Friend Friday: New Year, New Blog Resolutions 2011

Bear with me on this as it is likely to be a long one. It is my very first Friend Friday and trust me to save it for the last post of the year! The focus of the questions are on the New Year. New Blog directions, a new you, resolutions and goals for 2011. Thank you to Vahni of Grit and Glamour (my latest follower might I add) for suggesting these engaging and contemplative questions! I would love to know what you guys think about not only my answers but the other participants as well. And finally, Happy New Year!

1. What's the one thing you vow to learn or do in 2011 to improve your blog? 

I want to take my pictorial content to another level. I have decided to introduce Mycapaciousbottega Lookbooks as a way of showing off my styling guns. I want to play with others as well (ooh err) by featuring guest model-bloggers in OTD looks I have styled. 

On a primary level, letting my hubby do his 'thang' with his own equipment instead of forcing my little point+shoot on him is also the way forward.

2. What did you learn about blogging in 2010 that you plan to put into practice next year? 

I learnt that there is an art to making connections and that there is no short cut to building up your network. In order to build my network and raise my profile, I intend to be much more active on blogger connection platforms such as IFB & Twitter.

3. Do you have any high-level goals for your blog in the coming year?

I would love to do lots of guest posting in 2011 . I also want to collaborate with creatives such as MUAs & Pro Photographers. Items on loan from small independent labels for Lookbook purposes would also be an achievement. Getting lots of features on sites of note also wouldn't hurt my blogging credentials! It would also be great to start an online shop later in the coming year but I shall not rush into that as it is linked with my idea for an Eco centred clothing label that I am currently developing named MOSHI LASHI.

4. If you could collaborate with one other blogger within your sphere of influence in 2011, who would you like to collaborate with, and what would you like to collaborate on? 

I had to think long & hard about this one and I would just like to state that it has been the hardest to answer. I just could not define 'sphere' for life or money. In the end I went with locality as in London, UK, in defining sphere leaving alone the murky waters of circles of influence! I found that thinking about the main purpose of creating my blog finally helped me gather my thoughts. When I created Mycapaciousbottega I had hoped it would one day act as an introduction to MOSHI LASHI

The idea for MOSHI LASHI, my eco centred clothing label, is based firmly on the luxe appeal of printed fabrics. It is about injecting some colour into our daily wardrobe. It is about reclaiming the dress as the go-to item in the wardrobe. It is also about merging cultures in as seamless a way as possible by combining materials and design aesthetic. Affording people a sense of travel/mobility by virtue of the clothes they are wearing. It is about wearing something that has a reference beyond the here and now. I genuinely cannot think of a better MOSHI LASHI ambassador than Susie Lau of Style Bubble. Having her co-design a couple of dresses for the label would be brain-numbing as would having her style a MOSHI LASHI collection. Oh, and her birthday is the day before mine!


5. What do you plan to do to support other bloggers next year? 

I want to meet up with as many bloggers as I can so I guess support could come from organising or helping to organise UK meets. Also leaving considered comments on all the great blogs I visit!

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Non-Cursory

This outfit is more of a N.Y.E precursor but I wanted to share it because it typifies me in a number of ways so I give you my go to wardrobe items for easy stylish day-to-night wear.

• Leggings (I own an unreasonable amount). These also feeds my print craving.
• Tunics. Easy to wear, easy to layer up and  forgiving on the figure. This also feeds my craving for bold colours. BTW it is a deep jewel green, not the blue my camera has made it...
• Stompers. Shoes should be part of your armoury. These make me feel like an urban warrior.
• Accessories (I literally buy in bulk). I always pile on necklaces and bangles. Scarves+turbans keep bad hair days under wraps.

2010 has been a year of sartorial progress in the sense that I have all but taken myself out of the fast fashion machine. I am proud to state that the most important and visible component of my wardrobe is my enthusiastic patronage of small labels and independent designers. I continue to make a small number of considered high street purchases but the majority of my wardrobe pieces are from small/obscure labels I have picked up on my travels or online. Blogging is a great exercise in figuring out the essence of one's wardrobe and I look forward to sharing more of my personal style with you in 2011. Thank you to every single person that has popped in here since I started this blog in June. Your support, comments and feedback have been invaluable!

I have a very special post still to come today. It should be live around 11pm, my very first Friend Friday. For those that shall not revisit the blog until next year (!)  Happy New Year in advance from the bottom of my heart :) I hope you state your intention from the onset because I have a feeling it could be your year. I sure hope it is mine!

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Metal Primer

What I should be discovering with all this time off from school is just how much pleasure there is to be had from doing not very much. But alas, that pleasure is not mine to know. There is a low level hum of guilt that accompanies my doing nothing. I catch myself in a slight tizz at times thinking there must be something major I should be seeing to but there is not, the only thing I should be seeing to is relaxing...

Are you better at doing nothing than I am? How do you cope with it & how do you avoid that guilty feeling? Please share tips & tricks!

A variation of the winter uniform in the shape of a Grey thrifted labeless jumper, Black Lucyd Acyd flutter dress worn as a skirt & my newest Tristian Blair's via Amelie Boutique.

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Red Square

I know it is winter out there but there is a part of me that is in deep denial. I am so over the -0 weather we are currently experiencing over here in Blighty but who would let a little something like the cold put them off an ensemble idea?! I am wearing a COS skirt with a Threadless tee & a toasty M&S jumper. My sock garters are from Swan Clothing via Etsy and the cherry Doc Martens as featured before. Had I been wearing leather shorts or something of the like I think the heels might have worked (final pic) quite well so apologies in advance for any variation of this outfit that you may see in the near future...

If you like this or any of the posts that you have read so far, please feel invited to follow me!

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Dark Star + Lonesome Blue = Purple Haze

Happy holidays to you all! I found time in between stuffing the turkey and draining the gammon to take these. No, I am not often found cooking in Balenciaga heels but hey xmas comes but once a year. If you click on the images you can just about get a peek of my gorgeous ear-rings I got from hubby for my birthday.

My burst of colour comes in the form of a bespoke dress from the lovely Sandmaiden via Etsy and as I mentioned the heels are Balenciaga which I bought from Larizia's Westfield branch.

If you like this or any of the posts that you have read so far, please feel invited to follow me!

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Value Added Shopping Experience: Super Sweet

And I walked And I thought...

I think the delight I experienced opening my package from Super Sweet has prompted a new addition to My Capacious Bottega. Reviews of my super sweet (see what I did there) value added shopping experiences or VASE (of flowers) in shor!

Super Sweet are evidently many things to many people (Art / Music / Fashion). I stumbled upon them in my guise of clothing consumer. I saw something favourable on the site a little while ago and filed it away for a rainy day. That rainy day came in the form of their winter sale. Couple that with an extra 10% that comes with joining the mailing list, I was sold - hook, line & sinker!

But wait, it got better. 2 working days after placing my order, with snow and all that great stuff to scarper all best laid plans and what not, I received my special delivery. There is brand personality from the get-go. The sealing tape was no ordinary sellotape but rather one inscribed with the catchy little brain tickler 'And I walked And I thought' - Yep, just ponder on that for a minute.

Upon opening the box, I could see, even with my acute myopia, that it contained many items. This is a good point to imagine me stroking my hairless chin. See, this should not have been the case seeing as I had ordered a singular item. And then it clicked! There be freebies contained in this super sweet box of mine.

Okay, I don't know about you, hell I do! We all love free stuff. Especially free cute / usable / wearable stuff.

Well, in this case I got all of the above. I got stickers that my daughter palmed off me immediately. An oyster card holder that my travel-pass went into pronto, a Super Sweet lookbook (top tip: lookbooks are great for appropriating outfit of the day poses) and to top it off, an uber cool scarf. And I mean, a proper scarf. None of that nancy-pansy handkerchief size jobs. No, I am talking the kind which parameters allows for head-tying as well as neck placement.

Do I need to mention that the purchased item was beautifully gift wrapped?! This is the type of shopping experiences I really appreciate. Especially as I buy so often online from indie labels, I notice the ones that stand head & shoulders above the rest. The brands that clearly have an 'identity' in mind when they think of their 'brand'. As far as I am concerned, it is up to you, the brand, to help your customers know what you are about and I feel like I understand Super Sweet brand identity so much more after purchasing from them and they in return have left me feeling rewarded but more importantly valued.

Clear brand identity + Rewarding shopping experience = win / win. Just because your business is primarily based online does not make it impossible to leave your clienteles feeling like they have been given a great big virtual hug.

Independent online brands that give big virtual hugs deserve the recognition and as I stumble upon them so shall I share their details with you.

Super Sweet, for providing a Value Added Shopping Experience; I salute you!

Have you had any super sweet online shopping experiences recently? Want to recommend a retailer of your own choosing? Please do leave a comment below :)

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Uniformity

I have unconsciously adopted a winter uniform. It seems having to wear a uniform of black at drama school has not in any way put me off the colour. Instead away from school, I marry it with grey as my go-to colour combo of choice. On paper it sounds dreary but it just works and when the Nigerian in me craves more excitement in the form of colour or a lil' bit more 'Grrr', I play around with my footwear or laden on the jewellery.

I want to know, what is your current winter uniform and do you find you wear less colour in winter?

In an undecided state I tried on my Black, Grey & Tan Jessica Simpson Dany's before settling on a pair to wear out. I teamed the shoes with my Uniqlo combat thermals (love, love, love), Babooshka adjustable skirt, Bershka chain detail top & a Babooshka studded turband.

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Consume me...

Feening: to yearn, to want, to crave

I have not done this spot in a while but I am back on form and will definitely keep it a regular monthly feature. Looking through my draft crave list from way back in September, clicked links reveal that many items are no longer in stock and  whilst some I did manage to snag (London colloquial term for 'acquire') others I have simply moved on from craving, as so often happens!

The Givenchy ankle boots might not have made it into my wardrobe and whilst I am still craving some strokable calf hair footwear, I get dizzier by the day over great heights! The collection of stomper boots & heels I have amassed this season has obviously not satiated this craving of mine, a precarious pull that might just see me break my neck on the streets of London one of these days.

I introduce to you Chloe Sevigny's Opening Ceremony Mary Ellen boots. It looks like a towering giant that would intimidate many but not me. I want it, desire it, crave it!

On the soft side of things I have found myself drawn to agate stone since I came across a multi stoned necklace in Mango, Barcelona which I of course snapped up but jewellery label of the moment Mimi Jung's Brook & Lyn has created unique pieces that slow down my pulse, in a good way. I look at the 'Surrounded' collection and for a moment think, life would feel better with that on my body. I want them all!

I stumbled upon Yoko Ono's threeASFOUR silk kaftan at Super Sweet but could not justify paying the stated sum for it but as it is now on sale, it is now mine!

Before snagging it I did consider making a variant of the kaftan in the shape of this Clements Ribeiro inspired scarf dress tutorial from Braids and Bows and you know what, I just still might, once I get over my DIY fear of course.

Finally, I give you Luca. No, not my future born son but a range by jewellery designer Stephanie Wells that is so me. I am going to keep an eye on this and should there even be a sniff of a sale sign anywhere on the site, these babies are mine.

I still have the Giuseppe Zanotti Amber Boots in the back of my mind and that is where they will remain. For now....

What are you currently wanting, desiring, craving? Leave a comment and let me know :)

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Is it, is it, is it really real?

He wore blue velvet.

He bought me diamond ear-rings.

One of these 'fact' is actually a lie. I am sure you can guess which one! I have the most amazing hubby and I have been so well treated for my birthday that quite frankly I am overwhelmed from it all and might suffer another bout of exhaustion should the gifting continue!

No, not showcasing my new bling just yet but for a spot of jewellery shopping down Hatton Garden I wore my newly proclaimed super warrior jacket. Yes, this is one of my Jean Pierre Braganza purchases from my Monday spree. It is a runway piece from the A/W 2010 collection. It is super-duper warm (must be all that fuzzy Mongolian woolly fur). And it manages to feel so uber luxurious/opulent whilst also retaining a youthful edge about it. I am in love with this jacket. Seriously!

I borrowed hubby's Uniqlo cashmere jumper, my Gripp jeans are from Amelie Boutique & yes, those are Jessica Simspon's 'Dany' in black you see me sporting there. BTW I bought them in 3 different colours because I am a fiend & clearly need help!

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Sample the Goods

It is my birthday today. And no, I am not writing this from India (I had major visa problems) but that aside as I have now officially departed my twenties, regardless of location, it would be rude not to post on this of all days. So yes, whilst I freely admit that I am trying to stave off melancholy (though I am more than happy to embrace the reflective nature I am sure the day will bring) for now I have stylish news to report!

I had, to put it simply, a magical day yesterday.

I liken it to the fashion equivalent of those Virgin-esque 'Expeirence Days' you are always seeing advertised in the back of 'blokey' magazines & websites like Firebox. Oops, I digress. Yes, back to the magical day.

I got to spend the day - okay 3hrs to be precise - in the studio - yep, working studio - of non other than Jean Pierre Braganza, with the man himself! I am at risk of playing this up so I should state that it was a chance meeting what with it being the last day of his sample sale in London. But by chance, there he was. And there I was. I got to not only chat with him, listen in on his uber connected phone calls (I almost gasped at one point) but I also got to peek at the walls to see where his inspiration currently lies. It was such an experience just looking at those drawings and scribblings knowing that this is the very process that gets him to the point that we as consumers receive as the end product - a collection.

I got to see one of his pattern cutter/studio assistant working away (on the exact same soft  palette ethereal silk material we saw at his 2011 s/s LFW show). As an added treat just by being my disarmingly charming self, I got them both involved in pulling looks out for me and then pressed them further for styling ideas. It was seriously my whole kinda fun and total treat of a day.

I went in owning a single piece by him, a treasured jacket from his 2009 a/w season, and left now owning magical pieces from every single collection he has produced to date. Yep, including a piece from the forthcoming 2011 s/s season - seriously, pinch me now! Does this now make me a Jean Pierre Braganza archivist??!!

The piece in question is ultra exclusive and I swore to keep it under wraps for a little while but you know mycapaciousbottega is all about the shoes so I will whisper a clue to get your imagination going. Braganza + Kirkwood collaboration. Enough said methinks!

The only fail of the day would be Jean Pierre Braganza asking for my business card and I having to confess I had none on me.

Note to self: must take this blogging more seriously so I am ready for more magical happenings & meetings in the future and in that spirit off to get cards printed & register domain name!

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Soiled Carts & Rotten Apples

I am a sucky blogger and it is a wonder how I have managed to retain my handful of followers with my output lately or should that be lack of. I am learning that the second year of Drama school is truly a monster that takes over your life. I have to keep reminding myself whenever I feel the pressure mounting that it will never ever be this hectic again at any other point of the course so hold it together I must. I have been thinking of what to do with my blog in terms of content & updates in these busy times...Although I have not been going out much I have been purchasing, as ever, like a demon but I will be damned if I will turn this blog into a glorified 'look what I can afford to buy' temple to make up for lack of outfit posts. Outfit posts is what MCB is all about & I so enjoy doing them so please bear with me, it will get better I promise and I will make more of a concerted effort in the new year.
p.s I think I might be bring a whole ton of material back from India that I will be listing for sale right here - If this would this be of interest to you or anyone you know do pass on the info!

To combat the snow, I wore on my head a grey Babooshka turban, vintage Gunne Sax dress, Muu-Baa leather jacket, bag (borrowed from my Daughter) is from Zara kids & boots are Firetrap via Brandalley. Earings & necklaces from various Etsy sellers.

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