I know this is a backtrack, but it’s just gone up so I wanted to share the last Lavazza LFW vid with you. It was awesome that I basically had my pick of designers to chat to at the Topshop New Gen stalls which was such a treat. I would have liked to speak to Louise Gray, but we couldn’t fit her in, wah!
Can I just tell you all that I asked Mark Fast about his plus size models, he was so nice about it I immediately felt like a dick for asking, esp cause y’know, it’s Mark Fast guys! You can see it on his face “oh god another person who’s not going to talk to me about my clothes”. We did eventually talk about his clothes, Fast’s collection was based around the metal sculptures of Demetre Chiparus, an Art Deco sculptor who made bronze figurines. On a weight level you could see the influence as the clothes were heea-avy! There was also a gorgeous floor length frock which is a first for Fast and featured a flowing hemline reminiscent of a Chiparus design. Love the enclosed Swarovski crystals, especially on the flapper-like dress.
Michael Van Der Ham was also really sweet, he totally didn’t want to be on camera but I bugged him because his clothes are really beautiful. His collection featured a mish-mash of fabrics and textures, but they came together expertly. As a thrifty magpie I loved it.
I also spoke to blogger fave Fannie Schiavoni, love her chainmail harnesses, they remind me of a cuff my friend Michael Warren made me at uni.
Christopher Raeburn’s sheer macs are on my lustlist, I heart them HARD. No wonder they’ve been snapped up by Browns. He uses reclaimed military fabrics and is joining the ranks of ecochic (sorry for the lazy vocab, I’m on my lunch break) designers. He also told us a funny story about being semi-forced by his brothers in that sibling way to eat a jar of coffee as a child and can’t even think about coffee now without feeling ill. Err so no Lavazza for him then, moving on!
Tara Scarlet do a fine line of ’40s and ’50s repro all made in the UK, for an ex-nostalgia freak like me it was a pure trip down memory lane. By the way, have you ever tried to suggest WWII as a theme for a Brownie parade? It ain’t pretty. (Mad props to Rachael who has heard that story a 100 times).
Last but not least, LPBG, the line started in collaboartion with Ben Grimes (fellow ex-Lycee Francais student… how random?) and Lily Parker ex-Richard Nicholl staff. It was great to see their mod-ette collection in the flesh, I’ve heard a lot of hype about the label and wasn’t sure whether it would be a Frostfrench-esque affair, but no it’s really proper and their adjutable playsuit which converts into shorts is the tits.
There you have it, another fine piece of lunchtime journalism from me. I shall be covering these designers in more depth as they all deserve it, ta-ra! *chomp*
Now that spring has sprung I’m offcially busting out the coral left right and centre. This love affair started a loo-oong time ago in the Boots in Brighton, when I spotted Revlon’s One Perfect Coral. Such an apt name! At the time it reminded me of middle-aged, overtanned ladies from Cannes who would have a tiny little white dog and possibly some clear mules. Then coral became the couleur de choix pour le fashion and now a good third of my wardrobe is coral as well as about 4 differently coral nail varnishes.
Now I’ve found a successor, Revlon’s Plum Seduction. It’s pink with a shot of blue but not quite purple and goes on slightly sheer which makes the colour even jucier. It’s the perfect jolt of colour for all the summer nude and blush tones, and packs a punch with grey too. PS excusez in advance for the sporadic posts, je suis househunting it is a facking nightmare I tells ye.
Last week I boarded the Eurostar to Paris to cover the Giles show for work, trésemmé exciting as you can imagine. I thought I’d share some of the pictures from the day, the Giles studio must be really quite organised as it was the calmest pre-catwalk show atmosphere I’ve seen. I chatted to the make up artist Miranda Joyce who looked amazing in a brick silk shirt and mannish trousers, and the nail person was none other than Sophy Robson. Glad to see more yellow in the catwalk, at Giles it was cosily paired with coral, brown and cream. Obvs everyone is talking about the Gremlin and Gonk bags they’re insane and wishlist worthy. Rachael has a potted gonk history for all the fashion geeks out there. I love the way that minus the akookrements like the Pac Man headgear from a few seasons back Giles’ clothes are actually quite ladylike and classic. Oh and I met Chris Moore, who just started a blog, hero alert!
The day was amazing, everyone was really helpful and friendly, apart from an idiot taxi driver who overcharged us. I may be 50% français but I don’t have the French temper to back it up and fight back! I interviewed Giles, which should be available on You Tube soon, my only regret is that I didn’t ask him about his vintage paperclip collection. Gah! More pics after the jump
At work the people in France do a lot of work with the français fashion bloggers, so I get to see what’s hip across la Manche. On one of my blogspeditions I saw the face of the Topshop Unique shows staring back at me, but it wasn’t a cave lady, it was a real person in the real world.
Margaux Lonnberg’s bleached out eyebrows, messy hair and bronze skin is surely the wearable version of Topshop’s furry-browed neanderthalles? All that’s missing is a schmear of gold highlighter down the bridge of the nose, the new thing or so I’m told. I found the Unique girls oddly appealing, perhaps it’s the fact that if left to their own devices my eyebrows could probably do a pretty good approximation of the cavewoman chic. It’s a step on from the Lara Stone look, and the shading/sculpting beauty trend could be recreating with faux mud streaks… Hmm, just a thought. Anyway the need to knows are that the pics and from here and Margaux’s blog is here.
After Tavi-gate and the LFW blogger drama I think we’re all in need of a little love so I thought I’d run through some of my favourite blogs. It’s quite timely as the Oscars are soon (don’t actually know, sorry I’m really lame about stuff like that) so I’ve dubbed it the Blogscars. Geddit?! So, in no particular order…
First up is Cupcakes and Cashmere (congrats on the award btw!), you probably know I fucking hate cupcakes, and anyone who uses cashmere in their blog title hasn’t really endeared themselves to me. Despite all this I really enjoy reading Emily’s blog, maybe it’s her down to earth style, cool how-tos or awesome food posts. Or maybe it’s just the fact that she’s not a prick in real life? Who knows, I never thought I’d see myself reading an outfit pic-heavy blog about a tidy-looking girl who talks about her boyfriend, but by jove I love it!
At the other end of the spectrum is the hard-talking straight up bitch that is Coke Talk. She has a Tumblr but it’s her no bullshit, always spot-on, advice page that gets me. I dare you to read it and not develop a fangirl crush on her and wish you deserved to be her friend.
Karla’s Closet is another fave, I think outfit pic heavy blogs can sometimes come across self-centred but Karla Derass just radiates warmth and loveliness. Again, I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s something to do with her gorgeous smile and heaps of cool vintage.
I have been reading Swiss Miss since the internet was a toddler and it’s still full of refreshing, fun and interesting shizness. Kind of like a ladyfied Wired with some typography love thrown in. Also she satisfies my New York cravings by dint of living there.
More eager fangirlness for White Lightning, she is the realest blogger and around and not afraid of peppering LOLs in with the fashions. She thrifts, collects, makes and has a sense of humour… When can we make BFF collages for each other?!
LOVE The Women’s Room. I am closer to 30 than 20 now but reading this blog makes me feel like 30 will be a hoot, and 40 will be just as good. They were fashion students in the ’80s, saw Alexander McQueen’s graduate show and know the heartbreak of a moth attack. In short, this is aspirational blogging, not ‘how many times can I almost get my tits out in an edgy way’. Sorry, back to the love!
Special mentions:
Susie Bubble, obvers, one of the hardest working bloggers around yet you never see her bitching or moaning. Just like a fashion air con unit, quietly getting on with it and pumping out amazing posts that fill the air with a sweet fashiony fragrance, at the same time as having a demanding full-time job. Man I loves me an analogy.
Bargainista Fashionista for getting me into high street shopping again.
Disney Rollergirl for having a keen eye for emerging trends and thoughtful analysis
I came across India Knight’s Posterous through the Women’s Room and it’s always chock full of cultural nuggets of amazing and Cool Shit.
Random Fashion Coolness because her images are the shit (so jels, tell me your secret!) and the posts are always well-considered and interesting.
I can’t include Rachael in the main section because she’s a friend so it would be cheating but Fur Coat, No Knickers is hand on heart one of my alltime fave blogs. Pure win. Also she is better at the internet than me. Ouch!
Oh and Sam’s Samand Tumblr for being my BFF and her dreams of becoming a shaman, totes moron.
Ok, I’m going to have to cut it short there, and I know there’s a ton of blogs I’ve missed but this will do as an initial outpouring of love. I feel a bit emotional, maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to Dionne Warwick all this time. Now go hug the person next to you!
If you’re reading this I’ll be off on my way to Paris to see the Giles show, excited? You bet! I’ve just taken a herbal sleeping tablet and my eyes are closing already so this post is going to be short at best. I’m listening to Osita Osadebe to perk up the depressing drudgery that is househunting but a bit more yellow in my life would also work. At Prada tons of off-colour dominated her catwalk show, a hark back to her madam vintage years. Love the way Ms P can reference her own collection and it still looks amazing.
Burberry
I’ve already waxed lyrical about Margaret Howell but their soft dirty yellow set off a search. I’m a little yellow obsessed at the moment, but the latest incarnation is an altogether more filthy hue.
So I didn’t just see Topshop Unique at London Fashion Week, my time there was cut short by getting the LFW cold but I was also presenting vids for Lavazza, who have been sponsors of LFW for a few years now. This is the first one backstage at Bora Aksu, enjoy!
He describes his influences as Edward Scissorhands meets Marie Antoinette, two really rich cultural seams to draw from. Would have loved to see the mood boards for this, bet they looked fantastic!
You might have already seen Malick Sidibe’s photographs in the Guardian (thanks for the link Beatriz!), and if you haven’t then why aren’t you reading Rachael’s blog?! I’ve put a few up here because it reminded me I haven’t shared of my own Mali pictures. Last year I accompanied a couple of seasoned Africanophiles to Mali and Burkina Faso and it was really magical. They’re both Francophone countries so to be somewhere that felt like home but at the same time was utterly foreign made it even better. I tasted pigeon at a roadside café in the dark, got clothes made up, sang ‘Mysterious Girl’ in a waterfall, and saw enough cute children to make your ovaries pop out. Any continent you have never been to will be an eye opener, but these two African countries were really special. It goes without saying that next time I go out the I’m getting a whole wardrobe of clothes.
Woman with tattooed feet at Bobo Dioulassou coach station, fabric at Bobo market. Amazing ‘pagnes’, cutest smile, Safia Tou, make of the fermented gruel that saved me from sunstroke, three stylish ladies in Ougadougou, car boot Burkina style. Getting clothes made up in Bobo, they let me go into the back room and see their sewing machines. AMAZE.
Like I mentioned yesterday, I had a stab at making hot and sour soup. Moonface had been going on about Viet Hoa on Kingsland Road and their hot and sour soup for about a year, and it wasn’t until I had to to go to a ’90s Summer of Reggae party (don’t ask, or do, I wore Palladiums + drew on tadpole eyebrows) after a stupidly bad bout of insomnia left me with about two hours of sleep that I finally tasted their hot and sour soup. It totally cured me of the badtimes, and left me with a willingness to bogle that saw me right through the night.
Now Viet Hoa is pretty much a fortnightly experience, when Rachael, Laura, Sam and I go there for a quick bite before the fashionable pub quiz. This Monday though I fashionably came down the LFW cold which seems to be striking everyone down even Mark Fast and Lily and Ben from LPGB. OMG, I’m so BOT. So I tried to recreate it at home, and although it needs a little refining, it worked out pretty well! I also came across some rice paper pancakes stuff, so we made summer rolls too, woot.
I kind of made up the recipe from an amalgamation of ones I found on the internet, and just went by the rule that if it tastes like at Viet Hoa, then it must be good…
From left: Spring roll wrapper, making the summer rolls, voila! Tamarind paste, essential. The veggies, tamamrind and lemongrass bubbling away, soup taking shape, the finished product.
Tamarind is absolutely essential for this, I saw one recipe that called for sherry vinegar… Don’t bother! Go to your local effnic food market and buy a block, I used about a third for four hungry people.
Bash your lemongrass and chuck in the pan, I like to reserve some fo the more tender parts to slice into the soup but you don’t have to bother. Add soy sauce, nam pla/fish sauce if you’re not veggie, and the juice of a lime. Also chuck in some big chunks of ginger, to flavour without heat.
While that bubbles, chop up whatever veggies you want to use, I bought enoki mushrooms as a treat but you can use any. Some of the veggies you can use are okra, bamboo shoots, celery, and tomato at the end. This recipe also requires pineapple, and it’s the only time I will happily use pineapple in a savoury dish. Yeah I’m talking about you sweet and sour chicken. I used tofu, because I was cooking for veggies but try prawns, pork or chicken, it doesn’t really need it though and you might as well go meat free.
Strain your stock, I might strain mine through muslin next time to get all the tiny bits of tamarind pulp out, but you don’t have to. Gently fry shallots and then chuck the stock back in the pan. If your stock is too weak dissolve some more tamarind in a mug of hot water and add to taste. I also added a bit more soy at this point.
Throw in your vegetables, but it really doesn’t need to cook for long especially as okra becomes slimy. Garnish with coriander and a bit of mint, and voila! Perfect hot and sour soup!
Click through for the ingredients, plus the easy peasy summer rolls.
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