Seven Dials is a very cute place in London just off Covent Garden with some amazing shops.
On the 9th May, they held a fabulous shopping event and I was really happy to be invited by the lovelies from Sister Is PR to their VIP tent, before the trends talk began, to have a (maybe some) King Bloom cocktail, a Cawston Press amazing rhubarb soft drink and Propercorn popcorn (fuelling my Vanilla & Coconut flavour addiction).
Wow, it’s been a long time since a post an outfit entry. Laziness. No other excuse. Oh, wait, there is… I always get so fed up with the winter that towards the end I cannot be bothered with the outfits anymore… it’s half not making an effort and the other half not finding them interesting anymore.
But as the new season begins (to try) to come… well…. fresh outfits are fun.
Here are some from the last few weeks (maybe months!):
Flowery trouser from H&M, black cape from Boohoo, black shoes from Christian Louboutin, handbag from Kate Spade.
I always welcome more volume to may hair, especially when it is to create a long, luscious ponytail. The Hair Rehab London Syn Wrap Ponytail is just the right help for me to achieve it.
Who doesn’t like a spa? Well, I am sure it is hard to find someone who would say no to its wonders. The Mondrian London hotel (part of the Morgan’s group) has just added a new spa destination to the city’s relaxation circuit: agua Bathhouse & Spa.
image: Harrods
Shoe heaven, for me, is as simple as heaven – seriously, no place can call themselves heaven if there are no shoes in sight, right?
Yesterday I went to a few places taking part in Vogue’s Fashion Night Out and I had an amazing time.
Last year, I was a bit disappointed, a couple places I wanted to go were invitation only (and didn’t mention it on the guide – cheeky!) so I was a bit disheartened. I sent Christian Louboutin’s boutique an email but it was too late – they said they will add me for next year (I think it is fair I get invited, after all, my Louboutins were purchased at that boutique!)
So, I tackled it a bit differently this year – I checked the guide a few days ago and chose places which were offering things that might interest me. Cocktails, of course was one of them.
I made a list and tackled it by proximity to the office. River Island started at 5, earlier than most places, so I headed over for a glass of pink fizz, had eyelashes applied and bought a skirt, which earnt me a goody back with a pair of lashes, a sample size St. Tropez Every Day moisturiser (which I love), a set of three cute stud earrings, popcorn and a drink. Nice, eh?
I then moved on to House of Fraser, which had lots on offer. I entered their new beauty hall and was offered a back massage by Decléor. I then waltzed towards their Mahiki bar and got myself a cocktail in coconut. I hoped on their photo booth and had 4 nice shots to take away (twice!). Then I had my eyes and lipstick applied at the Dior stand, with bubbles on offer…. Downstairs, at their shoe lounge, there was plenty of bubbly on offer and also martinis and other cocktails made to order, and a “Shoe Box” photo booth, which I also took advantage of, amongst other activities!
I swiftly moved to Liberty, but before reaching it, I walked past H&M and they had live models on their windows. The bigger window was a photo set; I was given a number, props and posed for three shots, which will be on their Facebook page and four winners of £250 voucher will be chosen. Nice!
At Liberty, I went straight to Manolo Blahnik’s Victorian photo booth, with the cutest props ever – and got picture with a lovely pair of silver stilettos! By uploading that to Facebook or tweeting it could get you a signed book.
I then managed to run to Burlington Arcade, which had a Victorian fun fair theme… think popcorn and candy floss, performers, burlesque girls…all very pretty; but I went straight for Lulu Guinness shop, to take part on their promotion by being picture with one of their bags a tweeting it. I chose the red lips, of course!!!
Overall, I had a lot of fun. So a few things for my next year’s FNO: plan ahead, list the places I want to see but be sure and not disappointed I will not to actually make it to half of them; don’t just look for goody bags, as they usually only come your way when you make a purchase and remember to email Louboutin earlier!!!!
Have you been to FNO this year? How was it for you?
A gown by Julien Macdonald
London is where my heart is, and it was so exciting to see the British S/S 12 lines, set in the beautiful Somerset House and other amazing venues around the capital.
I really like what I saw in London, and under the absolutely stunning category I am going to put Julien Macdonald‘s collection. The short dresses were so fierce and wearable – I would happily don most of the designs presented. The long, flowing gowns were dreamy: the embroidery married with transparency was delicate and sexy at the same time. The metallics are muted, elegant and in details, which gives all the pieces a very noble, glamorous feel.
Vivienne Westwood‘s Red Label collection dresses at the end of the show really appealed to me, but what really caught my attention was the metallic hair, exquisite MAC make up with amazing eyes and multicoloured nails in shades of greens and blues. Love it.
I very much like Henry Holland, and when looking at his collection, fresh was the word that sprung to mind, with the pastels and playful pieces. And then, all of a sudden, it got fierce, with leathers, animal print and netting.
Meadham Kirchhoff
The textures on Holly Fulton‘s collection was superb – the embroidery mixed with zebra(!!!) print, patterns with feathers and jewelled collars , the sea theme – I like it all, quite a few pieces I would wear.
Jaeger comes very ladylike – the hats were fabulous (even though I don’t really wear hats, I don’t think they suit me!) and I really enjoyed seeing Sass & Bide‘s vibrant colours and sheen details at the Royal Opera House, the venue I consider to be the most stunning.
A feast for the eyes was Meadham Kirchhoff‘s collection. Dazzling the senses with an explosion of colours, the designs and the styling were pure fun – think circus meets pantomime in a fantasy world. Mary Kantrazou also showcased a colourful and exquisite collection, a delightful prints galore.
I also like the fringed, flapper-ish and the feathered dresses from Issa, the vinyl and structured, almost futuristic pieces from Richard Nicoll (some of them reminded me of The Jetsons), the colours and textures in Matthew Williamson‘s collection and the metallics and feathers on Giles‘ “Black Swan inspired” line.
I can bet on metallics for next summer, as well as prints and patterns (I love ALL animal prints – last season’s leopard was king, now giving way to snake for A/W11-12, maybe it is zebra time for s/s12?) and pastel colours.
Overall, in my opinion, New York faded in comparison to the flamboyance of London. Even though I fell in love with quite a few stunning collections showcased in NY, everything seemed more edgy, daring and innovative in the British version, and perhaps easier and more fun to translate from the catwalk to the streets.
Last night I attended one of the events celebrating the first anniversary of the biggest shoe department in the world, the Selfridges Shoe Galleries. Situated on the second floor of the London store, the gallery is home to 55,000 shoes at any one time and 4,000 shoes on display, from over 150 brands. It is a fantastic place, on one hand, my dream, for obvious reasons, but also my nightmare, because I want to buy them all!
Upon arrival, I was lured to the area surrounding a small catwalk by the music of a live band. Not long after I found a seat, extremely good looking waiters brought little bottles of Pommery POP champagne for the dozens of ladies waiting, and Grazia’s fashion editor, Sophie Ferguson Jones, opened the event by talking about shoes and handbags trends for this season. Soon enough, the more than F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Miss J Alexander, from America’s Next Top Model, started running the show and picked girls from the audience to strut their stuff on the catwalk, giving them tips on how to improve their walk.
Beautiful ballerinas also made an appearance and there were other activities going on around the whole floor, such as foot mapping (like palm reading, but for the feet!), several prize draws and customisation.
I really love this type of event, overall it was a like a big party with lovely atmosphere, Miss J provided endless laughter and the champagne flowed enough to keep me happy – all surrounded by the most amazing shoes in the world!
For more on events at Selfridges, visit their What’s on page.
The news that the Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty might be coming to London excites me hugely – and fulfils a void created when I first found out that the late British designer’s exhibition was going to take place in New York.
I wasn’t at all surprised by its success at the Met and was quite disappointed I couldn’t see it – I wrote about it before it opened, and had to content myself by looking at their stunning pictures on a Vogue gallery.
At the moment, the design house is investigating venues in London – I do hope they find one soon. I am certainly willing to queue, and quite likely to do so, seeing that it attracted 661, 509 people during its duration in the Met.
I simply cannot wait!
So Many Lovely Things 