Merry Christmas from the Style & Then Some team!

The wine is mulling, the presents are stacking up under the tree and we’re all waiting expectantly for snow like little excitable kids (just not before we’ve made it home, please). We’d like to wish you all a very happy Christmas – we’re taking a break over the holidays, but never fear, we’ll be back in the New Year.

See you at our Tweet Up on Thursday 12th January from 6:30pm onwards in Vodka Revolutions in Soho. It’s going to be brilliant, and a great opportunity to have some fun together before London Fashion Week – everyone’s invited. Also, don’t forget our beauty goodie bag giveaway, open until midnight on the 12th January.

And, if you’d like to give Style & Then Some a Christmas present, why not vote for us in Marie-Claire’s best fashion blog category (closing date 31st December)? That would really set us off to a fantastic start to 2012. We have a feeling it’s going to be a pretty good year. So, friends, until then… Eat, drink, and be merry!

x   x   x

PS After my annual viewing of the classic seasonal film, White Christmas, I’m kind of craving a ‘Mrs Santa’ outfit. Over and out.

My Christmas Wish List by Helen Coakley

And last but not least, and may I add, with not long to go, it is my turn to follow in the footsteps of my celebrated peers and throw in to the black hole that we fondly call the internet, my highly unrealistic Christmas wish list! 

1. Rumi Neely’s hair.  Being a long-life fashiontoast lover, I do find myself feeling somewhat unworthy hair-wise when browsing her blog.  The length!  The bang on trend colouring!  The way it always looks so effortless yet fashionable…Grrr.

2. David Guetta.  Yes, I do get mercilessly teased and scorned for my awful taste in men and celebrity crushes alike, and yes so far David Guetta has been the worst.  I am so far yet to find someone other than his wife that shares my views.  So if you are out there, please do get in touch.  I would love to know there isn’t something dangerously wrong with me.

3.  Pantone iPhone cover.  This is most definitely the most geeky item on my wish list.  I do find most designers go gooey over Pantone Universe products, and I am no excpetion (I also work with Pantone and have secretly been wishing for them to send me one).  Retailing from £29.99 and available from Amazon etc, it isn’t exactly cheap for a phone case, but hey, its damn cool.

4.  The Gun Tattoo.  As seen on the delectable Freja Beha Erichsen the World over, I don’t think I am alone is saying she made it acceptable for models to reveal they do, in fact, have a personality and sport inkings on the catwalk.  Not that I am saying I am a model, and in fact I am completely terrified of getting a tattoo, but if I did, it would be in the same vein (NOT physical vein) as Freja’s tongue in cheek, yet oh-so-chic pistol etching on her left arm.  All together now, who’s got a ticket to the gun show?!

5.  Having in fact been on the precipice of buying this Barbour Wax Cotton Travel Explorer bag today, I have decided to wait until the Sales truly do kick in to see if its price tag does in fact get slashed.  Having gone away for yet another weekend to visit friends and family, I just do not have a decent enough overnight bag and am craving this Barbour beast.  Maybe this will be a ‘Happy January’ present to myself to stave off the wintery blues.

6.  The Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm.  Ever since I read a brilliant article on the Old Fairy tales and their ‘non-Disney’ origins in The Stylist magazine last month, I have been after a collection of the Brothers Grimm stories.  I feel, at the grand old age of 22, I am ready to face reality and no longer hide behind Walt’s Mickey Mouse illusions.

7.   A Personal Assistant.  Now I am not claiming I am important enough to have one, it would just be nice for me and my scatter-brain to rely on someone else to sort all those bits and bobs I have to do.  No matter how hard I try, I will never be one of the ‘O’ Crowd (that’s O for Organised by the way).  Although maybe not a PA like Bubble…that might make things worse.

8.  World Peace!  And last but not least, and to sign off on a positive note for the whole Style & Then Some family, and in the words of Miss congeniality herself, lets all prey for World Peace the Christmas…and naturally harsher punishments for parole violators.

RECIPE | The cheat’s guide to homemade mince pies

Isn’t it so much more impressive when someone makes mince pies from scratch? When they’re straight-from-the-oven hot and don’t come in those shiny supermarket silver foil cups? But on the other hand, isn’t making pastry are bit of a chore? And who even knows how to make mincemeat at home? (Well, actually, Sophie Caldecott probably does, but she is exceptional in the kitchen.) With this conundrum in mind, last week I came up with a method that’s a bit of a cheat because it uses ready-rolled pastry and jars of mincemeat. It’s dead easy and they come out looking decidedly authentic. Whether you choose to tell your guests the truth is entirely up to you.

You will need:

1 packet ready-rolled sweet shortcrust pastry

1 jar mincemeat

Flour for rolling

Milk for glazing

2 biscuit cutters – 1 large and 1 medium

1 muffin/cup cake tin

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Work out which size of biscuit cutter to use for the bases and tops of the pies, and cut out an equal number of each out of the pastry. Re-roll the leftovers and keep cutting – I managed to get 11 mince pies in total out of one packet of pasty.

2. Grease the baking tin and gently push the pastry circles into the individual cases.

3. Spoon about a tablespoon of mincemeat into each pastry case.

4. Brush a little milk around the edge of each pastry case. This will help the base and top to stick together.

5. Place a pastry top onto each case, push down gently and press the edges together firmly by using a fork all the way round. This is important otherwise the mixture can escape when baking. Stab the tops with a fork to let the steam escape. I also added personalised letters on top for my housemates and I using leftover scraps of pastry.

6. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15-20 mins, until they’re nicely browned on top. Et voila, quasi-homemade mince pies.

London’s best ethical shops and boutiques: Style And Then Some’s third guest post for the Telegraph

In Bloom, Portobello: French eco chic

I find it really hard to get my head around the fact that some people don’t like fair trade, kind of like how some people don’t think that we should try to stop global warming, or that sexism and racism don’t exist (or don’t matter). When I wrote my guest post for the Telegraph London blog (following in the footsteps of Katie and the other Sophie), I just assumed that everyone would be on more or less the same page as me – interested in finding out about places where they could shop that are both stylish and beautiful as well as helping, you know, make the world a better place.

The comments are pretty funny – apparently one reader thinks that Free Market Capitalism is the solution to extreme poverty. Yes, really. In this day and age, too, when even the most hardened Capitalists are scratching their heads and having to admit that maybe something, somewhere along the line, went wrong with this supposedly just and infallible system. Survival of the fittest and all that. That might be all very well, but we don’t start with a level playing field in the first place, do we? I work part time at the Ethical Fashion Forum, and a little bit of research into supply chains (hell, just watch Blood Diamond) and it’s clear that the so-called Free Market doesn’t regulate itself. Millions of people are being exploited, and fair trade is trying to address this issue.

But being ‘ethical’ isn’t just about social justice, although that’s a large part of it. It’s also about spending a bit more, and buying a bit less, which is better for the environment because we all have too much stuff and it’s turning into landfill. We all need to be a bit more thoughtful not just about where we shop, but also how we shop.

Read the full article here: London’s best ethical shops and boutiques

Announcing our brilliant beauty goodie bag giveaway

Listen up, we’re pretty excited about this – it’s the first ever Style & Then Some giveaway competition.

Busy little bloggers that we are, gadding about town hopping from press days to blogger events to product launches, team Style & Then Some realised recently that we’ve amassed A LOT of  beauty goodies.  I’m talking hair products, make up, skincare stuff, you name it. And really good brands too – check out just a few in the photo above.

So we thought it’d be nice to offer a couple of our lovely readers a chance to win a big goodie bag each stuffed with these brilliant beauty products. Isn’t that selfless of us? Well, not entirely, because in return we’d like you to help us spread the word about your favourite blog (that’s us, of course) and encourage you to come to our next tweet up on 12th January.

Here’s how it works:

We’ve got two big bags full of beauty goodies that you can have a chance of winning, either by sharing this blog post via social media or entering a prize draw at the tweet up.

1. HOW TO ENTER ONLINE

On Facebook, click here to like the Style & Then Some page OR if you already like us then click here and like this post on our Facebook page.

OR

On Twitter, click here to follow Style & Then Some then tweet this post using the little blue tweet box at the bottom of the page. If you already follow us, just tweet this post and you’ll be automatically entered.

2. HOW TO ENTER AT THE TWEET UP

Come to our tweet up at Vodka Revolution in Soho on 12th January 2011. All details can be found here. It’ll be a classic numbers in a box raffle system. Grab a ticket on arrival and at the end of the night we’ll draw the winner of the goodie bag.

The competition is open from now until midnight on 12th Janaury 2011. After the closing date we’ll pick one winning entry at random.

Good luck!

An Indian Winter | Marianne Cotterill Jewellery at Matches

Although the phrase is a bit of a cliché, the fashion industry is having a ‘microtrend’ moment. Back in October, Hermès unveiled their a limited edition Sari collection, with piece priced between £4,000 – £5,000 a pop (wow..) – a move designed to celebrate the opening of their new Mumbai flagship.

Never one to be outdone, Karl Lagerfeld also embraced the Asian trend earlier this month, staging a decadent Maharaja-themed couture show to showcase his ‘Paris-Bombay’ collection. The Daily Mail reported shortly afterwards that Essex’s finest David Gandy was planning to relocate to the Indian capital to open up a hotel.

Left to right: A sari from the Hermes collection; Chanel 'Paris-Bombay' collection; David Gandy

In the name of research, I had a quick scan of the high street to see if the microtrend was slowly surfacing – and surely enough it was all there. With my magpie instinct, one of the brands that stuck out the most for me was the Marianne Cotterill collection at Matches:

These pretty pieces play on the traditional Indian idea of a hath panja – jewellery which runs along the back of the hand from the wrist to the wedding finger. I remember my granny had an impressive set, in the gaudiest yellow gold with green inlaid enamel. Granted, they were spectacular but far too loud to wear day-to-day. What Cotterill’s collection does rather cleverly is update the classic design with a sprinkling of semi-precious stones and charms. Beautiful don’t you think?

Have you spotted any pieces that are working the Indian microtrend? If so, let us know @Style_thensome

My Christmas Wish List | Sophie Cha

In my family there is a recent Christmas tradition of emailing wish lists around about a week before the day itself – since mine this year is full of horribly practical things that I can’t afford to buy myself, I won’t share the real thing.

But here’s a dream version to add to the lists done so far by Sophie Caldecott, Dee and Katie.

1. Devore dress by Michael van Der Ham for Topshop £200
I almost bought this gorgeous Michael van Der Ham dress for myself before my monthly budget struck. The designer produced one of our favourite LFW SS12 shows this season and I think the colours and the mix of fabrics in this stand out piece of his Topshop collaboration would be so perfect for Christmas parties.

2. Baume & Mercier Men’s 8786 Classima Executives Watch c. £2000
Nothing gets me madder than women’s watches – why do men get brown leather, hundreds of carefully placed rubies and diamonds and classic watchfaces and we get diamante’s and disgusting ‘jewellery’ straps? I love skeleton watches that show the inner mechanisms and workings but it can feel cluttered which is why this Baume & Mercier watch is just busy enough.

3. Touche Eclat by Yves Sant Laurent £18
One of the only items of make-up that does its job instantly and flawlessly, I’ve been hooked on Touche Eclat for years and now the Yves Sant Laurent highlighter and under-eye concealer is even better as you can choose from six shades. Trust me, people will notice the difference so it’s worth splashing out on.

4. Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum £84 for 100ml
This was my first impression of the Viktor & Rolf exhibition at the Barbican a while back and it stuck – so much so that before long I’d gone out and bought the perfume. I’m not quite ready for anything heavy by Guerlain or Chanel just yet – I wouldn’t feel right getting chucked out of clubs wearing a grown up scent – but this girly, floral perfume is just right for now.

5. Asus Transformer Prime £500
I might have to whisper it but some of Apple’s hard work at becoming the only brand of technology we crave is unravelling this year. If you want a stylish addition to your family of – let me guess – iPhone, MacBook Pro etc then ignore the LG Prada phone or anything that’s pink and decked out in trinkets. The Asus Transformer Prime tablet is thinner, lighter and more powerful than the iPad 2 plus the price includes this keyboard dock that gives you 18 hours battery life. And it’s undeniably sexy.

6. D&G Herringbone Holdall £273 (on sale)
You may have already heard me fawning over the perfect weekend bag but here’s another beautiful holdall – yes, they do exist. It’s classic herringbone is muted enough not to clash with whatever you’ve packed for your work trip but stylish enough to sit smugly in the overhead locker next to tons of navy blue suitcases.

7. Limited Edition Lovebird Lambswool Throw by Heart Zeena £180
If, like me, you live in a fairly new flat that you don’t have time to decorate you might like the Heart Zeena range of printed textiles to make it a bit cosier this winter. This reversible lambswool throw was woven in Scotland and will add some character to bland, identikit Ikea flats.

8. Tickets to next year’s Bestival £170
What present do I want most? Well, I’m trying not to wish the winter away but tickets to a festival for next Summer – like Bestival, Isle of Wight in September – would be the perfect way to round off the year. Getting something to look forward to without having to lug it back from your parents house? Now that’s a thoughtful Christmas gift.

Is the date in your diary? Less than one month to go until our second fashion tweet up

Thursday 12th January is the date. #fashiontweetup2 is the hashtag.

(L-R) Style & Then Some’s Sophie Caldecott with Olivia and Jennifer at our first tweet up in September

It’s now less than one month until our next tweet up and we’re getting excited. We’ve decided on a different venue – this time we’re going for Vodka Revolution in Soho. Updated details are below. And now we’ve announced details of the brilliant beauty giveaway we’ll be running – click here to find out more. If you come to the tweet up you’ll have even more chance of winning – as if you even needed another reason to come. Can’t wait to see you there.

What: Style & Then Some’s second fashion tweet up event

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. Last time we had lots of bloggers and fashion PRs attend so it’s a great way to do a little bit of networking too.

When: Thursday 12th January 2012, 6.30pm onwards

Where: Vodka Revolution, 2 St Annes Court, Soho W1F 0AZ. Nearest tube stops are Tottenham Court Road or Oxford Circus. We’ve reserved a big space. There’s a map on their website. Ask for the Style & Then Some tweet up or Katie Wright when you get there.

RSVP: There’s no need to officially RSVP, just turn up! But you can join the Facebook event. Tell your friends and tweet about it using the hashtag #fashiontweetup2 – the more the merrier!

Boxpark pop up mall, Shoreditch

Boxpark, supposedly the world’s first pop up mall made entirely from shipping containers, has arrived in Shoreditch. I work just around the corner from this new phenomenon, and have been enjoying the strange scent of freshly laundered fabric (don’t ask me why Boxpark smells like Fairy non-bio detergent gone crazy, it just does) wafting through the air as I walk down Bethnal Green Road.

The lower (ground level) section of the mall is mainly devoted to brands such as Calvin Klein, Irregular Choice, Onepiece and Nike, while the upper level has got large seating areas which will be lovely in the summer, and plenty of familiar foodie names like Frae Frozen Yogurt and Crussh. My favourite find by far, however, is the cafe Foxcroft & Ginger at the Shoreditch High Street end of the complex on the upper level, which I first heard about through Emerald Street. Not only do they serve all their hot drinks in an assortment of pretty, vintage cups and saucers, but they also happen to make the most delicious french toast I’ve ever tasted. (It’s got a honey and mustard sauce addition, which really works.) Most definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Gay Penguin Rights…The issues Attenborough left out

The gay rights movement has come a long way in recent years.  With same sex marriages becoming legalised in more and more countries, previous prejudices and intolerances for same sex partnerships is finally becoming a thing of the past.

However, it seems homosexuality in the Animal Kingdom is still frowned upon.  And not by fellow animals I may add, but by Zoo Keepers!  And, before I start, no this is not based on some 1^st series Mighty Boosh sketch. Take Buddy and Pedro for example.  The pair of African Penguins, who built and shared a home together (okay, a nest) have been separated in order to mate with female Penguins.  Apparently, the official stance is because they are endangered birds who must attempt to multiply, and while the Toronto Zoo strenuously deny reports of homophobia towards their animals, I just hope the Penguins don’t give in to the Zoo’s social pressures and comply against their will.  As history tells us, that usually doesn’t make a very happy and fulfilling heterosexual marriage (see Oscar Wilde).

And although Buddy has quickly moved on to a female mate (either misconstrued as gay instead of bisexual by the press, or else just very fickle), it seems so far Pedro has been left out in the cold.  It’s okay Pedro, stick some Beyonce on and act like he was never worth it.

Images courtesty of skynews.com

Make your own sloe gin cocktail: the Sapphire Sloeberry Flip

Kat making a Sloeberry Flip

This is the second guest post from Katherine Gledhill after her visit to the Bombay Sapphire sloe gin masterclass last week. Yesterday she told us about a way to make sloe gin that doesn’t take the usual three months. Next up, cocktails.

After having our eyes dazzled, taste buds tickled and appetites well and truly whetted with a demonstration of seven different sloe gin cocktails, we had a chance to play dress up and take on the mixologist’s mantle. I had a whale of a time making a Sapphire Sloeberry Flip. Here’s how you do it.

Sapphire Sloeberry Flip

Ingredients:

35ml Bombay Sapphire Sloe Gin

20ml Bacardi 8 Year Old Rum

2 tsp Caster Sugar

1 Whole Egg

Cubed Ice

Ground Peppercorns

The Bombay Sapphire Sloeberry Flip

Method:

1. Mix the sloe gin, rum and the egg and shake.

2. Add cubed ice and shake again.

3. Fine strain into a chilled Champagne flute and garnish with ground black pepper to create a rich, silky smooth, spicy Christmas cocktail.

At the end of the evening I left feeling inspired, ready to take on the world and the Christmas party with the batch of sloe gin I’ve spent so many months making at home. With a cocktail shaker added to the Christmas wish list (this one is perfect for your cocktail loving friends and family and can be personalised) I am certain that my friends and I will be enjoying some more Sloeberry flipping and Sapphire Sloe Cobbling very soon.

If you’d rather have your sloe gin cocktail mixed for you, the Sapphire Sloeberry Fizz is on the menu at House of Hackney’s Bombay Sapphire-sponsored gin den until December 31st.

The Sapphire Sloeberry Fizz is on the menu at House of Hackney until 31st December

Guest post | A lesson in sloe gin making

A Sloe Gin Cobbler

Last Monday, Style & Then Some sent Katherine Gledhill to the Bombay Sapphire Blue Room at Vinopolis to learn about the art of sloe gin. She wrote this guest post to tell us all about it.

What could be better, on a freezing December evening, than a lesson in how to make sloe gin – and how to create beautiful, warming and delicious sloe gin cocktails too? Even long autumn walks in crackling orange leaves whilst picking sloes can’t beat the excitement of learning how to create beautiful flavours with the product of those dark, juicy berries.

In case you haven’t heard of this traditional winter beverage, sloe gin is gin flavoured with sloes, the berries of the blackthorn bush. Usually, it takes weeks and weeks of sugaring, shaking and stirring to allow the sloes to steep in the gin, but last week I learned a much faster way.

My tour of the azure-glowing underground wonderland of Bombay Sapphire began with a refreshing Sloeberry Fizz cockail, a fruity, spicy and delightfully fizzy little number, perfect for party-starting over the festive season.

A Sloeberry Fizz cocktail

We were led down one of the maze of passages to an underground bar for our sloe gin lesson. This method is  much faster than the traditional method of three months in a Kilner jar and it produces a bit of a lighter texture and flavour – you will need a dishwasher though.

So here’s how to make sloe gin the quick way:

1. Wait for the first frost then pick your sloes.
2. Prick with a silver fork or a spike from the bush and freeze.
3. Drink your litre bottle of Bombay Sapphire down to the level of Queen Victoria’s head.
4. Add 450g of sloes (thaw them if frozen) and 200g caster sugar.
5. Screw the cap on very tightly
6. Put the whole thing in the dishwasher for a couple of cycles (about 3 hours in total)
7. Sieve and return to the bottle
8. Make cocktails!

Then came the cocktail demonstration which was quite spectacular, with seven different sloe gin cocktails for us to taste. Tomorrow I’ll share with you a recipe for a Sapphire Sloe Berry Flip.

A Bombay Sapphire Quibble cocktail

My Christmas Wish List | Sophie Caldecott

Style And Then Some Christmas wish list number three coming up. So it might be a little bit more extravagant than Katie’s, and surprisingly doesn’t contain any baking related goodies like Dee’s cute icing flower cutter, but if Santa had unlimited funds to satisfy my every whim, this is what I’d ask for (I’ve been an awful good girl):

1. There’s something really special about having a ‘scent’ that you put on for special occasions. When I smell Benefit‘s Maybe Baby, I am instantly reminded of my 18th birthday; when I smell Chance by Chanel I am taken back to my first year of university. Last May I went to a beautiful ball in my grandmother’s old 1950s Balenciaga dress, and I happen to love the Balenciaga perfume – perfect!

2. Socks are supposed to be the most boring present of all, but I actually really need some, and so would be happy to unwrap this selection of fun patterned woolies on Christmas morning. (Tights and socks from Topshop.)

3. Helen recently wrote about her gold obsession, and I have to say I love this glamorous purse from Topshop. Even if I didn’t have any money to put in it, I’d feel classy.

4. I’ve loved Alex Monroe for ages, and I think this delicate pea pod pendant is my favourite.

5. They come in an unassuming little brown box, but these chocolates by master chocolatier Paul A Young are the best I have ever tasted. He develops at least one new flavour a day with his teams in Camden Passage (Angel), the Royal Exchange, and Wardour Street (Soho).

6. I’ve never really understood why people describe leather as ‘buttery’, but this beautiful ‘Mela’ bag by Danaqa is so soft I almost find myself crooning the word to describe it. Danaqa’s fair trade bags are only made from by-products of the food industry in Ethiopia by local craftswomen, and come in classic shapes with hand woven lining.

7. I am in love with the heart jumper by Goodone. Simple as.

8. The extremely talented illustrator and graduate of Kingston, Frances Ives, did this gorgeous blooming tube map in which every stop is a leaf or a flower. I want a copy to put on my bedroom wall.

9. I’ve been a die-hard fan of Elle Macpherson’s The Body range of products for a while now, mostly because they smell so good. I was distraught, then, when they stopped stocking her range in Boots. I know Jo Malone is expensive, but I recently discovered this Lime, Basil & Mandarin body creme smells exactly like the Elle Macpherson body moisturiser that I miss so much.

10. I’m rather behind on this, but everyone has raved about One Day so much that I want to read it myself. It’s always nice to have a new book to read on Boxing Day to get you through the food coma.

But of course, if you can’t get me any of these presents, Santa, don’t worry, because:

My Christmas Wish List | Dee

Following on from BlondeKatie’s post, I decided to put together my own christmas wish list. Predictably, this soon turned into some full-on fantasy shopping online – either because the item was a tad too expensive or temporarily out of stock.

But I refuse to admit defeat. Christmas is about miracles and magic and all that – so if the consignment boys at Selfridges want to help a girl out, here’s what I’m asking for:

1. This gorgeous Hummingbird Tray from Pedlars comes in at a rather pricey £95 – but the nostalgic feel of the trim and hilarious print makes it perfect for sprucing up my drab little kitchen.

2. As her British Fashion Award win a couple of weeks ago reflects, Charlotte Olympia’s quirky designs are probably the most exciting when it comes to fantasy footwear. I loved that  these Kitty shoes look like a demure pair of flats from one angle and a completely bonkers pair from another. Clever sausage.

3. If I were to have one meal before I died, it would be, without a shadow of a doubt, the humble Steak Frites. Unfortunately, I’m a bit of a shoddy cook and can never hope to duplicate the dishes I sampled at The Hawksmoor in Covent Garden. Luckily, the team behind the restaurants released Hawksmoor at Home in October this year, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a fool-proof way to cook the perfect steak.4. I hate how monochrome outfits seem to become my uniform at this time of year. Yet, with a panache that only Marc Jacobs can achieve, this Havana print iPad case is the perfect tonic to those dreary wintery mornings (and at £60 squid, quite reasonably priced)

5. After a years worth of T.O.W.I.E, Made in Chelsea and, most recently, Desperate Scousewives, fake eyelashes have never been more popular. I love these Paper Eyelashes, made by Paperself, designed to imitate french lace. Yes, they may be a tad theatrical, but they promise to be the perfect talking point when at an awkward crimbo party. Handy.

6. I have loved the smell of the Moroccan Rose range by  REN for years now, but this special Christmas edition of the rose otto bath oil at Liberty is almost too beautiful to use. Hey – who said there was anything wrong with accessorizing your bathroom? I have no shame.

7. These plastic thermos flask’s by Nettlegreen are available in three candy-coloured shades and have a capacity of 1 litre. That’s alot of coffee.

8. Underwear shopping is still as confusing for me as it was when I went for my first fitting at M&S with my mum. Sometimes, though, I come across a piece or two that I soon become obsessive about. This week it’s Stella McCartney’s Irene Gardening briefs and bustier. That springtime print, classic bra shape and the fact that the pants don’t resemble dental floss are but a few of the highlights of this set.

9. Topshop always pulls out the best transitional winter coats and the mod-ish number above is no exception. The contrast sleeves are a nice way to work in some winter leather and I’m a big fan of the pepper-effect on the wool.

10. The above photo may not make very much sense so allow me explain. A month ago I stumbled upon a delicious recipe for a hydrangea cake (pictured) on the iambaker blog. Despite my best efforts, the flower frosting never looked quite right and it turned out I needed to buy some specialist kit – namely a Wilton’s 2D tip. At £5, it’s a little steal for something that can produce some beautiful (and edible) hydrangea bouquets – perfect.

Clemence Poesy poses for G-Star Raw

It’s nothing new hiring celebrities to model and prance about in advertisement campaigns.  Actually it’s rare to find a label that doesn’t take this approach.  And who can blame them?  It is usually a guaranteed money maker.   However, sometimes I do find myself getting increasingly irate when confronted with the same old poster campaigns.  Oh look, Kate Moss with her kit off holding a bag…Oh look Kate Moss with her kit off wearing some jewels…Yawn.  So it is somewhat refreshing to see the urbanwear label G-Star Raw taking a fresh approach with theirs.

With previous models for the brand including the up-and-coming actress Gemma Arterton, as well as Champion Chess Player Magnus Carlsen, these two didn’t necessarily seem obvious choices.  Yet the beauty of the advertisements, shot in black and white by Anton Corbijn, grabs and holds your attention much more than any bog-standard Louis Vuitton campaign.  And with one of my all-time favorite fashion pin-ups, the fantastic Clemence Poesy, taking over from Miss Arterton for SS12, I cannot wait to see the rock ‘n’ roll inspired direction and styling she will be taken in by G-Star and Anton.

So bye bye Gemma, you served G-Star well.  But it is Poesy time now!

How to mix with Virtual DJ – the free Mac app you should get right now

Once you’ve hit ‘download’ on Virtual DJ, the next three hours of your life will disappear into a digital DJ time warp and you won’t get them back. You’ve been warned.

Apps aren’t just for iPhones and iPads – I downloaded my first Mac app yesterday: Virtual DJ Home Version 7 which is also available for PC. Four of us ended up downloading it and got sucked into ‘mixing’ and ‘scratching’. Eat your heart out Alexa Chung/ Agyness Deyn/ other model turned DJ.

And don’t worry, even if you know nothing about the way music works it’s still fun – with this DJ app anyone can stick two tracks and yoink the crossfader between the two. Add a pair of big headphones and you’re living the bedroom DJ dream.

Step One: Download Virtual DJ Home Version for free for Mac or PC.

Step Two: Drag two tracks* from your iTunes library from Virtual DJ’s lower left hand side menu onto your digital turntables. House, electro and dubstep are all good choices, choose a second track with fewer or no lyrics and we found that Daft Punk tracks all seem to have the same BPM (beats per minute) so there’s no need to speed up or slow down anything.

* Or hit ‘CONFIG’ at the very top of the screen to get more decks but I would not recommend this for your first go.

Step Three: In order to sound smooth, both your tracks will have to play at the same BPM so press play on both and then hit ‘Sync’ on your right hand track. The BPM will be in the top right hand corner of each deck on the same line as the title of your track – above it’s 125.20 for both.

Step Four: Use Virtual DJ’s hand tool to move the second track (in red) to the first beat i.e. the line down the middle of the top section. You can drag and choose a place in the second track and press ‘Cue’ to send it to one three ‘Hot Cues’. All this means is that the track will start playing from that point. Obviously, you can set cues for the first track too.

Step Five: Next to your spinning decks are two sliders controlling pitch. Adjust the pitch of the second song to the first song as it’s playing and you’ll get a better mix, but do it in small amounts or else it’ll just sound distorted (which is also fun).

Step Six: Listen to your first track and pick a point in the song to bring the second track in – a break or an outro, something like that. Listen to the second track on its own too and decide where to stick your Cue to bring it in.

Step Seven: At the short break/ drop in track one, slide the crossfader (smack bang in the middle) over from your left hand side track to the right to bring in the second track. And hope for the best. Slide it back once you’re done with the second track or let the second track play out.

Step Eight: Play around with the Effects on both tracks: in the free Home Version of Virtual DJ you can choose from BackSpin, BeatGrind, Brake and more all of which will make you feel like a proper DJ.

Step Nine: Loop a section of one of your tracks with the loop station under effects and sampler. Choose from 1 to 32, depending on how long a section of the track you want to loop. If you click on ‘Sampler’ down the bottom, you can also record samples to playback and use in your mix.

Step Ten: Hit ‘record’ if you dare and listen to you and Virtual DJ murdering two of your favourite songs. Like we did – any tips from non-beginners welcome.

My Christmas Wish List | Katie

As if you didn’t need another reminder that you haven’t got all your Christmas shopping done yet (well I know I haven’t), in the run up to Christmas us five members of team Style & Then Some will each be telling you what gifts we hope to find Father Christmas (or Mum, Littlewoods would have you believe) has deposited in our stockings. Obviously we’ve all been VERY good girls this year and the big, fat, bearded guy will definitely have our names will down on the Nice list.

Kicking off, here are 10 treats that would make me a happy girl on Christmas morning. As you will see they, for the most part, can be categorised as either clothes, books, or beauty.

I love how sleek and subtly sexy this variation on the LBD is. The ASOS Bodycon Dress in Cutwork Lattice seems to be getting reduced by the day. It started at £45 and is now just £27. Praying it doesn’t sell out so that I can get myself one after Christmas if Santa doesn’t come through.

Admittedly, I already own four Heattech tops from Uniqlo, but they are SO useful that I really don’t think I could ever have too many. Women’s HEATTECH Crew Neck T-Shirt, £9.90.

I’ve wanted a tux jacket for ages. I think white is that bit more daring than black, but still classic enough to last for ages. ASOS PETITE Exclusive Tuxedo Blazer, £55.

Everybody says Caitlin Moran’s How To Be A Woman, a kind of modern day guide to feminism, is brilliant.

I’ve been meaning to read Garbiel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude for about a hundred years (boom boom) because people who know what I like say I will love it. And if Penguin say it’s a modern classic, who am I to argue?

As a iPhone devotee (well, until I was given a Nokia Lumia) I’m fascinated by Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography is the only biography authorised by the man himself, apparently, and it was released just after his death.

I don’t understand why people buy expensive mascara, because whenever you see videos of famous make up artists they’re so often using a tube of the classic green and pink-packaged Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, which is only £5.19 at Boots.

I was given some Groomed Face Scrub Smooth Off at a press event in August and promptly handed it over to my boyfriend. But I’ve kind of regretted that because every time I use it at his house I remember how good it is – it smells so fresh and leaves my skin feeling decidedly smoother. I can hardly believe it’s only £1.50 from Asda.

Yves Saint Laurent ‘Elle’ perfume has been my signature scent ever since it was released in 2007. I’m almost at the end of my huge 90ml bottle and ready for a refill.

How amazing is this? I think Sophie Caldecott will like it. The Nordicware Gingerbread House Cake Tin produces a perfectly shaped gingerbread house ready for you to decorate just as expertly as in the picture below. Only thing is, it costs £37. Bit much for a cake tin if you ask me!

What do you think of my Christmas wish list? Anything you’ll be adding to yours, or ideas you’ll be stealing for others people’s gifts?

Community: My latest American sitcom addiction

Community is an Emmy winning American comedy currently in its third series, set in a community college called Greendale in Colorado. It focuses on a study group of misfits and dropouts that come together to become best friends despite seemingly having very little in common. The creator, Dan Harmon, says that he based the premise for the show on his own experiences going to community college and joining a Spanish study group: ”I was in this group with these knuckleheads and I started really liking them,” he said, “even though they had nothing to do with the film industry and I had nothing to gain from them and nothing to offer them.”

It’s a brilliantly written, hilariously witty series with great character development, tonnes of meta-humour and enough pop culture references to satisfy anyone’s inner geek. I love the self-aware PC thread that keeps emerging; this is a show that laughs at itself. If you liked Scrubs and 30 Rock, you’ll love this.

Miss Selfridge’s golden treasures

Ever since myself and Katie attended the Miss Selfridge Christmas press day way back in July (yes, it WAS weird munching on mini mince pies in the Summertime) I have been eagerly awaiting the festive delights that the high-street chain planned to drop in December.

And if you are an avid reader of Style & Then Some, you may have noticed my uncontrollable urge for all things gold and shiny.  So, like a moth to a flame, it’s no wonder it was this sequined bad boy that has captured my heart and makes me whimper as I stroll past the flagship store each morning…

Priced at £99, it does seem somewhat of a steal when compared to the Vivienne Westwood on I have been crying over.  However, it isn’t just dresses Miss Selfridge seem to be nailing this season in the gold and shiny stakes.  This foiled jumper seems to be making a comeback from last Winter (remember the Whistles version?  This is much cheaper at £42)…

Whilst these bang-on trend wedges with accents of gold courtesy of some very shiny buckling would complement your metallic look perfectly.  I guarantee The Man Repeller herself would be a fan…

So for my fellow magpies, it looks like there is some serious treasure to be found in Miss Selfridge this party season!  And if you know anywhere else going a little gaga for gold, please do me a favour and let me know!

Christopher Kane sample sale this Thursday

Quick heads up for you of another sample sale in London this week.

What: Christopher Kane sample sale

When: Thursday 9 December, 1pm – 9pm

Where: The Mercer Street Studios, 16 Mercer Street, WC2H 9QE

Need to know: There will be a large selection of womenswear, menswear, t-shirts and accessories on offer. It’s cash and credit only, no Amex or cheques.

Sophie and I were lucky enough to go to Christopher Kane’s autumn/winter 2011 show at London Fashion Week – check out our video here. If you manage to get your hands on one of those supremely beautiful aqua coloured pailette dresses at the sample same I’ll be very jealous.