I gave my mother a small fright when on the local news they were reporting the RSPCA in Brisbane were selling cats at 75% off due to overcrowding and each one chipped, desexed and up to date with their needles cost a mere $20.10. Too bad I don't live in that state and I'm not willing to fork out money for a plane ticket as well as many pet carriers and cab fare just to realise my dream of becoming a crazy cat lady. Despite having a boyfriend of nearly a year and a half I do have the inkling that I will be the type of person to abandon all human contact as soon as possible, when possible and I will only speak and sing with my cats and we'll have magnificent tea parties and dance around the room.
Just because I'm not allowed to have a cat myself doesn't mean I'm forbidden from liking cat related things, around my room you will find a money box made of wood in the shape of a cat (broken foot at the moment) who stores my spare change from America and soon I will receive a vintage cat watch with moving eyes as soon as repairs are done and the postal service gets back into swing after the long holiday break. With just a week between Christmas and New Year's, awaiting parcels can be very tedious and tiring as many companies close up.
My reasons for owning a cat would be described as at best, very shallow as I am most interested in their tendencies, playful nature and sleek furry bodies for the purpose of photography. Don't be alarmed, I'm not like those sickos who dress their pets in outfits and small sweaters for fun and in the name of 'fashion' but I do feel rather left out when looking at something I know I can snap myself given the chance. For example the purple light which bathes the above photograph can be achieved by placing a small square of plastic in front of the flash, and the contrast of the black fur of the cat held be a naked human torso only adds to its appeal.
This simple iPod encased in floral and on a blanket featuring a cat as part of the album work has given me a rather worrying idea. I propose to make a patchwork quilt of cat fabric. There's a lovely variety on eBay and in the past I have been taken to make a caterpillar based quilt inspired by the children's picture book, 'The Hungry, hungry Caterpillar' as well as a space themed quilt but I quite like this new idea of cats. The only problem is that I am rather slow when I hand stitch and not only am I without a sewing machine, there is simply no room in my house to fit one. Luckily, with bin night approaching I'll be able to commence cleaning my room once more and tidying.
Wishful thinking led me to ponder about the markings on a cat and I reached the verdict that if I ever saw a cat with black markings and a predominantly white body, I may be tempted to name it Mickie or Minnie after the famous cartoon couple. I can only imagine the shame I would bring to a cat if I named if after a mouse though- oh the irony.
Like this cat, in my youth I have settled down into a empty guitar case except I was pretending mine was a boat and I was off sailing the world. I wonder what my father thought of that when he tried to return his instrument to it's proper place of rest. It has been said that lifting a sleeping cat is a difficult task and even waking them can be quite tricky. Maybe it would be best just to take a photograph of a cat in such a pose. I've seen cats resting on top of car hoods to keep warm as well as sitting in sun beams, on top of the water closet of a toilet and a handful of other weird places. It reminds me of the kind of weird poses and ways I try to sleep and get comfy in during a hot Summer's night.
So, since I am unable to own a cat of my own I try and soothe and console myself with the fact I can create little toys in cat images from fabric, there's also paper mache and drawing things in their image and buying jewellery starring cats. I'm not sure how long the quilt fantasy will last since at the moment I am clearing my room for the purpose of finding a clean white wall as a backdrop for photography and actually orchestrating fashion photographs but with so many possibilities on the 2012 horizon, who knows what will happen. Or maybe my room will become messier and in a worse state than it ever was, but finger's crossed that isn't what happens. Not this year, not when I will actually have time to take off from studying and a little time to live and do things that make me happy.
It seems almost pointless to covet a collection two years after it's release and when all skerricks of pieces online have long since gone, but Miu Miu and Prada have been releasing some of the best collections within the last few seasons and my favourite needs to be recognised. Fabulous fashion blogger, American teenager Tavi Gevinson has sported a few of their pieces, especially the Miu Miu silk shoes with sweet girly intuitive style such as the above photograph. Above is one of the sweeter combinations of vintage printed skirts and American Apparel lace socks worn with the iconic shoes. I myself had a lovely pair of cat silk shoes in a similar fashion, but alas they were too small and instead I sent them back to the online market to be re homed and find someone to wear them more than I did.
I adore seeing the candid photographs of fashion-hangers-on and models walking glamorous streets in amazing clothing such as these daisy Miu Miu silk pumps in tandem. While my legs may not be as glamorous and stick thin as a models, I would still love to see what they look like while wearing a good pair of Miu Miu shoes. It's sort of rare to see a pair of shoes that looks as good on their own as this collection did, but I think the little wall chart above of all the shoe designs proves my point rather nicely. I never imagined that something with such distinct structural shape and chunky heel would appeal to me in such a manner but the combination of 1960s flowers and Mary Jane shoes just seems so right.
Two years ago there was a wonderful array of knock-offs and copies abound in stores across all the common shopping centres. While I turned my nose up at them then and there was also a shortage of shoes in my size I wish I had been a little more persistent in my pursuits. The usual pallet of colours included variations among black, gold and baby pink but it's the wonderful and simplistic patterns that really impressed upon me the importance of design and simplistic collars and satin pumps.
I've managed to track down some leftover copy-cat Miu Miu shoes, including the high zipper boots pictured on the left in a glorious dark blue satin material and white daisy pattern. I'd prefer a size 40 to choose from and some of the reviews state the the sizes run small so I am a little skeptical, but at just $30 a pair plus postage I wonder if the gamble would be worth it. I had a precarious pair in size 36, a far stretch for my long feet but alas, they've run out of the favourable feline pumps. To further channel a hippie, moon-child vibe I can imagine them being brought to their full fashionable potential with a flowing, but sheer maxi skirt and a casual singlet top with a nonchalant and offensive slogan. That's one of my favourite combinations of clothes at the moment, it's a little hard to feel like you're working it going in to university everyday, the days splatter together and it all feels like a blur.
I have reserved opinions at best about wearing gold and yellow- it needs a certain skin colour to be able to pull it off as well as confidence but with this golden pair of swallow covered pumps I dare say a pale complexion would give them a heavenly glow. As well as the use of floral headbands and garlands amongst ghostly looking girls, I've seen a stunning semi-precious stone crown slung around the forehead from Opening Ceremony. Pair that with a translucent sheer white dress and some definitive pale pink undergarments and you have the making of a god walking amongst mere-mortals and forever trapped in a photograph.
There hasn't been as many mass-produced copies of detachable shirt collars in the stlye of Miu Miu butan armada of crafty and resourceful fashion bloggers at the height of the trend were determined to join the action and contribute their own styles and interpretation. I think my favourite of the collars is the naked lady, and yes, the original collar did have celebrated and pointed nipples on supple curves and marble-like complexion. With Winter fast encroaching on the Southern hemisphere realms of the world, I think detachable collars are a great piece to wear with a casual jumper for extra class and something provocative can give people something to talk about wherever you are.
