I’ve been waiting patiently (very patiently) to release these videos.  You know, if you’re going to do a product video, do it the rightest. Get the most excellent talent there is and simmer until some wondrous thing appears.

MAYSAA snood from MAYSAA on Vimeo.

And so to the talent

Shot and Edited by // Ahmad Faris of Ikanpaos Kolektif

Photographer // Bibo Aswan
MUA // Daya Yunus
Model // Shareeta

Wardrobe // Maysaa – get yours here (amazing demand means we’re currently sold out of black, but it’s coming back… just so I can say ‘back in black’)

MUSIC

Well I’m not going to let this one pass you by.  The incredible Snowmine have such a textural sound, wonderful melodies and lyrics (that make their way into dreams I’ve had).  You can experience the whole album online, but why stop there when the genius of bandcamp ‘name your price’ allows you to download the full album and other tracks for however much you care to spend.  Start by downloading this free track NERVOUS (I’ll wait while you go do that).

They were kind enough to collaborate with us on this little video, and after much agonising deliberation I chose ‘The Hill’ off of their album LAMINATE PET ANIMAL.  For those of you who know how indecisive I am you can imagine this was no small achievement.

I also spent the rest of the day in a reverent daze watching their Shaking Through episodes.  If you’re a fan of music, actual any music, I guarantee you’ll find this fascinating.  Weathervane Music do some incredible things. Watch other episodes HERE (I’m already smugly on their mailing list ‘yes, please send me brilliance’)

And if like me you still can’t get enough of Snowmine then follow them on TWITTER and like them on FACEBOOK (you’d be in good company)

p.s. I’m pretty much decided, I’m going to move to Brooklyn.  I have, over the past few months, accrued some addiction to Brooklyn based music and am through fighting it.  Goodbye rest of the world, I will miss you muchly.

I was sure I’d posted this, even now I’m almost certain I did, and yet for all my searching I couldn’t find it anywhere.  Seems strange that all this happened nearly a year ago.  Anyhow, these were taken behind the scenes shooting for Safiyya, where- being short of another model- I was persuaded to stand alongside a stunning and tall (in comparison to me at least) professional model and pretend to know what I was doing.  I was watching it air from behind a pillow, whilst being somewhat berated for my fake plastic smile.  But at least the clothes looked stunning.

WARDROBE//

From top: Maysaa kimono wrap maxi dress £45, Maysaa Jersey insert satin hoodie £35, Maysaa jersey polo neck maxi dress £35,  Maysaa chiffon scarf snood £19, Maysaa basics long sleeved polo neck £15, Maysaa pleat front wide leg trousers £39, Maysaa basics long sleeved crew neck £12, Maysaa polka dot trousers (coming soon)

Accessories from Poya Boutique

‘The Selby’- words that fall off the tip of my tongue whenever I hear “do you know any good websites for..?”  even if it’s unrelated, or not my conversation, I have been known to interject and break vows of shy silence just to share my most favourite site.  I have felt utterly spoiled recently by two stunning little films, this one for Zara and the other you can find on my tumblr. How beautifully life and fashion exist within one another.

The picture stories of people in places are captivating, and anyone who likes interior design, or likes living in a building will do well to drop by.  I have a desktop folder almost exclusively filled with images from here.  And if not for The Selby I would never have seen this…

For more of this wonderful photo set go here now.

There is also an Edible Selby (delicious things and wonderful characters beautifully photographed) and The Selby on twitter which I avidly follow for post updates.

(image credit: The Selby)

Mid way through a box of samples, please excuse the mess I caused.  I am but a style hungry mess machine when faced with a new arrival of samples.

The all out Americana, leather-booted, sportswear influence has mellowed in to this beautifully subtle display.  There are still the raglan sleeves and the odd built up shoulder, but in fabrics that would flounce away in a flurry of petticoats at the first sign of a muddy ball headed their way.  And all of this can be summed up in shoe form, or rather boot-form…

(Glancing over the pictures) “My, those black leather boots look sturdy and practical” I can almost hear my mother approving.  So naturally, I check in at Liberty to meet them, skin to skin.  Now I’m not afraid of a little height (I’ve been known to trek around London 5 inches from the ground.) But these, these boots are insanity itself, tempting you with the lure of comfort and functionality, before asking your ankles to sign an insurance policy..  ”Yeah… but I’d still give ‘em a go.”

So you see it is a collection that is impractically perfect around the edges, and perhaps actually practical at its core (note the beautiful trousers).  It is probably best that this remains firmly out of my price range else as I still value my feet, and my friends might not appreciate being impaled on my sleeve.  Because, in spite of that, I still want it all.

p.s. I think I love Tao Okamoto just a little bit.

p.p.s. I think the many contradictions in my observations are inspired by the collection itself, at least, that’s my excuse.

Tarik Tee// Maysaa Chiffon Scarf Snood £19 (RM 95)  // The rest vintage

I’ve been planning this Tarik Jeans shoot for a while now (see much much earlier post), and what is a girl to do with a wonderful a haul as this?  Grab anything faaaancy off of wardrobe rails add (as ever) a bit of vintage, then get to putting it all together.  I’m very much loving this unlikely combination.  The hard softness, the ‘it-should’ t-work-but-it-does-ness’, has taken me quite out of my zone, and all of a sudden I’m 15 in Brixton watching boys be b-boys.

Tarik Varsity Jacket x Oh Chetaku// Denim shirt ASOS.com mens

All thanks to Tarik Jeans for this, it’s muchly appreciated, so much so, I have kept a tee that I’m wearing as I type… I am of course just testing the quality which, I might add, is aces.

Tarik Tee// Maysaa Kimono Wrap Maxi Dress on sale £35 (RM 225) // The rest self made

I have got a few more shots to come soon- something like the stylistic embodiment of Ronnie Ruen meets Gene Kelly.

Meet Shida Davis… Randomly stalked her off of my new Facebook page. Aside from being stunning, this photo is just love.

Credit// Shida Davis

So I got to thinking, how to make this Fashion Bazaar a little different?  Well, my first thought was to dress up like Cinderella and hand out glass slippers (of course it was, why wouldn’t it be).  But then it struck me… maybe I could provide a hand printing, t-shirt service.  I’m thinking MAYSAA and Monograms.  Anyhow, I’ll get to working on that if you think it’s a good idea.  I probably shouldn’t have mentioned the glass slippers huh?  That may have sounded like more fun.

When is a shirt not a shirt?  When you wrap it round your head as per the previous post.  But out of my McQueen fantasy and back in the mostly real world in which I reside, this shirt is one of my most worn pieces out of the new collection.  It’s strange actually, because it really is a statement piece, but there are options to make it more versatile.  Because it’s a shirt, it comes with all the shirt perks, i.e. Buttoned, unbuttoned, belted, loose, tied, open, tucked in.  And because it’s a shirt (part 2) it also means you can wear it with a variety of bottom halves from jeans to full length evening skirts.  Needless to say, I’m sure you’ll see this shirt again, perhaps in another incarnation.

I spent a lot of time working on the details for this shirt, I wanted the silhouette to be fluid and have movement, but to give the piece focus with textural details in the covered buttons, plaited sleeve cuff, and ruched shoulder seam.

Just wanna have fu-un.

And so on to part 2 of the video extravaganza! It’s for all of you lovely people who I wish I could have invited, and for those girls who came and made the day so wonderfully special. And on the relevant (if a little delayed) topic of strong and inspirational women, meet my guests…

Credits:
Shot by Ahmad Faris of IkanPaos Collective
Edited by me

MUSIC
Eliza Doolittle/ Moneybox
Alphabeat/ Fascination

P.S. I hope everyone had a wonderful Women’s Day, and to all you nay sayers and skeptics I do think it has its place.  It makes it a topic, for a day, something to fill the pages of newspapers and my twitter feed.  And for all the lighthearted sweet tweets about how lovely girls are, there are actually some important and relevant messages.