An evening with Mary Katrantzou

I was so pleased to hear that Mary Katrantzou was triumphant at the British Fashion Awards last night, taking home the New Establishment Award. I was particularly pleased because not only is Mary one of my favourite designers but I got to meet her last week.

I was very excited (quite overexcited, truth be told) that I was invited, via Alice from RunninginHeels.co.uk, to see Mary in conversation with Libby Banks, Editor of style website MyDaily.co.uk. The event marked the announcement of Katrantzou as the site’s latest contributing editor, following the likes of Christopher Kane and Dannii Minogue. You can read my write up of the interview over on RunninginHeels, but here I thought I’d share with you a few snaps I took on the night.

The first ever ‘MyDaily presents’ evening, the event took place in a room at the top of the very cool Kettners champagne bar in Soho, which was kitted out with images from Mary’s latest collections and a couple of beautiful frocks.

This is the ‘Harp Hazard’ dress, which you can win (minus the train – it’s more versatile that way Mary said, after an audible sigh from the assembled bloggers) if you enter a competition over on MyDaily.

Mary and Libby talked for almost an hour, covering everything from how Mary started out in fashion (she originally wanted to be an architect); what she thinks of celebrities wearing her clothes; to her collaborations with Topshop. Check out my list of choice quotes.

I always imagine that amazingly talented designers will be icy cool and won’t deign to speak to lowly bloggers like me, but speaking to Mary after she was really friendly and chatty. I thought I’d try my luck and pitch for a writing gig by offering to write the blog on her soon-to-be-launched new website when it goes live. Well, you’ve got to take advantage of these ‘networking’ opportunities haven’t you?

TellusFashion Launch party and Fashion Show

Following on from Katie’s earlier post, here are some images from the TellusFashion launch show and party, who have set up their site to support and promote, as well as sell emerging and talented designers work.  Designers that featured in the show included Dominique Kral, Fjaba, Kelly Bull, James Kearns, VERGI, Stephanie Grace Foy, Zerrin Akinci, FABRYAN, Thom Neal and NARCISS, yet many more can be found on the site itself, along with inspiring blogs, style tips, articles and an online magazine!  Those folks at TellusFashion sure don’t do things by halves!

And lucky for us, and for our dear readers, the amazing and extremely talented Dani Riot was on hand to photograph the night away last monday, so you can see some of the talent that was on display:

With Designs standing out from Fabryan and Dominique Kral especially, we can’t wait to see more talent from TellusFashion and fully support this incredible platform for designers.

The British Fashion Awards: Wardrobe Malfunction

Yesterday evening was the British Fashion Awards and it certainly was a swanky affair. Setting up shop in the Savoy Hotel and Theatre, the red carpet was a heady mix of fashion icons, retail heavyweights and the odd glamour model.

About a week ago, I received a phone-call asking if I would help out at the event and my inner celeb-spotter couldn’t help but say yes. Bearing in mind that I would be skirting around the blue carpet (red is so passé apparently) rather than posing on it, I didn’t really put much attention into what I was wearing.

Big mistake. Fast-forward seven days and I arrived at the venue channeling what I thought casual chic – a nice skater dress from Topshop paired with some Chelsea boots and a blazer. Easy, simple and comfortable. I knew I was in trouble when I spotted several Nicole Farhi numbers dotted around the office.

And so I did what I do best – I panic-bought. It seems that some of my most treasured items of clothing have some from these manic dashes to fix some kind of wardrobe malfunction. Luckily, round the corner from my office is Hoss Intropia - a lovely Spanish label that has a real knack for creating beautifully feminine pieces.

Eventually settling on the festive green number above – ’tis the season and all that -  I added a little sparkle with a statement necklace from Accessorize and that much-longed-for Topshop leather I was banging on about last week. Okay, so maybe I did splurge a little, but I think that the dress will see me through party season and highlight of the evening was Christopher Kane complimenting my outfit. Score.

What do you think – has panic-buying ever paid off for your wardrobe in the long term? Or is it just a moment of madness? Tweet us some of your pics of your favourite impulse buys @style_thensome

Window shopping: The best Christmas displays

Over the last couple of weeks, the Christmas window displays have been unveiled for what is undoubtedly my favourite thing about the commercial side of this season. I think Liberty and Fortnum & Mason have the best windows this year, although the Selfridges white themed ones are pretty spectacular, too. Here’s a sneak peak of Liberty’s ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ themed windows:

It must be so much fun to be a window dresser, or to be part of the (as Liberty call it) Visual Merchandising Team. Fortnum & Mason’s ‘Showtime‘ theme is satisfyingly glitzy and extravagant, just the thing to lift every Christmas shopper’s spirits:

Image by Djinn76

Image by Djinn76

Image by Djinn76

Image by Djinn76

These windows are a work of art in themselves. I’m not ashamed to say I’ll be doing plenty of window shopping over the next month.

The Creative Christmas Gift Guide

Christmas shopping can be somewhat stressful when trying to pinpoint that certain perfect present.  And being an absolute gift-goblin I have started my shopping progressively earlier each year since I have been deemed old enough to do it myself.  However, this tends to still leave me running around with a bee in my bonnet until late December, because what if, horror of horrors, there is something better for that certain person than what is already hidden under my bed?  And with many creative types to buy for, I believe the personal touch feels better than the whole 3 for 2 in Boots.  That’s why I want to share a few pain-free shopping ideas that I believe would be good inspiration for you, our lovely creative readers, if you are also this way inclined…

1.   Firstly, I was told today about www.firebox.com and after a good root around, I found some perfect gifts for the photographer in your life, including this camera lens-style mug (with pull our biscuit tray!) for £14.99, as well as 35mm film USB sticks and iphone photo printers…

2.  Also, getting a gift for the perfect couple who have everything can also be a nightmare, so why not throw a double slanket (£52.99) their way!

3.  And finally, I came across this absolute beauty of a gift for any fashion blogger or style-lover from Moleskine on their site:

This Style Journal from Moleskine helps you record and manage everything from events and useful addresses, to inspiring outfits and designer  for all of us at Style & Then Some!  And at £15.99, I’m hoping to find one of these bad boys in my stocking this year.

One for the Christmas wish list: Hear-muffs

Have you started compiling your Christmas wish list yet? I know I have, and I’ll be adding these to it: John Lewis Hear-muffs combine headphones and ear muffs to allow maximum tuneage and minimum frost bite.

OK, so frost bite isn’t really that much of a risk in London, but still, no likes cold ears right? Also, the Hear-muffs are designed with the fashion-conscious music lover in mind, as they’re designed in ‘backband’ style so they sit at the back of your head, not on top – there’s less hairdo disruption that way you see?

John Lewis Hear-muffs are available in 4 colours (grey, black, cream and pink), £15 from JohnLewis.com.

VIDEO | TellusFashion Launch

On Monday, Helen and I went to the launch party of TellusFashion, a new online store which brings you clothing and accessories from emerging high end designers.

We first heard about TellusFashion when we met Olivia, the site’s Editor, at our first tweetup (by the way, you really should come to our next one, in January). Olivia had promised a grand venue, a load of amazing designers and a fashion show that featured dancers alongside the models, so we were expecting big things of the launch – and we weren’t disappointed. Later this week Helen will be giving you a rundown of her favourite designers from the show, but for now I wanted to share three short videos I took that capture the clothing-meet-choreography catwalk.

Menswear designer THOM NEAL showed dense outerwear in rich colours paired with navy tartan slim trousers and loose white shirts that allowed the dancers to leap and twirl amongst the models.

DOMINIQUE KRAL, who the Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textiles Award at London Graduate Fashion Week 2011, sent out heavy knits and digital prints. Her looks were equal parts cosy and psychedelic.

VERGI specialise in LBDs with a difference. A slew of these were brought to life by dancers on the catwalk, but the nude ‘Showpiece’ dress with black corsetry detailing still managed to steal the limelight.

Hate silver? Over pearls? Try Ruby Browning leather jewellery

One of the designers we bumped into at London Fashion Week in September was Jennifer whose line Ruby Browning includes some beautiful, unusual bibs and bracelets in the current collection, Panopte. 

The pieces, which also often include black beads and felt, look great as statement necklaces layered over high necked tops/dresses and bracelets piled on top of each other, as Jennifer styled it herself at Fashion Week.

If you like what you see check out her past collections (Paradise Lost and Natural Symmetry) at the website or you can get her range at youngbritishdesigners.com and stylemews.com.

Pop-Up Design @ Le Garage

Roll up, roll up, get your trendy bums down to Le Garage for Pop-Up Design- A showcase of purchasable raw talent from some of London’s finest graduates.  Pick up original works across the disciplines of photography, textiles, jewellery, fashion, illustration and more at Le Garage until the 27th November. 

 

All details can be found on the poster above, and being open until 8:30 at night thurs-sat, it’s a perfect excuse for a bit of original late night shopping.  Showcasing hand printed scarves by the likes of recent Chelsea MA graduate Jessica Chan, it is your chance to snap up some original pieces before these talented artists hit the main arena!

Happy shopping!  Be sure to share with us what great pieces you pick up!

Check out our video from the Grazia bloggers event

Photo courtesy GraziaDaily.co.uk

I’m not sure I actually want to post this video because I cringe so much when I watch myself. But oh well, it’s good for a laugh anyway – just look at the open-mouthed screen grab at the start! Dee and I were filmed at Grazia’s first ever bloggers event, which they called a ‘blog brag.’

Grazia are doing a lot of blogger outreach at the moment, which is causing some debate amongst bloggers. This time they invited us down to film a short piece to camera (as they called it in media darling) explaining why our blog is worth reading. Obviously you, dear reader, don’t need converting, because here you are, but Dee and I did our best to convince Grazia’s fans why they should click through. It seems to have worked on a few people judging by compliments we’ve been getting on Twitter.  See what you think, and check out the other blog brags on the Grazia YouTube channel.

Reality TV Turf Wars

It has been described as the ‘evolution of reality TV’, and has seen the likes of The Only Way is Essex and Made In Chelsea become prime time viewing whilst relagating the nation’s previous favourite, Big Brother, to the TV graveyard that is Channel 5.  So what is it about these semi-scripted, at times cringe-inducing ‘docusoaps’ that have got the nation’s attention in a vice-like grip? 

With spin-off shows such as Geordie Shore, Sorority Girls and the soon-to-be-aired Desperate Scousewives all vying for viewing figures on various TV stations, it seems to be developing into a veritable turf war.  With these shows playing on stereotypes of certain demographics, it can be somewhat misleading, and to be honest, insulting to inhabitants of these cities.  Speaking from personal experience (an Essex girl myself) and having fought off Essex-based prejudice for most of my adult life it does become somewhat exhausting meeting strangers and having to explain that no, for the last time, I do NOT own a pair of white stilettos. While I am a fan of the show for entertainment value alone, it’s frustrating for me that while such powerful women as Helen Mirren hail from my county, it is the likes of the TOWIE cast that now represent the rest of us.

The light relief is that we are not the only ones afflicted with the reality TV curse – the people of South London and Newcastle now have their stereotypes highlighted for the nation to mock, and Liverpool is soon to follow. VICE magazine has even made a spoof version of a supposedly soon-to-air East London-based reality show (although MTV has denied all knowledge of such a thing). The first episode of Dalston Superstars went up on the magazine’s website last week and was quickly trending on Twitter, most tweets gasping that VICE seemed to be mocking their own tribe of Hackney hipsters more than anything else.  So beware, wherever you may reside, and whatever mould you may fit in to, you are not necessarily safe from MTV et al.

More adventures in hair modelling

No, that isn’t a photo of my most recent Hallowe’en costume. The reason I’m dressed and made up like in that slightly preposterous manner is that I was hair modelling at Salon International, a big trade show that’s held at Greewich’s Excel centre every October. I was modelling for Easton Regal, a salon in Barbican, after they had approached me on Brick Lane, and I was given the ‘androdgynous’ look, complete with quiff, bow tie and what was termed a ‘strong brow.’ I actually really liked the pink and violet toner they put in my hair, but it faded out after a few washes.

My look was less severe, but still distinctly androdgynous, when I modelled again on Monday morning this week. This time it was for Ena Salon in Covent Garden, after I had been stopped by Jay, one of their stylists, when I was on Oxford Street last week. My hair’s now the shortest it’s been for ages but I really like it. And it was a fun morning too – one of the other hairdresser demostrating was a hot French guy, whose hot French accent was being translated into Italian for the assembled hairdressing students by a hot Italian guy. So that was pretty enjoyable.

As long as you’re not scared to go for a haircut that’s ‘directional’ or ‘trend led’ or any other euhemism for ‘a bit weird’ then I’d highly recommend hair modelling. You get free colour and cut, which is worth loads of money, you might get your make up done too, and sometimes you even get paid. Salon’s are always looking for models, so ring up one that you trust and see if they’ve got any demonstrations or presentations coming up. Or hang around Brick Lane looking ‘open minded’ and you’re sure to be approached.

Here are a bunch more photos from my latest adventures in hair modelling.

In search of the perfect winter leather

As the gaudy Christmas lights on my local high street attest, we are flirting on the edge of winter. While the approaching festive season may make it acceptable to start mentally cataloguing present wish lists and walk in public with lips rouged by mulled wine, it also presents a bit of a wardrobe issue: namely, finding the perfect trans-seasonal jacket.

Chances are it will be most people’s big ‘investment piece’ for this time of year, or failing that, a chance to dust off some old favourites. Mine was always a simple black biker jacket bought on the high street a couple of years ago – simple, chic and sadly stolen at a party a few weeks back.

So – the solution? I went looking on the high street and online, in search of the perfect leather. Here are four of my favourites:

The Topshop Biker – £58

This time last year, the nation was still in the throes of a love affair with all things Burberry. Christopher Bailey’s shearling jackets spawned hundreds of copycat designs – but none as wearable as the Topshop version. Fast forward twelve months and the high street mecca has updated it, with a (helpfully detachable) faux fur collar and a tailored shape. Delicious.

Goldie London Studded Leather – £78

I spied this one – made by Goldie London – on the BeFrassy blog. I loved the slouchy-looking fit of it and – as a bit of a magpie at heart – the clever graduated stud detailing around the neckline.

Paul and Joe Sister Leather Trimmed Wool Jacket – £220

Perhaps it doesn’t follow the traditional leather/biker/straps/studs format, but I was inexplicably drawn to this number precisely because it had no frills.  With its lightweight wool base – helpful when on a sweaty commute into work – and subtle leather trimming, I think this is the perfect jacket to wear from day-to-night.

The Rick Owens – £1,515

Nope – that isn’t a typo. This Rick Owens number may be a fantasy purchase, but damn, the man knows how to do lux leather. I loved the soft shape of the shoulder against the graphic felt panelling – although I fear that this one might not be for everyone.

What do you think – is a leather the ideal winter warmer? If so, have you come across one that we have forgotten to include? Tweet us @style_thensome to let us know your thoughts!

Is it ladylike to watch men fight? S&TS’s second Telegraph London guest post

Your cultural calendar probably looks a bit like this: free exhibition, last minute gig, book launch, fashion fair, a musical or two. In the spirit of trying something different, I gave boxing a go (spectating not taking part) and wrote about why women might watch men box for Style & Then Some’s second guest post for the Telegraph’s London blog. I took my cue from Rihanna’s recent choice of heartthrob ex-boxer Dudley O’Shaughnessy in her video for We Found Love.

The comments on the article have already got going in the past day or two – ranging from “Boxing is the male equivalent of Miss World” to “Boxing, wrestling etc turn a lot of women on, but I doubt they’d admit it.” What do you think? Can women appreciate sportsmen’s abilities while still turning up partly to watch attractive members of the opposite sex?

Read the full article here: Ladies, men’s boxing is a thing of beauty

Images: Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari.

RECIPE | Leek and potato pie

It started to actually feel like winter for me for the first time this week, weatherwise that is, and subsequently I had a craving for a big heart pie on Monday.

What’s more hearty than the double-carb bonanza of a pie with potatoes in the filling, I thought to myself, as I pooled a bunch of ingredients I had in my fridge to invent this recipe, which technically should really be called leek, potato, red onion, mature cheddar and sage pie.

Here’s the recipe and a gallery of step by step photos.

You will need:

1 packet of ready to roll puff pastry
5 tbspns plain flour
1 very large (or 2 medium) baking potatoes, chopped into 1cm cubed
2 knobs of butter
1 leek, finely sliced
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
1 pint milk
Small handful fresh sage, shredded
100g mature cheddar, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and grease a deep ovenproof baking dish or pie dish with line.

1. Take a large nonstick saucepan and heat a drizzle of oil in it. Add the onions and garlic and fry for a few mins until they start to soften.

2. Add the cubed potatoes and cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly to make sure the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan (that’s why a non stick pan is important). I like to leave the potatoes unpeeled because I think it gives better texture and flavour, plus that’s where all the nutrients are apparently, right under the skin.

3. Make sure you leave the potatoes on the hear until they have started to cook through, because you don’t want to end up with any crunch raw bits when the pie comes out of the oven. Add the leeks too and keep stirring until they have softened.

4. Add a large knob of butter to the vegetables and allow it to melt, followed by a couple of tablespoons of flour and stir for a minute so the raw flour taste is cooked out. Just in case you don’t know, this flour and butter mix is called a ‘roux’ and forms the base of a roux sauce.

5. Turn down the heat and pour in about 3/4 pint of milk and stir until it thickens. Add the sage then leave the sauce on a very low heat while you prepare the pastry.

6. Roll out the pastry to a large rectangle and place it in the dish with the excess spastry hanging over the sides – this will form the top of the pie. Brush the inside edges with milk to help then stick together.

7. When the heat is turned off, stir the grated cheddar into the vegetable mixture until it is gooey and melted. Tip the filling into the pie case, fold the remaining pastry into the middle and press the edges together to form a parcel. I ended up cutting some of the excess from the top ends and patching up the middle, which I’m going to pretend is an intentional ‘rustic effect’.

8. Brush the top with more milk (this will give it a lovely texture on top) and bake for about 25 mins in the middle of the oven or until it’s golden brown and crispy.

Serve a big slab of pie with a huge dollop of Branston pickle and your choice of green veg.

Pret a Portobello: Market stall chic made easy

Image by hosiawak

I love Portobello market in London, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it gets so crowded that trawling through the hordes of people for vintage bargains can often feel like wading through treacle. Call me lazy, but the other day when a friend introduced me to Pret a Portobello, a website which enables you to browse market stalls and even get involved in a spot of haggling all while remaining comfortably tucked up in bed sipping a hot chocolate, I got pretty excited.

I suppose the obvious comparison is the online designer treasure trove, Net a Porter, but I can never afford anything from Net a Porter anyway, so for me it’s really more of a replacement for ASOS. I really like the little catwalk video thing they do on ASOS so you can see how the clothes look in action, but Pret a Portobello is really easy to use and has great photographs, so it wouldn’t feel too risky ordering without trying things on. It’s got the unique factor going for it, plus it seems you can return items if they don’t fit, so there’s really no way to lose.

Image by Andreas Kambanis

The website doesn’t just source clothes and accessories from Portobello – they also sell items from other London markets such as Spitalfields, Camden and Brick Lane, and have even just started sourcing in Sydney, Australia, too. I can tell this is going to be my new lunch break addiction…

Face Off: Michelle vs. Marilyn

She has come a long way from the days when she played bad-ass Jen in Dawson’s Creek, and next year Michelle Williams is tipped to clean up at the Academy Awards.  And no, she isn’t being rewarded for surviving the Creek, but rather for her portrayal of the most iconic, and challenging Hollywood star of all time.

‘My Week With Marilyn’ (released in the UK on 25^th November) has seen Williams transformed into the sensational Ms. Monroe, and if the press images and promotional trailer are anything to go by, she already deserves the pre-empted recognition being banned about, for her efforts alone.

In my personal opinion (and trust me, I have read some choice words against her) she seems to have captured Marilyn’s universally recognisable look so much, that I find myself staring at the promo image on my tube line so intently, looking for any sign of Williams, rather than Marilyn herself.  So it is with great anticipation that I wait to see the movie in full, and decide whether Williams does justice to the troubled star…as well as the added bonus of seeing Emma Watson in a non-Lancome/Burberry/Potter shocker.

So what do you think?  Is Michelle the right actress for this, or would someone else have suited this role better?

Vodafone is the new sponsor of London Fashion Week – take that Orange Wednesdays

News just in: The British Fashion Council has confirmed the dates for London Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2012 as 17-21 February (for womenswear) and 22 February for Menswear Day. Registration for press, bloggers and industry is now open – with the show schedule set for a December announcement – and finally, Canon has been outed as the principal sponsor for the event with Vodafone taking its place for the next seven seasons.

What does this mean, apart from a new logo round our necks on our LFW passes? Well Vodafone customers (me, included) will be able to win tickets to every single show that takes place in the BFC Showspace, centre stage in Somerset House as part of Vodafone VIP – which has made a lot of promises so far but not really delivered.

Vodafone are also promising the competition winners an “exclusive viewing platform” to make sure they get a good view of the catwalk (none of this standing two rows back that we at S&TS would know nothing about of course) and a spot in a VIP lounge. A teensy bit more glamorous than wedging yourself into a packed Odeon once a week.

My new winter boots

I have found my dream wintertime boots. A cross between walking boots and brogues with a cute little embroidered cuff trim around the ankle, these will see me right through the cold, dark days of November and December and out of the blues of the New Year into the Spring. (Well, as long as I spray them with suede protector and get them re-soled before they completely wear through – I usually leave it too long to rescue shoes.) They are by Urban Outfitters, who seems to have a talent for affordable, stylish footwear. I’ve always been a tad intimidated by brogues, but it was love at first sight with this pair. They remind me a bit of old fashioned ice-skates as well, which helps boost their seasonal appeal.

In one of my favourite books when I was little, Elizabeth Goudge’s The Little White Horse, the heroine, Maria, is feeling sad and cheers herself up by looking down and wriggling her toes in her beautiful new boots. “Humanity can be roughly divided into three sorts of people,” says Goudge, “those who find comfort in literature, those who find comfort in personal adornment, and those who find comfort in food.” Personally, I disagree – I find comfort in all three. But she is right about the comforting effect of a new pair of boots.

Save the date: our next Tweet Up will be on 12th January 2012

We had loads of fun at our first ever event, the Fashions Night Out Tweet Up, back in September. We met lots of people who we’d previously only been in touch with on Twitter, put faces to the names of lots of the PRs we regularly talk to, and generally had a great time – check out the photos here. So we’ve decided to have another one in the new year, and this is your two month warning. Put this date in your diary now: Thursday 12th January 2012.

What’s a tweet up? I hear some of you asking. It’s something that was invented off the back of Twitter: a way for folk who usually interact mostly via social media to meet up in real life. Tweet Up 2 will be basically the same format as last time: gather in a pub somewhere in central London for a few after work drinks and chat.

More details are to follow, but in the meantime you can sign up on the Facebook event page. Please help us to spread the word by inviting friends on Facebook and tweeting this post with the hashtag #fashiontweetup2.

We’ll also be announcing details of a really cool giveaway competition we’re going to be running on the night of the tweet up so stay tuned for that.