We were particularly taken with the bird-cage displays and paper hand-folded flowers at the Pandora jewellery autumnwinter launch at the Mandarin Oriental.
Slovakian-born Kamila Filipcikova breezed into Vogue House this morning.
Last spotted in Vogue 2009's January issue, shot by Venetia Scott, Kamila has recently walked Valentino couture. One to watch.
We spotted this dapper young chap, Mister Smoothie, while enjoying a sunny afternoon in the seaside town of Salcombe, South Devon. His gentlemanly garb alone distinguishes him from the town’s Jack Wills crowd. Next time you’re in that part of the world, be sure to locate his amazing little van on Island Street for stylishly served smoothies.
We love a cottage industry, especially when that industry is located in an actual cottage. These delicious brownies arrived this morning from Amanda Armstrong and her online endeavour, Hill Cottage Bakery. Using free-range eggs, local Somerset butter and Callebaut Belgium chocolate, Armstrong cooks her brownies at her (cottage) kitchen table and posts them off in pretty packaging. Choose from brownies mixed with berries, walnuts, ginger or white chocolate online at Hillcottagebakery.co.uk. The perfect, quick dinner-party pudding.
The Lynch Three Project is currently working on three film documentaries about David Lynch and is asking Lynch fans to donate towards its endeavour. For $50 (about £35), you can purchase a T-shirt, bag or poster depicting a self-portrait by Lynch himself – a suitably disturbing image, only to be expected from our favourite film director, transcendentalist and cabinet-maker. We like the thought that we might have helped make a David Lynch movie almost as much as we like Sherilyn Fenn’s Twin Peaks wardrobe.
Lynchthree.com
Yesterday we headed to Windsor Great Park for the Cartier International Day of polo. Summer dresses were out in full force, but by far the most
sought-after accessories were the exceedingly handsome soldiers from the Household Cavalry. Here is Katherine Jenkins enjoying the attention of Matt
Nicoll and John Mawson.
We’re sure you’ll recognise, from left to right, Karl Lagerfeld, er, Boris Johnson, and Grace Coddington, three of the stars of Rubbish magazine’s Fashionable Finger Puppets. The first series, featuring Alber Elbaz and Jean Paul Gaultier, was such a hit, Rubbish has come out with a new line, starring high-profile fashion editors – and fashion fan Boris – in time for London Fashion Week. Pay tribute to your favourite fashionista by wearing Anna, Carine or Katie Grand as a brooch. The fashionable friends go on sale on Rubbishmagshop.com, and in the V&A, Colette and Liberty during London Fashion Week.
Rubbishmag.com
Missives from our globe-trotting, sun-hunting fashion team usually reduce us to envious tears. Not this time. While most of us are enjoying the heat wave, our intrepid Vogue team has been in the blizzards of Idaho, shooting a winter fashion story with a very special model for an upcoming issue. Looking at all that snow and ice makes us want to break out the Burberry shearling. Brrrrr.
Arabella Huddart stopped in today to show us her silverware, and stone, beaded and bone jewellery. Usually found on Portobello Green on Saturdays, the radiant blonde sources her simple yet stunning pieces from Laos, Paris, Thailand and India.
We like.
(Bella_huddart@hotmail.com; 07768 511 755)
How adorable are these paper dresses? Made by set designer Natalie Ferstendik from bespoke invitations by luxury stationery designer Ruth Kaye, these stylishly dressed mannequins represent Kaye's new foray into youthful, stylish, everyday party invitations, paper napkins and homewares. There is nothing we love more than bespoke stationery. Well, maybe typography. The chance to make our own personalised notecards, using a plethora of ink colours, lining papers and fonts, was almost too much to bear.
Ruthkayedesign.com
Natalieferstendik.com
The Barbican’s fastest-selling show this season? You Me Bum Bum Train. The name alone deserves plaudits, but it’s the “live art” concept, in which the audience becomes the protagonist, that everyone is really raving about. Closing tomorrow, the show inhabits the LEB Building in Bethnal Green.
The brainchild of artists Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd, who both studied illustration at Brighton, the show replicates unlikely real-life situations, and requires you to behave and respond in ways that society, and your inhibitions, have never allowed. Much more of a random series of experiences than a show, the cover cost of £12 really is a small price to pay to essentially walk for a moment in someone else’s shoes.
This week, we sneaked a glimpse of shoe god Manolo Blahnik’s upcoming collaboration with Liberty. Expect exclusive shoes, notebooks, umbrellas and cushions – almost anything you can think of – all embellished with Blahnik’s beautiful illustrative flourishes. We want.
Miranda McCarthy popped by to give us a preview of her first fine jewellery collection of weighty-looking, architectural-inspired silver neckpieces, which are going into Paul Smith on Sloane Street this Thursday.
See her work on www.Londonbird.com
The Lovebox blogs are still trickling in – clearly it took people a while to recover from Sunday’s festivities. Apparently, the spirit of Studio 54 was very much alive at Lovebox this year. Among the very dressed-up crowd (at least half a dozen animal-print chiffon harem pants paired with strappy vests and heels) we spotted Emma and Spencer heading for NYC Downlow, where a Rihanna lookalike surveyed the crowd from the amazing reconstruction of a
Big Apple street.
If you haven't heard of artist Jiji, you will this month, as his cartoon Panda creation (Hi Panda Fashion) lands exclusively in Harvey Nichols on a range of T-shirts, totes and toys. Jiji's panda drives a sports car, plays basketball, becomes a billionaire and eats noodles, reflecting the pastimes of the post Eighties pop-art generation of China. You may recognise the cheeky panda from the V&A's China Design Now exhibition, but the icon is about to crash land on to your radar as supporters include Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Kristin Scott Thomas, Catherine Deneuve, Inès de la Fressange, Carine Roitfeld and even Anna Wintour. Look out for a future collaboration with the Louis Vuitton museum...
The heat wave has brought the Vogue office many benefits: wearing shorts to the office, lunchtime sunbathing, and a reason to eat iced desserts. What luck, then, that purveyors of frozen fancies are suddenly as ubiquitous as sunburnt shoulders. Gelupo, run by the owners of Bocca di Lupo, in Soho, serves extraordinarily addictive ice creams and sorbets, including Pine Nut and Fennel Seed, Avocado and Honey, and a simple Pistachio, which is just about the closest we’ve come to happiness in a pot.
For a healthier alternative, try an iced Açai berry smoothie. Served on every street corner in Rio, they’re over here now too.This deliciously filling purple concoction energises you all day; get yours at the new CycleLab & JuiceBar in Old Street.
Finally, if you’re looking for novelty (and who isn’t?), don’t miss the new Chin Chin Laboratorists in Camden. Like mad scientists, the white-coated staff make their ice cream with freezing nitrogen, in a parlour kitted out like a science lab.
Gelupo.com
Cyclelab.com
Chinchinlabs.com
Jenny Duong (wearing TBA, by Asos) from Asos came in today to show us her Christmas offerings. Dropping online from early October, the collection promises sequins, feathers, leather trousers, loungy knits, velvet jackets and all things fun for those Christmas parties!
www.asos.com
We couldn’t help but follow the hypnotic euro dance of these natty Karl-a-likes. Brilliantly dressed in black stovepipes and pompadours, they mesmerised the crowd at Latitude. Then again, I guess it’s not that unimaginable for a Vogue girl to want to join the Chanel party...
George Northwood, one of our favourite stylists at Daniel Hersheson on Conduit Street, has been blogging again for us - this time from Lovebox.
"I was all geared up for some fun times at Latitude but, unfortunately, is wasn't meant to be. My dead-cert ticket fell through, so I took myself off to Lovebox in Victoria Park on Sunday. For me, the highlight was Jonny Woo wearing custom-made Alex Noble (he designs for Lady Gaga). He did a great job introducing acts on to the main stage - for those of you who don't know of him, I have a feeling you soon will. The masculine guy in drag is witty and very outrageous; he and his sidekicks have been hosting the fabulous Gay Bingo across London for the past few years. Everyone should experience it once!"
"I'm loving Han's leopard-print jeans, which are from Topshop, like her rock T-shirt. Her glasses and jewellery are both vintage, from Brick Lane. As for top tips, Han says, wear a messy topknot at festivals - it's simple, keeps your hair out of your way, and looks great. Han's thinking of dyeing her hair pink. As the advising hairdresser on site, I say, go for it; with her style it will look great. I told her to try Fudge's crazy colour dyes."
Loo is wearing vintage shorts and a waistcoat from Camden Market, and a bag from Oxfam.
I had to blog Rick Kelly for his T-shirt alone, which is by Folk (with APC jeans and Ray-Ban sunnies). His festival highlight was Man Like Me.
This is Sarah. She's wearing Topshop trousers and a top, and vintage accessories. Her festo tip is to always don a pair of novelty sunnies (hers are from H&M) and carry a fan. Sarah's highlight was partying with the trannys at NYC Downlow. (I had a great time there, too.) Sarah's simple blunt cut and fringe, combined with her great colour (reds are so hot right now, thanks to Florence), looks edgy when worn so messy.
Ginger Simpson is wearing a French Connection dress, suede boots from Sniff, a Topshop bag and the glasses are, of course, Ray-Ban. The crazy highlighted hair really works. I told Ginger that I would probably make it even more "afro-like" - the look on her face suggests she won't be in a hurry to come and see me.
Vogue decamped to East Anglia this weekend for Latitude - which was this year bigger, and arguably better, than ever. Although we thoroughly enjoyed the musical delights of The XX, Vampire Weekend, The National and Charlotte Gainsbourg - this year's festival had real cultural strengths. We loved Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake performed on the lake stage, Bret Easton Ellis discussing his hangover in the literary tent, Paul Greengrass's BAFTA Q&A and young poetry upstart Laura Dockrill. Nothing beats sitting in a deckchair at sunset, sipping tea and discussing the merits of spray-painted sheep in an idyllic Suffolk setting.
On Wednesday, we joined brilliant jelly-making boys Bompas & Parr for their latest edible epic, A Complete History Of Food - a walk-through dining experience charting revolutionary periods in food history, with the help of top culinary names - at 35, Belgrave Square.
Fuelled by Courvoisier, we went back in time with guests Anya Hindmarch, Amy Molyneaux and Olivia Inge, to enjoy a Fifties scratch 'n' sniff TV dinner - Michelin-starred chef Alexis Gauthier's futuristic take on the Ferrero Rocher and a Victorian feast cooked up by Bistrotheque. Our favourite course was the Bompas & Parr Renaissance jelly, featuring a rather unusual ingredient: ambergris (also known as whale vomit).
(Olivia Inge)
A Complete History of Food is the culinary equivalent of the Punch Drunk theatre - an amazing, indulgent and interactive experience. Heston Blumenthal would most definitely approve.
(Amy Molyneaux)
Visit www.jellymongers.co.uk for details.
One antidote to this warm weather (and sweaty last-minute sales hunting) is to drink tea. At Vogue we like to nip to Yumchaa, a tea room on the corner of Noel and Berwick Street. The counter is bursting with glorious cakes and an assortment of nearly 30 leaf teas lined up in little espresso mugs.
www.yumchaa.co.uk/
We love our friend Olivia Palermo (star of The City), who keeps us posted on her travels. Here, she's sent us a visual postcard from Paris, where she just spent a romantic weekend with her boyfriend Johannes Huebl (we call him Johotness).
What I packed:
Jet Set ballet pumps keep me quick on my toes - and they're ideal for cycling in, too.
Nancy Gonzalez passport cover, from www.gift-library.com.
Kif If cardies - I can't leave the house without them! I always have at least one in my bag; they conveniently scrunch down to nothing.
Bensoni dress - it's one of my favorite summer dresses. The pattern is divine, and I love the effortlessly chic cut.
My Valentino couture clutches for instant dress-up.
My iPad.
Finally, I can't leave without Johannes!
The jewellery editor’s hot-pink cup of morning tea…
Two hundred guests descended on Jemima Khan’s new Oxfordshire home for Bella Freud’s Hoping Foundation fundraising gig, which raised a staggering £350,000. It didn’t come as much of a surprise, given what we were bidding for – live sets by Tom Jones and Nick Cave (this guy seriously rocks), accompanied by his wife Susie Bick and Kate Moss on tambourine and Jamie Hince on guitar; plus the highlight: Roger Waters and David Gilmour playing “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “Another Brick in the Wall”. Afterwards, the guests, fuelled by the performances and delicious coffeetinis, rocked to the early hours.
We loved the Foundation’s commemorative T-shirts designed by Dan Macmillan’s label Zoltar, cloth bags by Katie Hillier, as well as Sisley factor 30 sun cream – perfect for covering up the next day in the glorious sunshine.
Fresh from Singapore – via a whistlestop tour of Paris (for couture), Switzerland (for spa treatments) and St Tropez (for fun) – Asia’s brightest polymath (party organiser, script writer, and currently finishing an MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art) Lynn Visudharomn landed at Vogue House. But we don’t know how she made it through customs with all that hardware! (From left to right: her mother’s gold ring, YSL’s heavy-duty rock, Lara Bohinc’s enamel creation, a sparkly snow globe from Colette, Burberry’s plastic Emerald, and another of her mother’s gems.)
We also love her Lenny bag from NYC label Boyy, a favourite of Lou Dillion and Alexa Chung. Look out for Boyy’s new autumn/winter collection in
Colette...
www.boyybag.com
The hot weather has turned most of the conversation in Vogue House to upcoming holiday plans and, most importantly, what to pack. Top of our list are these ethically sourced beaded sandals and fabulous beach basket by Aspiga. Our latest discoveries are all handmade in Kenya, and with 20 per cent of the profits going to charity, what better excuse to stock up on colourful kikoys, playful bracelets and other beach essentials.
www.aspiga.com
We were rather taken with the very dapper gnomes at the Links press day. Links of London will be hiding brightly coloured gnomes in seven major cities around the UK in early August. If you find one of the friendly fellows (clues to their locations will be on the Links website, www.linksoflondon.com, and on the Links Facebook page), you must take your picture with it and bring the photo into a Links store to collect a friendship bracelet. Gnom-ius!
Football wasn't the only world championship event taking place this weekend, as Biarritz played host to the Roxy ASP Women's World Longboard Championships.
We bumped into the gorgeous Roxy surfer Kassia Meador after her second-round heat. Meador is stepping up and designing an spring/summer 2011 range of swimwear and surfwear, which we had a sneak peek of. Stylish but practical, the garments are sure to appeal to both serious surfers and those looking to
make a statement.
Ever the multitasker, Meador is currently working with Vogue contributing photographer David Mushegain on a photographic book based around surf culture. Look out for it next spring.
Cycling along the River Lee through Hackney Marshes this weekend, we stumbled across this gem at Springfield Park.
The Sandwich Barge is moored along the canals and waterways of London. From the hatch, Lorraine Fox serves china plates piled high with delicious home-cooked, seasonal food – cakes, muffins, sandwiches and salads (and soups in winter). We spent a lovely hour lazing by the riverside, where she
had thoughtfully spread out pieces of carpet to sit on, and piles of old books and magazines.
The Sandwich Barge is scheduled to be at Victoria Park from July 21 to August 3, and then Broadway Market from August 4 to August 18.
www.thesandwichbarge.co.uk
Karl Lagerfeld is not the only designer that likes to survey the world from behind a glamorous fan. Today, Dani Felder of Felder Felder and her pal Sara Gilmour gave Vogue a flirtatious flutter.
If you believe that two wheels are better than four, make a stop at Tokyo Bikes. The cool, Japanese cycle company’s Spitalfields pop-up store opened yesterday. Light, compact and fine of frame - there are numerous reasons why these bikes are better than most, but for us Tokyo Bikes are all about the colour palette: our order for neon orange is already in.
www.tokyobikes.co.uk
Pic credit: Zosia Swidlicka
One of our contributing fashion editors has just returned from Brazil and has been making us feel very jealous about their stay in UXUA hotel (which means 'marvellous' in the local Indian dialect) which is on the Quadrado de Trancoso, Bahia, Brazil. It is owned by Wilbert Das, (the former creative director of Diesel for the past twenty years). The hotel has been open for a short while and already Terry Richardson has shot a Pirelli Calendar there - much to the delight of the locals! It was designed by Wilbert using recycled materials which gives it genuine rustic chic - an abandoned fishing boat for a beach bar and a pool created entirely from forty thousand pieces of Aventurine quartz, which is believed to have powerful healing qualities and therapeutic qualities. To top it all, there is a white beach only five minutes walk away - perfect for next winter when this glorious sunshine has long gone.
Forget the mortgage, we’ve found the ultimate his ‘n’ hers shared investment…the unisex Montblanc Villeret 1858 Retour a Zero watch. With its hand stitched alligator watch strap, white gold case and buckle made in platinum it’s the undeniable Rolls Royce of time pieces. With a staggering price tag of £38,800, its not surprising the bespoke creation is limited to only eight pieces worldwide.
In case you were wondering where you could pick up yours, they are so exclusive you need to head to the flagship boutique for a special bespoke appointment: 151, Sloane Street Knightsbridge, London SW1X 9BX Tel: 020 7730 7681.
Freelance art director (currently in the Vogue office laying out our October supplement), Kobi van den Akker also makes exquisite handmade jewellery, this collection of necklaces and cuffs are so cute. She crafts every tiny detail, even hand-sculpting the resin flowers petal by petal and mixing quartz with smooth silks, Swarovski crystals with torn linens and a multitude of vintage collectables, she creates pieces that are bold yet delicate.
www.kobiproduction.com
Today we had lunch with the consummately chic Lisa Marie Fernandez (dressed in Deauville-feel Chloe culottes and high-rise Celine wedges). Her luxurious neoprene swimsuits and bikinis are a Vogue favourite- form-fitting and fabulous they ride the body-con trend in slick shades of khaki, latte and scuba black. Beach panic note to self- ergonomic panelling is highly flattering!
The Vogue girls have rediscovered Food Secret on Broadwick street, a favourite lunch haunt among Soho-ites. It prides itself on fresh, healthy yet delicious paninis, soups and do-it-yourself salads. Each meal comes with a breakdown of nutritional and calorie information for the educated eater. Our office has been riddled with Food Secret carrier bags, a chic way to carry your meal back to the office when dining al-desko. If lunch is a tad too healthy, don’t miss the delectable brownie for dessert.
People Love Presents have curated a one-stop website for every gift-worthy occasion. Our favourite? Fiona Golfar, our editor-at-large, received this brilliant box of embossed pencils in the post – it made her day.
www.peoplelovepresents.com
In Paris, we love these beautiful couture eggs at Roger Vivier, which go with his bepoke shoes and celebrate couture week
On the Natalie Massenet shoot (see the August issue, out now for full interview and shoot), we were amused to discover that pretty much the whole team, bar the photographer, were wearing Converse. We particularly liked the Missoni/Converse collaboration version worn by Natalie’s friend, American journalist Ann-Marie. Naturally, Net-a-Porter stocks Converse, Natalie was quick to quip.
We met the lovely Paige Adams-Geller, who was over here from LA and staying at chic boutique hotel 16 Sumner Place in sunny South Ken. She showed us her eponymous premium denim range. Paige jeans have an amazing fit quality (and Paige should know, she is a former fit model herself) and a softness not found in most jeans. With a massive celebrity following (Kate Moss is a fan; she wore Paige Silverlake shorts to Glastonbury this year), they are proving to be the preferred jeans of choice. Here she is in her signature Lou Lou kick flares. We also loved her version of boyfriend jeans, the Jimmy Jimmy, named after an ex love.
www.paigeusa.com
The sunny festival festivities continue. This weekend we went freewheelin’ to Hop Farm in Kent to see a jamboree of stars including Bob Dylan, Pete Doherty, Mumford & Sons and Ray Davies. We bumped into Pam Hogg (there with her pal Blondie) and compared vintage cowboy hats. Unexpected crowd pleasers were the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, stealing away Mr Dylan’s crowd. Who’d have thought...
We loved the Alpine-style mittens at the French Connection press day, as did another individual (courtesy of the Get Stuffed taxidermy shop in Islington).
We were some of the lucky few who Riccardo Tisci talked personally through his astonishing couture collection for Givenchy. Based on his heroine Frida Kahlo, the collection, in hues of nude, gilt and black, encompassed delicate lace skeletons, beading details in the form of skulls and a dress studded with huge cabochon-cut gems. Tisci has decided to ditch the big show in favour of this personal appointment, where he was able to show us his craftsmanship to magnificent effect. A photograph of a line-up of his favourite models hung in the last room, and included one model he says is the new Lara, who hails from the same town in Holland.
This is the T-shirt we'll be wearing this summer, in aid Harry Becher's Too Many Women fundraising campaign for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Harry has created a network of 201 female ambassadors, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Wimbledon winner Serena Williams, who are raising funds this year, and asking nine other friends to do the same. Genevieve Chapman's group asked artist friend Vanessa Garwood, who trained in Florence and exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, to make a glamorous daub on a white cotton T-shirt, £27, to raise money. You can order one now at
http://www.searchforajem.co.uk/toomanywomen.asp
We are pleased to welcome the return of Frank's Café and Campari Bar this summer. The pop-up bar (run by, among others, Antony Gormley's daughter Paloma) at the top of the Cerise Road car park in Peckham reopened last week, drawing in a big crowd, who were treated to a performance by Martin Creed's band. You can check out the Bold Tendencies sculpture exhibition and the bar's amazing views from Thursdays to Sundays until September 30.
www.frankscafe.org.uk
Peter Jensen got the party started this Monday morning when he popped in to see us with his birthday bash-inspired cruise collection. Taking inspiration from his favourite childhood book about a birthday party (he brought his cherished original copy with him), the collection included party hats and prints based on paper garlands. Jensen will be showcasing the collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week next month, by special request of the royal princess!
The gutted carcass of Battersea Power Station was filled with London luvvies, artists and rock stars on Thursday night for The Old Vic's 192nd birthday, generously hosted by W Doha. Highlights included artistic director Kevin Spacey's spot-on impersonations of Morgan Freeman, Bill Clinton and Al Pacino, a surprise speech by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Stephen Fry's eloquent and rousing eulogy on the arts, Paul McCartney's mini-gig (including Born In The USSR, Let It Be and Hey Jude - dedicated to an overawed Judi Dench), and a mosh pit full of theatreland's finest. Bravo!
Save on a Eurostar tickets – a micro edit of Colette goodies, including illustrations by Mr André (maverick owner of Le Baron), the latest music releases and customised surf boards, will arrive at KesselsKramer gallery this weekend. Just say, merci!
Shop Swap: July 1 – August 28
42, Hoxton Square, N1
Last night, cycling home from work, we heard the strains of a familiar song blasting out over Hyde Park. The Kings of Leon were playing and hundreds of non-ticket-holding Londoners were enjoying Sex On Fire (as well as ball games and picnics). We stopped for five songs, including Milk and Use
Somebody, and were able to see the band on the huge screens poking above the festival barrier. Caleb announced it was “one of the greatest experiences of our lives”. It was good for us too, Caleb.
Gorgeous Maia Norman of cult label Mother of Pearl hosted us for lunch at The Ivy. Conversation flitted between her new spring collection, camping next to Snoop Dogg at Glastonbury, and encouraging her three young boys to take up surfing (she spends most of the week at her house in Devon). Maia spoilt her guests by handing out enormous gorgeous silk scarves with the signature print from her autumn/winter collection. Stocks are selling fast in Liberty.
Laptop to beachwear in three easy steps:
1. Log on to www.clickini.com and buy two reversible bikinis (four for the price of two), in summer brights and flattering dark neutrals, from swimwear goddess Laura Urbinati.
2. Wait, impatiently.
3. Receive bikinis in pretty packages. Go hence and sun worship in style.
Happy birthday, happy shopping…
In celebration of Lula’s fifth birthday, the magazine’s editor in chief and former Vogue assistant Leith Clark opens a pop-up shop on Harvey Nichols’ fourth floor. The specially curated space, designed by Fiona Leahy, comprises Clark’s favourite things; find exclusives by Rodarte, Erdem, Miu Miu, Charles Anastase and Sonia Rykiel, in addition to books and music from Liz Goldwyn, Melissa Auf der Maur, Derek Blasberg, Daisy de Villeneuve and Karen Elson. The best bit? Chanel treats with every purchase.
Open from July 1, Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge.
Brit artist Gary Hume, famed for his lucid, flat abstract works, has collaborated with Marni to create a series of lovely T-shirts available in Marni stores from August. They’ll certainly make a picture at a party.
Glasto Look 3
This is seasoned traveller Laura Foster from east London. Her dress is a random bargain buy (£16) from a boutique called Wicked Laundry, in Singapore; her sandals are from Sydney. Buying clothes while travelling is the best way to ensure no one will be in the same things. Her top knot is very cool and an effortless look for a festival. Laura’s tip: never wear jeans as they never dry, always wear leggings or tights. Keep it simple and layer up – especially useful at this year’s festival, where we had hot days and cold nights.
Glasto Look 2
I love Danielle’s flower in her hair. Her jumper is Kate Moss for Topshop, her jeans are from Urban Outfitters and her glasses are from Brick Lane. Danielle’s best moment at Glasto? Hanging out with us!
George, one of our favourite hairstylists at Daniel Hersheson, has been blogging for us again. This time he’s reporting from Glastonbury, where he was out style-spotting, rather than star-spotting.
Glasto Look 1
Jodie looks great! Here, she’s working a vintage Hawaiian shirt, customised J Brand denim shorts, Converse, a Gucci bumbag picked up for £5, a Dobbs panama and glasses from Brick Lane. Her highlight of Glasto was Snoop Dogg (mine, too). Cider for breakfast is her key tip (not mine).
We would like to send a style salute to Michael Donkin, our art Coordinator, who stepped out to watch his cousin at RMA Sandhurst. Take inspiration from the military and start sourcing your winter coat now – try APC for a great flak jacket or Burberry Prorsum’s heavy-duty, brass-buttoned cover-ups – and you'll be polished with a pop by autumn!
More highlights...
8/ The Winnebago campsite. Melvin Benn’s was decorated with charming bunting and a picnic area. Yes, festivals are that civilised.
9/ The hippie chill-out zone at Windinglake Farm.
10/ Inside the Pet Shop Boys’s dressing room – all very Gareth Pugh...
11/ Snoop complimenting our companion’s tattoos (“dope ink”). Dogg, we think you were dope, too – you made the Gorillaz set.
And so we have returned from the sunkissed fields of Pilton, to remember Glasto's Greatest Moments 2010...
1/ Kate-off! Kate Moss, in a leather Balmain frock-coat and fishnet tights, and Kate Hudson, in pretty dresses and no make-up, were camped in neighbouring winnebagos. Two über-bohemian blondes; two completely different looks.
2/ The post-Gorillaz show birthday party. Thrown for Mick Jones (who held court in a natty sailor's cap) by Kate Moss and Fran Cutler, highlights included a chocolate cake with magical sparklers, Emma Watson and boyfriend George Craig's star turns on the dance floor, and Belinda Carlisle as the karaoke queen - yes, she did Heaven Is a Place on Earth.
3/ Cutest couple: Alex Turner and Alexa Chung (wearing a sweet ponytail with Malory Towers-style ribbons).
4/ Singles spotting. Those that did not pack their own rock star boyfriend could simply pick up a Burberry boy; new a/w '10 campaign boys Gwilym Gold and The Cheek's Rory Cottam were out and about, and making mischief. We loved Gwilym's vintage Stevie Wonder tour T-shirt he was wearing on Sunday (the dates are in Braille).
5/ Hot ticket: Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood's secret gig for 400 people.
6/ Designer fields: stylish Bianca Fincham of Starworks embraced the no-rain attire in Peter Pilotto.
7/ Glasto must-have accessory: James Lipsius's DIY bay leaf necklace - so old-school Prada campaign.
Visiting the art and antiques fair Masterpiece, we spent most of our time at Nick Silver’s 21st Century Jewels. It was certainly the most inventive presentation, with a fantastic mix of old Suzanne Belperron diamond pieces alongside new tasty-looking golden rings by the supremely talented Cora Sheibani.
Here's a novel take on our current leather skirt obsession, as worn by fashion intern Gretchen. We love its calf-skimming midi-length and petrol-blue hue. A brilliant car boot fair find.
Remember the name of RCA graduation jewellery student Märta Mattsson, because you’ll hear more about her in the future. We voted for her to win the Overall Excellence Award presented by Theo Fennell on the roof of the RCA, on the strength of her Rebirth Collection of calfskin and silver bow brooches and black resin and lacquer beetles.
We first came across Bordelle in the Selfridges in-store spring launch hosted by Emily Zak and we’ve been hooked ever since! This Bordelle body-con dress is daring yet elegant, simple yet tailored, and ready for party perfection. Despite the body-hugging fabric and numerous elastane bands, it’s surprisingly flattering and comfortable. Vivacious!
Who are the names to watch from the Central Saint Martins Graduate Fashion BA show? We went along to the exhibition, which showcased one piece from each graduate collection. Here are some of our favourites…
We love Moroccan-born Hassan Hajjaj’s first solo show, Kesh Angels. His kitschy images are guaranteed to bring a smile your face – our favourite being this picture of five biker girls in veils, djellabah and heart-shaped sunglasses. Catch the photographer, whose work also includes designing and producing furniture, screen-printing, as well as African studio photography, at Rose Issa Projects, on Kensington High Street, until tomorrow.
Emeralds for Elephants, the auction organised in aid of the World Land Trust’s Indian Elephant Corridor project, caused quite a storm in a very steamy Selfridges Wonder Room last night. The Sotheby’s auctioneer was inundated with bids for the collection of bespoke emerald pieces, designed by eight leading jewellery designers, using Gemfields’s ethically-sourced emeralds. Seen here, earrings by Shaun Leane and an exquisite ring designed by Sevan Bicakci, as well as a necklace and earrings set by Gem Palace. The night also celebrated the first auction of the fibreglass elephants that have been seen all around London. The Emerald Queen, a life-size elephant designed by Sabine Roemer using Gemfields Zambian emeralds, was sold to an anonymous bidder for a whopping £150,000!
www.worldlandtrust.org
www.gemfields.co.uk
Chloé’s Hannah MacGibbon was in town this week to judge the MA Central Saint Martins Chloé award, meeting the students and assessing their portfolios and work thus far. The recipient of the bursary will receive financial help with their final collection (shown at London Fashion Week) and a Chloé internship. A true ambassador of the new restraint, Hannah was dressed in camel trousers, a toffee-coloured fisherman’s knit and cropped riding booties (all Chloé naturelment).
Manchester-born textile designer Dominique Mosley has been hand-making and printing scarves for her label for over a year. Now she has designed one especially for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. We got a sneaky preview of the pink retro print that will go on sale from October for £80. The “scarf with a heart” will be sold on Dominique’s website, www.dominiquemosley.com, and 10 per cent of all proceeds go to www.againstbreastcancer.org.uk.
Jonathan Saunders invited us to his beautiful studio/home to preview his Resort 2011 collection. Amber, his seven-year-old Staffy-cross, diligently escorted us into the airy showroom, where Jonathan took us through his collection. Posies of sweet wallpaper prints were spliced with Saunders’s more graphic monochromes and sporty mesh detailing in skater-skirt dresses, ethereal chiffon tunics and updates on the cashmere-fine T-shirt line that we’re so addicted to. What’s prompted Jonathan’s sudden foray into fauna? Perhaps the 60ft garden at back of his studio has something to do with it, and the blooming borders that he planted himself. A future date in Clifton Nurseries is planned.
We love a missive from exotic lands. This just in from our friend Charlie Hunton (pictured left), a 26-year-old go-getter who, upon graduation, took one look at the job market and hotfooted it to Bali. Rather than bumming around she set up a seriously chic restaurant, Sea Circus (www.seacircus-bali.com). Here, she shares an envy-inducing day in her life...
Wake up at 7am. Get on my motorbike and check out the surf. I decide the waves are manageable, but I end up getting tossed around by the surf.
Head into Seminyak for breakfast. I catch up on emails, work on my website and get my daily dose of Facebook and various design blogs.
I come away with ideas for a new marketing campaign. I scoot into the “city” to search for supplies for my new project and lament the lack of art shops. I miss London markets, but I end up in an amazing antiques warehouse.
Catch up with my friend Zoe Paul for lunch at Café Zucchini. Check out her new collection: www.misterzimi.com. The endless summer in Bali is amazing, but sometimes you just want to wear some leather boots and a jacket, dammit.
Head back home and start making the marketing ideas happen. I’ve decided on cute little keys for loyal Sea Circus friends. I feel like a Blue Peter presenter. Realising how late it is, I start on the admin stuff and making the menu alterations for tonight.
Get showered, changed and ready. Drive to Sea Circus for the start of my shift. Sit down for dinner with the team and embarrass myself with my poor Indonesian language skills. Change the flowers and get the restaurant ready for dinner.
Meet some lovely guests from all over the place. Share some tapas at the bar with friends and persuade them to try out some of the new additions to the cocktail list. Try a few too many. Vow to start the detox tomorrow!
Say goodbye to the Circus and hello to the pillow.
Follow Charlie at http://seacircus.tumblr.com
A lovely image today from James Cochrane, our backstage photographer, who is currently shooting up a storm at the menswear shows. He took this snap of the Alps while driving from Italy to Paris for the next shows. He also told us he is looking forward to shooting the couture shows, which start on 5 July. Watch this space for full reports on the spectacle that emerges from Paris.
Last night, the V&A held an In Conversation evening with photographer Juergen Teller, who was promoting his new book, Calves & Thighs. He entertained the audience with anecdotes and stories from some of his best-known work. Eagle-eyed Vogue fashion intern Gretchen Owen managed to get a picture with the master himself and spotted Lily Cole leaving the V&A at the end of the evening.
“We start out with something really flamboyant, then reign it in” says Erin Beatty, one half of cult American brand Suno, who popped into Vogue House yesterday to show us some of their key pieces. Founded by New Yorker Max Osterweis, the brand’s USP – “different but wearable” – seems to be working. Just a few months after the launch in 2008, Suno’s bold, maximalist prints were picked up by Michelle Obama; Kate Bosworth and Rihanna soon followed suit. Head to Liberty to investigate their current take on the geometric patterns of Seventies Formica kitchens and painterly Twenties wallpapers, in a collection that includes vibrant ruffle skirts, silk jackets and harem pants. Best of all, their summery designs are produced in Kenya, where Osterweis’s mother has a home. “We are nurturing an industry over there,” he says. Gotta love a bit of feel-good fashion.
Work some nautical inspiration into your home with a few shells, pieces of coral and a jaunty lick of fresh blue and white paint. These are tips from Candida Balfour, whose new website, www.nestifyonline.com, is full of neat tricks to revitalise your living space. We especially love her design scrapbook, which is full of quirky information, such as where to buy egg cosies or how to plant radishes in window boxes in time for home-grown summer salads.
Where to go:
Head first to the open-air antiques market at place du Grand Sablon for jewellery, silverware, tea sets and a host of other bric-a-brac delights. It’s open from 9am-6pm on Saturday and from 9am-2pm on Sunday. Next, visit Quartier des Marolles and rue Blaes and rue Haute for the best in vintage furniture from the Twenties to Seventies, and don’t miss Vieux Marché on Place du Jeu de Balle, open every day from 7am-2pm.
Where to eat:
The alfresco fish café on rue Haute might not look fancy (or for that matter, the slightest bit appealing) but, trust us, it serves the best bouillabaisse in town.
What to buy:
Paste jewellery, Hermès vintage handbags, beautiful things for the home – find Venetian mirrors, Art Deco wall lights and mid-century modern furniture, all at half the price of Paris.
Don’t forget:
To haggle. Dealers expect it.
Where to stay:
Hotel Amigo (www.hotelamigo.com) is perfectly located within walking distance of Brussels’ shopping hot spots. Upgrade to the Delvaux Suite – this luxury brand is to Belgium what Hermès is to France. We didn’t want to check out.
Belgium’s fashion colleges are second only to Central Saint Martin’s for nurturing young names in fashion – the country has not one, but two iconic fashion schools. There’s the quirky and conceptual Royal Academy in Antwerp and La Cambre in Brussels, where the intensive five-year curriculum is taught entirely in French. Last month, Kristopher Arden Houser, our friend in Antwerp, sat alongside Agnès B and Veronique Branquinho to judge the final degree shows at both colleges. Here, he shares with us the six women designers to watch from the classes of 2010.
Photos by Sonny Vandevelde, www.sonnyphotos.typepad.com
We were looking at the Central St Martins fashion degree shows at the end of last week and Isabel Czernin Fishlock’s designer prints and 3D fabrics jumped out. Here is a snap of her with one of her designs. She has already set up a website: www.isabelcf.com.
Is the Vogue office restaging an office-bound version of Disney Pixar’s UP? No. In fact, the very many balloons seen here are a very cheery thank you from Swedish design collective Acne. Debate continues as to how we will transport them home...
Last night saw Lauren Laverne’s career take a literary turn – with the launch of her teen novel, Candy Pop, based loosely on the TV presenter’s own rock ’n’ roll adolescent antics. Held downstairs at Mayfair’s Automat, guests included Myleene Klass (looking good in Miu Miu), Dermot O’Leary and Lulu Guinness (who provided heart-shaped key rings for all). Laverne was on top form – all the more impressive considering she’s six months pregnant.
French beauty Othilia stopped by Hanover Square earlier today. There's been a lot of buzz about this brooding brunette since she walked exclusively for YSL earlier this year. But she's yet to shoot a fashion story. Watch this space…
Yet another reminder of the hidden treasures to be found in John Lewis: this rather lovely canvas and leather satchel with an extra long strap – not unlike a YSL one that we coveted a couple of summers ago, but available now and only £45.
The Oyster bar in the basement of Liberty is a well-kept secret. So much so, that despite being a regular location for Vogue lunches, meetings and post-work drinks, a rumour has reached us that it might soon close. We think this would be a travesty, and urge you to try it forthwith, paying particular attention to the fabulous German rye bread and potted shrimps.
The beautiful Fanny Boucher also popped in today to show off her stunning pieces of fine gold and diamond jewellery, before she flies home to Rajasthan tomorrow – our favourite pieces include her Philosophy bracelet, tiny stacking diamond rings (some were immediately snapped up by us) and the lotus flower bracelet. Hopefully to be stocked here in London soon.
Osman Yousefzada sends love from sunny Hanover Square!
Willowy jewellery designer Zara Simon popped into the office today (en route to Ibiza) with her latest collection. Natural forest folk references realised in semi-precious stones include topaz acorn pendants, peridot thorn necklaces and amethyst leaf chains. With prices starting at £50, this midsummer dream is a wearable reality…
Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, loves paste jewels; she decribed herself as “an enthusiastic customer” when visiting SJ Phillips on Bond Street. Glass has been used as a substitute for the colour and brilliance of gemstones since antiquity, but the current exhibition at SJ Phillips – until June 29 and supported by Wintour – focuses on pieces from 1750 to 1900. Sparkling glass butterflies and beautiful girandole earrings (shaped like the branches of a candlestick) were the Georgian equivalent of fakes and crafted exactly like diamond jewels, leaving women of the time speculating as to whether they were the real McCoy or not.
When the sun comes out, so do the Vogue girls’ pretty, pedicured toes: here’s a round-up of the sandals that graced the fashionable office feet today. The flat sandal – in all its many forms – wins out.
We swapped downtown hustle for uptown highlife last week at The Surrey hotel, just off Madison Avenue. Once we’d exhausted our usual haunts (the Rye and Hotel Delmano in Willamsburg, The Smile in Noho and Café Gitane at The Jane Hotel in the Meatpacking District), it was bliss to escape to the relative calm of the Upper East Side. Just a few blocks down from Madonna’s latest property acquisition, The Surrey is like a traditional townhouse with unexpected anarchic and arty twists. A giant Chuck Close image of Kate Moss greets guests in the foyer, and artworks by Jenny Holzer, William Kentridge and London design duo Jimmie Martin are dotted throughout the hotel. The perfect location for hitting Central Park and the best of the city’s museums – the Whitney, the Met and the Guggenheim are all right there – after schlepping ourselves around the New York streets, we’d head to the hotel’s rooftop terrace to watch the sun set over the city’s unbeatable skyline. Make mine a Manhattan.
On June 18, a wealth of the world’s most celebrated designers will showcase stunning new dresses, which they have created specially for a charity fashion show taking place in Oxford. The event, put together by a group of enterprising Oxford University students, will feature many one-off pieces designed exclusively for the show, several of which will be auctioned afterwards. Fashion houses such as Chanel, Herve Leger by Max Azria, Marchesa and John Galliano have all generously donated dresses in aid of the charities HELP (Hope, Educate, Love, Protect) and Teach A Man To Fish. Many of the dresses will be red, reflecting the efforts of these two charities to overcome the effects of HIV/Aids. To place a bid online, or to find about more about the show, visit www.oxfordredball.com/the-auction.
Clogs. They inspire fear in many, and pain in most. But if there is such a thing as a good clog, we’ve found it. These super-cute clogs by Swedish Hasbeens have been a life-saver for a busy intern’s little feet.
Swedish Hasbeens are stocked at Author, 36 South Molton Street, W1 (020 7491 1545)
At Soho House this morning we checked out the new styles from ultra-chic sunglasses label Prism. The collection is designed by the beautifully talented Anna Laub, who began making them out of sheer frustration at the lack of sunglasses that suited her. Inspired by classic styles of the Fifties and Sixties, the glasses are produced in limited numbers and are all hand made in a family-run factory in Italy. We particularly like the Paris and London styles in crystal and dark tortoiseshell, as modelled here by Anna herself.
What to buy the PR director of RelativeMo is a daunting prospect, something destined to bring the most practised fashion PR out in a cold sweat. When Justine Fairgrieve celebrated her birthday, her office found the perfect gift: meet Francine. A doll (a doppleganger for the fashion dynamo happened upon by one of her staffers during a flea-market trawl), with the best wardrobe in London. Each of Fairgrieve’s clients, from Erdem to Preen, Louise Goldin to Emilio de la Morena, Julien Macdonald to Mary Katrantzou, designed a miniature dress for the doll – some were even delivered to her Shoreditch offices in mini hanging bags and beribboned boxes. Oh to be Francine for a day…
We have been on set in Bristol with Joanna Lumley, who is filming the new series of Mistresses. (She plays the mother of Sarah Parish.) Everyone was dressed in a mix of Vivienne Westwood and LK Bennett black for the big funeral scene (gold and silver Ugg boots were de rigueur for the cast in-between takes) – but no, we're not going to tell you who died. You'll have to wait until September, when the series is aired on BBC1.
We joined the crowds in Trafalgar Square on Thursday night as the Royal Opera House showed the ballet on a giant screen. The cloudy weather failed to dampen our enthusiasm for Edward Watson, the principal dancer in Wayne McGregor’s Chroma…
We watched the Trooping the Colour this Saturday and were blown away by the outfits, the bearskins, the shiniest buckles, the most beautiful horses… Sometimes London is best appreciated as a tourist.
When Vogue fashion director Lucinda Chambers suggests that she's found you the perfect skirt and put it on hold for you, you don't walk to the shop in question. You run. In this instance, her Exocet-precise eye for a bargain had alighted upon a vintage Celine skirt in bitter-chocolate leather, with orignal gold buttons, in Soho's Bang Bang. Priced at £100, she's made one features director very happy.
Bang Bang, 9 Berwick Street, W1 (020 7494 2042)
We were at Somerset House last night to watch Sarah Mower, the British Fashion Council’s Ambassador for Emerging Talent, announce the 21 designers who will receive sponsorship for September's London Fashion Week. We shared summer refreshments on the terrace with Jonathan Newhouse and his wife Ronnie Cooke Newhouse, Lulu Kennedy (in Keith Haring high-tops), Rachael Proud of Topshop and Charlotte Stockdale (wearing a navy Alaia dress and a sunny smile), while a chic army of models (styled by Edward Enninful, and including Daisy Lowe, Edie Campbell, Hannah Holman and Julia Nobis) tried to negotiate the cobblestones. We spied Central Saint Martins MA guru Louise Wilson dressed in her signature black, designer Louise Gray sporting a Cleopatra fringe, and new knitwear designer Yang Du in Donald Duck socks and a Cheshire Cat T-shirt dress (vintage Clements Ribeiro). Dominic Jones was raving about his conspirator Alice Dellal's new band – it’s “so wildly amazing” – while chainmail charmer Fannie Schiavoni reported back from an eight-week tour with Rihanna. Elsewhere we celebrated Fashion East’s Heikki Salonen’s new consultancy role for Diesel (joining Sophia Kokosalaki this summer in Milan). Our favourite moment, though, was hearing Culture Minister Ed Vaizey admitting that having seen all the designers he couldn’t decide whether to get his wife a dress by Michael van der Ham or Erdem. May we suggest both?
We spotted this on the Williamsburg Bridge. The sky may be as grey as the concrete jungle on both sides of the Pond, but it's Friday! So up the heart and be happy.
Darkroom, an eclectic fashion and interiors shop on Lamb's Conduit Street, has curated a show with Vogue contributors Anna Burns (set designer) and Michael Baumgarten (photographer). Featuring prints and handmade props from their debut book collaboration The Deformers: Attempted Deception, we giggled at Girl-as-Spider, a naughty neon-green oversized blow-up phallus shot in the Seychelles, Model as Rocking Horse and strung-up knitted dolls. On show until 30 June.