Gone fishing... for good times!

Hello! I'm on a prolonged holiday and hence the sabbatical from blogging. I promise I will start blogging properly soon! Unfortunately so far the sea, the sun and the fun times have got in the way! But I will be back soon! Xx

"Pret-a-Portea" Afternoon Tea at Berkley Hotel

So you are probably wondering what the hell it is that I am so busy with that I do not have time to blog.. Well I've been busy catching up with my friends who all decided to visit London one after the other in consecutive weekends!

I've been wanting to try Afternoon Tea at The Caramel Room at Berkley Hotel for a while. I heard about it from a fashionista friend but it seems to always be booked out weeks in advance. So when my lovely friend M mentioned that she would love to do an afternoon tea whilst in London, I started doing the rounds at the usual suspects - Claridges, Dorchester, Orangery at Kensington Palace.. and low and behold Berkley had an opening at such short notice.

I mean... someone had to come up with this! Such a brilliant idea had to see the light of day... A fashionista's afternoon tea where all the pastries are inspired by the current season's collection by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Mulberry, Michael Kors (see menu above!).

When the tray came out we did wonder if it would be enough for both of us but apparently tiny shoes and bags fill you up more than you think! By the end of it we were so full that when we got to the top tier of the tray .. namely the Jason Wu coconut mousse with a biscuit leg... we had to eat it only out of our respect for Jason Wu.. it would be rude not to!

The room was full of ladies of various ages all equally in awe and overcome with excitement of the event. I meant being able to to EAT a Mulberry bag is just a different type of satisfaction :)

Unfortunately, the service was not as outstanding as you would expect at hotel of such calibre. The waiters were slow and uninterested. We had to wait at least 10 minutes before anyone came to take our order and take us through the menu. At the end of our 2 hour tea drinking ritual we had to literally wave our hands in the air in order to ask for the bill. It was rather strange and disappointing but I guess "you can't have your cake and eat it too".... or caaan you?! :P

Overall, a cosy and pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon and have a good long gossip session with your girlfriends whilst feeling very much en vogue.

I should mention that the menu does change every 6 months so make sure you get in fast before A/W2012 is here.

How much: from £39 for a basic tea and extra for champagne (depending on the type of champagne)
Where: Berkley Hotel - Wilton Place, Knightsbridge (London)

http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashion-afternoon-tea.aspx

xx 

  

Dancing in the Dark...

As you all know I LOVE fashion... obviously.. But what many of you may not know is that I have another love in my life which dates back to my early childhood. I have always been fascinated by dance. In fact, if I were to believe in past lives, I would definitely say I was a ballerina. When I was little my mum used to take me to see the ballet regularly and although as I grew older the visits became less regular, the fascination remained. My mum always says that she would have loved to learn how to play the piano because through music you can express your emotions no matter what they are. I believe the same is true for dance...

In this little photoshoot I wanted to capture not just the beauty of dance but also a certain bitterness and sadness that accompanies it. The world of dance is ruthless and the hard work and the long hours do not always result in major parts or a big career. But most people who do it don't do it for a big name.. they do it for the love and the passion... it is a love hate relationship - you cannot live without it but at times you work so hard you end up hating it.

My model for this shoot - Diana - is a professional dancer and she kindly agreed to spend a couple of hours dancing for me. We put some music on and off we went - she moved and I snapped as much as I could. I didnt have any complex lighting or equipment for this - a couple of softboxes for side light and my trusted 50mm lens.

Model: Diana
Make-up: Anna Busygina

xx