I must confess, I’ve been extremely slack at blogging my retro escapades for the past month. Usual excuse: far too busy with end of term assessments blah, blah, blah.  Nevertheless, a catchup is in order.

Mari Simmulson Dish

This amazing dish is one of our latest auctions finds. We bought a box full of stuff, mainly because this was in it; though Aidan has since sold many of the other objects from the box.  This dish is going nowhere though! It’s made by a Swedish potter called Mari Simmulson – very similar stuff to Bjorn Wiinblad, which is what I thought it was when I first saw it. Chuffed to bits with this, but alas, our last visit to the auction was fruitless. Perhaps after Christmas, it will pick up again.

At the start of December, as well as visiting the auction house, we had a little trip down to London, courtesy of free first class Virgin travel… I didn’t take too many pictures as we’d been only a few weeks before. However, I did take one of the supposedly ‘retro’ Christmas decorations on Carnaby Street. Note to the council: try harder.

Using stereotypically swirly-whirly-psychedelic fonts DOES NOT make for authentically retro decorations. Though top marks for the giant pink reindeer – I’ll pretend it’s a little lost roe deer…

In the 60s, Carnaby Street (and a few streets surrounding it) was a haven for revolutionary fashion and everything cool - to both hippies and mods. Like Kings Road in Chelsea, Carnaby Street was world famous for boutiques that popped up to clothe London’s most stylish people. The Beatles, The Who and the Rolling Stones all spent time on Carnaby Street, for starters.

This year’s Carnaby Street Christmas decorations are a kick-back to the 60s in celebration of its 50-year anniversary in 2010. There are acid green, neon yellow and flourescent pink trees dangling over the road and 15 giant balloons declaring “love”, “hope” “joy” etc in psychedelic fashion not to mention giant hot pink reindeer to top it all off, thanks to designer Paul Dart over at James Glancy Design Agency.

So the reason this post is late is because I was in London all day yesterday and when I got back the last thing I wanted to think about was this blog, it was time for bed!Also been having laptop problems again so that hasn’t helped ¬_¬

Anyway!This is a photo I took in the window of Play Lounge in Carnaby St. It’s what I would have posted yesterday if I could…..he’s just so cute

It is officially December, so I feel like I’m allowed to start bombarding you with Christmassy images. It’s not my fault – London just looks too cool at this time of year.

1. Huge foil balloons floating over one of my favourite places to shop.

2. Carnaby Street again (I couldn’t resist the fluoro reindeer).

3. The Natural History Museum boasts a carousel AND an ice rink.

4. Oxford street: The land of many gifts (in shops and in the sky).

5. Harrod’s is dressed up as The Emerald City, for one Christmas only.

]]> http://littlemisssunshineslife.com/2009/11/25/christmas-magic-in-london/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:37:00 +0000 littlemisssunshineinthekitchen http://littlemisssunshineslife.com/2009/11/25/christmas-magic-in-london/

Christmas is coming and London is a different city around Christmas time, turning a little bit magical.  Ice skating, Fabulous Lights, Window Displays, Shopping, Mulled Wine (not on the street, I’m painting a story of Copenhagen here, lets rein it in a bit!)   Anyway, it’s not quite as fairytale perfect as Copenhagen, with open braziers, chestnuts, mulled wine, fabulous markets and lights, but it rocks Christmas in an urban kind of way.

I walked down Oxford Street and down Carnaby Street the other night, happily being a snappy snap tourist in my own city.  The Christmas lights twinkled above and the smell of waffles and caramelised peanuts mingled with the crisp night air, making the madness of Oxford Street a little bit enchanted, yes, even with the crowds! 

I decided to accomplish a flanerie adventure I’ve been meaning to embark on for a while now: Primrose Hill and Village.  I decided to head up by bus–my newly preferred method of transit as I realize that my days in London are numbered and I want to soak up as much of it as I can, something that is less successfully accomplished while ‘gophering’ on the tube.  My first task was soaking in the panoramic views from atop the Hill; second, strolling through the quaint village at my leisure, including stops into Primrose Hill Books, an adorable children’s bookshop (Tales on Moon Lane), the famous Primrose Bakery, and tea time at The Engineer.  All in all, extremely successful, as the photos below will hopefully prove.

On my way south through London I made a quick pit-stop at Carnaby Street for its Christmas Light Switch-On.  Famous for embodying the heart of “Swinging London,” the theme reflected the 40th anniversary of the decade in which the street became immortalized.

Some of the UK’s hottest graffiti talent – End Of The Line – have teamed up with G-Shock in anticipation of the release of James Cameron’s predicted smash hit movie Avatar and done two amazing pieces on the outside of the signature Carnaby Street store in London. Check out the video:

If you like their work, check out their website -  www.endoftheline.net as they have an exhibition starting next week.

Also if you like the track in the background, its called “Sanity for Sanctuary” and is taken from the limited edition Extended Play EP which Lazy Habits will be releasing in Spring 2010.

And I recommend that you go and see this band live when they support Charli 2na (of Jurassic 5) on Wednesday 2nd December 2009 @ Cargo in London.  For tickets check www.seetickets.com

My appearance in More mag as Ryan a 22 year old North Church roast lover with a girlfriend. Why does the fella to my right get a bigger picture?

A few weeks ago a friend of mine informed me that my photo was in More magazine, no I’d never heard of it either, which is strange as I was most definitely in it. However I seemed to make my star periodical appearance more in body than soul. I say this as last time I checked I wasn’t a 22 year old bloke called Ryan from North Church whose girlfriend made him a cracking roast dinner last Sunday. Granted I am 22, but I haven’t had a girlfriend in years, I have no clue where North Church is and I’m certainly not called Ryan (I thought only pro footballers were allowed to be called Ryan?).

What had begun as an innocent way to waste time on Carnaby Street a month ago by agreeing to have my photo taken and talk to two fairly attractive ladies had ended up in face theft. They had literally stolen my face and spun me into some media friendly spouse with a penchant for roast dinners, how dare they, I felt like John Travolta in that crap film.

It turned out that, bar a massive coincidence, this was a case of clumsiness over malice on More magazine’s part. The lucky fellow to my right was apparently Rob, 22 from Hereford and the best thing a partner has ever done for him was (get ready ladies) left a double cheeseburger outside his university halls room once. What I actually said was she had put another burger on the bottom of the double cheeseburger; the romance lay in that third burger. Cheers More magazine for not only stealing my face but also slaying the one nice thing a partners ever done for me. What’s romantic about a double cheeseburger?

Barbie gets Louboutins and now the famous bunny gets Deacon. If you haven’t spotted the ad whilst reading the paper on the dreaded commute in the morning, where have you been hiding (sleeping)? To coincide with the launch of Cadbury’s Caramel nibbles, the bunny got a makeover- poker dot style! Admire her fashion sense? Well now you get the chance to dress like her.

Don’t all rush at once to the pop-up store at Carnaby Street though, as it’s strictly window-shopping only. Keep your nose to the social media stomping ground for clues, as these limited scarves are only available through the World’s first digital pop-up shop, which will pop up on numerous fashion blogs this Friday.

Teaming the Cadbury’s brand with the mighty Giles Deacon and creating a limited edition product, is bound to generate a buzz around Caramel nibbles. Not being able to queue up for the scarf (I’m thinking Jimmy Choo for H and M in a few weeks) is going to engage the audience. Turning it into a fashion blog treasure hunt- genius!

So praise to Cadbury’s for realising that integrating Social Media and ‘Traditional Marketing’ is the way forward.

So go on, give it a go…I’ve already got mine!

http://www.nibblesboutique.com/

After showing minimal Swedish style and the evolution of underwear this year, the Fashion and Textile Museum has gone back to its favourite era to honour the influential but somewhat overlooked, Foale and Tuffin.

Sixties design legends Mary Quant, Ossie Clark and Biba are considered the leaders of the swinging London style movement, but those that were lucky enough to be there will remember that Foale and Tuffin was ‘what cool girls wore’.

Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin played a major part in London’s ‘Youthquake’ and were the label to be seen in by the Mod girls of Carnaby Street and posh bohemians on the King’s Road.  Replicating couture by Paris-based designers like Dior and Balenciaga was the most likely career route for RCA graduates, but Foale and Tuffin wanted to break out and create their own functional but stylish clothes for Britain’s new independent and free-spirited girls.

Foale and Tuffin’s designs have an apparent femininity and innocence, but there is no key formula to their style.  They have gone from creating pop and sports-inspired shift dresses to moody, Bloomsbury-style smocks with wallpaper prints in dark ochre and bottle green.

Wandering round the exhibition, I felt a bit nostalgic for all my handmade childhood clothes, which were obviously inspired by Foale and Tuffin. There were look-a-likes of my beloved purple wool coat with grey corduroy lapels from when I was four years-old and my dark floral smock dresses.  Even the sixties soundtrack being played reminded me of Sunday afternoons spent having fittings and playing with the mannequin in my grandma’s sewing room.

For the exhibition, they have recreated the Foale and Tuffin boutique, workroom and design studio. You can see their exquisite sketches and illustrations, their sewing table and patterns and images of models like Twiggy wearing their clothes on the covers of Vogue, ELLE and Harper and Queen.

 Foale and Tuffin’s influence on fashion is still evident today – the resurgence of velvet and lace, Liberty prints, floral dresses and boyfriend jackets can be pinpointed back to their collections.  Psych girl band Ipso Facto, VV Brown and even, dare I say, Peaches Geldof owe their style to Foale and Tuffin.

I love it that Fashion and Textile Museum hasn’t relied on drawing the big name designers to get fashion lovers through the door but has once again offered an alternative education on fashion history beyond the mainstream.  The range of garments and the fine attention to detail make it the must-see exhibition of the season – I can’t recommend it enough!

Foale and Tuffin: Made in England runs from 23 October until February 2010.  Ticket prices are £6.50 for adults, £3.50 for students and concessions, free entry for under 12s.

Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF

British Museum (detalle)

Fleet River Bakery

Comenzamos el segundo día de estancia en Londres con un buen desayuno en la Fleet River Bakery (un local con tres habitaciones muy acogedoras, en diferentes niveles), donde se puede tomar desde una macedonia de frutas con yogur hasta el típico desayuno inglés (y todo casero).

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Sir John Soane's Museum

A pocos metros del café estaba nuestra primera parada cultural del día: el increíble Museo de Sir John Soane. La casa-museo del famoso arquitecto es un laberinto de objetos de arte y arquitectura que le dejan a uno con la boca abierta (una de mis escasas compras fue un libro espléndidamente editado sobre el museo).

Más tarde, fuimos dando un paseo hasta Lambs Conduit St. (calle que descubrí por la revista Monocle), una preciosa calle peatonal llena de preciosas tiendas de todo tipo: restaurantes, peluquerías, fruterías, tiendas de bicicletas, etc. Entre todas esas tiendas está Persephone Books, una librería que edita exquisitamente los libros que vende, donde nos detuvimos para comprarle un regalo a Anay.

Frutería y tienda de productos ecológicos en Lambs Conduit Street

Tiendas en Lambs Conduit Street

British Museum (detalle del interior)

Lo siguiente en el recorrido del viernes fue el British Museum, que merecería la pena aunque sólo fuera por la cubierta de Foster. Pero es que, además, tiene una colección de saqueo pirata impresionante: la esculturas del Partenón, la Piedra Rosetta y otras maravillas egipcias, etc., etc. Como curiosidad, había mucha gente copiando en sus cuadernos de dibujo las esculturas del museo, y un chico tenía un cartel que ponía (en inglés): “Por favor, no me hagan fotos”.

British Museum (detalle de la cubierta de Foster)

Edificios en Bloomsbury Square y en 1 Kemble Street

Bar en el Folies-Bergère (Edouard Manet)

Salimos del British y nos dirigimos a la Somerset House (por el camino pasamos por Museum St., donde hay un patio con tiendas de lo más apetecibles (de fotografía, librerías, etc.), Bloomsbury Square y Kingsway –Fernando me descubrió un edificio muy interesante (de R. Steifert & Partners) en 1 Kemble St.– hasta llegar a Strand), para ver la Courtauld Gallery, donde uno se sorprende de la cantidad de obras espléndidas que alberga (especialmente la colección de pinturas impresionistas de Manet, Cézanne, Gauguin, etc.).

Escaleras de la Courtauld Gallery

Comimos en un McDonalds en Fleet St. (compensamos con un buen café y chocolate belga en Manon Café, en el 110 de la misma calle) y nos dirigimos después a Magma Books, en Clerkenwell Road (libros de arte, fotografía, diseño y cómics) y a Pure Groove (un café con tienda discos, donde hay actuaciones en directo, que está en West Smithfield).

Magma Books y Pure Groove

St. Paul's Cathedral

Para la tarde quedaban la catedral de St. Paul, el Millenium Bridge de Foster y la Tate Modern (desde mi punto de vista, uno de los pocos museos de arte moderno que es brillante tanto en continente como en contenido).

En la Tate Modern había una exposición de arte Pop (Pop Life), pero yo ya había visto dos muy similares en contenido (una de ellas, Pop Art, la vi en 1992 en la Royal Academy of Arts), así que nos dedicamos a ver la exposición permanente (Picasso, Giacometti, Pollock, etc.) y a disfrutar del fantástico edificio (la instalación de la sala de turbinas no me gustó nada, pero quizá fue el recuerdo de la fantástica instalación de Olafur Eliason de 2003 (The Weather Project) el que hizo que la actual me pareciera tan mala).

La catedral de San Pablo vista desde el Millenium Bridge

Exterior e interior (sala de turbinas) de la Tate Modern

Fernando, delante de la Tate Modern, esperando a que yo terminara de hacer fotos (¡qué paciencia tiene!)

Millenium Bridge con St. Paul al fondo

Liberty

Terminadas las visitas culturales, finalizamos el viernes con un paseo por Carnaby Street (tiendas de zapatillas, MUJI, Liberty, Supersuperficial –una tienda de camisetas–, etc.) y las calles cercanas del Soho, y con una fantástica cena en Ping Pong, un asiático de moda (siempre hay cola) especializado en Din Sum (el Char Sui Bun está simplemente espectacular).

Continuará…

Oficina de Turismo, junto a la catedral de San Pablo

Asakusa Jinta’s live street perfomance outside Lomography Gallery Store

Unfortunately this won’t involve an actual trip to NYC (sigh), instead I’ll be heading down to Carnaby Street. Throughout October independent boutiques from New York’s Lower East Side have set up two pop-up shops in Carnaby Street’s Newburgh Quarter. US shops taking part in this Wish You Were Here Swap include vintage shop Hairy Mary’s Vintage and intriguing fashion label  In God We Trust.

Add to this a New York food market and I’m sold. Someone please give me a Greencard!

A Rolling Stone may gather no moss, but sure attracts an entourage

(Screen Media) Leo Gregory, Paddy Considine, Ben Whishaw, Monet Mazur, Tuva Novotny, David Morrissey, Amelia Warner, Luke de Woolfson. Directed by Stephen Woolley

Brian Jones (Gregory) was the driving factor in the formation of the Rolling Stones. Flamboyant and excessive, he symbolized the band in the eyes of many but as his drug use escalated and his creative contributions decreased, he also came to symbolize the pitfalls of fame and drug abuse.

The movie begins Sunset Boulevard-like with Jones’ body at the bottom of his pool. The rest of the film is told in flashback fashion, chronicling Jones’ early resistance to authority and his love for the blues, leading him to form a band along with Mick Jagger (de Woolfson) and Keith Richards (Whishaw).

The group eventually gains enormous success which leads to excess. Experimentation with psychedelic drugs, some with girlfriend Anita Pallenberg (Mazur) and sexual encounters with both men and women begin to dominate Jones’ life. Bouts of occasional cruelty (he is depicted beating up Pallenberg in a scene where Richards comes to her rescue) lead the band to abandon him in Morocco. The rift between the rest of the Stones grows wider although Jones at times tries to make amends.

He buys a rambling country estate once owned by author A.A. Milne of the Winnie the Pooh series. His manager Tom Keylock (Morrissey) links him up with Frank Thorogood (Considine), a morose World War II veteran, to help renovate the property. As it turns out, Thorogood isn’t much of a contractor, but his true role is to act as a babysitter for Jones, whose increasing unreliability has put a strain on the band. Eventually, Thorogood begins to do drugs with Jones, leading him to become something of a pet for Jones who treats him with casual cruelty, but Thorogood – now addicted to the lifestyle – accepts this behavior with minimal resentment.

Soon, Brian’s antics become too much for the band and they fire their founding father. It’s also suggested that his flamboyant lifestyle was bleeding money from the band – Jones was virtually broke when he died. Jones is also growing tired of Thorogood and gives him the sack as well, leading to a final confrontation at the swimming pool.

This is a fictional account of the life and death of Jones, although there are many incidents based on fact depicted here. The depiction of Jones as a somewhat schizophrenic character who could be kind and gentle one moment, cruel and narcissistic the next jives with contemporary accounts of the guitarist.

British character actor Gregory takes on the role of Jones and does as good a job with it as can be expected. The real-life Jones is a deeply polarizing character to the rock and roll community in general and the Rolling Stones camp in particular. He remains enigmatic even to those who knew him well; capturing someone like that on film is nearly impossible but Gregory takes a noble crack at it. He certainly has the look down pat.

Considine is also good as Thorogood. His performance is more understated than Gregory’s, so when Thorogood snaps it is jarring and surprising, a nice bit of work that adds some spice to the film.

There is a great deal of sex and drugs here but somewhat incongruously very little rock and roll. Although it’s never stated, it seems logical that the surviving Rolling Stones divorced themselves completely from this project and lent little or no co-operation to it. Although the band is central to the film’s story, none of their music is used in the movie and it is a cover band called the Counterfeit Stones that supplies music credited to the band, although it is not music written by the band but blues songs that they covered early in their career.

The filmmakers do a nice job of capturing the mid-60s with the glory of Carnaby Street and the underlying seediness of drug and alcohol abuse. Deliberately under-lighting some of the scenes gives an air of watching period Super-8 footage instead of a modern feature film.

The film asserts that Thorogood on his deathbed in 1994 confessed to murdering Jones, although this has never been confirmed. However, there is enough evidence that has come to light that in August 2009 the police have re-opened the investigation into Jones’ death, which is still as of this writing officially a “death by misadventure.”

The tragedy of Brian Jones demise would be the first of many rock and roll casualties. The characterization of Jones as a deeply troubled young man who had squandered his talent resonates with modern audiences nicely. It is unlikely that the Stones would ever co-operate with a film on the life of Brian Jones, so we’ll probably never get a definitive biography of the man. This is a shame because the glimpses we get into his psyche are tantalizing.

WHY RENT THIS: Brian Jones is a fascinating figure and while it is unlikely we’ll ever get a definitive biography of him this will do. Nice performances by Gregory and Considine; the movie carries an extreme amount of sex appeal. The 60s are captured nicely both in look and feel.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The music of the Rolling Stones is sadly missing here, so we don’t get much of a context as to Jones’ contributions to the band. The movie dwells a bit too much on some of Jones’ addictions.

FAMILY VALUES: Lots of nudity both male and female, much sexuality and a copious amount of drug use.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: This is the first directorial effort for Woolley, a writer-producer who also worked on the 1994 film Backbeat which chronicled the fifth Beatle, Stu Sutcliffe who passed away shortly after being fired from his band.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: None listed.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

TOMORROW: Knowing

A transatlantic experience linking two like-minded destinations: London’s Newburgh Quarter and New York’s Lower East Side. An event unlike any other, the ‘Wish You Were Here’ swap is about an exchange of cultures, lifestyles and attitudes.

Hosted within multiple pop-up shops, the exchange of 30 independent boutiques will also feature a host of parties, events & performances that bring each city to life.

This evening (Thursday October 8th) will see participating stores in the Newburgh Quarter stay open until 9pm and exclusively offer 20% off purchases. You can register for your discount here.

55DSL are participating and I will be DJing at their flagship store on Newburgh Street (of Carnaby Street) from 6pm onwards, so pop along to say hi.

October has gained official Americana status for Carnaby Street fashionistas as the Wish You Were Here cross Atlantic fashion swap officially hits our London streets this month.

Two pop-up stores in the cobbled streets of the Newburgh Quarter are, for one month only, showing off the wares of 12 specially selected Lower East Side Manhattan boutiques as part of a fashion exchange – of which the London leg hit NYC earlier this year.

Being the New York obsessive that I am, I dropped into the stores last weekend on the launch day with a few girlfriends. Despite the ‘launch weekend’ not having quite the atmosphere billed (and competing somewhat with the ludicrous crowds queuing for the Friends cafe down the road), I was really impressed with the threads on display.

And the best bit? Tonight for one evening only (5-9pm), they are offering a 20% discount across the collections. You just have to register HERE. Get involved. 

Click for enlarged Google map

Top picks from me:

In God We Trust (8, Newburgh Street) – my favourite collection, from Brooklyn designer and owner Shana Tabor. Think Blair Waldorf on her first college internship at a fashion house. Highlights for me were the smart silk fitted dresses with satin finish - in black with gold button detail and a vivid purple – and a high-necked rich cream wool cropped dress that would look killer with black tights and skyscraper heels.

Ernest Sewn (3, Lowndes Court) – the denim brand bought over. Not inordinately expensive for boutique jeans, the collection showed a good range of denim hues and cuts, with a cute touch of a trademark Ernest Sewn handkerchief tucked in the back pocket. Unfortunately (at least in the range shipped over) there was no variation in leg length, but if you check out the website you’ll see the extent of cuts usually available.

Adrienne’s & Gina de Silva (3, Lowndes Court) – one gorgeous dress that I am heading to purchase this very evening (if y’all don’t get there first). Gina’s family business, Adrienne’s is actually a boutique bridal salon, hence the dress in question is reasonably bridal inspired; almost knee-length, fitted with a beautiful cream lace atop a darker underlay. Summer garden party perfect, but adaptable for smart evening do’s throughout the A/W season too.

Hairy Mary’s Vintage & Design (3, Lowndes Court) – a cute collection of vintage inspired (and sometimes genuinely vintage) dresses. Pretty, eclectic print fabrics, mostly strapless and tucked in at the waist with built in striped waistbands. And random fact: some lines and accessories appeared in the latest series of Ugly Betty.

And finally, in the basement of the 8 Newburgh Street branch, the WYWH team have installed a temporary art gallery. Not hugely inspirational, there is one piece definitely worth a visit: Julia Chiang’s giant heart installation, created from hundreds of individually wall-mounted candy rings, dripping with sugar sweetness down the wall. Literally, a labour of love:

(c) Julia Chiang

Candy rings. Seriously. Hundreds of them.

A quick post to let you all know that I am still alive. Barely perhaps, sore throat, not enough sleep, too much traveling and walking around all day, not enough coffee, not enough vegetables and fruits and definitely missing my boy and Sydney. But alive nonetheless.

I will be traveling around Europe for the next month or so then head off to the US of A! Woot! I will try to bring you some more street fashion from Europe in the mean time, but don’t hold your breath and count on my sore throat. Nothing promised, but I’ll try.

For now, let’s do bold patterns and florals! I went and bought the Christopher Kane for Topshop killer croc dress, how could I resist wearing these giant teeth, awesomeness.

PS. Yesterday I went to the opening of Paris Uniqlo, all for the +J, Jill Sander for Uniqlo collection and I didn’t leave empty handed. I’ve always always liked Jill Sanders designs but like most people, her clothes were of course out of reach but now alas I had a chance and I clutched at it with my 2 little paws.

I took almost a whole afternoon to find and buy the 1 perfect black peacoat thanks to the crazy queues (queues to get in, queues at the changing rooms and then queues at the paying counters). The collection is very Jill Sander, though the trench coats and skirts didn’t excite me much, but coats and jackets though are perfect for this season.

I am officially happy and ready to hit the NY winter now

… or at least they will, from tomorrow.

In a classic example of inspired experiential marketing, the promoters of the shiny new DVD box-set of every Friends episode *ever*, have opened an actual Central Perk cafe this week in the heart of London’s funky Carnaby Street shopping zone. And all hooked around the 15th anniversary of the hit TV show.

Taking out half page adverts in today’s Metro, thereby guaranteeing almost every Londoner’s attention, WarnerTV advertised the grand opening along with two calls to action: buy the DVD box-set and get yourself a free cup of coffee in the meantime.

Because, not content with the novelty value alone drawing in the crowds, the promoters have also posted a free-cup voucher online for Friends fans to download and spend offline.

Love it. Launch party was tonight – looking forward to seeing the stories of round-the-block queues that are bound to dominate Friday’s London press after the first day of opening.