Christmas season in London

You know what the problem is with having some of your best friends in Australia? Well... amongst other things, around November when it starts getting dark and cold in London, you start seeing an increased number of Facebook posts about how "amaaaaazing" Bondi beach is looking today and how  it's 'cold' today because it's only 23 degrees... and so on and on and on. Dont mind me sitting here trying to figure out how to add another layer but still be able to put my coat on... I bloody hate winter! I dont even like skiing because in my mind skiing means paying a lot of money to go from one cold place to an even colder place (albeit mulled wine is a bonus). So this year, I have decided to stop being miserable to jam pack my social calendar with fun things to do so that I dont have time to mull over "how crap winter is". So far this week my list of accomplishments consists of: BFAs, Tim Walker's exhibition and ice-skating at Somerset house.

But lets start from the beginning - British Fashion Awards on Tuesday night. This was not my first time at the BFAs but yet every year I am just as giddy with excitement as the first time. I'm not going to bore you with all the details as I'm sure you have had the opportunity to read all about it on Twitter but the highlights for me:

Model of the year - Cara Delevingne

Designer of the year - Stella McCartney

Rita Ora closing 

• realising of how horrible Gemma Arterton is at presenting! Geez I mean... she is a beautiful girl and everything but she was over-presenting like an overly excited 6 year old at a school Christmas concert.
• not being allowed to take photos during the ceremony - ahem... hello! whats the point of inviting bloggers?! (i still snuck a couple in though :)) 
• an enormous sense of pride for the number of truly talented UK designers. London Fashion is generally the 'poor cousin' of the fashion family but it is so good to see amazing talent like Roksanda Ilincic, Erdem and Jonathan Saunders to be recognised for their achievements.
• triple confirm my already strong belief that Cara Delevingne is such a champ and generally a cool person and we should totally be friends
• discovering that Rita Ora can actually sing... I am a tiny bit of a fan of hers and I was somewhat disappointed by her substandard vocals when she recently performed at the MTV Euro awards in  Frankfurt. Well fear not! The girl can sing...       

Thursday night: late night at Somerset house - Tim Walker "The Story Teller" exhibition and ice-skating.  

I will keep it short - bloody brilliant! Tim Walker is a visionary who lives in a world of his own where the line between fairy tales and fashion is so blurred, you dont know where one ends and the other one begins. Some of the oversized props so loved by Tim Walker and that he had used in his shoots also form part of the exhibition.. like the real size plane coming out of the fire place and giant skeleton hanging off the ceiling.

A visual indulgence both for fashionistas and aspiring photographers alike. Strongly strongly recommend! 

p.s. yet again - photos not allowed at the exhibition but me being the photo Ninja that I am... here are a couple of instagrams :)

Ice skating at Somerset House - well I have now been to three (!) ice skating rinks - London Eye, Canary Wharf and finally the Somerset House and I can definitely say that Somerset House is by far the biggest and the best. Great music, the smell of mulled wine and a giant Christmas tree all make you really feel like "Christmas is all around". If you are not yet feeling festive then definitely head to Somerset House for a little soiree on ice.

 xx

What the dog saw...

I am a strong believer that a hobby should be.. well.. enjoyable.. It might seem obvious but having a blog can often mean that you become a slave to self-imposed deadlines, strive for appreciation, popularity and keeping the momentum up. 

I am very much against that.. I think blogging should not be forced because if you have nothing good to say then maybe it is best not to say anything.

So pretty much all summer I just did not feel at all inspired to blog or photograph or even read other blogs or follow fashion trends.

My summer was a whirlwind of airports, jetlags, sleep deprivation, turning up to work off the red-eye flight, hangovers, amazing people, places and experiences. I can now say that I am truly detoxed of fashion, blogging and am full of ideas and energy to face the upcoming winter months.

As it happens, I actually totally didn't realise that fashion weeks were upon us and today was running around like a crazy monkey trying to push all my weekend appointments aside.

So what have I been doing for the last 3 months?! I have been filling up the list of conquered conquered cities (although some of them indeed conquered me). So my summer consisted of - San Sebastian, Barcelona, Cannes, St Tropez, Odessa, Ibiza and finally Bodrum to finish the wonderful 3 months.

I wish I could share all my experiences with you but for that I would probably have to start a separate travel blog :) So I figured a picture speaks a thousand words.....

xx

East Enders...

Following on from my post earlier this week on well-forgotten old... Here are some more photos that I really enjoyed rediscovering in my archive.. Also done for a photo assignment on East London lifestyle for a magazine in Russia. These were shot around Broadway markets and Shoreditch in February this year... seems so long ago! I love them because I think they represent so well the fun and the carefree lifestyle that is East London.

"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 

  

Too many things... too little time

I feel like I have been totally MIA lately and it is probably true... see the thing is, I realised that I have been in London for almost 2 years and have not had a chance to properly travel and enjoy all the fun that Europe has to offer. So this summer is the summer of travel! Woohoo! I will be sending you postcards :)

Here is the first one.. from San Sebastian (which by the way happens to have THE MOST AMAZING FOOD). I would hear it all the time and thought "oh well yeah, good food".. but it's true, the food is to die  for. There is such a great combination of delicious street food (pinxtos) and sophisticated michelin star restaurants. Obviously, a great beach and fun nightlife made our stay here even more pleasurable. Cannot wait to go back - I think I may have found my new favourite getaway!

Easter weekend at Bath

Things have been so hectic lately that all I wanted for the Easter long weekend is to hide out, hibernate and recharge somewhere relatively far away! Bath seemed to fit the bill so I recruited a like minded girlfriend of mine and off we went on a mini-getaway (hence the lack of posts - sorry!). I am feeling very proud of myself for being super healthy and kind to myself over the last couple of days (although I did slack off a bit and didn't get much editing done...uh-oh!)

Good things about Bath:

1. the really cute B&B places... it is all about the B&Bs here, don't even think about staying in a normal hotel! (we stayed at the Oldfields)
2. the Thermae spa - a rooftop pool full of mineral water that is really good for you and a great view of Bath (you can also add on massages and all sorts of extra treatments)
3. cheap and really great food. We enjoyed an amazing seafood dinner at Loch Fyne- oysters, wine, the works for about 30 quid each!
4. things to do apart from chilling in the spa, eating and sleeping - visiting the Fashion Museum. I especially enjoyed the Behind the Scenes exhibit.

xx

Soho's Secret Tea Room

What's better on a Sunday afternoon than a high tea? A high tea in a secret tea room! After moody London weather messed up our plans of opening the picnicking season, S and I were desperately trying to come up with an equally as good of a plan B for a girlie Sunday afternoon. S came up with the idea of high tea at the Soho's Secret Tea Room. Neither of us had been there before so we weren't really sure what to expect but as usual Soho didn't disappoint.
 
A bright, albeit a very intimate (and by intimate i mean tiny which is why you need to book in advance) sun filled room, accessed via a "secret" staircase behind the bar at what would appear to be your average corner pub, oozes shabby chic. The cutest mismatched vintage tea pots, fresh flowers on the tables and vintage looking embroided table cloths create a feeling of nostalgia with a little bit of 1940's romance. The hostess sporting some serious retro eyeliner and a vintage flowery dress, treated us to an afternoon of guiltful yumminess - homemade cupcakes, amazing strawberry lined sponge cake (both S and I kept having "just another tiny bit" until it was well and truly demolished)...Oh and of course I shall not forget the traditional scones (seriously how can you have an afternoon tea without scones?!) and cucumber sandwiches. The Secret selection of teas didn't disappoint either - after agonising over a tough choice between rose buds and jasmine pearl, I settled for jasmine pearl.. and absolutely loved it! Not going to lie, when I came out of there that afternoon my accent had become that tiny little bit more English ;) 

xx