Boys, boys, boys.

I feel at the moment as though boys are caring less and less about what they wear.

I'm unsure whether this is an across-the-board movement, or if it is more of a Sydney-stand, but it's bad, and seemingly getting worse by the minute. So in trying to figure out what the hell is going on inside their heads, I put my detective badge on (because I don't suit hats.)

I know we all have different tastes, and I think we have established this in recent blog posts. However, in thinking about the lack of care in what boys are sporting at the moment, I feel I have another revelation in my tall poppy idea, which I spoke about in my "Chanel, please" post, about a week ago.

I thought girls were the only ones affected by the notion of this 'fashion tall poppy' idea. Wrong.

I'm thinking it actually impacts more on the boys.

I was speaking to a good girlfriend of mine the other day, who has good taste (in my opinion, if that counts). This dear friend has been with her boyfriend for close to a year now. As we have all been girlfriend's at a point, I don't need to explain that we have complete license to politely [or not so politely, dependent on your power] 'suggest' clothing that these poor misguided boys may previously have overlooked. So, in doing her fashionable girlfriend duty, this girl got her boyfriend wearing some pretty great blazers. The best thing in this situation is that the boy quite enjoys her choices. Everybody wins. Thing is, when he wears these clothes, he is the subject of ridicule by his friends. Okay, so maybe "subject of ridicule" is a bit drastic, but his friends do laugh at his choices. They also tag his blazers in photos on Facebook. Ouch. So it appears everybody doesn't win, because although this boy likes his new clothes, he prefers to wear them around his girlfriend and her friends only. They, on the other hand, compliment his new purchases. Everybody happy again.

The thing that frustrates me more than anything is the access boys have to good clothes. You can easily buy a good pair of shorts or a t-shirt for about $30 if you are a boy. I saw a pair of shorts in a cheap shop the other night that were cream denim with a thin red pinstripe. I died a little bit at the thought of a boy wearing these with a soft blue shirt, and some thongs or slip ons. Good look. Apparently not. According to my taken girlfriends, if they dressed their boys in this get-up, they would be told by their loving friends they looked like a "homo"... Huh?!

I am thinking that boys are actually 'taller' poppy's than girl's in these situations. Girls who are truly confident and passionate about their wacky wears, will cop any looks or banter on the chin, and wear their clothes with pride regardless. Boys, though - different story.

It should also be noted that while the girlfriend dressing the boyfriend is an example, this is not the only scenario where the tall poppy situation can occur. I have exes who own some great clothes, but they were a part of the "going on a date with my girlfriend" wardrobe, not the "beers with mates" wardrobe.

So I am wondering, what attributes separate the boys who are willing to give new outfits a shot, and the boys who insist on tearing down these choices?

Hmm.. Puzzling.

Introducing another love: Fur.

In my opinion (because I know you are dying to hear it...), part of the appeal of the fur ensemble is that it is a move away from the blacks and greys that so many revert to come winter time. On top of this, sporting this look takes a certain level of confidence - it is not a look that blends in. When paired with jeans and some fine cashmere, or your boyfriend's t-shirt*, there is a certain "I just threw this on, and I don't care what it looks like" feel about it... And lets be honest, that is a look we all try for.

* (for those of us without boyfriends to steal from, this simply means going out and buying an XL white t-shirt.)

Ah, Lesley.

Lesley Arfin is one of my favourite writers. I found her amazing words when she began writing her "Dear Diary" column for Russh Magazine. It is amazing that one page every two months can make you think about things so much. It is rare that a writer can do this, and I think this writer changes for each person, dependent on what they respond to, and for me, Lesley is it.





Her Russh column titled "Youth is Wasted on the Young" was amazing. It was a column that I read, and then decided to make some changes. Be warned, her writing will do that to you.



Lesley's writing is sharp, and immediate. This girl does not buffer things - and says all how it is seen, and, occasionally - this is refreshing. In one of her columns for Vice magazine titled "The Vice Guide to Friendship" the first item on her list is "answer the fucking phone". Confronting, yet true, yes?



On top of writing for Russh, she has done a heap of other things. She freelances for about six other magazines, has worked as an editor-at-large, and an editor-in-chief, she dabbles in DJ-ing, and enjoys a bit of styling here and there. Oh, she has also written a book.



On top of all that she lives in New York. Cool girl.

Chanel, please.

I have a confession..

I love European winters... I have discovered this very recently, and I believe its a justified love, so before you put a hit out on me, please, let me explain..

I am in deep, undying love with the Chanel Fall Collection. The frilled cuffs and neck pieces melt my heart in all their Victorian-slash-crazed-clown aesthetics. The biggest killer for me in this situation is that in Sydney, I will never, ever be able to wear these. (Obviously, number one is because I cant afford them, but for the sake of this argument, lets just pretend they are sitting in my room. Okay?)

You see, Sydney fashion doesn't allow for this type of rich, classic dressing. Sydney is about flashing skin, a golden tan, and a great pair of heels.. And I love this about our city, however when you see amazing suits adorned with these pieces coming down the runway, you can't help but wish that our Sydney, was a little bit [sorry to say it] more refined, or classy, or open to new looks like this.

To Sydney's credit, I blame the weather. It isn't Sydney's fault that we dress the way we do. It is just so hot, all the time. Even in winter, you can easily get away with a bare leg, because it is all of about 15 degrees. While this is all good for us Sydney-siders, there is something very sexy about real winter-dressing. It is a classic look for both men and women - and in my belief, a harder one to master than the Sydney skin-show.

To the population of Sydney's discredit, I also blame our lack of originality in dressing on ourselves, and each other. We are tall poppy's. I have had this conversation with my girlfriends millions of times. As a city, we like to think we are cultured, and cool, and open to all kinds of looks, and music, and art. Well, we aren't. We appreciate fashion, but we don't really like anyone to move too far out of the Sydney 'look' - otherwise they will be torn down (something Sydney-siders have mastered). The unspoken Sydney rule is that you may be fashionable (yes, this is allowed), but do not try and be too creative. Do not be too colourful, and do not, ever dress wacky. This is why my Chanel cuffs and neck piece will never been seen on anyone in this city. Shame, really.

I could vent about this tall poppy thing for hours. Seriously. This said, I think you understand what I am saying, because you, like every other Sydney-sider are guilty of it.

So, I propose that in the coming days, weeks, and even months (if you can stand it), that you be more open to the wacky within all of us. If you see a man in knee-high striped socks, high five him instead of giving him that tear-you-down Sydney look. If everyone could be more like him, I think Sydney would be a much more interesting place. Don't you?

...after reading the below post, here's to hoping i'm a girl-beautiful girl.

Girls, Girls, Girls

So there are basically two categories that girls fit into in terms of their appearance and what they wear:

1. Girl-beautiful

The girl-beautiful girls are those who you [as a girl] will perve on. You like their shoes. Her jeans are crazy-cool, or she has the worlds greatest bag slung over her shoulder. You do a double-take, and sometimes even a triple-take - and you cant quite understand why every man isn't falling over her as she walks past. Simple. To men, she is unappealing. The reasons why she is unappealing vary, dependent on why she is girl-beautiful in the first place. (For example, perfectly tousled long locks to boys look unbrushed and like a birds nest... Just as a heavily embellished chunky ankle boot will ever, ever be as hot as a skanky stiletto..)

2. Boy-hot.

Boy-hot is basically the girl that encompasses the opposite of the girl-beautiful traits. This girl is the one you see when you are out at a bar whose skirt is just that little bit too short, or whose hair extensions are just slightly too obvious. As girls, you look at this girl in a "what they hell were you thinking!?" type way. You are not in awe of this girl as you were in option one. The boy however finds this girl attractive. There is something about this girl that catches his eye, and for that, she gets labelled "hot". I can't decypher this category too much, as I am not an expert at what makes boys tick (if I was, I probably would be out entertaining a large group of male models, rather that writing this blog...) Lastly, there is a clause in this category. It needs to be noted here that these girls are not always skanky. Sometimes, they can just be really hot girls (think Victoria's Secret) - not necessarily kicking it in the fashion department, but, as a girl, you can get it.

So I have list of girl-beautiful girls. I haven't compiled them specifically for this blog, but they are just those girls who I think are breathtaking, and never set a foot wrong. I will reveal them over time, rather than all at once - not to keep you on the edge of your seats and guessing (yeah, right), but more because my fingers are tired, and I think writing an essay about girl-beautiful girls is slightly creepy.

So, for today, I will tell you that one of my all time favourite girl-beautiful girls is Chloe Sevigny.

I think there is something disgustingly cool about Chloe Sevigny.

Her fashion sense is slightly bizarre, and a little left-of-centre. I love the fact that this girl can get it so wrong, yet make it look so right. There is something very cool about initially looking at her and saying "why the hell would you wear that?!", and then, after looking at her for a couple of seconds, reverting to the "actually, no, I think I kind of like it" opinion. I think being able to evoke these kind of reactions and variances in opinions is a real triumph.

The other thing I love about this girl is that no one really knows what she does. Okay, she acts, and designs clothing. But what was the last movie you saw her in? What label does she design for? ...You don't know, do you, and yet you still are very familiar with her, and that is a feat.

The great thing about her is that she isn't afraid to take a risk. Further, she clearly doesn't dress to impress the boys (a classic girl-beautiful trait). This girl has sported turtle-necks, way too many frills, and shoes that resemble a pair of two-season-old kumfs, but she rocks it everytime. Go Chloe.

Initial.

QuintEssential = Thoughts + Likes + Loves + All the 'Need Nows'

So I am not the girl that keeps a diary, or a journal, or over-analyses any of my feelings or thoughts. I'm not quite sure why. I'm thinking it's probably to do with the fact that all that stuff just seems like way too much effort.

However, I am the girl who bookmarks my favourite images in magazines each month. I am the girl who will forego nights out and fun outings so that I can afford some ridiculously expensive piece - which in hindsight is useless because if I can't afford to go out, it means I'm carrying my Chanel around the house teamed with my trackies. Go figure.

All this said, I am the girl who likes to feel inspired. I love anything that appeals to the senses - fashion, art, music, colour, breathtaking trends. I love how these can make you feel.

So this is why I have created this blog. I am technologically backward, so we will see how this goes. To some this blog may just seem like I am talking out of my arse, and to be honest, maybe I am, but I am going to treat this project as my first journal. Effort and all. I'm not really one to talk about feelings - (particularly on the Internet) so this is my journal of everything that inspires me. Everything that appeals, all of my likes and loves, and some things that grind me the wrong way. Enjoy.