Making Music

I had three gigs last week – pheeeeew! Wednesday night the Big Girls Blues Band were in Dover St., Friday night in Jazz After Dark in Soho and on Saturday we were in the Old Explorer in Oxford Circus.

Here is the outfit I preferred from the three nights…

I love this shirt. I’ve been looking for a sophisticated black shirt for a while and this one is really smart but still sexy because it is sheer. The collars, sleeves and panel down the front are leather look. It’s from New Look.

The necklace is from Topshop and the bag is vintage.

The burgundy shorts are from Awear and came with the belt and the shoes are New Look.

As much as I loved these tights in a previous post – they ripped during the gig 😦 so I had to pull of a Taylor Momsen ‘holes in tights are normal’ look. Big fail. If anyone knows where you can get good quality sheer tights, do leave a comment please 🙂

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On the subject of music…I just want to share some songs with you that I’m repeating on my iPod. I tend to download a lot of music by female singers so going with that theme, here are a few good choices…

Janelle Monáe – ‘Locked Inside’ from The ArchAndroid.  This album is really good and sounds like nothing else I’ve heard in recent years. The album is based around Janelle’s alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather who is an android living in the world, Metropolis. The songs are like a soundtrack to Cindi’s life in Metropolis and is almost theatrical in places as songs are based around the struggles of the androids. Sounds strange but it makes the album really interesting.

Joni Mitchell – ‘Urge for Going’ from Joni Mitchell Hits. This song is so peaceful and relaxing but also a little sad… who makes music like this these days?

Live performance video

Jessie J – ‘Big White Room’ from Who You Are. Jessie’s voice is so amazing and clear. This song is very powerful and you really have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to it, it’s quite emotional.

Feist – ‘My Moon My Man’ from The Reminder. Did you know it is Feist who wrote ‘Limit to Your Love’ released by James Blake this year? Easy listening…

If you’ve been listening to any good music lately – do post a comment and let me know.

That’s all!

Sarah xx

Back to Black

Hi folks,

Didn’t get to write this post yesterday as it was a super hectic day – I uploaded the pics through a WordPress app while at a gig!

It’s only recently as I’m getting older that I’m starting to appreciate the colour black. Before, I thought it was pretty boring but now I really think it’s essential to have several classic black pieces in your wardrobe. Last night, I had about 30 mins to get ready for a gig (hence why I eliminated my make-up free face from the photo!) and was standing in front of my wardrobe panicking thinking What am I going to wear?!! as the clock was ticking – however throwing on this black dress with a smart blazer worked instantly without too much thought – everyone needs outfits like these!

I am also a big fan of sheer tights – I think they work well in that transitional summer/autumn period when opaque tights might look too heavy. I think these are a stylish option, yet still sexy. These are 20 denier and are from Next.

I’m currently singing with The Big Girls Blues Band in London (http://www.thebiggirlsbluesband.co.uk/) and as there are three singers at any gig we usually stick to black in order to coordinate easily so I’ve been trying to integrate more of this colour into my wardrobe. When I used to sing in other bands where I was the only singer or only female presence(!), I really enjoyed dressing up and hardly ever wore black but I must say I think black looks professional and hardly ever fails.

There are lots of things to take into account when you are dressing for a gig – number one – SHOES and answering the question -can you stand comfortably for two hours PLUS in them?! These ankle boots I’m wearing are perfect – they were £15 in H&M and are mid height in heel. Next, you have to consider the comfortability of what you’re wearing  like is your skirt too short to dance in? Do you feel confident? Is the material you’re wearing too heavy? It’s all fine looking at yourself in the mirror and giving an outfit the ‘all clear’ but it feels alot different in a crowded venue, dancing your socks off and having sweat marks = FAIL! This dress I’m wearing from Zara is really comfy, not too short, not too tight and it has a mesh overlay with little rose patterns.

I think a great idea for a clothing collection would be one based on famous female singers and their on stage looks – like Annie Lennox, Debbie Harry, Stevie Nicks etc. I’d like to get a bit more ‘rock chick’ with my look but I’m not too sure it would suit my personality – I’ll have to start hanging out more in Camden and Shoreditch for a bit of inspiration(!) I’d also like to add some vintage pieces as well to my wardrobe – there are some great vintage stores in Brick Lane and Angel. I’ll keep you posted with any finds I have!

I’ve included a single picture of this blazer I recently got from Zara – I’m really in love with it! I wanted a well structured blazer in a quality material that looked expensive. I think this is great value at €49.95 – it’s super warm, probably even a bit too warm for this time of the year but I know I’ll get so much wear out of it when it gets colder.

Well – these are my ramblings for today! Thanks for reading – if you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at saz_goodwin@hotmail.com or leave a comment below!

Have a great day xx

P.S (I’m writing this on Sunday so you may have to wait until tomorrow for another post as I am currently in my PJ’s and they are nothing exciting to be looking at!)