The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

Have you heard about the Smirnoff Exchange Project?? It sounds really awesome. In a nutshell, Smirnoff are looking to create a once in a lifetime, nightlife experience, simultaneously across 14 cities around the world. Each city will contribute ideas as to what constitutes a good night out, with food, music, fashion and dancing all must have elements. Once all this info is collated, the project team will exchange it with another city, to complete this global culture event on 27th November. Check out the idea exchange on facebook to see what people have come up with so far (UV bodypaint seems to be popular!) and to add your own thoughts. 

Participating cities - Sydney, Cape Town, Sao Paolo, Rio, Toronto, Caracas, London, Berlin, Miami, Mumbai, Dublin, Beirut, Warsaw, Buenos Aires, Bangkok. 

London in a bag...

I had my eye on this for a while, as it just looked so cute, so I was really chuffed when the man surprised me with it last week. It's from the really cool Southbank Centre Shop, next to the Festival Hall. If you ever need to find a cool gift then I recommend you check this place out, as it’s full of original designs and artsy bits and pieces. As you can see, my new toy kept me very amused on the train home!

Paul Smith Podcast

The podcast of the Paul Smith: Design at Work interview, (held at the Apple Store three weeks ago) is now available to download from iTunes...and it's free! It really is worth a look. Not only is the man a genius designer, he's also really nice with a brilliant sense of humour. Sit back and enjoy!

Best Of British Pt3

Teddy Bears Picnic...an institution...and not just for kids!

Thames boat ride by night

In all my years living here, I have never got round to taking a boat trip down the Thames…until this week that is! As an alternative to a packed tube station we decided to jump on the next river service from North Greenwich to Waterloo…oh and what fun we had! The views were stunning and the boat was surprisingly fast…plus there is a bar on board - what more could you want?! As you will see from the photos, a tripod would have come in handy (as well as less alcohol in the system!), but I still think these fuzzy snaps have a nice quality to them…

Best of British Pt2

Here are some more photos celebrating all that is Best of British, with these images capturing the quaint, kooky and of course the good old cuppa! With a nod to the 'make do and mend' movement of the war torn 40's, I love the way re-cycling objects for a use other than their original purpose, has become so cool. It's been years since I actually put flowers in a vase, preferring anything from buckets to old wellies!

So, I have never actually danced around a Maypole...but it is very British. Will make an effort to find one next Summer!

I love this eccentric take on afternoon tea.

Rob Ryan - The Stars shine all day too - Exhibition

Oh I love Rob Ryan...have done for a while now, so I was really excited to hear about a new exhibition of his work, starting this November, at The Air Gallery on Dover Street. For all you Rob Ryan newbies out there, his work is made up of delicate, whimsical prints and hand-made paper cuts (amongst other desirable bits and pieces), showcasing his wonderful way with words and beautiful illustrative stories. His unique signature combines poetry and art, in pieces that you can easily lose yourself in for hours, caught up in all the intricate details. But nothing I say can do justice to the real thing, so check out his website to indulge in his gorgeous work.

Part of 'Starry Nights' paper cut

The exhibition will be a combination of new and re-visited old works with some exciting collaborations. Earlier this year, Rob's studio was re-created within Somerset House for the Pick Me up: Contemporary Graphic Art Fair, with the man himself sitting at his desk, painstakingly working on a huge hand cut piece (and yes, as well as being hugely talented, he is also a lovely, humble man). Now, I just love to see creative people in their working environments, especially their inspiration boards, which I find so...well, inspiring! Rob Ryan's boards did not disappoint.

The exhibition is on from Monday 1st November until Saturday 20th November at The Air Gallery, 32 Dover Street...Don't miss it!

54th BFI London Film Festival

For all you film lovers out there, the BFI London film festival is nearly upon us. So if you haven't yet checked out what's on, then do it now as tickets are almost all sold out! There are some great films to be seen from all across the world, covering all genres...too many good ones to try and list them. Check out the site here and get booking!

I love the festival imagery, with the collage city scape made up of numerous film posters...can you spot Mickey Rourke?

BFI London Film Festival from the 13th - 28th Oct, in cinemas across London.

Best Of British - Pt1

During the last few years there has been a really strong Best of British vibe, which I think was only intensified by the recession, helping us to appreciate all the great things on our doorstep. This post is the first of many to visually celebrate all things British, such as the good old cuppa and resurgence in afternoon tea, c(gl)amping, heritage clothing (with Christopher Bailey at the helm), age-old traditions and vintage styling. All of which are constantly updated for the 21st Century.

Expect to see a lot more love for these Great British Isles and our style in the run up to 2012. Why not start with Luella Bartley’s new book Luella's Guide to English Fashion, which is out next week? Looking further ahead to 2012 (a little scary I know), the V&A have a great exhibition planned, showcasing the best of British design from 1948 – 2012 (March - August 2012). So, what does best of British mean to you??