FAIRISLE

The other day I was thinking that the one thing I'd miss about winter is being able to wear the chunkiest and coziest jumpers. Resembling a (cute) human blob or pairing them with tighter bottoms and doing that nonchalant front tuck that doesn't necessarily achieve anything except looking more "fashurn baybayy... oh but I didn't really try". Out of all the wonderful jumper varieties, not many can beat a vintage fairisle number like this one, which also boasts an autumnal colour combination that I'd gladly wear all year round. I decided to pull out the berry tone with these matching kick flares that were in the Topshop sale for £10.
This will be a short (but hopefully sweet) outfit post as I'm feeling a little burnt out after BAFTAs and stupidly forgot to prepare blog posts to schedule. I was about to beat myself up for not writing a think piece but try as I might, my brain just won't churn out anything worthwhile at the time being. Instead it just keeps running over things that I need to pack (I'm off to Dublin tomorrow) and feeling dread at the impending snow as the last time I slipped and dislocated my knee, it seems to have left me with some subconscious trauma. Anyway, do you mind this kind of "old school Andini" outfit post if it means I can keep posting regularly or would you prefer a more fleshed out topic of writing accompanying photos which in turn might come out at longer intervals if I happen to be busier (ahh the downsides of not being a full-time blogger)? Let me knowwww.
Vintage jumper / Topshop trousers / River Island beret / Converse trainers

YOUTUBE | BAFTAs 2018 (VLOG)

The BAFTAs are always so hectic but a lot of you know how much I've wanted to meet Sally Hawkins and Guillermo Del Toro. This is a vlog of the special night it finally happened and the moments leading up to it. How many of your favourite actors can you spot?

VICTORIANA VELVET

What's black and white and red all over? 
Well that would be me. I can't tell you how much I've missed simply rocking a classic red lip... it's one of those things I took for granted until I had pink hair. Now the faux silver locks are relatively new but my go-to formula of a black and white outfit to make a red lip pop has definitely been tried and true. You'll often hear someone point out that they'd love to inject more colour into their wardrobe instead of wearing black all the time, but I've always been the exact opposite. As the owner of approximately ten rainbow striped jumpers in my closet at the moment, I seem to find putting together a monochromatic outfit to be a lot more out of my comfort zone, but you can't deny there's just something about a black and white ensemble that exudes chic, classy, and sophisticated vibes. Cue this prim and elegant, no-fuss dress from & Other Stories that kinda makes me feel like an 18th century poet, and takes me back to the days when all I ever wore were vintage dresses, constantly had my hair up in milkmaid braids and frolicked around London totally overdressed. Well I've also always firmly believed that there's no such thing as the term "overdressed" even if I used to lament that I could never do "casual"... just wear what you want like I've always done and though my style has branched out to include a lot more denim (I never thought I'd see the day), it feels really nice to scrub up a little more. You really don't need a special occasion to dress up!
& Other Stories dress / ASOS tights / ACNE boots / Gucci bag / Regal Rose rings 

EMBRACING VALENTINE'S DAY AS A SINGLE GAL

I'd never been a fan of Valentine's Day. I don't even think it had much to do with the fact that I'm a single pringle (I have lots of friends in the same boat so I never really feel too left out, it's Galentine's), I was just convinced that I didn't have a romantic bone in my body. I wasn't particularly fond of the colours pink or red, the love heart shape, or the fact that the whole day sometimes just felt like an excuse to shower attention on your other half because in my opinion, that should be the case every damn day. Basically everything just felt sickeningly sweet, and coming from someone who used to die of boredom watching romance films... discounted chocolates the next day were pretty much all I got out of it.

The other day my friend was expressing her distaste for Valentine's Day when I suddenly realised something... I didn't feel the same way as her. I no longer disliked this annual celebration of love. Fundamentally, that's what Valentine's Day is right? In fact, I've been enjoying how pretty London has transformed with all the floral decorations and the sweet atmosphere in the air. Then, I'm pretty much obsessed with a pink and red colour combo nowadays, and a couple of days ago I jumped on the consumerist bandwagon and bought the most ridiculous, downright un-walkable, heart-shaped slippers simply because I thought they were too cute to pass up. Last but not least, let's address the elephant in the room: my favourite film at the moment, that one I can't shut up about... The Shape Of Water... would be considered a romance wouldn't it? What? So what had happened to me? What was it that had changed in me?

I've figured that it's a combination of the fact that I've matured from the rather pretentious hipster girl that used to rebel against anything and everything remotely cliché or cheesy, and the fact that I have been making a conscious effort (and still alway a continuing journey) to never actively dislike things if there isn't a good enough reason behind it. I've mentioned previously that I want to develop more empathy, tolerance, and consideration. Well this is why I never want to turn into a V-Day Grinch. This change happened almost subconsciously too, which pleases me. This year I want to celebrate Galentine's Day with my single friends and also embrace the love of my mates who are in relationships too. 

More importantly and in these times especially, it's absolutely wonderful and so welcome to be celebrating and promoting love, whether it be romantic, platonic, unconditional, or self love!

H&M jumper (old but similar) / & Other Stories skirt / M&S belt / Office boots / Regal Rose rings

I couldn't do a Valentine's post without checking out the new decorations at Peggy Porschens. This is actually the first time I've visited this blogger favourite destination, and after freezing outside awhile sans coat to get these shots (worth the purple hands I tell ya), we were more than stoked to dip inside for a slice of cake and coffee. The pastel interior and crockery perfectly match the famous exterior and after letting our treats sit untouched for way too long to take even more photos, I can vouch that everything tastes as good as it looks! The sponge was so soft and moist which is always the most important aspect of a cake for me. 

It's not only Valentine's Day tomorrow, it's officially The Shape Of Water release day in the UK! If your Valentine's plans don't include seeing this film (if you haven't already) I urge you to go squeeze it in, it would be the perfect watch. I'll be seeing it again tomorrow too! A little gutted as Guillermo Del Toro was meant to be at my screening for a Q&A but cancelled last minute. Alas these things happen and I'm more than happy just to be seeing this beautiful film again. Hope you all have a wonderful day filled with love tomorrow. I'm low-key still waiting for an Amazonian river god to sweep me off my feet but maybe next year huh?

YOUTUBE | BLOG PHOTOS + BEN WHISHAW (VLOG)

Visiting the prettiest cafe in London, shooting blog photos, and going to the theatre to see Julius Caesar!

THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE

Whenever someone asks me the question, "What is the one thing you cannot live without?" my answer will always be music. I was raised by a mother who adores music and constantly listened to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. In a sense I was even born straight into it as she told me when she was pregnant with me, I used to "dance" around in her belly whenever I heard the Batman theme tune being played loudly. Music is no doubt the biggest part of my life. Every single day I wake up to an upbeat track as my alarm and fall asleep to a soothing soundtrack. The hours between are spent with me blasting it at home or through my earphones on the commute to work. The moments when I'm not listening to music, I'll be playing the piano and transposing my favourite song of the moment. A talent I also picked up from my mum as she's very gifted in that sense and can pick up notes and play them by ear even faster than I'm able to. As someone so obsessed with music it occurred to me that I don't talk about it on my blog nearly often enough, so when I saw this tag on What Olivia Did (originally by Novella Afterglow), I immediately knew I wanted to do it even though it has taken me this long to get around to it, oops. Here goes...

The First Album: Spiceworld - Spice Girls Gosh I can barely remember anything from this time but I'm certain this was the first album I ever bought and I think I even owned the DVD version. My primary school friends and I used to dress up as the Spice Girls (I was always Ginger Spice because I wanted to wear the Union Jack dress, seems I've been an anglophile from an early age) and put on pretend concerts in the back yard. 
The Long-term Relationship Album: The Alternative - IAMX It's no secret that my favourite artist is IAMX and this would have to be my favourite album of his and the one that I'm sure will remain, from the first time I listened to it in 2008 until the end of my days. 

Song That Makes Me Happy: Spit It Out - IAMX Surprise surprise. This is probably my all-time favourite song so listening to it instantly boosts my mood. I remember all the good times I've had with this song playing in the background plus the surreal moments I've been able to experience Chris and his band perform this live in front of me.
Song That Makes Me Want To Dance: Strangers - Sigrid Recently I've been incapable of cleaning or completing any chore really because every single time I put music on and this song pops up I immediately start dancing around the house like a lunatic.

First Gig: Bonez Tour - Avril Lavigne Again my memory is hazy but this must have been the first proper concert I went to in 2005 when she played the Challenge Stadium in Perth. I had seats towards the back and I could barely see her but I remember it being full of energy and I had a lot of fun. I absolutely idolised Avril as a teen, she's probably the one responsible for my scene kid days.
Song I Wish I'd Written: Unstoppable - Sia This is my ultimate power anthem. The lyrics have a quiet strength and a tinge of vulnerability behind them which really resonates with me and I wrote songs I'd be proud to showcase something like this and inspire others to be unstoppable too.

Song That Reminds Me Of Being A Teen: Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand My best friend and I loved listening to Franz Ferdinand during our high school years and their first album accompanied us on many of our holidays whether it be sitting by the river with a portable stereo or road trips and jamming along in the car. Take Me Out particularly comes to mind out of the whole album because it was the most popular single and would also come on in public places like shops and cafes, much to my friend's and my excitement.
Sweatiest Gig: Placebo at Soundwave Festival 2010 Soundwave was our annual punk and rock festival when I lived in Australia and that year the Perth date happened to land on the hottest day of summer. Placebo also had a midday slot. Goodness gracious, I still remember the sting of the sun, the stickiness of my skin (eewww) and the parched feeling in my throat. It was worth it though and I immediately took cover after their set finished.

Best Gig: IAMX I've been to four of his shows (five in March eeeeeep) but I'd have to go with one from the Everything Is Burning tour in 2016. I went to both the Lille and London dates but I'm going to say the best one was Lille because that was the first date I went to and I was really surprised he sang Insomnia, which is my favourite song off Metanoia but one that I thought would be way too personal to ever perform live for us. It was such a wondrous moment to behold and I was in tears. 
Song That Remind Me Of Home: Time - Hans Zimmer I've moved around so much that I don't associate any particular place as "home" but this is my favourite track from my favourite film and watching Inception to me feels like returning home wherever I may be.

Least Favourite Song: You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift I'm not a fan of anything Taylor has ever come out with period but this song in particular was so overplayed after it was released and the country twang of the chorus annoys me to no end.
Ultimate Desert Island Disc: The Shape of Water OST - Alexander Desplat I'd probably have brought my favourite album of all time because a) I'd never get bored of it and b) it'd be the last thing I heard before I perished (morbid I know) but I didn't want to make this boring and mention another IAMX offering so I'm gonna go with a soundtrack. A well loved one at the moment (and I'm sure will be forever) and also because Desplat's score is quite soothing, romantic, and relaxing. It can lull me to sleep and compliment the sound of the waves.
Missguided borg jacket / Topshop trousers / River Island beret / Dr Martens boots