That’s How People Grow Up…

Forgot to mention I was fortunate enough to get on the guest list for the absolutely AMAZING Snow Patrol gig  last Sunday at Camden’s Roundhouse. I think it was part of the itunes festival. What a fantastic venue – a reasonably intimate space and the sound was dazzling. Not sure about the cheap white wine served in floppy plastic cups though. Meeting the band afterwards was a treat – what a genuinely lovely group of blokes. No airs, no pretentions – just friends having the time of their lives.

Will be seeing gorgeously grumpy Morrissey next Sunday at Brixton Academy. As a vegetarian with a penchant for sexy, moody older men, I have every right to be terribly excited!

Summer in the City

Filmed just a few days ago for New York Magazine’s ‘The Look Book’:  Daphne Guinness on the not so mean streets of NYC rocking a dress by ‘her friend’ L’Wren (Scott, to the rest of us) vintage accessories and “I-can-do-hand-stands-in-these” red hooker heels to DIE FOR!:

And in the, ahem, real world… Boyfriend and I have finally agreed to buy a flat in London and try for a baby… all within the next year. Cannot believe how broody I am, I never thought I would feel this way. I suppose it comes to us all eventually, although the thought of one day having a moody teenager on my hands is almost enough to make me change my mind…

‘Daphne’ by Comme des Garçons – Finally a release date!

As a slightly dishevelled art student teenager, Christian Dior’s Tendre Poison (which, very sadly, seems to have recently been discontinued) was definitely the most glamorous thing about me as I sashayed down the concrete corridors of my ghastly high school. It was my first quality perfume experience and although, over the years, I have regularly substituted high street for my couture fantasy style, I have never contemplated wearing cheap perfume.
I have experienced flings with a variety of scents since my teens (EA’s Fifth Avenue was, I am almost embarrassed to admit, always a long-time favourite and Thierry Mugler’s ‘Angel’ is still incredibly provocative. This spring I have also enjoyed wearing Stella McCartney’s In Two {Peony}, although I’m not sure I’d buy it again.)
Anyway; I am giddily excited that finally - if reports are to believed – Daphne Guinness’ scent (for Comme des Garçons) will be on sale as of September 4th at Dover Street Market. The fragrance features practically all my favourite notes – “bitter orange, incense, saffron, rose, jasmine, tuberose, iris, patchouli, agarwood (oud), amber and vanilla,” says Fragrantica. It sounds as deliciously intoxicating as Daphne herself, although the packaging looks nowhere near as dramatic as I’d hoped. (Although apparently the bottle will come in a little red velvet pouch within the box, which would be a gorgeous touch.) For us mere mortals who regularly attempt the DG look on a less couture-friendly budget, well… at least we can smell as good as the lady herself! Hell, I might even have a new all-time favourite…

Tableware excitment – a sign of premature middle age?!

I spend far too much time feeling quite torn between styles for my kitchen and general dining experience. On the one hand I want to create a rustic, retro white-washed French chateau chic effect in my kitchen. On the other hand I really, really like that kind of glamourous, shiny, slightly kitsch appearance. Among my recent faourite goodies are a black sequinned runner, rather decadent black glass candelabra and diamante – classy, I know – tealight holders. It’s all tongue-in-cheek and in no way intended to seriously replicate a “boutique hotel experience” (I saw that on television recently – why would you want your whole house to look like a boutique hotel?!)

Anyway. A few years back I was happy with mismatched crockery on my knee. I never imagined I would be the kind of girl who actually owned a table, let alone spent time considering how best to adorn it. I suppose it’s a sign of growing up, no? And these are my newest plates. Just the sight of them makes me smile! They look like deck-chairs on Brighton pier on a summer’s day.

I would also like Zandra Rhodes’ collection (for Royal Doulton), but Boyfriend says we don’t have enough cupboards. Pah. Here is some of Zandra’s stuff, so pretty and girly:

 
Perfect for those cupcakes below…

Pretty in Pink

For my Mama’s birthday recently, I made a stack of pretty pink and white cupcakes, displayed on a charming retro cake stand. I was over the moon with the results; I think it is well worth mentioning that the recipe I used was faultless; producing light, vanilla sponge cupcakes with a perfectly flat top – that is to say, the ideal surface to ice/decorate in any way you wish. I used pretty pastel-pink cases and iced the cakes using a standard buttercream icing (one part butter to two parts icing sugar.) I used this, plain, for the cream colour effect swirls and whipped in a drop of pink food colouring for the pink ones. I scattered some white chocolate stars and pink sprinkles as a finishing touch. Simple and lovely!

As I was travelling some distance with these beauties, I made them a few days before hand and froze them. Once packaged carefully, they stayed perfect and held their shape beautifully. I took a risk doing this as someone advised me not to freeze the iced cupcakes as the process would spoil them – well I beg to differ. These were just perfect and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

 Here is the perfect flat-topped cupcake recipe. Makes around 24 standard cupcakes.

1 cup /8oz butter

1 cup/8oz caster sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups /8oz self-raising flour

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

METHOD:

 1. Preheat oven to 350f/180c/Gas Mark 4.

2. Sift flour and pop in food processor with the butter and vanilla. Mix on medium.

3. Add the eggs one by one, till thoroughly combined.

4. Spoon equally into the cupcake cases. Bake for approx 16 minutes til golden.

5. Allow to cool on wire racks before icing.

Time Out + Time Out

Eat less, chew more, advised the wonderful Greta Garbo. I’ve been following this advice for some time and I am weighing less than I was as a teenager, without sacrificing any of the goodies I would normally eat; I just eat less of them! I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do this – it’s easy!

After a recent pleasant spell in the sunshine (Canary Islands and Morocco) with much time to relax, read and think (perhaps a little too much for thinking!), life in London resumes once more. I returned to see my garden bursting with the yellows and blues of my beautiful daffodils and crocuses, and the arrival of some packages – I have just added two more pieces to my Laura Lees collection. (I just love her punky embroidery designs on pristine-white shirts and LBDs!) Looking forward to wearing them as the weather improves…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My style obsession with Daphne Guinness continues; I was very excited by the recent London Fashion Week of Time Out, containing some awesome pictures and the following style tips from Daphne herself:

• “Keep it simple.”
• “Watch a lot of old movies, look at lots of old masters – go to galleries.”
• “Dress in proportion to the room or street. That’s why I wear platforms.”
• “Wear jackets one size too small. Sleeves often come down too far.”
• “If something doesn’t fit perfectly, take it to a tailor to get it altered.”

Also happy to hear an update on the forthcoming Daphne Guinness fragrance, which has, frankly, been in the works for what seems like forever. DG just posted on her Starworks blog news of a short film (for the fragrance) she will begin directing next week. Hurrah! I hope it won’t take too long to grace the shelves of Dover Street Market – I can’t wait to sample it.

Turning my thoughts away from fashion (well, sort of), I have spring/summer gigs to look forward to and the accompanying catch-ups with friends from afar, and the prospect of a trip to New York (I haven’t been in about six years! How time has flown!) These things make me feel very happy. I love gigs, summer and the city… especially combined. I have a feeling many things will change this year.

Most Wanted…

I thought nothing could make me love Vivienne Westwood more than I do already; then along came these babies! I would really, really love one or two of these fantastic ‘armour rings’ (in silver, not gold.) Very sexy and stylish, with more than just a hint of Daphne Guinness about them! (Looking forward to Time Out’s Fashion Week issue, Feb 19th – DG and Gareth Pugh cover and interview!) 

Wardrobe elimination is going incredibly well; it’s very therapeutic. I have some lovely pieces remaining and I am bursting with ideas. Now I am just longing for some slightly warmer weather so I can stop wearing the ubiquitous black skinny jeans, Rocketdogs and enormous sweaters…

Clearing Out & Daydreaming at Dover St Market

The mass exodus of Primark-esque tat has begun. I have filled several bin liners with clothes and shoes for charity shops (I’m sure someone will like this stuff – after all, I did, once). And after briefly shopping for a decent white shirt, I actually found a very nice Thomas Pink shirt amongst the stuff in my wardrobe. It is a little too large for me, but a couple of well-placed darts and a few seam adjustments will sort that out. I have left myself with gorgeous pairs of black trousers, simple, short black dresses, day-wear corsets and some really good accessories. (And some pretty summery tea dresses which I am very fond of, and have no intention of getting rid of.)

I still don’t know what to do with some pieces (for example, stuff I’ve actually made myself, but don’t wear anymore – what a dilemma! Do I give them away or keep them because they are my own work, lopsided stitches, silly colours, badly placed zips and all?)

 

Last week, while window-shopping in Mayfair with a friend,  I inadvertently came across Dover Street Market. Not market as in Camden’s Electric Ballroom, more market as in Bond Street strategically spread over four floors. Having read about the infamous quirky designer chaos contained within, I ventured inside, and I loved it – especially the black octopus art in the window and the velvet covered display cabinets (forget the if-you-need-to-ask-you-can’t-afford-it jewellery contained within them; the cabinets themselves were gorgeous, and an absolutely brilliant idea – I definitely plan to have a go at transforming an old cabinet in the same way).

The little coffee shop on the fourth floor was lovely and even the staff were refreshingly pleasant; one friendly assistant appeared from nowhere to help me when I managed to knock a £3500 skirt off a hanger, swiftly declaring with a smile that the hanger was useless and he should have binned it earlier, before flipping the skirt over his shoulder and striding away in all his Comme des Garçons glory to find another one.

The experience of savouring the beauty and structure of these handfuls of absolutely lovely clothes really filled me with an overwhelming desire to create, create, create – a buzz which lasted until I noticed the groups of fashion students; the little Peaches Geldof clones, dotted around the shop – watching everyone with the desperate air of disdain and envy, wanting for all the world to be noticed. If I am ever going to study fashion, now is the time. I’m only in my late twenties, but these girls made feel utterly depressed and the thought of studying alongside them made my stomach lurch. The feeling of not knowing what to do with oneself is the worst feeling in the world. 

 

Needless to say, I didn’t buy anything in DSM (although, had I found the Daphne Guinness shirts, I may well have found my pockets considerably lighter) but I kind of wished I worked there so I could gawp at lovely clothes all day.

 

…but I very seldom follow it

I am having a wardrobe clear-out. I am ridding myself of cheap and nasty (not in a good way) clothing and stuff that does not flatter me. (Oh how I loved that chunky pink Jackie O style jacket that unfortunately made me resemble a Flump.) I am streamlining.

I like sharp tailoring, a good cut (something I’ve learned to appreciate as I hit my late twenties) and I like a lot of black. I tried for a couple of years to avoid black, thinking I really should try out some colours. Fuck it – I like black. Obviously some other colours will be thrown into the mix, but mainly black. Encouraged by Daphne Guinness’ five golden rules (below) for the average civilian – ie the vast majority of us on a comparably meagre income - I intend to adhere to the old adage ‘quality, not quantity’…

Top 5 Pieces of Advice:
1. Don’t go overboard to look good
2. Find clean and neat lined clothing
3. Bargain shop/Look for sales
4. Accessorize by stacking bracelets or creating a look with ribbon
5. Find pieces that will look good to throw over black pants and a white shirt

I am hoping that clearing out some wardrobe space will, in turn, help clear my thoughts about my career. I was advised recently that part of my problem as a sometimes-unhappy/frustrated person is that I spend too much time daydreaming about other people’s fabulous lives. I am me, and I have so many things to be thankful for; I must not dwell on things that I could spend my whole life wishing for, things that might not necessarily appease me even if I had them. I am taking this advice on board. With all due respect, however (and as someone who always makes an effort to look fabulous)  - I feel it would be rude not to follow the other aforementioned five good pieces of advice. Starting tomorrow, I will be hunting for the perfect white shirt so I can get rid of the five shit shirts cluttering my hanging space…

Daphne Guinness: Fierce!

Daphne Guinness is my new favourite person. Probably, initially, because of her hair which is clearly inspired by Deborah Harry. Daphne has that very regal-yet-punky air about her that I find fascinating. She is quite literally dripping in diamonds and haute couture and seems to attend every high-profile party and event, wearing the most staggeringly gorgeous clothes teamed with eight-inch hooker heels. This woman appears to be afraid of nothing and that is quite inspiring.

I used to have black and white hair, and I got rid of it when it seemed that EVERY girl on the street was sporting two-tone hair. Now that this trend seems to have eased off, I think I’ll do it again. I’ve missed it. As Daphne herself once said, “Once something becomes a must-have, I want to throw it in the bin.”