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...

Rain, rain, go away.

One thing you have to know about me: I really hate the rain. Yesterday, whilst walking to meet my friend for a shopping trip, I somehow managed to kick up practically a whole puddle's worth of dirty water all over my feet. As if my toes weren't numb enough due to the cold anyway! And subsequently, said dirty water ruined my beaut velvet shoes. I was so upset, I had to go and buy myself a 17p Freddo to make myself feel a bit better...

The worst thing was, at that particular point in time it wasn't actually raining (so I can be excused for wearing inappropriate footwear!) The ground was just a mass of puddles, which is great if you're dressed for the watery weather with a pair of wellington boots and a mac on, with a rather large umbrella to protect ones barnet. Unfortunately however, I wasn't dressed for the weather, and so I was largely unimpressed.

For me, rain is the worst type of weather. Granted, I'm not the biggest fan of wind, but at least it doesn't soak you to the skin. My favourite type of day is the crisp, cold wintery mornings when the sky is bright blue and the sun is shining. Those types of days make winter seem beautiful; when the ground is frosty and wrapping up for the cold is an attractive prospect. Those types of days, when you don your coat and gloves and you can see your breath in the cold, are the best. It makes you want to go outside and enjoy the cold sunshine. I love days like this in Autumn, when the leaves are brown and cover the ground, and when they are dry and crisp underneath your feet. Last week for example, me and the boy went for a walk in Jesmond Dene, which is just beautiful all year round, but especially in the autumn. Autumn leaves make for wonderful photographs. Here are a few of my favourites:

                                                  Me, on said Jesmond Dene walk.

                                                        I heart this photograph.

                   My friend Philippa, on another Jesmond Dene expedition a couple of years ago.

Rain however, does not make for lovely walks or trips out, like autumn does. Rain ruins trips, whether you are planning a day trip or even nipping to the shop for a pint of milk to warm yourself through with a cup of tea having gotten soaked by said rain. In fact, rain only ever appeals to me if I'm inside my house, tucked up and cosy with my gas fire on, with a film and preferably my boy, when I can stay indoors and stay dry all day. I don't mind the rain when I have nowhere to go and it's hammering on my window, because more than anything it makes me love even more the fact that I'm indoors. Yet there are very few days when I don't need to leave the house at all, meaning I am a target for raindrops and subsequently they keep falling on my head.

I have been caught in many rainstorms in my time. A few weeks ago for example, having left The Journal offices and en route to the Metro station to go home (not before a quick trip to H&M mind), I was caught in a hail storm which soaked me to the skin. This time, I was really thankful that I had my large leopard print umbrella with me (lifesaver), yet again my shoes and the rest of me was absolutely drenched. Another time a couple of years back, I was on my way back from lectures in my ginger fur coat, when the heavens opened. This time, I was without an umbrella, and in my 30 minute walk home I was left looking like a drowned rabbit. Not great. Once I finally arrived home, I jumped straight in the shower for fear I would die of cold, and sat by my electric heater for the rest of the night. My coat took forever to dry, it was just lucky I have about 12 fur coats so the only consolation was that I at least had another coat to wear the next day...

It always seems to rain on my parade.

 This photograph is pretty apt.

You see, raindrops always seem to spoil my day trips out, especially when I plan things for when I venture to the motherland. It NEVER stops raining in Cumbria. I cannot count the times I have planned to go to Keswick for a boating and picnic trip, which has been spoiled by the rain. And the ratty, which is this very cute wooden steam train that goes through the countryside and takes you to this little village called Eskdale, which is just picturesque. Me and the boy finally managed to go at Easter this year, when my cousins from London were visiting and my sister was at home, so we all ventured out and had champagne and strawberries on the ratty (it sounds way more sophistocated than it actually was as we were a little rowdy to say the least). Yet up until this point, out ratty trips have been spoiled by the weather. One time me and my dear friend Emma actually ventured to Keswick in the rain with wishful thinking on our side, hoping that once we got there the sky would clear and we would be left with sunshine. Needless to say, this wasn't the case. The ever growing hole in the bottom of my very loved but very battered Office boots gave me wet feet, and I subsequently felt like I had trench foot for the remainder of the day. How attractive.

At Leeds festival last year, I was given the greatest gift ever: a plastic rainhood. You see, my Topshop pac-a-mac failed protect me from Glastonbury's downpour (my hair was soaked as it clearly wasn't waterproof), and so I was incredibly grateful for the ingenuious hood so loved by grannies. Given that the weather was never torrential rain, my fur coat was enough to keep me warm and dry, and the hood served to protect my barnet. I got quite a lot of comments on it (it surprisingly went down a treat), and for a couple of months afterwards I hailed my rainhood as the lifesaver to any umbrella-lacking situation. Now however, I realise I have neglected it for quite a while. It will however make an appearance at next year's Glastonbury, as it is possibly the easiest solution to a quick shower there is. And at least it's waterproof!

                                          The much-loved rainhood. I'm such a pensioner at heart.

Luckily, it isn't raining today, meaning I will be able to go outside without having my backcombed barnet flattened by the messy little raindrops. However, after yesterday's puddle incident, I feel my need for the Vivienne Westwood wellingtons is definite. Please Santa, have mercy on my tootsies.

Holidays are coming.

Yesterday, I started to properly get into the festive spirit by watching Elf and Miracle on 34th Street back to back. Tucked up on my chesterfield sofa with my Cath Kidston throw and my gas fire on, it was my idea of Sunday afternoon heaven. The only thing lacking was my new Christmas pj's and mince pies. You see, I LOVE Christmas. It's my favourite time of the year. And ever since I saw the first viewing of the Coca Cola advert, my anticipation has been increasing by the day. And more than anything, I'm looking forward to buying my first proper Christmas tree and decking my house out in seasonal decorations. In my University houses, we all returned home for Christmas mid-December, and so having a Christmas tree seemed a bit pointless. So this year, I am embracing the decor, and cannot wait to buy my first real Christmas tree. And even though I will be returning to my motherland for Christmas day, the boy and I plan on having an early Christmas dinner together on the 23rd, complimented by my decorations and a Christmas film marathon. You see I have such a large family it simply wouldn't be Christmas without them and without the noise and laughter, and of course the Frank Sinatra finale we have to any family celebration, which consists of badly singing along and dancing whilst my dear grandmother sits in her chair, drunk on a bottle of Bailey's by this point, takes it all in around her.

For me, Christmas has always been a time for family, and I love buying gifts for everyone. I like to think I'm quite good at selecting presents (for my best friend's 21st birthday I bought her the Vogue from November '88, ergo the month and year of her birth. She loved it so much she cried!) I love watching people's faces as they open their gifts. Seeing my boy's face when he found out I'd bought him a Glastonbury ticket made my two and a half hour stint on the laptop trying to get them worthwhile... But presents aside, I just love the Christmas season. I love real Christmas trees and fairy lights, and some of my all time favourite films are Christmas ones. They always have such a feel-good vibe to them. It's A Wonderful Life is a beautiful film. And I heart Jingle All The Way, known to my family as Turboman. It's one of those films that is on every Christmas without fail, and it wouldn't feel like Christmas without a viewing of it. I bought it on dvd last year, just so I have a back up in case Sky fails me... I love the Boots three for two deal and I love wrapping Christmas presents. December wouldn't be the same without an advent calendar to count you down to Christmas, and every year the closer I get to the 20's, the more excited I get. I love Christmas cake and mince pies, and I love the traditional turkey roast with crackers and Christmas hats galore.

Christmas gives me that warm fuzzy feeling whenever I think about it. I always have a very nostalgic image of winter, wrapping up for the cold and buying winter coats and gloves and going ice skating and for jolly rambles in the countryside. I love the Christmas markets that come to town, where you can fill your belly with all sorts of cullinary delights and mulled wine. And I love snow. Well, not the snow of last year, which was mid-calf in depth and not enjoyable having to slog to the library in it every day in inappropriate footwear, however snow for a day or two is fun. Just the right amount to build a snowman and have a snowball fight is perfect.

The stress of last year's snow though has made me realise that those Vivienne Westwood for Melissa wellington boots I have coveted for a long time would surely be a very useful present. After all, at the minute I'm walking around in a pair of Topshop's leather ballet flats - not exactly ideal for the winter weather, given the fact that my feet are soaked every time the ground has a bit of water on. In the Westwood wellingtons, I wouldn't have to try and skirt around that massive puddle, as I could just splash on right through like I did in my patterned wellies and little pink mac when I was five. And they're so cute and delicate, they're not really like wellingtons at all. More little booties, with the fab gold buttons displaying the orb down the side. I'd like them for Christmas quite a lot...

And on that note, I'm off to make my Christmas list to send to Santa before I go for my first ice skate of the season. I cannot wait.

Little Monsters

Okay, I am officially the worst blogger ever.

In my defence, I have been working on some lovely little articles to post once they are perfected (so look forward to it!) and my week has passed in a blur of coffee and cake and Halloween delights. So I thought it was time for a quick update...

I have mainly spent the past week with Mary, my lovely little pink sewing machine, courtesy of the boy for my 21st birthday (best present everr). I named her Mary after my fabulous grandmother, who by now you will know I absolutely adore, and as she has handed me down her pearls of wisdom regarding paper patterns and sewing machines, I thought it only right that she got a bit of loving recognition. Mary kept me great company last week, as did Carrie and the girls in my SATC sewing marathons. How very desperate housewife! I had a slight crisis in Halloween dress as my harlequin print fabric (I dressed up as a clown) proved quite a nightmare when making my skirt - the diamond pattern was all over the place and I thought I was going to have to scrap the idea, before I decided to put so much fabric in it and copious amounts of net underneath which seemed to solve the problem. The lack of downward pointing diamonds was now not too noticeable at all! And my costume worked out a treat. After creating the typical clown ruff, I decided that it wasn't particularly flattering on my not-so-flat chest, and thus had to rework the fabric into a massive bow tie. Well, I'm a big fan of oversized bows and I regularly sport them on my head, so I figured one for my neck would be the perfect replacement.

Now, one thing you have to know about me is that I never do anything by halfs. And so, rather than having one pumpkin, I had three (worst decision ever when I had to carry them home and my arms genuinely almost fell off). This OTT attitude led me to buying coloured contact lenses (goodbye £22), orange hair spray and supersize false eyelashes that would put Katie Price to shame. After a contact lens and eyelash nightmare (watery eyes and eyelash glue do not compliment each other well...) my Halloween face was finally complete and it kind of worked out how I had anticipated (luckily). I took the risk of spraying my oh-so-white barnet bright orange (despite the note on the can stating the spray was NOT suitable for dyed hair, let alone beacons of light like mine). I'm mightily glad I did as I loved being ginner for the night, and I was told I reminded a friend of the babe that is Vivienne Westwood... Not exactly sure how given my clown attire, but this is surely a compliment nevertheless.

And so the weekend brought me many delights, mainly the presence of my two bff's Emma and Jon, who came to visit me in my boudoir for some Halloween fun. And much to my excitement, everyone went all-out on the fancy dress front. Steve's robot attempt, with fitted LED lights attached was amazing, even if he was sporting Primark's silver tights with a scarf stuffed in the crotch (manly vanity at its best).

All in all, we had copious amounts of fun, and I kind of wish my hair had stayed orange...





And so now the Halloween delights are over, for the remainder of the week I'll be looking forward to yet more coffee and cake, and bonfire night, with sparklers and toffee apples of course. Oh, and I'm also going to see Marina on Thursday, babe that she is. And I have another date with alcohol and my vintage leather shorts this coming Saturday. Oh, what a busy week...