How To Be A Hipster

I've seen a lot of posts with this exact title and from them, I have realised that there are many different types of hipster. Firstly, you have the self-proclaimed hipsters, who proudly express their love of tea, cats, YouTube vloggers, Apple products and thick-rimmed non-prescription glasses. Secondly, the long haired, tanned, Vitamin Water chugging, iPhone snapping Cali-girls who just love taking photos with skateboards, listening to Drake and saying 'YOLO'. But then you have THE OTHERS. The hipsters in denial, AKA the original brand of hipster, with their worshipping of all Pitchfork-recommended bands, green tea, hidden 'reworked vintage' shops on Brick Lane and 'proper' photography. And this is an all inclusive guide on how to become one...

1) A high cultural capital.
If you want to truly commit to the cultured hipster lifestyle, you have to truly believe in it. You are interested in Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialism theories. Of course you know and love every photo Dash Snow has ever taken and, naturally, you know the V&A galleries back to front and attend exhibitions at Somerset House monthly. A monthly unlimited cinema membership is also highly recommended, so you can go and see all of the hyped up Hollywood blockbusters then go home and write a blog post on how overrated it was.

2) 'Photography'
I use the word photography here loosely. Of course, we're all guilty of uploading a load of half decent photos of fields to Facebook in an album entitled 'errm photography' when we received our first digital camera (...right?) but hipsters are not about the digital camera. Oh no. An essential hipster life mantra is keeping the past alive, so anything too modern (apart from Apple products obvs) is a big no no. If you can afford it (and all of the printing paper you'll need), invest in a Polaroid camera for true vintage style. If times are hard, simply pick up a disposable camera. HIPSTERS LOVE DISPOSABLE CAMERA PHOTOS. I can't deny that I do too, you can't help but feel as if the photos were taken in the 80s. But don't just take normal photos with them. Here are a few ideas...

Classic. If you can get a shot of a load of lights at night time, you don't have to use the flash, which gives connotations of those retro Lana Del Rey-ish cheap thrills, y'know?

Fuzzy quality Starbucks cold beverages on a seemingly sunny day, pink drinks are preferred. We like connotations of road trips.

Ah, none of them looking at the camera gives that natural vibe.

...You get the idea. Naturally, you'll already own an iPhone and have Instagram (which is soooo the place to be for keen photographers) so that doesn't need to be mentioned. Hipsters love putting a brown 70s style filter over an already good quality photo.

3) Read.

Well, duh, what else are you going to do in Starbucks apart from Instagramming your chosen beverage? But don't just get interested in any old genre. In fact, don't read anything written in the last 10 years, far too mainstream and so not showcasing your appreciation for the past. If you really want to be cultured, read a book in French, such as Camus' (pronounced 'Camoo', although naturally you already knew) L'Étranger or Jean-Paul Sartre's La Nausée. Don't study French? Not a problem, it's all about the image. It is also essential to carry a battered second hand copy of J.D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye around with you EVERYWHERE, a universally appreciated book with the hipster seal of approval. You should generally stick to this carefully compiled list of classic intellectual hispter books...

• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
• The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
• Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Looking For Alaska by John Green (both modern but still loved worldwide)
• Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
• Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
• Post Office by Charles Bukowski
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The last few mentioned are all dystopian novels which you must learn to know and love, as all hipsters love any Big Brother-esque book which criticises society about how controlled we all are, y'know? You could read The Hunger Games but no one would appreciate your literary genius, would they? A few authors you should generally appreciate are Murakami, F. Scott FitzGerald, Oscar Wilde, Raymond Chandler and Ernest Hemingway.

4) Cinema.

You must adore Hitchcock's entire filmography and believe that at least one 'big' director is incredibly overrated. Get to know Hollywood's Golden Age era and maybe some Italian neorealism, whose characteristics combined to create the French New Wave. Watch Jean-Luc Godard's Masculin Feminin, an 'edgy' film for its time which you will probably have seen screencapped on Tumblr at some point or another. Dig black and white films.

Masculin Feminin. Totes deep.

5) Arts & Humanities subjects or nothing.

Gosh, hipsters don't go into higher education to study quantitative A Levels or a demanding medicine degree. Instead, you'll choose subjects all based in the same corridor, such as Philosophy, English Literature, French and Photography. WHEN you go to uni (are you an Exeter 'rah' student? Or more of a grungy music-loving Sheffield student?) you'll read the occasional book, investigate independent local cafés and keep a fashion blog on your MacBook/iPhone/iPad whilst wondering why the physics and mathematics building looks so dreary and why you never see medicine students out and about.

6) Style.

Basically, americanapparel.net  is the bible. Seconded by Urban Outfitters. You love charity shops but prefer to call them thrift shops because it's far more hip. You make monthly train journeys up to Brick Lane/Camden to look for reworked vintage Levi's 512s and buy Lennon-esque sunglasses. You worship the ground Mary-Kate Olsen, Alexa Chung and Charlotte Free walk on and their boho chic style (aka just rolled out of bed and threw anything on) is an inspiration to you. You must own...

• All of the V-necks EVER
• Totes orig white t-shirts with some sort of vintage bicycle emblem on them that you just stumbled upon at a festival or Camden market
• An old blingy thick gold chain necklace
• A plain grey sweater (see how MK wears them)
• Some form of high waisted American Apparel pant
• Converse just go without saying
• A little bit of crucifix embossed jewellery to stay true to the roots but NEVER a top/leggings with the crucifix motif
• A tan leather vintage satchel - never a Cambridge Satchel, obviously, they're far too mainstream now and you'd much rather the original item
• Many, many headbands and Americana-esque bandanas
• A bowler hat
• Lots and lots of vintage band t-shirts
• Plenty of grandad jumpers and charity shop find shirts to pair together (because wearing an old cable knit jumper over a collared shirt makes you a fashion icon)
• Frilly little Topshop socks
• High waisted Levi's shorts
• A bow tie (ha, it's like totes ironic... right?)
• A hell of a lot of crop tops
• The festival bands of all of the festivals you've been to over the years. "Ah, what a crazy weekend that was..." Festival bands = you are living life.

A true hipster would never wear a camo jacket. SO MAINSTREAM GOSH. In terms of hair and make-up, the 'bed head' look is so the way to go. Just roll out of bed, don't even touch your hair, apply some clear eyebrow gel, some bronzer to emphasize those cheekbones, a bit of Olsen-style smoky brown eyeshadow, a flick of winged eyeliner and some Carmex and you're done.

7) Music.

When it comes to music, Pitchfork is your best friend. Any unknown psychedelic indie band they score 7/10 or higher YOU LOVE. There's no question about it, they will be huge in 3 year's time but obviously you're not a fan of their recent stuff, their most popular stuff is their poorest and you think their first ever EP is by far their best piece of work but obviously no one knows about that. It goes without saying that you love The Stones. What's your favourite song? Well, Sweet Child O' Mine is such a tune, right? Oh this top? Nooo it's not from Republic, it's totally official merchandise...

Obviously you love all the classics like Nirvana (note: not a clothing brand), Joy Division, The Beatles, The Stone Roses... But you also love all the alternative stuff, like Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Toy, Girls, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bright Eyes, Death Cab For Cutie and The Avett Brothers. And O B V I O U S LY you worship The Strokes.

8) Coffee.

Yes, coffee does deserve its own category. But not just any coffee - it's black coffee or nothing. You're going for that Brooklyn poet vibe. But for the sake of a disposable camera snap, a few of Starbs' cold (pink) beverages are allowed in the summer. Coffee is a touchy subject with hipsters. Obviously, your main choice is Starbucks but a true hipster would not support this commercialism and would instead support local cafés where they get their own mug hung on the wall. Tea is also controversial. Three years ago, you couldn't get enough of it but ugh, now everyone's jumped on the bandwagon and this whole tea drinking cat loving stereotype is becoming so mainstream, so it's time to switch to green tea. It's all about the detox now.

You are now a fully fledged hipster, but just to be sure, here's a final checklist of must-haves...

• An Italian moleskine notepad to write down all of your deep thoughts and poetry whilst people watching in coffee shops
• Black nail varnish
• A record player
• Magazine collages on your bedroom wall
• iPod AT ALL TIMES
• Some Urban Outfitters headphones for those long train journeys to London spent staring out the window reflecting
• An NME subscription (even if they are a little too mainstream for you)
• An old leather hip flask
• Seemingly pointless items from vintage markets scattered around your room
• Leather bound books on display in your house
• Pinterest. So much less juvenile than Tumblr.

And there you have it. The original hipster.

Bises,

Riona

P.S. If you think I'm being serious you are a non-satire understanding imbecile.

The Rise and Rise of Cara Delevingne

Okay I said I'd 'keep up the blogging' in 2013 but due to exams and other boring things it has fallen to the wayside a bit. So I thought I'd bounce back with a post about my main girl, the gorgeous Cara Delevingne, who seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

Two years ago, if you'd have mentioned the name Cara Delevingne to anyone they'd probably have given you a blank look or asked "Is she related to Poppy Delevingne?" They are sisters but that's not the point. Poppy's been modelling since 2008 but is now nowhere near as ubiquitous as the heavily eyebrowed Cara, who in the last two years alone has been the face of Burberry's S/S'12 campaign and Chanel's 2013 Resort campaign, achieved the position coveted by every model as a Victoria's Secret Angel and graced the cover of Vogue and several other magazines. So, how to understand the rise and rise of Cara Delevingne?

In 2009 she signed to Storm Model Management, one of the world's leading model agencies which also represents names as big as Lily Cole and Alexa Chung, whilst still at boarding school. This was also the year she got to the final casting for the role of Alice in Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland film, but after losing to Aussie Mia Wasikowska was asked to be George Bamford's Alice in his Wonderland themed photoshoot (a photographer favoured by publication companies such as Condé Nast).

In 2010 we saw her at various social events, such as the Remember Me premiere looking slightly bewildered with sister Poppy.

She appeared in H&M's 2011 Authentic Collection...

...before Burberry took a liking to her and made her the new face of their Beauty range.

This then led to her being the face of their S/S 2012 campaign getting cosy with none other than Eddie Redmayne (who turns out to be 31 nowadays, if you thought he was 21 like I did)...

After having been described by British Vogue as the "star face" of the autumn/winter 2012-2013 show season (having appeared on the catwalk for brands such as Moschino, Jason Wu, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Victoria's Secret, Stella McCartney and Chanel), she was made the face of Chanel's Resort 2013 Campaign, resembling a Marie Antoinette-esque pixie:

Delevingne was then revealed as the face of DKNY's colourful S/S 2013 campaign, where she can be seen strutting through the streets of New York:

Quite the rise to fame. At the end of 2012 she was also crowned Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards and played a small part in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina where she played Aaron-Johnson's (urgh) love interest...

SO MUCH CARA. Just remember: however hard you work, Cara works harder.

Bises,

Riona

Cayman Lemonade Cocktails

It really doesn't feel like a Friday and I've had no idea what day it is since we broke up from college, but who am I to argue with Happy Hour? If you fancy a sweet cocktail before you go out tonight, or if you're having a quiet night in, here's an easy to make recipe for a Cayman Lemonade Cocktail:

Ingredients: (serves 1)

1 oz. vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec/Cointreau (any orange liqueur)
1 oz. Peach Schnapps
Cranberry juice
Club soda or lemonade

1. Mix vodka, Triple Sec/Cointreau and Peach Schnapps in a shaker.

2. Pour over ice, add a squeeze of lime and a splash each of cranberry juice

With cranberry juice

3. Top up soda (or lemonade for a sweeter taste), then stir and enjoy.

Some people like to coat the rim of the glass in sugar but I think it looks a bit 'holiday kid's club'.

Happy Friday!

Bises,

Riona

Gérard Depardieu in his French New Wave days...

With all this drama about Gérard Depardieu becoming a Russian citizen following his tax row with the French government, I'm sure a lot of people just see a fat, old, sad man who seems to have been around forever. Alas, Mr Depardieu was quite something in his day, especially in François Truffaut's film of the late French New Wave Le Dernier Métro, starring alongside none other than the stunning Catherine Deneuve (for those unaware of French culture, basically the French Audrey Hepburn).

I'm currently studying this film in French (and have been since July... Literally going over every s i n g l e citation, personnage and thème) as part of the exam is an evaluative film essay. Surprisingly, I found myself really enjoying the film and, wanting to watch more New Wave films, bought Truffaut's La Nuit Américaine and Jean-Luc Goddard's Masculin Feminin. If you're into classic film and the evolution of film (the French New Wave took place at the same time as the Classic Hollywood Cinema era but couldn't be more different) give them a watch. I'd start out with Le Dernier Métro if I were you, it's probably the most, er, normal.

Set during the German Occupation of Paris during the Second World War, one of Truffaut's aims in this love story/drama/slight comedy was to show life in France and the theatre during this time.

Someone kindly uploaded the whole film to YouTube with English subtitles and surprisingly good quality, so here you go...

Bises,

Riona

New Year's Eve

I realise I'm very late putting this up but just haven't had the time to do it any sooner, I do apologise. I love New Year's Eve; I love the countdown, the dressing up, the anticipation of a new year, the party poppers, the champagne. I mentioned in another post that my family were throwing a party, mainly revolving around Chinese food and cocktails, and I had some friends round to join in the celebrations. I mainly took photos with my phone, so they're not great, but here you go...

Rhiannon and I (check out her blog)

My outfit for the night, dress and heels both from ASOS

My dad set up a little cocktail bar complete with menus, most of which were recipes I found on Pinterest (check out my Drinks board).

The mint leaves were used up pretty quickly so the mojitos were 'sold out'...

The party didn't end til 5am and finished with the classic sight of the last men standing around the table singing 'Show Me The Way To Go Home'. So all in all a good night! Besides work,  all New Year's Day consisted of was leftover Chinese whilst watching Series 1 of Gossip Girl of bed... January exams? What January exams?

I'm not a 'New Year New Me' person (how much can you change in the split second changeover from one year to another?) but I can't help but feel motivated in January. Something I'm determined to do this year is keep a 'Good Year' jar, where every time something good happens to you, you write it on a scrap of paper and put it in the jar. Then at the end of the year, you tip them all out and remember all the good things that happened to you that year. I know it's very Tumblr, but it's a good idea because we tend to only remember the bad things or the really, really good things like going on holiday etc, forgetting the smaller good things in between. I didn't feel like I achieved a huge amount last year, so hopefully this will help me a bit this year.

Bises,

Riona

2012 Favourites and Not So Favourites

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I just HAD to do a 2012 round-up, of both experiences and general aspects, which is fun 'cause I remember what was great (or not so great) about the year. I definitely intended to do this before we actually reached 2013 but had barely any time to do it yesterday because I was preparing for the evening (which I shall cover later). These are not actually in any order, I'm too indecisive for that.

1) Meeting Méline | So, I've probably mentioned that I study A Level French and will be studying it at uni next year. As part of the French course at my Sixth Form, you can opt to participate in a French Exchange programme where you're paired up with a French student and you spend 4 days living with them and basically shadowing them and then the favour is returned a few months later. It all sounds very 'Taken' but it was one of the best experiences of my life, I was truly lucky to get paired with someone I get on with so well and have so much in common with. Her family were so lovely and have invited me to Paris with them in the summer of 2013! She'll then probably come and stay with me for a week. She will definitely be receiving an invite to my future wedding (whenever that may be). I know I've met a lifelong friend. (criiiinge)

Méline and I at the Tim Walker exhibition at Somerset House in October when she visited me. (the most magical exhibition ever, if not a bit freaky)

Snowing in France! Méline and I and some other exchange students in Lille when I visited her, February.

2) Reading Festival | Just a great weekend of drunkness, my favourite bands, Chinese food for breakfast, free bacon rolls and being a tramp. I've already posted about how mind-blowingly great Kasabian were but other great acts were Florence + the Machine, Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club, Of Monsters And Men, The Black Keys, Kaiser Chiefs, Azealia Banks and loads more. I discovered that not showering or having my bed for 4 days didn't really bother me, the main thing I missed was a decent cup of tea. I've never been able to look at Strongbow the same way since.

3) My cousin's wedding | This doesn't sound like a huge event but it was such a good day! My cousin, her fiance and their two kids live in Australia and haven't been to England in 4 years. Obviously the wedding was only one day but their 3 week stay ensured the festivities carried on a lot longer. The wedding wasn't technically themed but it may as well have been as I've never seen anything more quintessentially English in my life. A traditional church in a small quaint town, bottle upon bottle of Pimm's, a cricket team playing on the field, you name it.

My mum and I at le wedding

4) Radio 1's Hackney Weekend | I was lucky enough to be one of the 50,000 people to get tickets for this incredible £2.50 annual music event. My friends Ellie, Sarah and I spent the WHOLE time at the barrier of the In New Music We Trust stage and saw Bombay Bicycle Club (I'm a big fan), Ben Howard, Sub Focus, Enter Shikari, Magnetic Man, Lana Del Rey and Chase and Status. Despite being a big Lana and Bombay fan, my favourite act was easily Chase And Status, I've never seen a crowd so hyped (or should I say next hyped har har) and their songs are definitely songs made to be sung by a huge crowd. Being as unhealthily obsessed with Lana as I am, the security guard gave me her used coffee cup at the end of her set. Yes, I kept it. Us 3 were also on TV loads as we were at the front and literally couldn't avoid the camera woman shoving it in our faces.

Me, Ellie going caaarrazyyy and Sarah being blocked by someone else. I realise I look like I'm literally having the most boring time (look at that enthusiastic half-raised hand) but I promise I wasn't.

Lana's coffee cup sitting in pride of place on my shelf.

5) Pinterest | Pinterest is THE best photo website since, well, Tumblr. But it's way better because you don't have all of the melodramatic emotions, people boasting about how socially awkward they are and people making photo collages of themselves telling us how they would treat the opposite sex. Another good thing about it, although dangerous, is that the photos are always linked to the source, so if you think "I need that dress", most of the time you can just click and buy. I seriously find Pinterest so addictive; it's a simple way to visually organise your ideas in a place where others can see them. 

6) Cara Delevingne | It has been Cara's YEAR. Those in the know would obviously have had Cara on their radar before 2012, after having featured in Burberry's Spring/Summer 2011 campaign, but now everyone has heard of her, and whilst I'm sure this is absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she dated Harry Styles and became bezzos with Azealia Banks and Rihanna, she seems to have everyone completely infatuated with her (maybe not all the broken hearted 1D fangirls). A big gig she bagged this year was being the face of Chanel's Resort 2013 campaign, after transforming into Marie Antoinette avec Creepers in the Cruisewear show in Versailles - one of the most beautiful shows I've ever seen. More recently, she's been named as the new face of DKNY for their Spring/Summer 2013 campaign. Can I be her yet?

7) Patriotism | DON'T WORRY I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. Usually my patriotism doesn't really go beyond Union Jack bunting (such a kitsch vibe) and I wasn't exactly glued to the Olympics when they were on TV. However, with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics being held in London, there was certainly a patriotic buzz and a small time period that was almost like Christmas, in that we seemed to stop caring about our everyday lives because these huge events had taken over them. Yes, it was a little annoying. And yes, we never really cared about these things before they took over every single media platform. BUT IT BROUGHT US TOGETHER. And my mum did us a great Jubilee buffet. And we had a family gathering in celebration the next day.

Typical cheesy disposable camera photo. My friend Amy and I when we took a very impromptu trip to Brighton  (with Ellie) on one of the hottest days of the year, the day after we'd finished our exams and celebrated in my back garden (by which I mean we sat in my garden drinking and singing until like 3am). Also a great memory from 2012.

8) Skater Skirts | I had to include a trend. I love skater skirts and ever since Topshop and River Island have been producing them in different prints like there's no tomorrow, everyone seems to be wearing them. They're cheap, it's only Jersey, and can be worn in so many different ways. With the right top you can turn it into a dress, with coloured tights you can emulate Gossip Girl preppiness, the possibilities are endless. It's also very flattering when worn with a crop top as it hides any sign of a belly and makes your midriff look super thin.

9) Jake Bugg | This guy. I don't want to go all Zane Lowe and start preaching about how "you've got to respect all the amazing things this guy's done" but Jake Bugg is definitely refreshing to hear on the radio, and his songs 'Two Fingers' and 'Taste It' are literally impossible not to whine along to. Aged only 18, he's already supported Noel Gallagher and The Stone Roses, soundtracked a beer advert, appeared on Later... With Jools Holland and released his stunning debut album. If you still haven't heard of him, check him out because 2013 beckons stardom.

10) Motivation | If you'd have asked me at the beginning of 2012 what I wanted to do after finishing Sixth Form, I'd probably have mumbled something about going to university. Whilst I've always known that I want to go to university, I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to study, had NO idea which universities to look at and wasn't sure of a future career path either. The whole uni application process (viewing universities all the way from Edinburgh to Exeter, pinpointing my degree subject, writing a personal statement about why I want to study it and what I want to do in the future) made a lot sink in and feel more 'real' as I realised this was The Important Time Of My Life. The time where you have to work hard to get to the place you want to be later on down the line. I realised in 2012 that my interests are and have always been around language; I love reading and writing. Combining this with my love of French (that must be a personal statement-ready phrase), it seemed obvious to study French and English Literature, and the future career path that's most appealing to me is journalism. I worked hard in my first college year and achieved good grades but this needs to step up in 2013 as I'm realising more and more every day what kind of lifestyle I want when I'm older, and how much that lifestyle is gonna cost...

And now some things I didn't love so much...

Leave It In 2012...

1) 'YOLO' imprinted clothing

How is this actually a thing? Who allowed this? Who condoned it? I think 'YOLO' in general should just be left behind.

2) X Factor

Seriously, how is this show still running? It hasn't been good since Sharon Osborne left and everyone hates Louis Walsh and the same stereotyped acts that we see every. Single. Year.

3) #ONEDIRECTIONFAMILY

I see this trending on Twitter more than anything else. I just don't understand the worldwide obsession with One Direction. There hasn't been hysteria like this since The Beatles. A lot of people hate me when I say this, but here's my beef with One Direction: 

1) Their songs, which they don't write, are sooooooo obviously aimed at naive 12 year old girls who think there may be some slight chance of marrying them. 

2) They're incredibly overrated in the looks category.

3) They really are not this squeaky clean image they try to represent.

4) Their song "LET'S GO CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY" sounds like it was written for a 7 year old's McDonalds party. And has noone picked up on the lyrics "tonight let's get some" what?

5) They never make the effort to go and talk to their fans (apparently).

What's made your 2012?

Bises,

Riona