Lena Dunham, an unorthodox cover girl being tamed

By Neslihan

PROs
Lena Dunham for Vogue

The polka dot Burberry shirt

This video

CONs

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After this short intro I can finally cut to the chase. When the news of Lena Dunham being February's Vogue cover star hit the non-existing Anarchy of Roses HQs I was gasping for breath. Not only do I identify myself with Lena's vanity, humour and genius but I also love how unorthodox and daring she is. Let me further express myself: she is the mastermind behind 'Girls', a non-compromising tv series following the daily struggles of 4 twenty-something girls in Brooklyn- New York. And these are exactly the things I like about the series but I'm not an objective criterion either since I'm literally gushing about it on a daily basis. But let me put it this way: if you're looking for a series that shows you awkward, uncomfortable, non-airbrushed, fictionalized reality than 'Girls' is definitely what you're looking for. I'm talking about break-ups, unflattering nudity, nervous breakdowns and the occasional moments of enlightenment. It's not typical American feelgood and life certainly doesn't have a lesson on the end of each episode. The series is about failing incessantly and trying to get back up afterwards and I think that's what we need. We don't need glamorized Hollywood productions telling us how we should live our lives or dress ourselves. The series has such a basic content, yet it's so powerful since a lot of people can identify themselves with the characters. And I think there's where this series' strength lies. It's not about perfect representations or escapism, it's about being subtly caressed by reality, showing us we're not the only ones struggling.
I wasn't expecting the same amount of reality from Vogue. We're talking about the fashion bible which is being set as an example for millions and millions of women. It's a copy paste thing. It's in because it's in Vogue and not the other way around. They make tomorrow's icons, so they still have that original authority thing going on, as one of the very few magazines. But I kind of lost that admiration for Vogue. I actually always freaked about their covers and editorials but the thing is the more I got engaged with fashion and fashion magazines, the less I could relate to the editorials and the fashion portrayed in it. It felt too literally, too forced, too unreal to get in touch with. The perfection combined with the excessive airbrushing made me look out for something more real (read blogs and magazines with personality). Ofcourse I do not think Vogue is the only magazine that actually airbrushes its models but IT IS SO GOD DAMN OBVIOUS WHEN THEY DO IT. I guess I'm ready for something new. More edgy perhaps, something that will inpsire me to explore my own identity instead of adopting the one 'the industry' creates. To put it dramatically: I H4V3 L1B3ER4T3D MYS3LF.
Ofcourse I think it's a pity that Anna Wintour and her acolytes didn't grab this opportunity to get rid of their infamous and not so body-friendly reputation, which is their and so many other women's loss. You just cannot underestimate the impact they have on the female population since they're a platform for women starting from the age of 16 to 77. Like why are there no tasteful nudes of Lena in Vogue? This is what she does, she stands for body positivity, why not accentuate that? Why is the cover so safe? And why does it show so many similarities with ID's Wise Up issue? I also feel like if Lena can't change the mentalities, who will ever be able to do so? It's just a never ending debate and I think it's bullshit. Denying the existence of other body types won't make them suddenly disappear and I think they deserve a bit of attention since they're also amongst the buyers and since they monthly invest in this magazine's growth. Wouldn't you think so, Anna?

Despite the criticism I think the pictures turned out really well. And can I get an AMEN for Adam Driver please? I'm also in love with the setting, oh Brooklyn, my heart's pounding for you.

This picture has actually nothing to do with the whole Vogue story but I had to share this one. How amazing does she look in that darling red dress?

Cool chicks cut their own hair

By Neslihan

Kristen McMenamy

You remember those cool girls in high school? You know the ones that always looked effortless without even trying. The ones who cut their own hair and wore high waist 80's jeans without looking like they had been cut down in two at their middle. Those bad ass chicks who wore ugly trainers and totally rocked them. They started trends without even wanting it. They formed this unaccessible, yet accessible click and they said "You can't sit with us" without even opening their mouths. They could even make chav or homeless look glam. This post is dedicated to those girls. To all the quirky chicks who had the balls to take their destiny into their own hands and cut their own hair without even their hand trembling. 

And I respect that. I do! I've got my straight bangs for almost 5 years now and haven't seen my forehead since 2008 (a little exaggerated but you get the point). I visit my hairdresser once/2 weeks since my hair grows quite fast, or at least my bangs do. I hate that two-weekly visit. I think it's a tremendous waste of time but since I lack the cut-your-own-hair skill, I'm not risking anything. I've once tried it and it's never to be repeated again. My bangs were unequally cut and I had this wave thing going on. That was a hair disaster, say a dark page in my hair history. So NEVER, NEVER, NEVER again.
I can imagine that amazing feeling of freedom or selfconfidence when taking those scissors in your hands though. It's this "I'm the creator of my own disaster" thing but that's not always the case. Because there are a lot of successful stories aswell. Alexa Chung for example cuts her own hair too and always looks fabulously flawless after doing so. Some poeple take the extra mile by giving theirself a pixie haircut, now that is something to admire, I think. And so does Vogue UK in their November issue:

 Call it the ultimate in laid-back chic, call it recession ringlets, call it what you will - but there's a whole new wave of creative women taking hair maintenance into their own hands. "Traditionally cutting your own hair was something not spoken about, a social taboo", says hairstylist Zoe Irwin. "But now it's a sort of throwaway beauty adventure, a new way of embracing the spirit of our times." -From 'Making the cut'

 I love Freja Beha's chaotic straight bangs. Since she has different layers in it, it looks easy to cut it yourself.

GIRL CRUSH #1

Florence - I have awesome hair- Welch

Hair heroine

Hey, I'm Zooey - awkward- Deschanel

Cute pixie

Michelle Williams

Alexa Chung and her homemade haircut

Trashy glam

Belles de Banlieu shoot in Jalouse FR (November 2012)

Or the bad girls from the block

Photography by Timur Celikdag

“It’s about the bad girls I knew at school, the ones I envied”, Miucca Prada on establishing Miu Miu.

Sources: Vogue UK, Jalouse FR, both November 2012

Sleepless nights

By Neslihan
So, I'm heading a sleepless night and have all those questions in my head. Some people lose a sense of reality and start to live through their fantasies. They only dream and are afraid of the truth. They hide instead. They hide of the those who might be better or stronger than them. They wish but aren't strong enough to fulfil their own wishes. Too tired of disappointments, too tired of competition, too tired of abandonment. Too tired of everything. And I can see this as I'm still one of those optimistic teenagers. I'm not one of those youngsters who thinks she can change the world. Maybe I'm a tat too realistic for that but that doesn't mean I'm pessimistic about the future or my abilities. It's just that being a 24/7 idealist isn't realistic. And sometimes I wished that I didn't have to work for some things, that they'd just fall into my lap, you know. That I'd wake up one day and realise that I'm travelling for a living. That I'm discovering all those amazing cultures and having the most interesting talks with the locals. That I'm having lunch with Karl Lagerfeld or Frida Kahlo. And that I'm married to Joseph Gordon Levitt or Penn Badgley. You know stuff like that. Dreaming is for free and it's easy. People should do that once in awhile. It makes you happy too. Unless you're dreaming all the time and have lost touch with reality. You can't be in that decadent stage of laziness. You have to get out of your coach and undertake some action because I can't see myself sitting in front of my computer for the rest of my days. I'm not sure what I'm doing right now. Maybe this is a monologue intérieur or some kind of peptalk to myself. I don't know really. I think too much, which isn't a bad thing.

This song is one of the best things that happened to me. Lana Del Rey really is a magician. The lyrics are pure literature. How she discribes reality kind of makes your body float to some higher universe.

Pictures belong to ID's Spring 2012 idssue.

Photoshoot: "Being a princess ain't all it's  cracked up to be"

Model: Marte Mei van Haaster

In love with Jil Sander's paisley prints (second picture) and the Nike trainers. The colour is so sweet! Loved this photoshoot because it has that sporty feel to it. It's still so sensual and edgy. One of my favourite photoshoots of this issue. It's also the first issue I've ever bought.

Disastrous comeback and its disastrous consequences

I warn you for the amount of 'drama' that is on its way. Let's start with dissecting this title for instance. I have been off the blogosphere for quite some time right now. And I had my reasons. There were moments during which I just had a writer's block and there were also moments during which I had tons and tons of inspiration but I just didn't know how to write it down. And just when I had lots of ideas and topics to write about my computer crashed. And since I'm a little superstitious I thought this was a sign from above. The fashion gods just don't want me to write about 'la mode'. Now, I'm thinking: screw you! I'll write whenerver I want and what I want to write about! So here I am, making a 'comeback'. What a dreadful word. It just makes me nautious. I also have some surprises for you. I'm not going to reveal what these surprises are, you just have to follow this beacon of -let's hope- inspiration. Okey, I'll give you a hint: it involves this 'fashion friend' of mine. Curious? Stay tuned.

L'officiel Paris February 2012- Editorial/ Review
I couldn't help but post these pictures of this month's L'officiel Paris. It was a very special edition indeed. You'd almost think that it was L'officiel Afrique. What an amazing concept. On the cover Afro-American delight, Chanel Iman, starring in a fashion shoot with two other black beauties. The three models were posing in the prettiest outfits (spring/summer 2012) of huge brands like Dries van Noten, Prada and Chanel. There was also another fantastic photoshoot called 'Belleville-Bamako'. The model, Egle (never heard of her before), was white and that created an amazing contrast between the set, the colourful prints and the make-up, which was kept simple: red lips and a great skin. Tulbands, shades of brown and orange and African prints made this photoshoot super powerful. There was also a lot of hotness and sensuality in this edition and that was because of the 'Riviera Revival' photoshoot, which remembered the glorious times of the riviera during the 50's. That was a bit about this month's L'officiel Paris, if you still do not own this great piece of art: get your fat ass to your newsagent and buy it!
The cover

'Town chic' 

'Belleville-Bamako'

'Reviera Revival'

Love,Neslihan D.