When it is good, it is very very good, but when it is bad it is wicked...

Carrie & Co are reknowned worldwide for inspiring haute couture and high fashion looks on an everyday basis. Carrie was proposed to with a pair of diamond encrusted Manolo Blahnik's and attempted to marry Big in a wedding dress donated by Vivienne Westwood from a Vogue shoot. She actually married Big in a classic vintage two piece and said Monolo's. Nevertheless, the style budget for the first SATC movie was huge, what with Dior shoes, Louis Vuitton bags and Christian Lacriox dresses, to name a few.

So, how did a show which put Manolo's on the map have such bad wardrobe disasters throughout the series? Of course, with the shows success the budget grew, but even with a small budget, there is, in my opinion, no excuse for purple bandanna's and denim dungarees.

So, I decided to compile a list of some of the worst, and some of the best, outfits.

As standards go, I will give you the bad news (/looks) first, in the hope that they will eventually be redeemed by the good...

Wrong on so many levels.

Fancy dress? Unfortunately not.

Bare midriff and matching waistbelt?

Carrie the Bavarian maid; Miranda the French and Samantha the drab.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The Dior shoes even fail to save this disaster.

Super Mario?? You'd think so. The horrific Adidas shell toes are the only escape from this blue mess.

Blue leather trousers. Enough said.

I actually struggled to find one of Charlotte's wardrobe disasters. Maybe she, rather than Carrie, is actually the best dressed? It seems somewhat surprising that Carrie has had the most wardrobe disasters of them all. Although, even with her tie-dye leggings, nothing can be as bad as Miranda's lesbian not-so-chic builder look. Even her masculine business suits in season one weren't bad enough to completely offend me.

However, luckily, where Carrie occasionally fails, she also triumphs twice over. There were too many of my favourite looks to include, so I'll give you a snippet of my favourites.

Loving the 70's earthy colour palatte. The pleated skirt and leather jacket combo is a winner.

Heart this jacket so much. American Apparel did a copy.

Said Manolo's.

NY Fashion week, and their fashion triumphs. LOVE Samantha's coat and Charlotte's bag.

Charlotte York is the epitome of two-piece classic chic, even if she is matchy matchy. Carrie doesn't look too shabby either!

Christian Lacriox dream.

Textured and beautiful.

The jacket somewhat spoils the dress, but regardless, Carrie looks amazing.

I guess the SATC wardrobe is a lot like us mere mortals after all. Sometimes, they get it wrong. And when it is wrong, it is so very very wrong. But mostly, they get it right. And when it is right, it is, as children of the 90's would say, wicked...

Better late than never...

Okay, I admit, if BeingGraceElisabeth was a child, she would have been taken into social care and I would be in jail for child neglect.

However, I am back. With a vengeance.

So until tomorrow, when I will post something worthy of reading, I thought I'd update you a little bit on what's been happening with me lately.

Firstly, I have black hair. I made the leap just before Christmas, and after spending the better part of 24 hours sobbing uncontrollably into my pillow, protesting how much I hated the new 'do, after a few days it stopped being such a shock every time I looked in the mirror, and now I love it. Admittedly, it's still taking some getting used to on photographs as the camera seems only to highlight my pale complexion against the ebony locks, but the Nice 'N' Easy was definitely a good move.

Also, I'm going to Paris! The Guardian was offering a deal that was just too good to pass up, and so on the 19th March I will be Eurostarring my way to the capital of romance, to eat baguettes and drink coffee and practice my GCSE French.

I'm taking my Mini Diana Lomo camera, and so hope to get many beauty snaps, like the above.

I was also saving to go to Benicassim, however that is now unfortunately not happening. Sad face. I was so looking forward to laying on a beach and soaking up some rays, and I'd already started planning my summer wardrobe. And my beach wardrobe. There's so many beaut retro swimsuits that I want BADLY. Here's a few examples:

This is the cutest swimsuit ever - I have a dress in the same fabric.

Embracing my love for the polkadot again! Classic Hepburn chic.

High waisted knickers are so flattering and so 50's. Accessorised with a pair of red Ray Bans, it would be the perfect beachwear attire. Hello sailor!

This Stop Staring swim dress makes me want to die it's so cute! It's like a little prom dress in swimwear form. I've found it for super cheap online too. Maybe the Easter bunny will bring me it instead of a chocolate egg...

Hello Bette Lynch! Leopard print is one of my favourite prints, and this is just amazing.

I also found a swim cap like this. I could never look as amazing in one as this babe, but one can only try.

However, I have decided, as a compromise, to buy my desired swimsuits over the course of the year, so that by the time Benicassim 2012 arrives, I will have all the necessary dollar and swim attire I could ever need to be a beach babe.

Sex and the City is also taking over my life. Having gotten the boxset with my Christmas dollar, I am currently on Season 5. Things I have realised since watching are the following:
1) I want to be Carrie Bradshaw.
2) I want to live in New York.
3) I hate Big.
4) I HATE Big.
5) A little bit of me died when I saw Carrie in her purple bandanna.
6) Where are all the Monolo's and Louboutins?? I had not realised that my obsessive viewing of the later episodes of SATC had seduced me into thinking that the whole series was like this. The boxset has reminded me of earlier episodes when this was clearly not the case.

I'm lucky to have quite a few journalism placements lined up for this year. I've got one with Accent magazine in April, one with a newspaper back home in May, one with Lifestyle in August and I was offered a month long placement with Living North magazine too! Not bad given that it's only February! I'd have a placement lined up for every week of every month if I could, but unfortunately my rent pennies still need to be paid, and thus my availability for continuous unpaid placements is somewhat limited as a result. Boo.

I'm still working at Office, where I drool everyday over the new season stock and lament the fact that I have no money to purchase any of the shoes. Even with my discount! However, I also recently discovered that I get a 45% uniform allowance, and so the Francis Cuban heeled brogues I've had my eye on since the beginning of time will be mine at almost half price!! SCORE!

I've also found a camper van hire company in Keswick, which is literally on my doorstep at home! The prices are really reasonable and I'm crossing my fingers to have the funds for a 3 night rental. An old VW camper van in the lakes with summer weather would be ultimate bliss. I'd take some retro deck chairs with me and transport myself mentally back to the 1950's...

I would sell all my possessions to own one of these.

The epitome of summer in photographic form.

And with that revelation, I will have to love you and leave you. That's about all that's happened up to date, to spare you the boring details.

Until tomorrow...

Beg, borrow or steal...

Having watched the Sex and the City movie for what must be the millionth time last night, I was reminded of a website that I had been meaning to blog about since the beginning of time. Or thereabouts, anyway...

The concept behind Beg, Borrow or Steal, the online rental website for designer goods, is genius. It allows us mere mortals to sport that quilted Chanel, or that Hermes Birkin, without the full designer price tag. This means that designer beauty is not just reserved for the Carrie Bradshaw's or the Victoria Beckham's of the world. For a snippet of the price, that vintage Chanel (pictured above) can be yours, albeit temporarily.

Since birth, I have wanted a black quilted Chanel. But nearing two thousand sheets in price, it has thus far been a distant dream, just like the Mulberry Bayswater I've had my eye on ever since I spotted it in Harrods, and thus fell head over bag in love. As a young woman with somewhat expensive taste for staple items, Beg, Borrow or Steal has given me the opportunity to experience the joy of having the Chanel number on my arm, without having to sell myself for my bag fund.

This Hermes Birkin Gold Vachette is available to rent from Beg, Borrow or Steal for £1,190 per week, or £3,500 per month. One of the more expensive bags, but nevertheless, still a snippet of the RRP price tag.
This amazing Carlos Falchi Magazine tote is the perfect accessory to any outfit. Rent it from Beg, Borrow or Steal for a snippet at £43 per week, or £125 per month.

I have wanted this quilted Chanel ever since I saw it draped over Agyness Deyn's arm. It is pretty much me in bag form, combining two of my great loves: Chanel and British patriotism. The union jack, along with leopard print, is one of my all time favourite prints, and my love for the Queen is endless. I'm VERY tempted to rent this for Christmas time, at a snip of £66 per week or £195 for the month. I have a Topshop version of this bag, which I loved but it broke, and so I feel it would be the perfect excuse! And what with the royal wedding announcement (I am planning my London trip to wave my union jack as we speak), I feel it's very contextual. Any excuse Grace....

However, it seems that us mere mortals can have the Cinderella treatment too, with www.cinderella-me.co.uk bringing us Louboutins and Jimmy Choo's to give our tootsies the star treatment. With Louboutins costing over 400 sheets for a basic pair, cinderella-me is a wonderful concept. Let's face it, we all crave those ruby red soles that give a glimpse of femme fetale on a grey day.

These gorgeous Louboutins are the perfect leg lengthener, and that peep-toe is oh-so sexy. And for £85 per week from cinderella-me, what's not to love!? They're the first heels on my wish list.
Bang on trend with that milky nude shade, these Alexander McQueen shoes are perfectly understated. The inner platform adds a bit of height (which is a winner with me, standing tall at just 5'3...) and I love the colour. For £55 per week, they're positively bargainous. You couldn't even buy a pair of Topshop heels for that! Love them. Long live McQueen.
I HEART these Gucci shoe-boots. The peep toes stop them being prim, and then navy and cream contrast detail give them a very Chanel feel to them. Audrey Tautou eat your heart out!

My conclusion?? Whereas I originally anticipated waiting a lifetime to get a vintage quilted Chanel on my arm and a pair of Louboutins on my feet, it seems these rental websites will allow me to do that a bit sooner than I thought. Which can only be a good thing, surely?! When funds allow, I will make my desired purchase and get some of these babies for myself, but until then, I plan on renting my pocket money away to bring a little luxury to my early twenties. Hello Christmas list.