Lulu Guinness SS13 Press Day – A Day In Miami

On October 24th, I had the pleasure to attend the Lulu Guinness Spring/Summer 2013 Press Day. I’ve featured the brand several times on my blog because it’s my favourite. I have the Life is a Bed of Roses necklace, black mirror purse, two totes, an umbrella and two clutches (one of them a lips clutch, the most brilliant clutch ever created), and my little collection’s still growing – especially after I’ve seen next seasons fantastic eye candy at the press day.

The press day was at The Vinyl Factory near Oxford Circus tube station. I put my name down next to people from well-known magazines, Condé Nast and famous bloggers (exciting!).

The brick wall room was decorated with palm trees, flamingos, pink neon lips and a huge ‘Hotel Lulu Guinness’ wall. The Miami themed decoration perfectly matched the collection. Lots of stripes (I love stripes!), lips patterns, doll face bags, black, white, pink and blue, and an utterly adorable car bag! The food also looked quite delicious, but unfortunately I’m a Vegetarian, so I couldn’t try it. I’m so sad I missed the chocolate lips and macaroons in the afternoon!

Goody bags included an Innocent smoothie, a Lulu Guinness voucher and the cutest lips-shaped USB stick.

A weekend at Berlin Fashion Week

Berlin Fashion Week was a kind of surreal experience for me and – surprise, surprise – not all glamorous. I’ve been to Berlin only a few times and usually had a car at my disposal; not this time however. When I got there, I first had to find the next U-Bahn or S-Bahn (tube) station to get to my accommodation, which happened to be almost impossible. It was 7pm, very hot, I had no idea where I was and – worst of all – my phone’s battery was running low. Very glamorous…! Anyway, I somehow did find my accommodation and almost immediately fell asleep.

I had a lot of time for sightseeing, in spite of my pretty tight show and showroom schedule. My feet were very glad when I sat down in Starbucks in front of the Brandenburg Gate (right opposite the Hotel Adlon where the GREENshowroom and salon show took place, which will get its own blog post).

Above you can see the the outfit I was wearing. It looked way too French for Berlin, but I really wanted to wear the beret. Haha. My Lulu Guinness lips clutch was a great ‘companion’ at Berlin Fashion Week too!

Berlin street style:  Skirt: Probably H&M, Jacket: Vintage

More street style pictures in the Showroom magazine by The Sartorialist

I went to several showrooms and shows and all in all really enjoyed the Fashion Week. Actually I wanted to go ‘street style photo hunting’ on Saturday, however all the Fashionistas were hiding in their hotel rooms because of the heavy rain.

I’m going to write 2 or 3 more blog posts about showrooms, shows and the Ethical Fashion Week this week. The first one will be about the GREENshowroom, salon show and Ethical Fashion Week; one will be about the showrooms and the vintage fashion fair and then I’ll probably also do one about some other shows.

Sarah xx

 

A Day In London

In this post I’ll describe what the perfect day in London is for me. Opinions differ, of course, and everyone has an individual idea of a ‘perfect day in London’. I got the idea for this blog post last April, when my parents visited London for the very first time. It was one of the most stressful weekends I ever had! We had exactly two days and they wanted to see everything. We went from Finchley to Hampstead to Belsize Park to Camden to Central London, Sloane Square, Westminster, up and down Oxford Street, to the Tower, Shakespeare’s Globe etc etc etc. After I had (barely) survived that weekend, I realised that probably a lot of people make the mistake to stay in London for only one weekend. This is crazy, especially if they’re here for the first time! There are way too many things to see and two days aren’t enough. I called what we did ‘extreme sightseeing’. What’s so extreme about it? Well, go ahead and try to show your friends, parents or whoever almost all the sights in London, but please don’t forget to post pictures of the blisters on your and their feet!

My perfect day would start with a morning in Hampstead. I’d have breakfast (Brioche French Toast!) at Giraffe on Rosslyn Hill (opens at 7.30am), and would then walk to Primrose Hill in the southeast or Hampstead Heath in the north to watch the sunrise over London.

Afterwards I’d go to Camden vintage shopping and looking at all the cute shabby chic things they sell at the market; maybe I’d also try some Asian food and cupcakes.

Photo by turquoisegrrrl

In the afternoon I would take the tube to Central London (Northern line from Camden Town station to Leicester Square, Piccadilly line from Leicester Square to Green Park and then the Jubilee line to Westminster) to do a little sightseeing tour and see the most famous sights in London: The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Number 10 (Downing Street) and the Horse Guards Parade. They’re not far away from the tube station, but it’s up to you which of the sights you’d like to see.

Then I’d take the Circle or District line to Sloane Square to have lunch at my favourite pancake house, My Old Dutch, and – if your budget allows it - to go (designer) shopping (either that or Oxford Street..and don’t forget Harrods!!).

In the evening I’d take the tube to the Tower Bridge (London Bridge or Tower Hill station) to watch the sunset. Something which I can’t miss on my perfect London day is a musical! I can recommend Legally Blonde, which I saw last October and which I loooooved. It’s at the Savoy Theatre, so that would be my next stop.

In the late evening/ night I would have some cocktails in the Aqua Spirit Bar on Regents Street (roof terrace!).

Photo by blog.blacktomato.co.uk 

Of course there are millions of other things I love to do in London, but since it’s ‘A Day in London’ post, I can’t include all of them.

I wish everyone a Happy Jubilee weekend!

Chanel Cruise 2012/13 Illustrations

Karl Lagerfeld presented the Chanel Cruise 2012/13 in the garden of the Château de Versailles. He knows how to combine modern design and classic chic like no one else, and he’s probably the only person who can dress a model in a skirt and trainers and get away with it. We saw cute chiffon dresses as well as jeans, shorts and the famous tweed jackets. Most of the dresses looked like 18th century rococo chic.

La Maschera di Venezia

In your life you should be at least once in London, once à Paris, once in New York, once in Los Angeles and once in Venice, I think. I’m still fairly young, but already have been to 3 of these 5 great cities. Why Venice?, you ask. Isn’t it dirty? Doesn’t it smell weird there? I don’t like prejudices, because most of the time they prove to be completely wrong. I don’t know if all of Venice is as lovely as the part I’ve seen (and I’m quite sure it’s not), but don’t only list the negative things, think of the positive things first. First of all, yes, Venice IS expensive; 5 pounds for a simple coffee. BUT (and there will be a lot of “but’s” in this blog post) you don’t have to sit in a café in the most touristy and crowded places in Venice. There are some wonderful cute little restaurants and cafés in some of the side ‘streets’ (canals or ‘calle’ actually) where you pay a normal price for a normal coffee. Don’t always expect them to talk English to you though. As for the gondola riding, you can’t expect that to be cheap with thousands of tourists every day, but don’t be a cheapskate. You’re there only once maybe, so enjoy it! It’s most romantic in the evening at sunset by the way. And hope for a gondelier who can sing..!

Venice is full of tourists, but somehow, and I don’t know how they do it, it’s neither dirty nor does it smell bad. At least it didn’t when I was there. Venice is charming. That describes it best in my opinion. Think canals, gondolas, the pali that look like candy, designer stores, little vintage shops, amazing old buildings, churches and add some of the weirdest shops you’ll ever see in your life, and you get…Venice! A town which is one of a kind. But please don’t go there expecting it to be heaven on earth, because there are downsides. Lots of tourists as well as pigeons and pickpockets and foreign men trying to sell you replica designer handbags; narrow little streets which are hell for every claustrophobic; and if you plan to walk through one of those passageways in the evening in spite of the dubious people sitting there, because it seems to be the only way to get to the place you want to, don’t let the fact that you have to climb over the dinner of said people put you off. All in all, I loved my stay there and would love to revisit one day.

Christian Louboutin – 20 Years of Design

“From 1st May to 9th July the Design Museum presents iconic French shoe designer Christian Louboutin, celebrating a career which has pushed the boundaries of high fashion shoe design. This exhibition celebrates Louboutin’s career showcasing twenty years of designs and inspiration, revealing the artistry and theatricality of his shoe design from stilettos to lace-up boots, studded sneakers and bejewelled pumps. Be taken on a magical journey of style, glamour, power, femininity and elegance.”

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a life-size hologram of Louboutin’s muse Dita van Teese in glittery heels. A restrospective, 20 ans of Christian Louboutin – you will see mirrors, more mirrors, vamp style, red velvet, more mirrors and, of course, shoes! Do not miss this! Tickets are between £9 and £11.

Photos by Grazia Germany and The Constant Traveller

My Vintage Red Lulu Guinness Lips Clutch

As those of you who follow me on Twitter or have read my Burlington Arcade Lulu Guinness store post know, I bought a lips clutch a few weeks ago. I was really excited to finally get it. It’s Lulu’s signature bag and if you love her as much as I do, you simply have to get one. They’re available in various variations, colours and materials and they’re so cute, like eye candy! Red is my favourite colour (well, red and pink), so naturally I wanted a red one. The little word ‘vintage’ won me over. I wanted the vintage red lips clutch.

I was so happy and excited, I was protecting it like a mum would protect her newborn all the way home from Central London. It’s now sitting next to my bed, waiting to be used on a cocktail evening or birthday.

I’m wearing my lips clutch necklace by Jaymie which I love almost as much as the real lips clutch.

I  also want to introduce a new category, called ‘Lips Clutch Travel’. I travel a lot and have decided to take my lips clutch with me each time and take a photo of it in front of , for example, a famous sight or something which is typical for that country or city. First is Dresden, Germany, as this is where I’m right now. The photo will be posted next week!

Burberry Prorsum AW12 Illustrations

The Burberry Prorsum AW12 show was hands down the best show at London Fashion Week. Fake rain and thunder, music by Marina and the Diamonds (‘Numb’) and a front row like no other. The collection itself is fabulous. It’s chic and playful and I love it! Which is the reason why I chose two of my favourite Burberry AW12 pieces to illustrate.

Original photos by ohdearhenry.blogspot.com

Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo

Think lips, kooky cats, cameo and doll faces et voilà, you get the limited edition Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo t-shirt collection!

On April 16th the collection launched online and in store. Only a few hours later some of the shirts were already sold out online. Two of them are still available though. Lulu is, as I pointed out, one of the best British handbag designers and my favourite designer. Lulu herself says about the collaboration: “I have always wanted to put my designs onto T-shirts, so when Uniqlo approached me about doing a collaboration I was thrilled. I have always liked the simplicity of Uniqlo products – they are fantastic for basics and also I love the Heattech range. The brand also chooses intelligent collaborations with designers and I respect their innovation.”

Last thursday,April 26th, Lulu visited the Uniqlo event on Oxford Street, an event you couldn’t miss if you were in London and adore her designs. It was an event extraordinaire, with retro sweets in lips shape, fruit cocktails, Ladurée macarons and free manicures!

Pictures by Uniqlo, Vogue and lifestyleflash_ 

Restaurant Review: My Old Dutch Pancake House

It’s situated on Kings Road, perfect when you’re hungry and tired from shopping, which wasn’t why I first noticed it though. I first went there with a friend who insisted on going there with me. And thank god I gave in to her, or else I’d probably never have discovered my favourite restaurant! Whenever I’m in the Sloane Square area now, I always pop in for an Italian pancake, which is my favourite, and a fresh orange juice. They also have amazing “My Old Dutch shakes”, you should try the belgian chocolate and the nutella shake!