Kiki's Delivery Service

Tack Tack, Stockholm!

2012-02-05T16:25:00.003Z

I left my heart in Stockholm, possibly next to the half-eaten monster cinnamon roll that proved to be my kryptonite. And for this Greek-blooded "what's the point of cold holidays?" ignoramus the fact that the -13 C temperatures did very little to dampen my spirit says rather a lot about how much I liked the place!

I was in Stockholm for fashion week thanks to the lovely people at Filippa K and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. You can read my report from the fashion trenches of Scandi-cool at Style.com here. I liked the place, the people, the silly little hissy fits that at times kept me entertained and at others made me despair about it all, stocking up on Daim bars at the 7-11 to last a whole winter and the fact that Acne is so damn cheaper over there! I did damage but for the benefit of T.

See you in the summer, Stockholm!

The Freelancer Who Came In From The Cold.

2012-01-22T19:18:00.005Z

And where have you all been all these months exactly? Huh? Alright, it was worth half a shot. :) It's been a while crocodiles. I hope you've been busy, I know I have. I'll share a little bit on what I've been up to since September over the next few posts - and I promise they will be more posts coming up! - but in a nutshell:

I started editing a lovely little section for Glamour magazine called Fast Glamour so my silly little name appeared on Glamour's masthead next to, ahem, Contributing Fashion Editor, I went to Molto Milano for the Dolce & Gabbana show, you know - farfalle earrings and all that Mambo, I spent a lovely morning with Carven's delicious Guillaume Henry (okay, I interviewed him over the phone for Glamour but still...), I then spent an even more amazing, If I may say so, 50 minutes on the phone with The One aka J.Crew's Jenna Lyons for Glamour, somewhere in between all that my biggest story for Vogue came out (cover line! Editor's letter! 6 whole pages!), I got to hang out with the goooorgeous Candice Lake, featured my friend Lucy in the mag looking her usual stunning self, interviewed the lovely Thea and Justin from Preen, donned S/S'12 goodies in 4 degrees weather for Candice Lake and Glamour (you'll see), asked and got a Sure! from the too good to be true (and yet, she is!) Caroline Issa (again, you'll see soon) and got to work with the incredible Glamour team pretty much every day - oh, and adopted Rachel Ingram as my buddy-in-crime.

So, you know, I haven't been slacking exactly. Next week I'm off to Stockholm for fashion week, the week after New York for, yep, fashion week and then back to London and....you get the picture. But I promise to blog more and tell you what I've been up to and share whatever catches my eye. So, for the first post of the New Year it had to be my big love, Uggie the dog from The Artist. See you back here soon, yes?

New Home, New Work, New Things...

2011-09-01T09:31:00.002+01:00

Happy 1st of September, lovely people! As the Sherlock Holmes in you may have deduced lately, I've been absent from this blog for a little while now and I'd be blatantly lying to your pretty little faces if I said I'd be back with brand new posts anytime soon. The truth is, I've had to move houses and am now settling in (this is the daydreaming version of 'there are still walls of unpacked boxes waiting for me to go through them!) plus, as some of you unfortunate enough to have to work with me may have noticed, I've also started looking after the Fast Glamour pages for British Glamour magazine as a Contributing Fashion Editor, which - combined with my other ongoing regular freelance work - means that I'm staring at the month of September in my journal and I'm not seeing a free *ahem* *lazy* day!

However, one thing is certain; as Terminator Arnie likes to say, I'll be back! Stay safe, stay happy, keep smiling and make a loved one a nice cup of tea now and then.

AWww11: Don't Mention The C-Word, Topshop!

2011-08-15T18:37:00.004+01:00

That C-word is C to the h to the r to the istmas, by the way. Just so we know where we're going with this! It's too early for all that talk (and I will keep saying that up to, ooh I don't know, November 1st!) but you know what it's never too early for? Pretty sparkly put-it-on-and-smile clothes and Topshop's A/W'11 collection is full of them!

So, what did I went and fell in love with? Two leather jackets. Not very seasonal I know, but at least one of them is red!

There are also one too many for my wallet's liking pretty dresses...

...and stars...

(star cut-outs on a leather skirt, anyone?!)

...and plenty of sparkle to last us until...well, the C day itself!

Hmmm, anyone fancy a mince pie with their cup of tea?

BLOG BLESS: D&G+NAP+MRP = F U N!

2011-07-23T19:14:00.002+01:00

You know a party is good when moments of it still come back to you days and weeks later. Well, the Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter party celebrating the arrival of (and simply celebrating) Dolce & Gabbana to their digital (and very real in a chic-box-arrives-at-your-door-and-makes-you-happy way) worlds was just that kind of party. A great one! I could share with you the cheeky pics my buddy Bardotty took on my phone of us posing behind an unsuspecting and very dapper Mr. Gandy but I won't. I think I'll keep them for ourselves to flick through and giggle, if you don't mind (some things are better kept secret). Here we are on our immobile Vespas speeding through Palermo, Italy (according to the postcard, at least) with the wind in our hair and our party frocks on.

Grazie, Domenico e Stefano and Cheers, Natalie and Jeremy!

Sartorialisms: Pull My Strings.

2011-07-19T11:44:00.003+01:00

Help, lovely people of the TINternet. Do you know something about this violin bag? I saw it on the pretty amazing StreetFSN blog and I'm simply in love with it. Merci!

Image by StreetFSN.

I HEART: Anna 6th And Grace Bananas!

2011-07-03T17:25:00.003+01:00

I haven't been around here much and it will still be a few days yet before I get a breather from work so I'm leaving you with these two Ladies of Fashion as captured by Tommy Ton. It's the image captions he's given them that made my day: Anna 6th (let's face it, this woman deserves to have a number/title following her name) and Grace Bananas - no explanation needed, I'm sure. Over and out!

Images by Tommy Ton.

BLOG BLESS: This Is The End, My Friends...

2011-06-14T10:22:00.005+01:00

As promised, and thanks to my sis, here's what the presenter of the Greek Dancing With The Stars wore to the grand finale of the show on Sunday. I must admit, I was ever so slightly disappointed, given what she donned in previous episodes was so life-enhancing and out of this universe and beyond the next! Let's be honest though, it's always been about the hair and although I had grander ambitions for a full-scale eat-your-heart-out-Maria-Antoinetta assault on the senses and minds of the nation like this...

...sis reassured me that this particular magical creation looked awe-inspiring from every single different angle so bravo Milady!

All pics taken by my sis who I imagine was also in the required open-mouthed state while snapping.

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: I Raise My Hat To You, Grand Rapids!

2011-06-09T15:48:00.008+01:00

Awesome. Bravo, good people of Grand Rapids. And suck it, Newsweek!

BLOG BLESS: There and Back Again!

2011-06-09T14:04:00.003+01:00

Back to London after two weeks in Greece. British TV, I have a feeling you'll find it hard to surpass this! Don't worry, I've been promised pictorial proof of this Sunday's big finale look so watch this space.

All images taken by an open-mouthed me while watching the very 'out there' Greek Dancing With The Stars on Ant1 TV.

Francophilia: Hedi snapped Yves and Yves snapped at Tom!

2011-06-04T17:31:00.002+01:00

While he keeps the entire fashion world hoping that his much-wished-for return to design is imminent (but let's not play fashion musical chairs here), Hedi Slimane released this week a group of images that reaffirm what we all knew: this is one talented guy! Shot in black and white, of course, and in the atmospheric yet promising style that has come to be known as very Hedi - just like one of his YSL Homme skinny black suits - they stand out from the rest, that can be seen on his website, due to an air of nostalgia that hangs around them and slight feeling of sadness that his superb portraits of rockers and skaters stick well away from. The subject? The late - but so present in recent collections - Yves Saint Laurent!

Hedi shot backstage at le maître's swan song of a show in 2002 and I find these so beautiful and clean and powerful. Don't all the women (the choice of word over 'models' purposeful) look beautiful, elegant and strong? Like they are about to have a helluva time? And is that a look of worry on Monsieur Saint Laurent's face or melancholy? Still, it is this first image of Yves et Pierre that I find most touching. A great love, an era-defining empire, a beautiful friendship.

And if this all seems too sugary for you, here's Tom Ford talking about some pretty special 'fan mail' he got in his days at YSL from Yves himself. And yes, Tom - we'd all care to see that book even if you're 105!

All images by Hedi Slimane and video by CNN.

Sartorialisms: Vanessa Jackman snapped me...

2011-06-02T16:16:00.002+01:00

...and I couldn't be happier!

If you have been reading this blog for a little while now (and I can't thank you enough for that!) or if you have just stumbled upon it (hello and come back soon!) one thing will be very clear to you, I think. That I don't include many, if any at all, pictures of myself. This was nothing more than a conscious choice right at the beginning that this space will be dedicated to people and places I like that, for one reason or another, I don't get the chance to write about in my work as a freelance writer.

Even I, however, could not resist the urge to repost these pics from Vanessa Jackman's blog - even if the person in them is little, ol' me! I have been a fan of Vanessa's lovely blog for a long time now and when I first met her in person outside the Somerset House tents at London Fashion Week a few seasons ago I was taken back by how lovely and delightful she was in person too! These pics here were taken as I was leaving the Erdem show in February and - of course! - I had just resumed my show schedule following a quick stop at home which means that minimal, if any, attention was paid to the *ahem* 'look' but Vanessa's eye went straight to my bright red satchel from the Cambridge Satchel Company (a Christmas present thanks to T) and I couldn't be happier! I later sent Vanessa this pic on Twitter to say that Satchel was pretty happy about it all too! And now you've learnt another thing about me and this blog: I take silly pics with fruits and send them to people. Oops!

All images by Vanessa Jackman apart from the silly one that's obviously been taken by me!

ps: to the anonymous commenter who at the end of Vanessa's post suggested that my blog's name is not as original as I may think, I'd like to kindly offer a suggestion that he/she might just find enlightening: please, visit my blog and scroll down until you see the little slideshow dedicated to the 1989 Hayao Miyazaki film, Kiki's Delivery Service.

BLOG BLESS: Hello from Greece...

2011-06-02T13:58:00.001+01:00

...where I've been drinking too many freddo cappucino waiting for my new passport to be approved in some airless, Kafkaesque government building while I enjoy views like this...

...and this...

...as well as playing with him...

...enjoying the bright colours that make the early summer season so blissful...

...and coming to the conclusion that I'd much happier living in a shack like this....

...than this...

...but mostly, I've been keeping my fingers crossed that stormy clouds like these stay well away!

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: Happy 70th, Bob!

2011-05-24T09:44:00.001+01:00

GIRLS ON BIKES: Outlier's Daily Riding Pants.

2011-05-15T19:56:00.004+01:00

My obsession with bikes and what girls choose to wear for riding theirs (in most cases, nothing remotely cycling-related) shows no signs of cooling off although, I must admit, the two dozens of Boris bikes stationed 3 minutes from my house have helped in eliminating the desire to actually buy one! Thanks, Boris. So, most days you will find me and my red satchel on a funny-looking blue bicycle riding downtown through Regent's Park.

I was pretty excited then to see these daily riding trousers (yes, I stuck to the American 'pants' for the title) from Outlier on Jo's blog. Made locally in New York City, Outlier's designs are focused on clothing to cycle in but in essence, they're classic American sportswear designs.

"We firmly believe that the bicycle is the best form of urban transit for the 21st century, and our clothing is designed to make that fact even more true. Your clothing should work as well on a bicycle as it does on the subway or in a car, without shouting to the world "I'm a cyclist." We are a clothing company first, not a cycling company. But we're a clothing company that designs simple, good looking and hard wearing garments for a world where bikes are a part of your daily life."

I love these Riding Pants and I'm keen to get a pair and try them on. I like the seam detailing that instantly brings to mind classic jodhpurs but their skinny cut makes them modern and really, a great alternative to skinny jeans. Oh yes, and even my most trusted pair of skinnies doesn't feature a "self-cleaning nanosphere treatment" which ensures that "coffee, wine and dirt roll off with ease, keeping you looking fresh and clean in the trickiest of situations" or a "Schoeller Dryskin Extreme fabric" that looks elegant, yet repels water!

I think my Boris bike will like these!

All images by Outlier.

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: Miss Piggy Does 1982!

2011-05-15T17:58:00.001+01:00

Oh yes, readers - she did! I had no idea Miss Piggy did calendars in the Glorious Eighties (although that's not to say I'm surprised she did!), let alone pose in them with Kermit as Great Lovers Of The Silver Screen, as they did in 1982. Needless to say, I want this and as a quick search on Ebay brought up nada, nothing, a big fat zero, I have a feeling tracking one of these babies down will not be easy. Let me know if you see it anywhere, will you please?

Now, the below image may just be on the best I have ever laid eyes on and I feel that I need to own it in print, framed and keeping me company by my desk. Because when things don't go to plan or when no clear plan even exists I just want to look over at Miss Piggy and Kermit as Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in Annie Hall and know that all's good in the world!

And as Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve as Lois Lane and Superman...

...as Ginger Roberts and Fred Astaire...

...and yes, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as Danny and Sandy in Grease!

I love you, Miss Piggy!

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: Happy Birthday, Fred Astaire!

2011-05-10T10:54:00.002+01:00

Francophilia: Yves et L'Amour Fou.

2011-05-08T12:46:00.002+01:00

Reading the Q&A with director Pierre Thoretton in the New York Times' T magazine has got me even more excited to see L'Amour Fou, the documentary on the relationship between Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé as seen through the sale of their mouth-watering art collection. Not that further encouragement was necessary, you understand, but I've always been particularly interested in Monsieur Bergé and intrigued, not alone in this, by his decision to let go of their art collection right after Yves's death.

What also got me excited about L'Amour Fou is the rare footage the director has included of a giddy and young Yves Saint Laurent facing Bergé's camera and delivering his answers to his Proust Questionnaire (Bergé's voice can be heard asking the questions). You can see the clip here.

I will not even attempt the pointless task of rounding up the sheer talent and genius of Saint Laurent here but the interview did bring back memories of the seminal YSL retrospective exhibition that I saw in Paris last year (and never posted about, well done me!). If the sign of a master, in any field, is having a design stand the test of time and appear as relevant and desirable decades later as when it originally appeared then Monsieur Yves is The Master of them all. I even managed to sneakily take some pics (forbidden at the exhibition) and face the contempt of two chic but formidable French madames, (whose advanced age stopped me from responding) who confronted me in front of the Mondrian dress! Paris, you never fail me, I though, offered them a smile and moved on.

The giddy young Yves of the Proust clip is really a sight to behold, in sharp contrast, of course, to the older, frail designer taking his final bow in 2002. And so is the even younger Yves on the clip below, appearing at the US television show What's My Line in 1965, to promote his perfume Y. So pretty, chic and sweet - and so hilarious in retrospect to hear the presenter praise the young Yves and wish him success with the perfume. "He might go places, this kid", you can almost hear him think. And he did, Monsieur. He really did!

L'Amour Fou trailer by IFC Films, What's My Line clip by CBS, YSL exhibition images by moi.

Sartorialisms: Tommy's On It!

2011-05-02T19:06:00.005+01:00

I've expressed my love here before for Tommy Ton's pretty well honed skill at spotting (ahem!) the little details that make a look unique and set it apart from others just-pulled-off-the-runway; the way a belt is buckled, a shirt half-tucked in, the personal heirloom dangling next to the season's must-have. And here we have it again - this is the season for spots, you say? Spots I - via Tommy - give you!

Images by Tommy Ton.

BLOG BLESS: Easter(n) Eggs for Japan.

2011-04-22T12:51:00.003+01:00

An egg is not just for Easter and these beautiful Eastern Eggs (get it?) designed by various artists in collaboration with ad agency TBWA London have a pretty special purpose too (your standard chocolate egg has a pretty special purpose, to be eaten by you in the shortest time humanely possible): "Easter eggs are a symbol for rebirth and the start of a new life. Over the coming months and years, Japan has to rebuild - Not just a country but homes, families and lives."

All proceeds are going to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. Made by a cool robot from solid wood, at approximately 6cm high and at just £10 I think a bakers dozen perched on a shelf would look pretty good all year round, don't you think?

Eastern Eggs from TBWA\London on Vimeo.

I HEART: Persephone Books For Spring!

2011-04-15T11:54:00.000+01:00

On a randomly sunny Saturday morning, T and I went walking around Bloomsbury; a cafe stop here, a museum visit there and, of course, a quick browse around one of the prettiest and welcoming bookshops in London, Persephone Books on Lamb's Conduit Street. Perhaps it was the Vanessa Bell-inspired vases of spring flowers or the neat stacks of those pale grey/blue covers so synonymous with the publishing house but I felt that day signalled the beginning of Spring for me. How apropos then, that Persephone, for us ancient Greeks, represented Spring and harvest and new beginnings! A happy ending, you might think, since the myth has the daughter of Zeus and Demeter abducted by Hades to live with him in the underworld. We like a good twist, the Greeks.

Persephone prints mainly fiction and non-fiction by 20th century women writers, many of whom, and whose work, has been somewhat neglected or forgotten. The collection stands at around 90 titles at the moment and each of them seems as considered and cared for as small works of art. The aforementioned book jackets come in the signature grey/blue with a cream tab for the title and an individual print inside. Matching printed bookmarks, anyone?

Names so evocative like Diana Athill, Patience Gray and Primrose Boyd, Monica Dickens and Winifred Watson, whose Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day reads like a Fred Astaire tap dance. Whether these women - most of whom saw great success at their time - had to put aside their writing careers for their families or whether their names were simply left out of must-read lists by publishers and journalists fixated on a small number of mostly male big names is difficult to tell and anyway beyond the matter. Their work can now be discovered by complete ignoramuses like myself and cherished and bought as gifts for friends and as Miss Pettigrew's friend Delysia Lafosse herself would exclaim, isn't that swell?

ps: I left with half a dozen postcards and Mariana by Monica Dickens.

BLOG BLESS: Here Come The Oldies!

2011-03-26T20:09:00.006Z

My grandmother has one of the most refined personal styles I've seen yet and the best part? She doesn't even care! I'm not sure if she makes any time in her busy morning schedule; up at 5am to water her gardens and get a good start on the day's to-do list (not that she even makes such list!) - household cleaning, cooking, some needlework before church with a not-to-be-missed break for one of her dubbed South American TV series!

She has a beautiful Singer sewing machine that she brings out now and then, mainly for alterations or to add a lace trimming to a tablecloth, and a stack of priceless-to-eBay-hunters Burda magazines and she makes most of her simple and simply chic shirt dresses herself, often from fabric that her sister in Australia sends to her. In the summer she'll throw one of those on, in a light pattern but never a bright print, with a cardigan she knitted and a pair of flats (always flats), moccasins or slippers. In the winter she'll wear a just-below-the-knee length wool skirt with a sweater, skin-colour pantyhose and lately a grey tweed coat whose rounded sleeves and bell shape scream Balenciaga to me and comfort to her. She'll add a leather purse (for church) or a black nylon bag that once came with a magazine (for her knitting supplies). She has never worn trousers or bright colours in her life, her hair is regularly cut into a boyish short style and she owns not a single piece of make-up. And yet, when I look at her I see a woman with a style that's entirely her own and utterly considered without a single thought having been spared on it. It's natural, it's hers, it corresponds to her beliefs, her ideas of what she should look like and works for her lifestyle. Isn't this what style is, after all?

On the opposite side of the rainbow, smoking a cigarette and sipping a cappuccino is my aunt Noni. A beauty to rival Elizabeth Taylor in her youth, with stunning blue eyes that my sister and I still regret not inheriting (not that we had a say on it but still, the disappointment lingers), a neckline that low-cut dresses were designed to showcase and a chutzpah that has carried her through life when life herself hasn't been kind to her, she's loved dressing up, going out, having fun, dancing, laughing. Having spent a small fortune on elaborate gold crosses, she has a collection of costume jewellery that you cannot help borrowing from and will always be seen in a pair of big, often animal-print sunglasses to make Jacky go, 'O!' In the summer, she'll put a long skirt on and then pull it's elasticated waist to her bust. Ta da! An easy-breezy, Seventies-inspired, eat-your-heart-out-Bianca-Jagger summer dress! Ingenious or what?

Neither of the beauties below is them. I have chosen not to show you a picture of them for two reasons; a) they feel more special to me that way, their image is mine and my sister's to hold and adore and b) they would both KILL me if they ever found out! But I recently saw these two splendid images on The Sartorialist and thought of my grandmother and aunt and contemplated the effect they've both had on me and how I've probably come to dress in a way found in the middle of their two extremes, in the middle of the rainbow. I have my grandmother's tendency for dark colours and simple shapes and my aunt's appreciation for the odd crazy bangle or brooch. In fact, two of my most cherished items are theirs. An oat-coloured shawl grandma knitted and a black woven purse Noni handed down to me.

So, forget the magazines I regularly contribute to and the season's trends we dissect and shop accordingly and look at those around you that have had a lifetime to develop what suits them best, what takes them through life. They aren't a style, that style is theirs. But still, no pictures for my two heroines. Like I said, they'd kill me!

Images by The Sartorialist, Advanced Style: Age and Beauty on Nowness.com.

Francophilia: Sam Sits - Patiently! - For Louis Vuitton!

2011-03-20T20:41:00.002Z

Earlier this week I went along to a private viewing of Louis Vuitton's latest film project, Double Exposure (a very intriguing name, don't you think?). A series of portraits - styled by Bay Garnett and shot by photographer Tom Craig with the 19th century 'wet plate' photographic process, is accompanied by a very 21st century digital film where the subject - the first being the always-interesting Sam Taylor-Wood - shares some of their dearest, most treasured possessions and the stories behind them.

I wrote in more detail about the project for Grazia Daily so take a look here and scroll down this page for the film itself. A further three subjects will be revealed soon and I can't wait to see who will be next. Frankly, anyone that's already starred in a Louis Vuitton Core Values ad (Francis Ford and Sofia Coppola, Buzz Aldrin, Mikhail Baryshnikov) will do just fine!

Film by Louis Vuitton, images by myself.

AWww11: Too Little And Too Much!

2011-03-20T20:11:00.003Z

Both of the above is just right for me! In the still-palpable aftermath of Phoebe Philo's arrival at Céline (impressive when you remind yourself that Phoebe revealed her vision for the French label in 2009) and Meadham Kirchhoff's SS11 collection (and their most recent AW11) the discussion in fashion (once the Galliano and Dior musical chairs game has been played to exhaustion and utter mind-numbness! Please, tell me - have you had enough too?) is still about minimalism vs maximalism. What are you? fashion magazines ask, understandably excited that two such distinct...not trends but approaches to dressing and being, have emerged but slightly missing the point that rarely is anyone wholly the former or the latter anymore. I, for example, may verge on the too little camp but would equally like to flirt with the other one if only I tried a little harder. Take the following two designers whose aesthetic and entire identities seem directly antithetical -Louise Gray (you're a maximalist! the mag would say) and J JS Lee (and you're a - yep,minimalist!). To me they share a distinct and utterly believable attitude on who they are, what they like and where they're going.

If your heart didn't rejoice and a smile never formed on your face during Louise Gray's show then I'd advice you to check in to a wellness clinic asap! I loved it all and almost skipped the short trek back to the Grazia offices were I was that day. I had an even bigger smile on my face when I saw the collection up close in the designer's stand a day or so later and found caught myself making a mental shopping list for the fantastic knitwear (sure, I'd wear one of the colourful jumpers with some tailored black trousers - perhaps even from J JS Lee! - but maybe not and that's quite exciting). Louise's wit, and skill, is apparent in the contrasting dresses, where the back looks nothing like the front but both are a fantastic mix of plaids and tweeds and yep - colour!

I first came across J JS Lee last season when I stumbled upon her 'shed' at Topshop's part of the exhibition in Somerset House and although I couldn't make her presentation this time around, I was glad to catch the collection on its rail. Needless to say I fell in love with every single piece and have now developed ridiculously high hopes for the designer and already can't wait to see what she does next season! From the impeccably tailored blazers to the string of pearls on a grey tweed dress...you had me at look-at-the-satchel-attached-to-the-back Jackie!

Images by myself.

We're thinking of you, Japan.

2011-03-13T23:41:00.002Z

私たちはあなたの考えている。

A lucky 7 set of photographs taken on my first trip to Japan. I hope to be back soon.

FOR FOOD'S SAKE: To Crema or Choc-Milk...

2011-03-13T20:31:00.003Z

...that is the question! I, of course, did or rather had both.

There is nothing more simultaneously refreshing and enjoyable than Nounou's choc milk. My sis says it's all about the bubbles and I, for once, won't argue with that. It also possess the magical power to transport us back to one of our childhood scorching hot summers when exhausted from a day of swimming a glass of these was like manna from heaven. I can still taste the sea salt on my lips the moment I raise a glass!

This is a thing of beauty! In a slightly perverse manner, I actually cherish the fact I can't have it more often as I live away from home. It's more precious this way. A créma dessert as made by the Turkish Stani bakery in Rhodes, it's too good for words and too dear to me to ever it do it justice by attempting to describe it. Truly one of my favourite things to eat, a good snowing of cinnamon and I'm in heaven!

BLOG BLESS: Postcard from Greece!

2011-03-09T14:00:00.002Z

Greetings from a universe far far away a bunch of us like to call Greece! The moment London Fashion Week was over I packed a bag and flew home to Rhodes for a break from almost everything. The Milan and Paris shows seem a world away, work something to do as a distraction and well, I wish I could say I left behind the chill and cold of London but alas, I'd be lying. We've had some sunshine and now it's cold but still, the sky seems bigger and bluer here and it will do me just fine!

So, through the last pages of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye and copious amounts of face cream, eye spray, lip balm and water I flew across this....

...and landed here!

Seeing it's Sarakosti here (Greek Orthodox Lent) we flew a kite on Monday.

I caught up with some of my favourite furry friends...

...and caught some of them enjoying the good life!

I marvel daily at the slightly surreal...

...and am thankful that there's always something just round the corner to delight! Is there anything more immediately rewarding and pleasing than discovering small works of everyday art casually and unknowingly thrown together?

I HEART: All We Need Is Love!

2011-02-14T11:08:00.002Z

Images by Tommy and Tommy Ton.

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: Theyskens Has A Theory.

2011-02-09T11:16:00.009Z

Today sees the much-anticipated UK launch of Olivier Theyskens' first capsule collection for the American brand Theory and in just a few days, with New York Fashion Week kicking off, he will be showing his first collection for Theyskens' Theory as the brand's Creative Director. Isn't it amazing how in the little time that has passed since the shocking announcement that one of the most creative and admired designers of his generation, the man that gave Her Majesty The Madonna a goth edge, went on to breath life into Rochas and made every woman and girl - and any man with half a heart - on the planet cry first tears of joy at the beauty of his Nina Ricci gowns and then tears of sadness when he announced his departure from the iconic Parisian house...that the thought that this man would be designing for a label most commonly associated with office suits that last and last and admittedly, look pretty nice, wouldn't seem so bizarre?

I was lucky to get to interview Olivier on the day the announcement was made, which happily coincided with the launch of his Assouline book, 'The Other Side of The Picture', for Grazia Daily. He seemed very confident and excited about getting back to designing, surprisingly relaxed, and yes - just as dreamy as you could have hoped! His reasoning for taking on the challenge rather than indulging his public around the world (press and clients alike) with more sensationally romantic designs under his own label? He wanted to design something that his friends could afford and wear. And judging from the images of his first collection, available at Net-a-Porter from today, he has managed to do so much more than that.

I have a theory for Olivier Theyskens; he's the only male designer every woman wants to emulate! Here's a video preview from today's launch that proves it.

Images from Style.com, video from Net-a-Porter.

BLOG BLESS: Selfridges, their denim wall and me!

2011-02-02T17:43:00.001Z

The lovely people at Selfridges have created the world's longest denim wall (I may be making this up but then again, maybe not!) and to celebrate they're putting together a fun event to take place at the London store, starting tomorrow (Thursday the 3rd of Feb) and on until Saturday the 5th. Expect the coolest names in denim - J. Brand, Paige Denim, True Religion, Citizens of Humanity, Goldsign and Biometrics - debuting new styles for Spring-Summer with their experts in attendance to offer invaluable advice so come along! I say 'come' because in the middle of all this denim fantasia Selfridges were kind enough to ask little ol' me to be a part of it! And I'm in good company - the dreamy Jackie Dixon aka Show Me Your Wardrobe, the divine Mel Rickey aka Fashion Editor at Large and the delightful Susie Lau aka Style Bubble will also be taking part and over the three days will be hosting a 'bloggers bar' and talking all things blog, blogger, blogging. And if none of these good people are doing it for you (in which case, why are you here?) I have it in good authority there will be music by the Work It girls and mini Pop champagne bottles going around (that's why you're here!).

I will be at Selfridges (3rd Central, 3rd floor) tomorrow from 2-4 pm and If I'm not wrong Susie will be there right before me 12-2. Come, say hi, have some champagne - make sure you get some lunch in you first, check out some jeans, have fun!

Now, I am most definitely a jeans person. I live in my favourite pair until it melts on my body and have done so since I was a teenager, growing up in the Nineties on an island in Greece when it was all about the Levi's and specifically the 501s. Some may argue, it still is! I like my denim worn in, faded, dirty. Luxe, shiny, perfectly polished jeans will just not work. And neither will a denim mini skirt. I tried, it just feels wrong on me. Trying to explain it to my sis I could only come up with 'too Jennifer Aniston'. Words may fail me at times but a good comparison with a Hollywood actress is never far! Having said that, denim shorts - yes! I think it's the tomboy in me. I am therefore looking forward to checking out J. Brand's retro shorts, as seen below, that with their high waist could make my summer uniform. Also excited by J. Brand's Martini skinny flares because, even though I'm writing this in my trusted skinny jeans, I'm ready for a change and I think skinny flares might be the ones. And finally, every since I saw Isabel Marant's pale pink jeans from her SS11 show I've been looking for a pair but as this is coming from a person whose best friend once gasped when she changed from skinny black jeans to skinny blue ones, this might take a while!

See you all tomorrow, yes?

I HEART: Twirling, Swirling and Jumping for Whistles!

2011-01-26T11:59:00.001Z

A lot of you seemed to love the Whistles SS11 preview. That doesn't surprise me, of course!

Today started with yet another moody London sky and a light drizzle that was enough to make me desperate for summer and bucket-loads of sunshine. Are we there yet? Nope but I'm patiently waiting for the morning when I get up and notice that something is different; the day is brighter, warmer but in a reassuring here-to-stay way, the plants outside seem to have a sparkle, a hyper bee or two start appearing at my window...and the thought enters my head; spring is finally here!

Until then I will make do with looking at more beautiful summer collections, making a wish-list of what to get and how to throw things together (square-cut men's jumpers with girly skirts a new obsession of mine) and daydreaming about floaty, light dresses with bare legs. This just-released video preview of Whistles' SS11 collection has managed to lift my spirits even though the moment I saw the girl turn, twirl and swirl in the halterneck white dress (00:54 secs in) I actually gasped. So pretty, so summery, so perfect!

Whistles Spring / Summer 2011 from WHISTLES on Vimeo.

BLOG BLESS: My-Wardrobe makes me pine for summer days.

2011-01-15T19:02:00.001Z

There is something quite cruel about attending Spring-Summer press days in the middle of a freezing cold winter. Something about the act of rushing through the front door, soaking wet from the rain, just-walked-through-a-hurricane hair in place only to be greeted by a couple of lovely looking PRs, wearing something short-sleeved that would dissolve the second they step outside, not a single hair flying in any undesirable direction. You're thinking, "Yes, I really am 'press' and yes, I really have been invited to this" and, "No, I am not a lost tourist cursing the day I decided a weekend break in London in the middle of November is a great idea." They're thinking, "Now, be kind to this poor deranged person, you never know who they might end up being" and "6 more hours to go!" Sure, there is such a thing about arriving in style, in a car/black cab but let's get back to reality, shall we?

I could therefore harbour feelings of animosity towards My-Wardrobe whose press event I attended a couple of months ago in exactly the manner described above but they are so lovely I can't. And really, they're very good at what they do but I don't think they can control the weather. Not yet, anyway but things, they are a-changing! And only now, in mid-Jan do I feel that it's appropriate to start discussing summer and all that's good and comes with it.

The e-tailer is relaunching for Spring-Summer '11 with an edited Designer Room featuring collections from designers and labels like Preen's new diffusion line Preen Line, Mulberry, Milly, Phillip Lim and Rag & Bone. A Holiday Shop will also offer swim and beachwear from DVF, Phillip Lim and Zimmerman. My brain cannot actually comprehend wearing a bikini yet so let's move on. A Shoe Room will also launch featuring new names to My-Wardrobe like Camilla Skovsgaard, Bionda Castana and Pour La Victoire, a label that Carine Roitfeld has described as "S&M Rock n''Roll Chic" and when Carine says that you know it's going to be good!

So, what caught my eye?

Light knitwear and shirts from Rag & Bone's Knit and Shirt lines. I am in love with the striped number hanging at the front and have already constructed several outfits in my head - most involving navy shorts, espadrilles and a straw hat. And me lying on green grass in a London park eating caramel ice-cream. I am precise that way. The collection should arrive at the end of February.

Lovely silky delicates from 3.1 Phillip Lim that are just perfect enough to wear on their own with a fine knit (to balance the flimsiness). It's summer, who cares? These are already available here.

I think I gasped when I saw this skirt by Milly. It's beautiful and it should be mine. Enough said. The pre-collection is available now with the second delivery coming soon.

Too cool for school boots from Beau Coops (it rhymes!) The light blue ones are mine as are the black ones. Short boots, bare legs, a floaty skirt/dress...yes, I really do miss summer! They should become available in February and I hear their prices are very reasonable too.

This was the first time I heard of the label Kite & Butterfly and even though 'boho' isn't really my thing I think I fell a little bit in love with these pieces. These should arrive in late February, early March.

Big hats from Eugenia Kim and Anya Hindmarch. I love Eugenia Kim's label and the story behind it. One bad haircut and one shaved head covered in a cloche made in millinery class led to being spotted by Soho boutiques and a label was born! Talking about making lemonade out of life's lemons! In stock by March.

And finally, a large bag by Moschino for the throw to sit on, the food for the picnic, the books and magazines. I. Love. Summer.

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: New Year, New Direction.

2011-01-08T19:32:00.001Z

It's a brand new year so what better than fresh new fashion from bright young designers (I'm hesitant to describe designers that have already established their names and aesthetics as young but compared to fashion megaminds like Uncle Karl, young seems right enough). This spread from V magazine's new issue, hitting newsstands on Jan the 13th, and appropriately called New Direction (shot by Peter Funch and styled by Cathering Newell-Hanson) instantly caught my eye. Oooh, I spot a Mary Katrantzou and a Holly Fulton, is that Meadham Kirchhoff and look, there's a J.W. Anderson. I can't help but feel proud when I see so many London-based designers in international spreads. It even makes me get excited for the next round of shows in February. Quite but not there yet!

All images by Peter Funch for V magazine.

FOR FOOD'S SAKE: Hanoi, Vietnam via Broadway Market.

2011-01-08T19:31:00.000Z

There are these magical moments when you're travelling, where you find yourself in a place you've never visited before, read and heard very little about, have no known connection to and just so, at first sight/smell/sound/handshake/smile, you fall in love with it. You may start thinking about previous lives, kindred spirits or fate because you instantly feel at home, comfortable in your surroundings, excited by the food, people, landscape in a way that you know will last longer than a quick holiday and I don't think you'd be so wrong to do so. To me, it's proof that we're 'world beings', the whole world's citizens and not just a single country's. Suddenly, you're stopped in your tracks by the sight of a familiar face on a stranger; a neighbour you haven't seen since you moved house, an old friend at school, the lady that owns your local shop. You know it's not them, they're miles away, but something about this person makes you think of them and again, you feel at ease, like you are where you want to be.

From 2005 to 2006 I went on a round-the-world trip with T that lasted seven months (cut short by a few months for a mere two week's spending in Japan! Yes, it was worth it) and I feel lucky enough to have experienced such moments a few times. Siem Reap, Camdodia was one - the strongest yet. Hanoi, Vietnam was another and it's this place that Banh Mi 11 took me back to when I first read about it in Bee Wilson's wonderful food column in the Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine and on my first, of many, subsequent visits at Hackney's Broadway Market.

Ling, Anh Vu, myself and Van Tran at their stall in Broadway Market.

But first; what is Banh Mi? A Vietnamese baguette to rule all baguettes, it is primarily filled with delicious pork, fresh cucumber and aromatic coriander. From this simple base - that's perfect in its own right - you add and build on and create a fantasia of flavours. Combined with a proper Vietnamese iced coffee, with condensed milk, it may well be one of your best meals ever! In the south of the country spring onions and a sweeter, spicier taste is traditionally preferred, something Anh assured me you would never come across further north!

Banh Mi 11 - and forgive me, Vietnamese buddies, for abandoning the correct accents out of laziness! - is the culinary venture of Anh Vu and Van Tran who alongside other friends, like Ling who was there helping out when I visited for this story, set up their food stall in Broadway Market and have been at their current location since July this year (walk straight through the market towards Regent's Canal at the back and it's there on your left. Or better, follow your nose!). As Anh told me, a particularly enthusiastic fan once drove there all the way from Leicester!

Anh told me - impressively while preparing for a full day's work ahead - on a cold but sunny Saturday morning how they all missed the banh mi they had back at home in Vietnam (both Anh and Van are from Hanoi but met as exchange students in London) and since it was the type of street food you picked up on your way to school they'd never learnt how to make it. This nostalgia combined with the very simple fact that banh mi is delicious and if you too lived in a city that didn't offer it you'd soon start making it yourself, pushed Anh and Van to start their weekly market stall - while working at their jobs all week! Now, that's dedication. They're trying to update traditional food and flavours for a younger generation and after all, Anh herself admits that she couldn't make it just like her mum's anyway!

The process is not simple and a lot of care is taken in getting the best quality ingredients possible. Everything is prepared during the week; they make the regular trip to Smithfield's market for the best quality pork from their trusted butcher - at 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning, mind you! Then, in a slow food method, the meat is minced, cut, and cooked not once but twice as well as being marinated. All this takes place from Wednesday so that everything is ready and fresh for Saturday morning. So, there is pork ham, roast pork and chicken marinated with ginger, coriander and lime. There's a home-made chili sauce, the traditional cucumber and pickles and something marvellous called 'cotton pork' or 'pork floss', which is basically a very thinly shredded twice dried pork that's also added to the baguette. And then, the magical pork pâté that's perhaps the key ingredient and whose recipe comes directly from none other than mum!

For Anh and the girls this is about food not taken for granted. It's about working with something interesting and mastering different techniques. It's about not following a recipe but thinking and going by taste. But above all, it's personal and frankly, isn't that what really good food is all about?

This is one very happy customer!

With huge thanks to the Banh Mi 11 gang! Counting down the days till February when you're all back from Hanoi and I can't wait to try the new addition to the menu - Pho Bo!

All images by T.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2011-01-08T19:30:00.000Z

Here's to a good one, kids!

Image and design by Frank Chimero.

BLOG BLESS: Elle's Top Model mag!

2010-12-13T18:27:00.000Z

I devoured these when I was a teenager in Greece! Discovered at one of my local kiosks while looking for any fashion mag I could get my hands on, I remember them being just perfect, mainly because - as their title ever so vaguely suggests - they were all about models, supermodels, The Supers. Who they were, where they were from, how they were discovered (because they were all, somehow, 'discovered'!), what they wore, who they shot for; every last single detail. I thought I had more of them but during a recent trip back home I only found these three although frankly, If I was to just choose three that told me and you all we needed to know about those years, I'd go with Linda, Christy and Karen. Please, bring them back Elle!

I HEART: Here comes the Whistles sun!

2010-11-06T13:22:00.000Z

My ever-increasing, never-ending, on-the-right-side-of-obsessed love for Whistles is, I think by now, pretty well documented and based not merely on the fact they once made a jumper that featured a dog! Suffice it to say that this alone would get any other label a big nod of approval from me. Whistles - and I'm sure we can now stop specifying the moment Ms Shepherdson took over - does so much more and so incredibly well it often makes me wonder, why doesn't everyone else? The answer, of course, lies in the simple fact that no other label has a superteam like theirs, one that through experience (you can't beat that) and a focused, clear and easily identifiable purpose has outgrown the need to show off or follow each silly trend that comes around. How they can therefore produce collections that feel right for the moment but have a lifespan longer than a dash to the supermarket is a masterclass in design, marketing and understanding who your customer is and what it is that they want from you.

Being their own customer too also helps the team, which is why when I walked into the label's SS11 press day event, a couple of weeks ago, I marvelled at how good everyone looked! Jane Shepherdson (CEO), Jo Farrelly (Marketing Director) and Ellie Wilson (Press Officer) in particular with a great Seventies look in a pair of leather trimmed wide leg trousers that should hit stores quite soon. On a sunny but freezing cold morning, the colour palette of the SS11 collection acted not only as the best de-puffing, brightening eye cream around, but as an appetizing amuse-bouche (is there a more pretentious food-related word?) for spring and summer. Can winter be over already?

This bag is the first thing I saw when I walked in and I might as well note here that, without exaggerating, this is the bag I've been looking for in a while! The label's own accessories are particularly strong this season. Oh yes, the gorgeous pleated dress hanging it behind it might have something to do with how much I fell in love with it too! More bags and accessories to follow below.

Is your heart - because your mind is probably telling you otherwise - set on getting at least one brightly coloured lace dress for Spring-Summer, after the month of Fashion Weeks we just had? If so, go to Whistles where the tones of these dresses, also in a lovely off-white, are actually flattering but cool enough to pull off the Chris Kane/Princess Margaret look with aplomb.

Brightly coloured, lace-up, pointed espadrilles. I think I've found the shoe of the summer.

Spots replace stripes as the thing to wear next summer.

It's all about the heart, I told you so, but with Whistles I have a feeling your mind will follow suit.

I HEART: Sequins and Feathers and DKNY.

2010-10-20T13:10:00.001+01:00

Now, I'm what you might call a drowning-in-the-holiday-spirit kind of person, the type that refuses to utter the C-word (C to the H to the R...) until November 1st is upon us and gets puzzled by all the pumpkins that gather around our supermarkets in October - what on Earth could they be there for? - but will still accept a warmed up slice of pumpkin pie gladly. It is therefore easy for you to imagine my glee and joy when I receive "C******** in July!", "What to buy your loved ones" and "It's the Holiday season!" emails from other-than-that lovely PRs who I am sure have something called 'a job' to do. Mine does not involve shooting product pages and putting together shopping guides so I avoid them.

Naturally then this morning, I went to DKNY's Holiday press day! Not because I love waking up earlier than normal, venturing out in the freezing cold for a slice of delicious quiche Lorraine and a cappuccino but because DKNY is the kind of place that, Holidays or UnHolidays, I know I'll find key items that I'll like. A great coat with a sporty, in the American sense, cut, cool boots and lately, the kind of little skirt that you can wear with a big jumper - or sweater - and/or a silky little button-down for evening. I was not disappointed and yes, the quiche was lovely too!

I guess I'll have to succumb to the spirit momentarily, like the Scrooge that I am so, here is what caught my eye and what to me means Winter Holiday:

Sequins and quilted leather...

A hairy big hat (I'm in love with, by the way!)

Feathers on a skirt and a scarf you won't leave the house with...

Layers and chains and a woolly or felt hat to keep your head warm and the brain going...

And finally, boots that go with everything you own...

So, there! Happy Holidays. Now, forget I ever said that and tell me exactly where did the summer go?

DKNY's new Holiday collection hit the store this morning!

L(ove)FW SS11: Things that made me smile...

2010-09-29T10:31:00.004+01:00

Part 2 -

Jim Goldstein's presence, everywhere! Here's a close-up on his Galliano jacket...

The hats at Margaret Howell and every editor on the front row holding on to their cup of coffee...

The natural ease in everything Margaret Howell touches...

The summery floral print that jumps up and says, 'wear me!' at L'Agence...

And stripes! You gotta have stripes with florals...

The entire Emilio de la Morena show and especially the little cutout details at the back...

And the shoes! Oh, the shoes. Thank you, Charlotte Olympia....

The hair at Charles Anastase that remind me of a girl called Valentine...

The backdrop at Matthew Williamson even though we had to drive to Battersea Power Station for it...

Blurry, sure, but Valentine's bright red shoes manage to still shine through, no?

The precision in the cut and vision in J. JS Lee's collection and the fun window at her NewGen shed...

The popcorn at Orla Kiely's presentation that I then spilled all over the backseat of our Merc...

All images by myself.

L(ove)FW SS11: Things that made me smile...

2010-09-28T14:52:00.000+01:00

Part 1 -

Acne's choice of venue for their show, Princess Margaret's apartment in Kensington Palace...

And the band that entertained us outside...

Mr Galliano at the Fashion Fringe show...

The interior of Antonio Berardi's venue and observing the model walk-through before the show with Antonio, Sophia Neophitou and Gucci Westman alongside Sasha in a moment of perfect serendipity...

Mama Dellal and Charlotte together at Emilio de la Morena...

The backstage tent for Erdem at Bedford Square Gardens...

And the tent where the sublime show took place...

The bags by The Fantastic Ms Hillier for the Gorgeous Mr Holland...

and there's so much more...

L(ove)FW SS11: Shiny and new!

2010-09-28T14:04:00.001+01:00

With London Fashion Week over and done with, and the chatter from Milan over the brilliance that was Prada and Jil Sander beginning to fade in the eve of Paris Fashion Week, I think it's a good time as any to reflect on what caught my eye over the who-you're-calling-crazy five days of LFW. Like a magpie, I was drawn to shiny, sparkly, gorgeous little things to collect and treasure and two jewellery labels in particular stood out for me.

Alex Monroe I was, and I imagine you already are, familiar with so it was lovely to walk through the doors of the Exhibition at Somerset House and see their pretty, countryside picnic stand right in front of me. Dangle delicate chains of charms over a tall glass or spread them on a pretty blue spot print plate and I will hover above like a hungry bee and admire it all, it's that simple! But Alex Monroe's collections always deserve a closer look, to marvel at the detail of the charms while desperately trying to figure out how it can all be yours. Bees, bicycles and daisies for Spring? Yes, please.

Cabinet I was not familiar with but that's because I live in a land deep inside my own head and miss out on a lot of good things happening in this outside world. It didn't take long to get me hovering again, this time above their beautiful bejewelled and be-feathered antique collars. Designed by Gemma Critchley and Zara Braganca, this is the label's third collection and it's certainly one of my favourite personal discoveries of LFW.

All images by myself.

I HEART: Found in Wanderlust!

2010-09-16T17:45:00.006+01:00

When I visited Cambodia in 2005, little did I know that I would fall so deeply in love with the country. From the people whose warmth and tangible energy instantly overwrite the shock and deep sadness you feel the more you read, see and hear about their country's recent history, the countryside's immense beauty only matched by that of Angkor Wat and every other small temple semi-lost in the jungle, the startling contrast between the deep clay red of the earth and the vibrant green of the trees to yes, the food - because if you haven't devoured a Khmer red curry you haven't lived - it was all there and it suddenly hit me that I'd be very happy if I stayed for a long, long time. I couldn't and left a month later, crossing the border to Vietnam but the feeling hasn't left me since. I still, whenever I get fed up with London, say to myself that I can escape to Siem Reap!

Which is, more or less, what Elizabeth Kiester did in 2008. I have to say, at this point that I'm convinced posing for my photo atop a cool jeep in the middle of a jungle in kick-ass boots was one of my life ambitions from the age of...let's say 5. Holding a full glass of wine was added a little later. OK, a lot later! Leaving New York and her work as LeSportsac's Global Creative Director, responsible for their collaboration with Stella McCartney, she landed in Siem Rea's tiny airport on a volunteer holiday with an American non-profit organization. She returned to New York in live with the country, took a giant leap of faith and in October 2008 went back. With her fashion background, as an editor for Jane and Marie Claire before joining Abercrombie & Fitch, she decided to not only set up a boutique in a beautiful, French-colonial building in the Old Market but started to work with local women in producing a collection of easy, breezy print cotton tunics and day dresses as well as the kind of fun jewellery and accessories you can't stop wearing whether you're in a city or by the beach. And so, Wanderlust, the boutique, collection and website, was born!

"The goal", Elizabeth told me for Condé Nast Traveller, "was and always will be to provide great, fun, energetic, affordable, well-made clothes and cool stuff to a global fashion customer while simultaneously providing hope, a bright future and opportunities to the people of Cambodia. It's really quite simple." Consciously avoiding the "factory route", she started working with Leng, a young seamstress, and has now built a team of women that can afford to work - everyone is paid fair wages - and look after their homes and families. A girl living across Angkor Wat, hand-embroiders strips of discarded water bottles into the ‘conversation bracelets’ you can see in these images and other accessories, like seashell beaded earrings and canvas hobo bags, are provided by local NGOs that train and work with young and often disabled people. All clothing is inscribed ‘hand-woven by Leng and the gang’!

I'm sure you'll agree with me that none of the above is anything close to 'simple' but Elizabeth has managed to create something quite wonderful with what can only be described a big heart and a New Yorker's determination to make it happen! There are now two more stores, one in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and a brand new one at the lovely FCC hotel in Siem Reap - where I stayed for my 25th birthday and swam in the pool in the rain before tucking into a birthday cake delivered to my room and inscribed 'Happy Birthday' and my boyfriend's name! There has also been a collaboration in America with Madewell, J.Crew's sister label and from what Elizabeth tells me, there’s no stopping yet; building Cambodia’s first international lifestyle brand with swimwear, footwear and home furnishings is her next goal. As she says, “a girl can dream, right?”

Elizabeth's image by John McDermott, all other images by Wanderlust.
http://www.wanderlustcambodia.com/

Now delivers internationally.

Francophilia: Charles and Valentine.

2010-08-24T18:34:00.001+01:00

The collaboration between Charles Anastase and Valentine Fillol Cordier is more than just a suitable work arrangement. You do get the feeling these two London-based French expats have a close relationship, understanding each other deeper than 'this season's look'. Or at least, I do and this adds that extra little touch to how I view Charle's collections. Valentine, I love; her personal style, that effortless manner that breaths a chic practicality to her looks only Parisian girls seem to get just-right but combined with a touch of London attitude. These are some images from the Charles Anastase Resort '11 collection that she has styled, as shot by Jessy Adams. I love the patent black raincoat, the white shirt, the ankle length black trousers and high-waist washed jeans and yes, the shiny, sparkly gold jacket! In fact, these images even make me want crazy curly curls and this is how whatever Charles and Valentine do gets in my head!

All images by Jessy Adams for Charles Anastase.

FOR FOOD'S SAKE: River. Cafe. Lunch. Simply. Perfect.

2010-08-24T12:45:00.002+01:00

The food at The River Café really has the power to reduce your thoughts and feelings about it to single words. Not because it's bland or uninteresting but because it's so good. Long, rambling and eloquent descriptions of each plate go so far and beyond the point they miss it completely. Hence the title to this post, it was simply perfect! My first visit there was for T's birthday lunch earlier this month. Here's what we had. Few ingredients of sublime quality on each plate so simply presented it dared you to search for faults. I resisted, enjoyed every mouthful and if you're wondering there were none. I guess the sign of a well enjoyed meal is finding yourself thinking back to it longingly days and weeks and months later. This was one of those.

My starter of Prosciutto di Parma with Turkish figs that had just arrived. It did exactly what it should; the prosciutto melted in my mouth and those figs were deliciously succulent and honey-sweet.

T started with the chargrilled squid with fresh chili and rocket. The smokiness from the grill enhanced the flavour of what is officially the softest and most tender squid T has eaten so far.

For my main, I chose what is probably one of my favourite plates ever - and there are quite a few! Linguine con vongole and white wine. The sea in a bowl.

T chose the red mullet with potatoes, tomatoes and olives and although he really enjoyed the fish itself he could not get over how incredible the potatoes were. I tried them. He was right, I don't know how far you can take the humble potato taste-wise but these were there!

Dessert time and for Birthday Boy the irresistible Summer Pudding with Valpolicella & Crème Fraiche.

And for me, one of the most delicious little bowls of sublime taste that's ever been placed in front of me; a simple affogato. You may think I'm going too far but so what? I enjoyed each spoonful of some of the best vanilla ice-cream soaking in hot espresso so much it's the one dish I'm still thinking about. Simplicity. You can't beat it.

The River Café

I HEART: L'Agence du cool!

2010-08-20T19:38:00.001+01:00

I will forever be partial to labels designed with a clear purpose in mind, especially when they have a woman at the helm and she tells me things like, "I throw everything in the washing machine. Even my stretch suede, I don't have the time nor do I like the chemicals used in dry cleaning and I don't like everything perfectly pressed anyway!" So, when it comes to L'Agence I'm partial like a cat is to a soft, cuddly, squeaky toy stuffed with catnip.

Pre Fall 10 collection

That woman is Margaret Maldonado and she heads the eponymous West Coast super-agency that represents some of the most sought-after stylists in Hollywood and worldwide; Andrea Lieberman, Marjan Malakpour, Jen Rade, Christina Ehrlich, Tiina Laakkonen. In 2008, she created L'Agence, firstly with a line of the softest, finest tees and simple tank dresses I've seen so far. She has since, slowly and thoughtfully expanded each collection to include some fantastic evening dresses - the kind you only need to throw on with a pair of heels and you're ready, butter-soft suede jackets and shorts, jersey and cotton trousers and the perfect maxi fishtail skirt. Of course, the line has been worn by everyone in Hollywood but it's also captured the attention of women elsewhere, looking for those key pieces they can always rely on. When I first wrote about the label for Harper's Bazaar in 2009, my then commissioning editor at the title, Sara Buys, and I went to their London showroom for a closer look and were both in awe of the simplest pieces; a tee here, a long tank top there, we wanted it all and we called it all in! Days later, some items found their way to a different shoot with Ali Hewson, the founder of Edun and co-founder of Nude cosmetics who is also married to a certain Mr Bono. She loved the jersey fishtail skirt and was photographed for the magazine wearing it!

I wrote about the label again for Vogue this year and I'm impressed at how the latest collections have evolved. I imagine Margaret as a super-cool mad scientist, at her Hollywood house, throwing different samples in the wash, wearing them, testing them and then coming up with some of the best fabric names I've come across; ultra-jersey, stretch-suede, power-mesh ("an amazing fabric that I use in lining to help achieve a better fit"). Here are some images from the Pre-fall and AW10 collections. Needless to say, I want it all!

AW10 collection

All images by L'Agence.

BLOG BLESS: My Selfridges shoe story.

2010-08-12T12:44:00.001+01:00

A little while ago Selfridges asked me to contribute my own 'shoe story' to an ongoing project creating excitement for the upcoming launch of, what is officially, the biggest shoe department in the world. The new Shoe Galleries space will comprise of six galleries, eleven boutiques and - if you felt something was missing in this sentence here it is - one hanging garden! It didn't take long for me to decide which pair of shoes to write about. My relatively new Church's and I have been having an affair of late and although my Martin Margiela pumps (that actually made it into Grazia!) were the best gift I could give myself and make me feel all grown-up, my brogues make my inner tomboy really happy and at the end of the day, that's what I am! Here's a little pic and below is the full text, just in case you want to read about me kicking boys in the shins - when I was little, of course! I told you, I'm all grown up now.

My inner tomboy - the one that climbed trees, sulked when made to wear a skirt and kicked boys in the shins to show them who's the boss - has always wanted a 'proper' pair of men's brogues. After all, imagine the kick they'd give! As a somewhat grown-up version of that little girl, the feeling has not subsided. In fact, I recently found its quintessence in a, if I may say so, kick-ass pair of white leather brogues from Church's. Church's make 'proper' men's shoes and although mine are from the women's line - a small concession had to be made for fit and appearance's sake - I'm in love with them. I bought them recently as a gift to myself and I smile at them each time I walk past. I wear them with ankle-length trousers, rolled-up jeans but also skirts (boo!) and dresses. I want to strut in them, run in them, go on adventures in them. And while I love high heels - an equally recent and precious Martin Margiela purchase is a whole other story - my brogues represent the closest my childhood self and current self have come, sartorially-speaking. So, although they feature in no big story at the moment, they undoubtedly will. Boys, beware!

www.selfridges.com/theshoegalleries

Francophilia: The day a café saved my life!

2010-08-11T15:51:00.003+01:00

Tying-in smoothly with the last Paris-focused post, this is a big Thank You! to the lovely Tommy, the proprietor of Mamie Gateaux, his delicious fig tart and the blog world in general and if you think I've gone and lost my mind, well, you've never really known me after all!

This lovely café did save my life - or at least my day! - when I made my way to it after another of those long, tiring days when I think Paris is a postcard and not a modern city, and walk and wander and get lost to the point of exhaustion. Throwing myself on one of its outside chairs and immediately falling in love with the floral print cover on the table in front of me (one that my grandmother probably has) I sent a mental thank you to Tommy whose lovely posts about Mamie Gateaux inspired me to visit. The owner was lovely, the little menu he handed me even lovelier and the crumbly and sticky slice of fig tart I chose (not really a choice as I'm programmed to opt for whatever is on the menu with the word fig next to it) was, you guessed it...divine! A tasse de café gave me energy and a few pages of my book later (can you guess which one it was?) I was off, walking and wandering and getting lost all over again!

Francophilia: Merci Paris!

2010-08-11T14:58:00.001+01:00

I've promised to not do the whole 'I haven't posted anything in ages, lazy Kiki, bad Kiki' thing so I won't. A promise is a promise and all that but still, forgive me readers for I have sinned! I went to Paris and the Versailles and took hundreds of pics and yet I posted...none, nothing, rien. I went to the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition still on show at Somerset House here in too-hot-to-handle London and took dozens of illegal pics (photography is not allowed) and yet I posted...a big fat nada. I've had delicious tea and cake at Lanka with lovely friends and took...well, no pics whatsoever as I greedily ate it all far too quickly to even consider snapping them for your viewing pleasure so no post there. You get the point.

So, expect to see posts on all the above and more soon. At the moment, I'm at a Le Pain Quotidien, lunching on a crab and avocado tartine and an iced cappuccino determined to get a few of these babies out there to you. Don't hold your breaths!

On that visit to Paris, while T and his buddies holed themselves up at some digital animation/short film/blah blah/geeks-rule (and they do and I love them for it!) conference I finally got to see the retail wonder that is Merci. I had read so much about it I probably expected to find The Missing Link but what was there certainly did not disappoint. Far from it. I was impressed with the space itself, the easy nature of the whole place, the interesting selection of product and - well, are you surprised? - the buzzy café downstairs. As the girl that loves nothing more than a walk through the kitchen department of John Lewis on a spare day, I spent more time at the equivalent space at Merci than the fashion area and happily snapped away until I realised I had to be somewhere else, reluctantly left, promised to come back and have at least a coffee at the café and walked outside, yet again managing to get lost in the backstreets of Paris!

Although if you did follow one of these bags out of the store and through the 3rd arrondissement's streets I doubt you'd end up to The Famous Columbia Rd. Flower Market. But still, funny to see them on sale here!

I HEART: Gap's new shoes.

2010-07-25T13:10:00.000+01:00

I find it quite impressive that the shoes that caught my eye and found their way to the 'must-get-the-moment-they-hit-stores' list I keep at the back of my head at the recent Gap press day were not the latest designs by The Maestro Pierre Hardy (as part of his ongoing collaboration with the American mega-brand) but these ankle boots from their main collection. I know that chunky wedge boots are meant to be going, going, gone and I must admit, I have found myself looking at previous pairs that I once swooned over with a new-found, quizzical look but these, with their mustard/gold panel, have a geeky-college-uniform feel about them that I will always remain partial to. Plus, don't you too love the fact they instantly make me think of cozy, cable knit socks, all scrunched up and ready to carry me through muddy-London-puddles and whatnot come autumn?

I HEART: Acne put roots down in Ol' London!

2010-07-15T14:09:00.004+01:00

Today can be easily renamed London Acne Day and if you happen to walk down Dover Street later this evening you will find - along with the odd confused sufferer of said skin condition and a long guest list of the Stockholm-based label's favourite fans - myself and T celebrating (is there a better word?) the arrival of their first London store. Or studio, as it's officially called. I will be celebrating because I love the label and my dislike of department stores, excluding Liberty, has so far meant a limited access to its goods. Not such a bad thing, mind you, because easy access to some of the best leather jackets this side of the universe would not make my bank account happy. Is it ever? T will be celebrating because he will no longer need to order online and have to trot to the post office for any returns to Stockholm. We're reasonable people, really!

This being Acne, the store alone would not suffice as enough excitement for one day so with London Fashion Week's provisional schedule out today the secret is finally out: Acne will be showing as part of the London schedule. I found out at another Acne party at Harrod's and somehow managed to not tell anyone. I think this feat deserves a second cocktail tonight!

Back to the store. Picked by Acne's Creative Director, Jonny Johansson, during a reccy, it is a former art gallery and in order to counteract its white walls Jonny and his team have installed a fantastic collection of art pieces that bring back a sense of the building's age. Acne favour old buildings and this one, with its unfinished and untreated light wood floors that scream Sweden, may be the most modern one of them yet. The ground floor is dedicated to menswear and a piano that may or may not see some key action from Jonny himself at some point.

The first floor is all womenswear with three large canvases by the artist Jeremiah Goodman, known for his interior renderings for clients like, oh I don't know, will Greta The Great Garbo and Diana The One Vreeland do? The paintings are renditions of Jonny's Stockholm office. All fittings, mannequins, at least one of which is a wonderful brushed dirty gold suede, and show pieces are custom made for the store.

The third floor is cleverly all about denim so you can focus entirely on stocking up on your favourite pair of Hex, Flex or Kex!

The fourth floor is a light-filled spaced that currently houses a menagerie of shoes, jewellery and other accessories but will also play host to various small exhibitions and events. It also has a double-storey ceiling, a staircase to nowhere and access to a sweet terrace garden - quick, try and think of other London stores that have a terrace garden? With plants!

So, there. The store opens this Friday. Go and visit. Admire the Helmut Lang art pieces. Stroke the winter jackets. I'll be there tonight enjoying that cocktail we talked about!

(The difference in the light of some of the images is easily explained by the fact that all crystal-clear images are by Acne and all weird-yellow ones by myself.)

BLOG BLESS: Beauty is all around!

2010-07-02T21:15:00.007+01:00

The fantastically dazzling tour-de-force that is Liberty London Girl was kind enough this week to give this silly little blog...an award! I know, I know, you may keep your, uhmmm, compliments to yourself but this happens to be a 'Your Blog is Beautiful' one and well, this blog's very first so I'm accepting it in the only way possible - exaggerated and inappropriate glee! Thanks S. I now have to give up seven "mind-numbingly boring facts" about myself. Easy peasy. Seven? I hope she means seven hundred, I've got a few waiting to be aired! Hold on to your seats, put down that cup of tea, finish chewing that burger already - here it goes:

1 - As a teenager, I started what has now developed into a fully blown addiction to magazines, which reached such ridiculous levels I resorted to a highly sophisticated and elaborate routine of smuggling copies of international Vogues and Elles into the house without my mum noticing! Said routine involved walking around the back of the house - while sneaking in the next door neighbour's side entrance into the garden, taking the incriminating evidence out from underneath my sweater/jacket/back of my jeans, positioning it in between the shutters to my bedroom window, walking back into the house from the front entrance and, at an appropriate time, opening the window to get the magazine. It baffles me how I thought I could hide the ever-growing piles of mags developing underneath my desk. My mum, by the way, had no issues with my spending habit. I think I was just being...what's the word? A drama queen!

2 - I spent my summer holidays during my teen years travelling around Greek Orthodox churches with my grandmother and her friends. I know a lot about the lives of Saints and too much about what goes on in a coach full of Greek grandmothers! Just don't give them the microphone.

3 - I love the smell of printed paper. I will instinctively open and smell each newspaper/magazine/book I get my hands on. In fact, when someone develops the equivalent perfume I will most likely bathe in it!

4 - I once memorised and then recited back to a school-friend all the season's trends according to some magazine - obviously to the sheer delight of my poor friend - and felt so exhilarated I did so that I decided I should have a go at working in a fashion magazine one day. I clearly remember saying the words - and remember, this to what must have been a 15 year old school girl in Rhodes, Greece in 1995 - "floral prints will be big this season"!

5 - My older - and yet not much wiser - sis secretly believes I'm the Antichrist after assembling my horoscope map, printing it out and realising all my planets, stars and what not fell in the same half of the page. I frequently bring this fact up. She then retorts that as a small child, we once spent a summer playing 'hotel', an activity which mainly involved me paying her for sleeping in my own bed, eating my mum's food and visiting my grandmother.

6 - I could easily and happily survive on a diet of spaghetti or noodles. Nothing else. Toppings, of course but just that will be enough.

7 - And talking of food, I once nearly ate a drawing pin while dining at a seaside restaurant in Indonesia's Gili Islands. It somehow found its way in the delicious chocolate cake I was offered as dessert. Miraculously, it got stuck between my front teeth. After overcoming the shock, I proceeded to step into a live nest of fire ants!

But enough about me! I know have to "pass on the love to ten or fifteen more bloggers, who have to “link back to my good self (either to thank me or shower me with curses), and then reveal seven fascinating facts about your own magnificent person and pass on the love to ten or fifteen more bloggers.”

Et voila!

- Pocket Guide to Fashion PR

- So Much to Tell You

- Fashion Editor at Large

- Magic Molly

- Random Fashion Coolness

- Tales of Endearment

- Delinlee Delovely

and for some good ol' non-human action:

- Pap-a-Cat

Your blogs are beautiful ladies - and cats. Now, bring on the tales!

Sartorialisms: On the fold!

2010-07-02T19:55:00.002+01:00

How simply perfect is Garance's vintage Delvaux bag with the fold being just right? And how perfect is Garance herself in her washed jeans, white tee and camera? And did I mention perfection already?

Image by Jak &Jil.

BLOG BLESS: Husam El Odeh and his marvelous jewels!

2010-06-23T11:24:00.002+01:00

I must have first come across Husam El Odeh's name a little while ago, most likely in a blog or magazine talking about how incredible he is and what great things are expected of him. Frankly, such things are written and spoken regularly so I must have not paid particular attention because when I came across his name again in preparation for my first interview with Acne's Creative Director Jonny Johansson for Ponystep, I was not only mesmerised but...hooked!

It seems Husam has the same effect on others too. Jonny talked endlessly about their ongoing collaboration for Acne and visiting him at his studio and went on to describe it in detail like a kid in Willy Wonka's factory or Aladdin's cave. He stopped and asked me, "Have you met him?", I answered no and then he said, "well, when you do, you'll see." Well, I saw alright! I met Husam in April at a party in Harrods to celebrate Acne's new boutique space and an exhibition of Husam's past collections. He was charismatic, polite and fascinating and as his quotes could not be used in the story due to space reasons I thought they should appear here. It was all - as he would say - "super-nice"!

Kiki Georgiou: I spoke to Jonny a while ago and he said how impressed he was by you. What did you think when he first approached you?

Husam El Odeh: It feels like a long time ago! They did an article on me for the Acne Paper, I obviously knew what they were doing and it was super-nice, I was really flattered. They came to visit me in the studio. I have this massive collection of everything, which is quite handy when I do a design meeting, especially as I work quite a lot with collaborations. When you work with fashion designers, you know, they have their materials and they’re not so much used to my kind of materials and although I can understand what they’re doing it jars in the beginning and I almost need to just go like “no, you can do this”, and put one thing on top of something else. And I kind of draped the studio a bit, as you always do when you’ve got people around, and there was this one sample of a pair of jeans where I’d attached a piece of metal to on the wall. Jonny had originally been interested in these silver-covered pieces that I’d done, in quite a different context but I think he really liked the technique and the way I’d finished it. Then this armoury thing came into it as well and I thought it’d be really nice to do texture on texture so we etched the texture of denim onto the jeans. Yeah, it was a really pleasant collaboration I think, they’re a really nice team to work with.

KG: He seemed very impressed with your cabinets of curiosities!

HEO: (laughs) I’m not really a hoarder! I let go of things, sometimes I think I collect things until I’ve figured them out and once I’ve kind of processed them I can let go, I don’t need to keep them. I did this thing once where I sold off all these bits of research of mine, things that I just found. We sold them for like £2-10, or something like that, with just a thread on them. So, I like this weird mix where you can do something very expensive with something very cheap and both tings are still valid in their own right.

KG: You collaborated first for SS10, and then again for AW10.

HEO: It was hard work! I shaped every single piece myself! We kind of did a diffusion line of those pieces, which actually came out super-nice, because I think the brief was tribal Star Wars and futuristic I guess you can say…

KG: I was going to ask you what you thought of Star Wars!

HEO: You know, it’s very rewarding when you work with metal so futuristic is always one of the trends where I’m like, “oh, I wish that could come back!” so yeah, it was quite good.

KG: Thanks to Jonny’s little kids for influencing that!

HEO: Yeah, I suppose so! We did this thing, Jonny wanted colour so we found this type of enamel we could bake onto metal and it was super-nice, we found some really nice, fresh colours and covered certain areas.

KG: And, is this going to be an ongoing collaboration?

HEO: We’ve started working on the next collection a little bit. I’m really happy to work with Acne, they’re a super-nice design team, I really mean that. It feels very honest; it’s almost a little bit non-fashion in a way, which is refreshing. I mean, obviously it is fashion and I don’t mean to be one of those annoying people that say, “I hate fashion!” but they work in fashion! Because Acne think outside the box, like with the furniture, I think there’s a vision beyond just making clothing and I like that. And in a way, I don’t make clothing anyway so I guess that’s my take on accessories, sometimes almost questioning those things. I work with things that are meant to be functional but don’t work anymore and I like people thinking outside the box, it’s very attractive to me. And the aesthetics, you know, I’m German, it’s kind of simple, graphic, has a strong signature and I feel it’s very appropriate in a way.

KG: And this exhibition for Harrods…

HEO: It’s basically pieces that I’ve done over five years I guess. In fact, I think I’ve never seen such complete selection of my work myself! It’s weird because we got lots of things sent over, some things I’ve only made once or I sold out. You know, when you start your own thing you just sell everything because you have to pay your rent…

KG: I think that’s the point, Husam!

HEO: Yes, I suppose! But it’s always good to keep one.

KG: Do you keep an archive?

HEO: A little bit. We started doing it better now but as I said, I started when I was still at University and when somebody says, “here’s this amount of money, give me that”, you’re just “Yay, give me a cheeseburger!” It’s one of those things!

KG: So, have you seen anything in this selection of your work that’s surprised you?

HEO: No, although in a way, I am really surprised that we made this again! [Husam points to a piece of multiple and varied intertwined watch faces] I sold the original and this is a remake. I thought I’ll never do this ever again because, I think the original took a week of my personal time and work. It was sold to Karl Lagerfeld in Colette, we couldn’t say no! I didn’t want to sell it actually, I said to them, If somebody wants to buy it could you just contact me, they didn’t but…

KG: I don’t think you can say no to Karl!

HEO: No, you can’t! But it was really great. And I said I’m not doing this again and we did. And I’m not selling this! Although, I am thinking of doing something with it, I’ll let you know!

KG: What are you doing next?

HEO: Well, I want to go to Germany if the planes let me tomorrow and give my nieces some teddy bears!

I hope he made it. And I wonder, were those silver-coated teddy bears?

First set of images from Husam's SS10 collection, second set for AW10.

All images by Husam El Odeh.

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: The Music and The Tee!

2010-06-09T15:11:00.002+01:00

Let's begin with a full disclosure, shall we? These guys are really good friends of mine. And I love what they've created a little bit more because they're buddies - don't you get that mother-looking-at-her-kid-like-it's-God-on-Earth feeling when someone you know does good? However, If I had absolutely no idea they are THE BEST and I came across one of these hanging on a rail or read about them I'd still think they're great. So, there!

By these, I mean The Music Tee, which is - finally! - available here in the UK at Seflridges from today (already available worldwide online) with the official launch of the Daisy Dares You Music Tee. Already in charge of a fantastic music label in LA, called Invisible DJ - more info here - they came up with the, may I say, GENIUS idea of creating great tees - and by great I mean perfect cut, soft, slouchy - with a difference. I know that The Revelation of perfecting the good ol' Tee is as original a concept in LA as every waiter carrying a script they wrote in their back pocket but this is quite different.

Each tee is a collaboration with an artist and features their artwork on the front, always a playlist on the back - often scribbled - and a specially designed tag with a code that allows you to download said artist's album online, all for the price of one tee. The tee and the music in one! Genius, no?! The guys have already collaborated with a fantastic lineup of artists from Mos Def and Devendra Banhart to The Plasticines as well as putting together their own compilations - one of which features artwork created by yours truly's boyfriend.

And did I mention they're great guys?!

All images by The Music Tee.

I HEART: Mulberry's AW10 Bag-nanza!

2010-06-09T11:19:00.000+01:00

I know. Bag-nanza? Shameful but there you have it. I'm busy getting ready for a last-minute trip to the homeland but these neglected pics from Mulberry's AW10 press day, that actually took place in a bygone era, were staring at me so bag-nanza it is. I promise I will not repeat it ever again. I really loved Mulberry's AW10 show - more here - and its ever-expanding RTW part especially. I must admit to not paying that much attention to the bags themselves back in February - I blame this one! - but at their press day I got close, I admired, I made a to-buy list that will never materialise and clicked away on my little camera while merrily chatting to lovely Jeremy about the interview with Emma Hill I had just done for Ponystep and sipping champagne. Hence the...well, slightly 'off' pics. The theme was Valley of the Dolls after all and I believe these do that justice!

Can you read the "We believe in tea and cake" inscription?

All images by moi.

FRANCOPHILIA: La Maison LV c'est chic!

2010-05-26T17:51:00.002+01:00

The brand sparkling new Louis Vuitton Maison in London will be open to le public this Friday and following last night's epic sounding opening party - Anjelica Huston and Donna Summer in the same room! - today was a chance for press to be given le grand tour (oh oui, the mock french will go on and on). The space is incredible, vast, full of merchandise, art and trinkets to look at and yet light and intimate, all thanks to Mr Marino, of course. Think of it as walk through a friend's beautiful apartment or more precisely your friend Marc Jacob's apartment. I have a lovely book full of info on the store but as I can't wait to post some images it will have to wait. I think these speak for themselves. Oh, and pardon for the small size, in typical Kiki fashion my camera's battery ran out before the first shot was taken so these come courtesy of le Blackberry. Prepare for a Louis Vuitton image marathon!

Louis Vuitton 17-20 New Bond Street, London

I HEART: Bionda Castana for AW10!

2010-05-26T12:16:00.001+01:00

I love it when 'things happen'! When circumstances bring people together, create exciting collaborations or simply people/groups/companies get to help each other out. Earlier this year, I was lending Sasha a helping hand getting together a last-minute wardrobe for her various press events. There I was trying to find some make-everyone-stop-and-pay-attention shoes for her when I remembered a lovely email I'd received the day before from Natalia Barbieri introducing me to her gorgeous label Biona Castana (yes, I do live in a parallel universe and had never heard of the it before!) It was perfect! Chic yet not boring or bland, high heels that are actually comfortable - Natala later told me they cut the ankle length a bit higher to provide extra support! - and stunning enough to take S from photo shoot to Fashion Week and London to Copenhagen. A match made in heaven!

I also got to have a sneaky preview at their AW10 collection and needless to say, I love it! Here are some of my favourite pieces along with a quick Q&A with Natalia on setting up the label with her friend and business partner Jennifer Portman, ensuring that covetable 'Made in Italy' stamp and collaborating with some of London Fashion Week's most exciting names! Enjoy.

Natalia, how did Bionda Castana start? I know that Jennifer and yourself met at University, studying a subject unlikely to lead to luxury shoe design!

We have both loved shoes since we can remember – and always high heels. We studied Business degrees at University, so although not a fashion course, we learnt the basics of how to set up our own business so we chose shoe design! We had always dreamt of creating a shoe brand whose designs were wearable, elegant and consist of classic shapes with a modern edge. We both knew we had designs and concepts that needed to be unleashed to the public and that was first and foremost the drive to set up the label.

Quality seems to be a key part of the label's DNA and all shoes are made in Italy.
One of our core values is premium quality and the “Made in Italy” stamp is of great importance to us as it reaffirms the quality, care and authenticity of manufacture as a pledge to our customers.

You're known for your timeless designs and high heels. Is this something you're keen to continue as part of your signature or will you play around with new shapes and will we see a Bionda Castana flat?

Funny you should ask me that as for next spring we’ll be introducing flats to our collection. We feel it’s the next step for the brand as effectively we do want to design shoes for everyone…and not everyone wears high heels.

I love the AW10 collection! It seems to have more edge than previous seasons, especially with all the studs/rivets and cut-out shapes. What were your thoughts while designing it?
AW10 was really all about experimentation, staying feminine, a lot of intricate detailing and breathing life into classic fabrics. We wanted this collection to really make a statement all the while remaining true to our to our distinctive brand identity. As with our other collections, we aim to produce utterly desirable pieces that last well beyond one season but I think the introduction of the platform and 12cm heel made the feel of the collection edgier in itself.

You're also collaborating with a few different designers, like David Koma. Is that exciting and what's next for the brand?

It’s a great feeling to work with Ready-To-Wear designers that you hold in such high regard, and it’s even nicer when you have the same vision of what is required by them. We also collaborated with Jenny Packham and Gabriele Colangelo, which showed how diverse our designs can be and how they can cross over. We’re looking forward to our SS11 collaborations….but you’ll have to watch this space. I can’t reveal anything as of yet!

Can't wait!

BLOG BLESS AMERICA: Still dreaming about Gallo!

2010-05-25T18:40:00.001+01:00

Rest assured dear readers, the end is not nigh; please continue sipping your tea, eating your crumpet, reading something else much more interesting! Yes, the Earth keeps spinning and I haven't blogged for ages - again. Yet, despite the frightening fact the lunch I'm writing about here took place something close to two months ago (arghhh!!!) I'm still thinking about it and this may be the only reason required for blogging about anything!

Part of my California trip with Basso & Brooke for Grazia Daily (here and here) included a visit to one of the Gallo family's vineyards - the world's largest privately owned winery, a wine tasting session accompanied by Gina Gallo, granddaughter of Julio Gallo - who alongside his brother Ernest founded the company in 1933, and a taste-bud-exploding lunch so fresh we may as well have been sitting among the vines. As it turns out, we were in this beautiful room, the wine tasting session was fascinating, my first, but please do not expect any notes on the wines we tasted. They were all delicious and palette-enhancing but two months later I'm still thinking about the greener than green olives and Gallo olive oil we had. I intend to track it down.

Glass vases full of earth from the various family vineyards. See how their colours vary?

A lot of wine, professional tasting note printouts, a lovely pen and yet mine remained pretty blank!

A beautiful tiled large table set right outside our room overlooking the vineyard below. Sadly, the Sonoma Valley's sunshine hadn't burnt through the clouds yet so my pics don't make the stunning surroundings any justice!

Oh, the lunch! The Gallo ladies that joined us must have been worried we poor Londoners have no access to fresh fruit and vegetables because we ate those olives - sooooo green! - dunk fresh bread in olive oil so tasty and when our starter of gnocchi, cherry tomatoes and baby vegetables arrived we gasped with delight!

For main, we had beautifully roasted lamb with orzo pasta, asparagus and amazing bay leaf crisps!

By the time our dessert arrived, I was interrogating the Gallo ladies on how on Earth did they get to work in this beautiful place and eat this food and get to taste 300 million wines each day whilst remaining knowledgeable, composed and professional! I can't remember their answer - if there was one - because the orange sorbet and slice of yummy cake I had in front of me was calling me. All very Joan of Arc but with a much better ending!

And to finish this memorable lunch, great coffee in a fantastic rooster cup! Heaven.