DRESS FOR LESS

I have a new addiction...
EBAY - well, not new, I have had this addiction for a while. It started with Vinyl - I bought a collection of 200+ from The Pixies to Nat King Cole's Christmas Hits - even The Muppets Picture Disc!! Then I got into DVDs... I was very much a gadget girl too and all of which I could find cheaply on EBAY - even my microphones that I used to record my 'bedroom demos' arrived in the mail with a paypal invoice!

Then... one day I needed a smart pair of high heels for a party - I was about 18 and all my 'heels' were disgusting lime green wedges or clumpy Doc Martens - I was a bit grungy, to say the least! So I looked on the internet and discovered a whole new world on there...

Clothes shopping on EBAY!
It started my longest love affair...

Recently I have have an influx of post and its all because of a discovery of an EBAY shop - Dress 4 Less where every item of clothing is £5 each and guess what?... there is some REALLY nice stuff there- I am trying hard not to check everyday for new items.
My best 2 buys from them are these... so far:

£5 each!!!

OK so they were cheap but I have had some amazing luck with FREE CLOTHES recently - which is even better for my (very angry) band manager right now.

YES, more FREECYCLE beauties!! I picked up 3 black bags of clothes last week and there are some real gems in there. The others that I'm not so into/don't fit/suit me aren't going to waste though... I have a new project : GABBY YOUNG MAKES THINGS (working title- *please let me know if you have any ideas for this*)
I have finally started using my sewing machine (another amazing freebie!) to customise lots of great items to be my new merch range... I'm not going to say too much yet but they will be for sale online and at all my gigs- oh and EVERY piece will be a complete one off!

Which ties me in nicely with my exciting news for the week... (seems like a good time for a drumroll!! ;o)
I can finally tell you about something my manager and I have been brewing up - a VINTAGE CLOTHES SHOP TOUR!!

Well we have a album and single coming out and I love to tour, and I'm not such a big fan of a lot of smelly music venues across the country so it makes sense to take this show on the road to my favourite places across the country- shops!

Some of these will be solo, some of them will be with the band but ALL of them will have clothes, lots of clothes, amazing hair and makeup (the lovely Jen is joining me for the whole thing!!) And all of them will be different - I will be asking suggestions for set lists and outfits nearer the time.

I really want lots of people to be involved with this and if you are someone that is reading this thinking - 'I live in Newcastle and would love Gabby to wear to knitted hat and mittens for her gig there' then write to me - gabby@gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com ...although mittens may make guitar playing pretty tricky... but you get the idea!!

So here is the GIG LIST:

SATURDAY 10TH OCTOBER - VINTAGE FAIR @ MANCHESTER MET UNIVERSITY
THURSDAY 22ND OCTOBER - *ALBUM LAUNCH* @ BUSH HALL
OK, so it not exactly a shop but I have ways and means... so we have having stalls of fashion, art and crafts (this deserves a blog in itself so watch this space!)
FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER - FLASHBACK BOUTIQUE, LIVERPOOL
SATURDAY 31ST OCTOBER - STYLE AND THE CITY, PORTSMOUTH
FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER - BLUE RINSE, LEEDS (TBC)
SATURDAY 21ST NOVEMBER - BLUE RINSE, MANCHESTER (TBC)
SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER, BETWEEN THE BUTTONS, NEWCASTLE
SATURDAY 5TH DECEMBER - MOTEL, BRISTOL
SUNDAY 13TH DECEMBER - BANG BANG VINTAGE, SHEFFIELD

STILL TO COME - BIRMINGHAM, EDINBURGH AND CARDIFF
***If you have any ideas for this tour - ie, other shops that might be happy to have us or designers that may want to lend us a piece or 2 etc etc etc.. you know who to call... GABUSTERS!! aka: gabby@gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com

Now to end with some slightly shaky pictures from our last gig- a very special night @ Monkey Chews. Hair and Make- up by the ever lovely Jen Nash and dress by DRESS 4 LESS (on Ebay!)

(I did say they were shaky!)

Love and customised denim roses
xoxooxo gabalos xoxooxox

I'VE BEEN RANKED!!

So I was going to blog a few hours ago... I was sat down with a cup of Peppermint tea and a re-run of America's Next Top Model and ready to blahblahblah online BUT THEN . . ...... (=dun dun duuuuhn)
I got an email... a FREECYCLE email saying

OFFER: Various vintage clothing items

so naturally I typed quicker than Bolt running and replied that I would love to take these off her asap. In a few minutes I had the reply I prayed for:

"Hi Gabby,

Would love to see the clothes go to a good home - when can you come?"

WOOOOOOOOOH!!

So I decided to go and pick up the bag of FREE VINTAGE CLOTHES before blogging!
They are beautiful!
Looky here:



I feel soooo lucky- I'm doing well with my new wardrobe - FOR FREE!!
YEY!

OK so this might be 'GABBY HAS GOOD NEWS' blog as the next bit was yet again another exciting email that made me literally jump up and scream - " WOWEEE" and " $^*%" and other things (CENSORED)
As last week I got invited to have a photo shoot with none other than RAAAAANKIIIIIN (Rankin) as part of RankinLive - I was over the moon, and the stars, and the sun and the universe to be involved!

Before I teared apart my wardrobe I decided to Facebook and twitter "what should I wear to the Rankin shoot?" and my guardian angels and allround lovely girls from Vintage Secret replied saying they want to help and style me for the shoot so I met up with Naomi outside the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane with a huge bag of beautiful garments and we went inside to meet the Rankin crew.

I was a little nervous (do you blame me?!) and practically shaking when I was asked- how I wanted to look by the hair and makeup artists- I just mumbled something like "I normally go for edgy and eccentric but I'd love to see what you would like to do with me" then I heard the words "big, messy hair, wind machine and black eyeliner" and I knew I was in great hands!!

After a FREE FRINGE TRIM (bonus!!) and my hair backcombed and my lids swept with pitch black M.A.C fluidline (which I bought for myself hours later) it was time to change into my outfit.

I am no good at decisions and I feel bad for Naomi as she brought along so much to try on but I realised pretty quickly after getting there that I was only allowed one outfit for the shoot and no time to choose or even look at the others, so I went with the tiniest dress in the collection- silly Gabby!!

I don't even think I should tell anyone this but it was hilarious so I will.
The next 10 minutes was spent with me face down on the bathroom floor with both my boyfriend and Naomi on top of me trying to zip me into the dress!! haha- a poor unexpecting lady walked in and looked quite shocked by these odd goings on- who knows how THAT looked!!!
I GOT IN (just)! I was just no longer able to breathe!!
Then I was whisked off for the actual shoot- aghhh
The rest is pretty much a blur- there was Rankin and his crew and bright lights and a lot of Rankin saying "chin down, smile with your eyes, CHIN DOWN, good, CHIIIN DOWN!!" There were lots of people about watching the shoot and all the photos came up on screen straight after each shot- I was spurred on by gasps and oohs and ahhs and suddenly was in my element! All those ANTM watching sessions were paying off and I think I'm at liberty to say that I was FIERCE! It was awesome.
I was extra lucky to be able to have a second shoot with my man, the lovely Stephen (from REVERE) and was even more relaxed... enough to bite his tongue on camera!! (I knew Rankin would want to sex it up so I was expecting that one!)
So needless to say I LOVE the pictures- we were allowed to choose 1 pic from each shoot (bloomin hard choice) and got to have a wander round the exhibition muttering "I can't believe he just photographed US!!" whilst oogling his portraits of so many luminaries including Bowie, Bjork, Tori Amos and Radiohead!!!

Rankin was a lovely guy also- we were lucky enough to have a chat with him and I handed out CDs to him and the crew (it would have been foolish to pass up that opportunity...)

I can't show you the pictures just yet but here is one of Rankin himself, Stephen and I:


Anyway... it was a special week and this one is shaping up to be the same especially as yesterday the doorbell rang, I answered and the man on the other side of the door said: "Are you Gabby Young? I have a delivery of 1000 CDS for you."
YES! MY ALBUM HAS ARRIVED! IT IS HAPPILY SITTING IN MY HALLWAY READY TO GO OFF TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE...
If you want it before the release date (2nd November) please become an animal...

So what am I wearing right now?!
A HUGE SMILE!
and that's the best thing I can suggest everyone to wear as much as possible!!!!

ooodles of love and life's little excitements!
xoxoxoox gabalot xxoxoxooxox

SO MUCH SHOUTING, SO MUCH LAUGHTER...

Woh... festivals seriously take it out of me. I am lying here surrounded by olbas oil tissues, throat sweets and a half full/empty cup of lemsip feeling a bit sorry for myself.
The good news is: it isn't swine flu (though I was worried for a bit there...)
The bad news is: this happens to me everytime I have a bit of time off -I get ill :o(
I am NOT happy bunny!!

What I WAS meant to be doing today was the big wardrobe clearout... the plan is to only keep what I would be happy doing a gig in and give the rest away (to charity and friends) but that will have to wait... and believe me I will be blogging about it...

So I don't want to bore you with my ailments lets focus on the good, the bad and THE FASHION...
I have so much to tell you about, but for now I will recount the recent
FESTIVALS and VIDEO SHOOT

This summer has been MENTAL... I have performed at a different festival every weekend so far including LATITUDE where I wore this:


...mainly to fit in with the locals!!
( NB, This picture was taken before my hair and makeup was done... stars around the eye with silver glitter and butterflies in my hair)

Then we did the video shoot where I got to wear 4 different outfits/ looks - from clown to 70s fairy goddess! The amazing Jennifer Nash did my hair and makeup -she is THE loveliest girl and does wonders!
I will only show you a sneak preview as I want the video to be a surprise!!!

(Thats me & Jen - the 'crime fighting' duo!)

Next was SECRET GARDEN PARTY... We had an amazing time there and I got to wear my FAVOURITE bright stripey boating jacket that I think fitted in very well...
(I was always laughed at for liking this jacket and have had it for years but finally it found it's place! YEY!)
Sadly I don't have a picture of said jacket but I do have one I found on the net of our gig on Sunday night in the Living Room tent complete with a gorgeous pillbox hat I bought that day at the festival ...


This gig ended with a few of our musicians friends joining us onstage with percussion and mayhem conceded! It was great... even if we did have to politely ask the drunk guy who tried to sing the song with me to leave the stage and my mic alone!!

We also played a full band plus Jamie Doe (from Magic Lantern) in the tiniest tent in the festival (apart from Yusufs '2 man tent' cheapy from Tesco- hahahah!) for HUNGAMUNGA, our favourite promoters and arty folk) ... I say TENT , we actually all ended up amongst the crowd gathering outside...


Other highlights included: Seeing Yusuf WIN the dance-off!
(NB, thats our new Trombone player!)
Fiona Bevan (made me weep like a baby)
Magic Lantern
Mark Hole
Rodriguez Y Gabriela

I LOVE SECRET GARDEN PARTY!

Next up was STANDON CALLING where we played on the MAIN STAGE!!
I turned up with my manager at 10am on Sunday (I was too busy with the album artwork to stay this time)
I have never felt so pampered... I was escorted to our OWN backstage cabin where the lovely Jen was waiting to do my hair and makeup...


Then she added some details to every band member and lent me a BEAUTIFUL hat...
It was a great gig and with that huge stage and dry ice smoke- I felt like I got a glimpse of what the future could be like for us (fingers crossed eh?!)

(pic by SAUL ANTHONY)

So that pretty much wraps things up for now...
I think the lemsip is working so I might manage the clear-out afterall... I will also be searching for the best possible outfit for some gypsy madness for our gig at THE LEXINGTON on Saturday night... it's going to be epic!

Oh there was one other thing... I wanted your help...
I have lost my favourite hair accessory - my big beautiful butterfly, that I got in Seattle :(
I don't expect anyone to go 'I FOUND IT' but I thought if I posted a picture than someone might know where I can get one... or, even better, might be able to make me another??!! Its made out of tights and wire but I'm no good with that crafty stuff... I'm all about ideas!

This is the best pic I can find of it (the large one on the top):


Love and lemsip
xoxoxoox gabsniff xoxoxooxox

PS, Next blog won't be all pictures of me me me ... I promise!