HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wherever you are in the world, and however you're celebrating, have a slamming time. I'm spending New Year's Eve with my mum, sister and 7 of my girlfriends in Edinburgh; literally 'All ma single ladies'.

I've got plenty of plans for 2011, but hey, we've 365 days to ponder on those, so for now I'll just focus on getting merry.

Nastrovya!

R.I.P. EBAY DREAMS

I am catastrophically useless at ebay bidding. I know there is a skill to it, perfecting the timing of pushing the bid button just at the last second before your opponent has another chance etc etc but I lose out EVERY time. Here are two beautiful souls I lost to an evil outbidder last week from Indie Cult Vintage. Honeys, you're still in my dreams.

PILLARS OF THE EARTH II

EGYPT APRIL 2010 PHOTODIARY

For more of my travel photography from Africa and North America click here

WINTER KATE

via Alice in Wardrobe Wonderland

I wish I felt as nonchalant about Christmas as Kate looks in this picture. Truth be told, I'm still yet to buy any presents, and am dreading ending up as flustered as a Christmas turkey hitting town at 9am on Christmas eve. Is anyone else in my sad little grinch boat? Or have you all been super organised?

EIGHT LONDON IS NOW ON TWITTER

Photographic Studies in Edinburgh

All photographs are my own, please credit accordingly

CARINE ROITFELD HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

After 10 years at the helm of Paris Vogue, sharp-boned Carine Roitfeld has announced she will step down from her position as editor at the end of January. The smoky-eyed, husky-voiced French styliste extraordinaire has changed the magazine's fortunes forever; with her dynamism and highly artistic approach to fashion, she imagined a vision that was more extreme, more sexually charged, and more often than not, more controversial than anyone else. Considering that the latest Vogue Paris issue was a platform for the idolatry of Tom Ford, how likely is it that Carine's next move in the fashion industry might be to the House of Ford, or another one of her designer friends for whom she has often played muse? 

According to the New York Times, current Vogue Paris fashion director Emmanuelle Alt is rumoured to be stepping into Roitfeld's spike heeled shoes.

[INSERT LATIN PHRASE HERE]

photographed by Kate Woods

Dress by H&M, astrakhan stole from Topshop.

We ran all over the graveyard behind the Henry Price residences in Leeds University playing catch-me-if-you-can with the teasing rays of low winter sun.

READING LIST

I'm taking a holiday from my university reading list to dig my teeth into these before exams start. If I'm quick (and socially reclusive) enough, I'll be able to re-read Tender is the Night for the fourth time and finish with a revisiting of Alex James's biography for some comic relief. As rock-star bios go, it is incredibly well-written, heartwarming and philosophical. I seriously recommend.

REINDEER

10 days until Christmas!

Snowy scenes from Leeds, snapped with my KB10

Oh So 90s...

Black mesh, body-con, sheer fabrics, over-the-knee socks, pastel coloured hair, bold lipsticks; these are some of my favourite 90s style notes of the moment.

Born in 1990, I certainly wasn't sophisticated to enjoy them the first time round, favouring the leggings, baggy t-shirt and flashing trainers combo for the first decade of my life, although I was fairly on-trend with the high ponytail (see above left).

I sometimes wonder what the defining 'trends' of the noughties will be? What will be the ones we'll channel for costume parties of the future? It's a curious question, when I find the last decade seemed to be predominantly about reviving past influences from all across the 20th century, but I suppose everything looks different in hindsight.

GIRLZ

L'AUTOMNE EN PROVENCE II

If you're a UK reader, here's a visual holiday from all the snow 'n' ice - winter scenes from Nice taken on my brief weekend visit in November. It was the light that struck me, at times that provencal yellow/orange glow lit up the promenade, but minutes later a moody purple grey tone would fade in and change the seaside atmosphere altogether. With half of my family due to move here within a year, I'll be spending a lot more time this side of the med. Come winter, that's fine by me.