Television
20 January 2014
Girls
American television show Girls is back with its third season. It was inevitable really that it was going to come back, after women everywhere talked about the first and second with such enthusiasm and passion. The show took over the comedy category at the Golden Globes last year, picking up Best Comedy Series and the shows creator and star Lena Dunham also took home Best Actress in a TV Comedy series - nothing this year though. Odd.
So what makes Girls such a big hit? Why are women, myself included, raving about it and can’t wait for the next episode to pop up on their TV planner? There are many factors that make it such a great show, mainly the girls (funnily enough) and their individual stories.
The show – set in Manhattan, New York – gives you four main women, four very different women with very different backgrounds. Dunham plays the main character Hannah Horvath (all the girls have alliterative names, magic!) who is a college graduate trying to earn money doing what she think she loves, writing. In the second season we saw her slowly spiral out of control with her OCD but she saved in fairytale style by on/ off boyfriend Adam. I know what you’re thinking…how very Sex and the City but the difference is you don’t want to punch Hannah in the face like you do Carrie Bradshaw (sorry SATC fans).
Alison Williams plays the tall, skinny and flawlessly beautiful Marnie Michaels, Hannah’s best friend and ex-roommate. In the first season she was seen as prim and proper Marnie who worked as an art gallery assistant but come the end of season two she worked in a Gentleman's Club and was back with her now suddenly very successful ex Charlie. She’s the girl who makes mistakes and doesn’t really know who she is yet.
The gorgeous blonde that is Jemima Kirke plays unpredictable bohemian beauty Jessa Johansson. We see the world-traveller arrive back in New York City and move in with her cousin Shoshanna in season one. At the end of the season she married a wealthy, boring man played by loveable Irish man Chris O’Dowd, and in season two we see it fall apart. Where will she be now? Well the first few episodes are all about getting her out of rehab.
Zosia Mamet plays Shoshanna Shapiro, the bubbly and incredibly innocent cousin of Jessa. Shoshanna’s story is probably the most significant, though you don’t really hear much about her. The 21 year old loses her virginity in the first season and we see her trying to learn about her sexuality with her boyfriend in season two, though that soon ends when she realises she wants to explore her sexuality more - cue epic slutiness.
We’ve had too many ‘frilly’ and ‘everything’s perfect’ comedy series recently, New Girl – whilst being a great show – is the sickeningly upbeat one that springs to mind. Girls doesn’t hold anything back, the storylines are raw and real, everyday things that women will go through and the things that we would all share like these girls do with our friends.
There is love and romance involved but the stories have more depth, more meaning to them. A failed marriage, psychopathic ex and that guy you lose your virginity to are all a refreshing spin on normal love storylines. The somehow still forbidden topic of sex is also a recurring theme in these girls’ lives – girls have casual sex? Good Lord! – it just makes the show even more relatable with young women in their early/ mid 20s.
I see Girls as a breath of fresh air. It’s not just my female friends who enjoy it, it’s become popular with guys too. Not an easy thing to accomplish. If you haven’t started watching it already, I highly recommend you start now. Season one and two are available as a box set and season three is back on Sky Atlantic on mondays.
Fashion
Patterned Trousers
|
| left to right Colette printed chiffon pants £70 Outnet.com // flame jacquard skinny trousers £55 Topshop // monochrome zig zag print slim leg trousers £17.99 New Look |
A mini fashion trend I am loving at the moment is patterned trousers, the high street seems to be brimming with them and they were seen everywhere on the Spring/ Summer catwalk this year. They are A LOT more comfortable than jeans and more fun, while it may be a little harder for some to pull off the designs I've found that doesn't mean it's not a trend for you.
It will suit the smaller derrière, smaller hipped girl (lucky) at lot more than a girl who has some junk in the trunk. Team with a cosy knit, jacket, scarf and hat to keep you warm in these last few winter months then a simple camisole is all you need when spring and summer finally hits - it's got to come at some point, right?
Topshop in particular have a wide range at the moment, even some still left in their sale - GO GO GO - I stuck to monochrome with my pair…ok I bought two pairs so I can pop a more vibrant knit on top. Whatever the season this is one of the best trends we're going to get all year, so make the most of it and let your legs do the talking/walking.
Music in 2014
15 January 2014
2013 was a pretty great year for music - Arctic Monkeys with their melodic AM Vampire Weekend and their hard to understand Modern Vampires of the City and Haim bring back girl power with Days are Gone. But it looks like this year is going to be just as good. Lily Allen is coming back to the music world after giving us a taste of her new sound with single Hard out Here, Outkast is headlining Coachella so could there be a new album on the cards? and we are getting teasers here there and everywhere for the following albums I'm about to talk about. Here's my top five albums for the early part of 2014.
|
| from left to right clockwise: Warpaint, Bombay Bicycle Club, Nina Nesbitt, Metronomy, Foster The People |
We start with dreary january - not a lot to be happy about, is there? - you've eaten your way through christmas and summer seems so far away. But there's something brewing bound to bring a smile to your face, the new Warpaint album named…wait for it Warpaint. The eagerly anticipated follow up from the LA band after 2010's The Fool promises to be full of even more electronic symphonies and guitar, with the band describing it as some sort of sexy ecstasy - I say! Now a month that seems so far away for me personally is February and although I'm sure time will fly from here til then I still want the new Bombay Bicycle Club album RIGHT NOW. The band have already whetted our appetites with the two new singles Luna and Carry Me, both completely different but both signature Bombay. An album like this with its token summer sound makes me certain the band will be making their way through some of the hottest (probably not weather wise) UK festivals in 2014.
Someone celebrating her debut album being released in February is Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt with Peroxide. After releasing several EP's (some songs such as Stay Out will be on the album) she has finally compiled a track list and set a release date of February 17th for her new record. One of the more social media adept of singers she already has a strong following of fans and people already pre-ordering the album. And if the single Stay Out is anything to go by it's going to be a strong contender in the album charts. Metronomy frontman Joseph Mount from Totnes in Devon has delved a little deeper with his new album Love Letters, he has composed the whole album with no computers, taking to a more old fashioned (and longer) approach. It still involves that Metronomy - tight electronics and experimental sounds are going to make it a timeless classic and the first single from the album Aquarius proves just that.
Another album that will no doubt provides summer sounds like their debut is Foster The People's recently announced second album Supermodel. Originally planned for 2013 release is has come a little later that planned but the band say the sound will involve more inspiration from The Clash, The Kinks and David Bowie - well worth the wait then you would think? Have a listen of new single Coming of Age here and see what you think.
Happy listening!
2014 - A New Mantra
7 January 2014
A new year always brings with it a new idea, mantra, theory, outlook or the most common name for it, resolution. Sometimes, however a resolution isn't new, it is - in fact - a few years old. You make the same promise every year - I WILL lose weight, I WILL exercise more and I WILL NOT reach for the leftover christmas choccies that are still staring me square in the face on the coffee table.
This year I have made that resolution once again - it's my second day in and all I can think about is bread and cheese - but I also decided to make ones that will better me and help me. Part of that resolution starts right here on my 'new year/ new look' blog, I'm going to spend the year writing more - about anything - fashion, music and opinion pieces mainly. Getting more involved with culture and the world away from my little village that I will hopefully soon be moving out of (London's Calling) if the flooding ever ends.
That is why I have chosen a typewriter as my main image. Writing is an art form that takes practise, guts, opinion and creativity - it's one of the only things I would consider myself good at and to have a passion for it is a bonus. Writing has changed over the years - from quill and ink, pen and paper, typewriter and ribbon and now computer and email - but still it stays the same, people still want to write about what they want and what gets them excited.
This year will hopefully bring with it the job opportunity I have been waiting for, I think I've paid my dues working in retail on and off for the past six years and with it new experiences, new friendships and new prospects will hopefully arrive. A new year does mean a new start but you cannot forget about your past experiences - I've been alive for 23 years and six months and I'm going to remember them not just start completely afresh in 2014, that would be silly.
So, After all this in depth thinking I will endeavour to write on here at least once a week about good topics of conversation not just post a few pretty pictures and call it a blog post. And if i don't? Well, you will all be here to witness it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
