London Plinth

Books and Boats

2012-01-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

I just interviewed Alain de Botton about his new book over on Run-Riot, where he guest-edited for a week. He's currently one of the judges for this fantastic Ideas for London project- you can win a night in the wonderful boat hotel,moored on top of The Southbank Centre!

Back to books- you can currently read all about my favourite authors, literary pet-peeves and recommendations on the wonderful For Book's Sake. Have your Amazon wishlist to hand.....

Winter Sun

2012-01-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the video I promised of the cruise I went on over New Year with my family-it's my first attempt at editing any flipcam footage, so please bear with me!I had such a wonderful time-whilst some elements of the cruise were a bit overwhelming (ORGANISED FUN,ORGANISED FUN) the Caribbean was simply stunning-I was astounded by how unspoilt it still is.Perhaps this was just because we were sailing into small harbours and isolated beaches, but so much of the island landscape seems still just to be covered in jungle-the villages and houses scattered so sparsely. One of the best bits was sharing a cabin with my sister, who's been travelling and at university the last year, so it was the first time for ages we've had plenty of quality time together. I also got to see my youngest sister sing for the first time (in the ship talent contest)-she really is terribly talented, I'll post a video online soon if she'll let me! There were only about 100 guests on board and just as many crew and staff members so it was fairly intimate- we got to know everyone well and see all the work that goes into running the largest full rigged sailing ship in the world.

I know summer holidays seem a long way off, but I thought I'd post some of my 'must-haves' for anyone going to sea.

La Roche Posay sun protection for the face
Hair accessories-ship and flowers-by Now Voyager SOS
Marc Jacobs starry sunglasses- from Bicester village
Flipcam (Christmas present)
Vichy sun lotion and after-sun
Waterproof Notebook and pencil from Luckies

Roll on the holidays!!!

I've used MIA's Sunshowers as the music in this video.

'Get your skates on' Giveaway-20 pairs of ice-skating tickets!

2012-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

photo by Marcus Ginns

First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, and fingers crossed the New Year is treating you well!Secondly, I must apologise for being a bad blogger as I've been away since Boxing day- on a boat in the Caribbean no less!It was a family treat for my mum's 50th birthday and we had an amazing time-I'll be posting pictures and video as soon as I've figured out how to edit my new flipcam footage! One of the loveliest things was having no wifi, phone or TV for 10 days which meant I really couldn't do any work and had to relax- the first time I've done so for longer than a day or two in years!
Anyway, now I'm back in the chilly January reality of London, and to make it up to you I've got an amazing offer to share.You may remember me blogging about Tiffany Skate at Somerset House before Christmas as I did some copywriting work for them- well the rink is still open, until 22nd January- and there are 20 pairs of FREE tickets to skate at Somerset House up for grabs!
You can skate at the ice rink on Thursday 19 January on the 17.30-18.30 skate session, just use the code below to book your tickets.
Tickets are strictly available on a first come first served basis.
To get your hands on the free tickets visit this link, then go to the skate date Thursday 19 January, click 'Find Tickets' taking you to a new page, in the ‘January Promotion Tickets’ box select a pair of tickets and enter the promotional code SKATE19J
Tickets are exclusively available to my network and only accessible via Ticketmaster online with a promo code.
Somerset House ice rink closes on Sunday 22 January. Catch it before it goes!

We Make London Christmas Fair 2011

2011-12-10T23:14:00.000-08:00

I try really hard to buy most of my Christmas presents from independent sellers, so spend most of my December weekends at the wonderful fairs London has to offer-yesterday I went to Battersea Arts Centre to the We Make London fair.There were some familiar faces like Kat of Creme Nouveau, but also lots of new makers who I hadn't come across before. I guess this can partly be explained by the fact that I'm starting to shop for a different demographic-many of my friends have started having families of their own so I'm now in the market for presents for little ones,which I haven't been since my siblings were toddlers.

Retropoodle upcycles vintage fabric into cushions which could easily double as dolls, and these gorgeous pillows are made from vintage scarves.

Forgotten Stitches' stall was like an Aladdin's cave of wonders-especially for someone like me who loves embroidery and beading above all else!The fawns and dogs would look gorgeous in a child's nursery.

I was desperate to buy one of these dolls from Tobyboo for my friend's son, but apparently they are meant for adults only-I can only imagine it's because they have small parts like buttons that could come off and be swallowed,but I still feel they would be a bit wasted on grown-ups who'd put them on a shelf somewhere to look nice but not be played with!The embroidered picnic blanket below is also from Tobyboo and has moved to the top of my Christmas wishlist!

I love this set of birdy pillowcases from Karin Akesson

And these Samantha Morris screen-printed dinner menus and invitations are perfect for a hostess who likes to be very proper..my friend Dana from Mien magazine would love them!

There were lots of other gems too-I know Gabby Young bought a little neckerchief for her dog Hobbes from a wonderful doggy stall-you can see all the stallholders' details here (in the column on the right).

I'd recommend popping to the Duckie Christmas market at the Barbican today for really out of the ordinary presents-perfect for anyone who's tricky to buy for!

P.S still the most successful of any gifts I've got for kids are Merrimaking hoods-seen here on all my siblings last Christmas-as good for teens going to festivals as they are for pre-teens dressing up!

Stationery Gift Guide

2011-12-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

I know many of you are as fond of stationery as I am, so I thought I'd point you in the direction of my latest gift guide for Run-Riot, including gems from Nancy and Betty (above) and Present&Correct (below).Enjoy!

The Other Art Fair

2011-11-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I popped in on my friends Tinsel and Twinkle who were selling their artwork at The Other Art Fair-a brilliant new anti-art fair where you buy straight from the artist rather than dealing with gallery owners/dealers etc.The piece below is a festive painting by Twinkle-you can read about the inspiration behind it here. The 'Risk is good for the Soul' painting is by Tinsel and I just found out she's giving me a print of it for Christmas, so I'm thrilled!.

The Robin Collective were there with their indoor Cafe du Pique Nique

I discovered some lovely new artists too- I love Jennifer Louise Martin's portraits.

And Harry and Jasper's 99p store-affordable art for everyone!

It was great to finally meet artist Rosie Emerson as I've heard so much about her-I worked on a shoot recently with make-up artist Monica Storrs who's also done the make-up for some of Rosie's projects.

Alma Haser's photographs are really magical.

Lyndsay Martin's work has a lovely vintage feel.

Skating around the Christmas Tree

2011-11-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I did some work for the marketing agency for Tiffany and Co's Skate at Somerset House, so I got to go to the pre-opening skating day on Sunday and invited some bloggers along too. We understandably weren't allowed to take our cameras on the ice, so here are some very amateur shots I took on my phone!

Carrie and Lucy did a great little photoshoot off the ice which you can see on Carie's blog here.

Carrie, Lucy and Reena.

Lucy's fantastic Minnie mouse shorts!

As an unexpected treat, I also got invited to the Tiffany VIP launch party last night-there were fantastic performances by skaters on the ice, brilliant live music from Emeli Sande, gorgeous food and drink and plenty of celebs.I took along one of my most glamorous friends who got stopped by the Vogue.com team as soon as we arrived; we had our outfits photographed and talked through what we were wearing so I'll let you know if it gets featured on the site-that would make my year!

Here I am in the Tiffany tuck shop about to scoff down a cupcake.

Coincidentally, the lovely folk at Howkapow have just started stocking some fabulous ice skating jewellery- this is called the Katie necklace! Though sadly I don't look much like this when I'm skating-I like to keep both my feet firmly on the ice...

Book tickets to skate at Somerset House here.

STOP PRESS: I DID make it onto Vogue.com! Whoop!Check me out here. You can barely see what I'm wearing as its a black coat and the night is pretty black!Still beyond happy,which I know isn't cool.Will make effort to be more nonchalant now.

Ready,Boxset,Go!

2011-11-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

My latest gift guide is live on Run-Riot- it's an ultimate guide to the boxsets you should own or buy for the loved ones in your life.

Christmas Gift Guides 2011 -Get Cozy.

2011-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year- I've started my weekly series of Christmas Gift Guides over on Run-Riot; first up is your guide to getting cozy-blankets,PJs,chunky knit scarves(the one pictured is by Louise Dungate) and the obligatory Christmas Jumper-read my post here.

You can also read my interview with the iconic writer and mythographer Marina Warner CBE here. Her new book retells some of the stories from the Arabian Nights and examines the role magic plays in the collection of stories.A great Christmas present for any fans of fairytales, Angela Carter and the like.

Megabites: the iCake pop-up shop for Internet Week Europe

2011-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today I popped into The Hospital club for Megabites; the latest brainwave from Miss Cakehead - a Steve Jobs Inspired ‘iCake’ Shop Pop Up for Internet Week Europe.

Curator of Cake & Chaos, and founder of the Stay Puft Creativity Corporation, Miss Cakehead opened a Steve Jobs Inspired Cake Shop for one day only to both unashamedly celebrate the joy of ‘geek cakes’ & raise money for UK charity Pancreatic Cancer UK in his name.

All of the cakes were ‘geek’ or ‘mac’ inspired with contributions from a range of bakers & treats on sale including Angry Bird cupcakes, cookies featuring portraits of Steve Jobs, Twitter cake pops, cookie replica of iPhones (and their applications), ‘Mac’ logo shaped ‘apple’ pies & even 100% edible Mac computers. As usual Miss Cakehead's crew of cake makers really brought the goods-when I was there a film crew from Yahoo were interviewing her about the project.Taking over the world, one cake at a time...

Ms MarmiteLover's Bonfire Weekend Underground farmers & craft market

2011-11-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

Ms Marmitelover aka Kerstin Rodgers lives in a gorgeous house in Kilburn where she's hosted her infamous underground restaurant and written her stunning book about the experience: Supperclub.(You can read my interview with her here.)The recipes and photographs in it are proper food porn-and her farmers' market on Saturday was like the live show. Phwoar. Here are some snaps of things I saw and ate...

RubyShoes Rocks Bunting

Liqueurs on the mantlepiece and cocktails on the ironing board from Alchemist Dreams

Evidence of Ms MarmiteLover's previous life as a photographer

Crochet lessons in the bedroom

Some of the brilliant reviews Kerstin's received hang on her walls.

Niko B doing a demonstration on the aga in the kitchen

Cultivate had some brilliant hybrid herbs like chocolate mint.

Peck Peck Peck ice-creams- I went for toffee apple flavour; it was delicious.

Anna Mae's southern street food

What the Dickens - kedgeree and devilled kidneys

Wheat free Brownies- I had Treason which was butterscotch

Henni and Bean

I also ate amazing fried risotto balls in a wrap with salad and chilli sauce from the Arancini Brothers, freshly made ginger beer from Foxy Cooks and even had my tarot cards read by Madame de la Cartomancer. It was the kind of event that realy reminds me why I love living in London-a real taste of community with people of all ages in attendance. It makes me really want to try and replace some of my Tesco shopping with local market sellers.The demonstrations also inspired me to experiment more with my cooking, learn some new skills- and more importantly, invest more time in making some of my own stuff; I went home and made Christmas cake with my mum and sisters a couple of weekends ago and it was one of the most relaxing, therapeutic things I've done in ages. The food at the fair reminded me how much greater the satisfaction is when you eat something thats has had actual time and care put into it,even more so when its your own.

Miranda July-The Future

2011-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I just interviewed the thoroughly inspiring Miranda July-actress,writer,director and artist; she's managed to carve a niche for herself doing all those things in a completely fresh and unique way. You can read my interview here and do go and see The Future at the cinema.

Lena Hoschek Autumn/Winter

2011-10-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Lena Hoschek is still one of my absolute favourite designers-using classic vintage tailoring,prints and inspiration to create beautiful, sexy contemporary pieces.See the stunning lookbook here.

Shop for frocks and put pen to paper!

2011-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting all about what I've been up to recently in an attempt to excuse the terrible neglect of my blog-but in the meantime I'm going to post lots of lovely things for you to get involved in!
If you missed the wonderful stalls we had at Koko last week, there's an opportunity for some brilliant shopping here:

Illustrators and Designers- submit your design to The Print Club London for your chance to be part of their Christmas print exhibition and sale.You'll get to use their brilliant screenprinting facilities and be part of a show that will doubtless get tons of great press and publicity.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS / DESIGNERS/ PHOTOGRAPHERS / ILLUSTRATORS…

Over the last few months Revere have invited a selection of artists from a variety of musical genres to remix, cover or in some way rework a song from our debut album Hey! Selim. Over the next few weeks will be releasing a series of REVERE / REWORKED EPs for FREE download.

REVERE have always taken a lot of pride in their album / EP / single covers, which are all the results of their ongoing relationships with two astounding photographers, Anthony Ellis and Mario Leko and several wonderful artists, Sarita Hawkins, Emma Godebska and Alice Gabb. They love the collaboration which goes into presenting our music in the most aesthetically sensitive and impressive way. So, for these EPs they're looking to continue our collaborations and are inviting YOU to showcase your talent...!

Want to get involved? They are looking for new covers for all the upcoming REWORKED EPs. You can rework existing covers or just start your own from scratch. The chosen covers will be included as part of the EP downloads as well as linking to each artist’s website and contact details if desired. To submit your cover send a high quality JPEG / TIFF to reworked@revereonline.co.uk with all your details.

I also recently interviewed Beth Jeans Houghton for Run-Riot- I'm loving her song Dodecahedron.We've also got a great interview with Kyla la Grange (as featured in this month's Vogue) on the site at the moment-Enjoy!

Gabby Young and Other Animals at Koko

2011-10-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front as I've been busy planning some wonderful outfits with Gabby Young for her huge homecoming gig at Koko next week- you can read an in depth interview with her here on Run-Riot where she mentions some of the designers we've been working with-including Inbar Spector.The wonderful folk at Lomography lent me one of their Diana cameras to take some shots at London Fashion Week-and these are some of my best images.It's only the first time I've used a lomography camera so I'm still learning about lighting etc, but I'm ridiculously excited about the effects it can create-I'll definitely be asking for a Diana camera for Christmas!

I hope to see lots of you next Thursday at Koko- if you're a blogger,illustrator or photographer,just drop me a tweet or an email and I'll see if we can get you on the guestlist. Otherwise,you can get tickets here. We're going to have lots of Gabberdashery stalls, with some new additions like Now Voyager giving people vintage hair make-overs, cupcakes on sale and even some pieces from Gabby's old wardrobe looking for new homes! The show itself is going to be epic-including some amazing non-musical acts as well as a huge, extended band and choir.I'd better not say any more as I'm not sure which bits are meant to be kept secret!

Kate Bosworth for Vanessa Bruno

2011-09-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

LØV from Vanessa Bruno on Vimeo.

Beautiful video of Kate Bosworth for Vanessa Bruno.

Georgia Nash- The Gypsy Lady

2011-09-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

An incredibly talented designer friend of mine, Georgia Nash recently opened up her studio at the end of London Fashion Week to showcase her new collection, The Gypsy Lady.

I used Georgia's pieces in Gabby Young's last music video-you can read our interview with her here.

Her collections are always a lovely mix of vintage materials and embellishments with a timeless contemporary style. There's always a certain fairytale element to her inspiration- her graduate collection was called The Nutcracker- see the headpiece below!

Pearls, lace,velvet and tapestry-inspired prints are all intrinsic parts of Georgia's unique aesthetic.

You can buy some of the latest collection here.

A piece from the collection made from swatches of fabric Georgia has collected over the years.

Photographs of Georgia by her friend Gavin Williams

Georgia herself in one of her creations! See below for more of her work. I recently styled a shoot using lots of her pieces and can't wait to share it with you once its published!

LFW trends S/S 2012 : Loud Pastels & a splash of Nautical style

2011-09-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

PPQ

House of Holland

Louise Gray

Meadham Kirchhoff

Mulberry

The Rodnik Band

JW Anderson women

Margaret Howell

DAKS

All images from London Fashion Week

LFW trends S/S 2012 : Gold and Monochrome

2011-09-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

Inbar Spector

Bernard Chandran Photo by Christopher Dadey

Ashley Isham

Danielle Scutt (photos from LFW)

GILES

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Mulberry

Jasper Garvida Photos above and below by Christopher Dadey

Jasper Garvida

Spijkers en Spijkers Photo above by Christopher Dadey

Paul Costelloe

DAKS

Temperley

Clements Ribeiro

Fashion Moves

2011-09-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Recently everyone went nuts for the models' moves in the new Lanvin video.Their awkward dancing did have a certain charm, but I don't think it even compares to Annie Monroe's moves in the video for Elizabeth Lau's new collection.The music is perfect-like the styling its completely timeless; a mix of both vintage charm and modern quirkiness. And I'm definitely investing in some bright pink lipstick.

Stand-out Stars of London Fashion Week

2011-09-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

Having posted pictures of the catwalk looks from LFW I'd actually love to wear, now it's time for the fun stuff-the batshit crazy shows that go all out on creativity and throw practicality out the window.First up, Ziad Ghanem:

Having said that about wearability, there are a number of more conventional pieces amongst the more eccentric of Ziad's dresses - the pink silk corseted dress followed by a a similar red lace number- phwoar!Models with boobs!Stunning!Models (and lots of these characters aren't actually professional models) are so much sexier when they show some character and personality-when they don't all look like expressionless clones.
Meadham Kirchhoff also put on an incredible show, interpreting Marie Antoinette silhouettes through a neon pastel colour palette; such fun!Photos from http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/

The highlight of London Fashion Week for me was designer Inbar Spector who I've worked with for over a year now, dressing my client Gabby Young in her designers- here's a pic of Gabby in one of Inbar's creations:

Inbar's show just blew us away-we kept thinking every dress must be the finale piece as they were all such showstoppers. Having already worked with Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti, I know Inbar is going to be a fashion household name very soon. Her work has all the marks of real genius- originality, beauty and a uniqueness that makes her creations unmistakably identifiable as hers. I also took some pictures of this show on a lomography camera I was kindly lent by the lomography crew, so I can't wait to get them developed and see how they turned out. In the meantime here are some shots from my digital camera-they don't do the pieces justice at all though, these by 1883 magazine are much better.

LFW Highlights

2011-09-21T04:52:00.000-07:00

I've had a very quiet LFW this year as I was working on both Friday and Saturday so missed most of the action.However, the wonder that is the internet means I have been able to catch up with all the shows online, so here's a very lazy blog post with my favourite looks from the catwalk. Will be posting about designers I did manage to catch up with later today, so stay tuned. All photos from http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/

Corrie Nielson

Bora Asku

DAKS

Jasper Conran

PPQ

Jaeger

Fashion Fringe

Erdem

Giles

Christopher Kane

Mary Katrantzou

Temperley

Mind your Ps and Qs...

2011-09-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

Those of you who've been reading my ramblings for a long time will remember The Parlour that I helped out at last year.Dana of Mien Magazine has now launched a Charm School; I went on the pilot weekend for it at the beautiful West Lexham estate;you can read about what we got up to here in a piece I contributed to The Guardian.

Lots more pictures on my fellow guest Lena's blog Style High Club.

Anyway, now the Charm School is coming to town!Popping up in Exmouth Market from the 14th September to the 22nd, with a host of 'after-school' activities,ranging from sewing with the lovely Amy Phipps, stationery making with the talented Alice Gabb, as well as talks from the likes of Jessica Fellowes, author of Mud and the City: Dos and Don’ts for Townies in the Country accompanied by cream tea, and even a talk by yours truly on how to get a good night's sleep, accompanied by milk and cookies. The full schedule is online here, hope to see lots of you there!

There'll be some lovely artwork available to see and buy from artists like Twinkle Troughton who designed the Charm School logo, and also wonderful vintage furniture from ReStore. ReStore take old furniture and sell it on, giving the profits to people in need.They have the most unique pieces of furniture for amazingly low prices-like this chess table we had at the Parlour which went for £20 I think-just come back at the end of the pop-up to pick up whatever you furniture you want to take home!

Speaking of Chess, this weekend is the Chessboxing final, and the Run Riot team are running the after party!WTF is chessboxing, I here you ask?Well basically, what it says on the tin; a battle of brains and braun. Hope to see you there too!

Back to School

2011-09-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

I must apologise for the lack of blogposts recently, but I recently became editor of Run-Riot so I've been pretty busy over there.In fact, I've just organised a give away from one of my favourite websites, Present and Correct who specialise in sourcing vintage and vintage-inspired stationery. Click here to find out how to win a pencil case full of goodies, a ruler and a notebook.Good Luck!

Catherine AD's music box

2011-08-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

For a while now, more creative musicians have been luring their fans away from downloads with specially customised artwork, one-of-a-kind packaging and other extras alongside their CDs. Catherine AD's latest offering beats any I've seen so far, with her mini album Communion coming with a hand cranked mechanical music box. You get a one-off, hand punched section of music from the album - each one is unique. It also comes with one blank music scroll and a mechanical punch for you to create your own music box track. Plus Ltd Edition CD with order of service hymn sheet, limited postcards and 7 track CD. It's £30 or however much more you're happy to pay.I, for one, love having an excuse to actually order real life CDs, investing in limited edition artwork and supporting independent musicians at the same time.

The Vintage Tea Party Book

2011-08-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

There are few things more satisfying than seeing success come to people who really deserve it, case in point being Angel Adoree, whose Vintage Patisserie has served tea and cake to some of the fanciest crowds around.Now the secrets to hosting the perfect tea party can be ours, as Angel has written a truly inspiring book- much more than the average cupcake book, much more than a cook book actually, as it also features a style guide and numerous non-culinary projects. What has made Angel's business so successful is how hands-on she is, how she manages to be incredibly charming and approachable however busy she may be.The book is a success for the same reason in that is features so much of Angel's personality,giving it that autobiographical feel that makes you really warm to an author.

Angel

The introduction features old black and white photographs of Angel's family which gives you an idea of her background and where her vintage style has come from. The whole book is full of stunning illustrations by Adele Mildred, as well as some of the most beautiful food photography I've ever seen, by Yuki Sugiura. The edible delights are all set out with beautiful vintage props, as was the spread at the book launch on Wednesday night. Vintage chess boards were laid out with Angel's handmade chocolates, whilst cake stands were covered in sugared fruit and scones, and jasmine tea champagne was served in china teacups.

Amongst the illustrations are some beautiful templates you can photocopy as invitations- accompanied by a really thought provoking page by Angel about the number of friends one has on certain social networking sites, and how many of these so called friends would actually come to a party if you invited them. She appreciates real-life acts of friendship like the posting of an invitation as much as the hand-baking of cakes.

Margaret of Penny Dreadful Vintage and Lena of The Vintage Guide to London

There's much more to the book than food, with pieces on how to make a variety of vintage inspired aprons, how to source appropriate props, parlour games to play and grooming tips for women and men. Of course the recipes themselves are also divine-and not just for those with a sweet tooth;Angel covers brunch, afternoon tea and evening recipes, as well as drinks.I've already set my heart on making the chocolate coconut granola, spinach and parmesan muffins and rose pannacotta, pictured below.

There's even a stencil of the queen included so you can make your own bunting and flags.This is as much a coffee table book as it is a cookbook for the kitchen shelves, as well as the story of one woman's charismatic style and success.

You can buy it here, where you can also see some more of the gorgeous images from inside the book, published by Octopus Books.

The Clean Up has just begun.

2011-08-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to write much about the London riots as I think we need to move on, and there are people who are in a much better position than I am to discuss the issues- these are the two articles from The Independent and The Telegraph that sum up many of my own thoughts. I was in Hackney on Monday when everything started kicking of, and it was truly frightening.Over the past few days I've felt scared, saddened, angry, but most of all ashamed. Ashamed that the last few generations of society have let things get to this point, ashamed that its taken this for me to volunteer for an underprivileged kids' charity though I've known for ages that it's something I should do.
Before you start writing angry comments about how nothing justifies the behaviour we've seen, acknowledging that there are deep rooted reasons this has happened is NOT the same as excusing it.Obviously this is criminal behaviour, and yes I do agree that there is probably no more noble sentiment in most of the rioters' minds than greed, materialism and a lust for violence,but its our responsibility as the educated to look at WHY we have a whole sector of society that is inclined to behave in this way. The term 'sheer criminality' has been tossed around by politicians as if people are either born with this tendency or not, with David Cameron going as far as to say that this is 'sheer criminality, pure and simple'. This is ANYTHING but pure and simple, with a multitude of economic, racial, social and political reasons that this has happened.Hackney, particularly, is a part of town that is having money poured into the Olympics projects-but will any of these kids get be part of the games?Or even attend?Hell, even I can't afford tickets!People were surprised when the rioting spread to areas like Gloucester, but I have honestly never lived in any towns with greater social divides than Cheltenham and Oxford. Rioters there live just miles away from some of the most expensive schools in the country, and with the rise in tuition fees, we are only increasing the gap between those who can afford further education and those who cannot.
Another thing thats really bugged me over the last few days has been the placing of blame on social media, from both politicians and the media itself. I honestly think that a lot of the spokespeople genuinely don't understand the difference between blackberry messenger and twitter and probably think its all part of the same thing, but at the end of the day, twitter is not evil, neither are phones but both are tools with which the dark side of people can come out.They are also however, tools which can show people's good side too, as with the Riot clean-up efforts. I very nearly wrote a blog post about how the internet brings out the best and the worst in people during the couple of days of Amy Winehouse and Norway news; people jumping at the chance to make self righteous statements about how mourning one woman is inappropriate when so many were dead in the tragic incident in Norway.As usual people are massively simplifying things and insulting everyone's intelligence; we ARE able to care about more than one thing at once. I am able, right now, to be equally horrified by famine in Africa as I am by the riots in London. Sometimes these things are just too big for 140 characters.Or a blog post, really.So I'll stop now, I just wanted to put my thoughts down before this became a part of history.I sincerely hope you are all safe and well, please do think about volunteering for Kids Company or somewhere similar if you have any time to spare.

Kew Gardens

2011-08-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the 'summer' I was sent some tickets to Kew Gardens by their team with a view to visiting and writing up my trip,but its taken until this last weekend for there to be decent enough weather to go!I finally made it to Kew on Sunday in the glorious sunshine-looking forward to seeing the glasshouses where the Downtown Abbey stars were photographed for last month's Vogue. My co-stars were Sabrina,Mariana and Akeela, who all looked gorgeous.

Look!A picture of me!That hardly ever happens.

Ironically after waiting ages for good weather to visit Kew, it was actually a bit too warm to spend much time in the beautiful greenhouses- I'd definitely like to visit in the winter when the warmth would be welcome.

I've been trying to teach myself how to draw recently, largely inspired by old botanical illustrations like these (as well as golden age children's illustrators like Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac)

Kew was a wonderful place to photograph lots of flowers for drawing practice. Of course I also wish I could do a photoshoot there to take some shots like these. I did a few with my baby sister back at our garden at home earlier this year.

Having lived in London for years and yet somehow having never visited Kew, I really enjoyed my trip and would definitely go back again. However, I would definitely recommend you take your own food and drink- I wasn't sure if we were allowed to bring our own picnics into the grounds and didn't get a reply from Kew's twitter account (it was the weekend so there was only an automated phone service when I called) so we ended up buying our food at the cafe there which was very pricey. But like I said, I'll be visiting again for sure; I'd like to see the gardens in other seasons- Autumn for example, and especially Christmas if we have snow again this year.Mmmmm Christmas... *sits with ice-bucket down pants*....

Kate Nash at The Industry London

2011-08-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to be invited to The Industry London's first event under their new name (they were formerly Fashion Business Club) to celebrate the launch of their new website. Courtney Blackman-one of the most charismatic people in fashion PR, is the managing director and my old school friend Penelope (founder of Fox and Squirrel) handles their press. There were plenty of other familiar faces there too-Rivkie Baum, editor of Slink magazine (I'm just finishing writing up a couple of great interviews for the next issue-Mad Men fans,stay tuned!), Cate Sevilla of Bitch Buzz, Nicola Woods of Beautiful Soul, Sabina Emrit of Access Fashion and Matthew Zorpas of PR Wonderland. Events like this are a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues in real life- as a freelancer you can sometimes feel a bit isolated working from home and only chatting via twitter.

I was particularly interested in the theme of this talk too- Kate Nash discussing fashion, style and women in the music industry with her stylist Rebekah Roy. If you read my blog regularly you'll know that I also work as stylist to singer Gabby Young, so it was great to hear how another stylist and singer work together. The most interesting topic we broached was the sexualisation of women in the music industry, which is a subject I'm actually currently pitching to SXSW as a panel discussion for their festival next year.Kate was speaking about the work she's done with young girls, promoting healthy body image and building confidence, which is something thats being discussed a lot at the moment by the likes of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk. I think young girls- and those of us who are fully grown!- can find it very confusing that supposed feminists like Beyonce are singing songs about Girls Ruling the World but are also spending most of their music videos and on stage shows strutting around in their pants.Is this a feminist statement?Or is it the overpowering influence of all the men in the music industry? Kate herself acknowledges that she'd probably sell more records if she did a lads' mag shoot. But she' lucky enough to work with a team who respects her style and image as it is and isn't going to try and change her.The issue of songwriting itself and the messages female performers give out to girls was also touched upon, with Kate referring to the lyrics of the travesty that is 'Don't Cha' by the Pussycat Dolls as an example of songs encouraging bitchiness amongst women.Kate wrote an article for The Independent on this sort of thing which you can read here, talking about how 'real sexiness is about art,mystery and intelligence'.Well said.

Photo from The Industry London, Rebekah Roy, Kate Nash and Courtney Blackman

Cakey Perry

2011-07-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy, busy week for me so apologies for being quiet on the blogging front- I've just become editor of Run-Riot, so I've been posting a fair bit of work over there-you can see my write up of Miss Cakehead's Cakey Perry over there as well as more pics-though they don't do justice to the incredible decor and delicacies.

You can also catch a mini-interview I did with Shingai from the Noisettes before their support slot for Mark Ronson at what became an Amy Winehouse tribute gig at Greenwich Summer Sessions.

Kawaii!

2011-07-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today I visited Hyper Japan 2011. Felicity of Now Voyager was there selling her amazing headpieces and hairclips- Gabby Young is a huge fan,as am I.Gabby-and her look-are quite big in Japan, but apparently the Hyper Japan organisers weren't prepared for quite how big Japan is here, as yesterday there were 3 hour queues just to get in!

Guests at Hyper Japan

Food with all the best packaging!

Sushi making lessons

More guests

Shake-up Make-up

Origami workshops

A Photographic exhibition in memory of Tsunami victims

Video game consuls

I arrived in time to watch the finals of the UK Kawaii star competition. Kawaii means 'cute' in Japanese and epitomises much of the classic Lolita-esque look. 5 finalists had been chosen and came on stage in a range of costumes, performing dances and songs for the judges-the prize was a trip to Japan which is pretty amazing, especially since most of the contestants were only in their mid-teens.

The results are now in and the winner was Scarlett Young who had the most amazing singing voice; she sang in Japanese and the judges said that her pronunciation was perfect, even though she'd only learnt it from listening to Japanese pop-and she's only 16!

Scarlett in the final round.

There were lots of people-from all ethnic backgrounds- dressed up in everything from Lolita outfits, to traditional Japanese dress, to Cosplay costumes. I really loved the whole experience, though I think there was probably room for a few more high end designers like Arisa Fukumoto whose tulle creations were incredible, though obviously much more mainstream than most of the looks being worn. I love the Kawaii look but definitely could never pull it off myself, so I'd like to see some more, less niche Japanese fashion represented too.I guess this will happen as the event grows, which I'm sure is inevitable as obviously there's a huge fanbase in the UK.

Arisa's stall

Photograph by Dominic Clarke

Photograph Miss Aniela

photograph by Dominic Clarke

Not another Bill

2011-07-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

If you're familiar with my blog and other sites I write for like Mien Magazine, you'll know that I'm a little post-obsessed. I'm a complete stationery fiend (my favourite is Alice Gabb, part of our Gabberdashery collective) and love writing and receiving real life mail. So when I read about Not Another Bill, a site that sends you a surprise present through the post, I thought it was a brilliant antidote to the email age. I've also come to the conclusion that its an absolutely ideal present to buy for someone who already has everything they need, or if you don't have time to trawl through all the brilliant independent online shops or rummage through markets yourself.Basically, thats what Not another Bill founder Ned does for you, as well as handling all the taking-to-the-post-office stuff.

Ned told me a bit about how he came up with the idea:
Ned: I came up with the concept late last year after my good friend Martin kept winging he never received any post at work...as a shopaholic I had presents arriving from all over the place; ebay, amazon, asos etc. This made him very jealous and the idea sort of stemmed from there. And I started work on the site early this year' I love shopping and collecting things so some months its just things I've found in markets and fairs.

My background has always been in art and creative industries.I went to Central st Martins and since then have been working as an art director at M&C SAATCHI. My job there is to come up with concepts and ideas for adverts and posters, so with this background (mother an artist, sister in fashion blogging as well) I have built up a black book of companies, designers, artists, illustrators and general stuff that I think is cool.
Often so much stuff you buy from present sites is a bit generic-my thought was to bridge the gap between the vast amount of fresh creative talent and the commercial world.
In the process giving subscribers something really cool, whilst promoting the artist or brand in the process.I only send things I really like, so people are kind of relying on my taste, but I like that sense of curation.
I have some really exciting gifts in the pipeline, some very well established artists and a couple of amazing brands.

Gifts pictured from Present and Correct- who have a lovely new website too.

Atelier Mayer: The Magazine

2011-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

One of my first jobs in vintage fashion-and my very first job after going freelance- was writing profiles for the Atelier Mayer website designer directory. I got to see some amazing pieces that founder Carmen Haid had in stock- from original, previously unseen Ossie Clarke samples to bespoke dresses handmade by her grandmother who was an atelier in Austria in the early 20th century.Since then she's been dressing stars like Emma Watson for the red carpet, and has now produced the first volume of Atelier Mayer, the magazine.

Its a beautiful publication; perfect for coffee tables of vintage lovers everywhere.Inside you'll find everything from editorial shoots with Bip Ling, to articles on vintage fashion illustrations and behind the scenes shots of the Atelier Mayer team.

Here's an image from one of the editorial shoots featuring the custom made trunk installed in the Berkeley Hotel, filled with Atelier Mayer goodies like vintage clutch bags, costume jewellery,gloves and hats.

One of my favourite articles is an interview with Cliff Muskiet and Mike Stenitschka about their private collection of vintage airline uniforms.Some of the 60s outfits look like something straight out of a James Bond movie-great little skirt and jacket combos in bright colours.

You can order volume1 now here.

Paper Dress Collection Catwalk Launch

2011-07-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

Paper Dress is one of the landmark vintage shops of East London, putting on great musical events as well as serving a mean cuppa. They've also now designed their own range of vintage-inspired pieces, soon available to order on their site. There've been a lot of 'vintage inspired' collections recently, only some of which have really worked-I haven't seen this range in the flesh yet, so can't guarantee quality and so forth, but I do think they seem to capture the eras perfectly.It helps that they are constructed with genuine vintage fabrics and trimmings using traditional techniques. Pictures by Tony Hutchings.

Rose: 50's inspired strapless, sheering back, print sun dress.

Elizabeth: Floaty 60's inspired scallop waist detail skirt

Sandy: 60's inspired floral baby doll mini dress

Grace: 40's inspired, structured cropped bolero

The launch event for the collection is on the 11th August, with two catwalk shows at 7.30pm and 9pm, with live music and DJs. Paper Dress is located at 114-116 Curtain Rd, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3AH.

Marcus Lupfer Resort 2012

2011-07-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

A ruddy genius film from Markus Lupfer, featuring the talents of Margo Stilley, Sadie Frost, Florence Welch and more. Its a brilliant piss-take of old science documentaries-more and more fashion labels are resorting to film to promote collections, I only hope some of them follow Markus' lead and add some humour.The fashion world spends far too much time taking itself too seriously; something like this is a breath of fresh air.

London Retro

2011-07-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I went along to the launch of a new glasses label- London Retro.Years of spending too much time looking at a computer screen has left me pretty short sighted, so I wear glasses at home when I'm working, but generally wear contacts when I'm out and about.This is largely because I don't really like how I look in my glasses, and I certainly don't feel very 'fashion' in them. So I was thrilled to be invited to the launch of this new brand whose look is a brilliant mix of vintage inspiration and modern quirkiness- which is why the names of the frames are so appropriate- styles like Shoreditch, Fitzrovia and Soho are inspired by the characteristic looks of different parts of London. We were very generously gifted with a pair by London Retro- I don't often post pictures of myself here but I promise to do so as soon as I receive my pair of glasses as I actually really love how they look, whereas I hated having my picture taken in my old pair. You can order London Retro glasses through Glasses Direct, who are currently doing a 2 for 1 deal which means you can get two gorgeous pairs of glasses for less than the price of one from somewhere on the highstreet. I've been buying my glasses online for years now as the main high street glasses stores are such a rip off.

This picture is of me, Gabby Young (in the Chinese hat), Lizzy(blonde) of ScientistChic and Frankie(in the flatcap) from Swell Vintage in the photobooth at the launch.Below are the pairs I've ordered- Soho and Fitzrovia.

Starless Night

2011-06-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

I've only just discovered the wonderful headpiece designer Tomihiro Kono, whose work is featured in this video by one of my favourite photographers, Wendy Bevan. Her work always seems like its from another time, or another world; very fairytale which is completely my cup of tea.Images below are from Tomihoro's website.

The Black Diamond

2011-06-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

2 lovers. 1 diamond. A thief. A curse. A classic film noir movie coming straight from late night Paris in the 1960s.

And you. You are the spectator, but also the actor. Only you will discover the secrets of The Black Diamond.

Stella Artois have commissioned Felix Barret of Punchdrunk-producers of the BEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN (Mask of the Red Death)- to create their own immersive experience this summer. And the best bit-it's completely free, just register for tickets as soon as possible as only the first couple of thousand lucky people will be successful. I can't recommend this enough, I honestly have never experienced anything as brilliant as the Punchdrunk production,Mask of the Red Death.It's better than the theatre, better than a film-more like actually being IN a play or film yourself; or in one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming and don't want to wake up...

Opinionated Objects at Debut Contemporary-Tinsel and Twinkle need YOU!

2011-06-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's with great pleasure that I dedicate another post to my two favourite artists, Tinsel Edwards and Twinkle Troughton. I've worked with Tins and Twink since the very start of my career, writing my first piece for Dazed Digital about Tinsel's work. You can see their influence in all areas of my work; from the gorgeous website they designed for me to Twinkle's masterpiece that heads up this blog and the pieces they've both made for projects like Gabberdashery.

Its been wonderful watching their styles evolve-Tins and Twink have known each other since they were 9 years old, and their art tends to have some similarities such as a pre-occupation with history and an examination of British identity.They both often turn to typography to narrate their images or include historical quotes, as with Twinkle's series of paintings featuring Queen Victoria,like the one below. Tinsel has been using found objects to paint her slogans on, like the wooden boards above and the jewellery box below.

And now, on Saturday 30th July you can witness Tinsel and Twinkle transform your own 'unwanted' object into a work of art at Debut Contemporary in exchange for a donation to the Ubuntu Education Fund. Tell Tins and Twink your hopes and dreams for the future, for our planet, for yourself and they'll translate these ideas into text on your object. The pair will be painting in the gallery window from 11am to 5pm; to arrange for your object to be painted email opinionatedart@hotmail.co.uk to guarantee a place, as otherwise it will be on a first come, first served basis.

I'm actually away this weekend so won't be there myself, but please go along in my place if you can to support these hugely talented ladies.

Illamasqua Lash workshop

2011-06-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

I've been working with Illamasqua for a while now as they sponsor my client Gabby Young, so I'm always hearing about how amazing their products are from Gabby and her make-up artist, but really haven't experimented with many for myself. So when they kindly donated a course for 4 at their new make-up school to the Bloggers for Japan auction I organised, I secretly hoped someone I know might place the winning bid, and that they might then choose me as one of their 3 friends to invite. And luckily thats exactly what happened, so yesterday I went with my friend Roz, who bought the course, her sister Lizzie and friend Fi to Beak street for two hours of make-up heaven.
Our class was taken by make-up artist Clare Lille who started by giving us a tutorial on Roz, showing us how to use some of the basic products, including the easiest way to create the perfect smoky eye and how to define brows.

We all got to use a new foundation which Illamasqua is launching on Thursday, inspired by cult Asian beauty balms and it really was very different from most foundations I've tried. I generally stick to tinted moisturisers as I hate the feeling of wearing foundation, but with this one it honestly didn't feel like I was wearing any. Other tricks Clare showed us were how to get liquid liner right using a brush, eyeliner cake and sealing gel-all of which I ended up buying as I was totally converted.The other thing I've wanted to master my whole life is how to do contouring so it looks like I have cheekbones without looking like I'm in a panto. Clare showed me how to use an angled brush and a sort of grey/brown shade called Hollow to create the shadow under my cheekbones(which are sadly largely hidden by fat).

The main point of the course, however, was to create our own, bespoke false eyelashes. We were given a basic set of falsies and then let loose on a whole array of embellishments, from origami style paper bits, to mini pompoms, pearls, diamante studs, feathers, netting; you name it, we could customise it and stick it on the lashes. Now I've seen how easy it is to do this once, I will be doing it myself all the time. A pair of basic false eyelashes is fairly inexpensive, as are all the bits you need to stick on them and the only equipment you need is some glue and a pair of tweezers. The lashes then last for up to 20 wears if you take care of them. Lizzie is in a band (The Lorelles) so is used to wearing quite dramatic eyelashes, as you can tell from her huge feathery lashes which she chose to wear under her eyes.

I painted mine with a purple iridescent pigment then added some purple netting extensions and pastel green and pink gems along the top.

We had such a blast; being let loose on all the Illamasqua products with the help of an expert like Clare to show you how everything should be done, was a dream come true. Its really made me determined to spend more time on my make-up and not see it as a chore, as when you have the right equipment and products, its really very quick and simple to achieve great looks. You can see all the courses available here. If you missed your chance to help raise money for Japan in my auction, you can still contribute by buying Gabby Young and Friends' song for Japan or at this Illustrators' event next weekend. Many thanks to Roz for buying the course, to Illamasqua for donating it and to Clare for being such a patient teacher, despite us being fairly unruly, demanding coffee, and running over our finish time by about 20 minutes!

Fathers' Day Gift Guide

2011-06-16T14:10:00.001-07:00

Rare Books from Treadwells Bookshop like this copy of The Complete Herbalist: or, People their Own Physicians, £45

Music Sheet covers from Lord Whitney's collection, on Supermarket Sarah, £8.25

'Who sings what' by Rose Stallard at The Print Club London £100 signed, limited edition of 30

P&Correctional Facility from Present and Correct £9

Jaques Petanque/Boules from Pedlar's £69.50

Hope these recommendations were useful. If you have oodles of money, you may also appreciate this lovely list of suggestions from Vintage Seekers.

Charm School at West Lexham

2011-06-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts ago I mentioned some of the festivals I was looking forward to this summer, explaining that my favourites are those that keep it small and intimate rather than the giants like Glastonbury. The problem with a huge festival like Glasto is that it doesn't feel all that much like a holiday.Its so vast that you have to either be really organised and punctual if you're going to manage to meet up with friends, or you're constantly on your phone, battling for reception and queuing up to recharge your battery.This year Orange have even brought out these special wellies which use the heat from your feet to recharge your phone!Evidently no-one from the development team have ever been to Glastonbury on a muddy year, as anyone putting something like a phone below knee level may as well just chuck it in a portaloo!

My point is that when I go away for a break I like to relax-stop tweeting, stop checking my emails and preferably turn off my phone altogether.Because let's face it, if you have your phone with you, even if its meant to be just for finding your friends, the temptation to check your inbox is always huge, and then when you do spot a work-related email, it can ruin your weekend.

Last year I co-curated a pop-up called The Parlour with Dana Gornitzki, editor of Mien Magazine, a site dedicated to old fashioned culture, style and the way we live now. The Parlour was a phone and laptop free zone where we encouraged activities like parlour games and letter writing, all served with a helping of cream tea and conversation. We loved how people visited to actually spend time chatting to each other in person, playing a game of scrabble or just reading the Sunday papers in each others' company.
Dana has now developed the idea further with a Charm School getaway- a weekend away from the stress of urban life, dedicated to more old fashioned pursuits that will make you a happier person and more importantly, a more charming person to be around.

Hosted at the beautiful West Lexham estate, this is exactly the sort of vacation I'm craving- a river runs through the grounds for messing about in boats and we'll even be given some gardening and topiary tips.Other pursuits will include letter writing, deportment sessions and general etiquette coaching from hostess Dana and her special guests.

My mum and my grandfather on holiday at the beach. Simple outdoors fun!

You can book your tickets here . Details here of how you can win two nights in a cosy nook at West Lexham and two people attend the Charm School for one course fee.

I like big pants

2011-06-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Fellow stylist, vintage enthusiast and friend of mine Frankie Murray recently styled this video for a lovely lingerie brand called Ayten Gasson. I've seen some of the pieces in person and they really are beautifully made, and have much more room for boobs and bums than most equivalent 'slip of a thing' pieces. There are some real bargains to be had in the sale section of the site, this longline bra being my favourite, reduced from £64 to £19.20.
Have a little watch of this behind the scenes video of the latest Ayten Gasson shoot. Look out for the beautiful hats and fascinators by Gabberdashery contributor Hatastic, and also for the really huge white pants in one of the window shots. Desperate for them.The bigger the better is generally my motto, and pants are no exception.
I'm actually really excited as I hope to be working with Frankie on a shoot in August, so watch this space.

CREDITS

Video: Alex Oliver
Lingerie: Ayten Gasson
Fascinators: Hatastic
Photography: Richard Bridge
Models: Dani Race and Holly Hoyland
Make up: Kelly Mendiola
Hair: John Mullan
Nails: Steph Mendiola
Styling: Frankie Murray

1920s bride.

2011-06-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

photo from The Telegraph site, Rex Features

I don't usually write posts about celebs, but I really love Lily Allen's 1920s bridal headpiece.Not fussed about the dress, but really love this style of veil, where the face is framed by flowers or the hair-its a bit princess Leia. Very romantic. You can find similar pieces on Etsy by the likes of RetroVintageWedding.

Festivus

2011-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

I've been to a lot of festivals over the years, from iconic gatherings like Glastonbury to the 2nd year of Secret Garden Party, which still only hosted about 3,000 people and was one of the best weekends I've ever had. Sadly Secret Garden has now become a victim of its own success, growing out of the niche, 'house party in a lovely garden' feel that it enjoyed the first few years. Last year I queued for over 5 hours just to get in as they were so slow with the security checks on the door.Not impressed.But the organisers do still have brilliant ideas and great taste when it comes to bands and activities to feature, so I'm very excited about their latest offering, a new festival in Oxfordshire called Wilderness.Headline acts include Gogol Bordello, Laura Marling and Anthony and the Johnsons, there's brainy stuff from the Idler academy and Intelligence Squared, whilst The Last Tuesday Society will be bringing along their Masked Ball extravaganza.

Silas Wynd, the man behind The Last Tuesday Society is also opening his doors to the public for a couple of summer soirees, aka Wyndstock. The June Midsummer Night's Ball is already sold out, but there are still tickets for the August Country House Party; see the house below.For real.Tickets are £60 including dinner, dancing, camping, breakfast. Dress code: flowery dresses, linen suits, taffeta and lace,panama hats and spats.Think Bright Young Things/The Great Gatsby/Brideshead Revisited.

Another great festival not far from London is Standon Calling. Its a lovely size; you won't get lost or end up unable to find your mates, and everyone gets involved in the fantastic themes. Last year Gabby Young and I ran a Gabberdashery shop in the little village they built-you can see pictures here. There's even a real swimming pool!Some great acts in the line-up this year including Hercules and Love Affair, Revere, The Moulettes and Dan le Sac. This year its all about Gods and Monsters..

Gabby Young&other animals at Standon Calling 2010 photo by Holly Langford

If you don't even want to leave London, then don't worry, Field Day is the city's answer to countryside festival fun. Highlights include , CocknBullKid, Warpaint and Willy Mason.

So you've got your festival tickets, now for the wardrobe.One of our original Gabberdashery contributors is Rosa Bloom, who spends half the year travelling around India and the far east collecting wonderful new materials to turn into her summer festival collection.She then tours around all the best boutique festivals in her Rosamobile selling sequinned leggings,tulle bustles, striped playsuits and frilly silk knickers as well as handmade jewellery and feather headpieces.She's holding an exclusive preview on Monday 13th June in Kilburn, details below.

'Sea Circus' Sequin Playsuit in Green (also available in Turquoise and Pink) Available from June.
Size S (8-10) / Size M (12-14) / Size L (16-18)
£85

You can still get some festival gems from our Gabberdashery wall for Supermarket Sarah, and of course Sarah's own festival themed wall.

You can catch Gabby performing at Larmer Tree Festival, alongside wonderful acts like Imelda May and Caitlin Rose.Its a wonderfully intimate festival with only 4,000 people and lots of amazing new talent in the gorgeous setting of the Wiltshire/Dorset border.See you there!

WilliamVintage for Browns

2011-06-07T03:21:00.000-07:00

Supermodel Jacquetta Wheeler wearing 1959 Dior Couture from WilliamVintage

As an avid vintage wearer, it's been very interesting to see the gradual rise of vintage fashion in the mainstream. Whilst it could initially be mistaken for another passing trend, accredited to the influence of TV shows like Mad Men, it's now beginning to be acknowledged as an integral part of any women's wardrobe, and a red carpet staple.

Finally the glamour and timeless style of vintage is starting to be associated with glossy editorials and black tie events again rather than charity shops and old ladies. William Banks-Blaney, founder of WilliamVintage, recently dressed Gillian Anderson for the BAFTAS, and here is Jacquetta Wheeler wearing one of his 1950s Dior pieces in 'Playing Fashion Russia'.

And as vintage takes its rightful place alongside the best contemporary designers at red carpet awards shows, so it also does in store at iconic British shop Browns, where WilliamVintage will be stocked from Friday 10th June.

William says,

"I have always been inspired by Browns' exacting sense of fashion and editing so I am thrilled that WilliamVintage has been invited within their stores. WilliamVintage in Browns will be vintage clothing at its best - relevant, timeless, inherently modern and in many cases, the early works of the great fashion icons of the 20th century."

William's stock includes vintage Balenciaga, Balmain, Cardin, Courreges, Ossie Clark, Desses, Dior, Lanvin, Madame Gres and many others. If only I had an event to go that was worthy of one of these frocks!A girl can dream.

The Thrill of the Thrift

2011-06-05T04:27:00.000-07:00

Part of the joy of buying vintage at markets and charity shops is discovering pieces that someone else has no use for, but that you are delighted with.The joy is doubled when you manage to negotiate a sweet deal.So I was delighted to discover Thrift-ola, an online shop full of treasures collected by Leona from her travels. She even has a 'Make me an offer Monday' scheme for newsletter subscribers, whereby you can haggle like you would at a car boot sale! E-mail leona@thrift-ola.com with the product name & the price you'd like to pay for the item you've had your eye on, then if Leona accepts the offer she'll change the price on the website and you have the chance to snap it up for a bargain price.Current gems on the site include this 1950s typewriter, and two kitchen treasures I have my eye on; a Blackbird Pie funnel and an embroidered tablecloth.

Summer Loving

2011-06-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last summer I wrote a blog post about some of my summer wardrobe style icons, from Liv Tyler in Stealing Beauty, to Frida Kahlo, to Alabama in True Romance. Here's another selection of favourites.

Marion in Raiders of the lost Ark.What a film.Why don't they don't make them like that anymore?The beautiful white taffeta dress she ruins in the desert is one of my all time favourites; the polka dot ruffles, the plunging back and rosette bustle?That Nazi-loving archaeologist had great taste in frocks. I flinch everytime I watch the bit where Indiana tears the bottom off.I'd have kicked him in the face and gone back to the dude who bought her the dress.The silk slip she wears towards the end is a stunner too.

Next up two of the best blondes, Brigitte and Marilyn.

And now for the best bit-I've discovered an amazing Etsy store that will recreate these Marilyn dresses to your exact measurements. Even the bikini below.Genius. Get your own Monroe wardrobe from Dainty Rascal.

And if you want to work the floral print trend this summer, go for one of these beautiful 1950s style dresses from Natasha Bailie; this is the Betty for Mad Men fans!Natasha also sells original vintage dresses here.

The Art of Sleep

2011-06-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Want Audrey's tassle ear plugs and sleep silk mask?Follow my new Tumblr, The Art of Sleep!You'll find useful links to products like these, as well as paintings, photographs, quotes and more celebrating everything dreamy.I was diagnosed with narcolepsy when I was 14, so this is the one field in which I am a total expert.
Whilst we're on the subject, you can also read my interview with author Essie Fox on her Victorian Gothic novel, 'The Somnambulist' for Mien Magazine.

Fox and Squirrel Fashion Walk

2011-06-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

In one of the classic cases of 'small world' syndrome, I recently rediscovered a good friend of mine who I went to school with when I was growing up in Cyprus. Penelope Sacorafou has now set up Fox and Squirrel with her colleague JoJo Provatidou and a team of art and fashion experts. The company provides a great blog and specifically tailored, themed walks around some of London's hidden gems. You fill out a form before your walk so that its specifically suited to you and your group.

I was lucky enough to go on one of the Fox and Squirrel fashion walks last week, led by stylist Jojo Provatidou. We began by exploring some of the oldest streets in East London where the French Huganoughts set up their silk weaving industry.In these streets so rich with fashion history, we visited fashion boutiques like Keep Zero Gravity, stocking unique designers alongside changing window displays designed by local artists.Its these independent London stores that make East London such a rich hunting ground for those after cutting edge fashion, be it vintage or designer.

The next stop I got really excited about was 123 Bethnal Green road- a venue I'd visited for the launch of Amelia's magazine in their basement tearoom, where they now sell all sorts of delights, from locally sourced honey to vintage crockery.

The shop stocks a host of brilliant British designers, all of whom make their clothes here in London. From interior designs like cushions made from vintage materials, to crockery made by Carrie of Guts for Garters, up and coming ethical designers like Ada Zanditon and Goodone, and beautifully presented jewellery.

Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately for my bank account..)my boyfriend still dresses like a 14 year old boy, so I have done little research into good shops for menswear.If I had a stylish male friend to shop for, then a store we were introduced to on our walk would be my first stop. Hostem is however, much more than just a store.The fixtures and fittings are works of art themselves, and the back room is constantly transformed by different designers. During Design Week it was even turned into a 'one room hotel' by husband and wife duo James Plumb, with a four poster bed made out of an old wardrobe.

The final stop was a real show-stopper; the new, appointment only store from LN-CC.This is retail at its most futuristic, an online site with a unique London store available for visits, anytime of day or night.Curated by an incredibly qualified team of buyers, the fashion, books and records available are all that bit different, all the sort of thing you might choose for someone who already has everything, and so is only interested in the truly original and unique.The space is something wonderful; my friend Gisele has written a really beautiful post about the store here with much better pictures than mine. The venue also has a back room for parties and events with a state of the art sound system and even its own tattoo artist. This is all in answer to the public's desire for something more than the average shopping experience-if you can stay home and shop online, there's got to be more to entice you out than what you find in your average high street store. And Fox and Squirrel can show you some of the places to get that little bit extra.

MiroSlav Tichy

2011-05-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I went on a fashion walk run by Fox and Squirrel - I'll be writing a post all about it this week- but in the meantime I wanted to share with you some photographs by an artist I discovered at one of the stops on our tour. The LN-CC sells clothes, music and books, and it was one of these books that caught my eye. It was a celebration of the works of Miroslav Tichy who from the 1960s to 1985 took thousands of surreptitious pictures of women in his hometown of Kyjov in the Czech Republic. He generally used homemade cameras made from cardboard tubes, tin cans and other materials.

Most of his subjects were unaware they are being photographed- which gives his work a kind of creepy, voyeuristic quality. I love the soft, out of focus effect which, though from a completely different era, conjures up the aesthetic of great photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron.

The Big Picture

2011-05-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

I've recently had the privilege of contributing to a fabulous new publication, Slink; a fashion and lifestyle bible for women size 14+.The magazine was founded by stylist and journalist Rivkie Baum, who wanted to provide a magazine celebrating curvier women- this isn't about curvy vs skinny though, its just about being happy with how you look.The fact is that most of us are closer to a size 14 than to the sizes we see on the catwalk and on the pages of most glossies.

I recently attended a talk by All Walks Beyond the Catwalk who celebrate not only plus size models, but all different shapes, sizes, colours and ages that wouldn't normally make it onto the catwalk or pages of the mainstream fashion industry. Model Erin O'Connor spoke about how her career made her appreciate her own unique look, but that she still comes across challenges, being too tall to fit into designers' sample sizes for example. Other models shot by Rankin to promote the AWBTC message include more mature models, those who are too short to walk on runways, plus size models and ethnic minorities.My new favourite model is Naomi Shimada,pictured above and in the centre below in white. Naomi says of AWBTC:

‘Fashion is screaming out for something like this. I was a straight model once but just didn’t want to play the game any more. I saw what it was doing to other models. Women pick up those images and think they are real. Now I’ve crossed over into ‘plus size,’ and I’m part of something much more real and interesting. All Walks is such a great idea because we need to celebrate a much more diverse range of beauty.’

I'm similarly impressed by Adele speaking out about her weight.Whilst I don't agree with everything she says (particularly not her recent tax rant!)I feel strongly that Adele is making a very important point about women in the public eye being celebrated only for how they look these days. She has oodles of talent, why should she look like a model too?I actually think that she always looks stunning, but the fact that her weight has been made such an issue in the press is a sad sign of our current obsession.Its not like she's unhealthily overweight-she's an average sized girl.

Its hard to strike a balance in the big weight debate- I'm perfectly happy to acknowledge that there are women out there, both in the limelight and out of it, who are naturally thin, and I'm in no way saying that they look anything less than amazing.Similarly there are women who work very hard at staying slim, and I have total respect for them-if thats what makes you feel happy and good about yourself then great. I hate nothing more people implying that those who are skinny are less feminine or beautiful than curvy women. It's all really part of a much bigger picture;what we look like shouldn't be such a big deal.It's nothing like as bad for men, though our quest for physical perfection is starting to infiltrate their world with anti-ageing products and plastic surgery for men on the rise.Which is a real shame, because I always fall for men based on their character rather than their looks- talent, intelligence, kindness, even flaws; all these will have me head over heels long before a set of abs or a chiselled jaw. And I think that we're massively insulting men in general to assume that they're completely different from us and so fickle that they're only interested in what women look like. So who are the real culprits?Isn't it other women who we dress for?So when will we stop putting this ridiculous pressure for perfection on each other?I really hope that by the time I'm Helen Mirren's age, whether I look as cracking as her or not, we'll be living in a time where women are valued for their talents and personalities as much as for their appearances.

Tiny Dreams

2011-05-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Wirrow is giving away this piece of artwork to whoever writes the best tiny story about dreams; 20-30 words. It will then be uploaded to the HitRecord site, which I've blogged about before here.

I find dreams really fascinating, particularly since developing narcolepsy which comes with lots of weird side effects like lucid dreaming.I read somewhere that supposedly people find nothing more interesting than their own dreams, and nothing more boring than hearing about other people's!

My tiny story goes;

Sometimes I dream so hard that when I wake up, I need a little nap to recover.

A Fine Frenzy

2011-05-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

I've been spending my Sunday exploring the back catalogue of fantastic singer Alison Sudol, otherwise known as A Fine Frenzy. I love her album Bomb in a Birdcage and the music videos are just magic.Here are two of my favourites; enjoy!

One Vintage

2011-05-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I went to the launch of D&Me, a great new Chelsea boutique stocking some lovely labels, as well as its own in-house vintage brand, One Vintage.Sound familiar?You may have spotted some of the One gems on Net a Porter, though they never stay on the site for very long, as each is a completely unique, reworked vintage piece; sometimes very close to their original condition, other times transformed with additions of carefully sourced fabrics and embellishments.

The One Vintage showroom is upstairs, where Marcelle Symons and her team of seamstresses craft the collection. I was in absolute vintage heaven- all my favourite styles were hidden away in this Aladdin's cave of delights; delicate lace,antique corsets, victorian jackets,wedding dresses, feather boas and diamante showgirl headpieces.I could have spent hours there. Here are pictures of some of my favourite finds, though these photos really don't do the pieces justice.Do go along and explore- its like the most luxurious dressing up box you could imagine!

Babiekins

2011-05-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

Shoot by Felicity Lynch photos by James Hooker

If evidence was needed that my biological clock is ticking away, I guess this post is it. I turned 27 yesterday and am broodier than ever. So here it is, a post about babies, or rather Babiekins Magazine and this wonderful shoot thats in issue Five. Honestly its enough to make you want a little person just to dress them up in all the amazing outfits. The collar the little girl is wearing in these pics is by the super talented Amy Phipps who runs a number of craft classes, teaching everything from embroidery to crochet at Just Sew in Brighton.

So many of my friends are creating wonderful fashion pieces of their own, its really inspiring me to get designing. Natasha Bailie has made a beautiful vintage-inspired dress in gorgeous floral prints and Lena Weber has designed a range of retro blouses; this 1930s one is my favourite and there's 20% off at the moment!

Birthday Wishlist

2011-05-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Pom pom shoe clips from Ban Do

One of the best bits about having a blog is that its an excellent way to leave *subtle* hints about things that you'd like to receive for birthdays/Christmases and so forth. So as my birthday is on Monday, here is my wishlist of little things I'd love to receive. Family, friends; feel free to go nuts.

The Somnambulist by Essie Fox

The latest copy of Frankie, or a subscription to Oh Comely

Pretty much anything from Luna and Curious , Secret Arcade or The Shop Floor Project.

A vintage jelly mould

Anything by Ali Miller, this bowl is from Culture Label but you can buy her stuff from Drink, Shop Do at the moment too.I'd be chuffed with a bag of penny sweets from there as well actually...

On an even greedier note, I'd really like tickets to Wilderness Festival, a new gathering organised by the people behind Secret Garden Party. Headline acts include Anthony and the Johnsons, Gogol Bordello and Laura Marling.

More than anything though, I'd just like to receive some birthday cards.Facebook and twitter messages are all well and good, but nothing beats a lovely, real-life card.

Creative Walls by Geraldine James

2011-05-06T03:41:00.000-07:00

Images from From Creative Walls by Geraldine James published by CICO Books, photography by Andrew Wood

The lovely folk at Cico books have sent me one of their latest publications; Creative Walls by Selfridges Home Buying Manager Geraldine James. The book is full of beautiful images of walls turned into works of art, clever storage devices or photographic moodboards.

For someone like me who keeps everything; from old postcards to my grandmother's photographs, organising and displaying it can be a challenge. My jewellery box is currently overflowing so I may try this framed display in the image above, as I always feel its a real waste for my necklaces to be hidden away in a box.

I'm afraid the images above of a wall decorated with Vogue covers has prompted me to tell a very sad wall story of my own.

When I went away to boarding school aged 16, I started decorating the walls of whatever room I was sleeping in with my favourite images from magazines. They always had to be black and white, and ranged from Ralph Lauren Romance adverts, to iconic photoshoots and spreads. Over the years I had enough torn out sheets to cover a good couple of walls- including pages from Italian Vogue on my gap year and other foreign publications.I moved them into whatever new room I was living in, through university and then to Brixton where I was living with some girlfriends.When I finally moved in with my boyfriend, I knew I wouldn't get away with plastering half his flat with fashion, so took my collection to my parent's new, rented house where I had a room. Last year, they moved out of that house and into their new home, and it was only when I went to visit them there for the first time that I said to my mum, 'you did bring my wall of pictures from the old house, didn't you?'She had NOT. They'd been chucked. 8 years worth of collecting thrown away.It's not like I can't find most of the images I had online and print them off or whatever, its the fact that those scraps of paper had travelled with me through all of my adult life, cheering me up at boarding school, gracing the walls of my university halls, making me feel at home when abroad. So that is my tragic tale of wall woe; I realise only other sentimental hoarders will feel my pain, so sorry to bore those of you sensible enough to have all your images safely framed. I'm now in the process of getting all the artwork I own properly mounted so I can display it safely- one of the benefits of doing PR for some artists means I've managed to build up a lovely little collection of signed, limited edition prints and the like.

The book wouldn't be complete without a mention of the Queen of Walls, Supermarket Sarah who Gabby Young and I created a wall for last year. Sarah's had pop-up walls in Selfridges and her latest effort is dedicated to one of my favourite magazines, Australian publication Frankie-check it out here. It really does encourage you to do something different with your wall space-however small your flat or house, you've got to have some!

Supperclub: Recipes and notes from the Underground restaurant

2011-04-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Kerstin Rodgers, aka Ms MarmiteLover, is a firm favourite of mine, feeding guests from her kitchen table, hosting fantastically themed events and sharing her cooking and crafting knowledge from her home in Kilburn. Years spent running her Underground Restaurant as well as visiting supperclubs around the world have culminated in this beautiful book, a must-buy for all foodies.I'm going to be a really lazy writer and just quote India Knight who put it better than I ever could when she said; 'Supper Club is written by a proper, joyfully greedy girl (I mean that as the highest compliment) who really knows her stuff. It all sounds delicious - robust, non-poncy, just really good food'

Kerstin stepped away from the aga for a few minutes to answer some questions about the making of the book, and her dream meal.

When did you first start holding dinners at home?Was it a conscious decision to start a supper club?

I started in January 2009. I'd been to Cuba and seen the paladares...home restaurants and thought this would work well in London.

You've visited supper clubs around the world- which was your favourite?

Yes although I've visited supper clubs around the world, one of my favourites was held above a betting shop in East London. It was a Texan lady who grilled steaks (tuna steak in my case) on her barbeque on the roof top. The food was delicious but simple, her hostessing was great, friendly and relaxed. I prefer that to somewhere with poncy faux michelin star food to be honest.

Did you always plan on writing a recipe book?

I knew as soon as I started that there was a book in it. So the book is a third my story, the story of supperclubs and the rest is recipes. I think it's more than just a recipe book, there is a 'journey', a trajectory, a philosophy and the seeds of a movement.

Who taught you to cook?

My mum and all my boyfriends mums (who were mostly French).

What would you request for your last meal?

My last meal: spaghetti with good Italian tomatoes, lots of garlic and olive oil. A green salad with walnut oil and lemon juice. Good heavy oaky red wine. Cheeses: blue, cheddar, brillat savarin and goats cheeses. Great sourdough bread. Pavlova. I'm a peasant at heart.

'Supperclub' honestly has everything I could want from a cookbook, that is:

Great recipes for varying levels of skill and investment, from marmite on toast with crispy seaweed to mint and white chocolate ice-cream.
Lots of interesting witty writing thats not all recipe orientated- in this case tips on running a supperclub and tales from Kirsten's own experience of doing so.
Beautiful, inspirational photographs of both the writer's cooking and also her home, which really makes you feel like you get to know her personally
Lovely artwork other than the photographs- including great typography and illustrations which really add to the samples of Kirsten's 'themed menus' -including an Elvis menu (think deep fried peanut butter sandwiches) and a 'flower menu' featuring edible flowers and decorative gems like this floral ice bowl.

You can pre-order Supperclub: Recipes and notes from the Underground Restaurant on Amazon now.

The Underground Royal Wedding Banquet has sold out, so get your tickets for The Underground Night market on 6th May instead.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some lovely vintage Easter images from one of my favourite Tumblrs; MothgirlWings. I'm off to a school friend's wedding in Harrogate this weekend, so having a few proper 'offline' days.

I also finish the really strict part of my diet on Friday, so I'm looking forward to indulging a bit in post-wedding party brunch on Easter Sunday, as well as a Lindt bunny or two. If you're up for indulging, these are my recommendations for the coming weeks:

Foodie kings, Bompass and Parr pay tribute to Willie Wonka with a 50 tonne chocolate waterfall, 22nd-25th April.

On the 24th itself, if you don't fancy cooking your own meal, head to Ms MarmiteLover's for brunch and an Easter Egg hunt.

See royal wedding cakes from William the Conqueror to this day at the Tate&Lyle exhibition, 22-25th April at the Wellington Arch in Hyde Park.

And if looking at all those cakes makes you peckish, head to Maiden for Miss Cakehead's Will&Cake one day pop-up shop celebrating the Royal Wedding, tongue firmly in cheek.But get there quick, her last cake fest sold out in 3 hours!

Craft and Crown

2011-04-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Initially, I felt entirely indifferent about the whole royal wedding shebang; I was intrigued to see the dress of course, but otherwise I was pretty detached. But then, in some kind of silent national pact, the craft scene decided to embrace the event and use it as an excuse to celebrate and sometimes laugh at everything traditionally British. As a result I have totally got on board with the whole hype, as have a bunch of crafters who got together under the careful curation of UK Craft's godmother Perri Lewis for Craft and Crown at The Hospital club today. A feast fit for a king was laid out, featuring pork pies, giant scotch eggs, Victoria Sponge and other terribly British indulgences.(Still on stupid diet; I deserve a ruddy medal for sticking to it today) Second only to the craft community has been the foodie crowd's response to the royal wedding, using it as a good excuse for some right royal scoffing.; I'm indescribably excited about Miss Cakehead's forthcoming 'Will and Cake' event.

Me Old China

The first stall I perused was that of 'Me old China', where you could buy genuine vintage photographs and memorabilia from other royal weddings, as well as royal teacups turned into candles.

Lost and Found Design

Lost and found Design had a huge array of Union Jack cushions; check their site for more brilliant vintage and bespoke pieces-the deckchairs are a must for anyone having a street party.

Naomi Ryder

I love Naomi Ryder's embroidery on this 'London' curtain- this would look amazing on any window with a great London view.

Cassie and Rachel of Guts for Garters

Cassie and Rachel of Guts for Garters had somehow transported their precious vintage props, wardrobe and royal-themed artwork and accessories to The Hospital, and looked fabulous as ever.You can read about the launch of Guts for Garters here.

Nursey Bang Bang

It was great to finally meet Nursey Bang Bang who donated a hand-sewn apron to the Bloggers for Japan fundraiser I held. She'd originally made it for Miss Cakehead's Cakes for Japan event- its such a small world in Craftville! You can see the fabulous Bloom Looms that were being demonstrated today in a special video :

Ali Miller

My new talent discovery of the day was Ali Miller. Creating china and textiles often inspired by William Morris and other vintage influences, many of her pieces are one-of-a-kind. My photo doesn't do her work justice at all, so please have a look on her site here.

Commemorative plate from The House that Lars Built

There was more eye-catching crockery from The House that Lars built- I think this commemorative plate is really beautiful and would look fabulous displayed on a wall or dresser.There are mugs available too.

Mr-PS printed tea-towels

And to end on a foodie note, here's the wonderful Royal Wedding Breakfast menu tea-towel by Mr-PS.
How will you be celebrating the Royal Wedding?Or will you be giving it a miss?

STOP PRESS:
I really don't feel the need to do another whole post dedicated to Royal Wedding merchandise,but just came across this Rob Ryan beauty which I had to include somewhere, so here it is!

Snidel and Jusglitty

2011-04-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

Despite sounding like a couple of characters from Harry Potter, Snidle and Jusglitty are actually two incredibly cool Japanese labels. Both have a mix of traditional British and American influences; cropped trenches, blazers, stripes, silk scarves and a divine selection of spring and summer dresses. I also love the styling;hot air-balloon chair?Amazing!

Jusglitty:

The sweet smell of Penhaligon's

2011-04-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Penhaligon's has always been a brand that I've admired from afar, but subconsciously thought rather too posh and grown-up for me. I would pass the shop windows, full of oversized versions of their iconic glass bottles, and feel perhaps a little too intimidated to enter. But last night all these preconceptions were shattered at the brand's bloggers' event, behind the secret wardrobe door at Callooh Callay. By the time I arrived with Dana of Mien Magazine, the room already smelt divine, and we were immediately offered a special cocktail menu, with all the drinks inspired by Penhaligon's fragrances. Now I'm on a stupid diet so couldn't indulge, but nothing could stop me from helping myself to the selection of perfumes spread around the tables for testing. Emily of Penhaligon's came to explain to us the new fragrances, as well as sharing some key tips; for example, when applying perfume to your wrists, you should never rub them together to help it dry as that damages the top notes.Who knew?!I also sampled some of the lovely Vanities range- the handcream's aroma is very subtle so that it can be worn with any fragrance.

Next we had our personal fragrance profiles done by Richard who runs the Covent Garden store. We talked through our scent 'history'- from shameful teenage addiction's to The Body Shop's White Musk (please say this wasn't just me?)to the one perfume that I've stuck to since my late teens. We then tested a number of the Penhaligon's scents; without being able to see their names so as not to form any preconceptions, before narrowing it down to a final few which we then applied to our skin. It was strange, as I thought I was really torn between two scents until I smelt them on my wrists, at which point there was one which I clearly preferred; this is because the fragrance actually smells different on everyone's skin.And the scent that was the most 'me'? Cornubia, which contains vanilla, freesia, orange blossom and jasmine.

I also had a chat with Nicky, the brand's digital manager, who is to thank for enabling anyone to enjoy fragrance profiling on the Penhaligon's website. I have a huge amount of respect for the whole team, who have managed the delicate task of bringing a traditional brand with iconic heritage into the digital age, and translating the vintage glamour of the brand into a fresh, youthful energy. Whilst I have stuck with the same perfume since I was about 18, this is exactly the sort of experience that could convert me to a new scent. I'm particularly drawn to the history of the brand, the vintage feel of the packaging and the fact that I'm not faced with the airbrushed mug of a celebrity paid to flog yet another fragrance churned out by a huge fashion house. Penhaligon's perfumes are sold on the basis of the bottles' contents, which sell themselves,without call for gimmicks or reliance on trends. A rare quality, these days.

Alexandra Greco

2011-04-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Alexandra greco created her own collection due to her 'unyielding desire to encourage women to play dress-up in their everyday lives'; an ethos I can totally empathise with. Her simple, delicate pieces are inspired by 1920s silent film heroines and burlesque stars.Its all very Boardwalk Empire.I wrote a piece about fashion inspired by the TV series for Mien Magazine, featuring Le Luxe clothing who make great reproduction 1920s and 30s flapper dresses.Great dressing-up box stuff.

Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder who works in a shop selling gorgeous little slips and undies in HBO series Boardwalk Empire