LFW - Street Style

I don't ever really do these kinds of posts but hey, I was lucky enough to head down to London Fashion Week with June from Jam who is not only a total babe but also a ridiculously great photographer... so credit for none of these photos comes from me!

Here was what I wore - it was the most changeable day for weather we've had in ages (NOT ideal!) so the layers are all a bit weird.

Topshop Teddy Bear Coat
Primark Quilted Leather Skirt
Bella Freud Jumper (nearly the same one...mine has sequins but is out of stock now!)
Topshop Boots
Smashbox lipstick
...and underneath was a shirt from American Apparel.

And here's some professional level street style we snapped whilst out and about...

The Apartment @ LFW

So guess what? It was London Fashion Week this week. Yeah, I know everyone is really quiet about it and doesn't like to shove it in people's faces... oh wait. Anyway - it's not all shows and stilettos, and for some international and domestic bloggers, it can be a genuinely chaotic and stressful time. So, the absolutely amazeballs Abi from Abimarvel has, for the past couple of seasons, arranged The Apartment, a ridiculously luxurious apartment (duh) filled with treats, cocktails, clothes and samples from brands around the world.

Check out the illustrations by Kris Atomic for the event... (I have a particular reason for loving her designs, I did my Art A Level final piece based on her Luella Bartley illustrations!)

This season, I was lucky enough to attend with two sexy laydees from work - GG from GG's Closet and Gemma from Gem Sara Musings. In the beginning, it was just a relief to get out of the TORRENTIAL rain in Covent Garden - but as soon as we stepped inside I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. THE most ridiculously beautiful apartment, filled with beautiful people, beautiful things, beautiful...everything. Even the carpets were beautiful. I didn't want to be that girl so I tried not to take three million photos but as soon as I'd left I wished I had!

So the apartment itself was beautiful, but the people were SUPER interesting too! We met the ladies behind Little Black Dress - an fabulous dress company with some PERFECT winter cocktail dresses. Check them out here...

Next also had a big presence at The Apartment - taking over the utility room with an absolutely BANGING collection of new season accessories, as well as peppering the apartment itself with their knockout homeware collection (I'm particularly dreaming of the silver phone...) - they've really gone all out this season and it's absolutely paid off!

These images don't really do it justice but check out the coverage of The Apartment over on Grazia! For now, I'll leave you with some of my own photos, including a little snap of me and a certain Mr Gosling...

What I wore...

Topshop Teddy Bear Coat
Topshop Houndstooth Cords
J Crew Turtle Neck
Topshop Fedora
Primark Brogues
Smashbox Pillar Me Pillbox Red Lipstick

Le Freak, C'est CHIC!

Last night, we got the absolute pleasure of watching Janelle Monae and Chic at the iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse in Camden. I was excited enough as it was (sorry if you follow me on Twitter - I got a bit excited) but when we got there and I realised how close we were I nearly had a full on meltdown.

Janelle was incredible - my new ambition is to be the third backing singer (not sure I could pull off that wig but the outfits were TO DIE). She had more energy than a three year old on Smarties and even though the crowd weren't really there for her (a common problem I'm sure in the iTunes ballot system), she got people well into it, even getting the entire crowd sitting down on the floor at one point (I fell over. Not sure why I am let out in public.) She was unbelievable - and her new album is just ridiculously good.

Here's a little sneaky peek of our view...



So then it was the main event. Nile Rodgers is just a total legend - having written some of THE biggest songs...ever, I was slightly expecting him to be a diva. But no, not at all. He was an absolute delight, with a definite highlight being his little speech about how he's not covering Bowie or Diana Ross, they were his songs to start with. Before he came on to get his disco on, he took photographs of the audience which I later learned he started to do to preserve memories after he discovered he had cancer. WHAT a dude.



Then he bought out the sassiest band I have ever seen. The ladies were the epitome of FIERCE and the band were so into it I was surprised they could simultaneously make music and wiggle their hips quite so effusively! The setlist was just beyond, hit after hit after hit, and closing with Nile proclaiming 2013 had been the best year of his life after seeing Get Lucky (yeah, he wrote that too) go to number one in 97 countries. NINETY SEVEN. Someone really will be getting lucky now...

Baileys Chocolate Luxe with Stylist Magazine

On Wednesday evening, I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of the Baileys Chocolate Luxe pop-up in Covent Garden with Stylist Magazine.

Touted as... 'an immersive, multi-sensory experience inspired by the pleasure of chocolate. Bar Chocolat will see handpicked visionaries Bompas & Parr, Tabitha Denholm, Petra Storrs, Amelia Rope, Lou Hayter and Blanch & Shock join forces to create a sensory journey in taste.' So yeah, I was pretty excited. I think the only thing I love more than clothes is food, and my favourite food is chocolate. So DUH. Match made in heaven.

We arrived on a very rainy evening (gets dark early nowadays doesn't it...) and arrived to the most beautiful entrance hall where we were greeted with some interesting artwork inspired by the taste of Baileys (need that job). This bit was accompanied by teeny squares of delicious salted, mint, tangerine or coffee chocolate...and off we went to a room holding this huge wardrobe-meets-cupboard Rococo style dresser, and upon opening the doors, got overwhelmed by a cocoa steam. See where this is going? CHOCOLATE.

Next up was a film installation thing which was great (I think), but I was thirsty, starving and had spied that the next room was the bar so my mind was ramblin'...



We sat at a huge banquet table with fifteen people on either side, to a box of ice topped with various seafood inspired by the Irish heritage of Baileys and (finally) some wine. Yamma yamma. After a quick speech by the editor of Stylist Magazine, we tucked in.

The starter was delicious - but the main course was the showpiece... (watch the video!)



We then were invited into the bar to eat dessert and sample the Baileys Chocolat Luxe...but before starting that, we were instructed to lick our lips and stick on some 24 carat gold leaf. I was a little apprehensive about ruining my Smashbox pout but the rain had already got me so I went for it and though I'm not sure what it added to the taste, it certainly added a bit of theatre...

After we'd done that, dessert was served. No words necessary apart from - HALLO.

After that, we had a glass of the Chocolat Luxe - and I can confirm it was delicious. And it really does marble over ice. Here's Louis drinking it from the specially designed chalice, pretending to be Leonardo Di Caprio.

If you get chance, Bar Chocolat is open to the public until 16th September in Covent Garden and is AMAZEBALLS. Really fun experience, but probably not for the lactose intolerant. You can check out the exhibition for free too!

An Ode to Primarni

I'm not remotely elitist when it comes to buying clothes. I don't ever really care where it's from so long as I like it. But admittedly, Primark has never been my first stop. Great spot to get basics - tights, socks, that kind of thing. But after seeing their AW lookbook I was hooked. I think it helped that I didn't know whose lookbook it was when I saw it - I genuinely thought it was going to be Zara or Reiss. Of course the styling is immaculate and the quality may not be great - but these kinds of things are called fast fashion for a reason. It's not eco-friendly, but so long as you just update your wardrobe and don't replace the entirety season after season, I'm all for cheap thrills...

(You can check out the rest of the lookbook here!)

This lookbook has been out for ages so you may have already seen it - but aside from Vogue editors and Australians, who actually wants to buy winter wear in August? NOBODY. So I'm writing about it now, when normal people are actually buying it.

Just to clarify - I LOVE Winter clothes. I look weird in mini-dresses sans tights and vests (though I find vests mainly just gross)... I digress. So I was so excited for the new season drops in stores, and for the first time ever, I found myself checking into Primark on Oxford Street pretty much daily. I still haven't got what I was looking for (THAT baby pink Miu-Miu knock-off coat and the amazeballs hot pink Versace safety-pin kilt skirt - yamma yamma) but I got some cracking buys in the meantime!

I can't actually believe I got some of my new season staples for less than a tenner. But I did. Whaw. Here's what I got from Primark...

I'm all about the Clueless-chic - I never quite got over it so I'm just glad it's acceptable again. These fluffy mini-jumpers are £8 each and are just the best. I also got it in turquoise which looks incredible with some iridescent jewellery - but the black one is obviously the most versatile, and as pink is 'the colour of the season' (barf) I thought I'd pay Vogue's Delevingne/Pink love-in some heed. I haven't gone so far as to wear it with a long sleeved shirt but maybe. One day. When I'm a bit braver. The black embroidered number was a total heart-skipping moment when I saw it (YES I am that sad). From a distance it could be Christopher Kane. Up close, it's a bit of a Monet - feels a little scratchy and the embroidery isn't quite Kane-standard, but hey, it was £12. COME ON!

Continuing the Clueless, sassy vibessssss, I bought some trousers that either my mum in the early 90s or my nan today would be proud of. My favourites are the tartan ones - I've worn them with a turtleneck for proper granny-chic. Louis hates it. I love it. Man Repeller status +1.

These are just essentially replicas of what I already own - but that I wear constantly. I'm lucky enough to work in an office where people don't mind if I wear a leather mini-skirt (or maybe they do but don't tell me...) so I take a liberty and wear them as often as possible. Polka-dot and checked shirts are my 'can't-be-bothered' staples to look like I've made an effort, and any pair of shoes that look like Clarks circa 2002 are GREAT by me. Glory days.

So yeah. How do I love thee, Primark? Let me count the ways...

Playing Catch Up - Benicassim

It's been horrifically long since I posted - work got busy and I developed a serious hermit habit, as well as the weather becoming...British. So I've decided to post more frequently but of less...quality. I never started this to be a perfect diary - it was more a place to document the (sometimes inane, sometimes insane) things I find myself doing. And I've not been doing that. So here goes...quick recap of the past couple'a months...

I posted briefly about Benicassim before but... It was the biggest, most insane rush of my entire life. Claire's Accessories got in touch on the weekend before it started to let us know that we had tickets. To a festival. Thousands of miles away.

Luckily, my friend Emily and I are super-duper organised (LOL! JK.) It was a total stress and nearly ended with us hitch-hiking to Spain. But we sussed it - we flew in luxury (natch) with SwissAir - landed in Barcelona, stocked up on Duff beer (for realz) and Cheetos and jumped on a train.

We found a little camping spot in a quiet part (yes, they exist) and had a whale of a time...I will spare the details. But it was fun, Emily slept A LOT, I got some form of trenchfoot and sunburn... and it was amazing. Properly amazing, I would go back in a heartbeat. Highlights were Temples, Arctic Monkeys, QOTSA and BRMC. And dancing to Disclosure like we were in 'Beefa at the Ibiza Rocks stage. If I go back next year (and fingers crossed I will!) I'll be sure to document properly but for now, I leave on this bombshell - it was 42 degrees and I still wore black leather. No fear...

So yeah - thanks to Claire's for the tickets and the glitter make-up phone! I didn't take my iPhone hence the lack of photos, but this little badboy made the journey with us...

(And this is me in the hospital back in London after I tried to man-up and failed...)