Style // Winter is Coming (#blogboost)

So I was dicking about today on Polyvore, a fun site that allows you, with relative ease, to construct mood boards that have (depending on skill) an editorial feel. Above is a small selection of images to provide inspiration on wrapping up. I hate layers, I always feel like a puff-ball incompetent Eskimo  so I like having something to draw on... I love the masculine feel to these looks, with the bursts of color in the last two. Shirt + Jumper + Tweed = Great Success.

Bellow I was trying for something with that ever elusive 'editorial' look. I'm disappointed that the final image is so small, the details are a bit lost. In fact very lost, but you have to start somewhere. I've included the images below so you can ACTUALLY SEE THEM. 

Striking but natural makeup. Big accessories,  from glasses, to silk scarves and velour gloves. I love buttoned up shirts and this plain scalloped collar is really delightful. All black, faux fur and sun glasses combo is a bright winter's day classic. Finally, big up for denim and desert suede tones combined, this is my wardrobe summed up!

I also used polyvore to make some outfits in anticipation of End of The Road late in the summer, as well as two pieces based on the Greenbay Packer's uniforms :) Have a look here and here!

I sourced all these images on Pinterest, you can check them out on my Stylistics board.

I'm in a silly pre-party rush right now but will update this post later with credits & links back to all the ACTUAL blogs they came from!!

That last one is Knitwear-Butt, I threw that one in for free, as a gift, a wonderful Knitwear-butt gift.

HAPPY FRIDAY

Words // PICK 6 Absurd Blogs (#blogboost)

1. I Love Men & Manatees : A personal favorite, it is what is says on the tin.... Men... and manatees. Ten points if you can actually spot a mantee post.
2. The Many Faces of Ruby Tandoh: IT'S BRITISH BAKE OFF SEASON YOH, and here is a blog dedicated to gifs of Ruby's face. 
3. Stickers on the Central Line: A really wonderful blog chronicling comical stickers on the central line... Not sure who sticks them!? But they get my congratulations.
4. Letter Between Avengers: I fell in love with this blog in my third year of uni after the Avengers release, it has consistently made me die of fan girl-ing. It hasn't been updated in a long time, but it is 100% worth a read through if you are a fan.
5. Menswear Dog: Once again, blogs have a knack for titles that get it in one.
6. Fuck Yeah Clay Matthews: Unfortunately the layout of this blog is pretty average, however the subject matter is not: my homeboy, number 52, outside linebacker for the Greenbay Packers. He is absurd, so a blog dedicated to him can only be glorious. As she points out, the blog has come to a boring halt due to the off-season but should be picking up  :D

Some samples & links below :) I can't take any credit for finding these gems, that's all down to James Davies, Matt Reynolds and Erin Hopkins. You can check out last week's PICK 6 here, it's selection of left-field love songs I'm into right now, have a butchers :)

http://manlovesmanatees.tumblr.com/

http://themanyfacesofrubytandoh.tumblr.com/

http://stickersonthecentralline.tumblr.com/

http://lettersbetweenavengers.tumblr.com/

http://mensweardog.tumblr.com

http://fuckyeahclaymatthews.tumblr.com/

Enjoy (?!) 

Music // Wednesday Omnibus 2 (#blogboost)

From top to bottom, left to right.
Top albums of the last two weeks & Day 2 of the 30-day Challenge...

1. Talking Heads -77: Let's face is, Talking Heads are gold, let's also face that this album is on here because for the last 7 days I have had Psycho Killer on repeat... It has this really base primal quality to it, the very repetitive shallow, major toned sound. The chorus lyrics have this wonderful abstract quality, reminisce of a magic spell - "Psycho Killer / Qu'est ce que c'est / fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa / Better run run run run / Run run run away". It's tribal.
2. Cakes Da Killa - The Eulogy: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. How do you talk about this album!? It's like a beautiful bitch slap. A mix of angry, horny, melodrama, noise, hip hopy record of awesome. Ok, trying to be more precise than that is difficult, the samples used complement each track perfectly, instead of creating a new universe, they keep you gripped into every track, the french horns in Keep it Coochie are maybe my favorite. GETRIGHTGETRIGHTGETRIGHT.
3. David Byrne & St Vincent - Love This Giant: Speaking of horns... As Annie Clark said herself "This album has just so much brass". And oh boy does it ever. What a collab. The whole production has a golden timbre, the vocal harmonies strike a strange off-tune pitch adding a more sinister feeling to this upbeat LP, always playing on their various strengths, in particular St Vincent's fluttering vocal acrobatics.
4. Seasick Steve - I Started Out With Nothing And I Still Got Most Of It Left: I think for me Happy Man is really the defining track here. So utterly soulful, this whole ensemble effortlessly merges a kind of tragic let down with the hope of some one who has sat down, and reclining gently in the sun exclaims: 'Fuck It'. I think the title gives that away. This is really how I image the American Deep South would sound personified. Blues to the max.
5. Miley Cyrus - Bangerz: MILEY <3 For real though. But that's for another post (lucky you). Bangerz has not yet been released (for better or worse only time will tell) (I'm counting down). This has popped up here because Wrecking Ball has been rocking my commute, yo. I can't deal with her, I have so many feelings. For your pleasure I have linked below the Tom Brady version of Wrecking Ball, you're welcome. This track has BASICALLY EVERYTHING: a synthetic dance beat & the sound of heart brake. There is evidently lots at stake here with big "you're bleeding me dry" vocals. I like the very slow chorus beat, like you've been drinking since noon when the love of your life got on that train and you can't feel your feet any more. Yo it's banging.
6. Jools Holland and the Rythm & Blues Orchestra - Live Performance: So. Much. Jazz. I can't begin to comprehend the sheer skill require to execute these songs and if the technical brilliance isn't enough then the irresistible swing has to be. I've said it once, I'll say it again, you have to be dead for this to not get you moving. The whole concept of an R & B orchestra is outstanding, I love the musical dialogues that take place throughout the performance as different instruments take center stage and dictate the tune. I can't think of any thing more intelligent to say, just listen to this:
7. The Antlers - In The Attic of the Universe: So I only just listened to this today and my thoughts are still fledglings, after a first listen I think it's easy to say that I prefer their more recent albums, they sound more whole . I can't help but feel that this record doesn't take advantage of Peter Silberman's absurdly haunting, sensual and esoteric voice. If I could make love to voice, it would be his. I might make a top 5 actually.
8. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise: Epic, uplifting and completely soul destroying. Featuring delicate and empowering orchestral arrangements, this LP still has a lo-fi feeling to it, apparently it was recorded on tape (?). There is a child-like quality to these tracks, a naive wonder, like a being told a fairy tale for the first time, only this record is not telling you the tale, but is the sound track to your reaction. It's getting late.  
9. The Beach Boys - Smile: THIS HAS TO EASILY BE ONE OF THE BEST COLLECTIONS OF SONGS EVERY WRITTEN OR RECORDED. That's that.

...So more of that next Wednesday! I have to remember to write this up earlier in the day to ensure maximum eloquence... You can check out  last week's Wednesday Omnibus here :)

Also, if you're on last.fm then hook me up -- katelightning !

Hope you are enjoying, this is going to be a pretty intense 30 days I am coming to realise!

Share on twitter/facebook and subscribe! Why the hell not, it's basically Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by! :) Here's Tom:

Style // D&G Fall '13 RTW (#blogboost)

Although the A/W 13 collections are all now old news, I'm going to go ahead and blog about this one any way, because guess what: it's only just autumn 2013. 

Reason I love this Ready-to-Wear collection:

1. It's bold. It's gold. It's Gothic. Fuck subtle, this is is ostentatious style personified. 
2. The simple and straight dress cuts: they hang with such a classic line, perfectly allowing the religious iconography to radiate.
3. The purple blood berry lips, I'm a sucker for big lips, I still can't wait to get my hands on some Velvetine from Lime Crime, as wish-listed in my Run the Jewels outfit post.
4. Huge accessories: more is more.
5. It's regal, I love the crowns and would LOVE one for my day-to-day wear...

The use of Christian iconography and palettes is utterly dazzling, like a stain glass window the designs have kept a fragmented structure and the insistence of the golden palette recalls the almighty wealth and power of an institution driven by the 'hand of God'.

Despite numbers featuring strong blue and traditionally cold tones, this collection bursts with warmth, every shade is bright and beaming.

I love this Gothic lace piece to finish, austere and delicate. It actually ties in nicely to one of my next planned posts: the BFI's Gothic season and in particular Jean Cocteau's LA BELLE ET LA BETE, one of my all time favorite films!

All in all, this collection kicks ass and makes me want to rub gold leaf all over my face. I love how much this differs from other looks I've posted about like the simple outlaw style in Ain't Them Bodies Saints, variety is always the spice of life :)

Thanks for stopping by, if you're also on the 30-day blog challenge, great & good luck! Thanks for checking out the post/blog!

All images are from style.com a really great resources for all staying up to date with every catwalk across every fashion week! Here is their full slideshow of this collection (back stage shots :))

More tomorrow :)

Words // 30 Day Challenge

Tomorrow, on October the 1st 2013 I'm starting a 30-day blog challenge...! That means I'll be publishing a new post every day (or two in a day if I miss one!). Ultimately I should have 30 posts up by the end of this month.

Along with this huge increase in posting, the 30-day challenge is also about interacting with other bloggers, and getting your blog 'out there', I'm pretty nervous, I can't help but think it's going to be quite an intense challenge and I'll be glued to my laptop for it! Hopefully I can get myself organised and spend a little less time on each post without loosing any quality (hopefully I have established some sort of standard so far!!!).

SO, expect lots of things I love, from music reviews, to style posts, film stills, probably a bunch of mood boards, and I THINK some beauty posts are in order (I've been following some really sweet beauty vloggers and want to join in!).

I'll also be trying to do lots of blog maintenance simultaneously to make sure it's as EASY AS POSSIBLE to follow/subscribe and generally get involved with Streaks.

I'm also hoping to get some guests posts in!! Exciting :)

Right, now to start planning what I'm going to be blogging about for the next month :D!

Any one else doing a 30-day challenge?! If so, are you surviving!?

Style // Iconic 1 - Savages

Seeing Savages at END OF THE ROAD can easily be defined as a spiritual experience. The quality of the music, the crowd's religious attention and Jehnny Beth's prophet-like charisma.

Her presentation was immaculate.

A white loose fitting blouse. Sharp waist high black trousers. Nude stiletto heels. Long pendants. Short cropped hair.

The very picture of power dressing, a slick confliction of the androgynous and the feminine.

She gave a memorable introduction to the SAVAGES track 'Fuckers', stood high above the crowd on a speaker, she told us, with great certainty: 'Don't let the fuckers get you down.'

Iconic. The last image is from a gig in Southampton, in 2012, but I thought it was a great shot of this effortless style. Album review to follow!

Any one else a Savages fan?

Kate x

Music // PICK 6 Love Songs

Hi guys! I saw on Feedburner that I now have 2 subscribers: hello! Thanks for getting involved, I hope you enjoy this little post!

I was listening to FEELS by Animal Collective earlier, one of the tracks is a real favorite in terms of it's depiction of an amorous relationship, so I thought I would do a round up of 6 compelling love songs. You can listen to the tracks below the list, enjoy!

1. Breathing - Kate Bush: A dramatic piano led melody that wavers between major and minor, Kate Bush's phenomenal vocals move grippingly towards a crescendo of fear and anger. It's dark and rolling, like the best kind of storm clouds. The sound of some one on the brink, it's a song of despair & obsession, with a hint of a twisted relationship: 'Breathing my mother in / Breathing my beloved in / Breathing / Breathing her nicotine / Breathing / Breathing the fall-out in / Out, in, out, in, out, in, out, in ...' For me, this is a song about love and desire as addiction, about the vulnerability of loving.  
2. Blue Ocean Floor - Justin Timberlake: This is pure poetry with a slick and masterful production. It never fails to choke me up. A song about survival, us against the world, Justing promises to find his love, against all odds, following her heartbeat to the blue ocean floor 'Where they'll find us no more' .
3. Purple Bottle - Animal Collective: Now for something more UPBEAT. I think the reason this song is so perfect is it's insistence on love as both friendship and something that has a holy, god like quality "Sometimes you're quiet and sometimes I'm quiet/ Hallelujah! / Sometimes I'm talkative and sometimes you're not talk
4. ative, I know / Sometimes you hear me when others they can't hear me / Hallelujah!" Purple Bottle does not have the melo-drama of the two previous tracks, it succinctly captures the need and desire of sharing & home-building in love "Could we live together and agree on the same wares / A trapeze is a bird cage and even if its empty it definitely fits the room / And we would too" Essentially  it encapsulates fancying someone, not just in the choice of words but the bursting puppy-like rhythms and playful, anarchic vocals. It's great.
5. West Coat - Coconut Records: Being apart, it can really suck - "I miss you / I'm going back home to the West Coast / I wish you woulda put yourself in my suitcase". It's plaintive but bolstered by a big chorus in the final act, the hope of reunion.
6. Warning Sign - Coldplay: I'm a big fan of Coldplay's 1st two albums (Parachutes & Rush of Blood to the Head) and I could easily have put Amsterdam here instead, but I think this list has enough despair. This track for me is really about trust, trusting that things will take their course, trusting your thoughts onto someone else, it's about the difficulty but necessity of leaning on someone. It has Coldplay's signature anthematic style, mismatched melancholy layers, and Chris Martin's falsetto. Hearing this live was an absurdly fulfilling experience. 
7. Digital Love - Daft Punk: A brilliant explosive number, the ideal finish to this odd list. It's disco sunshine, dance floor attraction. Electric zest and epic scale.

Here they are for your sampling pleasure. What are your Pick 6 Love Songs? And what other Pick 6 would you like me to do? 

Don't forget to subscribe & share if you are enjoying my posts!

Have a lovely Sunday evening :)

Kate x

Follow // STREAKS

Hi!

I wanted to let you know the various ways you can stay up to date with STREAKS. I really want keep posting regularly so here is how you can make sure you stay tuned:

• Follow by Email: just enter you email address into the box on the left sidebar and you will be notified whenever a new post is up!

• Follow by RSS: if you follow many a blog then you will be familiar with RSS feeds, just click Subscribe in a Reader in the sidebar and you will be taken to Feedburner, where you can select your preferred reader to follow STREAKS. If your reader is not shown in the drop-down box, simply copy and past the feedburner url into your reader! Done! 
• My reader of choice is Feedly. I like to read feeds on my mobile and the Feedly mobile interface is sexy as hell. In fact I might review it... Stay tuned.

• Follow on Twitter: get involved with my handle @katelightning, I always tweet when new posts are up, as well as other prolific nonsense...

I hope you choose to follow by one or all of the above! It's a pleasure to know that some one is reading and hopefully enjoying the blog. Let me know!

Happy Friday :)

Kate x

Music // Wednesday Omnibus 1

1. Frank Ocean- nostalia/ultra: a feast of samples ranging from Coldplay's 'Strawberry Swing' to Radiohead via dialogue from Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT. This eclectic samples jukebox is delectably meshed with Frank's toffee-sweet silk voice. And it's sexy TO BOOT.
2. Saint Pepsi - Saint Pepsi: speaking of samples, holy shit. This album is a banger, if it doesn't get you moving you should check your pulse. It also has a fantastic sense of humor that shines through the well chosen dialogue samples from Woody Allen's EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU. Goddamn buy it here for £0.32/$0.50, I MEAN REALLY JUST DO IT.
3. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid: this album is absurdly good. The scale here is huge and the stakes are high. Orchestral instrumental sections, hip hop, dance, folk, collaborations with a variety of compelling artists (Of Montreal & Big Boi, for instance), Monáe oozes talent and a big vision. This is cinematic.
4. Talking Heads - Remain in Light: this album has one of my all time favorite Talking Heads' tracks: Once in a Lifetime. Uplifting and golden.
5. Grizzly Bear - Shields: What a treat. Recently rediscovered after seeing them at the fantastic End of the Road festival last year (2012). Melancholy and plaintive, dramatic and complex, each track demands your attention and in return graces you with a meaty layering of guitars, percussion, piano and Edward Droste's fine-ass vocals.Unexpected, jolting layers, bound beautifully by the vocal harmonies. It's thick and textured: it's just great. 
6. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House: I'm only recently strong enough to listen to this fella again, I find it has this soulful misery that is not healthy for black days. However, on a re-listen tracks like The Knife combine that home-sick, sea-leg sorrow with an unexpectedly uplifting rise: 'Can't you feel the knife?'. An intuitive poetry not for the faint of heart.
7. Miami Nights 1984 - Turbulence: It is what it says on the tin, a glittering, neon-nights instrumental album. Turbulence takes you on a bitchin disco cruise from start to finish, punchy, fun, and kitch in parts, it rocks the synth, what more can you want?
8. Kanye West - Yeezus: this is what a fist fight to the death sounds like. Dark, aggressive, utterly addictive sounds. My personal favorite track is Black Skinhead, dat crow screech, and the PANTING and the baaasssssssss. It's bleak, but it's beautiful, compelling, an angry confession in parts and uproarious battle cry in others. Ideal shower music.
9. Django Django - Django Django: like a Western on crack. On each track guitar riffs that are fit to burst get all up in your balls, it's catchy, it's keen and it makes you want to tear across a desert on horse back with a mother fucking pistol. Great.

Any one familiar with any of the above? What have you guys been listening to this week?

Kate x

Style // Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

I saw this film a few days ago and despite an underlying sense of absence softly leaking from the unfulfilled characters and plot, I was struck by the dry, rural textures and palette. Sunlight, dust and dirt inspire outfits born in a practical mind and yet retain a feminine, gentle touch: flowing dresses, big adventure boots, loose groomed hair, sharp but highly natural make-up. It’s a shame this was not out earlier in the year, I’ll have to tuck this inspiration away for the warm weather of 2014. Lastly: beautiful Ben Foster.

Any one else catch this? What did you think?

Kate x