Thugs by Micah D. Halpern

My books seem to be getting more and more about non-fictional things, historical events & figures. Although a good novel can mend a bad day a historical biography can keep me up all night turning the pages waiting for the moment in history where the world stopped. I have just finished reading the book 'Thugs' by Micah D. Halpern, written in 2007 in the United States.

Thugs is basically a brief analyse on the thugs since the time of Alexander the Great to those who still hold power, or did in 2007. His choice is sometimes unforgiving. He put Czar Alexander III and first lady Imelda Marcos in there, which I found quite strange. He can be forgiven however as he also had the most famous tyrants of history, those we love to hate; Henry VIII, Julius Caesar & Ivan IV.

His grammar is at times poor with him miss spelling Vladimir as Valdimir several times. The book is a good brief overview of the most notorious despots in history but not the best source for a scholarly essay.

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Tess of the D'Urbervilles

In a time where Britain was losing their empire, civil wars were breaking out all around the world and the age of discovery was coming to a close Thomas Hardy stood out from the rest. His novel 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' was so controversial that in 1891 when it was first published many sections were not released with the volumne.

For many years Tess was someone who had done and was punished for it, until that is the book was published in its entirety in the early 1910's. It is now a classic book which shows that Tess was done wrong as a result of her beauty and the infactuation two very different men had with her.

Do not, and I repeat, do not watch the film if your writing or reviewing the work. Read the book because the films I watched do not portray Tess correctly. They elongate what could have been without and scrap on of the most crucial chapters in the whole text.

Do read the book if you are one for drama, tragedy and romance. It will make you shiver with concern, squirm with delight and cry with sorrow. Tess is one of the greatest book ever written.

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She wears the pants

So who wears the pants in your relationship? You or them? It could be your partner, your girlfriends, your mum or your boss, as you have relationships with all of them. This winter be prepared to wear the pants and if you don't want to stand up to your partner simply wear a pair of nice flowing corporate pants in a neutral hue such as grey, white or black. Fabulous with a blazer for work or a bright blouse for evening wear.

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Breakfast at Tiffany's

The 1961 classic "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard is fabulous! One of the most famous films of all time and all thanks to that dress! The little black dress Audrey wears in the opening credits and during the film is gorgeous and the sunglasses top that outfit off oh so well.



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Paris - when it sizzles

Audrey Hepburn was fabulous and her legend remains fabulous to this day. The 1964 classic "Paris - when it Sizzles" starring the actress in her most fabulous decade lets the actress shine like she does in no other film. She is reunited with "Sabrina" co-star William Holden in this spectactular masterpiece. Richard Benson (Holden) has been hired to write a film for a very famous producer and needs the help of a typist (Hepburn) to get him started. Their imaginations get the better of them and soon they're in a land of vampires, mafia and a glowing eiffel tower.




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A 1950's love Triangle

The 1954 Billy Wilder classic "Sabrina" starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden is a sight for sore eyes. The film is a about a chauffeur's daughter by the name of Sabrina (Hepburn) who is in love with a rich playboy (Holden) that her father works for. Of course being of such as discreet career Sabrina has never been known to her lover. He sees her but he doesn't see HER. Sabrina's father decides to send her off to Paris to get over her crush and learn how to cook. She returns quite the young lady and both her crush and his older brother fall head over heels. So which brother will win in this love triangle of a tale? Which brother will steal Sabrina's heart?






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Luxe Bohemian Doll

The only thing worse than no fashion sense is too much of that sense rolled into one outfit. Perfection does not take place in perfectly styled outfits, no, perfection takes place in outfits that seem a little undone. We all love to judge one another. It's only human nature that we do. But what do you think when you see a "perfectly" configued" outfit? Bardie? Slave? Uninspired?

It's all about a quirky flaw. To make your outfits real set up something that will seem off to your audience. Kate Moss has her styled bed har, Rihanna has her smoked panda eyes and I for one like to add a piece that screams contrast. I'll wear a neutral outfit and splash in an over-the-top ring or wear turquoise with white. Style is all about individuality. The real style icons of today take trends and make their own.

This thrown together fiesta is most commonly know as Boho, which was famously worn by the bohemians of the seventies (hippies). For the past year boho has been honoured like never before. Everyone is throwing a bunch of gypsy bangles in with a classic black playsuit or adding a longline cardigan to a pair of jeans and tank top. The thing with boho however is you can never hold the trend down as it changes almost every season. This Autumn/Winter be prepared to embrace cute little lace boleros and knitted dresses as Boho gets a seriously luxe makeover.

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Kate Moss - perfection with being perfect

For the past decade there has been one model who has shamelessly broken all the rules; choosing tie dye when the fashion industry was focused on leopard print, wearing aviator when coloured frames were a necessity and bansihing everyone's favourite gladiator sandals for shoe boots.

Yes Kate Moss is a style icon in the respect that she has abandoned almost all trends to wear something totally different, which a month or two later becomes all the rave. You could say: Kate Moss is fabulous. Her favourite pieces are patterns such as stripes & check during the day, clutch purses for the red carpet, boots and tailored jackets for winter and denim & eyeliner always.

Just think this is the woman who was the first to tuck jeans into ankle boots, this is the woman who was first to walk out of her house with bed hair that didn't look like it had been stolen from Amy Winehouse.

Kate Moss has most recently inspired this autumn's trend Rock Chic and was one of the first to wear feminine grunge. To become a fashionista Kate would be proud of you need to break the rules and never look perfect. She believes the Barbie look is over and to snap her style you need to believe that too.

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Costume without the chaos

Cocktail rings
Expect to see a lot of bold rings with plastic flower petals
and animal impersonations.

Diva $12.95




Black and Silver
Make a statement this autumn with silver hoop earrings and black pendants. The most popular pieces are bound to be flowers and butterflies draped along cuffs, pendants and headbands.

Diva $16.95


Alibi $29



Boho
Hobo or Boho? It’s time to decide which team you bat for. Hobo gangster armbands and pendants are definitely in the gutter while bohemian bangles and beads are all over the market.

Equip $12.99

Diva 29.99



Turquoise
This shade of blue has had a big influence on accessories including bags, belts and costume jewelry. Nowadays it’s easier to find a turquoise coloured pendant or bracelet than it is to find peanuts in crunchy peanut butter (giggles).
Alibi $39
Diva $12.95


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A different sort of blaze

The Blazer has been around since 1837, when it was a shipman's dresscode, but it has only been in the past few decades that this precious piece has been swung over every business woman's coathanger and thrust into fashionista's wardrobes. Yes, to every young fashionista's happiness, the blazer is going to be huge this autumn in fact it's going to push past all the other trends and embrace corporate style. The pinstipe waistcoat remains a staple however it will never take the blazers crown for the blazer is the queen of all things corporate, chic and luxe. The blazer does not only belong in offices but also out on the streets, in the food courts, in the chainstores and at the cinema. The blazer is a timeless epic, a gorgeous item that should be embraced by every fashionista, every working mother and every university student as well as those of us that just want to look amazing.

Casual Chic



Autumn's Brights



Geek Chic




until next time my sweetharts,
♥ Clairzy

Oh how i love that funny face

I've probably told you a million times how much I love Audrey Hepburn, how iconic she was and still remains, how she turned films in masterpieces and how she has outshoned every co-star she has ever starred alongside. Well today is no different. I would like to tell you about Audrey Hepburn's film "Funny Face" which premiered in 1957. The film also stars Fred Astaire and was directed by Stanley Donen. It is a fabulous, warm, funny musical about a magazine and the search for a new model. That model, so it seems may just be Jo Stockton (Hepburn) but will photographer Dick Avery (Astaire) be able to talk her into it? It's a marvellously funny film with dance, action, romance and above all drama. Definitely one worth turning your television on for.




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The 100 items bound by a little black book

Nina Garcia's two books "The little Black book of style" and "The One Hundred" are interesting, enlightening and informative even if she is a little too American for my liking.


"The little Black book of Style" describes how to shop, how to find your own style, how to work the basics and classics, how to steer away from trends while not being eccentrically lost in translation.


"The One Hundred" lists 100 pieces Garcia thinks every woman should own. Apart from the very american fur pieces and wacky prints it's actually a pretty decent list and I think with a little altering it can be suited to every woman not just the rich American woman.


♥ Clairzy

You're just darling

The 1955 classic "The Seven Year Itch" directed by Billy Wilder is hilarious. Marilyn Monroe plays a dumb blonde who is staying in the apartment above a married man who has just sent his wife and son away for a holiday. Marilyn Monroe uses all her charms but the real jackpot is Tom Ewell. He is hilarious! His random thoughts and his conversations will himself as well as a few outrageously realistic daydream sequences are just a few of the tricks his character Richard Sherman pull out.

Just one Roman Holiday

The 1953 classic film "Roman Holiday" by director William Wyler was one of Audrey Hepburn's first films. Gregory Peck stars alongside Audrey as Joe Bradley a reporter in Rome who ends up with an unwanted house guest, PRINCESS ANN (Hepburn)! Ann has run away from the hustle and bustle of the palace walls hoping to live, just one day, as a common peasant. So will Joe give her this wish or use this for his own agenda? A must watch indeed.





Audrey even received an oscar for her role.

Like I give a frock

With pinches of sarcasm and oodles of great advice Michi Girl will have you joting down notes while spilling out in laughter. Her relatively opinionated look at fashion and trends is an individual way to go pending whether or not she is actually taking it all seriously. "Like I give a Frock" is definitely the must read of the season and the season after that and the next one and so on. For only $29.95 who get pick up your copy at Borders and all good bookstores.



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Wouldn't it be loverly

The 1964 CLASSIC "My Fair Lady" starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolitte and Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins is a masterpiece in need of a good watch. The film captures the musical perfectly. Eliza is a scum-of-the-earth flower girl with not much to live for and without ownership of anything until Professor Higgins takes a bet with a Coronel to make her into a lady by changing the way she speaks thus changing her will to live. The story takes many turns as the bums to success begin to show and Higgins is left wondering if it will ever happen.







Some Memorable Musical Tunes







I have been looking for "Get me to the church on time" video starring Stanley Halloway at Eliza's father. Unfortunately I can't find it in English.

♥ Clairzy

A war set to be enjoyed

I've just come back from seeing Anne Hathaway's latest flick "Bride Wars" which also stars the gorgeous Kate Hudson. It is not what I expected. For one it is better, softer and more lovely then I could have ever imagined. I would highly recommend this cinema experience, just make sure you get your chocolate from the candy bar on the way in.

The heist of the century

William Wyler's 1966 masterpiece "How to Steal a Million" starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole is a must-watch. Nicole (Hepburn) decides to steal her own father's treasured art work after discovering the piece could send her to jail. Nicole's father's art work is the famous Cellini Venus although it was not made by Cellini but by Nicole's grandfather. Nicole's grandfather was a forger and her father remains one. Earning his lifestyle by selling pieces to millionaires and museums. When the Paris Museum in which the Venus has been sold tells Nicole of their methods to check that it is real she decides to hire a burgular (O'Tooler) to pull off the heist of the century.





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Nobody's Perfect

Joe is Josephine and Jerry is Daphne but at one point Josephine is also Junior. Yes. The 1959 classic "some like it hot" is all about mischief, mistaken identities and above all love. Love? where does love fit in? Well Joe loves Sugar but can't tell her he's a guy because he's uncover as Josephine in an all girls band. How does this happen? Well Jerry (Jack Lemmon) and Joe (Tony Curtis), two struggling musicians are witness a gangland shooting and have to flee Chicago. With no other jobs avaliable to pay their way they join an all girls band dressed as women, meeting Suagr (Marilyn Monroe) along the way. It's fabulous, funny, smart and glamorous. I loved it.

















♥ Clairzy

Napoleon's carnage is not that pretty

The 1956 classic "War and Peace" starring Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer and Vittorio Gassman is a story of romance, happiness, distress and suffering. Based on one of "the greatest books ever written" the film is set in the 19th century during the time of Napoleon. The film is extremely long (More than three hours) and I have yet to be able to watch the whole thing as distractions are endless.