Can us Brits ever hope to master the art of savoir vivre? We get a lesson in Frenchologie

Why is it that French women are, on the whole, so much more stylish and self-possessed than the rest of the continent? Is it because they invented the word chic?

I think it’s largely down to fashion, but according to Tamiko Zablith it’s got a lot to do with attitude. You won’t find Gallic ladies fumbling with which knife to use when dining at a posh restaurant, she says, nor will they struggle through small talk at a party, eking out mundane weather chat because they can’t think of anything else to talk about. That’s because they’re well-versed in the art of savoir vivre – the French term that means ‘to know how to live’ or, essentially, how to get the most out of life.

Zablith, of Minding Manners, was on hand to deliver a lesson in French etiquette last Monday night at the launch of Frenchologie.com, and Jo and I were there, hoping to pick up some pearls of Parisian wisdom.

 

Frenchologie is an online store stocking only French made and designed wares. From heels to homeware, jewellery to jams, the selection is curated by founders Beatrice Drovandi and Cécilia Cauville to cater to your every je ne sais quoi.

So, what did we learn in our Frenchologie lesson last week? Here are three top tips I took away:

1. At parties, always hold your drink in your left hand. That way you’re ever ready to shake hands with your right and don’t have to hastily swap your drink over or, worse still, go in for one of those clumsy opposite hand shakes.
2. Relinquish that oh so British desire to talk about the weather in social settings. Beatrice Drovandi and Cécilia CauvilleThe French love a debate so make sure you’re up to date with culture and current affairs and be prepared to argue your corner.
3. Don’t feel that you have to wear a suit in all business and formal occasions. Take your style cues from the likes of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Vanessa Paradis and inject a bit of insouciance into your wardrobe.

After the talk, we were treated to a cheese and wine tasting session. The swooningly French owner of wine bar Antidote off Carnaby Street, where the event was held, talked us through a fromage menu straight from the supplier of many of London’s Michelin starred restaurants. A soft, tangy goat’s cheese spread thickly on crusty brown bread and drizzled with &Terra rosemary honey (available from Frenchologie) was my favourite – it was so divine I swear it made my taste buds shout ooh la la.

Click through the gallery below to check out some of the fine Frenchologie pieces that were on show last week (including Jo modelling some very cool jewellery), and gawp at the cheese and charcuterie porn. Warning: this is probably going to make you very hungry.

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I love Made in Chelsea and I’m not afraid to say it.

Yes, they’re laughably posh, and yes, you’re never quite sure if they’re actually, genuinely like that – but did they deserve their BAFTA? Of course they did.

Many reasonable folk hate Made in Chelsea. And that, sir, is fine. Only it’s actually quite good.

I am a regrettable advocate of trash TV; I have been known to get hooked on all things ‘reality’ (particular favourites include The Hills, Laguna Beach – basically the same thing – and Chasing the Saturdays), essentially because it’s like being friends with really cool, pretty, rich and dramatic people, but with none of the negatives. Such downsides as having to spend a fortune to keep up with their overblown lifestyles, engaging in shouting matches in some club or other, and having to wear make-up every day are taken out of the equation. Me and my box set are just curious socio-spectators egging on our two-dimensional champions in the battle of Real Life.

I have deduced that in amongst the back-stabbing, bitching, almighty rows and amazing apartments, there is a key ingredient in these, to use the technical term, ‘scripted reality’ shows that we, as viewers, need: jealousy. This is why I’m not a watcher of TOWIE – I have next to no desire to be them, to share in their lives, and I sure as hell don’t want their wardrobes. I might casually watch if I can’t find the remote, but I can’t root for them. They’re just too much.

Arguably, MIC (yes I use the acronyms, for I am a superfan) could face the same criticism. Like TOWIE, it falls under the category of social caricaturing and thus my parents and other sane human beings find it physically repulsive, especially the endless endless awkward pauses between dialogues. Except – and answer this honestly – who doesn’t want a Chelsea life?

Multi-million pound houses, fast cars, parties, endless dinners and drinks and designer wardrobes with that sense of wealth that you can’t buy; this is the life that produced Cara Delevingne! (She grew up in Belgravia). Call me shallow, but if that was my life, I’d assume I’d Made It. Unfortunately, tuning in to Made in Chelsea once a week is probably the closest I’ll ever get – and that’s why I love it so much.

It partly has to do with my embarrassingly rose-tinted view of London – a view which apparently the camera man of MIC shares, because it is always sunny – as a city paved with success and youthful optimism. Kinda like how Alicia Keys feels/yells about New York, I guess. In the same way I’ll browse photos of A-listers in Cannes or at NYFW with the almost melancholy sense that this is a life I’ll never have, Made in Chelsea provides me with three important things – a weekly fix of new iTunes purchases, a hankering for a fur gilet and most importantly, a good hard dose of London ambition.

Fashion speak

Certain industries are full of abbreviations, business-lingo or other insider-language.  Navy vessels and A&E departments are (I imagine) full of terminology which civilians and the non-medically trained know nothing about.  Albeit lying on a slightly more superficial plane, magazine shoots and fashion HQs adopt similar insider-speak.

This morning a stylist shouted some outfitting instruction across the studio along the lines of: ‘…team it with the pony-hair Wangs, DVF tote and Theory Skort.’ To the untrained ear this might sound like code.  Designer names are often abbreviated, some are mis-pronounced as we fail to possess the French twang needed to correctly say Givenchy and Agent Provocateur.   Like any language, you absorb it as you go and before you know it, you’re talking in fashion slang to your boyfriend or parents without realising it.

We’ve  moved on from the much clichéd ‘fashionista’ terminology of the noghties, phewf – however  here’s a quick rundown of some current expressions which you may hear thrown around in fashion-land (and beyond):

Mandals – man-sandals

FROW – short for catwalk front row seats

Skort – skirt/short hybrid

Boyfriend-cut – used to describe anything slightly over-sized

Game-changer – the new it piece (usually an accessory)

Have you heard any noteworthy fashion speak?

Nailing it part 2: Summer nail designs worth perfecting

Have you ever read the book Outliers? Well, if not, in a nutshell it tells you how no one gets good at anything without practice – around 10,000 hours to be exact. And if you saw my nail art post a few months back you may know that I have a new hobby, and have been spending many Sunday afternoons steadily becoming more and more light-headed through using copious amounts of nail varnish remover and learning to steady my shaky hands.

Actually that post now makes me cringe, but proves the Outliers theory about practice being key. All I can say is thank goodness for the likes of Pinterest and YouTube who are currently playing a major role in my nail education and to my friends who are now letting me butcher prettify their paws..

The idea for the Diet Coke cans were spied by our Katie on Twitter, and I am currently attempting to perfect them for her…

Bananas, watermelons, kiwis and strawberries complete my ‘fruit salad’ wheel…

Whilst I picked these neon colours up (four in a pack) for only £2 in good old Primark to attempt this Aztec-y neon design.  You may be able to see I am yet to perfect straight lines…

And here is my attempt at the Roy Lichtenstein pop art design…

So that is my current selection guys!  If you see any designs, have any great tips or would like your nails doing do get in touch and help a sister out.

Is it time you stopped being a slave to fashion trends?

Is it better to be a Vivienne Westwood or a Ralph Lauren? A trendsetter or a trend follower? Is it actually possible to always be on trend – or should we all embrace the things we like to wear and give trends the sartorial middle finger?

These are the questions that have plagued my mind (and therefore bank account) this week. I’m now at that stage of economic peril where purchasing blow-outs send me on a major guilt trip as I try desperately to justify my buys to anyone who’ll listen (‘Please Officer, I’m just developing a perfect, good quality CAPSULE wardrobe to last forever’). But I think I might have found at least one cause of the problem.

Did you know H&M are giving away £5 vouchers in exchange for your old clothes?

I thought H&M’s new garment collecting scheme was very well known, but a quick poll of my pals (generally a very fashion conscious lot, as you’d imagine) revealed it’s not. So here I am, spreading the word about what I think is a great idea.

Here’s how it works:

You take in one bag of old clothing to an H&M store in the UK, and they will give you in return a voucher for £5 off the next time you spend £30 or more.

Clothes can be in any condition and from any brand or shop, not just H&M, and you can take a maximum of two bags a day.

Why does the Swedish retailer want your old clothes? It’s part of their recently revamped corporate social responsibility programme – they want to reduce the amount of clothing that goes to landfill every year, currently estimated at 500,000 tonnes a year.

With this new initiative, H&M take your garments and one of four things happens:  Clothes in good condition are sold on the second hand market; if they can’t be sold the materials are recut into other products like cleaning cloths; if they can’t be reused the textiles are recycled; any other textiles are used to produce energy.

So nothing goes to landfill, and any money that H&M makes is put back into the scheme or donated to charities.

I don’t know about you, but this is all music to my ears, mainly because H&M is far and away my favourite high street shop. I’d say my wardrobe is composed of at least 40 per cent H&M. Just the other week, I went in intending to buy only a little black and white spotty dress I’d seen previously and ended up, one hour and £75 later, with two pairs of denim shorts, a dress, two tops and a three-pack of socks. I can’t get enough of that sweet Swedish goodness, and a £5 voucher would have taken the edge off the bout of shopper’s remorse I felt that day.

I think the only slight qualm I have with the new scheme is that it might mean shoppers are less likely to donate their old clothes to charity shops, for whom second hand goods are, of course, vital. But, on the other hand, I recently threw away a bunch of clothes simply because their aren’t any charity shops near me that I could take them to, so I guess H&M are helping to discourage that too.

So why not grab those various bits and bobs lurking in your wardrobe that you’re clearly never going to wear again and trade them in for some H&M dinero?

Read more about the H&M garment collection scheme and find your nearest store at www.hm.com/longlivefashion.

Oh, and here are some of the pieces I picked up during my last visit. Basically this whole outfit, black denim shorts (£14.99) and a black fringed top (£14.99) with glow in the dark embellishment, a look which I christened ‘Coachella meets the Roaring Twenties.’

And this is the original polka dot dress (£12.99) that led to my accidental shopping spree.

Girls dressed as boys

Having side-stepped the severe androgynous look of last year, I’ve happily thrown myself at the more relaxed, boyfriend-dressing which takes on a more casual intrepretation of the trend.  It’s become a bit of a daytime staple as it incorporates comfort and style in the right proportion and feels more wearable than stricter masculine shapes which don’t always flatter a girl-shaped body.

There’s the versatility to off-set the ‘boyfriend-cut’ with heels, pretty jewllery and girly hair so you’re not mistaken for your brother.

See below street-style and celebrity versions of the trend

Boyfriend jeans with oversized bag and coat finished with flats = effortless outfitting:

  

Olivia Palermo sporting a rare pared-down look:

An Olsen (same thing aren’t they?) with the well-versed oversized man-shirt & skinny jean ensemble:

January Jones in casual-but-chic airport attire:

Get the look with some relaxed, slightly-oversized pieces

Burton Men’s Tokyo Laundry Jumper £25:

Uniqlo MEN Fine Poplin Long Sleeve Shirt £19.90:

Uniform Wares Watch £390:

Reiss Cassidy Derby Shoe £54 (sale item):

 

 

 

 

Jenny Packham headlines the V&A’s ‘Members Week’, but you can still go!

Hey Guys! Guess what? Members Week at the V&A isn’t just for ‘members’ yo. Anyone can attend and tickets for three of the most exciting talks taking place between (17th-24th May) and include speeches by legendary designer Jenny Packham (celebrating her eponymous label’s 25 year anniversary), the magnificent Stephen Jones and visionary illustrator Jason Brooks. Following the phenomenal success of the current ‘David Bowie is’ retrospective at England’s leading arts museum, the V&A is currently gearing up for its fourth annual Members Week which promises to be the best to date.

Monday 20th May sees Stephen Jones: Model Millinery take place at 18:30 with the world-respected milliner in conversation with V&A curator Oriole Cullen. Having designed hats for some of the world’s most influential fashion houses, including Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, Jones is considered one of the 21st century’s most reveled milliners. If you prefer your art more 2D, Wednesday’s talk entitled Fashion Illustration: Portraits of Paris with internationally famous illustrator Jason Brooks might be more up your creative street.

Having worked with major brands ranging from Vogue to Coca-Cola, and being responsible for creating the visual identity for the Hed Kandi brand as well as illustrating just about everyone from Couture week, Jason will be in discussion with Tony Glenville (Creative Director for the School of Media & Communication at the London College of Fashion). Friday 24th May sees the end of Members Week with Jenny Packham: Luxury Design celebrating Packham’s 25 years at the helm of her world-renowned luxury label. Having dressed the likes of Kate Middleton and Kate Winslet through to Kate Hudson (she must like the name) Jenny Packham will be discussing her sumptuous designs and how her label has become one of the UK’s most successful independent fashion labels.

All tickets, priced £15 for non-members, include a wine reception and can be booked by calling 020 7942 2277.

In Pursuit of Magic – Style & Then Some does New York City

My first impression of New York was “What are these people thinking, blocking out the sun with their stupid skyscrapers?”

That was on my first day in Manhattan, stood on Lexington Avenue facing the Waldorf Astoria hotel and with a nice view of the Art Deco Chrysler Building if I craned my neck and looked downtown.

I hadn’t realised that apart from Central Park and pockets of open space like the Rockefeller Plaza and the steps of the New York Public Library, Manhattan was … shady. NYC is still seen as the capital of the western world, if not the whole world, and it’s partly because of its mammoth, manmade skyline. OK the tallest buildings on earth might be elsewhere (the Burf Khalifa etc) yet only New York has the clout to pull its commanding presence off.

That said, scuttling past buildings so tall they blocked out the sun for well, whole blocks felt weirdly unnatural to me at first.

A couple of days later, I could appreciate that just as I’d get no work done in a Mediterranean country, New York’s peculiar atmosphere of sun and shade motivates everyone to get great things done. Everyday. Then have a bike ride and picnic in the park on the weekend.

Still deciding which music festival to go to? Try the festival finder

Right in time for the music festival season, thetrainline.com has introduced their new U.K festival finder website.

Attending a music festival is practically a rite of passage for modern day young adults, correct? To have reached your mid-twenties without doing so could be considered a little strange, possibly? Well unfortunately I fall into the latter category, although I did try to rectify the situation a few years back and began researching various festivals happening around the UK. Two years later and I am still in the same position after never managing to settle on one particular festival I felt catered to all my music loving needs and that of my friends. Thankfully, thetrainline.com have created their own online festival finder where you can select a group of your favourite performers then it helps you gauge which festival best suits your individual music preferences.

What is great about the festival finder is that if you’re struggling to remember the artists you would like to see live, the website lists a large number of acts set to perform on one of the various UK stages – therefore allowing you to simply pick and click away. If your taste is especially eclectic and you are struggling to find an event that stands out, the online search engine still lets you know the specific festival your choices are playing at. Also, whether or not the venue in question has sold out, what ticket prices are and dates of the occasion.

Music festival tickets aren’t exactly cheap, so making sure to choose the right one for you is an important yet increasingly difficult task considering just how many there are to choose from nowadays. And that just goes for the UK, I’m not even taking into account the various festivals that happen throughout Europe and the rest of the world each year (see Helen’s recent Coachella style overview).

Maybe things will be easier now for all us indecisive folk. Who knows, with the help of the festival finder and Jo’s recent Glastonbury packing essentials post, I may have finally lost my music festival virginity by next year.

Pulling sweet teeth: The week I tried to kick my sugar habit

Unless you actually are Candice Swanepoel, an evening of back-to-back Victoria’s Secret shows does not make for easy viewing, I can assure you. However, after watching the 6ft angels at work, I decided to kick my bad habits and dare I say it, acquire a ‘bikini bod’ in time for summer. Or at least, try.

I’ve watched the interviews with Miranda Kerr and heard her waxing healthy about the benefits of ruddy quinoa and coconut milk – and as much as it’s lost on me, I can’t deny the woman looks good. I know what my downfall is; sugar. What I have is a genuine, all-consuming craving for sweets. Not just idle ’I fancy a Percy Pig’ thoughts - I’m talking choking on Haribo because you’ve just poured the whole bag into your mouth. I react like a rabid dog if someone asks for a Minstrel from my ‘Bag to Share!’ 

So I knew what I had to do: cut out sugar.

Bella Blissett in her article ‘Sweet Freedom’ in the May issue of Elle magazine, assures me that within about a week, my cravings will diminish and eventually cease. So it is with this hope that I push my trolley around the supermarket, walking straight past the cherry bakewells, to the fruit and veg. And eight portions of fresh food later, not to mention some oily fish, rice, lemon juice and several other healthy looking foodstuffs, my new life as a lean mean six-pack machine begins.

Day one, and it’s all going swimmingly. Yoga before a breakfast of muesli, lunch of a Waldorf salad, and a dinner of salmon and vegetables. And then I steal one of my housemate’s chocolate digestives because I figure it’s unrealistic to go cold turkey straight away. Jeez, I’m not Gwyneth Paltrow.

Unfortunately by day three, all the digestives have gone and sorry, a carrot doesn’t cut the craving. I just want a Fruit Pastille, for God’s sake. Maybe a Tooty Fruity.

For work on day four, I forgo an inevitably wilted salad and plump for a Mediterranean tuna bagel. But unfortunately I overfill it, and all the tuna comes out. The tomato salsa makes my lunchbox look like a crime scene and it stinks to high heaven so I abandon it and eat some sesame seeds. So very hungry.

By the weekend I’m going to the cinema, and you physically cannot watch a film without pick ‘n’ mix, so I load up on cherry cola bottles – they’re gone before film starts.

Throughout the next few days, I try to be as creative as possible – honey glazes for salmon, banana splits, sweet potato mash, endless endless seeds. But the difficult thing is, I don’t feel any better for it. I’m still tired, and grumpy, except now I don’t have Jelly Babies for company. I know I hit a low point when I shakily text my boyfriend around 11pm, ‘Please. Just get me a f***ing cookie.’

Yesterday, whilst desperately eating teaspoons of dry hot chocolate powder out of the tub, I realise, this is what addiction feels like. Eventually I figure inhaling/eating powder is never a good destination, so I go and I get a Caramac, and feel great.

I’m not knocking the healthy lifestyle – I have a new-found love for salmon salads, and I do really like vegetables. And if other women can survive sugar-free, well done them; they are stronger and inevitably healthier people than me. But as a contract with Victoria’s Secret really isn’t on the cards for me, I can’t justify being miserable for the sake of a few inches of thigh-squidge. I don’t drink, smoke, eat fried food or much dairy. Just for Heaven’s sake – let me eat cake.

Have you ever tried to cut down on sugar? How did it go? Hints and tips gratefully received in the comments section.

Can you make the perfect bloomer loaf at home? I put Paul Hollywood’s recipe to the test

A few weeks ago, I had the sudden urge to bake my own bread. I longed for a thick slice of crusty white toast with butter and honey – and that cathartic release that only bashing about a lump of stretchy dough can bring. Plus I’d read somewhere that supermarket bread is often full of sugar and other nasties so I wanted to create as naked a loaf as possible.

So I had a go, using the first recipe that Google brought forth. Truth be told, it wasn’t very good. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t golden and crusty and chewy and tasty in the way great bread is supposed to be. Then lo and behold, my prayers were answered when Great British Bake Off’s finest, Paul Hollywood, goes and gets his own BBC TV series called Bread and the very first type of bread he make is a white bloomer loaf. Watching the episode I was amazed at how different Hollywood’s recipe and technique were to mine, and I resolved to replicate them. The resulting loaf far exceeded my previous paltry attempt, and my subsequent two loaves have been even better. I can’t recommend it enough.

So, here’s Paul Hollywood’s bloomer recipe as interpreted by yours truly, with all his excellent tips from the TV show thrown in.

Ingredients

500g strong white bread flower, plus extra for dusting

10g salt

7g fast-action dried or quick yeast

40ml olive oil, plus extra for oiling

300ml water

1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other (they can’t mix yet or it kills the yeast) then add the oil and 240ml cool water and mix it together using your hand in a claw shape (dinosaur growling sounds optional at this point). Gradually add in the rest of the water until you’ve got a sticky dough.

Paul’s tip: You might not need all the water. Stop adding it once all the flour is absorbed.

2. Knead the dough by working it firmly on the work surface until it has turned from a rough texture (a bit like cellulite to be honest) into a smooth and springy ball.

Paul’s tip: Use about a tablespoon of oil on the work surface to stop it sticking and make it easier to knead. Just don’t use too much or it absorbs into the dough and makes it too sticky.

3. Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm until it has tripled in size, which will take up to three hours.

Paul’s tip: The dough doesn’t need to go somewhere hot to rise, between 18 and 24 degrees will do. (My house is freezing though so I put it on a tea towel on the radiator in winter).

It should go from this:

To this:

4. Take the risen dough out and ‘knock it back’ by tipping it onto your work surface and simply bashing it flat into roughly a rectangle. To shape it into a bloomer, fold the ends into the middle, flatten it again, then fold the other ends in and flatten again. Curl the ends under and you should end up with an oval loaf shape.

Paul’s tip: try and get the dough into a nice fat oval so that it rises up rather than out in the oven (my first bloomer was flatter than it should have been for this very reason).

5. Put the dough on an oiled, floured tray and cover with oiled cling film suspended over a couple of mugs on the tray. Leave it to prove (that’s what they call the second rise) again until it’s doubled in size, about an hour.

Paul’s tip: You’ll know the bread is ready to bake if it springs back when you press it with your finger.

6. Preheat the oven to 220ºc/gas mark 7 and put a roasting tray in the bottom of the oven. Lightly spray or sprinkle the dough with water and then flour and make a few diagonal slashes across the top with a sharp knife.

Paul’s tip: The water and flower will help create a nice crust, while the slashes stop cracks forming anywhere else. (But you need a VERY sharp knife to make them, I tried with a less than sharp knife and ended up significantly deflating my loaf).

7. Just before the loaf goes in, pour a litre of water into the roasting tin to create steam around the bread. Bake for 25 minutes then lower the temperature to 200ºC and bake for 10-15 minutes more. You’ll know the bread is ready if it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. Put it on a wire wrack to cool.

Paul’s tip: Don’t worry if the crust browns very quickly. I thought my loaf was done because it had gone very brown but I realised after taking it out of the oven the bottom was still slightly damp and had to put it back in for another 10 minutes.

And you should end up with something that looks a bit like this…

From pollen to Prevalin – putting hayfever remedies to the test

If, like me, you’re prone to hay fever, you’ll want a robust prevention strategy to limit the twenty-in-a-row sneezing episodes that can result in ligament damage or the weepy eyes which co-workers misconstrue as the awkward, broad-spectrum ‘boyfriend trouble’ that strike this time of year. Here’s my advice on how to combat hateful hayfever.

As usual, I can only give general advice about tinctures and tonics that have helped me and when taking any medicine (herbal or conventional) make sure it’s safe and suitable for you.  I can’t claim any medical acclaim here….

Right, so one thing I’m trying is natural remedies as I always prefer to see what can be done before resorting to the strong stuff.  Having read numerous articles on alternative therapies.  These are some of the recommended remedies:

Bee Pollen – tastes horrendous so make sure you mix it well with cereal, smoothies, Nutella….whatever masks the flavour.

Nettle tea – easy to buy from health food shops and supermarkets

Prevalin Nasal Spray – normal nasal sprays contain steroids so if you’re looking to avoid chemical solutions try this alternative.

Vitamins – by keeping your immune system strong, the effects of the allergy response will be less brutal.  Quercetin is an antioxidant which also acts as a natural anti-histamine.  Find supplements containing Quercetin and vitamin C to build up a defence.  Eating and sleeping well will also boost your immunity, giving you added resistance.

I find the usual advice about staying indoors and wearing wrap-around sunglasses a bit ‘meh’ as I don’t particularly want to do either.  Wrap-around sunnies are not really for me and, as much as  I won’t rub my face on the grass, I’m not staying in a closed-window flat all summer…hence why I’m chomping down on bee pollen and nettle derivatives. 

Failing all that, get your mitts on the conventional antihistamine tablets (I find the own-brand versions work just as well as the branded), eye drops or spray and make sure you keep up a consistent approach throughout the hayfever season, not just using the medication when you’re experiencing symptoms.

Good luck!

Gemma Goldstone launches on Asos, Makes Romy & michelle proud

Lucky for me, this week I get the chance to discuss three of my favourite current things: Asos.com, the nineties and new emerging talent. Love it or loathe it (and it’s clearly the former over here at Style & Then Some HQ) the current craze for all things nineties has not been limited to fashion alone, but has influenced the emergence of new sub-cultures such as ‘Sea Punk’ and kicked off the technological trend for premillennial GIFs which are currently flooding the world-wide web for our entertainment (whoever gifted the internet with this gem needs knighting).

Having been over-exposed to the eighties influences for almost a decade, it looks like the nineties trend may too be here to stay.  Having said that, a number of designers, from Dries Van Noten to 3.1 Phillip Lim, are already influencing the catwalk trends, incorporating nineties grunge which is no doubt a strong avenue which we’ll be seeing next season.

But with such a rich melting pot of inspiration the decade contains, new emerging designers are starting to crack the tough fashion world, and one fantastic way to do this is through Asos Marketplace. While the competition to have your own boutique on the ever-expanding site is ridiculously tough, one new designer has launched this month with her fist, nineties-inspired collection, ‘Pic n’ Mix’.

Gemma Goldstone, an Essex based, Leeds trained designer has landed with a collection fit for a Shoreditch Princess. The brand is not only edgy and vibrant, but designed for a fearless type of lady who no doubt had her own dressing up box growing up.  Plus, what is Asos if not a grown-up’s version of a sweet shop? While fabric choices include metallic PVC (so Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion!) blue fur, fishnet and perforated sports poly, it’s the metal chokers, oversized zips and chains which really polish off the collection and cement Gemma Goldstone as the new nineties kid on the block.

So why not go check out ‘Pic n’ Mix’ and indulge your inner Nineties child?

You can also contact Gemma directly: gemma@gemmagoldstone.com and follow her on lovely twitter: @Gemma_Goldstone.

White: Do you dare to wear?

When the sun’s out, we’re all naturally drawn to white, no? A staple of the summer wardrobe, white evokes images of sun-drenched Greek islands, blue skies and golden skin. This season, the fashion world has gone head over heels for this palest of trends, so why are we still so wary of white?

Just this week, I made my monthly trip to Zara, that delicious middle of the road brand via which we can all look like we’re dressed in Celine for a mere fraction of the price. I was there to buy white; presumably that flash of sun we had last week sent me into some kind of over-exposed frenzy. I selected these beauties for upcoming weddings/days I want to be Carrie Bradshaw – and I would have been satisfied had my accompanying friend not said:

‘It’s funny, how things that would’ve seemed horrible a few years ago are okay now. Like white shoes.’

I still bought the shoes. But the thought remained; is white always right?

Well, no, it isn’t. It’s a veritable minefield, but this is not news to anyone. So to assist us all in the hazardous embracing of white this season as the gods at Vogue and Elle decree, here are a few danger zones to beware.

1. Stain street. The first one is obvious. Christ, who hasn’t this happened to? Just one errant swirl from your pasta salad and that dress is a goner (this happened to me featuring a forkful of lasagne, a white trench coat and subsequently an embarrassing visit to a bemused Hermes store in Paris). A misjudged seat on a bus or garden chair and sniggers will ensue for the rest of the evening. Even the gentle tugging of your head through a white blouse and suddenly half your foundation is on the collar. White, you cruel mistress.

2. To tan or not to tan? Secondly, the irrational need for a tan that white seems to inspire. It may have escaped your notice, but we don’t get much in the way of sunshine here, so options are limited. Fake the sunkissed glow, and run the gauntlet of tan transfer – see above. Or, go natural and work the slight browning you’ve achieved thus far. I face this dichotomy in a few months’ time – I anticipate I’ll fake it, lest I resemble a haddock fillet in a shift dress.

3. The price is white. Lastly, is the fact that you’ll probably need to flash a bit of cash to pull off white, or else embrace visible underwear and cheap material forever. Depressingly, I can’t afford Christian Dior; Zara is pushing it, realistically. White on a budget is a risky affair – I have yet to succeed, although I’ve found H&M and Topshop to be regular safe havens.

So, if you’ve got especially delicate eating habits (or a stick of Vanish, just in case) go white. Hey, if it’s good enough for Anna Wintour…

Miss Vogue launches on Monday | How will it do?

Back in January British Vogue announced it was launching its first ever magazine aimed at the teen market, calling it Miss Vogue, and the first issue officially hits the shops this coming Monday. It got me wondering whether other ladies like myself – now ever so slightly older than Miss Vogue’s target demographic – would have loved something like this when we were younger?

Who else remembers ELLE Girl? British ELLE magazine launched a similar attempt to appeal to a younger audience back in 2001, only for it to fold five years later with reports suggesting that the increase in online e-magazines and blogs was one of the main reasons for the publication’s untimely demise. While not identical in their content, considering the aforementioned reason for Elle Girl‘s closure and the fact that reading material available online has continued to expand dramatically since 2006, it’s uncertain exactly how well Miss Vogue will fare in the already struggling magazine market if Condé Nast decides to continue printing it. Just last week More! magazine became the industry’s latest casualty announcing its publication had been suspended after several previous efforts to reinvent the glossy.

However, in the last few years there has been what can only be described as a tween/teen explosion with the young population’s adoration for the likes of One Direction, the Twilight movie franchise and the emulation of stars’ style including Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian’s little sister Kendal Jenner (who, incidentally, has modelled for Australian Miss Vogue) taking on a life of its own. Team this with Vogue’s stellar reputation and it looks as though there are enough components in place to make Miss Vogue a guaranteed success.

Thanks to a recently renewed Vogue subscription I got to flick through the magazine before its official launch next week as it comes free with the June issue. My first impression was that I would have probably loved it when I was younger and taken lots of style inspiration from their numerous uber-colourful fashion editorials. On the other hand, I’m not entirely sure how many British tweens and teenage girls can afford the Louis Vuitton leather duffel bag advertised for a whopping £780, or the Tiffany platinum and diamond pendant with an equally eye-watering price tag of £9,675 also featured? At the same time, this magazine has been produced by the Vogue family, a publication famed for championing the finer (fashion-y) things in life.

Who else is keen to see what kind of reception Miss Vogue gets from the public next week? We are rooting for it here at Style and Then Some!

Is your lingerie drawer in need of a springtime overhaul?

Spring is the perfect time for a little wardrobe reshuffle but don’t neglect your underwear drawer.  If the elastic has gone a bit stringy in your waistbands or some of the colours could be described as a ‘washed out grey’ you need to do some binning.

The best outfits feel a little let-down (sometimes literally) by mediocre underwear so take Gok’s well-worn advice and get some proper outfit foundations to fit and flatter.

H&M have come up with a surprisingly good collection encompassing sporty-non wired bras (see Helen’s post for more on this low-maintenance option), sexy push-ups and ever-popular shapewear at a snip of  the price of brand-leaders SPANX. With recent research by French scientists suggesting we could be better off wearing no bra and going freestyle (um, no ta…) I feel more compelled than ever to invest in some new bras and knicks.

You can see the full H&M collection here, however I’ve collated a few of my favourites below:

Push-up bra £14.99:

Prolong the life of delicates and/or avoid the arduous job of handwashing by using wash bags, £3.99:

Adopt the sporty trend with this block-coloured, non-wired bra, £9.99:

Optimise and smooth your silhouette with a some sleek underpinnings, £19.99:

Offering minimal support but perfect for holidays and wearing underneath sheer garments, £6.99 for two:

And why not brighten up boring T-shirt bras with colourful options, such as this tangerine tango delight at £12.99:

Can’t afford a Rolex? Here are 10 chunky gold watches that are way more affordable

If you’re hankering after a gleaming, satisfyingly heavy, gold (or maybe rose gold?), possibly diamond-encrusted bracelet watch from the brand favoured by everyone from James Bond to Jay-Z – well, join the club.

If you’re also unable  to ‘drop’ about five ‘stacks’ on a ‘Rolly’* – yeah, us too. Hey, a girl can dream right? But, while you’re waiting for your bank balance to catch up with your accessories fantasies, there are some super sweet watches on the high street and online, priced from £20 to £260, that will do the trick. Here, we round up ten women’s watches in a variety of yellow, white and rose gold tones (but none of them real gold, of course) that should help satisfy your chronographical craving.

*Urban Dictionary translation: pay £5000 for a Rolex

Are men now spending more time grooming before a date than women?

Sometimes something lands in my inbox that makes me question my fellow human beings.  The new ‘date-onomics’ poll, conducted by MSN is a prime example.  This new poll consists of data gathered from two thousand participants (men and women) regarding their dating lives and the results, quite frankly, leave me wanting to gauge my eyes out. 

For instance, did you know (according to MSN) men are now spending more on grooming before a first night of passion than women are? Nope, neither did I.  Nor did I realise that before a red-hot date, men are now investing in new bed linen, Columbian waxes (I don’t even want to visualise this one) and facials.  Now, if you are a member of the male species and you do partake in this behaviour, fair enough.  But I am pretty sure this poll must have been conducted either in The City, Liverpool town centre, or perhaps Romford, as I am hella sure if I interviewed one thousand men in the Yorkshire Dales I would get somewhat different results.  I have no problem whatsoever with male grooming, in actual fact male-only salons are a burgeoning market. But if this poll has been devised to make me believe all men are behaving this way, then I must be in Lala land…or just dating the guys that wear really bad underwear.

Don’t overlook the printed book | World Book Night

While YouGov reported a substantial increase in sales of the Amazon Kindle Fire e-reader last week, World Book Night, which took place on Tuesday, appealed to the globe not to overlook the printed book.

There’s no denying that devices such as the Kindle Fire are amazing wee inventions, but despite this, I have no desire to possess one. When it comes to books, in my opinion, nothing much beats that feeling of satisfaction once you are fully immersed in a great page-turner and the proof can be physically felt and seen from the thick wad of read pages clasped in your hand.

Perhaps I’m just easily pleased, but in light of World Book Night earlier this week – an event which celebrates reading of the printed book – I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a while. Instead of having a quick scan of Amazon, I stopped by my local book store to have a thorough look at the latest titles available on the shelves. In this digital age it can be easy to forget what a truly pleasurable experience browsing around a book shop can be, even without looking for anything specific; from that thrill of coming across a surprisingly interesting title, to actually getting to hold and quickly flick through a book you were actively seeking out.

True to typical book store form, the atmosphere was extremely chilled and I ended up purchasing three fantastic books. First up, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism by economist and Cambridge University lecturer Ha-Joon Chang. Simply because at the tender age of 24 I have finally decided to find out how the world actually works – it’s about time really. Secondly, Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class by The Independent columnist Owen Jones, because I have been guilty of laughing at chavs from time to time (Jeremy Kyle anyone?) when I should really know better. The third book was Anne Frank‘s Diary, embarrassingly enough I decided to buy this after the recent Justin Bieber furore (in which he remarked that she may have been a fan of his. For goodness sake) made me realise I had never actually read it.

In support of World Book Night, The Guardian online has compiled a list of quotes by famous writers in a bid to encourage more people to delve into a good book, see it here. Visit the World Book Night website at www.worldbooknight.org.

Instagram envy is ruining my life – but I just can’t quit

With more and more of us communicating visually, I find myself checking Instagram for updates far more than I check Facebook. So, I ask, who needs words when you’ve got heavily edited pictures?

In the days of yore before I got myself an iPhone, I envied the Instagrammers. The members of Instagram, the photo sharing website and app, seemed to live in a perpetual summer, where it was acceptable to post daily pictures of your healthy breakfast simply because it’s such a damn nice photo. In fact, not  just acceptable, but you get likes from other users to reaffirm your choice of smoothie, and can give your brekkie a self-congratulatory hashtag like #bodyisatemple to boot.

But then I got an Instagram account myself and I realised even the best filter (I’m saying Earlybird – what are you saying?) does not make my life cool. I’ve uploaded pictures of my dad’s 60^th birthday cake, a book, my shoes, Elle magazine…all for the sole purpose of saying, ‘this is how I’m living my life’, which would all be very well and good, if it were not cruelly juxtaposed with the way others were living their lives. And when you’re following the likes of Alexa Chung, Miranda Kerr, Chiara Ferragni and Poppy Delevingne, no amount of sepia tone can make a shot of my Primark boots compare to those model beauties with their perfect Insta-lives.

The problem is that Instagram feeds you two kinds of lies:

1. Life is idyllic. All the time. By making an otherwise mediocre photo (I’m no Annie Leibovitz) appear as if it were taken in the 1970′s, what is actually happening in real life is as idyllic as on the screen. Thus you look back at the memory, thinking, ‘my, that Kerouac-esque road trip we went on to Tesco sure was fun.’

Real world

Insta-world

2. Celebrities are your friends. Much like Twitter, Insta-follows do not equate to actual friendship. This is all the more galling when you’re scrolling through your feed, and in amongst your friend’s dog, friend’s nail varnish, friend and boyfriend, there’s supermodels Karlie Kloss in New York. Like the luckiest, richest most annoyingly successful friend in the world.

And, yes, I admit, all this institutionalised jealousy is my own doing. I decided to follow exclusively supermodels and actresses, and I choose to relentlessly refresh to get another toxic hit of a beach, a red carpet, a catwalk. Worryingly, I feel myself changing as a result; last week I went to Instagram the floor of my hairdressers to tell everyone I was getting a haircut. I plan nights out with my best friends on the promise of some flattering, hipster photos gracing the internet the next day. I no longer consider a photo to be ‘good’ unless it’s had the Instagram treatment.

All this has culminated in my general avoidance of mirrors, lest they should show me how my face looks in real life. It’s a tough life, but here’s hoping that one day I get to actually go to Coachella like the rest of my celeb pals, instead of photographing my back garden and putting it through the Nashville filter.

5 of the Best: These Jazz Age shoes will have you Charlestoning in no time

Ankle strap? Check. Peep toe? Oh yes. Stiletto heel? And how.

Right now, the high street has got some high heels on offer that are so retro style-y that they wouldn’t look totally out of place on a dance floor in the 1920′s. Maybe it’s the Great Gatsby effect – Baz Luhrman’s remake is out in less than a month now – or maybe it’s an offshoot of the nineties ankle strap heels trend, but whatever the reason, I sure do like them. The open-toe style and manageable heel height make them a decent investment for wedding season, because let’s face it, a strappy sandal goes with almost anything, plus you just know you’re going to end up doing the Macarena with your Nan/little cousin/unidentified drunk relative at midnight so you may as well get your dancing shoes on. Here are five of my top picks.

Top 5 wardrobe additions: Snakeskin

Snakeskin is big news for SS13 but, like any animal print, less is often more and a hint of pattern is sometimes more flattering and wearable than head-to-toe print. 

Keep it classy with these top 5 wardrobe additions, covering work to weekends:

Reiss Karita Dress:

    Zara Snakeskin Ballerina:

Warehouse ankle-tie pants:

ASOS Snakeskin belt:

Linda Farrow Sunglasses:

Hating on Hath? The Anti-Anne Rampage Needs to Stop

I may have been blogging on Goats too much in the recent past to have noticed the ridiculous hate campaign that’s been demonising Anne Hathaway through social media and online press.  I caught up on this yesterday after reading about it in Look magazine (I was on a very long train journey and left my headphones at home, okay?).  But seriously, WTF world?  Where has this come from?  Last time I checked Hathaway hadn’t murdered anyone, committed any crime worthy of an international hate campaign or have psychologists analysis the shape of her face and conclude the following:

    “When times are good, we prefer actresses with rounder faces,” psychology professor Terry Pettijohn says. “They convey these ideas of fun and youth.” But Hathaway’s face is bony and slender! “As the economy improves, Hathaway—whose peak of fame, post-boyfriend, pre–Oscar hosting, came amid the 2008 crash—may just be a reminder of bad times.”  (Courtesy of the Daily Beast).

So we are to go on an anti-Anne rampage because her FACE reminds us of the recession?   Apparently Anne just doesn’t have the ‘likeability’ factor anymore either?  Well, I don’t really get this either when she’s just landed an Oscar and in my eye, and scored the best damn short cut money can buy.  At least Lena Dunham (guardian angel and Style & Then Some heroine ((I’m working on my Hey Arnold! Helga inspired Shrine to her as we speak)) stood up for The Hath on Twitter:

Sometimes, like right now to be precise, I have little faith in the intellect of the human species as a whole.  Don’t make me go all ‘Leave Britney Anne alone’ again.

Turning 25? Don’t panic, here’s what 25 impressive people were doing in their mid-twenties

I’m turning 25 this August and it’s on my mind. In fact, I’m choosing to release my freaking out energies slowly over the next five months to make it more manageable when the big day arrives.

Why am I freaking out? First of all, I (wrongly) believed that my Young Person’s Railcard runs out the day I turn 25 and so got it into my head that this should be the day I begin to grow up. Then there’s the fact that when I left uni I made myself a Four Year Plan which inevitably won’t get completed by August.

But to make myself feel better that I haven’t become fluent in French or mastered photography yet, I decided to look up what some Style & Then Some approved heroes from fashion, pop culture, politics and the arts were doing when they were 25 – or thereabouts. It’s a bit of a strange/eclectic list but hopefully you’ll be surprised.

1. George Orwell
When he was 25 in 1928, Eric Blair (his real name) was living in the Rue du Pot de Fer in Paris, what would become part of Down and Out in Paris and London, one of my favourite books. Living in lodging houses and washing dishes (probably to get material), the book itself wasn’t published until five years later in 1933 but Blair did have his first professional article published in the political and literary journal Monde in October 1928, a few months after he turned 25.

2. Christopher Bailey
Now Chief Creative Officer at Burberry and designing some of the most beautiful yet globally appealing collections to show at London Fashion Week, Christopher Bailey completed his Masters from the Royal College of Art in 1994 (aged 22/23) and spent the next two years as a Womenswear Designer at Donna Karan. He didn’t join Burberry until 2001 when he was 30.

3. Alexa Chung
Alexa modelled from the age of 16 but never made it to the catwalk – more like teen mags, Sony Ericsson and Tampax ads and music videos for the Streets and Westlife. She quit four years later before co-hosting Popworld and at the age of 24 going on to present Vanity Lair, a reality show about beauty, which she’s reportedly a bit embarassed about now. At 25 she went stateside with It’s On with Alexa Chung which ran for 7/8 months before being cancelled – but by this point she was modelling again for Antipodium and Oxfam.

4. Beyonce
If Beyonce is to be believed that she’s only 31, that means that by the time she was 25 she’d already announced a hiatus from Destiny’s Child, struggled through depression, starred in a couple of films and released her first solo album Dangerously in Love. She released her second solo album B’Day to coincide with her 25th birthday – OK this example isn’t hugely reassuring but there is a chance she could be lying about her age at least…

5. Jonathan Goldstein
If you haven’t heard Jonathan Goldstein’s radio show WireTap, check it out now – it’s funny, strange and just brilliant at finding interesting stories from asking the right questions. But the author, producer and host got a pretty late start – he didn’t join the equally brilliant This American Life until he was 31. When he was 25 we’d have found him working in telemarketing after doing a Masters in creative writing, attending readings and working on his writing on the side.

6. Louise Mensch
This woman annoys me a little because she always seems so smug but the author turned MP turned fashion journalist wasn’t selected to stand for Corby until she was 35. At 25, she was writing books like Career Girls, her debut chick-lit novel which was published the year before.

7. Barack Obama
At 25 Obama was the director of a community organisation called the Developing Communities Project based around Catholic churches on the south side of Chicago. Impressive but not exactly earth shattering for the future President – he went to Harvard Law School and became an attorney before being elected to the Senate at 34/35.

8. A. A. Gill
The widely published food critic and feature writer (Sunday Times, Vanity Fair etc) spent most of his twenties realising he wouldn’t become an artist. He’d studied at Central Saint Martins and Slade but told Lynn Barber that he signed on (for the dole) and tried to paint until he was about 30.

9. Mary Katrantzou
A Style & Then Some favourite, Katrantzou was graduating from an MA at Central Saint Martins when she was 25 – the Greek designer opened the 2008 graduation show with gorgeous wood and metal jewellery and those trompe l’oeil prints. Her first LFW collection was S/S 09.

10. Anna Wintour
Having worked as a editorial assistant at Harper’s Bazaar (Harper’s & Queen) in London and fighting with its then editor, Wintour moved to New York in her mid-twenties with a boyfriend. At 25/26 she got a job as a fashion assistant at the US version of Harper’s Bazaar but was fired after nine months as her photo shoots were too crazy.

11. George W.Bush – flying with the Texas Air National Guard
12. Boris Johnson – leader/feature writer then European Community correspondent at The Daily Telegraph
13. Julia Child – copywriter for a home furnishing company
14. Hillary Rodham Clinton – studying at Yale Law School
15. Jorge Luis Borges – published his first collection of poetry aged 24 and wrote for journals in Buenos Aires
16. Natalie Massenet – began her career in fashion at Women’s Wear Daily aged 27
17. Geoff Dyer – lived on the dole in Brixton after studying English literature at Oxford
18. Caitlin Moran – on TV, having already published a novel and got a column in The Times in her teens
19. Kanya King – TV researcher and booker for Radio 2
20. Nick Hornby – taught English to foreign students while writing reviews for Time Out
21. Stella McCartney – graduated from fashion design at Central Saint Martins
22. Bob Dylan – released Bringing It All Back Home
23. Dylan Jones – editor of i-D magazine
24. Grace Wyndham Goldie – studying at Bristol then Oxford
25. Virginia Woolf – recovering from nervous breakdowns and meeting the Bloomsbury Group

Anyone who has turned 25 and lived to tell the tale, please share your stories of growing up or not growing up. And if you’re much older, please don’t get mad at me.

Image credit: Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari (who else?)

5 of the best: Vertical stripe skirts

Five stripey skirts to slip into for Spring.

Stripes were a major trend on the Spring/Summer 2013 catwalks, from de la Renta to Dior, and now that the spring collections are in shops it’s clear the high street has followed suit. Want to try the trend without looking like Beetlejuice, or a Newcastle United supporter? If so, a vertically striped skirt is a good way to go. I’ve got a high-waisted stretchy black and white striped skirt that I got from vintage store Beyond Retro a couple of years ago and I’ve worn it to death ever since. As long as you pick a style to suit your shape (i.e. go for a mini if you’re petite and knee-length if you’re long of leg) then a striped skirt can be really flattering - they’re certainly far more forgiving than horizontal stripes. Here are five vertical stripe skirts to buy online now.

1. Stripe Zip Back Mini Skirt, £9.99, Internacionale

2. Fallona Monochrome Striped Pencil Skirt, £15.99, Missguided

3. Jane Norman Striped Pencil Skirt, £ 28, House of Fraser

4. White Stripe Pencil Skirt, £32, Topshop

5. House of Holland Striped Tube Skirt, £88, Asos

Don’t forget | International Women’s Day

We have often dealt with issues of sexism and feminism here at Style and Then Some, so it should come as no surprise that we are excited about the 102^nd annual International Women’s Day today. IWD strives to highlight the plight many women still face to this day, but also to celebrate the achievements of various gallant ladies throughout the years – for instance, the Suffragettes – that have contributed to bridging the gender equality gap. Speaking of gaps…

Whether it’s the gender pay gap, or that age old double standard that allows men (if they choose) to sleep with whomever and however many women they want without so much as an eyelid bat from society, but God forbid a woman – also a sexual being – dares to do the same. To the more extreme end of the spectrum, let’s not forget, we live in a world where a young and extremely brave 15 year old girl, Malala Yousafzai, was recently shot in the head in Pakistan by a member of the Taliban simply because she openly expressed her desire to go to school and receive a good education. Again, how dare she.

With the likes of International Women’s Day continually raising awareness around the globe on the issue of gender equality, it gives you hope that stories such as that of Malala Yousafzai, could one day become a thing of the past, and sooner rather than later. Though it is clear there is still quite a long way to go.

James Brown said ‘This is a man’s world’ but more recently Beyonce claimed we apparently run it. Although we are evidently not quite there yet, I have faith we are getting closer. Happy International Women’s Day everyone!

Where There’s a Niche There’s a Way | The Perfect Lipstick to Wear with Your Double Denims?

Call me crazy, but when I was given a tube of Lipstick Queen’s ‘Jean Queen’ to test out following our night out at the Giles Deacon QVC Jewellery event on Monday, I did laugh out loud.  The beauty industry generates billions of pounds each year recycling the same products and blinding us with new packaging, new marketing tactics and new ‘scientific discoveries’ which will trick us in to handing over that Boots advantage points card.  Now, don’t get me wrong,  I am a beauty product junkie but I’m not naive about it.  I know what works for me and I know that there aren’t really crushed diamonds in my VO5.  But as long as you are aware of this, then what is the harm in having fun at the beauty counter?  

Despite my reservations and the brazen statements put forward by ‘Jean Queen’ founder Poppy King about this being the perfect shade for any skin tone to wear with your skinnies etc, I decided to not write it off straight away and have indeed been testing out the theory.

Whilst the lipstick claims to perfectly offset ‘the blue in the fabric and lights up your whole face’, as well as suit ALL ethnicities, ALL ages and ALL types of jeans (starting to sound a tad farfetched now, isn’t it?) it also promises to be extra moisturisng.  Now, I can’t say I have had any compliments about how much my lips draw out the hues in my levi’s jacket so far, but I must admit the colour is a dream and does (despite my attempts to prove it wrong) suit my complexion quite well.  Not only this but it stays true to its word on the nourishing side and hasn’t yet required a quick slick over with the gloss or lip balm.  Surprisingly, I find myself with vitally no complaints and actually applauding ‘Jean Queen’ even if it is just a nice shade and sits well.  At $18 (available online- ironically this is now sold out temporarily on QVC but you can read other reviews here) it isn’t far off the same price you would spend treating yourself to a decent ruby-red Chanel lipstick or a Dior lip glaze is it? Whether it does the rest of what it claims remains to be seen…

Recipe: Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

I found this recipe for rhubarb crumble muffins in an advertorial for ovens last year, and had been waiting eagerly for rhubarb to come into season so I could try it out. Imagine my delight when, on a visit to Oval Farmers Market recently, I spied a bunch of the tangy pink stuff on a fruit and veg stall. That afternoon I set about trialing this bakery hybrid that brings together two fantastic desserts – British rhubarb crumble and American muffins – into one delicious, sweet and sour, soft, crunchy transatlantic delight. My housemates snaffled up these babies oh so quickly, and the recipe is a doddle as long as you’re used to making cupcakes. While the rhubarb I bought was actually ‘forced‘, it’ll soon be rhubarb season for real (April to August). My advice: get down to your local market and give this recipe a go.

Rhubarb crumble muffins

Ingredients

For the crumble topping:

50g cold butter, diced

50g plain flour

25g porridge oats

50g demerara sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the muffins:

375g self-raising flour

125g soft light brown sugar

1 medium egg, beaten

250ml milk

100g butter, melted and cooled

200g rhubarb, sliced lengthways and chopped

50g caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. To make the crumble, rub the diced butter into the plain flour and oats until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and cinnamon, mix again and set aside.

3. For the muffins, sift the flour into a bowl, add the soft brown sugar and mix. Whisk together the egg, milk and cooled, melted butter.

4. In another bow, mix the chopped rhubarb with the caster sugar and 2 tbsp cold water.

5. Add the egg, milk and butter to the flour and sugar. Add the rhubard mixture and stir to combine. Do not over mix.

6. Divide this mixture between the muffin cases and then sprinkle over the crumble mix, pressing it gently into place.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool.

Time is money, people! 5 tips to turn you into an expert multitasker

Everyone is always complaining of lack of time, too few hours in the day, not enough days in the week. It can feel like days and weeks whip by in a flash, especially in winter.  I find by the time I get home, change into obligatory ‘loungewear’ (ok, PJs), feed Mittens and begin to ponder my own meal, it’s often long  after 8pm.

Being quite an impatient character, I hate wasting time and am constantly looking for ways to save time, multitask and claw back some time to do er….more tasks.  However this is a not a mantra I wish to continue to live by and living in the moment and not triple booking weekends are perhaps better ways to manage time.  Whilst I aim toward this less stressful way of life, I’ve compiled a list of ways I save time and avoid last minutes bouts of panic or perpetual lateness:

1. Gift wrap at checkout – when buying presents online always click yes to a  gift wrap, even if it seems a bit pricey.  They’ll obviously do a better job than you and it’s easy to overlook the fact  that you don’t own  ribbons, bows and wrapping paper, in fact I’m not sure I could even muster some sellotape on demand.

2. Get tickets emailed or posted – the collection option may seem simple enough but with queues and/or obscure collection locations mean you’ll wish you just had them to hand.

3. Use travel apps to get you around -  instead of chancing the bus times (they never actually coincide with the prescribed timetable) use the Bus Countdown app to see when exactly the next bus is due, especially brilliant when attempting to stay warm at home until the last possible second.  The Tube Map App is also great at journey planning whilst The Train Line outlines over-ground options.

4. Next time you’re in Paperhase panic buying a last-minute birthday card, get a few -  just a handful pretty ones to see you through the next few months of birthdays that seem to creep up.  Alternatively, sign up to personalised greeting card websites who not only print and post but also offer a date reminder service so you get a flag when a birthday is around the corner.  I’ve gone all grown up and store addresses in my phone to (mostly) avoid the pre-birthday tell-tale ‘what’s your address’ texts.

5. Master the art of the multitask – my friend admits to cleaning the shower whilst in it himself and more impressively another, who’s just given birth, can feed the sproglet whilst applying make-up single handily. I’m not saying never sit down and do nothing as that is, at times, quite an important task but to allow more downtime, make the most of your active-time.  For example, I wrote this post whilst at work….see, multitasking.

Giles Deacon Goes Libertine (Not inspired by Pete Doherty)

Katie and I spent last night at the Ivy.  I know, I know, sounds like we live lives full of canapés and car service, wearing curb to cab heels sometimes, doesn’t it? Well guess what! My night of glamour was put in rather stark contrast when I ran for the number 8 bus home.  But what were we doing there, you might ask?  Well, it was actually all in aid of potentially meeting one of Britain’s most renowned designers, Mr Giles Deacon.  Now I’ve been a fan of Giles ever since Pinterest made private pin boards where I could stash all my Abbey Clancy wedding dress images so we thought we would go and check out what the craic was regarding his new collaboration with QVC.  Yes, you read right.  The duo have joined forces to create a designer jewellery range and rumour is Giles will even be appearing on the shopping channel this week (according to a little tweety bird I heard). 

The collection itself is entitled ‘Libertine’ and thankfully was not inspired by Pete Doherty, but encapsulates quirky design which goes against the grain of the mainstream, using bold colours and unusual elements to create pieces that talk:

Oh yeah, and we weren’t sure if this ^^^ was Miranda Kerr’s twin?  Either way she could pull off a Morticia Adams dress so well it made me jelly.  The collection seems overall extremely fresh and right up the Style & Then Some’s (jewellery) street.  With the trend for original and talking-point jewellery still going strong, it’s a no brainer that this designer collaboration will do well.  With prices starting at £14 to £70, it won’t break your bank manager’s heart too much either.

(He said he wouldn’t make my wedding dress)

Lichtenstein Retrospective at Tate Modern | Beyond Pop Art

Think Roy Lichtenstein is just about dotty cartoon pictures? A new retrospective at London’s Tate Modern will make you think again.

Masterpiece 1962 Private Collection © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/DACS 2012

“I don’t care! I’d rather sink than call Brad for help!”

That’s the line from a speech bubble in Drowning Girl, one of Roy Lichtenstein’s most famous paintings, showing a crying girl struggling in a stormy sea as waves crash around her. It was painted in 1963, during the period when the American artist was preoccupied with two main themes, romance and war, depicted in vivid studies of comic book images. These melodramatic pop paintings would make Lichtenstein famous, and they’re still his most well known works today. But a new retrospective at Tate Modern, running until 27^th May 2013, reveals there’s far more to Lichtenstein than just cartoons and caricatures.

Born in 1923 in New York city, Lichtenstein worked right up until his sudden death in 1997. The exhibition spans the five decades of his career, starting with the earliest explorations of his signature style. Look Mickey, considered a breakthrough piece, is a painting of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck fishing that Lichtenstein based on a picture he found in his sons’ comic book. This imperfect rendition, comprised of patches of primary coloured spots, set the artist on a path that led to his most famous pop paintings, of which there are also plenty on show at the Tate.

It’s thrilling to see these much-parodied paintings in the flesh, to experience the full visual impact of the rocket collision in the huge Whaam! (1963) and see that all those dots (they were created using something called a Benday screen) aren’t quite so uniform up close.

Whaam! (1963) © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/DACS 2012

But what’s even more fascinating are the many rooms of lesser known, but equally visceral, works. Did you know Lichtenstein painted a great many landscapes and seascapes in his time? Or that he took the works of celebrated artists like Monet and Picasso and recast them in his own style? Or that in the 1990′s he painted a series of idealised cartoon-like nudes? Neither did I. It’s not all paintings either, there are ceramics too and a series of art deco brass sculptures.

Unless you’re already a Lichtenstein know-it-all, this exhibition is full of surprises and easily dispels the myth that he was a one trick pony. Plus, at the moment queues aren’t insane like they often are for Tate blockbuster exhibits – you’d do well to head down soon before word gets out.

The Roy Lichtenstein Retrospective at Tate Modern is open until 27^th May 2013. For ticket details visit the Tate Modern website.

Oh, Jeff…I Love You, Too…But… (1964) Collection Simonyi © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/DACS 2012

Tried and tested: Eco-friendly workout wear from Carrot, Banana & Peach

Carrot, Banana and Peach is the brand that brings you fashionable and eco-friendly fitness gear.

We’re a pretty healthy lot here at Style & Then Some, what with our exercise endeavours and diet diaries. Myself, I’m a runner, and once a week after work I do an hour of Pilates. Now, I don’t know about the other girls, but my usual workout wear is seriously sub-par, consisting off some old black running leggings that I borrowed from my Dad and a neon t-shirt I got a year ago that was relegated to Pilates classes only status when it turned out lime green wasn’t really my colour.

Clearly, I could do better.

So I was very excited when some samples arrived in the post from Carrot, Banana & Peach, the company that makes fitness gear that’s as sustainable as it is stylish.

Carrot, Banana & Peach was founded in the late nineties, inspired by a visit to the South East Asian rainforest, and specialises in yoga wear. The brand aims to create comfortable, great-looking clothing that’s responsibly manufactured, using fabrics derived from the likes of bamboo, beechwood and aloe vera, that are kind to both humans and the environment.

For week one of my new term of Pilates classes I donned my berry-coloured Aloe Vera Gathered Tank Top (above). With a built-in bra and cross-back straps I felt totally supported, even without a sports bra (there’s just no easy way to get one of those thing on is there?) and the aloe vera fabric is supremely softly and feather-light. Plus, my Pilates teacher was all like ‘who’s got a sexy new outfit today?’ so that was pretty nice.

Week two, I tried out a Modal Racer Back Long Top and Banana Roll Down Capri leggings (below). Modal is the liquid that naturally oozes out of beechwood trees and can be spun into yarn – no trees are chopped down to harvest it so it’s a highly sustainable product. Similarly, banana fabric is produced from the waste that’s left when bananas are harvested. Both are lightweight and absorbent, ideal for sweaty workouts.

Did my stylish new gear help my Pilates practice? I’m not sure it made me stronger or stretchier, but it was way comfier than my usual old duds, and I sure felt good in it. There’s definitely something to be said for getting kitted out properly in well-fitted, comfortable sportswear rather than relying on old hand-me-downs, especially when they’re so eco-friendly and chic. Gwyneth Paltrow eat your heart out, that’s what I say.

Visit www.carrotbananapeach.com.

Fendi AW13 | The fur debate

I wish someone would let Karl Lagerfeld know that being in possession of an unmitigated artistic genius does not give one license to be obnoxious. In recent years his ability to ruffle a few feathers has at times eclipsed his reputation as one of the world’s most relevant, leading innovative designers.

Do not get me wrong I am actually a huge fan of Karl Lagerfeld’s work, but that somewhat hostile introduction was in relation to his latest Fendi show at Milan Fashion Week yesterday which involved copious amounts of real fur, including fur head-pieces. Not only that, spectators were greeted with the show’s controversial tagline on each chair – “Fendi is fur! Fur is Fendi!”

Obviously many designers around the globe still choose to use real fur in their collections, however I cannot help but feel this in-your-face unapologetic delivery was quite distasteful. With Lagerfeld’s immense talent and foresight – not to mention the vast wealth at his disposal; the owners of Fendi , LVMH, saw record profits last year – was there really no alternative available to him in order to achieve his desired effect?

Anyone who at this point feels the ‘faux fur doesn’t look as good’ argument applies here, please weigh that up with animals being killed for what is essentially a short show and needless Western indulgence.  Once upon a time people wore fur for the sole purpose of keeping warm so they would not die, we do not face this predicament anymore.

The thoughtful wardrobe | Trading For Development & Local Wisdom

Sometimes I day dream about setting up my own ethical fashion line, but having been involved with Trading For Development over the past year, a small ethical knitwear and jewellery brand based in Oxford, I have come to realise that doing so is no mean feat. I’ve been helping with the creation and launch of Trading For Development’s new website, Facebook and Pinterest pages, and have been hearing first hand how hard it is to coordinate a team of producers from all over the world on your own, even – and especially – when you have big orders from high street brands like Toast and Topshop. No wonder most fashion lines choose the easy route and prefer not to look too deeply into their supply chains. The middle man may make companies less ethical, but he sure does make things easier.

Based in Oxford, Trading for Development is a business that supplies ethically-minded designers with over 40 contacts to World Fair Trade Organisation certified producers around the world. The company also produces naturally dyed fibres, educates young designers about ethical fashion, and has its own line of knitwear and jewellery, too. Some of Trading For Development’s collections have been sold in the Topshop flagship store in Oxford Circus, London, and this Winter the cosy knitted slipper socks were sold in Toast.

The company motto is that the traditional skills of talented textiles workers around the world are worth protecting, and that having a different attitude to trade can have an incredibly positive effect on small communities, the environment, and our society at large. It may be in the fledgling stages, but Trading For Development’s founder Judith Condor Vidal is a force to be reckoned with, and she is bound to see that it goes far; her company won the 2006-2007 La Redoute Ethical Award, and Judith helped found the Ethical Fashion Forum in London as well as helping to make Oxford a Fairtrade city in 2004.

As Judith herself says, “Fair Trade isn’t perfect. We’re walking a new path, and this is a consumer revolution.” We have to try new ways of doing business, and constantly be working to improve them.

Another perspective on ethical fashion is offered by the creators of Local Wisdom, from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion. These guys are busy investigating what they call ‘the craft of use’, working on the principle that because around 30% of our wardrobes are unused, perhaps we need to learn enjoy fashion in alternative ways. Instead of focusing on the thrill of purchase, they would like to embed a mentality of caring for our clothes, buying vintage and second hand, and recycling old clothes, into our culture’s consciousness. This fashion research project is ongoing, and runs various workshops around the world to collect information about how you think about your wardrobe. To find out more, or to get info about how to be a part of the project, check out their website here.

For regular ethical fashion news and inspiration, ‘like’ Trading For Development on Facebook, or follow them on Pinterest.

Antipodium at London Fashion Week | Achingly Hip for a 9am Start

And just what is Antipodium?

Antipodium didn’t come about in the usual way. The label wasn’t born straight out of Central Saint Martin’s or London College of Fashion, but rather started as a boutique/PR/wholesale agency before Creative Director Geoffrey J. Finch spotted a gap in the market and began creating Anitpodium’s own capsule collections. With Antipodium obviously knowing how other areas of the industry works, they gained a cult following and began showing at London Fashion Week in September 2006. With the likes of Alexa Chung, Beth Ditto, Pixie Geldof and Poppy Delevigne all praising the brand, it’s no wonder the success of this East End label is snowballing.

So what does Antipodium have in store for Chungy, Pixie and the rest of us then?

Well, a whole lot of multicoloured leathers and patent raincoat dresses apparently. The collection, entitled ‘Sex, Lies and CCTV’ was quite literally a rainbow affair. The appearance of white high-heeled stilettos at times did get my inner Essex girl cringing, but aside from the footwear the use of metallic leathers with contrasting fur collars and clashing contrasts of lime green hues with turquoise cardis for instance did wake one up after having to drag myself out of bed for an achingly hip 9AM show.

All good in the hood then?

Personally, I’m not the kind of girl who could pull off wide legged leather trousers (damn those whocan!) but many aspects of the collection did seem wearable and I can definitely picture Ms Chung donning the printed blouse front row and centre next season (pictured bellow).

Eudon Choi at London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013 | Garden of Eudon

Who’s he and how do you pronounce his name?
First off, we thought that Choi rhymed with ‘joy’ but we weren’t sure so we tweeted the designer. Wonderfully, he confirmed: It’s pronounced ‘yoo don’ and indeed Choi does rhyme with joy.

The man himself is from Seoul in South Korea and worked in menswear before doing an MA at the Royal College of Art. A Vauxhall Fashion Scout Merit Award winner in 2010, he’s also charmed the staff of Elle and bagged a BFC Elle Talent Launch Pad award plus we absolutely loved his Captain Scott-inspired Terra Nova collection for AW12. 

More brrr-illiant designs this season?
Not so much Arcticwear this time around, more clothes fit for stylish Russian peasants with a folksy sophistication about them. Headscarves were adorned with flowers and pompoms and separates came in simple shapes, autumn hues and Swarovski embellishment. 

Was it very costume-y then? 
Not at all, Style & Then Some would happily wear anything from this AW13 collection, even the headscarves. Yes there was a Russian folk band playing as we all shuffled in and again as the models paraded around the Somerset House Portico Rooms showspace. And yes hemlines were long. But Choi blended his folk art and Dr Zhivago influences with his eye for sharp lines in  outerwear and his menswear background beautifully.

Tell me about the coats and jackets, didn’t you love those last time? 
Oh yes and there was more here to love this time round, including that all important staple: leather. Royal blues and deep purples were offset with chunky pale pink snoods and an adorable yet somehow androgynous black cape tied with ribbon.

What’s next for Eudon Choi then?
Well Brix Smith-Start was in the audience so we wouldn’t be surprised if she stocks this AW13 collection. Marina (from M & The Diamonds) made an appearance too and Choi already has fans including Sienna Miller (he has designed for Twenty8Twelve) and Jade Jagger.

In short, he’s one of our favourite LFW designers of the past few seasons – so tell all your friends now because this guy is going to be huge come SS14.

Sass & Bide at London Fashion Week | Shut the Front Door, it was ‘Wearable?!?’

Who are Sass & Bide?

Well, Sass & Bide is the conjoined efforts of two ridiculously blonde and beautiful Aussie ladies, Sarah-Jane Clarke (sass) & Heidi Middleton (bide).

What was their show like?

First and foremost, Katie and I were having a very jaded day on Friday.  Having done the LFW hoopla many times over, you do start to forget why you are doing this.  It can become extremely stressful, exhausting as well as emotionally and physically draining.  Queuing, running from space to space, fighting for laptops in press lounges and basically having to listen to other people’s utter self indulgent drivel whilst waiting in the freezing cold for up to an hour, with no guarantee of entry (Felder Felder, here’s an idea – stop giving out so many tickets) can touch on the laborious side of things.  FYI if you have any golden nuggets from overheard fashion shat (shit chat) use the hashtag #overheardatlfw – thank you Telegraph for peddling this! So I would just like to say personally to the ladies of Sass & bide, thank you for reminding us why we put ourselves through it.

So it was worth it then?

Definitely.  The collection, entitled ‘Wintergate’, was an elegant and sophisticated affair, which above all managed to push the brand forward whilst remaining vastly wearable.

A wearable collection at Fashion Week?  Is that a joke?

Fortunately it isn’t.  Despite the majority of collections at fashion shows retaining very little that could ever hit the shop floor, Sass & Bide provided key looks which not only I wanted to wear, but ones I could actually see translating successfully from a 8ft tall, 7-stone model/avatar on to a variety of diverse body shapes.  For instance, fitted chevron blazers, relaxed peplum tops (FYI, insider knowledge here, but the peplum is still going to be hanging around until SS14 so get embracing), and drop-waisted dresses all work wonders, and if not even look better, on ‘non-models’.

Did you see any celebs?

At first glance it appeared the ‘shlebs’ had crashed out from Fashion Week for an early night, much to my excitement.  Don’t get me wrong, I do get relatively star struck depending on the person in question, but once you go through the notions of LFW a few times, the novelty of seeing Kate Nash, that one from the Noisettes and Diana Vickers FROW every season becomes rather boresome.  So I was rather surprised I couldn’t spot my old pals anywhere in the crowd until outside on the steps of St. John’s Church we spotted the likes of Olivia Palermo, Caroline Flack and Pixie Lott milling around for the photographers.

Ones to Watch at London Fashion Week AW2013 | Are these the designer stars of the future?

What are we watching?

Ones to Watch is a show that’s put on every season by Fashion Scout (it used to be called Vauxhall Fashion Scout, but I guess they’ve done away with the carmaker sponsorship), presenting the wares of three designers who are starting out and tipped for big things. Current London Fashion Week hot tickets Peter Pilotto and Pam Hogg are previous OTW finalists so they panel of journalists and industry folk has got a pretty good track record with their predictions.

Who was on show this season?

First up was Yeashin, whose dozen or so looks were heavily influenced by designer Yeashin Kim’s native South Korea, spliced with 1960’s Britain. This meant a riot of colour and texture, like a double-breasted emerald coat with a cream faux fur bib front and long-sleeved babydoll dresses in lilac, powder blue and raspberry pink. (I wouldn’t have been able to place the ethnic origins, except that last summer I went to a Korean music festival at the Southbank and the clothes were reminiscent of those costumes.) There were also lots of corsage-like embellishments all over the place.

Sounds kind of kooky.

It was. The hats were even kookier. There was one tall, black top hat that I thought was surely a nod to Daniel Day-Lewis’s recent turn as Abraham Lincoln, and then another that was even taller – maybe an homage to Dr Seuss?

Lol. Were all the collections quite so wacky?

No, the others were a lot more mainstream. The second One to Watch was Chinese born Patrick Li, whose looks had a singular focus, which helps when you’ve only got a small offering on show.

 So what was the focus?

You hear the term ‘deconstructed tailoring’ bandied around London Fashion Week a lot, but this was just that: lots of sharply cut black asymmetrical dresses with inlaid sparkling silver and bronze panels. Shimmering collars were added to crisp white shirts and just about everything else – the glitteriness meant this was more overtly eveningwear.

Nice. Who was third?

Central St Martin’s graduate Yulia Kondranina, who was fixated on one thing only: tassles! All over everything.

Like in a 1920’s flapper kind of way?

No. These weren’t flippy short tassles, they hung all the way to the floor, swinging and criss-crossing seductively as the model’s walked. The collection started off all monochrome (long-sleeved jumpsuits and maxidresses), but the last few looks were vibrantly coloured with gold, red and royal blue fringing. The finale dress, a scarlet sleeveless number with a cut-out décolleté detail was ravishing.

Not so practical though?

It’s true, I would worry about getting all those tassles caught in the escalator or tube door, but for special occasions those dresses would go down a treat.

So are these the designers stars of the future?

Hard to say. Kondranina especially showed a very accomplished and well-crafted collection. The whole tassle thing could be the sign of a one trick pony, but hey, designers have launched careers off a lot less (here’s looking at you Henry Holland).

Click on the photos in the gallery below to enlarge.

Yeashin

Yeashin

Yeashin

Patrick Li

Patrick Li

Patrick Li

Yulia Kondranina

Yulia Kondranina

Yulia Kondranina

Bora Aksu at London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013 | Going hell for leather

Who’s he?

Bora Aksu. He’s a Turkish born fashion designer. He studied at Central St Martins, got sponsorship from NewGen (they’re the guys who help fledgling designers find their feet) a bunch of times and has shown his collections right here in Blightly ever since.

What was his show like?

Getting leathered with the Victorians just about sums it up.

Say what?

Because the shapes were very Victorian. Big puffy leg o’ mutton sleeves, high collars, and some very tight corsets.

Corsets? That’s a bit last century isn’t it?

Restrictive, I know, but they did look pretty good though. One was worn over an ivory lace sleeveless blouse and a navy pencil skirt, it was very cool in a burlesque dancer underwear-on-display kind of way. The thing is, if you’re paying homage to that era, you’ve got to have a bit of boning. I don’t think anyone’s saying we should all start wearing corsets all the time again.

Oh, good. What else was there?

Like I said, shed loads of leather. Grey cropped tailored jackets in leather; corseted coats with panels of fur; a navy and black petal shaped caped in, you guessed it, leather. A flyer on every seat at the show explained that Aksu has been working with the Turkish Leather council.

That explains it then.

There was plenty of femininity as well, in the delicate chiffon overlays on swishy A-line dresses and, towards the end, the plummy colours of knee-length skirt suits and printed dresses. There were also a good few high-necked sheer and white blouses paired with neckties that had a turn of the century school mistress vibe about them.

So not a lot of skin on show?

Actually, there was one midriff bared between a tight navy jacket and skirt combo, but this is a winter collection after all.

True. So would you actually want to wear any of it?

Me, not so much, but I can see an hourglass-figured girl loving the corsetry and pencil skirts, plus Jessa from Girls would go wild for the frothy white chiffon dress so voluminous it was sort of like a christening dress for a grown up.

Did you see any celebs?

Yes, Kate Nash was surrounded by popping flashbulbs as David Bowie’s ‘Fame’ was on the soundsystem, which seemed pretty apt to me. The photogs were papping the heck out of someone else too. I gleaned by eavesdropping the people sat in front of me that she was Lianne La Havas, a singer apparently. I tell you, I just can’t keep up with all these new-fangled celebs. I bet it wasn’t like this in Victorian times.

 

 

 

Red Carpet Illustrated | BAFTAs 2013

Welcome to the second annual edition of the Style & Then Some BAFTAs red carpet coverage. We weren’t live on the red carpet, we didn’t go to the awards ceremony and we didn’t get the goss from the stars. Instead, we asked some of our favourite artists to capture some of the best dress celebrities in illustrated form (just like last year). From Marion Cotillard’s sunflower yellow dress to Helen Mirren’s pink hair, BAFTA 2013 gave us some bold and beautiful red carpet choices. Let’s take a look.

Jennifer Lawrence by Janneke de Jong

Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, wore a strapless Christian Dior gown in the palest pink ever. She styled it with slicked back hair and minimal jewellery – a wise move I think, as the silver embellishments on the dress meant it didn’t need much accessorising.

Janneke’s website: www.dawdlr.blogspot.com

Sarah Silverman by Naomi Austin

Most of the time whenever I see photos of Sarah Silverman she’s dressed a bit like a child, but she sure looked grown up on Sunday night, in a black halter neck gown. It’s by New York designer Rafael Cennamo. He may not be a well-known name in the UK, but he’s a regular dresser of showbiz starlets over the pond.

Jessica Chastain by Naomi Austin

She may have been nominated for Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty but Jessica Chastain was all bright on BAFTA night (boom boom). Her electric blue one-shoulder Roland Mouret gown practically glowed against her red hair, red lips and, of course, the red carpet.

Sarah Jessica Parker by Naomi Austin

SJP was one of the few female stars to dispense with the usual dresses for girls, suits for boys tradition, opting instead for something in the middle – a black Elie Saab jumpsuit to be precise. It’s a bit like the one Beyonce wore to the Grammys on the same night, and while it landed SJP on some worst dressed lists, I happen to think it’s an inspired choice: she still looks sufficiently dressed to the nines, but I bet she was way more comfortable (and warmer) than most of the other red carpet walkers.

Naomi’s website: www.facebook.com/naomiaustin.illustration

Helen Mirren by Claire Kearns
Fellow Best Actress nominee Helen Mirren (for her role as Alfred Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville) got more attention for her new pink hair than her dress. She looked like she was having a great time on the red carpet, swishing her flowing Nicholas Oakwell Couture gown about as she posed for the cameras. I like her attitude.

Claire’s website: www.curlyc.co.uk

Anne Hathaway by Hilary Killam

Best Supporting Actress winner Hathaway played to the local crowd in a black cap-sleeved Burberry gown. The silver detailing on the top half was reminiscent of sixties design star Paco Rabanne’s futuristic and she was probably ever so slightly less freezing than the stars who (bravely/stupidly) opted for sleeveless styles. Well played Hathaway.

Marion Cotillard by Hilary Killam

The French actress, nominated for Rust and Bone in the Best Actress category, wore a Christian Dior dress that appeared to defy gravity – the long skirt wasn’t actually floating in the air, it was attached via a cheeky little sheer panel at the top of her left thigh. Some of the press called it ‘confusing’, I call it a bright sunshiney triumph on a sleeting February night.

Hilary’s website: www.hilarykillam.ca

Style and Then Some’s London Fashion Week AW13-14 preview – the most exciting designers to look out for

Fashion month is upon us again but with new talent and high street stores signing up to show at London Fashion Week AW13, it’s trickier than ever to know which collections to look out for, the livestreams to bookmark and the names to remember.

We asked a few fashion industry pals and our own S&TS contributors for some expert advice in the run up to London Fashion Week which kicks off on February 15th 2013.

Katie Wright, editor of Style & Then Some @BlondeKatie

If I had a magic ticket that got me into any show I’d be heading to Tom Ford – he’s doing a full-sized show in London for the first time – Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou (snapped with me above) and the ever star-studded Burberry extravaganza.

Colin McDowell has been raving about Fyodor Golan so that’s another name on my watch list, along with Ashish (SS13 above) and Moschino Cheap and Chic because they’re both always dazzlingly fun and wearable.

In recent seasons, my favourite shows have been Michael van der Ham (AW12 above) so I am looking forward to seeing what they’re up to for AW13. Plus I’ve been to Spijkers and Spijkers for the past three seasons too so I’m looking forward to seeing how they’re progressing.

Olivia Wakefield, editorial assistant at Net-a-Porter @OlivesW

I can’t wait for Simone Rocha’s new collection. She is a genius – romantic with a tough edge. Christopher Kane (above) is also a showstopper too; I love the sinister element to his pieces.

Outside of LFW, I’m interested to see Hedi Slimane’s follow-up at Saint Laurent. His LA grunge aesthetic is great.

Without a doubt I’ll be coveting bits by Proenza Schouler, Miu Miu and Erdem this season.

Helen Coakley, writer at Style & Then Some @Helencoakley

Having followed the development and evolution of both Christopher Raeburn’s menswear and womenswear collections (AW12 above) over the past few years, I’m really intrigued to see what AW13-14 will hold in store for the growing brand. With Victoria Beckham now a major fan, it’ll be all eyes on the NEWGEN designer at Fashion Week.

I witnessed Bora Aksu’s insanely dreamy, other-worldly SS13 show last season where Eastern European princesses dominated and flower crowns stole the show (not to mention the harem of celebrities who were sitting pretty FROW). We’ll see this amazing designer develop his vision for AW13-14.

Alice Marmion, non-apparel sourcing at Burberry

Obviously I’m biased but I’m most looking forward to Burberry, we have some exciting things coming up next season. Working in sourcing means I’m already looking towards SS14 as we work so far ahead.

Other than Burberry I’ll be keeping an eye on Mulberry for the shapes and leather and Erdem for the prints.

Fashion Scout have put forward three designers Yeashin Lin, Patrick Li and Yulia Kondranina – it’s headed up by Hilary Alexander and she knows a thing or two about fashion!

Dee Acharya, features assistant at ES magazine @dee_acharya

First up, Simone Rocha because you always respect a designer who can pack the tent at Somerset House and prove her worth with a SS collection (above) that felt like it was almost exclusively in white.

I’m also looking forward to Sophia Webster’s presentation because I haven’t been this excited about an accessories designer since Charlotte Olympia’s debut and I like her tongue in cheek style. She’s already assisted Nicholas Kirkwood for a while so the girl knows how to make a cult shoe.

Another highlight will be Matthew Williamson’s show because I want to see how he’ll beat that magical show from last season. The dresses are always exquisite in their detail and flamboyant colours.

Mother May I: Macklemore’s Popping Tags and Hearts all over the Thrift Shop

You may or may not (yet) be aware of Macklemore.  Despite a huge cult following in the U.S.A, which has been predominantly cultivated via the web and without the help of any major recording label, the American rap artist’s reputation seems to have finally made it to British shores.  Macklemore, who works with producer Ryan Lewis, has been independently releasing music since 2000 (you can read up here on good old slightly inaccurate Wikipedia for more facts) and his recent release ‘Thrift Shop’ is not only no.1 in the US rap charts, but clocked up a ridiculous 70 million plus hits on youtube.com alone.  And why, may you ask?  Well, just watch and see:

Need I argue further?

The interesting thing about Macklemore (also known as professor Macklemore but conveniently dropped this moniker in England for obvious reasons) is that even though ‘Thrift Shop’ seems like a gimmicky joke of a song (albeit an AMAZING one), the last thing he seems to be is a flash in the pan.  Although I’m currently working through his music, there is very little I’m not loving so far and it is refreshing to see a rap artist who isn’t obsessed with hydraulics and filling his videos with scantily clad women.  He takes the mick out of the stereotypes associated with rap music and in turn, the people love him for it.  Not to mention him AND Ryan Lewis are incredibly hawwwwt AND willing to share thrift shop tips!  Despite no UK tour dates as yet, Macklemore is sure to show up on the Festival scene at some point, and with Radio 1 giving Mr. M a lorra lorra serious radio waves in the past few weeks, it looks like Radio 1’s Big Weekend might be a big contender.

Move over Cambridge Satchel Co, Golden Lane have made possibly the best satchel ever

The Golden Lane Duo Satchel bag is the centrepiece of the first ever women’s collection from noted men’s accessories designers Chris & Tibor.

You’ll have to forgive me for that hyperbolic headline. I usually despise any article that proclaims something as perfect, or the BEST EVA or some other obviously exaggerated superlative, especially if it’s about fashion. But in this case, I’m pretty bowled over, so I think it’s justified.

When I clapped eyes on the three beauties dangling, seemingly floating in midair, in the photo on the Business of Fashion spotlight email last Thursday, I experienced that particular kind of wide-eyed, increased heart rate excitement that the first glimpse of an exceedingly covetable consumer product elicits.

The product in question is a Golden Lane Duo Satchel, one of the Spring/Summer collection from Chris Liu and Tibor Matyas, who started out as luxury men’s accessories brand Chris & Tibor. Now, they’ve branched out to cater for ladies too, and the result is their signature leather satchel, available in a range of colours.

Why is a Golden Lane satchel so good?

First off, it’s big enough to cart around all the stuff a modern woman needs on a day to day basis, but is cleverly designed with dual pockets to compartmentalise all that ephemera efficiently. The long and short handles make it easy to wear across the body (when you’re running for the bus/on your bike/carrying a bunch of coffees) or over the shoulder (in cramped Tube cars when pick pockets are on the loose). But most of all, it looks so darn good. The shape is classic enough that it won’t go out of style any time soon, but unusual enough that it doesn’t look like it’s trying to be a Birkin or some other much-copied designer handbag. Plus, there’s a colour for everyone: as well as classic black and ivory there are sugary pastels, punchy aqua tones and shiny metallic colourways in the Spring collection, all in the signature Golden Lane design.

Those handy design features weren’t just an accident either. Liu and Matyas did lots of consumer research on their prototypes, discovering that 85 per cent agreed the Golden Lane satchel was a practical bag. The only problem, in my view, is the price. Starting at about £400, the Golden Lane satchel is in a decidedly luxury price bracket. While it’s nothing compared to the astronomical heights of a $34,000 Row backpack, for example, it’s still probably more than I spend on clothes in a year (I’m very frugal for a fashion blogger you see).

So for now I’ll have to pop the Golden Lane satchel on my ‘when I’m rich’ mental wishlist (admit it, you’ve got one too.) The brand will be showing at the exhibition at London Fashion Week, so I’ll definitely be going along to gaze adoringly at and gently fondle a sample in the flesh.

Visit www.goldenlanebag.com or follow @GoldenLaneBag.

Start 2013 on the right foot: Sophie’s ethical fashion round up

It’s only one month in, but boy oh boy does 2013 look like it’s going to be a great year for sustainable fashion.

Not only has H&M been working hard on their eco credentials with a range of organic cotton (they are one of the biggest buyers of organic cottons in the industry, in fact), they are also set to launch a new range of recycled clothing with Vanessa Paradis as the muse of the collection. To mark the launch, H&M will encourage shoppers to bring in a maximum of two bags of old clothes to hand in for recycling instore, in exchange for an H&M voucher. As any of you who have read Lucy Siegle’s fantastic book, ‘To Die For’, this is a massive step in the right direction. A retail giant reusing fabric and reducing the amount of clothes that end up in landfill? Well, Tesco did it in a collaboration with Orsola de Castro a few years ago, but actively promoting recycling and engaging customers in the activity is a new and incredibly refreshing take on the issue.

I recently made a free account with the new sustainable fashion website, Modavanti, who prove that you don’t have to look (or smell) slightly quirky to belong to the world of ethical fashion anymore. This is the place to come to discover top new stylish eco-brands.

My favourite ethical fashion find recently has to be the lovely brand, Sseko Designs, who make beautiful sandals that you can tie any way you want – you can even buy different ribbons for the sandals, so that you have several different pairs of shoes in one. The principle behind them is something like the one behind TOM’S:

“Sseko \say-ko\ Designs was created to help some of the brightest, most committed young women in Uganda continue their education. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.

Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.

Sseko Designs is a not-just-for-profit enterprise that recognizes the power of business and responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic development, which in turn affects a country’s educational, justice, and health care systems. The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.”

(Except I think they’re way prettier than TOM’S. But shhh, don’t tell anyone!) I am also rather in love with their beautiful leather tote bags, and have put one on my wishlist for this year.

Oh, and according to the good people at Hidden Costs, it turns out that American Apparel are a lot more ethical than I thought they were – very good to know.

Finally, a little gem to leave you with – Measure Up have created a useful resource to compare the ethical rating of different high street companies, to help you make better consumer decisions, faster. Check it out!

High-street Brands at London Fashion Week

High street brands are closing the gap between couture and ‘over-the-counter’ labels as more and more high-street brands turn around ever slicker, covetable collections.

Whistles are showing at LFW for the first time, hosting an off-schedule event showcasing the brand’s AW13/14 limited edition premium range alongside core main-range pieces.

Whilst not brand new to LFW, this is the first seated event from the high street brand. Whistles will be joining the ranks of long-serving LFW favourite Topshop and mirroring River Island’s toe-dip into fashion week with the much-publicised Rihanna collection.

The brand is currently bucking the hard-up-high-street trend and opening a multi-floored flagship branch in Mayfair. The new store interior will epitomise the simple elegance associated with the Whistle’s signature whilst using innovative wireless payment technology to add a USP to the new store.

High street brands are becoming less incongruous at fashion week to the dismay of some purists but seen as inevitable by others. CEO Jane Shepherdson said the brand had been moving in the luxury direction for some time and LFW offers the ‘ideal platform’ to showcase the collection to the British and International fashion community .

Pants Party: Has Aussie Brand Stonemen Cracked it?

Call me crazy, but over the years I have developed somewhat of an intense hatred for underwear shopping on the British high street.  Now, I might be alone in saying this, but I truly believe the majority of knickers on offer are either designed by a man or a woman who hates her own vagina and wants to see it suffer.  A good pair of pants (and I’m not talking bedroom knickers here, that’s a whole other shebang) need to provide you with comfort, yet not make you feel like it’s a trip to period town every day of the week.  I have never, for the life of me, understood how or WHY so many women choose to purchase knickers with the seam running vertically down the middle.  I do understand why they manufacture them this way though, as it is considerably cheaper for Philip Green and friends (oh look I did learn something from my fashion degree!) but SERIOUSLY does anyone find these knickers (usually the 3 for £7 in New Look etc) actually comfortable?   Please do share, as I am at a loss as to why there haven’t been any rallies against contour clothing this year.

Just to be clear, I don’t actually go commando in retaliation.  I have scouted out brands over the years that do understand womankind and have thus invested my dollar in their products.  Sometimes George comes up trumps, as does Victoria’s Secret, Levi’s and Diesel.  Not all the time, but enough so that I do go back.  So I was really rather curious/sceptical when Stonemen underwear got in contact regarding their Aussie-based undergarment company.  Taking digital print inspiration of sunsets, galaxies, skylines etc and applying them to their briefs,  I tested out the sunset pair and was extremely surprised.  Not only are they off-the-chain comfortable, they are a perfect fit and offer something different in a very boring underwear market.  I tend to get jelly of men’s pants, and love a good thick waistband (yes, yes I understand this might not sound like the sexiest of omissions) but so few women’s brand actually make any underwear like this.  Maybe it’s because I’m their only target market, or perhaps because we are so used to the teeny tiny, unnecessarily ruffley girly underwear that society scarily deems appropriate for us.  So thank you Stonemen for answering my underwear drawer prayers, and long live the Aussie bum brigade! (FYI the photo below is NOT of my derriere, but definitely going to be my next pair):

Waste of time?

These days it would seem as though everyone is extremely busy: busy jobs, social lives, busy lifestyles in general, we all seem to be far busier than ever before. Yet in the midst of all the hustle and bustle that is modern day life, according to recent headlines some people still manage to find themselves with far too much time on their hands.

It started earlier this month when news broke that tens of thousands of protesters had taken to the streets of Paris to oppose the possible legalisation of gay marriage in France. I couldn’t help but think, protest all you want it doesn’t exactly stop humans being born gay and of course wanting equal rights, do these people honestly have nothing better to do? As I’m pretty sure there are far more proactive, constructive and less offensive ways to while away the hours.

Then this week reports surfaced that a group of Senators from the American Republican political party were seeking their opposing leader, President Barrack Obama’s immediate resignation over claims that singer Beyonce may have mimed the USA’s national anthem at his recent second inauguration ceremony. They appear to feel very strongly on the matter with one Senator in particular saying,

“If Beyoncé lip-synched the national anthem, how do we know President Obama didn’t lip-sync his oath of office?”

Now, if she did it’s a little disappointing but I’m sure there will most likely be a valid reason as Beyonce has proven her strong live singing credentials consistently over the years through her frequent concert tours and television performances, but how this apparently then reflects negatively on Obama’s ability to lead his country is where I and many others become confused. To be quite frank I think the American President has far more pressing issues to concern himself with than this incident.

Aren’t there far more important things we should all be worrying about? After all we live in a world where poverty is still rife in many parts, extreme financial difficulties continue into 2013, large scale devastating natural disasters are happening more frequently, there are horrific wars going on, I could go on but we may be here all day. When it comes to certain people I feel a little bit (a lot) more perspective wouldn’t go amiss.

Why Les Misérables is totally worth its weight in tissues

The old maxim that criticising something is easier than praising it is so true. For some reason, I found it incredibly easy to write a review of the awful Midnight in Paris, but when it comes to writing about Les Misérables I have complete and utter writer’s block. Even though I had never seen the stage production and wasn’t particularly excited about the fact that they were making a film version, as soon as I saw one shot of Tom Hooper’s gorgeously shot masterpiece I was hooked, playing the trailer over and over again. It had me welling up even before I reached the cinema.

So I thought I’d better come clean right away – this is not a dispassionate analysis of the film’s strengths and weaknesses, it’s a reflection on a piece of art that I love in a rather fiercely protective kind of way. When I hear people mocking Anne Hathaway’s facial expressions, I want to snap at them ‘How dare you ridicule a woman’s pain!’ When people say that they prefer the stage version, I (completely irrationally, because, as I said, I have never seen it on stage) leap to the film’s defence, saying ‘Well, you wouldn’t be able to get the same emotional intimacy, the closeups of the distraught faces, in the stage version.’

You’ll know the story by now – based on Victor Hugo’s 19th Century French novel, Les Misérables was made into a popular musical in the 1980s and has been a Broadway and West End hit ever since. Set during the last gasps of the 1830 French Revolution, the story depicts the struggles and passions of various characters against the backdrop of poverty and the growth of revolutionary sentiments. There are classic love triangles and stories of youthful idealism, and songs like ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ and ‘On My Own’ that have filtered into our modern consciousness and have become well-worn cliches, as has the famous illustration of the ragged haired waif, Cosette.

For me, Anne Hathaway’s performance was the real gem that lit up the whole film and completely melted my heart. She took a rather worn out and cheesy song and made it sound utterly fresh, as if she was the first person to ever sing it, while completely captivating audiences around the world in a four minute long close up of her face. Her voice was pure and sweet and laden with emotion, and she let it break but never lost control entirely. There are plenty of bad reviews of Russell Crowe’s performance, and I think it is because, while his singing voice was fine, it wasn’t expressive – in stark contrast with Anne, singing the song that she first heard her mother singing when she was eight years old, the song that inspired her to be an actress. She couldn’t have deserved her Golden Globe more.

If you don’t like musicals, you probably won’t like Les Mis, unless you want to watch it just for the pure joy of beautiful cinematography. But really, be warned – with only a handful of spoken words throughout the entire film, it’s pretty much what it says on the tin, so if you can’t take the genre seriously don’t blame the film. But oh! I pity you! If you let it, Les Mis will drag you through the struggle, filth and desperation to the sublime heroism, self sacrifice and love that crowns and ennobles our human existence.

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”