BUNNY BLOG (2)

Tonight I will mainly be drinking wine, wearing a party dress and cuddling a bunny.

Doesn't get much better.

BUNNY BLOG (1)

Introducing my godbunnies, Matilda and Barnaby Gillinson-Barrett.

My dear friend Hannah has made two extremely clever moves of late.

1) purchasing two beautiful house bunnies

2)Appointing me as their godmother, so as to avoid any jealous outbursts that would have been both inevitable and unavoidable

My new post is not one I have taken lightly. I will endeavour to instill the bunnies with a strict moral code and a strong sense of self, protect them, love them, and nurture their spiritual growth. I'm also quite excited about dressing them up.

Bunnies playing with sticks and peas. Note to self: buy bunnies better toys

Barnaby washing

Barnaby peeping

Matilda napping

How do you make wool sexy? Ask Mark Fast.

Wool is angry. Wool is sick of being stuck at the back of your cupboard, knitted unwillingly into an ugly Christmas jumper. Wool has had enough of being shunned for his brothers of statically charged man-made fibres. Wool is making a stand. Wool is giving himself a makeover - with a little bit of help from HRH and Mark Fast.

The science bit:

So these days it costs more to shear a sheep than the price you'll get for its fleece - and sheep numbers have halved in 20 years, partly because we are using less wool. Wool is hard wearing, ecological and renewable - it's not going to end up in a landfill and you can breathe easy (not only because it's hypoallergenic) because you'll be doing your bit for the planet. The Prince of Wales is heading up a wool renaissance project which is going to raise the profile of our fluffy hillside friends, and you'll see a lot of designers showcasing their woollen works in the months to come.

Science bit over. Phew!!

Mark Fast is running with a new generation of designers who are embracing wool and demonstrating it's versatility as a fabric. His creations are cool, chic and sexy and would make your ugly Christmas jumper blush. Baggy woollen fashion disasters: Look Away Now.

A basic lesson in Chemistry

Topshop Unique + Katie Grand + London Fashion Week = A veritable feast of lived-in-leather, faux fur and the chunkiest cable knit mixed with TopShop's special brand of sexy-cute dresses and boho chiffon. Add Grand's super unstyled styling and you have yourself the stuff that winter wear dreams are made of.

The only formula you need this Fall.

My wishlist

It's about time I reclaimed the knee sock. And I truly believe Jesus would have wanted me to have these. In. Every. Colour.

A lesson in pretty. The softest most innocent of dresses with the most indecent bedhead you can muster is an instant winter winner.


Casually distressed, high waisted, short with a full skirt?? Perfectly paired with knee socks?? They might as well put my name on the label.


Well i'll need something to sling over the bedhead and socks after all...

GEEK CHIC

Introducing Barbie's 125th reincarnation: Computer Engineer.

Barbie worked with both the Women's Society of Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to ensure they got her look on point; and here we see her sporting a Bluetooth ear piece, hot pink sexy specs and de rigueur binary code encrusted t-shirt - she accessorizes with a laptop and mobile phone. Barbie insist the get up is 'realistic and representative of a real computer engineer.' Hmmm. Jury's out.

LOVE comes in 6ft skinny packages

Happy Valentine's Day

The Magnificent McQueen

The news that Alexander McQueen killed himself this morning has permeated Vogue House within the last hour. The building is full of people who knew him, have worked with him, and who admire and love him. There is a general feeling of great shock and sadness.

The term is vastly overused, but McQueen really was the crowning glory of British design. A visionary. A self made man who was born in the East End of London and started out making dresses for his sisters, before leaving school at 16 to learn his trade on Saville Row. McQueen was the youngest designer to win the British Designer of the Year Award, and won it four times in seven years. He was honoured with a CBE in 2003. He was due to unveil his new collection at Paris fashion week next month.

It is always astounding to me that someone who outwardly appeared to have Everything, could be so deeply unhappy in private. It is a tragic symptom of the modern world and it reminds me of what is important, and how lucky I am.

Here are some of his beautiful designs.

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005


Alexander McQueen: 1969-2010

Crazy For Carven!

Every in-the-know fashionista and slick city trendsetter is talking about Carven - the Parisian fashion house established in 1945 and now blossoming into something new and beautiful under the watchful eye of the former Givenchy designer Guillaume Henry. Henry uses the label's 'couture-soaked history' as a foundation on which to build a collection which is 'youthful and utterly modern'.

Henry creates the ultimate capsule wardroble for Carven. Think chic. Think effortless . Think French.

LOVE HAS LANDED

Find my review of the SS 2010 edition of LOVE over at supercool transatlantic style blog SMOKE+RAIN - edited by my totally-not-biased boyfriend...

Bright Sparks

Presenting Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue - shot by Annie Leibovitz for the 16th year in a row! The pull out cover features Abbie Cornish, Rebecca Hall, Anna Kendrick, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Kristin Stewart, Emma Stone, Mia Wasikowska, and Evan Rachel Wood.

T - 1 WEEK!

See all 8 magnificent covers at http://thelovemagazineblog.wordpress.com/

A blissful pocket of time

My wonderful weekend took me by surprise, as most truly wonderful weekends do. It approached without obligation or expectation, and evolved quite organically into a blissful and luxurious pocket of time. It started Saturday morning with the arrival of Dan and blueberry pancakes. It continued when we noticed a clear and bright blue sky, and we decided it would be criminal to lounge inside all day long. We headed to Borough Market.

Borough market is one of my favourite places in the world. Especially on a beautiful winter's day, when you can warm your hands with mulled apple and pear juice (or honey and lemon in the case of a coldy Dan) and stroll around stalls of delectable delicacies with tempting tasters. Feeling carefree and slightly frivolous, we headed to Fish! for lunch. Fish! is set in a greenhouse type building in the very heart of the bustling market, with chefs whacking lobsters and battering cod infront of your very eyes. I chose a creamy, cheesy, cloying fish pie. The wine was a crisp white, and the mood was effervescent, light and happy.

A quick dash around the market before it closed armed us with supper sustenance: bread, cheese, freshly pressed apple juice and a gigantic chocolate brownie. We headed towards the river, and carried right on to Tower Bridge, where the up-lit Tower loomed at us from across the water. Flanked by modern infrastructure, it reminds me what an ancient and historic city I live in, and how magical and special that is. It was particularly special to behold through the eyes of an American, who had never ventured that way before. Familiar places become new and exciting in his company. We beat the darkness to the tube, and journeyed home with our market provisions.

Sunday morning hosted a Mad Men marathon with coffee and croissants. Morning slyly shifted into 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and so in an effort to see some daylight and exercise our languid limbs, we set off for our customary walk through Clapham Common. The ducks were treated to leftover bread, and we managed to avoid any serious altercations with Canada geese. An enviable success in the face of their vicious and unpredictable natures. The pug sighting also proved to be a highlight. We warmed up with hot chocolate in a ramshackle French bistro, and headed home to bake pasta and sip wine by candlelight in our pyjamas. It really was as lovely as it sounds. Sleep came quickly. And sadly Monday morning arrived quicker still.

Party like it's 1997

Emma and I have been friends for almost twenty years. Twenty years! I still remember the sailor dress she was wearing at my fifth Birthday party, and she still remembers the magician who pulled a real white rabbit out of his hat. Birthdays just haven't compared since. Friday night loomed and we couldn't decide what to do - and so we resorted to our childhood failsafe. The Sleepover.

The sleepover is a childhood rite of passage, and is created through certain key ingredients.

1) It is imperative that there is pizza. In 1997, this would be ordered in from Pizza Hut by an adult - in 2010 it is bought on my way home from work and served with salad. The addition of vegetables would never have passed muster with my twelve year old self, but today we require some semblance of a balanced diet. We also made the executive decision to replace bubbles in a can with bubbles in a flute. It was Friday, after all.
2) Some effort at a girly activity must be made. Be it nail painting or hair braiding. We opted for bright green facemasks that restricted all facial movement, and resulted in a squeaky clean appearance that all to eerily reflected our 1997 selves.
3) To counteract any good achieved from salad and facials, it is essential to consume ones own body weight in ice cream and sweets. Always Haagan Daaz. Always Haribo. This is non negotiable.
4) 1997 would insist upon two films. Usually Clueless, followed by The Craft. This would result in at least two girls having nightmares while the rest dreamt of vast, revolving, colour co-ordinated wardrobes. 2010 is happy with nondescript background music.
5) Gossip was essential. Secret sharing and soul baring. 2010 brings the addition of reminiscing and nostalgia.
5) The 1997 badge of honour was achieved by staying awake all night - a torturous task, and one I inevitably failed at. 2010 requires much less of the sleepover participant, and we took great pleasure in being tucked up at midnight.

The definition of good clean fun with my oldest and most treasured friend. A quite fabulous Friday.