Today I had my last exam. It went pretty horrifically but that's besides the point, I am now officially out of education forever. I have no uni lined up, this is not a gap year, I am now officially a real human being in the real world who has to act accordingly. Now, I've been looking forward to this - as well as being completely fucking scared by it - since basically the moment I went to Manchester's Open Day & discovered the one uni course I maybe, on an off chance wanted to do, didn't exist anymore. Taken as a sign from the universe or whatever I thought fuck it, what's the point in going to uni to do something I don't need to just because I can't think of anything better. I know, I know, you meet loads of people there, it's not about learning blah blah. But I have amazing friends & I intend, in the course of the rest of my life to go on meeting amazing people. I don't know why I need debts, deadlines & 3 years of my life to do that. Uni is great for a lot of people but just not me. I feel homicidal every time I find myself on a campus.

So for now I intend to postpone the huge looming question, "What the fuck do I do now?" At least until September. So I have 3 weeks at home to finish books about Mexican drug cartels, turn my sisters old room into a craft room & listen to the Specials. Then it's off to Berlin & summer holidays until August. Then there's just August... So my internal school-alised clock can begin to panic, but instead of it being about going back to school/college it'll be about what to do with the rest of my life.

Sorted.

I'm getting on a train at 4 O'Clock to go & see Bright Eyes at the Royal Albert Hall. It's nice because I had completely forgotten about the whole idea until Jesus reminded me we had to book our trains. You see, we bought tickets way back in December/January as a joint Christmas & Birthday present to each other & because it's here, tonight, sandwiched between my exams, I sort of hadn't let myself think about it at all. & then yesterday I realised he's released two albums that I haven't even listened to yet, meaning he's probably not going to be going much of my two favorite albums. If he doesn't sing Lua though, I'll be well disappointed & both my present to Jesus & from him won't be very good. Oh well, feels exciting to be going to the Albert Hall. It's like proper music! Here's At The Bottom of Everything with my favorite lyrics to shout along too on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. Poster source (he has had some amazing posters) & image source. (*edit: my normal music player doesn't work anymore! If anyone could help me out with some HTML that lets me imbed single tracks from a link it would be much appreciated. Comment or e-mail me, neonpeg@gmail.com. Cheers!)

We must talk in every telephone
Get eaten off the web
We must rip out all the epilogues in the books that we have read
And in the face of every criminal
Strapped firmly to a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare.

We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell
Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
And in the ear of every anarchist that sleeps but doesn't dream
We must sing, we must sing, we must sing.

We must blend into the choir
Sing as static with the whole
We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul
And in this endless race for property and privilege to be won
We must run, we must run, we must run.

We must hang up in the belfry
Where the bats and moonlight laugh
We must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past
And in the caverns of tomorrow
With just our flashlights and our love
We must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge.

I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one.


Enjoy!

You know when everything just hits at once? Breakdowns (not mine), exams & beautiful Resort/Spring 2012 collections have been getting in my way of blogging. Sorry. I've also pretty much done nothing of interest in the last few days apart from revise & stuff I don't want on the internet. So... menswear. Totally logical I'm sure you'll agree.

My main issue with menswear are the male models. Their necks are as thick as their heads & for some reason their bodies are completely out of proportion with their legs. After a while it becomes strange to look at them, as if a new species has evolved through the endless slideshows. My second issue is that in principle I think all guys should wear suits. I know, I know. But teenage boys/young men don't hold out much inspiration when it comes to fashion generally. But there is one amazing looking black man who walks around London in an endless round of gorgeous (usually checkered) suits, complete with pocket squares. Here is proof then, that suits do not mean black & white funeral wear, more bright colours & slouchy fitted than bow ties & cummerbunds. Basically, Chuck Bass. Top-Bottom: Umit Benan, Neil Barratt, Bottega Veneta & not suits but also very lovely & much appreciated 50s referencing from Moschino.

Not a menswear blog.

"Consumer-driven modernism, it was in-vogue anthropomorphism, a swim through the guts and entrails of the world...a throbbing, pustulous, inflamed amusement-industry boil on the backside of Brooklyn."
My new obsession. Coney Island. The quote is from a book recommended to me that I finished a few weeks ago, The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall. It wasn't such a great book even though there was parts of interesting tattoo talk the story was a bit overblown for me & I didn't really take to the main character. Anyway, Coney Island remained in my brain. It used to be a proper island don't you know, that they purposefully joined back onto Brooklyn. Pretty insane place from what I can tell, & it goes along (I guess) with my constant desire to go back to New York having not appreciated it before. I was a teenager, I was with my mum. I spent most of my money on American Apparel & a very lovely Anna Sui prom dress. The idea that there's a beach in New York pretty much blows my mind. I mean Central Park is pretty insane in the center of such a *city* city, but a beach? I'd love to go swimming there. According to a Coney Island blog I found there's a big business man trying to get rid of all the small shop owners to replace them with chains or something so I'm going to try & go this year.

Also, it's where Requiem For A Dream is set. HAS ANYONE WATCHED THAT FILM? Jesus Christ. It's a film that many people have recommended to me, told me was their favorite film or even thought I would be a connoisseur of due to my penchant for fucked up drug films (& books). But I spent a large portion of it - basically after the gangrene - with my hands over my eyes. Watching gang rape, amputation & electric shock therapy interspersed is not my idea of fun. We had to watch it to the end to see who died, BUT NONE OF THEM DIED. Seriously. I now own the DVD. Anyone can have it. I'd quite like to get it out of my house. I might just casually leave it somewhere. Or do you want it? E-mail me your address. Free. Honestly.

Anyway, yeah. Weekend. Coney Island is the shit. Photo source. Spent 2 hours driving to & from Melksham to get a projector today. Realizing that I am no longer an art student. But fuck I have a projector now! Expect lots of arty photography coming...soon. That's why my brain is shot. & I have clutch foot. Is that a technical medical term?

It should be.

My collages of Resort 2012

Brights: Top left, Zero + Maria Cornejo. Bottom left, Yigal Azrouel. Top right, Jenni Kayne. Bottom right, Michael Kors.
Prim & Proper: From top to bottom, Erdem, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karen, Gucci, Doo.Ri, Jason Wu, Jason Wu, Doo.Ri, Erdem & Naeem Khan
Pucci Suits: Emilio Pucci...
Florals: Top to bottom, Jill Stuart x 6, Yves Saint Laurent x 2, Suno, Thakoon Addition & Alexandre Herhcovitch.
Prints: Top row left to right, Giambattista Valli, Pedro Lourenco, Stella McCartney, Naeem Khan. Bottom row left to right, Adam, Givenchy, Giambattista Valli & Suno.

More on the ICBFASHION tumblr. All images from Style.com. Stuck, cut & arranged by moi. One of the great things about blogging this stuff is I can just about justify the time it took me to make them. Still on course with the revision, but I have taken on other company after my *alone day*. Two weeks just two weeks left of my entire education.

Scary.

This Saturday Bristol's first Oxfam Boutique is opening on Park Street (number 77ish, next door to Boston Tea Party) normally I wouldn't blog this but as I start volunteering there in a couple of weeks I thought you guys would like to know! I did think that boutiques meant better quality stock & (unfortunately) it actually just means that instead of sending donations to a national sorting place, the shop keeps all the donations that are made to it & sells them. So, if you have any amazing clothes that you don't wear/want anymore & are near/in Bristol please, please donate them to the boutique! We need all the good stock we can get! From the 27th June I'll be there every Monday from 1.30.

Today is the first day this year that I have spent completely on my own (including phone calls!). I know that sounds lame but it's true. I live with my mum, I have a (practically) conjoined twin named Jesus & I basically text the Jayster all day normally. It's not that I don't like being on my own, because I do, but it just doesn't happen that often. After a morning of completing 3 past papers & not crying I rewarded myself by spending the rest of the day on my balcony admiring my awesome plants, listening to the entire back catalog of Reel Big Fish, painting Sailor Jerry tattoos in my Moleskine, cutting up pictures from the Resort 2012 collections, drinking ginger beer shandies (1/2 ginger beer, 1/2 beer) & creating a pool of black wax that I am somewhat transfixed by & may or may not be a safety hazard.

On the topic of Resort 2012 I've finally gotten round to posting collection on the ICBFASHION tumblr **HERE** I'll post up the collages I made today at some point as well. I'm quite obsessed with Jenni Kayne & the Pucci suits but Givenchy's show was today! Woo! Damn tumblr & it's maximum post limit. Now I was going to go out but having realised I should be able to spend one day alone, I'm going to have a bath & finish the shit out of Mrs Dalloway.

Laters.