, please…help! It must be floor-length and have a vintage feel, oh and not too expensive. With such specific parameters, you can see why I’ve been having problems!)