Penelope Tree

Penelope Tree with her big eyes, straight, long hair and skinny figure was an it-girl right up there with Twiggy and Pattie Boyd and an iconic model of the '60s. Or, as John Lennon famously said of her: "Hot, hot, hot, smart, smart, smart!"

She has been a favourite of mine for a long time, and wanted to dedicate a blog post to her. She looks amazing in her photos and although she stays out of the spotlight and rarely gives interviews, she still maintains her fashion status quo and is quite inspiring today.

The tagging game

Hello gang, it's been a while! I'm back now though, and it's time to respond to a couple of tags I got from Lorelai and beachcoma.

The edge of love

Saw The Edge of Love the other night, and although I didn't really like it, it was pure screenshot material. The film was made in 2008, directed by John Maybury, starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys. Set in World War II, it's basically the story of the two women, connected by their relationship to Dylan Thomas.

Portraits

Last summer, while strolling in London, we came across the National Portrait Gallery, near Leicester Square. There was an exhibition inside, the BP Portrait Award, which celebrated its 20th year. The art was incredible, especially for an avid lover of portraits such as myself. I find portraits compelling and incredibly beautiful, a strong face is so interesting and can evoke a plethora of feelings and memories. They also carry a nostalgic vibe, as I find them reminiscent of a bygone era before photography was an option, where people used to sit for hours for their oil portraits.

We had an amazing afternoon there, and I'm glad I bought the gallery's booklet which is filled with some of the most interesting portraits of last year's contest. The photos of this post are taken from the internets, as my scanner won't cooperate. You can check the credits at the end of the post, and also make sure to see this year's entries as well.

Georgie, Mary Jane Ansell

Hats and scarves, Tim Okamura

Agnes, Natalie Holland

Imagine, José Luis Corella

Guillem, Miriam Escofet

Harry Patch, Dan Llywelyn Hall
Changeling 2, Peter Monkman (1st prize)

Let's go to the mall

Sales are a dangerous and sneaky thing. You're browsing online, checking twitter and blogs when you find yourself over at the sale section of Asos, Tatty Devine and Topshop, lusting over things you can actually afford. How did that happen?

Winner!

Congrats to the winner, mademoiselle myrtilo! Thank you all for entering, I may do another book giveaway soon!

I'll be back later today with a "Yes, I went shopping yet again" post. What can I say, the sales got me.

xoxo

Summertime

More photos, less words. Had a great time on the island, a relaxing week was just what the doctor ordered. Lots of swimming, sunbathing, cocktails, ice creams, aloe vera and flip flops. My kind of holiday.