This Second's Obsession

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this pirate obsession

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Ahoy there me hearties! It be International Talk Like A Pirate Day, one of the major holidays of the year! Ye other be Halloween, obviously.

I be very excited about this, though I be not dressin’ like a pirate, or partyin’ like a pirate. I be not drinkin’ rum because I be slightly ill – it be suddenly very cold in these oceans known as ye British Isles. I be instead drinkin’ ye ‘grog’ that be known to the landlubbers as Earl Grey. It be delicious.

I be practicing me pirate for ye last couple o’weeks, an’ I be picking up ye plastic wall hook we be donated in ye shop yesterday and pretendin’ it be a hook. Arrr. That be mildly amusin’.

Today, I be pretendin’ that I be plannin’ some burnin’ and pillagin’, arr? ARR! An’ I be recievin’ in me inbox ye Etsy Finds newsletter, an’ I be findin’ inspiration to be collectin’ some pirate booty of me own. ARRR!

Firstly I be wantin’ ye Grace O’Malley pirate hat, because it be purple an’ I be ye most purple pirate that be known in ye seven seas. If ye be readin’ this scroll regular, ye be knowing this. If ye be a former landlubber recently recruited to ye voyage, I be recommendin’ ye be checkin’ out ye archives. Yarrr? YARRRR! If ye be not a purple pirate, ye fancy black and gold tricorn be for ye.

Second, I be thinkin’ that ‘Marie Antoinette goes pirate’ be a bonny look, so I be considerin’ these hair combs. But when I be wantin’ t’be a more subtle pirate, I be thinkin’ ye piratical badge be most appropriate, arr. These be especially worth ye pieces of eight.

Pirates with style be readin’ ye Pirate Clothing webpage and be dressin’ accordingly, and be makin’ sure ye be wearin’ earrings. Ye be showin’ off how good they be at huntin’ treasure/fightin’ rich landlubbers/pillagin’ if ye be wearing ye pirate hair jewels. If ye pirate be also a steampunk, ye be likin’ ye pendant. If ye be in a battle where ye be best pretending to be a privateer or a lawful sailor, ye be best keepin’ ye love for ye sea subtle with ye dusk sailing czech glass ring.

If ye be a pirate that be good in the galley, be pesterin’ ye captain to be plunderin’ ye a pirate cupcake t-shirt. Ye be available in various designs an’ be on stickers an’ bags an’ ye aprons. If ye be havin’ a party on board ye ship, be not spendin’ all ye gold on rum (though it be a good investment if ye be not wantin’ t’voyage with angry pirates) , an’ be obtainin’ ye skull an’ crossbones flags for ye cupcakes, an’ be makin’ sure no landlubbers or privateers be joinin’ ye voyage with ye pirate invitations.

If ye be havin’ ye small pirates, ye jolly roger hat be keepin’ them warm on ye seven seas and ye knittin’ needles be useful in case ye pistol be not loaded when ye be boarded by ye Royal Navy.

Arrrrrrrrr. What be ye doin’ for ye International Talk Like a Pirate Day? Be ye not hearin’ of it before? I should be makin’ ye walk the plank…but I be too busy enjoying me ‘grog’.

Top Obsessions of 2007

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After reading the post The Item of the Year Award at Flying Saucer, I started to think about all my most favourite things from 2007. After a little bit of thought, I realised that there is no one item of clothing that I favoured above all others last year and so I decided instead to share my Top Obsessions of 2007!

Frequent motifs
These are the images and shapes that delighted me throughout the year. They were: stripes, crowns and hearts and there is no overall winner for this category, because all these motifs were combined most excellently in my Christmas present to myself, the necklace on the left. If you are charmed by this necklace, the creator has three similar designs available in her Etsy shop.

Best newcomers to my style
These are the things I tried out for the first time this year. First came skinny jeans. I am not entirely sure I’m satisfied with them. The pair I’ve got keep falling down my arse, which is not the look I really want to achieve. They also draw a lot of attention to my large feet, and I am not sure whether I like that. I love my feet but I’d rather have people look at my head. I do love them, but I think I might love them more on skinny indie boys than on me.

The colour red was another obsession. The roots of this took hold in 2006, when I performed in The Vagina Monologues for the first time and discovered the joys of red lipstick, and the fact that some shades of red do actually suit me. After I wrote the blog post My Rainbow: Red, I soon became obsessed with obtaining a red coat for the winter, inspired by Clare Devine, the red-coat-wearing femme fatale of cheesy soapdom. I stopped watching Hollyoaks shortly after she made her final exit, because the plotlines got too bad and there wasn’t her incredibly cute style to admire as compensation. Seriously, evil has never looked so good.

After reading Gala Darling’s article about cat’s eye make-up, and Merriam at Miss Vintage’s instructions for Audrey Hepburn-esque eyeliner, I decided to investigate the possibilities of liquid eyeliner for myself. I prefer it with quite a thin line, but a long tail that curls up long enough to end just below the end of my eyebrow and at an angle. I don’t wear it quite that long everyday, and I am still experimenting. I usually press dark green or dark purple eyeshadow (I prefer Bourjois’ Little Round Pots in ‘ Noir Emeraude 07’ and ‘Noir Précieux 04’) over the top of the eyeliner to give it a softer, more interesting look.

I conclude that the colour red has been the most exciting and best addition to my style in 2007. It makes me feel grown-up and glamourous, and it actually looks surprisingly good with purple. I really need to take some pictures of my red coat to share with you!

Most adored make-up item…

This presents me with the above dilemma all over again. It is really between liquid eyeliner and red lipstick, although glitter has also been much used and loved last year. But I think red lipstick was more of an item of 2006, whilst the eyeliner was worn more regularly this year, so 2007’s crown must go to liquid eyeliner! It has transformed my look no end!

What did you love the most in 2007? Did you manage to work skinny jeans or are you going to be glad to see the back of them when they go out of style? I’m not too bothered about them vanishing for myself, I wear skirts more often than jeans anyway, but I think it will be a shame when they are no longer sported by all the artboys in London!