2010- A summary

So I admit I haven't been the greatest with updates the last few months.

There are a few reasons, mostly normal complaints for people of my age- intense work loads, socialising and general lazyness.

However I have also been dedicating my time to the Fashion Marketing course at the London College of Fashion. This was a truly fantastic experience. I absolutely loved opening my eyes beyond the world of media and stepping back to see the marketing environment as a whole. Studying has totally revitalised my passion for my career and intensified my interest in fashion- so much so that I am embarking on an internship in 2011.

I have started a marketing role at up and coming fashion magazine, 1883. This is a high fashion title which focuses on introducing new talent in the world of fashion focusing on up and coming designers, photographers, stylists, make up artists- basically every up an coming creative mind.

I am super excited about this opportunity and about sharing this experience with you all.

Back to 2010, I feel I owe it to you to list the other adventures I had that I didn't get around to writing to about.

In short I got to:
- tour around the opulent Buckingham palace and its gardens
- have a fanastic night at Guilty pleasures at Koko Camden- I forgot how much fun cheesy 90's pop music is
- see some amazing exhibitions of fashion genuises: Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, Matthew Williamson, Horricks fashion
- travel to some very interesting and unique places: York, Scotland and the beloved NYC!
- saw priscilla the musical: Alf I love you, Sydney I miss you and your quirky charms
- visit Manolo Blahnik in Chelsea: the one thing that started my travels, my desire to want more and see more and the reason I am interested in Fashion in the first place

I hope you have all enjoyed reading my blog and I promise I will be returning in 2011 to update you on more crazyness and hopefully provide you with some inspiration.

Love to you all

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Amazing London Exhibitions

So I guess you can gather that Im a bit of a fan of exhibitions and given one of the reasons I came to London was to soak up the culture I dont like a weekend to go by without visiting an exhibition/gallery.

I have recently been to 3 very different exhibitons, all which have delighted and entertained me.

First up was the Deep Sea Exhibition at the Natural History museum. I have been wanting to go to this exhibit ever since it opened in late May. I know that some people find my fascination with the deep sea odd but the unknown and the strange creatures that survive at the depths of the ocean absolutely fascinate me!

I was lucky to meet someone at a friend's birthday who also shared this love so we went together one Sunday in late July.

The exhibition was damn cool. There was variations of fish, coral and flowers (believe it or not) on display that survive 1100 metres below earth. Some of the fish were just freaky looking with various tenticles, scales and ugly faces but the flowers were quite beautiful. A lot of the exhibits were copies however a few were real animals which made it a little scary!

The main feature of the exhibit was a full replica of the bones of a sperm whale. To be able to see its actual size in the sea really makes you think about the magnitude of the ocean and makes me love these gentle giants a little more! Other exhibits to note was the life size exhibit of a freaky giant spider crab and replica's of some of the oldest known 'fish' in the world.

Seeing this exhibition made me stop and think how vast the world is and how amazing the natural circle of life is.

The next exhibition I visited was centred on the fashion label Maison Martin Margelia and it was held at Somerset house. I really love this building/venue, it has a very old London feel and the permanent exhibition centre holds some fantastic artwork from Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, van Gogh and Picasso.

The Margelia exhibition was called '20' which stood for the last 20 years of their collections.

I knew nothing of the designer prior to attending the exhibit and I can say I left very informed and enlightened about inspiration behind fashion that I just don't understand.

It was amazing to have an explanation of what this designer tries to convey through their 'art' and to see how their vision has shaped the subsequent designs we see on the catwalk today, this seasons cape is a perfect example!

The way he used fashion to question and critic how we clothe ourselves and what we convey with clothing is fascinating. We were in the exhibit over 2 hours and that wasn't enough time to really capture the essence of this ground breaking brand.

The last and definitely not the least was the Picasso Mediterranean years exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery. Most of the work I have seen by this legendary artist I would describe as intense, moving and at times disturbing.

However this exhibition was full of light, colour and love. The pieces featured were from 1945- 1962 which was the time in his life that he spent with his children in the south of France.

The pieces were a reflection of the lifestyle of the Mediterranean area and were centred on bulls, beautiful women and a key focus on his children.

On display was a combination of paintings, drawings, sculpture and ceramics. The colours used were primarily bright and there was a lot of pastels- it was a delight.

I love Picasso for the depth in his work, for his inspirations and the way he viewed life. This exhibition merely wet my appetite and I want to see more of this genuis' work.

I'm sure there will be further updates on my exhibition travels but I hope you have enjoyed the above description

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Soho Burlesque delights

I have been fascinated with the idea of Burlesque ever since Dita Von Teese came into the lime light. The way she oozes class whilst being practically naked in a champagne glass is phenomenal.

I had heard about a club called Madame Jo Jo's from a friend (or workmate- I can’t remember!) and they had recommended it not only as a fun night out in London for drinks but also a good venue for Burlesque entertainment.

I had met my friend (who came to Bath with me) for a drink one Sunday evening in Soho- really if you are going to be drinking on a Sunday night Soho is the place to go. The streets are packed with lively campness and pop music which is sure to ease anyone’s sundayitis.

Anyway after our drink we decided to go for a little walk and it was then that we stumbled across the actual venue for Madame Jo Jo's. We were checking out the leaflets at the door when a mad lady rushed in screaming 'when is the next Kitten Club?' We were intrigued asked what this is was, her reply 'oh the best Burlesque show ever’- we were sold.

A few weeks later we returned to the venue with our tickets (bought cheap on lastminute.com) and high expectations. We settled in our seats with a bottle of Vino and I can honestly say that it was the most fun I have had in a long time.

The show wasn't so focused on nudity, in fact you didn’t really see that much nudity, but really it was just pure entertainment.

They had a hilarious MC/magician who was goofy and completely likeable who came on stage between the acts. There were 3 girls who took it in turn to sing, recite poetry (whilst pestering audience members to help), dance with fire (yes that was scary) and of course perform an obligatory seductive strip tease.

Despite preparing to see gorgeous girls nude for 2 hours I actually left with my stomach hurting from laughing so much and a smile from ear to ear.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable and fun evening- everyone should see the Kitten club!

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