France's Favorite Daughter

Over reading week I spent a lot of time  listening to Charlotte Gainsbourg's IRM. The daughter of Jane Birkin and French singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte was born in London and raised in Paris. Hailing from a creative family she 

has been involved in music and film since 

her teens. Released 2009 IRM reflects on her strugglewith a 2007 near death experience. With some help from cowriter and producer Beck 

song like Masters Hands, In the End and
Dandelion exude her carefree confidence. There is a good mix of French and English 
for those of us who are not fully bilingual. 
The video for her first single, Heaven Can Wait, is completely off-the-wall but worth a watch! 
Flaunt magazine recently did a feature of Charlotte and IRM. They said "Graceful, weird, and defiant, Gainsbourg is exactly the type of quirky offspring that France would be fiercely proud of." The spread seems to reflect the playful nature of her music and the lace dress isn't bad either. 

Françoise Hardy

On one of my random internet adventure I stumbled upon a video of Françoise Hardy.  Listening to Mon amie la rose, I was immediately captivated. Since returning from Paris, I have been obsessed with anything French and this was no exception. 

Françoise Hardy started writing music and performing at French clubs as a teenager. Durning  the 60s and 70s she become a household name as a singer and actress. She defined a generation with her bohemian style and breathy ballads.

You might not understand everything she is saying but her voice draws you in. There are many new musicians coming out of France. After listening to Françoise, you can hear her voice in their music.

Look What Just Went Up On Houston St. NYC

Provocative? I think we have come to expect nothing less from CK, but at least it's a reprieve from the usual waif models. These eye-catching photos of David Agbodji, are no doubt going to cause controversy in the neighbourhood, particularly after the last sexually explicit Calvin Klein ads. 

Image: Racked NY

In my peripheral?!?!?

Apparently, bedazzled and jeweled eyewear is all the rage in East London.  I could see these being distracting but the sunglasses and the eye patch are extremely popular. So, if you early adopters want to be ahead of the curve this summer, check out these babies.

Pictures from BlackBook

Fashion on a Budget? D.I.Y.

Today Who What Wear Daily featured D.I.Y creations. Their inspiration came from a resourceful blog called P.S. I made this... The clean, simplistic site provides detailed instructions for your D.I.Y creations that are inspired by the most current fashion trends. Below is their take on a rocker lumberjack look. Have fun!

Pictures P.S. I made this