The Mayor's Thames Festival '10... saying goodbye to the summer!

What an awesome celebration of this great city! This two day, free festival on the Southbank was such a great day out, with yummy food, drink and plenty of entertainment! 

Highlights included Les Grooms, a French comedic brass band (sounds strange I know, but they were brilliant), who took audience participation to a whole new level and capitalised on every last inch of space in front of the national theatre. Check out the images below for an idea!

The jive stage outside the Tate Modern was a great place to refuel whilst admiring the dancing talent. 

There was every kind of delicious food imaginable and at reasonable prices it was a good excuse to sample as much as possible! 

As the sun set the place to be was Southwark Bridge with its trestle tables and food stalls bringing people together for a huge feast, as well as mass toasting and edible hat making! The atmosphere was great, really friendly and it was so cool to see such a diverse crowd… London at its best.

BIBA is back!

If I could travel back in time, one of the places that I would definitely visit would be the Biba store in South Kensington during the 70's. Several floors of fashion, fun, frivolity, oh and don't forget the flamingos on the roof gardens! So when I heard Biba was going to be launching a range, exclusive to House of Fraser, I just couldn't wait! Now the legend that is Barbara Hulanicki (who I have actually met in person - just wonderful!) has dabbled in projects since Biba closed in 1975, including wallpaper design for Habitat and a capsule collection for Topshop, but this sees her go back to her roots. 

The range takes inspiration and key elements from the Biba archive whilst keeping it fresh and commercial for today's market. The stand out piece for me was the maxi tiger print coat, complete with red satin lining and Biba logo buttons - to die for! Although at £395 it was a purchase I had to walk away from. When in store waiting for the changing rooms I got talking to a lovely lady, who as it turns out was a Biba shop girl in the 70s! I was awe struck! Of course I asked if she still had any originals, but as it turns out a lot of what she had has died through wear over the years and generations, but she assures me they had a happy life! 

Loved this Art Deco beaded cocktail dress.

The shop fit was decedent and true to old in gold and black. Lacquered stands, deco lamps and ostrich feather chandeliers added glamour to the second floor of the department store.

The gorgeous logo was flashed across wallpaper, labelling and coat hangers.

Vogue's Fashion's Night Out

Last night saw the fashionable and the famous descend on London's West End for Vogue's Fashion's Night Out. There were so many amazing parties and events across high street and designer stores that it made for some very ruthless decisions! The highlight for me though had to be the party at Burberry. To be sipping champagne, standing next to the must-have aviator jacket of the season, in the company of Alexandra Shulman and Christopher Bailey himself...it was like fashion heaven! The music was great, the canapes delicious, the champagne endless and everybody was just stunning! Can't wait to see what next year's event will bring. Check out some of the highlights below...

One Night Only played a great set, which saw lead singer George Craig walking in from the street, playing the guitar, decked out in Burberry finery. Fashion royalty Alexandra Shulman looks on from the crowd.

Matthew Williamson re-created a Moroccan Souk in his Bruton Street store, accompanied by live music and delicious cocktails.

Motown & Soul flowed through the Liberty's store...

...with a pop up Manolo Blahnik shoe shop taking centre stage on the ground floor. The man himself was on hand to sign purchases and even though I wasn't allowed a photo, it was enough just to catch a glimpse of the genius designer.    

Princi...bread heaven

If, like me, you are a bread monster or you have a weakness for cakes, then pop your head around the door of Princi on Wardour Street. This great Milanese style café/bar is the brainchild of the wonderous Alan Yau, who brought us the likes of Wagamama and Hakkasan. There is an on site bakery that produces a mouth watering selection of wheat goodies, as well as delicious pasta and salad dishes - all at reasonable prices. It's a great place to read the papers on a Sunday with a cappuccino and cake, as a treat for lunch or even for a late night snack and glass of wine on a Friday, when it's buzzing with Soho revellers. I kept the photos to a minimum as not to spoil the element of surprise when you walk in and clock the counter. Here is something to get your mouth watering though...

My perfect city car...

Walking through Soho last week my heart skipped a beat as I saw my first love swing around the corner... a beautiful, ochre Fiat Cinquecento! Oh the joy... I nearly dropped my camera in all the excitement! I have been in love with this small but perfectly formed car for as long as I can remember and think it makes for a perfect city ride. You don't see many in this country but they are everywhere in Italy and in the most delicious colours... 

Happy Weekend!

I have to say I am looking forward to a quiet one this weekend after the adventures of the last one...maybe just a quick drink in the local tonight! Looking ahead to next weekend though, check out the mayor's Thames Festival. A weekend of festivities along the river sounds like a great way to round off the summer to me...

The South Bank show Pt2 - Gabriel's Wharf

Yet another great area on the south bank with some cute, kooky shops and yummy eateries - a great place to visit if you are ever in need of an original, hand crafted gift. There are also some great shops just underneath the OXO Tower (next door) which are well worth a look. Another great people watching spot...just pull up a funky wooden chair!

For all you day time TV lovers out there, this is the building where 'This Morning' is filmed. Check out the one way window when you walk past and see if you recognise the view.

I love the paintwork and old advertisements above the shops.

Fashion's Night Out - Sept 08 2010

Next Wednesday sees Vogue's Fashion's Night Out come to London once more. If you missed it last year, this is a great celebration of fashion and shopping that takes place in major cities all around the world – sounds good no?? Each year, designers and retailers hold events across the city with highlights this year including... face painting and Karaoke at Mulberry, champagne, canapes and live music at Burberry with Matthew Williamson set to transform his Bruton Street store into a Moroccan Souk!

Think I will head to Chanel for the free manicure in their AW Les Khakis collection (Khaki Rose is the one for me). Then over to Liberty's to see Manolo Blahnik himself open 'World of Manolo', a pop up shop of his beautiful shoes, including new designs using vintage Liberty prints. All of this to the sounds of Motown and Soul from the in-house DJ, accompanied by specially created cocktails. I like the sound of the 'Manolo Mojito'! Check out vogue.co.uk for more details and to start planning your itinerary!

Image via Vogue.co.uk. Limited edition tote bag designed by Sanna Annukka

Trend Alert - Surreal by name...

Surrealism is firmly on my radar as a future trend influence. There have been several key exhibitions around the world so far this year (including The Surreal House at the Barbican) and there are also two big Salvador Dali films in the making - currently stalled due to opposition from the Dali foundation. One film, simply titled ‘Dali’ is set to see Antonio Banderas in the lead role, with a second film ‘Dali and I’ due to star Al Pacino. Both films hopefully to be released in 2011. Surrealism has been a constant influence in fashion and there has been some great imagery within magazines recently. Then there was the release of Christopher Nolan’s Inception last month, with its multi-layered, surrealism-laced, dream plot. All I can say is watch this space…

Illustrations by Andrzej Klimowski for Another Magazine