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In 2017 I will be writing A Sentence a Day. You can read more about why here.
Today is the 20 February 2017.
Question:
On my wall hangs...
Answer:
My favourite Vogue prints (their neighbour on the opposite wall is an old Upton Park Bus Roll belonging to my husband Alex which creates an interesting juxtaposition - our interests collide).
I’m an adopted East Londoner, having lived in Walthamstow since 2008 (when I announced to my long-suffering husband, then-boyfriend, that I would be moving in with him for two weeks until I found my own place and NOT A WEEK MORE).
Fortunately for me, I never left and eight years later I’m still rinsing the life out of E17 and discovering exciting new things. Spaces including The William Morris Gallery, Central Parade and The Mill E17 have created a hub for creative thinking and working, and with the continued expansion and redevelopment it looks like the innovation just keeps on coming.
I thought I knew the ‘Stow quite well but I didn’t realise just how many creatively-minded folk actually hung out here. By the power of Instagram and my love of all things sartorial, I recently stumbled across womenswear website BORN AT DAWN and was excited to discover that (a) its founder, Lucy Knights (@magpie_fashion), is based in Walthamstow after migrating from the North of England (b) there were so many things about her style, her creative outlook and the impressive way she balances motherhood, work and general life that I could relate / aspire to and (c) the concept and thinking behind the brand is right up my street.
So what is BORN AT DAWN? It’s a multi-brand e-commerce website launching in early 2017 that promises to offer rising fashion and accessible luxury. With the current deluge of womenswear websites available - but with differing and sometimes questionable price, quality and style - BORN AT DAWN heralds the beginning of a new way to shop.
There’s lots of things that made Lucy’s brand stand out for me and piqued my interest in its launch next year…
Lucy has spent the majority of her career specialising in luxury fashion retail, and having worked with Harrods on their womenswear sales and strategy prior to conceiving BORN AT DAWN, it’s safe to say she’s an authority on all things elegant.
So it comes as no surprise that one of the most exciting elements of BORN AT DAWN is the range of brands that feature as part of the collection, many of which are Scandinavian and French inspired and so naturally exude that timeless, effortless look.
Brands include Samsoe & Samsoe, Selected Femme and Mads Norgaard and the very cool Maison Scotch - based in Amsterdam and known for scouring the globe to discover unique pieces - which has me particularly animated. Eager shoppers can expect beautiful shirts, soft sweatshirts, easy embroidered kaftans and summer dresses when the brand launches for SS17. Also, 2NDDAY, the Danish progressive womenswear label whose foundation is denim, leather and tailoring and part of the Day Birger et Mikkelsen group features as part of the BORN AT DAWN collection for SS17 and will offer special leather pieces, jumpsuits and perfect boyfriend jeans. Simply heavenly.
BORN AT DAWN and what it stands for spoke to me on many levels. I've reached a point where in my *ahem* mid-late 30s, I seem to be busier than ever and juggling a huge mound of stuff. This doesn’t mean my enthusiasm for fashion has dissipated, quite the opposite, but I simply don’t have time to embark on long shopping trips or spend hours browsing loads of websites. Sometimes, I’m lucky if I can have a wee.
I still want to be on trend but sometimes outfits need to be versatile as I mostly have a wriggly, dribbly baby attached to me and dash around at full pelt. I’ve always had a preference for the experimental and as I’ve got older and wiser my sartorial choices are (hopefully) a little more refined. I’ve never been a fan of the over-done look and favour a minimalist, clean aesthetic that labels like The Finery London and & Other Stories offer, or Jenna Lyons and those super cool Scandi girls radiate. Crucially, on a maternity leave budget I need mid-range prices but with undiluted quality and need to feel that by dipping into my savings to buy the odd piece it’s at a price and quality I can justify.
Lucy explained that the brand's woman is “…a strong, down to earth, creative, social individual. She is confident, accomplished and successfully balances the many different roles she has in her life”. It’s like someone has tapped into my brain and discovered what I’m aspiring to be.
BORN AT DAWN and Lucy’s vision could not have come at a better time for me. My little baby boy is now six months old and whilst he keeps me completely on my toes, I think I’m...gulp...ready to fully embrace fashion again. Yes! Bloggers like Dress Like A Mum and Mother Pukka have realised that many new Mums, like myself, struggle with their identify after having children and are striving to change the bad reputation of Mum dressing. The struggle is real - I’ve lost my nerve and am stuck in a uniform of feeding-functional, easy-to-fling on garb but I'm starting to rebel.
So, here’s to the power of creativity and accessible luxury. Wishing you all the best Lucy and I can’t wait to experience BORN AT DAWN when it launches next year.
I’m excited to dress like me again.
It’s safe to say there's not a lot of glamour in my life at the moment. Style is scant, elegance is exiguous. September Vogue has been woefully neglected along with its mates August, July and June Issues and summer trends, although eagerly observed, blew right past me.
As I write this I’m lunching, keeping one eye on baby Evan via the Baby Monitor App and gulping down my one-mug-of-caffeine-tea-as-per-NHS-guidelines as if someone’s going to take it away from me. There’s a dollop of peanut butter on my just-washed jeans and let’s not mention my crazy hair.
So the news that a BBC Two documentary series is about to air portraying life at British Vogue as it celebrates its centenary year is music to my ears. (The only music in fact, I’m eating in total silence apart from the occasional clattering of fork on plate in case the radio wakes the baby). I literally sat up for the first time in ages and felt enthused about watching something I have a bona fide interest in.
The first episode of the two-part documentary Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue, will broadcast on Thursday 8 September at 9.00 pm and promises to show what Vogue wears and what Vogue eats (can you even imagine?! I can’t, but would bet my Marc Jacobs bag it’s not peanut butter on toast).
It was shot by award-winning filmmaker Richard Macer (in association with his company Platform Productions) who, for the first time in British Vogue’s 100 year history, was granted unprecedented access to the magazine’s daily life over a nine month period. Macer’s footage includes one-on-one interviews with editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman and her power team of editors and key contributors, major fashion photoshoots and international shows. He also captured the every day running of the office as they prepared for and started to commemorate 100 years of the world’s most influential and celebrated fashion publication.
The documentary series promises to go behind the scenes and “uncover the world of high fashion like never before” and provide viewers with a candid and fascinating insight into an ever-changing industry. Episode one takes us to the end of the Spring/Summer 2017 fashion shows in September 2015. We get to follow Shulman and her creative heads - including Fashion Director Lucinda Chambers (who I imagine takes on the role of the magnetic Grace Coddington), Creative Director Jaime Perlman, Fashion Features Director Sarah Harris, Editor-at-Large Fiona Golfar, and the wider Vogue team. Later on in the series, Macer's camera observes some of the fashion world’s most popular characters on set, including Edie Campbell, Mario Testino and of course Kate Moss who has appeared on more British Vogue covers than anyone else. What would a fashion documentary be without Moss?
I cannot wait to watch it. I imagine Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue to be like The September Issue with a huge dose of British eccentricity and dazzle. I’m expecting huge characters, unfettered style and plenty of fabulous melodrama. For years I’ve wandered through London’s Hanover Square and seen Vogue House looming in all its palatial glory, contemplating what it’s actually like to run the UK’s style bible; how big decisions are made, exactly where inspirational shoots are prepped and great features are concocted and tried to get a peek through the doors in vain, so I'll be glad for the virtual tour.
You can watch the trailer below (did anyone else feel a bit nervous when the great Alexandra Shulman said "have you got a pass?"), although it provides only a tantalising excerpt, and The Guardian’s Morwenna Ferrier was lucky enough to get a sneak preview which you can read about here.
The preface on the BBC Two website explains “the films observe a world not just intent of celebrating the glories of the past, but also facing up to the challenges of an uncertain future”. It asks “With Instagram and other social media starting to challenge the magazine’s exalted position, can Shulman keep it on top?”.
I have no doubt. The magazine in my opinion remains as powerful and exciting as it has ever been. It influences and inspires, it provides a heady escape from the norm and an endorsement from Vogue magazine guarantees continuing success for labels, models and brands. I continue to buy and collect the print version on a monthly basis as well as devour the digital content.
I’ll happily be at one of my closest friends’ wedding celebrations when the documentary airs on Thursday (surrounded by glitzy ladies with a little Evan attached to me and timing my quaffing of champers around feeding) but will catch on iPlayer as soon as I can.
In the meantime, I’ll be watching half hour snippets of The September Issue in preparation (whilst doing some ironing. Oh the glamour).
Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue on BBC Two starts on Thursday, 8th September at 9pm.
When I grow up I want to be Carine Roitfeld.
Along with Julia Sarr-Jamois, Taylor Tomasi Hill and Jenna Lyons she is way up there with people I aspire to dress like, and ACTUALLY WANT TO BE IN REAL LIFE.
Carine Roitfeld is a global fashion icon - model, muse, writer, stylist, magazine editor, visionary. Having spent 10 years at the helm of Vogue Paris, in the much coveted Editor-in-Chief post, she moved on from her impressive tenure to create her very own magazine, CR Fashion Book. Her fashion tome 'Carine Roitfeld - Irreverent' is an opulent visual history and is desperate to be seen on my coffee table (hint hint, anyone who is reading). Karl Lagerfeld once said that 'If you close your eyes and imagine the ideal French woman, it would be Carine Roitfeld' and I concur with Karl.
For me personally, Carine made it perfectly, unapologetically acceptable to wear a faux leather pencil skirt with stilettos in broad daylight - but mon dieu, does she do it with class. She knows the art of balancing sexpot with cult fashion figure is to pair the leather with a cashmere jumper, a snug fitted t-shirt, or mannish tailoring - rather than a deep V which, let's face it, can take the look to whole different level.
CR is back on my radar because she has turned her talented hand to collaborating. It may seem an unlikely association but the 40-piece Carine Roitfeld for Uniqlo collection is unleashed at the end of October 2015 and je suis trés excité. This is her first collaboration with a brand, and the Japanese giant with its affordable prices, smart casual wear and advanced approach to fabric technology creates a befitting partnership.
The ad campaign, shot by Steven Meisel, provides delicious insight into what we can expect from the range. It mirrors Carine's impeccable elegance perfectly. Simplicity, sleek lines, super chic proportions - all interweaved with CR's magic. She explained in a recent Grazia article - 'I'm very picky. I want my skirt this length, my sweaters are this neckline, the coat is to be a bit shorter than the skirt... My skirts have pockets... I have these little tricks'. Oh to be in the know with these little tricks.
The pieces are to be worn TIGHT FIGHT. The collection is predominantly black (natch), features bountiful punky studs and eyelets and includes the requisite Faux Leather Skirt (£39.90). The fit of the rock'n'roll Carine Faux Fur Coat in leopard (£129.90) is stunning. May I have it now please? My other favourite pieces are the saucy Carine Flocky Printed Long Sleeve Blouse (£39.90) and the snuggly fitting Carine Wool Blended Tight Skirt (£29.90).
I really, really want the Carine Graphic Short Sleeve T-shirt which features a striking illustration of CR's face, but fear it will become a cult piece and at £14.90, will go in a flash.
The accessories are a sure-fire way to add a touch of Parisian insouciance. The Carine Tights are monogrammed with CR at the ankle and the Carine Eyelet Belt - depending on whether wide or skinny is your belt-style of choice (for me, it's wide) - have chunky eyelets as the name would suggest and come in at £14.90. I am all over the Carine Silk Tie - presented in polkadot, leopard print or Cami also at £14.90 and will be nonchalantly sweeping one around my neck.
I have fallen for this collection in a big way. I am awaiting 29 October 2015 with nervous, bated breath. Carine Roitfeld for Uniqlo offers people who are not CR the chance to be a bit CR; to waft down the road in something alluring and pretend to display some fabulous French equanimity. It is liberating, chic and on-point.
It will sell out, and I'll be left with the tights, I know, but a girl can dream. See you in the queue.
The other weekend. There I was, happily pootling about, catching up on the new Alabama Shakes album and returning a gigantic pile of clean washing to its rightful wardrobe when a startling realisation hit me mid-hang.
Someone's nicked all my plain clothes and replaced them with a great big jumble of print and colour!
That someone being me of course. Bar a sprinkling of denim, a smattering of faux leather, generally speaking my wardrobe is a riot of print, deck chair stripes and elaborate designs. When I'm searching in haste for day-job-appropriate or in need of a basic top to fling on with a jazzy skirt, pronto, I'm clutching the closet doors and shaking my head in puzzlement. I'm battling through a cacophony of colour. I'm looking for a plain white tee that's not there.
It's entirely my fault. I'm a sucker for a bold, beautiful print and a lover of vintage patterns and blooming floral bouquets. Often I get the urge to make like the experimental street styling girls and work a print clash with swagger - but bottle it at the front door because (a) I'm a great big scaredy cat and (b) there's a fine line between chic and clown.
All that confessed, I greatly admire women who sail through life in a minimal grey Sandro tee. Those clever girls who purposefully build capsule wardrobes based on stripped back white, navy and black separates from Cos. That use nothing more than a colour pop accessory, a killer heel, or a citrus clutch to make a sensational impact.
A recent Stylist magazine offered some welcome advice in their New-Season Update. 'Stock up on crew necks to wear with wide-leg trousers or a suede skirt', they recommended, and I nodded to myself and thought, yes. Yes you're right. It's time to get minimal. I shall take your advice (and ignore the vibrant trouser from Stella McCartney leaping off the page. Which to be fair at £485 a pop wasn't too difficult). I will cleanse my colour palette with a slouchy tee or two. I'll chuck on a taupe coat in a nonchalant manner. Hell, I'll condense all my stuff into a navy backpack if that's what it takes! This is the year I become MINIMAL and unembellished.
Then cheeky Monki reopened on Canarby Street after a refurb and all thoughts of minimalism went out the window.
My eye was turned once again by a flirty print. I fell in love with Swedish womenswear brand Monki a couple of years ago. They've been in London for three years now and Monki is the cheeky sibling in a family of other cool brands including two of my high street faves, Cos and & Other Stories and the formidable Cheap Monday.
The products are excellently priced and unique and fresh. Monki doesn't take itself seriously but maintains credibility with forward thinking yet wearable fashion. It's a festival chicks haven, but working girls will succeed too with perseverance; trousers and shirts offer Scandanavian minimalism with edge. Smart with a cheeky wink.
Monki runs the gamut from clothes, underwear and accessories and all in a rainbow of colours. The newly added denim area brings fresh blue ideas in dungaree, jeans, jumpsuit and dress form. The sunnies come in 25 different designs so I hear - from classic wayfarers to kooky cats' eyes - so if you're feeling gluttonous you can knock yourself out and get a few.
Monki is one of the shops where, on arrival, I roll up my sleeves, inhale a deep breath and take my time to scour every.single.item thus ensuring no potential gems are overlooked. Don't take it personally, but I quite like going on my own. Absorbing the colours and styles that whizz past my eyes, slowly gathering a load on my weighed-down arm to take into the changing rooms and secure in the comfort that anything I buy won't shatter my bank account to smithereens.
One of my favourite dresses ever is from Monki - a long-sleeved patterned creation that accompanied me to Latitude Festival in 2014. It proved versatile for the roasting hot/freezing cold combo that England loves to chuck at us all in one day thus making it REALLY EASY TO DRESS FOR (NOT). I found it also went well with glitter and beer and withheld some tipsy dancing in fairy light illuminated woods and being bashed into while hanging out of the overspilling comedy tent.
My most recent Monki haul included the Rinda Shirt, the Beata Blouse and the eye-catching Moa Shirt Dress.
So, on reflection, maybe it's not so bad to be a bit barmy in print. Putting the smile back into fashion with something a bit more flamboyant.
Let this brilliant brand be your sartorial guide, and have some fun along the way. Maybe you'll also find yourself bewitched by some Monki magic...
*Oh, Monki does plain stuff too. It's terrific.
In 2015 I will be writing a Sentence a Day. You can read more about why here.
Today is the 14 April 2015.
Question:
What did you accomplish today?
Answer:
I ticked a couple of tricky things off my work list, wrote some overdue personal cards at lunch and ran 6 miles after work on a sunny evening in London as part of my Run Hackney training - #runningforjohn
(*I'm getting a bit better at focusing on what I did accomplish, rather than what's left on a big to-do list).
In 2015 I will be writing a Sentence a Day. You can read more about why here.
Today is the 12 April 2015.
Question:
Whose style do you admire?
Answer:
Without question, Taylor Tomasi Hill; street style star, former magazine editor and creator of TTH Blooms - if I could dress like this every single day of my life I would be content.
Running along the Southbank the other night after work, huffing and puffing and careering in and out of PEOPLE THAT HAVE TIME TO DAWDLE I clapped my eyes on something that nearly stopped me in my tracks.
A chic woman in a quilted puffer jacket (v. J Crew) was sat outside the BFI's Riverfront Bar, sipping slowly from a steaming great mug of coffee while reading a book under the warm red glow of an outdoor heater.
Nothing unusual about this you say and I agree. Yet, I couldn't take my eyes off her and a pang of mild envy smacked me round the chops without warning.
This malaise had nothing to do with not being able to feel my face thanks to an icy side wind coming off the Thames. Nor that my tatty Berghaus beanie made me resemble Badly Drawn Boy rather than a glowing goddess as we're supposed to look when exercising. No, this was because said lady was sat there doing absolutely nothing. Diddly squat. Nada. No phone, no companion, no evidence of work of any sort. Just her, a book and a hot beverage (and a great coat). There may even have been a cake. She was the antithesis of me; a picture of total and selfless relaxation.
As I trotted on towards the Hungerford Bridge and got stuck behind an overzealous tourist with a selfie stick, I mulled this over in my cold head. When was the last time I actually sat in a café and read something for leisure, rather than obligation? Stopped for longer than ten minutes to focus on one single thing, with no laptop, interruptions or iPhone and just savoured the pure, unadulterated enjoyment of reading?
I couldn't for the life of me remember. This troubled me.
Back in 2007 when I lived in Australia and first arrived as a pasty, scared thing and knew not a soul apart from my sister (I eventually dropped the fear but sadly the pallor never left) I would hang out in bookshops and various eateries in the early few days before city working. Just me, a Lonely Planet and a dog-eared book. I would gulp local coffee and read feverishly, stopping only to scribble some profound nonsense in a travel journal and have a nose at what was going on around me. I would eat whatever I felt like (*I'll have your finest flapjack and a plate of halloumi please*) and leave only when I couldn't make a tap water stretch any further or my bum had gone completely numb. A Jack Johnson soundtrack usually tinkled in the background, he being the epitome of repose.
Later independent travel provided further magic moments to pause in between destinations, seek out a second-hand bookshop and spend any leftover beer money on a battered but well-loved edition. As a result I was quite well-read and had a renewed sense of acuity and calmness. I'd meet the most interesting people when I least expected it. Luckily, Billy No Mates soon got some mates but I'd still disappear every now and then on my own.
Sigh. Which plonks me back down to Earth onto the arctic Southbank, the chilled lady and me squishing in an evening run. Clearly, when you're travelling / on your holidays you have a ton more free time on your hands. In those carefree days, I was sans responsibility, a busy job or an other half and my bestest mates were miles away. I could lounge about in hostels, chat to randoms and enjoy the benefit of wearing 'outdoor clothing' from Millets without fear of bumping into someone I knew. Just me, hanging out with me.
So the puffer lady got my brain ticking and ponder. Ahem, in a very Carrie Bradshaw way *typed words appear on screen*: Why couldn't we carve out some free time from our frantic schedules every now and then and gift it to ourselves? You know, take a breath and escape the chaos. Spend a bit of time doing exactly what we want, not what we have to. Enrich our souls and quiet our minds and... *thud*. That was the sound of a sleep-deprived parent throwing a Peppa Pig book at my head.
Ok, ok I hear you. The reality is there IS no spare time, barely time to pee let alone nibble on a flapjack and peruse a classic Hemingway. Life is so jam-packed and full these days, with crammed professional and personal schedules that there's hardly time to breathe. Free time is appallingly infinitesimal. But isn't it time we invested for the sake of our health and frazzled brains? Make an appointment with ourselves?
How about we all try this experiment together: Put a meeting in our diaries, half an hour here and there, just for ourselves and and stick to the commitment. Adjust this plan to fit to our individual circumstances - perhaps half hour when the kids are in bed to flop on the sofa and read, maybe escape the desk and Regain your Lunch Break as recommended by Stylist or get up with the larks and sneak out when your bed companion's still snoozing and go out for a stroll - just you, your iPod and your inner thoughts. Let's all report back on our findings.
My friend Vicki recently shared with me a beautiful phrase - dolce far niente which, roughly translated, means the 'sweetness of doing nothing'. What a gorgeous concept. Puffer lady had perfected her 'niente'. Mine's a bit rusty, but I've blocked out some time a few Sunday's away to experience the dolce of reading The Goldfinch, sat woefully on my bedside table unread since Crimbo, in a new brunch place round the corner. It should keep me grounded, power me through the bad stuff that life has chucked our way recently and reenact that wonderful sense of liberty I once experienced in Sydney, San Diego, Auckland, Hobart, Lima - right here in London.
So lovely friends, please accept my apologies the next time I decline a vino, a lunch or another adventure around town which you know I'm always up for - I have an appointment with me.
Next time you walk along the Southbank, take a look. It might be me there under the glow of a heater with my nose in a book.
In a better hat I hope.
