Another afternoon to fill…

I decided on treating myself to the Beatles to Bowie exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery.  I again traveled via bus and stumbled upon a Ghost Forest in Trafalger Square!  The exhibit was one I was looking forward to for quite a while, despite the £9 entry fee…with a student concession, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.  The best part had to be reading all of the curator cards and recognizing not only the faces and song titles, but also the London locations where the photos were taken.  It was a great reminder that I am currently living in the city where so many of the musicians and pop icons I idolize got their inspiration, their start, and their iconic image.

After making a quick pit/tea stop at home, I enlisted Mike into heading to the Bond Noel Christmas celebration….and good thing we actually mobilized, since it ended up being one of the most surprisingly ‘worth it’ trips in London yet.  The star of the West End’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Anna Friel, was this year’s “Bond Girl” (so clever), and we inadvertently snagged a spot near the Tiffany & Co. store where she made her entrance.  The street was transformed to a winter wonderland thanks to fake snow, fir trees, and reindeer!  Besides the ridiculously aesthetically appealing high-end retail we strolled through after the switch-on, almost every store was giving away free booze and treats.  Now that’s the festive frugalista spirit!

I know food is subjective, and one person’s idea of a fabulous place to eat may be wildly different to another’s, but these Italian-inspired gems have become firm favourites when I’m in the city (and someone else is paying!).

Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen - Good old Jamie, his N1 eaterie never disappoints. Upstairs, the trattoria serves up brasserie-style food at normal pub prices, and the staff are simply the chirpiest and friendliest I’ve ever encountered. The only thing that isn’t tremendous is the cocktails, which are a little lacklustre, but what a glorious, atmospheric, cosy little place it is. (Nearest tube – Old Street)

Cecconi’s - Last time I dined at Cecconi’s I had a birdseye view of Roger Moore, suavely propping up the bar. This old-world, effortlessly glamorous Venetian restaurant sits snugly between the gorgeous old buildings of Burlington Gardens, just off Old Bond Street, and is big with the media crowd. It’s most famous for its pasta – the goats cheese ravioli is a melt-in-the-mouth treat. Frighteningly expensive though. (Nearest tube: Green Park)

Ponti’s - This is the only place exhausted shoppers should head to after a morning of bargain hunting on Oxford Street. A haven of rustic, authentic Mediterranean loveliness, Ponti’s is a teeny little cafe on Juke Street, just off the main thoroughfair, dishing up budget-friendly ladels of nourishing minnestrone soup and huge plates of pasta. The comedian Lee Mack was tucking in last time we went. (Nearest tube: Bond Street)

Cipriani - The treat of all treats. You’d be hard-pressed not to spot a famous face in Cipriani’s – Matt Damon was just leaving as I entered, looking very contented, and Sarah Ferguson and Naomi Campbell are regulars. This Mayfair restaurant is worth a trip purely for a sip of the incredibly moreish Peach Bellini’s invented by their sister restaurant, the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice. The food is authentic, Italian and delicious, and they do things with fresh pasta and cheese that you wouldn’t believe! It’s as frighteningly expensive as Cecconi’s, but as a one-off, absolutely worth it! (Nearest tube: Bond Street)

Sale e Pepe – Another Med ‘must’ – this time in Knightsbridge. It’s a hidden gem of an eaterie headed up by the smiley Tony Corricelli, and it’s one of the friendliest places you could wish to visit. The food is divine but the wine list is extroadinarily expensive. (Nearest tube: Knightsbridge)

so why is she siting on my knee

“That fellow Weston,” said Brummell, “is an inimitable fellow — a little defective perhaps in his ‘linings,’ but irreproachable for principle and button-holes. He came to London, Sir, without a shilling; and he counts more realized thousands than our fat friend does ‘frogs’ on his Brandenburg. He is not only rich, but brave; not only brave, but courteous; and not alone courteous, but candid. – Beau Brummel

Man

John Weston, Regency London’s most expensive tailor and draper to George, Prince of Wales, was frequently mentioned by Georgette Heyer in her novels. While Ms. Heyer peppered her novels with Weston’s name, I was actually unable to find much about him. This caption from the exhibit a the Museum of London, describes the greatcoat at right: 1803, tailored by John Weston of 38 Old Bond Street.

The prince was passionately interested in clothes and patronised London’s most skilful craftsmen. This slim fitting double-breasted coat, which has a silk velvet collar, is made of high quality British wool facecloth. Charles Jennens, a London button maker, supplied the gilt buttons.

The coat was discovered at Coutts Bank, where the tailor had deposited it for an unknown client, in 1956. A letter accompanying the coat described it as, ‘an exceed[ingly] good blue cloth great coat … made in ev[e]ry respect in the best manner’.

Men of fashion felt a sort of religious awe as they passed over the threshold of Weston, Brummell’s tailor, in Old Bond-street

Read more about London’s tailors at these links:

• The London Look: Fashion

• Fashioning London

• London Look: Museum of London Show

• Jean Louis Bazalgette: Fascinating biography of one of the Prince Regent’s earlier, lesser known tailors. (Cached information.)
  

We’ve decided that I can finally afford my very first CHANEL handbag!

But how much am I likely to pay in a CHANEL Boutique? The prices vary online all over – and theres never any prices in boutiques/online! I just want to make sure that when we go in to play with the bags and finally purchase my dream handbag, that I indeed have enough money in the joint bank account;o haha

I’m going classic for my first bag; I’m lusting for the 2.55 in Caviar leather… I’d like a jumbo one, so how much is this going to set us back?

-An image of beauty, perfection and what an investment!

Also, which is the best boutique to go to in London? I heard Bond St, but arent there 2 Bond Streets? New Bond Street and Old Bond Street?

Ms. Judy Pink

Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon, Bath, England

(photo by Mindful Writer, 2008)

21 June 2008

LONDON CALLING

JOLLY GOOD

At Minerva Graphics, which is just off Old Bond Street in Bath, England, I bought a sketch journal and a folio. An elderly couple were watching me as I fumbled with my umbrella and my backpack, fishing for pounds in the pocket. When I spoke, they nodded in recognition, as if to say, “I knew she was an American.”

The couple asked me where I was from.

“New Mexico,” I replied.

“How do you like this weather?” the woman asked. “A pity,” she said, answering her own question by way of apologizing in that way the British have of taking their national welcoming committee responsibilities seriously. She said “pity” like it had two t’s.

“I love it,” I said.

There was rain in my hair and a dampness soaking through my raincoat. My umbrella glistened.

“In New Mexico, all we get is warm and sunny. Or hot and sunny. Sometimes we get hot and sunny and windy. Or warm and sunny and windy.”

Her husband trained a steady gaze on me. I detected a slight turn of a smile.

The woman waited for me to indicate I was joking.

“Really,” I said. “It’s so rare that it rains in the desert that when you get a day like this, it’s refreshing. A joy.”

Turning to the man, I said. “We have 330 days of sunshine a year. We wish for days like this.”

The woman fluttered a forced smile. The man stood like whittled wood. I was aware of being a curiosity.

Finally, the woman said, “I guess when you live with one, you yearn for the other.” She spoke more certainly now, having located the solid ground of politeness. “We’re always thinking about what we have too much of.”

“It’s really wonderful,” I said. I noticed the rose in the man’s cheeks, which hung long from his cheekbones. His eyes were blue and watery. He was starting to look like a teacup. “I plan to enjoy it as much as I can.”

“You do that,” said the woman, cheered now. “Have a jolly good day.”

I’ve always wanted to hear someone say that.

In which The Gay Recluse posts news and analysis from our U.K. correspondent, The London Eye.

Today we received this missive from The London Eye:

Dear Gay Recluse: Here are a few more London statues… Even though we’re not eligible for awards, we want the United States to know that our statues are HERE, our statues are QUEER, and our statues are IN YOUR FACE.

Hmm. We understand that The London Eye (who we have reason to believe is a closeted football fan, by which we don’t mean “soccer”) is trying to taunt us with this schoolyard language, but we nevertheless remain quite sensitive to the issue! (And as we all know, The London Eye is not one to deliver empty threats.) Let’s ponder the evidence. (Our language — in case it wasn’t obvious — in itals.)

1. FDR and Churchill on Old Bond Street.

While cruising for anonymous sex, FDR inadvertently picks up Winston Churchill. (They’re both relieved that Stalin isn’t around, since he tends to play a little too rough.)
NUDE – No
GAY – Yes
HOT – No

Excellent analysis, London Eye! Also, because this statue is not very hot, we are not particularly disturbed by its “tiny size.”

2. “Homage to Leonardo” in Belgrave Square.

This image looks hot on paper, but creepy in three dimensions.
NUDE – Yes
GAY – Yes
HOT – No

Yikes. Creepy is right. We’re not sure which is less hot: having eight arms and legs or that haircut!? We wouldn’t want to run into this guy in a dark alley, that’s for sure.

3. “Eros” in Piccadilly Circus

Description: What could be more “erotic” than the hot little twink himself? (Actually, this statue was intended to represent Eros’ twin Anteros, the personification of unrequited love. But that’s even hotter, for some reason.)
NUDE – Yes (except for that strategically placed bit of robe)
GAY – Yes
HOT – Yes

Whoa! Nice work, London Eye! Needless to say, we’re convinced. This statue is definitely one of the gayest and most smokin’ hot we’ve seen to date. Like you said, it’s a good thing London isn’t eligible to win! You guys are truly in a different league.

Or are they? We’ve seen some pretty hot entries from the United States, and like to think that we’ve barely scratched the surface. Readers: help us prove The London Eye wrong! (We would also like to hear from our neighbors to the north and south, obviously.) Will we always be doomed to lag behind Europe in this most important measure of national identity and well-being? Stay tuned for more.