I found her in Beyond Retro on Great Marlborough Street, when I was looking for something to give me a 90s look for an event that I have long since forgotten the details of. I went into the shop thinking I could perhaps find a vintage slip and style it appropriately, but I quickly found... Continue Reading →
When I was young the scent of certain beauty products clearly made an impression on me, as even just looking at a photograph of some of these products in Sali Hughes' book Pretty Iconic brought back the memory of the smell. Strangely, it was often the scent of products my grandparents used that would stick... Continue Reading →
Back in 2003, when my blog looked very different to how it does today, I posted some very short musings pondering the joys of meeting people you don't know off of the internet. The comments thread then played host to the beginnings of a small Manchester blogmeet. That was when I first met Lyle and... Continue Reading →
This weekend just gone should have been the annual Pride in London and UK Black Pride events, but the current situation means that things have taken a different shape this year with Pride returning to its protest roots. Online events have sprung up too; last weekend I attended Bi Pride UK's excellent online Bi-Fi Festival... Continue Reading →
I've been at home since Friday 13th March, and the UK went into lockdown the week afterwards. Now that we're in week 14, markers of time are more important than ever. Without the weekends away, theatre trips, weddings, short courses, exhibition visits and nights out with friends that had filled my diary and have now... Continue Reading →
So, what a weird year 2020 is turning out to be, huh? I thought that this year had to be an improvement on the last one, but here we now are in the middle of a global pandemic. We're currently on week 3 of lockdown in the UK with trips outside only allowed in order... Continue Reading →
When you're growing up, it's easy to assume that everyone experiences life the way you do. All families have the same idiosyncrasies yours does, and all schools are very similar to the one you attend. Once you start visiting friends' houses or move to a different school, some of those assumptions start to fall away... Continue Reading →
First came the dress that rustles when I move. Although it's not a party frock it very much sounds like one, and this startled me at first. I bought it second hand sometime around 2009, and the design is clearly based on a 1950s wide-collar full-skirt dress. I loved it from the second I tried... Continue Reading →
So, as you can see, my writing's been a bit 'on hold' so far this year. I'm two weeks into a brand new job with a brand new employer and have to admit that I'd forgotten how much energy and brainpower it takes to do that. It's been a great experience so far (really great!)... Continue Reading →
As this year and decade draw to a close, the second most significant relationship of my life is coming to an end. It's not just been significant in length; it's also important due to how it has shaped me as a person. In November 2010 I started work at UAL, and my impending farewell on... Continue Reading →