Friday 30 July 2010

Good bird, bad bird: Today I saw Naomi....and then a bird pooed on me!

Just another day in the glamorous life of a fashion blogger; today I spotted none other than fash-wan ICON Naomi Campbell (and her beefy body guard) going about her business in Knightsbridge...and then 5 minutes later a pigeon pooed on the table where I was enjoying a spot of lunch with gorgeous Stephanie from Alberta Ferretti! Talk about one extreme to another! What's more it's not even my first or most horrific encounter with a pigeon this week. On Tuesday on my way to Ronnie’s a pigeon actually fell from the sky and splatted (and when I say splatted I don’t want to go into too many details, but lets just say Pets Rescue couldn’t have helped) right next to me in the middle of Tottenham court road! Shocked was not the word. I’d only just come to terms with it (I witnessed an actual death after all) when I was targeted by its buddy today! Now, I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but one more pigeon related incident this week and I’m going to have to get some sort of Naomi style back-up!

Re La Campbell though - how HOT is she looking, and what a slip of a thing! I’d always been under the impression she was some sort of super-size Amazonian monster, but on the contrary - ooh mama, I could hardly take my eyes off her! Fingers crossed for a super-size comeback soon!!

Wednesday 28 July 2010

Sunshine on a rainy day

Day 5 of freelancing, and it hasn’t been all lie-ins, daytime tv and partying….well actually it kinda has, and to be honest it was kind of getting me down. As much as I hate to admit it I’m a creature of habit, and love a bit of routine. Also, having just moved house (I’ve decided that sounds better than ‘back home’) my whole life’s scattered round the house in various bags and boxes (which I’m yet to get my head around unpacking), and I’m also working towards the deadline of my first freelance commission (exciting/ terrifying in equal measures right now), so I decided what I needed was a quiet, sober, early night in. So, obviously what I did was jump in the shower, throw on a dress and head into town!

1st stop: Yellowdoor winter preview

Boots

Clarks! Can you believe it. I love these though - the next step on from the biker and the army boot. Ankle, sheepskin lined - what's not to love?


Comptoir des cotonniers. Absolutely love these too. Obviously skeepskin's going to be massive this winter (remember Burberry's awesome flying jackets?). These really remind me of the GAP boots everyone went mad over last winter. I'm not usually one for a wedge, but I really like it here...may have to treat myself!


Acne
100% undisputed label of the moment...

Acne have totally managed to tap into the zeitgeist, and are making the clothes all the cool kids want. I'm predicting this is going to be their next hero dress following on from their iconic (and yes, I really mean that) extreme stripe maxi (which even Primark have now copied, boo hoo). Strapless, draped, with deep pockets, I'm expecting to see this dress (and it's many imitations) everywhere very soon!


Leather sleeved top. Good for looking super-hot-badass-chick....bad for perspiration I'd imagine...


Acne mens
for boys who just wanna have fu-un...

Flipping everything on it's head Acne have taken women's wear as their inspiration. See - frilly vest...


and women's cut blazer.


Forget the Hawaiian shirt, the way to my heart right now is totally a man in a tropical jean, mmmm!


Not so sure about these though....bit too Village people for my liking!


And...

No no no no no! All I'm saying! We are not amphibians. Socks should not be worn with flip flops, ever. No!


These however are a joy and a delight. Also, interesting back story as they're by the London based design studio Paternity (who's work, as you may have guessed is all based around patterns). These tights are limited edition, screen printed, and a total bargain at only £30 each!




Really strong pieces from Carianne Moore's new Futuristic Tribalism collection. V S&M I thought, and strangely, particularly liked the headbands!


2nd stop: Ronnie Scotts for Ruby Sings

This is my beautiful friend Ada, who by day is a scary lawyer, and by night is the enigmatic host of Ruby sings at Ronnie Scotts. The night is on the last Tuesday of the month and showcases new and unsigned acts in the lush surroundings of Ronnie's upstairs bar (who by the by do some of the best/ strongest cocktails in London). Basically it's a brrrrriliant night out, and if you live in London you should 100% definitely go down and check it out...that's an order!


3rd stop: Dinner with Sunshine and random Charlotte street Blues action!

The one and only Sunshine. Sunshine by name, Sunshine by nature, as she really does manage to brighten my day whenever I see her! We met for a bite to eat, catch up, gossip etc etc, and randomly ended up....


at Charlotte St Blues (because I needed a wee!) - in the middle of this amazing show! It's now my new favourite venue in London. As well as this amazing band (no idea who they were), there was this crazy dancing girl who just got up and started dancing like she was in Flashdance - amazing!

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Big knits and tiny jeans...

What a difference a day makes. This morning - coco pops and raisins (awesome combo, you should try) in the kitchen with the cat. Yesterday - eggs Florentine in the Charlotte Street Hotel with lovely Vanessa from Lainey Fashion pr. As I sat there I thought to myself what could be a better start to the day than a delicious breakfast with delightful company in genteel surroundings....then we hit the showroom, and I realised trying on thousand pound cardigans was, of course!



Yes in the words of my friend Kat it may look like 'a knitted My little pony', BUT my dear fashion doubters that's only on the hanger. Trust me when I tell you that once on Tahir Sultan's fantasy creations suddenly look regal, not ridiculous. A Central Saint Martins fashion knits graduate and former intern for Galliano, I predict big things for Mr Sultan. Still not convinced? Well a little birdy told me that Browns Focus are showing lots of interest, and when was the last time Mrs B was wrong?!

A slightly less conspicuous number...

Crazy hat. Am expecting to see this cropping up in all kinds of main fashion shoots soon!


And now for something a little different...

C.R.A.F.T jeans are Kate Moss' current faves, and can't you just see why. We all know La Moss likes a bit of premium....denim....and the whole rock chic vibe is totally up her street. I haven't brought a proper pair of jeans for a while now, but will definitely look to C.R.A.F.T for my next pair - if only for the reason that it stands for can'trememberaf***ingthing - genuis!

The Vanessa skirt....no comment!

Friday 23 July 2010

Off with a BANG!

My head, my head! I’ve been freelancing for 13 days now. I’ve spent 2 moving out of Dalston house and back to Finchley; 8 in Italy, and 3 skulking round the house in my pj’s (yes, the same pair – the horror)! Last night however I managed to break the stalemate and shower, jump into my trusty black tosho Jumpsuit and brave the Northern line to attend a. the Selfridges Christmas in July press day, and b. Marc Jacobs BANG launch party - fabulous fashion fun…

Sadly I proceeded to get hammered on rum cocktails and champagne (on a basically empty stomach) – accosted Marc, ranted at Henry Holland and starred at the utterly stunning Jonathan Kelsey and his gorgeous boyf Greg, then blanked them, then finally realised who they were through the champagne fug. Professional. Finally came round midday to full face of make-up, natch, and alternating waves of nausea and embarrassment. Classy. Days like these being freelance really pays!

Anyway, before the bubbles took hold this is what I saw…

Selfridges

Love this. A colour-in cuckoo clock. Perfect for me as I'm always late (as Bibi discovered first hand last night - Public apology: I'm SOOOO sorry), and, well, at times...slightly cuckoo! Also, much fun and practical too!



NEED!! Honestly, it's not even about want or like or love with these. I NEED them in my life. Ashish - obvs, natch. They're apparently the most expensive pj's in the world (bottoms £810, top £890) - total investment I say. This is how I see it. I'm now a freelancer, therefore I spend most of my time in my pj's, therefore I should own fabulous pj's, because then the fabulousness will rub off on me, and I'll be fabulous and get lots of work, which will mean I'll get lots of money (DEEP BREATH) - therefore, they are an investment! See!

Marc Jacobs BANG party, Harvey Nic's

Yes, once again I trekked down to SW1 for another top Harvey Nic's party (and they do throw the best)! Unfortunately I broke my usual eat-as-many-canapés-as-humanly-possible rule and stuck to liquids....looking back, that's probably where it all went wrong....anyway....

Grrrr. How hot is Marc. Last night was all about the boys; Marc Jacobs (LOVE - almost fainted when I first saw him. Honestly. No lie.), Jesus Luz (in my bed, ahem, I mean on the decks), Jake Shears, Jonathan (almost too beautiful to actually look at) Kelsey and boyf Greg and Henry Holland, not to mention my new friends from the (smoking/posing) terrace - Tom, Richard and Alistair. What a treat! Sadly the only thing I bagged at the end of the night was a bottle of BANG (not that I'm ungrateful)....just it won't keep my warm at night. Sob.

Thursday 22 July 2010

Sun, sand and San Pelligrino...

Ciao ciao, bella, bello…..erm….I’ve just got back from Italy innit! Apart from a slight sunburnt-eyes incident (no, I didn't know it was possible, but apparently it is...and it hurts!) it was glorious week of sun, sand and San Pelligrino. For me holidays are all about sunning, reading, eating and sleeping, and this one ticked all the boxes;

Sunbathed – 10 – 1; 3 -7 daily, for 7 days
Read – Grass stains by Kirsty Robinson (fabulous, touching, thought-provoking) and Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis (witty, funny, fucking terrifying – now living in the freezer Joey from Friends stylee)
Ate – Too much. Honey filled (or integrated as the hotel translated it) wholemeal croissants, at least one custard-filled doughnut per day, pasta with meat, pasta with veg, pasta with fish, mammoth plates of salad, incredibly moreish fried herbs in batter and ice creams the size of my head (no word of a lie)
Slept – endlessly…


See - not lying! Dark chocolate and peach sorbet - best combo in the world (and trust me, I've tried a few)!


Mummy and Daddy G - how cool do they look! I only had to get them a little tipsy to agree to pose on this Disney-esque bench outside an arcade. Fave photo of the holiday though!


Style inspiration...

Italians are known for their style, which I think is somewhat debatable, as if you ask me, the average Italian has no better idea of how to dress than the average anyone else. Having said that the over 60's are glamorous, stylish and sophisticated, so I decided to look to them for a style masterclass...

Va-va-voom indeed (or whatever the Italian equivalent is)! What's not to love here? '60's fluro-floral dress, loads of beads and bangles, leopard print trolley and crazy red hair (both of which I already posses), and tiny pooch...stop me if I'm wrong, but this is a good look!


So maybe my mum and I stalked this lady on the beach for 4 days....does that make us bad people?! It's no excuse, but she looked so good we just couldn't help it. There I was, beach wreck - looking like I may have been washed up in the last storm, and there she was, (in what I really really hope was) an original 1960's quilted yellow velour cut-out detail kaftan with white piping, looking like she'd stepped of the set off Mad Men! Inspirational - must work on that whole groomed thing...


Possibly my favourite Granny however was this lady - partly because she reminded me of my Nana Golda - always my ultimate style icon. Floral midi-length (v on-trend) dress, turquoise turban, blue drop earrings and massive blue cocktail ring - forget Liz (makes me want to) Hurl-ey - this lady has beach glamour locked down.


The nearest you'll get to a Playboy style beach shot of me (unless some serious air-brushing's involved). Despite the fact I packed half-a-ton of glitzy kaftans, it was just too hot for me to contemplate anything that had to go over my head, so I ended up resuscitating this old wrap. Fave new Marc Jacobs bag or arm, and new I-couldn't-afford-the-Karen-Walker-pair-so-had-to-settle-for-Hennes sunnies on, I hit the beach and hoped I didn't bump into anyone I knew/ the most gorgeous man in the world. I didn't.


Poor old LA - always getting shtick for being the most ridiculous place on earth, when here on a little strip of Italian beach on the Adriatic coast a couple pulled out a bamboo mat and bowl filled with premium mineral water for their devil little dog....god help us all!

Yum yum yum - I sacrificed one beach morning to go to the market. How good do these pumpkin tomatoes look? I had to laugh because the first time I ever saw one was in Wholefoods a few years back, and I got all excited and brought one, and a clove of smoked garlic (which later rotted in the back of a cupboard) and paid over a fiver for the two of them! Here in Italy they're almost giving them away. Typical!


Right at the end of the market (which was filled with plastic shoes, non-sensical lycra tops, rip-off bags and kitchen ware) we found this stall selling vintage clothes for basically nothing! Needless to say Mum and I nose-dived in, and dad spent the next hour telling us how nice we looked in stale smelling 2nd hand bargains!


Speaking of which here I am airing out on of my finds. Hand-made, 1970's mini-dress - cute, no? And mummy, also in a market buy - not too shabby, eh?

Saturday 10 July 2010

Ding ding ding - all change!

Long time I hear you cry! Last time you did this you promised it wouldn't happen again. I know, I know, but this time it really has been exceptional circumstances; for not only have I left my job to go freelance, BUT I'm also moving house - all in the space of 3 days...yes, one life changing event per week simply isn't enough for me! So, I hope you'll be able to forgive me, and that you've kept yourselves amused reading old posts and watching the footie!

It's been a long, hot, emotional week, but here are some things that made me smile and filled my heart with joy...

Here I am giving a masterclass in how NOT to pose. I was the office fire marshal (oh yes - many strings to my bow!), and as if by magic (and much to everyone's amusement) on my last day we had a fire drill. Now, when I got dressed in my glorious Zambian jumpsuit yesterday morning it hadn't occurred to me that by midday I'd be accessorising with a hi-vis vest. Having said that I have to say I think it kinda works. On this occasion I decided to simply knot it - in the past I've belted, but I thought it might be a bit much this time. Anyway - all of this was enough to get me a shout out on Graziadaily - beyond flattered!


My recent (Marc by) Marc Jacobs obsession continues with my lovely leaving gift from work. It's an absolute beast of a wallet, with space for about 20,000 credit cards. I have none, but my Nandos, Nectar and Boots cards are all now most comfortable and accessible!


My darling Nompas (complicated PJ - sorry!) brought me this phenom Tatty Devine necklace. I like to think of them as wings of freedom - v fitting! Thank you Nompas!


How cute is this! My fabulous Editor brought me this slightly mental Sonia by Sonia Rykiel bag as a farewell gift. I've been wanting a new cross-body bag for a while now, and it's made from THE softest silkiest Nylon - mucho snuggly! I heart.