A Delivery from Matches

A lot of people (myself included) shop online but say that it'll never really give the enjoyment that actually rummaging in the rails gives. Digging around to find a bargain, being able to try something on, and most importantly getting the item straight away without having to way 3-5 days is all very appealing. But you know what? If every online retailer provided the experience Matches do, my fling with online shopping would turn into a full blown love affair.

After spotting a bargain JW Anderson t-shirt in their sale (thanks to WIWT's Lust List), I made my first purchase on Matches on a lazy Sunday night's browsing. By Tuesday it had arrived, and I was confused by the size of the box considering I'd only bought one small item. Inside wasn't a delivery, it was a present, something that somebody had lovingly crafted and designed to make my purchase special. I'm a complete pushover for fancy storage and nice boxes, and so this is completely up my street. How beautiful is this?

I was so excited to reveal each layer of the perfectly wrapped box, I almost forgot that my amazing bargain was actually in there too!

And here's a hint of what my top looks like. I'm sure it'll appear in a post soon!

Music: Christmas Playlist

I'm obsessed with making lists. Apparently it's a Virgo thing. Maybe it's because I have to organise everything from my meals to my outfits weeks in advance. So obviously the next logical step is to share these lists with the lovely readers of this here blog, one each week (on a Tuesday), to help inspire some organisation into your lives, or at least to share some attempted wisdom.


As it's Christmas NEXT WEEK, the first To-Do List Tuesday is dedicated to festive songs. That's right, tunes to have on in the background while your basting the turkey, or passing out from too many mince pies. Here are my must-have downloads for Christmas 2011:

1) It's Christmas (And I Hate You) - Paloma Faith & Josh Weller
It's not as miserable as it sounds, the tune is pretty jaunty, and it's funny more than anything. Perfect for singing at the other half when you've had too much mulled wine.

2) All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
Now normally, Mimi makes me want to self harm, HOWEVER, it can't be denied that this is a classic that is guaranteed to make you hurt yourself attempting the high notes. The ultimate girls night in sing-a-long.

3) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - She & Him
The devine Zooey Deschanel paired up with M Ward are constantly in my 'Favourite Bands Ever Ever' list, and their album 'A Very She & Him Christmas' is so traditional it'll make your granny reminisce about the good old days.

4) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Michael Buble
Another cover, but Michael Buble's Christmas album is just so........Christmassy! He's a suave old motherlicker and those dulcet tones and videos of walking through snow are just the cherry on the Christmas cake.

5) I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
I don't care if I look uncool dancing to this around my kitchen (and my housemates can testify that I did indeed do this at the weekend), this song is my childhood Christmas memories wrapped into one. I always remember watching the video on Top of the Pops 2 on Christmas Day with the lead singer and his multi-coloured beard and paper streams in his hair. Aces.

6) Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
I have two memories of this song. 1) It being heavily featured in Home Alone. 2) Dancing to it in silver hotpants that my mum made me on stage at a school production when I was 11. Despite the small amount of trauma induced, I still love the song.


For my full Christmas playlist on Spotify click here (but beware, there's some naughty words in there!).

Film: 50/50

I went to see 50/50 on one premise only: It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
I don't normally like films with Seth Rogen in, and I wasn't sure if a comedy about getting cancer would be a bit to close to the mark. I was wrong.

This film is amazing.

The plot centres on JGL's character who is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer and follows him through diagnosis through treatments and beyond. His character is young, (supposedly) healthy and normal, in a relationship with Bryce Dallas Howard (who has the most beautiful hair! Sorry, girly moment...) and best friends with Seth Rogen's drunk and irresponsible Kyle.

Somehow the film manages to pivot on such dark subject matter with genuine, real to life, completely unoffensive laughs. This isn't a film that laughs at people with cancer, it doesn't take the mick out of a serious and deadly disease or its victims, it is laughing at the characters and the everyday circumstances they get themselves into. It reminds you that ill people want to keep living a normal lifestyle and almost, it seems, forget what is happening to them. On top of his illness, Adam's girlfriend is unfaithful (WHY?! HAVE YOU SEEN JGL?!) and his overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston brilliant as always) desperately wants to look after him, when really he just wants to stay in with his greyhound Skeletor and smoke medicinal marijuana.

It is heartwarming to the extreme, while being genuinely laugh out loud funny. I was on the verge of tears for the entire thing (and pretty much had a meltdown at the end), but was also laughing almost continually which really is a bizarre and ingenious balance to achieve. It is exactly the type of film JGL is perfect for: a gentle and thought-provoking indie pic where he beautifully portrays every single emotion without really saying anything. The fact that he doesn't cry for almost the whole film is remarkable and makes his eventual breakdown hit the audience full pelt, with not a dry eye left in the house. The same goes for Anna Kendrick. I love them both for their understated way of acting - it just makes the characters seem so much more real.

Don't get me wrong though, this is not a chick flick. Yes it has a relationship break-up, but the film focuses more on the bromance between Adam and Kyle, luckily without resorting to the stag-do-esque nature of other male bonding films (I'm looking at you The Hangover). Yes it's a tearjerker, but it's also a witty and clever script that never takes away from the serious nature of its subject, and doesn't make you feel uncomfortable. I genuinely hope you all go and see it as it is definitely my film of the year.

Film: I Heart Classic Cinema!

Today my shiny new BFI membership arrived in the post! I've been meaning to sign up for this for a really long time, and I've finally got around to it. The reason I wanted to join is because I am a huge cinema fan. I know that's such a cliche - it's one of those things everyone says isn't it?
"Hobbies?"
"Cinema, music and exercise."
I like to think that go slightly beyond the average Orange Wednesday goer. I studied Film Studies at A Level which opened me up to a huge variety of cinema that I may not have approached before, and I've had a subscription to Total Film for many years. I love nothing better than scrutinising a film and discussing it over a glass of vino or even just on the bus home. Saying that, I have been known to go to the cinema alone if I'm desperate to watch something that no-one else has an interest in; I specifically remember going to see Capote and then calling everyone I could think of to implore them to go and see it!


Anyway, a BFI membership allows you to go to special preview screenings of new films and (more excitingly I think!) you can go and see old classics on the big screen. I'm already planning to go to screenings of Singin' in the Rain and It's a Wonderful Life (nearer to Christmas of course!). So in homage to the classics, here's a list of some of my favourite older films. Check them out and let me know what you think!

My favourite film of all time!

An adorable comedy

A film about cross dressing well before
 Rocky Horror!

The original is much better than the awful
Lindsay Lohan remake!

The original. Amazing.

What are your favourite classic movies?