Coolest Couple Award at this year's 70th annual Golden Globes? Without doubt, Helena Bonham-Carter and Tim Burton! Unconventional, individual and HOW much do I LOVE Helena's Lulu Guinness red perspex Lips Clutch? LOTS. Available here, RRP. £245.00).
Trend: Meggings
Ok… I go away on holiday for a few weeks and what happens? Men wearing leggings becomes a trend?? Yes. This is actually happening. Errm… #Ew.
According to my very reliable and oh-so-fabulous sources in New York, the most current fashion trend sweeping across Manhattan right now are men in tights. Huh? With The Telegraph reporting that ‘meggings’ (really?!) are "taking the fashion world by storm" it appears such an ensemble is no longer reserved for male ballerinas or… Medieval outlaws?! This winter men are apparently following fast in the footsteps of Justin Beiber, Russell Brand and Lenny Kravitz and donning ‘meggings’ (I refuse to write that word without abbreviation marks) with Versace and Givenchy apparently being the most sought after brand. What could be worse than that? Oh… I know, how about this so-called ‘fashion moment’ catching on in the UK? Uniqlo is already selling them on their website and the Boy London 'meggings' sold out at Selfridges within a week. I can only imagine that with no pockets to hold their wallets (or girlfriend’s handbags to help since they, along with their owners, fled for the hills after the ‘megging’ purchase) Man-Bags (*shudder) will soon be reappearing back into our lives. Why God, Whhhhy?!!
First Official Portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge Unveiled
If the camera adds ten pounds, does the paintbrush add ten years?! The first official, highly anticipated, painting of the Duchess of Cambridge was unveiled today and no, you would not be alone in thinking you just woke up in the year 2023. The portrait, called HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and painted by the artist Paul Emsley. Despite the portrait clearly not doing the pretty thirty-one year old Duchess any justice, ageing her quite dramatically, when affronted with the painting and it’s artist Catherine graciouslyand politely praised the work as, "just amazing. Absolutely brilliant." Someone get that canvas some eye serum pronto...!
The London Underground turns 150
Today is the London Underground’s 150th birthday. In celebration of this occasion I thought I would share with you some facts about the oldest Underground in the world…
The Underground has the oldest section of underground railway in the world, which opened in 1863.
The tube network is 249 miles long (or the length of 4.98 million Oyster Cards!)
The Underground is the third busiest metro system in Europe, after Moscow and Paris.
Each week, the Underground's escalators travel the equivalent distance of going twice around the world.
In cockney rhyming slang, the tube is known as the Oxo (Cube/ Tube).
In 1924, the first baby was born on the Underground, on the Bakerloo line.
As Princess Elizabeth, the Queen travelled on the Underground for the first time in May 1939, when she was 13 years old, with her governess and Princess Margaret.
An estimated half a million mice live in the Underground system. Ew.
The Underground was first used for air raid shelters in September 1940.
During the Second World War, part of the Piccadilly line (Holborn - Aldwych branch), was closed and The British Museum treasures were stored in the empty spaces.
One of the early names proposed for the Victoria Line was the Viking line.
The American talk show host Jerry Springer was born at East Finchley during the Second World War: his mother had taken shelter in the station from an air raid.
According to a 2002 study, air quality on the Underground was 73 times worse than at street level (20 mins on the Northern Line has "the same effect as smoking a cigarette")
Albus Dumbledore, a character from the Harry Potter series, has a scar just above his left knee in the shape of the Tube map.
Every day over 1000 people accidentally leave something on the Tube; some past items in include Samurai swords, false teeth, three dead bats and a 14 foot boat.
Scenes from the film Sliding Doors were shot at Waterloo station on the Waterloo & City Line and at Fulham Broadway tube station on the District Line.
The record for visiting all the stations on the Underground network – known as The Tube Challenge – is currently held by Andi James and Steve Wilson, who completed the challenge in 16 hours, 29 minutes and 13 seconds on May 27th 2011.
Wildlife observed on the Tube network includes woodpeckers, deer, sparrowhawk, bats, grass snakes, great crested newts, slow worms.
Sting and Paul McCartney are rumoured to have busked on the Underground in disguise.
In the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, Daniel Craig narrowly avoids being crushed by the Circle Line during a chase scene that took him through several tube stations.
To celebrate the anniversary there is a special 150th souvenir Oyster card on sale. These cards are limited edition and will be available to purchase from all London Underground stations.
Versace Goddess Kate Moss
I LOVE this photograph (below) from Versace’s SS’13 campaign, featuring a bronzed, shimmering Kate Moss dominating three gladiators (Kacey Carring, Veit Couturier and Edward Wilding) whilst looking every bit the powerful goddess. Set against a dramatic midnight blue backdrop, an illuminated Kate Moss shines in a vibrant orange dress.
Other images from this campaign feature Canadian supermodel Daria Werbowy (below left) and Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls (below right). Donatella Versace has praised photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott for the campaign, “Mert and Marcus really outdid themselves, each image is composed like a work of art.”
I have written about this before (here) but as an aside... Did you notice that the photographers Mert and Marcus have once again used the same thick coil of rope in their Kate Moss Versace image that they also featured in their David Beckham Armani shoot and their Kate Moss Vogue June 2012 Cover? This rope needs it's own manager pronto.
With Love from the Sunshine...
All I Want For Christmas Is....
All I want for Christmas is you... And this... And maybe a few of these... Oh, and this too...
Above Clockwise (L-R): Oliva von Halle Silk Pyjamas - £330.00, Smythson 2013 Soho Diary - £180.00, CandleBarr-Co. Candle at Anthropologie - £20.00, Stella McCartney Days of the Week Knickers - £130.00, Daisy Jewellery's Stackable Rings - £37.00 each, Accessorize Rectangular Clutch - £35.00.
Above Clockwise (L-R): Brilliant Books from Amazon... 'Kate: The Kate Moss Book' - £50.00 £42.50, Tim Walker's 'Story Teller' - £45.00 £24.30, Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld's 'The Little Black Jacket' - £65.00 £55.25, Mel S.Elliot's 'Colour Me Good Ryan Gosling' - £7.50 £6.00, Camilla Morton's 'Diane Von Furstenberg and the Tale of the Empress's New Clothes' - £12.99 £8.83, 'Grace' by Grace Coddington - £25.00 £21.25.
Above Clockwise (L-R): Madeleine Thompson Cashmere Beanie - £125.00, Olympia Le-Tan 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' Embroidered Clutch from Net-a-Porter - £955, Bliss Spa Snow Wonder Gift Set - £29.00, Charlotte Olympia's Kitty Embroidered Flats - £465.00, Miu Miu Pentagon-frame metal sunglasses at Net-a-Porter - £225.00.
Above Clockwise (L-R): Apple Mini iPad - From £269.00, REN Duo Gift Set from SpaceNK - £38.00, Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 from The Conran Shop - £64.50, Floral Print Umbrella from Topshop - £16.00, GEEK Sweater from Topshop - £29.00, Dreyfuss 500 Phone from Graham and Green - £59.95.
Above Clockwise (L-R): The White Company Cashmere Bed Socks - £32.00, Knitted Bead Necklace Jumper from Topshop - £40.00, Alice and Olivia LillyAnne Puff Dress from Austique - £360.00, Tom Ford Lip Colour in Flamingo - £36.00, Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse at SpaceNK - £40.00, Mou Eskimo Boots in Stone - £170.00.
Above Clockwise (L-R): Sophia Rogge Silk Scarfs - £190.00 or £270 for personalised, Plates from Anthropologie - £16.00 - £26.00, Anya Hindmarch Studded Leather Cosmetic Case - £225.00.
Above Clockwise (L-R): Movies and Music from Amazon... 'Moonrise Kingdom' (DVD) - £11.99, 'Homeland' Season 1 (DVD) - £24.97, 'The Hunger Games' (DVD) - £10.00, Rihanna's 'Unapologetic' (CD) - £8.99, Jake Bugg (CD) - £7.99.
Oh... And World Peace.
Romeo Beckham for Burberry SS'13
"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo…?" Errrm, Burberry apparently! 10 year old Romeo Beckham has made his modeling debut in the S/S’13 Burberry campaign, shot by Mario Testino. Despite the advertisements also featuring Edie Campbell and 2012's model of the year, Cara Delevigne. It was Romeo, according to Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, “who really stole the show.” Looking particularly dapper (left) at the ‘Viva Forever!’ press night last week Romeo, alongside his brothers and parents, wore a stylish Burberry outfit, one of the many that I assume now hang in his wardrobe... alongside his trademark beanies and muddy football boots.
Romeo’s quirky style has long been admired, and last year he was placed 26th in GQ Magazine’s Best Dressed List, aged 8 - in between Prince William and Tom Hardy! David Beckham revealed that his mini-me Romeo “is the fashion one… he'll go for skinny jeans and a vintage T-shirt and funny hats," and brilliantly, "one Christmas he asked for a pair of Spats shoes." Luckily for Romeo, Spats go extremely well with a metallic Burberry trench.
Musical Moment: Gabrielle Alpin ('The Power of Love')
Below: John Lewis has once again produced a brrrrr...illiant Christmas commercial (watch 2011's advert here) showing a snowman’s journey to buy his snowlady the perfect gift.
Following in the footsteps of Ellie Goulding and Slow Moving Millie, this year’s advert features the voice of Gabrielle Aplin, a twenty year old singer/songwriter from Bath, whose haunting cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘Power of Love’ is played during the commercial. The single, which was co-produced by David Kosten and Mike Spencer, coincidentally was released 28 years to the day since ‘The Power of Love’ was originally released. In a recent interview, Gabrielle said "I was worried people might hate me because they were so attached to the original single, but I've since been in touch with Holly Johnson, and he said some lovely things about my take on his song." Beautiful. I cannot wait to hear more of her songs in 2013.
