A sunday musical treat

One of the main attractions of London for me was the fact that there are all walks of life here and no matter what interests you there is always someone else who shares your passion.

I have always loved the idea of having a few drinks whilst listening to Jazz music, Australia does have some Jazz music venues but it’s not a prominent music choice of a Rock loving nation.

I think I will accredit my interest in Jazz to my mother who used to play Harry Connick Jnr and Frank Sinatra around the house. Certain songs from the Red Hot and Blue Cole Porter tribute cd take me back to my childhood and evoke some great memories. At the end of the day I think Jazz is just so romantic and easy to listen to.

Upon my arrival in London I was so excited to read about all the legendary Jazz venues within the Soho area and I have been begging numerous people to come with me to any of them. I was in luck that one of my close friends agreed to come to a Sunday afternoon session at the one and only Ronnie Scotts.

The inside of the venue was exactly what I pictured a proper Jazz club was like. Dark, moody and sexy. The layout of the main area of the club is proper old school with allocated seating for couples (or in our case good friends!)and it is tiered so that we are all faced to the stage. Each tier is broken up with small red lamps indicating each table.

On a Sunday Ronnie Scotts runs a lunchtime session which varies its featured acts each week but our chosen week was Tony Bennett and Sinatra classics sung by Jeff Hooper.

Jeff is known as a big band singer who was for many years the featured vocalist with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra. For our performance he appeared with the John Horler Trio. The band and Jeff had fantastic chemistry, the banter was amusing and it was very entertaining to see older men still riling each other up!

Jeff had a fantastic smooth voice, he was a crooner and a crowd pleaser (he dedicated a beautiful track to a lady in the audience who was celebrating her 90th birthday!) Given that 90% of the audience was over the age of 40 and almost everyone was coupled up he was the perfect choice for a Sunday afternoon of love songs. The set was very intimate with the tiny stage allowing Jeff to walk around and sing close to people, this only added to the fantastic vibe of the concert.

My favourite tracks were played after the interval as the second session was dedicated to audience requests. Stand outs for me included ‘Fly me to the Moon’ and ‘It had to be you’- two sensational tracks that will forever stand the test of time in my mind.

Throughout the performance most of the guests treated themselves to a roast lunch (which looked delicious) as well as copious cocktails or glasses of wine.

I must say I was longing for more despite the fact we had been there for over 3 hours. It was very strange leaving at 4pm and re entering society whilst the sun was still up having consumed half a bottle of red wine- it made the tube journey home very entertaining!

I would go back to Ronnie Scott's in a second and I am happy to report that Frank has seen a few more replays on my ipod since!

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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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Afternoon delight

I think one very quintessential thing on everyone's London's list is to have fancy afternoon tea at a key location.

I really wanted to go to The Ritz however the price was not so appealing so I started considering other options. I had been to the Wolseley for a work breakfast so I discounted that (although the breakfast is incredible and I’ve heard its one of the best in London- believe the hype!) and it seemed like every other hotel we considered (Dorchester, Park Lane) had similar prices, around £30, which seems like a lot for a few scones or sandwiches.

One of my dear friends suggested we go to Sketch bar. I have wanted to go to Sketch for a while as I had heard a lot of amazing reviews about the quirky decor and the great cocktails, it is one of the 'it' places to go in London so I was up for it.

The inside is just lush, velvet red walls and carpet, the place is separated into many different rooms which makes it cosy and intriguing. Despite the fact it was 3pm in the afternoon the whole place had a very funky ‘cool’ vibe.

The room we were sat in was part bar, part library and it had crazy chandeliers, birdcages and amazing wallpaper.

The food was phenomenal and the afternoon tea menu seemed to offer a different selection of treats than some of the other places we had considered.

To start with there was the assorted finger sandwiches and fruit scones which just oozed taste and decadence. The smoked salmon sandwiches were a stand out for me however the remaining selection was just as good- egg, ham etc.

The highlight of the meal for me were the four pastries- probably because I have a very sweet tooth! Firstly there was a raspberry macaroon that was filled with a creamy paste and had a pop of a jam like substance in the middle which was heaven in my mouth.

The berry tart was my next favourite, I’m not normally a fan of pastry/tart like desserts but this was damn tasty and the fruit was to die for. The friand was delightful and there was an interesting biscuit with a creamy savory top which the other girls didn't love but I liked the contrast in taste it bought compared to the other treats on the table.

We washed all this tasty food down with a tea of our choice- mine was an Asian Green tea and it was earthy and tasted delightful.

The whole experience wouldn't have been complete if we didn't visit the infamous toilets. I have no hesitation in saying it was like being transported into a Star Trek episode. The rooms were completely white and they were unisex. The toilets themselves were pods hanging from the ceiling and if that wasn't trippy enough once you get inside the pod there is a loudspeaker which plays sounds like you are in a spaceship about to takeoff- completely out there!!!

As there were 3 of us we all had to take turns using the restrooms and we were to discover an alternate set of toilets to the pods which were normal booths set up to be plush and posh. They matched the red décor of the rest of the hotel and they even had a mannequin covered in swarovski crystals sat outside the entrance. I have never seen anything like it.

I had such an fantastic time, probably also due to my lovely company, but if you want to have afternoon tea with a twist I would definitely recommend checking out Sketch- less stuffy and just damn fun.

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A touch of Hollywood glamour

I had wanted to go to the Grace Kelly exhibition ever since it opened, I had tried a few times unsuccessfully and when one of my nearest and dearest friends moved over from Australia I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to attempt to go again.

I made sure we got there super early, around 10am, even then we were forced to wait half an hour until the next available session.

To say the exhibition was worth the wait is an understatement and it was even more special for me to share it with my friend who has a wealth of knowledge of fashion and about the technicalities of well made outfits- I learnt a lot!

Every piece of clothing was stunning and the way the exhibition was put together perfectly took you through Grace's life story from an actress to a Hollywood glamour superstar.

The exhibition started with the girly dresses of her youth and her courtship with Prince Rainer to the absolutely stunning dresses she wore to parties in her 50's right through to costumes from her films- mind blowing.

We started with outfits from the time when she first met Prince Rainier III of Monaco and were able to see the "easy to sew" dress she had made from the McCall Patterns. The fact that she could meet and woo a Prince in a self made outfit is a massive compliment to the way she could wear a dress.

We then moved onto the belted shirtwaist dress which she wore for the official announcement of her engagement to Prince Rainier, this is totally something that I think Louis Vuitton has replicated in his A/W 10 collection and I could definitely see myself wearing it.

I loved the emerald green Givenchy wool dress with matching bolero jacket that she wore when she visited the White House for lunch with President and Mrs Kennedy, so chic and again something that has stood the test of time and could be worn today.

The outfits from High Society- the grey and pink silk chiffon dress embroidered with roses and a Grecian-style bathing robe absolutely took my breath away.

The Haute couture creations stood in the middle of the exhibition so they could be viewed on a 360 degree angle. Some of the highlights were outfits by Chanel and Balenciaga but the gorgeous Pucci like kaftan was my favourite of the whole collection, she had worn it with piles of jewels and her hair stacked high on her head- totally glamour.

As she aged her style became more eccentric. This was definitely reflected in this amazing head piece she wore to a ball that was made of hair and crystals that branched off her head almost like elegant eels- sounds strange but was stunning.

Of course it would be remiss of me to not mention the accessories, the copious amounts of very VB style prescription sunglasses and the one and only iconic Hermès "Kelly" bag- it crazy to see this bag in real life, probably the closest ill ever get to one!

I loved the whole exhibition, I felt really inspired about fashion and history when I left so much so that I had to go out the next day to buy, watch and totally enjoy High Society- makes me think my mother is onto something with the beauty of old movies and old school Hollywood glamour

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Just another competition I won...

So this is not a post to brag but I even I will admit I have been through quite a lucky patch lately. I truly thought after the SATC2 premiere I was done but fortunately not so!

I happened to enter a competition at work to win tickets to the 2010 Wireless festival in London Hyde Park to see Jay Z and Lily Allen live. I was actually tossing around the idea of buying tickets when the email popped up in my inbox that I had won VIP tickets to the Sunday show!

I decided to take my new flatmate as a nice bonding session and I thought she deserved to get out and enjoy London!

We arrived in the afternoon and headed straight to the VIP area to check it out. Let me set the record straight right now, VIP does not include a special spot in front of the stage, nor does it guarantee not having to line up for drinks and the food/drinks are just as expensive as outside the area- there is just more fancy varieties.

The main benefit of the VIP area was that there were nice toilets with toilet paper and mirrors (at a festival yes believe it or not!!!) and there were plenty of hot hot people.

Once we picked our jaws off the ground we went out to check out Slash on the main stage. Slash is an amazing guitar player, one of the best in the world, however he isn't really a people person and he left the talking and crowd motivation to his main singer- who can I say sounds a lot like Axl Rose. To be honest it was hard to get into his solo stuff but it was super cool to hear some classic Guns N Roses- Sweet Child O'Mine and Paradise City!

We were really pumped to see Friendly Fires so we got drinks and found our positions in the crowd. For some reason our bladders decided this was a perfect time to play up and we spent the first 3 songs in the queue for the toilet. In the end their set got cut short as Slash had played over his allotted time so we only got to see 2 songs however they are a fantastic band and one of the highlights of the day in my mind.

We decided to get more drinks and some food (standard festival Cider and hot chips!) and head back to watch Lily Allen. As some of you may know I have a bit of a problem with Lily Allen. I think she is way too opinionated for someone who has been in the industry about 10 minutes. However that said she has a good catalogue of hit songs so the set was enjoyable and I did find myself singing along!

We got more drinks and settled to rock out to Jay Z- 5 ciders in I was in a very jolly mood and we were to discover the ladies behind us were also. This particular lady only knew about every 3 words to a song and decided to sing lalala in between to make sure she was singing every song. To say this became annoying is a massive understatement!

Jay Z is a brilliant artist and is an icon for our generation, he has so many amazing songs- 99 problems, Empire State of Mind, Show Me What You Got, Run This Town etc.

About an hour into the set we decided to leave, partly due to the company behind us but mostly as everyone knows festivals are a night mare to get home from.

I was glad I got the chance to go to a UK festival this year however I'm glad I didn’t pay to go to that one, I think maybe I am getting old when I start to whinge that I spend a lot of the time lining for the toilet and getting drinks. I do love a great concert though so this won’t be my last festival!

A big thanks to my lovely friend for coming, it was loads of fun with you and I'm glad we got to share that together

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