boycott topshop

Photo source: fashionmagazine.com

Up until now I've tried to not really mention my opinions on Topshop on this blog. Mainly because I'm quite conflicted about how to explain them, but also because I know people don't really give a shit because they do what they do really well. If you like that sort of thing. But fuck it. It's something that I feel really angry about & if a blog that started off kind of personal style like can't talk about Topshop then the universe must be broken right? Because most people I talk to about this don't know & I think that's the problem.

So right. 

We all (mostly) know that Amazon, Google and Starbucks don't pay their tax. But why does no one ever mention Arcadia? Probably because no one's heard of them. Arcadia Group Limited own some things you have heard of though; Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Wallis, BHS, Topman & yes indeed, Topshop. They are theoretically owned by Lady Christina Green, or Tina Green. She happens to live in Monaco, haha isn't that handy? A tax haven! Of all places! (She also, on a side note is a white South African, which is something that sits with me extremely uneasily.) Her husband, Sir Philip Green is actually the owner of Arcadia Group and all the others. He does the day to day running and for all intense and purposes is the owner, except he lives in London. Where you (well.. most of us) have to pay tax. So you know as a gesture to make her feel involved or whatever he put his conveniently placed wife at the helm. Imagine earning £1.2billion one year and not even being the owner! No wonder David Cameron asked Sir Green for advice on how to cut government spending, considering he managed to cream off all that profit. 

This wasn't the thing that made me stop shopping there though, like 3? 4? 5, maybe, years ago though. No. It was the experience of being in a Topshop. The images showing girls with personality, models that you'd heard of, wearing clothes you could actually buy. & this is the thing "personality". I think Topshop was the first place where I ever really felt like they were trying to sell a personality to young girls. You know, like buy this dress & you'll totally be Kate Moss! Buy these shoes & you'll be Claire Danes in My So Called Life! Buy these & that guy who's never spoken to you will immediately love you! I know all advertising is like this but it felt more so in Topshop for me. I also felt like their copies of runway looks were being sold to people without the information. & the fact that Topshop is now trying so hard to drive the London Fashion Week scene makes me sort of physically sick. The fact that Samantha Cameron can pose with designers, Philip Green lurking in the background, whilst her husband diminishes the arts and pretends the fashion industry isn't one of the only things we still have going for us in this country. That the name St Martin's resonates around the world more than Eton should fucking mean something, should translate.

But it doesn't. Instead they churn out polyester copies at massive prices and inadequate quality & then turn round & tell us they know so much about fashion because they've worked with a couple of brilliant designers. & I can't say the collaborations are a bad thing to be honest, apart from the obvious fast fashion (& high fashion) guilt about eastern factory workers & the fact that they are essentially more expensive Topshop clothes that they didn't have the guts to make themselves. I also can't explain why I still shop in places like H&M or Zara who pretty much do the same thing. Well actually, H&M doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. It's collaborations are a genuine surprise and it is fast fashion but it doesn't ever say it isn't, it doesn't tell me it knows more than I do about how to dress myself. 

So basically I'm still very conflicted. But my anger remains and that keeps me away. I read someone's post about Topshop clones once who probably wrote this out better than me. I mean my generation did it because it was there, I don't hold it against them. I like that everyone looks better than they did in the 90s, is more aware of fashion than they were, I just fucking hate that they all look the same & that that seems to be the ultimate goal.

You know?

doing the furry leopard

I'm not massive on leopard print but recently it's accidentally come into my life through 2 perfect garments, one charity shop dress and then this coat. I've been on the hunt for the perfect black fur coat for a couple of years now (insane, I know) & when I headed out yet again on the hunt I discovered this furry perfectly cut thing in the Mango sale in House of Fraser. It was like £30 or something but I had some vouchers from Children of the 90s so it only cost me like £12! Score! Plus a new necklace from New Look. How much are they killing it right now? I got a sweet black high neck dress for £10 & their jewellery was on buy one get one free. PLUS they're still owned & based in Swindon, non of that tax haven Topshop crap. Wa hey!

This week has been extremely rough. In fact it's been a couple of weeks of head fuckery & I think it's coming to an end. Hopefully. I'm trying to stay positive & look forward to my birthday in a couple of weeks (I'm going on holiday! More to come...). But I've not been the best at updating and commenting & everything, even though the contents got hella better, right? So I'm really sorry (STILL) but if frequent updates is what you're after I'm on my tumblr neonpeg most lunchtimes so there's a shit load over there.

Love love.

Stuff I've been doing. Wearing tactile clothing, velvet leggings & cashmere. The best thing about winter. Painting christmas trees on my nails, inspiration found here. How cute are these? & so easy to do with some strips of sellotape. Awesome. Now I just have to go to work tomorrow & it'll all be chipped to fuck. Oh well. Watching Reggie Watts videos. At first it was mainly just being captivated by his appearance but the accents, the fucking beats and the songs are astounding. Like this guy can sing. & he's funny as hell.

Last couple of weeks have been strange interspersed with lovely. Just weird friend and work stuff then lovely Christmas things. That sounds cryptic but it's more that there's no point bitching about people none of you have heard of all over the internet now is there? I've been thinking about doing sort of "introduction" posts on what I believe on certain subjects & then hopefully from there start writing more about those kind of things & getting a discussion going. In between all the lovely new clothes I have to show you, because I'm rubbish. Like I didn't even post my halloween clothes! I suck. Anyway. Day off love.

Oh god I know, I'm so predictable. But it's American Apparel Halloween outfit time again! If I could find three female friends & all of this AA stuff on eBay then I would SO be changing by costume to being a highlighter (lime green or blue please). At the moment though it remains as a sort of half formed skeleton as I used "that can be my halloween costume" as an excuse to buy those Henry Holland bone tights a few months back. I've also bought some white tape to stick on a top & some shorts in the shape of bones. Although I think I'm going to a rocky horror themed night on the 27th so might have to add some underwear into the mix, does boning count?

The elements are pretty awesome too, although I think I'd have to swap the bottoms for some leggings and the top for a t-shirt because dammit halloween happens in October! The dead/zombie milkman is interesting because I do now own a pair of white jeans but... well, this is a conversation I had with my boss the other week:

Him: I wish the world was taken over my zombies to get rid of all the weak people

Me: That's so unfair

Him: Why

Me: Because there's no way I'd survive a zombie attack

Him: It's alright I'll look after you

So... no. Not a zombie. What are you guys being? My imagination has completely escaped me this year. Oh & you can find the full range on American Apparel halloween loveliness here.

So I spent about 2 years (maybe more?) searching for the perfect leather jacket. I wondered about vintage, I wondered about just stealing one from a boy, but in the end I just saved up & thought fuck it I'll spend like £200 on one piece of clothing that I want to wear forever. I set out on a mission & found a couple of front runners in Oasis & Whistles. The Oasis one was fake leather though although a good shape & the Whistles one had all these belts & metal shit all over it. It was also hella expensive. It's hard to strike the balance between like *motorcycle* with all the bells & whistles, but with something with an edge & something classic that's not going to age when I do.

Guess where I found it? GAP! I was as surprised as the shop assistants were. It was the first one they'd sold & I got £10 off because the price was marked wrong. Brilliant. It's got the edgier detail on the shoulders, with a couple of zipped pockets, but not a massively defined collar which makes it simpler & more classic. This sounds like I'm totally over thinking it, but I swear every female (& some guys) I spoke to about it felt exactly the same way. Maybe it's the amount of money? So people need to know it's absolutely perfect. I don't know what it is but I'm so happy to have found my one!

"Hello Daddy, hello Mum,

I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb.

Hello world I'm your wild girl,

I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb."

Sorry I couldn't resist a bit of Runaways. I actually finally got round to watching the film a couple of weeks ago, I wasn't sure about it. I think it was good if you didn't know about the band before, but having discovered them a couple of years back & read Cherie Currie's Neon Angel I think it was a pretty glossy portrayal. 

Anywho... I never really understood Esprit as a shop. It used to be limited to the rest of Europe & then one appeared in Cabot Circus in Bristol. It's always empty & I don't really know anyone who shops there, but they can afford to hire Gisele & Erin Wasson? I always thought it must be drug money. Turns out they're actually part of the La Redoute family so I guess the money's spread about. However, I'll go anywhere for a good print & when looking up for a cover up before I went to France in August I spotted this in the sale. Silk & cotton? Perfect. Not sure about the mandarin collar which makes it harder to wear, but the cherries are worth it!

PLUS I know in my hearts on hearts it's cheesy & bad but FUCK Kreayshawn's new album is awesome. Listening to this song on repeat, getting sideways looks whilst singing along to lyrics about burning/stabbing/shooting stuff. Anyway, listen. Promise it'll never leave your head. In the best of ways.

It's pretty much officially Autumn, so it's time to bust out the warm colours & woollen trousers! I think Autumn is my favorite season, because you still get some left over sun which is all but non existant in Winter, but you can start layering, get the tights out & of course, the cashmere. I can't remember if I've blogged this top before either. I wanted a broderie anglaise top but this was the only one I could find with it all over, luckily whilst umming about the price it went into the sale & finding the white one absent in the Bristol Urban Outfitters got this peach one instead. It's actually much nicer & a colour I probably would've avoided otherwise. Getting dressed the other morning I wanted to wear these trousers & saw how perfect these colours were together, I like it. Plus peplum. Hmm. What are you getting out now it's turned colder?

Skirts left - right: Kookai Leather Mini Skirt, Mango Metallic Jacquard Umbrella Skirt, Hobbs Abingdon Skirt

So instead of claiming that the fashion trend police have minions in my head every time something I've been coveting for a while becomes a *trend* I'm going to try & make a conscious effort to blog everything first. Lately I've been really wanting A-Line skirts in heavy fabrics. Partly from a practicality angle of not liking that every time there's the tiniest bit of wind I flash the entire world in most of the skirts & dresses I own that are loose & made of light fabrics (& too short, but that's a whole other issue). Also though because I really love the polished vibe of an A-Line. It feels older in a kind of responsible way.

When I tried to look for high street version in brocade, tweed & leather there wasn't much around. Obviously tweed because of like office wear, but the designers are still way ahead on the side of heavily embroidered or flocked A-lines & the perfect leather one I'm sure is just waiting around the corner...

*Awkward smile*

This is my new favorite dress. Why? Because it's covered in concerned looking octopi. Obviously. It's also the most perfectly shaped tent dress I've ever come across, I've already taken a pattern from it to make in this crazy eye fabric I got from Ikea. I tend to shy away from sleeveless things sometimes but honestly this dress makes everything light & fluffy so you don't really care. Plus it's silk, so my "only by natural fabrics" bent isn't broken.

It's from The Rodnik Band via Asos, which is a brand designed by Philip Colbert. He makes pretty insane stuff, like a naked dress, or a pint of beer dress. He presents it like the brand is a band & is heavily inspired by Pop Art. HOLY SHIT I've just seen a maxi Lobster print dress by them on Asos for £45! Also my dress seems to be back at full price even though I got it on sale, major score. Sorry... I'm off to buy shit.

Yesterday was the first time in three years I wore jeans. In fact when I went out & bought these last week, it was the first time I'd owned jeans in about two years, apart from the stripy ones from River Island I got a few months back. & it's well weird. It's like being normal. Like being able to put on a normal person costume & go out into the world. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about them, we're not the best of friends, I spy them led on the pile of clothes next to my bed & eye them with suspicion. & now I'm consumed with thoughts about what the fuck you wear with a pair of jeans. I feel like an idiot. Or an alien. Who knows. My boyfriend & mum were equally unsettled by my normal costume which makes me feel like I'm not entirely overreacting. 

So anyone know what I can wear with jeans so I don't feel like a freak or like too casual that I feel sloppy. I'm inkling towards band t-shirts but it would make me feel like I'm fourteen. Shit I sound like a total twat whining about jeans, oh well, anyone empathise? 

I'm now gonna get back to eating yogurt & honey, catching up with Breaking Bad, spending embarrassing amounts of time looking at Miley Cyrus photos on tumblr (her legs are like damn) reading the new Roger McGough poetry book & writing reviews on books about sex trafficking. Now that sounds like a decent day off to me!

New t-shirt from my boy now he's back from his travels. I know that Courtney Love will always be questionable when it comes to the Riot Grrrrl movement & parenthood, but I will always love Hole. They're one of the last bands I really loved like a teenager if you know what I mean. I don't get that so much with music nowadays. Like Drake & Frank Ocean I'll listen to on repeat for weeks but I'll never be their fangirl. & plus when I was going mental at the Guardian (that sounds like a top piece of journalism for like Vice or someone, or a really middle class punk band) I locked myself in the stock cupboard & organised lovely clothes whilst soothing myself with Hole on Youtube. Bad times with good music.

Oh wow outfit post, almost back to normal! I'm a sucker for a good print. & when this H&M dress turned out to be 100% cotton as well ("I think you found the only natural fibre in this whole shop" my friends comment) I couldn't resist. It's actually turned out to be one of those awesome dresses that's super easy to wear but looks good still. The top of it is a really nice shape as well which is unusual, even though I've covered it with my jumper because I thought it was colder than it was. Summer's back!

Tying my jumpers at the front has become sort of a thing, because I've never found a good cropped jumper that went well over dresses. The only problem is though, that you walk around all day with this like growth coming out of your abdomen. You get a better silhouette and gain a disease like abysses. Awesome. I can't think of a subtler way to do it though...

I'm just about to e-mail people who said they were interested in the book swap idea. If you are as well drop me an e-mail at: neonpeg@gmail.com. 

White coats. A strange obsession for the month of June. It feels like we've had our summer though. It all started with Zara's range of white coats. The Chanel esque broderie anglaise/lace one with the pointless studded collar that made it not worth £100+, the fabric one etc etc. Then I saw the above picture of Elisabeth Olsen on Olsens Anonymous (I don't know if that's embarrassing, but the fact that their money is endless & they buy clothes I want & put them together in insane ways makes me keep going back). 

Basically the world stopped & when I clicked the link to the Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti original (just to see, just to see how much, just to see) but the link didn't work I almost cried. That is sad as fuck but I don't care. I couldn't even have bought it but I just wanted to know it was possible to click a button & have it arrive in my life. Just to know it could've been that easy (minus the funds obviously). But it didn't work. & neither did a quick google. So fuck it, the dreams over, I'm heading to eBay instead.

I literally cannot give my blood away. I've had three appointments now that have been cancelled & I turned up a week early last Monday. Today, finally, there it was. I ticked my boxes & settled down with Private Eye to wait. AN HOUR LATER I was called into a little box to answer questions about my yes ticks (tattoos, childhood fractured skull, dentists & doctors) & then the guy disappeared & was replaced with a woman who asked me some more questions about my recent tooth escapades. Then she told me because it was temporary treatment & hadn't been completed I couldn't give blood. I did the walk of shame to leave & then the car park wouldn't even take my money! Is it just me? The only stuff about teeth says you're fine after seven days & it's been nine since I had treatment. Why couldn't they have told me at the beginning when I handed over my form, rather than after an hour of waiting after I'd arrived promptly at the time of my booked appointment. Anyway, I've complained. & I don't even want to give blood anymore. It's too much hassle to do something that I thought they wanted me too!

Anyway I don't tend to post just "I got this in H&M" posts but here it is, because this top is awesome & I want to replicate it in lots of pretty fabrics since it's just a rectangle with two seams. Oh & sorry on the tights front, these photos were taken a week or so ago when it wasn't so absolutely blisteringly hot. Which it is now. So I'm going out onto my balcony to read Drugs: without the hot air by the magnificent David Nutt, remember him?

Moody face! Ah ha. Sorry, COS clothes are hard to make look good in pictures right? Online this dress looks nice simple, elegant perhaps. & I like to think it does in real life, but ask me to pose in a dress with pockets & I cannot be held responsible for my hands. Sorry. Talking of COS can I really justify spending £65 (that's over a days worth of pay) on a sheer cardigan made out of viscose & polymide? Put like that, maybe I'll just persevere with eBay or try my luck with this Forever 21 lookalike for £17. But it's just not the same dammit!

THE SUN has come out. How do all these people so easily whip of the tights & have all these floaty summer dresses at their fingertips? With all this heavily moisturised skin ready to expose? Being of the pale & easily over heated variety of human summer is not my natural friend but I tend to blossom into it. Eventually. Might need a bit of thought though, remembering how the fuck to dress without thinking about having to wear black tights.