Warby Parker Fall Collection 2013

As a kid I never needed glasses, I remember looking at my friends who needed them and being a little envious of theirs. I wanted to be able to wear bright turquoise "The Little Mermaid" glasses to school. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful I don't need glasses yet, but I see the way glasses can frame someones face, make a statement or pull an outfit together. When the "nerd glasses" trend started I was one of the first to jump on the bandwagon. I don't think I was even being ironic, I just loved the way I could wear an extra accessory on my face!

Today Warby Parker launches their fall 2013 collection of eyeglasses, and I'm smitten with each and every pair. They look like something you'd be delighted to find in a vintage shop, like they have a history to them, they're timeless. I could imagine a 1950s business man (or every male cast member of Mad Men) smoking a cigar in a pair of these glasses, which, weirdly, makes me want to wear them even more.

Here are some of my favs from the new collection, there are plenty more amazing styles of eyeglasses and sunglasses available on the website. They even have a pair named Preston which remind me of my home town, Preston.

Mad Men Treasury

I always seem to be the last person to get into all these big tv series'. I've finally started watching Mad Men, I seem to have managed to watch a whole two seasons in two days while doing my painting.

While I'm not as obsessed with it as I have been with Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad & Carnivale, it seems to be the perfect show to watch while I'm doing work. Plus, I get a bit of a kick out of all of the sexist comments. I love how one guy on the show compared hearing a woman say something clever to watching a dog play a piano.

One thing I do LOVE about the show though is the clothes they wear, particularly Christina Hendricks. Here's some of my fav Mad Men inspired items on Etsy.

1. usbtypwriter / 2. blackrufflebrigade / 3. Katarina Couture / 4. The Headmistress / 5. Rekindled Passions / 

6. Cyberoptix / 7. Michelle Tan / 8. Collectable Spectacle /  9. gogo vintage

Wednesday Art Feature: Laura Manfre

I first came accross Laura's work when she did a portrait of Kailey from mermaidens. I was so impressed with the portrait that I decided to check out her other work. I was not disappointed!

Laura's work is the perfect combination of cute and kitsch. Her work is skillfully painted in watercolours which I think adds a new and unique take on the previously shiney and in your face kitsch style.

I think the kitsch pattern and the adorable unicorns are my favs!

[Portfolio] [Blog] [Flickr] [Twitter]

Cheeseburger Brogues

I don't particularly like the way I laid out my shoe posts in my earlier blogging days. So I've decided it's time to revisit my old shoe designs and present them in a better way.

This is one of the first pairs of shoes I painted. I think my linework is much better these days, but I still really love this design.

Would you like your own pair of customised shoes? Email me at ponychopsshop@gmail.com

Phase Eight Blogger Party Outfit Challenge

When I saw that Phase Eight were hosting a blogging challenge I couldn't resist getting involved. I've never really done any blogging challenges like this before, but my with my love of styling and Phase Eight clothing, I just couldn't resist!

The challenge is to create the perfect party outfit, so I chose an outfit I would wear to a Christmas party. In choosing this outfit, I tried to achieve the vintage, retro look. I would team it with an orange-red lipstick and pin curled hair. I also chose this look because I think would be flattering to most body types and create an hourglass figure.

1. Martha Floral Blouse - I love combining soft, dreamy blues with wicked and bold purple tones, I think they really compliment each other. So when I saw the blueish flowers in the top I knew straight away I needed to add a touch of blue to this outfit to bring out the blues in this blouse.
I'm completely in love with the blouse, it's exactly the kind of thing I would wear dressed up with a pencil skirt and some heels, or dressed down with jeans and ballet flats.

2. Bianca Crepe Skirt - The purple in this skirt matched the blouse so perfectly that I just had to include it. It's slightly flared so leaves plenty of room for dancing the night away! It's perfect for office parties, because you can team it with a shirt during the day, then add a girly top for the party.

3. Half Transfer Cardigan - This cardigan brings out the beautiful blues in the blouse,. It also looks super comfy too. Cardigans like this are a wardrobe must have, you can laze about in them all day and team them with a beautiful dress or skirt for a more dressed up look.

4. Glitter Platform Shoes - It's almost time for the Christmas Party season, so how could I not include a bit of sparkle? I love the colour of these glittery shoes, they're a muted bronze so they aren't too "in your face" and will match almost every colour combination.

5. Plaited Necklace - This necklace adds a bold but girly statement. It's a lovely matte gold and matches the beige bag and beige tones in the blouse.

6. Thandie Clutch Bag - I wanted to keep the accessories simple as there are so many colours, textures and patterns going on in this outfit. I thought this bag complimented the shoes and necklace so well.

Fashion Favs Friday - 02/11/12

1. bRainbowshop - This shop is full fun designs. They use lazer cut wood which creates some beautiful retro style jewelry that will match just about anything.

2. CAMP and QUARRY - Raw crystal and gemstone jewellery with a twist. Check out the adorable diorama necklaces! I almost died when I saw a little grizzly bear resting inside a raw gemstone.

3. Hooticorn Crafts - Perfect every day jewelry to make your outfit feel extra special. I love their dinosaur rings.

4. Natalie Hough - Jewelry inspired by nature. I love the intricate illustrations she uses on her jewelry.

5. Behida Dolic Millinery - Stylish vintage style hats that really make a statement. All of these hats are so elegant and eyecatching.

Photography shoes

I had two pairs of photography themed custom orders to finish last week.

The first pair was for Chloe from Lazy Explorers. Chloe has a super cute style and I can't wait to see pictures of her modelling her shoes! She's really interested in cameras and sent me loads of awesome retro looking camera pictures that inspired these shoes.
I love how they turned out and I love the colours!!

The second pair are for my good friend and photographer, Kyle Chapman. He wanted a pair of shoes for his photography exhibition opening for "Vanity Boys". I wanted to keep it bright and fun, and within the colour scheme of the photos and logo.

Tabitha Bianca Brown

I was browsing though some etsy treasuries today and came across this adorable artwork. It's by the illustrator Tabitha Bianca Brown. Check out her etsy shop and her blog.

I think what I love most about her work is the combination of the modern geometric shapes and colours with the wooden textures she uses. 

I would be so so happy if I could get a t-shirt with one of her designs on!!

Crazy about Poodles!!

There is so much fantastic dog inspired clothing on the high street lately!! I almost did a little wee when I saw a POODLE print jumper in Peacocks. I absolutely adore poodles so I figured i'd trawl through etsy for the best poodle inspired fashion, art, homewares and vintage. Here's my top 9 poodle picks:

1. Poodle Party Top from Kirsty Mckenzie

2. Poodle Photography Print from Coy Photo

3. Vintage Poodle Planter from Scentsiblescents

4. Vintage Girls Tee from Fresh and Swanky

5. Poodle Knife Rests from Antiquitaire

6. Poodle Mask Print from Matty8080

7. Vintage Poodle Note Holder from Zenzi B Studios

8. Vintage Poodle and Puppy Ornaments from Bex Vintage

9. French Poodle Print from Tascha

My fav dog inspired picks from the high street are:

£44.00 Topshop            £315 Asos             £18.00 Peacocks

£110 Topshop            £40 River Island