Happy Halloween!

I couldn't really let my favourite holiday of the year go by without a token post so, even though this year's Halloween was of the non-costume variety, I thought I could still celebrate with some old pictures of my favourite fancy dress ever!

Sibling rivalry for the most ostentatious costume...

If I was partying this year I would totally be dressing up as Sookie Stackhouse, swigging out of real-life Tru Blood bottles (I was actually sent one by the lovely PR and opened it with some kind of bizarre hope that it would actually be quite bloody in consistency/ flavour. It tasted like a yummy kind of high-end Fanta. Note to self: stop watching so much vampire TV.) and lastly, be hoping that Eric Northman would be lurking round a darkened corner somewhere. A girl can dream...

Happy Halloween!

We'll Always Have Paris

I know I was shouting it all over Twitter but I don't think I actually mentioned on here that, based on our pictures from Avignon, The Boy and I won an incroyable competition for a year's free Eurostar travel! Taking full advantage of this amazing opportunity, we just got back from a quick 2 day jaunt to Paris where I ate far too much, bought far too little and started seriously considering a move to the continent...

Hat: Miss Selfridge, Coat: Vintage, Bag: Alexander Wang, Snood: H&M, Tank dress: Topshop, Boots: Chloe, Sunglasses (below): Dolce & Gabbana

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban, Jacket, Cardigan & Top: Topshop, Scarf: Louis Vuitton, Jeans: J Brand, Boot: Oasis, Bag: As above

This delightful confection deserves a full run-down: The Saint-Honore Rose Framboise: Puff pastry, cream puff pastry, light rose petal confectioner's custard cream, raspberry compote, rose flavoured water whipped cream, rose syrup fondant and fresh raspberries. *Be still my beating heart* (But not too still. Not, like, cardiac-arrest still.)

Swinging round streetlamps in Montmartre singing my own version of the Moulin Rouge megamix...

Hat & Scarf: As above, Bag: Chloe, Coat: Motel

There's nowhere quite like it, is there?

4 ways to wear...leather

The perfect combination of risque and rock 'n' roll, leather is one of my all-time favourite fabrics. It also manages to be both warm AND sexy (no mean feat) and is generally pretty flattering to boot. I love how it can be everything from 80s trashy to cute and coquettish if cut the right way. So here's my ode to it; in the form of 4 ways to wear...

Rockabilly - as inspired by Isabel Marant, I teamed my Topshop leather leggings with gasp-never-thought-I'd-say-it! kitten heels from H&M, a loose-fit grey T-shirt from Kain at Net-a-Porter.com and my fabulous Marlene from Only Fools and Horses faux-fur leopard-print coat from Motel. I also shortened the length of my leggings slightly by tucking them under to give a more retro feel.

Girly - this is my homage to this season's full 50s silhouettes but done with a younger twist. I wore my pleated leather skater skirt from Zara with a tucked-in Bella Freud jumper (much cooler than a twinset, no?) and my impossible-to-walk-in Stella McCartney wedges. I've fallen over infront of many a VIP in these babies. Yet they still rear their beautiful head. That's love.

Rock n Roll - Admittedly, this one was a bit of a stretch. I really just wanted somewhere to showcase my denim/ leather combo. Which, incidentally, many a rock n roll rebel has worn as their uniform. And there's studs. And a knuckle duster. Point proven.

Shirt: Zara, Skirt: Topshop, Rings: Maison Martin Margeila, Shoes: Marni.

Aviatrix - I paired my Topshop aviator jacket with a printed maxi dress from Matalan (a dead ringer for Helmut Lang), Office boots, ASOS bucket bag and a Kopenhagen Fur mink keyring which I've hung from my jacket zip.

Last of the Summer Snaps

...I promise. But some of these were just too good not to share.

Snorkelling in the Perhentian Islands...

Butterflies in Borneo...

The cutest kids ever. We caught them just as they came out of school and sat, ate ice lollies and communicated entirely in smiles...

Angry AND aroused - probably the scariest combination ever...

This dude reminded me of Rafiki from The Lion King. We snapped him on a jungle boat safari on the East coast of Borneo.

Teeny baby monkey with a berry in its mouth. *cute overload*.

The orangutans were so beautiful and so mischievous. We watched them hit eachother as they battled it out for bananas, wash their feet in their milk for no other reason than to amuse themselves and swing around whilst we all sang I Wanna Be Like You in our heads. Just me, then? Oh well. One of them tried to hug me and I ran off screaming much to everyone else's chagrin. Just as well, really. A minute later said monkey pissed down the keeper's back.

I've always felt that muumuus are a very underrated garment...

Be still my beating heart. I would've bought an iPhone simply to encase it in one of these bad boys.

..but I settled for the most obnoxiously kitsch vinyl cover for my BlackBerry instead. Pink, Hello Kitty and rhinestones. Sold.

This was scratchy and weird and I was scared I would get bird flu, but I also felt a bit Snow White and magical about it all. Had to bully The Boy into doing it too. He was scared but enjoyed it in the end. And I got some cracking photos of him pulling all kinds of faces.

Me and my lovely sis-in-law, S.

Fish pedicure. We got asked to stop screaming. Twice.

Croquet at The English Tea House in Borneo. Terribly quaint.

Chinese temple decoration

20p for the best meal you've ever had. Take THAT, Nandos.

Love Pills. Total novelty but I liked the sentiment - you write down a good memory of your relationship and stuff it inside one of the empty capsules. When you're going through a rough patch you take a Love Pill. Well, not eat it, obviously. Doubt that would make you feel much better.
The best chicken sandwich that ever was. Room service at the Hotel Maya, Kuala Lumpur.

More kitsch crap that I lapped up at every opportunity. Loved every minute.

What was your favourite ever holiday?