Vintage photo

This particular picture has made an impression on me whenever I visit my grandparents. It is a photo of my dad (second-right) alongside his three brothers, suited and booted for my uncle's wedding. I asked my dad if he still has the double-breasted jacket, but he sadly does not. I would love to see them dress this dapper once more.

Creature comforts

Beehive & bow tie, Bournemouth Vintage Fair

Lydia's beehive hairdo was courtesy of the Vintage Hair Lounge. In total, it took 45 minutes. Lydia wears a vintage shirt, plus a vintage velvet bow tie from Kipper & Bow.

Zeynep Tosun A/W 13

Bournemouth Vintage Fair

Victoria is from France. She wears Jonak shoes, Zara trousers and jumper, Levi's shirt, Primark coat, Burberry scarf, her mum's bag, vintage hat, and Paul & Joe glasses.

Springtime tartan, Bournemouth Vintage Fair

Leah Evans is owner of 'Vintage Per Sempre' boutique in Pokesdown. She wears Dorothy Perkins shoes, Primark necklace, vintage Jaeger blouse, vintage belt, Marc Jacobs watch, and her beautiful tartan dress is from Boden. I absolutely adore its springtime colours.

Barclaycard x Professor Green secret gig

To celebrate the launch of contactless payment on TFL buses, Barclaycard arranged an exclusive Professor Green gig at a secret London venue on Saturday 23rd March. I was lucky enough to acquire two tickets for myself and a friend, which resulted in the most enjoyable day I have spent in London for a long while - even if it did involve battling a blizzard on Oxford Street. (Snow in springtime, say what?)

H&M SKINNY TROUSERS / ZARA TRENCH COAT / TOPMAN SNAKE PRINT SHIRT
ETRE FIVEPOINT GLOVES / ASOS SATCHEL / DR MARTENS LANGSTON BOOTS

My plus-one for the day was my best friend, housemate, coursemate, drinking partner and all-round Devonshire beauty, Maddy Watkins. I wish more events I were invited to offered plus-one invitations, because I do appreciate the company of a good friend. Have I ever mentioned that my blogging has become rather a lonely affair? I suppose my lone wolf approach finally turned around to bite me in the tooshie.

Having somebody like Maddy around reminds me that I can have fun. A trip to the city needn't always be about photographing people or interviewing somebody, as it has more than often been the case. Fighting the bitterly (and visibly) cold weather, we had a browse in the Oxford Street stores, followed by drinks at a Covent Garden bar, then onto the gig. The only time we stopped for "blog stuff" was to snap a few outfit photos. But hey, I am a fashion blogger after all.

H BY HENRY HOLLAND JACKET / VINTAGE SHAWL / PRIMARK SUEDE BOOTS
REPUBLIC DISCO PANTS / TOPMAN POLKA DOT JUMPER / RIVER ISLAND BAG

The snowfall eventually dissipated, but as the night grew steadily colder, a cheeky tipple (read: a couple of bottles) of rosé was on the cards. Verve Bar on Upper St Martin's Lane offers a very welcoming Happy Hour promotion, and suffice it to say, yours truly did get a teeny bit tipsy, much to Maddy's amusement. And I guess the wine at the gig later that evening didn't help either. But when the venue is outdoors and the temperature drops to below freezing, at least the illusion of warmth is a sweet pleasure.

I don't know how Professor Green performed in a t-shirt. "I have got a lot of powers, but unfortunately, controlling the weather isn’t one of them," he joked. But in spite of the unseasonable chill, his performance at the old Kings Cross goods depot - transformed into a London bus station - was well-received by his fans and VIP guests. Knowing very little about music, I am in no position to write a review, although I can say I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I am equally grateful for the concert's exclusivity. I am unsure if I could have dealt with any more screaming girls.

Overall, gallivanting in a blizzard, chatting nonsense, and seeing Pro' Green perform live made for one of the best days out in my life. I have to thank Barclaycard for throwing such a great gig, to Benedicte at LBi UK for offering me the tickets, and also to Maddy for teaching me to loosen up. Mr Serious needed to know how to have fun!

Dog in a cardigan, Bournemouth

While not my usual street style subject, this dog was far too sweet to ignore. The poor thing had been left outside Bournemouth Pavilion in the cold while its owner perused the vintage fair inside, so a kind member of Pavilion staff wrapped the dog in a cardigan to offer it some warmth. I wonder what its owner thought of its newest accessory...

Ruby and the Rib Cage

This has to be my favourite photo from my shoot with Ruby, lead singer of 'Ruby and the Rib Cage'. I had planned on publishing a selection of photographs, but this particular image - taken at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch - appears so beautifully by itself. You can see more photos from the shoot on Facebook.

Hair-raising

Dear readers, what shall I do with my hair? Two months ago at London Collections: Men, my mop of hair was treated to the best cut-and-style to date, courtesy of The Fudge Fix salon. Following the hour-long session, the team snapped my photo, which I hoped to show to future hairdressers, but I sadly never received the image. The problem being I have little clue what to do with my hair. Even with a bedside table laden with freebie hair products, self-styling is not a strength of mine.

The most adventurous style I have ever held involved a lot of hair mousse, hair spray, back-combing and blow-drying. The end result was somewhat Jedward-esque, however it strangely suited. Since then, I haven't had the time or effort to reproduce that style on a regular basis. Instead, I will generally sweep my fringe to one side.

So what do I do? I haven't had my hair cut in two-and-a-half months, which means I have a lot more hair to play around with. But I can't leave it for too long, mind you, as it will begin to curl! So please help a hopeless guy out and suggest a style that could make said guy 100% sexier.

#FashFail - WTF was I wearing?

Once upon a time, fashion was not my forté. Having developed an initial interest when I was fifteen years old, my time in sixth form was a colourful affair, with luminescent ties and a rainbow collection of cardigans. Those years were an extremely naive phase in my life. And when I (reluctantly) look back, I have to agree with my classmates' comments. Wearing two cardigans at the same time is not a good look, especially when one is bright green and the other is magenta pink.

The ghosts of personal style past...

We have all suffered fashion disasters at some point in our lives. Don't deny it! But there is no need to suffer the embarrassment alone. Burton Menswear wants the British public to share the shame and reveal their innermost fashion sins - with a chance of winning £300 in Burton vouchers to replenish your wardrobe.

You can enter the #FashFail competition simply by uploading a photo of your fashion faux pas. The contest closes at 23:59 on Saturday 30th March, and the winner will be notified by Monday 8th April.

Ones To Watch: Yulia Kondranina A/W 13

Nova Chiu A/W 13

The Summer Ball is coming...

Tickets go on sale today for Bournemouth University's Summer Ball - a one-day music festival, in which 7,000 students get drunk in the sunshine and frolic about in some of the best homemade costumes you will ever see. Because this is my final year of university, you'd think I would put down the camera on this occasion and join in with the festivities. As if. I'm a workaholic, remember?

What I find the funniest about the whole Summer Ball experience are the stares from the residents of Bournemouth town, who can't quite fathom why there are young men and women dressed up for Halloween in June. There ought to be signs in the weeks preceding, warning the general populace of the impending oddities.

(If you are a student at Bournemouth University or the neighbouring Arts University Bournemouth, you can grab your early-bird ticket - plus up to three guest tickets - from the Poole House atrium, or online at www.subu.org.uk/events.)

Round and retro

I love these round sunglasses. Having only purchased them last week, I have been trying them on every day since. Match them with a white shirt and my housemate's cowboy hat, and I come across as a Wild West villain. Or if I team them with a black shirt, coat and tie, I look as if I have hopped out of The Matrix.

VINTAGE ROUND SUNGLASSES / ZARA SHIRT / TOPMAN JUMPER

The style featured here, on the other hand, is far from gimmicky and closer to my typical attire for this time of year. The Zara shirt was a better-than-half-price purchase during a previous Fashion Week, which I bought mostly for its sharp collar. Perhaps I could buy some collar clips for emphasis? The Topman knit has a definite 90s-esque air about it, reminiscent of ski jumpers.

 

On a side note, I would like to thank my housemate, Joshua, for taking my picture today. It beats having to shoot the photographs myself with a tripod and self-timer, whereby an absence of automatic focus means I often have to estimate the correct distance between the camera and I. I do envy those fashion bloggers whose other-halves or best friends are photographers by trade. I suppose I could do with a personal assistant and photographer, although I could only repay them with hugs and biscuits.