I thought I would take an alternative approach to a gift guide this year. So don't expect categories like "for him" and "for her." It's going to be more along the lines of ....
One of the things I'm really missing at the moment is getting out and about in London. I'm still in resting mode so the closest I'm getting is going through some old photos.
But maybe I can bring the city spirit home instead?
I'm still afraid to count how many striped tops I actually own for fear of embarrassment. Still, the domination of stripes on the catwalk over the past month has made it a little easier!
Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who left a comment on my last post. It meant a lot to me reading them all, a little blog medicine perhaps.
Well some of my results are in...a brief outline is that I have permanent nerve damage throughout my digestive system. Who knows how that happened but hey ho, what's done is done. Now I'm going through another set of tests to find out what caused it.
So in the meantime, I'm still working (albeit a little slower) and taking time out for me. I think I might try my hand at baking (not that I can actually eat any of what I would be making right now) but it seems pretty therapeutic!
Firstly I should apologise for the sporadic posting recently for those of you who have stuck with this very neglected blog.
I'll explain that with the picture above, which probably deserves a translation. I haven't been well for most of the year, things have been a bit tricky whilst I've been trying to uncover what's going on inside. This culminated in a spot of keyhole surgery last week (which, by the way, sounds way too twee for something so painful) and I'm now awaiting the results.
Sooo, please bear with me. Posts might be a bit sparse for a while but I'm still here!
Take a peek here to see an interview with Scott Sternberg, designer for Band of Outsiders to see some rather humorous doodles (the Kermit one is my favourite).
I'm convinced the reason I love this Burberry tshirt so much us because the emebellishment reminds me of wooden blocks I had when I was little. I think they were to help with counting but in my case they were for building houses to consequently knock down (what can I say? I was a destructive child).
There's a plethora of Diamond Jubilee merchandise floating about at the moment. Personally I think the tackier, the better (Royal masks anyone?) but I've gone for a more subtle approach...
I'm thinking about producing this (and possibly this) as a print, what do you think? Yay or nay?
I've recently discovered a new found love for the Queen. Perhaps I'm just getting caught up in the Diamond Jubilee fever but really, anyone with a hat collection that spans a whole rainbow is worth our appreciation?
I was talked into having a cheeky cocktail last weekend (Pollen Street Social...a huge thumbs up), it was quite early in the day so I plumped for an espresso Martini with the rationale that I usually have coffee early in the day. I think my logic was a little flawed but it lessened the guilt a bit!
I checked the trusty Savoy Cocktail Book to see if it contained a recipe so I could attempt my own version. Sadly I couldn't find one but I did come across the coffee cocktail that doesn't actually contain any coffee. It's named so because it resembles coffee (boooo).
The Yolk of 1 Egg
1 Teaspoonful Sugar or Gomme Syrup
1/2 Port Wine
1/6 Brandy
1 Dash Curacao
Shake well, strain into a small wineglass and grate a little nutmeg on top
If you happen to come across early editions of one of these books I'd snap it up. They have the most wonderful covers and illustrations as well as cautionary warnings to go with some of their cocktails.
Here are a few cocktail related picks just to get you in the mood...
I've always been wary of becoming pretentious about art. I mean in the sense that you might visit a gallery, stand in front of a painting and loudly proclaim "ah yes, the red transcends the overall landscape of the sartorial references...blah blah blah."
For me something becomes a piece of art when it moves me. It makes me look, and I mean really look, at what is in front of me and wonder how someone could have created it.
This is how I view Mary Katrantzou's pieces. And I call them pieces because that is exactly what they are. Just spend a few minutes looking at one of her dresses and lose yourself in the patterns and the amount of work that must have gone into creating them. I marvel at it and more importantly, her clothes make me smile. I spend most of my day either in front of a book researching, my sketchbook or most commonly the computer screen drawing in Photoshop and Illustrator so I know the level of detail and the long hours that must have been spent creating each and every item of clothing.
