Author: Ria

  • Fashion inspired by | Paper Towns by John Green

    Fashion inspired by | Paper Towns by John Green

    Those who follow me on Twitter know that I’m participating in this year’s NaNoWriMo event, where I have to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. It’s a huge task but I’m currently at the 14k mark. Gotta keep powering on!

    The reason I’m mentioning it is because I’m using the book Paper Towns by John Green for quotations and inspiration for one of my characters.

    “Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows.
    After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.
    Paper Towns debuted at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. It is taught in many high school and college curricula, often in conjunction with Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, which is an important text within the novel.”

    It’s also one of my favourite books by a fantastic author [he and his brother Hank are also YouTube stars with their VlogBrothers channel], so I thought I’d do a ‘Fashion Inspiration from the pages of…’, focusing on the main female character, the infamous Margo Roth Spiegelman.

    Margo in the book is described as having short brown hair and blue eyes, she’s fairly short with an explosive personality. But she is physically absent from a lot of the book. She is however ever present in the protagonist Quentin’s mind. The only physical clues about a real Margo is on two book covers. Leaving my imagination to have a little fun with this feature.

    In my mind and coupled with John Green’s descriptions of Margo’s personality, her dress sense would be a mix of practical and indie fashion styles. Simple jeans and trainers are a must for Margo, as well as her ‘Dark red-almost black’ nail polish and Walt Whitman book. I can imagine her loving the ‘Read & Riot’ top too.

    And as for the backpack, well you’ll have to read the book to find out why she needs that.

    Ria Xx

  • Shake it out | Florence + the Machine

    When Uni work, actual work, placement searching, interviews, NaNoWriMo and general life becomes a little too much, I take comfort in the fact that a song can really calm me down and cheer me up.

    ‘Shake it out’ is the second single from Florence + the Machine’s newest album, Ceremonials [which is amazing btw!] and I’ve had it on repeat when I’m feeling a little stressed out. Not only a great song but how beautiful is the music video?

    All the ethereal dresses, Venetian masks and classic chic interiors all scream ‘Florence + the Machine’ I love it!

    Ria Xx

  • Wishlist Item | Printed t-shirts

    Wishlist Item | Printed t-shirts

    I’m such a sucker for a printed t-shirt. They’re so simple, they go with everything and when they’re as cool as these why not have 20 in your wardrobe?! These are some of my favourites from dELiAs, but there are a tonne more on the website. I’m seriously considering buying the Hogwarts and Zoolander ones, but that’s just me :)  

    P.S. This post is dedicated to my little sister, also a big fan of nerdy printed t-shirts ;)  Happy 12th Birthday!